Nothing is more vexing to the sugar farmer that has been languishing in a 28 year bear market than not being part of the bonanza. It is my hope that prices will stay profitable for an extended period to allow them to offset fertilizer and other input costs.

"Farmers supplying sugarcane to government-owned millers could miss out on the high sugar prices in the international market, due to production inefficiencies.

Because they depend on millers for farm inputs among them fertiliser and transport services, industry players said, the final payout is squeezed by these deductions.

But those who supply to private mills have independent arrangements that ensures they enjoy maximum benefits of upward price revisions.

“While such prices are welcome to the farmers and the factories, the farmers may not end up enjoying the full benefits. Once the companies have taken their dues the farmers remain with very little to take home,” said Mr Saulo Busolo, a farmer’s representative at the Kenya Sugar Board...."

Read more:

http://www.nation.co.ke/...0/-/8g2lx1z/-/index.html

Were the American authorities to look across the Atlantic at the afflictions of Iceland, Greece, Portugal, Italy, Ireland and Spain, they would halt this debt madness. They would realise that not only are they mortaging their citizens' future, but also exporting their domestic policies to all international holders of U.S. Dollars.

"The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest Rome become bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance." - Cicero's address to the Roman Senate in 55BC

One does not treat alcoholism with more vodka. A Debt Crisis is not tempered by more debt.

"WASHINGTON — The US Congress on Thursday sent President Barack Obama legislation allowing the United States to borrow another 1.9 trillion dollars, hiking the national debt ceiling to a historic 14.3 trillion.

An angry election-year debate over soaring government deficits was on full display as the US House of Representatives signed off on the increase in a 217-212 procedural vote before a final ballot on the underlying bill.

All of President Barack Obama's Republican critics and 37 of his Democratic allies opposed the move, which came one week after the similarly divided US Senate approved the increase..."

Read more:

http://www.google.com/ho...er8MS43aXoIYCrbm3ykr6SEg

People that have secret meetings with secret agenda's must be up to no good, non?

Interesting part of the article "...The gathering also comes at an important time for the BIS as it initiates an overhaul of the global banking system which will include new capital rules applying to banks and more stringent standards regulating executive pay..."

What role would the BIS have on regulating executive pay? Strange! As for the capital requirements, the one's we know 8% core capital ratio and 12% capital adequacy ratio. Are those the ones they will review? What would changing these mean on the ability to 'create money from thin air'?

Congressman Ron Paul will not give up on sound money and a return to a Gold-based Standard. He's also an advocate of free banking (I believe) and introducing a piece of legislature known as the Free Competition in Currency Act.

Read more:

http://www.jbs.org/infla...-taxes-economy-blog/5919

Over the weekend, two high level meetings were held. One in the southern tip of the globe while the other, at the northern edge. The secret meeting of the world's central bankers in Australia and the G7 meeting in Iqaluit, Nunavut were as a result of the market jitters over Anglo-Saxon government debt structures that are spilling into currencies and the debt markets.

A short position is one that intends to profit from the fall or descent of a tradeable asset. Hedge funds, smelling blood in the waters of Europe have placed huge bets on the decline of the Euro. In addition, they have placed the silmilar bets on the decline of the debts of Portugal, Greece, Spain and Italy.

The Dollar's strength is largely due to weakness of the Euro as capital seeks a safe haven. Trade with caution.

" Traders and hedge funds have bet nearly $8bn against the euro, amassing the biggest short position in the single currency since its launch on fears of a eurozone debt crisis.

Investors increased their bets against the euro to record levels in the week to February 2, according to the latest figures from the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, which are often used as a proxy of hedge fund activity.

The build-up in net short positions represents more than 40,000 contracts traded against the single currency, equivalent to bets worth $7.6bn. It suggests that investors are losing confidence in the euro's ability to withstand any contagion from Greece's fiscal problems to other European countries..."

Read more:

http://business.theatlan...he_euros_going_down.php

Diversification out of the U.S. Dollar continues in earnest, taking advantage of the currency's recent upsurge due to debt jitters in Europe. Please review the video that follow the article.

"China Investment Corp., the Asian economic superpower's hulking $200-billion (U.S.) sovereign wealth fund, has been quietly accumulating stakes in resource firms including Canada's Kinross Gold Corp. (K-T18.800.935.20%) and Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan, (POT-T113.103.763.44%) according to a filing with securities regulators.

CIC, whose chairman is former Communist Party of China insider Lou Jiwei, has spent billions of dollars on mining and energy related investments, the filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission reveals. China is the world's largest commodity buyer and part of the fund's mandate is to invest directly in materials producers to offset China's costs...."

Read more:

http://www.theglobeandma...mpanies/article1460614/


Chinese govt advise gold buying - why? What is their plan?:

http://www.youtube.com/w...feature=player_embedded