How to ask questions on the Internet

I found an excellent site that serves as a remind to all who operate on the Internet.

How to ask questions the smart way:
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

It is a good reminder for myself, as well as anyone else who seeks to interact intelligently.

Stripped-down Version of Glass-Steagall

Today, a stripped-down version of the Glass-Steagall Act was put back in place today, 5 years after the financial world nearly brought our nation to the brink of collapse.  While, not an ideal solution, having a holey parachute is better than none at all.  Just hope to God that the regulating agencies are able to maintain intelligent and hawkish regulators indefinitely, otherwise the "Volker Rule" is going to hell in a handbasket.

Arsonists Running the Fire Brigade

This article is a superb explanation of some of the structural problems facing our economy today, exasperated by foolish and corrupt Central Bankers and driven by greedy bastards on Wall Street.

The current trends, which are strongly reinforced by the honorless sociopolitical culture that has completely pervaded modern Western society, are going to result in nothing less than the utter and complete implosion of our financial, political and social systems.


As this quote in the article below states: "People who have made retirement plans based on past return assumptions will not be happy. Does anyone truly understand the implications of making the world's reserve currency a carry-trade currency for an extended period of time? I can see how this is good for bankers and the financial industry, and any intelligent investor will try to take advantage of it; but dear gods, the distortions in the economic landscape are mind-boggling."


The Dodd-Frank legislation needs to be disposed of and replaced with the Glass-Steagall Act from 1933.  Anything less will mean the total collapse of the world financial markets under the corruption of government and the greed of the captains of the financial sectors.

The PDF to the original article is here: http://d21uq3hx4esec9.cloudfront.net/uploads/pdf/131130_TFTF2.pdf

Edited: 2015-10-23 to fix 1937 to 1933 for passage of GS Act.

Character Encoding

I found an incredibly entertaining article regarding the development and use of character encoding sets.  I am going to paste it below in case this fellow ever decides to quit hosting his website.

Original article: http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/Unicode.html
 

The Girl Who Did Not Age

I just learned today of the death of the girl who did not age.  The girl Brooke Greenberg was born prematurely and grew to the age of five years old when she simply stopped growing.  I am not sure what to think of this mystery, for it is a mystery.  She had many scientists jumping to study her in hopes of finding a 'fountain of youth' in her genes, and perhaps they will.  I am not sure if that is something that we will ever be able to master though.  Hopefully, we can find a way to cure this incredibly curious Syndrome X, since ageless existence does not appear to last long.

http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/toddler-20-years-old-forever-young-due-baffling-175300753.html

Failure: The Secret of Success

I am going to have to let this article speak for itself.  Tony Bruins would be proud.  You are not the only one, Tony!

Scott Adams' Secret of Success: Failure

By SCOTT ADAMS

If you're already as successful as you want to be, both personally and professionally, congratulations! Here's the not-so-good news: All you are likely to get from this article is a semientertaining tale about a guy who failed his way to success. But you might also notice some familiar patterns in my story that will give you confirmation (or confirmation bias) that your own success wasn't entirely luck.
If you're just starting your journey toward success—however you define it—or you're wondering what you've been doing wrong until now, you might find some novel ideas here. Maybe the combination of what you know plus what I think I know will be enough to keep you out of the wood chipper.

Why the United States of America cannot default

With everyone on every side shouting about a sovereign default of the U.S., the simple fact of the matter is that the U.S. cannot default in the traditional sense.  So long as we have a lenient and accommodative Federal Reserve Bank that is willing to print money.  The only thing holding them back are self-imposed rules against money printing.


As David Kotok puts it in his piece "Moving Chess Pieces:"

In our view the US will not default. It has an absolute ability to pay. This is a political fight, not an economic one. The credit of the US is not the same as Detroit’s or economically risky like Puerto Rico’s. The country is not dismembering like Argentina or unable to support budgets like Greece. Comparisons between the US and these others are not valid.

Or as Cullen Roche, author of the paper "Understanding the Modern Monetary System", says:

Let’s get this straight.  The United States government CANNOT default on its obligations without some sort of mental lapse from Congress (the trade here, short sovereign US CDS every time it spikes).  The government is the supplier of the sovereign currency.  The government is a currency issuer & carries NO foreign currency denominated debt.  If they have fiscal problems they simply print more.  They press a button on a computer and magic money appears in an account.  That’s literally how it works.    The US government is not a household or a state.  They are not Greece who does not print their own currency.  It’s ENTIRELY different.
Read more at http://pragcap.com/us-default#TsIDCWSgHQpGHsK0.99

 Let’s get this straight.  The United States government CANNOT default on its obligations without some sort of mental lapse from Congress (the trade here, short sovereign US CDS every time it spikes).  The government is the supplier of the sovereign currency.  The government is a currency issuer & carries NO foreign currency denominated debt.  If they have fiscal problems they simply print more.  They press a button on a computer and magic money appears in an account.  That’s literally how it works.    The US government is not a household or a state.  They are not Greece who does not print their own currency.  It’s ENTIRELY different.

Or as Alan Greenspan has said in the past to Congress and other media outlets:

The United States can pay any debt it has because we can always print money to do that. So there is zero probability of default.

And given the recent history of the Federal Reserve's willingness to print money to the tune of $85 billion per month, I say there is zero chance that the Fed will let the U.S. government default, regardless of what the yahoos in Congress do or not do.

Let’s get this straight.  The United States government CANNOT default on its obligations without some sort of mental lapse from Congress (the trade here, short sovereign US CDS every time it spikes).  The government is the supplier of the sovereign currency.  The government is a currency issuer & carries NO foreign currency denominated debt.  If they have fiscal problems they simply print more.  They press a button on a computer and magic money appears in an account.  That’s literally how it works.    The US government is not a household or a state.  They are not Greece who does not print their own currency.  It’s ENTIRELY different.
Read more at http://pragcap.com/us-default#TsIDCWSgHQpGHsK0.99

Let’s get this straight.  The United States government CANNOT default on its obligations without some sort of mental lapse from Congress (the trade here, short sovereign US CDS every time it spikes).  The government is the supplier of the sovereign currency.  The government is a currency issuer & carries NO foreign currency denominated debt.  If they have fiscal problems they simply print more.  They press a button on a computer and magic money appears in an account.  That’s literally how it works.    The US government is not a household or a state.  They are not Greece who does not print their own currency.  It’s ENTIRELY different.
Read more at http://pragcap.com/us-default#TsIDCWSgHQpGHsK0.99

Deplorable Behavior from the National Park Service

I have to repost this, as it is a perfect example of the kind of political debauchery that the Obama administration is engaged in.  It is shameful and makes a mockery of our nation, much like his Presidency.

The U.S.-Europe Relationship

George Friedman of Stratfor always comes up with curious and seemingly truthful articles.  This one is no different and very much aligns with what I have experienced in our nation's relationship with Europe.  I don't think I have too many Europeans that read this blog, but it would be curious to see if their honest opinion matches this article.

Probably one of the more telling sections is at the end:

Whenever I visit Europe -- and I was born in Europe -- I am struck by how profoundly different the two places are. I am also struck at how the United States is disliked and held in contempt by Europeans. I am also struck at how little Americans notice or care.
There is talk of the transatlantic relationship. It is not gone, nor even frayed. Europeans come to the United States and Americans go to Europe and both take pleasure in the other. But the connection is thin. Where once we made wars together, we now take vacations. It is hard to build a Syria policy on that framework, let alone a North Atlantic strategy.

I very much agree that Europe is weak, despite their own opinions of themselves, and they are therefore largely irrelevant on the world stage.  The history of our world seems to be coming down to this: a showdown between Islamists and the U.S.

I hope we come out on top of this struggle.

Information Theory of Economics

This is finally a base economic theory that I can ascribe to more fully.  I have long thought that there is a "true value" or commodity of real value behind the economy, but I had never thought to ascribe it to knowledge.  This seems to have some validity, but knowledge may just as easily be denominated in a unit of "real value" as is every other intrinsically valuable commodity.

Nevertheless, this is a good read.  I am thinking about buying this fellow's book, but we will see.

NSA Encryption Backdoors: Undermining Freedom

Being a conservative, I often fall on the side of the government on these kinds of issues, but the topic of the NSA creating backdoors around all of the common Internet security protocols is, quite frankly, unacceptable.

The NSA is willingly sacrificing everything that we hold dear to protect us.  They are obliterating the very thing that we cherish.  No amount of protection is worth throwing away the trust, privacy, and security that is necessary on the Internet to do any manner of serious business.  The gall of the NSA to decide that it has the authority to simply throw out the Constitution and every other established right in America is sickening, and the programs supporting this effort should be unfunded immediately.

We are becoming that which we fear, and I do not like it one bit.

Facebook Depression

I found a curious article on the usage statistics of Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace, and a short analysis of the phenomenon known cursorily as "Facebook Depression" that commonly plagues people who are hooked on social media.

I believe very much that Facebook Depression is a real and dangerous phenomenon, and is the sole reason that I keep Facebook at arm's length now.

Shaky banks

My mother found an article by an blogger that she follows regularly regarding the shaky, and conceivably illicit activities that the larger banks in America do with their depositors money.  The things on the list include buying stock, infrastructure, commodities, etc.  Ellen Brown is exactly correct when she says that this is "a 'macro' risk indeed – not just to our economy but to our democracy and our individual and national sovereignty."  I think that now is the time to begin moving what little long term savings I have away from FDIC-insured banks into more stable banks.

It is a sad day when FDIC insurance is the least stable entity of all the financial entities.  For more on the FDIC instability read here and here.

I have posted the full text of Ellen Brown's article below but you can read the original version on her blog here.

History of Jewish Occupational Position

I found a curious opinion piece in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.  The subject matter of the article is the, not merely survival but, continued success of Jewish people throughout the past few millenia.  This particular author gives religious-reasoned necessity to read and write as an important factor.  While I absolutely agree with this thesis, I suspect that the truth of the matter is far more complicated.  It does lend credence to the Old Testament/Torah, through which repeatedly God states in no uncertain terms that He will bless His chosen people.

Inflation? Is the CPI accurate?

John Mauldin had a good piece today on the definition of inflation.  Inflation is one of the critical, yet elusive, economic parameters that is studied today.  Mauldin seems to think that the current CPI is accurate despite the fact that they leave out food and fuel.  I tend to disagree, as food and fuel make up a huge portion of any living person's monthly expenses.

O, if only we were lithovores..  then perhaps the CPI would be more accurate.

The Measure of Obama

Most of you know I am no fan of Obama, and I have previously called him narcissistic, but this is perhaps a more accurate representation of him.   He is no great president, not a leader, or a uniter, or any of the things that he promised.   He is not a religious man, or even a spiritual man.  He believes only in his own goodness and seeks only to magnify and glorify himself.

2011: A visual diagram of the European debt crisis

I just recently found this visual representation of the European debt crisis.  I imagine the data is old but the overarching trends in borrowing are similar.

My country is different!

Below I have transcribed a copy of John Mauldin's latest "Thoughts from the Frontline".   I have edited it to remove some of the personal/sales touches that he adds to his letters, but you are free to read the original version.

This is an absolutely pivotal article that begins to distill the underlying structural elements that we observe in the world financial and economic crisis, and give you an idea of how to protect yourself from the insanity that has, is, and likely will be, propagated by central bankers.  It is the latest iteration of my quest to become the "little priest in Germany" who avoided the German mark crisis in the late 1910's.

Hurried Pace of Modern Life

And to think what these people would say if they could see Twitter.   I think they would roll over in their graves.

http://xkcd.com/1227/

Death for life

Someone sent this to me in a mass mailer.  Since, I do not send out mass mailers as a matter of personal decency, I will instead preserve and disseminate this via my blog.

Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you, Jesus Christ

 and the American Soldier;

 one died for your soul,

the other for your freedom.

Thank a soldier today for their offer to maintain your freedom.

Azerbaijan: An oft forgotten nation

Stratfor published an interesting piece regarding Azerbaijan.  There are a few key points that I want to highlight.  First, he points out that America is adolescent in its use of the global power that it wields now by being the last major economic power still standing well enough.  Between partisan politicking and a general idiocy regarding the rest of the world, America has crippled itself in terms of foreign policy.  Second, he makes a point regarding the Western idea of avoiding nepotism (the hiring of family and friends), as "neither universally shared nor admired."   His final key point is one regarding the "Arab Spring" and the fantasy of the Western media of portraying the rebels as liberal people seeking freedom and democracy, when the small fact of the matter is they seek neither freedom nor democracy.

Japan: The Mother of All Painted Corners

Round two of John Mauldin's exposé on Japan.  It clearly displays the juxtaposition between the two diametrically opposed general philosophies of economics: Austrian economics, branched from the economist Friedrich A. Hayek and Neo-Keynesian economics branched from Lord Maynard Keynes.  The answer to the age old question of whose theory is more correct may be answered in the next few years.  For a more culturally relevant discussion on the differences between Hayek and Keynes, see this link.

Japan

I found another interesting article from John Mauldin regarding the global "race to the bottom" and the associated persistent "currency wars".  Although I very much agree with his underlying philosophical interpretation of how real economic value works, I am not 100% sure that it is correct.  There are more forces here at work that either he or I can see yet that I suspect will influence the exact nature of the outcome in Japan.  Forces such as culture, ideology, and religion play considerable roles in determining specific economic outcomes also, as much or more than simply reviewing government and economic forces.

Regardless, an excellent and worthwhile read nonetheless:

The Banal Transcendence of Europe

I had a fascinating article forwarded to me by John Mauldin.  The original article is from Stratfor's George Friedman regarding the death of the soul of Europe.  It is well worth the read.

The Appleization of Google

It is a sad day in computerdom.  Google is selling its soul to the control devil.  The article below is a melancholic dirge on the upcoming policy surrounding Google Glass.

It is a sad day indeed.

A Tale of the North

I found a curious article regarding the complex security and geopolitical relationship between China and North Korea.   It addresses a large part of the history of East Asia and gives a better framework in which to place the current issues that arise surrounding North Korea.

Falsified Consumer Price Index

Over the past 30 years, the government has changed the way that the Consumer Price Index (commonly used as a metric for measuring price inflation in the economy) always to the lower end, thus lowering the interest rates on short and long term debt and lowering their payouts to programs like Social Security, Medicare, etc. which are inherently tied to the CPI.

So, not only has the government altered the numbers to the point at which they no longer reflect reality, their 'modifications' effectively steal money from anyone who is benefiting from such programs.

There is an article by Gary Halbert, distributed by John Mauldin, that speaks exactly to this issue.

Excluding food and fuel from the CPI is a grievous mistake that needs to be rectified, but with the government possessing strong incentivization to lie about inflation, this trend is not only probable to continue, it is very likely inevitable.

Greatest Gun Salesman of All Time

I have been in the process of purchasing a firearm and associated training, but it is a slow process courtesy of our insane president's attempt to push gun control.  I found an article from CBS Atlanta that describes the issue exactly.

Barack Obama's legacy will be this: The Greatest Gun Salesman of All-Time.

Holiness

I found a song that impacts me on a fundamental level as it reminds me of what a supreme God I serve.  I serve an infinite God who created the universe with the word of His mouth.  Who am I to stand before Him?  Who am I to question Him?  Who am I to know Him?

I am ruined before Perfection, and my sin stains my lips, eyes, and soul.  How can I ever comprehend the infinite dimensions of His holiness?

Yet in His love he purifies me.  My soul magnifies my Creator as I kneel before His holiness.  He cleans me and makes me fit to stand in His court.  Praise, honor, and glory be to Yhwh.

Effects of Sequestration

Anyone that is familiar with the military knows the effects that sequestration is having on the military.  Despite what leaderships of various DoD branches and agencies might say, the continuing resolution and sequestration is biting.  The incompetency of Congress and the President is initiating the downfall of our country both as a world power and as significant and relevant player in the global community.  It is only a matter of time before belligerent nations and powers begin to test us, and when they find us unable to respond definitively, all hell will break loose.

Air Force Droid Operations

The droid program has been a pivotal tool in the United States' war on terrorists, but it has not come without a share of controversy.  Many people consider the use of droids to be a moral and ethical dilemma.  Stratfor has a curious opinion piece on the legality and ethics surrounding the droid program.

I have posted it below with a link to the original article.

Henninger: The State of Obama

So, I discovered, almost by accident, a Wall Street Journal opinion regarding the State of the Union address.  I have always thought of Obama as either an idealistic moron or a malevolent mastermind puppeteered by some greater force; however, this article, which rings very truly, suggests that he is driven by nothing more than the narcissistic nihilism that founds the modern liberal movement.

None of his solutions work, yet he pursues grand ideas, driven by the winds of his wild and idealistic rhetoric, for the purpose of establishing a legacy for himself alone, screw the country.

Lawyers...

So, I received this lovely email today from some lawyer somewhere who decided to go after Facebook for using people's name and likeness on their advertising without consent.

I should stop here and say that I am not terribly fond of Facebook right now.  They have severely departed from their roots in the quest of monetization of social networking, and in doing so, are destroying the charm and utility that their service provided when I used it back in the college days.

However, this does not constitute the need for a class action lawsuit of which I will inevitably get nothing more than admiration of my friends and peers for being involved in, while greatly profiting whatever law firm is prosecuting this case.

And for your viewing pleasure, I have included the friendly email I received below and my hopefully not too snide response.

The Fall of Greece

I found a curious article in a fashion magazine (of all things).  It provides a boots-on-the-ground look at what is happening with the social and political implications for economic catastrophe and the end of the debt supercycle.

This piece lends some credence to my theory that we have another holocaust in the not-too-distant future, and it will be of the Muslims living in the Western world.

The article was written by Chris Heath. I have copied the article here, but the original can be found at: http://www.gq.com/news-politics/newsmakers/201212/fall-of-greece-gq-december-2012

Live on TV: The Fall of Greece

We already knew about the economic crisis, the mass unemployment, the riots. But this summer we saw the tensions and turmoil of a nation erupt in a single act of startling violence on a morning television program. Within days, it was beamed around the world. Chris Heath uncovers the truth of what happened in that TV studio, a cautionary tale not just for the future of Greece but for the rest of us, too

By Chris Heath

Photographs by Owen Silverwood

December 2012

Crisis of the Middle Class and American Power

I had sent to me an article by John Mauldin, containing a text from Stratfor, Inc. pertaining to a more complete understanding of the current crisis that America faces.  It points out, rather dextrously, that neither the ideologues on the left or the right have a complete understanding of the magnitude of the problem at hand.

It is a very fascinating and thought-provoking read.

The Macroeconomics of Middle Earth: Smaug Fiscal Shock

I found an absolutely epic economic post regarding economic conditions in Middle Earth following the arrival of Smaug.

http://worthwhile.typepad.com/worthwhile_canadian_initi/2012/12/the-macroeco.html

Hopefully, this link remains good for a long duration.