Sunday, 29 May 2022
Saturday, 28 May 2022
WHAT A MESS THE PLANET
So finally America has the war that it has been provoking since 2014 and before.
After drought, pandemic and war (in that order), we now have famine immediately affecting 250 million people and in not so long from now almost two billion worldwide.
On the economic front, inflation - a supposedly temporary feature coming out of covid - looks to be beyond the reach of central banks, beyond the reach of local interest rate rises, and to become a structural part of our life. With the war, inflation has increased very seriously, particularly in gas, oil and basic foodstuffs.
With rising inflation and interest rates, we can expect lower demand for goods and services, lower profit margins, an increase in bankruptcies, rising unemployment and eventually a stock market crash and recession and harm to the American Order (and that means us).
We should not lose sight of the context. Two billion persons added in the last 20 years. The changes from our alterations to the climate. And a retrenchment away from global dependencies supported by the American Order. Demographics. Climate change. Deglobalisation.
As we know from history, dislocation on this scale will lead to serious political and social unrest and huge migrations.
If Europe wants to protect itself, it must get back in the driving seat of its future, however hard it is to confront the usual bullying tactics of America, and force a peace settlement on (a grateful) Ukraine and Russia.
In addition, Europe should take care of its neighbours around the mediterranean basin and Africa.
Food and Agriculture Resilience Mission, FARM.
We know that an "I'm alright Jack" attitude would rebound on us quite quickly with major migratory flows, and so it is reassuring to see Europe mounting this FARM initiative (ha ha the name) the other side of the Med and in Africa. This seems a much more responsible use of resources than pouring hi-tech arms and military experts into Ukraine.
It is time for pompom Johnson to go and for the UK government to separate itself from the numerous and evident stupidities of the Biden administration.
Wednesday, 25 May 2022
PARTYGATE
Tuesday, 24 May 2022
AMERICA STARTED THIS WAR
25 May 2022
DIPLOMACY OR MILITARY
Macron has kept open an intelligence line and works, in Europen style, on the diplomacy Macron is quite right to want to avoid humiliation - he knows his history, his country suffered most after Germany was humiliated at Versailles.
But a different advice comes from arch realist Kissinger. Concede the land taken and call it quits. And this, most observers think, is what will happen.
Let's hope it comes to pass because otherwise of all the American blenders since the Cold War this will surely be the greatest.
I don't know if you can say that this has been the most stupid of America's Wars, but there is no question that the solution, when it comes, had been available before the War started.
AMERICA'S MOTIVATION
Although Putin invaded Ukraine, the Americans started this war for the same reason as they started all their other wars, going back to the time of the Dulles brothers and the Monroe doctrine.
Looking out from America, the President, whoever he may be, sees Asia on the one hand across the Pacific and Europe on the other across the Atlantic . What America will not tolerate is a regional hegemon emerging in Asia or Europe. It does not want Germany or Russia or China, forming an alliance with one or more countries in the Americas, and threatening its world domination.
The aim of this war has been cited many times, and by Biden and Pelosi, and it is quite simply to weaken Russia.
How they do it can be found in the report from RAND : RR3063.pdf. It details 15 dark op.s, amongst other things.
This is very dark, deep realpolitik. But the explanation America gives the public is the liberal rhetoric - call it propaganda - that we read every day in our newspapers and watch on breakfast TV.
Saturday, 21 May 2022
"THIS UNPROVOKED ATTACK..."
Thursday, 12 May 2022
EUROPEAN TREATY ORGANISATION
Wednesday, 11 May 2022
UK TAKE THE LEAD IN EUROPEAN DEFENSE
11 May 2022
CSA recommended in the aftermath of Brexit that Europe take care if itself and that this would fall to France or Britain to organise and lead, largely paid for by Germany.
The lead time may be long - political consensus takes time to build, European technology lags behind in most areas, the production volumes are not there at present - but the need is urgent as we cannot have American interference in our affairs and the disasters that always follow, we must take charge of our destiny.
Recall the reason for America's ingerence : they seek to preserve their world dominion and see Europe, particulary an alliance between Germany and Russia, as the most likely threat. They are right.
Tuesday, 10 May 2022
WHY ARE THE AMERICANS THE WAY THEY ARE?
Monday, 9 May 2022
WHAT IS ELON MUSK DOING?
9 May 2022
Capitalism requires freedom and private ownership. The idea is to create enterprises that buy and sell goods and services purely for profit. The limited company allowed shareholders to provide start-up capial and be included on the Board as owners.
However, what's happened is that for various reasons, the group of shareholders running the company was broadened to include all stakeholders.
These new stakeholders brought new values and additional goals to the direction of the company and thus instead of capitalism we got a left-wing corporatism. Personally, I can see this heading to a WEF world.
Musk and his band are a reform movement whose mission is to purify and restore the founding values and create a New Capitalism.
Sunday, 8 May 2022
MAKE MONEY THROUGH ARMS SALES
Saturday, 7 May 2022
DARK CLOUDS
Friday, 6 May 2022
RUSSIA'S MANIFEST DESTINY
STOP NOW - PEACE WITHOUT VICTORY
6 May 2022 THE DAILY RANT
It is a cost to Russia maybe, but the really big costs are being born by America & UK. Europe is being bullied into following.
That senile fool in the White House is bragging about sinking the Moskva and shooting down a Russian transporyer carrying hundreds of young men.
Biden's advisors are openly calling for a war - this is war between two nuclear armed powers. (India and Pakistan? No, America and Russia.)
What you say is true: what we see doesnt fit with what we read
The people who know, military men, say that Russia will win in Ukraine.
Although right up to 23 Feb, most of us couldn't believe that America and Russia would be so stupid as to go to war with each other in Ukraine. But they did.
Now, Russia is doing what it always does, which is to totally trash the country. And Russia is now on top of the arms supply routes that were making a difference. They tell us the West is winning but actually the data points otherways. Truth is, there are no winners and the biggest losers are Ukraine and perhaps we haven't seen even a quarter of what is to come.
1.7 billion people in food insecurity and poverty because wheat, corn and fertiliser is not available in 2019 quantities and at prices .
Gas and oil we know about. Begging bowl out to pariahs Iran and Venezuela. Again, America is safe - far away, safe, independent.
Sanctions against Russia are being reciprocated. America is fine.
All of Africa, most of S E Asia and Latin America are reticent, dont agree, but dont want to offend. This includes India.
It is only America up for war, and Europe ex UK are bullied into supporting.
Tuesday, 3 May 2022
BUY GOLD IN THAILAND
7 July 2022
PRICE
https://gold.price-today.info/en/THB/thailand_chiang-mai_chiang-mai/
The purpose of buying gold is to insure against currency collapse or at least to have money that cannot be touched by any counter-party, for spending in retirement or when unemployed.
However history has shown that there is a real risk that the government will not tolerate individuals holding gold and if they know where you are they will call and take it off you. See last section.
CASH
Buy in cash, not credit card, to save 3% fee.
TAX
No tax on nuggets (bars) (normally 7% in Thailand).
But tax is 7% on jewellry (7% is low compared to my
country).
Jewellry - a bracelet and necklace - I can take out of
Thailand and into my country. But this is very difficult - I would sell in
Thailand.
COMMISSION FEE
Low commission. About 0.02%.
WORKMANSHIP
(ทักษะฝีมือ)
For jewellry, pay for workmanship (ทักษะฝีมือ) - 500b (?)
for a simple necklace.
When you sell, you do not get back the ทักษะฝีมือ fee.
PURITY
In Thailand, you buy 96.5% pure (see the website) which is
23.2 karat.
But be careful with the gold - 96.5% is very soft.
WEIGHT
จำเป็นต้องซื้อเครื่องชั่งน้ำหนักราคาถูกที่สามารถใส่ในกระเป๋าของคุณได้
เพื่อให้คุณสามารถตรวจสอบการวัดน้ำหนักของทองคำที่คุณซื้อได้ รับสเกล 0.01g ที่แม่นยำ
WHERE TO BUY
Your shop. Is it in Chinatown? We need the biggest and the
oldest shops in Chinatown. They won't scam.
CONFISCATION RISK
COMPARE WEIGHT
There is a big difference between the density of gold and silver: gold is 19.32 g/cm3, silver only 10.49 g/cm3.
With the result that a 1 oz bar of gold will be almost half as small as a 1 oz bar of silver.
COMPARE VALUE
The gold/silver ratio changes. It is the weight of silver it takes to purchase one ounce of gold. If the ratio is 25 to 1, that means, at the current price, you could use 25 ounces of silver to buy one ounce of gold. 25 to 1 would be considered a narrow ratio.
A narrow ratio indicates that silver’s relative value is up and a wide ratio indicates that gold’s relative value is up. This ratio is an indicator that can be used to determine the right and wrong times to buy or sell gold and silver.
SPEND
WAYS TO BUY GOLD
There are three main ways to gain exposure to the gold price as a retail investor: bars and coins, gold-backed exchange traded funds and gold mining equities.
Bars and coins give you a piece of metal you can store at home, giving you something physical to hold in your hands. They range in size from one-tenth of an ounce to one kilo or larger. The disadvantage is that the premiums to pay over the spot gold price to buy bars and coins can be substantial, meaning there is a big transaction cost once you sell the gold back, as well as storage and insurance costs.
Gold-backed ETFs have evolved into two main categories of high and low-cost products. These save the buyer from taking physical custody of the bullion. The higher-cost products provide greater liquidity with low transaction costs but are better suited to fund managers moving hundreds of millions of dollars at a time. For retail investors, a newer generation of ETFs with lower management fees and less liquidity are better suited such as Invesco’s Physical Gold ETF or BlackRock’s iShares Gold Trust.
Gold mining company equities is another option to gain exposure to prices of the yellow metal. However, these can come with surprises, positive and negative. If discoveries are made, the share price may rally sharply but if there are technical or political problems, the shares can tank irrespective of the gold price. The world’s largest gold mining companies — Newmont, Barrick Gold and Agnico Eagle Mines — are all dual-listed on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges. Gold mining equity funds including VanEck Vectors Gold Miners ETF are a way to diversify risks.
Precious metals streaming companies are another set of equities to consider, since they take small cuts on sales of many projects in return for providing financing, meaning the risks of each project or company is diluted in a broader portfolio. Among the largest listed precious metals streaming groups are Canada’s Franco-Nevada and Wheaton Precious Metals.
BIG WARNING
I follow and agree with all the arguments made in that video. In particular, there's a line something like,
"How to manage members of the general public, who have more faith in the system than people people sitting round this table do"
At offset Kitco 13'40".
Notice who is sitting round the table. This is an FDIC meeting and the table is members of its systemic resolution advisory committee, SRAC
The SRAC advises the FDIC on how to manage threats to "too big to fail" financial institutions. Love it.
The quandary they are in is how to prepare such institutions - and the bond holders and depositors - for a systemic failure, whilst at the same time making sure these depositors and bondholders do nothing about it ... for example they don't pull their deposits or sell their bonds.
I suppose first you sting them, to numb and paralyse; and then you suck out all their funds. Ha ha.
But I would say two things about this video and its concluding advice to buy gold.
1. One is that it's a video promoted by the Gold Mining whatever they call themselves, so raise one eyebrow "-).
2. And the other thing is that if all goes in the way they suggest, and you have a safe under the floorboards stuffed full of gold and silver, tge fiat currency collapses as per the govt plan, there's a smooth transition to the new central bank digital curreny, and now the government is running a tight ship using its digital currency.
So, what makes you think that if you take your gold to the bank, they will give you the digital currency equivalent that you need to buy bread and pay your rent?
Wouldn't it be more likely that before the transition, the government says,
"bring us your gold! Bring us your silver! and we will give you the digital currency equivalent, but after the transition we will not recognise your gold"
And probably what they'll do instead, is call on you - because when you buy gold you have to declare your name and address - locate and break into your safe, and take your gold and put it into their safe!
So raise the other eyebrow ""-).
CONCLUSION
Considering relative weight and price, in the light of confiscation risk, you might like to consider whether it is worth holding this insurance in silver rather than gold or some mixture of the two. This is because the authorities would be very unlikely to call to collect your silver, whereas with gold if the s*** hits the fan they will almost certainly find out where you are and take your gold.
NOTE ON MEASURES - TROY OUNCES / BAHT
Gold internationally is usually measured in Troy ounces. One
ounce = 31.1035 grams.
A baht of gold is just under one half troy ounce.
When wr speak of “One ounce of gold”, we typically
mean one troy ounce = 31,1035 gram of 100% pure gold.
When a Thai speaks of “One baht of gold”, you typically mean
15.24 grams of 96,5% pure gold = 14.71 grams of 100% pure gold.
NEED
-Scales
-Passport
-Cash
-Check shop
ราคา
ทองคำมีราคาเท่ากันทุกที่ในโลก
ซื้อด้วยเงินสด
ไม่ใช่บัตรเครดิต เพื่อประหยัดค่าธรรมเนียม 3%
ภาษี
ไม่มีภาษีนักเก็ต
(บาร์) (ปกติ 7% ในประเทศไทย)
แต่ภาษีสำหรับเครื่องประดับคือ
7% (7% ต่ำเมื่อเทียบกับประเทศของฉัน)
Jewellry - สร้อยข้อมือและสร้อยคอ
- ฉันสามารถนำออกจากประเทศไทยและเข้าประเทศของฉันได้ แต่มันยากมาก - ฉันจะขายในประเทศไทย
ค่านายหน้า
ค่าคอมมิชชั่นต่ำ ประมาณ 0.02%
ฝีมือ (ฝีมือ)
สำหรับเครื่องประดับก็จ่ายสำหรับฝีมือ
(ทักษะฝีมือ) - 500b (?) สำหรับสร้อยคอแบบเรียบๆ
ขายแล้วไม่รับค่าธรรมเนียมงานฝีมือคืน
ความบริสุทธิ์
เพียว -
ในประเทศของฉัน ทองแท้ 100% คือ 24 กะรัต
ทองคำส่วนใหญ่เป็น 18 กะรัต = บริสุทธิ์ 75%
ในประเทศไทย
คุณซื้อบริสุทธิ์ 96.5% (ดูเว็บไซต์) ซึ่งเท่ากับ 23.2 กะรัต
แต่ระวังด้วยทองคำ -
96.5% อ่อนมาก
น้ำหนัก
จำเป็นต้องซื้อเครื่องชั่งน้ำหนักราคาถูกที่สามารถใส่ในกระเป๋าของคุณได้
เพื่อให้คุณสามารถตรวจสอบการวัดน้ำหนักของทองคำที่คุณซื้อได้ รับสเกล 0.01g ที่แม่นยำ
พยายามซื้อเครื่องกลราคาตรงที่ท้าทายในกระเป๋าที่ท้าทาย
รับยอดเยี่ยงว...
ซื้อที่ไหน
ร้านค้าของคุณ อยู่ที่ไชน่าทาวน์หรือเปล่าคะ?
เราต้องการร้านค้าที่ใหญ่ที่สุดและเก่าแก่ที่สุดในไชน่าทาวน์ พวกเขาจะไม่หลอกลวง
หมายเหตุเกี่ยวกับมาตรการ
- ทรอยออนซ์ / บาท
ทองคำในประเทศของฉันมักจะวัดเป็นหน่วยทรอยออนซ์ หนึ่งออนซ์ = 31.1035 กรัม
ทองคำหนึ่งบาทมีค่าต่ำกว่าทรอยออนซ์เพียงครึ่งเดียว
เมื่อฝรั่งพูดถึง
“ทองหนึ่งออนซ์” เรามักจะหมายถึงหนึ่งทรอยออนซ์ = 31,1035 กรัมของทองคำบริสุทธิ์
100%
เมื่อคนไทยพูดถึง "ทองหนึ่งบาท" โดยทั่วไปแล้วคุณหมายถึงทองคำบริสุทธิ์ 96,5% 15.24 กรัม = ทองคำบริสุทธิ์ 100% 14.71 กรัม
ความต้องการ
-เครื่องชั่ง
-หนังสือเดินทาง
-เงินสด
-เช็คร้าน
In trying to understand the underlying interests of the parties we should detach ourselves to some extent from personalities and even contemporary politics and we should instead take account of the geography of the countries, the demographics of the people and the wealth and technology of the economies.
Russia
Russia itself is a flat plain and after the collapse of the Soviet Union its natural defences - mountains, seas, gaps - came to be found in other countries.
Russia in its long history has being invaded over 50 times, by almost everyone, from Sweden, Germany, France and Turkey and even Canada!
The border between Russia and central Europe stretches from Finland through the Baltics, Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia and the Caucuses.
America promised that these countries would remain neutral, but the reality is that NATO took them all in barring Finland and Ukraine and moved its tanks and artillery right up to within a few hundred kms of Moscow.
After the last war there were only two countries left standing out of the previous five world players. It was the cold war, a bipolar world, and then with the collapse of Soviet Russia it became "the unipolar moment" and we thought that history had ended and the future of the world would be love, dope, coca-cola and democracy, through to the end of time.
America
But America is a jealous master and had other ideas. America will not tolerate any potential regional competitor, neither in Europe, nor in Asia, because such a country might form alliances and gang up against America and take away its world domination.
In the case of Europe, which lost Russia at the end of the cold war, America's fear is that Europe, in the shape of Germany or the EU, ally its wealth and technology with Russia's resources and low-cost manpower. As for America's interest in Asia, there it fears the rise of a regional hegemon in the form of China.
Under pressure from America, Europe seems to have lost its head. Europe is overcome by the suffering of its neighbour the Ukrainian people and is shocked at the disrespect for for its values. It has no military and it has no strategy either, other than to defer to America for a political lead and military protection.
Furthermore, by pushing for enlargement of the EU, America and the UK have weakened the EU and its decision-making process, and at the same time created a wonderful market in what is the richest region on the planet, for its arms and agriculture.
Russia
Russia made it abundantly clear that it needed the Crimea, a neutral Ukraine and respect for the Russian speakers of the eastern provinces, but America did not want to listen. "Let's get this war done", it said.
By its geography, Russia is a pulsating and quite aggressive country whose border with central Europe has fluctuated over the centuries. No sooner has it extended its border over the natural defences that lay in neighbouring countries, than these countries resist and take back control.
So those are the reasons for this war as concerns Russia and America - though you would not guess this from the propaganda.
As to the success of Russia's invasion, it may be winning the war on the ground, it may link the homeland to its port on the Black Sea, but it had not reckoned with Ukrainian resistance, European sanctions, nor NATO reinforcement.
America's Strategy
Through NATO America has effectively seized Europe, stopped self-interested reflection and now with Ukraine is hoping to put in a Trojan horse to ensure its continuing interests.
America's true interest and fear is the rise of China. You might think that Ukraine is a sideshow and be surprised at this distraction. But it could also be argued that America has led Russia into this trap and is using Ukraine to unite Europe under its direction and strengthen NATO and have ready a force to counter China.
Ukraine
As for little Ukraine, it is completely bullied by America into fighting its enormous neighbour. "We'll fight this war to the last Ukrainian". America supplies the arms, Ukraine the manpower.
You might think Zelensky is the madman of the three (Putin and Biden) as his country and his people are being pounded into submission, but turn-by-turn he begs Putin for peace talks and he pleads with America for more and heavier arms.
Action and Communication
The handle I have found the most useful to understand this war is that all the rhetoric and moralising that you read about is purely propaganda, and from both sides, sent out each morning from the Intelligence units to the Main Stream Media, for copy-pasting into the public mind; while the reality is entirely the self-interest of each of the belligerents, in geopolitical and demographic terms.
It is the anarchic nature of the system of nation states, the absence of any real hierarchy or higher authority meaning there is no-one to enforce any rules, so we are left with it is the strongest who wins. And with its vast emperium and position of absolute strength and in the absence of any constraint or hindrance, America can completely let itself go and get away with pretty much anything it likes... who is going to take Biden (or Putin) to an international court, for example?
The voice of reason and diplomacy is found in old Europe, Merkel was and Macron is advocates for peace, but who's listening, when will they be heard by rhe Americans?