Updated:
Friday September 3, 2004
"Follow the money. Speak plainly."
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Ref note: Quake Forecast
1:15PM EDT Update
Bots Right: Clinton's "Convention Framework!"
We now hear reports that former President Clinton's actual surgery will happen next Tuesday and may be quadruple bypass. But what's more striking is that the imagery that is being shown on CNN, MSNBC and other outlets shows Clinton speaking at the Democratic Convention! So, Cliff and I are completely blown away by the "within the framework of the convention" aspect! Just damn amazing technology, huh?
12:35 PM EDT Update
Clinton Hospitalized: Web Bots Right - Again
With the report that Bill Clinton has been hospitalized today for an emergency triple bypass operation - we note that in our Monday web bot summary we forecast: (link to forecast)
"We'll also be on the lookout for some talk of disease at a high level "Rather what we have is a lexical structure with words such as [evil], [vile], [foul] and [stagnant] also contains some references to disease. In fact, enough such references to disease appear that the lexical aspect takes its name from that subset. However, this is apparently all about a single [prominent/powerful/public] person being (struck down) by [disease] within the framework of the convention itself. This [disease] subset is cross linked back to (no movement)[facilitates/improves] which suggests that the disease is not something that is treatable."
While the "within the framework of the convention" is a bit off, we have to note that this is the final day and Clinton is above all else, a political figure. We wish Clinton a speedy recovery, but note that artery problems are not specifically "treatable". Our prayers that he recovers speedily.
Another bot "hit"?
We are also eyeing the reports out of South Florida of shortages of various type developing in advance of Frances - link.
Ossetia School Crisis: 200 Wounded, Mostly Kids
Word out this morning that 200 hostages, including 158 children were wounded or killed in a bloody stand-off between militants and government forces at a school in Ossetia. Lick over to MosNews for the latest at http://www.mosnews.com As forecast by the web bots: "One interpretation is that an attack by children will be successfully repulsed at some considerable/horrific damage to the youth and the resultant emotions will cause a mental retreat from continuation on this path (ie. the slaughter of children). " Sadly prescient - yet again.
Jobs Report - No Charley Impact????
Can you believe this? http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm There was virtually no employment impact from Hurricane Charley:
---------------------------------------------------------------------- | Hurricane Charley | | | | Hurricane Charley struck Florida during the August survey refer- | | ence period. BLS made additional data collection efforts for the | | hurricane-affected counties to ensure that payroll survey response | | rates were at normal levels. Our examination of the survey data | | suggests that there were no discernable weather-related effects on | | national payroll employment as measured by the establishment survey. | | This was likely due to the fact that the storm hit late in the re- | | porting period for most of our survey respondents. For the storm | | to have affected payroll employment, people would have had to have | | been off work for the entire pay period and not paid for the time | | missed. (In the household survey, people who miss work for weath- | | er-related events are counted as employed whether or not they are | | paid for the time off.) | ----------------------------------------------------------------------
If you find that hard to swallow, the rest should be cake:
Nonfarm payroll employment rose by 144,000 in August, and the unemployment
rate was little changed at 5.4 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the
U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Over the month, job growth occurred
in several service-providing industries.
Unemployment (Household Survey Data)
Both the number of unemployed persons, 8.0 million, and the unemployment
rate, 5.4 percent, were little changed from July to August. The jobless rate
is down from its recent high of 6.3 percent in June 2003; most of this decline
occurred in the second half of last year. In August, the unemployment rates
for the major worker groups--adult men (5.0 percent), adult women (4.7 percent),
teenagers (17.0 percent), whites (4.7 percent), blacks (10.4 percent), and
Hispanics or Latinos (6.9 percent)--showed little change over the month. The
unemployment rate for Asians was 3.6 percent in August, not seasonally adjusted.
(See tables A-1, A-2, and A-3.)
Total Employment and the Labor Force (Household Survey Data)
Total employment held at 139.7 million in August, and the employment-pop-
ulation ratio--the proportion of the population age 16 and over with jobs--
was essentially unchanged at 62.4 percent. The civilian labor force was about
unchanged over the month at 147.7 million. After rising in July, the labor
force participation rate edged down to its June level of 66.0 percent. (See
table A-1.)
How did this statistical miracle happen?
The labor force shrank a bit compared with last month, down 153,000. Unemployment by adult men was actually up 0.1% But the biggie is that unemployment dropped as people fell off the rolls.
Average Hourly earnings went up a whopping nickel.
The report also claimed the underemployed dropped from 9.8% of the workforce to 9.3%.
Market likes the numbers, gold down, Dollar up in reaction. Look for a Labor Sec to be reappointed in Bush 2-II.
The problem I have is that on the one hand, BLS says payroll employment was up 144,000 in August, and then in the jobs report today, we see that employment was up only 21,000 for the month. Which is it, folks? Don't they ever tie their numbers together?
Housing: Bubble Watch
Looks to me like some of the hot housing markets are cooling off, but experts don't think its a bubble bursting - at least they won't say so yet: http://biz.yahoo.com/brn/040902/13922_1.html
Frances: Big as Texas!
Looks like Frances has slowed down a bit - which will give you more time to make final preparations if you live in South Florida: Check the latest 24/7 at http://www.nhc.noaa.gov
BULLETIN
HURRICANE FRANCES ADVISORY NUMBER 38
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
5 AM EDT FRI SEP 03 2004
...CENTER OF DANGEROUS FRANCES APPROACHING ELEUTHERA ISLAND IN THE
NORTHWESTERN BAHAMAS...
A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE EAST COAST OF FLORIDA
FROM FLORIDA CITY NORTHWARD TO FLAGLER BEACH...INCLUDING LAKE
OKEECHOBEE. A HURRICANE WARNING ALSO REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE
CENTRAL AND NORTHWESTERN BAHAMAS.
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING AND A HURRICANE WATCH ARE IN EFFECT FOR THE
MIDDLE AND UPPER FLORIDA KEYS FROM SOUTH OF FLORIDA CITY SOUTHWARD
TO THE SEVEN MILE BRIDGE...INCLUDING FLORIDA BAY.
A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED
WITHIN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS. PREPARATIONS TO
PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY SHOULD BE RUSHED TO COMPLETION.
AT 5 AM EDT...0900Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE FRANCES WAS LOCATED
NEAR LATITUDE 24.9 NORTH...LONGITUDE 76.0 WEST OR JUST EAST OF
ELEUTHERA ISLAND. THIS POSITION IS ALSO ABOUT 285 MILES...460
KM...EAST-SOUTHEAST OF THE FLORIDA LOWER EAST COAST.
FRANCES IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST NEAR 9 MPH
...15 KM/HR...AND A WEST-NORTHWEST TO NORTHWESTWARD MOTION WITH SOME
DECREASE IN FORWARD SPEED IS EXPECTED DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. ON
THIS TRACK...THE CORE OF HURRICANE FRANCES WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE
NEAR OR OVER THE NORTHWESTERN BAHAMAS TODAY.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 120 MPH...195 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER
GUSTS. WHILE AIRCRAFT AND RADAR DATA INDICATES THAT FRANCES HAS
BECOME SOMEWHAT DISORGANIZED...IT IS STILL A STRONG CATEGORY THREE
HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON HURRICANE SCALE. SOME FLUCTUATIONS
IN INTENSITY ARE POSSIBLE DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS.
HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 85 MILES...140 KM...
FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP
TO 185 MILES...295 KM. ELEUTHERA HAS JUST REPORTED SUSTAINED WINDS
OF 81 MPH.
ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 954 MB...28.17 INCHES.
STORM SURGE FLOODING OF 6 TO 14 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS...
ALONG WITH LARGE AND DANGEROUS BATTERING WAVES...CAN BE EXPECTED
NEAR THE EYE OF FRANCES ON THE WEST SIDE OF ELEUTHERA ISLAND...AND
ON THE NORTH SIDE OF GRAND BAHAMA ISLAND. STORM SURGE FLOODING OF
4 TO 6 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS CAN BE EXPECTED ON THE WEST
SIDE OF THE OTHER ISLANDS OF THE BAHAMAS. COASTAL STORM SURGE
FLOODING OF 6 TO 11 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS...ALONG WITH
LARGE AND DANGEROUS BATTERING WAVES...CAN BE EXPECTED NEAR AND TO
THE NORTH OF WHERE THE CENTER MAKES LANDFALL IN FLORIDA.
RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 7 TO 12 INCHES...LOCALLY AS HIGH AS 20 INCHES...
ARE POSSIBLE IN ASSOCIATION WITH FRANCES.
SWELLS GENERATED BY FRANCES WILL BE AFFECTING PORTIONS OF THE
SOUTHEASTERN COAST OF THE UNITED STATES. THESE SWELLS COULD CAUSE
DANGEROUS SURF AND RIP CURRENTS.
REPEATING THE 5 AM EDT POSITION...24.9 N... 76.0 W. MOVEMENT
TOWARD...WEST-NORTHWEST NEAR 9 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED
WINDS...120 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE... 954 MB.
FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...PLEASE MONITOR
PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR LOCAL WEATHER OFFICE.
AN INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL
HURRICANE CENTER AT 8 AM EDT FOLLOWED BY THE NEXT
COMPLETE ADVISORY AT 11 AM EDT.
FORECASTER BEVEN
Howard: L.A. Next?
L.A. flooding next week? That's a possibility when you look at the latest track of Hurricane Howard which is off the west coast of the Baja Penninsula: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ftp/graphics/EP11/refresh/EP1104W5+GIF/030853W5.gif
Ivan: Heading for the Gulf
Just as those of us bordering the Gulf of Mexico states were thanking our lucky stars that we've been sparreda hurricane, along comes Tropical Storm Ivan, which looks to strengthen into a hurricane and may enter the Gulf: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ftp/graphics/AT09/refresh/AL0904W5+GIF/030853W5.gif
Adventures in Ashcroft Land
What if someone were to tell you that in releasing public information, the U.S. Justice Department blacked out (redacted) information about a U.S. Supreme Court decision simply because they didn't like it? I would suggest that in such a case, it would demonstrate that the Justice Department is not interested in justice and that what they were trying to hide was a Supreme Court decision dealing with the potential for government abuse of power!
"The danger to political dissent is acute where the Government attempts to act under so vague a concept as the power to protect 'domestic security.' Given the difficulty of defining the domestic security interest, the danger of abuse in acting to protect that interest becomes apparent."
The article at http://www.thememoryhole.org/feds/justice_redaction.htm gives even the most skeptical person cause to fear government officials - at least insofar as it is interpreted by bureaucrats - who would high our own Constitutional rights and High Court decisions from us. Pretty amazing, huh?
Abu Ghraib Follow-up: CIA to Take Fall?
Interesting article about a report questioning whether CIA agents, operating outside of military conduct rules, contributed to the atrocities at Abu Ghraib. http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,FL_probe_090304,00.html?ESRC=eb.nl And you wonder why Tenet's leaving?
Must Read
Put the September newsletter of the Association for the Study of Peak Oil on your agenda: http://www.energybulletin.net/1830.html
Medical Pisser:
There's a report out of Bangkok that drinking a cup of urine a day can help eliminate lots of medical issues - this after studying a group of Buddhists who engage in the practice STORY We're content to stick with green tea, thanks...
E-Voting Sales Tough
So you think you're a salesman? How easy do you think it is to sell electronic voting machines? http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=aP3CJb9ADeXM&refer=us Very good background article on electronic voting, the players and the money on the table.
Thursday
Standby for Child/Victims
As we reported yesterday, the standoff at the school in Russia, apparently taken over my militant Islamists, has entered its second day with reports of explosions (or gunfire) being heard inside the building: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3621418.stm
We're mentally braced for reports of death from the scene because of the May web bot run that forecast an event involving children: :One interpretation is that an attack by children will be successfully repulsed at some considerable/horrific damage to the youth and the resultant emotions will cause a mental retreat from continuation on this path (ie. the slaughter of children)."
Kids Killed in Fallujah
Like it or not, the latest 20 killed by US air strikes in Fallujah, Iraq, also includes some children according to Arab press reports: http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/EAA1471C-CC89-4274-857A-B63AF0C1C80D.htm
Bush Day at RNC
While we wonder if the prediction of a health related revelation will come from the RNC, we noticed that a young woman was dragged out of the proceedings yesterday for shouting at Dick Cheney. In case you're keeping track, there are now 1,800 protesters arrested by NY authorities. Moreover, the Pier 57 holding pens are being likened to Guantanamo Bay prison conditions: http://cbsnewyork.com/topstories/topstoriesny_story_245163526.html
Of course, we expect a big run up in the Dow today or tomorrow, because we received this interesting post from a knowledgeable Fed watcher, Mike Bolser ( http://www.pbase.com/gmbolser ) that was posted on one of the www.lemetropolecafe.com discussion sites...
"There will be a seismic event tomorrow based only on the presence of over $100 Billion in intra-day repo pool funds. I'm betting the event will launch the DOW.
The Federal Reserve today added $4.25B in temps today, September 1rst 2004, an action that caused the repo pool to stay very high at $57.012B. There are two MAJOR events in today's brief commentary:
First, the Fed has an enormous expiration of $24.5Billion set for tomorrow (today - GU) that nicely coincides with the peak of the Republican Convention and my long expected launch date for a DOW recovery. The massive expiration means that the Fed will issue a similar amount of repos in the AM, leaving around $50B in intra-day repos added to the EXISTING repo pool of $57Billion Thus we may see an intra-day total of over $100Billion available for primary dealer actions. I will let you decide if this mountain of money is just a coincidence.
Ask us after the Dow closes up 100 points today - and see if any of the sheeple even notice...
Communications Day?
By the web bots we're now into a period of difficulty of communication. Whether that means a mis-statement by a major political figure or an all out attack on the internet by terrorists is not known. What we have is difficulty or problems with communication(s).
Productivity
Of course a big rally today will have more to do with the repo pool than the facts, but just so you can blame a big rally today on something, here comes a convenient story from the Department of Labor touting a 2.5 percent increase in non-farm productivity in Q2 of this year:
Real
Hourly hourly Unit
Produc- compen- compen- labor
Sector tivity Output Hours sation sation costs
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Percent change from preceding quarter
Business 1.5 3.2 1.6 3.7 -1.0 2.1
Nonfarm business 2.5 3.5 1.0 4.3 -0.4 1.8
Manufacturing 6.9 6.2 -0.6 3.2 -1.5 -3.5
Durable 4.9 5.9 1.0 2.3 -2.3 -2.5
Nondurable 9.7 6.3 -3.2 4.5 -0.2 -4.8
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Percent change from same quarter a year ago
Business 4.0 5.4 1.3 4.0 1.1 0.0
Nonfarm business 4.6 5.8 1.2 4.2 1.3 -0.3
Manufacturing 5.8 5.7 -0.1 3.1 0.3 -2.5
Durable 7.2 8.4 1.1 2.2 -0.7 -4.7
Nondurable 4.7 2.6 -2.1 4.7 1.7 0.0
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table B of the report says worker output was up 5.4% compared with a year ago, and although hourly wages were up 4.1%, by the time you back out the 3.7% implicit price deflator (where they hide theft of purchasing power through monetary debasement), the worker's real wage was up 1.2% - meaning business got to keep better than 80% of the increase. That's got to cause corporatists to gloat a bit.
Look for new Iran Bluster
With a report that the International Atomic Energy Agency has not found any evidence that Iran is planning - or trying - to build nuclear weapons, http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/0A750173-0AD0-4BA5-8FE0-814E8E21081D.htm, we expect that the globalist's militarists will search around for a new reason to invade Iran shortly after the election - that is, if an Israeli raid on Bushehr can be held in check that long.
Good Rap
If you have time to read Michael Ruppert's 54 page speech to the Commonwealth Club, I recommend it - not because I agree with all of it, but there are some good points made and it's worth the second cup of coffee to digest: http://www.fromthewilderness.com/PDF/Commonwealth.pdf Most troubling are some comments from Ruppert's forthcoming book:
I WILL NAME RICHARD CHENEY AS THE PRIME SUSPECT IN THE MASS
MURDERS OF 9/11 AND WILL ESTABLISH THAT, NOT ONLY WAS HE A
PLANNER IN THE ATTACKS, BUT ALSO THAT ON THE DAY OF THE
ATTACKS HE WAS RUNNING A COMPLETELY SEPARATE COMMAND,
CONTROL AND COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM WHICH WAS SUPERCEDING
ANY ORDERS BEING ISSUED BY THE NMCC, OR THE WHITE HOUSE
SITUATION ROOM. TO ACCOMPLISH THAT END HE RELIED ON A
REDUNDANT AND SUPERIOR COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM MAINTAINED
BY THE US SECRET SERVICE IN OR NEAR THE PRESIDENTIAL
EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER – THE BUNKER TO WHICH HE AND
NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR CONDOLEEZZA RICE WERE REPORTEDLY
“RUSHED” AFTER FLIGHT 175 STRUCK THE WTC’S SOUTH TOWER. I WILL
DEMONSTRATE THAT THE SECRET SERVICE POSSESSED RADAR
SCREENS WHICH GAVE THEM, AND THE VICE PRESIDENT, WHOSE SIDE
THE NEVER LEFT, WITH REAL-TIME INFORMATION AS GOOD AS OR
BETTER THAN THAT AVAILABLE TO THE PENTAGON;
Definitely serious charges, and as our Canadian correspondent, Tim B noted, it's surprising Ruppert has stayed alive as long as he has given the seriousness of his claims. "Crossing the Rubicon" promises to be an interesting read...
Tell a Friend
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Wednesday
We have been following the situation in Chechnya overnight where it is reported that as many as 17 gunmen have taken 200 - or more - students hostage. You can read in the reports that this is all happening in the town of Beslan in North Ossetia: http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/F8018883-2C7E-43BE-97C2-4A43D5E90E1E.htm It's clearly another radical Islamist action.
Now, I want to take you back to the web bot run of May 5th, which you can read in its entirety over at http://halfpasthuman.com/HPH_ALTAHIT.htm. The specific portion of relevance to this morning's news is this:
"The attributes of this entity The Wars suggest that some incident arising 'in the south' will cause the 'youth' to 'chafe under the drill' and the 'useless application of punishment' which will directly 'precipitate/condense the feeling/emotion'. This then forms the 'rallying cry' for 'revenge for humiliation' . There are indications within the data-set that this event of humiliation will involve rape. These are tenuous connections, however the association of 'jejune/young' women to this event are very very strong. There is also a 'man of bronze' reference which is reinforced within cross-linked attribute sets to 'metal-man' or 'slaves (silver/glinting) of higher station'. This event echoes 'within the world cubed', which perhaps means three times around the planet, or perhaps, is indicative of a caged or cubed population.
In this entity, the clear indication is that this revolution will be waged by children. There are counter links suggesting that 'force and fire' will be 'applied as punishment' to 'the incorrigible youth/fool' to the point that 'revulsion' comes 'to the Army' and 'a retreat' occurs. Note that attributes indicate that a retreat will occur but not be ordered. This 'retreat' might be a psychological event as opposed to a retreat of units of soldiers. One interpretation is that an attack by children will be successfully repulsed at some considerable/horrific damage to the youth and the resultant emotions will cause a mental retreat from continuation on this path (ie. the slaughter of children).
Other than the proximate connection within the entity, there are no indications that the revolution is in Iraq or Palestine. Each, for their own reasons, would be a valid pick at this point. It should be noted though that the entity indicates that there will be wide spread, perhaps multi-country, 'revolution' beginning during this time (late May around the 20th)."
Once again timing is off. When we forecast events of a global emotional nature, such as the attack on 9/11, the indication may come as early as 120 days before the event, or as little as 4-5 days, as was the case of the athletes involved in the accident at the start of the Olympics.
What bothers us is the reference of "slaughter of children" which we hope is not forthcoming. Because this "reading the tea leaves of events in the future" by measuring linguistic shift on the internet is far from hard science, we can easily see how an "attack by children" could be missed because linguistically it is so close to "attack using/through children" - the point is that although this is not an extremely close fit, we're impressed that we got the "no indication that the revolution is in Iraq or Palestine" part right. Back in May, who would have guessed Chechnya/Ossetia?
By the way, Russia has suddenly beefed up its nuclear facility security according to domestic Russian reports: http://www.mosnews.com/news/2004/09/01/nuclear.shtml. A good idea in light of the escalation of tensions with the Muslim faction along the southern tier of once Soviet states...
At the risk of having today's report sound like the "Daily Bot Report", in the latest cut of the data there are two items to put on the calendar. One is a potential for an attack on an institution or person of significance here in the US:
"An entity arises which must reluctantly be named FoundationCrumbles. This entity represents what does appear to be a attempt at an [attack]. The lexical construct of the entity suggests an (attack) on a person, or in more singular language and so could be interpreted as an assassination attempt rather than a more general form of attack as we are doing here. The use of [strike](down) could apply to an attack of both a personal or an institutional kind.
Further, the clustering of lexical clues suggest that the most likely time for the attack is the night of September 10th. We have a clustering of our distance values for this entity arriving at that date within the modelspace. So the suggestion is the night of the 10th or the morning of the 11th. And of course, in so far as the western mind is concerned, using a solar calendar, this would be the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks of 2001. "
The other is what seems like a very large and damaging California earthquake which will take the southern part of the Golden State back to "a previous age" - suggesting that the event will come not as one, but two quakes with a pause between them - so when (if?) it happens, remember the first quake is the same or smaller than the second one that would be along shortly. You'll know this will be the event when you get this to match:
"Other than the above, there are not a whole lot of meaningful references which come through. However we can note that there are specific references which suggest that a prison, or building housing a court will be seriously impacted. In the lexical structure it suggests that such a building will not be demolished all at once, but will (hang/suspend) its [crumbling/destruction] and that this will allow for some [entombed/trapped] individuals to extricate themselves."
There's a lot more for http://www.halfpasthuman.com subscribers, but as always our sincere thanks to Cliff for allowing us to extract a few highlights for the broad purpose of helping aware humans avoid unnecessary suffering.
Heckler Fit?
Remember the bot forecast of a young woman getting national attention during the RNC? See earlier forecast. Well, here's a possible fit: http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040831/D84QDEGO0.html Not that it's a big deal as it doesn't have a lot of long term impact on how our lives operate, but it could be what the bots were picking up.
There Goes the Weekend
A number of readers have congratulated us on leaving south Florida early this year. With Hurricane Frances due to make landfall this weekend just up the beach from our former place of residence, we couldn't agree more: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ftp/graphics/AT06/refresh/AL0604W5+GIF/300858W5.gif We send our best wishes that our former colleague - and friends - are spared anything more than some rain from this...
Communications
There's something big having to do with communications due in the next 48 hours or so, but again reading timelines is the most difficult part of this future scanning technology.
One thing of extreme interest: Yesterday I had to re-point our satellite dish, half a degree up and about 3/4 of one degree West. Because the dish hasn't moved, there's been no wind to speak of, and I doubt my house has rotated almost a degree counterclockwise when viewed from above, I'd be very interested in any reports of satellite dishes needing to be re-aimed. If your are not an electronics whiz, it might come up as a "check you coax cable connections error message, and you might have called your satellite provider and not given it any thought. Nevertheless, I'm extremely interested in any incidents besides mine... Click here to submit a report - Thanks
Tuesday
Main Act & Side Show
Let's start with the side show. The Republican National Convention, which seems bound to meet our expectations set forth Monday before the meeting got underway. There are some reports this morning that protesters encountering delegates are turning into unpleasant events. But that's the tip of the iceberg. Here's a sample of what's not getting on corporate agenda media:
Eyewitness: NYC Last Night
"I live in NYC, literally yards away from the barricade that stops protestors from entering the RNC convention area. On Sunday, the crowds were very peaceful. They gathered at the barrier and chanted, but it was a nice sunny day and everyone, police and protestors, seemed to be in a friendly mood.
Last night, however, it got very ugly. I have been watching the news coverage, and they describe it as a 'scuffle' (if they mention it at all.) That is the understatement of the year. The protestors gathered at the barrier and started a concerted effort to break through and head up to Madison Square Gardens. They managed to push the barriers aside and overwhelm the couple of dozen cops who were defending it.
Somebody hit the panic button because, out of nowhere, HUNDREDS of cops descended on the intersection. Many of them were in full riot gear with nightsticks drawn. They formed a line and pushed the protestors back, right underneath me as I watched in amazement from my apartment. I personally witnessed several people being beaten by police during the incident. It was an overwhelming display of force, so much so that I think it scared the protestors out of escalating it further. But it was very ugly indeed, and there were definitely injuries inflicted on the protestors.
I was so stunned to see this happening right outside my front door that it took me a while to realize I should be taking photographs. Unfortunately, my digital camera doesn't do well in low light conditions, and I only caught the tail end of it all, but I have attached some pictures here. Feel free to publish them if you so desire. The pictures don't do it justice. The street was filled from sidewalk to sidewalk with protestors being forced back by the riot cops. I'll make sure I keep my camera handy over the next couple of days.
All of this is a long way of saying that I think the web bot run is right on the money. From what I saw last night, I fear that things are going to get out of hand in a big way some time in the next couple of days. Madison Square could be our Tian'anmen Square.
Please do not use my name if you publish this. I am not a US citizen, but am a green card holder. Thanks to the Patriot Act, I lost my Bill of Rights protection and I don't want to lose my green card for 'dissent.' "
Meantime,
a Reader who has been watching the headlines, wonders if Sunday's arrest of
actress Rosario Dawson during filming of "This Revolution" using the RNC meeting as
background, was what the bots were getting at.
Although it might not be the event we were looking for, I gotta give the web bots credit for good taste in female stars...
One other note: Over half of New Yorkers think government officials had some foreknowledge of the 9/11 attack. Don't look for much discussion of this Zogby poll: http://www.zogby.com/news/ReadNews.dbm?ID=855
The Main Act
While we're waiting for our "hot days" of September 2 and September 10th to see how events will unwind in the terrible 60-days ahead, we noticed that China is stockpiling oil: http://business.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,8209-1240069,00.html The real story, we think, is not that China's purchases are driving up prices, but that China may know something we don't - perhaps they see something in the tea leaves like the web bots forecast and they are simply being prudent about stocking up. If something horrific happened could you keep your family going with food and water for two or three weeks?
Double Bombing
In Beersheba Israel, religious fanatics boarded and blew up two buses today, senselessly killing at least 12 people: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3614614.stm
12 Executed in Iraq
Not Americans, thank God, but the reported execution of 12 Nepalese is just as offensive, stupid, and disgusting: http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/67833A12-87BE-467D-8E7E-9D173D9A9915.htm Again, the religious warfare nature of this series of executions reminds us that radical Islam has declared war on infidels, which apparently includes the non-Muslim population of America.
Speaking of religious fanatics, this weekend, for Inside Report, I happened to bump into a fellow here in East Texas who knew Osama bin Laden when he was the head of bin Laden Telecommunications in the late 1980's. We had an interesting conversation last night about how Osama was being radicalized at that time. With luck, I' hope to be able to do an on-the-record interview with my source tomorrow night.
Domino Theory Again?
If you're not old enough to remember the Domino Theory of Vietnam War days, it went something like this: If the U.S. lost in Vietnam, the whole of Southeast Asia would eventually fall to China. Well, this morning, we're interested to see that a top Russian diplomat says that the U.S. going into the Iraq War has really caused a lot of terrorism to be unleashed worldwide: http://www.mosnews.com/news/2004/08/31/iraq.shtml
Key Quote:
“What has been happening in Iraq confirms our misgivings as regards to the threat of terrorism growing even stronger in the region instead of diminishing, in the wake of the military operation carried out in Iraq,” Yuri Fedotov, deputy head of the Russian Foreign Minsitry told the Interfax news agency on Tuesday.
“Calling a spade a spade, a genie of international terrorism has been let out of the bottle, and dealing with that threat is extremely difficult,” the deputy minister emphasized. "
Same topic, different perspective: Eric Margolis' piece on what the Iraq war has cost the U.S. - namely, figures Margolis, if we hadn't invaded Iraq, oil would be about $30 now instead of the low $40's. http://www.maxlogan.com/margolis.0829.htm
Trend Watch: The Wireless Wallet?
Cool article in Wired today at http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,64778,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_4 about how your cell phone might soon replace your wallet. But not too quickly, because there are lingering security concerns.
Monday
RNC Outlook: Health Issue & Confrontation
As the Republican National Convention gets underway today, we're sitting back with a different take on what will transpire this week, thanks to the web bots of www.halfpasthuman.com. We are specifically looking for a series of events including:
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The "takeaways" that the bots suggest we'll have next week might include a widespread recognition that the RNC meeting will be highlighted with a revelation (or revealing act) "Indeed, a failure at multiple levels. As the data set indicates, (all/any)[movement] results in (bound/constrained/frustrated)[desires/goals/efforts]. This is apparently all due to a single instance of the widespread perception of [insincerity]. or [sincerity] that is (inconsistent)."
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We'll also be on the lookout for some talk of disease at a high level "Rather what we have is a lexical structure with words such as [evil], [vile], [foul] and [stagnant] also contains some references to disease. In fact, enough such references to disease appear that the lexical aspect takes its name from that subset. However, this is apparently all about a single [prominent/powerful/public] person being (struck down) by [disease] within the framework of the convention itself. This [disease] subset is cross linked back to (no movement)[facilitates/improves] which suggests that the disease is not something that is treatable."
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We'll also expect that there will be someone involved with the protests, who will arise out of the protester's efforts, perhaps who will be subject to obviously excessive force by authorities - perhaps standing up to authority after being injured ala Tiananmen Square - who will be thrust into the public consciousness: "Rather, there will arise an individual *most hints at this stage suggest a female, youngish - say 20's* who will become the 'poster child' of the (solidarity/cohesive) American resistance movement. The data would suggest some nasty moments for this individual, but in spite of suggestions of a (frail frame/waif-like appearance/vatta-body type), the flesh shall endure and the spirit will triumph in a totally (unexpected/unbidden/not sought) (rise) to [prominence/pinnacle]."
There's a lot more to it, of course, but to get it all, we recommend that you ante up the $30 and click over to http://www.halfpasthuman.com/HPHSUBSCRIPTION_INFO.htm for details. Our purpose in putting these few snips out is to place some predictions on the record well in advance of events.
We also note that Secretary of State Colin Powell is not planning to attend this year's event. While most commentary suggests something is akimbo within Republican ranks, what most observers won't tell you is that it has little to do with politics, but more likely everything to do with succession plans. The worry (although by the bots not justified) is that Powell should be well out of harms way in event of a WMD attack on the convention.
Then there's the RNC playing on the WTC tragedy for political ends: Rudi Giuliani will say:
"Winston Churchill saw the dangers of Hitler when his opponents and much of the press characterized him as a war-mongering gadfly.
"Ronald Reagan saw and described the Soviet Union as 'the evil empire' when world opinion accepted it as inevitable and belittled Ronald Reagan's intelligence.
George W. Bush sees world terrorism for the evil that it is and he will remain consistent to the purpose of defeating it while working to make us ever safer at home."
What would surprise us least? We can already judge the flavor of the event by reading advance comments at http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040829/nysu027_1.html Because there will be lots of playing on images of the WTC disaster, one thought is that might backfire and may be part of what the bots pick up as "insincerity".
Our plot for a perfect run? A Tiananmen square kind of event, a top official revealing untreatable health problems, and a general "backfire" from what we're supposed to see as an emotional event.
Darfur Deadline
A UN deadline is schedule to expire today in the Sudan where pressure is on the government to quiet things down and provide for victims of violence in Darfur: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3611146.stm Recall as we've pointed out in the past, this is a sort of sand country range war that the UN has become enmeshed in.
Iraq's Armed Militants
The Prime Minister of the US-backed government holding power in Iraq says he wants to disarm the militants in country. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3609482.stm As we see it, Ayatollah Sistani was the "hermit" of the bot runs, and the events of last week comprise the "Rescue" aspect from the April runs, so what follows now will be the popular uprising part of the prediction and the US retreat - not that we want to see such a thing, but don't shoot the messengers. Reading the probability of future events based on language shifts on the internet is not exactly a finely crafted science yet. Still... the reports out of Sadr City of dozens dead and nearly 100 wounded have us re-reading those April runs: http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/2F6BF664-6C34-4F08-B7B4-A32AAD719D31.htm Is this the start of the general uprising foretold? Note that Russia has revealed new arms sales to the Iraqi government, which I would have thought would already be armed to the teeth with U.S. made goods: http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGB8VUNLIYD.html. Maybe they're just chasing the bucks involved.
Question of the Week
Not to dwell too much on web bot forecasts but what started last week and is predicted to hit crescendos Wednesday and then the 10th with rising public awareness by the 25/26th that topples our present lifestyle expectations? Candidates include the dual Russian terrorist attacks of the 25th, http://english.pravda.ru/accidents/21/96/382/13934_chechen.html, and the revelations about an Israeli spy in the Pentagon, http://www.rense.com/general56/supreb.htm, or something yet to surface?
"Hi DoD Readers!"
I know that DoD routinely looks at this site and www.halfpasthuman.com, but I think Matt Savinar over at www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net was a little surprised that his work to increase awareness of peak oil has spurred DoD interest in his reports: http://www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net/DOD.html Our advice is that DoD is a well intentioned group and visiting sites that accurately forecast aspects of future events (Half Past Human), sites that offer "money behind the news" analysis (here) and sites that reveal how fragile the petroconomy is would all naturally be of interest. Can't blame them - and as loyal U.S. citizens we're pleased to share. Besides, some of the DoD readers of UrbanSurvival are mid-level executives who are looking for a little more insight that comes "through channels". Yup.
Census Data Retained
Worries that Arab-Americans would have everything about them known about them by the Census Bureau being turned to Homeland Security may not happen. Census is limiting release of data: http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGB03DQJIYD.html. We note that Census
What Kind of Research?
BBC reports today that they have managed to make a chimp take up smoking and spitting due to sexual frustration: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/3611666.stm. Cruel science, eh? But listen, if you're an American female and your man starts to smoke and spit, you know the implications, right?
Medical Questions
Speaking of which: Am I the only one who is getting confused by advertising on television advertising aimed at getting me to take a pill but not explaining what ailment it is supposed to address?
I was watching a bit of the Cyclops over the weekend and I was told to "Ask your doctor if Levitra is right for you". OK, fine, but watching the ad didn't tell me what ailment it was for. So I clicked over to www.levitra.com (as suggested) and finally I got that it has something to do with "erection quality". I must be dense, because I didn't get that out of the TV ad. I'm sure its a good product for those who need it...but couldn't they tell me on TV what it was for (in simple "get through George's head words) so I wouldn't be tempted to ask my doctor "Is such and such right for me?" Heck, for all I know, it could have been a blood pressure med. I'm sure it's a good ad, and I'm just terminally dense...
On a slightly different track, same topic, am I also the only one that notices that other "ask your doctor if xxx is right for you" ads often include disclaimers that sound worse than the underlying problem they are supposed to cure? One ad, for example, says to "tell your doctor if you have liver or kidney problems." That got me. I thought my doctor was supposed to tell me, not the other way around.
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