oil prices were in fact tied to speculation according to new independent study

No way, who didn’t see this coming.

We live in a time when way too much money can be moved way too quickly.

Another tool for he super elite to get richer.  We’ve seen the tech bubble, the stock market bubble, the real estate bubble, and now the commodities (oil) bubble.

It’s the movement of large sums of money quickly to capitalize.

Typically it’s the small guy holding the bag and getting stuck.

They’re too late to the party.

 

 

From AP/Yahoo News :

 

Study links oil prices to investor speculation

By H. JOSEF HEBERT, Associated Press Writer2 hours, 1 minute ago

Speculation by large investors — and not supply and demand for oil — were a primary reason for the surge in oil prices during the first half of the year and the more recent price declines, an independent study concluded Wednesday.The report by Masters Capital Management said investors poured $60 billion into oil futures markets during the first five months of the year as oil prices soared from $95 a barrel in January to $145 a barrel by July.

 

Read full story here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fannie and Freddie - Slap on a golden parachute and Jump

So, let me get this straight.   When American companies make profits, they keep their profits.  When American Companies fail, the taxpayer foots the bill! 

On top of that, why not give the CEO’s a nice golden parachute with my tax money as well.

They deserve it after all, don’t they? 

Hopefully, the government does right this time. Thank God for our current online transparency.

It’s getting harder and harder to pull this kind of stuff.

 

Read about it here from Yahoo News

 

 

George Carlin - RIP

Link to Yahoo News Article:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080623/ap_en_ce/obit_george_carlin;_ylt=Al4BMC92iOmBcziZWoDEzL2s0NUE

Such unfortunate news this morning. I almost couldn't believe it. And although there probably won't be as much hoopla surrounding his death as say a Tim Russert, hopefully he's given his due. Carlin was a pioneer, and a true talent. An original. You can see so much of his act in the generations of comics that followed. The word play, and meter. Inflection on just the right syllable so as to invoke the most laughter. If you took some of his act and just read it from a page, it just wouldn't translate. It needed his delivery.

Carlin almost seemed to me to be a "beat" comic. Similar in style to the beat writers and the jazz style they invoked. Sometimes words would seem more important coming from his lips. Nowadays, there aren't many that take particular concern with each word spoken or the craft of word placement and it's effect on the human experience.

George Carlin, you were a great one. Rest in Peace. May your routine live on forever.

Girls won't be girls

Pregnancy Boom at Gloucester High

In a previously quiet town in a previously quiet high school, it appears the girls are in a rush to become women. “Women” being solely defined by the act of carrying and then delivering a child into the world. A pact was made and so these naïve, selfish girls have taken what is otherwise considered one of the most self-less and beautiful things and made it trite and cheap. It appears that their decisions were totally based on an “inward” focus. Oh! how the future babies would be good for them. Oh, how the girls would all clique. They now have something all in common. In the past this was achieved by interaction, and healthy socialization. Our current modern disconnect from family, neighbors and friends brought on by technology, information overload, etc. have brought us to the point were we only really pay attention to each other when we have to. And so, something like a baby club would certainly force your attention. This is so misguided, and sad.

There are thousands of couples ready to give good homes to children who can’t. It’s become their curse and their daily torment. These girls (not women) get to giggle and think about how wonderful it’s going to be. Shopping for baby stuff, and feeling like a family. Everyone’s looking for a family these days other than their own. They can’t ever reconcile their own dysfunctional family. Might as well create another.

They are in for some life lesson. Let’s hope for the best for the children.

Mortgage fraud arrests (too late)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080619/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/mortgage_fraud

Today, it's been announced that hundreds of arrests have been made related to the mortgage loan crisis. I understand the need for the arrests. To put a clamp down on the whole industry, introduce new regulation, and hopefully prevent this from ever happening again. However, it's come a little too late to actually help anyone, and many of the offenders have probably covered their tracks or gone into hiding (literally). Moreover, it's another example of an America that always needs to blame something or someone for anything and everything. Sure, these guys were ignoring / changing income on applications and forcing appraisers to "play ball" among other things. But the people applying for the loans knew damn well what was going on and they were willing to go along with it as long as they were able to get that house that they really couldn't afford. We live in a credit induced dream world where everyone's a star and there's nothing that you should want for. Every average Joe can have everything. Meanwhile, consumer debt is at an all time high, pensions are now non-existant, and the generation after the boomers is aging. If we are so worried about the boomers, what's going to happen when the next generation retires?

We live in a time where information comes at us so fast, and the money is so concentrated, that every new investment opportunity turns into a bubble. Internet bubble bursts, money moves to real estate. That breaks, and now the money is going to commodities. Oil and gold at all time highs. Speculation is everywhere. By the time the little guy gets in, it's already time to get OUT. This greed is causing economies all over the world to become extremely unstable.

Sure, make the arrests. At the same time, address the underlying cause, and promote a more sober look at the future of the American economy. Nothing gets better until it gets worse, and so let's hope responsibility can once again permiate popular culture in America. Maybe, just maybe, we can truely learn from history. Maybe our future can look a little more like our past.