Top Picks ~ Week of November 19, 2007

Money & Markets

Trojan House

Dollar to Fade, Not Fly, From Scene as Gulf Reforms
By Daliah Merzaban – Reuters (21 Nov 2007)

The Currency Manipulation Follies, Chapter Umpteen
By Peter Garnham – Financial Times, London (21 Nov 2007)

Credit Derivatives Market Grows By Nearly Half in Six Months
By Kabir Chibber – Bloomberg News (22 Nov 2007)

Credit ‘Heart Attack’ Strikes China and Korea
By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard – London Telegraph (22 Nov 2007)

European Banks Suspend Trading in Mortgage Bonds
By Esteban Duarte & Steve Rothwell – Bloomberg News (21 Nov 2007)

Another True Tale From the National Security State
By Gordon Rayner & Andrew Porter – London Telegraph (20 Nov 2007)

The Cracks are Spreading – America’s Supposed Saviours are Victims
The Economist.com (21 Nov 2007)

Getting Worried Downtown – Whether or Not It’s An Official Recession, America’s Economy Will Feel Grim
The Economist.com (15 Nov 2007)

Never Fight the Fed
By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard – London Telegraph (21 Nov 2007)

Worse to Come, Warns Bank Chief
By Edmund Conway – London Telegraph (21 Nov 2007)

The American People Are Beginning to Get It
By Ernest Partridge – Scoop Independent News (15 Nov 2007)

Credit Crunch – Credit Bubble Bulletin
By Doug Noland – PrudentBear.com (16 Nov 2007)

Missing: 25m People’s Personal Data
Video & Article – Yorkshire Post (20 Nov 2007)

Freddie Mac Posts Deep Loss, Says it May Slash Dividend
By James R. Hagerty – Wall Street Journal (20 Nov 2007)

Fannie Mae’s Fuzzy Math
By Peter Eavis – Fortune Magazine (15 Nov 2007)

Goldman’s Global Alpha May End 2007 Down $6 Billion
By Jenny Strasburg – Bloomberg.com (19 Nov 2007)

Citigroup Downgraded to ‘Sell’ at Goldman Sachs
By Adam Haigh & Matthew Leising – Bloomberg.com (19 Nov 2007)

Chinese Premier Voices Alarm at Dollar’s Weakness [Register to view full article.]
By Mure Dickie, et al – Financial Times (19 Nov 2007)

Chavez and Ahmadinejad Take Aim at Dollar
By Nasser Karimi – Associated Press (19 Nov 2007)

Canadian Dollar Falls on Chance of Interest Rate Cut
By Haris Anwar – Bloomberg News (19 Nov 2007)

Corrections Corp. SVP Exercises Options
Yahoo Finance (16 Nov 2007)

OPEC Interested in Replacement for Dollar
By Sebaastian Abbot – Associated Press (18 Nov 2007)

OPEC Finance Ministers to Keep Discussing Dollar’s Fall
By Souhail Karam – Reuters (18 Nov 2007)

G2 Meeting Leaves Falling Dollar Alone
By Gordon Bell & Natsuko Waki – Reuters (18 Nov 2007)

Gulf States Will Discuss Revaluing Their Dollar-Pegged Currencies
By Zinab Fattah & Matthew Brown – Bloomberg News (18 Nov 2007)

British Government Bailout for Northern Rock May Continue Forever
By Iain Dey – London Telegraph (18 Nov 2007)

Do you Wonder Why Central Banking Also is Conducted in Secret?
From Agence France-Presse (16 Nov 2007)

Dollar to Remain China’s Main Reserve, Central Banker Says
By Min Zeng – Bloomberg News (14 Nov 2007)

_________________________________________________________

Precious Metals

Bullion Dealer to Start Gold Trading on Internet in India
By Suresh P. Iyengar – The Hindu, Chennai, India (21 Nov 2007)

Ritual Dating From 1919 Sets Price of Gold
By Atul Prakasht – Reuters (18 Nov 2007)

China’s Gold Production May Rise 8%, Challengin S. Africa
By Feiwen Rong – Bloomberg News (6 Nov 2007)

Tibet to Ban Gold Mining
IOL News for South Africa (13 Jun 2007)
_________________________________________________________

Life

Sometimes it’s wise to be patient…

Patience

NFL Referee Performs Celebratory Dance After Perfectly Called Penalty
At SportsPickle.com (23 Nov 2005)

High-Status Monkeys Ignore the Interests of Riff-Raff
Press Release (21 Feb 2006)

One Maryland County Takes Tough Tack on Vaccinations
By Gail Russell Chaddock – Christian Science Monitor (19 Nov 2007)

Record Numbers Seek New Lives Abroad
By Nigel Morris – The Independent (16 Nov 2007)

What is My Connection to Mountaintop Removal?
At ILoveMountains.org

_________________________________________________________

Geopolitical

Wounded Soldier: Military Wants Part of Bonus Back
By Marty Griffin – KDKA Local News (19 Nov 2007)

Congress’ Approval Rating at 20%, Bush’s Approval at 32%
By Joseph Carroll – Gallup (20 Nov 2007)

Ethanol Bust Makes Losers of Bush, Gtates, D.E. Shaw
By Joe Carrol & Mario Parker – Bloomberg.com (19 Nov 2007)

US Strike on Iran ‘Not Being Prepared’ [Register to view full article.]
By Demetri Sevastopulo, etc – Financial Times (12 Nov 2007)

US Prison System ‘Costly Failure’
BBC News (19 Nov 2007)

China’s E-Waste Nightmare Worsening
By Christopher Bodeen – Associated Pres (18 Nov 2007)
_________________________________________________________