A Man Must be a Man

"There is a land where a man, to live, must be a man. It is a land of granite & marble & porphyry & gold - and a man's strength must be as the strength of the primeval hills. It is a land of oaks & cedars & pines - and a man's mental grace must be as the grace of the untamed trees. It is a land of far-arched & unstained skies, where the wind sweeps free & untainted, and the atmosphere is the atmosphere of those places that remains as God made them - and a man's soul must be as the unstained skies, the unburdened wind & the untainted atmosphere. It is a land of wild mesas, of wild rolling pasture & broad, untilled valley meadows - and a man's freedom must be that freedom which is not bounded by the fences of a too weak & timid conventionalism.

In this land every man is - by divine right - his own king; he is his own jury, his own counsel, his own judge, and - if it must be - his own executioner... In this land a man, to live, must be a man."

Harold Bell Wright
Early Twentieth-Century Novelist
From the Book 'Tender Warrior' by Stuart Weber

What makes a man?

"First, foremost, & above all else, it is vision. A vision for something larger than life. A vision of something out there ahead....call it a sense of destiny."

"A man must visualize ahead of time. Project. Think forward. Life his eyes & chart the course ahead...anticipate what the months and years may bring. A provisionary is one who lives at & beyond the horizns. This is the very essense of his leadership. This is the 'king' in every man... always looking ahead, watching out for his people, providing direction & order."

"As men we so often misplace our vision. We focus myopically on houses & cars & stock portfolios & bank accounts & piling up stuffs. We imagine we find status & security in these things, when in fact there is no status or security if you don't have relationships.... We revert to the things we can see, when in fact it is the unseen world, the world of the spirit, the world of relationships, where we ought to be majoring in our provision. Matters of character, heart, spirit, integrity, justice, humility - the kind of things that last. The character traits that outlives a man and leave, not a monument, but a legacy."

Stuart K Weber
Tender Warrior

A Commodity under the Radar

Gold is within a mere 7% of a new 26-year high. The culprit: the U.S. dollar is heading south. That in turn causes inflation to rev higher, & other natural resources to climb virtually non-stop. I have no doubt that market will soon see record new highs in gold and oil. The black gold is also a mere $12 or so away from a record high. But I want to talk about another natural resource: A forgotten metal that is well on its way to new all-time record highs: Platinum.

Platinum is among the world's rarest metals. New mine production totals about five million troy ounces a year. Compare that to gold, where mines produce approximately 82 million ounces a year. 76% comes from South Africa; 14% from Russia & North America contributes about 6%. The rest of the world makes up the other 4%. In terms of total platinum reserves in the ground, it's estimated that there are only about 3.5 billion ounces left.

Meanwhile, above-ground platinum reserves have been practically wiped out! That's because demand for platinum has been soaring. Back in 1975, demand was about 2.6 million ounces a year. Today, it's virtually tripled to seven million ounces. In the last 10 years, demand has exceeded mine supply by nearly 8.3 million ounces.

About half of all platinum goes to the automobile industry for use in catalytic converters, which reduce the toxicity of emissions from engines. Never mind that the U.S. auto industry is suffering from miserably slow sales or that energy prices are rising around the world. The fact is that cars are now becoming affordable for hundreds of millions of people in: China! The country's auto production soared in Q1 of this year. There were 2.19 million vehicles produced in Q1, up 22.6% from the same period last year. In March alone, China puts nearly 854,000 new cars on the street. And for all of 2006, China put out 7.22 million autos! The country needed 58% more platinum for catalytic converters in 2006 than it did in 2005!

And, by 2010, China will overtake Japan as Asia's largest carmaker, producing an estimated 11 million vehicles per year. What do you think will happen to the price of platinum by then? And don't forget, China is just one of the emerging giants: South Korea and Thailand are each producing more than a million vehicles per year. India is putting out about a million vehicles a month, pushing up demand for platinum even more. So is Brazil, which saw production jumped 7.4% in March.

This natural built-in and growing demand for platinum — in the face of severely limited supplies — is a major reason why platinum prices are exploding higher. And in my opinion, the price of platinum could double over the next couple of years from a current $1,300-an-ounce level to $2,500 an ounce.

Also, new clean air legislation in the U.S. and in many of the world's fastest-growing economies will keep sending demand for platinum through the roof. The global warming issue, and attempts by authorities around the world to cut down on pollution, will have a major effect on the way cars are produced. The new & more stringent environmental regulations involve a greater number of countries than ever before. Countries that a decade ago had little or no environmental regulation will soon have restrictions on auto emissions.

Everything I have been warning you about is coming to pass. The dollar is ill; inflation is soaring and natural resource prices are climbing skyward. Be prepared for profit or be prepared to watch others take profit. And don't say I never say, for I have said it here already. Your call.

The Smartest Man In the World

A doctor, a Wall Street Investment Banker, a little boy and a priest were out for a Sunday afternoon flight on a small private plane. Suddenly, the plane developed engine trouble. In spite of the best efforts of the pilot the plane started to go down. Finally the pilot grabbed a parachute, yelled to the passengers that they had better jump, and bailed out.

Unfortunately, there were only three parachutes remaining. The doctor grabbed one and said, "I'm a doctor, I save lives, so I must live" and jumped out.

The Investment Banker then said, "I am the smartest man in the world, I deserve to live!" He grabbed a parachute and jumped.

The priest looked at the little boy and said, "My son, I've lived a long and full life. You are young and have your whole life ahead of you. Take the last parachute and live in peace."

The little boy handed the parachute back to the priest and said, "Not to worry, Father. The smartest man in the world just took off with my backpack."

Over-Compensation?

o·ver·com·pen·sa·tion/ˈoʊvərˌkɒmpənˈseɪʃən/ [oh-ver-kom-puhn-sey-shuhn]

1. striving to neutralize & conceal a strong but unacceptable character trait by substituting for it an opposite trait.
2. compensation to an unnecessary or unreasonable degree; Excessive in the exertion of effort needed to compensate for a physical or psychological characteristic or defect.

3. an attempt to overcome a real or imagined defect or unwanted trait by overly exaggerating its opposite

4. the exertion of effort beyond what is needed to substitute for a physical or psychological characteristic or defect.
5. An extreme neurotic striving for power or prestige because of a feeling of inferiority.

Yesterday, I posted something about over-confidence. Today's the opposite. Now, that's a little bit too OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder), isn't it buddy?

Looks like this is going to be the case for a lot of investors. Why?

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When the market dives, I don't think they will have sufficient time to unlock their positions.

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This picture also reminds me about those who choose to play it TOO SAFE; the non-investor group. This group typically keep their assets in cash and cash only. To them, investment is a dirty word. They are overly-concerned with capital preservation, at the expense of capital erosion. They don't realize that NOT investing is also a risk!

How Much is Two Plus Two?

A university committee was selecting a new dean. They had narrowed the candidates down to a mathematician, an economist and a lawyer. Each was asked this question during their interview: "How much is two plus two?"

The mathematician answered immediately, "Four."

The economist thought for several minutes and finally answered, "Four, plus or minus one."

Finally the lawyer stood up, peered around the room and motioned silently for the committee members to gather close to him. In a hushed, conspiratorial tone, he replied,
"How much do you want it to be?"

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"There is no better way to exercise the imagination than the study of the law. No artist ever interpreted nature as freely as a lawyer interprets the truth."

- Jean Giradoux

A Series of Reflections Leading to Mother's Day III

THOSE TEENAGE & YOUNG ADULT YEARS
When you were 19, she paid for your college tuition, drove you to campus, carried your bags.
You thanked her by saying good-bye outside the dorm so you wouldn't be embarrassed in front of your friends.
When you were 20, she asked whether you were seeing anyone.
You thanked her by saying, "It's none of your business."
When you were 21, she suggested certain careers for your future.
You thanked her by saying, "I don't want to be like you."
When you were 22, she hugged you at your college graduation.
You thanked her by asking whether she could pay for a trip to Europe.
When you were 23, she gave you furniture for your first apartment.
You thanked her by telling your friends it was ugly.
When you were 24, she met your fiance and asked about your plans for the future.
You thanked her by glaring and growling, "Muuhh-ther, please!"
When you were 25, she helped to pay for your wedding, and she cried and told you how deeply she loved you.
You thanked her by moving halfway across the country.