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ericbj

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  1. Some useful suggestions given above, the following may duplicate or complement: Exercise (those aging or in sedentary occupations often don't get enough). Walking, cycling, swimming. Standing on a "vibrating plate" can also help, especially in the rainy season. Salty soup seems to help hydration of the colon. Lack of hydration of the colon can be caused by excessive tea or coffee consumption due to diuretic effect, as well as lack of fluid intake. Natural fruits and vegetables for soluble fibre. Also in oats. While insoluble fibre in some whole grains can help, it can damage the intestinal lining which is one cell thick. Avoid industrialised, highly processed foods, which contain chemicals to inhibit bacteria and fungi: damage the gut microbiome. Restore gut microbiome preferably with live (not pasteurised) fermented foods. Failing that, with high-count, very expensive probiotics. Not the stuff peddled in pharmacies. Avoid milk from North European breeds, the norm for dairy cattle, as it contains indigestible casein type A1. All other milk and milk products alright, including from Guernseys (but not Jerseys), nanny-goats, ewes, mares, buffaloes, humans, etc. Hard cows' cheeses seem particularly constipating. 'Fitné' herbal tea sachets from Thai supermarkets. Indian curries. For occasional use, take 'Colosan', a mixture of magnesium oxides (non-assimilable, so useless for Mg deficiency). Gave some to a Burmese doctor friend and it cured him of inguinal hernia in several days. Cure anxiety. Use a traditional Thai squat loo, not the western type promoted by Thomas Crapper & Son. Abdominal muscles help to expel turds [faeces].
  2. His problem seems to be the replacement of method with impulsive madness. Maybe someone could send him a copy of 'The Art of War' by Sun Tzu? "To win without fighting is the greatest victory." "When you are strong, appear weak." "The greatest battle is that which does not need to be fought." I.e. don't deliberately provoke everyone, including your allies. Show humility. Seek common ground. Prior to last year's election, a Kremlin spokesman [Peskov?] was asked what the Russian government thought of Trump. The reply was something like "We are sympathetic to many of his pronouncements. But Trump is a wild card." Colonel MacGregor who was a military advisor to Trump during his first term, is now critical of him - and of previous administrations going back at least as far as the Cold War - for "lack of strategic thinking". Which includes undertaking wars with no clear political aim beyond "crushing the enemy". Henry Kissinger, in his time, expressed similar opinions, criticizing the demonization of Putin in lieu of strategic thinking. He was doubtlessly well aware of the work of Halford Mackinder, and the need to maintain U.S. dominance, thanks to maritime power, by not pushing Russia and China together.
  3. No simple answer to that question, especially in present very volatile conditions. But certain sectors of the market tend to do well for a while while others do badly. Then that sector goes down and another comes up. So you have to be on your toes. However, Trump, with his desire to make the U.S. self-sufficient in vital raw materials hitherto imported (mainly from China - think rare earths, antimony, etc.) while itself possessing them under its soil, is causing a succession of U.S. companies' shares to suddenly shoot up in value. The problem is to know - in advance of the knowledge becoming public - which companies will benefit. If you want to make wapping gains in short order. If you have a deeper pocket than mine, Jim Rickards has an investment advisory subscription where he uses AI to trace sudden surges in a company's shares due to insider trading. Insiders have knowledge of forthcoming deals before they become public. The service is called "Rickards' Insider Intel". Not to be confused with his "Strategic Intelligence". Much cheaper, but good value. Otherwise, for longer term gains, see what sectors are likely to benefit. E.g. Trump will likely oblige Europe to buy more U.S. natural gas. If so, it will be a boon for gas-tanker shipping companies. If interested, Bonner Private Research's paying version of its free newsletter can suggest which ones to buy.
  4. Mike Maloney's video tends to confirm the increasing importance of gold and the likelihood of a radical change in the payment system for international trade: Very clear explanation of a complex situation. He mentions the as-yet non-existant Mar-a-Largo Accord.
  5. Thanks for the feedback. I can see that you have knowledge of that market, something that I lack. I believe one needs to have at least some degree of knowledge of a sector one is investing in, especially in difficult times. My impression is that quite a few AI companies are not doing too well at present, so one would need to know to avoid them. If I were going to invest in that area it might have to do with energy for the new data-centres. Personally am more into stuff I can understand fairly easily, like metals and minerals, and energy. Commodities as a whole have had a pretty rotten time in recent years, but probably have quite a future. But WHEN depends upon when manufacturing surges again. So am heavily (relative to my resources!) into gold which is real money (a "tier-one asset", the only one apart from the now-dodgy U.S. Treasuries). And also silver, much more volatile and unpredictable, but underpriced in view of its high industrial demand and limited availability. Moreover, unlike gold, it gets used up, as not economically recyclable. Hold some bullion and some stocks, mainly royalty companies like Franco-Nevada and Wheaton. Copper very good potential, but economic lift-off needed to realise it.
  6. I agree that most "experts" are salesmen either for an investment letter of dubious quality, or to push up demand for stocks they are invested in or paid to promote; or both. I tend to go for contrarian opinions, because those people are going against the grain and have likely done some homework. And because what is currently unpopular because of some temporary setback (nothing fundamentally serious - could be something cyclical) stands a better chance of rising in value later. Take uranium for instance. Fortunes made. Then boom! Nobody wants it. Green politics against it. Now they are needing it more and more and saying it is ecological because no CO2 emissions (at least not from 'burning' it). Here are a few names to look out for, if interested: Doug Casey of International Man Bill Bonner Jim Rickards Happy hunting !
  7. Stock and bond markets, foreign exchange rates, and inflation are a particular concern to those of us living on a "nest-egg", whether pension and/or other sources of income. The financial media are mentioning an as-yet hypothetical development they refer to as 'The Mar-a-Largo Accord'. A term coined by Dr Stephen Miran, Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors to the President, in "A User's Guide to Restructuring the Global Trading System". Bloomberg Law: "The Mar-a-Largo Chatter is Getting Wall Street's Attention." Forbes: "Why the Mar-a-Largo Accord Would Matter To You." The Financial Times: "What a Mar-a-Largo Accord Could Look Like." What actually comes out of this remains to be seen. What one can say for sure is that Trump & Team are seeking to turn around the growing, decades-long trade deficit and to restructure and drastically reduce an unsustainable debt. How are they hoping to do this? 1. By devaluing the dollar (while persuading major trading partners not to follow suit, which would negate the effect. The tariffs are there as a persuasive threat to gaining acceptance of this). It would make U.S. exports more competitive and foreign imports less so. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is a former hedge-fund manager whose thinking helped George Soros and others generate billions of dollars profit by crashing the GBP and the Japanese yen. Just before his appointment to his present position he said in an interview with Ted Seides "We're in the midst of a Bretton Woods realignment …I'd like to be part of it, either on the inside or the out." And "The tariff gun will always be loaded and on the table but rarely discharged." 2. Restructuring of the U.S. government's debt, to free up capital. For brevity's sake, let it pass. 3. Monetisation of U.S. government assets. Bessent recently said, in Trump's presence: "Within the next 12 months, we're going to monetize the asset side of the U.S. balance sheet." What are these assets? a) Gold reserves. It is believed that a revaluation of U.S. reserves, something that has been done four times in the past, will greatly increase gold bullion's retail price. Share prices of gold mining, royalty, and streaming companies could be leveraged four-fold. (Exploration companies are a risky bet that can pay off big, but rarely do so) b) Land, and the mineral and other resources it holds. The Federal government owns vast tracts of mineral-rich land, located mostly in the western parts of the country. Executive Order 14196 has created a Sovereign Wealth Fund, in anticipation of having national wealth to invest and manage. Sovereign wealth funds already exist in a number of countries, such as the Irish Republic, to manage and grow the tax revenues from the many transnational companies headquartered there, and Norway, Saudi Arabia, and Iran, mainly to invest oil revenues. Retirees may draw their own conclusions from the foregoing as to any moves they may need to make. Or make their own enquiries. The Internet is a useful resource.
  8. Unacceptable opinions by the BBC "contributor". But were they expressed on the BBC? If so, the BBC must be condemned for doing nothing. But if not, was the BBC aware that they were expressed on other media? If unaware, they should investigate more closely the background of those they employ, in whatever category. Today's BBC (no longer what it was) is given more to presenting ready-made "narratives" rather than investigative journalism. Opinions such as those held by the person in question are held by others amongst the Gazan population, whether or not they support Hamas. Not all do. And not all hold such opinions. If you take the trouble to listen to a cross-section of opinions of Palestinians and Jews, Jews are not all identified as Zionists. Many orthodox Jews are supportive of the Palestinians. If you do not believe it, do a search. Many Zionists are not Jews. There are self-identifying "Christian" Zionists; and even Hindu-extremist Zionists in the IDF. A reporter should report all relevant facts and opinions (however objectionable) while endeavouring to be as objective as possible. Otherwise the reporting becomes "an opinion piece", and should be identified as such.
  9. The statistics provided show there are a lot of empty chambers. You make your choice.
  10. Play Russian roulette and you can still survive unharmed.
  11. There is more than one side to science. It depends upon its intended use … or unintended consequences. "Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this Island or lose the war. If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be free and the life of the world may move forward into broad, sunlit uplands. But if we fail, then the whole world, including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the lights of perverted science." Churchill, June 1940. Much science today is perverted by the quest for profits at the expense of all other considerations.
  12. It is quite possible that the heavy metals in vaccines are the cause of recent cases of 'autism' because this latter condition was known to be sometimes caused by earlier vaccines than those for Covid-19. The former also include heavy-metals (and other junk) intended to stimulate an immune response. Metals usually involved are aluminium and mercury (as thimerosal). Although the latter is now said to have been withdrawn from children's vaccines, at least in some countries. When suffering suspected heavy-metal poisoning in 2005, my doctor asked me if had been recently vaccinated. [answer: "No. Last time was for tetanus about 7 years ago."] Unlike 'autism', long-Covid is thought to be caused by a persistence in the body of the spike-protein, which can come either from the virus or the vaccine.
  13. Regarding inflation: Q.E. produced massive inflation, as might be expected when currency is 'printed' into existence without an equivalent increase in goods and services. That this does not show up in official figures is due to the way those figures are calculated, and who received the low-interest bank loans and what they did with it. The banks that received the hand-outs principally lent it out to their best customers: wealthy investors and speculators. These had already virtually all they needed from High Street and so invested the bulk on Wall Street (and in real estate etc.). Thus creating a huge bubble in such places as the stock-markets, where share prices rocketted in relation to actual or potential earnings. A stock-market crash was made inevitable by runaway inflation in share prices caused by cheap loans. All it needed was a trigger to make it happen.
  14. If the WSJ says that Trump's tariffs were designed to strengthen the dollar, I do not believe them. Instead, IMHO, the tariffs were designed to initiate world-wide negotiations on a restructuring of tariffs to produce a situation more favourable to U.S. exports and less favourable to its imports. In order to correct trade imbalances. For the same reason Trump wishes to see a cheaper dollar. The dollar is falling in purchasing power. So is the euro, which therefore cannot be said to be 'soaring' in real terms. Fiat currencies are pieces of paper of no guaranteed value, backed only by government decree that they are to be used as a means of commercial exchange. Their value relies upon the confidence of those that use them. Which can be related to scarcity or otherwise, and the reliability of the issuer. As regards the reliability of the dollar's issuer this took a bad hit on the international stage from the Biden administration's use of it to sanction foreign powers. Bank notes are no longer promissory notes that the issuer guarantees to redeem for real money. I.e. gold. (Or possibly bitcoin but certainly not other cryptocurrencies).
  15. MOST people have sufficient acumen to see for themselves. 🙂
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