Oct 19

Today’s News 19th October 2018

  • Sweden Declares 'Hand Grenade Amnesty' In Attempt To Stop Explosive Gang Violence 

    On October 15, Sweden began a temporary amnesty program for anyone in possession of hand grenades or other explosives, urging the public to hand over their illegal arsenals before January 11, 2019, with no legal ramifications or questions asked. 

    Sweden has had a hand grenade crisis and issues with organized crime since about 2010. Combine the two with refugees, and the country is on the verge of chaos with violent crime exploding. 

    Sweden is supposed to be one of the most peaceful countries in Europe, but after offering amnesty to thousands of refugees, the country has taken a turn for the worse. 

    According to official government data, 43 grenades were seized last year, of which 21 had been detonated. In 2016, 55 seized, of which 35 had been detonated. In 2015, a mere ten were detonated. 

    In total, there have been 78 incidents of hand grenade explosions in Sweden since 2010, with more than half occurring in 2016. 

    As Breitbart reports, “A grenade amnesty period beings in Sweden this week with the government guaranteeing those who hand in explosive devices to police not face arrest or prosecution…. The weapons amnesty is set to take place between October 15th to January 11th.” 

    Sweden’s The Local explains the weapon amnesty in more depth: 

    “The move was proposed by the center-left coalition government last year, with Justice Minister Morgan Johansson telling DS: “This is linked to criminal gangs who in general have increased access to weapons which they use against one another and against the judicial system. We must get these off our streets. 

    During the amnesty period, anyone in possession of explosive goods without a license can hand them over to police without fear of punishment. It is possible to stay anonymous. Such goods include for example hand grenades, but also in general, detonators or other pyrotechnical goods such as illicit fireworks. 

    Unlike during Sweden’s weapon amnesty earlier this year, it is not permitted to bring unwanted explosives to police stations. People are instead urged to call 114 14, the non-emergency police contact number, to report the weapons.”

    This is not the first time government officials have asked citizens to surrender their weapons. Back in February, the first round of weapon amnesty was launched, police collected 12,000 illegal firearms that were mostly hunting rifles.

    Earlier this year, a 63-year-old man was killed after picking up a grenade he mistook for another object, and a young boy lost his life in 2016 when gang members threw a grenade through his window. 

    Here is CCTV footage from 2016 of an IED blast in Malmo, Sweden. 

    Another CCTV shows the moment when an unknown person detonates a grenade in front of a police station in a “No-Go Zone” of Malmo. 

    In a leaked report from Swedish police, there are 23 Muslim-controlled “No-Go Zones” and some 60 “vulnerable areas” where non-muslim citizens of the country are advised to stay out. 

    As noted in the RT video below, these areas are plagued with violence, sexual assaults and gun crimes, and things have gotten so bad that police refuse to enter. 

    According to the Swedish National Police Commissioner:  

    “We see developments in our country which are not always going in the right direction… We have more than 60 vulnerable areas in and around major cities in Sweden..and we see criminality there and we need to turn around these developments in those areas… and we need the assistance of other parts of our society.” 

    So it seems, hand grenade attacks are connected to organized crime gangs and refugees from “No-Go Zones.” 

    The most common grenade used in Sweden is the M75, which originates from the Balkans and is transported into Sweden by car and or truck. 

    The is an excess of military weapons in the Balkans, left over from the Bosnian War, including high-powered assault rifles, stockpiles of ammunition, and, of course, lots of hand grenades. Sweden’s organized gangs in “No-Go Zones” have solidified relationships with arms dealers in Eastern Europe that have helped them funnel military weapons into the country.

    Earlier this year, Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said that he would do whatever it takes, including sending in the military, to end the wave of gang violence in the “No-Go Zones.” 

    Sweden has a hand grenade crisis — the only solution offered by authorities have been a series of weapon amnesty programs. If that fails, then it is likely the military will conduct raids in “No-Go Zones” across the country. 

  • Merkel Coalition Gets Overdue Spanking In Bavaria…But 5 Years Too Late To Save Germany

    Authored by Robert Bridge via The Strategic Culture Foundation,

    In Bavaria’s state elections, German voters sent a powerful message to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has been harshly criticized for opening up Germany’s borders to the free flow of migration. But strangely enough the pro-immigrant Green Party took a solid second place.

    Merkel and her fragile coalition, comprised of the Christian Social Union (CSU), the Social Democrats Party (SPD) and Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) suffered staggering losses in Bavaria on Sunday, losses not experienced by the two powerhouse conservative parties for many decades.

    The CSU won just 37.3 percent of the vote, down 12.1 percent from 2013, thus failing to secure an absolute majority. It marked the worst showing conservative Christian Bavaria, where the CSU has ruled practically unilaterally since 1957. But the political mood in Germany has changed, and Merkel’s so-called sister party will now be forced to seek a coalition to cover its losses.

    Meanwhile, the left-leaning Social Democrats (SPD), in an awkward alliance with their conservative allies, secured just 9.5 percent of the Bavarian vote, down almost 10.9 percent from its 2013 showing.

    The dismal results were not altogether unexpected. CSU leader Horst Seehofer has regularly clashed with Angela Merkel over the question of her loose refugee policies, which saw 1.5 million migrants pour into Germany unmolested in 2015 alone. In January 2016, when the number of arrivals had peaked, Bavaria grabbed headlines as Peter Dreier, mayor of the district of Landshut, sent a busload of refugees to Berlin, saying his city could not handle any more new arrivals.

    Yet, despite such expressions of frustration, and even anger, Germany, perhaps out of some fear of reverting back to atavistic nationalistic tendencies that forever lurks in the background of the German psyche, has not come out in full force against the migrant invasion, which seems to have been forced upon the nation without their approval.

    As with the young girl in the video below, however, some Germans have come forward to express their strong reservations with the trend.

    In general, however, the German people, in direct contradiction to the stereotype of them being an orderly and logical people, do not seem overly concerned with the prospects of their tidy country being overrun by the chaos of undocumented and illegal migrants. This much seemed to be confirmed by the strong showing of the pro-immigration Green Party, which took second place with 18.3 percent of the votes, a 9 percent increase since the last elections.

    Katharina Schulze, the 33-year old co-leader of the Bavarian Greens, told reporters “Bavaria needs a political party that solves the problems of the people and not create new ones over and over again.”

    However, a political platform that seems fine with open borders seems to contradict Schulze’s claim to not creating new problems “over and over again.” Today, thanks to Merkel’s disastrous refugee non-plan, which the Greens applaud, every fifth person in Germany comes from immigration, a figure that will naturally increase over time, placing immense pressure on the country’s already overloaded social welfare programs, not to mention disrupting the country’s social cohesiveness.

    Thus Schulze may find it an impossible challenge “solving the problems of the people,” one of the vaguest campaign pledges I have ever heard, while embracing a staunchly refugee-friendly platform that seems doomed to ultimate disaster.  

    Indeed, Germany appears to be on a collision course between those who accept the idea of being the world’s welcome center for refugees, and those who think Germany must not only close its borders, but perhaps even send back many refugees. After all, it has been proven that many of these new arrivals are in reality ‘economic migrants’ who arrived in Europe not due to any persecution back home, but rather from the hope of improving their lot in life. While it’s certainly no crime to seek out economic opportunities, it becomes a real problem when it comes at the expense of the domestic population.

    From an outsider’s perspective, I cannot fathom how it is possible that Angela Merkel is still in power. Although there is no term limit on the chancellorship, people must still go to the polls and vote for this woman and the CDU, which the majority continues to do – despite everything.

    In a search for answers, I found an explanation by one Arne Trautmann, a German lawyer from Munich.

    “I think the answer lies in German psychology. We do not like instability. We had our experience with it (hyperinflation, wars and such) and it did not work very well. Angela Merkel offers such stability. Simply because she has been around for so long.”

    Still, that answer just drags up more questions that perhaps only the Germans can answer. After all, if the German people “do not like instability,” then the specter of their borders being violated on a daily basis such be simply unacceptable to them. Perhaps I am missing something.

    In any case, there was a consolation prize of sorts in the Bavarian elections, as the anti-immigrant AfD party took fourth place (behind the Free Voters) with 10.2 percent of the votes, an increase of 10 percent from their 2013 performance.

    This will give the AfD parliamentary power in the state assembly for the first time, which should work to put the brakes on illegal migrants entering the country. For the future of Germany, it may be the last hope.

  • Russia Has Dramatically Boosted Spending On Its Nuclear Weapons

    When Russia’s conventional armed forces remained weak and outdated in the years following the Cold War, it attached a high priority to its nuclear weapons as the cornerstone of its defence. As Statista’s Niall McCarthy notes, the country has now embarked on an ambitious plan to modernize its entire military under the 2011-20 state armament program.

    Alongside conventional systems, Russia is upgrading its intercontinental ballistic missiles and strategic bombers. A recent Sipri report has revealed how much Russia is paying for its nuclear weapons.

    Infographic: Russia Has Increased Spending On Its Nuclear Weapons | Statista

    You will find more infographics at Statista

    In 2010, the country spend just under $7 billion on nuclear weapons (13.4 percent of total military spending) and by 2016, that had increased to just under $11 billion (13 percent of total spending).

    This won’t end well…

  • Not This Time Satan: Exorcist Plans To Counter Kavanaugh Hex By Angry Coven Of Witches

    Authored by Mac Slavo via SHTFplan.com,

    Father Gary Thomas, an exorcist for the Diocese of San Jose, California, is “appalled” that a coven of witches is planning to “hex” president Donald Trump’s choice for the Supreme Court, Brett Kavanaugh, on October 20.

    But Father Thomas has a plan to “counter-attack” the hex being put on Kavanaugh.

    The priest will hold two special Masses for the judge, one tomorrow and one on Saturday when the “hexing” will take place at Catland Books, a metaphysical boutique and occult bookshop in Brooklyn, New York. The hexing ritual will have coffin nails, effigies, and dirt from a graveyard.

    Dakota Bracciale, the Brooklyn-based witch who is organizing the hexing event, said the witches see the hex as a radical act of resistance that continues witchcraft’s long history as a refuge and weapon for the “oppressed, downtrodden and marginalized.” Bracciale is also the witch who organized three hexes against President Donald Trump last year.

    “Witchcraft has been used throughout history as a tool and ally for people on the fringes of society who will not ever really get justice through the powers that be,” Bracciale told The Huffington Post. “So they have to exact their own justice.” Bracciale added that the ritual is meant to be cathartic for alleged victims of sexual assault. Kavanaugh will apparently be the focal point for the hex, but not the only target. The public hex is meant to exact revenge on “all rapists and the patriarchy at large which emboldens, rewards and protects them,” a Facebook page dedicated to the event states. –SHTFPlan

    The National Catholic Register‘s Patti Armstrong quoted Thomas as saying:

    “They [people in the satanic world] are more confident that the general public will be more accepting of the demonic.” Armstrong also wrote: Father Thomas noted that throughout history, satanic groups have been secretive, but now they are making it public in the name of freedom of religion. When asked about the witches’ hex, Thomas said it’s just evil.

    “This is a conjuring of evil – not about free speech,” he said. “Conjuring up personified evil does not fall under free speech. Satanic cults often commit crimes; they murder and sexually abuse everyone in their cult.”

    Patheos reported that Father Thomas believes whoever helps hex Kavanaugh believes in the power of personified evil.

    Armstrong further reported that word is traveling quickly about the hex. Those taking a stand against it are urged to pray and fast for the protection of Kavanaugh.

  • Global Bubble Update: Obscure Chinese Company Soars By Half A Billion After Buying $50 Million Sapphire

    We are now in that phase of the bubble cycle where pivoting to a sapphire results in unprecedented market cap gains.

    Shares of Yulong Eco-Materials, a tiny producer of fly-ash bricks based in Pingdingshan, China, surged as much as 950% on Wednesday – forcing the Nasdaq to halt trading four times within the first 30 minutes of trading – after the company revealed that it had completed the purchase of the Millennium Sapphire, a 17.9 kilogram gemstone that Business Insider described as “an icon in the world of art and gems.”

    Sapphire

    Indeed, Yulong shares soared while US indexes ended slightly lower on the day, weighed down by a sharp drop in IBM and other tech stocks. Cannabis shares, the bubbly investment trend du jour, also sold off.

    The company paid $50 million for the stone (which it touted as a bargain in a press release).

    “We are extremely pleased to have completed the purchase of this undervalued world class asset for $50 million,” CEO Hoi Ming Chan said in a statement.

    “The most recent appraisal for the MS (September, 2018) was $60 to $90 million. World wide news headlines of the then unnamed rough sapphire purported the value between $90 to $500 million in 1996 when it was discovered.”

    But in the buying frenzy that ensued, investors apparently overlooked the fact that the company is also in the process of spinning off its entire Chinese business, parting ways with its executives and directors, and relocating to New York, where it will henceforth be known as “Millennium Enterprises Limited.”

    Aside from this, the press release was devoid of information about the company’s new business model. Unfortunately for all the trend-followers who piled into this stock (a group in which the algos are heavily represented, we imagine), it appears Yulong has gone all in on the stone.

    Here’s what the Wall Street Journal wrote about the company’s sapphire-centric business model back in August, when Yulong first agreed to buy the stone from a consortium of investors who have owned it since 1998 (since then, it has only been displayed in public twice).

    Yulong said it plans to take the sapphire on a world tour of museums, to develop documentaries, and to include the gem in the plots of feature films.

    “We will develop the business and cash flows of the Millennium Sapphire through branding and licensing along with royalties and ticket sales through major museums world-wide,” Yulong Chief Executive Hoi Ming Chan said in a news release announcing the deal.

    As @SheepleAnalytics commented on Twitter, if traders were looking for any more evidence that the equity market is reaching peak froth, this is it.

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    A closer look at the company’s filings, undertaken by a group of twitter users commenting on the trading insanity, revealed some interesting details about the company’s (soon-to-be spun off) China business. For example, the company’s address (hopefully they’ll consider investing in a P.O. Box when they get to New York).

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    While the Yulong funded its purchase by issuing shares, ensuring that it won’t face intense cash-flow pressures, at least not in the short term, should investors’ enthusiasm wane in the quarters ahead, at least Yulong has options..

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    On behalf of the team at Zero Hedge, we’d like to sincerely congratulate Yulong’s investors and CEO Hoi on this acquisition. We can assure you, we will be first in line for the company’s (inevitable) ICO.

  • 430% Property Tax Hike Drives 'Black Panther' Leader's Chicago Home Into Foreclosure

    Via WestCookNews.com,

    Cook County says the Maywood boyhood home of Illinois Black Panther Party leader Fred Hampton is worth $141,920.

    Its tax bill: $8,430, or an effective property tax rate of about six percent.

    Property tax rates that high– more than five times the national average– have become standard in inner-ring Chicago suburbs like Maywood. But the $700 per month tax bill has proven too rich for Hampton’s son, Fred Hampton, Jr.

    He’s asking for donations to help him stop the County from auctioning off the home next Tuesday.

    The tax bill at 804 S. 17th Avenue spiked more than 400 percent this year, to more than $8,000 from just $1,919. That’s after its previous owner, Hampton’s uncle, Bill, died and the property lost three tax exemptions, including one that freezes tax bills for seniors, according to the Cook County Treasurer.

    Hampton, Jr., who in 1993, was sentenced to 18 years in prison for throwing a Molotov cocktail into a Korean-owned clothing store in Englewood (he was paroled in 2001), told the Chicago Sun-Times he “doesn’t know” how he fell behind on payments for the home.

    He is president of the Uhuru Solidarity Movement, which has called for an end to capitalism and for white Americans to “take responsibility for the fact that white society rests on the pedestal of the oppression of African people” and pay reparations to black Americans for their “stolen wealth.”

    It hosts a web site where whites can pay reparations with a credit card, presumably to be distributed by Uhuru movement leaders. 

    Oak Park-River Forest High School teacher and Illinois socialist party leader Anthony Clark has started a “Comrades for Fred Hampton Home” GoFundMe page with a goal of $70,000. As of 9:30 p.m. on Wed. Oct 17, 80 contributors had donated a total of $2,832.

    Hampton, Sr. was killed in a controversial Chicago police raid of Black Panther headquarters in 1969.

  • Obama's National Security Advisor Continues To Work For The Saudis

    Among the major revelations connected to the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the hands of the Saudis is just how resilient and unshakeable relations between the Washington deep state and the Saudi royals actually are. Or rather we should say it has created an atmosphere where “hidden in plane sight” truth of America being joined at the hip to one of the Middle East’s most brutal autocratic regimes can no longer be ignored by the mainstream, or can no longer be shaded from public view by another David Ignatius puff piece fawning over Saudi “reformer” despots. 

    A new Daily Beast investigation has revealed that Obama’s first National Security Adviser, James L. Jones, now works for the Saudis — and despite a growing public movement of Western companies and media organizations to divest and distance themselves from their previous close relationship with the kingdom and events sponsored by crown prince MbS — Jones is refusing to budge. As The Daily Beast concludes in its report, “It’s another sign of the deep reach of Saudi money into the Washington elite.”

    James (Jim) Jones, USMC (ret.), former National Security Advisor to President Obama. Image source: The National

    While noting the heat that Trump-connected individuals have lately taken over their close ties with the Saudis, The Daily Beast uncovers Obama-era officials’ continuing deep ties:

    But Obama World isn’t without close connections to the Kingdom. A company helmed by Jim Jones, then-President Barack Obama’s first National Security Adviser, has a contract with the Saudi government to advise on industrial matters, The Daily Beast has learned. Jones’ company, Jones Group International, had, until March of this year, a second contract with the Kingdom related to Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman’s military overhaul. It’s another sign of the deep reach of Saudi money into the Washington elite.

    As Jones was also longtime Commandant of the Marine Corps prior to being Obama’s first National Security Advisor, it also underscores the military-industrial complex’s closeness to Saudi rulers spanning decades, and the way this has served to continually shield Riyadh from the scrutiny of Washington and the American public. 

    Gen. Jones heads Jones Group International, whose subsidiary Ironhand Security has a contract with the Saudi government to advise on domestic industrial expansion and infrastructure. And previously Ironhand Security advised on military transformation efforts, according to the report. The relationship was further confirmed by Pentagon-approved contract documents obtained by FOIA — one contract is still in place while another has expired. 

    In response to probes into the relationship, a spokesperson for Ironhand Security told The Daily Beast: “Ironhand Security had a contract with the Saudi government to provide advice on its military transformation efforts, a key component of the 2030 vision and reform agenda strongly supported by the United States.” And the statement further noted, “This was particularly important given the significance of the military-to-military relationship.”

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    The current contract between Jones’ company and the Saudi involves “advisory services on the development of a domestic industrial base.” But interestingly, at a time when a number of companies are publicly distancing themselves from the kingdom over Khashoggi’s brutal murder in the Istanbul consulate — among the most recent include lobbying firms BGR Group and Glover Park Group — Jones has indicated he’s not yet ready to cut business ties with the Saudis.

    “General Jones is disturbed about this matter and horrified at the reports,” the Ironhand Security statement said. “He wants to know precisely what happened to Mr. Khashoggi and eagerly awaits disclosure of the full facts produced by the investigations, which must be thorough, objective, transparent and verifiable.”

    Perhaps the most interesting aspect to The Daily Beast report is the acknowledgement that there is a whole cadre of powerful former US generals and military officials who form an unelected arm of American “soft power” — something rarely, if ever, disclosed to the public: 

    Lydia Dennett, an investigator at the government watchdog group Project on Government Oversight (POGO), told The Daily Beast that when foreign governments ink contracts with former administration officials, those commercial connections can act as tools of soft power.

    “The concern here is that high-ranking military officials generally are often seen as places where Congress and the executive branch can go to provide unbiased advice on national security issues,” Dennett said. “And when you have these kinds of financial relationships, it can lead to issues of undue influence.”

    We should also note the high number of retired generals on payroll for the major networks — from FOX to CNN to NBC — who without disclosing such lobbying ties consistently appear on prime time panels in order to “inform” (or rather “form”) the public mind on issues ranging from Syria to Iran to Russia. 

    Case in point: as recently as July, Gen. Jones was writing op-eds on “Why the Untied States must remain in Syria” in major outlets while on the Saudi payroll, which was of course not disclosed in said op-eds. 

    However, nothing is actually likely to change in spite of Saudi Arabia currently being int the hot seat, as the Beast notes: “But despite the slough of departures, long-time lobbyists told The Daily Beast that the Kingdom’s ample wealth would still open doors on K Street.” No doubt, things will soon return to business as usual. 

  • Chinese Verbal Intervention In The Market Fails As Stock Rout Accelerates

    This morning, when we reported that the latest flood of margin calls, resulting from $600 billion in shares pledged as collateral for loans and representing a whopping 11% of China’s market cap, sent the Shanghai Composite tumbling 3% to the lowest level since November 2014, we noted that local government efforts to shore up confidence in smaller companies had, quite obviously, failed to boost sentiment… or stem the selling.

    So, as many expected, just before Beijing announced the latest batch of stagflationary economic data including retail sales, industrial production and fixed asset investment, of which the most important was Q3 GDP which printed at 6.5%, the lowest level since Q1 2009, and missing consensus expectations even as inflation has continued to creep higher…

    … the central bank delivered another round of massive verbal intervention, telling investors stocks are undervalued, the economy is sound, the central bank will use prudent, neutral monetary policy and keep reasonable, stable liquidity. Additionally, according to a Q&A statement with Governor Yi Gang posted on the PBOC website:

    • the PBOC will use monetary policy tools including MLF lending to support banks’ credit expansion
    • the PBOC to push forward bond financing by private cos.
    • the PBOC says recent stock market turmoil was caused by investors’ sentiment
    • the PBOC is studying measures to ease cos.’s financing difficulties
    • the PBOC to push forward bond financing by non-state firms; calls for private equity funds to support cos. with financing difficulties

    In other words, the central bank’s “got this.”

    And just to make sure the “all clear” message is heard loud and clear, also this morning the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) encouraged various funds backed by local government to help ease pressure on listed companies from share-pledge risks, in other words, the regulator itself told funds to stop the margin calls which – as discussed earlier – are now spiraling out of control as lower prices force more liquidations, resulting in even lower prices, and so on.

    Additionally, CSRC Chairman Liu Shiyu said that moral hazard in China is alive and well, and urged local governments to help listed companies that have development potential, but face operational difficulties because of share pledge

    The CSRC will also explore measures to help private firms, especially non-state-owned listed companies, to issue bonds; provide support to small- and mid-sized companies to issue high yield bonds and the regulator will also enhance a mechanism for share buybacks. Finally, the regulator would continue support for reforms and opening up, as well as encourage foreign asset management companies to set up offices in China (although if the market keeps crashing, who will bother?).

    Still, despite the pep talk by both the regulator and the central bank, just minutes later the hard data came in and with GDP missing again, investors were disappointed; The economic slowdown also means that despite the “nudging” by the regulator, funds will be even more aggressive in demanding collateral, leading to even more margin calls after the Shanghai Composite and other key indexes broke decisively below the September lows. Meanwhile, instead of just talking the talk, China’s authorities will need to walk the walk by announcing further concrete stimulus measures, otherwise as Bloomberg notes, “all they have done is talk the market up to provide investors with more attractive exit levels.”

    So what happened next? Well, as shown in the chart below, the Shanghai Composite attempted to stage a modest breakout after opening sharply lower, but that bounce fizzled quickly and after bouncing in the aftermath of the PBOC and CSRC jawboning, stocks resumed their slide when the GDP print hit, and were trading down 0.8% at last check, well below the key 2,500 support level, wiping out 4 years of gains.

    What’s next?

    Unless Beijing’s “National Team” steps in next with some truly aggressive buying in the open market, most likely in the last hour of trading – which however will only provide even more selling opportunities to big holders – today’s global rout may accelerate tomorrow now that China is on the verge of losing control of both its economy and its stock market. 

  • Stephen Hawking: Time Travel More Likely Than The Existence Of God

    Authored by Eric Mack via Forbes.com,

    In Stephen Hawking’s universe there was no room for God, because the famous cosmologist came to believe that the entirety of existence was created out of, well… nothing.

    As he explains in his final book, “Brief Answers to the Big Questions,” before the Big Bang there was nothing, not even a God to create the universe.

    “I think the universe was spontaneously created out of nothing according to the laws of science,” Hawking writes.

    “There is no time for a creator to have existed in.”

    He goes on to explain that the only God who could be consistent with the laws of physics would be a deity who never directly influences the workings of the universe.

    “These laws may or may not have been decreed by God, but he cannot intervene to break the laws or they would not be laws.”

    While the existence of God makes little sense to Hawking, he’s more open to the possibility of something that most people might consider much more far-fetched: time travel.

    Hawking famously held a party for time travelers but did not send out the invitations until after the party. No one showed up for the festivities. But the scientist writes that there is still some hope that traveling back in time could be possible according to the laws of the universe.  He pegs this notion on the promise of something called “M theory” that suggests the universe may contain seven hidden dimensions in addition to the familiar four dimensions of space-time.

    “Rapid space travel and travel back in time can’t be ruled out according to our present understanding,” he writes.

    “Science fiction fans need not lose heart: there’s hope in M theory.”

    Hawking was working on the book at the time of his death in March and it was completed with the help of his family and vast personal archives.

    The relatively brisk read dedicates a chapter to underscoring the frequent public alarms the physicist sounded about the potential perils of artificial intelligence and another on advancing climate change.  He also hits several optimistic notes for the future, predicting that science will find a grand unified theory that unites relativity and quantum physics and that humans will be traveling through the solar system within a century.

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