My new email is:  suningem@gmail.com (stands for sun in Gemini, my sun sign).

PLEASE NOTE: DO NOT ANSWER ANY EMAILS PURPORTEDLY FROM ME, UNLESS WE HAVE BEEN COMMUNICATING. SOME ONE IS SENDING “PHISHING” EMAILS, PRETENDING THEY’RE FROM “TIM STEPHENS.” IF YOU OPEN THESE, YOUR COMPUTER WILL BE INSTANTLY INFECTED.

All times/Dates are PDT – Pacific Daylight Time zone. PDT is eight hours before Greenwich England (BDT). For example when it is noon PDT it is 8 PM in England – and 4 AM the next day in China. The world clock in the right margin gives you some clues. You can also Google “time zone converter.”

If English is not your first language, you should be able to translate this blog into your own language by using Google’s translation app. Hopefully I will soon have this translation feature back on this blog.

START NOTHING:  

Before 3:11 am Sunday, 11:59 pm Monday to 5:33 am Tuesday, 12:08 pm Wednesday to 5:15 am Thursday, and 11:18 pm Friday to 4:24 am Saturday.

PREAMBLE:

For ten years now, the U.S. and other central banks have been “helicoptering” — pouring extra money into the system as wildly as if they were throwing it from helicopters. This — and keeping interest rates down — which has largely the same effect — has at least doubled the amount of money in circulation (M2). (Though much of this might be hoarded in billionaire bank accounts.) Normally this would lead to extreme inflation, yet inflation hasn’t arrived. What, then, has happened to all that extra money? To some degree it has gone directly to the billionaire class. It certainly has not gone to the working class, as wages are stagnant. (Just starting to pick up in the U.S.)

Nor has that extra money gone into commodities. Prices for food and oil and computers and cars have hardly risen in ten years.  Inflation has stayed below 1% in many nations. (There are inflation outliers such as Egypt, with 30+ % inflation last year.)

So what has happened to all that extra money sloshing around in, say, Europe and North America, and even worldwide? The answer is easy: real estate. The People, having their financial prospects tossed around like rag dolls by the billionaire class and their governments, have chosen real estate to soak up all those half-worth or quarter-worth dollars. Here, suddenly, we find inflation.

House prices in my city have tripled in 10 years. I bought a house in 2001 for $545K (and sold it in ’07 for $1.25M). Now, 17 years later, it’s worth $ 3 – 4 million — a six-fold to eight-fold increase. There must now be, on paper, a million millionaires in Metro Vancouver, since there is not one cruddy shack listed for sale below that threshold. Toronto, New York, Washington and California, same story. I was talking with a client some weeks ago who was fighting over a plot of farmland in a third-world country, poor, ravaged by violent factions, and threatened by ISIS and the Taliban. 110 acres. “How much is it worth?” I asked, expecting something around 50, maybe  a hundred thousand. “Three million dollars,” she said without hesitation. She meant U.S. dollars, if memory serves.

So that’s where all the money has gone, into inflated realty prices. The question, of course: will they crash? I certainly hope so, for my children’s sake. Meanwhile, our provincial government keeps minimum wages as low as possible. The minimum for established workers is $10.85 an hour — or  $1,736 a month, BEFORE taxes, etc. This entire sum is just enough to rent a basement suite in Vancouver’s “bad neighbourhoods” — providing you don’t eat, and walk to work naked.

But will the markets crash? Not, probably, as long as governments keep interest rates at 1% — which they are doing in Canada and Europe. (The U.S. is braver and healthier in this regard, attempting to raise rates, like a ten year old boy trying to lift an iron girder.) In Canada, they could raise rates to 3%, even 5%, and the economy might be shocked, but it would recover quickly, and be healthier. But if they did so, the real estate bubble — and it is a bubble, no matter what Poloz or other central bankers say — would collapse. This of course would hurt many homeowners, but it would also end the exiling of workers from cities,  and the increasing pressure on non-owners, who, like toothpaste squeezed from the tube, must go in one of two directions: to rural areas, or to skid row (the bottom ghetto).

Now, Canada’s government is terrified of crashing the very bubble they’ve created. Yet they don’t see the benefits of pricking this bubble. For example, if Canada would raise interest rates, the opioid/Fentanyl crisis would abate. (Too complex to explain why.) (Though admittedly heroin use long pre-dated our century — but this huge new crisis is an expression of the middle class’s despair.)

We can’t stay at 1% forever, but the longer we remain there, the bigger the potential collapse might be when the rate dam does break. As I said about 6 months ago, the entire structure of low interest rates might come crashing down in 2019 or ’20, world-wide.

The ironic thing is that real estate usually follows inflation, often with a lag of a year or more. In this case, real estate not only is leading inflation, it is the only inflation. (Other than health care, which is a real pit of greed. Health care workers and suppliers have gouged the public for decades — since the 1960’s — and regularly inflate their prices and their work. You inflate work by hiring two people to do one person’s job. You know, like the federal government. The public in Canada has been helpless to stop or slow this gouging, because it is done mostly behind closed doors, in collusion with health care’s best buddy, the government.)

***
Scorpio and Aquarius people (and sometimes Leo) are often plagued with constipation. Here’s a little trick: buy a small footstool, 10 inches to a foot (25-30 cm?) high and place it in front of your toilet. When you go, put your feet on the stool and lean back fully against the tank or cover until your buttocks slide forward a little. It won’t cure everything, but it can help.
***
ISIS is the new “going postal.”

WEEKLY FORECAST:

     ARIES:  March 21-April 19
Your money astuteness is growing. Chase it, ask for a pay raise, charge clients more, buy/sell, etc. Much communication about money now to June 6 — the same day starts four weeks of sweet money luck. (That day will also start 6 weeks of domestic friction and/or of the urge to buy a home. Two days later, 4 months of huge relationship — and relocation, and litigation, and “agreement” — luck also begins. It’s going to be an interesting, exciting, bountiful summer! One crucial hint: buy a home, okay, but DO NOT move into it before July 20.) Your energy and charisma soar upward Sun./Mon. Until Mon. noon (PDT) use your extra clout to solve problems, especially long-standing ones involving your status or career. After noon Mon., strike out for new horizons, conquests and friends. Chase money Tues./Wed. — you’ll get some, or at least the promise of some. Don’t start a new love affair this week before Thurs. noon. (This advice goes way back to April 28.) Still, sensual attractions will tempt you Tues./Wed. Communications, errands, travel, visits, paperwork and easy little chores fill Thurs./Fri. — but rather “heavy” events could occur in the midst of these mild two days. A partnership could break, dissolve. A career promise could be broken. An attempt at communication (especially with an authority or boss) could be rebuffed. Ah, well. Roll with the punches. Saturday’s for a nice, long, deep rest in the cool arms of your home and family.

      TAURUS:  April 20-May 20
Retreat Sun./Mon., be restful, contemplate and plan. Monday, after noon (PDT) is a good time to contact the government or institutions. Avoid a legal or philosophical argument earlier Mon. Your energy and charisma surge upward Tues./Wed. Do three things (try ‘em in this order): communicate, especially about money or love; work to make a (medium-level) wish come true or dive into a social situation; and lastly, before Wed. noon (PDT) speak/write to a lawyer, teacher, or professional. You might, Tues./Wed., meet someone you love or want to love. DON’T bite. Instead, wait until AFTER Thurs. noon to chase anyone. (Break no laws!) (Earlier formation would yield “immediate love” and “eventual headache.”) Chase money, buy/sell, butter up the boss or clients, have a garage sale, etc., Thurs./Fri. — your luck is mixed, but most things go well. Errands, paperwork, communications, visits and short tips fill Saturday — no problems! All week (and all May) money gushes toward you — bank it or pay down debt. Many Taureans are “in conflict” with a government agency. Hopefully this isn’t a tax issue. This was partially solved a week ago or so; and if you work at it, should be fully resolved by early June.

     GEMINI:  May 21-June 20
Your energy and charisma, at last, soar upward! Many Gemini men have noticed women giving them an extra look or squeezing their hand over the last 30 days. That’s because Mars has been in Gemini. If you were born after June 10, that “female attention” is still to come, sometime before June 4. (This of course gives the lie to the age-old assertion that men want sex, and women flee it. When women sense Mars, they chase it.) Wishes can come true Sun./Mon. — pursue one or two, and be social, soak up your new popularity, but DON’T FLIRT with anyone you’re not already in bed with. This advice holds until Thurs. noon, as Venus (your planet of love) is assaulted once again, as it was most of April. In the present case, if you start a new love now through Thurs. morning, sex will be denied — or love will. Retreat, rest, research, contemplate and plan future projects/actions Tues./Wed. It’s an easy, smooth interval. Your charisma and clout rise another notch Thurs./Fri. Start projects, make contacts, approach people and chores which formerly intimidated you. Best times (PDT): Thurs. after 10 am to 2 am Fri., and 10 pm to 11 pm Fri.  Saturday’s for shopping (exotic fruit) garage sales, chasing/making money — all’s well.

     CANCER:  June 21-July 22
Lie low for four weeks, Cancer. Rest, meditate and contemplate, deal with government agencies, institutions, head office, make plans, be spiritual and charitable — especially Thurs./Fri. Early June (9th) might spark a lucky real-estate/home search. If you haven’t in the last 8 months, the 4 ahead give you splendid opportunities (best in a decade) to sell/buy or acquire real estate, perform major renovations, etc. Your family will heal, you’ll probably feel more secure than you have in many years. Be ambitious Sun./Mon. — greet bosses or VIPs, display your talents, but if you’re contemplating taking on a huge project, remember that you’ll be weary until late June. (On the other hand, the time until then is superb for setting up the structure, planning, etc.) Avoid a Monday morning disagreement. A wish could come true Tues./Wed. Despite your “hermit mode,” some friends will connect, and lure you out to a small shot of happiness. All week, culminating Thurs. morning, a partner or spouse will feel uncomfortable with your home-realty focus. If so, wait until Fri./Sat. to discuss it. Your energy sinks to a two-day low Thurs./Fri., so don’t push. But do tackle neglected chores — you can accomplish a good amount. Your energy and charisma rise mildly Sat. — get out, cruise the neighbourhood.

     LEO:  July 23-Aug. 22
This is wish-come-true time, Leo, to June 20. You’ll find happiness, you could start a new, light love affair, your popularity will climb, your heart will fill with optimism. Get out, be on stage, show off — and show all your friends how pleased you are with them. This week, Thurs./Fri. will stand out as most happy. Still, until Thurs. noon, avoid chasing new love, especially with a co-worker, and avoid pushing bosses, parents, VIPs. (Result would be their silent withdrawal of support.) Sunday/Monday bring legal affairs, gentle love, international themes, far travel, intellectual pursuits and publishing in any form. Your luck’s mostly good in these, except the few hours before noon Mon. (Precisely 11:44 am PDT.) Be ambitious Tues./Wed. — you can impress the boss with your ideas/communication Tues., and can gain the co-operation of co-workers Wed. (But remember, NO co-worker romance — it’s a non-starter now.) For Thurs./Fri., re-read the first two sentences above. A wish could come true; a new love could form, a friendly, light one. Someone who is serious, conservative about love, could agree to marry.

     VIRGO:  Aug. 23-Sept. 22
The general emphasis for the 4 weeks ahead, Virgo, lies on your ambitions, your career scene, prestige relations and neighbourhood reputation. These will be doubly-accented Thurs./Fri., so you might be wise to prepare a presentation or project start, then show it, maybe launch it, Thurs. noon to 2 am Fri. (all PDT). All May and the first week of June, bosses will be impatient, temperamental — just grin and bear it, for these bosses won’t hold a grudge; in fact, they can forgive you mere minutes after blaming you. The same period offers you an opportunity to gain equity in your employer’s firm, or to invest in your own success (e.g., buy a business, or equipment for it). So much depends on temperament and approach. A sincere, warm (or happy) smile works wonders. Sunday/Monday offer you this opportunity, and encourage you generally to invest, reduce debt, change your lifestyle or occupation (rare) seek medical answers, and/or spin a web of intimacy around you and another. Careful Mon. noon-ish, when love might be prickly and creative projects are stymied. A gentle, wise mood floats over you Tues./Wed. — a superb 2 days. I urge you to chase/perform far travel, higher education, intellectual gals, international and/or legal/ethical affairs. But DO NOT chase love any time this week before late morning Thurs. (You’d land someone you couldn’t marry, and who would erode your income.) Be ambitious Thurs./Fri. Best time: noon Thurs. to 2 am Fri. You could land a better-paying job, or otherwise smartly improve your earnings potential. Saturday’s for casual friends, trips, calls, paperwork and errands. All’s well.

     LIBRA:  Sept. 23-Oct. 22
Until early October, Libra, lucky Jupiter travels through your sign. This imbues you with optimism, friendliness and good luck. You might also undertake an international journey, attend school, publish, advertise, dig into legalities or social ethics/structures, or find gentle, profound love. If you’re a student, teachers/profs will applaud! All these themes are emphasized now to June 20. Your luck is good, solid; your mind is alert, fair; and your heart is cheerful, welcoming. You could fall in love or meet your life mate — Aries, Gemini stand out, and Leo, Sage “qualify,” but take care with Aquarians, until next year (2018) ends. BUT don’t look for or accept a new love this week before Thurs. noon (PDT) — it would crash on the rocks of home and/or career. Nevertheless, April 22 to June 3, if you’re single, is very likely to bring you a potential life-mate. Sunday/Monday emphasize relationships. Be co-operative, flexible, willing to jump on another person’s band wagon. Most propitious time: Mon. pm. Secrets, sex, large finances, medical diagnosis, research, lifestyle decisions, commitment and consequence fill Tues./Wed., in the luckiest way, short-term. Long-term, in money and sex, results will disappoint. So stick to research, etc. The month’s themes of learning, travel, and profound thought coalesce or crystallize Thurs./Fri. You might meet someone very alluring, especially Fri. pm, but this person is very cautious: he/she feels no one will love them. Once burned, etc.

     SCORPIO:  Oct. 23-Nov. 21
The main accent, Scorpio, lies in an area you naturally gravitate to, and are skilled in: sex, finances, therapy, research, detective work, occultism, et al. These themes will reach a peak Thurs./Fri. In some ways, these “activities” need a partner or advisor — however, don’t even contemplate co-operation or partnership before Thurs. noon (PDT) as it just won’t exist (or if it seems to exist, take care, it could be false). Dive into chores Sun./Mon. — you’ll succeed. Dress, eat and sleep sensibly. Relationships, opportunities, fresh horizons and relocation prospects, dealings with the public (from being a store clerk to a rock star) and contracts, negotiations and/or litigation — these pop up Tues./Wed., and again, success looks very possible. But again, partnerships won’t work. Thursday/Fri. bring a peak in sexual, financial, research and occult zones. Everything will fail (sooner or later) if you act before 10 am PDT. Afterwards, Thurs. pm and Fri. early morn, your sexual or financial luck soars. Friday eve/night is serious, quiet, might knit a sexual or financial relationship tighter. Saturday’s smooth, easy — intellectual, love, international, legal, cultural and similar goals are within reach.

     SAGITTARIUS:  Nov. 22-Dec. 21
The four weeks ahead emphasize relationships, marriage, contracts and agreements, relocation, fresh horizons and opportunities. Relations are intense, and you’re dealing with someone (or ones) who aren’t impressed by your hair-trigger temper or your bravado — so leave the temper in your sports locker. This sounds negative, but in fact you might meet someone (Gemini? Libra? Aries?) who could be a lively (perhaps volatile) romantic and brave lover, but a lover who is more a mate, and might become one. One caution: despite what I’m saying here, DO NOT start a new love before noon Thurs. (PDT). Something secret stands between you, and will wreck intimacy in the long run. (In fact, someone who rejects you now is doing you a favour.) Still — past this Thurs. morn — a surprising meeting might lead, sooner (more likely than later) to bliss, marriage, etc! Sunday/Monday are for romance (not good long-term with someone brand new) beauty, pleasure, creative and speculative urges. You end, Mon. night, on a note of sober hopefulness — a true note. Dive into chores, employment affairs, machinery purchases, dealing with service personnel and health cures, Tues./Wed. Both days are super-productive, so charge ahead! Relationships confront you Thurs./Fri. Thursday morning is difficult: any alliance formed will later break. (If romancing, you could meet a sadist.) But Thurs. pm could bring a new attraction, or intensify an ongoing link; so could Fri. daytime and nighttime. Sage, get out, mingle, seek others. But be co-operative, not forceful. Your love future looks like an adventure novel.

     CAPRICORN:  Dec. 22-Jan. 19
The month ahead emphasizes work, duties, service personnel, dependents, machinery — and your daily health. In other words, drudgery! Ah, well, just dive in and get it done. Eat, dress sensibly. Your work pace intensifies until June 4, then abates. Your family remains affectionate, supportive. A wee streak of romance, mostly “communication,” will add some relief to all that work. Two benefits: 1) the work will be more creative/enjoyable than in recent months; 2) work performed now creates a direct line to promotion — which could come by October.  Be near home, embrace your family Sun./Mon. — all’s well, but take a little care Monday forenoon (PDT) to avoid being domineering. Rest, think. Romance brings a “relief interval” Tues./Wed. If you’re with an ongoing love, pleasure and paradise are in the air! But DON’T start a new love, form a new attraction, before Thurs. noon — it would decline into “cruelty.” Thursday/Friday bring a pile of chores and employment concerns, and might bring a new job. Take care before 10 am (PDT) Thurs., but charge ahead this noon to 2 am Fri. A promotion or pay raise might be at stake! If buying tools, machines, do it Fri. Saturday brings relationships, challenges and opportunities, fresh air and new horizons. Everything’s fine — seek agreement with a Pisces or Virgo.

     AQUARIUS:  Jan. 20-Feb. 18
The weeks ahead emphasize beauty, pleasure, adventure, risk (and winning) sports/games, children’s talents, creative urges, and romance. These will be doubly emphasized Thurs./Fri., when a new romance might begin for singles (one that could eventually lead to a wedding). (NOTE: DO NOT start a new love affair before Thurs. noon.) All these, love, sports, etc., will be intense until June 4, then will take a more leisurely path. Your home’s very active now and friends remain affectionate. Sunday/Monday bring errands, easy chores, casual friends, travel and communications. All’s well, but avoid gossip or sharing your secrets just before noon (PDT) Mon. Be home, at least in your thoughts, Tues./Wed. This splendid little interval opens the door for you, to real estate luck, family happiness, good landscaping or renovation/repair projects, etc. A great time to start children’s education savings plans, or your own retirement fund, to scout a vacation or retirement home, etc. Great for spring cleaning — and for obtaining agreement with a neighbour. Romance, beauty, pleasure, creativity and talented kids — these flow in Thurs./Fri. — but “danger” exists Thurs. morning, so act later. This pm can start a lucky new love, or give wings to an ongoing one — IF you make the effort/approach. Friday’s very similar, though any “acceptance” or merging of souls Fri. night will be a sober, serious affair. Tackle chores and protect your health Sat. — all’s well.

     PISCES:  Feb. 19 – March 20
The weeks ahead focus on your home, family, security, nature, soul and stomach. Be restful, think, mildly adjust future plans, hug the kids, look for a new residence if you’re contemplating moving (but don’t move into a new place before June 4). You’re eager to spend money on your domicile. You can also make money from it — garage sale, garden sale, etc. Pisces landscapers/gardeners will have a banner month. Be gentle on the home front: smooth feathers rather than lashing out. Many calls, errands. Your money picture still looks good, to June 5 — especially this Sun./Mon., when earnings, buying/selling and possessions are emphasized. Chase dollars, cultivate clients, etc. but pause around the 10 am to noon (PDT) slot Mon., when you might be alienating someone without knowing it. Errands, calls, trips, messages, paperwork and details fill Tues./Wed. — two excellent days for making contacts, reaching out, seeking happy horizons. Thursday and Friday bring what the month ahead is all about: home, security, kids, nature. Be careful Thurs. morn, when wishful thinking about money can trigger loss (tho’ a small one). But this pm offers great good luck — you could profitably invest in a home, or in companies who provide food or shelter. Friday’s similar, but milder. Passion, romance, beauty and pleasure call you Saturday — why not answer?

The End.