Reader Note: I made a couple of changes to the site you may notice, depending on caffeine loading. The first is the home page is now two columns (except on phones) so you can scan what’s going on more quickly. The other change is to underline links in our content, so it’s (more) clear you’re going to a different source for the details. High contract slider is now a color button. Let me know if any of these tweaks are a problem.
We were tickled pink when the trailer dropped Monday, announcing that GTA VI was nearing release. Grand Theft Auto VI: What We Learned From The Trailer | IBTimes. Being adrenaline-laced action-adventure fans in all media (and in real life) GTA will be a nice change-up from watching the news.
Not that watching the somewhat over-the-top Netflix show Obliterated isn’t a rush, too. But in the real world there’s more than enough ACTION and adventure to scare most (few remaining) sane people.
Take, for example, World War 3. (Or WW4, depending on how you score the decades-long-running Cold War.) Here, we find the lead players (like a Monopoly game on steroids) are running out of money to buy more ammunition and arms. White House official says US running out of money for Ukraine.
What’s more, some of the headlines along the war-selling front mention Do they close like the Ukrainian? After the US, €50 billion was blocked in funding. EU – Ukraine facing bankruptcy and collapse. While even with a possible end-game coming, NATO has stirred up a hornet’s nest further north.
Because remember how the West orchestrated blowing up the Nordstream gas pipeline? Ever since then, we have been wondering “What will the payback be?” Well, as the chess pieces move…“Nail” for Baltic conflict: Russia responds to NATO with St. Petersburg Army – All fleets were placed under the command of the Russian Chief of Staff.
We can almost see the next “death dance” forming. NATO is hard-selling the roping of Sweden into NATO ranks. But Erdogan in Turkey is muddying the waters on that. So are the Russian propagandists and agitators: YLE: Russia planned campaign to disrupt accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO – Euromaidan Press.
That’s Not the Only War
Just in time for Chanukah (Dec. 18 if you’re goy) we see how the beholden media has frozen out the Israeli resumption of city-smashing in Gaza. Only a few reports detail how Israel-Hamas war: IDF expands south Gaza offensive, UN stresses protections (cnbc.com).
Don’t mean to be rude, but do the Geneva Conventions cover water? Israel constructs large pumps to flood Hamas terror tunnels with seawater/
Also on the low-beam is how Egypt is walking the line between Muslim world outrage at the butchery and real estate agenda in play. Death of the two-state solution, and all that. The Houseplant administration is playing along as US official arrives in Egypt with aid for Gaza | Reuters. $21-million? You’re good for it, right? Budget dust.
Upside Down World
When we were growing up, there was near-certainty that America was the most virtuous, God-fearing place in the world. But now, after seeing pictures of Russian troops taking a knee to pray before battle and then seeing Police immediately raids LGBTQ+ clubs in Moscow after Russia bans ‘International LGBTQ+ movement’ we are left shaking our heads and wondering “Who put morality in the blender?” What’s coming out is not a “smoothie.”
Even the re-re-re-revised CNN is reporting UN warns of ‘blatant disregard for basic humanity’ in Gaza warfare as we wonder when was it exactly that America lost the Moral High Ground? When Kennedy was killed? (Did we go to the Moon?) About those Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq…or how much to we pour into Ukraine and leveling of Gaza for gas? Hmm. Not pleasant to contemplate.
The whole world is shaking – you can feel it. At a deep spiritual level. Unless you’re in SoCal, of course. There, Earthquake Hits Disneyland as Customers Forced to Evacuate Rides (newsweek.com). Happened around the same time reader Hank out on the Big Island (of “How-ah-yah?”) was getting a rump-bump from Madame Pele, too.
Welcome to another day on Grand Theft Planet. Where any (and everything) nailed down, or otherwise, is there for the taking whether you feel Obliterated, or not. Just got to rock and roll with it.
Job Roll: Schemes, Dreams, and Deflections
When I was a Jung man, read his “Dreams, Memories, Reflections” and loved the title. But today, we’re focused on the new book by the recently late Charlie Munger. “Poor Charlie’s Almanack” just out today.
Both will likely help as we enter the JOBS MESS at 10 AM this morning when the Labor Department JOLTS report lays out. Short for Job Openings, Layoffs, Terminations, and Separations, this is the preview of how Jobs Week will roll this month.
Tomorrow is the ADP Employment report, Thursday is Challenger, and Friday is the Officious report.
Reason to mention Jung is that our relationship with predictable market events (like the jobs series) is about as reliable as our archetypes. Competition and confusion are highlighted.
One side will say “Good jobs will be good for the market as it means we aren’t going all Coriolis and down the shitter.”
Another view says “Good jobs will be BAD for the market because it will mean that spending will remain high, keeping prices high, which will mean the Fed won’t be able to lower rates in 10-days, or so, which is the present Big Lie stock shills are peddling on the Street.
Except, around here, we realize (deep in the archetypes now) that both expectations are partially correct. But we have to look at the Day Trading Tide Table, to see if money will be flowing in (buy the rumor) or going out (sell the rumor) before we get to each of these reports. “The news” to be bought or sold.
Frankly, looking at the new unemployment report (in last Thursday’s column) you can see where new unemployment claims were down 42-thousand the week of November 25th, which gets us to the idea that the Jobs Data will be generally good.
But since the world operates (explained above) backwards, the Good reports will likely be BAD from a Fed rate shill standpoint, so we think the “sell the news” may be in play. JOLTS could set the tone when it comes out.
Meanwhile, Markets are Nervous
Down 100 at the open is possible today, and that is really bad news because it could be the first step in what we laid out for subscribers to our Peoplenomics.com site Wednesday.
This could be the first of many down days back-to-back as things begin to unwind from a (possible) double-top of the presently (seeming to end) rally:
We will go over the dma-x chart (daily moving averages crossings) tomorrow on Peoplenomics, but today should be instructive. A big rally today (into the ADP numbers coming tomorrow morning) could mean the “smart people” who use the JOLTS report for guidance, might be smelling a sell-the news tomorrow.
Which then sets up today as a low this morning with a turn-around about the time JOLTS lands, or shortly after. And then the run-suckers-run rally into ADP tomorrow. Or, just the opposite. I gotta reread some Jung and Munger to get my head into the game.
Grand Theft Markets? Can we be some of the rock stars?
Bitcoin seems to be running into some resistance at this $42,000 level. As BlackRock Gains $100k Backing for Bitcoin ETF Launch. Modern times means there’s more than “one born every minute”.
NY’s a Sh*t Sandwich
Care for a bevy of little “news sliders” to help you feel full of it?
Since we sort-of pioneered the “Flee the Big Cities because they are awful places full of sicko’s” movement, when we landed in the East Texas Outback 20-odd years ago, we would draw your eyes to a story in the NY Post. It’s about one Mario Batali rants: I’m done with New York’s ‘a–holes’ (nypost.com). Gone from the rotten apple to a small town of 600 in Michigan, if I follow the drift.
See, America’s future has never been in building the next Beijing or Singapore with more people than resources. America has been more about pursuit of values, one of which is not being surrounded by self-righteous clowns. Not everyone in the NE is so afflicted, but enough to ruin the place and it keeps getting worse.
Big cities are imploding, as if the flash mobs, homeless camps, thievery, food islands, and generally high levels of hate and rage aren’t enough of a hint for even folks with room temp IQ’s and no interest in political BS; but there you have it.
Check with people like Glen Beck – out of the big city for ranch dreams in Texas. Where is the retired George Bush? Houston or Crawford last time we checked.
The Internet, and especially fiber coming to the woods, is making life out this way the Smart future. Where, we can even power a wood stove if the anti-gas nuts gain more ground. When some self-righteous confronts you, ask them to get rid of their phones – which have a huge energy impact – if they are all so pure.
Another Disgruntled to keep an eye on: Liz Cheney says Trump poses ‘grave’ threat, weighs third-party effort (usatoday.com) Far be it from us to offer advice, but has she considered calling RFK, Jr. and founding the “One America Party“? The ONE left standing for truth, liberty and justice for all, with real borders, a fixed rate income tax, and led by people who read bills before voting on them? A guy can dream, can’t he?
ATR: Math in the WOG
Odd nit in the World Of George (WOG) to deal with.
I mentioned the “one born every minute” saying, a minute ago in the BTC remarks.
This being “garbage day” (and me just back in the toasty office from a brisk wheeling of the trash bin 400-feet to the street in 36F weather) the brain is exceptionally clear – momentarily – and curious.
The phrase, sucker born every minute, stems from around 1860.
When, we note, the world population was? 1.303 billion.
The population today is 8.01 billion, says my buddy Alexa.
This means population has gone up 6.14735 times.
Making the Correct Answer Today:
“There are six suckers born every minute.” Unless you live in a poor school district or a democrat stronghold.
Take a democrat stronghold and we figure there’s about 9-suckers a minute.
After an hour, you’re looking at 360 suckers per hour. Given a year is 8,760 hours, that’s more than 3.1 million suckers born every year. But, again, there’s a rate of 4,73 million democrats.
These numbers explain much of what’s going wrong in the world today. And it’s why, in the long run, we are screwing ourselves into a corner from which recovery will be difficult at best.
Time to get back to work on that.
Write when you get rich,
George@Ure.net
