for life and liberty

The Fed Doesn’t Control as Much as You Think It Does

"In actuality, the Fed has little control or influence over the things that really matter in the real economy. Innovation is often a meaningless buzzword (think 'financial innovation'), but it is also the key driver of wealth creation in the real economy. The Federal Reserve could be shut down and all its asset bubbles could pop, and innovations in energy, agriculture, transportation, education, media, medicine, etc. would continue to impact the availability and abundance of what really matters in the real world: energy, knowledge, water, food, and opportunity, to name a few off the top of a long list." Continue reading →

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As Keystone stalls, TransCanada OKs bigger East Coast pipeline

"TransCanada Corp gave the green light to building a $12 billion oil pipeline to ship Canada’s Western oil sands crude to refiners on its east coast and beyond, scaling up the project as its U.S.-bound Keystone XL line remains stalled in Washington. The company said it would move forward with building a 1.1 million barrel per day Energy East Pipeline after “strong market support.” That would be larger than the 850,000 bpd capacity it had mentioned in April, when it first began seeking customer commitments for the project. TransCanada is also likely to face stiff resistance from some groups over the construction of the line." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAs Keystone stalls, TransCanada OKs bigger East Coast pipeline

Why Oil Could Move Higher–Much Higher

"A more intriguing dynamic has been presented by Financial Times reporter Izabella Kaminska over the past year: Financiers are buying oil as collateral for various speculations. Kaminska sees this financial hoarding of oil (i.e., reduction of supply) as inducing 'scarcity amidst plenty.' In broad terms, I would characterize this as one aspect of the financialization of commodities. The financialization of commodities is driven by several macro factors: 1. The scarcity of non-phantom, easily tradable collateral in a financial system that is increasingly dependent on phantom collateral. 2. A scarcity of sound investment opportunities." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhy Oil Could Move Higher–Much Higher

Instead Of Bonds, Buy This…

"Naturally, after this year’s 9% pullback in bonds, we’re going to see some air flow out of the bond bubble. That is, folks that were looking for safety in bonds were burned and are now looking for safety in other places – cash, equities, you name it. Remember back in 2008 we saw the same thing — the safety trade had everyone running to bonds. CEOs for Wells Fargo and Goldman Sachs have both recently gone on record saying interest rates should, or need to, eventually rise. The market needs to 'normalize' they say. That said, plan on seeing a lot more money heading in to cash, equities or other investment classes." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingInstead Of Bonds, Buy This…

Save Thousands With 3-D Printing Technology

"The typical family can already save a great deal of money by making things with a 3-D printer, instead of buying them off the shelf. In the study, Pearce and his team chose 20 common household items listed on Thingiverse. Then they used Google Shopping to determine the maximum and minimum cost of buying those 20 items online, shipping charges not included. Next, they calculated the cost of making them with 3-D printers. The conclusion: It would cost the typical consumer from $312-1,944 to buy those 20 things, compared with $18 to make them in a weekend." Continue reading →

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In U.S., Fewer Young Adults Holding Full-Time Jobs in 2013

"The barriers for the young getting a job in the U.S. remain high. Given ever growing regulations on employers, coupled with the uncertainty of Obamacare, it just makes it to risky for most employers to be aggressively hiring. Fewer Americans aged 18 to 29 worked full time for an employer in June 2013 (43.6%) than did so in June 2012 (47.0%), according to Gallup's Payroll to Population employment rate. The P2P rate for young adults is also down from 45.8% in June 2011 and 46.3% in June 2010." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIn U.S., Fewer Young Adults Holding Full-Time Jobs in 2013

California: Treatment and fraud

"CNN has a pretty powerful investigative series on California’s dysfunctional treatment system. Over $185 million per year of state and federal money goes into California’s drug rehab counseling program, much of it lining the pockets of unscrupulous clinics who pay people $5 to sign in (or simply invent clients). While each state has a different system, the fraud and abuse in treatment is a national problem as the treatment industry has become a hugely lucrative business, with lots of taxpayer money to tap and tons of 'addicts' who are required to go through treatment because of their involvement in the criminal justice system." Continue reading →

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Official refuses to resign after saying Japan should follow Nazis’ constitution overhaul

"'The German Weimar constitution changed, without being noticed, to the Nazi German constitution. Why don’t we learn from their tactics?' Days later, Aso insisted he had been misunderstood and that he was not praising Nazi leader Adolf Hitler’s political prowess, but rather saying constitutional reform should be not be influenced by media criticism or animosity from Japan’s neighbours. Aso is known for his sometimes clumsy and uncomfortable remarks, including saying earlier this year that elderly people should 'hurry up and die' to avoid taxing the country’s medical system." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingOfficial refuses to resign after saying Japan should follow Nazis’ constitution overhaul

Brawl breaks out in Taiwanese legislature over planned nuclear plant

"Taiwanese lawmakers hurled water and wrestled each other to the floor of the island’s parliament Friday in a brawl which broke out during a debate on the fate of a controversial nuclear plant. Dozens of lawmakers from opposing camps clashed as they tried to seize the chamber’s podium and splashed water from cups and plastic bottles at each other. Two scuffling lawmakers from opposing parties fell onto the floor before they were pulled apart by others in footage broadcast live on television. The fourth nuclear plant is about 90 percent complete and due to come online in 2015, according to its operator the state-owned Taiwan Power Company (Taipower)." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBrawl breaks out in Taiwanese legislature over planned nuclear plant

Chile to Join US Visa Waiver Program

"As Chileans become increasingly wealthy and have more disposable income, they are starting to travel more, and as more of them go on vacation or shopping sprees in the US. American's will eventually start to learn about this relatively small country of 17 million people. There will also inevitably be more information sharing between the US and Chilean governments. I know some people down here who aren't thrilled about this and are worried about politicians throughout the world being 'in cahoots' more and more every day. I agree; however, it's a situation that's not unique to Chile." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingChile to Join US Visa Waiver Program