www.markholder.org

The arrest of Jeffrey Epstein for sex trafficking children has all facets of the media tying themselves in knots, from straight reportage  to the more outrageous . These are early days and most of what is being published is opinion or speculation. It is this writer's choice to wait until justice is served before opining, but things of this nature seem to get swept away easily . Need more evidence? Look into Jimmy Saville. In the meantime, the UK is apologizing to Ivanka Trump for stating the obvious. Also, the Fed is preparing an interest rate cut as the economy soars to new heights . That gurgling sound you hear is your savings account being strangled.  And, as always, the US is spoiling for (more) war .  

35 days into the longest-yet government shutdown is US history, it was announced that an agreement has been reached to reopen for three weeks. What happens in three weeks depends on negotiations regarding border security, something Americans are deeply concerned with and hardly effected by. Call me a wonk, but I can't help but think that a nation whose currency is backed only by "full faith and credit of the US government" needs to keep said government open. Much to my surprise, the USD remains strong, but gold price is up (the price of each rises and falls in relation to the other; a strong dollar lowers gold price, gold price increases as the dollar weakens). Crypto? Still limping from the beatdown that was 2018. Remaining hopeful in a time of supreme dysfunction isn't easy, and the temptation to fall into despair is ever present. In times like these, I reach for a book.