Epoch

Our Wretched species is so made that those who walk on the well-trodden path always throw stones at those who are showing a new road. - Voltaire

You 'GET' to go to work. - Ken; 603 Chef

Man, I see in fight club the strongest and smartest men who’ve ever lived. I see all this potential, and I see squandering. God damn it, an entire generation pumping gas, waiting tables; slaves with white collars. Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don’t need. We’re the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War’s a spiritual war… our Great Depression is our lives. We’ve all been raised on television to believe that one day we’d all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won’t. And we’re slowly learning that fact. And we’re very, very pissed off. - Tyler Durden; Fight Club [1999]

U.S.A. Inc. During 1982 > 1999 experienced stock prices on average were up 13X. Things got interesting in the middle 1990’s as information technology accelerated under the ‘New Economy’ boom.

Venture Capitalists played a large part in the mania in addition to mutual funds allowing more easy access by retail at the end. Initial Public Offerings [IPO’s] eventually earned the recency bias term “It’s Probably Overpriced” by the old guard who were considered cynical.

Enron, MCI WorldCom, Tyco, Dynergy & Adelphia Cable were all visible to those awake. Clean tech appeared to be an honest industry vs past hustles in more visible or transparent Ponzi type businesses.

Anything [Ego] writing checks it’s body can’t cash is a promise 2 pay. During a mania built upon ‘easy money’ or credit the psychology of crowd can change to become even more emotional / Innumerate.

Swindles accelerate in the mania phase of an asset bubble. This type of behavior defers from fraud in such the Active participants may sell their friends or family financial sewage. Higher level fraud occurs from people detached from the consequences of direct actions. [1]

Hyman Minsky noted an inflection point where confidence declined leading to less optimistic investor behavior. John Stuart Mill, Knut Wicksell to Irvine Fisher all noted similar parts of cycles in the past.

Credit ‘Innovations’ can accentuate these cycles and investor behavior.

Going thru an Extreme Rebuilding > > Coming back from the Gutter - The Gladiator Solution has enhanced coherence.

Exposure to numerous meetings & talks helped contemplate where the masses may be led…

[1] The Author can sleep at night as with a melted brain & limited knowledge my focus was to ensure clients retain gold at 1/10th levels today with high quality royalties.

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Technology Bull Market Number 1 was personally noted at a MBA conference where professor’s who had never built anything proclaimed the Internet would create vast new opportunities for all.

Books, Magazines & CD’s > Physical content remained popular competition with flat screen Psychological Operation devices throughout airports, bars and everyone’s living room to escape the tedious life.

Drama & Excitement among most all narratives aimed around centralized solutions. Police shows accelerated in the 1990’s along with Rockefeller Medial Cult Specticals.

Past formal education stipulating the virtues of selfishness [Ayn Rand] much less creating independent systems to provide utility & build capital were never on the radar.

Skin-In-The-Game Capitalism appears to be sold to the masses as evil greedy opportunism.

Harsh Reality: It takes capital to build an independent system serving mankind.

Principals vs Personalities

Periodic Table essential metals can't be created out of nothing.

War on Producers vs Consumers.

Business model with multiple shots on goal where every day we get stronger...

As a young financial advisor - perception of the world in arrears _ Von Mises - 10 years back

They call it a decade... today this was nearly 2.5 or 25 years since the transition from working on a production line... to becoming a syndication expert with no direct experience.

All FA's at the branch were close to the same. High Net worth 'Consultants'

Don't tell me what you think... show me your portfolio...

Ego / Hubris - The need for confidence to sell... 

Being brought to one's knee's helps see the forest thru the trees...

Peter Lynch value in Volatility. Owning real businesses.

The gift of The Gladiator Guide > Solution -

This is ... The Golden Age of Fraud. - Jim Chanos