(Tia discusses recent fluctuations in the stock markets and the added anticipation of the coming of the end of century when things really get interesting. She next goes into depth about the Kosovo war after a Chinese embassy is bombed even though hostilities are soon to cease.) 

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(Tia says hi in Durondedun)

Russ: hi Tia,

Skip: hi babe.

Tia: hello. Hello, is this microphone working?

(Laura came to the session with a throat issues  and whispers something)

Tia: ahhh, you speak softly.

Laura: not by choice.

Tia: I understand. Okay, where do we start, where do we start? Markets, markets, markets and wild fluctuation and financial entertainment. Well for those of you who've been watching the markets with some interest and trepidation, you may be noticing that it has reached a plateau where it rose above 11,000 and hung there for a little while and dropped back down. The reason is that the economy is obviously going reasonably well, there is now currently some concern of the rising in the interest rate of the Fed, also the economic outlook is supposedly starting to slow and inflation is starting to increase. The policies that have been enacted for the past seven years are starting take a toll and are starting to cause fluctuation. However, I do not see it dropping back below 10,000 within the next few months, in fact I see it increasing and approaching the staggering figure of 12,000. Now if you've been watching the markets overseas, they are doing very much the same sort of thing of fluctuating and losing up to 2% of the value in one day and then regaining their losses gradually over a period of days where they reach a new high level whereupon they promptly drop back down below losing another 2 to 3% and then climbing its way back up to where it once was a few days prior. This is still a sign that the Asian flu is very much in appearance however in Asia it is starting to weaken its hold but there are more entertainment to come. As been referred to, July looks like an entertaining month. It is in my opinion a time where you will look back and say, "that's when it started, that's when the economic change started to occur". However, I mentioned the amazing figure of 12,000 on the Dow making that point and that is yet to come but will occur probably towards the end of the summer getting into the period of fall. Once it reaches fall, then the market will be worth watching with some great interest for the roller coaster ride that is to come. As we get closer to the end of the millennium and the year 2000 and the quote, unquote 2000 bug, that is going to also have some interesting effects on the gyrations of the economic markets overseas as well as your own country. There was a time long ago where one country did not affect another, now they all do as you have seen with the occurrences starting in Japan and Hong Kong and Shanghai working its way through Europe. How a domino effect, although gradual and uneven, does occur. Okay moving along to the more immediate matters at hand and the fiasco in the province of Kosovo, this area is undergoing some rather dramatic changes and it has been rumored that Slobodan Miloševic will be calling for a cease-fire here shortly. Now the fact that Apache helicopters have been sent to the area and the fact that they are so famed is also a political ploy on the part of NATO. These weapons are feared and rightly so however they can be unreliable as was seen in the Persian Gulf conflict. Another misconception that is floating around is the fact that the situation in Kosovo is a war. Has anybody seen a declaration of war? If I seem to recall correct with US policy, there cannot be a war without the declaration and a vote by the house and the senate. Has anybody heard of such a vote in either house?

Russ: no.

Skip: nope.

Tia: okay......yes?

Laura: I'm agreeing with you on that.

Tia: oh okay, I thought you were going to say something. You sound a little bit like a small horse.

Laura: like a what?

Tia: umm small horse, pony?

Laura: okay.

Tia: no, I've got it all wrong. I don't understand your wording phraseology sometimes.

Russ: she meant small pony, you sound a little horse.

Laura: sorry I'm blonde.

Tia: yes I noticed that but you are not blonde as in the usage that you are using it in.

Laura: I'm being silly.

Tia: ahh, okay I see. I am aware of what silly is, I can be silly too. Incy, wincy spider sat down on the pot..Incy, wincy spider really got......nevermind. Where was I? Oh yes, in a development that is about to occur in the situation with Kosovo, there is a lot of political jockeying going on and I hate to bring puns into horses and little ponies but there is jockeying going on for positioning in taking the credit of what is about to occur with the possible cessation of quote unquote hostilities and the withdrawal of the forces that are under Slobodan Miloševic. Now, getting back a little bit closer to the ground and the refugee crisis. The flow has seemed to have dropped dramatically recently which suggests one of two things. Either there aren't any more Albanians......ethnic Albanians left to leave the country or the fact that they feel safe. Whichever is the two possibilities gives rise for possible interesting conjecture. The one is that if they feel safe, then what do they feel safe from? Obviously not Slobodan Miloševic or another possibility that I've just thought of is that they're afraid to travel on the roads and if they're afraid to travel on the roads, why? Well just recently a lot of mishaps have happened with wrong targets, targets being hit that weren't supposed to be where they are such as the Chinese embassy incident which in itself opens up a can of worms which may be interesting to peruse at a much closer level when we have more time and opportunity. But, with the refugee problem ceasing to be a concern of crossing the border or as in quantities, the other possibility is that there aren't that many ethnic Albanians left to leave the country, then NATO has failed in its policies and if that is so, then why are they still involved in the situation where they've obviously failed? The reason why it's failing is that there are no clear objectives. To stop the hostilities towards the ethnic Albanians is not an objective, that is a part of the process. To make Slobodan Miloševic's forces withdraw, well that hasn't happened either. So the objectives are not being achieved because there is no clear, concise objective. Also the terrain in those areas that are being attacked by NATO air forces is a very hilly, difficult terrain so accuracy becomes a little bit more difficult and unfortunately I don't have the technical skill or data to be able to say exactly why the accuracy ratio is as low as it is. But, another factor that has to be conjectured is that with the deployment of the Apache helicopters and their feared reputation, then that will be triumphed as part of the reason of the withdrawal of the forces under Slobodan Miloševic. And our scribe's going to have a hell of a time translating all the Slobodan Miloševic's but unfortunately that's part of the report. Okay before I bounce out of here and go and play with the Cubs before they get time to go to sleep, any questions?