Gold hits an all-time high

The crumbling Portuguese economy is probably one of the driving forces behind gold's rise today.  Good news for miners.  All these problems make me think of Pierre Berton's book 1967 - The Last Good Year. A family friend gave it to me years ago.  Peter Grandich said everyone should spend a couple of hours to watch the Inside Job.  I sure will. It was great that Amanda Lang came to the STA Convention last year. I found her talk quite alarming.  There are a lot of wrongs in this world.  The craziness of Wall Street and sovereign debt are among them.  I had seen a Financial Post article about the potential of sub-Saharan Africa for investment.  This is indeed true.  I was amazed that there are now mining prospects in Eritrea and Ethiopia - two formerly war-torn countries.  I've certainly been fortunate to cash in on the success of Continental Gold in Colombia.  What a change of events there too!  Didn't FARC release some captives just last year?  The only problem - and it's a big one - is how is the whole world suppose to sustain economic growth?  If the under-developed world wants what we enjoy, how can it continue?

I've decided to use some of my geophysics background to make some $$ from junior miners. Unfortunately, I never took electromagnetic methods because I was chicken and I figured I was only interested in seismology anyways.  Big mistake.  Although I think I can read IP profiles like the ones from Romios Gold, it would have been better to know the theory behind all those methods!

Beethoven night again

Yesterday night, I decided to pull out the DVD of Maurizio Pollini playing Beethoven's 3rd (Op 37) and 5th (Op 73) piano concerti.  Elisha promptly picked up a pencil to start conducting. He also went upstairs to get his violin and become part of the orchestra.  I've not been very motivated to exercise, so the visual of Pollini playing my favorite Beethoven piano concerto (Op 37) helped as I kept at it for the entire concerto.  Later, upstairs, we listened and watched von Karajan conduct the Pastorale symphony finale and the 5th and 9th symphony (last movement).  Our baby truly loves this and I think Beethoven is his favorite.  What a favorite to have - a genius of the highest order.

We often joke that Elisha's a "genius" because his violin teacher is so impressed with what he's accomplished since starting in September.  He's shown him off to his other students on Friday morning for the past two lessons (he can play the note that's on the flash card almost immediately).  He can still hardly believe that Elisha can really read notes that fast (since he first tested him on March 18).  He also keeps on asking how old he is (he thought he already turned 4, but he's still 3 years old).  At group lesson, he also plays by notes, not by fingering. 

Now why are Elisha and his older brother, Samuel, among his best violin students?  Well, Elisha is truly intrinsically motivated.  He actually practises about 40 minutes a day.  Yesterday, he even picked up his violin on his own and played his new piece Go Tell Aunt Rhodie.  His brother practises about 40 minutes a day as well as another 45 for piano.  There's no secret - what ever you put into what you do often determines what you get in return.

My grandmother's longevity

My grandmother, Yoneko, has recently lost her sight.  She is 95 years old.  Today, I found this article about he benefits of natto.  I remember as a child seeing my grandmother eat this soy bean food.  I didn't think it was too appetizing and never ate it.  My mother says most of the health problems we face are due to diet.  She points to my grandmother (my father's mother) as a case in point.  During this time of Lent, I think it is appropriate if we think about the problems that the largesse of our society poses to one's health.  I've read that the drugs that are used to treat various chronic conditions may actually be harmful.  I never liked the idea of taking a statin to control cholesterol.  Well, I think it's high time to look at some alternatives.  I've felt healthier and have been less sick this past winter as I've tried to do 30 minutes on the NordicTrak 3 times a week.  The lethargic technological society we have is really causing multiple problems.

Can it get any worse?

Well, the Mazda 2 wasn't even 4 days old when I got a flat tire on Thursday.  On Friday, I took it to Good Year and they said it couldn't be patched as the rim had cut into the side of the tire.  I suspect it was a pothole I hit on Main Street on the way to EHCI on Thursday.  So, I'm out another $250 and I have to wait until about April 3rd before the replacement tire comes in from Edmonton.  Very sad.  Stocks were down for me this week too.  I waiting on some junior miners to pick things up for me this year.  I gave up on Northern Dynasty in my RRSP to some of that.  I still have Northern Dynasty in my trading account, but I'm thinking of taking the loss there and moving on too.

And here is the answer to my question.  Yes, it can and will get much worse (as pointed out earlier by Maclean's in this article).  I heard on the CBC yesterday that the City of Regina is short funds for it's public workers' pension plan.

Good riddance GM and Saturn

The Saturn Ion wouldn't start again this morning.  So, I had to drive to Yamaha Music Centre in the MPV.  I'm pretty sure the problem was with the ignition switch.  I had to disconnect the battery, then wait at least 10 minutes before starting the car.  This was similar to what was described at this site.  Apparently quite a few people got hosed by GM dealers replacing the switch multiple times.  I actually found a few sites which describe how to replace the ignition switch (this is yet another site).  This is even a problem with the Chevy Cobalt!  Now this is all related to the Passlock 2 passive anti-theft system.  What a bunch of crap.  I went to Parts Source and NAPA to see if they had the part and they didn't.  It was ironic that at Parts Source the sales clerk said two other people had asked about the same part earlier in the morning!  Wheaton GM Parts Dept was closed.  This piece of crap car wrecked my weekend last week as well.  I can't imagine getting stuck in the winter with this piece of GM junk.  I spent $500 in January on a new serpentine belt and transmission leak.  Two weeks ago I spent $100 and changed the battery over a lunch hour.  This GM lemon has taken up too much of my energy!

So, we went down to Mainway Mazda to take a look at the Mazda 2.  We saw the salesman who sold us our MPV almost 9 years ago.  Went on a test drive and then sat down to talk.  Eventually, we went back home to drive the Saturn Ion to Maiway for an appraisal.  We got $3000 for it.  If all goes well, we'll be picking up our Japanese-built aluminum metallic Mazda 2 on Monday.

Never again GM!

Mozart Clarinet Concerto

I borrowed this from the library on March 18 (my stupid car wouldn't start for me).  I've heard of Emma Johnson before, but not actually heard her play.  I had not listened to the Mozart Clarinet Concerto for quite a while.  I've recently bought recordings by Martin Fröst and Sabine Meyer.  So, I listened to this one while exercising.  Clarinet sounds pretty mellow (especially when it's basset clarinet).  I recall after reading Einstein's biography of Mozart in high school how the clarinet was a favorite of Mozart. It was also during this time I bought a couple of clarinet concerto CDs.  One was the Chandos CD with Janet Hilton playing the Weber Clarinet Concerti  and the other was Thea King playing clarinet concerti by Crusell and Weber. I've been listening to more Romantic music recently, especially the Bruch G minor violin concerto (played by Lin Cho-liang and Uto Ughi), so it was nice to listen to something classical again.  I also dug out my La Petite Bande recording of the Bach Orchestral Suites.  I got them as ProArte CDs so many years ago when I was in high school.  I've also bought some as gifts from the Musical Heritage Society.  Rather short measure at less than 40 minutes per CD, but La Petite Bande is a special ensemble (from Belgium).  I had written earlier of their financial difficulties.  The austerity problems in Europe are not going to result in any better days soon.  Sad, but reckless spending has left a daunting legacy for the future.

Never buy a GM Vehicle

I have had 3 GM vehicles and each successive one is worse than its predecessor.  The first was a 1990 Cavalier.  That one was mediocre, but the dealer (Sherwood Chev-Olds Saskatoon) was awful.  I once phoned ahead to check if there was time for an oil change and they said yes.  When I drove in, they said they were full.  Also, just before the warranty expired, I paid for a complete inspection only to be told the manifold intake oil leak (that had occurred since the first year I owned the car) couldn't be fixed today and I would have to come back another time (and pay another $100 deductible).  Their excuse was I didn't tell them to look for it BEFORE they did the inspection, so GM says I have to bring it in a 2nd time (and pay the $100) before they would fix it.  I thought this was very ludicrous as it was a problem they and I knew about for 2 years.  Sherwood also put in a 1992 air conditioning part in my 1990 and it failed the year after they installed it.  They told me it wasn't their fault since SGI supplied them with the part.  Well, aren't they a GM dealer?  I had to pay $100 deductible to fix THEIR mistake. DON'T BUY ANYTHING FROM SASKATOON SHERWOOD CHEV-OLDS.

So, I went to the other Saskatoon Chevy dealer (SMP) and traded in the Cavalier for a 2000 Malibu.  They didn't have the colour I wanted, but they said they would drive in the car from Medicine Hat (if I wanted it freighted, it would cost more)!  I had just changed the tires, installed a new battery and alternator and they gave me $3600 for the 9 year old Cavalier.  The Malibu was worse then the Cavalier.  Within a week, the trunk spring broke.  I noted the driver side door looked like it was always slightly opened - I  was told that it was within spec!  The final straw was when after owning the car for 2 years, I commented that the engine was noisy and sounded like a diesel.  They came back and told me the cylinders needed to be rebored.  The car only had 20,000 km on it!  So, I traded that piece of GM junk in for a Mazda MPV.  They got the colour I wanted shipped in from Vancouver without extra charges.  Mainway Mazda was way better than Sherwood or SMP as a dealer.

When we needed a 2nd vehicle, I made the mistake of giving GM another chance and bought a 2005 Saturn Ion 2.  Saskatoon Saturn was part of the Sherwood group, but the dealership was quite good.  They replaced the back window twice - the weather stripping kept breaking.  However, after the warranty expired, my key kept getting stuck in the ignition - had to wait 30 seconds to about 5 minutes before the key would release.  In January 2011, I had the belt replaced and a transmission leak fixed.  That was $500.  Recently, the battery went and the car wasn't starting.  A few weeks ago, the car wouldn't start on the way to church.  I was stuck at work once and had to call home to get a boost.  On March 14, the car wouldn't start again as I was about to go to work.  So, I replaced the battery on March 14 ($120).  On March 18, I went to the library to return some stuff and then stopped by the nearby recyling depot to dump off paper and cardboard.  The car wouldn't start, so I called home for a boost again.  Today, I tried to drive it again and just before the gas station, the radio went intermittent, the seat belt light flashed and then the car stalled.  Had to call for a boost again.  The car barely made it home and the engine light was on as well as the low engine power light.  WHAT A PIECE OF GM CRAP.  The sad thing is that some of  my tax dollars went to bail out this company which should have gone bankrupt.   Now, having a car stall while you are driving is rather hazardous.  I'm seriously thinking about trading in this piece of junk.

NEVER AGAIN GENERAL MOTORS.  I HOPE YOU GO BANKRUPT AND DON'T GET ANYMORE SUCKERS BUYING YOUR JUNK.

He will be a notable violinist

Elisha has quite an excellent memory for a toddler.  Today, his violin teacher was amazed that he knew all of his flashcards.  He can also sing the notes for French Folk Song.  So, his teacher said that in his 27 years of teaching, he was the most gifted of his students so far.  Of course, in the past, he also mentioned that what he does as a toddler is quite common in Japan.  He also mentioned that Samuel is quite good too as he's almost finished Suzuki book 1 and he started later like he, himself, did.  He also mentioned that they should have better violins to play!  Argh!  Grandma and Grandpa bought the Mason and Hamlin piano, but who is to buy the 'better violins' now?  I know it will make a difference, but can we afford it?  Of course, none of this would happen if their mom didn't guide their practice.  Northern Dynasty Minerals had a big slide again today.  It's looking pretty grim right now.

A real bone head trade and more trouble with that stupid Saturn ION

Yesterday, my 2005 Saturn Ion wouldn't start again.  I had been stuck at work on March 8th because it wouldn't start at noon!  A boost with my manual car battery charger eventually got me going.  Yesterday, I even tried boosting with two different battery chargers and it wouldn't start.  So, I left it charging with the new automatic battery charger I had bought.  Strange, I used that charger to check the battery charge level on Sunday night and it indicated 100%.  Had to drive to work with the Mazda MPV, but I bought a new battery too.  Then came back to install the battery over lunch hour.  The battery charger was flashing bAD bAT.  The car started right away with the new battery installed.  I've also unplugged my USB drive from the car stereo in case that was drawing a current.  That was the worse car battery I ever had (5.5 years).  The almost 9 year old battery in the MPV is still good.  However, I was very lucky the battery didn't die during the weekend while we were shopping!

NEVER WILL I BUY GM AGAIN.  The key in my Saturn still sticks.  This is apparently a common problem.

Now, I had switched out of Romios Gold into Forum Uranium last Friday.  What a bone head trade.  I obviously wasn't thinking.  Yesterday, Forum took a huge nosedive that continued a bit today.  Romios held up pretty steady.  STUPIDITY.  I had taken a $350 loss on Virginia Energy just the week before to move it into Romios.

Tsai Ing-wen declares her candidacy for President

Dr Tsai Ing-wen is a remarkable woman.  I think she is Taiwan's greatest hope.  If she is elected president in 2012, Taiwan will have a leader who, with flawless English, can tell the world about the real Taiwan.  I repost the text of her speech from yesterday:

Published on Taipei Times :
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2011/03/12/2003497996

Tsai’s statement details responsibility


Sat, Mar 12, 2011 - Page 3

In the past two, three years, I have visited Taiwan’s streets and alleys. In traditional markets, roadside stalls and eateries, I often see the small children that are busy helping their families do business. They come home from school and write their homework on oil-strewn tables and the fading twilight sun. When there are many customers, they give up their tables to accommodate the guests.

When I look at them, my heart is filled with sadness and emotion. They don’t have the most basic needs — not even a table. However, with their own methods, they continue to pursue their futures.

I believe that in this world, all parents have hopes and dreams for their children. These dreams should not be limited by the disparity between urban and rural areas or the rich and the poor. So I tell myself that we have a set of responsibilities to these children that we cannot escape from.

It is a sense of responsibility like this that has led me to decide to contest the Democratic Progressive Party’s presidential nomination for 2012. I have decided to fight alongside the party’s elders and with the Taiwanese people: To use all my power to give the next generation a renewed trust, so they can continue to hold hope for the country and have a proud vision of their future.

When my father was alive, he never liked that I took this political path.

He told me once that: “You don’t have to compete with other people. If someone doesn’t want to do it or can’t do it, then you can step in.”

Today’s decision isn’t to compete with someone or to prove anything. This decision is about a sense of responsibility that has to be upheld and I must bravely carry forward this destiny.

In the past three years since President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) inauguration, many unprecedented events have taken place for Taiwan, which have continuously impacted the public’s collective emotions. When Chinese officials come, our police hurriedly take national flags from their own people, compressing the multiple voices of Taiwan into one.

When our young athletes go overseas for competitions — to fight for the pride of Taiwan — they have to endure unequal treatment, resulting in incidents they force them to sit on the taekwondo mat wronged and crying. Our citizens are also sent by the Philippines to China, without reason, and not even a single word of apology is uttered. The government can’t explain these incidents and were at a loss for what to do.

What our young people must be at a loss to understand is why democracy and freedom — achieved through the blood and tears of the past generation — can be easily pushed aside because of our relationship with China. Why does this government continue to feel good about itself, even when our national dignity is trampled upon even to the point that people can no longer accept? Why must the government continue to remain ambiguous when dealing with the issue of our sovereignty, even when our own recognition of this piece of land is so oblivious?

For a long time, it was the sense of collective existence that brought Taiwan together even in the most difficult of times. However, now, when the people’s collective feelings are constantly hurt, this government doesn’t seem to care. It doesn’t employ any means to repair these broken feelings.

We are not asking for much — all we want is a government that cares like we do. This country must be able to give its next generation a sense of pride — and not heartache.

My friends, we all know that to create this kind of country, it will take more than an ordinary road. By the same thinking, the DPP will, on the road back to governance, have to undergo unprecedented difficulty. However, we must follow the voice of Taiwan — we have no other choice. We must convince the people to believe that Taiwan actually has another road: a different road.

Many people have pinned their hopes for this country on the shoulders of the DPP and the party must positively reflect this amount of stirring optimism. Taiwan desperately needs a political choice away from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and we must become that strong and viable choice.

Translated by Vincent Y. Chao

Copyright © 1999-2011 The Taipei Times. All rights reserved.

An altogether bad week

What a bad week.  The Libyan resistance isn't getting any meaningful support (does this ring bells of Taiwan's 228 tragedgy?) and there was a massive Richter 8.9 quake in north eastern Japan.  Subduction type earthquakes are the largest ever recorded and this one was over 100x more powerful than the transform fault type quake that hit Christchurch, New Zealand last month.


Japan (and Taiwan) is an island arc - the end result of a subduction zone

On the markets, the TSX sunk from record highs and despite strong gold prices, the mining stocks collapsed.  My bet on Northern Dynasty Minerals is looking pretty grim, but I dumped my Kinross for a $900 loss and traded it in for more NDM.  It's been said many times that NDM is for sale.  Looking at the ownership structure, I wouldn't be surprised if Rio Tinto bought out management and the other shares outstanding.  That would put their share at about 89%.  They would then be half owners of the Pebble Project (Anglo American owns the other half).  So, I'm hoping for that day to come in 2011 so I can cash in on the Pebble Deposit.

I've also decided that I have to set aside about $1000 to make frequent trades on penny stocks like FDC-V, MIN-V, VAE-V, and RG-V so I can keep my active trader status.

Donald Trump: China is not our friend

I saw Donald Trump on Piers Morgan's late show a few weeks ago.  He told it like it is:  China is not our friend.  Well, I wish more people had that obvious insight.  Instead, many (including traitors in Taiwan) can't see beyond non-existant $ signs and think they'll make a lot of money in China.  Ever notice how they take your technology and then sell it back to you at firesale prices (this company for example)?  Take a look at what the DONALD has to say on this!

An online free alternative to Adobe?

My wife found this on RedFlagDeals!  Aviary Tools provides free online tools for graphic artists. I quickly opened up the vector tool and it has a lot of similarities to Adobe Illustrator.  Here's a screenshot:

 

I noticed they also have an audio tool (Audacity replacement).  This is pretty cool for free!

Spinning out of control and a good Samaritan

Well, on the way to Evan Hardy, I spun out just past the French school one block before 8th St.  Did a 180 and crashed into a snow bank.  Very lucky nothing else was in the way. Walked down to the French school to call for help. As my wife approached with the MPV, it slipped in the same spot I went out of control.  We did some digging with the shovel, but we still couldn't push it out.  A First Nations family in a van saw us and stopped.  The two daughters helped push and their mom drove for us as the four of us pushed the Saturn ion out of the snow bank.  Very grateful for such a nice family.

St David's Day - betting on the giant Alaska Cu/Au/Mo Pebble Deposit

It's St David's day today - the national day of Wales. I read about this in National Geographic during the winter break - Bristol Bay Copper/Gold/Molybdenum deposit in Alaska.  Today, I unloaded most of my position in AVR-T and bought NDM-T.  They own half this deposit and the major shareholders are Anglo American (50%), Rio Tinto (20%), management (12%).  Another 11% used to be owned by Mitsubishi, but they sold their stake last week.  Now, TD Newcrest upped their target price to $44 and says their takeover price would be $128.  Who knows.  This could be a big hit and I like that the big boys have already bought in.  Downside is of course, it could destroy the rich salmon and steelhead fishery in Alaska.  I often buy Alaska rainbow trout from Bev's Fish and Seafod (Prince Albert).  It's amazingly tasty fish.  There is a website that's all about trying to stop the mining and saving this beautiful place from development.  I guess given the rich copper deposits in Chile (an active subduction zone), it would not be surprising that Alaska (also a subduction zone) has rich copper deposits.  This is similar to the offshore oil exploration near Guyana as a result of the oil wells now producing offshore Ghana on the other side of the Atlantic.  I figure it's about time I started using my geophysics background to make money.

And, my Heifetz complete collection came in from England today.  Had to pay about $19 brokerage and GST though.   I got it for $240 and now it's listing for $480!