Hey, did you see there was a solar eclipse on Monday? Of course you did, and that’s because there was a deluge of media coverage of the eclipse, and rightly so, as these kinds of celestial events don’t occur very often.
Now, as a one-time aspiring astrophysicist (it was my major at UCLA until I ran up against the impossibly tough graduate Physics classes), a love for astronomy, cosmology and the scientific method is part of my DNA. Indeed, I still marvel at the way we have been able to understand our world via our uniquely human attribute — our highly developed rational faculty.
Yet, in Monday’s coverage of the eclipse, I heard a lot of language that irritated my rational nerves.
The worst of this offending language centered around how “small” we should all feel in the presence of nature, and how “insignificant” we are in the grand scheme of the heavens.
Well, to that, I will borrow a term my friends in the British SAS always used, and I will respond with a hearty… bollocks!
I say that, because “small” and “insignificant” are terms used to demean mankind’s status. They are used by countless demagogues and would-be heavenly dictators to make us feel like we require them to “save us” from ourselves and our very nature.
When I watched the eclipse, I marveled at how we know, with exacting precision, when and how the Sun and the Moon will interact to create this event, exactly which longitudes and latitudes will provide us with the best view of the “path of totality” and how to look at the Sun without damaging our eyes via the use of special glasses designed specifically for this purpose — glasses that you can have delivered to your door overnight via a few taps on your Apple (AAPL) iPhone into your Amazon.com (AMZN) shopping cart.
For me, feelings of “smallness” and “insignificance” are the polar opposites of what I felt looking at the eclipse.
Instead, I felt an incredible sense of pride in humanity’s ability to understand, as best we can, exactly how the universe operates, how celestial bodies move and the laws of motion that govern the cosmos. I also feel immense and important knowing that, through centuries of observation and rigorous study, humans have come to know all that we do.
Moreover, I have an even grander sense of significance knowing that every day, some of my fellow humans all over the world are working harder and smarter than ever to understand the universe in increasingly deeper and more intricate detail.
Think of all this in the following context. The ancient Chinese used to think that an eclipse was the Sun being eaten by a dragon. The Incas thought an eclipse was the sign of God’s wrath, and to appease that God, they offered up human sacrifices. The Mayans thought the Sun was breaking and that the world was collapsing.
Humans fear what we don’t know.
Conversely, humans can harness what we do know for our own betterment, and knowing how the cosmos works in service of this noble goal is one of the things we do best.
So, don’t feel small or insignificant in the diminished light of the eclipse. The fact that you are a living member of an advanced primate species that understands why this happened should make you feel grand, sublime, significant and, most of all, grateful to be a part of it all.
Gold is at an all-time high, and many readers have written to ask me if it’s time to add to their holdings in the yellow metal. Well, the short answer is… “Yes.” However, for a more comprehensive answer to any question related to precious metals, I always turn to my friend, former U.S. Army colleague and the very best mind I know in the golden arena, Rich Checkan, President and COO of Asset Strategies International (ASI).
ASI is a full-service tangible asset provider that deals in precious metals and rare U.S., world and ancient coins. Rich oversees the operations, administrative, sales and marketing departments, and serves as ASI’s compliance officer. He also writes a monthly newsletter called Information Line, a publication that I am honored to be a regular contributor to.
Today, I asked Rich to contribute to The Deep Woods, as I want you to hear what a true gold expert has to say about this market, and why right now really is the best time to buy gold.
So, Rich, take it away…
The Best Time to Buy Gold
By Rich Checkan, Asset Strategies International
I am making it my personal mission to get investors off the fence… for their own good.
Help me succeed.
I know you have heard me say this multiple times over the past year…
“At all-time highs, gold is dirt cheap.”
It was true a year ago. It is true today.
Take a look at this chart…
As I wrote to you last month, gold had just made new all-time highs. Over the past month, gold’s surge has continued. This week, gold was $100 more per ounce than last month’s record price.
It is easy to get caught up in the price action. Some investors see the new high as the destination. They believe (or more likely hope) that gold has hit its peak price and will pull back for them to acquire it more cost-effectively.
But they have it all wrong.
Aside from a brief spike in the gold price as a result of the Covid pandemic, gold has been consolidating for years between $1,800 and $2,100 per ounce. That is not the price action of a metal at its peak.
Rather, it is the price action of metal building a base of support for the next leg up. Gold has not been banging its head on the ceiling. Gold has been building the launching pad for the next bull market.
I hear a lot of investors bemoaning the fact they did not buy gold sooner. As a result, they feel they have missed out, and they are hoping for a pullback to acquire some.
This is not rational thinking. This is an emotional reaction.
Given the current environment, the absolute best time to buy gold was yesterday. The next best time is today.
Why do I say that?
Simple. Gold has been building up energy for this move for several years. It has a firm base of support. All it needs now are investors.
Up to this point, the gold price has been supported in this consolidation phase by purchases from high-net-worth investors and by central banks.
However, with the hint of interest rate cuts on the horizon, everyday investors are warming to gold… and they should.
No presidential candidate has the intestinal fortitude to cut entitlements. Nobody in Congress has the intestinal fortitude to cut spending and balance a budget.
Unless that changes, the gold price will go higher over time.
Let me say that again…
Unless that changes, the gold price will go higher over time.
We cannot afford the entitlements that are promised… Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, pensions. We cannot afford to pay for the things Congress has agreed to buy in the budget. Heck, soon, we will not even be able to afford the interest on our $34 trillion national debt.
As a result, and so as not to have a currency default, they will expand the money supply. That will water down the value of every dollar in circulation. And, as a result, that will cause the cost of everything of any value whatsoever to move higher in price.
There is absolutely no alternative once Congress and the president overspend.
Gold’s price will go higher.
The question for you is, “Do you want to buy gold now, or do you want to buy more expensive gold in the future?”
Now, what about silver, you ask?
Not surprisingly, the silver story is very similar to gold’s story.
Take a look at this 5-year silver price chart…
The basic story is the same. After a short spike as a result of the Covid pandemic, silver has seen rangebound trading as well.
You would expect that. Silver follows gold in the trend (up or down) once gold establishes the trend. Then, historically, silver tends to outpace gold, whether the trend is up or down.
So, silver has been consolidating between $20 and $26 per ounce for the past few years as well.
But here is the big difference between gold and silver…
Gold’s consolidation was just below its all-time highs. Silver’s consolidation has been at 50% of its all-time highs. Which is why many believe the upward potential in silver is far greater than gold’s upward potential… myself included.
That is why I love gold as wealth insurance, and I love silver for its profit potential.
I buy gold, and I never sell it… unless I have a financial crisis.
I buy silver, and I sell when the market switches from bull to bear.
Actions to Take…
Buy gold and silver today, while gold is cheap at all-time highs… and silver is even cheaper.
There is no better way I know to Keep What’s Yours!
Big thanks to Rich and the team at ASI for allowing me to bring his thoughts on gold and silver to you. And if you want to buy physical gold and/or silver, ASI is the ONLY team I can unequivocally vouch for, as they are men and women of the finest character, knowledge and experience. If you need gold or silver, you need ASI.
Arthur Jones Wisdom
“How old am I? Old enough to know it’s impossible to change the thinking of fools, but young and foolish enough to keep on trying.”
–Arthur Jones
The brilliant, eccentric and acerbic inventor of Nautilus exercise equipment (by far the greatest tools for muscle building ever devised) was a man who lived a legendary and Renaissance Man-worthy life. In the quote here, Jones expresses a sentiment that I can relate to, especially as I’m about to enter my sixth decade on this Pale Blue Dot.
So, if you ever meet me in person, at the MoneyShow, FreedomFest, an auto racing track, a rodeo, the shooting range, a music venue or just bouncing around in my hometown of Los Angeles, and you ask me how old I am, prepare to get the Arthur Jones reply.
Wisdom about money, investing and life can be found anywhere. If you have a good quote that you’d like me to share with your fellow readers, send it to me, along with any comments, questions and suggestions you have about my newsletters, seminars or anything else. Click here to ask Jim.
This question has been at the center of a great many conversations I’ve been recently having with clients and friends. The way I like to answer it is with another question: Expensive compared to what?
Despite its recent surge to record highs, there are compelling reasons why purchasing gold right now is a prudent decision, with strong indications that its value is poised to climb even higher. Making investment decisions solely based on the current price of any asset without considering its underlying value or future potential can be prove to be a very costly mistake.
For one thing, it is obvious that there is a reason why gold has skyrocketed to these new levels. Actually, there are many reasons, and all of them are bound to become increasingly important and clear to more and more people in the months and years to come. For example, it is (or it should be) by now blatantly clear to every thinking person that inflation is not under control. Prices in the real economy, as opposed to the cherry-picked and extremely unrepresentative CPI metrics, have been steadily climbing and pushing countless households to the brink.
This is only going to get worse, as central banks around the world have already paved the way for a policy U-turn and the return to expansive monetary policies, including quantitative easing and near-zero interest rates, in order to stimulate economic growth, or the illusion of it (a very useful ploy in a global election year like 2024). These measures invariably lead to further fiat currency devaluation and erosion of purchasing power. This in turn is also very helpful when it comes to the unsustainable debt burden that most advanced economies are saddled with - another great boost during election season. Gold, on the other hand, maintains its intrinsic value over time, making it an attractive alternative to fiat currencies.
Central banks themselves obviously understand the implications of their own policies better than the average investor and that’s why they have always increased their gold reserves in times of turmoil and in times of loose money. In the early days of the pandemic, and then again after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, global central banks continued to add to their gold holdings while ETF investors were selling off theirs. Now, once again, we’re seeing a strong trend of ETF outflows. February marked the ninth month in a row, but the price has still been climbing.
As Simon White, Bloomberg macro strategist, highlighted: “Over the last six months, China, Germany and Turkey have increased their gold holdings by the most (these are official holdings - when it comes to China, its true holdings are likely much higher than stated). Central banks want gold as it is a hard asset, not part of the financialized system when owned outright. But the dominant reason is a desire to diversify away from the dollar. If you’re not on friendly terms with the US, then it is a way to avoid your reserve assets being seized, as happened to Russia.”
This last point gives us a glimpse of a much bigger picture that investors need to bear in mind: Geopolitics.
It’s hard to think of another time in our post-cold-war history that the world has been so bitterly and so dangerously divided. The way the West responded to the Russian invasion of its neighbor, by weaponizing the US dollar and the entire banking system, has caused a lot of countries to think twice about how to safeguard their own assets. The obvious answer is gold, and that is what is behind this monumental transfer of real wealth we’re now seeing from the West to the East. In February, China’s central bank added gold to its reserves for a 16th straight month and it shows no signs of stopping its buying spree, as it is clearly on a mission to diversify its holdings and reduce its dependence on the US dollar.
And it’s not just the Chinese central bank that’s buying. According to the Financial Times, “in recent months, the precious metal has gained a second wind from what analysts describe as “phenomenal” purchases by Chinese consumers seeking a safe place to park their cash after local property and stock markets tumbled.” As ING analysts confirmed in a note, "We expect gold prices to trade higher this year as safe-haven demand continues to be supportive amid geopolitical uncertainty with the ongoing wars and the upcoming U.S. election.”
This is clearly a long-term shift in the gold market and the dynamics behind it have the potential to support much higher prices than what we’re currently seeing. This is precisely why investors need to look at the bigger picture and consider the current levels in their proper content and time horizon.
In other words: Sure, gold might seem expensive today, but today’s price is very likely to seem like a bargain in the not so distant future.
UT Extension specialist chosen to help support national immunization program
A University of Tennessee Extension specialist has been selected to assist land-grant university teams implementing grants through the Extension Collaboration…
A University of Tennessee Extension specialist has been selected to assist land-grant university teams implementing grants through the Extension Collaboration on Immunization Teaching and Engagement (EXCITE), a national effort to encourage adult vaccinations in rural areas and among underserved communities.
Credit: Photo courtesy UTIA.
A University of Tennessee Extension specialist has been selected to assist land-grant university teams implementing grants through the Extension Collaboration on Immunization Teaching and Engagement (EXCITE), a national effort to encourage adult vaccinations in rural areas and among underserved communities.
Laura Clark, UT Extension state specialist in family and consumer sciences, will serve as a national EXCITE Bridge Grant coach and work with six land-grant universities that are grant recipients through the program. Clark has worked for UT Extension for six years, which includes four years as a county director and FCS agent and two years as project manager for a grant awarded to the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences through the Tennessee Department of Health.
EXCITE started in 2021 as a nationwide local response by U.S. Cooperative Extension. EXCITE is made possible through an interagency agreement between United States Department of Agriculture – National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and a cooperative agreement with the Extension Foundation in partnership with the ECOP (Extension Committee on Organization and Policy) Health Program Action Team.
EXCITE focuses on education, engagement, partnerships and access to encourage adults to receive immunizations, including the COVID-19 vaccine. The initiative includes 96 projects through 73 land-grant institutions. Through the first two years of the project, there were 1,148 vaccination clinics and 26,023 immunizations provided. As a national coach, Clark will help support grant teams by providing resources, feedback and assistance and act as a liaison between the funders and the grantees.
“I am honored to have been chosen to be a part of the Extension Foundation’s EXCITE program and for the opportunity to support innovative teams who are working to better the lives of individuals and families in communities across the nation. I am looking forward to supporting the mission of the Extension Foundation to increase the visibility and impact of Cooperative Extension as a representative for the University of Tennessee Extension FCS program and working alongside such a talented group of people,” Clark said.
Janet Fox, assistant dean of UT Extension and head of the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, noted the national recognition and Clark’s leadership, saying, “Laura’s selection recognizes the exceptional work she is leading and the outstanding professional she is.”
The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture is comprised of the Herbert College of Agriculture, UT College of Veterinary Medicine, UT AgResearch and UT Extension. Through its land-grant mission of teaching, research and outreach, the Institute touches lives and provides Real. Life. Solutions. to Tennesseans and beyond. utia.tennessee.edu.
A new coating method in mRNA engineering points the way to advanced therapies
Researchers from Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) have developed a novel method for chemically modifying engineered messenger RNA molecules,…
Researchers from Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) have developed a novel method for chemically modifying engineered messenger RNA molecules, allowing greater control of their biological functions and advancing mRNA therapeutic technologies
Credit: Department of Advanced Nanomedical Engineering, TMDU
Researchers from Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) have developed a novel method for chemically modifying engineered messenger RNA molecules, allowing greater control of their biological functions and advancing mRNA therapeutic technologies
Tokyo, Japan – Medicine can help to treat certain illnesses, e.g., antibiotics can help overcome infections, but a new, promising field of medicine involves providing our body with the “blueprint” for how to defeat illnesses on its own.
mRNA therapeutics is the delivery of messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules into the body, which the cellular machinery can use to make specific proteins. The field is rapidly advancing, especially because mRNA vaccines proved successful against COVID-19. However, the delivery of these engineered mRNAs to a specific organ has proved challenging.
Now, a team at Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) has shown that coating the engineered mRNAs with a molecule called polyethylene glycol, or PEG, allows their delivery selectively to the spleen.
To understand this achievement, let’s first discuss how mRNA therapeutics has worked until now. Engineered mRNAs have been packaged into structures called “polyplexes” for delivery into the body. The polyplex structures allow mRNAs to remain stable while outside cells and to be released in a controlled manner once inside cells. Once inside, the mRNAs are used by cellular machinery to produce proteins that are naturally dysfunctional or absent.
Without modification, the polyplexes tend to accumulate in the lungs, as after injection into the blood they rapidly stick to each other and surrounding proteins and cells and become lodged in the lung’s blood vessels. Treating polyplexes with PEG, a process called “PEGylation”, prevents them from sticking together; however, applying PEG in a controlled, consistent manner to the polyplex surface is very difficult.
The team at TMDU has developed a new method of PEGylation, where the mRNAs are hybridized to PEG molecules before the polyplexes are formed. Using this method, almost all the PEG strands mixed into the reaction become bound to the polyplexes, allowing much greater control over the final amount of PEG on the polyplex surface.
Using a mouse model, the team found that the quantities and lengths of the PEG molecules significantly affected how well the mRNA therapy worked. A small number of short PEG molecules prevented accumulation of the engineered mRNAs in the lungs, facilitating effective delivery to the spleen. This approach has demonstrated utility in mRNA vaccines.
“Our novel method allows fine tuning of the amount of PEGylation of mRNA polyplexes,” explains senior author Dr. Satoshi Uchida, “which in turn allows control of the physicochemical properties of the polyplexes, and thus their biological functionalities.”
mRNA technology has wide-ranging potential for treating many diseases that have previously been considered incurable, as well as for the development of novel cancer treatments and vaccines. The development of this innovative technique paves the way for significant advances in the therapeutic use of mRNA polyplexes, with far-reaching potential consequences for human health.
###
The article, “Poly(ethylene Glycol) (PEG)–OligoRNA Hybridization to mRNA Enables Fine-Tuned Polyplex PEGylation for Spleen-Targeted mRNA Delivery”, was published in Small Science at DOI: 10.1002/smsc.202300258.
Journal
Small Science
DOI
10.1002/smsc.202300258
Article Title
Poly(ethylene Glycol) (PEG)–OligoRNA Hybridization to mRNA Enables Fine-Tuned Polyplex PEGylation for Spleen-Targeted mRNA Delivery
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