Globalism / Great Reset –
International Monetary Fund (IMF) Spring Meetings 2023, the Digital Currency Monetary Authority (DCMA) announced their official launch of an international central bank digital currency (CBDC) that strengthens the monetary sovereignty of participating central banks and complies with the recent crypto assets policy recommendations proposed by the IMF.
Universal Monetary Unit (UMU), symbolized as ANSI Character, Ü, is legally a money commodity, can transact in any legal tender settlement currency, and functions like a CBDC to enforce banking regulations and to protect the financial integrity of the international banking system.
OBSERVATION – Being put together piecemeal across the globe, the push for a global digital currency is gaining ground. In the latest push, digital currency is being essentially beta tested for transfers between other banks. One similar effort is being tested here in the US. As the bugs are worked out of each of these tests, the next phase will be incorporating the ESG features along with the ‘currency’ being programmable to enforce the ESG requirements. The cumulation of these efforts could easily be in place and executed in the next few years.
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BlackRock Inc.’s assets swelled to $9.09 trillion in the first quarter as depositors sought cover following the collapse of several US banks by pouring money into the firm’s cash-management funds.
OBSERVATION – BlackRock is the WEF’s strong arm element in the current global economy. It is a leader in forcing corporations to put into effect ESG policies that support the WEF/Global reset agenda. $9 Trillion provides the company with huge leverage. BlackRock also made a name for itself by buying homes during the recent couple years at higher than market prices - pushing most buyers out of the market. Remember the phrase “You will own nothing and be happy”? BlackRock is working towards that end.
Wuhan virus –
A judge in California has ordered San Jose’s Calvary Chapel church to pay $1.2 million in fines for violating COVID lockdown rules, particularly regarding the use of masks.
The ruling was handed down by Superior Court Judge Evette Pennypacker, whose name is reminiscent of a Dickens or “Seinfeld” character, a registered Democrat appointed by former Governor Jerry Brown in 2018.
The Washington Free Beacon reports the Calvary church has filed a separate federal lawsuit against Santa Clara officials. That filing remains pending in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
They also outline the lengths to which officials in the county became overbearing tyrants during the lockdowns.
“Court documents in both cases reveal that Santa Clara County mounted rigorous surveillance of the church and its individual members, even tracking members’ movements through cell phone data and paying researchers to analyze the results,” they explained.
OBSERVATION – The church is on the right side of history on this one. Studies have shown conclusively that mask has little to no effect in reducing the spread of wuhan. At this level, this judge continues in the misinformation and deliberate attack on Christianity while supporting equally congested and allowed to be open venues like Walmart.
Economy –
Banks in the United States did not have the best year with the housing market in 2022, as they lost money on mortgages last year.
On average, both independent mortgage banks and mortgage subsidiaries of chartered banks lost around $301 on every loan that originated last year, making it the first time lenders have lost money since the Mortgage Bankers Association started recording these statistics in 2008, according to a report from the MBA. The average $301 loss on every loan in 2022 is down from the average profit of $2,339 per loan from the year prior, according to USA Today.
“The rapid rise in mortgage rates over a relatively short period of time, combined with extremely low housing inventory and affordability challenges, meant that both purchase and refinance volume plummeted,” said Marina Walsh, MBA’s vice president of industry analysis. “The stellar profits of the previous two years dissipated because of the confluence of declining volume, lower revenues, and higher costs per loan.”
OBSERVATION – I’ve pointed out that the housing market is a bellweather indicator regarding the health of our economy. By all factors it is saying that the health is poor and declining. First in line for the effects of that decline is the banking sector - from which malaise spreads into other sectors.
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The American consumer, whose willingness to spend drives the economy, showed signs of faltering in March as retail sales fell by 1 percent, a far sharper decline than analysts expected and five times lower than the prior month’s 0.2 percent pullback.
Consumer spending accounts for around 70 percent of U.S. economic output and retail sales serve as a key barometer.
Retail sales fell for the second month in a row in March, data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows, with the 1 percent decline exceeding consensus forecasts of a 0.4 percent drop.
“After adjusting for inflation, though, the story is far worse,” Bilello added, noting that inflation-adjusted real retail sales fell 3.3 percent in year-over-year terms last month.
So-called core retail sales—which strip out automobiles, gasoline, building materials, and food services—fell 0.3 percent last month. This was after core retail sales grew 0.5 percent in February.
Core retail sales most closely correspond to the consumer spending component of gross domestic product (GDP).
OBSERVATION – Inflation combined with lacking wage growth are hitting this sector. These indicators are pointing towards a recession.
CW2/Domestic violence –
Local leaders assembled outside of Chatham’s Walmart demanding the store remains open 2 days after corporate officials announced they’d close the store this weekend. A pharmacy at the location will close May 12. Neighbors received a 5-day notice.
Background- this store was stripped essentially bare during the 2020 riots. Shoplifting has continued to decimate the store since.
OBSERVATION - You get what you vote for. Defund the police and decriminalize looting, you lose your stores and businesses.
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The Biden administration is looking at expanding how it monitors social media sites and chatrooms after U.S. intelligence failed to realize classified Pentagon documents circulated online for weeks, officials briefed on the matter say.
OBSERVATION – More and more intrusive actions by the govt making use of an incident to push their agendas. This move for more surveillance was noted yesterday too.
Domestic / International Terror (modified)-
Situational awareness as Ramadan continues.
POLITICAL FRONT –
According to Seattle, WA journalist Katie Daviscourt, the Washington State Legislature passed SB 5599 last night, which allows the state to legally take children away from their parents if they don’t consent to their child’s gender transition surgeries.
OBSERVATION – Kalifornia on track for a similar law. Communism from the start demands total control over children for indoctrination purposes. In this case the radical transtifa cause serves the Marxists by breaking up the nuclear family – one of their foundational goals. One of the foundation stones of a tyrannical govt.
China –
Beijing this week announced revisions to its conscription policy and said that should China enter a state of war, veterans and educated college students can expect to be on top of the list to be drafted. China has positioned these changes as a necessary step to modernize the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and to bolster its combat effectiveness.
OBSERVATION – Observers are evaluating this new policy – particularly on how it will be implemented and how the resulting impacts to the Chinese economy could be mitigated with the vast sucking sound of this sector of the working force back into the military.
Japan –
There’s been a loud explosion at a Japanese port during the visit of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. There are no immediate reports of injuries. It appears a smoke bomb was thrown at the Japanese prime minister, according to witnesses. Reports a person has been arrested after an explosion sound of some kind in Wakayama where Japan’s Prime Minister was giving a speech. The security detail secured the Prime Minister who is, it seems, safe and unharmed.
OBSERVATION – A smoke bomb could be the result of an incorrectly constructed bomb.
Russia -
WAR WATCH - into the second year of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine - Feb 24th, 2022
CURRENT ASSESSMENT
Russian forces have initiated an offensive who’s declared goals are to reach and secure the Luhansk and Donetsk oblast borders — an objective that Russian Chief of General Staff Army General Valery Gerasimov had also outlined on December 22, 2022. Troop and equipment build up is being noted
This offensive action is focused on several fronts –
1) the Svatove-Kreminna front,
2) Bahkmut region,
3) Donetsk region and
4) Zaporizhizhia Oblast around the town of Vuhledar.
Analysts are noting that the Russian offensive operations are winding down. Some offensive operation will continue to be attempted, however, a lot of assessment indicates they’ve lost the capability to sustain a credible offensive to try to capture the Donbas region having frittered away resources against Bahkmut.
Russia is also capable of launching cruise/ballistic missile attacks directed against Ukrainian infrastructure - primarily its power grid, but massively reduced inventories of such missiles means these barrages will be further apart.
While Russia has nuclear capability, the probability is low that any will be used in the near future.
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Russian Pacific Fleet launched a combat readiness check exercise yesterday – follow up. Russian Pacific fleet vessels sputtered out of their harbors under heavy diesel/oil smoke. Reports are that part of the exercise was to demonstrate to the Chinese that they can be an equal partner in ‘defense’ of the western Pacific region.
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The leader of PMC “Wagner” Prigozhin suddenly called for an end to the war against Ukraine.
“The ideal option is to announce the end of the Special Military Operation, to inform everyone that Russia has achieved the results that it planned, and in a sense, we really achieved them. We have ground a huge number of fighters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and we can report to ourselves about that the tasks of “SMO” are completed.
Theoretically, Russia has already received this fat point by destroying a large part of the active male population of Ukraine, by intimidating another part of it, which fled to Europe. Russia cut off the Azov and a large piece of the Black Sea, seized a fat piece of Ukrainian territory and created a land corridor to the Crimea. Now there is only one thing left: to firmly gain a foothold, to claw in those territories that already exist,”.
OBSERVATION – Interesting position as Prigozhin has been a cheerleader for the war.
Logistics –
Use of T-54/55 tanks by Russian forces in Ukraine has been confirmed.
Russian Personnel Issues –-
Russian spetsnaz lost 90-95% of fighters in Ukraine, recovery will take up to 10 years as reported by The Washington Post. As a rule, special forces are assigned covert and risky missions. But since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the Russian military leadership has deviated from the norm and ordered the elite forces to engage in direct combat.
NOTE - Not only Spetsnaz, but other ‘elite’ forces such as the VDV (airborne) and marine units have been similarly decimated. They have been on the point of the spear for Russian offensive actions and face the highest attrition rates.
Ukraine -
WEATHER FORECAST – Temperatures with highs now reaching the 60’s with some light rain over part of the forecast period. Could signal a potential drying trend.
24 HOUR ROUND UP –
Fighting around Avdiivka and Bakhmut continues with Bakhmut receiving most of the activity overnight. Russian forces are pushing towards the west against the Ukraine defensive line set up along a railroad passing throught the middle of the town. Attack is being supported by a lot of artillery (Russian style).
Seven Russian S-300 Russian missiles hit the eastern Ukrainian city of Sloviansk on Friday, killing at least eight people and wounding 21, the governor of Donetsk region said.
The Svatove-Kreminna, Zaporizhizhia and Crimean fronts were relatively quiet, with mostly scattered and sporatic Russian artillery strikes and minimal ground attacks.
OUTLOOK –
Expect fighting in Avdiivka and Bakhmut to continue. Getting pretty redundant. However, the fight in Bakhmut continues to ebb and flow. Russia is (again) placing additional emphasis on capturing the town (or whats left of it) and continues to dedicate more resources to that fight. Ukraine , while putting up a feisty defense, is being forced back and has the potential for being required to fully pull out of the city on the front burner.
If Russia captures the city, the consensus is that it lacks the forces and equipment necessary to exploit the attack further to the west, where multiple other lines of defense are emplace and Russian unable to quickly replace its losses. The Ukraine defense has caused other sectores to be weakened so that Russia could continue to press its attacks. These weakened sectors are ripe for exploitation in an Ukrainian offensive.
Misc of Note –
Heavy gunfire and explosions rang out in Sudan’s capital Khartoum following days of tension between the army and a powerful paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The rift between the forces came to the surface on Thursday when the army said recent movements by RSF had happened without coordination and were illegal. Current tensions also stem from a disagreement over how the RSF should be integrated into the military and what authority should oversee the process. The merger is a key condition of Sudan’s unsigned transition agreement.
Fighting has been heavy in the vicinity of Sudan’s army headquarters and the defense ministry in central Khartoum, as well as the presidential palace and airport.
OBSERVATION – Another third world hell-hole going to pieces. I expect to see this similar trend continue across the third world as the global economy breaks down and the WEF leaves these areas to fend for themselves – reducing the excess global population.
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On a more positive note - Targeting as soon as Monday, April 17 for the first flight test of a fully integrated Starship and Super Heavy rocket from Starbase in Texas. FAA has granted permission to launch.
OBSERVATION – I was dubious about SpaceX’s returnable rocket design, but now it is common place with well over 100 consecutive successful booster returns. I though the Starship portion of the rocket was ugly and unwieldy, but that is dwarfed by the booster that is to be retrieved in the same manner as its smaller siblings. Definitely will be watching the feeds if this beast gets off the ground successfully.
Economy –
CNN — Walmart’s chief merchandising officer for its US operations is stepping down from the job as the retailer faces a tougher year ahead, an internal memo shared to US associates Friday said.
“The consumer is still very pressured,” Walmart CFO John Rainey told CNBC. “And if you look at economic indicators, balance sheets are running thinner and savings rates are declining relative to previous periods. And so that’s why we take a pretty cautious outlook on the rest of the year.”
The retail industry in general is expected to face challenges this year after sluggish holiday sales.
Biden / Harris watch –
Joe and Hunter Biden are back from their four-day taxpayer-funded vacation to Ireland. Biden retreated straight to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, for another weekend vacation. He has spent 326 days — 40% of his presidency — on vacation.
CW2/Domestic violence –
Minneapolis is the first major American city to allow the Muslim call to prayer, or adhan, to be broadcast over loudspeakers five times a day, year-round It follows a unanimous vote by the city council to amend the city’s noise ordinance after some morning and evening calls were previously prevented The move is seen as a victory for the city’s burgeoning population of East African immigrants, many of whom are Muslim.
OBSERVATION - Little surprise that Minneapolis was the center of major rioting in 2020 and that muslim violence in Europe has created many “no go” areas. Coming soon to Minnesota and other blue areas as well.
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Overnight in downtown Chicago a large group of teenagers tore up the area, smashing car windows, getting into fights, robbing people, and using mace. There have also been reports of multiple gunshots, and three teens have been shot while attempting to break into the Art Institute of Chicago.
OBSERVATION – It looks like this may be a long, hot summer in blue cities. The past several years of essentially no law enforcement has emboldened the ferals to do as they please. This in the face of some ‘civic leaders’ decrying the closure of 8 Walmarts in the city exactly because of this behavior. Expect ‘copy cat’ rampages soon in other cities.
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Disturbing words on the interwebs on whether or not our military would fire on civilians. Observations from veterans is that the needle has pushed to the definite “YES” category. Based in part to the efforts of the regime to force out those who would resist such an order – through purges of those with “potential” domestic terror/white supremacy alignment as well as those who refused the jab on principle. This leaves those who unthinkingly follow such orders – providing them a power trip as a bonus. Already, Marxist indoctrination is deeply embedded in the nation’s military academys and advanced officer leadership courses at Ft. Leavenworth / Cmd and Gen Staff College. This also mirrors increased indifference by metro police forces unwilling to stop violence against those on the right and our alphabet agencies willing to use swat style tactics to arrest peaceful protestors and political opponents.
On the other side, veterans in the civilian population pose a serious threat to any military effort directed by the regime to enforce any of its dictates like gun control. The only way they can force the issue is to disarm the populace. It will not be pretty if it happens. Hence I expect increasing calls for so called gun control and increased focus and infiltration into veterans groups / patriot groups by the feds – mostly to incite an incident that can be turned into justification to force disarming citizens.
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Sixty-nine acts of vandalism against churches occurred in the first quarter of the year, constituting a significant increase in the number of attacks compared to previous years.
The Family Research Council, a socially conservative think-tank based in Washington, D.C., released a supplemental report outlining “Hostility Against Churches” in the first quarter of 2023. The data builds on an earlier report published in December, which documented attacks on churches between January 2018 and December 2022.
January saw the highest number of church attacks, totaling 43 documented incidents. Fourteen acts of vandalism occurred in February, while 12 occurred in March.
The number of attacks against churches during the first three months of 2023 represents a marked increase in the number of incidents that occurred in the first three months of the previous five years. The Family Research Council recorded 15 attacks against churches in the first three months of 2018, 12 in the same period in 2019, 14 in the first quarter of 2021, and 22 in the first four months of 2022. 2020 saw no attacks on churches in its first three months.
OBSERVATION – This will only increase – particularly in blue regions of the country as the progressives in charge there will see this as comeuppance for the USSC abortion decision as well as resistance to the Transtifa agenda to force its agenda on the country.
Domestic / International Terror (modified)-
Situational awareness as Ramadan continues.
North/South Korea –
South Korea’s military released a statement saying that a ROK Navy vessel fired warning shots after a North Korean patrol boat crossed the Northern Limit Line. The North Korean patrol boat was reportedly chasing a Chinese fishing boat.
OBSERVATION – From what I understand, it is crabbing season in that area, and Chinese boats commonly poach crabs, causing problems for both NK and SK
Japan –
Video of the recent attempted bombing of the PM shows the rapid reaction by one of his bodyguards in kicking the device away from the PM then putting himself between the PM and pushing him away from the threat.
Russia -
WAR WATCH - into the second year of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine - Feb 24th, 2022
CURRENT ASSESSMENT
Russian forces have initiated an offensive who’s declared goals are to reach and secure the Luhansk and Donetsk oblast borders — an objective that Russian Chief of General Staff Army General Valery Gerasimov had also outlined on December 22, 2022. Troop and equipment build up is being noted
This offensive action is focused on several fronts –
1) the Svatove-Kreminna front,
2) Bahkmut region,
3) Donetsk region and
4) Zaporizhizhia Oblast around the town of Vuhledar.
Analysts are noting that the Russian offensive operations are winding down. Some offensive operation will continue to be attempted, however, a lot of assessment indicates they’ve lost the capability to sustain a credible offensive to try to capture the Donbas region having frittered away resources against Bahkmut.
Russia is also capable of launching cruise/ballistic missile attacks directed against Ukrainian infrastructure - primarily its power grid, but massively reduced inventories of such missiles means these barrages will be further apart.
While Russia has nuclear capability, the probability is low that any will be used in the near future.
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Ukraine -
WEATHER FORECAST – Temperatures with highs now reaching the 60’s with some light rain over part of the forecast period. Could signal a potential drying trend.
24 HOUR ROUND UP –
Fighting around Avdiivka and Bakhmut with increased Russian efforts at both cities.
The Svatove-Kreminna, Zaporizhizhia and Crimean fronts were relatively quiet, with mostly scattered and sporatic Russian artillery strikes and minimal ground attacks.
OUTLOOK –
Expect fighting in Avdiivka and Bakhmut to continue. I’m discerining a trend of increased Russian efforts to secure as much of the areas around these cities as possible before any Ukraine offensive occurs. Speculation is that in at least in the case of Bakhmut, it will be the focus of one of the axis’s of the offensive.
Israel –
Israeli media media report Israel has extended the restrictions imposed on the airspace near the Lebanese border for a period of 24 hours.
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Several Israeli websites have found themselves under cyberattack on Friday afternoon, coinciding with the Iranian anti-Israel hate festival known as ‘Quds Day.’ A group of hackers identified as ‘Anonymous Sudan’ has taken responsibility for targeting websites of Israeli banks, phone providers, the post office, the electricity company and the red alert warning app. Israeli media reported that some of the sites have collapsed and were offline for a short time.
Turkey -
The Turkish president on April 14 called for the creation of a new constitution for the country that stands up for the public’s hopes and dreams.
“Let’s make a new, civil, libertarian constitution that embraces the dreams of all the people of this country. This is a call for all 85 million (people in Türkiye),” Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told a groundbreaking ceremony for houses and the handover of over 1,400 houses and 17 shops in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır.
OBSERVATION – Some see this call as evidence that Erdogan is struggling to regain the confidence of a significant portion of the country. He has shifted the country more and more towards Islamic fundamentalism and positioned it as the leader of the restored califate – a move the more moderate majority of the country rejects. This on top of the deployment of Turkish forces around the Med in support of that claim. He has further overseen the massive economic meltdown of the country’s currency and associated woes.
Africa general –
Fighting continues in the Sudan between govt military forces and the RSF. Most of the fighting is centered in the capitol city of Khartoum.
RSF had captured Egyptian military elements in country for an exercised with national military – now the RSF says they will be released without any preconditions after initially designating them as POWs.
Chad has reportedly closed its border with Sudan.
Sudan’s joint chiefs of staff says that there will be no negotiations or dialogue before the dissolution of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) - Reuters
The African Union’s peace and security council has tweeted that it is convening an emergency session to discuss the crisis.
The Arab League is also holding an urgent meeting to discuss the situation, following a request by Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
At the same time, the Egyptian presidency has said that Egypt and South Sudan have offered to mediate between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
OBSERVATION – RSF is apparently staging a coup attempt. Complicated military relationship as it has been an independent force now facing loss of that independence thru integration in an subordination to the govt military.
The RSF may have dodged a bullet (metaphoically and literally) by releasing the Egyptian soldiers, as Egypt would not have views such capture and retention favorably.