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B4 The Bell Moonday August 23


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Well since Iraq was brought up and this is supposed to be about the battle for "hearts and minds"-the Mehdi Army consists of schoolteachers, farmers, shoe makers etc. they are armed with light weapons plus mortars and Rpg's they are facing the best equipped, best armed troops in the world, they are facing Gunships and F-16's but they aren't quitting are they??  Now I am not endorsing these guys far from it but when people are that outgunned and won't quit there is definitely a disconnect between our version of freedom and theirs, these people are not the illiterate grunts of the VC nor are they idealogues they are simply saying "go home" and they appear ready to die for it!

The old rubric to never get in a land war in Asia was always thought to apply to China. If we win, they will just hate us more and if we lose they will be emboldened a thousand fold.

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Eye opening, isn't it?

Well after reading 'The Haj' and listening to that radio

show I understand better that the US policy

in the middle east totally ignores the Arab mindset

because it is only about control of the oil - which,

of course, is now out of control. There are better

ways to deal with people, but the cartel wouldn't

benefit from civil relations. Too late now I suppose.

 

Good luck to you in your travels Brian!

 

I don't care for the coal stocks. Too extended- but

they may go to the moon, who knows. If I were to long one it

might be ACI at 33.50 if it can get there - 50ma cross up.

 

I am short some oils in the money now.

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Hey, Not all the troops have a tough time in Iraq:

 

'Getting a fair number of reports concerning senior officers abusing the system. Here is just one: ?Ask Hack to do all he can to ensure accountability. He needs to "follow the money" over here. $5B a month being spent, most wasted. Many perks and pay offs. Good deals for pals. He should ask his contacts in Baghdad about the 33 Generals at Camp Victory, allegedly each with a lakeside villa.? Got similar reports about slippery deals going on in Iraq, Oman and Kuwait. $100K plus SUVs for VIPS etc'

 

Check in with Hack - scroll down to 'System'

 

http://www.sftt.org/

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http://www.darkage.fsnet.co.uk/

"Large plumes of thick, black smoke have been seen rising close to a holy Shia shrine in the city of Najaf where militia fighters are holed up."

The hegemon imposing his authority...but one is reminded of the incident during the Vietnam war when General Curtis Le May presented his strategy of a six week bombing campaign, which he said would force the Viet Cong to the negotiating table, and someone asked what if they didn't come - "then we will bomb for another four weeks," he said, "and then they will surely come." Needless to say, the US withdrew from Vietnam with all of its war aims unachieved.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3589750.stm

 

---------------

 

consider the source... but interesting, no?

 

http://www.tehrantimes.com/Description.asp...&Cat=14&Num=001

 

Iraqi interim government Prime Minister Iyad Allawi has threatened to hand in his resignation to Iraqi interim President Ghazi Ajil al-Yawer if the crisis in Najaf is not resolved soon.

 

Allawi's threat to resign complicates the situation in Iraq and could lead to civil war and the division of the country.

 

---------------

 

Witnesses: U.S. Warplanes Bomb Fallujah

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/stor...4446019,00.html

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One of our former stoolies (jrmfl) is projecting a short-lived hyperinflation during the second half of 2005, as the pool operators' frantic flailing sends this process parabolic ... and then burns itself out, as every hyperinflation does.

Even though I'm in the deflation camp, I do get that this all ends ugly when the cb's stop buying treasuries and hyperinflation ensues briefly. Then everything crashes to earth in a deflationary death spiral. Right?

 

But what I don't get is, what will make them stop buying treasuries? What's their line in the sand, pain threshold? When does buying more treasuries inflict more pain on Japan than if they wouldn't? Has anyone done the math and figured this out? It's possible we are in a blowoff that lasts for years no?

The willingness and ability of the CBs to expand their respective monetary bases can only be guessed at right now. With present day super-cooled computers and high speed internet, a hyperinflationary crack up boom will probably be shorter in time than historical examples. It's possible it could all be over in a year or two.

 

Actions taken by CBs also do have an effect on the 'real world'. Personal savings of foreign countries, which are effectively transferred to the US due to Treasury purchases, reduce the savings pool in those countries. Lower savings could lead to higher interest rates and/or a decline in investment there. Japan has been mired for some time dealing with the after effects of a real estate bubble and savings leaving the country - forcibly through the BOJ/MOF.

 

 

BTW - Where is jrmfl posting? :huh:

jrmfl is over at investors exchange Yahoo boards. Go for it.

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Looks like Greenspin's patch is still soft: WalMart says Aug same store sales up only 0-2% vs their (previously reduced) est of 2-4%.? Haven't they been saying weekly sales were "on plan"?? I guess their plan included a late Aug surge that didn't happen.

Up 0% to 2%???

 

What is up about 0%?

 

This guidance range is going to cause an earthquake. WMT is trending into negative growth and the implications will send shock waves through the market.

 

They are acknowledging that zero-growth is in their guidance range...incredible!

No, no, no, no, no.

 

This can't be happening.

 

The NYT just came out with an article that higher oil prices were bullish for the economy.

 

Several economists said so.

 

The consumer is "resilient" and I expect, given their clientele, WMT sales to be immune from higher fuel prices.

 

:P

Sphinxter

Did you ever watch one of those Rodeos on TV? Do you remeber the cowboysitting on the tightly penned Brahma Bull.tense .tightening his hold on the strap for what is to become the thrilling ride thathe lives for??

 

Then,of a sudden,the gates open and before you know it hes head over heels in the air falling downward,piledriving headlong into the dirt--momentarily stunned he lies in the dirt; the bull crazed at the indignity of having had this moronic cowboy on his naked back, the spongio-disformed bull in full rage lowers his horns, and just as he's about to fullfill the spectators deepest wish of seeing this meat industry constable get a horn stuck into his belly button two wet-blanketing clowns leap out and stop the fun

 

But evry once in awhile Sphinx,the clowns make a mistep and, metaphorically, illustrate whats about to happen to bull worshippers

 

beardrech :ph34r: :ph34r:

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my 2 cents in the great tire debate: I think Plunger has made some good points, and agree with his comments this weekend that replacement tire purchases are easy to delay when money is tight. But i also agree that if you're going to short the tire makers based on this funnymental argument, it's important to take into account the probable shift from new car tire sales to replacement sales (I don't think there's disagreement on this point though). From a trading perspective, I mentined this weekend I was watching GT, but agree with windy that it's too early to short, it's still in an uptrend. Sorry to be so agreeable. :lol:

I would think that the companies devoted to making retreads would be logical candidates for investmernt--like ,if it still exists,Bandang(sp?) and other companies like it-

 

Also do you remeber years ago when we were importing rubber sandal floppies from japan that they made out of used tires--

 

I think this time around some genius will learn how to wrap these around a wheel rim enabling leisure loving americans to go out for a very economical casual ride

 

beardrech :ph34r: :ph34r: :cry: What goes around comes around

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One of our former stoolies (jrmfl) is projecting a short-lived hyperinflation during the second half of 2005, as the pool operators' frantic flailing sends this process parabolic ... and then burns itself out, as every hyperinflation does.

Even though I'm in the deflation camp, I do get that this all ends ugly when the cb's stop buying treasuries and hyperinflation ensues briefly. Then everything crashes to earth in a deflationary death spiral. Right?

 

But what I don't get is, what will make them stop buying treasuries? What's their line in the sand, pain threshold? When does buying more treasuries inflict more pain on Japan than if they wouldn't? Has anyone done the math and figured this out? It's possible we are in a blowoff that lasts for years no?

The willingness and ability of the CBs to expand their respective monetary bases can only be guessed at right now. With present day super-cooled computers and high speed internet, a hyperinflationary crack up boom will probably be shorter in time than historical examples. It's possible it could all be over in a year or two.

 

Actions taken by CBs also do have an effect on the 'real world'. Personal savings of foreign countries, which are effectively transferred to the US due to Treasury purchases, reduce the savings pool in those countries. Lower savings could lead to higher interest rates and/or a decline in investment there. Japan has been mired for some time dealing with the after effects of a real estate bubble and savings leaving the country - forcibly through the BOJ/MOF.

 

 

BTW - Where is jrmfl posting? :huh:

jrmfl is over at investors exchange Yahoo boards. Go for it.

Tanks but are you referring me to the investor-sex-change or the investors-exchange discussion board? :D :P :o

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