To: blazenzim who wrote (93181 ) 4/5/2008 11:45:42 AM From: glenn_a Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 110194 blazenzim. ((What the F happened to Russ? ... I used to admire him for his clear, level headed thinking.)) I am a BIG fan of Russ's. Russ, to my mind, has several extraordinary talents: (i) he is "data-driven", he backs up his hypothesis with real-world, real-time data, and (ii) he's a very broad, integrative thinker; he sees "patterns" before others, and (iii) he's entertaining as hell; he has his own vocabulary and style that is insightful, satirical and blunt in its hilarity. In the past couple years, I've seen Russ's writing evolve in a couple of ways: (i) he's reaching a broader audience, (ii) he's reaching more people who are as smart, nearly as smart, and perhaps even in some cases smarter than him; clearly, whenever one raises one's game, one grows and become sharper; (iii) Russ has gone "deeper down the Rabbit hole". He's more perceptive of hidden motives, systemic racketeering, and the corruption and lies that are part of this game. *** Russ, if you read this post, I'd be interested to hear your view on how you've grown in your analytical abilities, and your abilities as an essayist. Would you agree with my observations, or do you see your own writing and abilities in a somewhat different light? *** (((he's gotten very bitter at the "powers that be".)) Well, how can one have an honest soul and NOT be bitter (although I prefer the word "outraged") at the powers that be? Not to characterize any "class" of people, but broadly speaking the political and financial governance in America is extraordinarily unscrupulous and dishonest IMO. ((There have been some wonderful opportunities to make big money in the markets over the past year. Playing victim is something that I have no interest in.)) A reader over on Russ's blog commented that he has really emerged as a Moral Essayist in his role as an economic and financial commentator. I've always sense that Russ primarily views his role as providing deep insight into the machinations and motivations of the global financial and credit system, and to help decipher a very opaque and non-accessible world for the common investor. Odd as it may sound, I don't primarily read Russ's blog to "make money". Certainly I hope to use the insight Russ provides to be a better investor, and to protect my wealth and grow it in the future if possible. But I also read Russ's blog so that I may be more informed to play some small part in holding the sons-o'-bit**'s accountable for the extraordinarily reckless and dishonest way that the economy and financial system has been managed. Of course, I'm under no illusion that a mere "citizen" may really have any long-run effect on the racket these guys run, but I can still hope, and if I ever am to make a difference, it will largely be because of people like Russ. Now, if you're sole motivation is "opportunities to make big money in the market" - and particularly if morality and the welfare of others is of no concern to you - may I suggest contacting Goldman Sachs or JP Morgan. They continue to run some great rackets for profiting and other people's expense, and maybe they can "cut you in" to their game. Best regards, Glenn