Hold your real assets outside of the banking system in a private international facility  -->  http://www.321gold.com/info/053015_sprott.html 

 

 

 

 

The Bankers’ India Gold Grab: An Update

Written By Jeff Nielson (CLICK FOR ORIGINAL)

 

 

In previous commentaries, readers were warned that Western bankers were once again targeting the gold market of India with more of their fiendish plans. This time, they convinced (bribed?) India’s new, corrupt government – the Modi regime – into orchestrating a scheme to steal the gold from its own people.

The nexus of this scam was what was announced as “the gold deposit scheme.” Even the Conspirators themselves were unable to come up with a name to make this naked fraud sound legitimate. The fraud itself is simple, indeed utterly simplistic.

Indians “deposit” their gold into the clutches of their thieving government and are paid (paper) “interest” on those deposits. The fact that this was a naked fraud was immediately apparent. As the bankers tell us all the time, “gold generates no income.” How could India’s government pay the interest on the gold coins/bars/jewelry sitting in its vault supposedly held in trust for its depositors?

There was no immediate answer to that question because there could be no (legitimate) answer to the question. Indeed, in legitimate bullion storage arrangements, depositors pay a fee to have their bullion safely stored for them, because while the gold generates no income, the costs of storing such gold are significantly greater than zero.

Finally, reluctantly, the Conspirators made explicit what was already totally obvious:

The deposited gold will be auctioned off from time to time to meet domestic demand for jewellery and coins. [emphasis mine]

The scam was now completely exposed.

a) Indians “deposit” their gold.

b) Indians receive (paper) “interest” on their gold while their deposited gold is sold off.

c) Indians end up with the paper interest – and no gold.

 

d) India’s jewellers and coin-makers then sell the gold they purchased at these auctions back to the same Chumps who originally deposited that gold.

In the eyes of Western bankers, it was the perfect “scheme” – hence their label for the plan. In the eyes of any sane, rational, human being, it was/is the most naked, clumsy fraud that one could possibly imagine. But the corporate media assured us there was considerable enthusiasm amongst India’s population for this scam.

With enormous media and government fanfare, the “scheme” was officially launched at the beginning of November. However, these same media and government mouthpieces were much, much quieter a couple of weeks later when they released details on the initial response to this obvious fraud.

A gold deposit scheme launched amid fanfare by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi two weeks ago has so far attracted only 400 grammes, an industry official said on Thursday, out of a national hoard estimated at 20,000 tonnes.

For those readers still less-than-comfortable with the metric system, let’s convert these numbers to the Imperial system of measurement. In two weeks, out of a population of more than one billion people, holding an estimated 40 million pounds of gold, the Conspirators only managed to net roughly one pound of gold from their intended victims.

Expressing these results in percentage terms, the Conspirators managed to steal less than 0.000002% of India’s privately held gold. At that rate, it would take India’s government (and the bankers) more than one million years to steal all of India’s gold.

The thieves were not daunted, at least not publicly. The media offered assorted excuses for the “slow” initial response to the scam. India’s government immediately added new inducements for the scam and pledged a “high-level meeting” to plot even more changes.

Last week, the government announced several steps to make the scheme more attractive for consumers, including measures such as eliminating capital gains and income taxes on the interest earned. The meeting on Tuesday is expected to focus on incentives for banks.

“Capital gains and income taxes”? Indians are having their gold stolen from them. They receive paper interest equal to a fraction of the value of that gold in return. And the media/government liars have the audacity to call this interest a “gain” or “income”? How magnanimous of India’s government to announce that it wouldn’t tax those “profits.”

With these new inducements in place, the Conspirators sat back and waited for the gold to start flowing into their vaults. Two weeks later, we got our next update:

The scheme has only attracted about one kilogramme [two pounds] in a month, prompting the government to nudge temples through banks to hand over their treasures …

First we get news that the thieves managed to net another, whole pound of gold during the second half of the month, and were still on-pace to steal all of India’s gold in 1,000,000+ years. Then the language (and imagery) descends to surreal comedy.

We’re now told that India’s government sees “temple gold” as its best/easiest target for stealing. But then we’re told that India’s government isn’t going to approach the temples directly, despite its boasts of what a “great opportunity” the gold-deposit scam represented. Instead, we’re told that India’s government plans on sending in bankers to “nudge” the temples to “hand over their treasures.” Why?

Once upon a time, those individuals who could liberate the most wealth from institutions in the least amount of time were known as “bank robbers.” But those days are ancient history. This is the 21 st century, or as the corporate media likes to call it, all the time, “the New Normal.”

In the New Normal, the world’s premier wealth liberators are no longer bank robbers but rather bank er robbers. These wealth liberators of the 21 st century make the bank robbers of the 19 th and 20th century appear as nothing but rank amateurs.

Observe. First a banker (and bank) is given custody of (someone else’s) financial assets in order to “manage” those assets. Then, a blink of an eye later, the bank/banker proudly proclaims that the bank now owns those assets. The bankers call this method of wealth liberation “a bail-in.”

However, in this case, India’s new government was not calling upon its friends, the bankers, to engage in any direct wealth liberation. Rather, they were being sent in to engage in persuasion. Presumably, the “bankers” assigned to that task had names like Butch and Knuckles, and instead of carrying briefcases, they were brandishing “implements of persuasion.”

A mere three days after India’s government sent in the bankers, the following announcement appeared:

Mumbai’s Siddhivinayak temple to deposit 40 kg of gold in monetization scheme

Here’s what is interesting about that announcement. First of all, the bankers had already invested many years of time and effort looking for some means to “gather” some of the thousands of tonnes of gold held by India’s temples – and failed. Meanwhile, just three days earlier, we had been told the following.

But Mumbai’s Shree Siddhivinayak temple, which is devoted to the Hindu elephant god Ganesha, said it remained unconvinced about the benefits.

What could have been said to (or done to) the leaders of this temple in order to get them to suddenly reverse themselves after years of resisting all efforts by the bankers to “gather” their gold? Only Butch and Knuckles can answer that question – but they probably won’t.

The strategy in strong-arming at least one of India’s temples out of a small portion of its gold is obvious. “Look!” hiss the bankers, “Your religious leaders are giving us their gold. That means that it must be a good idea.” Including the 40 kg of gold liberated from the Shree Siddhivinayak temple, this brings the total haul in the gold-deposit scam to 41 kg to date. Put in different terms, the total amount stolen has now risen from 0.000002% of the gold of India’s people all the way to 0.00008%.

Will the scheme by the One Bank and India’s government to steal some/most/all of the 20,000 tonnes of privately held gold in India be successful? If so, Butch and Knuckles will have to engage in a lot more persuading.

 

 

Please email with any questions about this article or precious metals HERE

 

 

 

The Bankers’ India Gold Grab: An Update

Written By Jeff Nielson (CLICK FOR ORIGINAL)

 

 

First published here: http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-01-06/how-iceland-escaped-one-bank

ONE of the many oddities of the topsy-turvy world of Chinese finance is that red is green and green is red. In most countries “going into the red” means losing money; stocks that are falling are often depicted in red on ticker boards. In China, however, red is auspicious and so is the colour for stocks that make gains; green is for the losers. Before trading started on January 4th, the first trading day of 2016, Chinese financial media were full of cheery predictions that the nation’s markets would “open the door to red”—that is, get off to a flying start. But when the door opened, it was a flood of green.

The CSI 300, an index of the country’s biggest stocks, fell by 7%, the worst-ever start to a year for Chinese markets. Small-cap stocks fared even worse, many falling by the daily maximum of 10%. Monday was the first day of operation for new “circuit breakers”—automatic 15-minute pauses in trading whenever the CSI 300 swings up or down by 5%. These are intended to restore calm when the markets are in a frenzy. No such luck: less than ten minutes after trading resumed following the first such pause, the index fell by another two...Continue reading

First published here: http://www.economist.com/news/business-and-finance/21685146-chinas-stocks-and-currency-start-2016-big-tumbles-chinas-stockmarket?fsrc=rss

First published here: http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-01-07/remain-calm

BIG swings in the Chinese stockmarket are par for the course. But even by its wild standards, the alacrity of its latest crash was stunning. Just 13 minutes into trading on Thursday, the CSI 300 index of blue-chip stocks fell 5%, triggering the first circuit-breaker: a 15-minute pause for traders to supposedly regain their cool. When the action resumed, it lasted all of one minute before the second and final circuit-breaker was hit: the CSI 300 fell 7%, which necessitated a closure of the market for the rest of day. Trading, in other words, lasted all of 14 minutes before being halted.

The obvious conclusion to draw from the market sell-off is that China’s economy is in big trouble. Why else would investors be in such a rush to dump their shares? Growth is certainly slowing, but the problem with this view is that the Chinese stockmarket has only ever had a tenuous relationship with reality. It is often derided as a casino. Wu Jinglian, a veteran economist, has quipped...Continue reading

First published here: http://www.economist.com/blogs/freeexchange/2016/01/chinas-broken-stockmarket?fsrc=rss

A bunch of grade-A pop music that didn’t get enough love last year, listed alphabetically by artist.

Adam Lambert, "The Original High"

Adam Lambert ditches glam-rock for the dance-floor on the propulsive club-ready track, "The Original High."

Recommended if you like: that moment of anticipation before the beat drops, powerhouse vocalists, letting loose on the middle of the dancefloor

Freddy Main / Warner Bros Records

Allie X, "Never Enough"

Making sense of Allie X sometimes requires thinking of her as two separate artists: an aloof, high-impact visual artist and a warm, understated pop singer. She’s good at both things, but there’s frequently a disconnect between her music and the whole Gaga-esque fashion-as-ideology thing. There's nothing particularly weird or flashy about "Never Enough," but there doesn't need to be — it's just a solid pop tune about a crumbling relationship and that's more than enough.

Recommended if you like: Ellie Goulding, the word "aesthetic," icy synths

Logan White / BB Gun Press

Bibi Bourelly, "Riot"

Bibi Bourelly’s “Riot” is a ferocious girl-and-her-guitar anthem that sounds kind of like an unplugged Rihanna tune: fierce, unapologetic, and full of attitude. Which is appropriate because the 21-year-old Berlin-born songwriter helped pen the Bad Gal’s “Bitch Better Have My Money.”

Recommended if you like: smoke-filled voices, acoustic sets, clapping back

Bibi Bourelly

Black Coast, "Enough (ft. M. Maggie)"

Dating anxiety sounds downright appealing on "Enough," a buoyant song about relationship worries from up-and-coming producer Black Coast and Brooklyn-based singer M. Maggie.

Recommended if you like: indulging your insecurities, getting up early to watch the sun rise, sugary synths

Chase Cabral / M. Maggie

---

View Entire List ›

First published here: http://www.buzzfeed.com/kelleydunlap/the-most-underrated-pop-songs-of-2015?utm_term=4ldqpia

Filed under: Credit Score

By Matt Schulz

Here's the simple truth: Your low credit score is costing you a fortune.

Folks with the best credit get the best terms when it comes to mortgages, car loans and credit cards. They get the lowest interest rates and the lowest fees. They get the biggest sign-up bonuses. They're more likely to get the benefit of the doubt when asking to get a fee waived or a credit line increased. Add it all up and you get an awful lot of reasons to make 2016 the year you get your credit in shape.


How exactly do you that, though? Well, it won't always be easy and it won't always be quick, but the good news is that it can be done. The truth is that you have more control over your credit than you think. You just have to put in the work.
Here are some ways that you can boost your credit score in 2016.

1. Get your credit report, and report any errors you find.

Any move to boost your credit score must begin with checking your credit report. Get a free copy of your report from all three credit bureaus - Experian, Equifax and TransUnion - once a year from AnnualCreditReport.com, and go over them thoroughly. Make sure everything you see is accurate, and if something isn't, report it immediately. Some things to look for:

• Accounts you don't recognize.
• Late payments you didn't make.
• Closed accounts listed as open.
• Credit limits that are too high or too low.

If you see any inaccuracies, gather up any evidence you have and notify the credit bureau in writing. The bureau then has up to 45 days to investigate, and if the piece of information cannot be verified in that time, it must be removed.

2. Get a new credit card, and use it sparingly.

A new credit card helps reduce your utilization rate, which is the second-most important factor in credit scoring formulas. Here's how: Say you have a card with a $5,000 limit and a balance of $2,500. That makes your utilization rate 50 percent, well above the recommended total of 30 percent or less. However, add another $5,000 limit card and suddenly your utilization is slashed. Now you have $10,000 in credit and a $2,500 balance for a utilization rate of 25 percent. That decrease will likely help your score creep higher; It will also likely offset any temporary drop that can come when you sign up for a new card.

Don't add too many cards at a time, though. Ten percent of the credit scoring formula focuses on new credit. Applying for too many cards at once or applying too often can make it look like you are experiencing some financial problems and make you appear riskier to a lender. Even though it could reduce your utilization even more dramatically, applying for too many cards in too short a time can actually hurt you.

Also, be careful about getting a new card if you're planning to get a new mortgage or car loan in the near future. You don't want that small temporary credit hit that comes with a new card to drag your score lower when you apply for another loan.

3. Make payments more frequently.

Consider paying your credit card bill twice a month. Even if you don't increase the total amount you pay in a month, paying multiple times in a month can help your score. Here's how: A credit report is a snapshot of your finances at a moment in time. If you have a balance on your card at that moment the snapshot is taken, it can drag your score down, even if you intend to pay that balance in full at the end of the month and never pay any interest. However, if you make multiple payments each month - say on the 1st and 15th of the month - you improve the odds that your balance will be low when that next snapshot is taken.

Lower balances bring lower utilization rates. Lower utilization rates bring higher credit scores.

4. Make larger payments.

This one goes without saying. Those with the best credit scores tend to pay their balances off at the end of every month. If you can't do that, you absolutely must pay more than the minimum. Once again, lower balances bring lower utilization rates, lower utilization rates bring higher credit scores and higher credit scores save you money.

5. Pay off the card that is closest to being maxed out.

Your utilization rate isn't just about comparing your total balance to your total available credit. Individual card rates have an impact, too. If you have multiple cards, try paying down the one with the highest utilization rate. If you can get a good deal, you can also consider moving part of that card's balance to a new 0 percent balance transfer card. That way, you're reducing your utilization and reducing the interest you'll pay at the same time.

6. Become an authorized user.

Countless parents have done this to help jump-start a child's credit, but it can work with all ages. Here's how: The account holder makes another person an authorized user on the account. The other person then receives a card with his or her name on it, which can be used to make purchases on the account. Most important, the entire payment history of that card is then included on the authorized user's credit report - potentially taking a credit novice from zero to solid credit in a flash.

Be careful, however. Different issuers and credit bureaus view authorized users differently. Also, account holders should know that authorized users are not legally responsible for paying off the balances they accrue. In addition, an account holder's mistakes - late payments, maxed-out cards, etc. - can bring down an authorized user's score and vice versa.

7. Commit to keeping it simple.

The bottom line when it comes to credit is this: If you pay your bills on time, every time for many years, keep your balances low and don't apply for new credit too often, your credit score is going to be just fine. Many of us tend to overthink credit, but it really is that simple.

Of course, there are things you can do to boost your credit in the short term - there'd be no need for this column otherwise - but the absolute best thing you can do for your credit in 2016 is to commit to doing the following in the long term:

• I will pay my bills on time, every time.
• I will keep my balances low by paying off what I currently have and not adding to them.
• I will be cautious in how often I apply for new credit.

If you do those three things, not only will you boost your credit score for 2016, you'll lay the groundwork for continued growth for a lifetime.

 

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First published here: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2016/01/06/7-ways-to-raise-your-credit-score-in-2016/

By EconMatters
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

© EconMatters All Rights Reserved | Facebook | Twitter | Free Email | Kindle

First published here: http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-01-06/thats-bottom-oil-market

Filed under: Saving

By Kathleen Elkins

Getting rich is a long-term game.

The good news is that starting to accumulate wealth is almost entirely under your control - all it takes is patience, the right mentality, and smart habits.

If you want to master your money and build wealth, start by ditching these 13 costly habits as you head into 2016:

Using out-of-network ATMs.

Whether it be out of laziness or ignorance, many people continue to pay ATM fees - and the seemingly insignificant charges can add up over time. In fact, consumers these days are paying an average of $4.35 each time they use an out-of-network ATM.

A good rule of thumb for 2016: If it's not your bank's logo, don't use it.

If you live in a major city and use one of the traditional, bigger banks, there should be various ATM options nearby, which you can find ahead of time online. If your bank doesn't have convenient ATM options - or if you live in a smaller town with fewer ATMs - you may want to consider opening a checking account with a more accessible or online bank.

Buying coffee ... and lunch ... and snacks every day.

There's no getting around it - money is irresistibly easy to spend, especially on the small stuff.

It's hard to walk far in any city or town and not pass an enticing coffee shop, juice bar, or fast-food joint. A small mental lapse could easily leave you $5 short every day, and giving into two cravings could mean $10 out the window within minutes. That's money that could be directed toward your savings goals or be growing substantially in a retirement account.

There's nothing wrong with buying the occasional lunch or coffee to go, but if you're aiming to achieve major financial goals in 2016, this is one of the simplest ways to cut back without making dramatic sacrifices.

Tapping into your retirement funds for extra money.

Once you contribute money to a 401(k), IRA, or other retirement account, keep your hands off of it. Besides facing fees - most traditional IRA withdrawals made before age 59 1/2 incur taxes, as well as a 10% penalty - you're putting your financial future at risk by preventing your retirement savings from growing over time.

Not tracking your spending.

Everyday purchases and unexpected expenses have a way of adding up, and trying to keep track of them in your head simply won't cut it.

Particularly if you're prone to overspending or making impulse purchases, it's time to start actively recording and analyzing your spending habits. You'll most likely find something that either you didn't know you were spending your money on, or you felt was unnecessary.

If you don't want to keep a spreadsheet on your computer or write your purchases in a notebook, consider an app that will automatically track your expenses for you like Mint, You Need a Budget, or LearnVest.

Once you've pinpointed an unnecessary daily expense, don't stop there. Do something with that extra cash - contribute it to a retirement account or other savings account so it can accumulate and grow into thousands of dollars over time.

Putting off insurance.

Lose the invincibility complex and plan for the worst, as an unanticipated emergency could turn your life upside down instantaneously. Do you have renters insurance? Disability insurance? Homeowners insurance?

Start by looking at the types of insurance you should buy at every age. Next, put in time to research insurance plans, or talk to a trusted adviser.

Only paying the minimum on your credit-card balance.

Most credit cards only require you to pay 1% to 3% of your balance each month, which can be an alluring prospect if your budget is tight. That's why the option is there - if you can't afford to pay your balance, you can at least keep a record of consistent and timely payments to the credit-card company.

Taking that route will cost you a fortune in the long run. Interest rates vary depending on the card, but credit cards charge an average of 15% on unpaid balances.

Make a habit out of paying more than you need to each month - or, preferably, making payments in full right off the bat. It will save you thousands of unnecessary dollars spent on interest.

Not prioritizing high-interest debt.

All debt is not equal. While you'll always want to pay the minimum on your various debts, an effective strategy is "racking and stacking": Simply rank your debt in order of highest to lowest interest rates and then prioritize paying off the debt with the highest interest rate first. Once it's paid off, move down your list and tackle the next debt with the highest interest rate.

Note that the alternative strategy is what financial expert Dave Ramsey named "the Debt Snowball": paying the smallest debt first, regardless of interest, then rolling that money into paying off the next-biggest debt and so on, so you completely pay debts as you go. The advantage here is more emotional than monetary - it feels good to cross a debt off the list, and for many people, that emotional boost keeps them going.

If the snowball works for you, go for it, but do keep in mind that paying high-interest debt first is cheaper in the long run.

Treating unexpected or irregular expenses as one-time costs.

Unexpected expenses - the wedding gift you forgot to buy, the unlucky parking ticket, or the emergency flight home you had to book - have a way of surfacing when you least expect them and can easily send you over budget.

While it can be tempting to brush these expenses off as too infrequent to account for, it only takes one overdraft fee on your checking account to realize why it's so important to be prepared.

Start preparing for both known, irregular expenses (vehicle-registration fees, Christmas gifts, or vacations) and unknown, surprise expenses (wedding or baby-shower gifts, late fees, and unpredictable medical expenses) by working them into your savings plan.

Making late payments.

There's more to late bill payments than late fees - repeatedly missing payments can also lower your credit score, which will affect your ability to borrow money in the future when bigger purchases - a home or car - come along.

Never miss a bill again by setting up automatic payments online for fixed costs such as cable, internet, Netflix, and insurance. For payments that can't be made online or that vary, such as rent and credit-card bills, set up calendar reminders and get in the habit of paying them around the same time each month so that it becomes an ingrained routine.

Settling for a sub-par rate.

Paying your bills on time is a good habit - but paying more than you should is a bad one. Negotiating just $10 off your monthly bills means an extra $120 a year, and you may be surprised at how easy it is to get a lower cable, internet, or cellphone price by simply picking up the phone - at the end of the day, companies are often willing to make allowances to keep their customers.

If you want to take it a step further, cancel your cable all together and look into more economical replacements.

Buying cheap to "save" in the moment.
It's tempting to try to "save money" by buying inexpensive, low-quality things, but oftentimes those cheap products will cost you in the long run. Dedicate 2016 to shopping for value, which may mean cutting back on your trips to the dollar store or the cheapest place on the block.

Spending everything you earn.

Paychecks and bonuses - especially your first ones - are incredibly liberating. What's more, retirement seems too far off to start considering, making it even easier to overspend in the moment and put your future savings on hold.

Stick to the age-old advice of paying yourself first: Set aside at least 10% for your future as you would any other cost, make sure your present is secure, and then spend whatever is left over.

Operating without a savings goal.

That 10% (or more) you're setting aside feels a lot more pressing if you're saving for "a three-bedroom center-hall Colonial" instead of "the future." Setting savings goals for major expenses that you hope will be in your future, like a home, car, graduate school, or vacation, is an important part of staying motivated to save.

Determine what big purchases are in your future, and calculate how much you need to save for them and for how long. You don't have to set aside a massive chunk of money each week. Start small - a little bit of savings each day or week can go a long way over time. For instance, taking a $1,000 vacation to Palm Springs a year from today means you need to set aside a little under $3 a day until then. Tweak your budget to accommodate that $90-ish a month by spending a little less, and you'll be well on your way to the desert.

 

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First published here: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2016/01/06/bad-money-habits-you-should-break-to-build-more-wealth/

Gold Price Up On Mid East, Asia Risk – January Best Monthly Performance

- Gold up 2.5% in January on stock falls, Korea nuclear test, Middle East tensions
- Gold up an average of 4.4% in January over past decade
- January positive month for gold and silver

Gold prices hit a four-week high today over $1,088 per ounce, extending gains for the third day and leading to a 2.5% gain year to date. Deepening concerns over the indebted Chinese economy saw falls in stock markets again and tensions rose in Asia and the Middle East.

Stocks globally fell for a fifth day as China added to fears about its economy by allowing the yuan to weaken further in the ongoing currency war, and a nuclear test by North Korea added to a growing list of geopolitical worries.

Overnight, North Korea said it successfully tested a miniaturised hydrogen nuclear device on Wednesday, setting off alarm bells in Japan and South Korea. Relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran collapsed over the weekend after the Kingdom’s execution of nearly 50 people including a Shi’ite cleric, a prominent critic of Saudi policy, set off violent protests and condemnation from Tehran.

Bullion has has been one of the best months for gold in terms of monthly performance in the last 10 years. Bloomberg confirms that today:

Bullion has advanced 4.4 percent on average in January over the past 10 years, climbing in all but three cases. Its performance in the first month beats that in any other. January is a time when Chinese shoppers stock up on gold in anticipation of the Lunar New Year.

Seasonally, the months of November, December, January and February have historically been positive months for gold. October often sees declines in the gold price followed by strong gains in November, December, January and February (see table above and chart below).

Risk aversion has seen gold move closer to key chart levels, including the December high at $1,088.70. A push above $1,088 would indicate that gold may have bottomed out for now after twice rebounding from the $1,045 area in December, a technical analyst told Reuters.

Silver is up 0.3 percent at $14.11 an ounce, while platinum is up 0.1 percent at $893.75 an ounce and palladium was down 0.6 percent lower at $533.40 an ounce.

Daily Prices
6 Jan LBMA Gold Prices: USD 1083.85, EUR 1,009.66 and GBP 739.84 per ounce
5 Jan LBMA Gold Prices: USD 1078.00, EUR 1,000.75 and GBP 734.31 per ounce
4 Jan LBMA Gold Prices: USD 1072.70, EUR 982.30 and GBP 725.02 per ounce
31 Dec LBMA Gold Prices: USD 1062.25, EUR 974.32 and GBP 716.36 per ounce

Breaking Gold News and Commentary Today – Click here

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First published here: http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-01-06/gold-price-mid-east-asia-risk-%E2%80%93-january-best-monthly-performance

"The greatest danger to the State is independent intellectual criticism."

    

-Murray N. Rothbard

 

This ZeroHedge comment, today, by JamaicaJim, caught my eye and started me thinking:

New Gallup Poll – Americans Consider Government A Much Bigger Problem Than Guns

JamaicaJimWed, 01/06/2016 - 08:39 | 7004045

 

That the US Government is corrupt is not the question. They are.

The questions are;

WHAT CAN THE AVERAGE CITIZEN DO ABOUT IT?

HOW CAN THIS BE STOPPED?

For the life me, I do not have those answers.

THAT is the issue; what can someone do?

In the teenage movie, Wayne's World, Garth and Wayne are lying on the hood of the Mirth Mobile and staring up at the stars.  Garth whistles the theme to Star Trek, then he says, "Sometimes I wish I could boldly go where no man has gone, but I'll probably stay here in Aurora."  Many of us are like Garth, wishing to be bold, and maybe even revolutionary.   

But the State isn't very worried.  They know that we are far too comfortable, and also too afraid.  That we will probably stay right where we are.

But some of us may sense that ours is a false comfort, like the turkey has in the days before the holiday.

In today’s keynote luncheon at RIMS 2010, Nassim Nicholas Taleb, best-selling author of The Black Swan, told the story of a turkey who is fed by the farmer every morning for 1,000 days. Eventually the turkey comes to expect that every visit from the farmer means more good food. After all, that’s all that has ever happened so the turkey figures that’s all that can and will ever happen. But then Day 1,001 arrives. It’s two days before Thanksgiving and when the farmer shows up, he is not bearing food, but an ax. The turkey learns very quickly that its expectations were catastrophically off the mark. And now Mr. Turkey is dinner.

For those of us that don't want to be a turkey, and that seek a way out of our false comfort zone...that want to be bold and revolutionary...we must also find a way to overcome our fear.   FEAR...False Evidence Appearing Real.  The best way I know to overcome fear is through knowledge.  Knowledge allows us to see false evidence as false.  Knowledge also allows us to be bold, and to take action, rather than be timid, staying right where we are.  Knowledge enables us to be revolutionary.

"A battle of wits was to be fought, and the Boy in Blue was unarmed to-night."

  

-Abby Buchanan Longstreet

 

If we want to be a bold, fearless, and an effective revolutionary, then we need to arm ourselves and train for the fight.  Please, allow me to suggest this sequential course of action.

hedgeless_horseman's Revolutionary Call to Arms:

1. Read Propaganda, by Edward Bernays.
2. Read Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury.
3. Get rid of your television.  Preferably, take it to the dump and destroy it in an extreme and violent fashion.
4. Read Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
5. Make a commitment to not use mind-altering substances for 90 days.  If you fail, go to an AA meeting and restart the 90 days. 
6. Read The Creature from Jekyll Island: A Second Look at the Federal Reserve - 5th Edition, by G. Edward Griffin.
7. Visit a coin dealer and buy some gold or silver Canadian Maple Leafs.
8. Read 1984, by George Orwell.
9. Make your very own set of Fallacy Flash Cards from the list at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fallacies
10. Hold three fallacious posters accountable on www.zerohedge.com by citing their fallacy.
11. Read The Law, by Frédéric Bastiat.
12. Make a list of your natural rights.
13. Read The Constitution of the United States and The Bill of Rights.
14. Read Animal Farm, by George Orwell.
15. Research your two senators and one congressman at https://www.opensecrets.org/ Make a list of their 10 biggest donors, and send the list to your "representative" in an email or letter.
16. Read War is a Racket, by Smedley D. Butler.
17. Read On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society, by Dave Grossman.
18. Watch the online video of the TED Talk, A radical experiment in empathy, by Sam Richards.
19. Read Anatomy of the State, by Murray Rothbard.
20. Be a volunteer judge at a high school debate.

I pray that many have the strength and courage to complete this revolutionary training, and to go boldly where no man has gone.

Peace.

First published here: http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-01-06/hedgelesshorsemans-revolutionary-call-arms