Monday, September 30, 2013

My Colonoscopy and Stealing Pension Funds

I am high. I am pleasantly high and relaxed. Sort of feel as if I am floating. You see, today I had my first ever colonoscopy and they did not put me to sleep. I was given a mixture of drugs including Valium while they gave a look inside me and removed a polyp. Those who know me the best know that I don't even take aspirin when I have a headache. I just don't like taking pills that much and they seem to have a strong impact on me. They gave me some sort of liquid version along with some other drugs.

While the procedure was going on I chatted with the doctor and nurse. They were a captive audience and I find joking about things relaxes me. For those of you over 50 or who have concerns, I recommend you have the colonoscopy. I had to fast for a couple of days and drink some liquid that cleared me out in preparation for the procedure. In the end it was a walk in the park compared to having some hemorrhoids removed and even that was not that bad. As for the results, I don't have to have another for ten years, my colon was just fine and dandy.

There is something else that needs looking into and it is the thieves who are robbing the public pension funds. This matter needs to be investigated and the bankster polyps need to be removed from the system. I see a lot of articles about the public pension horror that is not. The real culprit, as I have often pointed out, is that there are a few on Wall Street who profit from robbing public pensions; but, that doesn't get written about much. There is a man who works for Rolling Stone magazine who is exposing what is going on. It is nice to see there are still some investigative reporters out there and I think you should read his latest article.

Rolling Stone Magazine - Looting the Pension Funds.

Yahoo - Breakout - Twitter Co-Founder’s Next Project Could Be Even Bigger. Another article about the coming electronic currency and how your biometrics will be required.

Now, a different subject. I want to talk about overpopulation. We hear a lot of talk about it and global warming; but, what is the real agenda. What is overpopulation in concept? Most of us would say that overpopulation is the situation that occurs when you have more people than the world can provide sufficient resources. We have not and are not close to reaching that amount of people. China with a population of about 1.5 Billion people does not have a starving population. India with 1.2 Billion people can feed all of its people. I recognize that both of these countries have a lower standard of living that America; but, we only have about 315 million people and grow enough to export to other countries. We could increase that if we wanted and without a lot of effort.

What if your definition of overpopulation was different than mine and you considered overpopulation to be having more people than you need to manufacture what you want. If you automate everything, you don't need as many people. A recent study claims that we will only need 47% of the number of workers that we currently have. The question then becomes what do you do with the other 53%? This is the overpopulation that bothers many of the people who run this world. They used to call having more people than were needed to make them money, "useless eaters" and the "great unwashed masses". Because we have outsourced our jobs, we have created a situation where the unemployed and low skilled are now seen as useless eaters by almost half of our population.

We are currently in a philosophical is being waged and most people do not understand the real issues because they don't understand how the language is being manipulated. Many on the right have taken to calling the wealthy "job creators". If the jobs they created are in other countries shouldn't we call them "job removers" or at least "foreign job creators"? It is a fair question. If an American company, such as Apple, has outsourced the majority of it's jobs to China, should we call them job creators? It is deceitful and does not show the whole story.

Okay, lets try this. You work hard and save and raise two kids. Would you tell one of them that because they won't have a job in the future (50% loss in jobs because of automation) that they are a useless eater and refuse to feed them? Let us look at this again in another way. What if everyone in America could live twice as well; but, only half of us ever had to work? Would the other half be useless eaters or would we just starve them to death. We do that with foster kids.

At 18, kids in the foster care program are dropped, they just stop getting help and are on their own. Many end up homeless and on the streets, the exceptional ones are found and rescued. A complete aside, I have Central serous retinopathy (csr). It was caused by continued stress over a long period of time, so much stress that a chemical our bodies create when stressed permanently disabled my left eye. When I had my procedure today I mentioned that I had that to my nurse. She had not heard of it and neither had my doctor. It is not as common as one might hope; but, it is not uncommon to develop csr.

If you had two kids and only one would ever have a job, would you starve the other to death? How much time would you give them to get a job, to determine which was and was not a worthless eater? Neither fascists or communists believe in useless eaters. Both groups believe in Euthanasia. We claim to find that appalling, yet, many here feel the same and think it is for different reasons. What happens when we lose half of our remaining jobs? We try and tell ourselves anyone can get a job; but, how can that be where there are fewer jobs available than the population?

A trust fund baby is a child that is born wealthy and can live extravagantly off of money that an ancestor left to them without ever having worked in their life. Are they useless eaters? If a rich mans kid is given a job by an American company because they got a contract for a lot of money from the rich kid and then don't work, are they useless eaters. If we are going to use a scale to weigh who is unnecessary, should it be based on how much money they have or what actual contribution they make to society?

The pension battle is about just this issue. If you can save up for a pension or 401k or whatever you save so that someday you retire then most of us would commend you.

Saturday, September 28, 2013

Pride versus Dignity

Pride and dignity are not the same thing. We are told not to be prideful, we are not told not to have dignity. Dignity is when you know who you are and live by it, truthfully and in the face of the world. Pride is when you think you are better than others because you made some choices that worked out for you. Pride is emotional greed. Dignity is emotional responsibility. It is being okay with yourself and being honest with yourself at the same time.

We pass through stages in life. We all have times where we learn about ourselves and see things that we do not like. I hate to tell you; but, we never get perfect, we choose which aspects of ourselves we will work on. I like my doctor, I am sorry that I terrify him because of my numbers. They will never be perfect. He has decided we will work on one thing at a time. I really like him. The thing I like the best is that he treats me with dignity. He respects people that allow him to see all their private, personal physical aspects. He talks to me like a person and not just a body part. That is showing someone else dignity. He tells me that there are parts of me that are not great and some that are bad; but, he treats me as a person.

Pride causes people to lie and hide who they are and therefore they are never truly known. Dignity allows you to show all of you and not lie about who you are.

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Strange and Stupid Things, Are We Reallly That Stupid

Yahoo - AP - Pope keeps cleric who leads nun crackdown in job. This is a very strange Pope. I grew up Catholic and was even an alter boy once. When the Pimpernel was young, he was much more aggressive if attacked. While receiving my first holy communion, I punched another boy while walking to the church. While receiving my good conduct medal while in ROTC, I punched one of the others. I must say though that in each case, they through the first punch. I just through the last. The priests I grew up with were smart (I think they all had doctorates), boxers and Irish, what was there not for me to love. I spoke to them openly and even had my confessions with them. The Catholic church has changed and this new Pope, he is different. I will keep an eye on him.

TED - Benjamin Barber: Why mayors should rule the world. Many people expect globalism to be apparent; but, it will not be. Local control determined by globalists. The attack is not on too big to fail, it is on to big to effect a global outcome other than where the global laws are written.

I think I already posted this; but, I am not sure. In either case, a great video. YouTube - The Impending Collapse of the World Economy (Full Documentary). It explains why going to a gold standard makes no sense.

Yahoo - AP - What 95% certainty of warming means to scientists. Turns out the planet is cooling; but, a lot of money was bet on taxing you for breathing, carbon taxes. Read the tone of the article, if you do not believe in "global warming", they hate you. Why such hatred? I don't hate people who think the world is flat, I just think they are stupid. Maybe they have an agenda. I watched a bunch of people who were involved in creating a system for carbon trading in California, they were just concerned with making money.

Yahoo - Daily Ticker - The 99% Owe “A Debt of Gratitude” to the 1%: Harry Binswanger. You just have to watch this video. This professor and writer says that anyone who has made a million dollars should not have to pay any taxes. He doesn't say why the rest of us should because we don't matter. This is a theme that is being played before your eyes, keep reading.

Yahoo - Daily Ticker - JPMorgan to Pay $11B Settlement (Reports): Is Bank a Scapegoat or a Scoundrel? Not long ago I specifically stated that something is seriously wrong at JP Morgan. Now it turns out they may have to pay out $11 billion in penalties. The talking heads argue over whether or not the stockholders should suffer for the actions of their company. Well, if a company is a person, the answer is yes.

The last two articles laid out how the "elites" view the world. They shouldn't have to pay taxes or be held accountable when they do wrong. This is scary territory. A "let them eat cake" attitude is very dangerous. I will truly screw up something Abraham Lincoln said. You can screw up some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time; but, you cannot screw all of the people all of the time. The biggest question is why would you even try? Why should a presidential candidate and openly state that he does not care about half the country, half it's citizens? That is insanity; but, Romney said it.

There is a rise in alternative media. On some levels it is better; but, they also have a tendency to over react. I consider my site to be alternative; but, I also consider it to be opinion and not a news source. I provide links to news sources, that may end soon, we shall see. There is currently an attempt to charge people for linking to copy written material on the web. This will destroy opinion websites. Maybe you can understand why I have never monetized this site. I didn't start and don't keep this site to make money. I want nothing other than to know that my words got beyond my own head. Things to consider.

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Healthcare and Me and Everyone

I have killed a number of posts that I had considered sending out. I didn't think they were headed in a meaningful direction. Today a specialist checked out my aorta, I don't like medicine. They told me it was important blood vessel in my body and that my doctor was concerned about it. I have seen a lot of specialists, I have very good care because I have paid insurance for decades. I didn't use much healthcare when I was younger, heck, I had a heart attack about 6 years ago and didn't see a doctor for that, I just avoided them so they didn't know what had happened to me.

My doctors give me lots of pills and tests now that they have me in their grips again. There is no test that I would be denied if they thought it might keep me alive. Oh, and my pills are cheap because I have good insurance. I took a job that had a great insurance plan and in exchange I gave up higher pay. The Pimpernel has been offered more money that he comprehend and did not take it. Legal stuff, honest money for an honest job. I was happy to stay where I was because it was enough. I have never felt the need to be rich. I was quite happy to be well, to have enough for my present and my future.

The incentive to give your all, in a capitalist society, is the belief that someday you can benefit. That you give your all when you are young and the relax when you have little left to give. That is the basis of why capitalism works. Once you take away that success, you have ceased being capitalistic and are a tyranny. You can call it fascist or communist or any other ist, but, in the end is all the same. It is all anti-capitalist, it is anti paying people for the value they contribute.

How far down should we let our fellow humans go? Would it be okay to let people who work at WalMart work for table scraps if they would do it? The poorer the population, the more desperate, the more willing they are to be enslaved. If you free the poorest in society, you free all the others. Freedom does not trickle down, for it to exist, it must trickle up. The guard has little more freedom than the prisoner; both spend their days in jail.

Let me ask a question. Regardless of how you feel about Obamacare. Do you believe that everyone should have healthcare? It is simple question. Should only people who can pay a doctor have their arm mended when it is broken? If you saw someone who just broke their arm, would you try and help them or only help them if they paid you money?

Come October 1st, it is estimated that 7 million additional people will have access to healthcare. Is that good or bad? It means that people who already have healthcare will have to share with people who did not. You will wait longer to see your doctor if it is not an emergency unless you pay a lot more. Medical care is a limited resource. Currently, 60% of all operations are cosmetic, doctors who could be helping people are giving breast implants and liposuction. Should we spend more on breast implants or heart transplants?

The money that we as a group contribute to the national budget, to the federal government budget is all of ours and we all should have a say in where it goes. We got the numbers. We contribute around 4 billion dollars in federal taxes a year, we can decide who gets what if we decide what is right. So, I read this article about why only some of us should get health care, please read it, then tell me why some people should not get healthcare. Then ask yourself that question again, when you are 60 and get none.

Bloomberg - Doctors Brace for Health Law’s Surge of Ailing Patients

Monday, September 23, 2013

A Great Video About Money That You Need To See

There are those who believe that we need to return to a gold standard; but, they do not understand what money really is and the consequences of limiting the creation of money. Money is a promise, it is a promise of goods and services. It is paid to you based upon your contributions to society and you pay it to others to receive something equivalent in exchange. If I put in an 8 hour day at work, I want to receive something equivalent from others. Money merely represents that effort.

There is a concept called liquidity, it is your ability to borrow money now and pay it back later. This concept was critical to farmers as they need to borrow money to afford to wait until their crops have come in. It is also important to businesses that want to expand. Both gold standards and currency restrictions create liquidity problems. By limiting the supply of currency you choke off the small guy. The manipulation of markets is basically the constriction of who can be involved until you only have the rich.

Lets look at this another way because it is important. I cannot easily increase the amount of gold in the world. In and of itself it is of little real use, you cannot eat it. In fact, currently, if you sell 1/3rd of an ounce of it, you have to report to the federal government who you sold it to. It is easily confiscated as was done during the depression and represents nothing. Imagine a world where the only currency was Van Gogh paintings, would we begin cutting them up into little pieces for smaller transactions?

One of the problems with the Bitcoin is that the supply never increases. This makes no sense as there is more labor available than the number of Bitcoins will ever exist. We will move to an electronic currency, for it to have any real meaning it must be tradeable on small levels. If one Bitcoin is currently worth $150, how can I use it to buy a pack of gum unless I either have to buy $150 worth of gum or go without? For a currency to work for everyone, it has to be scalable. You have to be able to save up to it.

Berkshire Hathaway is generally considered the best stock in America, if not the world. It costs about $150,000 a share and appreciated for 40 years straight at about 25% a year. It is amazing that pension funds invest so little in it. It is criminal that they do not. You and I cannot afford to buy the stock if you are an average person. For most of us our primary investment is our home because you can pay for it over 30 years. The housing bubble was intended to take this investment away from most people who in the future will be renters.

The real attack on the middle class is to take away their ability to accumulate real ownership over anything. This is a return to the feudal system. Even in ancient Rome, slaves could own things. The concept of capitalism, real capitalism is that if you work hard and save, you can eventually own things like a house. You can give your time and effort now with the belief that someday you can acquire enough to be free. The attack on 401ks and pensions and social security is an attack upon your ability to ever be free.

YouTube - The Impending Collapse of the World Economy (Full Documentary)

Saturday, September 21, 2013

The Economy and What is Coming

What is the link between our new healthcare laws and the economy? Why is the collapse of the economy tied to the healthcare changes? They are connected. Everything is connected. It is finding the connections that helps you to understand the bigger pictures.

In 1997 a group of government officials and the heads of the largest banks met to deregulate the worlds banking system and they did. Recently a letter associated with this meeting became public. Many are calling it the smoking gun of our financial crisis. Vice - The Confidential Memo at the Heart of the Global Financial Crisis. Top government officials and CEOs of the biggest banks got together to deregulate the banks across the world. If it were not for that action, the financial crisis would not have occurred. That is a fact.

Why would you deregulate a system that worked? You don't have to be a genius to know that every time we have privatized or deregulated an industry it immediately becomes corrupt. Think about this, your life is regulated more than the banks are. If you sold a gun to a terrorist, you would go to jail and be lucky to see a court. The banks laundered money for drug dealers and terrorists and some of them even paid a small fine. We created many laws after the great depression and they worked, soooo, we got rid of those laws and history repeated itself.

I know many older Republicans who have spent decades saying how government should be run by business. They believed in the American business model; but, the model changed and they haven't kept up. We outsourced our ability to be self sufficient. We don't produce anything anymore and keep all of our profits oversees. If government ran like private industry in America, we would send all of our taxes oversees to the Chinese and let their standards rule our lives.

Los Angeles Times - Google launches healthcare company Calico to extend life. So the healthcare business is supposed to be toxic because of Obamacare; but, governments and big business are all seeking to save money by putting their employees on Obamacare. In addition, companies like Google are investing lots of money in the healthcare system. What do they know that we do not? Is it that they know that the new system will track us, our health and our habits? That it will have value.

Yahoo - CNBC - Stocks are about to plunge, Wells Fargo warns. Soon; but, not yet. Patience, it will all unravel soon enough.

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Too Many Doctor Visits and the News

The Pimpernel has been very busy the last two months with doctor appointments. I had avoided seeing them altogether for about 5 years and needed a simple procedure which was completed about a month ago and was a complete success. In the course of being evaluated my physician decided that we needed to spend more quality time together, he also wanted me to spend some time with his peers. The end result is that I have one or two doctor visits a week for the next few months. I have no pressing problems, this is mostly testing and possibly a second procedure of a minor nature.

I had a lengthy visit with my primary doctor today. He is very nice; but, I scare him because of my test results. I have very high blood pressure. Okay, technically, my blood pressure is classified as hypertensive emergency. In addition, my cholesterol is considered way above high risk and I have too many red blood cells. Basically, my numbers say that I should be dead, as my doctor likes to tell me every time he sees me. The solution is to have me take lots and lots of medications, which I have now agreed to do. The funny thing is that I feel better than I have in years.

As we age, we tend to fall apart. That is just the aging process. The doctor believes that the pills will improve my numbers and prevent me from having another heart attack or from having a stroke. They will not prevent me from dying, we all die eventually. What I will say about my doctor is he is no slacker, he is absolutely following up on every little thing. He has even scheduled me to have an ultrasound of my heart. I am amazed at his sincerity and concern. I am also fortunate that I have good insurance and can afford all my medications. There are millions who cannot.

Where am I going with all of this? Well, I have been asked to take on a new assignment. I have a year left before I can retire and was asked to take on a big assignment. I have been asked to design a new computer system to automate some tasks. It is a good idea and was my idea; but, I don't know how much stress I am willing to take on. I should point out that I am not a programmer, I have done programming when the internet was new; but, it has been ten years since I designed a system and at least 15 since I did any programming. If I take this on, it will be my last big project and it is not the one I was hoping for. Regular readers of this blog know that I keep current on technology and if I take this on it will be pretty cutting edge and a first within my industry.

Now, lets get to the news. Yahoo - Wall Street Journal - Say Goodbye to the Password. CBS New York - Seen At 11: Getting Personal – Your Pulse Could Be Your New Password. While it may appear that there is a fight over what will replace your password, I already know the answer to what is even more important. Whatever biometric identification will be required will have to be stored on the cloud. Think about this, people hold all of their important information of their smart phones; but, if the phone is lost or stolen they lose all of that information. If all of your biometric information is on the cloud, that won't matter and it will be simply transferred to your new device or even a device you borrow from someone else.

My9NJ - Tracking Jersey City Employees - Tracking Jersey City Employees. This is your future, every vehicle and every move will be tracked by your employer. Who said big brother had to be the government.

IMRA - Cabinet Establishes Team to Evaluate Reducing the Use of Cash. The bottom line is that Israel is looking to get rid of physical cash and go all electronic. In Europe there is a move to outlaw the wearing of veils by Muslims. They claim it is anti-woman. The real reason is that they want to be able to biometrically identify everyone. When we have an all electronic currency, biometrics will be required for all transactions.

Monday, September 16, 2013

Justification, lying and some news

How often do you lie? You might say that you do not; but, how often do you justify your actions with the excuse that you could have had a good reason for doing something. For about the past 40 years the schools have taught kids that they don't have pure reasons for doing things and that our decisions are made based on a variety of factors. That is not quite true, in fact we tend to usually have a single reason that tips the balance in most of our decisions.

What we have been teaching in schools is that IF we could have considered something or even did in our decision making then we can take credit for that being our reason. This is what we call justification and it quickly turns into lying. I see it all the time, people want to do something, consider all the possibilities and then claim the one that seems the best intended; but, in reality their decision was tipped on what was best for them. You know when you do something that has a harsh effect on someone else and then you tell them that it is best for everyone. That is justification.

Yahoo - Reuters - Feeling tipsy? New apps read blood alcohol levels, hail a taxi. A new phone app can tell people when you are drunk. How many ways can this be used, hmmmm, lets think about that. Lets say for insurance purposes, a bar can get a liquor license so long as they make sure that no underagers are allowed to drink and they cannot let people drive away who are above the legal limit. Maybe that bar might require you to test your alcohol level.

Yahoo - The Canadian Press - Chocolate companies to pay $23.2M in chocolate price-fixing class-action lawsuit. If there is a market, they will find a way to rig it. This is not capitalism and it isn't socialism, it is corruption.

Yahoo - SPYETF - Hank Paulson Warns of Another Financial Crisis. My question is what took him so long? Second question is why should we believe anything he says when he has been so very wrong in the past? Perhaps he is like a broken clock, he is right twice a day.

CNBC - Priced to sell: Sweet Obamacare deals for young. I want to try and explain something about what "Obamacare" does. If your company provides you health insurance, it is not based on your age that much. My organization pays the same for me as for a young kid, it is a per employee price. Now, these insurance exchanges operate differently, you are priced based on age. It comes down to spreading costs. Insurance companies use actuarials and if you keep employees for 30 years then the keep the price the same by spreading it. I think this is one of the hardest things for me to explain and I don't know that I am doing a great job of it.

Let me use life insurance as an example. When you sign up, they consider your age and health. The amount you pay is based upon their guess as to how long you will live and the return they will get on their investments in the meantime. If I get the insurance when I am young and healthy, the monthly cost will be cheap because they expect to collect from me for decades and inflation means that when my family does collect the amount will be minimal compared to what it was originally.

Lets get back to medical care. If I pay insurance for 30 years, odds are that I will need more medical assistance when I am older than when I was young. If I am a cautious person then it would make more sense to pay more when I am younger on a policy that will remain basically the same, one that benefits me for staying with them. It is like paying the minimum on your credit card, it is stupid and you never pay off the principal. They are creating a system that means you are less likely to have good medical care when you are most likely to need it.

Just to be a jerk, I shall end this with a question. What does solid mean?

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Biometrics and Consequences

Wired - Apple’s Fingerprint ID May Mean You Can’t ‘Take the Fifth’. Long before the new IPhone was announced I wrote about how in the future you would use your biometrics to unlock or use phones. It will also be used to access just about everything including your money. The thing that needs to really be considered is how this will be managed from a security and legal standpoint. Something to watch.

Yahoo - Bloomberg - Trader Joe's Sends Part-Timers to Obama Health Exchanges. Trader Joe's just seems to be a really great company. I shop there often and they have some of the best customer service around. It is my understanding that they pay and treat their employees better than other markets. Rather than make people part timers so that they don't have to provide healthcare, they are giving their part timers money so that they can get healthcare. That is pretty impressive. What I found in the article was an attempt to spin this as a bad thing, pitiful spin.

CNN - California school district hires firm to monitor students' social media. The writer Dostoyevsky said that people have the choice between happiness and freedom, he said most preferred happiness.

Yahoo - GOP bill would ban using food stamp funds on junk food. A while back I posted a link to an article about how in some foreign country people receiving food subsidies were going to get food suggestions on their phones when they went to purchase in stores. I will make a bet that your insurance company will require you participate in such programs or pay more. What you allow the government to do to control others you will surely face yourself.

Yahoo - Fla. pastor arrested before he could burn Qurans. Firstly, the pastor is a moron, offensive and a jerk. Once we get past that, it is legal to be a moron, offensive and a jerk and it should be. The jerk was arrested on his way to burn the books for unlawful conveyance of fuel. Sounds like garbage to me. He was also charged with illegal open carry of a gun. That makes no sense. You don't need a license to carry an unconcealed weapon only to conceal one. Finally, he was charged with not having a proper registration for his trailer. It is quite obvious that the authorities wanted to stop him and they did; but, they had to pervert the law to do it.

Fox News - Apple on the sideline while Google and Samsung duke it out over watches and goggles. Just keeping my readers current on the tech that is going to monitor your health in the future.

Slate - This Couple Is Angry About Expecting Twins. Hear Them Out. The parents wanted one more kid and are having two, they are not overjoyed by this fact. The article however spins this into a discussion of whether it is right or wrong to kill one of the babies while it is still in the womb for convenience.

CBS Detroit - Mid-Michigan Teens Caught On The Run Will Be Monitored. Two teenagers ran away with each other, got caught and were returned home. Not the first time that such a thing has happened. The parents solution is to GPS them both so they can be tracked and they can make sure the two of them don't get together. This is another example of the acceptance of jailing everyone. What kind of adults are we creating when we raise our children without any privacy or choice?

YouTube - The Future of Money: Bitcoin & Beyond If you have 4 minutes, watch the video. You will be seeing more and more sales jobs on why we need to go with an all electronic currency in the future.

YouTube - What is The Internet of Things? Another very short video that explains what is coming and boy are they excited. Everything will be monitored.

Yahoo - Is employee health care a thing of the past? Too funny, the real moral of the story is that everyone is going to be in the health exchanges.

Near Death.com - People Born Blind Can See During a Near-Death Experience. Now what can we make of this? I wonder what it was like for them to come back and not be able to see again? Have a great week.

I will post soon

Sorry all, I haven't had much to say; but, I will post soon.

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Random Things and Not Much More

Something is up with JP Morgan. I don't know exactly what; but, they are making major unusual moves. JP Morgan has announced they are getting out of the commodities market (aluminum) and is silently exiting other markets with little fanfare. One of the markets they are exiting is student loans. 80% of all student loans in America are held by the government; but, most of the rest are owned by JP Morgan and they plan on not making any more. Yahoo - Reuters - JPMorgan to stop making student loans: company memo. Remember this, JP Morgan knows more about what is coming than you or I.

Bloomberg - American Homes 4 Rent to Let Investors Share in Values. As an ex-investment trader said, the moment the big guys let the little guys participate, the bubble is about to burst. This is a bad investment. Housing prices have not hit bottom yet, renting will become bigger; but, the payoff takes years.

Activist Post - New Device Uses Your Heartbeat As An Electronic Key. I found this article interesting in that it shows another body monitor being used to access all of your electronics.

Mirror - Mystery hum? Listen to spooky sound that baffled scientists for 40 years after new claims it is now recorded on camera
. We have all heard about how for the past three or four years these mystery hums and trumpets have been heard around the world. In and of itself, it is interesting; but, my favorite part is always the answers. The mayor of this town claimed it was a guy using a snow plow, lol. For those who like science, she should have to replicate it because people who live there and have snow plows all their lives are not buying it. Politicians are narcissists and their number one priority in an emergency is to re-establish the belief by the masses that the politicians are in control of the situation.

Fox News - Wall Street Journal - Citing costs, IBM to move retirees off health plan. Those communists at IBM, putting all their retirees into Obamacare. Notice how they didn't call it Obamacare in the title? I find it fascinating that Fox has been saying how Obamacare was going to cost everyone more; but, when IBM puts retirees on it, it is cheaper than existing plans and according to IBM, will give them even more and better services. Now, I am going out on a limb here; but, I am going to guess that IBM may have used some computers to figure out what was going to be cheaper.

Wired - Nissan Hops on the Wearable Bandwagon With Biometric Smartwatch. A car that monitors your health while you drive. I wonder if you have a heart attack if it will switch the car off. I had one of those, no, not the watch, the heart attack and I was in the middle of the desert. I managed to drive to a populated area a mile or two away and park. I doubt very much I could have walked the mile.




Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Why A Smart Watch? and something abour housing and mortgages.

Digital Trends - Let’s hope this isn’t the Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch.

Yahoo - Reuters - Will the 'smartwatch' become the new smartphone? Apple, Samsung, Sony all betting on it

Yahoo - Daily Ticker - Samsung to Unveil Galaxy Gear Smartwatch: Why You Should Care.

So all of these tech giants are betting that you will buy a smart watch, you have to ask why. Why would people buy a watch that does less than their phone does and requires you to have a phone to use it? Well, what it does is monitor your health and even lets you keep a food diary by taking pictures of everything you eat. This technology will allow you to monitor if someone has taken their pills, taken illegal drugs, drank alcohol, is having a heart attack, is exercising enough. The watch itself is ugly so we need to consider how it will be used. Perhaps we will require felons to wear one while on parole. Perhaps businesses will require that the people who are now required to have drug tests use one (truck drivers for instance). Perhaps your medical insurer will require you to wear one if you smoke or are overweight. Then again, perhaps it will be required if you want to access your bank account because it will biometrically identify you and your current health.

Yahoo - U.S. News - Tighter mortgage rules will soon squeeze these groups even more. There is no housing recovery and there is not going to be a housing recovery. The new rules for getting a mortgage mean that there will be an increase in demand for rental properties.

UPDATE:

NDTV - Apple smart watch to focus on biometrics, to release in 2014: Report. I like how the article just flat out says that it is not meant to be a time keeping device; but, if for biometric identification and health monitoring. So, again I ask why do all of these companies think people will want to buy these?

Monday, September 2, 2013

Hope You Had a Nice Labor Day and Lots of Stuff

Bloomberg - JPMorgan Bribe Probe Said to Expand in Asia as Spreadsheet Is Found. Basically, if you directed large amounts of investment through JP Morgan, your relatives could get jobs with them or at least that is what the spreadsheet showed.

Wired - Inside the Postal Startup That Wants to Stick It to the (Mail) Man. I find it odd that people are upset about the NSA; but, will pay someone to pick up their mail and scan it electronically. Imagine if the post office did such a thing.

NBC News - Huge aquifer that runs through 8 states quickly being tapped out. They are going to eventually nationalize all water, watch.

YouTube - Money Is Not Safe In The Big Banks. A short video that explains about the planned bail ins for banks. It goes over things that we have covered here; but, is a nice little summary.

The New American - Jackson Hole Conclave: Central Bankers Plan Global Theft, Massive Pain.

CNBC - Albert Edwards: Emerging rout to trigger recession.

Finally, the thing that should really concern you is the genetic and technological transformation of humans and animals. This five part series (50 minutes long) will give you insight into what scientists believe and are working on. Transhumanists believe that they know what we should become and that we should create the next generation of humans. This is scary stuff.

YouTube - Brave New World: Transhuman Part 1

YouTube - Brave New World: Transhuman Part 2

YouTube - Brave New World Transhuman: Part 3

YouTube - Brave New World: Transhuman Part 4

YouTube - Brave New World: Transhuman Part 5