I decided to split off my postings of economic links from Jim's Thoughts, so that I can get that topic back to what it was intended to be, a place for me to post trading ideas and thoughts I had that I felt could be of interest to the readers.

This topic is where I will post links to various economic articles, for those that find them interesting. If you want to read (or post) articles about the unfolding debaucle, this is the place to look. If you are a short-term daytrader or swing trader and have zero interest in the economy, you can now just read Jim's Thoughts and not have to wade through this type of dicussion.

At best I think this material only has a direct effect on longer-term plays, the bigger swings that make up the major legs of the bull and bear markets. I follow this stuff for that reason, and because I want to have a handle on things, if that is even possible in this era of lies and deception, so that I can make decisions on life issues.

For example, as I posted in the commentary on the website and discussed with many people well in advance, this was something that wasn't hard to see coming. I saw many people who told me as late as Oct 2007 that 'this thing is about to 'break out' to the upside, and that Dow 20,000, and then much higher, was 'just around the corner' '. The type of articles I am posting discuss the type of information that helped me form the viewpoints I had back then.

If this is far from over, as I suspect, we are in a similar postion now as back then. With the rally that is unfolding right now the talk is the bull is back, the bottom is in, and we are set. I'm not so sure. So, I try to weigh up all the factors and not get too sucked in by the hype. To that end, I will post things here I find interesting.

Here's the 'must read' series I mentioned in the trading section:

Part I:

http://www.oftwominds.com/blogjan11/Zeus-one01-11.html

Part II:

http://www.oftwominds.com/blogjan11/Zeus-two01-11.html

Part III is supposed to be posted tomorrow. I'll let the readers follow up on that if interested. I found the above two parts to be the best quicky overview of what is transpiring that I have found to date. How anyone can be 'optimistic' is beyond me.

Even if the system comes down (and if it does, I think it will only cause a power vaccuum that is filled up with new bad guys, not good, new people who want a better system), we all still have to pay for the damage that's been done. It's like when a storm of the eons hits, and it never seems to end, and then it finally does.

Sure, we can be 'optimistic' that now we can start to rebuild, the damage is supposedly done for now (how about that the damage goes on and on with cholera epidemics, massive starvation and fighting for limited resources, lawlessness, and so on...), but when we look around and see we are back to ground zero, no buildings, no food stores, no huts, no boats, no fishing poles, no crops, no hospitals, no fuel, the storm flattened everything everywhere, you want to be 'optimistic' about that??? That's where we will soon be standing. I've never been more pessimistic in my entire life. Sorry.

I particularly like this one because I happen to agree 1,000% with the conclusion.

http://www.zerohedge.com/article/xtranormal-cartoon-explains-pomo

This one's kinda cute:

http://omidmalekan.com/?p=169

Won't be long until the IMF puts us on a plan. Get rid of the dollar, introduce a new IMF world currency (they already have one started in 'small batches'), and basically take us over. It's all part of the big plan. Coming soon to a theater near you...

http://www.zerohedge.com/article/guest-post-great-global-debt-prison

geez now i'm really depressed... to add to the pile... spent time last weekend with c. clystra, an older gentleman who is a legendary big fish catcher on the ausable...he is also a scientist.. i asked him why he is so optimistic... he said i'm not, i've never been this pessimistic.he said that we know that past mass extinctions on earth have been accompanied by x parts per million of co2 in atmosphere and that if we keep burning coal for our power the co2 in the atmosphere will reach that level in this century.

There is no need to worry. During one average volcano eruption more CO2 goes into the atmosphere than the mankind has ever produced. So our influence in this matter is rather negligible...

Isn't it curious how things like the biggest environmental disaster in human history just completely disappear from the news and our consciousness? Like there are no dues to pay, like after the 'shock' of the event, it's all over. Just like the financial crisis. But the dues have to be paid, no matter what, they have to be paid.

http://www.zerohedge.com/article/meanwhile-back-other-gulf

jim-you got my attention...they are the most powerful links i can recall you posting....a 300,000 house had 9 mil in default insurance...at a certain point the market will reach a point of artificial inflation where those bidding up the stocks to get the public's money will have bets 30 times their stock holdings that prices will collapse... then the bid will simply be withdrawn... i see now why you say it will simply keep going up until it collapses....it is simply the same game to be played well or poorly.

I forgot, I do have another hero to go with Ron Paul and David Stockman, and that's Nigel Farage. Here's his latest:

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-04-17/farage-unleashed-you-are-common-criminals