UKRAINE, ISREAL, THE ECONOMY AND OTHER THINGS IN A DOWNWARD SPIRAL

The news lately is filled with the Four Horsemen running rampant across the globe. Pestilence is spreading, seemingly out of control in Africa, not to mention a new respiratory illness affecting children across the US. War is outsourcing as he is so busy with multiple conflicts. Famine is still a problem even here in America. Death meanwhile is everywhere.

Let's start with pestilence. Ebola is out of control due to the poverty and corruption throughout Africa. It's not helped by the fact that the WHO is massively underfunded and understaffed due to budget cuts caused by the global recession which still continues to this day. It has been suggested that the numbers we see are massively underreported and that the true death toll may be in the tens of thousands by now. Chances are near 100% that this disease has been found here and in Europe but as we don't live in third world nations and have governments with an intense desire to keep any such info under wraps, the chances of it spreading are near nil. If it does, do not expect the government to tell you the truth until it is far too late. However, I have heard nothing from my sources who work across this country at medical labs and hospitals so I am fairly positive there is no outbreak here nor is one expected.

However, a new mystery illness is affecting children nationwide. More than 1000 children nationwide have been stricken with many more expected. The disease has not been identified publically but I hear that it is most likely human enterovirus 68, a rare respiratory illness and similar to the common cold. So far, at least 10 state, Missouri, Kansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Iowa, Colorado, Ohio, Oklahoma, North Carolina, and Georgia, have reported suspected outbreaks of the disease and requested help from the CDC to combat it. Many wonder if the recent influx of unvaccinated illegals may be the cause for the surge in cases and is a possibility. This is certain to get the Tea Party faithful's panties in a bunch either way.

As for war, he has been quite busy. The fragile cease fire that everyone agreed was unlikely to last didn't as shelling has resumed across the Ukrainian border and the EU is again threatening new sanctions against Russia. The fact that Russia seems to be behaving like nuclear weapons do not exist is breathtaking in its audacity. The fact they allegedly kidnapped an Estonian solider, which the Russians counter was a spy in their own territory, is the kind of thing that could end civilization as Estonia is a NATO member. This story has gotten zero coverage, as the disease story above has also been MIA. The press is too busy reporting garbage that no one cares about, like the second pregnancy of Kate Middleton. Yawn.

Israel has crapped all over the still holding cease fire against Gaza but even I wonder how long that will hold. Not to be outdone, Israel is also seriously talking about taking on Hezbollah. And unlike Gaza, if they do go through with this, expect mucho causalities on both sides. Reports have surfaced that the Israeli army is running drills to simulate an attack on Hezbollah forces. The terrorist group has ten times as many missiles and higher grade ones as well, the kind that their Iron Dome system would not be able to stop as many of. Israel has countered that there are many cross border tunnels that could be used against them, just like Hamas. Israel admits, if they do decide to go through with this, which may be about water as much as anything, the fighting will bloody.

Our environment is changing and wars about water may become more and more commonplace as no society can exist without water. It destroyed civilizations like the Aztecs and Mayans in the past and could happen again. The winter is going to be unusually cold again which, contrary to what you might hear, is not a sign that global warming is not occurring. Temperature extremes are becoming the new norm and that is not good news for anyone.

Finally, we have the economy which added a dismal 142,000 jobs last Friday and at least half of that are fictional. The other half are temp jobs, part time, or other low paying salaries that we are increasingly saddled with. The poor are getting poorer, 4% to be exact over the last three years, the middle class 6% down while the 1% saw their incomes increase 10%. Fuckers. Oddly, even billionaires are starting to realize that this is not good for the economy and have started to push for higher wages. But this has come too little, too late as the Bull market has crossed the 2000 day mark without a correction, the fourth longest in history. Bad news is, when a correction happened in the past to one of these record breaking Bull markets, they were always a doozy, like 2008, 1987 and 1929, otherwise known as the previous three. This means when the stock market falls, it's going to plummet.

The velocity of money has plummeted to 4.4%, the lowest number on record. Before the crash of 2008, it was at 17.8%. The Fed has blamed the average American for "hoarding" money on the velocity crash, seemingly oblivious to the fact that no one has any money to hoard who isn't rich. Every single study says the consumer is tapped out and the reason why spending is so low is no one has extra money to spend. As salaries have decreased at a time when they should have doubled is telling.

Europe is falling back into recession quick. England is freaking out over the apparently inevitable Scottish independence vote, which has sent the pound sterling down 4% today. Likewise, Japan's economy fell even further last quarter than thought, now down a whopping 7.2%. China is suffering through a real estate decline, one that should be echoed here, but isn't being reported beyond yours truly.

Everyone thinks a market crash is likely due to these factors and they would not be wrong. So say hi to the Four Horsemen when they pass by your house at some point. If you haven't seen them yet, don't worry. They are coming.