Tag Archives: Qatar

Nov 21 2017

The Approaching Famine


Armstrong Economics Blog/Agriculture

Re-Posted Nov 21, 2017 by Martin Armstrong

The most serious forecast that we see from our computer models has been a rise in agricultural prices caused by Global Cooling – not Global Warming. Crops cannot grow without the sun and water. Historically, when the weather turns cold, the crops fail.

There is no question that food prices will rise during periods of war when crops cannot be planted and armies require food on a priority allotment.

However, Mother Nature sticks her finger into the pot to stir things up. The famine cycle is also an 8.6-year frequency, but the volatility aspect comes in units of 12 rather than 6.

   

Our database on wheat from 1259 forward (excluding our data on the Roman Empire grain prices), reveals that there is a serious risk of famine from 2020 onward. It appears that we may very well enter a 12-year rally into the year 2032. Our Bifurcation Models are reflecting also a gap in time between 2020 and 2031 suggesting a trend appears to last for that period of time.

The downside of taxation, and particularly inheritance taxes, has driven farmers to sell their land to conglomerates just to pay the inheritance taxes. This has resulted in genetically altering crops to increase yield. While genetically altered crops do not really appear to present a major health concern as many seem to argue, the real danger is the fact that during the past 100 years, 94% of the world’s edible seed varieties have vanished.

The downside of socialism which has attacked the rich, we have sacrificed the historical model in our food supply for corporate decision making that bribes politicians handing them their needed money to remain in office with each election. The consequence of this corruption has been the concentration of our food supply into an ever-shrinking basket of diversity. Today, 75% of the world’s food comes from only 12 plants and 5 animal species (see source). This lack of biodiversity has seriously increased this risk of widespread crop disease, and throw in the climate change turning colder, corporate decisions are not the way to protect society. Corporate boards are typically dominated by lawyers and accountants. They are not scientists nor do they even make proper decisions for investment or currency hedging. Corporations will never be able to cope with a sudden change and then make decisions that will impact the world. Major companies, such as Monsanto, could find themselves in control of the fate of human existence with the decisions being made by lawyers and accountants fixated on their bottom-line.

The period ahead, 2020-2032, appears to offer something much more different. While politicians keep pushing Global Warming because they can tax emissions, the risk of a monumental human disaster lies in the opposite direction.

The entire theory of Ice Ages emerged after the discovery in 1772 of wooly rhinos and mammoths were frozen in ice with plants still in their stomachs. Suddenly, science woke up and came to the shocking realization that climate can change drastically with no notice.

We have the technology today to drow food inside without even soil. This is something one should consider to put in your basement as 2020 approaches on the horizon.

 

Nov 20 2017

Germany Moving Toward Political Crisis


Armstrong Economics Blog/Germany

Re-Posted Nov 20, 2017 by Martin Armstrong

Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday her efforts to form a three-way coalition government had failed. Merkel only received 32.5% of the vote, which is probably the lowest vote of any major world leader. The FDP pulled out of negotiations thrusting Germany into a political crisis and ever closer to a possible new election.

Meanwhile, German hoard of cash is escalating and the cities debt burdens are exploding in Germany. The entire game4 was to hide the debt crisis in Germany until after the elections. With the failure to form a government, new elections are appearing likely extending this Year from Political Hell.

This is becoming the political crisis that just will not go away. Politics around the world remain in turmoil and as our computer had forecast, this would contribute to the collapse in public confidence. The fate of the Euro hangs in the balance.

Nov 16 2017

Deadlocked Jury – Trial of Senator Bob Menendez Ends in Mistrial…


Re-Posted from the Conservative Tree House on November 16, 2017 by

According to the general legal outline that surfaced in the trial of Senator Bob Menendez, quid-pro-quo agreements between “abiding friends” can never be considered corruption or defined as ‘bribes’ because,.. just like non-public officials or business associates, close friends would do favors to help and repay each other.

In essence the legal definition of bribery for public officials now comes down to how long the two parties have known each other, and if they can show an abiding friendship. If two parties can show an “abiding friendship“, of undefined duration, no action taken by one party -to the benefit of the other party- can ever be considered bribery, regardless of the scope of the action.

You can bet a social networking strategy and Christmas Card lists of a whole bunch of politicians and public officials will be much longer this year. Everyone involved in paying-off public officials will now begin creating evidence of a much deeper friendship – which is now a proven legal defense.

(Reuters) – The corruption trial of New Jersey’s Democratic U.S. Senator Bob Menendez ended in a mistrial on Thursday, after the jury said it was hopelessly deadlocked on bribery, fraud and other charges.

Menendez, 63, a longtime fixture in the state’s political circles who first joined the Senate in 2006, was accused of accepting private flights, campaign contributions and other bribes from a wealthy patron, Florida ophthalmologist Salomon Melgen, in exchange for official favors.

The hung jury was a victory for Menendez and a major setback for federal prosecutors in what was the Justice Department’s first high-profile corruption trial since a U.S. Supreme Court decision last year limited its ability to bring such cases.

It was not immediately clear whether prosecutors would seek to retry Menendez, who is running for re-election next year, and his co-defendant Melgen. In a statement, the Justice Department said it would “carefully consider next steps in this important matter.”

[…] The case was seen as a test for prosecutors in the wake of last year’s Supreme Court ruling vacating the bribery conviction of former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell. In doing so, the high court narrowed the grounds for corruption cases.

The trial judge, Williams Walls, strongly considered a defense motion to throw out the case mid-trial in light of the McDonnell decision before deciding against it.  (read more)

Nov 16 2017

20 Year List of Annualized Congressional Harassment Settlements…


Re-Posted from the Conservative Tree House on November 16, 2017 by

Reid Wilson via The Hill provides a list of “Congressional Office of Compliance releases year-by-year breakdown of congressional harassment settlements and awards”:

(LINK)

*Note* Democrats took over Congress via elections in November ’06 for congressional year 2007.  Republicans retook Congress via elections in November ’10 for congressional year beginning 2011.

Nov 15 2017

Middle East – Who is Who?


Armstrong Economics Blog/Middle East

Re-Posted Nov 15, 2017 by Martin Armstrong

QUESTION: Mr. Armstrong; I am confused. On the one hand, you said the Saudis could be sued for 911 and that they have been funding ISIS with the USA. Then Iran is supposed to be a terrorist state. Who is who?

Thanks

KW

ANSWER: It is confusing. Bin Laden was Suni, not a Shia, and he considered Shia Muslims were in the same class as heretics, America, and Israel. He believed these were the true enemies of Islam. So there have been terrorist on both sides of the issue. They are not one group compared to another. I was merely explaining the major religious battle. Each side has its extremes just as do the Jews and Christians. Bin Laden subscribed to the Athari school of Islamic theology which believes in the STRICT interpretation of the Quran. That would be the same as the Born-Again Christians and the Hasidic Jews.

The USA was funding ISIS because they wanted to support Qatar trying to get a pipeline through Syria to compete with Russia. That is why Russia went into Syria. It was the Obama Administration that was giving the blessing to terrorism to overthrow Syria.

Nov 15 2017

At Last – Clinton Foundation Gets Investigated


Armstrong Economics Blog/Corruption

Re-Posted Nov 15, 2017 by Martin Armstrong

What goes around, comes around. The Washington Post has reported that the Department of Justice has instructed the US Attorney’s Office to investigate the controversial sale of a uranium group to Russia during the presidency of Barack Obama and the role of the Clinton Foundation. The Obama administration approved the deal in 2010 giving Moscow control of a much of the American uranium sources. It turns out that the FBI had gathered significant evidence that Russian nuclear industry officials were engaged in bribery, kickbacks, extortion and money laundering to get the deal in the USA. According to a letter released on Monday, Justice Secretary Jeff Sessions instructed the prosecutors to consider, inter alia, the appointment of a special investigator and an extension of the investigation.

The list of topics to be investigated includes the handling of the FBI investigation of the full Hillary Clinton’s private email server used during her time as Secretary of State, various affairs of the Clinton Foundation, and most importantly, the role of the Clinton Foundation Sale of the Canadian mining company Uranium One to Russia’s Atomic Energy Agency. The role of former FBI director James B. Comey in protecting Hillary is also fair game for investigation. We may have a clash of two titans – two special prosecutors doing battle to overthrow Trump and Hillary.

Despite all the claims that the Clinton Foundation was a real charity, it was quickly shutting its doors as soon as Hillary lost. Guess it was just about buying influence in the future White House.

Nov 14 2017

Why Iran is a Major Threat


Armstrong Economics Blog/Middle East

Re-Posted Nov 14, 2017 by Martin Armstrong

The Yemeni Civil War is an ongoing conflict that began in 2015 between two factions. Each is claiming to constitute the Yemeni government. This is really a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Tran. The Houthi forces control the capital Sana’a who are allied with forces loyal to the former president Ali Abdullah Saleh backed by Saudi Arabia. They are opposed by Yemen’s Shiite rebels who are loyal to the religious government of Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, based in Aden, supported by Iran.

To grasp what this is all about, one must understand Islam. Saudi Arabia in Sunni that boils down to a separation of church and state. They are fighting the Shiite forces of Iran, which believe that religion should control the state. Therefore, the ballistic missile fired by Yemen’s Shiite rebels toward the Saudi capital was manufactured by Iran as if this should be any surprise given that Iran is their backer.

This conflict in the Middle East is religious based. This is similar to the threat of Russia back in the Cold War days when Nikita Khrushchev ruled Russia and the ideology that Marxism would conquer Capitalism was the entire issue. Here we have Iran which is similarly a threat to the world political structure because this is where religion should rule the state. Christianity went through that where the state was ruled by religion and to circumvent religion, kings appointed their political allies as priests, bishops, and cardinal. That led to the Investiture Controversy which was the major conflict between the Pope Gregory VII and the Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV during the 11th century.

Emperor Henry declared Pope Gregory was no longer pope and the Romans should choose a new pope because of political disputes. When Pope Gregory heard of this he excommunicated Henry IV, declared he was no longer emperor and absolved his subjects from the oaths they had sworn to him. This was the battle of kings to control the Church for political gain.

Even if we look at England and Henry VII’s break with the Catholic Church, one need only just look before the headline. Henry’s Queen was  Catherine of Aragon (1485–1536) who was the aunt of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (1500–1558) and was originally Charles I of Spain. Charles V had imprisoned the Pope Clement VII (1478– 1534) following the Sack of Rome in May 1527. Correct, the Holy Roman Emperor invaded Rome to take control of the Church and imprisoned the Pope. There was no way Charles V would allow Henry VIII to annul the marriage with his aunt. Once again we have evidence of kings controlling religion for political purposes.

What is unfolding in the Middle East is similar to the war between Protestants and Catholics, which was really for political and economic power. The corruption in the Church was not the design of the Pope when it had been the kings who appointed people in their domain to run the Church – not the Pope. Nothing could illustrate this point more than the case of Saint Thomas Becket (c. 1119–1170), who was a personal drinking buddy of the King. When he appointed him as Arch Bishop of Canterbury, he suddenly found religion. He then stood up to the King and he was slain right at the Altar.

 

This is a similar nature where here it is the religious Shite seeking to take control of the Middle East and overthrow kings. The recent Saudi Arabia incident of shooting down the Iranian missile on November 4th, 2017 near Riyadh’s international airport, illustrates just how confrontational this really is. Why Obama cut any sort of a deal with Iran given their political beliefs, is truly beyond contemplation.

Nov 14 2017

The Syrian War


Armstrong Economics Blog/Civil Unrest

Re-Posted Nov 14, 2017 by Martin Armstrong

QUESTION: Mr. Armstrong, I greatly appreciate everything you do. I was moved when you ended you WEC in Orlando explaining that you see this as we are all in this together. You really make an effort to pass along sound advice without strings attached to solicit money. A very admirable effort I wish others would follow.

My question is this. At the 2015 WEC when Russia invaded Syria on the precise day of your model, you said this would be an important event moving forward. The entire refugee crisis began from that date and now they seem to be winning the war against these jihadists. Now the tensions are rising between Saudi and Iran. Is this part-II of the Middle East crisis? You said back in 2015 that the mere fact Russia entered Syria on the very day of you model signaled this will be the region we should watch. So will this escalate now?

ANSWER: Yes. I wrote in the 2015 War Cycle: “It is extremely disconcerting that on the very day of the peak on the Economic Confidence Model, September 30, 2015 (2015.75), Russia began bombing forces trained and funded by the United States to overturn the Syrian government of Assad.” In 639 AD, Muawiyah I (b. 602–680 AD; r. 661–680 AD) was appointed Governor of Syria as it fell to the Muslim Conquest. We are now in the 26th 51.6-year wave from that event which is a major turning point.

The focus is turning to Idlib, which is a city in northwestern Syria. It is the capital of the Idlib Governorate, which is about 59 kilometers southwest of Aleppo. Because the Syrian government wants to evacuate all jihadists to Idlib, this will present a problem to Turkey which it borders. The Syrian state has offered to give the jihadists safe conduct and let them go to Idlib. For about one to one and a half years, jihadist terrorists from all parts of Syria are being transported to Idlib.The majority of these militant fighters appear to belong to the al-Nusra Front. These terrorists are well armed and have between 30,000 and 50,000 tanks. They also have missiles, chemical weapons, and other assorted war equipment.

In Turkey, the fear is that they will eventually flee Syria and enter Turkey. At least half of the terrorists are from Chechnya, Dagestan, Central Asia and other areas of the Russian Federation. They are not even Syrian. They have been a foreign invading army in Syria driven by religion. Under Trump, the USA has agreed with Russia that Idlib needs to be cleared by al-Nusra terrorists. There is a serious cooperation between Russia and the US regarding Idlib, which did not exist under Obama. 

Nov 13 2017

Trump, White Supremacy, and Fake News (Larry Elder Interview)


Larry Elder (Author & Radio Host) joins Dave Rubin to discuss his views on Trump, the cries of white supremacy, and fake news.

Nov 13 2017

Larry Elder (Author & Radio Host) joins Dave Rubin to discuss his background, political evolution, and his views on “actual” racism vs systemic racism, Black Lives Matter, and more.


Larry Elder (Author & Radio Host) joins Dave Rubin to discuss his background, political evolution, and his views on “actual” racism vs systemic racism, Black Lives Matter, and more.