For years now, that’s largely how governments around the world have waged a war on cash. They’ve implemented restrictions on how much you can carry with you. How much cash you have on you that you have to report when you go through customs. How much you can withdraw from the bank at any one point in time. And more.

The thing is, government wars on cash are now on steroids. The reason: The looming sovereign-debt collapse that will soon cascade from Europe, then to Japan, and finally, to the USA. As I have said all along, when governments’ backs are up against the wall, they act like caged animals, lashing out at anything and anyone that restricts their ability to stay alive. Their thinking is this: Cash is, yes, difficult to track and tax, but it also makes it difficult, if not impossible, for negative interest rates to stimulate the economy.

That’s critical now because deflation is surrounding the globe. In Europe, for instance, the European Central Bank (ECB) has had negative interest rates in effect since June of last year. Currently at -0.2%, if you’re a bank in the eurozone, your “reserves” at the ECB gradually lose value if you don’t lend them out. Mark my words: Elimination of cash is where the governments of developed economies are headed. Toward fully electronic currencies instead.

If you don’t believe me, then consider the steps that have already been taken that are leading in that very same direction: In France, cash transactions over 1,000 euros are now illegal. It’s also a crime to send any amount of cash by mail. In Spain, the limit is 2,500 euros. Break that law and the government will confiscate 25% of your cash. Italy has banned all cash transactions over 999.99 euros. To pay 1,000 euros or more, you must use a debit card, credit card, a “non-transferrable check,” or pay by bank transfer. Violate the law, and the government will confiscate 40% of the amount paid. Similar restrictions on cash are in place in Belgium, Bulgaria, Greece, Mexico, Russia, Uruguay and a number of other countries.

Here in the US we don’t (yet) have any restrictions on spending cash. But there are strict reporting rules. If you deposit or withdraw more than $10,000 from a bank or other financial institution (either by cash or electronically), the bank must file a “currency transaction report” with the US Treasury. And then there are the “civil forfeiture” laws in place across the country, which gives the police the ability to confiscate any amounts of cash you may have in your pocket or in your car if they suspect you’re a dealer or a terrorist.

Problem is, scores of innocent citizens are being stopped and have their cash confiscated. It’s all going to get a heck of a lot worse for us in the months and years ahead. Bankrupt destitute governments are the cause. They will hunt you and your wealth down like never before.

The S&P 500 has traded in a historically narrow range for the better part of 2015, having moved just 1 percent higher year to date. "It's just waiting for the knee-jerk bulls, robo traders and dip buyers to finally capitulate." Stockman believes that the excessive monetary policy from central banks around the world has created a "debt supernova," and all the signs point to "the end of the central bank enabled bubble," which could cause a worldwide recession.

"The larger picture has nothing to do with the jobs report [Friday] or even the September decision by the Fed," said Stockman. "It has to do with the the fact that the world economy, including the U.S., is heading into what is clearly going to be an epochal deflation to the likes of what we have never experienced in modern time."

According to Stockman, it's only a matter of time before the collapse in China trickles down to other markets. "The whole global economy since 2008 has been driven forward by this massive investment and construction and borrowing spree in China," said Stockman. "The point that I'm making is that it's over." For Stockman, there's no reversing the artificially inflated bubbles created by the Federal Reserve. "I think what we are seeing is the beginning evidence that the central bank-driven credit economy is over and we are in a new era," said Stockman. "It's a huge disaster waiting to happen."

Now that the presidential hopefuls are duking it out in debates, it’s hoped whoever ends up occupying the Oval Office in 2016 will be equipped to handle the seemingly insurmountable challenge of an economic crisis. For years, Obama has attempted to convince Americans an economic recovery is just around the corner. But more and more, the stark numbers are not supporting this administration’s assurances. Both domestic and international affairs are contributing to increasing concerns that something “big” is imminent.

Financial Times reports the media sector has been “in freefall” since Walt Disney revised its growth outlook for its ESPN sports channel this week. Viacom shares fell by more than 14 percent. Comedy Central, MTV and Paramount Pictures hit earnings forecasts, but missed estimates on revenues. 21st Century Fox closed down more than 6 percent. CNS News reported on Friday there was a record 93,770,000 Americans not in the American labor force last month, and the labor force participation rate remained at 62.6 percent, exactly where it was in June – a 38-year low. While the unemployment rate is still “officially” 5.3 percent, Shadowstats reports the figure is closer to 24 percent.

The election issue most important to voters – by far, according to numerous surveys – is the economy and jobs. But most politicians have remained eerily silent on the threats facing the American economy and, more significantly, what might be done to address them. Most hit the standard talking points about education and jobs creation, but collectively appeared at a loss when it comes to plans to boost the economy.

Back in June, the Washington Examiner reported 72 percent of voters feared an economic crash, the “highest ever” expressing concern. Current news is only likely to exacerbate those numbers. As long ago as 2011, Donald Trump warned that trouble looms for the US economy: “If oil prices are allowed to inflate and keep inflating, if the dollar keeps going down in value, I think there’s a very distinct possibility that things could get worse.”

However no mainstream political figure has offered concrete recommendations on what to do if the American economy crashes.

Opening up a potential rift with its creditor partners, finance ministry officials in Berlin are said to favour providing another €5 billion bridging loan to Greece, buying time to extend talks with the Leftist Syriza government. "It is better to negotiate [with Greece] for two or three weeks longer and then have a sensible programme… A further bridge loan is better than just a half-finished programme," officials told Germany's Süddeutsche Zeitung

The Greek parliament could vote on a new agreement as early as August 18, according to a government official on Friday. Both sides are set to spend the weekend negotiating the budget targets Athens will have to meet to continue receiving rescue cash, according to deputy prime minister Yiannis Dragasakis. He added that a deal was "nearly ready". But German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble has repeatedly demanded assurances from Athens that it can implement a series of punishing austerity measures or face an exit from the eurozone.

Germany would be the largest individual contributor to a third bail-out for Greece. Unless Mr Tsipras can shrink the size of the public sector, privatise national asssets, and cut pensions spending, Mr Schaeuble has called for an amicable and "temporary" return to the drachma.

As the world moves closer to ratifying a nuclear deal that Jerusalem says won’t keep Iran from obtaining a nuclear arsenal, Ya’alon told German newspaper Der Speigel that Israel would do anything necessary in order to assure Tehran does not get atomic weapons, including taking military action.

“Ultimately it is very clear, one way or another, Iran’s military nuclear program must be stopped,” Ya’alon said, according to a retranslation from an interview published in the German daily. “We will act in any way and are not willing to tolerate a nuclear-armed Iran. We prefer that this be done by means of sanctions, but in the end, Israel should be able to defend itself,” the defense minister said.

He added that he was “not responsible for the lives of Iranian scientists,” according to Der Speigel, which will publish the full interview on Saturday. Ya’alon further stated that Israel was considering carrying out airstrikes on Iranian military facilities, the German paper reported.

Benzi Gopstein, the outspoken head of Lehava - which has drawn notoriety for its violent assaults on Jewish-Arab assimilation - made the remarks at a panel discussion for Jewish yeshiva students when asked by a fellow panelist if he believed burning down churches in Israel was justified.

He later tried to evade accusations of inciting his followers to fire-raise, saying it was the government's responsibility to carry out what he presented as a religious teaching of the 12th century Jewish philosopher, Maimonides. “Did the Ramba Maimonides rule to destroy idol worship or not? Idol worship must be destroyed. It’s simply yes – what’s the question?” Mr Gopstein told the panel.

Here's the catch, and why the next two months' negotiations may not be as simple as McConnell makes it sound. Pro-life lawmakers are apoplectic about covert videos purportedly showing Planned Parenthood officials callously discussing harvesting fetal tissue from aborted fetuses. Dozens of conservatives are demanding congressional leaders slash all federal money for Planned Parenthood in an emergency spending package.

The Senate failed to secure a supermajority Monday just to debate a standalone bill to strip Planned Parenthood of federal dollars. "At some point we'll negotiate the way forward," McConnell predicted of an autumn spending accord. But the Pandora's Box has been opened. And Democrats are more than happy to preach of the ills associated with it - namely, that the "defund" push could jam up any government spending bill. "The move is theirs," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Democrat for Nevada, of Republicans.

McConnell could need 16 Republicans (including Kirk) to vote with Democrats to avoid a government shutdown. Usually it's Republicans trying to scrape together a few Democrats. Better enjoy what's left of August. September is going to be quite a month. And Pandora's Box may already be open, with its infirmities flying about Capitol Hill.

Everest was estimated to have moved three centimetres southwest when the first Nepal quake struck, another larger disaster will force the mountain to nudge even further. According to research, the massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake, which killed more than 6,000 people, was just a partial rupture on a fault line, with experts now fearing that ANOTHER quake could happen within months.

Researchers were able to show the location, geometry and nature of the fault patch that ruptured during the earthquake - showing that it only released stress on just a portion of the 2200km Main Himalayan Thrust fault line. This means there is still "strain available to drive a large earthquake in western Nepal" with a big tremor as high as before, according to Jean-Phillipe Avouac from the University of Cambridge, who led the research team.

Around 8,000 people were killed when the huge earthquake rocked Nepal earlier this year. Thousands more were injured and a staggering half a million people lost their homes when the tragedy struck.

In fact, some of them were women — an increasing trend in menswear shows. Models of both genders — waifish male models and boyish female models alike — were wearing silhouettes, fabrications, and items of clothing that traditionally appear in womenswear collections.

“The concept of androgyny comes up from time to time in fashion,” says Nancy Deihl, director of the costume studies MA program at New York University. “In modern fashion history, two of the most notable examples are in the 1920s and in the late 1960s into the 1970s.” Deihl notes that both were periods of social upheaval, which reflected an empowered youth culture.

And consumer habits about gender traditions are getting broken down at younger and younger ages — a new string of startups are attempting to obliterate the barriers between clothes that are designed for young boys vs those designed for young girls. In 10 years, a college student's idea of what is "masculine" or "feminine" clothing is likely to be drastically different.

Gender labels will remain in the kids’ clothing section because of sizing and fit differences. Retailers have been moving away from gender stereotypes, and some startups have emerged to break down the divide in kids’ clothing and toys. The signage that sparked the dispute at Target was for building sets, like GoldieBlox, that are targeted at girls.

“As guests have pointed out, in some departments like toys, home or entertainment, suggesting products by gender is unnecessary,” Target said. “We heard you, and we agree. Right now, our teams are working across the store to identify areas where we can phase out gender-based signage to help strike a better balance.”

“From the moment an account is created, Microsoft begins watching. The company saves customers’ basic information – name, contact details, passwords, demographic data and credit card specifics,” explains a new report from the online Newsweek.

“But it also digs a bit deeper,” the report says. “Other information Microsoft saves includes Bing search queries and conversations with the new digital personal assistant Cortana; contents of private communications such as email; websites and apps visited (including features accessed and length of time used); and contents of private folders,” the warning explains. “Furthermore, ‘your typed and handwritten words’ are collected.”

“Unless you pay close attention to the fluffy options offered when you first install Microsoft’s new operating system, it’s going to quietly track your behavior and use it to fire targeted ads at you, as well as keeping tabs on your location history, data from messages, calendars, contacts and [who] knows what else. If you ever wondered why they’ve made the Windows 10 upgrade free to Windows 7 & 8 users, here’s one possible answer. Windows 10 has all sorts of user tracking baked right in.”

Addressing the Welsh Parliament, Mr Lewis said: "My contention would be that we rename the curriculum and transform it into the religion, philosophy and ethics element of the curriculum." Mr Lewis believes the reform would create an "explicit commitment to allowing children to ponder ideas around ethics and citizenship and what it means to be a citizen of a free country”.

His comments echo an independent review of the Welsh curriculum by Professor Graham Donaldson - a former chief inspector of schools - who urged that pupils should be "ethical, informed citizens of the world". In June, a report examining the role of religion in the English curriculum recommended that daily acts of "predominantly Christian" worship should be scrapped - while all religious instruction should be made during pupils' spare time at home.

But chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, Chris McGovern, warned the calls to remove Christianity will threaten Western culture. Mr McGovern, who once advised former Education Minister Michael Gove on education reform, said: “Christianity has a place in every school. You can’t understand any important aspect of Western civilisation – whether it be art, culture, music, religious institution or politics – without understanding Christianity.

"It is fundamental, it defines our society and it is our national religion. If you take away Christianity, you are taking away the national memory. And that is an illness.”