billcoe

Could be a combo of both warm weather and : However, last year was sooo cold for soooo long. Hope the last winter did some winter kill on those insects. This was last 4th of July weekend (my new feather friends coat my brother bought for my birthday came in handy). I saw that story, and have been seeing some of the tree die off, even as close as the 1-205/Camas interchange - pretty disturbing.

Ha ha! Your standards will drop as you age:-) You watch!

Prostitution is not for me but among consenting adults it seems harmless enough. However, from what I've heard about the Thailand scenario is that most of the prostitutes are forced into it and often before they are of legal age. Sure sounds like slavery to me, or at least child abuse. Even if only a small percentage of the prostitutes there are slaves or minors, it would certainly taint the whole industry, IMO. How could you be sure the one you are paying for is not someone's slave? The pimp assures you she is not? Just the fact you can "own" someone in Thailand makes me sick to think about. Then again, do they do windows too? Can't speak for Thailand first hand, although they seem happy enough when you see them about. I was speaking to Europe from first hand knowledge. The Gov't regulate's it, girls are treated with respect and dignity like the consummate pros they are, they make a lot of money and have a lot of fun. I have heard that in Thailand, girls do it so that they can feed their poor family's back home, and that it is often a family decision that involves mom and dad.

Well, I've been with the same woman for over 29 years...and faithful too....so don't take this the wrong way as I discuss this internet girl, but this young woman is over my dollar limit by about $3,799,950.00. Most I ever paid was $20 and every damn of them looked better than her and I'm not just sayin' that cause I was most likely drinkin' at the time, was young and horny. I realize there's been inflation and all...I'm just sayin'. $50 might be fair I suppose, but shes a virgin and all, so make it $40 as my max ....nah, looking at her closely, $25 is my max for her as there are much better looking women out there so I have to down grade her on that. I think prostitution should be legal, so I don't have a morality clause in this game. I'm happy for her enterprise an resourcefulness, it's what makes this county great. Luck and Pluck as they say. The fact she can make this kind of money indicates to me that the supply and demand curve is greatly out of whack, or the mental institutions are missing a couple of dudes who have figured out the internets, or people paying over $3 mil for a single toss are simply not aware of a country called Thailand, where you can outright own (as opposed to a short term rental like this instance) a much better looking woman, and a younger model as well, for easily less than 1/20th of that price.....probably better personality as well, but that's guessing just based on what I've read. The fact that she is 21 and has never f*ed before looks real real bad to me. In Europe, Prostitutes who are great at it went into the profession because they couldn't believe that they could get paid for doing something which they love to do for free. Perhaps this woman either doesn't like men or is fridged. Hmmm, after further consideration and with that as a backdrop, I've dropped my price to 10 bucks as the max I'd pay for this person, and I suspect it would still be a bad experience as well since she is only doing it for the money. (if I was single) That is my honest opinion. What are your thoughts Kev? ps, I've done the math, if you went to Europe, where prostitution is legal, and paid an astounding $200 an evening: you could get laid 19,000 times. That's 52 solid years of sex every single day. Of course, the bidding may get higher here.

Prototype of a small herd: The final version is expected to have more duct tape and we'll get the cost under $100 bucks as it's mandatory and all. PS, sorry about one of the side effects but your McDonalds and Burger King Burgers will now cost double. The vegetarians are supportive of the orange raincoat initiative, I hear the rumor in the Olympia halls of power that they were so impressed with his "Running Fence" series that they are considering hiring Christo Oblique Christo reference on artcylopedia for a couple of million bucks...it's only money and you taxpayers have unlimited amounts of it. Right Prole and JB?

I was going to respond but thought better of it.

Bidding is currently at 3.8 million US.

"As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. . . and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you." I suspect this may flip back some after the next attack depending how big it is. For now, nice that part of the genie got stuffed back into the bottle. They are still monitoring every phone call and computer transmission in the United States, possibly most of the world as well.

Link Or at least make people register them. 3 killed in this sensless attack. "DENDERMONDE, Belgium (AFP) - Two children and an adult were killed on Friday when a man armed with a knife went on a rampage through a child day-care centre northwest of Brussels, a local prosecutor said. Around 10 children were injured "some of them seriously", according to local prosecutor Christian Du Four, when the man, who had his face painted black and white, ran amok in the crèche in the town of Dendermonde."

The nanny state has moved to Washington? BTW, I've bagged going out when I went up into a normal vacant spot in the woods and seen pickup trucks every 1/2 mile on the road. Why even be walking around with orange on opening day unless you have too do so. At times like that, when I check the season dates after I get home, that I realize I was out in the woods for most of a month the previous year during hunting season wearing but natural colors. These things should be about choice. How many people get shot accidentally each year who do not have orange on? Very, very rare. Once more needless law. I suppose there would be a $100-$500 fine if you forgot to bring the orange, and there would be paid babysitters, cops, rangers monitors out there too?

screw Petzl. After the way their shit fell apart and they just ignored it, I'd never ever want to buy any of their shit ever again, but especially their ropes. Do a search on Rockclimbng.com on "Petzl ropes falling apart and Petzl telling owners to piss off" if you are wondering.

Abosofrigganloutly I do and you can borrow whatever you prefer! I have both, of course, don't like either...cough*gearwhore*cough* you pick one. The SP is almost new, HOWEVER, the common knowledge caution is that they are not to be used in sub freezing conditions. Frozen water inside, even condensation, can cause the centrifugal clutch to be inoperative and not lock up when you're screaming towards the dirt. Stick it in your crotch area and it should stay warm or above freezing though. The downside of the Soloist is you need a chest harness and it won't lock up on inverted falls, I've been using a tied 8mm rope as a chest harness, it works acceptably as long as you don't fall. I can get it to Adam easily and you folks can hook up. In eithercase, you still get a great DMM Locksafe Boa biner - with the tag still attached, by way of a thank you from me for your honesty and for grabbing his stuff. Thats sooooo cool. Adam can be your beer dealer or whatever! When do you need this by? I might be skiing Sunday at Meadows and can swing by your house, or probably will be at the Far Side Saturday digging dirt off the cliff in the rain. That would be the best....or I suppose I could head over to Beacon for a corner lap with you first....whatever works. I'll be at the far side in the rain as long as it's not crazy wet. You can come to my home if you're in PDX too. Or I can drive over to your house too, as long as you return the gear back at some point it's all good. PM me your phone number and address and let me know what works. ____________________________________________________________ JH, I think this common malady has hit a lot of us:-) I'd rather blame the cold though. Hope you heal fast!

Perhaps others may have taken "We will not apologize for our way of life..." to to mean: "We will continue to borrow like the world will end tomorrow and spend money like drunken sailors while we use the worlds resources 3 times as much as anyone else as we damn well please so sod off and just move out of Iraq so we can get our pumps in there and move along to Afghanistan we're not apologizing for any of this at all." ? Hmmmm....

You guys should also hook up with Gent and Chau. A nicer couple of folks to hang around a campfire probably can't be found, they both climb, and they just had... *cough* cough ....TWINS! Now they have their firstborn and 2 more..and they're all so adorable too. I spent a Yosemite trip with them and their first boy once, and another trip to Trout Creek: they rotated who would go climb, and I was fortunate to climb with them both in Yos....good times for sure, as an old dad I'm use to watching lil ones, but I admit, as you age, you want to spend less time at it:-)! I didn't go out this weekend cause my little one was coming back from college and wants to spend time with me, something I feel damn good about too, so I just hung out thinking we'd go ski or something. I've spent a lesser amount of time with Hemp22, but he sure seems like a great dude, I'd road trip or tie in with him anytime. Gent works at Club Milf sport, has brown hair and has the Finish/Germanic accent in case you want to connect, even if for just a camping trip to like Trout Creek or something. Sorry, too much water to be watching the lil ones there IMO. Smith would be good.

Man, that's a story I highly encourage anyone at a campfire with Ivan ask for....whew! Glad you're with us:-0 _______________________________________________________________ OK, new contender for Fav quote (because it so fresh and I can't remember anything Honest Abe ever said)

Whoa, I need to read this sh*t more often..."As the Beacon Turns part deux!" I caught some of this on the tele, but this sounds even sicker! DD, hope you got Adam's a stuff: if so you rule. I'll comp you a new DMM locksafe Boa if you grabbed it for him, not kidding I have 12 coming in soon from the REI supersale: gear whore to gear whore direct like:-) My only critera/stipulation is that you have to leave the sale tag on it till you get after something super sick and want to spare the weight of the tag...just to give it some "Cachet!" Benny: thanks for the invite: as an out of shape old man, that's what I was talkin about with you:-) I probably need to send my boy a thank you note for coming into town and sparing me the humiliation of Dods in full on winter shrinkage condition. JH, dude, I hope you don't mind but I'm cornsidering using on the favorite quote thread/page. I wonder if your back spasmed cause you didn't warm up (or warm up enough)? The cold is a definite detriment to the horror troika of aged bones, elderly inelastic muscles and hard work. In fact it hits the kids too on occasion. It may be but little consolation that Beacon will be closed soon and you have ample time to heal up. I just hope it heals soon as bad backs suck beyond description and I really feel for ya. Time to start hanging with Rhoda to do the Yoga over the winter once you can grit your teeth crawl out of bed again I suspect? Looks like it's time for another edition of "As the Plug Turns" Take care all, be safe... and heal up.

Yeah...I was thinking of you and Mike up there.... http://cascadeclimbers.com, and the recent PMR guy as well. "....there but for the grace of God go I....."

Crap sorry to hear that, young folks too. I was going to go up there this afternoon and burn off some laps at Meadows but it was too warm for me so I blew it off. Damn sad.

Here was Geo Bush's last one, seems like a lot of similarities: bet the delivery wasn't as good but I have zero memory of it. From CNN "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush delivered his second inaugural address Thursday after being sworn in for a second term. This is a transcript of his remarks:" Vice President Cheney, Mr. Chief Justice, President Carter, President Bush, President Clinton, members of the United States Congress, reverend clergy, distinguished guests, fellow citizens: On this day, prescribed by law and marked by ceremony, we celebrate the durable wisdom of our Constitution and recall the deep commitments that unite our country. I am grateful for the honor of this hour, mindful of the consequential times in which we live and determined to fulfill the oath that I have sworn and you have witnessed. At this second gathering, our duties are defined not by the words I use, but by the history we have seen together. For a half-century, America defended our own freedom by standing watch on distant borders. After the shipwreck of communism came years of relative quiet, years of repose, years of sabbatical -- and then there came a day of fire. We have seen our vulnerability, and we have seen its deepest source. For as long as whole regions of the world simmer in resentment and tyranny -- prone to ideologies that feed hatred and excuse murder -- violence will gather, and multiply in destructive power, and cross the most defended borders and raise a mortal threat. There is only one force of history that can break the reign of hatred and resentment and expose the pretensions of tyrants and reward the hopes of the decent and tolerant. And that is the force of human freedom. We are led, by events and common sense, to one conclusion: The survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands. The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world. America's vital interests and our deepest beliefs are now one. From the day of our founding, we have proclaimed that every man and woman on this Earth has rights, and dignity and matchless value because they bear the image of the maker of heaven and Earth. Across the generations, we have proclaimed the imperative of self-government, because no one is fit to be a master, and no one deserves to be a slave. Advancing these ideals is the mission that created our nation. It is the honorable achievement of our fathers. Now it is the urgent requirement of our nation's security and the calling of our time. So it is the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world. This is not primarily the task of arms, though we will defend ourselves and our friends by force of arms when necessary. Freedom, by its nature, must be chosen and defended by citizens and sustained by the rule of law and the protection of minorities. And when the soul of a nation finally speaks, the institutions that arise may reflect customs and traditions very different from our own. America will not impose our own style of government on the unwilling. Our goal instead is to help others find their own voice, attain their own freedom and make their own way. The great objective of ending tyranny is the concentrated work of generations. The difficulty of the task is no excuse for avoiding it. America's influence is not unlimited, but fortunately for the oppressed, America's influence is considerable, and we will use it confidently in freedom's cause. My most solemn duty is to protect this nation and its people from further attacks and emerging threats. Some have unwisely chosen to test America's resolve and have found it firm. We will persistently clarify the choice before every ruler and every nation -- the moral choice between oppression, which is always wrong, and freedom, which is eternally right. America will not pretend that jailed dissidents prefer their chains, or that women welcome humiliation and servitude or that any human being aspires to live at the mercy of bullies. We will encourage reform in other governments by making clear that success in our relations will require the decent treatment of their own people. America's belief in human dignity will guide our policies. Yet, rights must be more than the grudging concessions of dictators; they are secured by free dissent and the participation of the governed. In the long run, there is no justice without freedom, and there can be no human rights without human liberty. Some, I know, have questioned the global appeal of liberty -- though this time in history, four decades defined by the swiftest advance of freedom ever seen, is an odd time for doubt. Americans, of all people, should never be surprised by the power of our ideals. Eventually, the call of freedom comes to every mind and every soul. We do not accept the existence of permanent tyranny because we do not accept the possibility of permanent slavery. Liberty will come to those who love it. Today, America speaks anew to the peoples of the world: All who live in tyranny and hopelessness can know: The United States will not ignore your oppression, or excuse your oppressors. When you stand for your liberty, we will stand with you. Democratic reformers facing repression, prison or exile can know: America sees you for who you are -- the future leaders of your free country. The rulers of outlaw regimes can know that we still believe as Abraham Lincoln did: "Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves; and, under the rule of a just God, cannot long retain it." The leaders of governments with long habits of control need to know: To serve your people you must learn to trust them. Start on this journey of progress and justice, and America will walk at your side. And all the allies of the United States can know: We honor your friendship, we rely on your counsel, and we depend on your help. Division among free nations is a primary goal of freedom's enemies. The concerted effort of free nations to promote democracy is a prelude to our enemies' defeat. Today, I also speak anew to my fellow citizens: From all of you, I have asked patience in the hard task of securing America, which you have granted in good measure. Our country has accepted obligations that are difficult to fulfill and would be dishonorable to abandon. Yet because we have acted in the great liberating tradition of this nation, tens of millions have achieved their freedom. And as hope kindles hope, millions more will find it. By our efforts, we have lit a fire as well -- a fire in the minds of men. It warms those who feel its power, it burns those who fight its progress, and one day this untamed fire of freedom will reach the darkest corners of our world. A few Americans have accepted the hardest duties in this cause -- in the quiet work of intelligence and diplomacy ... the idealistic work of helping raise up free governments ... the dangerous and necessary work of fighting our enemies. Some have shown their devotion to our country in deaths that honored their whole lives, and we will always honor their names and their sacrifice. All Americans have witnessed this idealism and some for the first time. I ask our youngest citizens to believe the evidence of your eyes. You have seen duty and allegiance in the determined faces of our soldiers. You have seen that life is fragile, and evil is real, and courage triumphs. Make the choice to serve in a cause larger than your wants, larger than yourself, and in your days you will add not just to the wealth of our country but to its character. America has need of idealism and courage because we have essential work at home -- the unfinished work of American freedom. In a world moving toward liberty, we are determined to show the meaning and promise of liberty. In America's ideal of freedom, citizens find the dignity and security of economic independence, instead of laboring on the edge of subsistence. This is the broader definition of liberty that motivated the Homestead Act, the Social Security Act and the GI Bill of Rights. And now we will extend this vision by reforming great institutions to serve the needs of our time. To give every American a stake in the promise and future of our country, we will bring the highest standards to our schools and build an ownership society. We will widen the ownership of homes and businesses, retirement savings and health insurance -- preparing our people for the challenges of life in a free society. By making every citizen an agent of his or her own destiny, we will give our fellow Americans greater freedom from want and fear and make our society more prosperous and just and equal. In America's ideal of freedom, the public interest depends on private character -- on integrity and tolerance toward others and the rule of conscience in our own lives. Self-government relies, in the end, on the governing of the self. That edifice of character is built in families, supported by communities with standards,and sustained in our national life by the truths of Sinai, the Sermon on the Mount, the words of the Koran and the varied faiths of our people. Americans move forward in every generation by reaffirming all that is good and true that came before -- ideals of justice and conduct that are the same yesterday, today and forever. In America's ideal of freedom, the exercise of rights is ennobled by service and mercy and a heart for the weak. Liberty for all does not mean independence from one another. Our nation relies on men and women who look after a neighbor and surround the lost with love. Americans, at our best, value the life we see in one another and must always remember that even the unwanted have worth. And our country must abandon all the habits of racism because we cannot carry the message of freedom and the baggage of bigotry at the same time. From the perspective of a single day, including this day of dedication, the issues and questions before our country are many. From the viewpoint of centuries, the questions that come to us are narrowed and few. Did our generation advance the cause of freedom? And did our character bring credit to that cause? These questions that judge us also unite us, because Americans of every party and background, Americans by choice and by birth, are bound to one another in the cause of freedom. We have known divisions, which must be healed to move forward in great purposes -- and I will strive in good faith to heal them. Yet those divisions do not define America. We felt the unity and fellowship of our nation when freedom came under attack, and our response came like a single hand over a single heart. And we can feel that same unity and pride whenever America acts for good, and the victims of disaster are given hope, and the unjust encounter justice, and the captives are set free. We go forward with complete confidence in the eventual triumph of freedom. Not because history runs on the wheels of inevitability; it is human choices that move events. Not because we consider ourselves a chosen nation; God moves and chooses as he wills. We have confidence because freedom is the permanent hope of mankind, the hunger in dark places, the longing of the soul. When our Founders declared a new order of the ages, when soldiers died in wave upon wave for a union based on liberty, when citizens marched in peaceful outrage under the banner "Freedom Now" -- they were acting on an ancient hope that is meant to be fulfilled. History has an ebb and flow of justice, but history also has a visible direction set by liberty and the author of liberty. When the Declaration of Independence was first read in public and the Liberty Bell was sounded in celebration, a witness said, "It rang as if it meant something." In our time it means something still. America, in this young century, proclaims liberty throughout all the world and to all the inhabitants thereof. Renewed in our strength -- tested, but not weary -- we are ready for the greatest achievements in the history of freedom. May God bless you, and may he watch over the United States of America."

5 times? Whew. Over teh top. How many of you types collapsed and were rushed to the hospital by round 3 or 4 of Geo Bushs inauguration speech? Interesting that China censored the Obama speech, getting rid of the parts they didn't approve of so that their people wouldn't be tainted I suppose. See if you can guess from reading the text above what they axed before you click the link. http://news.bbc.co.uk Kevin, chill = good, ie, thrilling, ie, feeling one gets when listening to a master orator, described as a feeling not heard or felt from a President for many years previously.

Inaugural Address by President Barack Obama "My fellow citizens: I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition. Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents. So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans. That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet. These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land - a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights. Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America - they will be met. On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord. On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics. We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness. In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted - for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things - some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom. For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life. For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth. For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn. Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction. This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America. For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act - not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do. Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions - who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage. What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government. Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control - and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart - not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good. As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more. Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint. We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort - even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you. For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus - and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace. * To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West - know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist. To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it. As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment - a moment that will define a generation - it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all. For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate. Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends - hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism - these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task. This is the price and the promise of citizenship. This is the source of our confidence - the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny. This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath. So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people: "Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]." America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations." I get chills just reading it.

Haven't read your link. I was alluding to the charges he makes. PS, I really appreciate that when you post on my threads you increase the intellect level. Good stuff, with facts figures, links and all kinds of interesting info: hope you stay around a long time, you really upgrade spray.

Well, that whole thing goes away quickly once I sober up...... ... I do appreciate some of the discourse we have had in the past Matt. I'll try to do better and not be such a smartypants in the future. frankly, I continually get new info from this site (today, the STP link to Armstrong's economic cycle strategy's posted over on the Obama Giddyness thread for instance looks to be a fascinating, interesting and very deep well I never knew of). JB, apology extended to you as well if I came off like a dick.....that line between humor and dickyness can be a fine one, that often doesn't come off written like I would say it directly to you verbally....

OMG! The plot thickens. What do you make of this stuff STP? Story goes... "The Woes of Martin Armstrong The feds say the former offshore hedge fund manager scammed investors out of $1 billion. But the imprisoned armstrong says he's only guilty of knowing the whereabouts of too many financial skeletons. By Nina Mehta Martin Armstrong, former chairman of Princeton Economics International Ltd., and now prisoner #12518-050 at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in lower Manhattan, arrives for his interview in the eleventh-floor visitor's room carrying a paper manuscript box marked EVIDENCE. The room is a low-rent affair with a row of barred windows, stacks of cheap plastic chairs, and a chunky metal-encased camera that stares down at us from its perch high in a corner. Armstrong's fingernails are long, and there's an air of sour indifference about him. After a quick handshake and chat with his court-appointed criminal-defense lawyer, Armstrong faces his guest, the small tape recorder clicks on and the interview begins. To federal authorities, Armstrong is a mega-swindler, a Ponzi scheme operator who bilked Japanese investors out of $1 billion. According to documents filed in federal court last year, Armstrong sold $3 billion in promissory "Princeton Notes” to Japanese corporates, invested the proceeds in risky currency and commodities transactions, racked up huge losses and then concealed the losses from investors. He was indicted last September on criminal securities fraud by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and released on a $5 million bond. He has been accused not of theft, but of misleading clients about financial losses and using new funds to mask those losses. In January, when he failed to hand over corporate files and assets to the court-appointed receiver for his companies, he was charged with civil contempt and incarcerated in the high-rise prison a few blocks from the World Financial Center. He and his two offshore companies, Princeton Economics International and Princeton Global Management Ltd., were also slapped with civil suits filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Armstrong, however, believes he's an innocent man who has been silenced because he knows too much. He sheds his nonchalance as the interview proceeds, picking up intensity; by the end, he's calmly skywriting accusations about the motives of those involved in the case. After nine months in prison, he remains staunchly uncooperative and, in his view, uncowed. "They think that by putting me in here they'll get me to plead guilty and cut some sort of deal, so it makes it easy for everybody,” he says. "Bullshit. I'm not going to do it.” "This is not an unusual situation,” adds Martin Siegel, his attorney, pointing to the federal government's willingness in the Wen Ho Lee nuclear-secrets debacle to build a legal case on speculation and rickety evidence. "It's not as rare as people think it is. It's standard operating procedure.” Chain of Events Armstrong says he knows how the river gods of finance operate. He knows about Republic Bank and Warren Buffett conspiring to manipulate the silver market in September 1997. He knows the names of the vultures who have attacked third-world currencies. And, from his ringside seat in the capital markets, he has witnessed the impotence of U.S. regulators to do much of anything about this grim circus. "Things got out of hand,” he says of the Asian crisis that started in 1997 and matured over the next two years. "That's part of the reason why, once this began with me, all of a sudden Tiger Management starts closing down and everybody's running for the hills—because of what could possibly come out of the case.” Armstrong also believes he's being silenced because he knows too much about the backroom dealings and dissolute ways of Republic National Bank, which merged with HSBC Holdings, the British banking conglomerate, at the close of last year. Republic New York Securities Corp., a Republic subsidiary, acted as the custodian of Armstrong's brokerage accounts. When Armstrong was arrested last fall, the news nearly scuppered the HSBC-Republic merger. Republic's share price was punched down $10, and Edmond Safra, the bank's billionaire founder and one of the world's richest men, was forced to personally trim his takings from the merger by $450 million in order to save the deal. In late November, about a month after Armstrong declared he would subpoena documents and tapes of specific phone lines from Republic to buttress his defense against securities fraud, Safra was killed in strange circumstances in his home in Monaco. Armstrong, however, does not think Safra was offed because of his case. He brings up Russian money-laundering and what he describes as a coup to remove Yeltsin from office. According to Congressional testimony by a Republic deputy general counsel, Republic was the bank that tattled on the Bank of New York's involvement in Russian money-laundering in 1998. But Armstrong thinks Republic was playing both sides of the law. "Republic instigated the Bank of New York deal,” he says. "That particular money-laundering deal was given to the Bank of New York, and that particular deal led directly to the Kremlin, which caused Yeltsin to resign.” How does all this connect with Armstrong? "I would have been, through this civil case and the criminal case, the first person ever to get Safra on the stand,” he asserts. "I don't think he was killed specifically for anything particular in this case. But Safra had a reputation for being involved in a lot of money-laundering—for CIA stuff, for Iran-Contra...If I got him on the stand, some of this might have come out.” The Safra connection now qualifies as spilt milk. But Armstrong saves his strongest criticism for Republic Bank. Republic, he says, was worried about losing its banking license in Japan. The Financial Supervisory Authority, Japan's regulator, had begun cracking down on so-called tobashi deals. Throughout the 1990s, Japanese pension fund managers and corporates were underwater on their investment performance as the Nikkei fell. But according to Japanese accounting rules, the losses didn't have to be shown until realized. Instead of simply taking their lumps, Japanese managers scrambled after products they could swap for their crippled portfolios. Credit Suisse First Boston and a dozen other Wall Street firms answered their cries with complicated fixed-income instruments that carried short-term embedded options—instruments that were deemed acceptable at the time but that eventually led the FSA to accuse CSFB of illegal activities and yank its licence to do business in Japan. Cresvale International, a Hong Kong-based brokerage subsidiary of PEI (and the entity through which the Princeton Notes were sold), was among the firms doing these tobashi deals in Tokyo. The funds for Armstrong's Japanese note-holders were supposed to be held in segregated accounts at Republic New York Securities. But federal authorities believe that when Armstrong started running into trouble, he dumped everything into one pool in order to conceal losses. According to documents, this was by William Rogers, head of the futures unit at the Republic broker-dealer, who oversaw Armstrong's accounts, at his client's behest. For his part, Armstrong says that Republic collapsed the accounts, perhaps to confuse or mislead Japanese regulators clamping down on activity it no longer wanted to tolerate. The Princeton-Cresvale scandal came to light when a Japanese regulator noticed that more than 200 run-of-the-mill net-asset-value letters sent to Cresvale clients had been signed by Rogers, rather than a low-level employee. Republic Bank conducted an internal investigation, discovered that money was being moved around between accounts in a giant shell game, suspended Rogers and James Sweeney, president and CEO of the broker-dealer, and alerted the Feds. Documents filed in court last year by the SEC indicated that Armstrong had "caused” the misleading NAV letters to be written. Since then, it appears Republic has cooperated with the authorities and has not been charged with any wrongdoing. Rogers and Sweeney have also not been indicted or charged with any securities-law violations. (Republic declined to be interviewed for this article.) Armstrong denies that he cheated clients and ordered the Princeton accounts to be collapsed. Indeed, he lays the blame for all problems on the Republic broker-dealer. Its back office, he says, was a disaster—and the bank's internal memos will confirm that Republic knew about sundry accounting indelicacies and back-office gridlocks. HSBC now has a gag order on him and is trying to block access to memos and tapes of conversations he's seeking through the discovery process. At least one group of Japanese corporates is suing the bank for fraud. "[Republic's] argument is that it would be unfair that any discovery I had from the criminal case would be turned over to the Japanese to help them in their suits against Republic,” claims Armstrong. Not surprisingly, a number of questions remain. Republic argues that Armstrong pulled the strings for the entire securities scam. But why didn't anyone at Republic worry that 90 percent of all the business in the futures division was generated by Armstrong's Princeton companies, as has been reported in press accounts? Under what rock was Republic's due-diligence task force sleeping when the Princeton accounts were being messed up? Armstrong's story is equally hard to credit. How could Armstrong not notice that hundreds of millions of dollars weren't where he thought they were? And if he lost tens or hundreds of millions of dollars by betting wrong on yen-U.S. dollar, as is speculated, is it possible he wasn't such a great trader after all? Legal Eagle Answers to these questions are not likely to surface until the criminal case against Armstrong comes to trial, which may not be until this time next year, says Armstrong's lawyer. Meanwhile, the prisoner from Maple Shade, N.J., spends his free time in the law library at the Manhattan Correctional Center, grinding out legal briefs and letters. He jokes that Siegel, his lawyer, expects him to pass the bar exam. The former PEI chief has gone through about half a dozen attorneys over the last 13 months. Last September, he wired $1.3 million in advance retainer fees to three law firms from his Princeton companies hours before a court-mandated asset freeze. Some of the attorneys abandoned Armstrong's defense after Alan Cohen, the court-appointed receiver from the New York law office of O'Melveny & Myers, required them to surrender the fees. Other lawyers were fired by Armstrong. Although he now has a court-appointed attorney for his criminal case and another one for his contempt charge, he is representing himself in some of the civil suits being brought against him—and in any event appears to be calling the shots in his legal defenses. Yet for all the current focus on his criminal defense case, much of Armstrong's time this year has been spent fighting his civil contempt charge. He now belittles this as a "side show,” but over the months he has fired off a round of legal salvos damning the receiver and Judge Richard Owen, the federal judge for the Southern District of New York who is presiding over his civil cases, for various abuses of law and violations of his civil rights. These documents won't win plaudits from the ABA for their display of dispassionate legalese. They're forceful screeds, written in seeming haste with a ragout of typos and mistakes, but with full citations from case law and the statute books. Armstrong doesn't enumerate his complaints in calm, measured paragraphs as much as hurl poison darts at all involved—from his former lawyers, some of whom he dismisses as spineless, to the judge, who he suggests should recuse himself from the case because of unlawful ex parte discussions with the receiver, one of his former law clerks. Ego Games In a series of high-octane motions, Armstrong argues that the receiver is a shill for the New York District Attorney, and that he has operated in bad faith by embellishing the record, misleading the court and manufacturing evidence. He upbraids the receiver and the judge for a string of improprieties, writing that the civil contempt charge "has been brought for punitive purposes with malice and indicitiveness of forethought with the intent to disrupt my defense, prejudice my case and deliver to the US Attorney a tactical advantage in my criminal prosecution.” "How the Receiver could not find a 6 foot suit of armor or marble antiquities prominently displayed in my former office is simply inexcusable particularly when he is demanding my incarceration for failing to produce these very items.” —Martin Armstrong He maintains that Cohen has an "Alter-Ego” reason for wanting to be receiver. He believes Cohen has devalued key parts of the Princeton companies and inflated the value of missing assets in an effort to buttress the government's case "that this [whole operation] is somehow a fraud that had no means of meeting its obligations.” Cohen's reason, according to Armstrong: he wants to bill more hours. The receiver is not interested in running the Princeton businesses but in milking "his new found money-machine behind the cloak of your Honor,” writes Armstrong. In a related vein, he contends that Cohen has not done his duty to properly manage the Princeton companies under his receivership. For several weeks last fall, says Armstrong, the receiver didn't pay the staff of Princeton Economic Institute, an independent research organization with various ties to Armstrong (which the court eventually declared part of his corporate assets), so most of the employees left. He adds that the receiver didn't cooperate with banks, accept credit card orders from prospective customers, or respond to a group of clients that wanted to purchase the Institute—all told, that Cohen's handling of business matters has been the work of a layabout caretaker. Where's Livia? Perhaps a few odd twists to this case are to be expected. Like, for instance, the corporate goods on the receiver's Most Wanted list. The items still at large include 102 gold bars (worth $1 million), 699 gold bullion coins, $13 million worth of rare antique coins, a $750,000 black bust of Julius Caesar sculpted in the first century A.D., a bust of Emperor Commodus, a bust of Empress Livia (the wife of Emperor Augustus), seven cuneiform tablets and other rarities. In 1997 and 1998, says one coin dealer deposed by the receiver, Armstrong was among the world's largest buyers of rare coins minted in ancient Greece and Rome; his purchases influenced international coin prices. Armstrong's criticisms of Cohen are also fluted with a droll, almost slapstick disdain. The receiver mistook a calendar shaped like a silver bar for silver bullion and a gold-plated paperweight for the real thing, he says. These were not "corporate assets” and were not "hidden” in his West Windsor, N.J., office. He tut-tuts the receiver for not immediately locating certain antiquities. "How the Receiver could not find a 6 foot suit of armor or marble antiquities prominently displayed in my former office is simply inexcusable particularly when he is demanding my incarceration for failing to produce these very items,” he moans. In light of such lapses, he wonders, "how can the court accept [Cohen's] declaration claiming he found no coins?” After armstrong predicted the July 20, 1998, high in the u.s. equities market, the cia called, wanting to know how the institute's proprietary models worked. Armstrong further charges the receiver with abusing his court-appointed powers by acting as his prosecutor. Cohen, he says, is helping the D.A. make his case by not forcing those who cooperate with his office to fork over "tainted” corporate assets. He points out that Tina Mustra, his former executive assistant and one-time fiance (who continues to work at the Institute), still has a BMW, an ancient coin necklace and other gewgaws that came from the same pool of corporate assets the receiver has since seized. There's a quid pro quo at work here, he says—her deposition and help in exchange for her being allowed to hang on to her goodies. He claims this is extortion, then reminds the judge that extortion by a representative of the court is punishable by a fine and up to three years imprisonment. The receiver, he adds, also engaged in other acts of bribery. Armstrong has charged Judge Owen with a number of legal no-no's as well. He writes that the judge has displayed animosity toward him, that the judge is irreparably "pro-government,” that he has no jurisdictional leg to stand on since this case involves offshore entities, and that his behavior has possibly contaminated "the independence of the judiciary and as such constitutes prejudicial conduct.” In June, Armstrong filed an official complaint against the judge for misconduct, alleging that he had engaged in extra-judicial discussions with Cohen about the Princeton companies and that a Special Master of the Court should be appointed to untangle this case's hoary mess of truth and lies. Bad Facts Perhaps one of the more indisputable facts in this legal saga is that Armstrong is not a temperate defendent. He has not cooperated with authorities, and his allegations have kept the receiver's office and others on their toes. When questioned about some of Armstrong's claims, for instance, Tancred Sciavoni, the receiver's counsel at O'Melveny & Myers, immediately e-mails dozens of legal documents and depositions disputing item after item in the lavish wreath of criticism Armstrong has tacked on the receiver's door. In fact, Armstrong's facts don't quite fit. The suit of armor and other busts from his office were not on the laundry list of missing goods that ultimately led to his incarceration for civil contempt. Corporate assets were frozen by court order, never by the receiver's whim. Armstrong's windy explanations of the whereabouts of certain assets were found by the judge to be a legal nullity. (A deposition of Armstrong's chauffeur, for instance, negated his claim that he gave the 102 now-missing gold bars to Akira Setogawa, the head of Cresvale's Tokyo office, in a New Jersey parking lot in June 1998.) In addition, the group of investors that inquired about purchasing Princeton Economics Institute was not taken seriously since it was represented by a long-term friend of Armstrong's who refused to name the investors. Receipts, affadavits, wire-transfer letters and legal documents buttress the receiver's findings and fly in the face of Armstrong's statements about the disposition of assets and the course of events. At the same time, it's worth noting that Armstrong's cycles-based models have had some spectacular successes. He may now be mocked in the media as a peacocky market predictor who guessed wrong about his own life's work in a big way, but he called the high of the Japanese Nikkei in 1989 months ahead of time—the Nikkei peaked the last week of December as he said it would, then crashed like a tsunami, casting off 40 percent of its value in a matter of weeks. (This was the reason for his close ties to Japan's Ministry of Finance and why Japanese corporates clamored to attend his conferences and buy his Princeton Notes.) More recently, and again months ahead of time, Armstrong predicted the July 20, 1998, high in the U.S. equities market—to the day. After that morsel of prognostication, claims one source, the CIA called Princeton, wanting to know how the Institute's proprietary models worked. Needless to say, Armstrong rebuffed them. A prison attendant waiting in the vestibule area raps on the window. Time is up. As Armstrong leaves the visitor's room at the end of the interview, he doubles back to ask a few questions about the documents sent by the receiver's office. Three days later, a letter arrives from jail. There are additional conspiracy charges and new information about the markets being rigged. "You will no doubt try to portray me as some greedy thief who is secreting assets,” he writes. "I am 50 years old and they threaten me with 25 yrs. I wouldn't live to enjoy any assets. If I had them, I would turn them over because I could earn more than enough outside to hire a 1st class defense. That they will never permit.” Switching tacks, he continues: "I am the guy who knows all the dirty little secrets and how the SEC and CFTC will never go after the big boys because it will destroy much of Wall Street if the truth ever gets out. They want the average person to believe the markets are fair and safe because they regulate them.” Whatever the elastic truth of this case, Armstrong will eventually have to decide how fair and safe the U.S. legal system is. In the interim, he concludes, "They play a nice shell game. They keep your eye on assets while the real story goes untold.”" - - From http://www.derivativesstrategy.com

Oh, thats right 3.7 billion dollars short. Hmmm, billion dollars here - billion dollars there, pretty soon it adds up to real money.