Here we go! Silver under $18...

Yeah, but well worth the read. There's
some great info in their replies.

 

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True. I've learned a lot from this thread as well as others like it

 

I wish you wouldn't go. I've learned quite a lot out from your posts here, and enjoyed the dialog.

 

Well, when so-called "moderators" are , in my opinion and view, anything but moderate, and desertgem, I AM INDEED referring to you, this is what happens. I have had a few conversations with Peter about this, and he has seen nothing amiss, but still Jim wields an unreasonable axe.

Apparently longevity trumps reason. Curious - is there a post editing quota system? It sure looks that way to me. Keep in mind - what passes on the stodgy old ANA's site gets axed by desertgem. You reap what you sow, CT.

My "posts" to "likes" ratio remains at 3:1, and I can't find too many higher. SOMEBODY likes my stuff, mostly infrequent posters. You have a "dissent suppression" problem on CT, whether you are aware of it or not. And that is EXACTLY the most frequent knock on CT I've heard. Its moderation is not content neutral. As a committed contrarian in all my coin dealings, I am ALL ABOUT dissent from the typical modal view. And that has financially served me very well, but it WILL undeniably annoy anyone who is used to having the battlefield of ideas to themselves.

Peter needs to be careful - when you engage in content editing, you become legally responsible for ALL content, because you have waived your protections under Section 203 of the DMCA law.

Yes, I'm not the first to leave, and I won't be the last, but I JUST COULD CONCEIVABLY BE the one that matters in the end. Probably not, but could be.

 

This is quite sad if you ask me. I have heard several rumblings from a few different people behind the scenes here as well, about the EXACT same topic with regards to moderation. There very much seems to be a pick and choose what to moderate (and whom) going on around here regardless of what the actual wording of the post may be, as well as quite a bit of inconsistency from day to day.

There also seems to be a line that once you are on the other side, you become a target regardless of whether or not you are trying to add to the discussion either by thoughts or ideas or actual personal experiences.

Now there are only about 6-8 people with any power on this site, so if members are made to feel that way, then clearly there is a problem with something from the end of the 'administration' side of things making these users feel like targets.

I know I have been made to feel as if I have a target surrounding me by some of the staff here, its not all, and I do have some people I genuinely like and trust on here as far as enforcers, but there is at least one that I feel is active and simply just trying to 'push' or 'run' me away.


Kurt, as to your last sentence, I sincerely do hope that this issue gets addressed, you arent the only one who has experienced it, and you are right, you arent the only one has left. Like I said earlier, its a sad day when we lose valuable and knowledgeable posters over bull-headed and inconsistent moderation, and I agree @Peter T Davis needs to seriously consider that this is a very real issue and complaint. It is going on out in the open and behind closed doors around here about how the moderation has been just 'off' and inconsistent

I know I dont want to lose this site and the value that I receive from it, so i would hope we can see some improvements along this area. If we do not, it will just continue to run off the good people and all that will be left is a site that doesnt change and evolves its ideas with the ever changing horizon of who the collectors are making up the current and future of this hobby and what they deem important.

 

I EVEN hear this occasionally on The Coin Show radio podcast, even though Matt and Mike have a warm personal relationship. Matt's oft-evidenced disdain for "modern stuff" fairly oozes out of my earbuds and down my cheeks. I am now wondering whether he didn't pick up his dismissive disdain style from the dominant culture of Coin Talk, and the expectations of being a moderator herein.

 

Kurt, I assume this thread is about to be locked, as seems to happen whenever I get involved in a conversation. Anyway, I think the problem with the digital v Kodachrome situation is still one of resolution. In effect, the advantage of optimized film is that it essentially resolves to the same degree as the human eye/brain. By contrast, digital photography, though no longer in its infancy, hasn't reached that same level... though we're getting close.

Now, back to the topic of consumption and why I view it from a sum of parts argument instead of looking at the individual industries. My educational background is in environmental economics with a base in macro-economic theory and the impact of developing economies on global supply chains. I used to think that the actual industries matter, since consumption patterns could change, but, over time, I've come to realize that aggregating consumption works just as well (and requires a lot less research).

I would no longer call myself a contrarian investor, as I can't say I'm always contrary to what the herd believes. I actually find that extreme difficult to adhere to, since it leaves you at the whim of the herd, since your choices are in perpetual opposition to it. Instead, I've taken on an arbitrageur mentality to investing: Look for obvious opportunities (AAA bond paper trading at C value, convertible stock paying 25% dividends for solid companies, commodities trading at deep discounts to inherent projected demand, etc) and be willing to take a 40-75% risk on them; Hedge whenever possible using insurance costing not more than 3% of your expected return to cap downside risk at 15% overall or 50% of expected gains; Don't be afraid to make your predictions public, even if your analysis isn't entirely so.

The last one keeps me accountable to the first one. It also prevents me from going all-in on "sure things," since finance is still a very much unregulated industry, regardless of what regulators and the media may tell us.

Hopefully you don't decide to leave, but you've drawn your line in the sand. It's up to hubris now to determine your actions from here out.

The main reason that PM writers include coinage and stored PMs into their demand construct is that it suits their needs. Most (I'd say all, but there might be one out there that is really not self-motivated) of the major PM "analysts" who get referenced by hoarders/stackers are either brokering PMs or running PM funds. This is why I sometimes stop listening the moment someone refers to "Eric Sprott" in their argument. It's like having a debate on religion and saying "It's true because the leader of my religious community/organization says so."

On a completely separate note, I was watching TV the other day and saw a commercial for copper shirts. Now, I grew up watching my grand-aunt and grand-mother making penny bracelets and simply thinking it was a ridiculous thing. When I saw the Titanium tape in the 90s, I also thought it was a silly product. I'd use it, but more for reducing friction than anything else. Is there any actually scientific basis for the copper shirts or is this a case of Western marketing finally catching up to Asian folklore? Oh, and to bring this back on topic, I view this type of consumption (alternative medicine) of a commodity as a fad. However, I don't account for its impact on aggregated consumption until it accounts for more than 7% of total consumption or 50% of incremental growth in production. At that point, similar to how "investment" or "coinage" of PMs consumption growth as a category worries me, I'd get concerned.

 

Paragraph 1 - Brilliant stuff.
Paragraph 2 - Two personal issues. ENVIRONMENTAL economics? Wow, talk about era disconnects! I have a near total disdain for a lot of environmental science, but I never considered it as an Econ specialty. The initial Clean Water Act overstated environmental silver's toxicity by a factor of 100,000,000 times by using the wrong species, nitrate versus sulfides and sulfates, and that experience destroyed my trust in enviro-much-of-anything. Second, I believe that emerging markets are sketchy for macroeconomic analysis purposes because most have proven unable to take advantage of nearly unlimited potential due to a nearly complete inability to minimize corruption and maximize the skills of their work forces and/or cultural proclivities.
Paragraph 3 - very astute stuff when viewed holistically. Bravos.
Paragraph 4 - regulations. Ask not for whom the bell tolls .....
Paragraph 5 - I consider my life entirely too short (literally, medical reasons) to spend time where I feel unwelcome, and Holy Molies, I feel unwelcome here on CT.
Paragraph 6 - Ding! Ding! Ding!
Paragraph 7 - Silver's antibacterial properties are well known, having been known and documented since the 1700's, but hyping marketers use them unashamedly. We used to put silver nitrate in newborn babies' eyes, but that use was replaced by antibacterial ointments in the 1960's. Copper? Yo no sé, señor.
On balance, it's been a pleasure, NK.

 

Nice theory, GDJMSP, but it fails in the implementation, and a respectably sized minority here see it plainly. Maybe the third time is overdue.

 

Thank you, sir. I appreciate that on several levels, not the least of which is additional confirmation of the wisdom of my decision to depart CT. See ya' 'round the show circuit. I'll be easy to find. At ANA shows, I'll be wearing the blue shirt and purple ribbon of an ANA National Volunteer, usually at registration.

 

Good as any, better'n most. And I speak as someone who does "actual, not pretend" politics as a full time profession. Ask Peter, he's seen my LinkedIn profile.

For those curious, it was perhaps a tasteless joke about a virus, but labeling it political is a convenient excuse to shoehorn it within a rule, IN MY PERSONAL OPINION, and Rule 8 is an equally convenient piece of text that means "moderators are possessed of infallibility when speaking ex cathedra".

If this were a trial court decision, the appeal would write itself, but it's not a court decision; it is an attempt at a "benevolent dictatorship". I get that completely, and yours isn't the only one I've encountered, by far. I refuse to participate in any of them, however. So don't feel singled out. It's my own personal thing, that's all. I simply choose to avoid dictatorships, benevolent or otherwise.

 

There should be special rules in the bullion forum on this site....You can barely scratch the surface on the topic of bullion without walking on eggshells not to bring politics into it to make a point.

 

Thanks for the support, Roots, but honestly, the problem IS mine. I am wired to see EVERYTHING through a political filter; it's simply who I am and what I do. This site, with these rules, and my inherent wiring are simply a miserable fit.

I ascribe no malice here. Erroneous judgment? Sure. Malice? No.

Better to depart than do this ad nauseum:

I do have a philosophy about it though: a coin minus politics is a medal. But then even that doesn't work, because so many medals also drip with politics.

 

...I find the circle jerk threads about ATB and Zombucks in this forum extremely boring. Let's talk real economics in this forum and you can't talk economics without politics.

 

Amen, brother, I agree completely. But it's like the plaque above my desk says, "Est quod est." Or, in English, "it is what it is".

What it also "is" is someplace I prefer not to be anymore. I believe that the ANA's new money.org site is simply a better fit for me.

I feel my protest has at least engendered an internal CT management discussion, and that is going to have to be good enough in the short run.

"In the long run, we're all dead."

 

Environmental economics is the economics of natural resources. Basically, we did a lot of research in peak oil and consumption of limited resources. I suppose that plays a big part in why I adamantly view consumption in the way that I do.

 

Mr. Roots , if you are really this interested, then why do you not start a thread on Peter's forum where politics are OK, and so is bullion discussion allowed.
http://www.partisanlines.com/.

Many complain over the years, but this easy alternative has always been available , and many members of CT also are on it.
I am sure you will find the responses there 'refreshing'.