Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Gold/Mining/Energy : Gold Price Monitor -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: jim black who wrote (79664)	11/28/2001 6:36:19 PM
From: long-gone	Respond to of 116822

<<Mo one in clinical medicine believes those of us now in our 40'+ who were vaccinated as children have ANY immunity to smallpox. I suspect whomever was talking>> I've read numbers showing a max of 15-30% "partial" protection for those running toward the bottom of time since vaccinated less the longer it has been. <<There is not much money in it and Merck was insisting in negotiations with the government that they be granted indemnity for the 1/1000 serious complications. Complications be damned. I for one as a practicing doc will jump at the chance for re-vaccination>> I fully agree with you, & have been left to understand one can get the shot in Mexico for $175-300 US, but don't know this is true as I haven't been south since the recent problems.

To: jim black who wrote (79664)	11/28/2001 9:48:19 PM
From: Secret_Agent_Man	Respond to of 116822

Comments on Shorts comes out to prey on gold weakness Date 2001/11/28 Wed Name heinz blasnik Email Address heinz.blasnik@aon.at Subject great! we want these guys bearish...and they're unanimous to boot! there couldn't possibly be a more bullish sentiment backdrop. the view that the "US economy is likely to recover first" is a statement of faith, not an analysis supported by facts. in fact, it is highly doubtful that we will see a recovery in the US economy AT ALL next year. the US suffers from VAST industrial overcapacities, a huge (and imploding) credit bubble, and utter complacency reigns wherever one looks! note that the only two sectors of the US economy that have held up during the slump, housing and cars, both borrowed heavily from future demand by means of massive financing incentives. well, these two sectors are highly likely to exacerbate the downturn next year. also note, mainstream economists, almost to a man, all predict a recovery. if someone could point out a time period to me when this consensus has EVER been correct, i'd be surprised, and happy to hear about it. a study in England has shown that housewives are in fact better economic forecasters than economists! and it's also necessary to address a misconception here, namely that gold somehow "requires an economic meltdown" to rise. that's utter BS. can someone explain to me why the gold price boomed in '93-'96, and in '85-'87 if that's what's required? i don't remember any 'economic meltdowns' having taken place then. i repeat what i've said many times already: gold is PRIMARILY a hedge against monetary and fiscal profligacy. well, we have both in spades now. this , combined with the fact that hedging is now unprofitable due to the disappearance of the contango and thus on the retreat suggests that fundamentally, a bearish stance on gold is not justifiable at this time. are these 'analysts' actually doing any analysis, or are they just guessing, as usual? i pointed out yesterday that most of them tend to project whatever trend has persisted in the recent past indefinitely into the future...and usually no analytical justification is provided to go with their stance. another point, conveniently overlooked, is the fact that the Euro is now entering the financial scene for real. already China and Hong Kong have replaced some of their dollar reserves with the Euro, and since the world's CBs are generally incredibly overweighted in dollars, way out of proportion with the US share of global GDP, you can bet that the reserve asset mix will change just about everywhere now that the Euro is coming for good. please note: not only is the Euro the currency of 330 million consumers in the Euro zone, it is also the de facto currency of virtually the entire former Eastern Bloc (which up until now used the Deutsche Mark as its de facto currency for purposes of saving, and in some countries like e.g. the former Yugoslavia, it has actually totally replaced the local confetti in all areas of commerce). the Euro's dismal performance during its time as a 'virtual currency' has put everyone to sleep...all of a sudden it appears no-one is worried anymore about its potential to displace the dollar as a reserve asset. well, the 'virtual' phase is ending, and only NOW can the Euro's potential be properly assessed. foreigners hold some 2.3 trillion dollars, which is the accumulated foreign debt of America, a result of the ever growing, and by now obscenely large, current account deficit. these dollars are in essence worthless IOUs. how can that be? imagine for a moment what would happen if these dollars were to attempt to return and be exchanged for REAL US resources, which they represent a claim on. it's really quite simple...the debt would be repudiated if that were attempted. it woulbn't be the first time either that the US effectively defaults on the "promise to pay". anyone remember Nixon's closing of the 'gold window'? Bush has an 'imperial presidency', a term incidentally coined in Nixon's time. i believe his administration wouldn't hesitate to do whatever it perceives to be in the interest of 'national security'...foreign holders of US IOUs should take a close look at the US balance sheet (so to speak), which is a mess, to put it mildly. watch for the first rats leaving the sinking ship...it's inevitable. m1.mny.co.za

To: jim black who wrote (79664)	11/28/2001 9:52:32 PM
From: IngotWeTrust	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 116822

0.T.: Yo, Jim...gold_tutor over here<grin> that was RH you wroteback to about smallpox vac's. Now that we have that little matter straightened out, I wanted to comment upon your reply, regardless to whom you intended it sent... I'm one of the few who was NOT vaccinated with small pox umpty years ago, and am probably in a high risk class who will not be "encouraged" to take it now, based on age, physicality, existing health problems, etc. As I thoughtfully review your passionate and gut level candor post, esp. from your perch as a licensed M.D., I would like to make a couple of observations and ask for your feedback, please. As I review mentally the rush to externally impose mass med for anthrax--I seriously wonder if "complications" were explained to those in "high risk categories?" You and I both saw the poor postal workers lined up for hours awaiting their dosage allotments... Did I miss some public info campaign that had that info in it? I caught most of the talking heads shows, and the live press conferences with health types in the various affected states... Is there any more info available on small pox innoc complications, high risk populations, selective who gets and who doesn't get, etc that might be available for LAY people like me, over 50, carrying some extra pounds and a life-long RAD "victim" could read and be at least more informed about my chances of dying from the "innoc" instead of dying from contacting smallpox? I hope you see the question in there and can respond...public or private -- you choose gold_tutor

To: jim black who wrote (79664)	11/28/2001 11:36:16 PM
From: d:oug	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 116822

To: physicians jim black & CRUSADER4TRUTH Re: bioterror angle boston.com Wife downplays bioterror angle By David Abel, Globe Staff, 11/28/2001 The wife and colleagues of missing Harvard biochemist Don C. Wiley yesterday insisted that despite his work on lethal infectious diseases such as the Ebola virus, Wiley has no special knowlege that would benefit bioterrorists. The FBI began monitoring the case last week... THIS STORY HAS BEEN FORMATTED FOR EASY PRINTING boston.com d:oug