Please beware that the Brazilian presidentn just announced a 90 day moratorium on debt -- there will be alot of unhappy financial types on that one. We must be watching for that big wipeout wave that will get all equities, though I think for the next few weeks we are safe.

Sharefin: Anything on your swing chart?

Precious metals will continue to stagnate this week and early next due to the absence of European conviction and abililty or desire to release information the market awaits.We see a sharp market correction on the horizon very soon that may encourage ECU members when meeting tomarrow to make certain exactly what the

new currency consists of,but the timetable appears without compromise and market watchers should consider a neutral position till the actual excrement hits the rotating blades...

George Bush -- Director-- Barrick Gold

BEAUTY is in the eye of the beholder. This applies as much to economic figures as to

the human kind. Whether an economic development is “good news” or “bad news” may

depend on circumstances, or on who you are—something most scribblers tend to ignore.

In the second article in our occasional series, ( Economist ) we consider some of the emotive words that

are misleadingly used to describe economic numbers.

Headlines that include the word “gloom” are more likely to make the front page, so

writers are tempted to give their stories a grim spin. Thus, a fall in oil prices might trigger

the headline: “Oil-price gloom”. Lower prices are indeed bad news for producers—but

they are good news for consumers. Or consider interest rates. Pundits always pronounce

a rise in interest rates as “bad”. Yet for every borrower there is a saver, who gains from

higher rates. It is true that higher interest rates may force firms to cut investment and

jobs. But in many countries the personal sector has more assets than debts at variable

interest rates, so it is a net winner when rates rise.

Trade balances are a rich source of over-emotional language used by economic writers.

When a country’s trade deficit shrinks it is always said to “improve”; if a surplus

disappears it has “deteriorated”. The presumption is: surplus good, deficit bad. But a

country’s trade balance is a poor gauge of economic strength. Since Japan’s widening

trade surplus reflects the depressed state of its economy, it is hardly good news.

Likewise, the recent shift in Asia’s emerging economies from deficit to surplus: if these

surpluses shrink next year as demand picks up, that will be good news, not bad.

Commentators should note that trade deficits may increase or decrease—they can never

“improve”.

Finally, here is a reader’s nomination for the best “financial babble”—the previous

subject in this series. This gem comes from the Independent, a British newspaper:

“Concerns that the economic outlook might not be as gloomy as feared hit interest rate

hopes and sent financial markets lower yesterday. . . ”

Reddy Helen

I Am The Dow

I am DOW, hear me roar

In numbers too big to ignore

And I know too much to go back an' pretend

'cause I've heard it all before

And I've been down there on the floor

No one's ever gonna keep me down again

CHORUS

Oh yes I am wise

But it's wisdom born of pain

Yes, I've paid the price

But look how much I gained

If I have to, I can do anything

I am strong ( strong )

I am invincible ( invincible )

I am the DOWWWWWW

You can bend but never break me

'cause it only serves to make me

More determined to achieve my final goal ( 10,000? )

And I come back even stronger

Not a novice any longer

'cause you've deepened the conviction in my soul

CHORUS

I am DOW watch me grow

See me standing toe to toe

As I spread my lovin' arms across the land

But I'm still an embryo

With a long long way to go

Until I make my broker understand

Oh yes I am wise

But it's wisdom born of pain

Yes, I've paid the price

But look how much I gained

If I have to I can face anything

I am strong ( strong )

I am invincible ( invincible )

I am the DOWWW

Oh, I am ......

I am invincible

I am strong

FADE

I am DOWWW

I am invincible

I am strong

I am DOWWW

Elton John, Bernie Taupin

When are you gonna come down

When are you going to land

You should have stayed on the farm

You should have listened to your old man

You know you can't hold it forever

You didn't sign up you flew

You're not a president for your friends to admire

Boy wonder's too young to be singing the blues

So goodbye yellow brick road

Wag the dogs of society howl

You can rant and rave in your penthouse

But you're going back to your plough

Back to the howling old owl in the woods

Hunting the horny back toad

Oh you've finally decided you're future lies

Beyond the yellow brick road

What do you think you'll do then

I bet that'll delay your plane

It'll take you a couple of vodka and tonics

To set you on your feet again

Maybe you'll get a replacement

There's plenty of them to be found

Mongrels who ain't got a penny

Sniffing for tidbits like you on the ground

The best model for the human brain that I can think of is that each memory is stored as an image -- as a fine lace of interconnected neurons distributed throughout the cortex. If each memory unit is reinforced by a constant recycling of a series of impulses distributed throughout a redundant network of neurons, one can lose a big portion of ones brain without losing the memory ( massivly parallel computer ) . It is a known fact that human memories are stored somehow as images, and that major brain surgery does not remove entire memories as you might expect. Someone who has brain surgery -- even lobotomies -- has a remarkable number of memories intact.

Now, the internet survives if a few nodes go down, and it is also masively parallel.

What if we were all part of a new higher level of human consciousness -- the internet itself? Perhaps the concept of an awaking, and our rise to a new level of consciousness is not so crazy after all. No OBE needed. Just go on the net.

Now 'Big Brother' is watching us on the net, but it is watching our public figures even more closely -- and 'Big Brother' is really us -- many little entities, not just the big entity that makes up the US government. We are experiencing a major 'awakening' of the human spirit. The internet itself is generating a higher level of human consciousness and sophisticaation.

I am still amazed by the potential consequences of WJC's DNA info becoming public record. That may be what brings him down, not the Senate or the House. What if he is a 'deadbeat dad' many times over?

I received the package today.....cheers mate. You are toooo generous. Go 'Stralia!

All - Me mate Nick@C made a 'donation' ( no bets just good ole Aussie kindness ) to the west wing of the California Wink museum...............the new arrivals include a large 1780 Austrian silver, some silver shillings, pences and a Papa New Guinea shilling............and the prize of the collection.......a koala. YES! A small winky PLATINUM Koala 1989.......it will make it's debut right next to the infamous AE winko from D.A..............

Let me tell ya.....it is great to send coins around the world to each other..........ya'all should try it...........'tis good, ya?

away.......

Éßwon'tßߣ

That was a good one...........who told you to go to church newbies...........hmmmm...

go silver.

ALL - Jake B. called for a Jan. 8th seasonal for silver.........'member the URL? anyway, was it early this year........or do we SELL INTO THE DIRT!?!? Tick-Tock........ ( ? ) . I'm gonna wait before dipping my toes................uh huh.

away......to Palm Springs for sun, fun, golf, whatever.......just when the markets are hotting up :- ( ........ ( ? )

Éß

go dollar ( USD ) ......

¡ohmy!