Correction: News Channel 5 was incorrect. The four police officers are at this time in critical condition.

Here in a suburb north of Atlanta, I see a lot of empty retail stores. They even built a new plaza down the road, but it still stands empty. That makes 2 new strip malls that have ZERO tenants (and have not had any since being bulit).

We have a large, regional mall (Mall of Georgia) & it is always packed. The last two times we went down there, we were unable to eat at Olive Garden because it was so crowded (that is a huge sized location as well. the parking lot was full, so we gave up). My husband remarked "recession? what recession? as we were stuck in traffic trying to get around the mall to go home)

Last weekend, Macy's had shoppers in the store. Same for Ann Taylor Loft. Prices were absolutely insane at the latter. I bought one shirt for $12.50 that was on sale. I was NOT going to spend $25 for a t-shirt or $50 for pants. The prices were higher than I remember for that store when I used to shop there years ago.

I find myself really wanting to believe the MSM about a recovery coming right around the corner and a bull market coming on. But I know better. Our local school district just let 100 teachers go (at the end of this year) and they are still talking about a pay cut of between 1-10% for my husband. On top of that, the GA legistlature is talking about mandatory furloughs for teachers of 6 days. (eliminating all of our teacher workdays and pre-planning days, when we set up our rooms and have endless meetings with administration). So even in this best case scenerio (we survived the layoff), we are facing significant wage cuts. (not easy when you are on one income!)

Add in the pending satellite launch/ missle test from North Korea & rumblings from Russia and it doesn't look good at all.

My Doomometer is lately the reaching the highest levels it's ever reached. I am more convinced than ever something very bad is facing us, and soon.

Yeah, what you say. I feel very schizo. There is a lot of evidence that things are going to get worse, a lot worse. Yet here in center city Philadelphia it is hard to tell we are in a recession. The biggest thing I see is some of the car transfer lots, where they load new cars off the trains, are mostly empty. The jewelery counter at Target is empty.

My Wife and I were talking about this using subjective terms when something hit me. She asks if the collapse is very, very near. Then qualifies it along the order of three years. I'm thinking "very, very near" is more like three months. So that means we are not nearly as close together as we thought we were. But it explains some of our disagreements. We need to be more precise in our discussions.

Not hard to tell that Indiana is in troublel Unemployment 9.2% official number, probably near 20% actual, and many businesses are shaky. My meter got a bump from hearing that bankers on the bailout won't be ALLOWED to return the money, so Omamaman can keep control of them, and that GM is more or less assured to go bankrupt.

Govt unemployment numbers keep getting "revised" upward a month or so after the fact, indicating more desperation to keep up confidence. "Quantitative Easing", (printing money) is sort of a fact now, and the FED is buying Treasuries, which is a slippery slope to addiction to doing so. Not many tricks left, I don't think. Never imagined it could get this bad, and now I'm convinced it is gonna get a lot worse. A lot of folks are getting the idea now--sales of garden seeds are up 400%, and you can't find seed potatoes locally now, sold out.

Oh yeah, and there's an ice shelf ready to fall off of Antarctica, and the Arctic could be ice-free soon, at least in summer. This stuff just keeps coming.

I still haven't gotten my tax refund from NC. They said paying folks their returns would "have a negative impact on cash flow".

Well, no shit sherlock. Every time I get a paycheck I look at the NC state income tax and think "that's having a negative impact on my cash flow". And that if they sent everyone their money they wouldn't be able to pay unemployment.

Maybe we'll get it now that the stimulus money has arrived.

My next logical question, since its been over 4 weeks since I was supposed to receive it is: "How much interest and penalties will I be receiving for this late payment?". We know that if the tables were turned that would not be contestable and I would have to pay or else.

Also, will I ever see the money at all? Perhaps I can claim it as a credit and not pay any state income tax this year?

I am changing all my withholding so that I won't get any refund. No more interest free loans from Roy to the fed or state govs.

My company is hiring operators again and finally filled a metrology position that had been vacant since last summer.

Lots of empty retail space now, failed restaurants etc. I think those that have failed thus far may be considered 'excess capacity'.

I guess the guvmint is officially stealing from us now - in the form of taking interest free loans from us and not paying back our principal. Before, the stealing was less overt.

I encourage everyone to reduce the need to earn and to engage in the Sharing Economy.

Not to spoil everyone's doomer arousing, but--- Gosh! What a bunch of wusses! IT COSTS 60-70 CENTS TO LIVE 1 DAY IN AMERICA. So chillax, those $28 newborn shoes or $5 pieces of paper in the form of a christmas card aren't that essential.

But... but... what will the neighbors think when I stop running to the mall twenty times a week??!!

What monthly rent is a person in America paying at 60-70 cents a day? What is that person eating? How about utilities (cooking the food, heating, water and sewer)? Is this person living in a tent, or in a shelter?

That person eats rice, beans, corn, corn/soy/canola oil and a multivitamin. Mostly. Rent? What rent? You need a warm,dry place to sleep. Sleeping bag will do just fine for most of US territory, if that.

SURE... do it yourself, GO... give up all the comfortable toys of civilization and go live in a forrest.

What does it mean when active LT Colonels in the National Guard are stockpiling ammunition?

As Kunstler stated today:

I have a very bad feeling about this winter. The purchase orders were cut off today at our school (about 6 months earlier than normal), because the state is facing another 200 million dollars in cuts. Oil is back up to nearly $80 and climbing. We are headed into winter with very little cushion around here.

This could be the winter of our discontent. Right on Schedule.