Daily Digest 12/16 - Expect The Unexpected, We Have Crossed The Rubicon, The Upside Of Down

• The Future: Expect The Unexpected
• Iraq: An Army of Soldiers to be Replaced by an Army of Businessmen
• China’s Leadership Transition: Social Stability May Require a Stronger Renminbi
• The Poor Man’s Guide To Survival Gear
• We Have Crossed The Rubicon
• The Upside Of Down
• "Let's Talk Markets" With Mike Krieger
• Gold’s Recent Drop Is A Buying Opportunity; We’ll Still See $2,000+ An Ounce In 2012
• Like Lazarus, Republicans Attempt to Revive Moribund Keystone XL Pipeline
• Giant plumes of methane bubbling to surface of Arctic Ocean
• Meet The Future Of Farming

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Economy

The Future: Expect The Unexpected (jdargis)

It is quite depressing to read assessments of the world economy, and the German economy especially, from the early months of 1931. Germany fell into recession a bit earlier than the rest of the Atlantic economies, as inward capital flows reversed, mostly due to investors sending money to America to bet on soaring stocks. By 1931, however, there were some signs of a levelling off of the economy's decline, and we noted in the issue of January 10th that, "It is not apparent yet whether the lowest point has already been reached, but it seems more likely that the decline will come to an end during 1931 at the latest."

Iraq: An Army of Soldiers to be Replaced by an Army of Businessmen (James S.)

For the first few months of 2011, as the war was slowing down and the forces were leaving the country in greater numbers, total foreign direct investment in Iraq reached $70 billion. The United States represented 11.6% with $8 billion of investment, up from nearly $2 billion in 2010. However Milaki has stated that “he is not satisfied with the number of US corporations in Iraq. All sectors of the economy are there, open for business, for American business."

China’s Leadership Transition: Social Stability May Require a Stronger Renminbi (Joe P., registration required for download)

In 2012, China is poised to undergo a significant change in the official leadership structure of its country. Given that China maintains centralized government control over much of the country, even a marginal change in leadership composition may have deep and far reaching implications for the economy and investors globally. This report is aimed at analyzing the key implications from a global investor’s standpoint...

The Poor Man’s Guide To Survival Gear (June C.)

A friend of mine took note recently that a large portion of activists involved in the Liberty Movement had hit extremely hard times, or had been struggling financially even before the general economic collapse began to take hold. He asked me my theory on why it was that so many of us are always so broke. I could only relate that it is almost always the working class poor in any society that first sees the effects of a corrupt government and a faulty economic system. Those who legitimately hold to the principles of self sustainment, and fair play, are usually the first to be stabbed in the back by the establishment, and so, they are the first to become politically active against it. That is to say, sometimes we have to lose almost everything before we are able to see the bigger picture.

We Have Crossed The Rubicon (June C.)

The National Defense Authorization Act will make it official. It will confer upon the executive branch and the military (increasingly, the same things) the permanent authority to snatch and grab any person, U.S. citizens included, whom it decrees to be a “terrorist” – as defined or not by the executive or the military - and imprison them, indefinitely, without formal charge, presentation of evidence or judicial proceeding of any kind. These “detainees” will have neither civilian rights in the civil court system, nor – crucially – even the minimal rights to due process and decent treatment conferred upon prisoners of war. (And we are allegedly “at war,” are we not?)

The Upside Of Down (ScubaRoo)

In The Upside of Down, political scientist and award-winning author Thomas Homer-Dixon argues that converging stresses could cause a catastrophic breakdown of national and global order — a social earthquake that could hurt billions of people. But he shows that this outcome isn't inevitable; there's much we can do to prevent it. And after setting out a general theory of the growth, breakdown, and renewal of societies, he shows that less severe types of breakdown could open up extraordinary opportunities for creative, bold reform of our societies.

"Let's Talk Markets" With Mike Krieger (June C.)

Chaos is not dangerous until it starts to look orderly.

- Max Gunther

Gold’s Recent Drop Is A Buying Opportunity; We’ll Still See $2,000+ An Ounce In 2012 (David B.)

“This is something I saw coming,” said Krauth. “Back in late August, as gold was pushing $1,900, I told my subscribers it was due to pull back, and likely to trade in a range between $1,600 and $1,800, and that’s exactly what we’ve seen so far. We could see a bit more weakness, but I think we’re much closer to a bottom at this point.”

Here’s why.

Energy

Like Lazarus, Republicans Attempt to Revive Moribund Keystone XL Pipeline (James S.)

The “dirty” secret about the Keystone XL pipeline’s oil sands hydrocarbons, which no amount of K Street PR can spin away, is that the oil has a higher carbon content than that from traditional fossil fuels, anywhere from 8 to 14 percent more, depending on which scientific report you read. Accordingly, the EU has already banned their import, much to Ottawa’s annoyance. Much to the consternation of Transcanada and the pipeline’s Republican boosters in Washington, environmental groups in such stalwart Republican states as Nebraska went up in arms over the Keystone XL proposal, fearing that a leak from the underground pipeline would irrevocably pollute the Ogalla Aquifer, source of much of the Great Plains' agricultural water.

Environment

Giant plumes of methane bubbling to surface of Arctic Ocean (Jason F.)

Russian scientists have discovered hundreds of plumes of methane gas, some 1,000 meters in diameter, bubbling to the surface of the Arctic Ocean. Scientists are concerned that as the Arctic Shelf recedes, the unprecedented levels of gas released could greatly accelerate global climate change.

Meet The Future Of Farming (jdargis)

Why did you become a farmer?:

“I needed to provide for my family and took a job with Belle Meade as a farm hand, and then discovered a passion for farming and the life style it provides for my family.”

Article suggestions for the Daily Digest can be sent to dd@PeakProsperity.com. All suggestions are filtered by the Daily Digest team and preference is given to those that are in alignment with the message of the Crash Course and the "3 Es."