DEADPOOL #18 WRITER: Daniel Way PENCILS: Paco Medina

Maybe I was emotional that night when I read this comic (details will remain sketchy re: reasons of emotional responses), still the Deadpool comic (issue 18) written by Daniel Way and Art by Paco Medina kinda hit a nerve with me.

It was a uplifting and happy conclusion to a story arc that evolves around Deadpool trying to work out his next move (even for Deadpool and his conflicting split personalities a 'next' move is always an unkown), the guy is damaged mentally and of course physically (severally scared). It's a sympathy story for a guy that is messed up trying to do good (in his way). Although being a rogue character with split personalities and a motor mouth (sarcastic), underneath all that he just wants to be liked. So he tries to join the X-Men that are in exile (long story). A somewhat convoluted story of once known superheros trying desperately to retrieve their superhero status after media manipulation and pubic backlash (orchestrated by the evil guy Norman Osbourne who is now fabricated a legit oppression over the superhero community). Suffice to say the X-Men reject Deadpool as a new member. So he puts together a plan to convince them he is ok.

To cut a long story short the plan involves making himself look bad so they look good (so the media accepts the X-Men as hero's again), it works. He knows that he will never join the X-Men or ever be accepted in a societal sense. It's like his own acceptance of his character flaws and everything else wrong with him. So he just rolls with it and tries to do good (his way).

There is a moral in this arc somewhere, ambiguous, but with a character who has a mental disorder. It is a moral about expectations and acceptance that no matter what happens at the end of the day people (generally) want to see and do good; in all their different approaches. It's a respect to the rogue, the individual who does his (or her) thing and there is a method to their madness. Make sense? Who cares. I just love the idea that the complexities of life interact at various junction points, there is no straight line of expectations. In other words there is nothing better than ideas that evolve from chaos.

Just read the the series. Soon to buy in the MEC.research online (amazon) store

Don't You Forget About Me - Simple Minds (1985)

She has blue eyes and brown hair...

Investment update Decemeber 2009 (forward into 2010)

Long term plays are oil stocks and ETF's; some speculative plays and some of the most lucrative have been in biotechnology namley a small company called Biota (BTA) that produces the influenza antiviral Relenza in which Relenza is distributed through the drug making giant Glaxosmithkline (GSK.L). Since it's rival Tamiflu (produced by Roche) has been somewhat knocked out of the competition (due to it been ineffective against H1N1) Biota stocks will be held into early next year, depending on the (Relenza) profit made for the last quarter and how flu season pans out

Gold as a hedge against the US dollar, although for the time being with the USD gaining strength on a mixture of cautious markets and speculation on interest rates rises in the US, gold should settle into a support range. There are puts on my favorite currency (to bet against) the Australian dollar. This is short term option trading. The longer term is total USD weakness as the US ecomomy splutters into 2010. But a risk averse event and I am still seeing something unwinding in the bond markets, whether sovereign wealth fund imploding somewhere, or a goverment defaulting on debt or a war in the middle east. With central banks flooding the global economy with cash and shifting private debt onto public balance sheets. It's a fragile, very fragile global recovery; a major risk event in 2010 could economically unhinge everything. When Lehaman collapsed in 2008 and sent the whole market into meltdown risk assets like the AUD, stocks unwind positions dramatically. If something major occurred and it's more public orientated, then there will be quick shifts into safer commodities from risk assets. A build up of USD buying could be a precursor, something I am going to watch as the markets could reverse very quickly.

Oil price should remain steady with a potential price breakout as discussed in Oil on a 25mth cyclical bull run. Update 6 - potential of 'mega' breakout looming, in the meantime I believe the Lithium battery market is a new energy market that is creeping up (to attempt to offset higher oil prices). This is no real speculation pe se as lithium batteries are now being used in most portable hand held devises, like my Thompson MP3/Dictaphone and the PS3 controllers amongst other things (no need to replace the batteries built in lithium batteries that have a large lifespan). The industry that is going to utilize this is the car industry. China is a net importer of oil is of course looking at the electrical lithium powered car. So I am looking at well funded small lithium miners namely in Australia.

* MEC.research doesn't give investment advice, trade at your own risk

Caroline Trentini - Brazilian Model

Copenhagen flop, oil and the global economic recovery

There is a saying, 'deal with reality or reality will deal with you'. We all knew that Copenhagen would be a flop as goverments have become short term populist originated and are generally paranoid about economic downturns. A deal to cut carbon emissions was destine to be a failure and it has been. As populist icons like Barack Obama solidify populist paranoia on carbon trading - they have essentially KO'ed the carbon trading market and renewable energy sector. Regardless what side of the argument you lie on, whether you believe that the human race is contributing to global warming, or that it is a freak of nature that is just happening regardless of the tons of carbon that we admit into the atmosphere. The climate is changing and according to climate scientists rapidly, but you can see and hear about this daily. A chunk of Antarctica melting, harsher winters and extreme summers.

But as the world is heating up rapidly in an economic sense - inflation. The US has became a monetarist monster that has flooded it's economy with cash it's deficits have grown and so have prices. The obscene consumer price equation that removes food and energy from the equation underplays the problems that the US and the world faces in the next 5 years. If we throw the climate change issue away from the time being, which is fine, governments are quite happy to gamble with time regarding climate change. A shit stream of crisis/s are lining up (don't worry climate change is sitting in there too). The one crisis that is the fascinating is the looming oil crisis, or peak oil. Since most ecomomies are not interesting in stimulating research and developing into new energy systems or alternative energy systems (Copenhagen failure will guarantee that renewable companies will now struggle against high carbon admitters i.e carbon will be cheap again, with no binding treaty of cutting carbon admissions). Why would you set up a windfarm when it is still cheaper to run a coal powered station? Renewable companies will not really be profitable or sustainable against older energy producers and by retrospect carbon polluters. In saying this with the global economy attempting to power ahead using older industry fuel/oil orientated industries undoubtedly oil will rise.

You would be better off investing in oil.

US dollar strength on growing risk aversion.

Will mild risk aversion turn into a storm? Greece got a downgrade of BBB + with it's debt to GDP at 112% of GDP.

The reasons behind current US dollar strength

Greece can't print money or devalue it's currency (it is part of the EU with a EURO currency) like Argentina did in 2001 and since 77% of foreigners own Greek Debt (bonds) the country is essentially fucked. The IMF and EU can intervene but they have to borrow from other large deficit (EU) countries to fund a bailout (which was written into the EU agreement that the Union wouldn't bail out individual countries). It simply cannot be funded unless the EU devalues the EURO (then you have inflation).

But a 'natural' huge devaluation of the EURO can only occur if the USD is bought on mass and the EURO collapses. But the USD is an unstable currency with the US looking very shaky in 2010

Or Greece can sell everything to foreign investors to balance their account deficits, literally sell off the country to outside interests. This is probably the only solution they have, but comes at a price; social turmoil, as overseas interests that buy public assets then restructure those assets to be profitable. Usually means job losses and cost cutting.

The rest of the EU is next.

The Sirens and the victim - the power of seduction

In Greek mythology Ulysses made his men put wax in their ears (while he was tied to the boats sale, yes he wanted to hear and see the beauty) so they wouldn't be allured by the beautiful sounds and sites of the sirens that eventually lured men to their peril (drowned). History and it's mythology is a time capsule of accounts of seduction. Tiger Woods indiscretions are no different to the bitter lessons never really learned in history. In fact Woods being captivated by various women is classic textbook seduction. He, in someways, was the perfect victim of a seductresses. How could he resist? She gave him risk and excitement from the mundane. Yet it has cost him so much; his marriage, sponsors, even his career could be on the decline.

True power is not money or fame per se for a female, it is her power to seduce. She could, if she wanted influence empires (re Cleopatra) and reduce male power brokers to blubbering fools.

That you have to respect.