A Golden Dip

I bought some more GLD (Gold ETF) at 129  in the after-market last night.  We'll see if this was a base.

GLD - Gold ETF

You're On Your Own

"In a press conference, Reid said that Nevada governor Brian Sandoval will have to solve Nevada's massive budget crisis himself. The federal government will NOT come to the rescue.  In his own words, Reid said, '… solutions for state government will have to come from state government.'"
Source: Weiss Research
 
"Will the U.S. fragment and all will say 'California, that's your problem!'".

Random Roving, January 1, 2010

Jerry's Hot Potato

"Orange County officials decry hateful graffiti, threats to kill Jerry Brown.  Orange County officials are decrying a string of hateful graffiti, including some that threatened to kill Gov. Jerry Brown on Valentine's Day.  'Every community experiences some form of graffiti," said Anaheim Police Sgt. Rick Martinez, "but to see hateful messages like this is rare, especially when you're dealing with the message of killing added to religion, ethnicities and now aimed at a politician.'  'It's more than just a little graffiti,' said Rusty Kennedy, executive director of the Orange County Human Relations Committee. 'This is graffiti that has the intent of terrifying and scaring a specific group of people. ... It's being targeted at people in an effort to pick them out and bully them.'  In addition to the Jerry Brown graffiti, Orange County cities have seen a spate of graffiti calling on people to kill Catholics, blacks, Asians and Latinos in recent weeks."
Source: LA Times

"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


It sure didn't take long for Jerry Brown to get handed the California "hot potato".  Talk about being handed a "bag of goods".  Like I said about the last presidential election, I don't know why anybody would want that job.

Palin Puppet Power

This is a post I've thought about for a long time and I may have missed my opportunity to "call a top" to Palin's euphoric rise.  The fact that some are trying to pin responsibility on her for the shootings in Tuscon might indicate she's "playing the back nine" when it comes to popularity.  The commencement of the reality show for sure will pinpoint the "all time high".  It can only be downhill from here.  Here's how I saw/see it.


The Man: Ms. Palin, you are a real patriot.  Your decision to accept the VP nomination meant a lot to our party.
Puppet Palin: Thank you.  I'll do anything for my country and party.
The Man: Well here's what we need you to do now.
Puppet Palin: Sure, anything.
The Man: We need you to resign from your position as Governor and go to work full time for the party.
Puppet Palin: What?  I can't leave my state and depart my term early.  What would people think?
The Man: Ms. Palin, don't worry.  We'll take care of what people think.  We want you to be the voice of the party.
Puppet Palin:  But won't they think that I bailed on my home state.
The Man:  Like we said, we'll do the worrying.
Puppet Palin: What do you want me to do.
The Man: We want you to keep the party's issues out in front in the media.
Puppet Palin: I won't have to interview with Katie Couric again, will I?
The Man: No, we'll take care of her. We are going to make you a major celebrity.  You'll get book deals, speaking engagements, an expanded wardrobe, and travel across the country.  We'll even set you up a Twitter account.
Puppet Palin: What's Twitter?
The Man: It's this new way to spread the word.  You'll be able to speak to the world about whatever comes to your mind.
Puppet Palin: What else.
The Man: We might even be able to get you a reality show.
Puppet Palin: Like The Osbournes?
The Man: Well, we haven't worked out the details yet.  We even might be able to get Bristol something.
Puppet Palin: Like what?
The Man: Maybe a reality show moment too.
Puppet Palin: Like American Idol?
The Man: That might be pushing it.
Puppet Palin: So, basically this means I'll be the candidate in 2012.
The Man: Well, not exactly.  We want you to wear everybody out before we bring Newt to center stage.
Puppet Palin: Okay. This patriot is in.

With two years to go, they'll be moving her to stage left.  Lets see if Newt, their link to The Gipper, will be their man.

Tidal Update

"This historic unfolding event can be examined and observed on many scales: individuals, cities, counties, states, regions, countries, and continents. The weakest stumble first."
Random Roving, February 3, 2009

"The city of Camden annually appears on a bunch of Top 10 lists—just not the good ones. In fact, this year Camden was ranked the second most dangerous city in the United States, which unfortunately is a step up from 2009 when the New Jersey city earned the uncoveted No. 1 spot.  Yesterday, the crime-ridden city of Camden, New Jersey was forced to let go of 167 of the 373 members of the city’s police department.  CQ Press’s 17th annual crime city rankings show that Camden has the nation’s worst rape and robbery rates in the country, while ranking No. 2 in assault, and No. 4 in murder. The deindustrialized port city has become a harbor for drug trafficking and anything else illegal."
Source: DT

"Half of Detroit’s schools would be shut down and high school class size would rise to 62 students under a deficit reduction plan proposed by Detroit Public Schools Emergency Manager Robert Bobb this week.  The Detroit News reports that Bobb says these changes will be needed if the legislature does not act to restructure DPS finances. The school system has a $327 million deficit."
Source: Michigan Messenger

"The Syracuse school district needs to cut 425 jobs, including 140 teachers, to help close a projected $47 million budget gap next fiscal year."
Source: Syracuse.com

"Fresh from his third inauguration as California's governor, Jerry Brown is proposing a state budget that would slash spending-- including half a billion dollars from the California State University System.  'These cuts will be painful, requiring sacrifice from every sector of the state, but we have no choice,' Brown said during his introduction of the budget proposal.  Brown spoke of a new fiscally responsible era that would end budget gimmicks and cut spending enough to close California's $26 billion budget shortfall. The governor's proposal cuts $12.5 billion and effects all state agencies including Medi-Cal, welfare-to-work programs and developmental services. State employees would suffer a 10 percent pay decrease."
Source: The Lumberjack

"When the tide lowers, we'll find out who's skinny dipping."
Warren Buffet

The Smallest Spark & The Lack Of Fear

It just takes the smallest spark....literally in this case.

"No bomb exploded announcing the start of the Jasmine Revolution, and in the end, there was no iconic figure — no Nelson Mandela or Vaclav Havel — to declare its stunning victory. Instead, the fuse for the Arab world's first successful popular uprising was lit when a small-town Tunisian policewoman slapped a fruit seller. A trivial incident, but this is 2011. And so, what happened next went viral, unleashing the seething frustrations of a generation of Tunisians raised under a sclerotic dictatorship — and rocking all of North Africa.  When the police officer slapped computer-science graduate Mohammed Bouazizi, 26, in the town of Sidi Bouzid, ordering him to pack up his street cart, the young man snapped. Unable to find any work as a computer technician, Bouazizi sold fruit to support his seven siblings, and the slap was one humiliation too many. He marched to the governor's office and demanded an appointment, threatening to set himself alight if the official did not meet him. Turned away, Bouazizi carried out his macabre threat on Dec. 17. With his death 18 days later, millions of angry young Tunisians had a martyr. Their frustration had been mounting in recent years as the unwritten compact their parents' generation had made with President Zine el Abidine Ben Ali — economic opportunity in exchange for political freedoms — had come undone. Youth unemployment, as well as inflation, had soared, and the regime had grown ever more corrupt. Bouazizi's suicide "was the drop of water which made the whole cup overflow," says Tunisia's wildly popular rapper El Général, whose enraged lyrics prompted the government to ban YouTube in a futile attempt to quell the protests. "Our parents are too busy trying to feed our families," he says. "But we youth had nothing to fear."  

Source: Time.com

The entire article:

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2043331,00.html

My favorite cartoon pic originally posted in March, 2009.

How's The Slope Of The Sand Pile?

The SP400 hit an all time record yesterday.  How's that sand pile looking to you?

SP400 (Source: Chartoftheday.com)

And The Winner Is??

A current look at worldwide unemployment ranking.


Worldwide Unemployment



Source: Bespoke Investments

A Dow Gold Ratio Update

I've made numerous posts regarding the Dow/Gold Ratio.  Here's some updated charts.  The cycle quietly continues its trend like the "boiling frog".  As a reminder, it's been a "decade of zero".  My February, 2002 gold pitch is still holding strong.  I'm sticking with my prediction of a ratio equal to 1 at the final bottom.

Dow/Gold Ratio (Source: Fred's Intelligent Bear)

Dow/Gold Ratio (Source: Fred's Intelligent Bear)

Source: http://home.earthlink.net/~intelligentbear/com-dow-au.htm

Golden Perspective

"From the first moment I saw Ron Paul on C-SPAN (at some point before the Internet Boom) I felt that he must have been sent to Earth from another planet. How else can you account for such honesty, determination, and courage when faced with the doublespeak from financial officialdom? To just take one example of Paul’s determination to call the emperor naked, in February of 2000 Paul challenged Sir Alan Greenspan regarding increases to M3 which at the time had well exceeded the Fed’s own targets. Greenspan responded with some sort of excuse that money is difficult to define so Paul shouldn’t worry about one definition of it, but Greenspan was forced to admit that many of the various monetary aggregates used by the Federal Reserve have left something to be desired. Without missing a beat, Ron Paul concluded his questioning to Greenspan with the quip, “So it's hard to manage something you can’t define.” (You will note that the Fed stopped publishing M3 data around 2006).  Representative Paul’s honesty- almost childlike in its probity- is one of many characteristics associated with those from a planet far, far away: Planet Goldbug. Other character traits include fierce independence, skepticism toward any dogma or orthodoxy, and a defiant desire to wake earthlings up from their stupor regarding various lies on planet Earth. Although many residents from Planet Goldbug believe in the power of reason, they understand the rampant and manipulative abuse of reason by many in authority on this planet. So I have always felt that Goldbugs by definition have respect for heterodox, mystical, or hidden forms of knowledge. Sometimes this respect for heterodox thinking has led the opponents of honest money to denigrate buying gold as a “religion” (by which it is taken to mean that such investing is irrational.) However, I am just fine with the apparent accusation that owning precious metals transcends conventional definitions of reason. I take my cue from the gentleman who coined the term Goldbug, Edgar Allen Poe, in this regard. Poe belonged to the great tradition of nineteenth century romanticism, a tradition which understood the complex, contradictory, and humbling aspects of human consciousness.  Poe’s short story with the title The Gold-Bug (published in 1843) relates the supposed story of a man, Le Grand, who was bitten by a bug made of gold. The bite gives Le Grand supernatural power- clairvoyance really- to find the long-lost treasure of Captain Kidd (deposited somewhere along the southeast coast of the United States) in order to restore the Le Grand family fortune. At the end of the story, Poe has Le Grand relate to his friend that the power of the Goldbug was not what led to the treasure, but rather Le Grand’s own reasoning powers, or ratiocination. But in keeping with Poe’s usual portrayals of the mystical and terrific in his stories of ratiocination (meaning ones ability to reason in a superhuman manner) the reader is left wondering if it wasn’t in fact the transcendent knowledge of the Goldbug which aided Le Grand after all. A large part of Poe’s writing leaves room for intuition and magical insight, implying that these are as much a part of reason and intelligence as anything else. An important point to keep in mind the next time someone derides gold and silver investing as a “religion.”  Part of the reason why Goldbugs are often mocked as “conspiracy theorists” is due to their over tuned ratiocination- their well honed skeptical stance, attempting to uncover the hidden truths in this world. Honesty and candor- practiced to perfection by people like Representative Paul- are values from this different, golden planet. And when those values are betrayed, Goldbugs speak up. There are several other distinct, unusual traits possessed by Goldbugs, as well. One is faith in the autonomy of the individual- no matter how difficult it may seem to give the individual power over his/her own life. It may be mocked as naïve, but the alternative to faith in the primacy of the individual is the world of Big Brother. No man should be king, and no expert is qualified enough to dictate to others how to live. Freedom may be scary, but Goldbugs thrive in the spirit of embracing self-sufficiency, or independent living, and demand that individuals accept responsibility for their actions. (I know, another very corny platitude.) Governments by definition lie to their subjects-- I mean citizens. It is the same now as it has ever been. Power corrupts and absolute power makes men not only corrupt but stupid as well. I could go on and on, but you get the idea."
Ryan Jordan
The entire article:
http://financialsense.com/contributors/ryan-jordan/greetings-from-planet-goldbug

The Creator & The Creature

If I were smart enough, educated enough, and wise enough, I would make my own post today, but instead I'll provide you a link to an article from my friend Albert regarding today's holiday.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/albert-raboteau/roboteau-on-mlk_b_809347.html

Passing Along The Cancer

In "The Daily Reckoning" newsletter, Addison Wiggin, makes this great comparions to what our politicians are doing with the country's financial future.

"Imagine for a moment that you've chosen to smoke cigarettes all your life. You've ignored the warnings about them that appear all around you. Then, eventually, and unfortunately, you get diagnosed with lung cancer. Luckily, you've caught the disease in its very early stages. The doctor presents you with two choices. First, you can enter chemotherapy. The road to recovery, the doctor tells you, will be harsh. You'll suffer extreme nausea. You'll hardly be able to swallow from the ulcers you develop in your mouth. In short, you'll go through hell in an attempt to beat the disease. But because you caught the disease after the first symptoms appeared, you have a high chance at a full recovery.  The doctor also offers a second alternative. He's worked out a deal that allows you to rid yourself of the disease instantly. No pain. No suffering. No hell. All you have to do is agree to give the disease to your 2-year-old grandson."

Who Shot The Sheriff?

Last Saturday afternoon after watching the Tuscon shooting news story develop live, I made a post about it. I presented the comments made by the sheriff, Clarence Dupnik, during his news conference.  I've reposted those below.  While listening to him speak, nothing seemed political to me.  I admire him for "telling it like it is".  I believe that he provided his description of declining mass social mood.  It was amazing to watch the Fox News Militia attack him all week.  The "big baffoon", Rush, took him on.

"When you look at unbalanced people, how they respond to the vitriol that comes out of certain mouths about tearing down the government. The anger, the hatred, the bigotry that goes on in this country is getting to be outrageous. Let me just say one thing, because people tend to poo-poo this business about all the vitriol that we hear inflaming the American public by people who make a living off of doing that. That may be free speech. But it's not without consequences."
Clarence Dupnik, Pima County Sheriff

Techno-Rioting and The Loss Of Timid Traditions

The article below caught my attention for a few reasons. The obvious is that it's one more example of the downward spiral in mass social mood across the globe.  In addition, the youths, like in the UK, California, Iran, and Greece, are leading the charge.  Tunisia, a country on the outer layer of THE ONION, is in turmoil.  With all of that said, the most interesting part of the article for me was that these rebelous youths used Facebook as a means to communicate and plan the rioting. A high tech approach to chaos, rebellion, and destruction.  Very interesting.  "I want my MTV!"

"Jobless youths in Tunisia riot using Facebook.  TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — In the cruise ship brochures, Tunisia is a land of endless sandy beaches, warm Mediterranean waters, ancient ruins and welcoming bazaars.  But behind the postcard-perfect facade, legions of jobless youths who see no future are seething under the iron-fisted leadership of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, and worried fathers wonder how they will feed their families. Their despair over Tunisia's soaring unemployment and rising food prices has fueled more than three weeks of deadly riots, posing the most significant challenge yet to the 74-year-old leader who grabbed power 23 years ago in a bloodless coup.  And what has helped to break the barrier of fear that kept Tunisian anger bottled up for so long? Social networks like Facebook, which have helped organize protests and fuel online rage across this North African nation. Police have fired repeatedly on protesters. The government says at least 20 people have died in the riots, but unions and witnesses count at least 46 dead, most in violence since Saturday. In the town of Kasserine, site of the bloodiest confrontation, police were reported to have killed a man carrying the coffin of a child.  The revolt that began with an individual protest Dec. 17 has left this moderate Muslim nation's reputation as a symbol of modernity in tatters and highlighted its inability to provide opportunities for its young.  'When a father can no longer feed his children, he loses his place ... and his dignity,' said Selim Ben Hassen, the Paris-based president of the Byrsa citizens movement. 'It's not just a question of money. It's a question of honor.' Ben Hassen credits Facebook for spreading word of the unrest — and bolstering timid citizens to break their traditional code of silence."
Source: Associated Press

Not Without Consequences

A sad, tragic day for the country.  A lunatic swept up in the cycle decides to make a statement.  It appears that this 22 year old had issues with non-perfect English speaking people and the government.  Sorry Fox news, but once again, this guy doesn't appear to be a Muslim.  Another white, homegrown American.  Angry at 22 years old.

I thought that these comments by the Arizona sheriff were right on the mark:
"When you look at unbalanced people, how they respond to the vitriol that comes out of certain mouths about tearing down the government. The anger, the hatred, the bigotry that goes on in this country is getting to be outrageous.  Let me just say one thing, because people tend to poo-poo this business about all the vitriol that we hear inflaming the American public by people who make a living off of doing that. That may be free speech. But it's not without consequences."

Yes, we will see consequences.

"The younger generation is awaking to the fact that their parents squandered their future."
Random Roving, January 1, 2011

"The mob will get even more angry. Beware of the angry white American man carrying the Bible."
Random Roving, January 1, 2010

"The mob is angrier than ever. The angry white American bible carrying man hasn't made his statement yet."
Random Roving, January 1, 2011
Well, like the lunatic in Austin last year, he's white and angry, but he left his bible home.

"When the tide is rising, we're happy participants, but when it lowers we seek someone other than ourselves to blame."
Random Roving, March 7, 2009

"Politicians ratings will continue to fall aligning with a continued decline in mass social mood. Incumbents beware."
Random Roving, January 1, 2010

"The mob is angrier than ever so they'll try to throw out as many incumbents as possible.  The Tea Party is still just a light version of what is to come."
Random Roving, November 2, 2010

An interesting point to note is that Giffords barely won the recent election by 4,000 votes over a Tea Party candidate.  She is a third term representative.

"The ratings fall is dead on, but a few incumbents survived.  Not for long though."
Random Roving, January 1, 2011

 The only valid point that this criminal might have made on his web postings is that our currency needs to be backed by gold.

Stayed tuned. More craziness to come.