December 6 is the 340th day of the year (341st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 25 days remaining until the end of the year.

Events[link]

• 1060 – Béla I of Hungary is crowned king of Hungary.
• 1240 – Mongol invasion of Rus': Kiev under Danylo of Halych and Voivode Dmytro falls to the Mongols under Batu Khan.
• 1534 – The city of Quito in Ecuador is founded by Spanish settlers led by Sebastián de Belalcázar.
• 1648 – Colonel Pride of the New Model Army purges the Long Parliament of MPs sympathetic to King Charles I of England, in order for the King's trial to go ahead; came to be known as "Pride's Purge".
• 1704 – Battle of Chamkaur.
• 1745 – Charles Edward Stuart's army begins retreat during the second Jacobite Rising.
• 1768 – The first edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica is published.
• 1790 – The U.S. Congress moves from New York City to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
• 1865 – The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, banning slavery.
• 1877 – The first edition of the Washington Post is published.
• 1877 – Thomas Edison, using his new phonograph, makes one of the earliest recordings of a human voice, reciting "Mary Had a Little Lamb".
• 1884 – The Washington Monument in Washington D.C. is completed.
• 1897 – London becomes the world's first city to host licensed taxicabs.
• 1904 –Theodore Roosevelt announced his "Corollary" to the Monroe Doctrine, stating that the United States would intervene in the Western Hemisphere should Latin American governments prove incapable or unstable.
• 1907 – A coal mine explosion at Monongah, West Virginia kills 362 workers.
• 1916 – World War I: The Central Powers capture Bucharest.
• 1917 – Finland declares independence from Russia.
• 1917 – Halifax Explosion: In Canada, a munitions explosion kills more than 1,900 people and destroys part of the City of Halifax, Nova Scotia.
• 1917 – World War I: USS Jacob Jones is the first American destroyer to be sunk by enemy action when it is torpedoed by German submarine SM U-53.
• 1921 – The Anglo-Irish Treaty is signed in London by British and Irish representatives.
• 1922 – One year to the day after the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, the Irish Free State comes into existence.
• 1928 – The government of Colombia sends military forces to suppress a month-long strike by United Fruit Company workers, resulting in an unknown number of deaths.
• 1933 – U.S. federal judge John M. Woolsey rules that the James Joyce's novel Ulysses is not obscene.
• 1941 – World War II: The United Kingdom declares war on Finland in support of the Soviet Union during the Continuation War.
• 1947 – The Everglades National Park in Florida is dedicated.
• 1956 – A violent water polo match between Hungary and the USSR takes place during the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, against the backdrop of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution.
• 1957 – Project Vanguard: A launchpad explosion of Vanguard TV3 thwarts the first United States attempt to launch a satellite into Earth orbit.
• 1965 – Pakistan's Islamic Ideology Advisory Committee recommends that Islamic Studies be made a compulsory subject for Muslim students from primary to graduate level.
• 1967 – Adrian Kantrowitz performed the first human heart transplant in the United States.
• 1969 – Meredith Hunter is killed by the Hells Angels during a The Rolling Stones's concert at the Altamont Speedway in California.
• 1971 – Pakistan severs diplomatic relations with India following New Delhi's recognition of Bangladesh.
• 1973 – The Twenty-fifth Amendment: The United States House of Representatives votes 387 to 35 to confirm Gerald Ford as Vice President of the United States (on November 27, the Senate confirmed him 92 to 3).
• 1975 – Balcombe Street Siege: An IRA Active Service Unit takes a couple hostage in Balcombe Street, London.
• 1977 – South Africa grants independence to Bophuthatswana, although it is not recognized by any other country.
• 1978 – Spain approves its latest constitution in a referendum.
• 1982 – Droppin Well bombing: The Irish National Liberation Army detonate a bomb in Ballykelly, Northern Ireland, killing eleven British soldiers and six civilians.
• 1988 – The Australian Capital Territory is granted self-government.
• 1989 – The École Polytechnique Massacre (or Montreal Massacre): Marc Lépine, an anti-feminist gunman, murders 14 young women at the École Polytechnique in Montreal.
• 1991 – In Croatia, forces of the Yugoslav People's Army bombard Dubrovnik after laying siege to the city since May.
• 1992 – The Babri Mosque in Ayodhya, India is demolished, leading to widespread riots causing the death of over 1500 people.
• 1997 – A Russian Antonov An-124 cargo plane crashes into an apartment complex near Irkutsk, Siberia, killing 67.
• 2001 – The Canadian province of Newfoundland is renamed Newfoundland and Labrador.
• 2005 – Several villagers are shot dead during protests in Dongzhou, China.
• 2005 – An Iranian Air Force C-130 military transport aircraft crashes into a ten-floor apartment building in a residential area of Tehran, killing all 84 on board and 44 more civilians.
• 2006 – NASA reveals photographs taken by Mars Global Surveyor suggesting the presence of liquid water on Mars.
• 2008 – The 2008 Greek riots break out upon the killing of a 15-year-old boy, Alexandros Grigoropoulos, by a police officer.

Births[link]

• 846 – Hasan al-Askari, Shia Imam (d. 874)
• 1285 – King Ferdinand IV of Castile (d. 1312)
• 1421 – King Henry VI of England (d. 1471)
• 1478 – Baldassare Castiglione, Italian diplomat and author (d. 1529)
• 1550 – Orazio Vecchi, Italian composer (baptism) (d. 1605)
• 1586 – Niccolò Zucchi, Italian astronomer (d. 1670)
• 1608 – George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle, English soldier (d. 1670)
• 1637 – Sir Edmund Andros, English governor in North America (d. 1714)
• 1640 – Claude Fleury, French historian (d. 1723)
• 1642 – Johann Christoph Bach, German composer (d. 1703)
• 1685 – Marie-Adélaïde of Savoy, mother of Louis XV of France (d. 1712)
• 1721 – James Elphinston, British philologist (d. 1809)
• 1721 – Guillaume-Chrétien de Lamoignon de Malesherbes, French statesman (d. 1794)
• 1752 – Gabriel Duvall, American jurist, and Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court (d. 1844)
• 1778 – Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac, French physicist and chemist (d. 1850)
• 1792 – King William II of the Netherlands (d. 1849)
• 1805 – Adolf Reubke, German organ builder (d. 1875)
• 1805 – Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin, French magician (d. 1861)
• 1812 – Robert Spear Hudson, English businessman (d. 1884)
• 1823 – Friedrich Max Müller, German orientalist (d. 1900)
• 1833 – John S. Mosby, American Civil War figure (d. 1916)
• 1841 – Frédéric Bazille, French painter (d. 1870)
• 1849 – August von Mackensen, German field marshal (d. 1945)
• 1853 – Haraprasad Shastri, Indian scholar and historian (d. 1931)
• 1863 – Charles Martin Hall, American chemist (d. 1914)
• 1872 – Arthur Henry Adams, Australian writer (d. 1936)
• 1872 – William S. Hart, American actor (d. 1946)
• 1875 – Evelyn Underhill, British poet (d. 1941)
• 1876 – Fred Duesenberg, German-born American automobile maker (d. 1932)
• 1886 – Joyce Kilmer, American poet (d. 1918)
• 1887 – Joseph Lamb, American ragtime composer (d. 1960)
• 1887 – Lynn Fontanne, British-American actress (d. 1983)
• 1888 – Will Hay, English comedian and actor (d. 1949)
• 1890 – Dion Fortune, British occultist (d. 1946)
• 1890 – Yoshio Nishina, Japanese physicist (d. 1951)
• 1890 – Rudolf Schlichter, German artist and writer (d. 1955)
• 1892 – Sir Osbert Sitwell, British author (d. 1969)
• 1896 – Ira Gershwin, American lyricist (d. 1983)
• 1898 – Alfred Eisenstaedt, German-born American photojournalist (d. 1995)
• 1898 – Gunnar Myrdal, Swedish economist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Economics (d. 1987)
• 1900 – Agnes Moorehead, American actress (d. 1974)
• 1903 – Tony Lazzeri, American baseball player (d. 1946)
• 1904 – Ève Curie, French writer (d. 2007)
• 1908 – Pierre Graber, Swiss Federal Councilor (d. 2003)
• 1908 – Baby Face Nelson, American bank robber (d. 1934)
• 1909 – Rulon Jeffs, American religious leader (d. 2002)
• 1913 – Karl Haas, German-American music educator (d. 2005)
• 1913 – Eleanor Holm, American swimmer (d. 2004)
• 1916 – Hugo Peretti, American songwriter and record producer (d. 1986)
• 1916 – Kristján Eldjárn, Icelandic museum curator and politician (d. 1982)
• 1917 – Kamal Jumblatt, Lebanese leader of the Lebanese Druze (d. 1977)
• 1917 – Irv Robbins, Canadian-born American entrepreneur (d. 2008)
• 1919 – Paul de Man, Belgian literary critic (d. 1983)
• 1920 – Dave Brubeck, American pianist and composer
• 1920 – George Porter, British chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 2002)
• 1921 – Otto Graham, American football player (d. 2003)
• 1921 – Piero Piccioni, Italian musician and composer (d. 2004)
• 1922 – John Brunt, English soldier, Victoria Cross holder (d. 1944)
• 1922 – Benjamin A. Gilman, American politician
• 1924 – Wally Cox, American actor (d. 1973)
• 1928 – Bobby Van, American singer (d. 1980)
• 1929 – Nikolaus Harnoncourt, German conductor
• 1929 – Frank Springer, American comics artist
• 1929 – Alain Tanner, Swiss filmmaker
• 1930 – Daniel Lisulo, Zambian Prime Minister of Zambia
• 1931 – Zeki Müren, Turkish, singer, actor, and composer (d. 1996)
• 1932– Kamleshwar.Indian writer.(d.2007)
• 1933 – Henryk Górecki, Polish composer (d. 2010)
• 1934 – Nick Bockwinkel, American professional wrestler
• 1935 – Jean Lapointe, Quebec singer and senator
• 1936 – Kenneth Copeland, American televangelist
• 1936 – David Ossman, American comedian
• 1937 – Alberto Spencer, Ecuadorian footballer (d. 2006)
• 1938 – Patrick Bauchau, Belgian actor
• 1940 – Lawrence Bergman, Quebec politician
• 1940 – Richard Edlund, American special effects photographer
• 1941 – Richard Speck, American murderer (d. 1991)
• 1941 – Bill Thomas, American politician
• 1942 – Peter Handke, Austrian writer
• 1945 – Larry Bowa, American baseball player and manager
• 1945 – Dan Harrington, American poker player
• 1945 – Shekhar Kapur, Indian filmmaker
• 1946 – Frankie Beverly, American singer-songwriter and record producer
• 1946 – Willy van der Kuijlen, Dutch footballer
• 1947 – Lawrence Cannon, Canadian politician
• 1947 – Miroslav Vitous, Czech jazz musician
• 1947 – Henk van Woerden, Dutch painter and writer (d. 2005)
• 1948 – Marius Müller-Westernhagen, German actor and musician
• 1948 – Don Nickles, American politician
• 1948 – Keke Rosberg, Finnish race car driver
• 1948 – JoBeth Williams, American actress
• 1949 – Linda Creed, American songwriter (d. 1986)
• 1949 – Doug Marlette, American editorial cartoonist (d. 2007)
• 1949 – Gregory Venables, British Anglican bishop
• 1950 – Joe Hisaishi, Japanese composer
• 1950 – Sonia Manzano, American actress and writer
• 1950 – Karlheinz Subklewe, German footballer
• 1951 – Gerry Francis, English football player and manager
• 1952 – Ric Charlesworth, Australian field hockey player
• 1952 – Craig Newmark, American internet entrepreneur
• 1953 – Tom Hulce, American actor
• 1953 – Gary Ward, American baseball player
• 1953 – Gary Goodman, Australian cricket player
• 1953 – Kin Shriner, American actor
• 1953 – Masami Kurumada, Japanese manga artist
• 1955 – Rick Buckler, British drummer (The Jam)
• 1955 – Steven Wright, American comedian
• 1956 – Peter Buck, American guitarist (R.E.M.)
• 1956 – Randy Rhoads, American guitarist (d. 1982)
• 1957 – Adrian Borland, English musician (The Sound) (d. 1999)
• 1958 – Nick Park, British filmmaker and animator
• 1959 – Satoru Iwata, Japanese video game industry executive
• 1961 – David Lovering, American drummer (Pixies)
• 1961 – Manuel Reuter, German race car driver
• 1962 – Janine Turner, American actress
• 1963 – Ulrich Thomsen, Danish actor
• 1965 – Gordon Durie, Scottish footballer
• 1966 – Natascha Badmann, Swiss triathlete
• 1967 – Hacken Lee, Hong Kong singer
• 1967 – Judd Apatow, American film director, and screenwriter
• 1967 – Lucia Rijker, Dutch boxer and actress
• 1969 – Torri Higginson, Canadian actress
• 1970 – Isabelle Arnould, Belgian swimmer
• 1970 – Jeff Rouse, American swimmer
• 1970 – Adrian Fenty, American politician
• 1970 – Ulf Ekberg, Swedish musician (Ace of Base)
• 1970 – Michaela Schaffrath, German actress
• 1971 – José Contreras, Cuban baseball player
• 1971 – Richard Krajicek, Dutch tennis player
• 1971 – Naozumi Takahashi, Japanese voice actor
• 1971 – Carole Thate, Dutch field hockey player
• 1971 – Ryan White, American AIDS victim (d. 1990)
• 1972 – Heather Mizeur, American politician
• 1972 – Monica Santa Maria, Peruvian model and TV host (Nubeluz) (d. 1994)
• 1972 – Rick Short, American baseball player
• 1974 – Jens Pulver, American mixed martial artist
• 1974 – Nick Stajduhar, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1975 – Noel Clarke, English actor and writer
• 1976 – Colleen Haskell, American television personality
• 1976 – Alicia Machado, Venezuelan actress and former Miss Universe
• 1976 – Lindsay Price, American actress
• 1977 – Kevin Cash, American baseball player
• 1977 – Andrew Flintoff, English cricketer
• 1977 – Paul McVeigh, Irish footballer
• 1978 – K. D. Aubert, American actress
• 1978 – Chris Basak, American baseball player
• 1978 – Darrell Jackson, American football player
• 1978 – Ramiro Pez, Argentine-born Italian rugby player
• 1979 – Tim Cahill, Australian footballer
• 1979 – Yanina González, Paraguayan model
• 1980 – Steve Lovell, British footballer
• 1980 – Ehren Wassermann, American baseball player
• 1982 – Ryan Carnes, American actor
• 1982 – Alberto Contador, Spanish cyclist
• 1982 – Sean Ervine, Zimbabwean cricketer
• 1982 – Susie Stoddart, Scottish racing driver
• 1984 – Syndric Steptoe, American football player
• 1985 – Shannon Bobbitt, American basketball player
• 1985 – Aristeidis Grigoriadis, Greek swimmer
• 1985 – Dulce María, Mexican actress and singer
• 1985 – Rudra Pratap Singh, Indian cricketer
• 1986 – Georgia Horsley, English model
• 1986 – Matt Niskanen, American ice hockey player
• 1988 – Sandra Nurmsalu, Estonian musician
• 1988 – Nils Petersen, German footballer
• 1989 – Felix Schiller, German footballer
• 1990 – Tamira Paszek, Austrian tennis player
• 1995 – Joy Gruttmann, German singer
• 1996 – Stefanie Scott, American actress
• 2000 – Pablo Nicolás Urdangarín y de Borbón, Spanish royal

Deaths[link]

• 343 – Saint Nicholas (b. 270)
• 1185 – King Afonso I of Portugal (b. 1109)
• 1352 – Pope Clement VI (b. 1291)
• 1562 – Jan van Scorel Dutch painter and architect (b. 1495)
• 1618 – Jacques-Davy Duperron, French cardinal (b. 1556)
• 1658 – Baltasar Gracián y Morales, Spanish writer (b. 1601)
• 1672 – King John II Casimir of Poland (b. 1609)
• 1675 – John Lightfoot, English churchman (b. 1602)
• 1716 – Benedictus Buns, Dutch Carmelite and composer (b. 1642)
• 1718 – Nicholas Rowe, English poet and dramatist (b. 1674)
• 1746 – Lady Grizel Baillie, Scottish songwriter (b. 1665)
• 1771 – Giovanni Battista Morgagni, Italian anatomist (b. 1682)
• 1779 – Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin, French painter (b. 1699)
• 1788 – Jonathan Shipley, British bishop and politician (b. 1714)
• 1855 – William John Swainson, English naturalist and artist (b. 1789)
• 1867 – Jean Pierre Flourens, French physician (b. 1794)
• 1868 – August Schleicher, German linguist (b. 1821)
• 1878 – Theodoros Vryzakis, Greek artist (b. 1814)
• 1879 – Erastus Brigham Bigelow, American industrialist (b. 1814)
• 1882 – Anthony Trollope, British author (b. 1815)
• 1882 – Alfred Escher, Swiss politician and railroad entrepreneur (b. 1819)
• 1889 – Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America (b. 1808)
• 1892 – Ernst Werner von Siemens, German inventor and industrialist (b. 1816)
• 1924 – Gene Stratton-Porter, American author, screenwriter and naturalist (b. 1863)
• 1934 – Duke Charles Michael of Mecklenburg, head of the House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (b. 1863)
• 1949 – Leadbelly, American musician (b. 1888)
• 1951 – Harold Ross, American magazine editor (b. 1892)
• 1955 – Honus Wagner, American baseball player (b. 1874)
• 1956 – B. R. Ambedkar, social reformer and architect of the Constitution of India (b. 1891)
• 1961 – Frantz Fanon, West Indian psychiatrist and writer (b. 1925)
• 1964 – Evert van Linge, Dutch footballer (b. 1895)
• 1964 – Consuelo Vanderbilt, American socialite (b. 1877)
• 1972 – Janet Munro, British actress (b. 1934)
• 1976 – João Goulart, President of Brazil (b. 1918)
• 1982 – Jean-Marie Seroney, Kenyan politician (b. 1927)
• 1983 – Lucienne Boyer, French singer (b. 1903)
• 1985 – Burr Tillstrom, American puppeteer (b. 1917)
• 1988 – Roy Orbison, American singer, guitarist, and songwriter (b. 1936)
• 1989 – Frances Bavier, American actress (b. 1902)
• 1989 – Sammy Fain, American popular music composer (b. 1902)
• 1989 – John Payne, American actor (b. 1912)
• 1990 – Pavlos Sidiropoulos, Greek singer and songwriter (b. 1948)
• 1990 – Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia's first prime minister (b.1903)
• 1991 – Sir Richard Stone, British economist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1913)
• 1991 – Mimi Smith, maternal aunt and guardian of John Lennon (b. 1906)
• 1993 – Don Ameche, American actor (b. 1908)
• 1994 – Heinz Baas, German footballer (b. 1922)
• 1996 – Pete Rozelle, commissioner of the National Football League (b. 1926)
• 1997 – Willy den Ouden, Dutch freestyle swimmer. (b. 1918)
• 1998 – César Baldaccini, French sculptor. (b. 1921)
• 2000 – Werner Klemperer, German actor (b. 1920)
• 2000 – Aziz Mian, Pakistani singer (b. 1942)
• 2001 – Sir Peter Blake, New Zealand sailor and environmentalist (b. 1948)
• 2001 – Charles McClendon, Hall of Fame college football coach (b. 1923)
• 2002 – Philip Berrigan, American civil rights activist (b. 1923)
• 2003 – Hans Hotter, German bass-baritone (b. 1909)
• 2003 – Carlos Manuel Arana Osorio, President of Guatemala (b. 1918)
• 2003 – Jerry Tuite, American professional wrestler (b. 1966)
• 2004 – Raymond Goethals, Belgian football coach (b. 1921)
• 2005 – William P. Yarborough, Lieutenant General of the US Army and designer of "jump wings" (b. 1912)
• 2005 – Charly Gaul, Luxembourger cyclist (b. 1932)
• 2005 – Devan Nair, 3rd President of Singapore (b. 1923)
• 2005 – Danny Williams, South African singer (b. 1942)
• 2006 – John Feeney, New Zealand documentary film-director (b. 1922)
• 2006 – Betty Moschona, Greek actress (b. 1927)
• 2007 – Katy French, Irish supermodel and socialite (b. 1983)
• 2010 – Mark Dailey, Canadian television journalist and announcer (b. 1953)

Holidays and observances[link]

• Anniversary of the Founding of Quito (Ecuador)
• Christian Feast Day:
  • Abraham of Kratia
  • Aemilianus (Roman Catholic Church)
  • Nicholas of Myra
• Christkind traditionally gives Christmas gifts on this day. (Central and Southern Europe)
• Constitution Day (Spain)
• Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Finland from Russia in 1917.
• National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women (Canada)
• Saint Nicholas Day, where St. Nicholas/Santa Claus leaves little presents in children's shoes. (International)

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: December 6

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada

The neutrality of this article is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until the dispute is resolved. (December 2011)

Gerald Celente (born November 29, 1946) is an American trend forecaster,^[1][2] publisher of the Trends Journal, business consultant^[3] and author who makes predictions about the global financial markets and other events of historical importance. Celente has described himself as a "political atheist" and "citizen of the world".^[4] He has appeared as a guest on television news shows such as The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Today Show, Good Morning America, CBS Morning News, The Glenn Beck Show, NBC Nightly News, The Alex Jones Show and Russia Today.^[5][6][7]

Background[link]

Celente was born in The Bronx, New York City, New York. He had early political experience running a mayoral campaign in Yonkers, New York and served as executive assistant to the secretary of the New York State Senate, which Celente called the worst job he ever had.^[8] From 1973 to 1979 Celente traveled between Chicago and Washington D.C. as a government affairs specialist.^[8] In 1980 Celente founded The Trends Research Institute (at first called the Socio-Economic Research Institute of America), now located in Kingston, New York, publisher of the Trends Journal which forecasts and analyzes business, socioeconomic, political, and other trends.^[9]

Forecasting[link]

His forecasts since 1993 ^[10] have included predictions about terrorism, economic collapses and war. More recent forecasts involve fascism in the United States, food riots and tax revolts.^{[3][11][12][13][14][15]} Celente has long predicted global anti-Americanism, a failing economy and immigration woes in the U.S.^[11] In December 2007 Celente wrote, "Failing banks, busted brokerages, toppled corporate giants, bankrupt cities, states in default, foreign creditors cashing out of US securities ... whatever the spark, the stage is set for panic in the streets" and "Just as the Twin Towers collapsed from the top down, so too will the U.S. economy ... when the giant firms fall, they’ll crush the man on the street." He has also predicted tax revolts.^[16][17] In November 2008 Celente appeared on Fox Business Network and predicted economic depression, tax rebellions and food riots in the United States by 2012.^[18] Celente also predicted an "economic 9/11" and a "panic of 2008."^[19]

In 2009 Celente predicted turmoil which he described as "Obamageddon" and he was a popular guest on conservative cable-TV shows such as Fox News Sunday and Glenn Beck's television program.^[6] In April 2009 Celente wrote, "Wall Street controls our financial lives; the media manipulates our minds. These systems cannot be changed from within. There is no alternative. Without a revolution, these institutions will bankrupt the country, keep fighting failed wars, start new ones, and hold us in perpetual intellectual subjugation."^[20] He appeared on the Glenn Beck show and criticized the U.S. stimulus plan of 2009, calling government controlled capitalism "fascism" and saying shopping malls in the U.S. would become "ghost malls."^[21] Celente has said, "smaller communities, the smaller groups, the smaller states, the more self-sustaining communities, will 'weather the crisis in style' as big cities and hypertrophic suburbias descend into misery and conflict," and forecasts "a downsizing of America."^[14]

Revolution in the USA[link]

On Russia Today, he predicted that the USA would face a revolution.^[22]

Neosurvivalism[link]

Celente's website has stated that:

Predictions[link]

2009[link]

"The Crash of '09 was as dramatic as the crash of '29. The New Depression had begun." (Trends Journal, Summer 2008, pg. 12)

2010[link]

Some areas of the U.S. are experiencing resurgences in real estate values due to highly localized factors, and some investors profit from this. However, the rises will almost all stop and reverse with time, and the overall national trend in real estate values is downward. (T.J. Summer 08, pg. 8)

Ghost malls have become a common sight across America. Especially hard-hit are big chain stores (Sears, Home Depot, etc.). (T.J. Summer 08, pg. 8)

2011[link]

Developers have begun rehabbing some of the ghost malls for more productive uses. (T.J. Summer 08, pg. 9)

2012[link]

The economic policies of the U.S. government over the past few years have failed to fix America's fundamental problems and have merely papered over them and in fact made them worse. By 2012, the "American Empire" is collapsing. In the U.S., basic staple goods like quality food and water are too expensive for most people to afford,(T.J. Summer 08, pg. 1) and "food riots" happen across the country (T.J. Summer 09, pg.1). Major American cities look like disaster zones, and mass homelessness exists across the country. Crime is rampant, with much of it being directed at the rich. (T.J. Summer 08, pg. 1) Kidnappings and ransomings of rich people are on the rise. Average people fed up with big government, high taxes and out-of-control spending join tax revolts. (T.J. Summer 09, pg. 1) The world is also experiencing major environmental problems and "the blackest of plagues." The global financial system has also "melted down" and the situation is very bad outside the U.S.(T.J. Summer 08, pg. 1) The advanced industrial economies collapse first, and their sagging consumer spending drags down the export-based economies of emerging economies next.(T.J. Summer 09, pg. 2) The economy is as bad as it was during the Great Depression in many ways. In spite of all this, the U.S. government, power elites, and mainstream media continue to insist that the fundamentals of the world economy are sound, and that official policies can lead to a recovery. A growing number of average people, however, doubt this. (T.J. Summer 08, pg. 1)

While the Mayan and Hopi prophecies of global destruction do not come to pass, 2012 is indeed a watershed year that sees the death of an ailing and unsustainable global economic system and lifestyle and its replacement with something better. (T.J. Summer 08, pg. 2)

By 2012, Obama is viewed by most as a stale president who sold himself as a fresh, visionary candidate in 2008 and instead proved to be a servant of the big corporations and the military-industrial complex like his predecessors.(T.J. Summer 09, pg. 5) His economic policies only delayed disaster and in fact have made the situation worse: Expansionary monetary policy and the various government bailouts and stimulus programs create a "Bailout Bubble" that invariably bursts in a cataclysm for the U.S. and world economy.(T.J. Summer 09, pg. 11) Obama blames other factors for this and might have even tried to start a war by 2012 to distract attention from the domestic misery.(T.J. Summer 09, pg. 12) Obama's foreign policy has also failed to accomplish anything significant on the world stage, and Pakistan is a mess and the Afghan war continues to drag on without hope of conclusion.(T.J. Summer 09, pg. 12)

In the 2012 U.S. elections, online news sites, bloggers and independent journalists wield as much influence on voters as mainstream media outlets (TV, cable, magazines, newspapers) for the first time. This breaks the corporate and moneyed stranglehold on American politics and allows a third party to attain nation-level recognition. (T.J. Summer 08, pg. 5)

Broad future trends[link]

Americans will adapt to lower standards of living and will travel less, both on a daily basis and for vacations. Higher fuel costs, advances in telecommuting and an aging American population will push many more people to work from home or close to home. Walking-distance communities will be constructed and will become popular. (T.J. Summer 08, pg. 7)

Geographically isolated resort destinations like Las Vegas will wither due to higher fuel costs, lower American incomes and increased overseas competition while vacation spots closer to population centers will revive. (T.J. Summer 08, pg. 9)

Government-run lotteries, on the other hand, will thrive. (T.J. Summer 08, pg. 9)

In America and to a lesser extent overseas, consumer spending habits will be motivated out of fear and escapism. Businesses that capitalize upon this will succeed. (T.J. Summer 09, pg. 24)

Publications[link]

• Trend Tracking: The System to Profit from Today's Trends (1991), ISBN 978-0446392877
• Trends 2000: How to Prepare for and Profit from the Changes of the 21st Century (1997), ISBN 978-0446519014
• What Zizi Gave Honeyboy: A True Story about Love, Wisdom, and the Soul of America (2002), ISBN 978-0066212661

References[link]