Oh well, I don't like malls anyway.

So I think I'll start the weekend with some miserable predictions from Gerald Celente. Nice, eh? Listen to the string of horrors he has on tap for us. 25% unemployment, civil unrest, food riots. And Ghost Malls. A phrase I find vaguely enticing - entire malls floating around the ether...with obnoxious ghost teens, and ghost early morning jog/walkers - and, of course, ghost Hot Dog on a Stick girls....Plus, as a bonus, Celente calls for the total collapse to occur in 2012. Which, as we know, the Mayans already have dibs on. It dovetails nicely with many a History channel apocalypse special. In a few grimmer moments last year I referred to Chicago Slim as not only the next American President - but the last American President. I'm in a much better mood now...but hey...I accept that the internets are forever - so I am stuck with my doom...

Celente is purported to have called previous crisis correctly. I don't know. I do know that his predictions makes more sense than the massive printing of dollars...at least from out here.

Conversely, things seem a wee bit better now then they were even a few weeks ago. (I judge the economy based on the availability of parking on Larchmont, a little, pricey, ma and pa boutique street in LA good for a bagel and a flirt. If I can park easily things are bad. I had a little trouble Tuesday...)

Also, I keep seeing "Most economics predict that we will come out of recession in late 2009." Based on recent experience "most economists" should not be trusted.