Last night I finally got to watch the “May I be Frank?” documentary from the library (thanks Beth). I think everyone should. It is one of those films that in 97 minutes can teach, lead and inspire us to the discipline and habits of health and personal transformation. There is something to be learned (or remembered) here for everyone.
Watch as Frank Ferrante, a 54-year old Sicilian from Brooklyn, NY, with a lifetime of drug & alcohol addiction and everything that comes with that is taken on a 42 day journey by 3 twenty somethings that includes raw vegan food and transforms his health, weight, and view of the world. Here is the direct link to the trailer.
This type of personal transformation in many could go a long way to solving the world’s problems: financial and otherwise.
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I like how you mix in some health related stuff in the blog now and again. As you say it is very important and can help us in so many other ways in our lives including how we manage our money.
What good is all the wealth without great health?
Inflammatory diseases are becoming a global epidemic, especially so in the developed, affluent countries. You want great health, think back to your great great ancestors who were the hunter-gatherers. They did not use the industrial farming/processing techniques that we employ today. A lot of the problems come from the agrigiants and the grinding of grains into talcum powder sized particles that find their way into fast food drive-thrus and packaged foods. Whole foods are just that…easily recognizable as to its origins. Can you tell the original food source of a corn flake, frito or corn dog? FWIW.
Keep up the great posting DP.
There is another disease that is reaching epidemic levels in our society. It is the highly contagious disease known as Gold Fever. It has many more victims to infect but very soon now it will reach a point where a natural cure will be found. Antibiotics will not be necessary. It will coincide with the point at which the $U meets its 200 dma. Soon now.
http://stockcharts.com/h-sc/ui?s=$USD&p=D&b=5&g=0&id=p59878491912
“Buy right, sit tight. Its your SITTING, not your THINKING that makes big money in the marketplace”.
Jesse Livermore
And if you bought gold in the 300-400 range and locked it up in a safe place, you most definitely are better off now than back in 2001-2002.
Now it is a much more difficult decision. Exactly where are you going to get the $1,735.00 to buy JUST ONE OUNCE?
Home equity line of credit?
Bank CD interest?
Home price appreciation?
You see, the price is more or less stuck or stranded here until the really big money moves in to push it up, or pull it down. It very well could be plateauing on thin air, who really knows?
I am neither buying, nor selling my reserves. I have a tube of Mexican 20 pesos pieces that could buy me a brand new Prius–which is about all I would part with that much gold for. Back in 2001 I was considering a new Chevy Avalanche that listed for $ 37,600 but it would have cost me 110 ounces of gold, and I walked away. I still have that gold, which now is ‘worth’ about $ 180,000. Mine.
Would I trade it for paper money? No. Not at these ridiculous conversion rates. I’d rather take the Prius, it gets great mileage and we plan to drive to Yellowstone this summer. If gas gets to 4.50/gallon by then, we’ll pretty much have the place to ourselves…but then maybe not.
The gap is widening between the rich and the uber-rich. We might have company.
Forget gold Fever. What about apple fever? Talk about mindless consumerism gone mad! Apples long term chart looks far more dangerous than gold
Thank you for sharing….. watched the trailer and I am anxious to see the full documentary.
Don’t forget that our great, great ancestors had much shorter life expectancies and therefore didn’t live long enough to get many of the ills that befall modern man.
Doug….while I respect your position on Gold I just have a question or two.
I see you put a fiat price on your stash.
(1) Is there a number, and in what fiat currency, you have in mind that you will sell your little stash of Gold?
(2)Why?
(3) When you go to the dealer to buy the Prius will you be paying in Gold Pesos or will you be first selling them to the local bullion dealer, at a discount to market, in exchange for the fiat of your choice?
My thinking and please correct me if need be, is that you will never sell your Gold and you will always price it in $U.
Thanks Doug
1.) I would leach it out as it went up small coins first, then up the ladder in size and weight, 50 pesos last. Selling the Mexican 50 peso pieces would be my signal I’m clearing out.
2.) Pricewise (in fiat) who knows? I let a bunch go nearing 1,000/oz and watched it go much higher. Even got out of some at 1,800 on way up, then watched it take a dump. I don’t trust golds price, ever. But when I do sell, I have something else in mind to buy. Like food, maybe a Prius. Read the book ‘One Second After’ by Forstcher (on CoasttocoastAM tonight) and give a serious thought if you are prepared for the Big Event. Gold will be worthless if it is locked up in a vault whose lock mechanism is fried up. Its a bitch, isn’t it?
3.) It all goes through a coin dealer, and yes…at a discount. That is where the timing comes in. Many dealers get nervous when I show up after a long absence and the price is raging. Very nervous. Can you blame them?
I kind of hate owning the damn stuff actually. Its a hassle, thats for sure…but it has served me well as of late. And I most certainly can sleep peacefully at night knowing I have some of it somewhere. I know it won’t ENRON or LEHMAN or MF GLOBAL on me. Confiscation is always a risk. Outlawing precious metals is always a possibility but I don’t worry much about that. Just getting a good price and finding something else to buy.