To start this episode I wanted to talk about ‘bugging in’. Which in my world means, returning to Australia and reintegrating back into the first-world reality. But, of course we were distracted (mainly myself) and begin talking off topic. However, in a roundabout way we end up covered related stuff.
So after two years of Mexican experience under my belt, Australia doesn’t seem quite the same. Over all it feels pre-fabricated, packaged up and somewhat plastic like. Everything is in order and a sense control can be found everywhere. Everything is very tidy and neat. Everyone that arrives from somewhere else knows that – Australia is a dream. But, I believe deep down within the self, in the dark shadowy parts of the human experience, human beings have normal and natural urges to dislike such a level of nice. Somewhat like the urge that arises when approaching freshly poured concrete – to put your foot through it, or to at least write my name in it. Perhaps there is something wrong with me, looking for the imperfections that accompany these feelings towards this wonderful perfect world called Australia.
In this episode Kurt and I have an impromptu conversation based around my return to Australia. We discuss a few stories which I overheard on the local news, thoughts on the Australian real estate bubble and possible issues with the Australia welfare system. These ideas were originally shared by sponsored television programming.
Tele – transmission over a distance
vision – power of sensing with eyes
Programming Noun – the act or process of planning or writing a program.
Programming Verb – to write code for
I had forgotten what commercial television programming was all about – Turn off the box.
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The Cash:
We really appreciate all of your contributions! Every cent and satoshi we receive lets us know that we’re doing something worthwhile, that you are entertained by our program, and that you’re starting to question what you know more and more. Please be generous. Donate to The Paradise Paradox. Or buy some stuff on Amazon using this link.
The Story:
How do bubbles blow up, and how do they pop? Why do booms boom and eventually go bust? There are many reasons behind this. One is the oligopoly that many banks enjoy in many countries, meaning they don’t necessarily have to stay competitive to maintain their market share. Another reason is the fact that many banks’ deposits are guaranteed by law, such as in the USA and in Australia – reducing the incentive for depositors to be careful about where they put their money. A third reason is bail-outs by central banks, in what was once known as a “Greenspan put”, where bankers can take profit for themselves, but if they lose, they can rely on Federal Reserve to get them out of a jam.
All of this irresponsible money floating around can mean that sometimes banks get involved in assets which perhaps they shouldn’t. The story of the investment bank Lehman Brothers holding sub-prime mortgages, leading to the GFC in 2008, is one of the best examples. Today we have another example, where banks around the world, including Deutschebank, are holding extremely risky assets issued or derived from the Swiss multinational mining giant Glencore. As faith in these banks drop, we may see Glencore, Deutschebank and other institutions throwing in the “kitchen sink” – that is, releasing all of their bad news at a time when investor expectations are already at a tremendous low.
In this episode, we discuss the financial state of Glencore, and how it might have a role in the next “seven year cycle” financial crisis. Join us in a boom-bust rollercoaster on the next episode of … The Paradise Paradox!
If you enjoyed the episode, don’t keep it a secret! Feel free to share it on Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, Reddit, or your office bathroom wall.
The Cash:
We really appreciate all of your contributions! Every cent and satoshi we receive lets us know that we’re doing something worthwhile, that you are entertained by our program, and that you’re starting to question what you know more and more. Please be generous. Donate to The Paradise Paradox. Or buy some stuff on Amazon using this link.
The Story:
There’s a lot of talk floating around about September, with the Hebrew calendar culminating in the Shemitah, astrology leading us to believe that the divine masculine and feminine are moving in harmony, asteroids crashing into the earth, the Pope addressing the US congress, the Freemasons’ “Year of the Light”, the Federal Reserve expounding their interest rate policy going forward, and CERN powering up the Large Hadron Collider to full-bore.
Are all these potentially influential events just a coincidence? With so much going on in this world every month, maybe we should hesitate to draw any conclusions. Of course, where one human sees a coincidence, another sees a synchronicity – and that’s where we start going down the rabbit hole. Don’t fall too deep as we move into another earth-shattering episode of … The Paradise Paradox!
