Many already know I have no intention to blog or comment on our local political scene any more because I regard it as a total waste of time. Why? We can see some running the same worn-out plots, singing the same out-of-tune melodies, introducing the same bogeymen and spinning the same old yarn. And yet, there is absolutely no progress because all they want is to cling on to power or to wrest power in the name of the rakyat's well being. Helloooooooooo!!! Who are they kidding? Time to get out of that delusional ambience. A cursory glance at the headlines of each day can tell us how shallow and selfish are some or worse still, how deceptive can some 'angels' be. Many are still caught up with ideological aspirations, or being fooled by spin doctors who gleefully lead the herd astray with their so-called theories. While they are fighting amongst themselves, the worldwide situation is worsening and we DO NOT see aspiring leaders telling us HOW they will save us all from the worst case scenario. Moving on....There are MORE important things that concern us! Simply put, is the end at hand? We have to be aware of the signs around us.
This site gives fourteen signs that the world economy is getting weaker.
Here's a summarised form of the 14 signs. Please click here to read the post in full. There are already 120 comments so far.
#1 Things in China do not look good right now.
#2 The Bank of Japan has resorted to yet another round of money printing in a desperate attempt to try to bolster the faltering Japanese economy....
#3 In Spain, violent demonstrations over the state of the Spanish economy just outside the national Parliament building in Madrid on Tuesday evening made headlines all over the globe.
#4 As unemployment hovers around the 25 percent mark, foraging through garbage bins for food has become so rampant in Spain that one city has actually started putting locks on supermarket garbage bins "as a public health precaution".
#5 Despite all of the money printing that the ECB has been doing, the yield on 10 year Spanish bonds has risen back up to about 6 percent again.
#6 The economic protests in Greece are getting completely and totally out of control.
#7 The unemployment rate in France has risen for 16 months in a row and is now the highest that it has been in over a decade.
#8 The number of unemployed workers in Italy has increased by more than 37 percent over the past year.
#9 New orders for durable goods in the United States fell by a whopping 13.2 percent in August. That was the largest decline that we have seen since the middle of the last recession (January 2009).
#10 According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. GDP only grew at a 1.3 percent annual rate during the second quarter of 2012 as opposed to the 1.7 percent annual rate previously reported.
#11 The U.S. Postal Service is about to experience its second financial default in just the past two months....
#12 It looks like General Motors is on a path that will lead to bankruptcy (again).
#13 According to a recent survey conducted by State Street Global Advisors, 71 percent of "investors in a survey of 300 around the world, including the largest pension funds, asset managers and private banks, fear an imminent Lehman-like event."
#14 According to a recent survey of American CEOs by Business Roundtable, the number of CEOs that plan to eliminate jobs has risen significantly from earlier this year....
Reader YK also sent me an article about Lindsey's Four Signs of Economic Collapse. I am not posting it here because it is too long and too er... *coughs* to do so.
CLICK HERE to read the article.
CLICK HERE to access articles on economic collapse in The Examiner. You might want to check out the latest articles in The Examiner on:
- Silver and gold: Why invest in them and which is the better acquisition?
- The USA-China economic weapons of mass destruction
- Peter Schiff says the government’s cure is worse than the disease.
There will come a time when the prices of food will rocket sky high and many will suffer. Self-reliance is the best. Most importantly, we need to (I have not yet...) ensure we have ample supplies such as...
- water, water filters (more than one), water containers, water purification pills
- water purifiers (small ones) such as what you can see HERE
- peanut butter
- dried beans of any type
- Mixed stuff eg those that hikers bring along such as a variety of ingredients, raisins, peanuts and other nuts, dried fruit and berries and chocolate. :-)
- Non-perishable food
- Brown rice
- Sunflower seeds
- Lighters, tinder packed in waterproof containers, Candles
- Solar power generator, solar powered batteries for home use and even for cell phones
- Cell phone/Laptop Signal Boosting Kits
- Propane and propane stove
- Torch-lights etc
In closing, allow me to share with you with Bill Ryan wrote HERE:
Dear All:In 1979, I formed this Christian singing group called The Living Harmony with Rev. Koe Choon Huan (PJ) ,Rev. Michelle Lee (La, Paz, Bolivia), Rev Moses Lee (currently on sabbatical in US), Anthony Khor (Perth), Hock Guan (Singapore), Sook Cheng (???) and myself. Then, we won a state level Talentime with our cover version of Larry Norman's "I Wish We'd All Been Ready". As a group, we arranged the seven-part harmony with overlapping parts for the song and used Cliff Richard's version which you can view HERE (FOR NON-MUSLIMS ONLY).
I'm as certain as I can be that in the next 6-9 months quite a lot is going to happen that may require us to get our life jackets on (routine and sensible when ocean sailing), work together well, and safeguard our energy, resources and well-being until the storm is over.
Like sailing at sea, storms are not to be feared -- just to be handled. If one wanted to avoid storms, one should not be at sea at all. Here we are all on this planet this lifetime, and it wasn't a mistake. You chose to be here. You have a mission to accomplish.
If you have a good boat and a good crew, then it's simply an adventure ... and, as a spin-off, a test and learning experience for everyone.
It can be a great deal of fun. Nothing trivial is intended by that statement. As spiritual beings, we're all fun-loving dolphins swimming in the universal sea... and sometimes we find ourselves trapped in nets which we have to get out of. That's part of the adventure, too.
The only real problem is remembering your mission. Not easy with Jason-Bourne-amnesia. Look for clues all around you: people you know, people you meet, the things that "happen to you", the coincidences and synchronicities, and what energizes you and keeps capturing your attention.
CLICK HERE for the rest of the entry.
I am not a religious fanatic and you can see that in all my blog posts, I have never quite proclaimed my faith at all. For the record, I am not trying to convert anyone in this post which I am writing to raise awareness that there are MORE IMPORTANT and worrying issues that concern all of us than the current situation in our own backyard. In my entire life, I have never shoved the gospel down anybody's throats. In fact, I rarely share the gospel openly and have done so to only less than ten persons because I believe religion is a very personal affair and it is every one's right to decide on their own which faith they want to believe. Five of them converted - including my dad, my god-daughter now finishing her PhD in US, her cousin and my varsity course-mate - Cindy Ooi - who is currently an interim pastor At this point of time, I believe the end is within my lifetime. And it is ironical that the song I sang in 1979, is a question that I have to ask myself.
Am I ready?
Frankly, no. To other Christians out there reading this, are you ready? To those from other faiths, if indeed the end is near, are you ready?
What will we do?
Honestly, I have no answer. I am taking a big risk blogging about this but I just hope that in time to come, we can really take time to smell the roses, to see the world as it is, to have the right values, beliefs and perspectives so that we are not hoodwinked into forgetting what is important. Beliefs, perspectives and values or even priorities may differ but one thing we have in common is the fact that our lives are precious, so are our family members and loved ones. So, cherish them always and make the right decisions...may the God you believe in bless and guide you always.
Shadower Hi MWS
Are you out of Tim Tams yet? LOL. This is a very interesting article. So you felt it your bones that things are not quite right? You may be right. Europe and the US are going through gut-wrenching de-leveraging that may take years to play out. Malaysia, due to its blessed resources, has been lulled into complacency by short-sighted dishing out of goodies, with borrowed money, like there is no tomorrow. What can you expect dear MWS, it is a means to an end. Tell me, to the average unmarried Malaysian earning RM2000 or less, what is more palatable? Offer money to buy electronic gizmos (seriously, is that even a necessity?) plus RM500 plus RM to look after the old folks, OR raise the price of sugar, flour and carbon energy as dictated by market forces? Kick the can down the road, I say,keep the good times rolling, lull the Rakyat into believing we can afford all these market distortions and subsidies. Debt ceiling of 55% (RM550 Billion) almost reached? We can afford it (The Malays have an apt saying for this - BODOH SOMBONG)
What CAN you do MWS? Not much. The Feds, ECB, Japanese are printing money like there is no tomorrow, to try to stave off the day of reckoning. Enjoy that bowl of Penang Laksa at reasonable prices, whilst you still can.
What was it that Milton Friedman said? There is no such thing as a free lunch.