tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4921988708619968880.post2932365396980556565..comments2024-02-28T22:03:57.237-05:00Comments on The Automatic Earth: Debt Rattle, July 29 2008: 5.5 Going On ZeroIlargihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698428009501267664noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4921988708619968880.post-91095665823568492742008-07-30T10:41:00.000-04:002008-07-30T10:41:00.000-04:00Ilargi and z,Ah so...know thy counterparty.Ilargi and z,<BR/>Ah so...know thy counterparty.scandiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07924260428840006237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4921988708619968880.post-89803400231255996072008-07-30T10:21:00.000-04:002008-07-30T10:21:00.000-04:00ilargi,To convey the essence of the book in one se...ilargi,<BR/><BR/><I>To convey the essence of the book in one sentence, mine is a lot more explanatory than "know yourself"</I><BR/><BR/>same as saying you know better than Sun Tzu himself - his own word: 知己知彼 - simply - know thyself, know thy foe. it is easier to assume one knows oneself as matter of course while the truth, according to the ancient Chinese wisdom, is often the opposite.<BR/><BR/>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4921988708619968880.post-23668610966450343642008-07-30T08:40:00.000-04:002008-07-30T08:40:00.000-04:00Bush signs housing bill“"We look forward to put in...<A HREF="http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080730/housing_bill.html" REL="nofollow"> Bush signs housing bill</A><BR/>“"We look forward to put in place new authorities to improve confidence and stability in markets," White House spokesman Tony Fratto said.”Bigelowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16883913065391637120noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4921988708619968880.post-57916724821591540122008-07-30T08:27:00.000-04:002008-07-30T08:27:00.000-04:00itulip article: Ilargi steps out of the box and po...itulip article: Ilargi steps out of the box and points to the big picture, again. Thank you. I get lost in the details often. <BR/><BR/>Contrary to our media conditioning, Capitalism and Democracy are not the same thing. Jim Sinclair describes the present Chinese system as Authoritarian Free Enterprise. <BR/><BR/>On power, quite a while ago I read Machiavelli’s "The Prince", haven't read Sun Tzu.Bigelowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16883913065391637120noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4921988708619968880.post-44303449991556619452008-07-30T08:23:00.000-04:002008-07-30T08:23:00.000-04:00zI didn't miss it. To convey the essence of the bo...z<BR/><BR/>I didn't miss it. To convey the essence of the book in one sentence, mine is a lot more explanatory than "know yourself", don't you think?Ilargihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09698428009501267664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4921988708619968880.post-31342149242702787892008-07-30T07:49:00.000-04:002008-07-30T07:49:00.000-04:00Ilargi, thanks for expanding on Sun Tzu. I am quit...Ilargi, thanks for expanding on Sun Tzu. I am quite excited to read it now! Thinking outside the box on China underscores the need to think outside the box period. Maybe this topic can offer another understanding of power. Power is the means to put people/thinking in a box. I certainly have that " boxed in " feeling.<BR/>Anonymous, thanks also for the referral to " the Rules of Victory..." <BR/>scandiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07924260428840006237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4921988708619968880.post-68185991493659495532008-07-30T03:45:00.000-04:002008-07-30T03:45:00.000-04:00ilargi,The -thin and concise- book in one sentence...ilargi,<BR/><BR/><I>The -thin and concise- book in one sentence: To beat your enemy, you have to know how your enemy thinks. </I><BR/><BR/>then you've missed at least - and the more important - half of the sentence that summarizes the book: Know thyself - which is always considered more difficult to do through out the history in China.<BR/><BR/>知己知彼,百战不殆。(in unicode)<BR/><BR/>I do wish current Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4921988708619968880.post-90341416512426647392008-07-29T23:16:00.000-04:002008-07-29T23:16:00.000-04:00From reading the comments tonight, it appears that...From reading the comments tonight, it appears that by signing the Fannie/Freddie/Housing bill, that our leaders have sold out the U.S. to the major holders of our debt, China and Japan. So we are owned by China and Japan? What else is coming that would really scare our leaders?<BR/><BR/>Anonymous ReaderAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4921988708619968880.post-32377887304744471292008-07-29T23:14:00.000-04:002008-07-29T23:14:00.000-04:00Coincidentally, last week I attended an event wher...Coincidentally, last week I attended an event where James Gimian talked about his new book, "The Rules of Victory: How to Transform Chaos and Conflict--Strategies from "The Art of War". Sounds like it is an excellent new translation of Sun Tzu if any of you are interested. <BR/>AAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4921988708619968880.post-5146848364670201002008-07-29T23:01:00.000-04:002008-07-29T23:01:00.000-04:00I wonder how long they've known what was coming. A...I wonder how long they've known what was coming. A year? Two? Three? All the while keeping a poker face and waiting, now it's here and deals are made behind our backs. Oh, I suppose they're as scared as we groundlings given what is coming ....https://www.blogger.com/profile/03915219261001181341noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4921988708619968880.post-21443466782727259322008-07-29T21:57:00.000-04:002008-07-29T21:57:00.000-04:00Ilargi,OH, I am well aware that its passage was a ...Ilargi,<BR/><BR/>OH, I am well aware that its passage was a done deal. Its that Paulson can't do a thing until the Pres signs. Evidently Dodd has his meetings with the people on Saturday and pushed it through that day. I haven't found a link to a report that the Prez has signed the bill yet. maybe Tomorrow and Paulson gets to play sugar daddy.<BR/><BR/>Here is a link to the bill approved by the bicycle mechanichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17008971495294158347noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4921988708619968880.post-82506635510783248852008-07-29T21:44:00.000-04:002008-07-29T21:44:00.000-04:00and scandiaYes, think about China outside the US b...and scandia<BR/><BR/>Yes, think about China outside the US box, and iTulip's assumptions. For the Chinese, their dollares mean something else than they mean to Americans; it's a different way of seeing the world. <BR/><BR/>Hey, they made trillions of dollars producing useless trinkets, and they are very aware of the irony in that. Americans expect them to sit on the loot, and invest in US ways, Ilargihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09698428009501267664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4921988708619968880.post-62868837485705952052008-07-29T21:31:00.000-04:002008-07-29T21:31:00.000-04:00scandiaSun Tzu's The Art of Warfare, written 2500 ...scandia<BR/><BR/>Sun Tzu's The Art of Warfare, written 2500 years ago, is the main classic description of strategy in conflict of all kinds. There's Clausewitz, but he doesn't have the same depth.<BR/><BR/>It was allegedly meant as a prescription of how to wage and win wars, but it's much more than that: it's a profound philosophical insight into the human mind. <BR/><BR/>The -thin and concise- Ilargihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09698428009501267664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4921988708619968880.post-56538079722359657972008-07-29T21:07:00.000-04:002008-07-29T21:07:00.000-04:00Scandia,If so, its not on MSNBC main page, or on D...Scandia,<BR/><BR/>If so, its not on MSNBC main page, or on Drudge. If this is so, then they are not pushing for it to be a headline.<BR/><BR/>Crap, now you're forcing me to watch TV friggin news from the US. OK< but if I put a shoe thru the screen, its YOUR fault ;)bicycle mechanichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17008971495294158347noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4921988708619968880.post-28060836283091641142008-07-29T21:03:00.000-04:002008-07-29T21:03:00.000-04:00Saw this video today. We have Mass ridings in my t...Saw this video today. We have Mass ridings in my town, that started not long ago. Watch this two minute video of one in NYC. Want to ride your bike with this attitude around you in most cities.<BR/><BR/>http://www.youtube.com/watch?<BR/>v=oUkiyBVytRQ<BR/><BR/>Cop is third generation, and taking his badge from him is a start.<BR/><BR/>Everywhere in this country and others, the built in power bicycle mechanichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17008971495294158347noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4921988708619968880.post-89691574671978307482008-07-29T21:01:00.000-04:002008-07-29T21:01:00.000-04:00bicycle mechanic, the Cdn news is that the Senate ...bicycle mechanic, the Cdn news is that the Senate passed the bill and that Bush signed it reluctantly to-day.scandiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07924260428840006237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4921988708619968880.post-259623504367539232008-07-29T20:32:00.000-04:002008-07-29T20:32:00.000-04:00Ilargi,Are you referring to the ability of Paulson...Ilargi,<BR/><BR/>Are you referring to the ability of Paulson to use the 800 billion. If so, its not a law yet. Only the House has passed, unless I missed the Senate, then the President has to sign.<BR/><BR/>I saw a ticker on a news channel that said the President hoped to sign by this weekend.<BR/><BR/>There is hangup in its passing because of a statement by a govt agency. They claimed it will bicycle mechanichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17008971495294158347noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4921988708619968880.post-59034237305413163212008-07-29T20:19:00.000-04:002008-07-29T20:19:00.000-04:00Watched Charlie Gasparino on SquawkBox this mornin...Watched Charlie Gasparino on SquawkBox this morning telling us that we needed the SEC to look into - NOT investigate - Thain a Merrill, because the "market needed to know what was going on in there..."<BR/><BR/>It wasn't too long ago that they were all partying and decrying Spitzer for 'looking into' all of their Boyz...<BR/><BR/>He must have taken a personal hit on this one!<BR/><BR/>They were Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4921988708619968880.post-46806767847977320232008-07-29T19:42:00.000-04:002008-07-29T19:42:00.000-04:00Ilargi, Not only is it required to think for onese...Ilargi, Not only is it required to think for oneself, it is required to think strategically. Sigh, another book to read- Sun Tzu. I found your analysis of the China possibilities very,very interesting.scandiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07924260428840006237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4921988708619968880.post-32663418609237903332008-07-29T19:34:00.000-04:002008-07-29T19:34:00.000-04:00Forgot to say to John Bayley Matthews..I like your...Forgot to say to John Bayley Matthews..I like your poem very much. The tooth fairy would visit you.scandiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07924260428840006237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4921988708619968880.post-37169025997498333432008-07-29T19:32:00.000-04:002008-07-29T19:32:00.000-04:00The iTulip piece is nice in data and graphs, but b...The iTulip piece is nice in data and graphs, but based drowning in assumptions.<BR/><BR/><I>”If the US did not act quickly to make the implicit guarantee of GSE credit explicit for $984 billion in foreign central bank liabilities, agency debt would have sold off and mortgage rates would have spiked.”</I><BR/><BR/>Oh, really? How do you know? Pals with the Chinese? The fear of China unloading Ilargihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09698428009501267664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4921988708619968880.post-67117395965187862722008-07-29T19:31:00.000-04:002008-07-29T19:31:00.000-04:00Ah Greenpa, you malign toothfairies.They are so go...Ah Greenpa, you malign toothfairies.They are so good and kind. They would never associate with the likes of Fannie,Mae,Mac and Freddie!<BR/>Re the article on Singapore, if ever there is need of a definition of vulnerability Singapore is it! Geez, importing EVERYTHING except the eggs! And not enough room to swing a cat!scandiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07924260428840006237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4921988708619968880.post-38348820894291059412008-07-29T19:06:00.000-04:002008-07-29T19:06:00.000-04:00Greenpa,re;"The reality- the consumer confidence i...Greenpa,<BR/>re;"The reality- the consumer confidence index was UP!! from 51.0 to.. 51.9!"<BR/><BR/>According to wikipedia,teh consumer confidence index is a monthly survey of 5000 houselholds. So they must have just happened to interview Buckles the clown, Jiminy (when you wish upon a star) Cricket and most of Daniel Yergins friends over at CERA this time around.<BR/><BR/>The disconnect betweenAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4921988708619968880.post-55531267637285449682008-07-29T18:14:00.000-04:002008-07-29T18:14:00.000-04:00Just heard about this - http://www.mefa.org/aboutm...Just heard about this - http://www.mefa.org/aboutmefa/individualpressreleases.aspx?id=947&<BR/><BR/>Massachusetts student loan organization, MEFA, is unable to secure financing due to ongoing disruption of the capital markets.EBrownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02894676347259218501noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4921988708619968880.post-39035071320809751252008-07-29T17:59:00.000-04:002008-07-29T17:59:00.000-04:00Thanks Anonymous “I found this over at the implode...Thanks Anonymous <BR/>“I found this over at the implode-o-meter site and thought it explained the Fannie/Freddie bailout to me better than anything else I've read.” <BR/>It is an interesting post on itulip. Explains the politics of the Fed’s foreign custody holdings and the Fannie/Freddie Bailout bill. <BR/><BR/>“With the US housing market already in tatters, such an increase in mortgage rates Bigelowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16883913065391637120noreply@blogger.com