lupercal

http://www.smallholder.co.uk/news/property/2253677.The_road_to_the_Scottish_Isles___Elspeth_Soutar_tells_how_she_followed_a_dream_and_moved_to_the_Outer_Hebrides/

Years went by and my career, marriage and children became part of the real life going on all around me. My distant dream remained closeted where it belonged for the time being as an impractical move for us all. Then my successful practical life began to unravel as I suffered a head injury in a car accident, began to struggle with the demands of work, family and friends and saw the doors shutting one by one to even my day to day dreams of a future for us all, let alone my secret internal magnet pulling me towards my ultimate dream of life on a Hebridean Island.

 

The reality was far more challenging as I was now a single parent with three children stretching my weakened abilities between two part time jobs which bore no resemblance to my chosen career but allowed me to juggle my young children's time table.

 

Views of the mountains of Scotland and the stunning crest of Stac Pollaidh were only visible from my laptop computer as I searched for emotional inspiration before sleep at night.

 

Thoughts of chickens and a dog at my heel only came from magazine browsing.

 

I wondered briefly whether I might retire there in thirty years time once my children had less need of me. I had completely given up tuning into my magnet and feeling the pull towards that horizon.

 

Then one evening, during a particularly tiring week when my single parent juggling act seemed to be more demanding and isolating than usual, I settled down to Google search for inspiring views of the Highlands and Islands. A simple thing happened that changed our world. A private advert for the sale of an old wireless navigation station on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides appeared on the screen in front of me. I have no idea how I had accessed it and it was a poor quality photo of a worn out rambling place that should not have looked appealing to any rational soul. I was entranced and made the phone call there and then.

Quote ... (something like) "all we have is ourselves and each other and the natural world ..."

 

What he is saying is not new or innovative - men have been thinking like that for centuries. I've been thinking like that all my adult life.

 

BUT - you need LAND to be self sufficient, independent and self reliant. Land - to grow your own food and take care of your own heating and energy requirements. And land belongs to 'them' and they make damn sure it is so expensive we never get out from under.

 

The natural world belongs to 'them'. It's that simple. Ever since widespread home ownership by the masses started to develop - the amount of land that 'they' allow us to have has got less and less with every new development.

 

Anything that gets you out from under - a nice holiday complex in Devon perhaps, with enough letting units to make you a living of, say, 30k, will come with a million pound plus price tag. A smallholding in any part of the country you'd actually want to live - with enough accommodation to house an extended family - and enough land to get you at least semi-self sufficient - again - just hand over a million pounds or more and you're FREE to work your nuts off for the rest of your life.

You have to leave England

http://www.pureportugal.co.uk/listman/listings/l0012.html 110K euro

Smallholding of 2.5 hectares, 1 hectare arable and 1.5 hectares woodland. Two stone houses and outbuildings, absolute privacy, lots of spring water. No electricity.

 

The property is situated in a valley with terraced arable land in the middle and woodland on both sides.

 

Lots of natural spring water. No mains electricity but a great location for solar power.

Interesting gold std/banking thread at ykw. Contains this from 'Traktion'

 

 

 

http://www.housepricecrash.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=166616

 

Me? Anything beyond banking being a publicly owned utility would always be suspect.

Note the triple six in the link

Good ideas a free market in banking.

Yes it shows the general public as clueless about gold as real money or gold as a hedge against the depreciation of fiat money. But still significant in my view as an indication of a changing tide that will see more and more people work out what governments and the central banks are trying to do. But by the time the majority work it out it will probably be too late for them and they will wish they bought that little gold bar instead of the perfume they chose at the time.

When houses went up people want to buy them with borrorowed money. When gold goes up people want to sell it. Why is this?

Yes. Quite a few had some sort of windfall - usually after some years of investing. But none of them spent the windfall on cars / houses / yachts. Now I come to think of it, none of them even alluded to the idea that they could have spent the windfall. Just not on their radar. Future time perspective (page 250).

Theres a guy in there who had no windfall and explained this meant he took more risks and the risks he took. It's a very good book.

This book is excellent. I'm 1/3 of the way through and learning about a whole new world. My next step is to raise the free capital. It seems the subject had some sort of windfall (through their own efforts) to get started and built on it.I hope theres a rags to riches story in there.

I'll buy this. I would like to ask if there is there any plan to interview unsuccessful investors and gain knowledge from that.

Does anyone remember the Derren Brown trick when he predicted the winners of horse races. Starting with a large amount of people, He made a prediction that each horse in a race would be a winner to at least one person. Most were wrong but a few won. By the end of three races a small number of people were convinced he had a secret formula for wealth .

How does this book avoid such selection bias.

feel free to bail the system out with your own money then.

A straw man argument is an informal fallacy based on misrepresentation of an opponent's position.[1] To "attack a straw man" is to create the illusion of having refuted a proposition by substituting it with a superficially similar yet unequivalent proposition (the "straw man"), and refuting it, without ever having actually refuted the original position.[1][2]

I think this is a straw man:) I do admire the current system though. I'd like to make the claim that without fractional reserve banking there would be no space program. Crashing JP Morgan does most people no good.

Just goes to show what a nonsense the 'futures' market really is. What a sick joke. Actually I think the whole lot should be abolished. You want to hedge Mr Producer? Tough. Pay up the cash up front and take yer goods just like every other mortal. If you want to gamble with your stuff then go to the casino. Problem solved.

Is there any evidence on this affecting JP Morgan. How possible is it that the buy silver and destroy JP Morgan is an urban myth whipped up on the internet to a hysteria?

There is kernel of truth, but if I was in on silver years ago, this could be a useful fad thats pushing slver higher on nothing

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE69Q0SE20101027

Yes, perhaps the silver squeeze will reveal to more people that 'The Fed' is actually a jointly run Ponzi scheme with the shareholders being banks on Wall Street.

I'd rather that then a collapse of system which is what the people at zero-hedge are calling for.

Coming soon: the loud thud of a gold bust

http://blogs.reuters.com/deep-pocket/2010/...of-a-gold-bust/

Some time in the future the price of gold will crash and it won’t have a fairy-tale ending for the millions of investors who piled on in recent months.

 

If I could tell you when gold was going to bust, I’d likely be wrong or bigger than Warren Buffett, so I won’t even try. Just be incredibly cautious now. There are too many signs that gold is frothier than a Starbucks cappuccino.

 

It’s not that I don’t nod in agreement when gold bugs rant about why their metal holds a special value now. The dollar is in deep trouble as the U.S. sinks deeper into debt. Will Portugal and Spain be the next Ireland on the bailout boulevard? Ben Bernanke may not be able to put a dent in U.S. unemployment or the intractable housing crisis.

 

And yes, I also know the argument on how gold is nowhere near its inflation-adjusted equivalent of its high in January, 1980. According to the Leuthold Group, gold will have to hit $2,400 an ounce to match the $850 high mark it hit in 1980 in real terms. That doesn’t mean it will, of course.

Good shooting

 

What are your plans for the Boar ?

Goulash, sausages and black pudding, the mother in law butchered it. Made her weekend.

Get a gun.

 

And some free meals.

 

Good Luck.

Done it Got a boar and some fox.

Oh sorry warpig I got you mixed up with catflap.

No I like your posts sorry.

Catflaps posts on high yielding shares are very informatiive. His opinion is a very useful counter point to the group think we need to avoid.

Ive lost my runner beans, potatoes and beetroot to deer and wild boaar. Any suggestions?

Another of Jim Sinclair's "Swiss Stairs" anyone? "historically when it takes place at new highs, means this thing is going ballistic."

Jim Sinclair only ever says gold is going ballistic

I don't think there's a big difference with electrics and not when it comes to car. Cars powered by electricity is also using coal because in order to create the electricity or power that we are using everyday most companies are using coal so there's no difference in that. It's still the same so better to just get a hybrid rather than cars that are powered by electricity. In hybrid we can guarantee that it is environment friendly and is saving gas.

Chinese scientist working in the UK invents wee powered fuel cell

http://2ndgreenrevolution.com/2010/08/27/n...red-fuel-cells/

Not Just for Treating Jellyfish Stings; Urine Powered Fuel Cells

by Justin Manger on August 27th, 2010

 

Is the urea – also called carbamide – found in urine a waste that may be too precious to waste? NewScientist hints that it might be a new source of fuel for producing renewable energy. “An adult produces enough urine each year to drive a car 1678 miles (2700 km) on energy from the urea it contains, according to calculations by Shanwen Tao, who develops urea-powered fuel cells at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, UK.” Dr Shanwen Tao and his research partner Dr Rong Lan have developed a prototype (diagram below) that does just that. Dr. Tao explains how he came upon the idea:

 

“Growing up in rural eastern China I was aware of the use of urea as an agricultural fertiliser. When I became a chemist and was looking at fuel cell development I thought of using it in the process. We are only at prototype stage at present, but if this renewable material can be used as a commercially viable and environmentally friendly energy source then we will be absolutely delighted, and many people around the world will benefit.”

But how is it collected?

I am prepared for tommorrow next week or any of the above.I am just waiting for the music to stop i aint playing musical chairs i prefer to sit and watch every body dance around wondering who is not going to get a chair when the music stops and THEY LOSE THEIR KNICKERS there are several contenders on GEI.

DONT BE ONE OF THEM!!!!!!

If something happens like that it doesnt matter who you are you or your family will be in trouble. I hope it is avoided.

May explain some of the shorts

http://www.business24-7.ae/companies-marke...-05-18-1.245539

Close on the heels of the Damas debacle that left the Abdullah brothers, who once owned the largest jewellery group in the region, at the receiving end, a few other wholesalers, including 'one of the largest', is said to be in financial crisis.

 

The unabated upward streak in gold price that commenced sometime in April last year from the upwards of $850 per ounce and touched an all-time high of $1,250 on May 14, has denied many a wholesaler the opportunity to 'fix' their open position on price with their lending banks.

 

"This has landed these wholesalers in 'huge losses' as they have already sold the borrowed gold to their retail customers at lower prices, but failed to settle the gold loan with their banks at that time," a gold analyst explained.

 

The wholesalers generally borrow gold from their banks at 'unfix' – without assigning any price then – sell it to their retail clients. The wholesalers who go short on the gold usually wait for an opportune time of 'correction' to fix the price and settle the gold loan with their banks. During this period, they keep paying margins to the bank to offset any rise in price during this period.

 

But the last year handed out a 'double whammy' to some of the aggressive wholesalers who chose to make a quick buck by selling gold to their clients and diverting these funds to real estate during the property boom.

 

In their good early days, they were able to settle the loan with their banks at lower prices offered by price corrections which were amply available. Since a gold loan comes at very attractive interest rate, which is benchmarked against Libor, the wholesalers enjoyed a rather good time.

 

With the gold price making a steady rise, the wholesalers hardly got an opportunity to fix their position, resulting in the banks forcing them to pay the huge margins to make good the price differential. To make matters worse, while some banks downsized the gold loan facility, a few banks even called back the facility with some wholesalers.

 

The big blow came from the crash in real estate where some of the leading wholesalers have built up big positions. Sources said some leading names in the gold business are frantically trying to sell off their property assets.

This is why gold is worth something. People have to die to bring it out of the ground.

In 1910 344 men and boys died round our way in an accident. That coal is still there and must be worth a fortune.

Blood, sweat and luxuries, bbc3 http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00s5..._Luxuries_Gems/

 

Six young British consumers swap their luxury lives for the simple mud huts and shanty towns of Africa and Asia to work alongside the people who mine, manufacture, process and recycle luxury goods.

 

In Britain today, what were once luxuries are fast becoming everyday items. From electrical gadgets to leather handbags and shoes, as more and more is consumed, products are increasingly disposable. Would consumers care more if they knew the human cost of making luxuries?

 

The Brits head to the isolated mining town of Ilakaka in Madagascar to discover where the gems and jewellery sold on the British high street come from. In the vast open-pit mines they join hundreds of workers in chain gangs digging for one of the most sought-after gems in the world - sapphires. When the back-breaking work becomes too much for James, Alexandria and Lucy they're shocked to discover the alternative - a makeshift 50-foot-deep mine shaft accessed by rope and pulley.

 

Soon it's not just the extreme working conditions and hand-to-mouth existence of the locals that shock the Brits, but the value of the rough stones compared to the expensive shiny jewellery for sale in Western shops. Will they have the same love for luxuries again? Broadcast on:BBC Three, 12:45am Friday 23rd April 2010 Duration: 60 minutes Available until: 9:59pm Tuesday 25th May 2010 Categories:Sign Zone, Factual, Consumer

 

Next week leather and coming up in a few weeks Gold

 

Real eye opening stuff

Whats the point of shows like this. If people stop buying this tat then those chain gangs are unemployed and starving to death. And as for getting youngsters who never did a hard days work, its a stupidity. They would do better getting a British miner to compare conditions. Maybe someone retired who has something worth saying and knows how to work.

If its an yet another attempt to make me feel guilty for living in a developed country its not successful. Typical BBC.

Let's also not forget this classic:

The graph shows a pattern of gold price falling when the New York markets open but its a leap of faith to say its manipulation. Can this pattern be created another way? It may just be the dynamics of the different markets are different. The eastern market could have more buyers with more money then the western markets. Our maybe there are more sellers on the western markets. For both markets to have the same valuation would be surprising.

What would happen if the US/UK just defaulted, said it wasn't going to pay?

Pay who? If they live in the west then I think nothing because they are people who need air food and water. And if they push it then the special forces or a legal team will be on their doorstep to shut them down.

If its a strong overseas power, then a tradewar and proxy conflicts in resource rich areas.

A bit off topic, mods please move if required. This video shows how Stanford Researchers are using Nano silver and paper to make batteries

Dip an ordinary piece of paper into ink infused with carbon nanotubes and silver nanowires, and it turns into a battery or supercapacitor. Crumple the piece of paper, and it still works. Stanford researcher Yi Cui sees many uses for this new way of storing electricity.

Safety of Nano silver???

Tiny particles of silver designed to kill germs are being put into socks to control odor. But as this ScienCentral News video explains, what happens to that nanosilver later is concerning some scientists.

He comes across as a bit emotional, saying things like

There is no other choice

Like the BBC man said if they dont give the oil price or the bond markets, theres no reason to give the gold price. What is the justification for the shipping forcast though?