Grand Theft Markets, Job Roll Begins

by

Reader Note:  I made a couple of changes to the site you may notice, depending on caffeine loading. The first is the home page is now two columns (except on phones) so you can scan what’s going on more quickly.  The other change is to underline links in our content, so it’s (more) clear you’re going to a different source for the details.  High contract slider is now a color button. Let me know if any of these tweaks are a problem.

Grand Theft World

We were tickled pink when the trailer dropped Monday, announcing that GTA VI was nearing release. Grand Theft Auto VI: What We Learned From The Trailer | IBTimes. Being adrenaline-laced action-adventure fans in all media (and in real life) GTA will be a nice change-up from watching the news.

Not that watching the somewhat over-the-top Netflix show Obliterated isn’t a rush, too.  But in the real world there’s more than enough ACTION and adventure to scare most (few remaining) sane people.

Take, for example, World War 3.  (Or WW4, depending on how you score the decades-long-running Cold War.)  Here, we find the lead players (like a Monopoly game on steroids) are running out of money to buy more ammunition and arms. White House official says US running out of money for Ukraine.

What’s more, some of the headlines along the war-selling front mention Do they close like the Ukrainian? After the US, €50 billion was blocked in funding. EU – Ukraine facing bankruptcy and collapse. While even with a possible end-game coming, NATO has stirred up a hornet’s nest further north.

Because remember how the West orchestrated blowing up the Nordstream gas pipeline?  Ever since then, we have been wondering “What will the payback be?”  Well, as the chess pieces move…“Nail” for Baltic conflict: Russia responds to NATO with St. Petersburg Army – All fleets were placed under the command of the Russian Chief of Staff.

We can almost see the next “death dance” forming. NATO is hard-selling the roping of Sweden into NATO ranks.  But Erdogan in Turkey is muddying the waters on that. So are the Russian propagandists and agitators: YLE: Russia planned campaign to disrupt accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO – Euromaidan Press.

That’s Not the Only War

Just in time for Chanukah (Dec. 18 if you’re goy) we see how the beholden media has frozen out the Israeli resumption of city-smashing in Gaza.  Only a few reports detail how Israel-Hamas war: IDF expands south Gaza offensive, UN stresses protections (cnbc.com).

Don’t mean  to be rude, but do the Geneva Conventions cover water? Israel constructs large pumps to flood Hamas terror tunnels with seawater/

Also on the low-beam is how Egypt is walking the line between Muslim world outrage at the butchery and real estate agenda in play.  Death of the two-state solution, and all that.  The Houseplant administration is playing along as US official arrives in Egypt with aid for Gaza | Reuters. $21-million? You’re good for it, right? Budget dust.

Upside Down World

When we were growing up, there was near-certainty that America was the most virtuous, God-fearing place in the world.  But now, after seeing pictures of Russian troops taking a knee to pray before battle and then seeing Police immediately raids LGBTQ+ clubs in Moscow after Russia bans ‘International LGBTQ+ movement’ we are left shaking our heads and wondering “Who put morality in the blender?”  What’s coming out is not a “smoothie.”

Even the re-re-re-revised CNN is reporting UN warns of ‘blatant disregard for basic humanity’ in Gaza warfare as we wonder when was it exactly that America lost the Moral High Ground? When Kennedy was killed?  (Did we go to the Moon?) About those Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq…or how much to we pour into Ukraine and leveling of Gaza for gas? Hmm.  Not pleasant to contemplate.

The whole world is shaking – you can feel it.  At a deep spiritual level.  Unless you’re in SoCal, of course.  There, Earthquake Hits Disneyland as Customers Forced to Evacuate Rides (newsweek.com).  Happened around the same time reader Hank out on the Big Island (of “How-ah-yah?”) was getting a rump-bump from Madame Pele, too.

Welcome to another day on Grand Theft Planet. Where any (and everything) nailed down, or otherwise, is there for the taking whether you feel Obliterated, or not.  Just got to rock and roll with it.

Job Roll: Schemes, Dreams, and Deflections

When I was a Jung man, read his “Dreams, Memories, Reflections” and loved the title.  But today, we’re focused on the new book by the recently late Charlie Munger.  “Poor Charlie’s Almanack” just out today.

Both will likely help as we enter the JOBS MESS at 10 AM this morning when the Labor Department JOLTS report lays out.  Short for Job Openings, Layoffs, Terminations, and Separations, this is the preview of how Jobs Week will roll this month.

Tomorrow is the ADP Employment report, Thursday is Challenger, and Friday is the Officious report.

Reason to mention Jung is that our relationship with predictable market events (like the jobs series) is about as reliable as our archetypes.  Competition and confusion are highlighted.

One side will say “Good jobs will be good for the market as it means we aren’t going all Coriolis and down the shitter.”

Another view says “Good jobs will be BAD for the market because it will mean that spending will remain high, keeping prices high, which will mean the Fed won’t be able to lower rates in 10-days, or so, which is the present Big Lie stock shills are peddling on the Street.

Except, around here, we realize (deep in the archetypes now) that both expectations are partially correct. But we have to look at the Day Trading Tide Table, to see if money will be flowing in (buy the rumor) or going out (sell the rumor) before we get to each of these reports. “The news” to be bought or sold.

Frankly, looking at the new unemployment report (in last Thursday’s column) you can see where new unemployment claims were down 42-thousand the week of November 25th, which gets us to the idea that the Jobs Data will be generally good.

But since the world operates (explained above) backwards, the Good reports will likely be BAD from a Fed rate shill standpoint, so we think the “sell the news” may be in play.  JOLTS could set the tone when it comes out.

Meanwhile, Markets are Nervous

Down 100 at the open is possible today, and that is really bad news because it could be the first step in what we laid out for subscribers to our Peoplenomics.com site Wednesday.

This could be the first of many down days back-to-back as things begin to unwind from a (possible) double-top of the presently (seeming to end) rally:

We will go over the dma-x chart (daily moving averages crossings) tomorrow on Peoplenomics, but today should be instructive.  A big rally today (into the ADP numbers coming tomorrow morning) could mean the “smart people” who use the JOLTS report for guidance, might be smelling a sell-the news tomorrow.

Which then sets up today as a low this morning with a turn-around about the time JOLTS lands, or shortly after.  And then the run-suckers-run rally into ADP tomorrow.  Or, just the opposite.  I gotta reread some Jung and Munger to get my head into the game.

Grand Theft Markets?  Can we be some of the rock stars?

Bitcoin seems to be running into some resistance at this $42,000 level.  As BlackRock Gains $100k Backing for Bitcoin ETF Launch. Modern times means there’s more than “one born every minute”.

NY’s a Sh*t Sandwich

Care for a bevy of little “news sliders” to help you feel full of it?

Since we sort-of pioneered the “Flee the Big Cities because they are awful places full of sicko’s” movement, when we landed in the East Texas Outback 20-odd years ago, we would draw your eyes to a story in the NY Post. It’s about one Mario Batali rants: I’m done with New York’s ‘a–holes’ (nypost.com). Gone from the rotten apple to a small town of 600 in Michigan, if I follow the drift.

See, America’s future has never been in building the next Beijing or Singapore with more people than resources. America has been more about pursuit of values, one of which is not being surrounded by self-righteous clowns.  Not everyone in the NE is so afflicted, but enough to ruin the place and it keeps getting worse.

Big cities are imploding, as if the flash mobs, homeless camps, thievery, food islands, and generally high levels of hate and rage aren’t enough of a hint for even folks with room temp IQ’s and no interest in political BS; but there you have it.

Check with people like Glen Beck – out of the big city for ranch dreams in Texas.  Where is the retired George Bush?  Houston or Crawford last time we checked.

The Internet, and especially fiber coming to the woods, is making life out this way the Smart future.  Where, we can even power a wood stove if the anti-gas nuts gain more ground.  When some self-righteous confronts you, ask them to get rid of their phones – which have a huge energy impact – if they are all so pure.

Another Disgruntled to keep an eye on: Liz Cheney says Trump poses ‘grave’ threat, weighs third-party effort (usatoday.com) Far be it from us to offer advice, but has she considered calling RFK, Jr. and founding the “One America Party“?  The ONE left standing for truth, liberty and justice for all, with real borders, a fixed rate income tax, and  led by people who read bills before voting on them?  A guy can dream, can’t he?

ATR: Math in the WOG

Odd nit in the World Of George (WOG) to deal with.

I mentioned the “one born every minute” saying, a minute ago in the BTC remarks.

This being “garbage day” (and me just back in the toasty office from a brisk wheeling of the trash bin 400-feet to the street in 36F weather) the brain is exceptionally clear – momentarily – and curious.

The phrase, sucker born every minute, stems from around 1860.

When, we note, the world population was? 1.303 billion.

The population today is 8.01 billion, says my buddy Alexa.

This means population has gone up 6.14735 times.

Making the Correct Answer Today:

“There are six suckers born every minute.”  Unless you live in a poor school district or a democrat stronghold.

Take a democrat stronghold and we figure there’s about 9-suckers a minute.

After an hour, you’re looking at 360 suckers per hour. Given a year is 8,760 hours, that’s more than 3.1 million suckers born every year.  But, again, there’s a rate of 4,73 million democrats.

These numbers explain much of what’s going wrong in the world today.  And it’s why, in the long run, we are screwing ourselves into a corner from which recovery will be difficult at best.

Time to get back to work on that.

Write when you get rich,

George@Ure.net

45 thoughts on “Grand Theft Markets, Job Roll Begins”

  1. I want a movie of Ure’s Trash Trip.

    Just need to see the contrast, from Fractal Jungian Realms and World Obliteration, to 800 feet of Trash Travel. And I want the sound of plastic wheels on gravel, too.

    • Yeah, is a steep mental gradient, for sure. But sometimes that contrast is what makes getting up in the morning to be an understudy of Universe so fascinating.
      I will try to get a drone on it for next week and post on youtube>?

    • Opening shot: CU plastic wheel rolling on grey gravel.
      Cut to: 2-shot. Man rolling large city garbage can.
      Man: “Welcome to ‘Garbage Trek.'” (G.Ure.)
      Man: “Each week, as I roll this 400 feet to the street,
      I’ll share a single Business Wisdom Deep
      Thought. This week, it’s simply this;”
      Cut to ECU of man:
      “Absolutely Everything is a Business Model.
      Ponder it.”
      Long TelePhoto Shot back towards residence. Man
      and can play small in the shot as audio continues under.
      Man: “Even things you don’t think of as being a
      beuiness, really are.”
      CU Man: “Especially things that run well — that
      run smoothly — that seem well-managed.”
      In this simple scene — which you will easily
      remember because it’s so… …odd — the
      central essential point, seemingly obvious,
      has been isolated and spotlighted by
      the most unusual frame placed around
      the idea by SUCH a simple and off-beat
      elemental presentation. GOTCHA!”
      Man Head Shot: “Be sure to tune in next week
      when I reveal exactly HOW this short
      message is a Business Model.”
      Man: Action: Turns out of head shot and walks
      away back up driveway. SFX: Feet on gravel.
      Fade to Black. (Insert UrbanSurvival Logo)
      Out

  3. Generally speaking the markets and commodities may have spiked indicating the ‘Slaughter of the Elves’ theory may be in play.

    “Police immediately raids LGBTQ+”

    For some reason the West is all-in on homosexuality while the East doesn’t want homosexuality at all.

    Riyadh and Moscow’s zero tolerance approach.

    Vs

    Tel Aviv being homosexual capital of the world and New York City the close second.

    Stark differences. A rift.

    Since NATO liberated Kiev codifying same sex marriage has been a high priority in the Ukraine. Homosexuality is some of what NATO is about. An unwritten tenet. Maybe it’s written.

  5. 6 suckers born every minute ???

    hmmm Ill take the Over for a $1000, please.

    Judging by the UrbanSurv community – there were way more born per minute, than 6 !

    Side Note – every time I am in a social setting, and some self entitled genius spouts off about made up numbers 4 BTC and Suckers, I will casually stretch out my Arm, displaying a beautiful Rolex Watch and smile kindly, as I walk away from another dense dunce.

    Yerp — the BCN Is that kinda classhole :-D

    Write when Youse understand FREEDOM and SCARCITY..”shadowmen’.

    • Rolex watches can be fake too and there is a lot of that going around.

      I like the new tweets to the website George.

      • Have a gold rolex for many years with possibly no paperwork or muddled paperwork from a brother lawyer. ??????

        • Sure its not a fake ? Just hold it in hand, if ever held a real Rolex..would never fall for a fake. On the other hand if having never held one in ones hand..I can see how..maybe. I used to have fake Gold Rolex, that I purchased knowingly fake – looked great, if you didnt look to closely at it.

          Chased down another dream..

      • Bought my Rolex on the streets of NY City down near Times Square a few years back … guy had a briefcase of them and let me choose the one I wanted!! OMG … what a generous guy!!

        After a lot of back and forth I finally got him negotiated down to $20 for the one I wanted … a bit high for a Rolex in New York City I know, but since it was probably “hot” I didn’t really want to argue too much with cops just 30 feet away (looking at him very suspiciously) and besides it looked really really nice.

        Personally not much of a watch “show off” guy. Have a couple of very very nice expensive (for me) Seiko’s too that I will sometimes wear but I will say for “image oriented” people the Rolex does cause some comments (which lets me pigeon hole them and their priorities in my brain’s data base). Don’t know why that is for some people since imo my Timex Expedition (have had 4 or 5 of them over the years) which I generally wear daily is just as nice a watch, looks great, and keeps perfect time.

      • you would love my Rolex watch story LOL LOL LOL back in 1900 I believe.. not to sure on it.. my great grandfather got a solid gold rolex watch.. it was my fathers heirloom LOL LOL LOL LOL .. anyway when dad passed on.. I inherited it.. beautiful.. so I put it in a drawer for safe keeping along with my grandfathers engineers pocket watch from the railroad and his carbide lantern.. LOL LOL which those I took out to the garage and put the carbide lanterns with my old caving gear.. .. then I got sick.. times were really hard and there was an antique watch collector in town.. at a jewelry store.. I went in and the guy was so excited.. yes bring it in.. sight unseen I will give you.. ( what would have helped us a lot at the time a great deal of money) so I went home.. and went to the drawer.. no watch.. in there was neatly a stack of toilet paper tubes.. LOL LOL LOL LOL the boss dumped it in the trash LOL LOL LOL LOL since the kids were all making castles for school she filled it up with paper towel and toilet paper tubes LOL LOL LOL LOL we do have the hundred dollar confederate bill from the civil war.. and I still have my grandfathers sword.. he was in the order of the masonic order of the knights templar.. he was way up there.. his feather hat is gone.. I totally remember playing with that and his apron as pirates when I was a kid.. but the sword is safe tucked away.. I did have a gentleman give me a feather cap to put with the sword when I have it displayed.. and one of the medals he has is in my pocket..

    • Houses on islands, and a feeling of gratitude and excitement for $1M BTC. I dont flash considering the economic meltdown that is in progress and looking at the car jackings and huliganism thats going on across US when off island.

      • huliganism …. the picture quickly came into my mind …

        that is young nubile women dancing around doing the hulu wearing only grass skirts and small coconut shells .. would the ganisum part of the word refer to also doing unmentionable things?

        you are obviously LUCKY to live in such a place where those things are going on!! Carry On!!

  6. Big Cities Rock! They keep you sharp, alert, engaged and in the money. Life in the boonies are lazy peoples excuse to escape what they couldn’t handle or profit from. It’s a wide open prison of mediocrity.

    • Speak for yourself. I find cities difficult, without any room to spread out and work on your various projects. If you do anything outside, some damn inspector will come by and give you a violation. If you improve or even maintain your house, they wil cite you for something, and if you fail to maintain your house, they will cite you too.

      Apartments are even worse. You can’t change an engine or do any serious maintenance when you live in an apartment.

      I can drive to the city, and I can drive back out of it too. I can visit those who live there, but I don’t have to.

      To each his own.

    • I call Bullshit on that attitude. Life in the boonies is a life long awaited vacation from the crowding of crazed people everywhere, and the wonderful opportunity to finally do what I want…. not what somebody else demands I do for them. You can keep your unsupportable big cities. Don’t come crying when it collapses.

    • Oh, boy, or is it girl, or is it baby?

      You gotsa lotsa growing up to do.

      AND, more importantly such chutzpah, can only be tamed by experience.

      Good Luck.

  7. “Big cities are imploding, as if the flash mobs, homeless camps, thievery, food islands, and generally high levels of hate and rage…”

    Escape from New York is a 1981 film set in the near future in a crime-ridden United States that has converted Manhattan Island in New York City into a maximum security prison.

    The once great city of New York becomes the one maximum security prison for the entire country. A 50-foot containment wall is erected along the New Jersey shoreline, across the Harlem River, and down along the Brooklyn shoreline. It completely surrounds Manhattan Island. All bridges and waterways are mined. The United States Police Force, like an army, is encamped around the island. There are no guards inside the prison, only prisoners and the worlds they have made. The rules are simple: once you go in, you don’t come out.

    https://en.m.wikiquote.org/wiki/Escape_from_New_York

    • Damn, you missed the best part of the movie, Kurt Russell playing “Snake Plissken”! Adrienne Barbeau was in it as well. May not be much today, but in 1981…?

  8. Money is tight. Last year my granddaughter invited her whole kindergarten class to a bounce house and pizza party at a local business. This year she invited 5 friends to a discount movie theater plus the popcorn/drink special.

    Elderly friends on the east coast are saying that they have to shop at thrift stores to buy used items to give for Christmas gifts, or to postpone medical tests because it is either co pays or gifts this year.

    Just about everyone is complaining about the cost ofood and fewer are eating out. You just have to drive down C Ave to see how many local small businesses have closed. Every week another local restaurant closes seating the cost of food delivery has become to great to make a profit.

      • The insidious inflation thing.

        About 20 years ago elderly aunt of mine said something I never forgot.

        “I never thought I’d run out of money.”

      • “tasrte” That sounds like a real gastrointestinal delight! Would you please post the recipe George!

      • very little for us here to.. my yearly letter and small gifts.. but nothing to extravagant.. the little kids each get something.. my mini me is getting a cardboard box to create into a house.. and the two little ones are going to get a lesson in creating a gas lantern or lamp.. we are using crap from the garbage bin.. two toilet paper holders.. from the scrap pile. I did buy two candy tins and two small valves.. total cost of the project.. about fifteen dollars.. for the hydrogen gas machine.. well I scavanged old batteries from the trash.. wife ( aka boss) told me to put them back not another project LOL LOL but they are in my pockets LOL.. the decision do I make a HHO.. or do I make the hoffman cell the HHO.. as long as your not going to try and store it.. is ok.. but if you want to store the hydrogen under pressure.. then you need the hoffman and the metal hydrides.. I am sure I spelled that one wrong.. but that would cost money.. this is to show them you can do it not with brute force but with frequency harmonics..the scary part that has me questioning doing this.. is the volts and amps are not there.. for this.. but the harmonics used could be dangerous.. should I show them even though the harmonics is dangerous .. or should I wait and hopefully live long enough to explain it to them.. that is a big one.. I remember how scared I got when I showed the kids how to melt stone with the sun.. phew bad thing really bad and these two are in that same age bracket..

    • I live in a DC suburb and my wife frequents thrift shops. They’re everywhere and the Goodwill’s and bargain stores are having a hard time competing.

    • President Bribem says otherwise Eleanor. The US News says otherwise Eleanor. Ure ConnedGres says otherwise Eleanor. The IRS says otherwise Eleanor. Corporate leaders say otherwise Eleanor

      Why Is Urban Survival saying the Opposite ?

      Someones ARE LYING to You – and that Dear Lady, is CRIMINAL, to my rebel mind .

    • Prices at the grocery stores seem to have stabilized or have come down a hair. Prices in restaurants are still going up. Met a coworker for lunch at a grill that had a sandwich special. The guy at the counter tries to charge me full price, and I call him out on it. The coworker is behind me. The guy at the counter tries to charge the coworker full price for the exact same special I just bought, then claims the meat that I just got on the sandwich special isn’t available on the special. We compared notes at the table and had a good laugh. Both of the sandwiches were good. Thankfully the guy at the counter wasn’t the cook. The managers and counter help disappear after a couple of weeks, but the cooks stay on. Breakfast places have gotten outrageous. I eat at home most mornings.

  9. Who Will Be TIME’s Person of the Year for 2023?
    Short List
    Jerome Powell
    Trump Prosecutors
    Xi Jinping
    Taylor Swift
    Barbie
    ..,since Zelensky was last year’s ‘winner’., anything is possible – and completely irrelevant.
    – Personally, I am voting for Barbie.

    • Interesting choice – fantasy over reality.

      ..T Swizzle is Times person of the Year 2023 !

      Yay Tay!

    • I have the Time Magazine where they made Hitler the “Man Of The Year” … my dad seeing the absurdity of it all – celbrating a Dictator (as he put it to me) saved it for posterity

      Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize is another one of those “black is white” “up is down” red is green” absurdities

    • I actually thought they would make Hunter Biden man of the year.. or father of the year.. just because he is getting questioned.. they could paint his image a little bit better than some scum bag..

  10. FBI director says terror threats elevated to all-time high since Oct. 7: ‘Blinking lights everywhere’
    Just what does he thinks might be the cause? Might be the administration and poopy pants immigration policy. Time is running out for normal life in America.

  11. If anyone is interested – just received notification from the V.A. that my veterans disability COLA will increase this coming year, starting January First, by a whopping 3.21%. That works out to roughly 3/4 of a tank of gas.,or one cheap dinner out for the two of us., or one bottle of mediocre bourbon., a month.
    Oh, well. I’m not going to turn it down., and complaining won’t help., but it sure doesn’t cover the actual cost of living increases.
    When’s my next poker game ??

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