There has been quite a bit of buzz on the Internet about a National Security Agency document which implies that the NSA intercepted, and deciphered, signals from an extraterrestrial source. The fact that the document is located on the NSA's website makes the story a bit more intriguing than the typical UFO stories that we are inundated with on a daily basis. UFO believers have been quick to point to the document as proof that extraterrestrials exist and the government has known about them for decades. Although I believe that the universe is so vast that it is probably teeming with life, I'm not so sure that this document is the bombshell that others make it out to be.
First of all, the document in question was allegedly published in the NSA's Technical Journal. Many government agencies publish these types of documents, both classified and unclassified, to share information within their confines and with other external agencies. The document refers to an earlier volume of the Technical Journal, which is not shown, and herein may be the answer to the question. It is entirely possible that the code in question was merely an exercise or contest put out by the agency for its code breakers to solve, perhaps on the page after the one announcing who was bringing potato salad to the next agency picnic. For those that see this as implausible, take a look at the code sculpture that has been a focus of interest at the CIA's headquarters since 1988.
04 May 2011
The Royal Wedding - Tribal Style
Here is a report from the island of Tanna (part of the nation of Vanuatu in the Pacific) which relates that the Yaohannen tribe will soon be celebrating the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Nothing too odd about that, I admit, but the strange part of the story is that the tribe actually worships William's grandfather, Prince Philip, as a deity. Apparently the tribe has been anxiously awaiting his promised return to their island for the past 30 years.
03 May 2011
A Day at the Ball Yard
I've recently come to the conclusion that I'm getting old. I turned 44 years old in March and am starting to see the symptoms that I am basically at the mid point of my life- creaking knees in the morning, an ever expanding waist line and, most surprisingly, a new affinity for baseball.
When I was kid growing up I occasionally went to a Pirates game with my dad and was usually bored silly by the second inning. While my dad would watch games on television, and listen to them on the radio while working in the garage or the back yard, my attention span was limited to asking what the score was and then moving on to something more interesting. Even during the glory days of the 1970's when the Pirates won two World Series, my commitment to the team never went beyond collecting the occasional baseball card. I just couldn't see the fun in watching a game on a sunny day when you could be playing baseball or run-down with your buddies in the neighborhood.
Over the past couple of years, a strange thing started to happen. It began gradually as I tuned in to watch entire games on the television and listen to them on the radio in the car. While I usually went to only one or two Pirate games a year, my attendance suddenly skyrocketed to three or four games despite the fact that the team was working hard on an 18 year losing streak of record proportions. I concluded something had indeed gone horribly wrong as I caught myself checking game box scores on a daily basis and worrying about the performance of individual players.
My first game this year was a couple of weeks ago on a Sunday afternoon. I took this picture from my seats (I invested in a 5 game package this year) looking down the first base line. No, this picture was not taken long before or after the game, it was taken in the sixth inning. Note the preponderance of empty seats vs. the scattered attendees (there were around 4,000 people at the game so the stadium was about 10 % full.) The game was against the Washington Nationals (we lost, of course) and in all fairness to the Pirates it was Easter Sunday so that could have affected attendance a bit.
Despite the loss, it was a nice afternoon out and it occurred to me that I really have never had a bad experience at a Pirates game. The fans were mostly comprised of families, nobody was drunk and out of control and the Nationals fans in attendance were at worst politely ignored. Contrasting this to the "Mad Max" atmosphere at Steelers games and the beer fueled youth at Penguins games only made me appreciate it more. A teenager caught a foul popped into our section and then promptly walked down the steps to hand it to a little kid sitting with his parents. Along with the 6 or so other people in my part of the stadium, we gave him a polite round of applause for a very classy move.
Perhaps this was the key to my new found love of baseball- I am simply getting old and crotchety and completely intolerant of the drunken escapades witnessed at other sporting events. Sitting in PNC Park watching the Pirates lose on a Spring afternoon was far more appealing to me than freezing my ass off in Heinz Field and watching the Steelers win. I closed my eyes for a moment of Buddhist mindfulness and enjoyed the moment- the birds singing, the crack of the bat and braying of the men selling beer and popcorn. I think I've found a home for the next 40 years.
02 May 2011
It's the End of the World as Far as They Know It
I was recently motoring on Interstate 70 south of Pittsburgh when I noticed a group of RV's heading towards me in the opposite lane. They were festooned with graphics stating that the world was going to end on May 21st, 2011. A little bit of internet research pointed me to the website of an organization known as ebiblefellowship. Through a convoluted system of mathematics and bible study, these people believe that we all have less than three weeks to live.
I love eschatology- the numerous theories throughout history regarding the end of the world, the failure of these theories to come true and the aftermath when they don't. The human need to try to pin a date on the end of existence holds endless fascination for me and I have to admit I really like these ebible people- no parsing of words or pussyfooting around here, they are predicting a date certain which beats the 2012 crowd by a full nineteen months. They are so certain that we are going to be vaporized that they even helpfully end their organizations calendar on the 20th with their final appearance in Philadelphia, PA (one can only hope that if the world ends, it starts in Philadelphia.)
While reading the group's website, I asked my wife if she knew the world was going to end in less than three weeks and what we should do. She said we should take a trip to Europe. Hmmm, I wasn't expecting that one. I don't know if the world is going to end in three weeks, three days or three million years. Frankly, I don't care. I only hope that if May 21st peacefully passes into May 22nd, the followers of this group don't do something stupid to themselves. Better to just say they forgot to carry the three and they were off by a few thousand years.
30 April 2011
Anarchist Pig- All That Glitters is Silver
Back in January I made some comments regarding gold, silver and the wisdom of holding some precious metals as a hedge against inflation, currency devaluation and the plain stupidity of the people running this country. Since I wrote that article, gold has rocketed to over $ 1,500 an ounce and its cheaper cousin silver is within striking distance of doubling in price. Recent comments by Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke and our seemingly clueless President have merely confirmed my belief that holding some physical metal is probably a good idea.
There are times when I wonder if Barak Obama rubs his hands together and does his best Simpson's impersonation of Montgomery Burns when the cameras switch off- "Excellent" he mutters to Bernanke filling in for Waylon Smithers, "our plans to drive the U.S. economy into the ditch are working better than expected." My suspicions about the Community Organizer in Chief were confirmed when he came out swinging against oil traders, speculators and other malcontents who were artificially driving up the price of oil- all while completely ignoring (conveniently) the fact that the U.S. dollar is dropping like a rock causing the prices of commodities (gold, silver, oil among others) to march steadily higher. I'm not a Harvard educated economist but even my rudimentary understanding of finance tells me that when you are printing dollars by the truck load, you are undercutting your own currency and prompting inflation.
Besides a weakening dollar, metal prices are driven by fear. I think there is now a real disconnect between those within the Washington Beltway and the other 99.99 % of the country that have the uneasy feeling that no matter how we rearrange the deck chairs, the Titanic is about to roll over and sink. While the government crows that inflation is barely noticeable, a loud buzzer went off in the back of my head when I recently paid $ 7.00 for two uncooked chicken breasts and $ 15.00 for a small/medium bottle of laundry soap. I walked out of the store with $ 67.00 worth of groceries that I swore would have cost half of that a year or two ago. The politicians just don't get it and the same can be said for the establishment media that labels all of this a speculative bubble. When silver last spiked it truly was for speculative reasons as the Hunt brothers attempted to corner the entire market. This time around, I see more than enough fundamental problems with the U.S. economy to justify the price appreciation.
So what's a hard working American supposed to do ? I do recommend picking up some physical metals, especially on price dips, but not betting the family farm on it. I've been telling family that anyone with cash in the bank needs to be highly tuned to what is happening to the dollar and fully prepared to move those dollars into other assets if the devaluation accelerates. Real estate if you can afford it, or maybe just the new fridge or washer/dryer that you've had an eye on. If the drop in the dollar accelerates, you might as well spend it while you can get something for it. Call me unpatriotic, but one move I made was to invest in a bear dollar inverse ETF (it appreciates as the dollar falls) which has given me a nice return- perhaps I should send a thank you note to Mr. Obama.
I have done some research into opening overseas accounts denominated in foreign currencies but the account minimums and accompanying red tape make this a far more daunting exercise than I expected. Over the past couple of years, our dear government has quietly made it far more difficult for foreign banks to accept us a depositors. I never considered this course of action because I wanted to avoid paying taxes, only because I wanted to protect the money that I have worked very hard to earn. Only an idiot would screw with the IRS- I read all of the IRS statues on reporting foreign interest accounts etc. but it was all a moot point when you can't open a foreign account in the first place. I would avoid dabbling in Forex accounts (you would do better at the dog track) but converting dollars into hard currencies through banks might not be a bad idea. I would stick with currencies from nations with strong current accounts- Norway, Australia and Canada all look good based on their strong raw material and commodity production.
There are times when I wonder if Barak Obama rubs his hands together and does his best Simpson's impersonation of Montgomery Burns when the cameras switch off- "Excellent" he mutters to Bernanke filling in for Waylon Smithers, "our plans to drive the U.S. economy into the ditch are working better than expected." My suspicions about the Community Organizer in Chief were confirmed when he came out swinging against oil traders, speculators and other malcontents who were artificially driving up the price of oil- all while completely ignoring (conveniently) the fact that the U.S. dollar is dropping like a rock causing the prices of commodities (gold, silver, oil among others) to march steadily higher. I'm not a Harvard educated economist but even my rudimentary understanding of finance tells me that when you are printing dollars by the truck load, you are undercutting your own currency and prompting inflation.
Besides a weakening dollar, metal prices are driven by fear. I think there is now a real disconnect between those within the Washington Beltway and the other 99.99 % of the country that have the uneasy feeling that no matter how we rearrange the deck chairs, the Titanic is about to roll over and sink. While the government crows that inflation is barely noticeable, a loud buzzer went off in the back of my head when I recently paid $ 7.00 for two uncooked chicken breasts and $ 15.00 for a small/medium bottle of laundry soap. I walked out of the store with $ 67.00 worth of groceries that I swore would have cost half of that a year or two ago. The politicians just don't get it and the same can be said for the establishment media that labels all of this a speculative bubble. When silver last spiked it truly was for speculative reasons as the Hunt brothers attempted to corner the entire market. This time around, I see more than enough fundamental problems with the U.S. economy to justify the price appreciation.
So what's a hard working American supposed to do ? I do recommend picking up some physical metals, especially on price dips, but not betting the family farm on it. I've been telling family that anyone with cash in the bank needs to be highly tuned to what is happening to the dollar and fully prepared to move those dollars into other assets if the devaluation accelerates. Real estate if you can afford it, or maybe just the new fridge or washer/dryer that you've had an eye on. If the drop in the dollar accelerates, you might as well spend it while you can get something for it. Call me unpatriotic, but one move I made was to invest in a bear dollar inverse ETF (it appreciates as the dollar falls) which has given me a nice return- perhaps I should send a thank you note to Mr. Obama.
I have done some research into opening overseas accounts denominated in foreign currencies but the account minimums and accompanying red tape make this a far more daunting exercise than I expected. Over the past couple of years, our dear government has quietly made it far more difficult for foreign banks to accept us a depositors. I never considered this course of action because I wanted to avoid paying taxes, only because I wanted to protect the money that I have worked very hard to earn. Only an idiot would screw with the IRS- I read all of the IRS statues on reporting foreign interest accounts etc. but it was all a moot point when you can't open a foreign account in the first place. I would avoid dabbling in Forex accounts (you would do better at the dog track) but converting dollars into hard currencies through banks might not be a bad idea. I would stick with currencies from nations with strong current accounts- Norway, Australia and Canada all look good based on their strong raw material and commodity production.
29 April 2011
When Kukris and Hand Bags Meet
A couple of weeks ago I was up late battling a cold and watching television. As so often happens in the land of 300 channels there was absolutely nothing on worth watching. I was mindlessly switching programs when one of the home shopping networks caught my eye. The two young women acting as spokesmen were proclaiming the virtues of Ghurka fine leather goods- handbags, wallets etc. My ears pricked up at the name and also at the company logo which looked suspiciously like a pair of crossed kukris- the famed fighting knife of the Gurkha Regiments.
Being a former soldier myself, I have always been impressed with the history and reputation of some of the best soldiers on the planet- incredibly tough, loyal and brave men that have served in the Indian and British armies for generations. A recent news story (scroll down on page that is linked) about a retired Gurkha fighting off a mob trying to attack a girl in India only confirmed my admiration for these people. For the Gurkha communities in Nepal, the Army has remained the occupation of choice and young soldiers have been the prime export of these tough hill people. Why on earth, I wondered, was a company making hand bags capitalizing on their name ? More importantly, were they paying anything for the right, or at the very least supporting the charities that assist Gurkha veterans ?
I'm going to do a bit of digging to see if I can find anything out.
A Royal Wedding
Thank goodness its over. After months of endless media build-up and breathless commentary, Prince William and his new bride are hopefully enjoying themselves and looking forward to a happy life together. I'm not so jaded and bitter that I'm going to make snide comments about the newlyweds or the lavish ceremony that sent them on their way. I'll save those comments for my fellow Americans.
While watching coverage over the past few weeks, I needed to smack myself in the head a few times and remember that my ancestors fought a revolution which ejected this inbred bunch of Germans from our political system. Even the English seem bemused with the American fascination with all things royal- would we have been happier if we lost at Yorktown ? By its very definition, royalty should clash against the deeply held American beliefs in success by hard work, not by birth, and a rejection of a class system comprised of Kings, Queens, Princes and Princesses ruling by divine right. These people belong in Disney World, not in positions of authority.
My favorite rejection of the concept of royalty spoken by Michael Palin in Monty Python's Holy Grail-
"Listen, strange women lyin' in ponds distributin' swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony."
Farcical indeed. The Royals are a remnant of a not so pretty time in history when generations of men and women, with the implied and direct support of the church, subjugated the majority of humanity in a system that transferred the labor and production of the many to benefit the few (things having only improved slightly over the past couple of centuries.) For some reason, many Americans are attracted to the fairy tale veneer of royalty with little thought to the system of brutality and subjugation that it represents. In the absence of our own royal family sponging off the public dole, we are eager to elect substitutes in their place- the best example being a bunch of Bog Irish from Massachusetts that briefly held the Presidency and numerous other state and federal offices.
Then again, perhaps my assumption that Americans hold the values of hard work and self determination is fundamentally flawed. Perhaps the vast majority of Americans would prefer to be governed by a royal family- the majority of eligible Americans don't vote anyway and a government based on primogeniture would enable us to spend less time worrying about how we are governed and more time on important subjects like "American Idol." Maybe the British royal family never went away- they are just biding their time as generations of welfare, poor education and PlayStation imposed laziness make us ripe for them to take back what was once theirs.
While watching coverage over the past few weeks, I needed to smack myself in the head a few times and remember that my ancestors fought a revolution which ejected this inbred bunch of Germans from our political system. Even the English seem bemused with the American fascination with all things royal- would we have been happier if we lost at Yorktown ? By its very definition, royalty should clash against the deeply held American beliefs in success by hard work, not by birth, and a rejection of a class system comprised of Kings, Queens, Princes and Princesses ruling by divine right. These people belong in Disney World, not in positions of authority.
My favorite rejection of the concept of royalty spoken by Michael Palin in Monty Python's Holy Grail-
"Listen, strange women lyin' in ponds distributin' swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony."
Farcical indeed. The Royals are a remnant of a not so pretty time in history when generations of men and women, with the implied and direct support of the church, subjugated the majority of humanity in a system that transferred the labor and production of the many to benefit the few (things having only improved slightly over the past couple of centuries.) For some reason, many Americans are attracted to the fairy tale veneer of royalty with little thought to the system of brutality and subjugation that it represents. In the absence of our own royal family sponging off the public dole, we are eager to elect substitutes in their place- the best example being a bunch of Bog Irish from Massachusetts that briefly held the Presidency and numerous other state and federal offices.
Then again, perhaps my assumption that Americans hold the values of hard work and self determination is fundamentally flawed. Perhaps the vast majority of Americans would prefer to be governed by a royal family- the majority of eligible Americans don't vote anyway and a government based on primogeniture would enable us to spend less time worrying about how we are governed and more time on important subjects like "American Idol." Maybe the British royal family never went away- they are just biding their time as generations of welfare, poor education and PlayStation imposed laziness make us ripe for them to take back what was once theirs.
22 March 2011
Spewing Bullshit
The tragedy of the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan has been difficult to watch. Families ripped apart, widespread death and injuries, villages and cities destroyed. My heart goes out to the people of Japan and I wish them strength and hope through this most difficult time.
I reserve, however, no such sympathy for the media.
Let's take a look at the word "spew." For those such as myself raised in America, "spew" held a special place in our hearts and was usually spoken to reflect on the prior night's drinking of alcoholic beverages- "I spewed all over my room" or, from my own library of moments I hope are never brought up in Congressional hearings- "Holy shit, I think I spewed all over an ATM on College Avenue."
"Spew" I believe, holds a special place in the mind of the average American frat boy, or sorority girl, that are the backbone of the creaking, decrepit and extinct U.S. media system.
While listening to radio and television coverage of the nuclear disaster that followed the earthquake, I began to hear a drumbeat of the word "spew."
Don't believe me ? Well, try not to spew while you read these nuggets-
From the NY Times- Spewing Steam
The LA Times- Spewing Radiation
The Guardian- Spewing Steam
The Nashua (New Hampshire) Telegraph- Spewing
Time Magazine- Spewing Radiation
CBS News- Spewing Radiation
Huffington Post- Spewing Radioactive Death
I'm too lazy to refer to them all, Google it yourself.
I wish I got paid to spew my bullshit. These supposed journalists operate within a closed system, bouncing their stories, bylines and main points back and forth. For the love of God, buy yourself a new adverb.
I reserve, however, no such sympathy for the media.
Let's take a look at the word "spew." For those such as myself raised in America, "spew" held a special place in our hearts and was usually spoken to reflect on the prior night's drinking of alcoholic beverages- "I spewed all over my room" or, from my own library of moments I hope are never brought up in Congressional hearings- "Holy shit, I think I spewed all over an ATM on College Avenue."
"Spew" I believe, holds a special place in the mind of the average American frat boy, or sorority girl, that are the backbone of the creaking, decrepit and extinct U.S. media system.
While listening to radio and television coverage of the nuclear disaster that followed the earthquake, I began to hear a drumbeat of the word "spew."
Don't believe me ? Well, try not to spew while you read these nuggets-
From the NY Times- Spewing Steam
The LA Times- Spewing Radiation
The Guardian- Spewing Steam
The Nashua (New Hampshire) Telegraph- Spewing
Time Magazine- Spewing Radiation
CBS News- Spewing Radiation
Huffington Post- Spewing Radioactive Death
I'm too lazy to refer to them all, Google it yourself.
I wish I got paid to spew my bullshit. These supposed journalists operate within a closed system, bouncing their stories, bylines and main points back and forth. For the love of God, buy yourself a new adverb.
12 January 2011
Anarchist Pig- Gold Fever
It seems to me that anytime I turn on the television, I am bombarded by commercials and infomercials selling two services- tax defense against the IRS and companies selling gold and other metals. I'm not sure what the combination of these two trends mean other than the fact that the world is going to hell and I watch too much TV. Many people in the U.S. are in debt to the government and can't pay what they owe and many others are worried that the credit of the government is now at junk status and it can't pay what it owes either.
Boy do I miss Billy Mays.
Let me say that although I'm a big fan of conspiracy theories (UFO's, Big Foot, Bermuda Triangle, the Cubs never winning the World Series) I'm not one of the drones eagerly following Glen Beck's lead and loading up the garage with bullion- I don't think that I'm going to need shave gold shards off of coins to buy toilet paper after the world ends in 2012. I do believe, however, that there is real danger in our fiat money system which is nicely summed up in this paper written by Ludwig von Mises in July, 1953.
Once decoupled from gold reserves, our paper money system is supported by nothing more than the psychological hope that everything is going to be okay- the currency equivalent of sunshine, lollipops and unicorns. If you really want a good reason to stare at the ceiling fan in the middle of the night, think about what all of your monetary assets (cash, savings, maybe some retirement funds) are comprised of- electronic ones and zeros on some server someplace. Now, combine that thought with the electronic "flash crash" of 2010 and a government that needs to print billions of dollars to pay the interest on the trillions of dollars it borrowed to plug holes in the ever increasing federal debt- another $ 600 billion in "quantitative easing" (a nice euphemism for "printing money") was announced yesterday on top of the $ 1.7 trillion to date. Buying some silver, gold or even platinum seems to be a prudent idea and here are some of my thoughts (and experience) on the subject.
First off, let's start with the disadvantages to investing in metals (Note- for the purpose of this post I'm talking about real metal i.e. coins and bullion, not metal miner's stocks, ETF, mutual funds etc.) Unlike many other investments, metal is not going to pay you interest or any type of dividend while you own it- it's going to sit quietly in your desk, your safe or bank and rise and fall with the market price. The other disadvantage with owning metal is liquidity and the difficulties that may arise when the time comes to sell it. Although you think your shiny 1 ounce silver dollar is worth $ 29.00 (because that's the price of silver at the moment you want to sell it) you are entirely at the mercy of what a prospective buyer wants to pay- remember that they will have to pay a discounted rate in order to make a profit when they sell it. Finally, you can't walk into a 7-Eleven and plonk your ounce of silver on the counter loudly announcing "a round of slurpees for everyone" to loud applause-it is not going to be accepted as currency except at face value (which is $ 1.00 dollar, and you're an idiot if you spend it for that.) Remember, liquidity problems will also expand exponentially with the size of your chunk of metal so ease off the 100 ounce silver bars and start out with 1 ounce coins cowboy.
Okay, so why would you want to own some metal ? Well, there are quite a few reasons. First, unlike stocks, bonds or other investments there is no credit risk tied to your asset- a gold coin, for example, is not going to go bankrupt or be worth $ 0.00 at some point in the future. Next, metal prices rise in times of economic and political uncertainty and goodness knows we have plenty of that going on right now. Once the wheelbarrows of money from the Federal of Reserve dry up, all of that money sloshing around in the system will probably lead to increased inflation and loss of value in terms of the U.S. dollar- both good things for metal prices. Finally, there is an issue of privacy when you own metal. I actually like the fact that metals don't pay dividends or interest simply because that means I am not receiving annual forms to file with the IRS and state taxing authorities. The very fact that they are physical assets means they are portable and can be quietly given to family members (i.e. children) at some point in the future unlike stocks and bonds which have a long paper trail.
So, you might be ready right now to charge out and buy some metal. How do you do it ? Unless you live on a desert island, I recommend avoiding the Internet and dealing with a local metals broker or coin shop instead. The Internet is fantastic for doing your research and getting a good idea of how much your investment is going to cost, but I generally don't like buying metal online for two reasons. First, online companies are going to charge you much more in terms of transaction costs than a local dealer because they need to add shipping and shipping insurance to your purchase. Second, my general rule is not to buy metals unless I have some idea of the reputation of the seller- a coin shop that has been in business in your town for 25 years is probably a safer bet than an online company located a couple of time zones away.
When you decide to buy some metal, you need to consider what type you want to purchase (I'll limit this to platinum, gold and silver) and in what form (again, for brevity we will limit this to coins or bullion.) All metals have their own advantages and disadvantages as investments in terms of supply, industrial and personal (jewelry) uses which you can easily research online. I invest in all three to give my group of metals a little bit of diversification- platinum, for example, is more sensitive to industrial cycles because of its use in the automotive and electronic industries. I also invest in both bullion and coins for the following reasons. Bullion purchases (such as 1, 10 or 100 ounce bars) generally give you the best purchase price in terms of being closest to the global market price at that particular time. Again, do your own research, but the most important thing with bullion is to insure that the bar has been stamped by one of the refiners listed here at the London Bullion Market Association as being acceptable for delivery in the world market. These pedigree markings show a prospective buyer that the bar is acceptable in terms of weight and content although they will probably want to do further testing because of the amount of fraud in the bullion market. Because of fraud concerns, coins are much more difficult to forge and are therefore more easily sold. The main thing to remember with coins is that you will be paying a premium above the market price of the metal due to numismatic value or demand. I also want to note that we are not talking about investment grade coins (rare coins that are graded and sometimes "slabbed" inside of acrylic containers.) That is an entirely different animal that I am not experienced with.
Here's an example of premium when buying a coin. At the time I am writing this, a gold 1 ounce eagle is selling here at Kitco (a great website by the way) for $ 1458.54 while the price on the world market for 1 ounce of gold is $ 1,382.50 (note at the same time, a one ounce bullion bar is selling for $ 1,407.50 which is closer to the market price.) The coin is selling at a premium of $ 76.04 or 5.5 % above market while the bar is selling at a premium of $ 25.00 or 1.8 %. Both products contain one ounce of gold but the bar is actually refined at .9999 while the coin is .9167 fine- a microscopic difference because the coin needs certain alloys to be cast. Another thing to remember is to save your money. Again, looking at the Kitco pricing (which is typical) shows how sellers punish the little guy. While our one ounce gold eagle is selling for $ 1,458.54, a 1/10th ounce eagle is selling for $ 165.90- sounds like a great deal right ? Not so fast. Simple math tells us that the 1/10th eagle is priced at a rate of $ 1,650 per ounce which is a whopping $ 267.50 or 19.35 % above market price. Instead of rushing right in to buy 1/10th of an ounce of gold, it might make far better financial sense to buy 5 ounces of silver which is priced closer to market price.
So, like any investment there are pros and cons to owning metals. I wouldn't cash out all of your savings and buy some but a couple of ounces bought over a couple of years is probably a good idea. Again, do your own research and make sure you are dealing with a reputable seller.
Boy do I miss Billy Mays.
Let me say that although I'm a big fan of conspiracy theories (UFO's, Big Foot, Bermuda Triangle, the Cubs never winning the World Series) I'm not one of the drones eagerly following Glen Beck's lead and loading up the garage with bullion- I don't think that I'm going to need shave gold shards off of coins to buy toilet paper after the world ends in 2012. I do believe, however, that there is real danger in our fiat money system which is nicely summed up in this paper written by Ludwig von Mises in July, 1953.
Once decoupled from gold reserves, our paper money system is supported by nothing more than the psychological hope that everything is going to be okay- the currency equivalent of sunshine, lollipops and unicorns. If you really want a good reason to stare at the ceiling fan in the middle of the night, think about what all of your monetary assets (cash, savings, maybe some retirement funds) are comprised of- electronic ones and zeros on some server someplace. Now, combine that thought with the electronic "flash crash" of 2010 and a government that needs to print billions of dollars to pay the interest on the trillions of dollars it borrowed to plug holes in the ever increasing federal debt- another $ 600 billion in "quantitative easing" (a nice euphemism for "printing money") was announced yesterday on top of the $ 1.7 trillion to date. Buying some silver, gold or even platinum seems to be a prudent idea and here are some of my thoughts (and experience) on the subject.
First off, let's start with the disadvantages to investing in metals (Note- for the purpose of this post I'm talking about real metal i.e. coins and bullion, not metal miner's stocks, ETF, mutual funds etc.) Unlike many other investments, metal is not going to pay you interest or any type of dividend while you own it- it's going to sit quietly in your desk, your safe or bank and rise and fall with the market price. The other disadvantage with owning metal is liquidity and the difficulties that may arise when the time comes to sell it. Although you think your shiny 1 ounce silver dollar is worth $ 29.00 (because that's the price of silver at the moment you want to sell it) you are entirely at the mercy of what a prospective buyer wants to pay- remember that they will have to pay a discounted rate in order to make a profit when they sell it. Finally, you can't walk into a 7-Eleven and plonk your ounce of silver on the counter loudly announcing "a round of slurpees for everyone" to loud applause-it is not going to be accepted as currency except at face value (which is $ 1.00 dollar, and you're an idiot if you spend it for that.) Remember, liquidity problems will also expand exponentially with the size of your chunk of metal so ease off the 100 ounce silver bars and start out with 1 ounce coins cowboy.
Okay, so why would you want to own some metal ? Well, there are quite a few reasons. First, unlike stocks, bonds or other investments there is no credit risk tied to your asset- a gold coin, for example, is not going to go bankrupt or be worth $ 0.00 at some point in the future. Next, metal prices rise in times of economic and political uncertainty and goodness knows we have plenty of that going on right now. Once the wheelbarrows of money from the Federal of Reserve dry up, all of that money sloshing around in the system will probably lead to increased inflation and loss of value in terms of the U.S. dollar- both good things for metal prices. Finally, there is an issue of privacy when you own metal. I actually like the fact that metals don't pay dividends or interest simply because that means I am not receiving annual forms to file with the IRS and state taxing authorities. The very fact that they are physical assets means they are portable and can be quietly given to family members (i.e. children) at some point in the future unlike stocks and bonds which have a long paper trail.
So, you might be ready right now to charge out and buy some metal. How do you do it ? Unless you live on a desert island, I recommend avoiding the Internet and dealing with a local metals broker or coin shop instead. The Internet is fantastic for doing your research and getting a good idea of how much your investment is going to cost, but I generally don't like buying metal online for two reasons. First, online companies are going to charge you much more in terms of transaction costs than a local dealer because they need to add shipping and shipping insurance to your purchase. Second, my general rule is not to buy metals unless I have some idea of the reputation of the seller- a coin shop that has been in business in your town for 25 years is probably a safer bet than an online company located a couple of time zones away.
When you decide to buy some metal, you need to consider what type you want to purchase (I'll limit this to platinum, gold and silver) and in what form (again, for brevity we will limit this to coins or bullion.) All metals have their own advantages and disadvantages as investments in terms of supply, industrial and personal (jewelry) uses which you can easily research online. I invest in all three to give my group of metals a little bit of diversification- platinum, for example, is more sensitive to industrial cycles because of its use in the automotive and electronic industries. I also invest in both bullion and coins for the following reasons. Bullion purchases (such as 1, 10 or 100 ounce bars) generally give you the best purchase price in terms of being closest to the global market price at that particular time. Again, do your own research, but the most important thing with bullion is to insure that the bar has been stamped by one of the refiners listed here at the London Bullion Market Association as being acceptable for delivery in the world market. These pedigree markings show a prospective buyer that the bar is acceptable in terms of weight and content although they will probably want to do further testing because of the amount of fraud in the bullion market. Because of fraud concerns, coins are much more difficult to forge and are therefore more easily sold. The main thing to remember with coins is that you will be paying a premium above the market price of the metal due to numismatic value or demand. I also want to note that we are not talking about investment grade coins (rare coins that are graded and sometimes "slabbed" inside of acrylic containers.) That is an entirely different animal that I am not experienced with.
Here's an example of premium when buying a coin. At the time I am writing this, a gold 1 ounce eagle is selling here at Kitco (a great website by the way) for $ 1458.54 while the price on the world market for 1 ounce of gold is $ 1,382.50 (note at the same time, a one ounce bullion bar is selling for $ 1,407.50 which is closer to the market price.) The coin is selling at a premium of $ 76.04 or 5.5 % above market while the bar is selling at a premium of $ 25.00 or 1.8 %. Both products contain one ounce of gold but the bar is actually refined at .9999 while the coin is .9167 fine- a microscopic difference because the coin needs certain alloys to be cast. Another thing to remember is to save your money. Again, looking at the Kitco pricing (which is typical) shows how sellers punish the little guy. While our one ounce gold eagle is selling for $ 1,458.54, a 1/10th ounce eagle is selling for $ 165.90- sounds like a great deal right ? Not so fast. Simple math tells us that the 1/10th eagle is priced at a rate of $ 1,650 per ounce which is a whopping $ 267.50 or 19.35 % above market price. Instead of rushing right in to buy 1/10th of an ounce of gold, it might make far better financial sense to buy 5 ounces of silver which is priced closer to market price.
So, like any investment there are pros and cons to owning metals. I wouldn't cash out all of your savings and buy some but a couple of ounces bought over a couple of years is probably a good idea. Again, do your own research and make sure you are dealing with a reputable seller.
11 January 2011
Personality Test
Well, because of the last subject I posted about I decided to take an online personality test.
I think it was pretty close in the result which states that I'm a Protector (ISFJ) of the Guardian type personality-which along with my 18 Constitution, 18 Wisdom and band of dwarf followers, enables me to confront evil wherever it exists.
I think it was pretty close in the result which states that I'm a Protector (ISFJ) of the Guardian type personality-which along with my 18 Constitution, 18 Wisdom and band of dwarf followers, enables me to confront evil wherever it exists.
News Flash- Word Choice Reveals Personality Traits
I found this article about word choices used by bloggers to be somewhat interesting-
"A University of Colorado researcher's behemoth word search in the blogosphere has found that bloggers' choices of words reveal their personality traits."
Huh...really ? I take back everything I ever said against public funds supporting higher education.
Here's another startling observation from the author of the study-
"People who blog write alot and write often."
Snide comments aside, what does my choice of words say about me ? Wow, that could be one scary path to go down. I'm proud of the fact that I think my blog (and my mind) is so completely all over the place that it can't be neatly defined by anyone- or am I being delusional ? Now I'm paranoid.
"A University of Colorado researcher's behemoth word search in the blogosphere has found that bloggers' choices of words reveal their personality traits."
Huh...really ? I take back everything I ever said against public funds supporting higher education.
Here's another startling observation from the author of the study-
"People who blog write alot and write often."
Snide comments aside, what does my choice of words say about me ? Wow, that could be one scary path to go down. I'm proud of the fact that I think my blog (and my mind) is so completely all over the place that it can't be neatly defined by anyone- or am I being delusional ? Now I'm paranoid.
10 January 2011
When Governors Attack.....
Did anyone else see our esteemed former Governor Ed Rendell on 60 Minutes last night ? Apparently, he's a bit touchy when faced with questions regarding the human cost of the Commonwealth's support of the gambling industry-
While I can't disagree with his opinion that the media is comprised of simpletons and idiots, a longer cut of the interview showed Rendell presenting the argument that people are going to gamble anyways, so why not in casinos that are paying tax revenue to the state ? Maybe we should apply the same logic to crystal meth- hey, people are going to do it anyway, why shouldn't the state get a cut ?
I have to applaud Leslie Stahl for (finally) making the point that the casino tax "revenue" is actually comprised of losses which are being paid by our own citizens. The citizens that pay these losses are usually the ones that can least afford to do so- the elderly, the poor and those addicted to gambling.
As I recounted in an earlier post in 2009 , Pennsylvania controls both liquor and gambling. When the state government takes over prostitution, it will give the mob a serious run for its money.
While I can't disagree with his opinion that the media is comprised of simpletons and idiots, a longer cut of the interview showed Rendell presenting the argument that people are going to gamble anyways, so why not in casinos that are paying tax revenue to the state ? Maybe we should apply the same logic to crystal meth- hey, people are going to do it anyway, why shouldn't the state get a cut ?
I have to applaud Leslie Stahl for (finally) making the point that the casino tax "revenue" is actually comprised of losses which are being paid by our own citizens. The citizens that pay these losses are usually the ones that can least afford to do so- the elderly, the poor and those addicted to gambling.
As I recounted in an earlier post in 2009 , Pennsylvania controls both liquor and gambling. When the state government takes over prostitution, it will give the mob a serious run for its money.
09 January 2011
RIP Gerry Rafferty (1947-2011)
Scottish rocker Gerry Rafferty died of complications from alcoholism last week at age 63. I have quite a few of his tunes loaded on my I Phone and have enjoyed his music for many years. Beyond the obvious "Baker Street" which was a top 10 hit and favorite of radio stations around the world, a listen to any of his other songs reveals a talented songwriter and musician that has left us far too soon. Rock on dude, rock on.
08 January 2011
07 January 2011
Dead Birds, Dead Fish & Dead Minds
Breathless news reports about dead birds, dead fish, turtles and crabs seem to be popping up around the globe lately. When I saw the first report about thousands of red wing blackbirds dying Arkansas, my first response was to mutter "the 2012 crowd is going to love this." Sure enough, thanks to the immediacy of the Internet and its ability to allow know-nothing idiots (like me) to chime in with their opinions, I read everything from bible thumping believers that the end is near to conspiracy theorists blaming HAARP, the New World Order and every other nebulous explanation you can think of.
As I have stated in earlier posts, I really don't have much patience for eschatology. Trying to foresee the unforeseeable, rather than living in the here and now, seems like a tremendous waste of time to me. I also resent the fact that that many authors (just check out any book store shelf on 2012) are making a quick buck by capitalizing on public fear and ignorance. The recent reported animal deaths, coupled with a public primed to hear the message of doom, made for a powerful cocktail which was helpfully mixed by the world's media.
A step back from the story, and about 5 minutes worth of research, reveals that wildlife die offs such as these are not only common place but remarkably prevalent. In the U.S. alone, a quick examination of these incidents (see historical information from the USGS National Wildlife Health Center here) shows that many of our animal friends live lives that are nasty, brutish and short. This whole episode is a wonderful example of how the human mind will process and filter information to fit the belief system in which it operates and reject any explanation that offers an alternative.
06 January 2011
The Curious Case of Captain Honors
The recent revelations that Captain Owen Honors, Captain of the USS Enterprise, produced and starred in a series broadcast to the ship's crew has provoked a firestorm of press coverage. The vignettes which were shown while Captain Honors was Executive Officer of the ship, included female sailors showering together, foul language (gasp), masturbation and a great deal of homoeroticism- I will exercise great restraint from creating all of the easy Navy jokes that can be made from this episode, and will instead concentrate on the media coverage that it has produced.
Within days of the story breaking on the 24 hour news cycle, over 3,000 articles were written about Captain Honors and his escapades. How a Naval Academy graduate, trained fighter pilot and combat veteran would be stupid enough to think that he wouldn't be hoisted from the nearest yardarm in this age of political correctness is beyond me. I don't know if he should have lost his command for all of the reasons given by the Navy- conduct not conducive with command, etc. but I think he was definitely guilty of being a dumbass. The predictable press coverage included articles supporting his loss of command, while others included input from former Enterprise sailors supporting him (including one gay one.) In an odd twist to the story, actress Glenn Close piled on because some footage was used in one of the videos which she provided. (Note to Captain Honors- if you see any rabbits boiling on your stove, it might be best to un-ass the A.O.)
I think many military veterans such as myself would look at this story with a sense of bemusement. Sure, Captain Honors exhibited bad judgment in producing this sketches but I think that anyone who has served in the military can also see an officer trying to provide some entertainment to his crew- a crew comprised mainly of 18 and 19 year kids, far from home and alternately living in an existence of extreme boredom and absolute terror. It seems odd that the very people that want a military to protect them with acts of extreme violence would then seem confused that the people they employ to carry these acts out on their behalf do not conform to their own happy, quiet world back here in the states. At a time when the nation is at war, many seem to want their warriors to conform to the soccer mom ideal.
(Okay, I have to admit the urge to let go with a Navy joke. Anyways, on with the story.)
It also seems odd to me that this episode has produced so much press coverage and ignited a public debate which falls along predictable political lines- the right wing supports the Captain and wants him reinstated, the left wing says he needs to go and points to this an example of why gays should be allowed to serve in the military. As usual, I have a different view. Why isn't the debate about why we are spending $ 500,000 per year per Soldier, Sailor, Airman (excuse me, Airperson) and Marine deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq ? (figures from The Economist.) Why aren't the hard questions being asked- why, for instance, are the Pakistanis not being held accountable for their collusion and assistance (through their support of the Taliban) in the deaths of American servicemen ? Why is the U.S. supporting a corrupt regime in Kabul with little hope of ever governing the country ?
Why ? Because these are hard questions. For the life of me I can't see how Captain Honors' raunchy videos endangered American lives- unlike the actions of those elected to put them in harms way.
Within days of the story breaking on the 24 hour news cycle, over 3,000 articles were written about Captain Honors and his escapades. How a Naval Academy graduate, trained fighter pilot and combat veteran would be stupid enough to think that he wouldn't be hoisted from the nearest yardarm in this age of political correctness is beyond me. I don't know if he should have lost his command for all of the reasons given by the Navy- conduct not conducive with command, etc. but I think he was definitely guilty of being a dumbass. The predictable press coverage included articles supporting his loss of command, while others included input from former Enterprise sailors supporting him (including one gay one.) In an odd twist to the story, actress Glenn Close piled on because some footage was used in one of the videos which she provided. (Note to Captain Honors- if you see any rabbits boiling on your stove, it might be best to un-ass the A.O.)
I think many military veterans such as myself would look at this story with a sense of bemusement. Sure, Captain Honors exhibited bad judgment in producing this sketches but I think that anyone who has served in the military can also see an officer trying to provide some entertainment to his crew- a crew comprised mainly of 18 and 19 year kids, far from home and alternately living in an existence of extreme boredom and absolute terror. It seems odd that the very people that want a military to protect them with acts of extreme violence would then seem confused that the people they employ to carry these acts out on their behalf do not conform to their own happy, quiet world back here in the states. At a time when the nation is at war, many seem to want their warriors to conform to the soccer mom ideal.
(Okay, I have to admit the urge to let go with a Navy joke. Anyways, on with the story.)
It also seems odd to me that this episode has produced so much press coverage and ignited a public debate which falls along predictable political lines- the right wing supports the Captain and wants him reinstated, the left wing says he needs to go and points to this an example of why gays should be allowed to serve in the military. As usual, I have a different view. Why isn't the debate about why we are spending $ 500,000 per year per Soldier, Sailor, Airman (excuse me, Airperson) and Marine deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq ? (figures from The Economist.) Why aren't the hard questions being asked- why, for instance, are the Pakistanis not being held accountable for their collusion and assistance (through their support of the Taliban) in the deaths of American servicemen ? Why is the U.S. supporting a corrupt regime in Kabul with little hope of ever governing the country ?
Why ? Because these are hard questions. For the life of me I can't see how Captain Honors' raunchy videos endangered American lives- unlike the actions of those elected to put them in harms way.
19 November 2010
The Buddha on Debt
From "In the Buddha's Words- An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon"-
"And what, householder, the the happiness of freedom from debt ? Here, a family man is not indebted to anyone to any degree, whether small or great, he experiences happiness and joy. This is called the happiness of freedom from debt."
As the Bible says, there truly is nothing new under the sun. Given the current debt situation of the United States, the individual states that make up the Republic and the average American household (not to mention Ireland, Portugal, Greece...well, let's just say the entire world is in hock) these words written over a thousand years ago are as relevant now as they were then, if not more so. Having been deeply in debt, then out of debt, then back in debt and now finally (hopefully) permanently out of debt, I can say that the Buddha was correct in his statement. Drowning in debt leads to despair, stress and depression- being clear of debt leads to freedom, happiness and a lighter view of the world.
In America, the deep debt of the average household was brought on by a consumer driven society where material possessions are used to judge the character and value of the individual- who has the biggest house, the best car, the coolest vacation house. I see this scene play out repeatedly when interacting with parents at our kid's sporting events- despite the financial crisis that has engulfed as all to some degree, the talk is still about who is buying a new house in which upscale neighborhood, who bought a 2011 model year SUV etc. It all reminds me of the scene where the orchestra kept playing on the deck while the Titanic sank. My personal belief is that this behavior is driven by a deep sense of insecurity and lack of self esteem. A person with a healthy view of the world should not care what others think of his or her home or car, and shouldn't judge others on the same basis.
Hopefully, on both the world and individual scale, people have wised up to the personal and national destruction that a debt driven economy has brought upon us. People are saving more, shopping at cheaper stores and generally adopting the spending habits of our parents and grandparents who still carried memories of life during the depression. My prediction is that we will survive this economic crisis only have our own children and grandchildren fall into the same trap. After all, our parents and grandparents didn't know what they were talking about either, right ?
"And what, householder, the the happiness of freedom from debt ? Here, a family man is not indebted to anyone to any degree, whether small or great, he experiences happiness and joy. This is called the happiness of freedom from debt."
As the Bible says, there truly is nothing new under the sun. Given the current debt situation of the United States, the individual states that make up the Republic and the average American household (not to mention Ireland, Portugal, Greece...well, let's just say the entire world is in hock) these words written over a thousand years ago are as relevant now as they were then, if not more so. Having been deeply in debt, then out of debt, then back in debt and now finally (hopefully) permanently out of debt, I can say that the Buddha was correct in his statement. Drowning in debt leads to despair, stress and depression- being clear of debt leads to freedom, happiness and a lighter view of the world.
In America, the deep debt of the average household was brought on by a consumer driven society where material possessions are used to judge the character and value of the individual- who has the biggest house, the best car, the coolest vacation house. I see this scene play out repeatedly when interacting with parents at our kid's sporting events- despite the financial crisis that has engulfed as all to some degree, the talk is still about who is buying a new house in which upscale neighborhood, who bought a 2011 model year SUV etc. It all reminds me of the scene where the orchestra kept playing on the deck while the Titanic sank. My personal belief is that this behavior is driven by a deep sense of insecurity and lack of self esteem. A person with a healthy view of the world should not care what others think of his or her home or car, and shouldn't judge others on the same basis.
Hopefully, on both the world and individual scale, people have wised up to the personal and national destruction that a debt driven economy has brought upon us. People are saving more, shopping at cheaper stores and generally adopting the spending habits of our parents and grandparents who still carried memories of life during the depression. My prediction is that we will survive this economic crisis only have our own children and grandchildren fall into the same trap. After all, our parents and grandparents didn't know what they were talking about either, right ?
30 September 2010
Terrorists, Anarchists and Quakers, Oh My !
The recent revelations that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania paid a company known as the Institute of Terrorism Research and Response for weekly terror briefings has been alternately comical and worrying. On one side, our esteemed Governor Ed Rendell was full of righteous indignation when he learned that over $ 100,000 in taxpayer money was paid for reports that targeted Pennsylvania citizens- everyone ranging from anarchists to tea party members in an operation that was so wide ranging that nobody can really accuse them of playing favorites. As I’ve said before, I really admire the Gov and his ability to spin absolutely any situation to his advantage- brushing aside the fact that it was his administration that hired the company in the first place, he promised that their contract would be immediately broken (leaving out the fact that it was a one year contract due to expire in October anyway.)
This is a perfect example of one of my earlier posts which highlighted the outsourcing of intelligence by the government to private companies. Why spy on your own citizens when you can pay your fellow citizens to do it for you ? Some information on the company suggests that employees posed in chat rooms to gain information on assorted miscreants in Pennsylvania and passed this information on to law enforcement. It's all so very East Germany circa 1975.
If you have some time on a rainy Saturday afternoon, you can read all of the reports in their glory here. I have to say that I read quite a few of them, and even as a former Army intelligence analyst I’m really not sure exactly what the hell is going on. One of my favorites cites a threat by Al Qaeda to use hot air balloons in IED attacks overseas while noting how balloons are poorly secured around the U.S.- the large lake between the source and the target might be a slight obstacle one would think. Other reports mention such totally bad ass, militant organizations like the Quakers. Another one of my favorites involves potential reaction to the Arizona immigration debate spilling into the Pirates-Diamondbacks game at PNC. This completely breaks the rule of intelligence regarding knowledge of your area- nobody goes to Pirate games anymore.
I don’t know if this company is actually employing a whole cadre of analysts (their website and reports even hint at intercepted communications, translation and "closed" intelligence sources) or a couple of guys hitting Google all day long and selling their product to gullible idiots like the ones running our state. I’m amused by the response by those who take positions contrary to the popular ones in our state and feel like they are being targeted- hey, welcome to my life. They seemed shocked and genuinely hurt that our state government would employ a company to spy on them, pay them and then run the other way when the whole operation was exposed. It was all fun and games until Leviathan actually hit back, wasn't it ?
The only genuine hurt I felt was after I read all the reports and realized I never appeared in them.
Not even once.
Bastards.
This is a perfect example of one of my earlier posts which highlighted the outsourcing of intelligence by the government to private companies. Why spy on your own citizens when you can pay your fellow citizens to do it for you ? Some information on the company suggests that employees posed in chat rooms to gain information on assorted miscreants in Pennsylvania and passed this information on to law enforcement. It's all so very East Germany circa 1975.
If you have some time on a rainy Saturday afternoon, you can read all of the reports in their glory here. I have to say that I read quite a few of them, and even as a former Army intelligence analyst I’m really not sure exactly what the hell is going on. One of my favorites cites a threat by Al Qaeda to use hot air balloons in IED attacks overseas while noting how balloons are poorly secured around the U.S.- the large lake between the source and the target might be a slight obstacle one would think. Other reports mention such totally bad ass, militant organizations like the Quakers. Another one of my favorites involves potential reaction to the Arizona immigration debate spilling into the Pirates-Diamondbacks game at PNC. This completely breaks the rule of intelligence regarding knowledge of your area- nobody goes to Pirate games anymore.
I don’t know if this company is actually employing a whole cadre of analysts (their website and reports even hint at intercepted communications, translation and "closed" intelligence sources) or a couple of guys hitting Google all day long and selling their product to gullible idiots like the ones running our state. I’m amused by the response by those who take positions contrary to the popular ones in our state and feel like they are being targeted- hey, welcome to my life. They seemed shocked and genuinely hurt that our state government would employ a company to spy on them, pay them and then run the other way when the whole operation was exposed. It was all fun and games until Leviathan actually hit back, wasn't it ?
The only genuine hurt I felt was after I read all the reports and realized I never appeared in them.
Not even once.
Bastards.
29 September 2010
First Game- Consol Energy Arena
My first game experience at Consol Energy Arena last evening was an enjoyable one. I met up with my brother at Cafe Fifth Avenue which is about a 9 iron shot away from the new arena and had a couple of beers and some wings. Cafe Fifth, like our other favorite pre-game haunt Souper Bowl, won the jackpot when the new arena was built literally accross the street from them. If you're travelling from out of town, I highly recommend both places but be sure to get there early if you want a seat. I've never seen any problems with fans from other cities except for one Caps fan that hurled all over the Souper Bowl bathroom before a Sunday afternoon game a couple of years back.
Heading up 5th Ave. towards the arena-
Up the escalators. Amazing how much more open these are. The old ones at Mellon Arena felt like you were going up to the 2nd floor in your grandma's house.
Malkin scores the opener, view from our seats in 116. Crosby sat out but it was a good chance to see some of the younger guys. My favorite, Goligoski, was out there and looked very sharp carrying the puck through the neutral zone. Kane played for the Hawks, as did Brian Campbell (another favorite) and big John Scott- they show Scott at 6'8" on the roster, he looked like 7'8" on skates.
One strange new twist to the Pens is the introduction of a group of youngsters that have the job of entertainment and ice crew. I don't know if Mario is trying to scrimp on costs because of the new arena, and is trying to consolidate expenses, but both of these roles used to be clearly defined- one group consisted of young hotties who pranced around the arena, the other was made up of grizzled guys who trundled out onto the ice during breaks to clean up around the crease. Unlike the old ice crews that wore shoes with ice cleats, these kids were wearing skates and skated out onto the ice with shovels and buckets. The big difference was that the old ice crew did their job quickly and efficiently. The new ice crew was an outright cluster fuck.
Here is my pic of the "ice crew" coming off-
I'm going to make a prediction here- this venture, no doubt dreamed up by somebody on the Penguin's marketing staff, is going to get the hook in about 2 more games. First, one of the blond girls (who apparently has a twin that was out there with her- eliciting comments from my brother that will go unpublished) nearly ran into Hawks goalie Alec Richards with her shovel. Richards gamely skated out of her way without smacking her with his stick but had to be wondering what perverted sequel to "Slap Shot" he had skated into. Second, and more ominously, I saw some pretty scolding looks from the linesmen and ref which roughly translated as "get your ass off the ice you are holding things up." Since it was a pre-season game, I can sort of see this sliding by- come regular season, I wouldn't be surprised if its being discussed in Toronto.
27 September 2010
I'm in a Maine State of Mind
Rush hour commuting is always painful, especially on Mondays, and particularly awful on rainy Monday mornings. I boarded the train this morning with a dozen of my fellow wage slaves for the slog into Pittsburgh, downtrodden commuters pushing ear buds in, burying their faces in their papers and steeling themselves for another day at work. I was particularly depressed because although I was commuting to work in Pittsburgh, I was deeply in a Maine State of mind.You see, less than 48 hours earlier I had been sitting on the edge of the pond where our family home is located, enjoying sunsets such as the one I snapped to the left. Days were spent working on the house, and getting it ready for winter, but you really can't call it work when the loons were singing, ducks were quacking and a large golden eagle meandered down the lake looking for something to eat. Throw in a lovesick bull moose calling forlornly for a girlfriend, and it was a relaxing week to say the least. No cell phone reception, no phone in fact, no television or internet- just a quietly burning fire, the gentle lapping of the waves on the shore and the haunting cries of the resident loons. I gamely took a bag of books to read, and ended up reading none of them because I was in bed asleep around 8 pm every night. Up early for breakfast and then endless, but enjoyable, hours of scraping old paint, adding new and getting the plumbing system drained and ready for the brutal Maine winter to come.
I felt sorry for my fellow passengers this morning. At least I have such a place to reset my soul once in awhile. The deep quiet of the north woods makes you realize just how completely we complicate our lives with 24 x 7 cable news, I Phones and all of the other accoutrement's of life today. It is a good thing to unplug and enjoy the simple joys of a sunny day, the incredible colors of autumn (which is a good month ahead in Maine,) a quiet paddle in a canoe and the entertainment provided by the local wildlife. I browsed through the pictures on my phone repeatedly with a smile on my face, completely oblivious that we were nearing my stop. I quietly packed up my gear and headed out into the madness of the city streets.
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