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Luis Miguel Goitizolo

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RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES?
5/30/2017 4:13:04 PM

Nighttime, early morning bombings in Baghdad kill 31



BAGHDAD — May 30, 2017, 10:38 AM ET


WATCHAftermath of car bomb explosion in Baghdad

A massive bombing by the Islamic State group outside a popular ice cream parlor in central Baghdad and a rush hour car bomb in another downtown area killed at least 31 people on Tuesday, Iraqi officials said.

Later in the day, bombings in and around the Iraqi capital killed seven more people.

The attacks come as IS militants are steadily losing more territory to U.S.-backed Iraqi forces in the battle for Mosul, the country's second-largest city. The Sunni extremists are increasingly turning to insurgency-style terror attacks to distract attention from their losses.

The nighttime attack outside the ice cream parlor in the bustling Karrada neighborhood killed 17 people and also wounded 32, police and health officials said.

A closed-circuit camera captured the moment of the explosion, the video showing a busy downtown avenue, with cars driving down the street when the blast strikes. A huge fireball then engulfs a building, forcing the cars to scramble to get away. Other videos of the attack posted on social media show wounded and bloodied people crying for help on the sidewalk outside the ice cream parlor.

In the second attack, an explosives-laden car went off during rush hour near the state-run Public Pension Office in Baghdad's busy Shawaka area, killing 14, a police officer said. At least 37 people were wounded in that attack, he added.

In separate online statements, IS claimed responsibility for the two attacks, saying its suicide bombers targeted gatherings of Shiites. The Associated Press could not verify the authenticity of the statements but they were posted on a militant website commonly used by extremists.

Later Tuesday, seven people died and 19 were wounded in four separate bombings in and around Baghdad, officials said. The attacks targeted commercial areas and a patrol of Sunni anti-IS tribal fighters, they said. No group immediately claimed those attacks.

All officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

The attacks came just days into the holy month of Ramadan when Muslims fast during daylight hours. After sundown, families break their fast and Baghdad's restaurants and cafes quickly fill up with people staying up long into the night.

During Ramadan last year, another section of Karrada was hit by massive suicide bombing that killed almost 300 people, the deadliest single attack in the Iraqi capital in 13 years of war. The attack was also claimed by IS.

Details of how the militants managed to stage Tuesday's attacks were not immediately clear. After last year's attack, Iraqi authorities stepped up security in Karrada, especially in the area of the bombing.

In the northern city of Mosul, Iraqi troops are pushing IS fighters out of their last strongholds. Iraqi commanders say the offensive, which recently entered its eight month, will mark the end of the IS caliphate in Iraq, but concede the group will likely increase insurgent attacks in the wake of military defeats.

———

Associated Press writer Sinan Salaheddin in Baghdad and Maamoun Youssef in Cairo contributed to this report.


(abcNEWS)

"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)

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Luis Miguel Goitizolo

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RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES?
5/30/2017 4:55:17 PM

5 Highly Respected Financial Experts Are Warning That A Market Crash Is Imminent


If everything is going to be “just fine”, why are so many big names in the financial community warning about an imminent meltdown? I don’t think that I have seen so many simultaneous warnings about a market crash since just before the great financial crisis of 2008. And at this point, you would have to be quite blind not to see that stocks are absurdly overvalued and that a correction is going to happen at some point. And when stocks do start crashing, lots of fingers are going to start pointing at President Trump, but it won’t be his fault. The Federal Reserve and other central banks are primarily responsible for creating this bubble, and they should definitely get the blame for what is about to happen to global financial markets.

My regular readers are quite familiar with my thoughts on where the market is headed, so today let me share some thoughts from five highly respected financial experts…

#1 When Altair Asset Management’s chief investment officer Philip Parker was asked if a market crash was coming to Australia, he said that he has “never been more certain of anything in my life”. In fact, he is so sure that the investments that his hedge fund is managing are going to crash that a decision was made to liquidate the fund “and return ‘hundreds of millions’ of dollars to its clients”

While hardly a novel claim – in the past many have warned that Australia’s housing and stock market are massive asset bubbles(which local banks have been forced to deny as their fates are closely intertwined with asset prices even as the RBA is increasingly worried) – so far few if any have gone the distance of putting their money where their mouth was. That changed, when Australian asset manager Altair Asset Management made the extraordinary decision to liquidate its Australian shares funds and return “hundreds of millions” of dollars to its clients according to the Sydney Morning Herald, citing an impending property market “calamity” and the “overvalued and dangerous time in this cycle”.

Giving up management and performance fees and handing back cash from investments managed by us is a seminal decision, however preserving client’s assets is what all fund managers should put before their own interests,” Philip Parker, who serves as Altair’s chairman and chief investment officer, said in a statement on Monday quoted by the SMH.

#2 Seth Klarman leads one of the biggest hedge funds in the United States, and he believes that U.S. investors are greatly underestimating the amount of risk in the market right now…

“When share prices are low, as they were in the fall of 2008 into early 2009, actual risk is usually quite muted while perception of risk is very high,” Klarman wrote. “By contrast, when securities prices are high, as they are today, the perception of risk is muted, but the risks to investors are quite elevated.”

Klarman oversees one of the US’s largest hedge fund firms, with some $30 billion under management. He has a huge following on Wall Street — investors named his book, “Margin of Safety,” their favorite investment book in a recent SumZero survey.

#3 Bill Blain is a strategist at Mint Partners, and he is actually specifically pointing to October 12th as the date when things will start to get “horribly interesting”

But…. Catch a falling knife, why don’t you… I shall spend the summer wondering just how long the Stock Market games continue. When, not if.

At the moment, my prediction is October 12th. Around that day its going to get horribly interesting..

Why that particular day?

Gut feel and knowing how the Bowl of Petunias felt in Hitchhikers. (“Not again.”)

There are just too many contradictory currents out there. The unsustainability of burgeoning consumer debt, unfeasibly tight credit spreads, the sandcastle foundations of student loans, autos, housing and the CLO market, China, Trump, politics.. worries about what follows Brazil in the EM market, and whatever… The risks of a massive consumer sentiment dump..

#4 David Stockman has also been warning about what may happen this fall. According to Stockman, this current stock market bubble “is the greatest sucker’s rally we have ever seen”

The market is insanely valued right now. They were trying to tag, the robo machines and day traders, they were trying to tag 2,400 on the S&P 500. They ended up at 2,399, I think, but the point is that represents about 25 times trailing earnings for 2016. We are at a point in the so-called recovery that has already lasted 96 months. It’s almost the longest one in history. What the market is saying is we have reached the point of full employment forever. There will never be another recession or any kind of economic surprise or upset or dislocation. The market is pricing itself for perfection for all of eternity. This is crazy. . . . I think the market could easily drop to 1,600 or 1,300. It could drop by 40% or even more once the fantasy ends. When the government shows its true colors, that it’s headed for a fiscal bloodbath when this crazy notion that there is going to be some Trump fiscal stimulus is put to rest once and for all. I mean it’s not going to happen. They can’t pass a tax cut that big without a budget resolution that incorporated $10 trillion or $15 trillion in debt over the next decade. It’s just not going to pass Congress. . . . I think this is the greatest sucker’s rally we have ever seen.

#5 Last but certainly not least, David Kranzler seems quite certain “that the stock market bubble is getting ready to pop”

Anyone happen to notice that several market commentators have argued that Bitcoin is a bubble but the same stock “experts” look the other way as the U.S. stock market becomes more overvalued by the day vs. the deteriorating underlying fundamentals? Bitcoin going “parabolic” triggers alarm bells but it’s okay if the stock price of Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN) is hurtling toward parity with the price of one ounce of gold. Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) burns a billion per year in cash. It sold 76,000 cars last year vs. 10 million worldwide for General Motors (NYSE:GM). Yet Tesla’s market cap is $51.7 billion vs. $48.8 billion for GM.

This insanity is the surest sign that the stock market bubble is getting ready to pop. If you read between the lines of the the comments from certain Wall Street analysts, the onlyjustification for current valuations is “Central Bank liquidity” and “Fed support of asset values.” This is the most dangerous stage of a market top because it draws in retail “mom & pop” investors who can’t stop themselves from missing out on the next “sure thing.” There will be millions of people who are permanently damaged financially when the Fed loses control of this market. Or, as legendary “vulture” investor Asher Edelman stated on CNBC, “I don’t want to be in the market because I don’t know when the plug is going to be pulled.”

Could all of these top experts be wrong?

It’s possible, but I wouldn’t bet on it.

Every stock market bubble of this magnitude in U.S. history has ended in a spectacular crash, and this one will not be any different. We can certainly have some good arguments about the exact timing of the next crash, but what everyone should be able to agree on is that a crash is coming.

You only make money in the stock market if you get out at the right time. Many of those that timed things well have made a tremendous amount of money, but most investors will be entirely caught off guard by the market implosion that is rapidly approaching.

As I have explained to my readers repeatedly, markets tend to go down a whole lot faster than they go up, and in the not too distant future we are going to see trillions of dollars of investor wealth wiped out very, very quickly.

Let’s hope that the coming crisis will not be as bad as 2008, but I have a feeling that it is going to be much worse.

We didn’t learn our lessons the last time around, and so now we are going to pay a very high price for our stubbornness.


(Tthe Economic Collapse)


"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)

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Luis Miguel Goitizolo

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RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES?
5/31/2017 9:13:15 AM

200 people dead or missing after extreme rainfall hits Sri Lanka



Nearly 200 people are dead or missing after very heavy monsoon rains caused severe floods and mudslides in several southern and western areas of drought-stricken Sri Lanka. Some areas reportedly received 12 months worth of rain within just 24 hours on Thursday, May 25 and Friday, May 26, 2017. The government has advised people living near swollen rivers and areas prone to landslides to evacuate their homes.

The Sri Lankan Department of Meteorology reported on Friday that Kukuleganga in Sri Lanka’s southwestern Kalutara District broke rainfall records with 553 mm (21.8 inches) of rain in 24 hours. 488.2 mm (19.2 inches) of rain was recorded in Ratnapura, the capital city of Sabaragamuwa Province, May 25 into 26.

Friday's flooding was caused by rivers bursting their banks, but unusually heavy rain triggered more than a dozen landslides burying homes on mountain slopes.

72 hours of rainfall accumulation - Sri Lanka

Credit: NASA/JAXA GPM

The country's Disaster Management Center (DMC) said that the Southwest Monsoon finally arrived and ended a prolonged drought that had threatened agriculture as well as hydropower generation. The reservoirs are now full but they are in danger of spilling over and flooding communities downstream, they warned.

According to official reports, over 500 000 people have been affected and more than 60 000 displaced, 100 have been killed and 91 are still missing as of early May 27, 2017. Most of the deaths have occurred due to mountainsides collapsing on homes, authorities say.

The worst hit were districts of Kalutara and Ratnapura.

Residents said there are more people trapped in interior villages where boats and helicopters have been unable to reach.



On Saturday, authorities issued fresh evacuation orders for those living downstream of two major rivers, citing a risk of flooding even though the heavy rains had subsided.

"Daily showers and thunderstorms are expected in the foreseeable future as the monsoon has advanced into Sri Lanka," AccuWeather Meteorologist Brett Rathbun said. The heaviest rainfall will continue to focus on southwestern Sri Lanka through at least next week.

The floods are so far the worst since May 2003 when 250 people were killed and 10 000 homes destroyed.

Due to heavily deforested land, mudslides have become common during the monsoon season in Sri Lanka.

Featured image: Heavy monsoon rains hit Sri Lanka - May 26, 2017. Credit: AlJazeera

(watchers.news)

"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)

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Luis Miguel Goitizolo

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RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES?
5/31/2017 9:52:36 AM

Dozen killed, over 120 injured in Moscow as severe storm causes havoc (PHOTO, VIDEO)


© Yana Burmistrova / Sputnik

Twelve people were killed and at least 125 injured in Moscow and the Moscow Region, including 17 children, as result of Monday’s storm, according to a report by the All-Russian Center of Disaster Medicine. The storm uprooted trees and tore the roofs off buildings.

Earlier, the Moscow Health Department reported that at least 50 people had suffered injuries linked to the storm in Moscow alone. The number of those applying for medical assistance in its aftermath continues to rise, it said.
“There are casualties as a result of the storm, more than 40 people applied for medical attention. My condolences to the relatives and loved ones of those who died,” Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin tweeted earlier.

The mayor added that the authorities were taking the necessary measures to deal with aftermath of the disaster.

Sources in the emergencies services earlier told TASS that one person had been killed by a falling tree in southwest Moscow.


In another incident, a bus stop was torn from the pavement by the strong wind and was blown toward pedestrians, fatally injuring one person.


More here


(RT)

"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)

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Luis Miguel Goitizolo

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RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES?
5/31/2017 10:15:27 AM

8 dead, more than 30 000 evacuated as severe floods and landslides hit Brazil

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Extreme rainfall has caused severe flooding and deadly landslides in the northeastern and southern Brazil over the weekend, claiming the lives of at least 8 people and forcing more than 30 000 to evacuate.

Authorities said that swollen rivers, mudslides, and falling trees in the state of Pernambuco forced the evacuation of at least 30 000 residents and killed four people. Four people died and another 3 000 families were evacuated in the neighboring Alagoas. Both states declared states of emergency.

In Pernambuco, more than 20 municipalities reported damage caused by heavy rain on Sunday, May 28, 2017. In several areas, meteorological stations recorded 300 mm (11.8 inches) within just 24 hours.

According to De Olho No Tempo Meteorologia, large amounts of rain flooded 70% of Barra de Gabiraba. The Pampas River in Belem de Maria overflowed and flooded much of the city, leaving the population homeless or displaced. In Caruaru, a vehicle was dragged by a stream that overflowed, killing one person. In the same municipality, a man was dragged by the flood waters in the locality of Sitio Lagoa da Pedra. Two people died after a hill collapsed and destroyed the house where the couple slept.

After six years of being practically dry, the Jazigo dam in Serra Talhada re-accumulated water and reached maximum capacity before the day's end.

72 hours of rainfall accumulation ending 15:00 UTC on May 29, 2017

72 hours of rainfall accumulation in eastern Brazil ending 15:00 UTC on May 29, 2017. Credit: NASA/JAXA GPM

According to rain gauge network of the National Center for Natural Disaster Monitoring and Alarms (Cemaden), most of the rain fell within 24 hours on Saturday and Sunday (May 27 - 28). Rio Formoso station registered staggering 307.87 mm (12.12 inches) of rain within just 24 hours (by 23:00 on May 28), 397.68 mm (15.65 inches) within 72 hours and 522.01 mm (20.55 inches) within 96 hours.

Floods in Pernambuco, Brazil on May 28, 2017. Credit: Brazil Civil Defence via De Olho No Tempo Meteorologia

In the neighboring state of Alagoas, heavy rain seriously affected the Maceió Metropolitan Region with almost 200 mm (7.87 inches) within 24 hours by Saturday morning. "Weekend's heavy rain fell on already saturated soil, making it extremely unstable," experts at the De Olho No Tempo Meteorologia said.

In the municipality of Marechal Deodoro, in the metropolitan area, a landslide left four dead and at least 33 injured, according to information provided by the Fire Department, Civil Defense and the City Hall.

72 hours of rainfall accumulation southern Brazil ending 15:00 UTC on May 28, 2017

72 hours of rainfall accumulation southern Brazil ending 15:00 UTC on May 28, 2017. Credit: NASA/JAXA GPM

Heavy rains also hit southern states of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina.

In Rio Grande do Sul, at least 48 municipalities reported some type of damage due to a large amount of rainfall. Several rivers overflowed, leaving families homeless or displaced. Large hail and strong winds were also reported.

In Santa Catarina, more than 20 municipalities reported some type of damage associated with severe weather (rain, hail, and wind).

Landslide in Santa Catarina, Brazil - May 28, 2017. Brazil Civil Defence via De Olho No Tempo Meteorologia

More heavy rain is expected across the country in the days ahead, especially in southern and northwestern regions:

Featured image: Floods in Pernambuco, Brazil on May 28, 2017. Credit: Brazil Civil Defence via Deolho No Tempo Meteorologia


(watchers.news)

"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)

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