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The Silicon Valley Bank collapse: the beginning of the end?

In the space of just a few days two major US banks collapsed and were shuttered, sowing panic and uncertainty in the financial markets. The first bank was the Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), the 2nd-largest bank failure in US history, and the 2nd bank failure was that of Signature Bank. Other regional banks have since also closed. Was it poor judgement on the part of the banks or is this the start of an engineered failure of the banking system in the West? These events are not isolated, but instead have broader implications. This is an evolving story. We will have a look at the reasons for the failure of SVB here and what lies ahead for the West’s banking systems in the immediate future. Continue reading “The Silicon Valley Bank collapse: the beginning of the end?”

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The 2023 Türkiye-Syria earthquake

On the 6th of February 2023 at 04:17 TRT a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck southern Türkiye and north-western Syria. As of this writing the quake has killed over 50,000 people, with over 120,000 injured, the great majority of them in Tűrkiye. There have been over 2100 aftershocks, with over 230 of those registering M4.0 or higher. Regional support was swift to Syria, with Russian troops still stationed in Syria aiding in rescue and relief efforts, not so much in Tűrkiye. More than 80 countries have offered material aid and assistance. Absent from those 80 were Western nations until very recently. The chart is rather interesting for several reasons. The quake is already having geopolitical effects, too. For more, read on… Continue reading “The 2023 Türkiye-Syria earthquake”

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The Great American Balloon Panic of 2023

On 16th of February 2023 grave fears were expressed for the plight of a hobby balloon launched by the Northern Illinois Bottlecap Balloon Brigade (NIBBB). Their balloon has gone missing. The fear is it was shot down by the USAF with a heat-seeking missile. Why the Air Force would have used a heat-seeking missile on a $12 hobby balloon is a mystery, because the balloon had no on-board propulsion or other technology that would emit heat. There must have been some really nefarious tech on-board that balloon. To their credit, NIBBB is not as yet pointing fingers at the USAF, but the disappearance comes on the heels of other balloons similarly shot down, if indeed their balloon was popped by the USAF. This is a developing story. For more, read on… Continue reading “The Great American Balloon Panic of 2023”

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The 2023 East Palestine train derailment

I have had a fascination with trains since I can remember. As a small child my parents used to take me to the rail yards after church on Sunday and let me have a gander at all the rail cars and diesel locomotives. Then one of them would board a passenger train with me for a ride to the next town. The other parent would meet us there. It was a Sunday ritual. The things parents do for their kids. Those days are long gone, but my fascination with trains remains. So, when I hear about a rail incident, like the recent one in East Palestine, OH, I want to know all about it. What follows here are the results of my investigations… Continue reading “The 2023 East Palestine train derailment”

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2023 and the Black Rabbit – the planetary indicators

The 22nd of January marks the start of the Year of the Black Rabbit. We go into this year with rising inflation across the West and much of the world, the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and rising protest movements in many parts of the world. If we thought the Black Rabbit might bring a kinder, softer year, we would be mistaken. 2023 will mark a decided pivot in the international power structure, with all the attendant restiveness and uncertainty that such change inevitably brings. For more, read on. Continue reading “2023 and the Black Rabbit – the planetary indicators”

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The end of the war in Ukraine

Speculation among military and intelligence people is at a peak these days as to what is about to befall Ukraine. Will the war be long and drawn out, as the United States would like to see, or will there be a very large Russian winter offensive that will finally bring a close to the affair? Military analysts tend to err on the latter, for many reasons. We will look at all that here, along with Ukraine’s astrology. Continue reading “The end of the war in Ukraine”

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The Capricorn ingress 2022

The ingress of the Sun into Capricorn takes place every year on 21 December, marking the end of the calendar year and the start of the northern winter. Normally this ingress inaugurates a period of introspection, as in the year that is finishing. This year is different, however: This Capricorn ingress shows a real turning point in world events and a changed world order. It therefore shows an opportunity for fresh starts across the world. We will have a look at some of the major points here, with a wider exposition to come in the Chinese New Year letter – the Year of the Black Rabbit. For more, read on… Continue reading “The Capricorn ingress 2022”

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The US midterm elections 2022

You may have heard or read the saying, “If voting could change anything it would be made illegal!” The quote is from Robert S. Bordon from 1976, often misattributed to Mark Twain. Democrats were gnawing at their nails on election night, fearing a red tsunami or red wave. Republicans were expecting a rout of the Dems. What we saw instead was a ‘red ripple’ (good name for a cheap wine), much to the relief of Dems and the fury of Donald Trump. We’ll have a look at all that here and what to expect going forward. Continue reading “The US midterm elections 2022”

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Is the force with Sunak?

On the day of the recent solar eclipse Rushi Sunak kissed the ring and was officially appointed the UK’s Prime Minister. He is the first ‘PM of Asian origin’ and the youngest PM the UK has had in two centuries, just edging out David Cameron and Tony Blair for the youngest PM spot. His premiership comes on the heels of the Truss disaster, which set a record for the shortest-serving PM in British history aamid her disastrous economic policies. The eclipse signalled the finishing-off of Truss and the start of what many pundits believe will be more of the same under Sunak. We will have a look at all that here. Continue reading “Is the force with Sunak?”

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The 8 Nov 2022 total lunar eclipse

The full moon on 8 Nov 2022 is also an eclipse, a total lunar eclipse. The preceding eclipse two weeks before, with the Sun/Moon lunation in the first degrees of Scorpio, has produced some strong results, some of which will be catalogued in what follows here. Although the latter eclipse is in a waning series, Mars was also out-of-bounds, increasing tensions and producing some violent and catastrophic events. The results of the present eclipse will be revolutionary, instead. For more, read on… Continue reading “The 8 Nov 2022 total lunar eclipse”