No natural disasters in 2009

[Frosty]

Is this a bad sign, im running for the hills ,not geographically but financially.

I got a bad feeling you see,-- I got this feeling that we are band aiding stuff, and using copper wire to hold things together. In 2010 I think something will burst.

My predictions for 2010

Iran will do something stupid. Korea will too. The Us dollar will just fall from the sky,-- and finally its superiority complex. The Euro will become worlds base currency. Australia --nothing. South Africa will sadly continue its slow but indubitable decline in social and economic behavior.

The problem,-- Apathy ,ignorance, and well,--- just plain don't know what to do.

Too many talkers and no do-ers. Sadly rules put in place to counter corruption has stifled the do-ers.

Politicians today are simply oportunistic looters.

[troy2000]

The end of the world is coming--again.

[Submarine Tom]

Bring it on!

[bntii]

Give me a cave, a woman and a bear to fight.

Bring it on!

[Submarine Tom]

Just give me a cave, a woman and a beer...

[bntii]

Well we must not neglect a proper challange... should it occur.

Good day to all.

[Frosty]

Ah I can see I attracted the real scholars of the forum. Never mind Im sure some one with their own 2010 predictions will wander along shortly.

Some one really intelligent like --errr-

[Submarine Tom]

Okay, I'll play along.

The economy will tube this year.

That is to say, "We ain't seen nothing yet!"

There, that's my sad, pessimistic, prediction.

Back to my cave, woman and beer.

-Tom

[Fanie]

No natural disasters in 2009

BS Frosty. Just because you haven't been in SA this year doesn't mean there were'nt any disasters.
This place has been a f disaster for the last 16 years - so was Zimbabwe.

Give me a cave, a woman and a bear to fight.

Bring it on!

You have to add something. Choose between TV and a boat

[masalai]

A boat, a boat, My kingdo..... - - No, no, no, not that - - I will finish building my own boat, and be king, (well 'captain'?) of my own floating island nation... and watch the shenanigans of the rest of the world as they unfold in 2010 and on, from the relative safety of my own little piece of peace in the light of God...

Hanrahan may have known something?

[PAR]

Geezzz Frosty, I bet you filled you tub with water and stocked up on canned goods for 6 months before Y2K hit, just in case too.

Clearly you don't understand the US dollar or how things work, other wise you comments about the USD continuing it's decline would have been shaded with a different color.

Lets face it, the world is in a two currency standard now, the dollar and the euro. China has attached it's currency's value to the dollar for over two decades now, so have dozens of other nations. Japan only permits so much fluctuation before the government steps in against the dollar. The pacific rim countries are all export driven and nearly solely dependent on US consumers and markets buying their goods and services, Europe is too.

This is in concert with the simple truth, that the US dollar returns twice as much in stocks, bonds and other assets then other governments or foreign countries can hope. This repeated higher return has made the dollar and US companies a much better "bet" and a key reason so many foreign countries invest here, instead of their own stock exchanges.

As long as the US continues to present this higher return on capital then other foreign competitors, investors, both private and foreign banks will grab up dollars. The current dollar value was hand writing on the wall for those "engaged" with the market trends. The dollar was over valued against the euro for a few years and now has made an "adjustment". This decline in foreign demand for the dollar was fueled by the thought the dollar was over valued or had become too costly.

As the world comes out of this latest recession, the safe bet will still be dollars. As some countries divest dollar interests, demand for the dollar will still be less then what it was, but this isn't unexpected, the world requires a stable monetary unit. Since people with money are naturally greedy, the dollar will find a spot and things will eventually settle in.

[masalai]

""China has attached it's currency's value to the dollar for over two decades"" only to keep the value lower and in sync with a falling & fluctuating US$ so that USA would buy the stuff from the US manufacturers who franchised their manufacturing in China...

Most in the Pacific buy in Euro or from Asia,,, Oil is priced, - for the present - in US$, but not necessarily from USA... Most of the good sold by USA is available direct from the Asian manufacturer... Many of the BRIC countries are desperately trying to sell their US$ denominated paper assets & equities especially China with around US$2trillion to dispose of...

What is up, is that the US$ refuses to be buried and is continually printing/creating more money - - "dead man walking" as a zombie... That effort must be costing the citizens of USA dearly in assets and international credit... The longer the delay, the bigger the fall and the greater the pain the good citizens must feel and carry... http://www.usdebtclock.org/ look at this, be amazed and book-mark it for reference to remind you of the economic position created by USA - - remember GDP for the world in a good year (2008) was just 66 trillion... Now add up the debt that USA has run up....

USA debt burden is growing faster than Alice on the "wonderland" mushrooms... Just look at this chart - - "fun view" which may be the most painless way to show the pain coming http://www.usdebtclock.org/ - - Move your mouse over the numbers at that website, and a popup will give a brief explanation & the data source...

(ignore the leading +'s below, as there is no way I could readily columnate) and show the totals of the grand debt of USA to date -
++12 trillion - - - . USA National Debt
+++2 trillion - - - . State and Local debt
++17 trillion - - - . Private (individual/family) debt
+++2 trillion - - - . Federal Money created by the FED (loaned to the Government for a fee payable to the FED)
+628 trillion - - - . Currency and credit Derivatives
++11 trillion - - - . Bailouts - - money also created by the FED and loaned to merchant bankers or Treasury for a fee payable to the FED
+++4 trillion - - - . Carry trade etc (loaned to merchant Bankers to facilitate loans external to USA to trade in Oil etc)
+106 trillion - - - . Unfunded liabilities (health, pensions, etc and soon a BLOWOUT with this new health cover)

give or take a trillion is 782 TRILLION... And that does NOT include the "toxic debt", sold as investment vehicles to stupid investors off shore (in Europe, Australia and many other countries where the Keynesian economic lie is also worshipped...)

To put that in perspective, the GDP for the WORLD in 2008 was 66 trillion - So the US debt is near 12 times what the whole world could produce in a good year... - - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of..._by_population - - The USA makes up just 4.54% of the world population yet is in debt to such a staggering amount... You cannot sell good to a country that is so heavily in debt and with no visible means of support... and nothing of value to sell... and owes so much (approximately US$2,530,744.00 owed per man, woman and child in USA)... and be considered sane, or expect a fair payment, or survive in any business... Also add another 2 trillion MINIMUM for the 2010 expenditure by Govt of USA...

It is a most optimistic claim with the audacity to postulate or even suggest that the USA will come out of that financial disaster soon? - - Please get a reality check... - - - - DEPRESSION is on the way - - - - as is to be expected with the creation of so much fiat money on a dead economy... - - What is there from USA to sell as an export? - - Even computers are made in China, just major components are assembled for the domestic market...

[masalai]

As long as the US continues to present this higher return on capital then other foreign competitors, investors, both private and foreign banks will grab up dollars. (quote from post # 11)

INVEST IN WHAT??? Bonds, Treasuries are at ZERO % or when inflation is considered NEGATIVE... China persistently demands assurances that their 2 trillion in bonds is good and redeemable - maybe for a quarter of what they paid... What would they buy? - - GM & Chrysler to sell what to whom? - - 4,000,000 luxury homes as a retirement village for middle class Chinese in retirement with USA citizens as the servants? - - Not likely too much risk and not very reliable for utilities as USA has electric power, food, energy and water supply issues now... (Imagine 16,000,000 retirees from China resident in Las Vegas? - - I can't...)

The US$ is not stable, that is the problem, it is being devalued quite heavily and only gets a temporary lift when 'helicopter ben' sells tonnes and tonnes of gold and silver and manipulates the market on a regular basis, but the downward trend persists and eventually the rest of the world will just give up and dump it in disgust... The play is allowed to continue because the rest of the world is still hopeful of disposing their US$ positions without too much of a loss... China (according to one bit of data and I cannot confirm). has suggested that to buy stuff USA will have to trade and exchange steel for goods made in China - the suggestion is that the US$ is NOT acceptable any more... The Arab countries are going to price oil in their own currency and not accept US$ soon... Similar deals and arrangements are being set up amongst the BRIC countries and others not keen to use US$ as the currency/value for international trade...

[troy2000]

Mas, the US dollar never put a gun to the world's head, and demanded that it become the major internet currency because of some 'superiority complex.' The simple truth is that it became dominant because historically, so many people in so many different places have trusted it more than they trusted their own country's currency. Even the people running the governments of those countries....

Is the dollar going to remain dominant forever? I doubt it; the Euro is catching up steadily as a reserve currency, and may replace it in the long run. But it'll be a long time before it becomes irrelevant, in spite of your eagerness to see all things American come crashing down.

What's with this anti-American stuff you spout so regularly, anyway? Did an American sailor swipe your girl way back when, or something? I swear, she never told me she had a boyfriend.....

[masalai]

True, "the US dollar never put a gun to the world's head," some very smart manipulation there, and as the currency of international exchange, the USA 'promised' to maintain a stable value but has actually and consistently been devalued... Look at the US$ index in a 10 and 20 year time-frame... The recent fluctuations are really disappointing and have definitely breached the obligation, of the reserve currency, to maintain a stable exchange rate... This has not been done in the long term or the short term... In the time of an airfreight delivery of some good by me, by as much as 12% on one purchase - - my last to USA...

I do not feel the Euro will be suitable as it is beset with some of the toxic debt generated in USA... There may be a mix of bi-lateral trade arrangements and with gold base which will put the value of gold around US$5000/oz or more at December 2008/9 purchasing power of the US$ - - - ?$6000 at today's level? or possibly significantly higher - - - The world seems very weary of fiat money and needs the stability of a free and open floating gold standard - if that can be achieved (which I doubt)... I do not know what else?

My sole cry for a swift demise, is to minimise the pain, and the sooner it hits bottom, (not a dead-cat-bounce, but BOTTOM), the sooner and quicker recovery will be able to get under-way - NOT UNTIL a confirmed bottoming, then a thorough clean-out and removal of the corruption, manipulation and toxic debt can recovery be given an honest chance... It is not anti-American or anti-USA.. It is a wake up call, to you all to recognise that the pus must be squeezed from the boil before the core can be removed and eusol used to cleanse the wound - once all the infection has been removed, then, and only then can the healing commence...

I will say again The FED is owned and controlled by a group of merchant bankers Goldman, JPM and about 7 others including 2 in London and shared with many 'reserve banks' where the false Keynesian economic philosophy reigns supreme, such as Bundesbank I think... I refer you to http://www.gata.org/ where they have chapter and verse on this fraud...

My disgust is that the media has so corrupted the minds of the righteous citizens of USA, that they do not see this disaster at their doorstep, and are not screaming blue murder at being victims of such a giant ponzi scheme that makes everything else pale into insignificance, a mere bagatelle...

Look carefully at the figures presented, they are verifiable and valid... Read up on the work of GATA, Ron Paul, and many others who have done the research and collated the data... It is all available and referenced for anyone who is not too lazy to do a bit of reading and then verification...