China and the real Golden Rule

http://www.silverdoctors.com/the-ultimate-infographic-on-chinese-gold-demand/



This stuff interests me. Note that "Price Discovery" means the process of figuring out what a thing is worth. London and New York print pieces of paper, call them silver or gold, and manipulate the price with these documents. Neither financial center has anywhere near enough metal to cover these pieces of paper.

China only acknowleges ownership of 1,000 metric tons of gold. The real number is almost certainly over 4,000 metric tons.

Eventually, people are going to get a rude reminder about the real Golden Rule.

"The guy with the gold makes the rules."

Matt Rommel - Beyond the Law: A "Cult Classic" on Amazon.es (Spanish)

Matt Rommel, Cult Classic

http://www.amazon.es/best-of-cult-fiction/s?ie=UTF8&keywords=Best+Of+Cult+Fiction&page=1&rh=n:599367031,k:Best+Of+Cult+Fiction

Amazon.es lists the new Matt Rommel adventure as a "Cult Classic in a foreign language.  Me Gusta.

Germany's Bundesbank gives away gold!

Germany's Bundesbank gives away gold!

Shame on me for the hyperbole, but the fact is that the "Buba" (Bundesbank) looks like it is going to give up on trying to get it's gold back from the Federal Reserve of the United States.

This bit from Silverdoctors.com:

"However, it appears the Buba has folded from pressure from the Fed after a mere 5 tons of Germany’s gold reserves were delivered in 2013 as the Handelsblatt reports: ”The Bundesbank no longer feels bound to the concrete repatriation commitment time table they now admit for the first time.”


Here's a few things you need to know:

1) To protect Germany's gold supply from a possible Russian invasion, the German nation's gold was moved to France, England, and the United States.

2) Over the years, it has become increasingly difficult for the German government to get its hands on, or verify deposits, or even visit the gold in New York.

3) Germany has demanded the return of a small portion of its gold deposits.  In 2013, the Federal Reserve returned only 5 metric tons.  That is only one pallet's worth and it took them a year. (a metric ton of pure gold is a cube of 15 inches.  5 fifteen-inch cubes can fit on a single pallet.

One would think that Germany would insist on better performance.  In America, there are many stereotypes regarding the german character.  Being bashful is not among them.

So why does the Bundesbank not demand delivery?  Why does the German government not express its displeasure?

One possible explanation: The gold is already gone, sold into the marketplace to prop up the US dollar.

Perhaps the Bundesbank is concerned about precipitating a panic.

Still, if you lend something and then never get it back, that is either a gift or it is theft.

Leonard Nimoy has COPD

http://blog.sfgate.com/dailydish/2014/02/06/leonard-nimoy-i-have-lung-disease/

He seems to be coping and he continues to work.

L. L. A. P.

Also, "Rock, Paper, Lizzard, Spock".

Gunny for Miss Congeniality?

Gunny for Miss Congeniality?

Spotted by an eagle-eyed reader on the campus of Irvine Valley College and forewarded to me.  I'm thinking that it's a different Matt Rommel, but you never know.

Gunny for Miss Congeniality?

Matt Rommel - Battery Richmond P. Davis

Many of the locations in the Matt Rommel adventures are in San Francisco and Beyond the Law is no exception.  On the cover, we see one of the entrances / breezeways to the long abandoned Battery Richmond P. Davis.

Built in the 1930's in anticipation of the Second World War, Battery Davis was an artillery battery built to protect San Francisco from enemy naval forces.  Two sixteen inch guns were mounted at each end of the battery.  Sightings were taken by posts near each gun and relayed to a control center which provided targeting data for the guns.

Today, Battery Davis is part of the Golden Gate National Recreational Area.  During the day, it is the premier hang gliding site for the city and a leash-free dog park.  At sundown, the tone of the park changes as the day dwellers go home and adolescent gangs move in to squat and drink over campfires.

As Matt Rommel discovers, there are worse things than a few drunken hoodlums.

Matt Rommel - A Free Sample, A Free Read, A Pleasant way to Pass the Time

Wherever you are on the planet, if you have access to a computer and Amazon.com, you can read a rather large sample of Matt Rommel's latest adventure, Beyond the Law.  Being a sample, it's free, of course.  I've looked at it, and, while I may be biased, I think it looks nifty and is a good representation of both the quality of writing and the story itself.  If you're from some exotic land (Canada, Indiana, Joplin), leave a note and let me know how you liked the free sample.

If you are an Amazon Premium customer, you can even borrow the book for free.  The whole book is availble for no charge.

And of course, if you want to own your own copy, Beyond the Law is yours for a modest fee.  Use a Kindle application and download the novel.