Member Info for desertjoe

Paul- I would have thought that Steve Bannon would be an ideal subject for testing a fartometer rather than NZ sheep.

Anyway what neither you or bankrupty seem to have take into account is that if "THEY" persist in pursuing lifestyles at the " expense" of the populace there can only be one result and it's something all greedy "Elites" (and Murdoch) doesn't want to hear.... it's " Power to the People!" That's when the FSB , National Guards or whatever the " force" is named will chuck their shooters into the the canal. Mme la Guillotine attended Louis XVI. Toussaint Louverture killed off the wealthy slave-owning planters in Haiti. Mao Zedong changed China.

Go and live in Florida by all means - .but not if you are on low income and expect any help from Governor De Santis. The State is " second heaven" for wealthy retired New Yorkers and Cuban " exiles" .

Paul - I'm not clear where you are going with ESG and climate. Are you seeking to deny climatic change and anything which prevents making money for a governmrent ((or Coporation) if it means seriously damaging the environment...e.g. reducing the Aral Sea to a pond, bulldozing rain forests, hunting for industrial resources in Antarctic or for that matter. increasing the size of cities in desert areas (like say Phoenix and Las Vegas) which do not have the necessary sustainable water?

And yes, with Chinese in-laws, I am very much aware they are patiently prepared to wait years to see their ideas materialize, their thinking is very different to "us" and they are equally capable of losing everything by their addiction to gambling. India has a long way to go and has a problem making any two things the same (lol). If you want to see " progress" then look towards Malaysia and Vietnam. Africa is potentilly still tribal and full of corruption and you can see what Putin is doing. Still think BRICS is a winner?

Anyway...just let's hope our AAU intends to enrich us PIs rather than sustain a comfortable lifestile for its JV/ BoD. When do you reckon we'll see an sp of around 6p again? 5 years or another decade? Or should we be looking instead to be investing in (as an example) Raytheon or others in the armaments business and research?

Paul - BRICS could well break up - the only common ground is that they now have either totalitarian or hybrid authoritarian regimes. They also have large populations and will have to compete with wealthy Westerrn States and eventually each other to get the resources they will need. Their public will force better standards of living on the leaders who will either flee or attempt to enforce their position with their military who could well support the population instead.
The start could be Brazil if Lula wins. The US will have to get used to Central and Southern America moving further towards "the people" rather than continuing to support the wealthier folk (or those of hidalgo descent)

Don't be sure, Paul, they don't like Starmer...I think the reverse is true judging by the standing ovation he hot from attendees at the Liverpool conference. He has the poise and intelligence to go with his QC and has a far better attitude than the leftie Corbyn who was all about stirring everything as a true "comrade" and was always good for demonstration around the world.

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-politics-58724860

Tony Blair had the background and " class" to communicate effectively with the executive class and " useful" people. Yes, he got it wrong, like baby Bush, with Iraq and ultimately paid the price. His missus is from Liverpool - not one of my favorites (both Cherie and Liverpool!)

Anyway you wouldn't " have it" when I previously suggested to you that Keir Starmer would become head of the Labour Party. You'd perhaps better get used to the thought that he might be your next PM.

Unfortunately the word "socialist" does not go down well in my country as it is frequently thought to be exactly per McArthyism warnings. So let's be clear about my own thinking as a " Social Democrat" . Social democracy is a reformist approach that doesn’t do away with capitalism in its entirety (as, instead, socialism eventually suggests) but instead regulates it, providing public services and substantial welfare within the frame of an essentially market-led economy. Other leftist politicians such as Elizabeth Warren and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also fall into this camp.

It seems to me with the energy & transportation problems that there is a damn good case for some nationalization....on both sides of the pond. Have a great Weekend, Ya'all

Johnpwh
I'm rather fortunate to have a UK broker still. Most won't accept US clients because of the rigmarole they have to follow completing our IRS/Treasury forms guarding against " money laundering" and suchlike. At one time I used Barclays but they dropped me like a hot brick around 15 years ago. Fortunately the French Societe General happily accepted me instead. However their interest was sold off to a British Group (Selftrade) which in turn was moved onward and is now part of Interactive Investors. So all credit to i i and I guess I have a "grandfather". I've attempted to set up a sterling bank account but, once again, none of the major banks want to know an American resident. Fortunately an Estonian Company who have been transferring my funds back and forth for many years and at far more reasonable rates than well-known banks have now set up new offices on my side of the pond ( i n addition to their original London base) so I have both sterling and US dollar accounts (in case you want to fund my Thanksgiving dinner!). I can also have accounts in many other major currencies too. But then I'll have more forms to complete for our taxman. Cheers, DJ

Paul - Many of our North American mining entities are now paying regular dividends either annually or quarterly and I am with you on your suggestion of a 1p from Ariana, especially if we are talking of a much bigger concern these days with their JV. SIPP I'm not into but it does seem to me a much better way of saving ( if you know what you are doing) than shelling out to investment advisers who are going to charge you fees.

Paul D - Nobody likes Gordon Brown (except maybe George Soros!) Anyway, To me there didn't seem to be a lot of difference between Conservative and Labour taxation. Don't know if you were on the " receiving end" of the Wilson-Callaghan years but a " super tax" was brought in and it was reckoned that the Beatles at one time found themselve in a 93% tax bracket. Anyway here are some facts I found for you...

For 15 years of Conservative Westminster power, 1951-64, the top rate of tax was at least 88.75%. Then Ted Heath’s government reduced it to 75%.

We should remember that the poorest people also pay VAT, so are subsiding the very rich who use the NHS or primary schools etc.

Under the Wilson/Callaghan 1974-9 Labour government the top rate of tax for earned income was increased to 83%, and for investment income to a reasonable 98%.

Even under Thatcher until 1988 the top rate of tax for both earned and investment income was 60%.

I'd rather not speak of Thatcher (or for that matter Reagan.) Here is a greatr clip from Australia on the subject of " trickle down economics" ...enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yzeOqV7eKI&t=123s

My dividend was in before I woke up, AAU shares are slightly up, so is all my portfolio, so is the pound against the USD. Storm Ian missed us completely , no rain, so I went outside just for a few seconds to turn on my garden sprinkler yesterday evening and got bitten to bits by mosquitoes. Damn good job that raccoons don't fly! Otherwise a nice start to the week May it continue for us all, folks.

I think we got a bit more out of the RNS this time - "Project Leopard" was new to me (unless I've got so bored with " same-same" stuff I hadn't noticed it before) but. the mention of " leopard" immediately brings to mind the old saying from the " Wild West Show" that a leopard has one spot for every day of the year. What about Leap Years? Well then, levi, lift up his tail and show everyone the 29th February!

LoB - Kazakhstan had me worried initially but the country's leadership seems rather less aligned (or inclined) to Putin recently which may be a good thing.

I won't make a fuss over Truss except to say that her new Chancellor, over this side of the pond, is being called Kami-Kwasi by our media. Other than that it looks like a wet and windy weekend by the tail of Storm Ian, but hopefully nothing like the destruction dealt to Central & Southern Florida. Repairs could go into years. Regards DJ

Lay off, Paul , 'cos you are making me think too much! (lol). Professionally at one time or another I have had to deal and advise on many of the points you have listed but the bottom line is that I have bloody well retired and now have to fight off all the good folk who are always trying to co-opt me on to one Committee or another. (incidentally...talking of bottoms...I fortunately don't suffer with " piles" which is just as well because I guess I have so far driven well over a million miles in all kinds of vehicles ( I was once told (by a British car distributor that Mercs were designed " square-shaped" by square-headed persons with square asses! ...at that time I had a Citroen DS 23 which was fine except on very undulating roads in the Scottish Highlands). I can afford to stay out of the rat run....no aprtment living, no parking worries and the last time I flew was crammed into a 747 full of inebriated Brits on their way to Las Vegas. As a sailplane and sailboat " driver" I didn't appreciate the experience. Anyway your MP from Queensland is clearly up a gum tree and should stay with the koalas. While some airports have been sold off for housing/industrial sites (Ipswich,Portsmouth and probably even Doncaster could be on the doomed list) plenty of others are increasing and modernizing their facilities to capture the re-emerging cheapo flights springing up in many countries, usually to the detriment on the former " Flag Carrier". Over the years I have made good bucks briefly investing in such.

The aspect of your " joining the dots" is particularly interesting to me but I am not yet convinced that electric powered cars (or even self driving cars) is the way to go. I foresee lots of money needed to charge the batteries quick enough (or cheap enough) for the users and the Corporates and governments are going to squeeze ya'all one way or another. Logically the way forward could be steam power - perhaps with a little nuclear fission to boil the water quicker. The space race soon created tiny high-revving electric motors (which were a great boon to aeromodellers and drones) . Batteries have to be disposed of and we already have problems worlwide with simple things like plastic bags.

Anyway I've enjoyed your " attachments" but I won't promise to respond always. .I don't text, I cannot work out why youngsters with smart phones don't collide with street lamps or tread in dog crap and I don't enjoy peanut jelly sandwiches!. Having moved to a so called " Red State" (South Carolina) I have given up on trying to explain the difference between a Democratic Socialist and a Social Democrat. With only two guns in the household, I am clearly at some disadvantage if the Trumpsters try to create an autocratic State. Did you get sailing on a gulet?

Paul - Phil Donahue has a great personality and was an excellent tv presenter. Carey does pretty well in this 80s interview but he has changed physically and looks knackered now.

Paul - I followed up on your directions to Doug Carey's interview with Kerry Stevenson. Secure in the care of Uncle Sam he has made millions from his investments and sales of books. Fortunately for him he never lived in 1933 Germany, or China under Mao or Cambodia when the Kmer Rouge took over. He tells us all what is wrong , by us all wasting time and money attempting to make " toys" to reduce global warming and also the financial disaster imminent by the way governments generally are reacting to current stock losses, currency values and inflation but he does not offer any solutions. He dislikes Biden (and Harris even more) and rants on about the downfall of the United States, while at the same time suggesting it may do better than elsewhere when " the financial doom" is upon us. Meantime he has found an alternative " heaven" by having a bunkhole in Uruguay . He respects Putin but thinks Russia and Ukraine to be equally " the pits" as it were. I think he is full of himself and enjoys pontificating to all, especially when it makes him money. He is clearly a right winger whereas I am not. As for Stevenson - she sells gold but hasn't found a way for the poor people to eat the stuff when doomsday arrives. I'll stay with Starmer and Biden, thanks, and look forward to Hilary Clinton seeing Rumpo Trumpo in the nick. Meantime I hope, for Carey's sake, that Excelentísima Señora Cristina Fernández de Kirchner doesn't annex Uruguay as a diversionary prize in lieu of the Malvinas.

Yep, john, I usually get affected by autumnal and vernal equinoxes!. Ive learned some new vocabulary too this side of the country...
"Y''all" is singular. " All y'all" is plural . and "All y'all's" is plural possessive. Regards DJ

Correction needed to my last posting (with my apologies). The pound is $ 1.09 NOT $ 1,90 today (otherwise I'd fly over there First Class and draw my sterling out)

John - I laughed but I think the "rabbit in the headlamps" was a brilliant description. Tax cuts and too low increase in B of E interest rate rise?. Your pound down this morning to $ 1.90. I think you need a total change of Government. Our Federal Reserve most probably hit the mark with the 75% increase rather than your 50%.....and the Fed Reserve have indicated they probably aren't finished yet. (thank heavens when I moved 18 months ago I opted for a fixed-rate mortgage. The writing is clealy on the wall when Former central bank policy maker Danny Blanchflower said on Twitter Wednesday that that Truss’s economic policies are in “total disarray” and investors should short the pound

Gold down below $1650, Ariana down again! AAU sell offs far outweigh the buyers In fact all my stocks down on both sides of the pond. No wonder our fellow contributors on here are somewhat unhappy...to say the least.

Do remember though - it's Friday - a good time for Goldman Sucks and their mates to dive in and grab bargains. Unfortunately I can't get hungover, John, ' cos my doc told me 18 months ago not to imbibe alcohol or red meat anymore. I do look at the missus' Canadian flag sometimes and wonder whether the leaf thereon is really " maple" (lol).
Not a happy day, levi, at all and I reckon you have put your finger on many things, GF, except I think Nedtflix have got to greedy so I'll stay with Amazon Prime. We also have (Brit) Acorn over here but they've gone right " down the pan" by offering cheap series from EU producers. I've just had my Covid Booster number 3. Big bruise but didn't need paracetamol later this time. My pharmacist reckons it could be come an annual shot just like 'flu. Cheers DJ

UK pound down now to $1.12 and Gold down to around $1650. I hope Truss knows how to run a country. Over here the Donald is in deep doo-do.....no surpise there - what have I been saying since he got elected? So it's all up to Tavsan and Cyprus to make us all feel better. Not good times guys (and gals). There's gonna be a lot investing in Government Bonds rather than shares I reckon.

Not CEPA, Paul....but one day they might go public. Ariana may have to come up with a dividend policy, though, if various governments start offering competitive bonds and recession hits. I know you were not keen on the "reward" we got for agreeing the JV ' cos you wanted funds retained in the Company but it was rather a poor return after being paid over nearly 3 years and if the JV grows successfully over say the next 10 years the shares could turn out good. I was prepared to go with it and I guess I did for almost a decade but it's got too diverse and, I think there needs to be changes at the helm.

Paul - Here is an example of the work of a " consultantcy" which should bring them fees well before 2030.

https://www.lse.co.uk/news/floating-lng-terminal-among-options-to-secure-ireland-energy-supply-dzp3z4sr0ts3558.html

Paul - You'd better hope you're not part of the rapid depopulation! Anyway.....yes, there could even be a long time horizon way beyond 2030 and I did point outthat the last coal-fired UK generation is scheduled to finish by 2040 but I wouldn't have to wait anything like that long to gain profit on my shares in the consultancy..

Let us suppose that " my investment company" is consulted for an idea by a well-funded corporate to suggest a source of power and so recommends a tidal barrier between Dover and Calais. The scheme seems good, the idea is accepted. and " my company" gets substantial fees. That happens quickly and over time more fees might be obtained by recommending how and by whom the construction might be implemented. Eventually the job will be finished and the Corporate should start earning. That would be the icing on my cake , especially if the consultancy had a royalty type of deal for monitoring the development and perhaps even a permanent share of the completed operation. However payment of the intitial fee would have happened quickly...long before 2030 so its shares would have gone accordingly.
The consultancy has the whole world to come up with suitable ideas and could also be on a paid retainer meanwhile by would-be implementers.

Paul - there is no ignorance to be excused. Germany and other European countries may have to keep power stations running on coal if they cannot get natural gas supplies at economical rates. Even the UK is still operating. coal-fired power stations at the present time, until the last one ( Ratcliffe-on-Soar, Notts) is scheduled to close in 2024).

The USA is still producing coal (at increased profitability) and vast trains (over 100 open cars and a mile long) are running regularly. The ultimate aim will be to export where the fuel is still needed. China and India are the biggest consumers (together with the US) but your suggestion that Germany is still using coal (along with other European nations) is very pertinent, especially if there are financial costs and other problems following the stoppage of of Russian supplies.

UK has done well in sourcing offshire and other areas for wind power. Either the Ratcliffe-on-Soar or the former Aberthaw (Wales) power station site may be converted into a Nuclear Fusion unit (possibly by 2040 ) . Over here, our West has both windmills and solar panels generating electricity and many more are being commissioned, offshore too. The outlook for hydro-electric power is somewhat bleak right now with the current drought drastically lowering water levels .

Finally, I believe there is a " another side" to you ,which is very astute and I am quite sure that you can see where I am aiming for by seeking to invest in companies which will hopefully give advice and offer future solutions to providing new energy in Europe and elsewhere.