The top 25 metro areas make up half of the U.S. GDP. The other 359 smaller cities account for a little over 38 percent of national GDP. As Statista’s Sarah Feldman points out, it only takes 19 of the biggest powerhouse cities to make up the same percent of total GDP as the other 359 cites.
The rural-urban divide gets a lot of press, while the divide between major metropolises and smaller ones often gets overlooked.
These smaller cities often face the struggles of aging populations, young workers leaving to coastal cities, and shrinking economies, once bolstered by manufacturing jobs and industries. These U.S. cities, like Cleveland, Columbus, and Buffalo have been struggling to jump start economic development.
The division between bigger cities and smaller cities has a geographic component to it too. Over half of the top 25 economic powerhouses are located on one of the coasts, further playing into the divide between coastal metro areas and the interior of the country.
via ZeroHedge News https://ift.tt/2LV1dIA Tyler Durden
Why are we suddenly seeing so many cases of flesh-eating disease all along the east coast of the United States?
For years, flesh-eating bacterial infections were so rare in the U.S. that even a single case would make national headlines. But here in 2019 the news is telling us that we are seeing flesh-eating infections “at a rate much higher than in previous years”, and this outbreak really seems to have escalated dramatically over the last couple of months. In fact, I found so many cases as I was doing research for this article that I had to simply stop reading at one point or I would have never gotten this article done in time. So in this article I will be sharing quite a few examples with you, but it is far from an exhaustive list.
Let’s start with a Tennessee man that was just killed by flesh-eating bacteria after a trip to the Florida panhandle. This is what his daughter had to say about his death…
“About 4:00 a.m. Saturday morning, 12 hours after we were in the water, he woke up with a fever, chills and some cramping. … They got to the hospital in Memphis around 8 p.m.,” Wiygul said in the post. “They took him back immediately. As they were helping him get changed into his hospital gown they saw this terribly swollen black spot on his back that was not there before.”
The man’s condition worsened over the next several hours. His immune system had been weakened by a bout with cancer, the daughter said, and he died Sunday afternoon.
That is how fast flesh-eating disease can kill you. If it is not treated immediately, there is a good chance you will die.
A woman died two weeks after cutting her leg while walking along the coast on Anna Maria Island, Florida, according to her family. Her leg became infected with necrotizing fasciitis, commonly called flesh-eating bacteria.
A life in Florida had long been the dream of Carolyn “Lynn” Fleming, who was originally from Pittsburgh but was most recently a resident of Ellenton, Florida.
I apologize in advance if I am ruining your future Florida vacation plans, but the truth is that a lot of these cases are happening along the Florida coastline.
Tyler King was at work in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, last week, when he noticed his left bicep starting to swell. He tried taking Benadryl but just a few hours later his arm had nearly tripled in size. He rushed to the emergency room.
“When I was a little bit younger, I probably would have tried to tough it out. Well, that would have been the worst thing that I could do,” King said. “If I had gone to sleep … and had woke up with it at the rate it was spreading, I might not have an arm right now.”
If your immune system has been compromised by another illness, that is certainly not going to help, but even very young, very healthy individuals are being attacked as well. According to Inside Edition, a 12-year-old girl almost lost her leg recently after getting infected by flesh-eating bacteria while on a family vacation…
A 12-year-old girl who was infected with an often deadly flesh-eating bacteria is walking again, just weeks after contracting it while wading in the ocean on a family vacation.
Kylei Parker knew something was wrong a few days after the Indiana clan arrived in Florida. Her leg hurt and she was running a fever.
When the family got home, her mother took her to the doctor after her temperature spiked at 104.5 degrees. The physician sent them straight to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis, a fast-moving, flesh-eating disease that could have killed her, doctors said.
If you think that you may have flesh-eating disease, you will want to take action as quickly as possible.
According to the CDC, common symptoms include “a fever, dizziness, or nausea soon after an injury or surgery”…
Necrotizing fasciitis (NECK-re-tie-zing FASH-e-i-tis) is a rare bacterial infection that spreads quickly in the body and can cause death. Accurate diagnosis, rapid antibiotic treatment, and prompt surgery are important to stopping this infection. See a doctor right away if you have a fever, dizziness, or nausea soon after an injury or surgery.
And most of the time the bacteria are able to enter through a break in the skin…
Cuts and scrapes
Burns
Insect bites
Puncture wounds (including those due to intravenous or IV drug use)
Surgical wounds
Unfortunately, that would cover just about all of us.
After all, who among us doesn’t have a single cut, scrape, sore, wound or insect bite? During the summer, insect bites are exceedingly common in warm weather areas, and all it takes is one for the bacteria to gain entrance.
And I know that all of my examples so far have been from Florida, but let me give you some from farther north along the east coast.
For example, one woman recently got attacked after “just ten minutes in the water” at a beach in Virginia…
Amanda Edwards can laugh today thinking back on her potentially fatal health scare after spending just ten minutes in the water at a Virginia beach.
“I was just like, ‘Oh my goodness… my leg is gonna fall off,’” Edwards chuckled. “That’s the only thing I could keep thinking.”
She told WTKR she contracted a flesh-eating staph infection during a day of fun at Norfolk’s Ocean View Beach. She said the infection spread quickly.
In another instance, a young boy “had red spots all over his body by the next morning” after a trip to a beach in Maryland…
A woman says a trip to a Maryland beach left her son covered in wounds from flesh-eating bacteria. The Daily Times of Salisbury reports Brittany Carey says her son went swimming off the coast of Ocean City last week and had red spots all over his body by the next morning.
And it is exceedingly rare to see any cases at all along the Delaware coast, but according to Scientific American one recent report noted five “severe” cases…
The report authors described five cases of severe flesh-eating bacterial infections in people who were exposed to water or seafood from the Delaware Bay, which sits between Delaware and New Jersey. Such infections have historically been rare in the Delaware Bay, as the bacterium responsible for the disease, called Vibrio vulnificus, prefers warmer waters, such as those in the Gulf of Mexico.
So what is causing this extraordinary change?
Could it be possible that we have stumbled upon another element of “the perfect storm” that I keep talking about?
We seem to have entered a time when nature is behaving in some extremely strange ways. It would be great if the experts could explain all of the weird things that we are seeing, but they can’t.
I don’t know about you, but for now I am definitely staying out of the ocean. If something is causing a population explosion of flesh-eating bacteria along our coastlines, I don’t want to mess with it.
via ZeroHedge News https://ift.tt/2LTNq4Y Tyler Durden
YouTube is headed for a significant antitrust confrontation with its ex-partners, now turned rivals, that seek trustbuster attention on the video giant’s advertising platform, Bloomberg reports.
AppNexus Inc., founded by Brian O’Kelley in 2007, helped companies advertise anywhere on the internet. The software was easy to use, was able to be integrated into Google, the biggest ad seller, and Google’s YouTube video service.
By 2015, Google halted companies from buying ads on YouTube using external software, which would eventually collapse AppNexus because its clients could no longer advertise on the video platform.
“They crushed our growth and ruined our product,” said O’Kelley, who stepped down as AppNexus chief executive officer last year. YouTube represented a large portion of the video inventory that AppNexus offered to advertisers. Those marketers couldn’t just ignore YouTube “because it’s pretty much a monopoly in that space,” he added. “It’s not a supply-and-demand problem. It’s a ‘You just broke our entire business’ problem.’“
Bloomberg notes advertising and media entrepreneurs created multi-billion dollar operations around YouTube, only to be crushed by the video giant after a change in the rules of engagement.
Rivals and former employees, who remained anonymous, said Google used YouTube’s popularity to attract media and tech firms onto the platform, gaining exclusive access to more videos and ad space. YouTube then used that supply to, manipulate ad prices, and harvest data about viewers, crushing anyone that tried to compete.
People familiar with this said YouTube didn’t wipe out the competition right away. Instead, the video giant made decisions to consolidate the video ad-buying process, with no consideration for its partners and regulatory checks. This triggered a tidal wave of failed companies and fewer choices for advertisers, sources said.
YouTube has no competition in the video advertising space. Interactive Advertising Bureau estimates the video advertising space was roughly $16.3 billion last year. BMO Capital Markets said the video giant accounts for $16 billion in 2018 sales, efficiently commanding the entire industry.
YouTube disagrees with this depiction of its video ad dominance, said it pays out a little more than half of its ad sales to contributors.
Regulators and politicians have taken notice about YouTube squeezing its partners. The Department of Justice is considering an antitrust investigation of Google/YouTube.
YouTube is preparing for upcoming antitrust investigations, its executives contacted its partners to ask how its practices have affected their ad sales, according to another source.
Vevo is one of the best examples of how YouTube squeezed its partners with the intent of crushing them into near bankruptcy.
Vevo was founded in 2008, collected music videos and original programming from creators and distributed the content across the internet — on Facebook, YouTube, and Vevo.com. The goal of Vevo was to be the MTV of the internet to get higher advertising rates.
As YouTube experienced rapid growth, the relationship with Vevo faltered. Vevo music video were some of the hottest videos on YouTube, and advertisers paid more to advertise on those videos. But YouTube came across a significant problem when Vevo featured a video on its platform: it couldn’t advertise because Vevo had exclusive rights. The google unit explored ways to correct this error; it first tried to renegotiation with Vevo, then tried to buy it outright, sources said.
YouTube proposed a new contract in 2012 that would have enabled it to also sell ads on Vevo videos operating on its platform, which would effectively crush Vevo’s share of the revenue from those ads. Vevo executives declined YouTube’s attempt to buy it, and what followed next was shocking: YouTube said it would delete Vevo videos from its platform before the existing contract would expire.
Vevo executives then filed an injunction describing what they said was bullying tactics, and asked a judge to prevent the video giant from removing its videos. The ploy worked. YouTube agreed to a new deal that would keep Vevo videos on the platform and keep exclusive rights to its ad inventory.
Google then acquired a minority stake in Vevo.
YouTube’s attempts to kill Vevo continued for years, according to sources. With no way in accessing Vevo’s ad inventory, YouTube effectively reduced its influence on the platform.
In 2018, Vevo discontinued its effort to compete with YouTube for a broad consumer audience, “shutting its app and website, and cutting product and engineering staff,” Bloomberg said. Months later, YouTube signed a deal with Vevo in what industry sources said it wanted all along: the right to sell ads on Vevo videos.
The Justice Department’s top trustbuster Makan Delrahim recently discussed how some tech companies have become too large, and their influence on competition is dangerous. Sort of like when oil refineries declined to sell themselves to Standard Oil about a century ago, the giant cut prices to drive rivals out of business.
YouTube said its tactics were reasonable – industry insiders disagree.
O’Kelley said that the Department of Justice is more attentive than ever before in investigating if YouTube violated antitrust laws. In May, he testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on digital advertising. “This is not a functioning market,” he said. “It enables Google, which doesn’t produce content, to monopolize all aspects of the programmatic business and take a disproportionate tax for its trouble.”
via ZeroHedge News https://ift.tt/2SgRSvO Tyler Durden
The United States believes that it is so invincible, exceptional and so frightening that no one would ever dare to protest, let alone defend its people against constant humiliation, economic embargos and military threats.
It used to be like this for quite some time. In the past, the West used to bully the world before and after each well-planned assault. Also, well-crafted propaganda used to be applied.
It was declared that things are done ‘legally’ and rationally. There were certain stages to colonialist and imperialist attacks: “define your goals”, “identify your victim”, “plan”, “brainwash your own citizens and people all over the world”, and then, only then, “bomb some unfortunate country back to the stone ages”.
Now, things are slightly different.
“The leader of the free world” wakes up in the middle of the night, and he tweets. What comes from his computer, tablet or phone, (or whatever he uses), is spontaneous, unpolished and incredibly dangerous. Similar in substance to what made him wake up in the middle of the night, in a first place.
He does not seem to plan; he shoots off from the hip. Today, as I am writing this essay, he has declared that he has “five strategies for Venezuela”. Go figure. Bravo!
Earlier, as he was about to land outside London, he embarked on insulting the Mayor of the British capital, calling him names. A bit like we used to do to each other, when we were five years old, in the neighborhood playground.
He has been regularly offending Mexico, and of course Iran, China and Russia.
He basically tells the leader of the most populous nation on earth – China – to “be there”, at the G20 Summit, or else.
Whenever he and his lieutenants are in the mood, they get busy antagonizing everyone: Cuba and Nicaragua, DPRK and Venezuela, Bolivia and Syria.
Of course, the main “culprits” are always the ‘biggest bad boys’, Russia and China.
Anyone, at any time, could easily land on the proverbial hit list of President Trump, and hawks of his United States of A. It could be India (which, during ‘good submissive times’ is called by the West the “biggest democracy”, or perhaps Turkey (militarily the second mightiest NATO country). The world had been converted into an entity which appears to be run by a bloodthirsty and unpredictable dictatorship. The world is an entity where everyone is terrified of being purged, imprisoned, starved to death, or directly attacked, even liquidated.
It was always like this, at least in the modern history of the planet. Colonialism, neo-colonialism, imperialism: they have many different faces but one common root. A root that has been often hidden deep under the surface.
But this time it is all in the open, raw and brutally honest.
* * *
Both George W. Bush and Donald Trump have one thing in common: they are honest.
Bill Clinton and Barrack Obama were both ‘suave’ presidents. They were loved in Europe, as they knew how to speak politely, how to dine elegantly, and how to commit mass murder in a ‘rational, righteous way’; ‘old-fashioned, European-style’.
The brutal, vulgar ways of W. Bush and Donald Trump have been consistently shocking all those individuals who are pleased when things are done ‘stylishly’ and ‘politically correctly’; be it a coup or the starvation to death of millions through embargos. Or be it invasions or ‘smart’ bombing (practically, ‘smart’ meaning very far from the inquisitive eyes).
But it is not only the ‘offended sensibilities’ of predominantly European population, that matter.
The danger is that someone might take Donald Trump seriously, and respond accordingly.
In the past, verbal insults similar to those unleashed now by the US President, could easily have led to a war, or at least to the breaking up of diplomatic relationships.
And now?
In case Westerners have not realized it, yet – people all over the world are indignant. I talk to Libyans, Afghans, Iraqis, Venezuelans, Cubans, Iranians: they hate what comes from Washington; hate it with passion. They know that what is being done to them is terrorism, thuggery. But for now, they do not know how to defend themselves. Not yet, but they are thinking.
The entire world now resembles a brutal ghetto, or a slum, where a heavily armed gang controls the streets, and in fact every corner and alley.
At least in the past, subjugated people were able to hide behind decorative words and ideological pirouettes. They were able to ‘save their face’. They were sodomized in the name of ‘freedom’, ‘democracy’ and ‘human rights’. Now, a horrible reality is flying directly into all directions: “You will do as you are told!” “It is us who will decide.” “Obey, because we said so”. Entire proud nations are being reduced into states of slaves or even worse – lap dogs.
* * *
As everyone is well aware, even lackeys and slaves often hold grudges. And abused dogs can bite.
Throughout history, slaves rebelled. True heroes came from rebellious and enslaved nations.
This, what we have now on our planet, is not good, not a healthy situation.
The more countries that are being intimidated, the higher the chances are that somewhere, soon, things will let go; collapse.
Only terrible fear, so far, assures that if a Syrian or a Libyan or an Afghan city is leveled to the ground, there is no real retaliation: urban areas in the USA stay intact.
Only incredible patience of the Russian or Chinese leaders guarantees that, so far, even as their economies are being battered by ridiculous sanctions, the two powerful nations do not retaliate and ruin the US financial system (which is only a paper tiger).
Trump dares. He tortures and humiliates more than half of the world, then looks straight ahead and laughs: “So what are you going to do now?”
So far, the world is doing nothing.
Even the proud and mighty Iran is not ‘crossing the line’. As millions of its people are suffering because of insane sanctions, the Iranian navy is not yet engaging the US battleships that are sailing very near its shores.
Even as more and more US bases are being built right next to both Russia and China’s borders, so far there are no substantial military bases being erected by Moscow or Beijing in places such as Nicaragua, Cuba or Venezuela.
* * *
All this may change, soon.
And the so much dreaded (by Washington) “domino effect” may actually take place.
Non-Western leaders have also their ‘bad days’ and terrible nights. They also wake up in the middle of the night, and think, want to communicate and to act.
Imagine an Iranian leader, waking up at 2AM, and suddenly feeling overwhelmed by wrath, because Iranian men, women and children are suffering, for no reason, as a result of the perverse sadism being regurgitated by the West. What if he Tweets an insult, too? What if he just orders, on a spur of the moment, to have all those obsolete US aircraft carriers and destroyers that are floating in the vicinity, be sunk? Iran can do it: everyone knows that it can! Technically, militarily, it is easy: those ships are just sitting ducks.
Then what? Will Washington nuke Iran?
Someone may say: The West is killing millions every year, anyway. Better to fight it, in order to stop it, once and for all. Others may join. And then, then what? Will Trump give orders to kill tens of millions, just to maintain control over the world?
What if the US navy vessels bump into a Russian or a Chinese ship, as they almost did in the South China Sea, recently? What if a Russian or Chinese ship sinks, dozens of sailors die. And there is a retaliation? Then what?
What if Syria has enough and begins shooting down Israeli military jets that are bombing it, and attacking North American and European ‘special forces’ that are still located, illegally, on its territory?
The US is engaged all over the world. France and the UK, too. And if you talk to the people in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, you very soon realize what the real feelings towards Washington are!
If you provoke the entire world, something very terrible may happen!
Now, there is an entire coalition of powerful nations, ready to defend themselves, and also defend each other. Militarily, economically, and ideologically.
The world is not a slave of the West, or the United States. It is not a latrine.
This is the new world. Considering the horrors that were spread by the West, for many long years and centuries, Asia, Africa, “Latin America”, the Middle East and Oceania, are unbelievably patient and forgiving. But the USA and Europe should not take this tolerance for granted. They should not provoke its former and present victims.
Now, we (the people from the previously ruined part of the world) are beginning to speak up: about what is being done to us – to China and Russia, to South America and Africa, and the Middle East. With awareness comes courage. With courage comes pride.
Do not misinterpret our kindness. It is not a weakness. Not anymore. Think twice before you speak (or Tweet). Think a thousand times, before you act!
via ZeroHedge News https://ift.tt/2y0w6mV Tyler Durden
The Texas congressman, who notified Democratic leaders of his decision on Tuesday, said the House must impeach Trump for racist remarks.
“What do you do when the leader of the free world is a racist? What do you do? Well, here’s what you do. You file a resolution condemning the president for racist comments directed at members of Congress. What do you do? You file Articles of Impeachment,” Green said.
“These two things are not mutually exclusive, we can do this — condemn for the comments who have been made — and we can do this, impeach for the harm that the comments have done.“
While this is Green’s third attempt to impeach the president, it is the first time since Democrats took control of the House.
“I think that we should not have this level of bigotry emanating from the president of the United States of America,” Green said in an interview with The Washington Post.
“He is clearly making racist comments… The question becomes: What do we do about it?”
Green added:
“To tolerate bigotry – racism in this case – is to perpetuate it. We should not perpetuate this kind of behavior coming from the president, and if we don’t check him, he will continue.”
As The Washington Post reports,Green’s move will force House Democrats to deal with the issue in the near term because of the privileged nature of the resolution.
Under House rules, Democratic leadership can decide to try to table the impeachment articles, effectively killing them for now and risk criticism from the party’s liberal base; refer them to the House Judiciary Committee for possible consideration; or allow the vote to proceed.
If leaders do nothing, Green can force a vote on the impeachment articles in two legislative days.
The move comes as more than 80 members of the House have called for launching an impeachment inquiry, but the floor vote will also force all House Democrats to go on the record about an issue where they have yet to reach consensus.
via ZeroHedge News https://ift.tt/2XUFEKC Tyler Durden
Zimbabwe is once again facing rampant inflation, a rate of almost 100 percent recorded in the month of May.
I felt the need to investigate its macros. As usual, the graphs are based on info from tradingeconomcis. An important development is that last month, the Government removed the legal tender status of foreign currencies and made the new Zimbabwean Dollar [RTGS] the sole legal tender.
The country dropped its national currency back in 2009, and replaced it with a multi [foreign] currency system in efforts to combat hyperinflation at the time. The recent reverse measure, taken by Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration, comes in response to dire commodity shortages across the country. Mnangagwa replaced Robert Mugabe as president two years ago in a coup. However, without sufficient US dollars to pay for imports, the country’s fuel stations have frequently run out and gasoline prices more than doubled between the months of January and April.
Fuel going up, coupled with the currency’s depreciation, made the cost of food, transportation, and housing utilities to soar. Due to the lack of confidence, as expected, more and more vendors set prices in US dollars.
In a milestone deal with the IMF last month, the Government agreed to cease net money creation [deficit spending] in order to pay its bills, which was a root cause of the sudden hyperinflation. The IMF is monitoring economic reforms for a year under a mutually agreed program. Debt relief was promised at the end of this year, provided the Government respects the deal. Companies are meant to trade RTGS dollars on an official market, but there were few takers. Analysts said that the Government’s gamble to force greater adoption of the RTGS might very well backfire, pushing transactions in foreign currencies underground.
With all these developments in mind, let’s see Zimbabwe’s flow of funds, and later on we’ll look at other indicators. The country has been a net exporter of Aggregate Demand and a net importer of goods for ten years straight. The Domestic Private sector [composed of domestic firms and households] has been going severely into debt for those same ten years. Only in the last two years was it able to net save financial assets, when the Government seriously expanded fiscal deficit spending.
We also see how the country’s money supply shot up, especially in 2018 and 2019. The M2 measurement [which includes cash and checking deposits + savings deposits, money market securities, mutual funds, and other time deposits] reached an all time high of 10.55 billion US dollars last March.
The unemployment figure has remained stable throughout years, but I don’t put much faith in the accuracy of this data, simply because of how the State defines being unemployed. For example, people like subsistence farmers, who consume all of their own output, are categorized as employed. And more to the point, the graph below is based on the “strict unemployed” definition [one who has been without work, is available for work and is actively seeking work]. The broader definition doesn’t require the latter condition.
Those working in the grey [informal] economy include people who do unpaid labor for a family business or paid employees who are not entitled to sick leave or paid holidays. In Zimbabwe, there are a great many who work in these circumstances. If we count as employed those workers on a payroll with taxes deducted at source and pension coverage, then the unemployment estimate is huge.
On to trade. South Africa owns the largest share of Zimbabwe’s exports. In my opinion, the country is far too dependent on its southern neighbor for commerce, and South Africa’s socio-political stability looks bleak these days. It would be better to seek out markets in different countries, in order to minimize risk and better handle potential negative demand shocks [for Zimbabwean exports] and negative supply shocks [for Zimbabwean imports].
The graph below shows Zimbabwe’s exports by countries of destination.
The graph below shows Zimbabwe’s imports by countries of source.
According to the World Bank, Zimbabwe’s exports sector as percentage of GDP last year was 22.9 percent and its imports sector 25.5 percent.
It’s safe to say that strategic bilateral relations cannot be formed, so long as Zimbabwe’s political class doesn’t compromise on a certain vector the country needs to maintain long term. Foreign investors [state and private agents] won’t be willing to come in, if they believe their investments will be at risk at the next election cycle, or if the chances for political instability and social upheaval are high. In recent years, Russia has been paying more attention to Africa, the northern states in particular, investing mostly in oil rigs and nuclear power plant deals. That’s one potential partner state with which the Mnangagwa administration should seek to do business.
Going back to Zimbabwe’s main trade partner, South Africa… that country is experiencing serious problems in rising criminality, and Ramaphosa’s land reform [confiscation without compensation] is bound to fail. In South Africa, since 1994, 21 percent of farms were put into Black African ownership. But more than 80 percent of those farms failed to remain economically active. If you ask Black farmers the reason for that miserable success rate, they blame the Government, and that’s absolutely true. That’s how you know it was a simulation of reform and not a legit effort behind it; because a singular reform, in and of itself, can’t be successful when everything else remains the same. In order to be a commercial success, an agribusiness requires access to infrastructure, to financial and physical capital, crop insurance, skilled labor, competent management, and access to markets capable of absorbing its output at a price which covers operation costs plus the markup.
South Africa [and Zimbabwe] needs a holistic approach to its national problems, and that means a combination of measures. Changing ownership doesn’t fix anything. The goal should be to decommodify land, which can be done via nationalization or [my personal preference] through site value taxation. Complementary measures should include: community land trusts, community banking, a national infrastructure investment plan, a national health care and education service, a national trade strategy, and last but not least, asset-side reform of the financial sector.
Reducing bureaucracy should be a priority as well. Currently, Zimbabwe is ranked 155th in 190 countries in the category of ‘ease of doing business.’ The more complex the laws and regulations are, the more wasteful and corrupt the system is. The State-dirigist method and Single Tax philosophy don’t require more time spent between citizen and bureaucrat, quite the opposite!
After Mugabe’s land reform, Zimbabwe isn’t out of the woods, and its population is growing too.
Using the printing press without any regard to budgetary rules, without any clear goal in mind, will only make the situation worse. The Zimbabwean Dollar [RTGS], in order to appreciate in value, requires a combination of tighter supply and higher demand for it. The Government’s specialists need to determine the country’s potential output vis-a-vis actual output and adjust fiscal policy in consequence. A negative output gap occurs when actual output is less than what the economy can produce at full capacity – while a positive output gap is the reverse and is inflationary.
The Government should aim for a near zero fiscal deficit; should temporarily ban the importation of luxury items, at least for a few years if not several years; should prioritize the importation of vital commodities – fuel, water, pharmaceuticals, grain, milk, and the like. The Central Bank should be ordered to run permanent zero interest rate policy. Reduced interest payments into the economy means a smaller supply of Zimbabwean currency. And the Government should only accept RTGS in payment of its exports, and it should only guarantee bank deposits denominated in RTGS. This combo would be sufficient to halt inflation, bring price stability and political confidence in state institutions and fuel hope for a better tomorrow.
via ZeroHedge News https://ift.tt/2JCbGHn Tyler Durden
The saga of the UAE “mystery” tanker which seems to have disappeared after its transponder went dark late Saturday night, and which no one has heard from since it drifted toward Iranian waters in the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend, has deepened after Iran contradicted US media reports of IRGC involvement.
The semi-official news agency ISNA said hours after initial reports on Tuesday suggested Iran’s military “forced” the vessel into Iranian waters that Iranian navy vessels actually came to the assistance of the disabled foreign oil tanker. The statement indicated the vessel was partially disabled and in desperate need of repairs.
“(Spokesman) Abbas Mousavi said… that an international oil tanker was in trouble due to a technical fault in the Persian Gulf… After receiving a request for assistance, Iranian forces approached it and used a tugboat to pull it toward Iranian waters for the necessary repairs to be carried out,” ISNA said, as cited by Reuters.
Tracking data shows an oil tanker based in the United Arab Emirates traveling through the Strait of Hormuz drifted off into Iranian waters and stopped transmitting its location over two days ago, raising concerns Tuesday about its status amid heightened tensions between Iran and the U.S.
The report detailed that the Riah, a 58-meter oil tanker which operates frequently in the region, switched off its transponder for the first time in three months after 11pm on Saturday, based on tracking data.
As of Monday “red flags” were raised as US officials began inquiring of the Riah’s status. CNN’s Pentagon correspondent Barbarra Starr had this to say based on intelligence sources: “US intel increasingly believes UAE tanker MT RIAH forced into Iranian waters over the weekend by #IRGC naval forces. UAE isn’t talking.”
Via Marine Traffic/The Daily Mail
Summarizing the statements of anonymous US intelligence and defense officials, the Jerusalem Postreported:
US officials believe that the Panama flagged tanker M/I RIAH was seized by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard on Saturday night, when it was crossing the Strait of Hormuz in international waters. Information from the US intelligence agency indicated that the IRGC troops forced the tanker to enter Iranian territorial waters before withdrawing the vessel to Iran’s Qeshm Island.
#UPDATE: This is the last known position of the UAE (Panama flagged) oil products tanker in Iranian waters near Iran’s Qeshm island 44 hours ago. CNN’s @barbarastarrcnn reports US intel belives IRGC Navy may have forced the vessel into Iranian waters, no contact with crew. pic.twitter.com/GRHTt6bzi9
However, this could be another case of hawkish US intelligence and defense officials hyping a false threat. Starr continued based on her source: “Some Gulf sources say ship simply broke down/towed by Iran. US says though no contact with crew. Last location Qesham Island.”
Following the UK’s controversial and aggressive move to seize a tanker carrying 2 million barrels of Iranian oil of Gibraltar earlier this month, Tehran’s military has threatened to in turn intercept UK vessels.
This also comes after repeat pledges over the past year by Iran’s leaders following a US sanctions campaign that if Iran is blocked from exporting its oil out of the gulf then no country would be able to traverse the vital oil shipping lanes either.
The question remains: is this yet another knee-jerk attempt of US officials to immediately “blame Iran” in order to ramp up pressure? Could the “missing” UAE vessel just be the result of an accident or being disabled at sea?
via ZeroHedge News https://ift.tt/2jN6TbS Tyler Durden
How many times have you seen a gun control debate in which someone chimes in, “Nobody needs an AR-15. What are you going to do, hunt deer with it?” It’s been a busy year for gun control advocates, passing draconian law after draconian law.
Sometimes it’s part of a heartfelt essay, like this, which is just another essay where a man bloviates about his views on high-velocity weapons.
There is no place for high-velocity weaponry in the hands of the citizenry. No number of lengthy oratories by National Rifle Association leadership and pandering politicians will ever justify the deaths this nation has already endured. “Every Marine a Rifleman” is an adage for Marines, not for civilians. We are no longer under the oppressive rule of a foreign king, and it is folly to think that by keeping civilians from such weapons that we risk our republic. We risk nothing more than offending the bloated gun lobby in Washington. But by doing nothing, we continue to risk our children’s lives. (source)
The author of that piece feels that since a pistol isn’t a match for an AR-15, nobody but police and military should be allowed to have one.
But that’s exactly why we should be able to own guns like AR-15s.
A disabled gentleman in Summerfield, Florida demonstrated exactly why one needs an AR-15 last Wednesday when he handily dealt with four home invaders who thought he was a soft target.
Deputies got the call at 8:21 p.m. Wednesday and went to the home at 14999 SE 32nd Court Road in response to a report of shots fired.
Sgt. Micah Moore found Doyle with a gunshot wound and a shotgun next to him on the ground. Deputies entered the home and found Jackson dead on the dining room floor. Detectives said he was wearing a “Jason” mask on top of his head, gloves on both hands, jeans and a black shirt.
Near Jackson’s head was a semi-automatic pistol, detectives said.
Continuing into the home, deputies found the 61-year-old homeowner in a bedroom.
He had an AR-15 rifle on his legs and was bleeding from a gunshot wound to the stomach, according to sheriff’s officials. Doyle and the homeowner were transported to Ocala Regional Medical Center, where Doyle died.
Deputies continued to search the area.
Deputy Austin Coon and K-9 Deputy Alberto Gago, with his dog Nitro, found Rodriguez and Hamilton in the 15000 block of Southeast 36th Avenue, according to arrest reports. Rodriguez was hiding in tall grass on the side of the road.
He was wearing sweat pants and a purple shirt. Hamilton was wearing all black clothing.
I’ll bet they were sweating when they discovered how outmatched they were. Here’s what went down. Police have opted not to name the brave homeowner.
The homeowner told Detective Travis O’Cull that, about an hour before the shooting, a male who he barely remembers from a past Craigslist transaction, knocked on the front door, according to sheriff’s officials.
The homeowner said he did not open the door but saw the male peering through a back sliding-glass door. He said he asked the male what he was doing and was told he needed help with his vehicle.
The homeowner said he told the individual he was disabled and couldn’t help him. That person then left and [the] homeowner went to sleep.
The homeowner told the detective he was awakened by a loud noise and grabbed his AR-15, which was near his bed. He saw a masked person inside the home, he said, and he and the intruders exchanged gunfire. He said he shot at the man in the mask and at a second person coming toward him.
The homeowner said it was Jackson who shot him. (source)
If ever there was a case for being ready to defend one’s home, this is it.
The other two suspects were interviewed and then placed under arrest.
Two of the four of the suspects have criminal records. Local police say that the homeowner faces no charges and that he’s done nothing to prevent him from owning guns. He is in stable condition, recovering at the hospital.
Here are the mug shots of the alleged home invaders.
I’ve written before about why preppers need guns, but it’s important to note that you need guns in good times too if you intend to defend yourself. This story is a perfect example of why. There’s no ongoing disaster or SHTF event happening in Summerfield, Florida. It was just an ordinary night in July…until 4 people allegedly decided to invade an innocent man’s home.
If the homeowner had not had greater firepower, this story probably would have had a very different ending. Imagine taking on 4 armed home invaders with a Glock.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan celebrated the delivery of the first S-400 anti-air missiles on Tuesday, even going so far as to suggest that Turkey and Russia (the system is made by Russian defense contractor Almaz-Almaty) might collaborate on building weapons. But across the Atlantic, President Trump was less than amused.
Washington has repeatedly insisted that if Turkey bought the S-400 over a steeply discounted Patriot missile system, that the US would block the sale of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighter jets – and unprecedented punishment for a NATO member. And as it turns out, that’s exactly what President Trump is planning to do.
During a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Trump said “we are now telling Turkey…we’re not going to sell you the F-35 fighter jets.”
Trump added: “It’s a very tough situation that they’re in. And it’s a very tough situation that we’ve been placed in the United States,” Trump said. “With all of that being said, we’re working through it. We’ll see what happens, but it’s not really fair.”
But Trump was mum on a more pressing issue: Whether Washington will subject Ankara to sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, or CAATSA. While Erdogan has suggested that Trump would find a way to avoid the sanctions, last year, Congress set a high bar for waiving sanctions under CAATSA.
Trump isn’t the only senior US official talking tough about the S-400. During his Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing, Esper said that he has told his Turkish counterpart that “you can either have the S-400 or the F-35, you cannot have both.”
But who knows? Maybe one one-on-one phone call between Erdogan and Trump will resolve everything.
via ZeroHedge News https://ift.tt/2jSh2UU Tyler Durden
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) was briefly banned from speaking on the House floor on Tuesday after she made disparaging comments about President Trump’s ‘racist’ behavior, sparking chaos in the chamber.
GOP lawmakers fumed after Pelosi slammed Trump as “xenophobic” for a Sunday tweet in which he told progressive Democrats to “go back” and “fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came.”
“How shameful to hear him continue to defend those offensive words, words that we have all heard him repeat, not only about our members, but about countless others,” said Pelosi, adding “”There is no place anywhere for the president’s words, which are not only divisive but dangerous, and have legitimized and increased fear and hatred of new Americans and people of color.”
In response to Pelosi’s comments, Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA) claimed that her remarks violated House rules forbidding personal attacks against the president or lawmakers.
After Collins asked Pelosi if she would like to rephrase her comments, Pelosi said she had cleared them with the parliamentarian in advance.
“I would like to make a point of order that the gentlewoman’s words are unparliamentary and ask they be taken down,” Collins said.
Rep. Emmanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.), who was presiding over the floor then reminded members “to refrain from engaging in personalities toward the president.” –The Hill
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, a Democrat, said “The words used by the gentlewoman from California contained an accusation of racist behavior on the part of the President,” adding “The words should not be used in debate.
Hoyer’s comments technically banned Pelosi from speaking on the House floor for the rest of the day, while the debate over Pelosi’s comments caused the House to come to a standstill as lawmakers debated what to do next.
Rep. Cleaver dramatically ‘abandoned the chair’ and dropped the gavel on the dais while the situation unfolded.
Rep. Cleaver: “We don’t ever, ever want to pass up, it seems, an opportunity to escalate, and that’s what this is. I dare anybody to look at any of the footage and see if there was any unfairness. But unfairness is not enough, because we want to just fight. I abandon the chair.” pic.twitter.com/pvfJL54kw1
Ultimately, Pelosi’s comments were allowed to stand after a motion to strike her comments failed 190-232. Every Republican voted in favor of the motion.
via ZeroHedge News https://ift.tt/2lhnfde Tyler Durden
