The Rude Awakening
London, England
Monday, December 11, 2006 - Slaving and saving - keeping an eye on your retirement nest egg,
- Cleaning up on dirty energies, "Hello" in Thai,
- The same ol' rain in London, how to survive the plummeting dollar and the economic crisis of the year…
Enjoying the delights of London's weather, Joel Bowman reports… This morning we touched down in London. It is raining. It is raining the same rain that fell when we left for Paris almost a week ago. It is raining the same rain that fell when we left London for the United States some five years ago and it is raining the same rain that fell when the British sent their convict scoundrels for "punishment" to the paradise of Australia over 200 years ago. Not that the Brits are at all miffed about their climatologically challenged geography…on the contrary. They seem to revel in the opportunity to break out the "brolly" and dance about in puddles with their jeans tucked into their galoshes. The fact that the Brits continue to smile in spite of their drab weather seems to your warm-blooded editor testament to the resilience of their spirit. A cockney lad will gladly - and honestly - tell you that he lives in the greatest place on earth despite the decided lack of vitamin D in his diet. They happily toil away all year in the bitter cold and dampness of London for the privilege of spending a week or two in Spain, Morocco or some other exotic locale. Even more confounding, upon first inspection anyway, is that the people from Spain, Morocco and these other exotic locales trade in their sunshine and sandals for the chance to move here! But things are good in London…it is a Mecca of culture, music, arts…there are museums, world class restaurants and a multiculturalism to rival any of the world's great mega-cities. So after we wring out our meager possessions and put on some warm, dry socks, we'll get out and amongst it all. While we do, please sit back and enjoy some Rude reader mail. Cheers, jOEL P.S.: As always, the opinions reflected below do not necessarily reflect those of your editors, nor do we vouch for their accuracy. If you would like to pen us a Rude thought of your own, please send them along to your hypothermic editor at aussiejoel@the-rude-awakening.com. ------------------------- Slaving and Saving jOEL, Thanks of the continued enlightenment you provide with the distribution of the Rude Awakening newsletter. Much consternation has been expressed by the many analysts that contribute to your publication relative to the continued rise of markets and stocks…I likewise fail to grasp any technical basis for the rise in stocks and markets given the current state of our national debt, trade imbalance, and declining housing market. I suspect that, to some extent, our declining US dollar valuation makes US markets a lucrative investment for foreign dollar holders. But I can't help but wonder if employee retirement, 401K, and IRA investments each week are providing an artificial floor to market indices. I'm not even sure how to determine the percentage of dollar investment each week comes from retirement investment. For twenty years I put 20% of my income into employer 401K mutual fund stock accounts without regard to portfolio risk. It wasn't until the 2000 market crash when I got hit with a 20% loss that I started taking notice of where my investments resided. Since that time I've kept close track of the overall economy and government financial conditions and shifted funds to much more conservative investments based on future expectations. Given the state of Social Security, declining company based retirement plans, and that a significant portion of the work force (Baby Boomers) will be approaching retirement in the next several years one would (or should) expect some sense of urgency on their part to max out contributions to self-owned retirement accounts. Furthermore, I suspect that most investments are being blindly funneled into what Rude Awakening contributors refer to as our "Goldilocks" market environment. As a side thought I sense reason for concern with the long term effect to markets when Boomers start selling off significant portions of their investment portfolios to pay for retirement…. Without a large influx of foreign investment the markets can't help but decline. Just some thoughts from the outback of Idaho…. Don L. --- Surviving the Dollar's Demise --- The Final Countdown to Economic Disaster Has Begun! These "Wealth Fortress" Investments Are Your Last Chance for Total Protection The clock is ticking - and three SHOCKING events threaten to wipe out investors by Dec. 31, 2006. But one of the world's most famous market analysts has revealed his favorite strategies for surviving - and thriving in - the crisis he sees ahead. This may be your last chance. Don't miss this rare opportunity to get rich while protecting your money. Get the details here. ---------------------------------- Cleaning Up With Dirty Energy Dear Vagabond Joel; Dan Denning and Justice Litle wrote enthusiastically about uranium as a "clean" fuel that will be better for the environment than dirty old coal. Unfortunately, neither of them suggested what should be done with the radioactive waste from all this "clean" uranium. Nor did they consider that there are at least two technologies being developed to "clean up" coal. Until someone comes up with a plan to ship nuclear waste to Mars or a dead asteroid, I don't see uranium having as great a future as Dan and Justice suggest. It's clear that "NIMBY" will stop the storage here on Earth, as it has for the past 25 or more years and promises to do for the foreseeable future. Coal gasification and reclamation of the particulate matter (and carbon dioxide) from smokestacks both promise to make coal an environmentally friendly fuel for the future. One or both of these technologies should be available long before the nuclear waste problem is solved. Regards Mitchell Krasny
San Angelo, TX Joel's Note: We here at the Rude Awakening actually have quite a clean bent when it comes to energy consumption. Both Dan and Justice have been researching new energies and new ways o use old energies to maximize efficiency and minimize environmental hazards. If you are interested in reading more about this, here are a few columns from each of them you may find interesting: Sun, Wind and Surf by Justice Litle Trash Talk by Justice Litle The Newest Old Thing, Part I by Dan Denning The Newest Old Thing, Part II by Dan Denning --- Energy Investing For The Future --- Had ENOUGH of Rising Oil Prices? Find out how those extra bucks you're paying at the pump could make you richer… Five Times RICHER! 11 Companies That Can Suck Profits From Big OIL and Add Big Bucks To YOUR Bank Account… --------------------------------------- Hello in Thai Hello Joel, "Saw a dee Kaa" I have to say, you are a most unusual character in this virtual financial website world that I wander through for hours every day… I wish I were along for the journey. So, you're headed to Thailand…I was there about 8 months ago. The people are lovely - peaceful, delicate and kind. Take a riverboat ride along the Chao Phraya, the main artery of commerce, history and cultural mixing in the northern part of the country. Learn the easy anglicized pronunciations for hello, thank you, and please - these are the principal concepts of Thai culture. Observe their refined sense of etiquette - it truly makes daily life a greater joy. Visit the Chatachuk weekend market for a local glimpse of indigenous capitalism at work. Get away from Bangkok if you can…to the villages, beaches, mountains. If you are stuck in Bangkok only, then see the museums and the Jim Thompson house, the gorgeous Oriental Hotel, the various temples in the city, but don't neglect the back streets, observe the love the people have for their benevolent king and queen, and their long, unconquered history. Notice their reticence, their sense of privacy and deference, and especially their tolerance of alternate lifestyles. And above all, their pride in their independence…. See the cranes on the city's skyline? It may not rival China's national birds, but the country is certainly firing into the future while loving their history, and it felt like a good place to me. If you can handle the heat and humidity (definitely avoid their swampy summers!) Thailand would be a great place for a getaway retreat, maybe along the southern beaches, or in a northern town like Chiang Mai. Enjoy! Sincerely,
Angela B.
California -------------------------- Joel's Endnote: A quick thanks to everyone who wrote in over the last week with suggestions of places to see and things to do in Paris. We recently had a friend tell us that the only problem with the city was that you "can only go there for the first time once." Our brief stay was more than enough to have us wanting for a second visit…and a third… We'll be headed to Thailand tomorrow and will be posting pictures and musings of the journey on our website later in the week. Keep the "untourist" insights coming and we'll look forward to reporting for you from the Southern Hemisphere. Cheers, jOEL | 
