What it Means to Really Be a Friend to Someone

“Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising which tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires courage.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson

It has always baffled me, how certain people are periodically nudging me to “hang out with them” or “see them more often”; but when I actually do make it out, they don’t really want to talk about anything other than what they are into. In fact, I have some friends, who I’ve known over the years, who ridicule me when I talk about my interests and only support talking about their own interests. This is not a very balanced equation, nor is it very pleasing to take part in.

Indeed, this is not what real friendship is about. A friend is not there just to be seen and not heard or to only speak when spoken to. A real friend should accept and appreciate your uniqueness, even if they don’t agree with all you say. They should feel free to discuss and debate matters of importance instead of trying to change the subject and bury the matter altogether.

Unfortunately, I do not know many of these real friends; but the ones I do know are always there to enjoy a nice in-depth conversation. I could go for months without seeing one of my real friends and still feel the warmth and acceptance as if we had been together only yesterday.

This notion of popularity, so often sought, has never been important to me; primarily because of the shallow nature of such friendships. I’d rather have fewer friends and maybe even considered an outcast by some, than to suppress who I really am to gain acceptance by the many. I don’t care if I rock the boat from time to time; it’s healthy to stir up some shit and unhealthy to simply suppress things and let them fester.

Never suppress who you are to please others. If they can’t handle you being exactly who you are, then who needs ’em.

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson

Paul LaViolette Interviewed on Radiorbit

This is an interview with maverick scientist Dr. Paul LaViolette on Radiorbit.com; the interview was originally recorded on January 30, 2006.  In the interview they discuss Dr. LaViolette’s theories about galactic core explosions, Sub-Quantum Kinetics, pulsars, exo-politics and alternative views to the prevailing views of mainstream physics and cosmology.

I have long appreciated Paul LaViolette’s unique perspective on science, history and metaphysics.  He has an extremely well integrated set of theories, where he is able to combine hard observable science, clues from mythology and metaphysics; to synthesize his groundbreaking theories.  Paul’s theories make sense, both to my intellect and to my intuition, where their counterparts in conventional science often leave me scratching my head, wondering how the universe could really be as they describe.

Dr. Paul LaViolette Interview on Radiorbit: Listen to the Full Show/Interview 2:46 (mp3)

Here is an abbreviated version of the interview, strung together as a YouTube playlist.

I have compiled a semantic body of information on Paul LaViolette via PearlTrees, which you can access here.  In this resource I have compiled all of the interviews, videos and other information I have been able to locate.

Tai Chi Practice by Candlelight

Practiced the Tai Chi long form by candlelight tonight, with Egyptian Musk incense burning and relaxing music in the background. I know of few activities more beneficial or engaging than this. It exercises the body, circulates the chi and sharpens the awareness like none other.

Now that I’ve been doing Yoga and Tai Chi classes regularly again, I’m really starting to feel the Chi as it flows through my sinews. Its like a sort of quasi-biological field, that the mind can control and manifest consciously in various parts of the body.

This better understanding of chi, in combination with the incremental increases in core strength from practice, also make Yoga poses that were nearly impossible a few months ago quite easy; as the understanding of the chi and allowing it to flow freely provides much of the strength and balance that the body needs to achieve difficult poses.

Dr James Fetzer and Anthony J Hilder: Conspiracy Con 2011: Miracles Of 9/11, Bin Laden

Here is a video of Anthony J Hilder and James Fetzer discussing their research at Conspiracy Con 2011. They have a light hearted and humorous way of discussing these topics, yet it is still informative as hell!

Description: Jim Fetzer and Anthony Hilder meet at Conspiracy Con and talk over the improbabilities that we are told are true about 9/11, Bin Laden, and Chemtrails…the only way they could be true is that, indeed, a MIRACLE happened. Dr Fetzer explains the contradictions and Mr Hilder is truly amazed…as we ought to be. So many people now are waking up to the impossibility the mainstream explanations are about what happened.

ZERO An Investigation Into 9/11

There’s nothing wrong with questioning events and proposing alternate theories; yet you wouldn’t know this, from the way many who do this are treated. An intelligent, logical, critical-thinking person can see that, many things which happened on 9/11, were highly abnormal and inconsistent with the explanations we were given, by those in the government and media.

How is it that many supposedly educated, critical-thinking individuals, have been so well trained to protect government claims and government propaganda, instead of thinking for themselves and arriving at their own conclusions? Why do we allow these government propagandists, or people who have been duped by this propaganda, to keep us from having a substantial public inquiry?

It has now been nearly 10 years since 9/11 and while a substantial portion of the population now questions the official stories; it is still considered taboo, under most circumstances, to pose questions which indicate a non-belief in the official version of events.

Discussing these theories has lead to many firings and quite often ostracism from friends, co-workers and family; but these questions are perfectly logical questions. Why do people resort to such immature measures in response to simply questioning an event? Why not just answer the questions and come to the conclusions reached using logic?

Is there, perhaps, a fear of using logic to question these events? Might the conclusions reached possibly put people in a position of conflict with long-held views? read full article »

Increasing credit risk will push up interest rates

Gijsbert Groenewegen | Groenewegen Report
Posted Jul 1, 2011

Increasing credit risk will cause much higher interest rates across the borders

The Belgian/French bank Dexia, with a ¤4.3bn or $6bn+ exposure (according to S&P’s Corp) to government debts in Greece, has back stopped (guaranteed) $17bn in municipal bonds in the US according to an article in the WSJ. As a result of the problems in Greece interest rates of municipality bonds in small towns in the United States used to finance municipal facilities like schools, bridges, ice rinks etc are being pushed up. S&P warned last month of a possible downgrade of Dexia’s investment- grade credit ratings. It looks indeed like Lehman revisited when one of the victims of the CDO crisis in the US was a small town in Norway which had bought “triple A” CDO s. And don’t forget the exposure of AIG to the housing market through the Credit Default Swaps (CDSs) that were never going to be called because of the triple A status of the CDOs, and how it almost bankrupted Goldman and others.

While other investors are stepping in to buy those bonds, they are demanding sharply higher yields as compensation for the increased risk following a possible downgrade of Dexia’s credit rating. As a result, borrowing costs for some municipalities are now the steepest since the financial crisis. Some cost of borrowing are tripling and quadrupling in a matter of weeks.

Dexia is obliged to buy as much as $17 billion in municipal bonds if investors withdraw during the remarketing or rollover process. Some $400 million has already been taken back though in those cases, allowing Dexia to increase the interest rate paid by the municipalities whilst at the same time it can demand an accelerated pay back schedule. Some municipalities are trying to replace Dexia with other banks though the refinancing is likely to lead to much higher interest rates in some cases from 3% to 12% which increase borrowing costs by tenth of thousands of dollars which in turn leads to very high fees for the related facilities.

With the QE2 ending on June 30 (the Fed has bought 85% of all treasury issuances this year!!) and higher credit risks higher interest rates could bring down the markets. If we break above the 4.80% level on the 30-y Treasury bond we will break out of the downtrend since 1981 and could see much higher interest rates with all its obvious consequences for the financial markets and economies.
read full article »

Economy and Liberty or Profusion and Servitude

“We must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt. We must make our selection between economy and liberty or profusion and servitude. If we run into such debts as that we must be taxed in our meat in our drink, in our necessities and comforts, in our labors and in our amusements, for our callings and our creeds…our people.. must come to labor sixteen hours in the twenty-four, give earnings of fifteen of these to the government for their debts and daily expenses; and the sixteenth being insufficient to afford us bread, we must live.. We have not time to think, no means of calling the mis-managers to account, but be glad to obtain subsistence by hiring ourselves to rivet their chains on the necks of our fellow suffers. Our landholders, too…retaining indeed the title and stewardship of estates called theirs, but held really in trust for the treasury, must…be contented with penury, obscurity and exile.. private fortunes are destroyed by public as well as by private extravagance.

This is the tendency of all human governments. A departure from principle becomes a precedent for a second; that second for a third; and so on, till the bulk of society is reduced to mere automatons of misery, to have no sensibilities left but for sinning and suffering… And the fore horse of this frightful team is public debt. Taxation follows that, and in its train wretchedness and oppression.”

–Thomas Jefferson

On the Sustainment of Tai Chi Chuan

I’ve always had mixed feelings about the way the art of Tai Chi Chuan sustained in today’s world. While many important arts and traditions have carefully curated curricula and well maintained lineages, to pass on the wisdom from generation to generation in tact, it seems as if much of the Tai Chi wisdom is already lost on many; only carried by a few who were fortunate/wise enough to find the right teacher; many of the rest pass on a corrupted form of the art and will probably never realize it. Perhaps it has always been like this to some extent.

There is some beauty to this; perhaps it is nature’s way of eventually sorting the matter out effortlessly. Perhaps there will come a time when Tai Chi will again flourish without all of these things we normally associate with success; when the consciousness of the people on this planet evolve to the point that they can intuitively understand Tao.

I’ve always had this feeling that, even if your teaching is imperfect, practice and understanding of the principles can still refine our understanding of the art. Although it may not be enough for most to achieve in one lifetime, the fact that Tai Chi exists at all should tell us, even if it is someday lost, it will be rediscovered; because the source of Tai Chi is not something which can be destroyed; we merely have become disconnected from it and are finding our way back.

The Master doesn’t try to be powerful;
thus he is truly powerful.
The ordinary man keeps reaching for power;
thus he never has enough.

The Master does nothing,
yet he leaves nothing undone.
The ordinary man is always doing things,
yet many more are left to be done.

The kind man does something,
yet something remains undone.
The just man does something,
and leaves many things to be done.
The moral man does something,
and when no one responds
he rolls up his sleeves and uses force.

When the Tao is lost, there is goodness.
When goodness is lost, there is morality.
When morality is lost, there is ritual.
Ritual is the husk of true faith,
the beginning of chaos.

Therefore the Master concerns himself
with the depths and not the surface,
with the fruit and not the flower.
He has no will of his own.
He dwells in reality,
and lets all illusions go.

–Tao Te Ching (ch. 38 — S. Mitchell Translation)

Mo Brooks: Police State Endorsing Lawyer Scum

Saw the following posted recently about an exchange between Mo Brooks and a local liberty activist, the CONgressman is from my district in North Alabama. I have also written to Mo Brooks and received the same kind of crap in response. It looks like this Mo Brooks character is typical sellout lawyer scum.

Hopefully we can oust him in the primaries next time around.

All-

I went to the political get together at the Melting Pot at 5:00 today and Confronted Mo Brooks on why he supported the extension of the Patriot act. Here are my notes from the event:

Mike Ball and Mo Brooks will be at the Holiday Inn in Madison tomorrow (14 May) to speak at the Republican meeting there. The meeting will start with a social at 8:00 and presentation at 9:00. Anyone who wants to ask Mike Ball about why he supports Forever Wild (with its private hunting lodge for state congressmen), or Mo Brooks as to why he supports increasing the debt ceiling or extending the Patriot act can approach them then.

Here is how the conversation went on extending the Patriot Act:

Mo, can you tell me why you supported extending the Patriot Act

I did it to prevent a terrorist nuclear attack on the US. I haven’t seen any data or specifics that indicate that there is a problem with the Act. There is oversight and I have heard of no problems.

Mo, there have been thousands of people that have been monitored and spied upon without a court order, there is no judicial oversight. The vast majority of requests to spy on people are rubber stamped without due cause.

Have you ever heard of anyone being hurt by this? I haven’t.

Mo, people are issued National Security Letters (over 190,000 requests from 2003-2006) that gag them so there cannot be any media coverage of any abuses. If they try to talk to anyone they will be put in prison. Also, under the Patriot act anyone can be imprisoned for an indeterminate time without due process and denied an attorney to represent them.

Someone would have said something if there was a problem.

Mo, that’s what I was saying, people cannot say anything because if they do they can go to prison.

Mo was visibly disturbed that I should question him and it was obvious to me that he did not want to hear any facts that would be contrary to his stance on the issue.

At that point Mo accidentally spilled a drop of chocolate on his shirt, he excused himself to clean his shirt. He stayed at the bar for 3-5 minutes cleaning his shirt, and then he disappeared. After about 20 minutes I figured he was not coming back and I left.

Later he spoke to George and offered to meet George for lunch. I talked to George and I might go with him to continue the conversation. We will see.

Jim Sinclair: Margin of Risk

Posted On: Saturday, August 16, 2003
Author: Jim Sinclair

Q: Jim, you used margin when you where building your foundation. I am young and willing to accept risk. So Jim, what’s your problem?

A: Let me answer your question under two subheadings for simplicity’s sake.

Responsibility

Few who write on the Web fully recognize the responsibility they have to their readers. I would also suggest that this statement applies equally to those in the print and electronic media as well. In contributing to the debate on questions of the day – whether they be economic, political, or both – you need to consider your words with attention and care, especially when someone else’s livelihood is at stake.

Training

My father is Bertram J. Seligman. From simple observation and a study of history, I believe he was the greatest trader that ever lived. Yes, greater than Jesse Livermore who befriended Bert because of his talent.

Bert traded like an old master painted. He used to trade 10% of the NYSE’s volume and ended the day with a 500 share position. He taught me to trade from as far back as I can remember. I sat beside him in the car, in the office, and in the house.

We failed miserably as father and son but succeeded beyond anyone’s wildest imagination as partners. He was also a business man. He financed the first movies in aircraft via “In-flight Motion Pictures, Inc.” He put the first refrigeration device in trucks via “Thermo King Inc.”

A partner of Smith Barney who ran its trading department had inadvertently become a controlling shareholder in a small company and called Bert when the company asked him to lower his position. Bert took on the man’s entire position and control of the company and went on to promote Dr. Land’s new camera. The company eventually became Polaroid and Dr. Land visited my home on several occasions.

Bert financed a company that had invented a feminine hygiene product called Pursettes which was sold in the U.S. through the 1960’s and 1980’s. One of the great fortunes he made was in a metals company called Strategic Materials.

He was also a partner in deals and trading operations with Jesse Livermore, Old man Kennedy and Arthur Cowen. He invented what is today called the NASDAQ.

At my request, he left me totally out of any financial or material inheritance, having given me more than that: the knowledge to spot value in businesses and – more importantly – how to trade for a living.

I was in a trading department when I was 12 years old. At 19, I was an over-the-counter market maker maintaining 35 markets. That is the training and qualification you need to handle huge margin positions.

During the entire gold market [of the late 80s presumably], I never got a margin call – not because I never made a mistake but rather because I margined myself and if a call was pending I liquidated my holdings before the close of that trading day.

I am trained to be a survivor in a battle that takes no prisoners. You may not be. I live markets day and night. I come from the lineage of Jesse Seligman and a famous banking family.

Now you will love this. The Cartel of Common interest [The (Gold) Cartel of Common interest is apparently a term that Jim Sinclair used in the 200-2003 timeframe.] is comprised largely of Seligman firms. Yes, my ancestors founded them all except Merrill. Goldman and Lehman are my family’s. Many of you made fun of me when I first told you those cartel members had met their match. Well, they have. They face the bloodline of their founder and did not know it until know.

Read the book, “Our Crowd,” by Stephen Birmingham and it’s all there. Markets, metals and entrepreneurialism course through my entire body not just my blood. The market is my mistress but compared to the real life equivalent I thrive on the volatility associated with this one.

I am committed totally to markets. I love risk and feel alive only when all is committed. Absolutely nothing else in the material sense interests me. Now that I have played the material game, even that no longer interests me. Money does not interest me. I have given away much more than I have. The game interests me. The game is called building companies and trading markets.

Now I am passing my love of this business on to whoever recognizes the gift and is willing to run with it. My two youngest children have chosen to go their own routes outside the financial sphere and my eldest daughter is in my service in Africa. She is an adventurer in her own right but remains uncomfortable with the intensity I show when the bell rings which is her feminine prerogative.

For the curious, my name has been James E. Sinclair since the day I was born. My mother was Abbey’s Irish Rose.