Tech vs Big Bad Governments

I find these two "tech battles" interesting in the context of "mass social mood".

"The makers of the BlackBerry were looking into the possibility of using servers in Saudi Arabia on Friday to avert a threatened ban on its Messenger services by Saudi government, which wants access to its encrypted network, a source said on Friday."
Source: Reuters

"Google Inc. reported Thursday that its Web search, mobile and advertising services in China had been blocked.  It was unclear if the services had been temporarily disrupted or if they were being blocked by the Chinese government."
Source: LA Times

Being Vs Having

At mass this weekend, our deacon made reference to a writing of Pope John Paul II where he emphasized "being" vs "having". These approaches or mindsets might align well with the concept of cycles. The expansion cycle is a time where the masses focus on "having", while the contraction commences with a shift towards "being". I'm constantly assaulted for being a pessimist and "gloom n' doomer" for my economic outlook, but I continue to emphasize that the contraction cycle will bring many great things. A shift to "being" from "having" will be good for all. A mindset of "supersize me" evolving towards "we" and "us" will be a good thing. Less of "having" and more of "being" will be a welcomed shift. Keep your eyes open and ears to the ground. A transition is rapidly occurring.

A nice article on the subject:
http://www.acton.org/publications/randl/rl_article_321.php

Congratulations Mr. Slater

I congratulate Stephen Slater, the JetBlue flight attendant, who made an abrupt and unique departure from his plane this week.  I congratulate him not for his specific actions, but more for not taking the angry approach that some seem to be taking lately on their co-workers in the workplace.  Instead of taking a gun to work, he chose a spontaneous exit with a beer in hand.  The angry mob is made up of angry individuals.  It's up to each individual to "deal" with their specific situation in an appropriate manner.  Mr. Slater will be job hunting and might spend some time in the "slammer", but at least there won't be any funerals this week.  And, he brought a chuckle to many.  As Johnny Paycheck famously said "take this job and shove it".

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/08/11/earlyshow/main6763004.shtml

The Boys Are Back

Now's here's some good news!!

"Ready to rock? Van Halen is planning a comeback.  The band is back in the studio with original singer David Lee Roth, with an album slated for next year."
Source: USA Today

Peter Schiff On Gold

"In short, the dollar is closer than ever to collapse and there is no other national currency ready to take its place. I believe the world may soon discover that there is no better alternative than history's proven money - gold.  Some of you might be familiar with these arguments, and say they are old hat. The same Wall Street analysts who missed the dot-com bubble and the real estate bubble are now warning that gold has already had its run up and is way overvalued. However, they were making this same argument back in 2006, with gold at $600/oz.  Meanwhile, in April of that year, I wrote a commentary with a few personal observations: none of my mining stocks had split, precious metals investors were not rubbing shoulders with real estate moguls or dot-com millionaires, and I was still running my gold investment division with only one employee. On TV, Flip That House wasn't followed by Deal That Gold. My taxi driver wasn't offering me hot bullion tips. In fact, nine out of ten people you stopped on the street couldn't even tell you the current price of gold within $200! And that's still the case today.  I continue to recommend that investors hold five to ten percent of their wealth in physical precious metals. Aside from the likelihood that gold and silver will rise in price, precious metals offer timeless benefits, such as financial privacy, elimination of counter-party risk (if you store them yourself), as well as protection from government confiscation, onerous securities regulation, and punitive tax rates."
Peter Schiff, EuroPacific Capital

The Controversial Mosque

This one keeps heating up in perfect alignment with the xenophobic behavior that accompanies the downward trend in mass social mood. We were once a country that believed in freedom of speech and religion. We're rapidly becoming "the pot that called the kettle black". If 15 crazy cajuns flew a plane into two buildings in New York, would we ban Cajun restaurants from within two blocks of the crash site?

"The controversy involves a proposed Islamic center slated to be built where a vacant clothing store now sits, just two blocks from the World Trade Center site. The Cordoba Initiative, a group that says it aims to promote positive interaction between the Muslim world and the West, plans to build a 13-story community center, including a mosque, on Park Place in Lower Manhattan."
Source: PBS

"As the controversy brewing around the construction of a new mosque in New York, within the shadow of Ground Zero (the site of the 9/11 terrorist attacks) reaches a fever pitch, several important principles are quickly being set aside. It can be tempting to sympathize with those that see in this a symbol of Islamic victory, analogous to the raising of the American flag on Mount Suribachi following the Battle for Iwo Jima. However, even if the imam leading the construction initiative were to pronounce it confirmation of conquered territory (a hypothetically offensive declaration to be sure), such alarming words would still offer no legitimate reason to restrict the construction of the mosque in question. The very nature of religious freedom means that some can perform practices that suit them well, though it offend others in the process. In addition, the speech of the imam, though objectionable to a certain cross section of society, is as protected under the 1st Amendment as is his right to gather with those of like faith in the new building. Though some may bristle at the notion of accommodating this Muslim house of worship, it remains imperative to remember that religious freedom must not be selectively applied. Those protections afforded one religion must be afforded to all. For this reason, whatever restrictions those who object may want to impose upon the Muslim faith in this instance can be easily imposed upon their own religion as well. Whether or not a Christian or Jew may object on principle may be a heart felt and important issue to them, but should remain legally irrelevant. The same city council that tells the imam, "No. You may not build your gathering place here," also is wrongly empowered to tell the pastor or rabbi the same thing."
Source: The Examiner

"The mob will get even more angry. Xenophobia will continue to increase. Muslims and Mexicans will continue to be the easy targets. Which group or culture is next?"
Random Roving - January 1, 2010

Matthew Simmons Dies At 67

I was shocked to hear that "energy guru" Matthew Simmons died today. I had just listened to a lengthy interview of his on Friday and read several articles about him this weekend. He was very vocal on the "peak oil" topic and always provided very "data driven" presentations. I read many of his presentations over the years. He will be missed.

NY Times biography:
http://dealbook.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/09/matthew-simmons-noted-energy-banker-dies-at-67/

RR links:
http://randomroving.blogspot.com/2003/04/future-of-oil-patch.html

http://randomroving.blogspot.com/2004/07/coming-energy-crunch-and-hubberts-peak.html

Peak Oil Curve - Hubberts Peak

The Attack On Yellow

It will be interesting to see if the downward "draft" of mass social mood takes down cycling champion, Lance Armstrong.  Tiger might say that "the draft" makes everyone vulnerable.

"The seven-time Tour de France champion's imprint on Austin is unmistakable: from the city's Lance Armstrong Bikeway and a chain of gyms that bear his moniker to his work as a cancer survivor through his foundation and activism at the Capitol.  Now Austin's top sports celebrity will wage another battle as a federal investigation has intensified in recent months to pull in key figures from cycling and beyond to investigate allegations of doping.  The risks for the iconic figure, who's become one of the most highly paid athletes in the country, couldn't be bigger."
Source: American Statesman

The Great Abundance

I haven't shared a Peggy Noonan article in quite a while due to WSJ's decision to make it available only to subscribers.  It appears that "the ban" has been lifted.  An interesting recent article that I spotted on Twitter.

"Parents now fear something has stopped. They think they lived through the great abundance, a time of historic growth in wealth and material enjoyment. They got it, and they enjoyed it, and their kids did, too: a lot of toys in that age, a lot of Xboxes and iPhones. (Who is the most self-punishing person in America right now? The person who didn't do well during the abundance.) But they look around, follow the political stories and debates, and deep down they think their children will live in a more limited country, that jobs won't be made at a great enough pace, that taxes—too many people in the cart, not enough pulling it—will dishearten them, that the effects of 30 years of a low, sad culture will leave the whole country messed up. And then there is the world: nuts with nukes, etc. Optimists think that if we manage to turn a few things around, their kids may have it . . . almost as good. The country they inherit may be . . . almost as good. And it's kind of a shock to think like this; pessimism isn't in our DNA. But it isn't pessimism, really, it's a kind of tough knowingness, combined, in most cases, with a daily, personal commitment to keep plugging.  They don't seem to know or have a sense of the mood of the country."
Entire Article http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703748904575411713335505250.html

Emmitt's Wisdom

"Never let others define yourself.  You define yourself."
Emmitt Smith (this weekend at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony)

A good watch:
http://sports.espn.go.com/dallas/nfl/columns/story?columnist=watkins_calvin&id=5446289

Rats Fleeing The Ship

Another rat has fled the ship.
"Christina Romer, chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, has resigned her post to return to her old job as an economics professor at the University of California at Berkeley, the White House said Thursday."
Source: Washington Post

"It was only a matter of time for the rats to start jumping off of the ship. It only makes sense for the budget director to leap first. Geitner and Rahm-bo will be next."
Random Roving, June 30, 2010

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The King Saves For The Grandchildren

Will this be the trigger for the next major "leg up" in oil prices?
"The monarch told Saudi scholars studying in Washington that he had ordered all oil exploration to cease 'in order to keep the earth’s wealth for our sons and grandsons.'"
Source: State-owned Saudi News Agency

The Ten Year Slope

"One of the most interesting things about the coming decline will be its initial slide down the slope of hope. The past ten years have seen an unprecedented sustaining of optimism in the face of deteriorating financial market and monetary conditions and a deteriorating economy. Even though the market is about to begin its greatest decline ever, the era of hope is not quite finished."
Robert Prechter, Elliott Wave International

The Quasi Maestro

The Great Maestro speaks again.  He might have coined another new economic term, "quasi recession".

"The dollar traded near its weakest since November against the yen on signs the U.S. recovery is losing momentum and after Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said the slowdown feels like a 'quasi recession.' The U.S. economy might contract again if home prices decline, Greenspan said in an interview on NBC’s 'Meet the Press' yesterday. 'We’re in a pause in a recovery, a modest recovery, but a pause in the modest recovery feels like a quasi- recession,' he said."

Source: Bloomberg