"The problem with movies and books is they make evil look glamorous, exciting, when it's no such thing. It's boring and it's depressing and it's stupid. Criminals are all after cheap thrills and easy money, and when they get them, all they want is more of the same, over and over. They're shallow, empty, boring people who couldn't give you five minutes of interesting conversation. Maybe some can be monkey-clever, some of the time, but they aren't hardly ever smart."
Dean Koontz
Stocks were drifting in a relatively lackluster day.
For the first weeks in June it seems more like the dog days of Summer already.
It was very interesting to hear US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew lecturing China about what they ought to do with their economy. It was like listening to the king of the bar flies lecturing the people about the virtues of sobriety from his favorite corner stool.
There has been no recovery.
Tomorrow is a Super Tuesday in the Democratic primaries.
There was another big delivery day for the June Comex Gold Contract on Friday.
HSBC was the big 'seller' from its house account, as the big stopper for the gold bullion was the house account and mystery customer(s) at JPM.
This type of delivery volume is a very big change from more recent history in New York, and reminds one of the bigger volume days of 2006 and the years following into the crisis period.
What do I make of this?
Speculatively, any number of things, including increasing pressures on physical supply around the London free gold float, despite the re-repatriation of the gold bullion of the people of Venezuela.
But this sudden burst of activity on the predominantly paper Comex is a change of what has been customary, something different. I might be even more impressed if there was gold actually leaving the Comex warehouses, although given the times it may leave there through a proliferation of claims, and not ever physically leave the vault.
"For when he was grown he denied the extravagant riches of a worldly kingdom, choosing instead to be afflicted among the people of God, rather than the pleasures of a sinful life but for a season."
Hebrews 11:24-25
"Take a stand for that which is right, and the world may misunderstand you and criticize you, but you never go alone, for somewhere I read that 'One with God is a majority,' and God has a way of transforming a minority into a majority. Walk with him this morning and believe in him and do what is right and he'll be with you even until the consummation of the ages.
Yes, I've seen the lightning flash, I've heard the thunder roll, I've felt sin's breakers dashing trying to conquer my soul but I heard the voice of Jesus saying still to fight on, he promised never to leave me, never to leave me alone; no, never alone, no, never alone. He promised never to leave me, never to leave me alone. Wherever you are going this morning, my friends, show the world that you're going with truth. You are going with justice, you are going with goodness, and you will have an eternal companionship.
And the world will look at you and they won't understand you, for your fiery furnace will be around you, but you'll go on anyhow. But if not, I will not bow, and God grant that we will never bow before the gods of evil."
Martin Luther King, But If Not
"For what does it profit a man, if he gains the whole world, but loses his soul?"
Gold and silver jumped like scalded cats this morning when the Non-Fulltime Payrolls report came in shockingly low, along with a few other numbers that tend to show that the Fed is describing life on Fantasy Island in their forecasts.
There were intraday comments on the remarkable surge in June gold deliveries here.
Nice trend on the Non-Farm Payrolls, as shown in the first chart below. I would certainly be on my guard against the economy overheating and getting ready to raise rates. Thanks to Tony Sanders for telling me to look at those numbers.
I believe that there is an element in the financial system that is rather concerned about what gold may do if it breaks a certain level and starts to run, as it had done a couple of years ago. And in their fears I do believe very strongly that they are mismanaging the situation and are setting up the very set of circumstances that they would most wish to avoid. It is an old story.
Turning to other matters, at the very bottom are two of Mary's pre-operative MRIs. I think these sorts of things are just amazing, but they are probably not well-suited for the squeamish. When I first saw these pictures I gasped. Well, it is gone now, and all that remains is the housekeeping, and more surveillance. And thankfulness, as always.
And Dolly the little rescue dog has has been spayed and had her teeth cleaned yesterday at the animal hospital, with four infected teeth extracted. She really had been neglected even before being tossed out on the street in Winter. It knocked the poor little thing for a loop, but she is recovering nicely, and is happy and comfortable with us, and we with her. She is sleeping on a blanket now next to my wife, like two angels.
Let us pray for those whose hearts are hardened against His grace and loving kindness by greed, fear, and pride, and the seductive illusion and crushing isolation of evil.
We pray that we all may experience the three great gifts of our Lord's suffering and triumph: repentance, forgiveness, and thankfulness. And in so doing, may we obtain abundant life, and with it the peace that surpasses all understanding.
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