Debsyl,

A reverse split, for various reasons.


finance.yahoo.com/news/aurcana-announces...share-182955570.html

Take Care.
Earl

Hmm, "inflated forecasts" seem to also be part of their modus operandi in Australia. In particular, I'm thinking of a huge tunnel system in Brisbane for which inflated forecasts of traffic use for tolls were made to win the deals. Then the company set up to run the tunnels went into receivership because they didn't even come close to half the traffic that was forecast. As far as I can see, this means that the people of Queensland are now saddled with the debt for these bogus tunnels. By they way, they are really nice tunnels - just not really needed for a city the size of Brisbane. There are now more and better tunnels under Brisbane than there are in Sydney!!

About the only thing which Canada's Conservative Party has ever shown itself to be good at (other than serving the U.S.) is wallowing in the public trough. So it was only a matter of time until these parasites got caught either defrauding taxpayers or influence-peddling.

At the moment; it's the former kind of wallowing which is getting them into trouble. Several Conservative Senators are under investigation for "questionable" expense claims. One of them in particular (Mike Duffy) had apparently cheated the public Treasury out of a particularly large amount.

So Stephen Harper had his Chief of Staff WRITE A CHEQUE to reimburse the Treasury for what Duffy had ripped-off. Meanwhile PUBLICLY Harper lied about how Duffy had made "an innocent mistake, and then reimbursed taxpayers" for what he had taken.

When it was discovered that it was Harper's office -- not Duffy -- which had paid-back what Duffy had taken; Harper immediately turned on Duffy (lol), ejected him from the Conservative caucus...and now gets his Chief of Staff to 'fall on his sword' for Harper.

a) steal
b) get caught stealing
c) lie about the stealing after getting caught
d) get caught lying
e) sacrifice scapegoats


...it's all in the "Conservative Handbook for Good Government".





Harper Said to Name Novak Top Aide After Wright Resigns

www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-20/harper...-wright-resigns.html

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, seeking to limit damage from the first scandal to touch his inner circle, named his longest-serving aide to replace former chief of staff Nigel Wright.

Wright resigned yesterday amid an ethics probe into a C$90,000 ($87,500) payment he made to Conservative Senator Mike Duffy to cover the repayment of expenses that Duffy improperly claimed. Ray Novak, Harper’s principal secretary, will take over from Wright, a person familiar with the decision said on condition they not be identified because the appointment hasn’t been made public.

An expenses controversy has dogged Harper’s ruling Conservative Party in recent months by implicating his lawmakers in the Senate, an unelected body whose members are appointed by the prime minister. By claiming Wright, the scandal has moved closer to Harper than any since he took power in 2006, said Nik Nanos, an Ottawa-based pollster.

“One of the reasons Harper has been politically successful is that he has been untouched by controversy,” Nanos, president of Nanos Research, said by e-mail. “I believe this is the first time something controversial has been linked inside the prime minister’s office.”

Harper’s office acknowledged last week thatWright wrote Duffy a personal check to help him reimburse the Senate for disputed housing claims.
‘Public Interest’

Wright “was acting in the public interest,” Harper said in a statement yesterday. The prime minister’s office said May 15 that Wright helped Duffy because the lawmaker was unable to pay back the funds immediately and the chief of staff didn’t want taxpayers to foot the bill.

“In light of the controversy surrounding my handling of matters involving Senator Duffy, the prime minister has accepted my resignation,” Wright, 50, wrote in a separate statement. “I accept sole responsibility. I did not advise the Prime Minister of the means by which Senator Duffy’s expenses were repaid.”

The controversy coincides with Harper’s Conservatives trailing in public opinion polls for the first time since the 2009 recession. A Nanos Research poll released April 12 found the Liberal Party with the support of 35.4 percent of voters, compared with 31.3 percent for the Conservatives. That’s a reversal from January, when the Conservatives had 34.3 percent support, compared with 27.6 percent for the Liberals. Elections aren’t scheduled until 2015.
‘Get Legs’

“There’s enough time to put this behind him but they can’t let it get legs,” Nanos said.

The spokesman for ethics issues for the main opposition New Democratic Party, Charlie Angus, told reporters today he’s written to Royal Canadian Mounted Police Commissioner Bob Paulson asking him to investigate the matter.

“A secret cash payment to a public figure is a very, very serious allegation,” Angus said in the televised conference in Ottawa. “The fact that this payment was made out of the prime minister’s office demands accountability.

‘‘These actions are not only troubling, but they may violate the very laws that the RCMP is charged with upholding and enforcing,’’ Angus said.

Novak has worked as a political aide to Harper since his return to federal politics in 2002. He served as Harper’s executive assistant before his promotion to principal secretary in 2008.
‘Good Faith’

Duffy, 66, has said Senate rules allowing for reimbursement of housing and travel expenses to lawmakers whose primary residence is more than 100 kilometers (62 miles) from Ottawa were unclear, a statement corroborated in a Deloitte LLP audit commissioned by the chamber and released May 9. In a statement the same day, Duffy said he claimed the expenses in ‘‘good faith’’ and won’t seek to have any part of his repayment returned to him.

Duffy, a former reporter and broadcaster appointed to the Senate by Harper in 2009, quit the Conservative caucus May 16, saying in a statement he will sit as an independent senator ‘‘pending resolution of these issues.’’ Senator Pamela Wallin, another former broadcaster appointed to the Senate by Harper, announced a day later that she also left the Conservative caucus until an audit of her travel expenses is complete.
Private Equity

Wright, a one-time adviser and speech writer to former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, was a managing director at Toronto-based Onex Corp. (OCX), Canada’s largest private-equity firm, before becoming Harper’s third chief of staff more than two years ago. At the time, he said he was taking temporary leave from Onex until January 2013.

Wright, who has been an organizer with the Conservatives since at least 1983, also resigned from the boards of Hawker Beechcraft and Spirit Aerosystems Holdings, two Onex units, to join the prime minister’s office.

Before joining Onex, he worked as a lawyer at the commercial firm Davies, Ward, and Beck.

Wright told lawmakers at a hearing before taking the job that his values ‘‘align” with the prime minister’s “in every single way.”

Wright was chief of staff during a period where Harper headed a majority government, a luxury previous chiefs of staff didn’t have. During this time, Harper has shifted policy toward global competitiveness issues and pressed ahead with efforts to bolster business investment, as the country’s economy struggles to build steam amid tepid demand for exports and slowing consumer spending.

That policy agenda has included legislation to expedite the environmental review of Enbridge Inc. (ENB)’s Northern Gateway pipeline and other resource infrastructure projects.

We just smiled and waved...... Sittin' there on that sack of seed....



Amelia Wimberly 1 year ago

Fantastically appropriate song for the day. What's funny is, I remember my dad playing The Wildwood Flower on his guitar my whole entire life. One day about 5 years ago, I was riding around and this song came on the radio. I immediately recognized the music, and when I listened to the words I almost wrecked my car for laughing so hard. Good times :-D


enough said...

Peace,
Mertis

Jim Stafford
Wildwood Weed lyrics

www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/j/jim_stafford/wildwood_weed.html

Songwriters: BOWMAN, DON / STAFFORD, JIM


Wildwood flower grew wild on the farm
And we never knowed what it was called
Some said it was a flower and some said it was a weed
I didn't give it much thought
One day I was out there talkin' to my brother
And I reached down for a weed to chew on
Things got fuzzy and things got blurry
And then ev'rything was gone
Didn't know what happened but I knew it beat the hell
Out of sniffing burlap

I come to and my brother was there and he said,
"What's wrong with your eyes?"
I said "I don't know, I was chewin' on the weed"
He said, "Let me give it a try"
We spent the rest of that day and most of that night tryin'
To find my brother Bill
Caught up with him about six o'clock the next mornin'
Naked, singing on the windmill
He said he flew up there
I had to fly up and get him down
He was about half crazy

The very next day we picked a bunch of them weeds
And put 'em in the sun to dry
Then we mashed 'em up and we cleaned 'em off
Put 'em in the corn cob pot
Smokin' them wildwood flowers got to be a habit
We never seen no harm
We thought it was kind-a handy
Take a trip and never leave the farm
Big 'ole puff of that wildwood weed next thing you know
You're just wand'ring 'round behind the little animals

All good things got to come to an end
It's the same with the wildwood weeds
One day this feller from Washington come by
And spied one and turned white as a sheet
And they dug and they burned
And they burned and they dug and they killed
All our cute little weeds and then they drove away
We just smiled and waved sittin' ther on that sack o' seeds

"Y'all come back now, y'hear!"

It's Monday May 20th, and a very interesting day in precious metals markets. It starts and ends with the price-action in the gold market:



What have I pointed out with respect to the price-action in recent weeks? ANY time we see a vertical move (in either direction) this is obviously heavy-handed manipulation. And as I've also pointed out, at any moment there are TWO groups of actors in these markets with the capacity to cause massive, instantaneous, vertical moves in these markets -- as we see again today -- the Banksters and the Big Buyers.

Our presumption (in the past) has been that the Banksters are responsible for the vertical moves DOWN, and the Big Buyers are responsible for the (near) vertical moves higher.

However, we have two persuasive reasons for suspecting it's the BANKSTERS themselves who are responsible for today's INSTANTANEOUS $30-move higher. What was I pointing out last week?

The Banksters have only a limited tolerance for lower prices -- as they can't handle the massive, physical demand being caused by these lower prices. So after seeing the market SAGGING again (now mostly due to paper-liquidation in ASIA), we see the Banksters engineer one of the largest vertical moves EVER today.

The other reason to suspect the Banksters of engineering this move higher in bullion prices is because the move is ABSOLUTELY vertical. When we see the Big Buyers push the market higher (generally in response to a Bankster ambush) we only see near-vertical.

The difference is that while the Big Buyers have overwhelming financial clout; THEY are not the direct Operators of these markets. For such an incredibly violent, absolutely vertical manipulation of this manner; only the actual OPERATORS of these markets (the Banksters and their servant-regulators) could/cam cause moves of this nature.

I said to readers not to be surprised to see a "No Mas" moment from the Banksters. We saw our first one today.



Note that this will not change the propaganda in any way. The propaganda is aimed at doing two things:

1) Lying about what is actually occurring in these markets
2) Destroying sentiment

What this means is that (as long as the Great Paper Liquidation continues) we may see more of these extraordinary days where we have the propaganda machine BASHING the market lower -- while the Banksters manipulate bullion prices higher...



Note that the Liars at Kitco have absolutely no explanation for the TOTALLY vertical move. They call it "bargain hunting" and "short covering". LOL!!! Yes, ALL the Bargain Hunters and ALL the Short-Coverers had a conference call this morning -- and arranged to ALL place their "buy" orders" at precisely the same second.

Makes sense to me...




Gold, Silver Post Dramatic Late-Day Price Rebounds To End Higher

www.kitco.com/reports/KitcoNews20130520JW_pm.html

Comex gold and silver futures prices suddenly surged higher near midday Monday, to reverse early, substantial losses and then ended the U.S. day session higher and near their daily highs. Heavy short covering and bargain hunting were featured during the precious metals’ turnarounds...

samix wrote:
I think I have been completly misunderstood in my post, the gist of the snippet that debyl posted is that Christ will carry the sins of the people who believe him to be the son of God and will achieve salvation, I do not agree with this and posted a verse of the Quran that rejects the idea that one can carry the sins of another, rather everyone has to individually answer for their own acts, as the Quran says:

And those who disbelieve say to those who believe, "Follow our way, and we will carry your sins." But they will not carry anything of their sins. Indeed, they are liars.
- Quran 29:12


Debsyl, I have to say that I'm also extremely uncomfortable with the concept that we can foist our "sins" onto someone else's shoulder -- and thus avoid (genuine) accountability.

Indeed, being Protestant I would have thought you would be very resistant to this "Catholic" way of thinking: simply "confess your sins" and the slate is wiped clean. There are two major problems here.

In the purely religious context; we have the concept that one can engage in acts of Evil with impunity, "repent", and then commit more Evil...with both one's conscience and (supposedly) soul still remaining pure. It would be impossible to list all of the acts of evil committed SERIALLY by the foot-soldiers of Catholicism -- enabled by the fact that those foot-soldiers could simply pull out a "Spiritual Eraser" and pretend those sins had never been committed.

But look where this thinking has gotten us?

ALL of the Politicians of the West are now "Catholics". What happens any/every time one of them is CAUGHT doing something?

They say "I'm taking responsibility" for their crime...but DO NOTHING. Literally their only act of contrition is the confession of their sin -- at which point they then ACT like they are now pure-as-the-driven snow.



It's bad enough for ordinary people to believe they can wipe away their sins with mere "confession." However to create SOCIETIES where the Psychopaths who rule us can be absolved of sin simply by "confessing" (always after they are caught) is INTOLERABLE.

What you are preaching is the antithesis of personal responsibility. In an era when our societies have never needed GENUINE ACCOUNTABILITY more than we do now; I would suggest that we must purge such religious dogma from our thinking.

While I see a few flaws in Mr. Black's thinking (flaws I have come to expect from him), his overall analysis of the recent failed efforts to regulate the derivatives market is insightful.

Bill Black: Regulators Refuse to Rein in $700 Trillion Derivatives Market


!

Samix wrote,

debsyl wrote:
Your and my sin is a great injustice against God. He has the right to demand perfection from us, and none of us have lived perfectly. Everyone of us have sinned against God and our neighbors. And so, this leaves us in a position far more like the murderers than we would naturally like to admit. Like them, we need God to have mercy on us because He has punished Jesus for our sins. The offer of the gospel is the only way of escape from the wrath of God. If you will not have Jesus Christ's payment for your sins, you will pay everlastingly.

I cannot take credit for these words, as noted by Samix. These words of wisdom are from "the notes of Derek Baars".

I've just hit the 1-hour mark. I'm learning so much real history that there's too much to summarize, except to say this. It would not be an understatement to say that the BIGGEST difference between the so-called "history" in our text-books and actual history is that any/all references to the Rothschilds and their influence over GLOBAL events for the past two centuries has been totally erased.

Their list of financial crimes makes the acts of even the Wall Street robber-barons today pale in significance -- at least on an individual basis.

I'm currently (in historical terms) at roughly the 1850 mark. At that time, the Rothschilds were acknowledged unequivocably (and by a vast margin) as the richest family on the planet. Most of their money has been made by war-profiteering, thus starting wars has always been very "good for business".

Ever wonder who really came up with the idea for the (never-ending) "War on Terror" -- and then whispered it into the ears of U.S. Neo-cons???

samix wrote:
With this declaration, Jawlani ratcheted up suspicions in the West that significant elements of the Syrian opposition are ideologically and tactically aligned with al-Qaeda. Nusra is now officially considered a "terrorist" organisation by the US State Department.

So what are the list of crimes of this feared Terrorist organization do ?...



Samix, to appreciate what's taking place here; you must take a step back and think about what has been done to Western Sheep. They have been brainwashed literally to the point of mental retardation. There's no brainwave activity. No (introspective) asking of questions like "how" or "why".

Nusra is (allegedly) "tactically aligned" with Al Qaeda. Forget about the phrase "tactically aligned" are mere weasel-words which could be used to represent nothing more than expressing "best wishes" to each other (lol). Forget about the fact that "Al Qaeda" is nothing more than a new name for the U.S.'s old allies -- the Mujahadeen. Forget about what Al Qaeda actually represents today, it's irrelevant.

All that matters in the tiny minds of the Sheep is that Al Qaeda has been labeled "Bad Guys." And now Nusra has been associated with Al Qaeda. And the Sheep have already been programmed that if you're "associated" with Bad Guys that this makes you "Bad Guys" too -- and anything goes.

...unless you're a Wall Street bank LAUNDERING MONEY for the "terrorists". When you "associate" with Bad Guys in that manner you don't get a Predator Drone between the eyes. Rather, the government wags its finger at you and says "please don't do this again" (nudge, nudge, wink, wink).

But the minds of the Sheep are too tiny to be able to comprehend such contradictions, unless (like a puppy which has peed on the floor) some trusted authority 'rubs their nose' in the contradiction.



We see precisely the same infantile mentality on display with respect to the reporting of business news. The Sheep have been trained to respond only to the words "beat expectations" and (rarely) "missed expectations". It doesn't matter whether the actual news is good or bad (even officially). It doesn't even matter (to the Sheep) what type of news it is.

If they hear the words "beat expectations"; they simply know they are supposed to applaud -- and then buy Dow stocks or U.S. Treasuries...



The masses are literally being devolved. Should the Oligarchs somehow managed to stay in power for even a century; they could devolve our species (behaviorally) to a degree equal to 1,000's (tens of thousands) of years of evolution.

We are being devolved BELOW the level of children, as some level of "curiosity" (i.e. brain-wave activity) is still encouraged in children.

I'm late getting going on the Forum this weekend because I put a lot of time into today's commentary; but this is pretty shocking stuff.

Essentially we've gone well beyond the original "Patriot Act era" in this phony War on Terror. In the new phase which this Fascist dictatorship has entered, it no longer sees the need to bother passing new laws.

It DECREES that it already has the "authority" to do anything it wants; and it simply IGNORES any trivial laws or documents (like the Constitution) which claim otherwise. It's hardly a surprise however, in the same regime where the U.S. Attorney General recently publicly pledged to cover-up any/all Wall Street crime.

The Rule of Law is obviously dead in the U.S. But it's important to note that it has not died of "natural causes"; rather it has been brutally assassinated.

samix wrote:
It is hard to resist the conclusion that this war has no purpose other than its own eternal perpetuation. This war is not a means to any end but rather is the end in itself. Not only is it the end itself, but it is also its own fuel: it is precisely this endless war - justified in the name of stopping the threat of terrorism - that is the single greatest cause of that threat.

www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/ma...-war-on-terror-obama

This is the myopic view that emerges with most commentators looking at the war from secular lenses, inspite of being sincere, they fail to realize that, though they may not be driven due to religious motivations and religion does not constitute a important factor in decision making for them, that is not the same for everyone in the world. This is clearly a religious war that is not just going to continue for another 20 years but will continue even further, maybe, what the US officials mean is that the US has only 20 more years left to lead this war, then a new western country will have to pick the baton.

Nonetheless, due to these myopic lenses, reasons like Oil, Gold, Economy, "US needs a boogeyman" are attributed to this war that confuses people more on each side.



Samix, I prefer to break down this analysis into even more elementary terms. For somewhere around 2,000 years; humanity has known that if you want to actually "defeat terrorism" (where it actually exists) that you use the POLICE to combat such crime.

On the other hand, if you want to increase (or simply CREATE) terrorism; then you use military force. The simple fact that the U.S. has chosen to make it so-called "anti-terrorism" 100% militaristic in form is proof that the goal all along has been to create terrorism.

I prefer this to other arguments that this is a phony, manufactured "war", because it can't be undermined through geopolitical tangents or other rhetoric.

For another example, we can look to apartheid Israel. When (genuine) Palestinian terrorism first commenced; the Israelis themselves fought it purely with POLICE methods -- and had spectacular success.

In fact they had too much success. When Israeli politicians figured out they could USE (supposed) "terrorism" as a device to continue stealing Palestinian land (and never engaging in good-faith negotiations for "two states"); suddenly Israel immediately STOPPED the police-tactics which had successfully eradicated such terrorism -- and they began using their military instead...to create terrorism.

samix wrote:
Earl wrote:
No, it doesn't taste like chicken,
Earl

Yes Earl, it tastes exactly like a cockroach should. Slimy and crisp. LOL



Well, it's at least somewhat comforting to know we don't have to worry about being fed "cockroach steaks"...

There is still certainly a place for discussing the changes which should be made to our economies/governments/societies. At the very least, such discussions make newer readers aware that there ARE positive options instead of the cycle of self-destruction initiated by our Traitor Governments.

At the same time, (IMO) it's essential for us to separate such discussions from the more practically-oriented dialogues on which changes MUST come first. And returning to a gold standard is an excellent example of how/where we must "draw the line" here.

Among the many points I've gotten out of the "Money Masters" clip posted by Debsyl (and I'm still not 1/3rd through - lol) is that in a thoroughly corrupt system even a gold standard is no panacea against financial crime and a predatory monetary system.

The English government used a gold standard to cripple the American Colonies, which ultimately precipitated Revolution. So clearly our top priority (ahead of financial reform specifically) is to "clean up the system."

But (as I also recently pointed out); it's literally impossible to even reduce the level of corruption in our System as long as you have a world full of mega-corporations who can "buy" all of our politicians...out of their "petty cash" drawer.

So this is why in almost any discussion, at some point you will hear my familiar refrain:

Smash all the monopolies and oligopolies into little pieces.

Think of it as a 21st century replacement for "Amen."

Something a little different,

Thank You
Earl


THIS IS RARE FOOTAGE OF GEORGE HARRISON AND FRIENDS
This rehearsal was for Bob Dylan's 30th Anniversary Concert

agau121 wrote:
Jeff Nielson wrote:
More complete insanity from Bloomberg, and we're still in the same day here. What's the latest news? Because of all the terrible U.S. economic news; the Fed may begin its long-promised "exit strategy."





Hmmm...black is white, up is down, hot is cold, war is peace, freedom is slavery. What used to be the disease (not enough money printing) is now the cure--at least this week. Possibly next week, or shortly thereafter, history will be rewritten, and money printing will once again be the cure. Quoting the party from 1984: "We've always been at war with Eastasia."


Of course we've already devolved below that cliche. We're past the point of examples like...

We've always been at war with Eastasia.

Today, with our super-charged propaganda machine, it's even more generic:

We've always been at war with ________________.

...and the Oligarchs (and their propaganda machine) simply insert new names into the "blank" with complete impunity. Put another way, most of our "new, mortal enemies" were usually previous "close friends."

When I posted my thoughts on evil Bankster, Jeffrey Sachs; naturally I was borrowing the phrase "economic hit-man" from his own lexicon. However, ironically, I've never read the book myself.

I was considering remedying that deficiency (lol), but at the least I'll make sure I squeeze in time over the weekend to listen to the interview. More detail is usually helpful in increasing clarity.

agau121 wrote:
Jeff Nielson wrote:
Still (throwing out yet more cliches - lol), Rome wasn't built in a day, and you have to crawl before you can walk (let alone run). Hopefully one day it won't be a shocking headline to read "Banker Arrested"...



To this I will add my own cliche: A journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step.

Fortunately for Mr. Blesa, the former chairman of the bank in question, he had the 2.5 million euros needed to post bail and was able to return to a more desirable housing situation than the gated community where he spent last night. Had his crime been something less serious such as small-time pot dealing, he most likely would still be living in that gated community and wearing far less desirable clothing.



Sadly, this comes in the context of a different news item I saw a couple of months back (not sure if I posted it). In that article, a South American government was being sued for daring to even arrest a banker -- successfully sued by the banker they tried to arrest.

In much of the world there is no such thing as "financial crime"; but it is a 'crime' to attempt to stop the Criminals from committing more crimes.

Interesting answers Jeff. For myself, I have PM investments so that I simply have something tangible I can trade or sell, rather than fiat paper, when the SHTF.

The idea that MY government, through the RBA, would ever go back to a gold and/or silver standard and actual PM minted circulating money, is pretty much right at the back of my mind... Still, I have to say, it would be nice.

“Nothing is normal: not the economy, not the financial system, not the financial markets and not the political system.  The system remains still in the throes and aftershocks of the 2008 panic and the near-systemic collapse, and from the ongoing responses to same by the Federal Reserve and federal government.  Further panic is possible and hyperinflation is inevitable. 

“The economic and systemic solvency crises of the last eight years continue.  There never was an actual recovery following the economic downturn that began in 2006 and collapsed into 2008 and 2009.  What followed was a protracted period of business stagnation that began to turn down anew in second- and third-quarter 2012.  The official recovery seen in GDP has been a statistical illusion generated by the use of understated inflation in calculating key economic series (see Public Comment on Inflation).  Nonetheless, given the nature of official reporting, the renewed downturn likely will gain recognition as the second-dip in a double- or multiple-dip recession.

“What continues to unfold in the systemic and economic crises is just an ongoing part of the 2008 turmoil.  All the extraordinary actions and interventions bought a little time, but they did not resolve the various crises.  That the crises continue can be seen in deteriorating economic activity and in the panicked actions by the Federal Reserve, where it proactively is monetizing U.S. Treasury debt at a pace suggestive of a Treasury that is unable to borrow otherwise.” 

“April Employment and Unemployment, M3 and Monetary Base,”

John Williams, Shadowstats.com, 05/03/2012

 

 

It had to happen. And now it has begun. The very biggest bubble in financial history has begun to deflate. And over the next few months, we expect that deflation to accelerate and morph into a bursting.

 

And that bursting will affect the price of nearly every financial asset on the planet, and many key non-financial ones as well.

 

Independent (non-main stream media) financial analysts generally agree that The Fed, Bank of Japan, and increasing numbers of other Central Banks’ orgy of fiat money printing (i.e., competitive fiat currency purchasing power debasement – i.e., the “currency wars”) will likely come to a very bad end.

 

One likely result: hyperinflation. (The U.S., e.g., is already threshold hyperinflationary with real CPI at 9.15% per shadowstats.com.) and consequent collapse of one or more sectors. Think Argentina (50% inflation) as a distinct possibility.

 

So it is crucial to recognize the 3 key warning signs that a collapse of one or more sectors is impending, so one can profit and protect. Unfortunately, 2 of these indicators are already “hinting” that collapse in one and quite possibly two key sectors may not be far off – beginning within the next few weeks or very few months. Do these signs of key sector collapse mean one is certain? No, but they are ominous indicators of probability nonetheless.

 

Indeed, it is the possible collapse in one of these sectors about which Goldman Sachs’ CEO Lloyd Blankfein warned just a few days ago and about which we have been warning for weeks, that is most likely.

 

Carefully consider the four-month chart of the benchmark 10-year U.S. T-Bond which confirms that bond technicals confirm bond fundamentals.

 

 

Note the violation of the short rising trend-line in early May. Not good. Note the key support level is the March low of 132.21.

 

It has now been violated conclusively with this past Monday’s (05/13) close of 131.31.

 

If the US 10 Year continues down, a massive collapse in the bond market (i.e., much lower bond prices / much higher interest rates) becomes increasingly probable. Such a collapse would wreak havoc on the economy because credit would become very expensive or unavailable, as it became in the late 1970s to early 1980s and again in 1994.

 

Consider Blankfein’s Warning:

 

“I worry now…I look out of the corner of my eye, to the ’94 period … you’d think in hindsight (it) should have been expected … (it) really was stunning.”

         

Lloyd Blankfein, CEO, Goldman Sachs, 05/01/2013

 

Going forward, watch the U.S. 10Yr Chart very carefully. It is Indicator #1 that a one or two sector, and perhaps broader collapse is impending and it is already “hinting”.

 

Indicator #2 is the U.S. Dollar. Short-term (next few weeks) we have already forecast continued strengthening basis USDX because of continued Eurozone weakness, Bank of Japan Yen (and several other Central Banks intensified) printing, i.e. the ongoing, and intensifying currency war, i.e. competitive devaluation.

 

But given The Fed’s ongoing orgy of printing ($85 billion per month) long-term the $US is toast vis à vis real assets.

 

So looking again at a 5-year $US chart we see key support is at 78 basis USDX. If the $US were to close below 78 it would be Indicator #2 that a major collapse is quite likely impending. At present, we see no “hinting” yet for the $US.

 

In sum, short-term (next few weeks or very few months) we continue to forecast the $US remains above 80. However, short-term the 10-year U.S. T-bond is already hinting at collapse with the yield popping to 1.95% very recently. We shall watch very closely, and are indeed prepared to recommend shorting the 10-year at any time. (Regarding Profit and Protection from the foregoing, Deepcaster’s recent Letters and Alerts.)

 

Indicator #3 that a key sector or, at broader, financial, collapse is impending would be crude oil prices.

A serious spike in crude oil prices would / will stop Fed and other Central Bank money printing dead in its tracks. And such a halt would remove support from Equities and other markets. Therefore, consider well that a 3-year chart of crude prices presents a triangle pattern, a pattern which is coming closer and closer to the breakout point.

The question is, which way will it break?

With WTI crude in the mid-$90s and trending up recently, it is hinting that a sector collapse resulting from a spike in crude prices may be impending.

Some month (or weeks) not too far off, Fed and other Central Banks money printing will likely cause a price breakout most likely to the upside (i.e., above $100). Equities will then tank. Given the Central Banks intensified money printing a breakout is likely just a matter of a weeks or a very few months.

The crude price is an indicator to watch, and it is already “hinting”. In sum, if crude spikes up, or bonds down (and thus, interest rates up), Equities will tank and both crude and bonds are hinting.

[By the way, we discount somewhat the enthusiasm with which the recent IEA Report (the U.S. production would increase by 3.9 Million/bbl/day in the next five years appx due to fracking) was accompanied. Even if true that would increase U.S. Production to appx 12 Million/bbl/day. But the U.S. consumes 18 Million bbl/day and fracked wells have much higher depletion rates.]

The great bond-bubble bursting is near (and a $US swoon is likely not too many months off either) thanks to Fed and other Central Banks printing, the only issue is which month, or week, will the acceleration to that burst occur.

 

In sum, bonds and crude oil are the indicators hinting that the collapse of one or more sectors impending, the US$ not yet.

 

Best regards,

Deepcaster
May 16, 2013

 

“Nothing is normal: not the economy, not the financial system, not the financial markets and not the political system.  The system remains still in the throes and aftershocks of the 2008 panic and the near-systemic collapse, and from the ongoing responses to same by the Federal Reserve and federal government.  Further panic is possible and hyperinflation is inevitable. 

“The economic and systemic solvency crises of the last eight years continue.  There never was an actual recovery following the economic downturn that began in 2006 and collapsed into 2008 and 2009.  What followed was a protracted period of business stagnation that began to turn down anew in second- and third-quarter 2012.  The official recovery seen in GDP has been a statistical illusion generated by the use of understated inflation in calculating key economic series (see Public Comment on Inflation).  Nonetheless, given the nature of official reporting, the renewed downturn likely will gain recognition as the second-dip in a double- or multiple-dip recession.

“What continues to unfold in the systemic and economic crises is just an ongoing part of the 2008 turmoil.  All the extraordinary actions and interventions bought a little time, but they did not resolve the various crises.  That the crises continue can be seen in deteriorating economic activity and in the panicked actions by the Federal Reserve, where it proactively is monetizing U.S. Treasury debt at a pace suggestive of a Treasury that is unable to borrow otherwise.” 

“April Employment and Unemployment, M3 and Monetary Base,”

John Williams, Shadowstats.com, 05/03/2012

 

 

It had to happen. And now it has begun. The very biggest bubble in financial history has begun to deflate. And over the next few months, we expect that deflation to accelerate and morph into a bursting.

 

And that bursting will affect the price of nearly every financial asset on the planet, and many key non-financial ones as well.

 

Independent (non-main stream media) financial analysts generally agree that The Fed, Bank of Japan, and increasing numbers of other Central Banks’ orgy of fiat money printing (i.e., competitive fiat currency purchasing power debasement – i.e., the “currency wars”) will likely come to a very bad end.

 

One likely result: hyperinflation. (The U.S., e.g., is already threshold hyperinflationary with real CPI at 9.15% per shadowstats.com.) and consequent collapse of one or more sectors. Think Argentina (50% inflation) as a distinct possibility.

 

So it is crucial to recognize the 3 key warning signs that a collapse of one or more sectors is impending, so one can profit and protect. Unfortunately, 2 of these indicators are already “hinting” that collapse in one and quite possibly two key sectors may not be far off – beginning within the next few weeks or very few months. Do these signs of key sector collapse mean one is certain? No, but they are ominous indicators of probability nonetheless.

 

Indeed, it is the possible collapse in one of these sectors about which Goldman Sachs’ CEO Lloyd Blankfein warned just a few days ago and about which we have been warning for weeks, that is most likely.

 

Carefully consider the four-month chart of the benchmark 10-year U.S. T-Bond which confirms that bond technicals confirm bond fundamentals.

 

 

Note the violation of the short rising trend-line in early May. Not good. Note the key support level is the March low of 132.21.

 

It has now been violated conclusively with this past Monday’s (05/13) close of 131.31.

 

If the US 10 Year continues down, a massive collapse in the bond market (i.e., much lower bond prices / much higher interest rates) becomes increasingly probable. Such a collapse would wreak havoc on the economy because credit would become very expensive or unavailable, as it became in the late 1970s to early 1980s and again in 1994.

 

Consider Blankfein’s Warning:

 

“I worry now…I look out of the corner of my eye, to the ’94 period … you’d think in hindsight (it) should have been expected … (it) really was stunning.”

         

Lloyd Blankfein, CEO, Goldman Sachs, 05/01/2013

 

Going forward, watch the U.S. 10Yr Chart very carefully. It is Indicator #1 that a one or two sector, and perhaps broader collapse is impending and it is already “hinting”.

 

Indicator #2 is the U.S. Dollar. Short-term (next few weeks) we have already forecast continued strengthening basis USDX because of continued Eurozone weakness, Bank of Japan Yen (and several other Central Banks intensified) printing, i.e. the ongoing, and intensifying currency war, i.e. competitive devaluation.

 

But given The Fed’s ongoing orgy of printing ($85 billion per month) long-term the $US is toast vis à vis real assets.

 

So looking again at a 5-year $US chart we see key support is at 78 basis USDX. If the $US were to close below 78 it would be Indicator #2 that a major collapse is quite likely impending. At present, we see no “hinting” yet for the $US.

 

In sum, short-term (next few weeks or very few months) we continue to forecast the $US remains above 80. However, short-term the 10-year U.S. T-bond is already hinting at collapse with the yield popping to 1.95% very recently. We shall watch very closely, and are indeed prepared to recommend shorting the 10-year at any time. (Regarding Profit and Protection from the foregoing, Deepcaster’s recent Letters and Alerts.)

 

Indicator #3 that a key sector or, at broader, financial, collapse is impending would be crude oil prices.

A serious spike in crude oil prices would / will stop Fed and other Central Bank money printing dead in its tracks. And such a halt would remove support from Equities and other markets. Therefore, consider well that a 3-year chart of crude prices presents a triangle pattern, a pattern which is coming closer and closer to the breakout point.

The question is, which way will it break?

With WTI crude in the mid-$90s and trending up recently, it is hinting that a sector collapse resulting from a spike in crude prices may be impending.

Some month (or weeks) not too far off, Fed and other Central Banks money printing will likely cause a price breakout most likely to the upside (i.e., above $100). Equities will then tank. Given the Central Banks intensified money printing a breakout is likely just a matter of a weeks or a very few months.

The crude price is an indicator to watch, and it is already “hinting”. In sum, if crude spikes up, or bonds down (and thus, interest rates up), Equities will tank and both crude and bonds are hinting.

[By the way, we discount somewhat the enthusiasm with which the recent IEA Report (the U.S. production would increase by 3.9 Million/bbl/day in the next five years appx due to fracking) was accompanied. Even if true that would increase U.S. Production to appx 12 Million/bbl/day. But the U.S. consumes 18 Million bbl/day and fracked wells have much higher depletion rates.]

The great bond-bubble bursting is near (and a $US swoon is likely not too many months off either) thanks to Fed and other Central Banks printing, the only issue is which month, or week, will the acceleration to that burst occur.

 

In sum, bonds and crude oil are the indicators hinting that the collapse of one or more sectors impending, the US$ not yet.

 

Best regards,

Deepcaster
May 16, 2013

This is an old classic. It likely is nothing new to members of this forum. I'm posting it because I find that it helps to reassure me that much of what is discussed here on BBC is not unfounded tinfoil hat theory. This is an hour-long interview with John Perkins, author of Confessions of an Economic Hit Man.

I recently pulled it up out of the archives of Amy Goodman's Democracy Now! show and relistened to it. I thought that it might interest others as well, even if they have already head it or are familiar with the author's work in some other way. While circumstances have changed since December 31, 2004 when this interview was conducted, the ideas are still relevant and help to provide perspective on what is unfolding today, much of it likely hidden from public view.

www.democracynow.org/2004/12/31/confessi..._an_economic_hit_man

From the Democracy Now! website:

We spend the hour with John Perkins, a former respected member of the international banking community. In his book Confessions of an Economic Hit Man he describes how as a highly paid professional, he helped the U.S. cheat poor countries around the globe out of trillions of dollars by lending them more money than they could possibly repay and then taking over their economies. [includes rush transcript]

John Perkins describes himself as a former economic hit man–a highly paid professional who cheated countries around the globe out of trillions of dollars.

20 years ago Perkins began writing a book with the working title, "Conscience of an Economic Hit Men."

Perkins writes, "The book was to be dedicated to the presidents of two countries, men who had been his clients whom I respected and thought of as kindred spirits–Jaime Roldós, president of Ecuador, and Omar Torrijos, president of Panama. Both had just died in fiery crashes. Their deaths were not accidental. They were assassinated because they opposed that fraternity of corporate, government, and banking heads whose goal is global empire. We Economic Hit Men failed to bring Roldós and Torrijos around, and the other type of hit men, the CIA-sanctioned jackals who were always right behind us, stepped in.

John Perkins goes on to write: "I was persuaded to stop writing that book. I started it four more times during the next twenty years. On each occasion, my decision to begin again was influenced by current world events: the U.S. invasion of Panama in 1980, the first Gulf War, Somalia, and the rise of Osama bin Laden. However, threats or bribes always convinced me to stop."

But now Perkins has finally published his story. The book is titled Confessions of an Economic Hit Man. John Perkins joins us again in our Firehouse studios for an extended discussion.

John Perkins, from 1971 to 1981 he worked for the international consulting firm of Chas T. Main where he was a self-described "economic hit man." He is the author of the new book Confessions of an Economic Hit Man.

Jeff Nielson wrote:
Still (throwing out yet more cliches - lol), Rome wasn't built in a day, and you have to crawl before you can walk (let alone run). Hopefully one day it won't be a shocking headline to read "Banker Arrested"...



To this I will add my own cliche: A journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step.

Fortunately for Mr. Blesa, the former chairman of the bank in question, he had the 2.5 million euros needed to post bail and was able to return to a more desirable housing situation than the gated community where he spent last night. Had his crime been something less serious such as small-time pot dealing, he most likely would still be living in that gated community and wearing far less desirable clothing.

You could sense even the smug Liars at Bloomberg shaking in their boots ever so slightly while reporting this: a (criminal) banker actually arrested for committing crimes.



Images such as pigs flying, blue Moons, or Hell freezing-over immediately come to mind. Of course it's one thing to merely arrest one of these predators, and quite another to actually lock one up (and throw away the key) as these Career Criminals so richly deserve.

Still (throwing out yet more cliches - lol), Rome wasn't built in a day, and you have to crawl before you can walk (let alone run). Hopefully one day it won't be a shocking headline to read "Banker Arrested"...




Banker in Jail Suggests Spain Is Calling Lenders to Account

www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-17/first-...ders-to-account.html

The sight of Miguel Blesa, the former chairman of Caja Madrid, being driven to jail in a police van suggests Spain may be calling bankers to account after the nation needed European Union funds to bail out lenders.

Judge Elpidio-Jose Silva jailed Blesa yesterday while he investigates the circumstances around a U.S. bank purchase in 2008. Television images last night showed Blesa, 65, being driven into the 1,008-cell Soto del Real jail outside Madrid. He was released today after posting bail of 2.5 million euros ($3.2 million), a court spokesman said by telephone...

Jeff Nielson wrote:
D'oh!



I wish you had ended your reply just a couple of sentences sooner (lol). Obviously in "nominating" Mr. Jonas for Idiot of the Year I was doing exactly the same thing. At this point I have only one refuge: pointing out that when I did exactly the same thing that I was being "intentionally ironic." Hopefully that line holds up...



I took your name calling as intentionally ironic, so your credibility holds up with me at least, but additionally I would imagine that regular participants in this forum know that you back up your arguments with facts as opposed to engaging in pure conjecture. My experience has been that when you do engage in conjecture, you present it as such and don't attempt to pass it off as anything other than that.

agau121 wrote:
Just over a week ago (before I headed off for a backpacking trip), I encouraged other BBC members to consider reading The Complete Sherlock Holmes (or at least reading a few of the short stories as a way of "sticking your toe in the water"). I have found the activity to be somewhat addictive, although benignly so, and certainly instructive.

Just before I left for my recent backpacking trip, I ordered a used copy of the software program Chessmaster 9000 (from an Amazon seller) which allows you to play chess against your computer (originally designed for Windows XP but also compatible with Windows 7). Since returning I have installed it and have been working through the tutorials. I have found these tutorials to be both instructive and enjoyable, more enjoyable in fact that I had expected. Soon I will start playing full games against the computer. Already, however, just by doing the tutorials and exercises, I can see that the activity of playing chess will very likely be, at least for me, just the sort of brain training activity that Jeff presented it to be because it involves pure strategy and requires you to both consider all options before you make a move and to think several steps ahead. In other words, it requires dynamic analysis as opposed to static analysis.

Often the practice of meditation (Buddhist or otherwise) is spoken of as a laboratory for handling the real life challenges of constant change and impermanence. So far my experience of playing chess (even against a computer) seems to be like a laboratory for developing the ability to engage in dynamic analysis. Granted, I'm just in the beginning stages, but I can already see the potential this activity offers. I would strongly encourage other BBC members to consider playing chess as a way to develop these skills as Jeff has suggested. If necessary, you can begin as I have done, by playing against your computer.


Ironically, my own "discovery process" which led me to (finally) understand how the mind functioned as a muscle was when I returned to the gym in my late thirties for training/rehabilitation.

I had entertained the casual hypothesis of "mind as a muscle" for many years. But it was while working out (and with not a lot to occupy one's thoughts - lol); that I began exploring the concept more rigorously.

Part of the understanding came with understanding the totally bifurcated manner in which our minds operate.

Our conscious minds are little more than sensory "interfaces". The "skill" of our conscious minds lies in the ability to rapidly process sensory input...and that's pretty much it.



In no way am I denigrating the conscious, human mind. The capacity to rapidly process sensory input from (at least) five "senses" is no small feat! But virtually all of our skill/expertise (in all mental or physical activities) is possessed by our sub-conscious mind -- the real "mental muscle".

How do you train the subconsious? Lots and lots of REPETITION. How do we train our bodies physically? Lots and lots of repetition. Irrespective of whether you want to get stronger or physically better in performing an activity; it's all about repetition.

Once that parallel was firmly established; in my mind any debate ended. Our minds are muscles.

samix wrote:
Michael Sheehan, assistant secretary of Defense in charge of special operations, said America's battle with terrorist groups spanned the globe "from Boston to the FATA," meaning Pakistan's tribal areas.

...

Sheehan and the Pentagon's top lawyers told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the military was authorized to target Al Qaeda operatives in countries where drone strikes don't now occur, including Mali, Syria and anywhere a host government is "unwilling or unable" to prevent Al Qaeda-linked terrorists from operating on its territory.

Which means that the US has effectively declared war against any country that is "unwilling or unable" to prevent Al Qaeda-linked terrorists from operating on its territory., which means that the rebels fighting and trying to topple Bashar Al Assad are going to be targeted sooner or later.

www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/l...0517,0,1474090.story


Obviously U.S. Neo-cons are eager for the U.S. to displace Israel as the world's most murderous regime. Israel's assassins only operate regionally. With most of those U.S. Neo-cons of Jewish descent; clearly Israel has DELEGATED the rest of its "hit list"...