The Chinese Are Secretly Buying Gold

Sherlock Holmes was not required to work this one out. The Chinese are also building stocks of other important metals such as nickel and copper while they are still going cheap. As the biggest holder of US treasury bonds the Chinese do not want to see the Dollar collapse, just yet. But like the Bank De France in the early 1930s they may still still find themselves holding massive reserves in quickly depreciating currency over the next few months. Bank De France had its head handed to it when it tried to support Sterling by buying pounds in the early part of the 30s.  It was all for nothing as their holdings of Sterling and the Dollar crashed in value as Britain and Americas' currencies were devalued by 1934. The consequent losses led to the French state having to bail this "private" institution out.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1d23f80c-30aa-11de-bc38-00144feabdc0.html?nclick_check=1

"The Lost Children of the Alleghenies"

Alison Krauss's moving ballad shows how the popular appeal of the ballad form still has resonance. As with older ballads the narrative is based on real events which resulted in a tragedy. The loss of the two young Cox brothers was felt by the wider community for many years. Fifty years after the tragedy a memorial was erected over the site in the Pennsylvania mountains where the bodies of the lost boys were found.

All the elements of ballads are here: tragedy, personal loss, the supernatural, striking images, leaping and lingering in the narrative, refrains, hardly any names,- and an abrupt start.

"Jacob's Dream", Lyrics by Alison Krauss

In the spring of 1856, with the snow still on the ground
Two little boys were lost in the mountains, above the town
The father went out hunting, the boys had stayed behind
While mother tended to her chores, they wandered from her side

The two had gone to follow him and lost their way instead
By dusk the boys had not been found and fear had turned to dread
Two-hundred men had gathered there to comb the mountain side
The fires were built on the highest peak in hopes they'd see the light

Oh, mommy and daddy why can't you hear our cries
The day is almost over, soon it will be night
We're so cold and hungry and our feet are tired and sore
We promise not to stray again from our cabin door

Now Jacob Dibert woke one night from a strange and eerie dream
He saw a path between two hills near a dark and swollen stream
He told his wife he saw the boys huddled close beside a log
For two more nights the dream returned this vision sent from God

Oh, mommy and daddy why can't you hear our cries
The day is almost over, soon it will be night
We're so cold and hungry and our feet are tired and sore
We promise not to stray again from our cabin door

A thousand men had searched in vain the west side of Bob's creek
But Jacob's wife knew of this place and said to travel east
With a guide to take him there, Jacob came upon the scene
And found the boys cold and still beneath the old birch tree

Oh, mommy and daddy, look past the tears you cry
We're both up in Heaven now, God is by our side
As you lay us down to rest, in the presence of the Lord
Know that we will meet you, here at Heaven's door

Oh, mommy and daddy, look past the tears you cry
We're both up in Heaven now, God is by our side
And as you lay us down to rest, in the presence of the Lord
Know that we will meet you, here at Heaven's door

Gold should be strong into June

Gold began its rise this week after the Martin Armstrong turn date of April 19th and began its rise this week which should take it higher into June.

Some pundits are saying that this is the beginning of Wave III, a wave that with its minor waves could go on for some time. We'll see, of course, but gold by the end of the year should have proved to have been an outstanding investment.

The really big rises in gold are expected in 2010 when inflation will be rampant all over the world.

I expect a major stock-market crash during the month of October with stock indexes gradually declining over most of the summer. October will mark the the 32nd month from the Dow's "top" in mid February 2007. It might be a good point to pick up a couple of tech stocks in November.

Essay Planning for AS English Literature Exam Essays ( Concept Map )

On the right you will find a generic plan for planning AS English Literature essays for comparing poems in the Edexcel Exam. Try it out by adding brief, phrase-like notes from each poem to see whether it helps you plan and write better essays. Aim to select poems that enable you to compare (what is similar) and contrast (what is different) in how each poet presents the theme of "home".

Of course, if this method of planning is not as effective as the one you use, ignore this post.

Click on the image to enlarge.

For a method that works even better, try the acronym S. T. R. I. D. E. and add Form and Structure to it. It might also be a good idea to add Voice, including First or Third person narrator

See this link for a fuller explanation of this effective method:
http://goforgold-dog.blogspot.com/2007/07/strive-or-stride-help-with-reading-and.html

Class and Prejudice - a tricky university interview

In this humorous, well-written piece the writer, Laurie Taylor, remembers his interview at Birmingham University with Professor Gregory. As Taylor is no longer a young man I'd say that the Professor's prejudices reflected how English Literature was then studied just as much a Taylor's then simple-minded arguments. Taylor recaptures the experience in very 'realistic' way. Taylor later went on to become an academic and professor himself, but not through Birmingham University.  It's a good read for university-minded aspiring 'Lit.' students.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7993920.stm

PBS's Bill Moyes Talks to William K. Black about Banks

William K. Black wrote a book some time ago entitled, "The Best Way To Rob A Bank is to Own One". As a senior regulator of banks and he pursued fraud and corruption in the 80s. He is now Associate Professor of Economics and Law at the University of Missouri.  He talks to Bill Moyes about the Savings and Loans crisis from the 1980s and he also offers  solutions to the current problems. Black's worryingly argues that the people who got us into this mess are the same ones who are being given trillions of dollars to get us out of it. The mess will remain unless people with probity and integrity are appointed key financial positions. And even then it will take years.

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/04032009/watch.html