A Holiday Wednesday ...

surprisingly has some interesting news.

But first, read the Wall Street Journal's annual editorial writings for the day before Thanksgiving. Although identical for almost 50 years, the writing seems to have special meaning every year. If you don't subscribe, I posted a copy last year - see link below.

http://viewfromthebunker.blogspot.com/2008/11/thanksgiving.html

Now to the News ...

The Russian gangocracy keeps getting bolder: FT - quote begins***

A London-based Russian lawyer allegedly received death threats before and after the sudden death in a Moscow jail of Sergei Magnitsky, a colleague who had accused the police of involvement in a corruption case. ... Hermitage said it believed the death-threat text messages sent from a Russian mobile phone over the last month were a warning. They could indicate Magnitsky was killed rather than dying of natural causes after complaining for months he had been denied medical treatment for a serious stomach condition, it said. "

A text message sent on November 8 said, “If history has taught us anything, it is that anyone can be killed”, according to Hermitage. An earlier message sent on October 23 said: “What could be more frightening . . . I don’t know, death . . . or prison.”

Mr Browder said on Tuesday: “It all started to crystallise after we got the fifth message literally gloating about Magnitsky’s death . . . These messages combined with bruises [that were seen] on his hand . . . and the cover-up over his autopsy lead us to believe there is a real possibility he didn’t die of natural causes.” ***quote ends.

It is rather obvious that Putin & Medvedev are involved in protecting this crowd. No one should be doing any business with this gangocracy until it's cleaned up.

Washington Post concentrates on the DC ruling classes to feed it.

From WSJ - quote begins***
Washington Post Co.'s flagship paper plans to close its remaining U.S. news bureaus outside of the Washington area, in a symbolic retreat for one of the country's major news organizations.
The six affected journalists in the New York, Los Angeles and Chicago bureaus will be offered new posts in Washington. Three news aides in those locations will lose their jobs, the Post said.
The closures are effective Dec. 31

The move is an acknowledgement the paper—which helped force the resignation of President Richard Nixon and recently won a Pulitzer Prize for its coverage of influence wielded by former Vice President Dick Cheney—is focusing more on its backyard.

"It's necessary to concentrate our journalistic firepower on our central mission of covering Washington and the news, trends and ideas that shape both the region and the country's politics, policies and government," Executive Editor Marcus Brauchli and other top Post editors said in a memo to staff.
***quote ends

To paraphrase, the people no longer matter to the Washington Post - all power is flowing to the center and all importance occurs there in the court of the ruling classes.

Actions

Ms. Market seems to have endurance for dancing, and the band seems to be tuning its instruments for a new set of songs. What will be the theme song for this set ? Will it be Happy Days Are Here Again or Brother, Can You Spare a Dime ? Maybe a lively Louis Armstrong tune from the 1920s will spur Ms. Market to do a wild jitterbug with a big bull ?

At this time I am still doing nothing. I have plenty of cash, but see few screaming buys or sells. I'm still riding the bull elephant to the next water hole, surveying the landscape to a change in trend.

Word of the Day

"Deontological" - adjective [$10] and "Deontology" [$10]; from Kant.
Deontology means the study of duty.
Sentences:
(A) [from course notes of "Great Ideas of Philosophy", part 3, page 46 - a CD course from The Teaching Company] "Central to any deontological theory is the idea that it takes the imperative of certain moral precepts to be unconditional."

(B) From behavior observed, one can conclude that both the DC ruling classes and the Russian gangocracy both flunked deontology in their studies, or never even signed up, as both are concerned solely with their own power and wealth.