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ARCHIVED DISCUSSION FROM 2/27/2005 All times are U.S. Mountain Time (Yesterday's Discussion.) Great Albino Bat (2/27/05; 22:19:47MT - usagold.com msg#: 129696) Funny things go on in the mind - at least, in the mind of this old bat... "Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the LordHe is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored,He has loosed the fateful lightening of His terrible swift sword His truth is marching on."The "Grapes of Wrath"...they are being trampled by the Lord and the vintage will be Oh! so bitter...Very quiet, indeed! Little comment. A sense of expectance, of some doom hanging over us. (This, my sensation only)Those "Grapes"...the trampling is noiseles, but it is going on...every minute, hour, day and month.Let us not be impatient to see the outcome of the most irrational century ever known to Man. The outcome will present itself in due course, in all its terrible fury.**********On a lighter note, gold appears to be quite frisky this February morn, UP in the Asian markets ("Mahkits" as the BBC people say) which to my thinking, portends a lively day for gold in Europe and US.GAB wishes all a happy week. TownCrier (2/27/05; 19:13:29MT - usagold.com msg#: 129695) A morsel of monetary food for thought From the 'Did you know?' Department:If you were to walk into a bank with an intention to deposit a fistful of dollars into a savings or checking account, as soon as those notes are placed in the teller drawer they cease to be money.True story. It was money on your way in, and now isn't as you head out the door.Enjoy a beverage while you consider that turnaround and what it ultimately means to you regarding the nature of money.R. Black Blade (2/27/05; 18:38:16MT - usagold.com msg#: 129694) OT - Kraft Halts Production of Roadkill Candy http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/050225/roadkill_candy_4.html Snippit:Kraft Halts Production of Controversial Roadkill-Shaped Candy After Protests by Activists TRENTON, N.J. (AP) -- Production of candy shaped like roadkill has come to a screeching halt. The decision, announced Friday by Kraft Foods Inc., was the result of an outcry by New Jersey animal rights activists who said the candy encouraged children to be cruel to animals.Black Blade: Some people just have no sense of humor. No sense being "roadkill" of course. A nice position in physical Gold and Silver as "portfolio insurance" will be made evident in coming weeks/months/years as the dollar weakens and inflation soars. At least by being prepared some may scoff and make fun now - the "joke" will be on those who did not take personal responsibility for themselves and their families. Black Blade (2/27/05; 18:30:35MT - usagold.com msg#: 129693) Asian Central Bankers Affecting Markets http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/050226/wall_main_3.html Snippit:Stock Plunge Following Statement From South Korea's Central Bank Shows Intertwining of Markets The suggestion that South Korea might diversify its currency holdings away from the greenback -- later retracted -- also rattled the bond market, sending interest rates higher and the price of dollar-denominated assets like gold and oil soaring. The incident underscored the vulnerability of the dollar and exposed cracks in the U.S. currency policy, an issue analysts say is getting harder to ignore. It also suggests that if current conditions persists, more rough trading days lie ahead."It's the butterfly effect. All these markets are very intertwined, and events you think should have no impact on your portfolio suddenly do," said Kenneth McCarthy, chief economist at the Center for Innovative Entrepreneurship, a non-profit group.The dollar has served as a reserve currency for much of the world since World War II, but its nearly-three year decline has led many central banks to consider diversifying into other types of money, especially in the face of a more valuable euro. What's stopping them, analysts say, is that a sharp decline in the dollar would have a cataclysmic effect on the U.S. economy, which could dry up the market for Asian-made goods."I think this question of diversifying out of the dollar is on the minds of many central banks, but they don't want to say it," McCarthy said. "The last thing you want to do is trigger a sell-off of the dollar. Nobody wants to do that."In the resulting frenzy Tuesday, the dollar, which had been on the rise and seemed to be stabilizing, plunged, giving incentive to anyone who wanted to sell, and launching programmed trades for those who had shorted it. Oil prices surged as market participants bet the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries might cut production at its meeting next month in order to raise crude prices and offset the decline of the dollar. The cartel's president has said this is unlikely; oil prices are already 50 percent higher than they were a year ago, despite the fact that domestic fuel supplies are well above last year's levels.Some economists say that even if Korea makes only marginal changes, it could have significant ripple effects. The market's reaction on Tuesday serves as a further signal that the current arrangement -- relying on Asian central banks to forestall the dollar's slide -- is unsustainable.Black Blade: The twin deficits ensures that the US dollar will decline and it would be in the best interests of foreign central banks to diversify out of the dollar - slowly and without much fanfare if possible. However, the light has been focussed on the cockroaches and they just may scatter in quick disorder. Indeed, it has been long said that China's central bankers have been aggressively buying Gold stockpiles from euroland central bank auctions and even current production from some miners (including South Africa's Harmony Gold). TownCrier (2/27/05; 18:28:45MT - usagold.com msg#: 129692) Goldilox, on pickles and cucumbers A picked egg or a pickled beet or a pickled olive can never become a cucumber, but a pickled cucumber remains a cucumber.... until it's eaten, that is. The glory of gold is such that it can survive many tirals, even an interesting but ill-advised attempt of pickling and consumption.R. TownCrier (2/27/05; 18:17:09MT - usagold.com msg#: 129691) Ned, your two parties: CB dollar-sellers and IMF gold-seller "...it seems that one party (parties) have it very right while the other has it very wrong..."Regarding your idea of the second party seeming to be wrong-footed as a gold seller, would it make any difference in your perspective of the rightness or wrongness of the party's motivation if you took the IMF as the world's pre-eminent dollar-system supporter?The IMF selling gold is neither right or wrong from an institutional standpoint, but rather is a sign that the dollar system is nearing the end of its rope.R. Ned (2/27/05; 18:14:38MT - usagold.com msg#: 129690) First a deal with Iran....now considering arms sales to Palestine. http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/545130.html snipRussia considering renewed arms sales to Palestinians By The Associated Press MOSCOW - Moscow is considering resuming sales of military equipment to the Palestinian Authority, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday. Ned (2/27/05; 18:00:28MT - usagold.com msg#: 129689) The IMF decision....... Here's the issue that I'm trying to understand with this IMF gold sale business.Last week we had another Asian CB announce that it would 'diversify' out of predominantly US reserves. In the past year we have heard a few whimpers and whispers from an interesting variey of CB's. So while we have an elite group of 'financeurs' apparently selling US dollars we have the IMF contemplating the sale of its gold reserves and presumably acquiring US dollars. So it seems that one party (parties) have it very right while the other has it very wrong. It would seem to me that both know the score and thus both know what is the correct decision. So would it be prudent to watch these 2 entities shower us with verbal garbage while sitting and watching for the truth to behold? What will it be, sell the dollars or sell the gold? Is the answer to the gold question simply to watch the IMF and the South Korean (and other Asain CB's) and wait for the first to blink? Goldilox (2/27/05; 17:43:02MT - usagold.com msg#: 129688) Scrambled Egg @ Ned and Gene,Along the same lines, a pickle can never again become a cucumber!Thoughts on Lincoln's "cannots" - Maybe add this one, you canot ever again have personal freedom or security when the state takes complete precedence over the individual. (actually more reminiscent of Franklin)Interestingly, the erosion of the bill of rights in the last century mirrors the erosion of the dollar.Many people blame Roosevelt for his complicity in erosion of the dollar, but Lincoln's willingness to nearly bankrupt the nation to defeat Confederate secession set an interesting precedent towards war and government deficits.War has an interesting property in that it is considered appropriate to "borrow" right to the point of military victory and force the vanquished to pay the tab with their resources - land, minerals, labor, etc.Not that this is much different from old fashioned imperialism, but the financial tmethodologies get new names in every conquest scenario, because the perpetrators hate having history label them as "me, too". OvS (2/27/05; 16:50:58MT - usagold.com msg#: 129687) R Powell The classics must always reassert themselves. Look at the puff in thesky called "Red Guards" and whathappened to China in the aftermath.Long live the classics in all theirforms--i.e. gold...OvS Ned (2/27/05; 16:38:09MT - usagold.com msg#: 129686) #11 Gene..................... .....you cannot unscramble a scrambled egg. Ask Alan Greenspan. Ned (2/27/05; 16:36:29MT - usagold.com msg#: 129685) OvS, Rich........... I'll try to explain my 'brief' post this morning........if I can contain myself due to your response Rich.Yesterday's posts were SO thin I decided just to zip a little test and was completely shocked that yes my PC was working and yes the posts over the day were indeed very, very thin.BTW Rich, thanks for agreeing to my long-winded message today.;) Black Blade (2/27/05; 14:54:16MT - usagold.com msg#: 129684) Slow Day Yes it is slow all over today and even yesterday. Perhaps it's "the calm before the storm". Here it is a nice warm day and the best since the start of winter. People are milling about outside their homes and in town. It may also be partly due to "spring fever" for some depending on where one lives. This next week we should see the markets be focussed on oil (energy over all) and the weak US dollar. Strangely if you watch CNBC there is not much notice of a basic industry stock in natural resources beating analysts expectations by leaps and bounds, but if MicroSoft beats by a penny it is worthy of in depth analysis and a special segment on the network. Over the last few months there has been slightly more coverage of Precious Metals and Energy."Interesting Times"- Black Blade DryWasher (2/27/05; 14:51:40MT - usagold.com msg#: 129683) US deficits risk crash: Treasury (An interesting view from Australia.) http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,12364202%255E601,00.html Snip: "PETER Costello's closest adviser fears the US is heading for a devastating financial crash that could ravage Australia's economic growth."DryWasher Comment:A short article at the above link giving a very interesting view from down under. Just more confirmation of the growing awareness world wide of the danger of holding U. S. Dollars.@ R Powell (msg#: 129681)It's much too quiet.... Does the silence imply ...what?Perhaps, Sir Rich, this is just the lull before the coming storm.DryWasher. R Powell (2/27/05; 14:19:38MT - usagold.com msg#: 129682) Ned Though I've tried, I can not find any fault in your (129675) post. I'm especially struck but the brevity and conciseness of your message. Rebutal is not possible. Well spoken! R Powell (2/27/05; 14:12:28MT - usagold.com msg#: 129681) It's much too quiet..... "All Quiet on the Western Front" ...Erich Remarque.This was one of his shortest but probably best known novels. As with so many other values, I fear the practice of reading, especially the likes of Remarque, has not been passed forward into the younger generations. Perhaps this is as it should be as the old always must make way for the new. But enough of this melancholy, I'm just wondering why it's so quiet here and at other usually very busy gold forums. Does this portend anything of importance? Am I becoming accustomed to and complacent with the dollar strength versus POG relationship. Is this all there is? Is there no limit to the amount of overspending possible? Am I becoming insensitive toward Middle East violence, or am I just growing old..??? Perhaps it's all of the above. Does the silence imply ...what? happy weekend rich USAGOLD / Centennial Precious Metals, Inc. (2/27/05; 13:15:35MT - usagold.com msg#: 129680) Peace of mind, 24/seven http://www.usagold.com/buy-gold-coins.html shawnis (02/27/05; 12:52:09MT - usagold.com msg#: 129679) Real Numbers I've often had similar thoughts about the costs/benefits of investing in IRAs, mutual funds and so forth vs using gold to save for retirement. Is there any place I can go to and see actual numbers of what it costs to have a "standard" retirement plan? I suppose I could just look at the average inflation over the past 30 years then try to figure a reasonable inflation rate for the future. Then I could try and fix the taxes, fees, etc. and come up with a final "loss" on my future savings.I could do these things, but I'm certain more qualified people have already done so. Any links? books? Arcticfox (02/27/05; 12:22:58MT - usagold.com msg#: 129678) Lassonde on Reuters http://yahoo.reuters.com/financeQuoteCompanyNewsArticle.jhtml?duid=mtfh88137_2005-02-24_23-13-50_n244274_newsml NEW YORK, Feb 24 (Reuters) - The dollar will continue to slide this year, pushing up the price of gold, a senior executive of Newmont Mining Corp. (NEM.N: Quote, Profile, Research) , the world's largest gold producer, forecast on Thursday."We are looking at $425-$475 over the course of 2005," said Pierre Lassonde, Newmont's president and a highly regarded observer of the world gold markets. Gene (2/27/05; 11:30:53MT - usagold.com msg#: 129677) "Ten Cannots" by Abe Lincoln Well, it's a slow day, so I thought I'd bring you this tidbit.1.You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.2.You cannot help small men by tearing down big men.3.You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.4.Yoy cannotlift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.5.you cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.6.You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than your income.7.You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.8,You cannot establish security on borrowed money.9.You cannot build character & courage by taking away man's initiative & independence.10.You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could & should do for themselves.Now, think about it. If you substitute the word "can' for the word "cannot", you will have the basic phylosophy of the left wing part of our government for the last 70 years.Any wonder gold is going up.We've just about come to the end of the line financially because of that phylosophy. Yet they don't get it! OvS (2/27/05; 08:10:14MT - usagold.com msg#: 129676) Ned Boy, do I need a rest from all this"stuff". Thanks for posting nothing.OvS Ned (2/27/05; 06:45:30MT - usagold.com msg#: 129675) ViewYesterday's Discussion.
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