I was just going to point out similar that despite the thread title it has generally not been true that gold is collapsing.   It went upto 1900 and has that true enough and its not gained anything but overall its not a losing asset in the longer term.
Like this last yearly view, gold gained alot in 2014 before losing most of it again which is just holding steady in the big picture.      As far as miners are concerned their costs have reduced from the oil price drop which generally means they make more money even though gold price has stayed level, I think they are better off in 2015 then 2014




Coffee is being used more in asia ?  Not sure if its gaining but we can expect gold similarly to gain from any rise in use

Its fair to assume this house was not everything he owned.  It was inheritance so some unexpected fortune he used to speculate as he already had a living and accommodation elsewhere.  Its a risky bet but slightly less extreme then selling out something you were using.   House prices could still fall from here, bitcoin could still go up we'll have to see which was best.   I wouldnt have done it either but Im not thinking he was in 100% on this

Intelligence can definitely be an attractive quality, I dont think thats a myth. It makes less sense that some guys would prefer women who 'know their place'/dont speak or have nothing interesting to say and share nothing in common, isnt this setting up a really boring relationship.   Sadly its surprising but its more common then that, intelligent women is very sexy

There is such a thing as geek chic :p
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/geek-chic

I do think there are false dynamics in play.   Any really great failure is probably going to have people recognise the factors incorrectly beforehand.   That is a true story from about 20 years ago I read in a national newspaper, the point is people can believe a situation is improving even while the opposite is occurring and actually the symptoms are mis-recognised.   

So maybe an analogy I would try would be that of an avalanche.   What is a ski resort without snow, this is terrible and unemployment for many but even worse would be too much snow.   A normal system would be to acknowledge this danger and clear the snow from slopes in stages.   Thats just normal good practise, so I would relate that to bankruptcy and the situation we have now is they are storing up this kind of massive possible failure where all factors unwind at once.
With a thread subject as grand as devastation it might tend to hyperbole but I would relate it to natural events like this and I think economics should ultimately reflect that human actions are a natural phenomena.   I'll have a read through fallacies and see if Im guilty but the bottom line is politics dominates economies and politics ends up dealing or ignoring failures in the worst way

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Informal_fallacies

In India it was one third of the country below 1 dollar not that long ago, it has improved but I think it remains far higher then China.   In theory India is a faster growing economy as it has the working population increasing still where as China is now in decline in their raw labour capacity. Of course China will still expand from development and industry increasingly refining its output and becoming efficient but eventually set on its path now China will meet Japan in a similar decline of retired vs working productive capacity

Reminds me of a story I once read of a young man who disillusioned with western life went to study with the monks at a Zen Buddhism spiritual temple.    Day after day he was seen to be contemplating much greatness within his mediation studies for hours on end.   Finally they thought he had achieved enlightenment such was his calmness, however he fell ill and was found to be suffering a brain tumour and had lost a large part of his brain function due to constricted blood flow.
    Without any reasonable feedback with his mentors due to the language difference, his apparent progress and calm peacefulness had been mistaken as progress.

  I very much hope it is incorrect to suspect something is seriously wrong right now in trade and global economies but I believe people are too willing to accept the current situation as ok or positive even when there should be warning signs enough matters are unbalanced not stable or progressing

man makes a point
Will fabiola be releasing a 2015 calender of your forum pictures, please send me personal message of retail detail.   So thirsty right now :p

Not troll but there was no benefit in demanding payment in bitcoin.  I get the general hype on trying that and even Richard Branson likes that kind of thing but it was never necessary.  Take the cash as is normally convenient and then just buy the bitcoin yourself.  Thats no fun you might say but the thing is you can choose the timing far better as its alot of potential profit from both getting the best time to sell the house and the best time to buy the coins.

  For example, you can say I want to buy these coins monthly until I reach the full amount I want and he might have benefited that way.        Opposite to that some transactions could benefit from bitcoin truly and no hype needed, typically small fast transactions especially where you dont want a reversal or visa type involvement.  Also where the currency is unstable or the banking system perhaps not secure like Vietnam or more famously Zimbabwe you might well benefit from a bitcoin demand such as this

my point, wasnt 100% silly and if we see those factors increase in the world we could see houses sold this way again imo

To have sidechains as jet engine technology to bitcoin you'd need to see a great deal of benefit and efficiency increase from including them.  Not many think that is the case, I think its more like adding more seats or more luggage space.  It'd be nice if sidechains somehow improved everything about bitcoin not just tagged onto it

That money printed newly is largely going to governments.  If it was being distributed in a truly capitalist way the money would just be spent.   The biggest investment most ordinary people make is in their own family not crappy 1% bonds that wont even beat inflation in the end.
  We have a truly skewed economic system because it doesnt have cash apportioned to people as it should be, normal people just spend cash as they get it so all this low inflation is symptom of illness and their cure is to print more 
 USA largest trading partner is a Communist undemocratic dictatorship.   You cant really have much faith in a system which will execute dissenters, today it benefits the west to have China storing this cash not allowing their own people to use it but at some point it will turn bad against us Im pretty sure.  I really cant see how China would be so benevolent towards us, they will treat us harshly as and when it appears best for them

The main factor for circulation of currency rather then just storage of debt by countries supporting the trade deficit of USA will be interest rates and deprecation of the cash. [also the failing budgets of those countries, Japan has $1tn etc] It will make more sense to sell that debt and realise it as dollars or bid up the prices of tradable assets.  Thats why many expect a commodity boom though we seem to be seeing the opposite and world gdp has fallen in expectation for some time now (while remaining positive year to year overall)

Pretty sure we had a QE coin at one point and it was an excellent demonstration of value dynamics within that system


I think they can both be equally worthless.    The main point would be a written contract, in reference to dollar debt there is not fixed worth to 'the promise' only the idea of exchange or release from taxes within that nation and that relys on trade being in demand.  [If you hold a trillion of this promise, this is a worry and a liability]   Russia perhaps has a problem with this now as its main trade is oil and gas which has become too expensive to produce relative to their competitors retail pricing. It could apply to dollar also as USA is perhaps also too singularly reliant or leaning on one effect to balance the rest of its economy.
 
  I think December registered the largest ever manufacturing trade deficit, yet its not a problem while we are propped up and China can just make things for us.   China has their own problems and the West cant dictate how factors play out just as Russia could not dictate outside its borders and is weak

The point is that people can spend that money themselves more efficiently not that they dont want security or welfare but there is something to be said for earning your own wage and providing for yourselves or at least within a community not ruled by a political majority thousands of miles away.  Law administered remotely by strangers is far more likely to go awry and/or cost to excess over what that person or community could do themselves

The Swiss probably have the best system with more local control and only essentially national policy decided centrally like unfortunately their decision to fix currency to the Euro is a valid national policy and they did vote a referendum on it recently in a related way

Running away from a bad environment would seem to be alot different to running away from oneself though its true wherever you go, there you are!    Losing trade with Russia does hurt Europe and other places, some worse then others but in the main Russia was and is about oil and gas and they can be replaced.
   The way Putin controls that country is not really to its benefit beyond keeping basic order which I presume they could do without him, Russia can be replaced in global trade which does make sanctions far harder for them then us.    Im not sure they will be forced to change course as they do have China and if Cuba is any example it can take a very long time to change anything

Overall I rate Putin as a moderate, he is not the worse you could have.  I fear situations like Libya where they seem to spiral downwards without forced unity, would sanctions have done better there

China is developing and has much ground to make up from the past losses to trade.  USA is more in decline because of its overburden to government, it must consolidate and resolve conflicts in its economy between what works and does not.  I expect that is why China would 'beat' USA in GDP growth.
Some admire the command economy idea and that China may advance because politics has the power to force it but I think most natural growth likely to succeed would be unforced and supported by people without duress

Once every fortnight is not that much really and the strength of bitcoin is in its longevity, Im more interested in how it holds out rather then being a point of interest over a summer then gone.  That would make it a false or failed concept, so far its lasted so I expect price to go up still


Theres a faq somewhere but its not needed to know, its a technical point about forum stats.  Why anyone cares would be more sensible, of course nerds love stats

Ive read that before a few times as criminal gangs with large amounts of money like the Euro for its high denominations and liquidity.   I think dollar is still most favoured globally as its used as the actual main currency unofficially many places.    China is another place Ive heard of very large amounts of cash being hoarded like this related to corruption, enough cash to fill a warehouse so perhaps they lack the appreciation and high value euro has come to have

He is saying Russias problems lie with the nature and actions of its people, they allow Putin to be there not that 1 man is the cause.
Partly true I guess though Im sure you are your own person

Saudi talk Russian problems with producing oil at low cost - http://uk.businessinsider.com/saudi-oil-minister-hints-russia-doesnt-deserve-market-share-2014-12

That would be the creation of a new country most likely.   People live together en masse because its efficient to do so and actually costs less then your stand alone proposal; even with taxes.    Yet USA and many other places have excessive taxes and worse still, unrestrained interference by government in normal trade and activities of its citizens.  
This is when taxes becomes a problem, not because it was always invalid but when it fails the majority in any purpose and undermines society.   Why do people choose to do so, I think society is naturally inclined to continue with recognised practise and even though its in downward spiral we follow it down till its overwhelmingly uncomfortable and people depart, take painful measures, etc

Gold itself is considered a very small market and unable to bear global trade like dollar treasuries currently do.  The criticism that USA has too much debt on the flipside enables very large instant liquidity for almost any size party from companies to multi level governmental operations, that is why QE appears to be a sucess.   The truth of damage done both in debt and deficit spending but also liquidity that absence of qe receding creates will only become apparent when its too late, hence the phrase you can only see whose naked when the tide goes out.
  A natural swing (back) to other less biased, true dynamic entities such as gold is quite certain but also Bitcoin's regular schedule should compare well, it still has to prove long term use or demand like gold