Gold: Past, Present, and Future

mistyhawk17 said:Sure, you could possess mountains of gold, but that isn't going to help you generate a single kilowatt of power.🙂
At least paper burns reasonably well.🙂

By the way, nuclear energy boasts an EROI of 75:1🙂—and that’s assuming we ignore waste disposal, whereas with oil, the byproduct just goes straight into the atmosphere.

Nope. Even the most optimistic estimates put it at 60:1; realistically, it’s closer to 20-30:1.
http://www.theoildrum.com/node/3877

Anthony Evans78 said:If you actually know how to use Google, try searching for this:
"EROI", "thermodynamics", "entropy"
After digging through enough papers, you'll realize we've already burned through—or are right on the edge of exhausting—the cheap, easy, energy-dense resources.
Our entire way of life is built on that foundation.
No amount of tech is going to save us because there simply isn't an energy SOURCE capable of replacing oil, gas, or coal.
All these hype cycles around fusion or thorium reactors look great on paper, but they’re energetically inefficient, not to mention the massive infrastructure overhaul required just to make them economically viable.
Regarding Musk... if it weren't for government subsidies and constantly sucking capital from investors, he would have gone bust long ago. After all these years, he hasn't even turned a real profit from selling cars or his tech.
This whole 250-degree thing is pure nonsense. Thirty years ago, I was sitting there listening to doomsday prophets claim we'd all be underwater by 2010 due to global warming.
Money isn't the issue; energy is. You can sit on trillions of dollars, but it doesn't matter if the energy system itself is unstable or inefficient.
To maintain our current standard of living, we need an EROI of 30:1—meaning one unit of energy invested yields thirty. We're pushing that limit because fields like Ghawar still offer an EROI higher than that.
Meanwhile, American and Canadian shale sits at a measly 5-10:1. That’s unsustainable for a system where we expect to stroll into Walmart for everything we need, or click a button on Amazon and have stuff magically arrive from China in a week.
Going back to the crashes... history repeats itself this way constantly. Everything looks perfect and prosperous until, suddenly, bam!
Suddenly, everyone who missed the warning signs of a collapse acts shocked—just like in 1929, 1987, or 2006.
Do you really think people in the spring of 1939 saw the war coming just a few months later? Of course not. It's always easier to bury your head in the sand and ignore reality than to pause, think, and see where things are actually headed.
Nobody has a crystal ball to tell you the exact date and time everything falls apart. But the signs are there. And they've never been clearer.
Once the dust settles and Mother Nature puts us back in our place, everyone is going to ask themselves, "How did we miss this?" and "What were we thinking?"

I honestly think this is the fourth time in as many years we’ve found ourselves stuck in this exact same loop of an argument, which leads me to a pretty solid conclusion:

a) oil remains absolutely essential to everything we do
b) you still can't buy a suburban rancher with a single ounce of gold

Everything else is just pure speculation.

Anthony Evans78 said:Nope. Even the most optimistic estimates put it at 60:1; realistically, it’s closer to 20-30:1.
http://www.theoildrum.com/node/3877

Perhaps according to petroleum industry research.
However, those specializing in nuclear energy suggest the most optimistic projections could reach as high as 105.
http://www.world-nuclear.org/informa...nvestment.aspx Check table 2.

Sure, but let's be honest, it's way less 🙂

Michael Morgan5 said:I honestly think this is the fourth time in as many years we’ve found ourselves stuck in this exact same loop of an argument, which leads me to a pretty solid conclusion:

a) oil remains absolutely essential to everything we do
b) you still can't buy a suburban rancher with a single ounce of gold

Everything else is just pure speculation.

Sure, maybe you could grab some oil with that ounce of gold😁

Shelby aside, I don't recall anyone here ever actually claiming they could buy a whole house with a single ounce of gold.

This image pretty much sums up the whole mess. In my book, a merger is the only thing that could save the day—and hey, I might even believe in that one day. Regardless of how much I trust precious metals, I'm basically the kid from that top picture in my own post. 🙂

post imgcertificity.com

Melissa Sanchez17 said:Sure, maybe you could grab some oil with that ounce of gold😁

Shelby aside, I don't recall anyone here ever actually claiming they could buy a whole house with a single ounce of gold.

This image pretty much sums up the whole mess. In my book, a merger is the only thing that could save the day—and hey, I might even believe in that one day. Regardless of how much I trust precious metals, I'm basically the kid from that top picture in my own post. 🙂

post imgcertificity.com

Not 🙂
I might have been exaggerating a bit, but I recall seeing some forecasts—I just can't be bothered to dig through the archives right now.
One of the more recent ones suggested that an ounce would eventually buy you way more than just a used car; we're talking a brand-new ride.

Anyway,
when is the bounce coming? This curve has been heading south for way too long.

I’d like to weigh in on the whole energy supply issue.

1. Is there actually any concrete proof that oil isn't a renewable resource? That whole dinosaur theory sounds great until you really sit down and think about it for a second. I’m not suggesting oil *is* renewable; I’m saying we don't truly know for sure one way or the other. Besides, telling people there's a shortage is a fantastic business model for those selling it, so why would they offer a single grain of truth?

2. The fuel utilization in the standard nuclear reactors we use today is less than 1%. At this point, reaching higher efficiency isn't really a technical hurdle—it's a political one. If corporations are allowed to gatekeep technological progress, and if that progress doesn't serve the bottom line, then things simply aren't going to advance.

3. This "rumor" about LFTR isn't just some rumor. I’d challenge anyone to look into the background of that reactor and what it actually represents, both technologically and geopolitically. To me, it's one of the most critical topics of our time, yet most people haven't the slightest clue what's happening. And when the subject does come up, people just babble aimlessly over their Starbucks. No offense to them, of course.

Renewable energy isn't really a thing—honestly, no energy source actually exists in a vacuum. We’re just looking at transformers... devices that convert one form of energy into another. So, why all this green demagoguery? Even solar power isn't truly "renewable" in the way people claim.

Well, when you look at it through the lens of how short life actually is... I guess. 😉

briskeagle3 said:Renewable energy isn't really a thing—honestly, no energy source actually exists in a vacuum. We’re just looking at transformers... devices that convert one form of energy into another. So, why all this green demagoguery? Even solar power isn't truly "renewable" in the way people claim.

I think you're nitpicking unnecessarily.

Every single aspect of how we understand the multidimensional space we inhabit is really just a two-dimensional representation—you could call it a special case, anyway—of some much more complex process or property.

If a teacher wants to explain an energy "source," they’re going to draw a rectangle or a circle with a few symbols. They aren't going to dive into the fundamental essence of existence just for the sake of it; it's pointless.

In a block diagram, an oil barrel is perfectly valid as a source of energy and various chemical compounds.

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Melissa Sanchez17 said:Sure, maybe you could grab some oil with that ounce of gold😁

Shelby aside, I don't recall anyone here ever actually claiming they could buy a whole house with a single ounce of gold.

This image pretty much sums up the whole mess. In my book, a merger is the only thing that could save the day—and hey, I might even believe in that one day. Regardless of how much I trust precious metals, I'm basically the kid from that top picture in my own post. 🙂

post imgcertificity.com

No, absolutely not. Everything is lined up perfectly for us, except for the fact that the corrupt bankers, the Rothschilds, the Soros crowd, and those lunatics hoarding gold for the apocalypse refuse to let us actually use it.

3. This whole "story" regarding LFTR isn't just some myth. I encourage anyone to actually dig into the background of this reactor and what it truly signifies—both technologically and geopolitically. As far as I'm concerned, it stands as one of the most critical issues of our era, yet the masses remain blissfully ignorant. On the rare occasion someone brings it up, they just chatter aimlessly over coffee like mindless cattle. No offense intended to the crowd or the livestock.

The Chinese person has revived the concept, and there is a distinct possibility it might actually come to fruition.

Nancy Gomez26 said:

3. This whole "story" regarding LFTR isn't just some myth. I encourage anyone to actually dig into the background of this reactor and what it truly signifies—both technologically and geopolitically. As far as I'm concerned, it stands as one of the most critical issues of our era, yet the masses remain blissfully ignorant. On the rare occasion someone brings it up, they just chatter aimlessly over coffee like mindless cattle. No offense intended to the crowd or the livestock.

The Chinese person has revived the concept, and there is a distinct possibility it might actually come to fruition.

Whoever jumps on this first will likely secure the title of "global superpower" for the next 50 to 100 years, which fits perfectly into the whole narrative regarding China's rise.

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Michael Morgan5 said:Maybe saying they 'screwed up' was a bit of an overstatement.
Nathan Morris3 already mentioned there was a $15k cash limit, but honestly, we could have negotiated that up to $40k if things had gone differently.
But that ship has sailed now, so whatever.
Right now, I'm trying to get my old man up to speed on the whole situation.
It’s making things a little messy on my end, but it’s definitely better to run this through his account rather than mine.😁
At any rate, I'll be out of this very soon.

Let me correct myself for a second...
You can still buy up to $40k in cash at SMH, but when you're looking to sell, they cap you at $15k.
If you check out https://www.sparkasse.at/steiermaerkische/muenzshop, there aren't any limits on buying or selling, but be warned: the spread is about $15 higher than what you'll find at SMH.

That's the latest intel as of today, and I'm expecting things to tick upward this Monday.
Unless, of course, we don't see some massive, crazy spike.

amberorca64 said:Whoever jumps on this first will likely secure the title of "global superpower" for the next 50 to 100 years, which fits perfectly into the whole narrative regarding China's rise.

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The Chinese people will rebuild the technology, and then everyone else will follow suit. I find it hard to imagine Western nations buying a nuclear plant from China, but developing nations might—or wealthier ones might simply purchase the patents if they exist. They might even just pick up the patent umbrellas, much like how Chinese companies acquire assets globally. It will take them ages to develop anything, though, given how soul-crushing their bureaucracy is. Finally, there's actually something worth copying from them.

Michael Morgan5 said:I honestly think this is the fourth time in as many years we’ve found ourselves stuck in this exact same loop of an argument, which leads me to a pretty solid conclusion:

a) oil remains absolutely essential to everything we do
b) you still can't buy a suburban rancher with a single ounce of gold

Everything else is just pure speculation.

Oil men and tax collectors... what a joke.
Even with all the hassle, a rule-of-law state will ultimately be coerced and forced to comply.
Given the general consensus, the conductor is going to run things aggressively—stripping most of the staff bare, except for maybe Mr. Butler...
It’ll be sweet... a little tribute to the nobility...
Whatever...
There is zero intelligence on a global scale; just stagnation and wars. We’ve spent 15 years without any real progress, just everyone guarding their existing positions. Where's the logic in that?
Still, you have to wonder how to maximize current energy and store it long-term, perhaps even in real estate. More bribes?
The answer in every language is S I L V E R.
Keep pushing, keep teasing, keep hitting...
A prediction before the summer slump:

"Show the ticket to the conductor, then start stepping into the shade with one foot, because daylight is coming soon..."

By forcing it, you end up with forgetfulness, detachment, and a total lack of joy for everyone involved...😉
It’s an observation, or perhaps a shared perspective held by Eric Sprott and John Rubino:



"padding the balance sheet"

Just another falling domino in the wake of Reagan's "secretary," David Stockman:

http://www.silverdoctors.com/headlin...-and-november/

It looks like a puzzle coming together.

"And what happens next..."

Gotta bump this thread up for a sec...
Picked up some more MUX yesterday. 🍿

After staring at a flatline on the chart for a month, we’re finally seeing some actual upward movement.

About ten days ago, I opened an account over at Charles Schwab to mess around with some digital gold.
The whole capital gains tax situation has me a bit tripped up, though.
Some lady on their chat support told me I just need to report my earnings at the end of the year and settle a 12% tax bill.
Does the IRS look at my total profit, or is it calculated based on every single withdrawal I make?
To put it simply: if I move my initial $10,000 deposit back to my bank account and then keep playing around using only the profits, am I taxed on that original stake?