Global Signs of Recession

New York - CNN Business — Around the world, markets are flashing warning signs that the global economy is teetering on a cliff’s edge.

The question of a recession is no longer if, but when.

Over the past week, the pulse of those flashing red lights quickened as markets grappled with the reality — once speculative, now certain — that the Federal Reserve will press on with its most aggressive monetary tightening campaign in decades to wring inflation from the US economy. 

Even if that means triggering a recession. And even if it comes at the expense of consumers and businesses far beyond US borders.

There’s now a 98% chance of a global recession, according to research firm Ned Davis, which brings some sobering historical credibility to the table. 

The firm’s recession probability reading has only been this high twice before — in 2008 and 2020.  READ MORE...

Time Sands

Logistical Challenges for Tesla

Model Y cars are pictured during the opening ceremony of the new Tesla Gigafactory for electric 

cars in Gruenheide, Germany, March 22, 2022. Patrick Pleul/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

Oct 2 - Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) on Sunday announced lower-than-expected electric vehicle deliveries in the third quarter, as logistical challenges overshadowed its record deliveries.

The top electric car maker said "it is becoming increasingly challenging to secure vehicle transportation capacity and at a reasonable cost," but some analysts were also concerned about demand for high-ticket items due to the weakening global economy.  READ MORE...

Quick Draw

Black Democratic Women

FILE – A woman presents her identification to vote through a plexiglass barrier, to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, on election day at the Matin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School, in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans on Nov. 3, 2020. 

Louisiana’s secretary of state and attorney general asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday, June 17, 2022, to put a hold on a federal judge’s order for the state to create a second majority Black congressional district by Monday.

Advocates are calling on Democrats to step up their messaging on voting rights and abortion to Black women specifically, arguing it is clackritical that the party turn out the key constituency to hold on to majorities in the Senate and House.

State laws curbing abortion rights and the ability to easily vote disproportionately affect Black women, making both salient issues to energize a powerful voting bloc for Democrats.

But part of the problem, advocates say, is that Democrats are taking Black women’s votes for granted.  READ MORE...

Amazing Storm

 

Facts of life

A couple things that we know for true and they are DEATH & TAXES so everything else in life is up for grabs.

• How educated do you want to be?
• How healthy do you want to be?
• How bad do you want to be a parent?
• Do you want to serve your country?
• Do you want the government to take care of you?
• Where do you want to live?

However, we cannot change our:

1. Height
2. Appearance
3. Gender
4. Intelligence
5. Talent

Some believe that they can transform from a male into a female and vice versa but biologically, they will always be how they were born...  that can never change...

If you were born with a handicap, the odds are that you will retain that handicap until you die with modifications perhaps but the basic handicap will remain.

This also includes if you were born stupid without the capacity to learn or born a sociopath...  it will always be your destiny to live like you are even if you understand that you don't want to live like that...  You are what we refer to as SOL.

There may come a time where we can cheat death but right now we all die.  And, right now we all get gradually older each year no matter how much money you spend on changing your appearance or dying your hair...  the aging inside your body is there and will always continue.

Ain't that a PISSER as we say?

Water Dock

 

IAN Kills Dozens

PAWLEYS ISLAND, S.C. (AP) — Rescuers searched for survivors among the ruins of Florida’s flooded homes from Hurricane Ian while authorities in South Carolina began assessing damage from its strike there as the remnants of one of the strongest and costliest hurricanes to ever hit the U.S. continued to push north.

The powerful storm terrorized millions of people for most of the week, battering western Cuba before raking across Florida from the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean, where it mustered enough strength for a final assault on South Carolina. 

Now weakened to a post-tropical cyclone, Ian was expected to move across central North Carolina on Saturday morning then move into Virginia and New York.  READ MORE...

Classic Sunday Morning Newspaper Cartoons

 

Campaign Signs Influence

With election season in full swing, seemingly every neighborhood and busy intersection is sprouting dozens of multicolored signs touting candidates for offices ranging from register of wills to U.S. Senate.

Often, these signs proclaim a candidate's name, but not much else. You might have wondered, how effective can they be as a campaign tool, especially in an age of radio, television and social media? 

Are they even a smart place to put campaign resources, particularly in local races, where funds are tight?  READ MORE...

Clear

 

Ukraine Pushes Russis out ofo Donetsk

Kyiv, Ukraine CNN—Russian forces retreated from Lyman, a strategic city for its operations in the east, the Russian defense ministry said Saturday, just a day after Moscow’s annexation of the region that’s been declared illegal by the West.

“In connection with the creation of a threat of encirclement, allied troops were withdrawn from the settlement of Krasny Liman to more advantageous lines,” the ministry said on Telegram, using the Russian name for the town of Lyman.

The retreat marks Ukraine’s most significant gain since its successful counteroffensive in the northeastern Kharkiv region last month.  READ MORE...

Runaway

 

Classic Coin

 

Protests in Iran

DUBAI, Sept 29 (Reuters) - Protests continued in several cities across Iran on Thursday against the death of young woman in police custody, state and social media reported, as a human rights group said at least 83 people had been killed in nearly two weeks of demonstrations.

Mahsa Amini, 22, from the Iranian Kurdish town of Saqez, was arrested this month in Tehran for "unsuitable attire" by the morality police that enforces the Islamic Republic's strict dress code for women.

Her death has sparked the first big show of opposition on Iran's streets since authorities crushed protests against a rise in gasoline prices in 2019.

"At least 83 people including children, are confirmed to have been killed in (the) #IranProtests," Iran Human Rights, a Norway-based group, said on Twitter.  READ MORE...

Campfire

Rumors of Rumors

Speaking at Università Degli Studi di Napoli Federico II in Naples, Italy, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that not too long from today, people will wonder how they led a life without augmented reality, stressing the "profound" impact it will have on the not so distant future.

At the university, Cook was awarded an Honorary Degree in Innovation and International Management and also sat down for a Q&A session with students. Responding to a question from a student on what future technologies excite him the most, Cook pointed to artificial intelligence, calling it a "fundamental, horizontal technology that will touch everything in our lives," ranging from innovations in the Apple Watch to "many other things" Apple is working on.

Cook, more importantly, stressed his excitement for augmented reality. Cook suggested that augmented reality's impact on the world will be as profound as the internet itself, saying people will wonder how they led a life without it. As he was speaking on augmented reality, the live stream of the Q&A session abruptly cut, so Cook's full comment on the subject is not publicly known.  READ MORE...

Creature

 

Microsoft Faces Scrutiny

Microsoft is nearing a target to employ more than 10,000 workers in China — doubling down on a massive investment in the country despite rising political tensions with the US.

In a little-noticed, Chinese-language WeChat post last week, Microsoft revealed that it has about 9,000 employees in China and expects that number to top 10,000 over the next year. Microsoft appears to not have made the announcement in any English-language media.

“Microsoft will continue to deepen the fertile ground for scientific research, solidly promote the development of computer science and technology applications locally and globally, help to cultivate digital talents and join hands with Chinese innovation to go global,” Microsoft senior vice president Wang Yongdong wrote, according to a translated version of the post.

Microsoft’s new hires — capping three decades of expansion in the Chinese market — put the tech giant in stark contrast to rivals Google and Meta, which appear to have largely abandoned the country in recent years as tensions have soared between Washington and Beijing. US lawmakers from both parties have become increasingly wary of American tech firms doing business in China.  READ MORE...

Sailing

 

This Year

This year is closing in on its own demise as it only has 3 months left to live...  and, what do we, as Americans and citizens of the world have to show for this 2022 year?

• Hurricane IAN in Florida
• Gas prices increasing again
• Food prices continuing to increase
• Unregulated illegal immigration
• Increase in fentanyl in the US
• Companies laying off workers
• Increase in crime and violence
• Attacks on Trump's integrity
• CRT training in public schools
• A WOKE military gaining strength
• Trans males in female sports
• Censorship by mainstream media
• Busing of illegal immigrants to sanctuary cities

Living in East Tennessee, we don't see all the crap in our backyards that is going on in other states and cities...  and, to tell you the truth, we are thankful that we live where we live...  even though it may not be as progressive as Atlanta, Washington DC, Baltimore, New York City, Chicago, Philadephia, Seattle, Los Angeles and other cities that are in a similar situation...

East TN has none of this shit going on and I doubt that it will change because the perception is that East TN does not have much to offer its residents...  we are a bunch of backward rednecks according to our neighbors who live in the north...  I for one am thankful that you see us like that...  because that means you will stay the hell away...

I for one, hold a masters degree and have over 45 years of management experience in the workplace...  I have traveled all over the US and Europe which is not such a big deal but it is probably more than you living in the North have done.  I am a Vietnam Veteran and still hold animosity against my fellow citizens who treated me the way they treated me while I was in the military.  At one time, I had a working knowledge of French, Spanish, and Arabic.  What about you???

Stay away from East TN...  we don't want you here...  we want to keep our backward redneck attitudes to remain like they are...  we are comfortable and have all that we need.  We don't want more money...  what we want if more life as we have it but not your kind of life.

Today is a lawn mowing day ahead of the rain...  Live long and prosper in your wisdom.

Walking to Live Longer

 

I met with my lumbar fusion surgeon yesterday and was reprimanded for all my silly questions that had very little to do with my recovery like asking for therapy to strengthen my legs so I could climb stairs.  The surgeon had bend my legs and lift them up while sitting on the exam table and he pushed them both down effortlessly which mean my core strength is NOT THERE...

My core strength is not there because of my age and my inactivity since 2015 when I retired.  Sitting behind a desk all my working career did not help either.  But, focusing on my back issues, I was having a problem for about 4-5 months before the surgery...  so his advice was for every day down (as he put it), it takes 2-3 to recover.

With this in mind and if I walk every day, it will take me at least 8-10 months and perhaps 12-15 months or somewhere in between those 2 time frames.  Suffice it to say, I am looking at a good 12 months in order for me to return to normacy.  

So far, it has only been 4 months, so I have a good 8 months to go...    my next milestone is going to be at the end of 2022 or December 31, 2022 which is a good 3 months from now or a total of 7 months after surgery...  

However, this milestone is only viable if I am willing to walk a mile or more every day around the neighborhood.

At 75 years of age, this is my new life whether I like it not and will be your life if you don't start walking.

Fat Fish

 

Most Powerful Magnet in China,

China launched construction of the world’s most powerful pulsed magnet facility in the city of Wuhan on Tuesday.


The upgraded pulsed high magnetic field facility at Huazhong University of Science and Technology will produce a short – but extremely strong – magnetic field at 110 Tesla, more than two million times stronger than that of the Earth.


The current record of 100 Tesla for pulsed magnetic field is held by a facility at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in the US state of New Mexico.


The strongest pulsed magnetic field that China can generate at present is 70 Tesla.  READ MORE...

Juggling