Tag Archives: Nature

Sep 13 2023

What is Biden Doing in Alaska?


Armstrong Economics Blog/Politics Re-Posted Sep 13, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

For the first time in US history, the president did not visit a 9/11 memorial on the day of the worst terrorist attack on US soil. Instead, the president traveled to Alaska to commit his own attack against the American people. Peter Doocy said that he received a response similar to “Well, presidents stopped visiting Hawaii 22 years after Pearl Harbor,” or in other words, the president does not feel obligated to honor the victims of the attack since it’s in the past. He claimed he was at ground zero on the very day of the attack, but records show that he clearly was not in New York. So why did Biden travel to Alaska? Biden announced he was canceling all drilling on Federal land in Alaska and termination existing permits. In unison, he prohibited liquid gas from being transported via train. This will put a strain on the supply chain as trucking is the only viable transportation method now.

Demand will outweigh supply. Joe Biden drained America’s oil reserves when prices where skyrocketing and he was coming under pressure. The stockpile is at the lowest level since the 1980s, and since we cannot drill our own gas, we are at the mercy of our suppliers who continue to raise the price. Energy had never been an issue prior to Biden taking office and eliminating America’s energy independence.

Is it even legal for the Biden Administration to cancel previously issues leases? Alaskan Governor Mike Dunleavy believes that Biden is bypassing the law and intends to sue his administration. Dunleavy noted that while the Secretary of the Department may cancel oil and gas leases issued in violation, no such violation exists. “The leases AIDEA hold in ANWR were legally issued in a sale mandated by Congress. It’s clear that President Biden needs a refresher on the Constitution’s separation of powers doctrine. Federal agencies don’t get to rewrite laws, and that is exactly what the Department of the Interior is trying to do here,” said Governor Mike Dunleavy. “We will fight for Alaska’s right to develop its own resources and will be turning to the courts to correct the Biden Administration’s wrong.”

Democrats are upset at the ruling as it takes away jobs from native Alaskans. U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, a Democrat, said that she will continue fighting the lease cancelations. “This makes absolutely no sense from any perspective unless your goal is to drive up the cost of oil and gas so much that it makes certain renewables cheaper,” Dunleavy told Fox News.

Biden has just ensured rising energy costs for all Americans. This is so important to Biden and his handlers that they insisted on spending a national day of mourning in Alaska to reframe climate change as the larger threat to this nation. What does one do when the people in charge are deliberately ruining the nation? They can only blame Russia and climate change for so long until the masses wake up.

Sep 9 2023

Britain To Imprison People For Not Complying with Net Zero


Armstrong Economics Blog/BRITAIN Re-Posted Sep 9, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

It is time we understand that the climate change agenda and COVID have been adopted for a single reason. The governments can no longer kick the can down the road regarding debt. The current monetary system is unsustainable. As a result, they will default on their national debts, which will wipe out pensions. These measures are to use their power under the pretense of some bogus issue to justify tyrannical suppression. They refuse to reform, so as a result – they will dig their heels in and sweep all our rights away for our good to protect our health and save the planet of which it is a race to see which one they care the less about since they are both fake.

The British legislation will be snuck into US law and will empower the government to imprison anyone who fails to adhere to energy consumption regulations for up to a year and fines of up to £15,000. The state’s prosecutions will also be allowed to charge you with false information, lying to the government, etc., which will be the more traditional obstruction of justice crimes that can imprison you for five years or more.

This type of tyranny will lead to the revolutions our computer is projecting by the time we get to 2032. They will take away everything to retain power. The new people elected to office are never allowed behind the curtain. They are told they MUST vote along party lines, or the party will go against them. The former head of the Republicans, Boehner, did that to the Tea Party people. The Democrats launched IRS investigations against the Tea Party because they thought getting elected to Congress meant they could change things. There is no path to such reform.

Sep 8 2023

African Leaders Aim to Implement Global Carbon Tax


Armstrong Economics Blog/Climate Re-Posted Sep 8, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

The Africa Climate Summit hosted in Kenya focused on how the world can manipulate the weather through taxation. In no way due to geography or distance to the equator, African leaders honed in on how Africa faces numerous climate-related challenges such as desertification, drought, rising temperatures, and cyclones. “To achieve the necessary emissions reduction targets and ensure adequate funding for climate action, a comprehensive global funding mechanism is required,” the summit leaders declared.

The Nairobi Declaration is calling upon the globalists to “rally behind the proposal for a global carbon taxation regime including a carbon tax on fossil fuel trade, maritime transport and aviation, that may also be augmented by a global financial transaction tax.” They believe that these global taxes on carbon should be held in one pooled fund and then allocated to the nations committed to green innovations and less developed countries. So, an independent, unelected body will be capable of distributing and collecting these funds fairly, in a manner that the entire world can agree upon. That did not work too well for Europe with the unelected Troika.

Perhaps we could have prevented the last Ice Age if humans threw money at the sky and paid taxes. The hunters and gatherers should have been looking for meat alternatives. These people will never admit that climate change is a naturally, cyclically occurring phenomenon. The only agreement they will see is a “NO” from the nations not abiding by the rules for the Great Reset.

Africa has another motive in mind – natural resources. “Africa is ready to contribute to global decarbonization efforts by leveraging its abundant resources, including renewable energy, critical minerals, agricultural potential, and natural capital,” their website states. Ah yes, such as the cobalt we use for electric vehicles that are mined by child slaves in the Congo. Millions of people on the continent lack basic electricity and started going green before it was the trend.

A global tax would be detrimental to international relations and trade. The unelected group installed to manage the fund will wield too much power and history has taught us that the power-hungry are never appeased. The main issue here is that taxing carbon emissions simply cannot change nature. We face far too many taxes, and developed nations should not be expected to subsidize others. Since it would be impossible for every country to agree on a global tax, the burden would fall upon those already aiming to eliminate carbon emissions by 2050, at the latest, by sacrificing the financial stability of their people.

Sep 8 2023

Biden Cancels Previously Issued ANWR Oil and Gas Leases in Alaska


Posted originally on the CTH on September 7, 2023 | Sundance 

24 hours before Joe Biden announced he was cancelling all previously issued oil and gas leases in Alaska’s ANWR region, Saudi Arabia and Russia announced oil production limits would continue.  Oil prices spiked near $100/bbl and then Joe Biden amplifies the problem by cancelling previously sold oil and gas leases.

There’s no other way to look at the timing here, other than to accept this is Joe Biden intentionally driving up the cost of domestic energy in the U.S. and creating as much pain as possible.

(Reuters) – Sept 6 (Reuters) – The U.S. Interior Department on Wednesday said it would cancel oil and gas leases in a federal wildlife refuge that were bought by an Alaska state development agency in the final days of former President Donald Trump’s term.

President Joe Biden, a Democrat, has pledged to protect the 19.6 million-acre (7.9 million-hectare) Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) for polar bears and caribou.

“As the climate crisis warms the Arctic more than twice as fast as the rest of the world, we have a responsibility to protect this treasured region for all ages,” he said in a statement.

Trump’s Republican administration had issued the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA) seven leases a day before Biden’s inauguration.

Environmentalists praised the decision, but it was lambasted by a Republican Senator from Alaska, where officials have sought to open up drilling in the reserve to secure jobs and revenues for the state.

The government also said it would forbid new leasing on more than 10 million acres in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska, a 23-million-acre area on the state’s North Slope that is the largest undisturbed public land in the United States. (read more)

WHITE HOUSE – […] Canceling all remaining oil and gas leases issued under the previous administration in the Arctic Refuge and protecting more than 13 million acres in the Western Arctic will help preserve our Arctic lands and wildlife, while honoring the culture, history, and enduring wisdom of Alaska Natives who have lived on these lands since time immemorial. From day one, I have delivered on the most ambitious climate and conservation agenda in our country’s history. But there is more to do… (link)

Sep 8 2023

East Coast U.S. – Keep Eye on Hurricane Lee, Expected to Become Major Slow Moving Hurricane Today, Still a Week Away


Posted originally on the CTH on September 7, 2023 | Sundance 

Hurricane Lee is moving slowly in the southern Atlantic approaching the Leeward Islands. [NHC DATA HERE] Residents on the Southeast coast of the USA should monitor. Lee is expected to become a major hurricane later tonight as it moves toward the west-northwest over the next few days.

Hurricane Lee is still a long distance from presenting any immediate risk, but prudent checks and evaluations of your situation should take place.  Keep an eye on the National Hurricane Center for updates.  The storm is not anticipated to be a major focus until mid-week next week.

At 1100 AM AST (1500 UTC), the center of Hurricane Lee was located near latitude 16.4 North, longitude 50.0 West. Lee is moving toward the west-northwest near 15 mph (24 km/h), and this motion is expected to continue through Friday. A slower motion toward the west-northwest is forecast over the weekend. On the forecast track,the core of Lee will move north of the northern Leeward islands during the next few days. (link)

Obviously, this is currently a long way from the eastern U.S.  However, coastal residents should keep an eye on Lee and evaluate their pre-existing preparedness plans.

In my last set of proactive suggestions, {GO DEEP HERE} I focused first and foremost on something few discuss, mental capability.  Due to what I witnessed in Hurricane Ian with the people of the area, I am always going to put this into the analysis now to provide consideration that few understand.  I saw Ian literally break strong people down and create a PTSD demographic I have never experienced before.

What follows below are things to consider if you are prepping for a hurricane impact and/or deciding whether to stay in your home or evacuate.  Standard hurricane preparations should always be followed.  Protect your family, secure your property and belongings, and prepare for the aftermath.

What you do before the hurricane hits is going to determine where you are in the recovery phase.

Additionally, and this should be emphasized and discussed within your family, if you cannot be self-sufficient in the aftermath – for any reason, then you should evacuate.  Self-sufficiency in this context requires being able to cope for up to several weeks:

(1) potentially without power; (2) potentially without potable running water (3) potentially without internet service; (4) potentially without communication outside the region; and (5) with limited municipal and private sector assistance.   If you decide you cannot deal with these outcomes, you should evacuate.

Additionally, as a family or individual, you should also honestly evaluate:

(1) your physical abilities; (2) your emotional and psychological ability to withstand extreme pressures; and (3) your comfort in losing daily routines, familiar schedules and often overlooked things you might take for granted.

Post hurricane recovery is fraught with stress, frustration and unforeseeable challenges.  {GO DEEP}

For those in the cone of uncertainty next week, remember, planning and proactive measures taken now can significantly reduce stress in the days ahead.  Plan when to make the best decision on any evacuation (if needed). For now, just keep monitoring the progress of the storm.  As a general rule: take cover from wind – but evacuate away from water.

DAY ONE (_____)

  • Determine Your Risk
  • Make a Written Plan
  • Develop and Evacuation Plan
  • Inventory hurricane/storm supplies.

DAY TWO (______)

  • Get Storm Update
  • Assemble and Purchase Hurricane Supplies
  • Contact Insurance Company – Updates
  • Secure Important Papers.
  • Strengthen and Secure Your Home
  • Make Evacuation Decision for your Family.

DAY THREE (______)

  • Get Storm Update
  • Re-Evaluate your Supplies based on storm update.
  • Finish last minute preparation.
  • Assist Your Neighbors
  • If Needed – Evacuate Your Family

Communication is important.  Update your contact list. Stay in touch with family and friends, let them know your plans. Select a single point of contact for communication from you that all others can then contact for updates if needed.  There is plenty of time to organize your important papers, insurance forms, personal papers and place them in one ‘ready-to-go’ location.

Evaluate your personal hurricane and storm supplies; update and replace anything you might have used. Assess, modify and/or update any possible evacuation plans based on your location, and/or any changes to your family status.

Check your shutters and window coverings; test your generator; re-organize and familiarize yourself with all of your supplies and hardware. Check batteries in portable tools; locate tools you might need; walk your property to consider what you may need to do based on the storms path. All decisions are yours. You are in control.

Consider travel plans based on roads and traffic density. Being proactive now helps to keep any future stress level low. You are in control. If you have pets, additional plans may be needed.

One possible proactive measure is to make a list of hotels further inland that you would consider evacuating to.  Make that list and follow updates of the storms’ progress.

Depending on information next week you might call in advance and make a reservation; you can always cancel if not needed.  It is better to have a secondary evacuation place established in advance.  Being proactive reduces stress.  Even if you wait until much later to cancel, it is better to pay a cancellation fee (usually one night charge) than to not have a plan on where to go.   Trust me, it’s worth it.

Protect your family. Make the list of possibilities in the next few days.

Look over the National Hurricane Center resources for planning assistance.

Deciding whether to evacuate:

• If you do not handle stress well, leave.

• If you cannot be self-sufficient in the aftermath, leave.

• If you choose to stay pay super close attention to the exact path of the storm.  A few miles make a massive difference when you are dealing with the possibility of encountering the eyewall of a hurricane.

This is a fury of nature, a battle where the odds are against you, that you may or may not be aware you are contemplating when you are choosing to stay or evacuate.  It’s not the hurricane per se’, it’s that much smaller killer buzzsaw – the eyewall- that you are rolling the dice, never to see.

When it comes to the eyewall, the truest measure of the “cone of uncertainty“, the difference between scared out of your mind (victim) and a fight to avoid death (survivor), is literally a matter of a few miles. And there ain’t no changing your mind once it starts.

♦ Hardening your home is a matter of careful thought and physical work.  However, every opening into your structure must be protected, leaving yourself with one small exit opportunity just in case. Hopefully you have a bolted door with no glass windows you can use as an emergency exit.  If not, select a small window and leave only enough room uncovered for you to get out in case of emergency or structural collapse.

Beyond the ordinary supplies like drinking water, batteries, flashlights, battery or hand-crank radio, generators, gasoline, etc.  Evaluate the scale of what you have against the likelihood of weeks without power or water.   A few pro tips below:

♦ Put three 30-gallon trash cans in the shower and fill them with water before the storm.  This will give you 90 gallons of water for cooking and personal hygiene.  You will also need water to manually flush your toilets.  Bottled water is great for drinking, hydrating and toothbrushing, but you will need much more potable water if the municipal supply is compromised or broken.

♦ A standard 6,500-to-8,500-watt generator will run for approximately 8 hours on five gallons of gasoline.   Do not run it all the time.  Turn it on, chill the fridge, make coffee, use the microwave or charge stuff, then turn it off.  Do this in 4-hour shifts and the fridge will be ok and your gasoline will last longer.  Gasoline is a scarce and rare commodity in the aftermath of a hurricane.  Gas stations don’t work without power.  Check the oil in the generator every few days.  Also, have a can of quick start or butane available in case the generator starts acting up.

♦ Extension cords.  If you are purchasing them buy at least one 50 to 100′ extension cord with a triple ponytail.  This way you can use one cord into a central location to charge up your electronic devices.  Establish a central recharging station for phones, pads, laptops, and rechargeable stuff.

♦ Purchase a box of “contractor garbage bags” and just keep them in the garage.  These are large, thick, industrial trash bags that fit 40-gallon drums. They can be used for trash, or even cut open for tarps in the aftermath of a storm.  These thick mil contractor bags have multiple uses following a hurricane.

♦ Do all of your laundry before the hurricane hits.  You will likely not have the ability again for a few weeks.

♦ Cook a week’s worth of meals in advance of the hurricane. Store in fridge so you can microwave for a meal.  Eating a constant diet of sandwiches gets old after the first week.  Dinty Moore canned beef stew and or Chef-boy-ardee raviolis can make a nice break…. anything, except another sandwich.

♦ Have bleach for use in disinfecting stuff before and after a hurricane.  Also have antibiotics and antiseptics for use.  Hygiene and not getting simple infections after a hurricane is critical and often forgotten.  Again, this is where the extra potable water becomes important.  Simple cuts and scrapes become big deals when clean potable water is not regularly available.  Keep your scrapes and abrasions clean and use antiseptic creams immediately.

♦ Do not forget sunscreen and things to relieve muscle aches and pains.  Hurricane recovery involves physical effort.  You will be sore and/or exposed to the elements.  Remember, it’s all about self-sufficiency because the normal services are not available.  A well-equipped first aid kit is a must have.

♦ Buy a small camping stove.  Nothing big or expensive, just something you can cook on outside in case of emergency.  It will be a luxury when you are 2+ weeks without power and all the stores and restaurants are closed for miles.

♦ Those small flashlights that you can strap around your head that take a few AAA batteries?  Yup, GOLD.  Those types of handsfree flashlights are lifesavers inside and outside when you need to see your way around.  Nighttime is especially dark without electricity in the entire town.  Doing stuff like filling a generator with gasoline in the middle of the night is much easier with one of those head strap flashlights.  Strongly advise getting a few, they’re inexpensive too.

♦ Cash.  You will need it.  Without power anything you may need to purchase will require cash, especially gasoline.  Additionally, anyone you hire to help or support your immediate efforts will need to be paid.  Cash is critical.  How much, depends on your individual situation, but your cash burn rate will likely go into the thousands in the first few days.  Also keep in mind, you may or may not be able to work and without internet access even getting funds into place could be challenging.

♦ Hardware. A box of self-tapping sheet metal screws (short and long) is important, along with a box or two of various wood screws or Tyvex screws.  A battery drill or screw gun is another necessity.  Check all of this stuff during hurricane prep.

ps. Thanks to those who have written and shared their appreciation for the planning prior to Idalia impact. We are blessed and thankful to live in a beautiful world provided by a loving God. Sit with Him, talk to Him, make time for Him. Never lose faith and heed the instinct of your prayer filled gut for your best counsel.

Sep 7 2023

Food For Thought


Armstrong Economics Blog/Climate Re-Posted Sep 6, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

How is it that the government can’t rig elections but they can rig weather by regulation to stop what they call global warming?

Sep 7 2023

Oil Prices Surge After Saudi Arabia and Russia Announce Extended Oil Production Cuts Through End of 2023


Posted originally on the CTH on September 6, 2023 | Sundance 

Oil prices shot passed $90/bbl today after Saudi Arabia and then Russia announced a continuance of production cuts through the end of this year.

The BRICS alliance is going to deliver some pain to the Western alliance.  Those people living in the yellow zone, with leadership chasing climate change and Green New Deal policies, are going to see more durable inflation as the cost of oil is attached to just about every product and service.

Gasoline, energy products, petroleum products, home heating oil, groceries, everything will cost more as the geopolitical battle continues; but we are supposed to pretend we are unaware of the global political dynamic.

(Zero Hedge) – […] Just after 9am ET, Saudi Arabia said it would extend the voluntary cut of 1 million b/d of for another 3 months, from October until the end of December, well beyond the expectation of just 1 more month. Saudi press agency SPA notes that the voluntary cut decision will be reviewed monthly to consider deepening the cut or increasing production.

The extension of cuts is meant to reinforce the precautionary efforts made by OPEC countries with the aim of supporting the stability of the oil market. The Saudi announcement came a shock to market as 20 of 25 traders and analysts surveyed by Bloomberg last week had predicted the additional cutback would be continued for just one additional month.

And then, literally seconds after the Saudi decision, Russian deputy PM Novak said Russia would also extend its reduction of oil exports until the end of the year, reducing its oil output by 300kb/d in voluntary cuts until December 2023.

Similar to the Saudis, Russia said that the decision to reduce oil production to be reviewed monthly to consider possibility of deepening reduction or increasing production depending on situation on the world market. (read more)

“The U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve is empty, my friend”… 

(Yahoo) – […] Higher oil prices are bad news for the world’s central banks, which have been trying to tame high inflation since last year. Energy is a key input for economic activities, so higher oil prices generally lead to inflation.

But Saudi Arabia and Russia’s keeping their oil supply cuts for longer means “they have no interest in what central banks are worried about,” Naeem Aslam, the chief investment officer of Zaye Capital Markets, wrote in a Tuesday note seen by Insider. (read more) 

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Sep 5 2023

Maui Fires


Armstrong Economics Blog/Conspiracy Re-Posted Sep 4, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

Sep 5 2023

A Series of Unfortunate Coincidences


The reduction of the population has began in Hawaii

Sep 2 2023

US Real Estate Market


Armstrong Economics Blog/Real Estate R-Posted Sep 2, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

QUESTION: Mr. Armstrong, You were the only one who forecasted that real estate would continue to rise in conjunction with the rate increases by the Fed. I have been following you only since 2020 and COVID-19. I am impressed with your computer and your analysis, which does not change with every passing headline. Can you elaborate on the real estate market a bit?

Thank you very much for the education.

FH

ANSWER: The traditional forecast on real estate is always one-dimensional. Homeownership has historically been in the top 5 of surveys about what Americans most want in life. Property values have been rising despite rising high prices combined with higher mortgage rates. There is little sign on the horizon before the ECM peaks in May 2024. Analysts have been confused and caught up in this economic conundrum of the continued economic growth that has defied all their recession predictions.

Normally, housing has been one of the sectors that has been the most sensitive to interest rates. Over the past two years, mortgage rates have risen from less than 3% to more than 7%. That means that the median family today faces mortgage payments that have doubled from roughly 14% of monthly household income in 2020 to nearly 29%  by mid-2023. This is the strongest rise since the economic turm on our ECM when it bottomed in 1985.65.

Nevertheless, the conundrum that has baffled traditional analysts has not led to a decline in house prices as they expected. They paused during the COVID-19 lockdowns and fell in the Blue States, which had the most draconian COVID-19 measures. Currently, housing prices during the second quarter of this year rose at an annualized pace of 15% according to the S&P Case-Shiller index.

There is a tight supply in the South, where much of the migration has taken place. I get, on average three calls a week asking if I want to sell my house here in Florida. The annual sales of property nationally have been around $2 trillion.  Smart institutional investors have been shifting from public unsecured debt to private mortgages. The average person does not look at CPI numbers or GDP numbers. They look at the cost of this rising, and the confidence in the Biden Administration has been collapsing. When people no longer trust the government, they shift to the private sector. So add to that the great migration from Democratic states to the southern red states, and you will see collapsing real estate values in places like San Francisco and Chicago in comparison to even Wall Street, have been quietly moving to the Miami region. There are still buyers in the market and a shortage of supply in the Red States like Florida. Thus, sales have declined, but this appears to be more the result of the decline in supply.

Additionally, the rising inflation in materials means that the replacement cost of homes is often higher than the prices being paid, not to mention the waiting time for construction. The sheer replacement costs of housing have skyrocketed. Even pain was in short supply thanks to the COVID-19 lockdowns. This has impacted the market, and traditional analysis simply never considered that the replacement costs on preexisting houses, in many cases, are 40% to 100% higher. Add to that the shortage in labor. It was very hard to find a contractor in Florida who even was available. Most contractors I talked to were booked beyond 2024.

Newly built homes account for about one-third of active listings in 2023. This was up from an average of 13% over the two decades before pre-COVID-19. Add to all of this is the influx of foreign money looking at US property as a hedge against future wars and destabilization of the monetary system. Then we have had funds like Blackrock buying property and renting them out.