'Death spiral': 4,000% inflation in Venezuela by Patrick Gillespie @CNNMoney November 22, 2017: 2:42 PM ET Venezuela's crisis taking a toll on its children Venezuela's money is nearly worthless, and its cash crisis is only getting worse. The country is spiraling further into a humanitarian disaster spurred by the government's economic policies, which have caused the currency, the bolivar, to plunge in value and prices to skyrocket. Food and medicine shortages have been reported across Venezuela. The bolivar has lost 96% of its value this year. As of Tuesday, it took 84,000 bolivars to buy an American dollar. At the beginning of this month, a dollar was worth 41,000 bolivars. And at the start of this year, it only took 3,100 bolivars to buy a dollar, according to DolarToday, a website that tracks the unofficial exchange rate. Related: Putin extends lifeline to cash-strapped Venezuela Millions of Venezuelans look at DolarToday or another site, Paralelo Venezuela, to find out how much money they need to buy groceries -- if there's food on the shelves at all. The government's official exchange rate has been deemed meaningless. Inflation in Venezuela has soared to 4,115% compared with a year ago, according to Steve Hanke, a professor of applied economics at Johns Hopkins University, who is an expert on hyperinflation. The crisis has deepened since the government defaulted on some of its debts. "The economy is really in a complete death spiral," says Hanke. "It's gotten a lot worse there in the last two weeks." Powered by SmartAsset.com SmartAsset.com Other estimates are lower than Hanke's but exorbitant by any country's standards. The Venezuelan research firm Ecoanalitica estimates that prices spiked about 1,430% in October compared with a year ago. Prices at hotels and restaurants were up 70% in October from the month before. Soaring prices force Venezuelans to wait hours in line at the ATM, the supermarket or both, just to get by. And things could get worse soon. Both the government and its state-run oil company, PDVSA, recently defaulted on some debts. If more defaults follow, investors could organize and seize Venezuela's only valuable asset -- oil -- in the United States. That would choke off the government's main source of cash, which it needs to import food and medicine. Related: Venezuela just defaulted, moving deeper into crisis President Nicolas Maduro, whom the Trump administration labels a dictator, demanded earlier this month that the nation's debt be restructured. The government and PDVSA owe more than $60 billion just to bondholders. The central bank has less than $10 billion in reserves, which have slowly dwindled over the last few years as the country has paid debts. The country's liabilities extend far beyond debts to bondholders. In total, Venezuela owes $141 billion to bondholders, Russia, China, contractors and oil service providers, according to an analysis by Moody's Investor Service.
Another sad but powerful example of the ABSOLUTE FAILURE of SOCIALISM!! ...... and ask yourself ... WHY??... the Liberal-Left and their Cheer Leaders in Academia and Media, STILL, believe that godless BigBro Socialism is The Answer to Nirvana? .... Satanic influence is the only reasonable explanation that I can see .... and far TOO MANY Clerical Bigs in the Vatican and elsewhere seem A-OK with the Socialist Message/Agenda .... it ain't gonna end well! GOD SAVE ALL HERE!!
I remember Bernie Sanders had no answer when he was asked about the failure of socialism in Venezuela. You are right about the diabolical element. Such blindness has no other explanation.
For those of us who have stumbled from the battle field of this materialistic world and think we have it bad please be inspired by these French nuns who would not turn there back on God during the French revolution. It brought me to tears but also inspired me. Warning it is graphic, but you will realize what it takes to give your life for Jesus.
I am so impressed by Poland lately! I'm proud to be a 1/4 Polish, but wish I could claim to be more. I don't think that there has been much Catholic prophecy about Poland other than about St. Faustina and JPII, but they are one of the few countries that I am aware of that are trying to move in a more conservative, orthodox direction during these tumultuous times. What a beacon for others! Poland to phase out Sunday shopping by 2020 by Staff Reporter posted Saturday, 25 Nov 2017 High street shops in Warsaw (Getty) The government and trade unions want workers to spend more time with their families Polish MPs have approved a bill that will phase out Sunday shopping by 2020. Initially proposed by trade unions, the idea received the support of the ruling conservative Law and Justice Party, who want to allow workers to spend more time with their families. The Sejm, the lower house of Poland’s parliament, passed the bill by 254 to 156 to restrict Sunday shopping to the first and last Sunday of the month until the end of 2018, only on the last Sunday in the month in 2019, and to ban it totally starting in 2020. It will still be permitted, however, on the Sundays before major holidays such as Christmas. Some bakeries and online shops will also be exempt. The bill will now pass to the Senate, and then to President Andzrej Duda for approval. In a statement, the Polish bishops’ conference said the bill did not go far enough, and that everyone should be free from work on Sundays.
I've got Poulett's opera finale playing in another window as I write this. What shocked me about the video you linked to was the sheer banality of it all. I'm used to seeing very dramatic depictions of being guillotined, but this was literally like a manufacturing line. Line it up, tie down, slice, toss, next.
North Dakota used to have a law like that. It prohibited the sale on Sunday of anything that would not be used up on that day. So, you could buy milk (in small quantities) but not matches, that sort of thing.
Showers of grace falling on Poland! They are leading the way. JPII must be doing some heavy hitting for them in heaven.
Once upon a time in the USA there was widespread "Not Open on Sunday" rules. They were called Blue Laws and they mostly went away in the late 70s? About the same time as God was expelled from schools, public square and TV/Movies .... also about the same time as the rise of abortion, sexual perversion and .......! I'm sure there are no dots to connect with any of the above .... Right! GOD SAVE ALL HERE!!
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/1...cks-france-worries-about-internal-threat.html Two years after Paris attacks, France worries about 'internal' threat Fox News November 12th Terror raids under way outside Paris, France Social media activity suggested an attack was in the works. Two years after militants killed 130 people in coordinated attacks across Paris, French officials say the county faces an unprecedented “internal” threat from battle-hardened ISIS fighters coming back to France. Although the Islamic State has lost tremendous ground in Iraq and Syria, officials fear hundreds of French citizens could launch local attacks in the name of the terrorist organization -- leaving authorities unsure of how to contain the threat. French President Emmanuel Macron will pay tribute on Monday to the victims of the mass shootings and suicide bombing that occurred across Paris and in the city’s northern suburbs on Nov. 13, 2015. The deadliest attacks on French soil since World War II prompted the country to join international military operations against ISIS and other terrorist groups in Iraq, Syria and elsewhere. TRUMP, PUTIN REPORTEDLY AGREE TO DEFEAT ISIS IN SYRIA French police stand guard outside Notre Dame Cathedral after a shooting in Paris in June of 2017. (Reuters) Lawmakers also passed legislation giving French police extended powers to search properties, conduct electronic surveillance and close mosques or other locations suspected of being breeding grounds for radicalism and hate. France also recently unveiled a new program called Research and Intervention in Extremist Violence, targeting people already sentenced or awaiting sentencing on terrorism-related charges, for de-radicalization through mentoring. According to France24, a group of 14 people will meet on an individual basis over the course of a year with a team that includes coaches, a psychologist, a religious adviser and a psychologist in an effort to rid them of any propensity toward extremist violence. More than 30 attacks in the last two years have been thwarted, French police report. AMERICAN MAN, 21, CONVICTED OF TRYING TO JOIN ISIS TO BE RELEASED French prosecutor Francois Molins told Reuters that while bigger cells are still plotting, more attacks are likely to come from isolated individuals using “low-cost” methods such as cars or knives to kill. “We are witnessing a new bout of isolated actions, 11 since the beginning of the year, which supports the idea of an increasing endogenous threat,” Molins told franceinfo radio. French police are seen on patrol in Paris after a terrorist attack in November of 2015. (AP) Molins also said that French authorities estimate that around 690 French nationals are now in Iraq and Syria, including some 295 women. “A majority doesn’t want to come back to France given the legal proceedings they face upon their return,” Molins told the French radio station. “But some women, widows, with their children, are inclined to travel back. We should not be naïve. We are dealing with people who are more ‘disappointed’ than ‘sorry.’” Here is another related story, https://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/21294
This makes me think of Chickfila. They are one of the few establishments that remain closed on Sundays and must be blessed by God because they are crazy successful!
Our girls' favorite place! I always tell the manager thanks for the yummy food, clean restaurant, and for being closed on Sunday (even though that's when I tend to crave it the most!)...
