Marching blondes, a spurned comedian and property booms and busts

June 2nd, 2009 by stacyherbert

Stacy Summary: Losing one’s fifteen minutes of fame seems to be a tough thing this week.  And THE blonde parade happened yesterday (image below).  Any coincidence that the headlines today, however, are that property prices declined in Latvia by more than anywhere else in the world?  An astonishing 30 percent in the first quarter.  Considering that Latvians just took a 15 pc pay cut as part of the IMF bailout conditions, it makes sense.  I wonder how much of that has been lost by British property speculators?   And, how long before Australia’s market is allowed to be free to follow the laws of economic physics?

blondes

Tags:   · · · · · 37 Comments

37 responses so far ↓

  • stacyherbert
    Jun 2, 2009 at 2:00 am

    Morning!! How are things up North?

  • Mike2liverpool
    Jun 2, 2009 at 2:02 am

    So, whats on the Agenda for today?
    His “Maxus” ready to ADMIT how WRONG he was over the £?

    Mike

  • Mike2liverpool
    Jun 2, 2009 at 2:02 am

    Me?
    Am sat in the workshop with ZERO work, nothing, zip!
    Mike

  • Hawk of Terror
    Jun 2, 2009 at 2:03 am

    The collapse in the Australian housing market will be a sight to behold! Although it remains to be seen how Australian Blonde’s stack up to the these Latvian beauties :-)

  • stacyherbert
    Jun 2, 2009 at 2:03 am

    @Mike2liverpool – it is impossible to be wrong in predicting a fiat currency collapse. They all go to zero. Eventually.

  • Mike2liverpool
    Jun 2, 2009 at 2:05 am

    Its funny though, we suspect the BNP is about to make the grade ref the Euro vote we are having.

    Labour will throw up, because BNP has replaced Labour as the working mans party here in Blighty.
    Mike

  • M
    Jun 2, 2009 at 2:06 am

    @Stacy, Max, any comments to T. Geithners visit to China and their supposed willingness to support the US (According to Mr Geithner of course)? I was under the assumption that the days of listening to a treasury secretary from US was over for China.

  • Mike2liverpool
    Jun 2, 2009 at 2:07 am

    Stac
    I remember you & him gazing into each others eyes, both concluding that the £ would Crash & burn in may!

    As for the end of “Fiats” well, don’t hold your brealth.
    Mike

  • Freudian Slit
    Jun 2, 2009 at 2:35 am

    Hi Mike2Liverpool,

    have patience regarding the pound. You know the old saying, a watched pot never boils…

    I remember telling friends about the economic collapse back in 2006. That was back in the day when Stephen Roach warned of an ‘economic armageddon’, and people like Mike Ruppert and Max and Stacy were saying the same thing.

    You need to keep in mind, why on earth would a government want a fiat money supply? Because it is a hidden tax that only one in a hundred is able to work out. However, as Stacy and every history book will tell you, governments are never able to resist eventually over inflating the money supply.

    As Karl Marx pointed out in Capital:

    “The weight of metal in the silver and copper tokens is arbitrarily fixed by law. When in currency, they wear away even more rapidly than gold coins. Hence their functions are totally independent of their weight, and consequently of all value. The function of gold as coin becomes completely independent of the metallic value of that gold. Therefore things that are relatively without value, such as paper notes, can serve as coins in its place. This purely symbolic character is to a certain extent masked in metal tokens. In paper money it stands out plainly. In fact, ce n’est que le premier pas qui coûte.”

    http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1867-c1/ch03.htm

  • marcus
    Jun 2, 2009 at 2:41 am

    link to a graph of Latvia housing prices…http://www.globalpropertyguide.com/real-estate-house-prices/L

  • stacyherbert
    Jun 2, 2009 at 2:48 am

    @Marcus & @M – we will be discussing these two topics on this week’s On The Edge

  • david
    Jun 2, 2009 at 2:56 am

    Bless them Latvians, cheered me right up.

  • Mike2liverpool
    Jun 2, 2009 at 3:03 am

    Hey Stacy
    See Barclays got dumped by their baleout middle east fund.
    Mike

  • Mini US
    Jun 2, 2009 at 3:13 am

    I live in Sydney, Aus. and have been saving up and waiting for the price correction as houses and flats here have been booming since 2000. Economists here say that we are different, mostly because no houses have been built in that time compared to hyper construction in the US. Now I have a few bucks and realised that a stupid housing deposit and huge mortgage will give me no income from those savings. Have loads of money = go into massive debt, not this little chicken. Gold and commodity stocks seem to be the way to go because at least China has a future. Maybe after the second part of her W recovery.

  • Phil
    Jun 2, 2009 at 3:21 am

    @Freudian Slip… “Marx”
    I live close to his old house FWIW.

    @Mike2Liverpool
    Sorry to hear about your work situation .. what do you actually do “Normally” in the workshop … if I may ask that is ?

    @Stacy … just had my morning croissant ( only 1 this time ) .. how was yours ?
    ;-)

    @11 Players Have Committed Suicide
    I always thought those shows were “faked”, i.e. that they used actors .. seems not … sad indeed !

  • Phil
    Jun 2, 2009 at 3:49 am

    @10 reasons Terminators destroy ‘Twitter-brains’

    My favourites :

    1. You’ll forget … that economists misled us, and will again
    2. You’ll forget … new crooks are plotting to steal your money
    8. You’ll forget … nothing lasts forever (except Wall Street’s hype)

    BTW, on BY-PASSING banks :

    http://www.gold-super-markt.de/

    German firm plans gold-dispensing ATMs
    http://www.finextra.com/fullstory.asp?id=20082

  • stacyherbert
    Jun 2, 2009 at 3:54 am

    @Phil – thanks for that link to German gold-dispensing machine! Very funny when you compare the story to this new site in the US: http://sellyourgoldteeth.com/

  • sharon
    Jun 2, 2009 at 3:56 am

    @ Danny
    Re: your post on previous topic asking where you can get fluoride filters. I’ve been away so didn’t see your question til I got back and had a look through topics I’d missed.
    Anyway, I use a Berkey system which provides filters which specifically remove fluoride. I can’t remember the name of the website but I do have the phone number so you could call them up and they’ll refer you to the info. Their number is:
    01752 852204 or 07870 356124.
    I also get fluoride-free toothepaste from the health food store.
    Hope this helps.

  • Mike2liverpool
    Jun 2, 2009 at 4:03 am

    Hi Phil
    Am what called an Architectural engineer, we make door handles & other items out of Stainless Steel for Architects……this bussiness is very badly hurt by the building collaspe.

    I also design & make strutbraces for Hot Hatchbacks.
    mike

  • Phil
    Jun 2, 2009 at 4:51 am

    @stacyherbert … “German gold-dispensing machine! Very funny ”

    On mainstream German TV at ca. midnight, we get loads of Ads for the same old teeth – “Altgold” . They’ve been running since ca. Nov. IIRC. Also in the newspapers.

    Just imagine what a visit to the dentist might cost in a few years ;-)

    @ Mike … “door handles & other items out of Stainless Steel for Architects”

    I stainless steel very expensive in the UK ?
    Many things made of “stainless” here in Germany cost a fortune . Check out Ebay dot DE .. and look for chimnies, balconies etc.

    “edelstahl schornstein”
    “edelstahl balkon”
    “edelstahl balkongelaender”
    etc.

    I have a friend that used to turn over ca. 1 mio. DMs per month as a PC-parts Wholesaler in the ’90s .. he doesn’t even make those revenues in 1 year these days. He’s finally setting up an Ebay shop – as he wants to stay in this business which he knows so well.

    On the subject of Chimneys and German Regulation …
    Almost all houses in the UK have a chimney ( whether used or not ) , but I have rarely seen a chimney-sweep since over 50 years.
    In Germany … “every house” is required by law to be visited at least once per year to check emissions of the central heating, whether gas, oil, coal or wood. The “Schornsteinfeger” have areas assigned to them, and they are rolling in money of course.

    End of rant ;-)

  • alister
    Jun 2, 2009 at 4:58 am

    yeah this is completely insane in australia with all this clueless idiots charging blindly into the property market because ostensibly interest rates are (currently) low and the govt is subsidizing their purchases. meanwhile all the msm press (stacked of course with what is effectively a property/property-speculators lobby) report on the surge in prices and related figures as if this were some miraculous happening demonstrating the sheer strength of the aus economy…omg…

  • Mike2liverpool
    Jun 2, 2009 at 5:16 am

    Phil
    Thanks, i might try E-bay?
    Mike

  • Grant in oz
    Jun 2, 2009 at 5:24 am

    Australia just hasn’t felt the recession yet.
    Even though we have had job layoffs they are fairly low at the moment and are concentrated in the low income areas.
    People here just don’t get the feeling that anything is wrong.
    Melbourne and Sydney are seeing high 70% clearance rates at house auctions. These are boom time numbers.

  • Ah.Nix
    Jun 2, 2009 at 5:51 am

    @Sharon
    Hi Sharon have you had your water tested after it has been filtered?
    I’m curious on how much fluoride is removed from the Berkey.
    I drink distilled water since even RO leaves traces of fluoride.

    Thanks

  • Daniel S
    Jun 2, 2009 at 8:45 am

    Reality shows are not reality shows at all, they are psyops. It is no wonder that the unwitting participants in shows designed to lessen viewers’ faith in the human condition, would end up killing themselves. It’s more or less the point.

    Healthy people are hard to manipulate into cowardly lives spent pursuing the trivial. It is far easier to sell diversion to people who objectify and hate themselves than to people who see themselves as a process and love themselves.

    So, psyops leads to suicide. It also sells more pizzas, beer and SUVs. Mission accomplished.

  • Norbo
    Jun 2, 2009 at 9:04 am

    I just realized that I´m on my way to Latvia.

  • Scott
    Jun 2, 2009 at 10:04 am

    Frikkin Lovely…

  • Don
    Jun 2, 2009 at 10:49 am

    @ Max and Stacy

    Once again, sweet irony or share rigging? Goldman bought in on a company on the ASX at $1.39AUD to the tune of 20 million retro active as the share price at the time of the purchase was 4.09AU.

    The share price steadily went down from there with the markets last year; all the way to .08c!! Now, that same share is going up and went from .15c a share to .36c over night. the company made no announcements of any significant ore deposits, acquisitions or anything, in fact the company has shut in all projects to save money as raising money is impossible for such projects at this time.

    So my question is this: Is it possible to manipulate a company’s stock causing it to go up (no other companies listed on the ASX engaged in the same resource are doing anything but going down) long enough for Goldman to recoup their money and then it will crash back down?

    I know of other mining companies that have better resource deposits that can be fast tracked into production, yet their share prices languish.

    Whats the score.

  • Don
    Jun 2, 2009 at 10:52 am

    “whats the score?”

  • sharon
    Jun 2, 2009 at 11:03 am

    @ Ah.Nix
    Re: testing for fluoride after filtering. To be honest, No. Mainly because I don’t know how to and I figure if the company was selling something that didn’t work it wouldn’t be in business for long – somewhat naive I know. I just hope it does work – what else can you do? But if you do know a way of testing please let me know and then I’ll do it and let you know the outcome.

  • rb
    Jun 2, 2009 at 11:53 am

    reality shows make ME want to kill myself… so i can understand why the contestants do.

  • Mini US
    Jun 2, 2009 at 10:26 pm

    Whats with reality shows?
    No actors to pay, no travel expenses, cheap producers, etc.
    It is filling in air time. That is the role of commercial TV.
    Nothing more.
    Reality TV is like cake. Without the cake you can’t have any icing.
    Icing is advertising that no-one watches anymore.
    Its a merry-go round of nothingness.
    Like Seinfeld says: A show about nothing?!?!?!