Different strokes….(new)

Here is a rough transcription of the presentation for people who are hard of hearing. Apologies for the lack of grammar, I am working to improve the automated transcriptions -
hello there are people let’s start in the United States of America and the leading economic indicators from economic picked this is the one where he puts lines in for what the Fed can control and what the Fed could not control and both of them have now gone negative this is negative on those which are leading economic indicators adequacy generally arm over the last nine months they have been showing positive but over the last three months they have moved negative negative negative this is a leading economic indicator of the probability of the whole American economy moving from blah +2 blah blah blah right next I’ve taken this little snip from Amazon.com because I’m naughty like that this Peter Schiff has got a new book out it’s being released on 22 May time a few days and Amazon were thinking of rigid route releasing it 2599 but it is reduced down to 1699 and only really throwing that in because I would think will be all sorts about inflation and hyperinflation in the book but Amazon think the book is deflationary moving on right German police used only 85 bullets against people in 2011 now this is kind towards the American end of the everything because this is to show Americans that or USA ends that things can be done differently according to Germany’s – really good German police shot only 85 bullets in the whole of 2011 a stark reminder that not every country is as gun crazy as the United States of America most of those shops shops went even aimed at people 49 were warning shots 36 shots were on suspects making for 15 people injured and six killed later in the article we get one incident in the United States in Los Angeles I think where police let loose 90 rounds of our amount on an unarmed man who was trying to escape them so 90 on one are unarmed man in Los Angeles more than the entire police force in the in tyre country of Germany for the entire year of 2011 just saying what we got here at cargo this is from the Euro and quite interesting I haven’t done air cargo before this is world air cargo which is in grey and the global industrial production growth which is in read both of these are percentage up and percentage down type things and even see the general shape that the great coming down or both of them together parallel was for the great recession and you can see before that the was a vague correlation between the two and is since the great recession it really been tight and what we have the moment is industrial production coming in later than the information on air cargo growth and industrial production is hanging on their in the air and where is it going to fly to or is it going to fall if the correlation continues it will follow air cargo growth down through the 02-5 and on down towards -10 trying to emulate the great recession as just another thing to say the United States is going from blah +2 blah the rest of the world wherever they might be ongoing to come down a notch probably from where they are right and China obviously has to be taken into account here and also splashed on list.com has had a go at this we have is capital flowing blue bars in blue trade surplus in red and green is the the the two of them added together or taken away depending which where they are fossil negative so the trade surplus if they are export more than eight import which is obviously normal for China rising sea going back to 2008 it’s very rare that they import more than may export a couple of little turndown is one really big one are couple of months ago the more important one from this chart is capital flow money coming in to say build a new factory in China or whatever and that has really come down again it was generally except in 2008 whether a couple of examples of sticky down this it’s generally all sticky upness but if you look back the last six months for of those last-ditch the six months have been sticky downing are the general consensus is that you don’t put your money into China at the moment because they are looking well dodgy right over into Europe we got to do a little bit of Europe and just an exhibition to show how old desperate people are to come up with ways of Europe getting out of its problems is X ECB chief tree Chez unveils a bold plan to save Euro Europe could strengthen its monetary union by giving European politicians the power to declare a sovereign state bankrupt and take over its fiscal policy the former head of the European central bank said on Thursday in unveiling a bold proposal to salvage the Euro so let’s Gopher that again Europe could strengthen its monetary union so stick everyone together a lot stronger by giving European politicians at the vaguest net European politicians but European politicians okay the power to declare a sovereign state France for example Spain Greece Italy Germany declare a sovereign state bankrupt the European politicians get together have a committee meeting and say Germany is bankrupt Italy is bankrupt Greece is bankrupt whatever it might be and then take over fiscal policy in other words basically and the European politicians take over the running of that are sovereign state not very sovereign so I would be imagining somewhere along the line that the various sovereign states that would be involved in this would have to have a little chip each chitchat in their own arguments Parliaments at Parlane speaking now have a little speak to each other in their own parliaments less sovereign parliaments and is say do we want to is I’m sure that have to sign something do we want to sign over to European politicians the power when they see fit in their committee meeting to declare us us are sovereign bankrupt and then take over our fiscal policy basically take over the running of our government do we really think that they are going to sign that so it again it’s just to show how desperate these people I is just another example ruck there they’re all over the place plenty of ideas of how to solve this Euro crisis that they are all horrible because there is no easy way was no even nice way or semi-nice way or non-horrible way to call good to kick your if it even possible this Eurozone crisis but I put this one in and yellowed up to date which is much 10 March the 10th in 2010 so we got Romano Prodi here who is a classic European politician he’s done everything he’s run Italy and is been a big hitter in the European Parliament sort of thing so he would certainly be on the sort of committee which would decide whether your sovereign country was bankrupt or not and be on the sort of controlling end of then taking over your country to run it for you as you obviously they have decided not run it properly saw on March 10, 2010 Romano Prodi said the worst of the Greece Greece’s financial crisis is over and other European nations won’t follow in its path the Greece the problem is completely over said Prodi who was also Italian Prime Minister I don’t see any other case now in Europe I don’t think there is any reason to think the Euro system will collapse or will suffer greatly because of Greece that a beauty isn’t it the Greece the problem is completely over and that was two years ago the this is the trouble with arm trying to bridge the future it’s probably best that Euro countries representatives try badly to predict your future than passing the buck over to some other people to try and predict your future because that’s what bankrupt years as net it saying I don’t think in the future that you will be able to pay your debts and whatever and then they said will do it better will take over now I don’t think there will be a move in that direction politicians when it comes down to it will try and checked their own power base and probably quite rightly to pay right finish with this Portugal trying to do what they can and Portugal but really the tide is just slowly coming in on Portugal and it’s getting swamped people aren’t talking about except Matt Spain and Italy and Greece but slowly by slowly pulp Portugal is getting swamped but it sovereign government is doing what it can Portugal has resorted to cutting four of its 14 annual public holidays in an attempt to trim its budget deficit and boost economic output as speculation grows that it will require a second bailout had to be done so they’ve decided that everyone should work four days more in the year and that’s the think the percentage it it’s something they are trying and we’ll just have to see how it everyone succeeds with the trying that they’re doing right that’s it from me Goodbar

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  • http://www.richnewbold.co.uk/ Richard

    When the Steve Jobs biography came out last year it was on sale at half-price everywhere (Amazon, WH Smiths, Waterstones etc.) and it was selling like hot-cakes. Not a single store was selling it for the full retail price of £24 – they all had it £12. The Works (cheap book store) are now selling it “cheap” for £9.99. I’m starting to think book prices are just as scammy as those Groupon prices (iPod cables reduced from £30 to £10 – a whopping £20 saving – except the exact same thing can be had from Amazon or eBay for £2.99)

    • http://overthepeak.com/wordpress/ Mystic

       Now, there’s a thing~!
      Why is it that people like Ron Paul and Peter Schiff don’t spend their time warning people that the world is full of sophists, shysters, swindlers, and general shit-for-brains~?

      • http://www.richnewbold.co.uk/ Richard

        I think it’s probably connected to the much loved idea of “capitalism” and these people not wanting to appear to be anti-business. 

        But seriously, business seems to be getting worse for scammy and manipulative practices. I could rant for England about shysters and swindlers – and I’m talking high-street names, not your common Arthur Daily types. Last week, one company, who I caught out telling me a pack of lies on the phone said they would never “scam” people because they’re a well known company? I nearly fell of my chair laughing – do people really fall for this stuff? I guess they must do. 

        • http://overthepeak.com/wordpress/ Mystic

           Once upon a time, you got ahead by giving the better service.
           That is not the modern way.
          You get ahead now,
          by pulling the better scams~!

          • Paul

            Sad, but true.  Better service, better products, honest business transactions were the keys to success.  It’s difficult to point to one event that changed that system, but I would say that the rise of the pathetic MBA degree definitely had an impact.  When the MBA’s and lawyers took control of commerce and industry (and politics), the West went into a downward spiral.  The old blue chip companies in Europe and America have all suffered under their “leadership”.  Perhaps it’s not too late to undo the damage, but I doubt it.  Once a nation begins to deindustrialize, it is near impossible to re-assemble quality companies.  once the manufacturing infrastructure disappears, it doe not come back.  England is a prime example.  England used to make some incredible, innovative products.  Now, it depends mostly on its depleting oil resources and its bloated banking sector.  Do you think England could ever make a comeback on the manufacturing front?  I think the only way it could happen is if England was in a prolonged war-time economy.  The English seem to thrive during war-time.
            The West is now stuck with bullshit companies like Facebook, whose business model is data-mining and then selling their users’ privacy to the highest bidder.  This is the way forward~?  Ipuds and data-mining; what a glorious future~! 

            • http://overthepeak.com/wordpress/ Mystic

               OK …. This is very tricky (so I don’t want to be nailed into a box on this) …..

              I can point to some turning points -
              1/ Ownership went from `family owned`, to `nobody in particular` owned, which may have contributed to a long-term view being shortened to a short-term view in the company ethos.
              2/ There was a time that investment came mainly out of profits.  It is now much more borrowed money.
              3/ The law was established whereby the managers were duty bound to increase the value to their`nobody in particular` owners.  This made managing for the long-term, near impossible.

              • Paul

                In the same light, many of the older investment banks were private partnerships, and were closely managed.  Once they opted to go public, they lost that intimate scrutiny.  The quarterly bottom line became more important than sound investing practices and safeguarding your reputation. The partners did not want their family name dragged through the muck because of some scandal.  Another factor that led to the demise of sound investing was the emergence of the “quant jocks” who used arcane mathematical formulations to increase profits.  The old guard managers had no idea what this mathematical wizardry meant, but they enjoyed the massive profits, and happily accepted their massive bonuses.   Any risk manger who uttered even a hint of caution, would soon find himself packing up his belongings, and being shown the door.
                On the manufacturing side, we need to address the non-technical MBA consultant agencies hired by the companies to increase efficiency and the bloated, but powerful, unions.
                The end of the cold war has really shattered the Western manufacturing infrastructure.  We are at a best when we are fighting a “war”.  The peace dividend has been devastating~!  We need a new bogey man, who is as bright and clever as we.  Iraq and Afghanistan do not qualify.  Germany, and then the Soviets, helped us push the envelop.  We are mired in peace now~!

                • http://overthepeak.com/wordpress/ Mystic

                   I go with .. `yes, yes` on the IB partnerships …. and know what you mean about manufacturing; but would like to put forward that it does not need to be a battle (I’m sure it doesn’t).

                  As in – We don’t need to `get ahead` of `them`.
                  We can do engineering quite well enough now (and nothing can stop natural improvement).

                  The system needs to cut out this – `if they can do it 5% cheaper, then they get all the work` type shit~!

                  I don’t know how, …… , or what I even mean, but we don’t need to be driven any more by a system that drives us quite so fast. 
                  These improvements in productivity really aren’t doing the majority of people much good. 

                  (the productivity is really only to pay loans back …… isn’t it~!?)

                  If you have `full` employment, all is doopty-do; but, when there is 10% structural unemployment ……. all that efficiency is a bit of a waste~!?

                  • Paul

                    I believe it was Chairman Mao who said “Better, cheaper, faster!”  How that nonsense entered the mindset of the Western CEO is quite ironic.
                    Another thing to consider is immigration.  With 10% structural unemployment, does the West really need to import more people?  Immigration is required for a growing economy.  But, without jobs, immigrants become a drag on the govt (welfare).  Maybe it’s time to shut the gates and worry about our citizens, especially the young who are suffering 50% unemployment in several nations.  Why on earth would you need to import foreigners, when you are struggling to provide jobs, food, housing and health care for your own citizens?  It makes absolutely no sense.  The old argument that the young don’t want to work is bullshit.  The young don’t want to do menial jobs at menial pay with lousy benefits.  The employers are the ones touting that tired old line.  Oracle wants Indian software engineers because they will work for 60% of the pay of their American counterparts.  This helps Larry Ellison accumulate a few billion more to his net worth, but does nothing to maintain the quality of life for the American workers.  Fuck the 1% greedy bastards~!

                    • http://overthepeak.com/wordpress/ Mystic

                       Shutting the gates, is to admit you have failed (and the economy is on a permanent downward path) ((nothing THEY are ever going to do)).

                      I fear we at the stage of – I better screw these poor bastards, coz, if I don’t, the next guy will.
                      Jobs, Ellison, Caterpillar, JPMorgan. ….. you name ‘em and they all think they have to do it.

                      Ethos, mental mind-set, prevailing meme ……. call it what you like, but it is rot dressed up as efficiency or competition.  (They are right, when it is rotten …… rotten dog has to eat rotten dog).
                      I would love to give the excuse that it is because there is not enough to go round and they are naturally fighting for the scraps (but, that is yet to come~!).

                    • Paul

                      We both know that the system has failed, and continues to fail at a faster clip.  So, immigration can be halted for a few years until the unemployment numbers begin to go down (if that ever happens).
                      They had better think of something quick.  Living in their ivory towers, They can pretend to be unaffected by the mayhem that will come.  I guess They can always hire armed bodyguards to drive them in armored cars to the opera house.  Will their children’s private schools be surrounded by barbed wire and guard towers as well?  Gated Communities with private security guards is just the start.  Dog-eat-dog living conditions might make for shocking reports on the MSM TV news.  It’s an entirely different story when the rapid dogs make their way into your homes (but, that is yet to come~!).

                      Here’s a couple of good articles (and a video) on how Ireland is dealing with the chronic youth unemployment.  At least they are trying to do something, anything.  I like when the writers use actual people in their articles.  It reminds us that these are real people, with hopes and aspirations, and not just cold statistics on a govt chart.  We are well on our way to destroying an entire generation.  Not something we should be proud of, eh?
                      Health care entitlements for the baby boomers?  Let ‘em rot~!

                      http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304750404577319880284481516.html

                      http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/weekend/2012/0519/1224316340845.html

                    • http://overthepeak.com/wordpress/ Mystic

                       We seem to have fallen on to the idea that there is `a shortage of money`.
                      This is obviously silly. 

                    • Paul

                      What seems very silly to me is that, although a huge proportion of the Western unemployed are from the construction industries, the governments still have not spent a penny on large scale infrastructure projects.  There has been lots of talk, but no actual projects implemented.  Now, that is either silly or stupid or malicious~!  Setting aside 4 years of dedicated govt spending on construction projects would relieve so many ills.  Putting people back to work, putting money in their pockets so they could pay their taxes and go shopping at the mall.  It wouldn’t solve the crisis, but it would be a step in the right direction.  Jobs are the key.

                    • http://overthepeak.com/wordpress/ Mystic

                       Aw…cummon….
                      You know, better than me, what is going on in Washington.

                    • Paul

                      It is pathetic.  Add logic to the Peak list.

                    • http://overthepeak.com/wordpress/ Mystic

                       Yes…..It is very hard to describe what those silly arses are up to down the road from you.

                    • Paul

                      The saddest part is that it really doesn’t matter who is in power.  They are all silly arses~!  We are Doomed, I say, Doomed~!  It should make for a spectacular show though.  I’ve got my popcorn ready~!

              • CSArichardo

                Agreed that the fewer family owned and generally private as opposed to public companies has contribututed.  Just think of the leverage in ownership that exists today with someone with as few as 5% of a public stock controlling a company ?!

        • Paul

          Richard, Mystic,
          This might help explain some of the shenanigans going on behind the scenes of book publishing and pricing.  Quite a bit of collusion occurred in the pricing of e-books (and associated hard print versions).
          http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/11/justice-files-suit-against-apple-and-publishers-over-e-book-pricing/

          • http://overthepeak.com/wordpress/ Mystic

             I can see their (E-book sellers) problem.
            They have a new product ……. and don’t know how to price it.
            So they go for the best scam.
            No, but it must be tricky.
            Does it mean that E-books may end up as a dollar each~?
            Do we know~?

            Adam Smith –
            “People of the same trade seldom meet together, even for merriment and
            diversion, but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public,
            or in some contrivance to raise prices. It is impossible indeed to
            prevent such meetings, by any law which either could be executed, or
            would be consistent with liberty and justice.”

            • Paul

              Established, popular authors will demand more compensation than $1 E-books would provide.  New authors might accept the 25 cent royalty on a $1 E-book though, at least in the beginning of their careers.  The E-book was supposed to be fairer for authors’ compensation.  Cut out the middle men (marketing, advertising, executives) and increase the royalty to the writer.  I’m not sure if that has occurred.  Personally, I prefer hard copies of books.  I remember an interview about book printing kiosks (from Germany?) that would allow you to walk up to a vending machine and buy one individual hard copy of your book, like a can of soda.  I liked that idea.
              It’s important that new authors are properly compensated, otherwise we will be stuck with old, established writers and new, celebrity-type authors who have gained popularity by other means (politicians, economists, actors, sports figures, etc).  Talent will be an after-thought.  

              • http://overthepeak.com/wordpress/ Mystic

                 We could debate the idea of artists `demanding` sums for their art.
                I’m not at all sure how they could go about it~!?

                • Paul

                  Artists need to eat too.  Are food, clothing and shelter “demands” or needs?
                  Without patronage from a Medici banking clan, or from an FDR New Deal govt. subsidy, they are left competing in the marketplace.  So, they need to be compensated, just like everyone else.  I would find life unbearable if I were not able to enjoy a good novel, a good film, some nice music or a beautiful painting.  Without art, we are reduced to the role of worker drones building the hive for the queen’s benefit.  Oh, wait, we are already there~!

                  • http://overthepeak.com/wordpress/ Mystic

                     Link.
                    Factory worker, clerk, artist….The modern way is to pay them as little as efficient markets can get away with.
                    Besides being a fucked up mind-set, it is jolly bad for the `demand-side`~!

                    • Paul

                      Aye~!  Was there a link that you forgot to attach?

                    • http://overthepeak.com/wordpress/ Mystic

                       No, I was just noting that I was going to `link up` themes in the comments.

                    • Paul

                      Oh, ok.  I don’t think that people who have tasted the good life will go quietly into poverty.  They may not have a choice, but they could make one hell of a ruckus on their way down.  Do you think they will tacitly accept neo-feudalism after their “democratic” experience?  The sloths will, but the sharp ones won’t.  Why would they?  Fear?  Distractions?  Perhaps manipulation, but how?  I have to re-watch Adam Curtis’ Century of the Self, especially the section on Edward Bernays. 

                    • http://overthepeak.com/wordpress/ Mystic

                       https://twitter.com/#!/AllAboutHelp/status/204356255458918400/photo/1

                    • Paul

                      Nice pic.  The strong armed tactics are the initial response to dissent.  Those tactics cannot be used indefinitely.  Look at the Soviet Union break-up.  The State tried to exercise its authority in the end.  It was too late.  The people were fed up. These were subjugated people who were fully aware of the gulag, but it no longer mattered.  Everyone has a breaking point where they just don’t care anymore.  That is the State’s fear.  Hence, the massive strong armed initial assaults to quash dissent.  Nip it in the bud.  Sooner or later, the tide turns, then it becomes a matter of attrition.  The numbers do not favor the TPTB. 
                      pic:  Velvet Revolution, Prague, 1989.

                • Paul

                  Didn’t you demand a 10% pay raise every year, whether actively or passively (seeking other job).  It’s the same for artists.  They deserve compensation.  Talent should be rewarded, otherwise we become a merit-less society, where the least common denominator is “good enough”.  That didn’t work out well for the Soviets.  We have to be careful how we pitch the “we’re all in this together” concepts. 

                  • http://overthepeak.com/wordpress/ Mystic

                     Yes, I got my 10% pay raise every year; but I was pushing at an open door.
                    The new system, is to go round locking as many doors as possible (on all levels except the penthouse).

                    • Paul

                      Good point.  The times they are a-changin’!  Not sure all those locks will hold.

              • NascentMind

                I was going to write a book called Icarus the main character was a man, in the future world trying to explain and warn people of future events transmitting to people in the present via the Icarus power
                satellite that orbits the sun gathering power for Daedalus carbon venting satellite which was trying to cope with the human dirty activity, as they battled with economic collapse due to energy depletion. Daedalus failed and crashed back to earth, and there were massive immediate effects.
                The character was one of the last alive uploading via the future to the present and near death. never got round to padding out the story tho, for a $1. Well; that and I can’t write for shit.
                Did make a picture of the concept  tho. Yes look at the eyes it’s me.

                  

                • Paul

                  I like the pic; very disturbing.  The book’s character would be locked in a looney bin in today’s world.
                  As for your compensation, I’ll remind you of “Holiday in Cambodia” (D.K.’s).  Bowl of rice, not $1.
                  “Well you’ll ”write” harder
                  With a gun in your back For a bowl of rice a day
                  Slave for soldiers Till you starve
                  Then your head is skewered on a stake!” 

                  • NascentMind

                    Going to have to read/view that now. Thanks.

      • Bigcollapso

         I thing the reason is simple, so many of the lying con men have infested government and banking that there is a shortage in the “Free Market”

        • http://overthepeak.com/wordpress/ Mystic

           Thank you for attempting a joke.
          It made a change from the usual idiocy~!

  • CSArichardo

    Not sure how getting rid of public holidays really helps ?  I think maybe job sharing would help more !

    • http://overthepeak.com/wordpress/ Mystic

       That only means you have not engaged the thinking part of your brainial equipment.

      • CSArichardo

        Labour gets paid whether it is a holiday or not ?  So I guess it is a drop in wages that has happened.  So this is austerity and deflationary ?  I thought we were saying auserity is bad ?

        • http://overthepeak.com/wordpress/ Mystic

           It is, what those in the know call, an `increase in productivity`.

          • NascentMind

            Who buys the extra?

            • http://overthepeak.com/wordpress/ Mystic

               The ideal answer would be, that Germans buy the extra.