Read any good books?

[lisa kit]

Trying to encourage the discussion and review of book titles.

[Larry Puckette]

Lisa - glad you re-activated the thread

I picked up: The Brotherhood of Money - The Secret World of Bank Note Printers (1983) by Murray Teigh Bloom and made it about 4 chapters in before sitting it down. The title accurately represents the content, including a little too much about petty drama between the families for me. That's not really why I sat it down though. It was coloring my impression of current events a little too much. I may pick it back up later, it's pretty informative. I guess I'll probably find the purpose of the petty drama towards the end. I'm thinking you may find it interesting if you haven't already read it.

Much of it is in a historical narative presentation best I can tell. It seems to be non-fiction but I haven't seen that said. The author has/had previously written books on the banknote world that gained him a lot of credibility.

[Larry Puckette]

Here's a link to a discussion comparing current events to the great depression along with the role and effect of policies and the federal reserve in both events. Within it there is recall of one of the initial drivers of the great depression was the british pound had been greatly devalued in WW1 and was not recovering in relation to the US dollar. The fed/res printed more money to bring the dollar value and the british pound value closer together. -- these are the types of things discussed in Brotherhood of Money, but from the perspective of the money printers.

http://www.thedailybell.com/Public/Files/Swiss%20Perspective%20-%20...

[Clemens]

Hi there,

I am interested in this secret Bank Note Printing. I read the Money Makers recently and I am no seeking for the Brotherhood of Money.

Could you get me a hint where to find a copy of this book?

Thanks

Clemens

[Larry Puckette]

Hi Clemens
Very interesting search you just sent me on.. thank you very much. Found it available at Amazon. The 2 reviews were both 5star ratings. They say things like 'a must read for those who want to understand how the world really works' and how rare the book is but some libraries have it available.
here's the link --
http://www.amazon.com/Brotherhood-Money-Secret-World-Printers/dp/09...

This leads me to the new interesting part about this book, they say they have 1 'new' copy available starting at $510 - and 8 'used' copies available starting at $450.... well, well, well :~} look what I found. ---
Sorry about humoring myself. I got this book years ago at an auction, along with 2 pickup loads of it's friends for $10 when the auctioneer discovered them still left to sell after most the folks had left. I learned alot about the market value of some books soon afterwards, sold many at around $75. and it now looks like that goose just might have laid me another egg

So - sincerely Clemens. Thank you very much. I think there is the incentive to get finished reading it now, and get it up for sale soon.

[Irma]

Larry, sorry for taking you away from your golden nest egg. :-) Just wanted to say that's fantastic news! Since you know something about the market value of books I need to PM you about a couple (hopefully, golden eggs) that I have. Thanks.

[Jim Rock]

he the same guy that wrote the book I still have jiggling in my head--facts and figures, no contest type of author

[gabe]

Just got done readinf Catastrophe by Dick Morris. Couldn't put it down. In essence this book confirms my worst fears and proves they are true. God, if this man is in the WH for four years what will the US look like?

[lisa kit]

Well I just finished the 1st chapter today. It was an overview of how the use of coined metals was the first currencies. Stone tablets were used as well but not as popular. Spain mined so much silver in South America that it devalued it's own currency. They were so stubborn to let it go, that they defaulted on several loans that used their future mining as collateral. Never knew how powerful the Medici family of Italy was, and how they got there. Worth reading the fist chapter for the history lesson.
This may be review for some, the Latin word Credo, where we get the word credit, mean "I believe".
Here may be some of the no contest points, Jim mentioned, made in the intro. The most insured countries are typically the safest. We always complain that banks rip us off and cause poverty, yet poverty is most prevalent where there are no banks.
Having only six chapters, they tend to be long. Looking forward to how our system developed, but from what I have read so far it's going to get very interesting.

[Lock Piatt]

The Medici family was more powerful than the Pope or Kings of their time. They could be the first of "THE HUGE CORPORATION" evil dominator of governments.

[lisa kit]

Chapter two shows how the bond market was created, focusing mainly on the Rothschilds. While he does dispel some myths about how they obtained their fortunes, he does try to chalk up some of their power to myth. "Such myths are current even today. According to Song Hongbing's best-selling book Currency Wars published in China 2007, the Rothschilds continue to control the global monetary system through their alleged influence over the Federal Reserve System." (pg. 86) Hard to swallow that they had a hand in it's creation yet they have such little or no influence w/ the FR now. I certainly don't have the means to disprove it, but will hold reserves in my own opinion. N. Rothschild provided gold to supply Wellingtons troops in his victory @ Waterloo. W/ an abundance in cash, due to a short war, Rothschild invested in bonds.

Another history review on how the fall of New Orleans caused the South to loose the civil war. Preventing cotton bonds from being effective in the war effort. Rothschild choose to not back the south, because war and unrest tend to drive down bonds (DAMN U NATHEN R.) So the confederate just printed money, making it worthless. Same goes for Germany pre WWII. Many other examples of hyper inflation were given as well, showing how creating money from thin air devalues everybody elses money in the system ( DAMN U USUPER)

Argentina was once in the top ten richest countries in the world, circa 1913.(I had no idea) Hosting one of the two HARRODS in the world at the time, the second being in London. Yet finance mismanagement put an end to their prosperity, REPEATEDLY.

Yes, from what I have read, the bond market pegs world currencies.

[Lock Piatt]

You might find this interesting reading.

http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/crito.html

[lisa kit]

OMG!!! I can't cover this chapter well enough. Last chapter I marked a page to high light a remark. This chapter 3 pages were marked about half way through. The last 5 pages were an overwhelming account of Enron, WTF!!! People I haven't the time to plagiarize those 5 pages, but believe me some of the most informative info I have yet to read. If ur in luv w/ GWB u will wonder why after this.

To the authors credit, N. Ferguson, he uses about 100 ref per chapter (i.e. tells where he got the info
). Groucho Marx an outside trader wiz, he has a ref.

I can't do justice to this chapter, but here is an attempt. LLC started in the shipping industry, after a certain amount of time (disclosed in the charter) the company would dissolve paying it's share holders. Then someone Holland got the idea to pool the nations resources and create "Dutch East India Co" aka VOC. Being this was a gov supported and open to the public, people swarmed to get their money in. By comparison/contrast the English East India Co. raised about 820,000 guilders capital two years earlier, VOC started w/ 6,450,000 guilders. Out fitting 22 ships @ a cost of 3.7 million guilder the plan was to establish refineries and warehouses in India. Through smart management and a little warmongering, the VOC became so successful that ten years later they didn't want to dissolve, and hence the first "stocks" were created. They were so valued that a building was erected just to trade VOC stock, hence the fist stock market. Banks would loan money on stock holdings creating credit markets.

But the chapter's title is "Blowing Bubbles" which is not an accurate representation of VOC. Next we are introduced to John Law of Edinburgh, the predecessor to Kenneth Lay. Having fled to Holland to avoid capital punishment, killed a man in a duel, he picked up on the bank and stock system. He loved to gamble so the stock market was right up his alley. Pitching the idea of paper money in France, he finally got a bite. Rising to great heights financing the royal debt, he gain control of tax collection, issue of paper money, and a host of other systems of corruption. The biggest of which was the Mississippi stock sham, this guy could sell blue sky. Having absolute control of the French economy, it lead to absolute failure. He had a ponzi scheme to rival Madoff, my opinion. Never heard of the guy, but his failure set the French way back in economic history, as they were hesitant to use paper for a few decades. It all came down in 1720. "One Dutch investor had a series of satirical plates specially commissioned in China. The inscription of one reads: 'By God, all my stock's worthless!' Another is even more direct: 'Shit shares and wind trade.' ... Law's company had been trading in nothing more than substantial than wind"

A strong comparison is drawn to K. Lay in the final 7 or so pages of the chapter.

Information on the FR and timing of the Enron failure tend to support #/## truthers.

IT'S CONTRADICTION, NOT COINCIDENCE PEOPLE

The internet is our greatest weapon, and "THEY" will do their best to discredit the internet. Our due diligence can overcome, but we must be able to support our POV. Discussion is our greatest asset people, don't sit on ur lorelles , read a book and share ur POV. Heck read this book and share ur POV. THE MORE U KNOW!!!