From the Van Impe intelligence briefing:

  British editor of the highly respected and usually correct Intelligence Digest*, Joe De Courcey, said in his Nov. 6 newsletter that he believes "the general world situation is entering a period of instability such has not been seen since the end of World War II." He goes on to explain the five main reasons why:

1.   "The collapse of the Soviet Union, like the collapse of any empire, has left the border regions in turmoil. This has led directly to the first war in Europe in over fifty years and could yet lead to further upsets. We have highlighted the issue of the 1.6m-strong Hungarian minority living in Romania as a major medium-term concern if the European Union and Nato fail to act wisely in the matter of Romania's membership ambitions (if Hungary joins these organizations and Romania is left behind for any significant length of time, this would fuel discontent among Romania's Hungarian minority).

2.   The rise of China. Like the collapse of a great power, so the rapid rise of another fuels instability. In the case of China's rise, India has already reacted by joining the nuclear club, thus forcing Pakistan, in turn, down the same path. Next Japan's neighbors will respond to its rearming. And so it will go on.

3.   The general instability consequent upon the collapse of the Soviet Union is not just being felt around its borders. In Africa, war is now threatening to spread across the continent, with troops from Angola, Burundi, Chad (financed by Libya), Namibia, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zimbabwe all reported to be active in Congo.

4.   The economic crisis which has spread from Asia via Russia to virtually the whole developing world now threatens the major economies of the industrialized West; and, in echoes of the 1930's, calls for protectionism are beginning to be heard. The crisis will be exacerbated by the ill-judged folding of 11 European currencies into one as from January 1999 (and also by falling confidence in the run-up to the year 2000 computer-bug deadline).

5.   The Middle East. Of all the crises currently brewing, the Middle East is our greatest concern, partly because of its potential to escalate out of control-even to the extent of first use of nuclear weapons since 1945-and partly because of the number of major flash-points coming up in the next 12 months, including the proposed delivery of S-300 missiles to Cyprus (which could involve Turkey in a war with Greece and Russia, thus freeing Syria to attack Israel); Turkish elections which could return the Islamists to power with similar consequences; Yassar Arafat's threat to declare Palestinian statehood in May 1999 (which could prompt an Israeli move to retake the West Bank and Gaza Strip with obvious consequences); and the likely deployment this time next year of Israel's anti-missile Arrow system which will go some way toward nullifying the immense Arab/investment in missiles and which, therefore, provides an important incentive for an early pre-emptive strike."

-- a (a@a.a), January 02, 1999

Answers

And don't forget that our farming practices take 6 pounds of topsoil to grow 1 pound of food; not to speak of all the poisons that are used to grow it.

-- Creature (animal@zoo.net), January 02, 1999.

Go to this link:

www.gold-eagle.com/editorials_98/tice122498.html

It has a really good article about the "credit bubble" that is soon to burst.

"There doesn't seem to be anything out there that's going to scare the consumer in 1999," says DANIEL LAUFENBERG at AMERICAN EXPRESS FINANCIAL ADVISERS in Minneapolis. (NYT, 12/31)

Folks, the above mentioned, unimformed garbage is the only thing the sheep are hearing. I am now CERTAIN that the imformed are lying about Y2K and its implications if they cant even fess up tho the obvious with the economy. ww

-- WAYNE WITCHER (WWITCHER@MVTEL.NET), January 02, 1999.

From pshannon...

"anybody see the article today that Clinton is asking for more money for the Military? To be the biggest buildup since Reagan? Hmmm..."

wonder why?

From MVI...

"I heard on Chuck Harder's radio show (12/31) that the cruise missle arsenal is down to only 400 and change after the latest Iraq attaq."

Oh...

-- Andy (2000EOD@prodigy.net), January 02, 1999.

Hi Andy, I listen to the chuck Harder show when I'm traveling too. That is where I heard about the policeman and the florida police force/police radio problem. Did you happen to hear that also? I was trying to find out what city he said it was.

-- Moore Dinty moore (not@thistime.com), January 02, 1999.

Maybe the cruise missles arn't compliant. Military figures no sense in

letting perfectly good missles go to waste. We use them on Saddam and

then he declares victory. Love those win-win situations!

-- Mike Lang (webflier@erols.com), January 02, 1999.

Here's a link to the NYTimes article about the Military budget. And a little cut 'n paste:

woofwoof "WASHINGTON -- Heeding warnings from the nation's military chiefs, President Clinton has decided to propose the first real increase in the Pentagon's budget in nearly a decade and the largest since the cold-war buildup of the mid-1980's, Administration and defense officials said.

Clinton's proposal, only the first step in a drawn-out process with Congress, would reverse years of dwindling resources after the collapse of the Soviet Union. It would address growing strains, the officials said, caused by aging weapons and increasing operations overseas, from Bosnia to Iraq.

The proposal represents a significant political shift for Clinton. A Democrat who has often had an uneasy relationship with the military, he came into office in the wake of the cold war, focused more on his domestic initiatives than on the military.

But in the face of growing complaints about military readiness, both from within the military and from Republicans, Clinton was persuaded to seek an increase of more than $4 billion in the military budget for the fiscal year 2000 and about $100 billion over the next six years. That is the first increase, discounting inflation, since 1991, when spending spiked slightly for the Persian Gulf war."

So...is this how this game is played?

a@a - regarding:

1. and there are Russian "refugees" in the Balkans and Central Asia left behind who are often vilified by the locals.

2. look for a zinger around this theme soon.

3. In Africa, war as well as aids and famine will lead to cruelties that our western minds probably can't imagine

4. Yep.

5. I somehow have a difficult time imagining the Middle East, or at least Israel, NOT being blown to smithereens fairly soon...

-- pshannon (pshannon@inch.com), January 02, 1999.

oooops.

sorry.

NYTimes article
-- pshannon (pshannon@inch.com), January 02, 1999.

I recommend two books by James Dale Davidson and Lord William Rees-Mogg, "Blood in the Streets" and "The Great Reckoning"

Whether or not Y2K, drastic changes are coming -- China, Islam, the decline of the U.S. as a world power (Hurrah!), etc. Written in about 1994, many things predicted already occurred.

-- Cosmo (cosmo@world.com), January 04, 1999.