HAMAS Leader DEAD

      Good news all around the Middle East today as Israeli government confirmed that Yahya Sinwa, leader of the HAMAS terrorists, is dead. The murderous individual who sacrificed his own peoples for his despicable acts will not be mourned by many. The leader of the invasion strategy of October 7, 2023, that claimed the lives of 1200 Israeli innocent civilians and removed 230 hostages will not torment anyone anywhere again.

       The Palestinian civilians now have another opportunity to return the hostages and begin to discuss their own future. A few armed HAMAS militants are still rampaging around Palestine, but their future is in doubt as they are hunted down and eliminated like Yahya. It can't come soon enough.

Taiwan Encircled

       The island nation of Taiwan is back on page 1.  The independent nation off the east coast of Red China has been the 'target' of Chinese military units that have attempted to intimidate the country's new president. Planes, boats, and drones(no trains) have been sent to patrol in the South China Sea in large numbers, sending a message: "we're coming for you" sooner rather than later. Old Commie leader Xi JP has lots of economic problems at home, so, taking a well worn page from the Communist playbook, he's shifting the focus away from massive economic problems to an international problem that he created as a diversion.

       The economy in China has most recently received a boost when Beijing announced a huge investment in regional banks to stimulate those locations that have been suffering dearly with bad loans caused by the construction of apartments that nobody wants and nobody is buying. Hmmm. Sounds like a state run economy, Communist type of central planning. Recall the old Soviet scheme(s) of central planning.  Millions of apartments sit empty around the country. Miles of high rise building are threatened with demolition. Millions of former owners have stopped paying on the loans they thought would be paid by inflated future sales(sound familiar? )See 2008.

      Old Xi and Co. have put their heads together and have found just another rockpile with no solution. Try, try, try again. Investors in China are getting concerned. Companies are anxiously watching world opinion as the threats of tariffs appear on the world stage: tariffs on Chinese made EVs are already in place in the EU. Those cheap EVs made in China will not be flowing to Europe in large numbers. They will not allow China to manufacture its way out of an economic slump. Poor Old Xi. At a time when he should retire to smell the roses, ginseng tea,etc., he's stuck in the Party machinery trying to fix it. Good luck.

     Scaring Taiwan with military might only increases tensions with the West causing business to halt contracts and investments, further damaging any hope of recovery. Same old, same old. USA military units have continued to patrol the Taiwan Strait, displaying evidence of support. The Chinese Navy is larger in the area, but does not have the experience or capability,yet, to invade. Time will tell if Xi is stupid or just crafty.

Down in Georgia: Fani Willis is BACK

       Old Trumpie, visibly tiring on the campaign trail as the cycle nears its end, has to face a renewed challenge that his legal team thought was gone and forgotten: the Election Interference Charges from the State Attorney General in Georgia. The AG, Fani Willis, had her charges dismissed by a judge based on his ruling that the charges were obscure and not clearly defined thus preventing those charged with the inability to mount a proper defense. The judge did not say the charges were flippant or unworthy, he said to clarify them. The AG has done so in her appeal to the court which will be heard soon.

        In addition to Mr. Trumpie, his raft of bootlickers, toadies, and yes-men include the remarkable scumbag Rudy"America's Mayor" Giuliani; White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows; White House Counsel John Eastman, and several others. DJT thought this case foundered when AG Willis hired a friend who would manage the case and started a relationship with the man, now sent away. AG Willis has proven to be resilient and dedicated to her role.

       The case hinges on multiple phone calls to the Georgia Secretary of State Raffensburger after the 2020 election was over and DJT thought he could change the results with some applied direct pressure to those individuals who counted the vote. The calls were recorded and played to a nationwide audience. The conversation included requests from trumpie that he needed 11,000 votes and the Secretary could find them -somewhere! Additionally, ex-Mayor of NYC Giuliani, accused 2 women poll workers of engaging in vote tampering, subjecting them to harassment and death threats. They sued, and the Scumbag lost in court and they were awarded $148 millions in damages. Hmmmmm. Poor Rudy.

      This will play out soon enough, much to the shock of the Republican Party, now home to gullible deniers and shallow thinkers hoping to the return to a distant past gone forever. The country is tired of the incessant campaigning; the media blitz that goes with it; and the continued attack on democracy by fledgling autocrats. While the election will end after November 5th, the buildup to inauguration day will hardly be uneventful as party hacks play legal games with state courts around the country where voters went against the party wishes. Even Marjorie Taylor Green, Representative of Georgia, will come out on her soapbox and rant and rave to her few supporters.

    This case, in state court, could be the one that sinks the Republican Party once and for all. 

Jamie 'JD" Vance Answers the Question

        Vice presidential candidate, Sen. James Vance of Ohio, finally, answered a question he has avoided while on the campaign trail with ex-president DJT. Sen. VAnce  has been asked repeatedly by media types did he believe that DJT lost the 2020 presidential election that was won by Pres. Joe Biden. He responded on the road many times that "he had mixed" feelings on the results. In other words, he didn't want to go on record with his actual thoughts on the subject. Like a "true" Yale Law School grad, he squirmed as he had been taught: dodge the question, avoid the answer.  

      So, the flip-flopping candidate knew that time was running out as election day fast approaches. His advisors probably told him 'you better answer this or the media will hang you with on the eve of the vote. So he did; and here's what he said: "I don't believe he lost the election." Election denier can be added to Old Slippery now. He has swallowed the Trump Doctrine: Deny, deny, deny; attack, attack, attack. The Acolyte in Chief is now on the public record: DENIER.

        An educated young man with a goal: ascend the heights in any manner whatsoever ; truth does not matter; facts don't matter; by any means necessary; the end justify the means; the voters don't matter; the country doesn't matter; only winning any way possible matters. Lie, cheat, steal on the way to the top. Integrity is for chumps. I'm a man; a Catholic man who doesn't believe in any truth, any moral position. 

I'm James Vance, revealed.

A sad case of idol worship. Hopefully, he'll end up where he belongs: on the ash heap of history with his idol:DJT.

Homewood Mountain Ski Resort: Closed for the Season

      What happens when a local ski venue at Lake Tahoe closes? What happens to skiers who can't afford other, as corporate ski resorts raise prices, again? Locals and visitors suffer mightily. This week the owners of Homewood Ski Resort announced abruptly that the slopes at Homewood would not be open for the '24-25 ski season. They claim that a cash loan necessary for operations is not forthcoming and money is not available to fund necessary startup costs(labor, equipment, and maintenance).

      This move opens another chapter in the ongoing saga of the site that Placer County, El Dorado County, and TRPA has approved for a village constructed of homes, condos, and commercial properties. No action has been started here, yet. Wary lenders and weary San Francisco owners have been twiddling their thumbs while keeping eyes on the weather and climate. In addition, the economy has also played a large role as Covid-19 rippled through the State, public gatherings were determined to be "unsafe". Now owners can point to the uncertainties surrounding the 2024 presidential election with a Mad Man facing off with a respected Democrat. Who wins and who loses will make a difference for skiers and resort owners.

     Meanwhile, the West Shore, aka The Best Shore, awaits the outcome of this blatant attempt to blackmail Placer County, et al, into a decision sooner rather than later. West Shore property owners, business owners, and visitors and vacationers all play into the questions. Make a reservation or not? Buy a pass for Palisades Resort, or leave the snowboard in the closet until next year? No snow has fallen in the north Sierra yet, but it could happen anytime in October(none in the forecast).  Mechanics are stirring with their tools and machines, waiting in the wings for winter's opening moves. Aren't we all? The Mayor was in Wyoming last week and experienced glorious conditions on the Snake River, now at a yearly low level. The Rockies are waiting and the Teton Mountains are grey granite colored-no powdered sugar on top of Grand Teton. Maybe within the month, conditions will change.

       Off shore winds are predicted for northern California and PG&E has warned of power outages in event of winds that could down power lines of the grid. We'll see.

     Wax your skis and boards, watch the skies for the first cyclonic storm. Soon to come.

Beijing Infiltrates New York City

      The Mayor of New York City, Mr. Eric Adams, is under indictment for a variety of alleged crimes, not the least of which involves accepting bribes. The man has been under scrutiny by the press and Federal investigators for some time, going back to his role as a borough president in 2014. Recently, one of his former aides and a City employee, Winnie Greco, resigned from her City position as an in house aide/advisor to Mr. Adams on Chinese American topics. NYC has a large Asian community, mostly made up of ethnic Chinese.

       Since his entry into the political milieu of NYC, Mr. Adams gave Ms. Greco his ear and she returned the favor by proving to be a terrific fund raiser among Asian community members. She promoted ties with Beijing and negotiated sister-city partnerships while escorting Mr. Adams to China on many trips. The F.B.I. began its investigations of Ms. Greco and Mayor Adams years ago, focusing on those ties to the Communist regime in China. Mr. Adams was a supporter of a Chinese non-profit based in NYC that had ties to Chinese Communist  media outlets that represented the Beijing government. The America Changle Association NY had offices in NY's Chinatown and would later house the illegal Chinese police station there. The nonprofit was managed by one Harry Lu. Mr.Lu was a member of Adam's tour group that visited the offices of the Fujian Daily in China. The outlet is a part of the Communist regime's propaganda operations.

     In 2017, Mayor Adam's aided the Beijing machine by praising the Belt and Road dream of Beijing. This project, on its face, was an international influencing scheme to exert Beijing's influence worldwide. Basically, it was designed to ensnare 3rd world countries by offering them loans to build infrastructure despite little means to repay said loans. This clearly shows that Mayor Adams is a naif on every landscape outside of NYC and most of the landscape of the City itself. The slippery political roads of NYC are fraught with innumerable potholes that ensnare unwary pols and have been doing same for years and years. Any visitor to NYC knows about the ancient subway system that has been on its last leg(s) for decades. All residents of the City know that its falling apart and has not been maintained in any suitable manner. Compare the City's subway to any system outside the USA and becomes evident that the old system is archaic and should be replaced immediately.

     So how will things go for Mr. Adams in the future and for the City? Not well. Soon mr. Adams will be tried and convicted and sent to prison. Then a new mayor will be elected. And guess what? Old Ndrew Cuomo is looking to run for mayor. Imagine that.

       There's little hope for the City as long as Wall St. calls the shots.

TD Bank Shares Plummet

        Ahhhhhhhh, banks and bankers: so removed from the real world. Too much money and never enough for corporate moguls. So, the regulators slapped the US subsidiary with a $3.1 billion penalty plus an asset cap on retail accounts, the most painful part of the fine. How did this happen? How does a large, modern corporation slip into this realm of criminal activity? Who is responsible? Where is management? Who's the boss?

       Well now, what message accompanied the fine? Seems a few years back, drug cartel money was floating around hither and yon, looking for a place to hide/launder. A large portion of the funds came from Colombia(really), the world's No.1 producer source of cocaine. Agents of the cartel were sent abroad shopping for a laundry facility: a bank that had loose controls on cash deposits. Of course, these agents had pocket change to tempt bank employees. How much money are we talkin' here? Hundreds of millions- 9 figures++++. So, needless to say, the temptation was too much for the average TD Bank schlubs. They succumbed to the "chump change" and welcomed the cash. It made them look good to the supervising executives, aka- bankers.

      Money laundering schemes are large and small and vary as to methods. Rules are in place and oversight is steady from bureaus charged with controls in place. Other banks have been fined and placed on probation, Wells Fargo the poster child of fined money laundering institutions. Wells Fargo profits have been dismal as it attempts to turn the corporate ship around on a "new" course that FOLLOWS THE LAW.

     Now TD BANK faces the same course change requirement. The problem is in the culture of banking management and operations. The slipshod internal oversight runs deep in the culture of these corporations. Any attempt to change is a long and rocky process. Individuals need to be sent packing/retired. Others will be shown the door w/o benefit. The Captain(s)-board members will have to be dealt with harshly and they too will be replaced. These moves help, but the past practices are difficult to erase and replace. And dirty money is still afloat, swirling around in the financial eddies seeking a hiding place wherever it could be.

      Banking has changed over the decades along with rules and regs. As mergers and acquisitions consolidated banks, fewer and fewer institutions were found available and mega-corporations replaced small town operations. The result: large monolithic, monopolistic national banks. Staid bankers now became the envy of Wall Streeters. Jealousy sprouted; Ivy League grad schools started churning out aggressive financiers looking to make a million quickly. They found homes in banks and on Wall St. Thus, the business world is stuck with them and their ilk as they strive, strive, strive, and cheat , cheat, cheat. See banking profits after high interest rates roared across the landscape. Did any depositers benefit? None. Did banks profit? Massively, as they collected massive amounts of profits at the expense of retail customers.

Ahhhhhhh, bankers.