Chinese Virus Scandemic (a.k.a. The Kung Flu) statistics for week number 54 (378 days) as at August 27th. 2021 (plus political comment and our personal news) since 21/08/20. Greetings from Medellin, Colombia.

CHINESE VIRUS STATISTICS and related comment. Note that comparative figures in parenthesis relate to August 13th. 

We have listened again to Dr. Bryan Bridle who is an eminent immunologist, vaccinologist and epidemiologist. His message is:

The main "vaccines" that were rolled out to much fanfare, apart from the harm they have already caused, are now outdated in terms of their effectiveness as the Chinese Virus continues to mutate. Pfizer, for example, is now only 44% effective. And another report says 39%.

And the "vaccines" are driving the mutations. Viruses are like every other living thing; if they are threatened, they simply look for ways to survive and indeed thrive and that's exactly what has happened with the so-called Delta variant. And as the mutations gain ground, the original "vaccines" become progressively even less effective. And from a research point of view, these "vaccines" were never good quality from the getgo. This is because of the lack of proper testing and continuing lack of FDA approval. Although we understand that the Pfizer "vaccine" is now or soon will be approved by the FDA, but why was it pushed on populations all over the world before this approval??  They have been administered on an "emergency" basis. Who on earth would have been conned to risk putting an untested substance in their bodies - millions apparently with as yet totally unknown future consequences. Now we understand that the Pfizer has been approved, but the main effect of that is to allow employers to legally discriminate against employees who have made the decision for all sorts of genuine reasons not to allow these "vaccines" into their bodies. And there are attempts to deny access to anyone "unvaccinated" to many public places such as restaurants, gyms etc. These business owners are up in arms because not only have they seen their businesses decimated during ill-considered lockdowns, but now a sizable proportion of potential clients cannot deal with them. There has been a suggestion of the same thing here in Medellin (but not other municipalities such as Envigado). However, the Medellin mayor appears to have been very premature in suggesting this because it would require a law change and business owners here, as everywhere, would riot in the streets. We've been told by numerous people that it will not happen. 

And, while on the subject of the dubious FDA approval, or not - Hydroxychloroquine and Ivermectin (both proven effective treatments for early stage Chinese Virus) remain unapproved and now banned in certain countries in order to keep people dependent on these horrible "vaccines". Thank goodness we can buy both freely here in Colombia without the need for any doctors' prescriptions. And they are made here as well as no doubt other countries.

Now we are being told that because of the original "vaccines'" much reduced efficacy, a 3rd. booster shot will now be needed!!! These people must think we're morons - there have been so many lies and flip-flops a la the Fauci liar-in-chief - who could ever trust any country's public health system again, much less allow any of this poisonous crap into their bodies? NOT US, that's for an absolute certainty. 

Whatever happened to the leftist mantra that "it's my body and I will decide what happens to it"? Why doesn't that apply to anyone who for very good reasons refuses to accept these "vaccines"? The hypocrisy is astounding - but why should we be astounded? Nothing astounds us any more. 

A prominent example of a person who has a "breakthrough" Chinese Virus infection is Governor Abbott of Texas. He was fully "vaccinated". And there are many other examples of "vaccinated" people getting the lurgi - up to 60% of all hospitalisations in the UK for example.

Further news about Abbott - he apparently tested positive for the confounded virus and then 3 days later tested negative - and yet we read reports of endless queues of people all over the world waiting to be tested. WHY, we have to ask?

MUNDO - World

Population - 7,887,476,595 - (7,884,361,211) - up 3,115,384 or 0.040%

Active cases - 18,312,506 - (16,829,233) - up 1,483,273 or 8.8%. Percentage of total population - 0.232% - (0.214%)

Active cases per 1 million of total population - 2,322 - (2,135) - up 187 or 8.8%

Rate of increase down by about half, so that's encouraging

ARGENTINA

Population - 45,672,715 - (45,656,867) - up 15,848 or 0.035%

Active cases - 212,064 - (244,273) - down 32,209 or 13.2%. Percentage of total population - 0.464%  - (0.530%)

Active cases per 1 million of total population - 4,643 - (5,350) - down 707 or 13.2%

Increased rate of reduction - very encouraging 

AUSTRALIA

Population - 25,839,984 - (25,828,671) - up 11,313 or 0.044%

Active cases - 15,191 - (6,484) - up 8,707 or 134.3%. Percentage of total population - 0.058% - (0.025%)

Active cases per 1 million of total population - 588 - (251) - up 337 or 134.3%

On a percentage basis looks shocking, but always does when coming off a low base. Still, very low figures compared to many others.

CHILE

Population - 19,304,928 - (19,298,659) - up 6,269 or 0.033%

Active cases - 6,473 - (7,570) - down 1,097 or 14.5%. Percentage of total population - 0.034% - (0.040%)

Active cases per 1 million of total population - 335 - (392) - down 57 or 14.5%

Better than Australia!! Reduction in rate of decrease, but still a solid result. Must be the Ivermectin!!

COLOMBIA

Population - 51,506,424 - (51,485,691) - up 20,733 or 0.040%

Active cases - 44,608 - (58,283) - down 13,675 or 23.5%. Percentage of total population - 0.087% - (0.113%)

Active cases per 1 million of total population - 866 - (1,132) - down 266 or 23.5%

Rate of decrease somewhat reduced but still a solid result.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Population - 10,972,993 - ((10,968,835) - up 4,158 or 0.038%

Active cases - 4,976 - (6,487) - down 1,511 or 23.3%. Percentage of total population - 0.045% - (0.060%)

Active cases per 1 million of total population - 454 - (591) - down 137 or 23.8%

Rate of decrease reduced by about half, but still an excellent result. Better than Australia!!

ECUADOR

Population - 17,950,808 - (17,940,549) - up 10,259 or 0.057%

Active cases - 24,038 - (18,017) - up 6,021 or 33.4%. Percentage of total population - 0.134% - (0.100%)

Active cases per 1 million of total population - 1,339 - (1,004) - up 335 or 33.4%

Rate of increase much reduced, but still going the wrong way.

GERMANY

Population  - 84,092,334 - (84,082,113) - up 10,221 or 0.012%

Active cases - 102,448 - (48,820) - up 53,628 or 109.9%. Percentage of total population - 0.122% - (0.058%)

Active cases per 1 million of total population - 1,218 - (581) - up 637 or 109.6%

Rate of increase going up substantially.  

 

JAPAN

Population - 126,030,375 - (126,045,119) - down 14,744 or 0.012%

Active cases - 237,160 - (141,622) - up 95,538 or 67.5%. Percentage of total population - 0.188% - (0.011%)

Active cases per 1 million of total population - 1,882 - (1,124) - up 758 or 67.4%

Rate of increase very substantially down so hopefully things will settle back to an even keel.

MALAYSIA

Population - 32,842,573 - (32,826,712) - up 15,861 or 0.048%

Active cases - 265,695 - (241,187) - up 24,508 or 10.2%. Percentage of total population - 0.809% - (0.735%)

Active cases per 1 million of total population - 8,090 - (7,347) - up 743 or 10.1%

Rate of increase greatly reduced.

 

MEXICO

Population - 130,490,211 - (130,438,428) - up 51,783 or 0.040%

Active cases - 411,848 - (408,685) - up 3,163 or 0.8%. Percentage of total population - 0.316%  - (0.313%)

Active cases per 1 million of total population - 3,156 - (3,133) - up 23 or 0.8%

Rate of increase very substantially reduced

NEW ZEALAND - instead of the alternative name of Aotearoa being stealthily pushed on the population, a better and far more appropriate name would be "SHE'LL BE RIGHT, MATE".

Population - 5,002,100 - ((5,002,100) - NO CHANGE!! If NZ's not careful, it will have the same demographic problem that currently afflicts China.

Active cases - 384 - (44) - up 340 or 772.7%. Percentage of total population - 0.008% - (0.001%)

Active cases per 1 million of total population - 77 - (9) - up 68 or 755.6%

It's all been said in the notes below.

PHILIPPINES

Population - 111,257,087 - (111,201,292) - up 55,795 or 0.050%

Active cases - 142,531 - (96,395) - up 46,136 or 47,9%. Percentage of total population - 0.128% - (0.087%)

Active cases per 1 million of total population - 1,281 - (867) - up 414 or 47.8%

More or less the same weekly increase. This needs to be turned around soon.

TAIWAN

Population - 23,866,408 - (23,864,764) - up 1,644 or 0.007%

Active cases - 185 - (621) - down 436 or 70.2%. Percentage of total population - 0.001% - (0.003%)

Active cases per 1 million of total population - 8 - (26) - down 18 or 69.2%

Another exemplary performance

THAILAND 

Population - 70,001,817 - (69,994,936) - up 6,881 or 0.010%. Another milestone.

Active cases - 185,200 - (212,179) - down 26,979 or 12.7%. Percentage of total population - 0.265% - (0.303%)

Active cases per 1 million of total population - 2,646 - (3,031) - down 385 or 12.7%

Looks like Thailand has turned the corner at last.

 UNITED KINGDOM

Population - 68,296,383 - (68,282,770) - up 13,613 or 0.020%

Active cases - 1,245,392 - (1,302, 503) - down 57,111 or 4.4%. Percentage of total population - 1.824% - (1.908%) 

Active cases per 1 million of total population - 18,235 - (19,075) - down 840 or 4.4%

Good to see a reduction at last, even if only miniscule.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Population - 333,236,063 - (333,161,957) - up 74,106 or 0.022%

Active cases - 7,958,077 - (6,476,139) - up 1,481,938 or 22.9%. Percentage of total population - 2.388% - (1.944%)

Active cases per 1 million of total population - 23,881 - (19,438) - up 4,443 or 22.9%

Notwithstanding "vaccine hesitancy" and false reporting, it certainly seems as though the Chinese Virus is here to stay - everyone just better get used to it.

URUGUAY

Population - 3,487,588 - (3,487,128) - up 460 or 0.013%

Active cases - 1,242 - (1,513) - down 271 or 17.9%. Percentage of total population - 0.036% - (0.043%)

Active cases per 1 million of total population - 356 - (434) - down 78 or 18.0%

Rate of decrease down by half but still a solid result in the right direction. Better than Australia!!

SELECTED FINANCIAL AND COMMODITY PRICE INFORMATION as at August 27th. with comparisons in parenthesis to January 4th. 2021

S & P 500 - US - 4509 - (3701) - up 808 or 21.8%

FTSE - UK - 7148 - (6752) - up 396 or 5.9%

NIKKEI - JAPAN - 27641 - (27258) - up 383 or 1.4%

SSE COMPOSITE INDEX - SHANGHAI - 3522 - (3503) - up 19 or 0.5%

ALL ORDS - AUSTRALIA - 7760 - (6954) - up 806 or 11.6%

NZX50 - NEW ZEALAND - 13060 - (13238) - down 178 or 1.4%

COLCAP - COLOMBIA BOLSA DE VALORES - 1326 - (1418) - down 92 or 6.5%

NZD/USD - .7012 - (.7174) - down .0162 or 2.3%

NZD/COP (Colombian Peso) - 2685 - (2475) - up 210 or 8.5%

NZD/EURO - .5945 - (.5855) - up .009 or 1.5%

NZD/CHF (Swiss Franc) - .6390 - (.6320) - up .007 or 1.1%

NZD/JPY - 77.01 - (73.97) - up 3.04 or 4.1%

NZD/CNY (Chinese Yuan) - 4.54 - (4.64) - down .10 or 2.2%

NZD/AUD - .9590 - (.9355) - up .0235 or 2.5%

USD/NZD - 1.43 - (1.39) - up .04 or 2.9%

USD/COP (Colombian Peso) - 3829 - (3420) - up 409 or 12.0%

USD/EURO - .8478 - (.8156) - up .0322 or 4.0%

USD/CHF (Swiss Franc) - .9113 - (.8813) - up .03 or 3.4%

USD/JPY - 109.84 - (103.11) - up 6.73 or 6.5%

USD/CNY (Chinese Yuan) - 6.47 - (6.46) - up .01 or 0.2%

USD/AUD - 1.37 - (1.30) - up .07 or 5.4%

GOLD - (USD per Troy Ounce) - 1,817 - (1,939) - down 122 or 6.3%

SILVER - (USD per Troy Ounce) - 24.02 - (27.14) - down 3.12 or 11.5%

OIL - West Texas Intermediate - (USD per barrel) - 68.68 - (47.80) - up 20.88 or 43.7%

COPPER - (USD per metric ton) - 9,315 - (7,972) - up 1,343 or 16.9%

COAL - (USD per metric ton) - 149 - (70) - up 79 or 112.9%

IRON ORE - (USD per dry metric ton) - 160 - (164) - up 4 or 2.4%

Highlights - 

Equities, by and large still increasing, although by very small amounts over the last fortnight. They continue to defy all odds - even the "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" author, Robert Kiyosaki is warning of the "mother of all crashes" coming soon.

Currencies remain in the same hide-bound ranges. Even the USD which is widely tipped to fall substantially - and by all logic it should, given that the Federal Reserve is printing 120 billion of the damn things per week. But the excess fake money is being sucked up into equities and crypto which explains the insane price rises in the latter category. Sooner or later it's all going to end in tears with the total US Government debt heading for a 30 TRILLION dollar total debt this year. To have ANY chance of paying this massive debt, devaluation (inflation) is the only way out and that will be absolutely devastating for the economy and the middle class which will be wiped out.

Commodities remain in the same price ranges with coal the stand-out performer. Even Godzone is importing Indonesian coal to power Huntly when we have millions of tons still in the ground. Gold and silver are showing slight signs of improvement when you would expect much greater price increases due to all the political instability. Copper is up slightly less but still a solid performer.

COMMENT AND NEWS - 

AUSTRALIA - 

Australia and New Zealand may be showing us the Orwellian future that is coming to all of us.

We have just heard a story which is absolutely typical of what Australia has become. Apparently in Sydney several people had signed up to collect and adopt dogs from a city pound. But the day of collection coincided with the start of the lunatic lockdown. As a result, the police shot all the dogs and then rang the people on the list to tell them. What a heartless bunch of bastards - this is what Australia has become.

And the Premier of Victoria stated on TV that "Sunday is going to be a nice day, BUT BETTER AT HOME - otherwise there will be many more Sundays spent in hospital". What a heartless, ignorant, fear-mongering f------g MORON!!!! When he said that, he looked like he was "on something" with staring eyes.

Mind you, none of this really surprises us. Jean had a shocking experience with Australian Customs in Sydney when her then (Cathay Pacific Captain) husband's father was dying on the West Coast of the South Island and they made multiple trips from Hong Kong in a short time frame. They were then accused of drug smuggling in the most distressing of personal circumstances. And threatened with body searches.

Then, when we were on the boat in SE Asia and flying back to NZ with Air Asia for a visit, we made a stop at Coolangatta, Queensland. It was not long after Jean's double hip replacements in India a few months before. As expected, the Titanium parts of the new hips set off the security alarms. Whereupon a totally obnoxious female Customs officer accused Jean of having something secreted on her person!! In spite of Jean having previously warned them about the hips' metal parts. This awful woman who would have been more at home running a concentration camp, then stated that Jean had something buried in her ankles! Detectors were run all over her and of course found nothing, but the whole nonsensical business left a very disagreeable impression with us over Australian so-called law enforcement. The country has lost its way, thanks mainly to the rabid Socialist state premiers who relish the power that the Chinese Virus has handed them on a plate.

The Australian PM, Scott Morrison, has rebuked his state premiers for their excessive lockdown tactics. He is linking the lifting of lockdown restrictions with achieving "vaccination" targets, and of course the FDA "approval" of Pfizer will have given his plan a boost. Well, all we can say is good luck Australia - there it seems the price of freedom is being forced to accept an injection into one's body of some very dubious stuff indeed. We can only hope for Australians' sakes that the predictions of some very serious side effects are not as serious as many well qualified people are saying.

We have just heard that the Australian Army has been deployed on various state borders by order of the states, to help enforce bans on interstate travel. The orders are illegal as the Army is a Federal agency. We trust that Canberra pulls the plug on that little stunt.

And truckies have been told that they cannot enter various states without being pricked. They've collectively told the states that they can starve in that case. There will therefore be very very few interstate deliveries of food or anything else. 

In NSW people over 60 are restricted to ONE hour per week for food shopping - presumably because they are considered to be computer illiterate and therefore unable to order on-line!! And all others under 60 MUST order on-line. NO personal shopping.

On the Queensland/NSW state border there are the 2 twin cities which are the joined conurbation of Tweed Heads and Coolangatta. However, if you live in one of these and have a business, work, or your children go to school, or you need medical attention across the border, you cannot cross the border. NO EXEMPTIONS!!!!!

And we have heard that 3 children have died after receiving the jab at school against their parents' wishes. Not sure which state.

This is the National Socialist State of Australia.  See under "New Zealand" for further news about a concentration camp being built at Toowoomba in Queensland.

COLOMBIA

Following are this fortnight's headlines from the English language www.colombiareports.com You may need to go to the desktop version to read most of these:

August 15th. The death of one of Colombia's most controversial oligarchs

August 15th. Colombia fails to protect iconic reporter despite police harassment and threats

August 16th. Colombia's prosecution bungles investigations into peace process attacks

August 8th. Duque includes peace in list of Colombia's priorities in final year

August 16th. Colombia's truth commission hears Uribe over war crimes

August 19th. Colombia's COVID vaccination drive threatened by payment delays

August 19th. Colombia's capital announces "criminal immigrant" task force

August 19th. FARC dissidents seek consolidation in southwest Colombia

August 20th. Is Colombia's largest supermarket chain covering up police atrocities?

August 24th. Student leader assassinated in southwest Colombia

August 25th. Colombia's former army chief facing 2nd. mass murder trial

August 26th. Colombia braces for new day of protest

August 26th. Governor flees Colombia citing paramilitary kill plot

August 27th. Police terror persists in southwest Colombia

August 27th. Colombia reports lowest number of COVID infections since June last year

We have been reading about the health properties of the Coca Leaf and we obtained some the other day. We infuse it in hot water and drink it as a tea. This is the raw ingredient (precursor) for Cocaine, but by comparison has many life enhancing properties, and was used predominantly by the local farmers as being good for stamina at high altitudes. It is non narcotic in its natural form.

Unlike Cocaine, in which among many other processes, the Coca is "cleaned" with Gasoline which these days contains far more very nasty additives than the old lead of yore. Benzene and Toluene are but 2. How anyone could contemplate using Cocaine, or any other addictive drug for that matter knowing these things is beyond us. Maybe it's simply that people are so desperate for a "high," that they simply ignore these facts.

And in spite of all the criticism heaped on Colombia for supplying Cocaine, it is well worth pointing out that if it wasn't for the demand, the business wouldn't exist. 

We've had better news about the car. The problem is identified, but we will need to source some new parts from the US. In the meantime it is being put back together and will be completely driveable in the meantime. And the problem, although associated with the transmission, is not actually with the gearbox itself, so that is a relief. Apparently the pinion gears which transfer the drive from the engine and gearbox to the front drive axles are worn and need replacing.

This is especially good news, because we have re-visited a house at El Retiro which we have found and would like to buy. We visited with our young architect friend, Juan, and he clarified just what we can do to alter the house to our requirements. The alterations aren't massive but Juan, although largely agreeing with our ideas, was able to refine and clarify them so that we now have a clear idea of the way forward. Having the car back will greatly ease the practical difficulties we have had in re-visiting Retiro. For example, last Saturday, apart from having our car out of action, Juan doesn't have a car either and the real estate agent's car was also out of action for a couple of days! So she borrowed her cousin's car and we all travelled in that! These temporary situations are never convenient. We will send some photos of the house once we have the legalities tied up; until then there's always some uncertainty.

Just some comments about the real estate business here. It's a bit different from what we've been used to in NZ in that it's not quite so simple as contacting an agent and being shown some listings. There is always another agent involved and appointments always need to include this other person. So, like many things in Colombia, appointments can take a little time to arrange!! Commission on selling is 3% of the gross sale price, which seems reasonable to us. Fingers crossed that it all happens and that we can sell the apartment.

NEW ZEALAND - see our suggestion for an alternative name for the country above. And especially see our comments under "Australia".

NZ now has its first community Chinese Virus cases in a while. It started as 1 case and immediately the largest city, Auckland, went into Level 4 lockdown - the highest lockdown level. The whole of the rest of the country went to Level 3. This extremist reaction is entirely due to the lunatics who are running this asylum believing that Virus eradication is a viable policy. Of course it is not and we don't know what it will take for this unpalatable fact to be realised. In the meantime we watch with horrified fascination. From what we've seen so far, the rest of the world also cannot believe this extreme reaction.

Of course the real reason for these extremist reactions to even small numbers of the Chinese Virus, is that NZ's hospital system can barely cope now with normal requirements, and only a small number of C Virus cases would totally overwhelm it. This is a situation that has existed since the late 1930's and it is disgraceful that successive governments over the years have neglected the sector to such an extent. Let's hope that the country is not put completely to that test.

We've just seen an Australian senator being interviewed by Laura Ingraham on Fox News. He was bemoaning the vicious and entirely pointless lockdowns that are being imposed again in Australia, including fines of up to $A5,000 for a Chinese Virus transgression, when he also mentioned the clowns in NZ. He made the point that NZ always likes to "get one up" on Australia and they've really succeeded this time. After only 1 community Virus case in a total population of over 5 million (now there's just over 100), the whole country is suddenly locked up tighter than the proverbial. Talk about lunatics in charge of the asylum!!

Godzone was also lambasted on the Fox News Gutfeld Show; the country is an international laughing stock.

There are now about 7 cases, and no doubt there will be more; maybe Ardern's aura of invincibility will finally, and not before time, be punctured. As at Aug. 27th. there are 384 "active cases". This is 0.008% of the population - compared to 0.087% for Colombia. And Colombia is wide open and we've never seen such obvious economic activity. So, do lockdowns work?????????? NO, they are simply a Socialist tool to frighten people and ensure compliance into the future.

In NZ's case, with the existing low quality "vaccines" being frantically taken by the majority of the population, and no real previous exposure, the NZ population is very much at risk. Access to well proven drugs which have proven effective in treating early stage C Virus is legally denied from the population. This is not far from wilful ignorant negligence potentially coming close to murder.

We note that the Herald is denigrating those who advance entirely reasonable arguments for at least seriously considering the pros and cons of the "vaccines". They imply that such arguments are crackpot ideas dredged out of disreputable internet sites. In the vast majority of cases, nothing could be further from the truth. We have heard very reasonable and well researched arguments against taking any of these "vaccines" from internationally recognised epidemiologists for example (including Dr. Damien Wojcik of Whangarei) and we have concluded that we would not risk taking something as spurious as these "vaccines" which themselves have been the subject of so much misinformation and outright lies. And now it is being said that a third booster shot is going to be required as the much touted efficacy of the "vaccines" has been greatly eroded by new variants. In fact the truth is, as stated above in the introduction, that  the "vaccines" are forcing the virus to mutate.

NZ and Australia have been lambasted and ridiculed by international media all over the world. As New Zealanders ourselves, we cannot believe the opprobrium and scorn - albeit totally deserved.

Jean was vastly amused as a previous long time habitue and resident of Mangawhai north of Auckland, to read that residents of Langs Beach about 15 minutes drive north were not allowed into Mangawhai to get to their nearest supermarket or to get their mail from the Post Office. These wicked unvaxxed denizens of the Far North must not be allowed into the pristine surrounds of Mangawhai, much of which is technically part of Auckland City - a good hour and a half's drive away!!

Alex Belfield has just said on Youtube that he "wouldn't go to Australia or New Zealand for all the tea in China". His piece, broadcast today (the 27/08) is entitled "Human Rights Outrage Down Under Slammer". This "quarantine facility" being built near Toowoomba in Queensland is finally intended as a detention centre/ concentration camp for "dissidents" whose only crime is standing up for free speech.

By the way, Belfield's nickname for the NZ PM is Jacinda Hardon!!!!!!!!!!!

.

UNITED KINGDOM

The United Kingdom House of Commons passed a vote holding the United States President (Biden) IN CONTEMPT. This is definitely a first - never before has the British Parliament taken such a step. It is of course well deserved as Biden's contemptible actions have caught the British and other NATO allies totally off-guard in Afghanistan and as a result they are scrambling to try and get their troops and nationals out in the same chaotic circumstances. And the Taliban has insisted that all must be gone by August 31st. otherwise "there will be consequences". This is the worst situation that NATO has faced since it was founded in the late 1940's. 

The political left across the world, including in Canada, Australia and NZ, are ramping up their efforts to destroy democracy and of course the Chinese Virus hoax has given them the perfect cover for their nefarious actions.

If you can possibly do so listen to Andre Walker on Youtube (25/08) talking about the attack on freedoms and democracy. Australia in particular has come in for stinging criticism all over the world and NZ hasn't escaped either due to their lunatic adherence to the "elimination" policy which has been shown time and time again not to work. And now we have Covid 22 - what the hell is that? More fear-mongering to push more of their authoritarian crap down everyone's throat.

Afghanis are now starting to arrive along with the unceasing flow of dinghy divers. Soon the British population will be living in poverty in tent cities while the illegals occupy all the luxury hotels and homes.

Again Alex Belfield is "The Voice of Reason" in this increasingly mad and dictatorial world. Apparently police in a seaside town attacked a busker who was singing some Roger Whittaker songs because you aren't allowed to sing because you might spread the old Kung Flu. It took 5 of them all on top of the unfortunate busker who was left covered in blood as a result of this shameful attack. The Nazis are back in force - only this time in Merrie England. What did we fight for between 1939 and 1945?

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - 

BIDEN THE BETRAYER - Joe Biden's plot to destroy democracy and freedom.

Beijing Biden has been installed by his Paymasters, the CCP (and his traitorous son, Hunter), in a fraudulent election. It's now PAYBACK time for the Paymasters. 

Like many people probably, we have been wondering at the Biden crooks' motivation with seemingly lunatic policies. We have come to the conclusion that it is one of two things - 

** they are simply determined to destroy the USA by malfeasance in as many areas and as quickly as possible, and/or

** in the case of anything involving the armed services, they encourage as big a debacle as possible and the loss of billions of dollars of equipment so that there is more excuse for more war driven by the outrage of the population and of course there's the added benefit of war material production by the so-called military-industrial complex.

The areas where they have totally managed to deliberately f--k things up are:

** the southern border with criminals, virus infected illegals and vast quantities of Chinese made Fentanyl and Methamphetamine, as well as unaccompanied children destined for the child sex trade, all pouring across the border in increasing numbers. 

** feckless financial and spending policies designed to ultimately cause the most economic harm as possible - the latest being so-called "infrastructure" bills to the collective tune of 4.7 TRILLION dollars.

** destruction of US energy independence by cancelling the Alberta - Texas pipeline and giving the Russians carte blanche to export natural gas via a pipeline through the Baltic Sea to western Europe - and therefore the opportunity to blackmail them in the future by withholding supplies. They've done this before with Ukraine.

** the immigration of as many young immigrants as possible, including tens of thousands from Afghanistan in order to swell the number of Democrat voters for the future. Never mind that many of these are very likely future terrorists. And all this while many Americans remain trapped in Afghanistan where they are likely to be tortured and executed in the most hideous and cruel ways.

** Afghanistan and the totally inept withdrawal with a deadline of Aug. 31st. remaining which means that many Americans and former Afghani allies will be abandoned to their fates with the Taliban and now Al-Qaeda once more.

Along with most people, we have been horrified at the turn of events in Afghanistan - directly caused by deliberate incompetence on the part of the crook in the White House along with military leaders who should all be sacked and arrested for military malfeasance. 

Latest news reports state that there could be as many as 40,000 Americans, plus loyal Afghanis who put their lives on the line by working for the US and its allies, trapped in various parts of the country. Nobody actually knows. The whole withdrawal was as cockamamie as you could imagine. First the entire military was evacuated, but in the process they left behind billions of dollars worth of top secret military equipment and including all those Americans together with loyal Afghanis who served with US forces during the 20 years that they were in Afghanistan.

Now there has been a suicide bomb attack at Kabul International Airport killing upwards of 100 people including 13 members of the US military and of course countless injured - no doubt some horrifically.

There are now horrifying reports, as well as videos, of the Taliban systematically commencing the hunt for these Afghanis and torturing them, then executing them and their families, including children. We won't detail these executions, except to say that they are not limited to shooting.

There has been one of many of these executions which has been described in graphic detail. A suspected Afghani interpteter was dragged from his house and forced to speak English to prove his identity, otherwise they would torture and kill his wife and very young daughter. As soon as he spoke as he'd been forced to, they beheaded him in front of his family. Later they will be back to commit rape and murder of both mother and child.

A mother of 11 in Oklahoma, and who obtained a masters degree at the age of 55, has with the help of a friend of hers in the US Embassy in Qatar, managed to get a complete Afghani womens' sports team out of Afghanistan. 

These horrific situations are indicative of many and they are the direct and deliberate fault of the lunatic in the White House. There was a British Army Colonel who was interviewed by Mark Levin who said that Biden, as the deliberately feckless Commander-in-Chief, should be court martialed for dereliction of duty and/or TREASON. Quicker and more effective than Impeachment.

The consequences of this abject failure of leadership which is now totally exposed on the world stage, are that China, Russia and Iran are watching the unfolding debacle with glee. China in particular will be coldly calculating their chances of success in "reunifying" Taiwan. They will be assuming that with a weak and totally feckless Biden, there would be no US military intervention and that therefore their actions would be unopposed.

One aspect which we had not previously considered is that the Taliban has long been supported by Pakistan which is on Afghanistan's eastern border. Pakistan is nuclear armed which raises the spectre of nuclear weapons in the hands of the most radical and cruel regime in the world. One more in a long line of destructive policies by the cretin in the White House.

Biden's long history of outright racism and policy failures, whether domestic or foreign, have been piling up for all of the almost 50 destructive years that he has been part of the Washington political swamp. But this latest is by far the worst and will have far-reaching consequences for America and what is left of the "Free World" far into the future - probably beyond whatever is left of our lifetimes - if the world survives that long. 

The Maricopa County (Phoenix, Arizona) saga drags on. The Maricopa County Board is still defying state law and court orders in refusing to hand over electoral machine routers. They must really be hiding something big. In the meantime the State Senate is threatening to withhold any further state funding if they do not meet the latest court imposed deadline of August 27th. This is going to be big and other swing states are just waiting before conducting their own forensic audits.

Along with the disgraceful and traitorous Afghanistan situation, we don't think the Biden administration is long for this world.

Once again we hope that the past 2 weeks has treated you reasonably (in spite of the woke lockdowns) and that the coming 2 weeks is better.

With lotsaluv from Medellin - the City of Eternal Spring in Colombia at 5,000 feet altitude - 

Jim and Jean

Fwd: What next?

We always read Bill Bonner's daily essays with great interest. We don't always agree with some of his assertions, but there is nothing to disagree with here. Except that we would add one rider - 

Bonner blames successive administrations equally for the Afghanistan disaster. Actually George Dubya BUSH got America into war in the Middle East by a gigantic lie to the American people about Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq and he expanded the lie to also persuade Britain and other allies to join the "Coalition of the Willing". In fact no such WMD were ever found, although Dubya achieved his main aim of revenge against Saddam Hussein and collectively he and his Veep, Dick Cheney (former chairman of Halliburton Oil), got their hands on Iraqi oil - at whatever cost. And don't forget that Dubya was also an oilman from way back as well. Dubya and Cheney should both have been prosecuted for war crimes.

Two years prior to the Iraq invasion, the US occupied Afghanistan in order to destroy terrorist cells operating there after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the US. This aim was largely successful and the US continued the occupation until the present day. That was the mistake; they should have withdrawn once that objective had been accomplished, albeit with the threat that they would return if there was ever any resumption of terrorist activity. At the time, that threat would have been taken seriously.

Then in 2016 along came President Trump who was the only president since those days to state that one of his policies was complete US withdrawal from Afghanistan, and in fact the orderly planning for such a withdrawal was well underway before he lost office in 2020 in a fraudulent election. It should also be noted that, while in office, Trump successfully achieved a withdrawal from Syria, albeit under a hail of criticism from the military standing in for their benefactors, the so-called Industrial-Defence Conglomerate.

Then enter the bumbling and crooked fool. Joe Biden, who in reality is just a pawn of the equally crooked far-left. Anything Trump had organised was immediately destroyed in a fit of jealous pique, and so the seeds of what we are witnessing were sown. What would have been Trump's highly planned and organised withdrawal, was overturned by a hastily concocted web of incompetence. They withdrew 2,500 military personnel with no concern whatsoever at protecting the estimated 40,000 non military Americans located in all parts of Afghanistan. In the process, billions of dollars worth of high-tech military equipment has been abandoned and simply handed to the Taliban on a plate. Now they have re-deployed 4,500 troops to "protect" these people but there is no possibility of doing that except by threatening the Taliban who have cut off all access to Kabul International Airport, even by holders of American passports and Green Cards. Not to mention the tens of thousands of loyal Afghanis who are now being systematically hunted down, tortured and executed - along with their families, including the children. These people have been callously abandoned by Biden's crooks who show no regret or remorse at all.

NONE OF THIS IS TRUMP'S FAULT, AND IT WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED UNDER HIS WATCH. HE WAS SIMPLY ORGANISING AMERICA'S WITHDRAWAL IN A SAFE AND EFFICIENT MANNER. SOMETHING COMPLETELY BEYOND THE DIMS' ABILITY - ONE EVEN HAS TO WONDER WHETHER IT IS ALL DELIBERATE ON THE BIDEN CROOKS' PART. 

The consequences of this disastrous display of weakness and incompetence will be felt by the US and the "Free World" for a long time to come.

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Bill Bonner <feedback@exct.rogueeconomics.com>
Date: Thu, 19 Aug 2021 at 11:45
Subject: What next?
To: <tiare.taporo3@gmail.com>

What Next? By Bill Bonner Thursday, August 19, 2021 The greatest happiness is to scatter your enemy and drive him before you. To see his cities reduced to ashes. To see those who love him shrouded and in tears. And to gather to your bosom his wives and daughters. – Genghis Khan, first Great Khan of the Mongol Empire POITOU, FRANCE – It's easy to criticize the Biden Team for its breathtaking incompetence in Afghanistan. So that's what we'll do. But the debacle illustrates far more than just the failure of one president, one party, or one administration. It shows us how the whole elite scam works… …from the delusion that the rest of the world wants to be like the USA… if it could only get the chance… …to the fantasy that its experts know what they're doing… …to the "exceptional nation" vanity… and misplaced faith in high-tech, super-expensive U.S. firepower… …to the kind of misadventure you get up to when you can pay for it with fake money… …to the collaboration of Wall Street and America's leading industries… …to the complete lack of historical perspective or intelligent political leadership… …to the bovine-like acceptance by the public of the elites' conjob… …and the toadiness of its leading media. Recommended Link Your Bank is Ripping You Off Teeka Tiwari, a former VP at the legendary Wall Street firm Lehman Brothers, is coming forward with a controversial announcement... "Your bank is ripping you off - and you don't have to take it anymore." While regular Americans are earning a pitiful .06% on their savings… Wall Street insiders are using a new kind of investment – one that lets you earn as much as 8%... 12%... even 17% or more. Teeka calls it a "Tech Royalty" account. And if you're like 99.9% of other folks, you've probably never heard of it. "Tech Royalty" accounts can pay you up to 296X more interest than regular banks. And get this… That doesn't even include your capital gain. Because certain "Tech Royalties" have shot up as much as 3,639%... 4,646%... and even 15,911%. It sounds impossible, but it's true. Find out why "Tech Royalties" may be the best asset to hold for the 2020s. -- Classic Elite Scam As we pointed out in an early book, Empire of Debt, the U.S. never really got the hang of imperial finance. Early empires must have been exhilarating… and rewarding. The conquerors raped the women, made slaves of the men, and carried off all the treasure they could get their hands on. The Roman Empire was more sophisticated. Victorious troops won slaves and booty, and then the captured people paid regular tribute to Rome. [Featured: New Investment "Craze" Hits All 50 States] The British Empire was a more modern, commercial variant, taking raw materials from colonies and using them to make finished products in Britain, which were then sold at a profit. But the U.S. empire was a money-loser from the beginning. The elite enjoyed the thrill of playing World of Warcraft with live ammunition. They also got the jobs… the contracts… and the power. But they never figured out how to make it pay, except for themselves… and only by taking the money from their own people. It was a classic elite scam, in which the rewards go to the people at the top… and the costs (including most of the fatalities) fall upon the public. Recommended Link Bill Bonner: Shadow-Banned? Have America's top booksellers refused to carry Bill Bonner's final book? You won't find new copies of Win-Win or Lose at Barnes & Noble… and not a single copy is floating around on eBay. In fact, the only used copy we could find was going for $79 on Amazon. Which is why Bill recently authorized us to take drastic steps to put a copy in your hands essentially free – as part of this limited time offer. To claim yours, click here -- Eyes on the Money Yes, in the Afghanistan debacle, it's all there… right before our eyes, like a corpse dumped on the highway. And now we ask: What other incompetence are the elites hiding? What other lies are they telling? And… will the lies and bungling continue for years… and then come crashing down in a matter of days? Our beat here at the Diary is economics and finance. So we will ignore the war against COVID-19, the War on Drugs, diversity, democracy, anti-racism, climate control, and the rest of the claptrap. We'll keep our eyes on the money. [Featured: (Bizarro World) Facebook set to launch new cryptocurrency?] And we note, again, that it's amazing what you can't see when you're paid to be blind. Investors have made fortunes by not noticing that their stocks are priced nowhere near what they are really worth… Statisticians are paid to miscalculate the inflation rate… Economists build careers by ignoring the basics of economics… Politicians win office by promising to spend more than we can afford… And Federal Reserve chief Jerome Powell becomes the most famous public servant since Pontius Pilate by closing his eyes to the destruction caused by his phony interest rates and trillions of dollars' worth of fake money. Recommended Link The Most Controversial Tech Video You'll Watch in 2021? Everyone's glued to big tech stories these days. Yet they've all missed the biggest of all. Not surprising. No one else is talking about what you'll see in this video. Even before you put another penny into another tech stock, you'll want to watch this video first. Click here for full details. -- Delayed Reaction The fake dollar was introduced 50 years ago last Sunday. It probably would have disappeared long ago had not then-Fed chair Paul Volcker given it a new lease of life in 1980. Thereafter, the U.S. held together fairly well for the next 20 years. So we can probably date the real drift into fantasyland to about the same time as the invasion of Afghanistan… in the early 2000s. "Reagan proved that deficits don't matter," said then-Vice President Dick Cheney in 2003. Of course, deficits do matter. But not necessarily right away. And by the time you realize that they do matter, you are trying to take off from a crowded runway… with dozens of people clinging to your wheels. More to come… Regards, Bill Like what you're reading? Send your thoughts to feedback@rogueeconomics.com. FEATURED READ A Lawsuit Over New York City's Vaccine Mandate A group of restaurant owners and small businesses are suing New York City and its mayor, Bill de Blasio, over new vaccine mandates. The group suing the city says the mandate violates religious freedoms… MAILBAG Strong words from Dear Readers after Tuesday's Diary, "The Media's Role in the U.S. 'War Machine'"... Your flippant comments about Trump being banned from Twitter because Twitter didn't like his views of the election results is about as biased as you can get without actually admitting to anything. Obviously, you believe that any person should be able to lie and attack democracy (especially after they have sworn to uphold the Constitution) and actually attempt a coup, and we should give that person front-page access to TV, newspapers and, of course, the internet. Subversive speech is the same as yelling FIRE in a crowded theater. It can't be allowed, and your precious Trump will end up being arrested and tried for attempting a coup and for treason. And for those reasons, he deserves to never be allowed access to internet media services. – Richard D. We don't know what criteria you are using to label President Trump a "moron," but it is offensive and dismissive. Plus, you're probably irritating half of your readers. Please consider weighing your words more carefully! – Sue L. I enjoy reading about your thoughts and perceptions about what is going on in the world and America, but it makes me very sad to hear you call President Trump a moron. He was being Trump all the way, and if you did not like it, so be it. But to call our president a moron, why not all the rest of them, too? We more than likely would not be in as bad a mess as we are now if Trump was still president. Biden has gotten us deeper in debt and no way out of the hole. – Corlene F. I love reading your works and look forward to many more. But today, however, you have exceeded reasonable bounds – or jumped the shark. Your lambasting of General David Petraeus was undeserved. Don't get me wrong, military veteran friends of mine and I were astonished when President Obama doubled down on Afghanistan in about 2009 or so. With no understanding of the host culture, tribalism, and absent clear objectives and exit strategies, all we could see was Saigon II. But Petraeus served a full and honorable career of public service to defend a country that has devolved terribly over the course of that stellar career. You know well that, under our Constitution, all military commanders take their orders from the elected president, who is also subject to the elected members of Congress. Lest you say, "Well, evil commanders also followed Hitler," or some such, there is one huge distinction: Our USA was attacked on 9/11 and an elected president took actions which we now believe were misguided. But it was not General Petraeus' prerogative to disobey the legitimately elected president of "We The People." – Bill W. But not everyone disagrees with Bill… Others commend him for exposing the lies of the elite… One thing I've learned from Bill is that things are not always what they seem. And "we the people" are stupid enough to accept the BS the elite feeds us rather than insisting on the truth and an openness in government that precludes the secret crap that the elite tolerate to the detriment of the populace. The people have a right to know how the elite spends their money, commits their children to wars, and the truth of all their actions. – James M. I have been reading your daily missives since last year. I truly appreciate the way you convey your messaging about the "world gone mad" and the consequences of the actions or inactions of our so called "Elites," like Fauci et al. and the whole cabal. Thanks for everything you do. – Abhishek B. Should all free speech, even subversive speech, be protected under the Constitution? Did Bill "exceed reasonable bounds" with Tuesday's essay, as reader Bill W. says? Write us at feedback@rogueeconomics.com. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT… Mark Cuban Doubles Down on Odd Tech Investment (How to Join Him) Mark Cuban just did something insane. The TV "Shark Tank" Billionaire doubled his investment in an odd technology. One he believes "will dwarf Bitcoin." You can hear the story, and much more, in this video. Click Here to Watch. Get Instant Access Click to read these free reports and automatically sign up for daily research. The Gold Investor's Guide How to Earn Free Bitcoin The Trader's Guide to Technical Analysis Rogue Economics 55 NE 5th Avenue, Delray Beach, FL 33483 www.rogueeconomics.com FACEBOOK TWITTER To ensure our emails continue reaching your inbox, please add our email address to your address book. This editorial email containing advertisements was sent to tiare.taporo3@gmail.com because you subscribed to this service. To stop receiving these emails, click here. Rogue Economics welcomes your feedback and questions. But please note: The law prohibits us from giving personalized advice. To contact Customer Service, call toll free Domestic/International: 1-800-681-1765, Mon–Fri, 9am–7pm ET, or email us here. © 2021 Rogue Economics. All rights reserved. Any reproduction, copying, or redistribution of our content, in whole or in part, is prohibited without written permission from Rogue Economics. Privacy Policy | Terms of Use

Chinese Virus (a.k.a. The Kung Flu) statistics for week number 52 (364 days) as at August 13th. 2021 (plus political comment and our personal news) since 21/08/20. Greetings from Medellin, Colombia

Hola a todos nuestros amigos y familiares,

Esperamos como siempre que todo el mundo este en rosa - 

CHINESE VIRUS STATISTICS and related comment. Note that comparative figures in parenthesis relate to July 23rd. Please also note that, due to recent time pressures, this blog is 3 weeks after the last one. Hopefully we'll revert to fortnightly blogs in future. We apologise for this anomaly!!

The USSA (Union of Soviet Socialist America) is back to enforcing masks. Doesn't matter if you're jabbed or part of The Great Unvaxxed. The "red" states are resisting.

As per CDC (Centre for Disease Control) director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky: "New Data" shows breakthrough cases in "vaccinated" individuals can spread as much virus as an "unvaccinated" person.

Despite this, the CDC director continued to demand that people do get "vaccinated". And said that "vaccinated" people will have to wear masks again due to people who opted not to take the jab...... (the guilt trip again)....

Huh?

Then there's Canada. Which "absolutely" expects a rise in COVID-19 cases starting in September and is already preparing to respond to the potential surge.

You see, that's how good these "vaccines" are:

** You still have to wear a mask

** You are still contagious

** You can still get the lurgi

** You should still stay far away from children, old people, other vaxxers and the Great Unvaxxed

** You should still be socially distant; and

** You will need booster shots!!

What's not to appreciate? Hurry! Go get your vax at a McDonalds near you!!

Oh, and basically no-one can prove you're indeed positive - because the PCR tests can't identify between the Covaids and the flu.

Told ya.........

An extensive study out of England shows that the Delta variant is more transmissible, but far less severe in its effects and that as many as 60% of Delta cases are in fact people who have had the "vaccine'!!! So, what's all the fuss about - no doubt because anything that gives those power-drunk bureaucrats more opportunity to beat the long-suffering public about the head with, is seized upon with gay abandon!! And the UK looks set to mandate vaccinations everywhere and refuse admission to venues to anyone not vaccinated - and that includes ALL retail shopping, food included. For the UK of all countries - the oldest democracy in the world -  to institute such a vile and draconian removal of liberty is just indescribable. This government will certainly go down in history, but for all the wrong reasons.   

Now we have a bill before the US Congress which would ban anyone "unvaccinated" from boarding an aircraft to anywhere - nationally or internationally. Politically driven hysteria. Apparently this extends to anyone crossing state lines and so there will be interstate trucks off the road because many drivers will not be "vaccinated" and so there will be shortages of just about everything from supermarkets to gas stations.

There is now no doubt that all these draconian restrictions from mask and "vaccine" mandates to ever more restrictive lockdowns are being driven for political control and destruction of the economy. There is no science or logic behind any of it. These Socialists are hellbent on destroying the free world and capitalism in total.

MUNDO - World

Population - 7.884,361,211 - (7,879,688,135) - up 4,673,076 or 0.059%

Active cases - 16,829,233 - (13,562,941) - up 3,266,292 or 24.1%. Percentage of total population -  0.214%. 

Active cases per 1 million of total population - 2,135 - (1,721) - up 414 or 24.1%

A more substantial increase than for recent weeks.. However, it is important to bear in mind that the "active case" numbers include those who may simply have been tested positive while being asymptomatic. These comments apply throughout these country statistics.

ARGENTINA

Population - 45,656,867 - (45,633,094) - up 23,773 or 0.052%

Active cases - 244,273 - (261,324) - down 17,051 or 6.5%. Percentage of total population - 0.530%. 

Active cases per 1 million of total population - 5,350 - (5,727) - down 377 or 6.6%

Continuing slow but steady progress.

 A much reduced rate of decrease but still going the right way.

AUSTRALIA

Population - 25,828,671 - (25,811,701) - up 16,970 or 0.066%

Active cases - 6,484 - (1,929) - up 4,555 or 236.1%. Percentage of total population - 0.025% 

Active cases per 1 million of total population - 251 - (75) - up 176 or 234.7%

Large percentage increases but coming off a very low base; numbers are still comparatively very low.

CHILE

Population - 19,298,659 - (19,289,254) - up 9,405 or 0.049%

Active cases - 7,570 - (11,252) - down 3,682 or 32.7%. Percentage of total population - 0.040%

Active cases per 1 million of total population - 392 - (583) - down 191 or 32.8%

A lesser rate of reduction than 3 weeks ago, but still solid figures. Good to see.

COLOMBIA

Population - 51,485,691 - (51,454,592) - up 31,099 or 0.060%

Active cases - 58,283 - (125,707) - down 67,424 or 53.6%. Percentage of total population - 0.113%

Active cases per 1 million of total population - 1,132 - (2,443) - down 1,311 or 53.7%

A fantastic result from the dire situation just a few weeks ago. From 167,000 active cases to the present number is a reduction of 65%. Very encouraging. YAY for Ivermectin. Apparently Ivermectin and Hydroxychloroquine 

are now in widespread use throughout S. America and this is being reflected in slow but steady reductions in active case numbers. These drugs are manufactured in S America, including in Colombia, so the crooks at the FDA cannot ban them here.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Population - 10,968,835 - (10,962,598) - up 6,237 or 0.057%

Active cases - 6,487 - (47,364) - down 40,877 or 86.3%. Percentage of total population - 0.060%.

Active cases per 1 million of total population - 591 - (4,321) - down 3,730 or 86.3%

A massive reduction after recent dismal figures. Hard to believe, but excellent if true.

ECUADOR

Population - 17,940,549 - (17,925,168) - up 15,381 or 0.086%

Active cases - 18,017 - (5,127) - up 12,890 or 251.4%. Percentage of total population - 0.100%. 

Active cases per 1 million of total population - 1,004 - (286) - up 718 or 251.1%

What has happened to Ecuador? They were doing so well.

GERMANY

Population - 84,082,113 - (84,066,782) - up 15,331 or 0.018%

Active cases - 48,820 - (23,116) - up 25,704 or 111.2%. Percentage of total population - 0.058%.

Active cases per 1 million of total population - 581 - (275) - up 306 or 111.3%.

This is what happens when you rely solely on the "vaccines". Ivermectin will turn the corner. Let's hope they see the light.

JAPAN

Population - 126,045,119 - (126,067,237) - down 22,118 or 0.018%

Active cases - 141,622 - (31,218) - up 110,404 or 353.7%. Percentage of total population - 0.011%.

Active cases per 1 million of total population - 1,124 - (248) - up 876 or 353.2%

Coming off a low base any movements always look far worse on a percentage basis, but this upward trend must be reversed. Must be something to do with the Olympics; they should never have been held in these Chinese Virus circumstances.

MALAYSIA

Population - 32,826,712 - (32,802,919) - up 23,793 or 0.073%

Active cases - 241,187 - (147,386) - up 93,801 or 63.6%. Percentage of total population - 0.735%.

Active cases per 1 million of total population - 7,347 - (4,493) - up 2,854 or 63.5%

At least the rate of increase is about the same as 3 weeks ago, but still not good. Doesn't look as though kicking out all the foreign flagged yachts was warranted or effective at all. Just a knee-jerk panic reaction. Glad we weren't there!

MEXICO

Population - 130,438,428 - (130,360,752) - up 77,676 or 0.060%.

Active cases - 408,685 - (359,298) - up 49,387 or 13.8%. Percentage of total population - 0.313%

Active cases per 1 million of total population - 3,133 - (2,756) - up 377 or 13.7%

Weekly rate of increase reduced, but still going up.

NEW ZEALAND

Population - 5,002,100 - (5,002,100) - NO CHANGE!!!!!!

Active cases - 44 - (80) - down 36 or 45.0%. Percentage of total population - 0.001% 

Active cases per 1 million of total population - 9 - (16) - down 7 or 43.8%

What can you say? NZ's tied up tighter than Pelosi's orifices, so of course this is the result, but it's entirely artificial and whenever the dreaded lurgi gets loose in NZ - as it will - the population will be at extreme risk, "vaccination" or not. Due to there having been no previous exposure and therefore no natural immunity. And the NZ Health System not having been fit for purpose since 1938! And with Ivermectin and Hydroxychloroquine banned!!

PHILIPPINES
Population - 111,201,292 - (111,117,599) - up 83,693 or 0.075%

Active cases - 96,395 - (55,069) - up 41,326 or 75.0%. Percentage of total population - 0.087%. 

Active cases per 1 million of total population - 867 - (496) - up 371 or 74.8%

Weekly rate of increase up considerably. Hopefully these still low numbers can be turned around. 

TAIWAN

Population - 23,864,764 - (23,862,298) - up 2,466 or 0.010% 

Active cases - 621 - (1,021) - down 400 or 39.2%. Percentage of total population - 0.003%. 

Active cases per 1 million of total population - 26 - (43) - down 17 or 39.5%

Another fantastic result. Taiwan's record throughout the pandemic has been exemplary. We hope they rub the CCP's nose in it. In China apparently the Virus is rampant again. We don't record the Chinese figures because they are lies from start to finish - just like they lied about the deliberate release of the Chinese Virus from the Wuhan Lab. in mid 2019.

THAILAND

Population - 69,994,936 - (69,984,915) - up 10,021 or 0.014%

Active cases - 212,179 - (143,744) - up 68,435 or 47.6%. Percentage of total population - 0.303%. 

Active cases per 1 million of total population - 3,031 - (2,053) - up 978 or 47.6%

Weekly rate of increase well down so let's hope there's an early resumption of lowering figures again.

UNITED KINGDOM

Population - 68,282,770 - (68,262,351) - up 20,419 or 0.030%

Active cases - 1,302,503 - (1,045,808) - up 256,695 or 24.6%. Percentage of total population - 1.908%.

Active cases per 1 million of total population - 19,075 - (15,320) - up 3,755 or 24.5%

And at least 40% of all those active cases have been "vaccinated"??????? Maybe it's the unchecked flow of "dinghy divers" across the Channel bringing the Kung Flu?

Anyway, the government seems determined to bring in extreme control measures again with "vaccine" mandates to virtually prevent anyone not "vaccinated" from leaving home. It seems to us that Boris is not running the country; but rather his young hot wife who is leading him around by you know what. 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Population - 333,161,957 - (333,050,797) - up 111,160 or 0.033%

Active cases - 6,476,139  - (5,109,249) - up 1,368,890 or 26.8%. Percentage of total population - 1.944%.

Active cases per 1 million of total population - 19,438 - (15,341) - up 4,097 or 26.7%

Absolutely no doubt that a big cause of this increase is the massive unchecked flow of Chinese Virus positive illegal migrants across the southern border - thanks to the murderous crooks in the White House. Anyway, as for the UK - what has happened to all the "vaccinated"??

 

URUGUAY

Population - 3,487,128 - (3,486,439) - up 689 or 0.020%

Active cases - 1,513 - (3,287) - down 1,774 or 54.0%. Percentage of total population - 0.043%. 

Active cases per 1 million of total population - 434 - (943) - down 509 or 54.0%

Rate of decrease reduced, but still an excellent result. No doubt a result of using Ivermectin.

SELECTED FINANCIAL AND COMMODITY PRICE INFORMATION as at August 13th. with comparisons in parenthesis to January 4th. 2021.

S & P 500 - US - 4468 - (3701) - up 767 or 20.7%

FTSE - UK - 7219 - (6752) - up 467 or 6.9%

NIKKEI - JAPAN - 27957 - (27258) - up 699 or 2.6%

SSE COMPOSITE INDEX - SHANGHAI - 3516 - (3503) - up 13 or 0.4%

ALL ORDS - AUSTRALIA - 7898 - (6954) - up 944 or 13.6%

NZX50 - NEW ZEALAND - 12764 - (13238) - down 474 or 3.6%

COLCAP - COLOMBIA BOLSA DE VALORES - 1269 - (1418) - down 149 or 10.5%

NZD/USD - .7039 - (.7174) - down .0135 or 1.9%

NZD/COP (Colombian Peso) - 2704 - (2475) - up 229 or 9.3%

NZD/EURO - .5968 - (.5855) - up .0113 or 1.9%

NZD/CHF (Swiss Franc) - .6443 - (.6320) - up .0123 or 2.0%

NZD/JPY - 77.14 - (73.97) - up 3.17 or 4.3%

NZD/CNY (Chinese Yuan) - 4.56 - (4.64) - down .08 or 1.7%

NZD/AUD - .9548 - (.9355) - up .0193 or 2.1%

USD/NZD - 1.42 - (1.39) - up .03 or 2.2%

USD/COP (Colombian Peso) - 3842 - (3420) - up 422 or 12.3%

USD/EURO - .8477 - (.8156) - up .0321 or 3.9%

USD/CHF (Swiss Franc) - .9154 - (.8813) - up .0341 or 3.9%

USD/JPY - 109.63 - (103.11) - up 6.52 or 6.3%

USD/CNY (Chinese Yuan) - 6.48 - (6.46) - up .02 or 0.3%

USD/AUD - 1.36 - (1.30) - up .06 or 4.6%

GOLD - (USD per Troy Ounce) - 1,780 - (1,939) - down 159 or 8.2%

SILVER - (USD per Troy Ounce) - 23.74 - (27.14) - down 3.40 or 12.5%

OIL - West Texas Intermediate - (USD per barrel) - 68.01 - (47.80) - up 20.21 or 42.3%

COPPER - (USD per metric ton) - 9,436 - (7,972) - up 1,464 or 18.4%

COAL - (USD per metric ton) - 150 - (70) - up 80 or 114.3%

IRON ORE - (USD per dry metric ton) - 168  - (164) - up 4 or 2.4%

Highlights - 

* Equity markets, particularly in the US, continue to roar ahead. Definitely "bubble" territory by many measures and all fuelled by "easy money" courtesy of the Fed's QE. Only markets that we monitor to have fallen are the Colombian Bolsa de Valores and the NZX50. Thank God we are not invested any more in any of them.

* Currencies remain within a fairly tight range, except the NZD/COP and the USD/COP. Colombia is losing ground in its sharemarket and with its currency. Still, we live here now so as long as inflation doesn't take off here, everything is fine. And due to relatively high mortgage rates here, there is no property "bubble" - unlike NZ, Australia, the US, etc.

* Commodities -

Gold continues to languish - surprising given the volatility everywhere else. Probably all going into the Crypto market - highly speculative and likely to end in tears.

Oil still well up as anyone who buys gasoline can attest. But it has come back slightly. All thanks to the saboteurs in the Socialist White House, whose avowed aim is to destroy the energy industry in the US.

Copper which is a bellwether for construction, manufacturing and the electronic industry, is still substantially up from early this year.

Coal is the standout performer - up 114% since the beginning of this year. Mostly due to Chinese demand for generating electricity. So much for the Paris Climate Accords. So, solar and hydro are still inadequate for normal generation requirements, including in NZ. If there's any thought of powering a fleet of electric vehicles, nuclear (which is now much more environmentally friendly than it used to be) is the ONLY option. Green lunatics can eat their hearts out.

Iron ore has dropped back considerably, probably because China has curtailed its warship building programme. They probably calculate that they now have enough fire power with which to attack Taiwan - and Australia if necessary. 

 

COMMENT AND NEWS - 

AUSTRALIA

We have commented earlier with regard to the entirely unwarranted lockdowns. Things like only being able to go food shopping once a week and no more travelling to see friends and family.

When will these Socialist clowns give up their nefarious attempts to destroy society and realise that the Chinese Virus isn't going anywhere. IT IS HERE TO STAY. For God's sake, just get on with life. 

COLOMBIA

Following are this week's headlines from the English language www.colombiareports.com. You may need to go to the desktop version to read most of these:

July 27th. Narco's nephew Colombia's new ambassador to Washington DC

July 27th. Colombia seeks to absolve former president despite evidence

July 27th. Violence displaces more than 15% of inhabitants of north Colombia town

July 28th. Colombia expels German protest supporter after assassination attempt

July 29th. Colombia illegally detained, expelled German protest supporter

July 29th. Colombia exceeds 120,000 COVID-19 deaths, vaccination woes persist

July 30th. Colombia asks for international help amid refugee crisis

July 30th. How Colombia's far-right TV personalities get people killed

August 2nd. The mounting criminal investigations against Colombia's government coalition

August 4th. Colombia's anti-government protestors facing legal and death threats

August 5th. Colombia blames protests for failing security policy in Bogota

August 10th. Colombia's 2022 budget uncertain as Congress bogs down tax reform

August 11th. Colombia's ICT minister under fire over missing $US17.6 million

August 11th. Colombia wants to investigate Uribe's alleged fraud victim

August 12th. Emergency talks in Colombia after COVID vaccine deals leaked

On July the 30th. yours truly had his scheduled 2nd. Endoscopy (called an Endosonografia) which used far more sophisticated equipment, only available at 2 clinics in Medellin, in order to further explore a very small "lesion" in the stomach. The first Gastroenterologist was not able to get a good look, much less take a biopsy, and so recommended this second procedure to make sure. One of the doctors present acted as a translator and she told us that she had had a son at Pakuranga College in Auckland - coincidences like this happen all the time. Not far from where Jim went to school - at St. Kentigern - 58 years ago!!!

Anyway, the result of the exploration was that the lesion was quite benign and that the second Gastroenterologist didn't consider it necessary to take a biopsy. Hope he's right. But we have a second set of gory pictures to prove it! Total cost of COP 2,182,366 -  the NZD equivalent was NZD 805.05 - and all this in a private clinic within 2 weeks of making the appointment. We did not use our quite basic (and compulsory) Sura insurance because of the bureaucracy and time involved.

Apart from that, we have been getting more and more involved with looking for properties at El Retiro which is 2,000 feet higher at 7,000 feet 15 kms from Envigado where we live now. We have also placed our apartment on the market with 4 agents so far. We are looking for either a terrace house or a free-standing townhouse, but at ground level. These types of properties are almost all 2 floors (ground and first), so as the aging knees take their toll, we will need to install one of those sit-down elevators to rise us up to the master suite!!!

No doubt much more to report on this endeavour as time goes on.

We are having some trouble with our 2007 B Class due to past poor maintenance with changing the automatic transmission fluid. The car is still driveable (just making  a slight noise), but it definitely won't improve and needs fixing. The diagnosis is the auto (CVT) transmission and we will find out next week the extent of the damage and just what will be necessary to fix it. The owner of the workshop is Jhonny Toro and has been highly recommended to us by our architect friend who lives here in the same building. Jhonny is still in the Colombian Army reserves  and Jean was intrigued when she visited his spotless toilet to see something suspiciously like an AK47 leaning against the wall!! Good to have friends like that.

NEW ZEALAND

We are reading that the Emergency Dept. at Dunedin Hospital is at breaking point with a nurse of 40 years experience saying that "we have hit the wall, we are exhausted, and it is feared that patients will die needlessly". This follows on in our minds from a recent interview by Leighton Smith with Dr. Des Gorman, who is high up in the NZ Health System, where he stated that "NZ's health system has not been fit for purpose since 1938!!"

What would happen to the place with even a mild outbreak of Chinese Virus infections? Apart from anything else, there would be wholesale panic. 

This is the reason why NZ remains so tightly locked up in terms of its borders. The general population couldn't care less about this or indeed about anything much else, so they remain blissfully unaware of the precipice that NZ is standing on from a public health point of view. But sooner or later they are going to find out the hard way that the Chinese Virus CANNOT AND WILL NOT be eradicated and so they will have to just live with it. And instead of importing the murderous "vaccines", bring in the much cheaper and more effective Ivermectin and Hydroxychloroquine.    

And the other day there was some unseasonable COLD weather (so much for global warming!). The power grid could not cope and thousands of houses were affected by shutdowns on what proved to be the coldest night of the year. Just imagine what would have happened if the bulk of the NZ car fleet was electric. At least the roads would be mercifully devoid of traffic for a time. This type of event just exposes all these "climate warming" clowns as they truly are. These people are dangerous because they are weaponising the climate debate to push through their impossibly illogical and damaging ideas to destroy the country. 

Same as with the Chinese Virus, Critical Race Theory in schools, history revisionism to suite the woke leftists, gender change being encouraged for those under the age of majority, and without their parents' consent or knowledge, fraudulent devolution of governance of the country to racial minority groups and the full-scale propagandising of the "vaccine" debate - "you are not doing your civic duty if you are not "vaccinated"" and you will kill people!!

In the meantime please continue to listen to Leighton Smith's podcasts and read Muriel Newman's weekly newsletter. These are about the only places where you will gather some unbiased news and views.

UNITED KINGDOM

Alex Belfield continues to uplift with his merciless take downs of the bureaucrat clowns who appear solely interested in the amount of commercial damage and associated misery they can cause. Unfortunately this is an all too common pattern which has emerged across the world. 

And on top of all that, the illegal immigration by the "dinghy divers" continues at an accelerated pace - aided and abetted by the so-called Tories in Westminster. They deny that it's happening and at the same time allow thousands of these no doubt Chinese Virus positive young males into the country where they are accommodated in luxury hotels. A mirror image of what is happening in the US - WHAT IS GOING ON????

Not to mention the ever increasing restrictions being introduced and which will only increase as winter approaches - it will be truly a winter of discontent and misery.

Then there is the fact that the capital, London, (and other cities) is fast becoming the "stabbing capital". Knife attacks and associated fatalities have soared thanks to the woke Socialist city mayors - especially Saddiq Kahn in London. 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Biden vowed "to shut down the virus", but instead his bunch of Socialists is actively encouraging illegal immigration across the southern border, in direct violation of the US Constitution and his promises. In the process the Biden Administration is massively increasing the flow of deadly Chinese manufactured drugs across the border and causing untold suffering and death among Americans and would-be immigrants. We heard an Epoch Times documentary about immigration to the US which usually starts anywhere in the Caribbean, then they move to Suriname (formerly Dutch Guiana) and then by a circuitous route through Brazil to Chile, then north to Peru, Ecuador and finally Colombia which borders the Darien Gap in southern Panama. Then at least 15% of them perish during the extremely hazardous 60 mile crossing of the Gap. This is just part of some of the horrendous consequences of the Biden Crooks' immigration so-called policies. 

The statistics since the start of this year are horrifying and give a window into the modus operandi of the criminal crooks in the White House. They are as follows:

These illegals are for the most part infected with the Chinese Virus (probably the Biden Variant by now) and are being transported in the dead of night by bus and aircraft all over the US with absolutely NO reference or even warning to the various state authorities. 

THERE IS NO QUESTION THAT BIDEN AND CO. ARE NOT INCOMPETENT (ALTHOUGH YOU'D BE FORGIVEN FOR THINKING OTHERWISE!), BUT THAT THEIR ACTIONS RE ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION, THE ECONOMY AND THE MANNER IN WHICH THEY ARE ATTEMPTING TO WEAPONISE THE CHINESE VIRUS, ARE ALL DELIBERATE AND PART OF A WIDER PLAN TO DESTROY THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

So far to the end of June in 2021 there have been 1.7 million illegals crossing the border, only a fraction of whom are ever apprehended. Even then all that happens is that they are released and asked to appear in court in about 18 months' time. Unsurprisingly only a very small percentage ever do appear. 

In this "destroy America" nefarious plan, the Dims are being unwittingly assisted by the RINOS (Republican in Name Only) in the Senate, whose only aim in life it seems is a quiet life - don't rock the boat. 19 of these RINOS - who are traitors -  are backing the Dims' 1.2 trillion dollar "Infrastucture" Bill which in fact only devotes around 400 billion dollars (33%) to real infrastructure, such as roads, bridges etc. With the passage of this bill, it will become so much easier for the main Socialist sabotage of America to begin with a second and main bill to the tune of 3.5 trillion dollars.

Now also there is a "vaccine" mandate being called for the whole US military by next month at the latest. Once again this is a direct assault on the military with the undoubted side effects and death from the "vaccines" and also undoubtedly the forced resignation of those who are principled enough to resist having the jab. 

Fauci is now saying that parents should wear masks at home in front of their children - no doubt to reinforce the young minds that MASKS MUST BE WORN AT ALL TIMES.

And Obama's 60th. birthday bash on Martha's Vineyard with 500 guests and nobody masked. Now apparently we hear that 12 of the island's residents (where there had been no trace of the Chinese Virus before) now have been infected with the lurgi.

And we could go on, and on, and on...................

The bottom line is that America (and her Constitution) is being more and more openly attacked by her own government in order to destroy the country as we all have known it. This is deliberate betrayal and needs to be dealt with accordingly.  

On that happy note we will leave you for another 2 weeks..............

Hope all is well with everyone.

Con cordial saludos y mucho amor de nosotros en la Ciudad de la Eterna Primavera............

Jim y Jean