Update

Original article from my most recent post can be found here

Hat Tip: Financial Sense

Don't Believe the Hype

Recent news on the economy is exuberant. The Dow, we are told, is reaching record highs, economic growth is unbelievable, we are skyrocketing. Don't believe it. It is true that this is the case, when the Dow is measured in dollars and euros. However, the dow, as measured in gold, silver, copper, industrial metals, crude oil, food, and stuff, is crashing. What does all this mean?

It means that the mad prophets of gold were proved correct. The US' fiat currency, not tied to any hard material whatsoever but instead simply set arbitrarily by the Federal Reserve, has become totally divorced from reality. The forces behind the economy have become almost entirely those of malinvestment, engineered by the puppeteers in the central bank. Expect a painful bust to follow this boom. Here is some data:

Site News

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. Final exams and end of term papers are keeping me away from the blog. More should be up soon.

Quote of the Day

"Saying people go on school shootings because they play video games is like saying people steal money because they use Quicken." -- A friend of mine.

Picture of the Week: Holocaust Remembrance

Traffic stops for two minutes in Tel Aviv, Israel, on April 16th, 2007. This is done in remembrance of the Holocaust.

Why its okay for South Park, and not for Don Imus

Recently, Don Imus was canned both from his radio show on CBS Radio and his televised simulcast on MSNBC. The motivation for this was that, when announcing a female college basketball game, he referred to the girls who played for Rutgers University as “nappy headed hoes”. The media uproar was epic in scale. Imus apologized to Al Sharpton on his radio show, apologized to the basketball team, apologized to just about anyone he could find who would listen. Clearly, it was no use. He was fired in short order and without ceremony. Over the course of this incident, many have begun to wonder: Why Imus? Certainly shows like South Park and films such as Borat get away with far, far, worse material, of both racial and non-racial types without censure.

The Catholic League of America protested an episode of South Park that featured a statue of the Virgin Mary shitting blood on Pope Benedict’s face. Nobody cared. The Catholic League was widely perceived as whining, not demanding social justice, and South Park produced another episode this season mocking them. The Anti-Defamation league was all over Mel Gibson for his anti-semitic drunken rant some months ago, but an event from the film Borat, the “Running of the Jews” received barely any major media attention. Is there any rhyme or reason to this? Are advocacy groups just picking victims at random and ruining their careers for kicks? I do not believe this is the case
It is my view that the difference between, on one hand, a South Park and a Borat, or a Don Imus and/or Mel Gibson on the other, goes as follows: Shows like South Park have raised their bigotry to such a level that it is an art form. No sane human being could seriously entertain the notion that South Park or Borat are to be taken seriously. Besides the fact that these people are all fictional characters, they also engage in majestic feats of bigotry that a mere mortal can only dream about. It then, becomes clear: The reason we love this stuff is because it makes no bones about its hatred, it makes clear that its content is meant not to mock those who are bigoted against, but the bigots themselves. Finally, when it is called out, it refuses to apologize. South Park’s normal reaction to outside criticism is to create an episode that truly annihilates the critic in question is the most horrifying possible ways. Don Imus, by contrast, clearly wants to be taken as a serious commentator. While he is also a comedian, he has made his career out of being taken seriously when he advances a view. His show has become a regular pit stop for politicians and presidential candidates, and a venue for some of the most popular talk on the issues of our day that currently exists in American media. So when Don Imus says something, Don Imus is usually gong to be taken seriously. For that reason, a racist statement made by him is not something that is simply laughed off, the way the antics of Eric Cartman or Borat are. Imus presents himself as a serious person, and serious people get taken seriously. He should have realized that that is a two way street before he opened his stupid honky mouth.

Patriot Predictions

The NE Patriots schedule was released for the 2007-08 season today. Here are my predictions:

Week 1 - Sunday September 9th, Patriots vs. JETS: A good start to the season. The Jets will have improved their offense from last season with the addition of Thomas Jones, which should take some of that pressure off of Chad Pennington and the NY passing game. But I think Brady and the rest of the pats open the season with a bang, and show off their shiny new passing game. Pats win.

Week 2 - Sunday September 16th, PATRIOTS vs. Chargers: This is a game that can go either way. But the Patriots are better than they were last year, and the Chargers are as good as they were at best. They have a whole new coaching staff, and I think the Patriots repeat their win over the Chargers in last season's divisional playoff round.

Week 3 - Sunday, September 23rd, PATRIOTS vs. Bills: The Bills? Come now. Patriots win, of course, but the game will be a close one, as NE will have just returned from a tough game against San Diego.

Week 4 - Monday, October 1st, Patriots vs. BENGALS: This game won't be a tough one. The Cincinnati defense is mundane at best, and while they have a strong offense, I believe the much improved Patriots D will handle the situation. Patriots win in a fairly close lone.

Week 5 - Sunday, October 7th, PATRIOTS vs. Browns: Haha. Right. The Browns.

Week 6 - Sunday, October 14th, Patriots vs. COWBOYS: The Cowboys are a top tier team in the NFC. They are not going to beat what will be 2007's best AFC team. Patriots win in a game that holds some surprises.

Week 7 - Sunday, October 21st, Patriots vs. DOLPHINS: Miami gives New England its first defeat of the season. There is absolutely no reason this should be the case. However, Miami always finds a way to beat NE in its house. Always.

Week 8 - Sunday, October 28th, PATRIOTS vs. Redskins: The Redskins defense last season was an absolute joke, and the passing game on offense is non-existent. Their running game in Portis is pretty good, but he received a shoulder injury in the off season and will face a formidable defense in New England. I think the Pats win this one pretty easily.

Week 9 - Sunday, November 4th, Patriots vs. COLTS: I cannot see the Patriots doing anything but winning this game BIG. They are a team much improved from last season, and with a bitter taste in its mouth from 2006's AFC Championship Game defeat. Bellichick and Brady are going to do absolutely everything necessary to carry this game home.

Week 10 - BYE

Week 11 - Sunday, November 10th, Patriots vs. BILLS: Patriots are coming out of bye week, Bills still have no quarterback. Patriots carry this one home easy.

Week 12 -Sunday, November 25th, PATRIOTS vs. Eagles: The Eagles offense is almost entirely one dimensional: Hand the ball to Brian Westbrook every chance you get. The Patriots have no problem shutting down such obvious strategies, and the Eagles offense fails. Donte' Stallworth has a big game, motivated by facing his former team. Patriots in in an easy one.

Week 13 - Monday, December 3rd, Patriots vs. RAVENS: Adalius Thomas is motivated this week like Donte' Stallworth was the one before. In the Ravens, the Pats face one of the NFL's most truly mediocre offenses, and manage to win this one without a whole lot of trouble.

Week 14 - Sunday, December 9th, PATRIOTS vs. Steelers: Steelers are having a poor season with a new head coach and new defensive scheme. Ben Roethlisberger continues to be the NFL's most overrated QB, and the Steelers continue to lose games.

Week 15 - Sunday, December 16th, PATRIOTS vs. Jets: This late in the season, nothing is going to stop the Pats. Especially not once the Mangini factor is thrown in. I have little doubt that Belichick has had just about enough of all the speculation about his disciple from last season. Jets get creamed.

Week 16 - Sunday, December 23rd, PATRIOTS vs. Dolphins: Its December, its Foxboro, the Pats are superior to the Dolphins in every conceivable way. You do the math.

Week 17 - Sunday, December 29th, Patriots vs. GIANTS: This is an away game that absolutely does not matter, right on the eve of...New Year's Eve. Patriots couldn't care less, New York picks up the win.

Regular Season Record: 14-2. Pats go into the playoffs having secured home field advantage.

The P.I.G to Capitalism

Bob Murphy's The Politically Incorrect Guide to Capitalism is a hit. In fact it has reached #109 on Amazon currently. Go buy your own copy, and help push it higher!

Dice-K heals sixty years of suffering.

By now we are all aware of the myriad war crimes committed by the Japanese Empire during the Second World War. The Rape of Nanking, the Bataan Death March, the huge sex slave industry that flourished in the Emperor's Military. Not to mention the generally cold and ruthless way which that most tyrannical of regimes went about treating both its prisoners and the inhabitants of the lands it occupied. For a long time since, Japan has born that guilt to some degree, as have all the nations which fought on the wrong side of history in history's bloodiest war. Is there anything that can absolve the Japanese state, and the Japanese people, of guilt for these terrible crimes? Yes, yes there is. And he is named Dice-K.

Most Red Sox fans are enthusiastic about him, and for good reason. However, not enthusiastic enough, in my opinion. In his opening game against the Royals this past week, Dice threw 108 pitches in seven innings, giving up a paltry one run and striking out ten batters, as the Sox marched to a 4-1 victory. Our enemies were laid out before us, and we heard the lamentations of their women. Especially when contrasted with the sad and sick performances thrown up by the rest of the Sox pitching staff so far in this young season, it is clear that number 18 has done more, much more, in fact, than enough to redeem Japan for its terrible, terrible, crimes. As a matter of fact, I suggest we follow the Japanese government's recent lead, and remove them from our history lessons altogether. Japan's prime minister, Shinzo Abe, is obviously a wise man with the gift of foresight.

Now, some students may be incredulous. What about the historically brutal way in which the Koreans were treated by Japan's imperial war machine? Well, to that I say this: Byung-Hyun Kim. He had his chance to solidify Korean greatness. And what did he do? He screwed us in the playoffs, thats what. And now the US-South Korean alliance is at a historic low point, and we are continuously on the edge of war with the North. What a shocker. Nobody could have predicted it. Nobody, that is, except for Byung-Hyun Kim. If North Korea should ever actually acquire a nuclear weapon, I think its safe to say that he ought be held personally responsible. His terrible pitching has brought humanity one step closer to extinction.

As for any Germans reading this, don't get your hopes up. You'll need to deliver at least another World Series before we even think about the holocaust.

Picture of the Week: Good Friday

Filipino Catholics crucify themselves, in remembrance of the death of our Lord on Good Friday.