Fed chicanery.............

In an amusing twist on the "fiat vs digital" money debate, a former Federal Reserve employee who tried to fuse the two, was sentenced to 12 months’ probation and fined $5,000 for installing unauthorized software on a Fed server to connect with a bitcoin network, the Office of the Fed's Inspector General said.

According to the WSJ, Nicholas Berthaume, who worked as a network systems communications analyst at the Fed board in Washington, installed software so he could connect to an online bitcoin network to earn bitcoins, i.e. bitcoin mining, the Fed’s inspector general said. The software was in place from about March 2012 to June 2014, according to a court document. It was not clear how many thousands of a bitcoin he managed to earn this way. 

“Berthaume installed unauthorized software on a Board server to connect to an online bitcoin network in order to earn bitcoins. Bitcoins are earned as compensation when users allow their systems’ computing power to be part of the structure that processes, verifies, and records bitcoin transactions."

The IG said the investigation wasn’t able to determine how many bitcoins had been earned, owing to anonymity of the network. Actually, the reason why the probe was unable to determine what Berthaume's profit was is that it was negligible as bitcoin mining leads to nominal gains at best, and is why massive bitcoin mining arrays set up in places like Iceland are barely breaking even above operating costs.

Berthaume also modified certain security safeguards so he could access the server from his home, the IG said. When investigators from the IG’s office confronted him about the software, he denied any knowledge of it, then later remotely deleted it, the IG said.

Berthaume was subsequently fired, the IG said, and struck a deal in October to plead guilty in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one misdemeanor charge of unlawful use of government property, a charge that carried a fine of up to $100,000 and a year in jail. He received his sentence Friday.

The IG said the incident didn’t result in a loss of Fed information, but the central bank has implemented “security enhancements” as a result of the case. “This case demonstrates how my office will vigorously pursue Board employees who unlawfully abuse their positions and use government property for personal gain,” Fed IG Mark Bialek said.

Moral of the story, if employed by the Fed, it is much more lucrative to leak confidential data to Goldman - and not get caught - than trying to mine a fraction of a bitcoin every year and almost end up in prison for it.

Chess Grandmaster Wesley So quote

"I think the secret is that if you keep working and you have a clear view of your vision and your goals, then the results will come."

Friday's Beauty.................

Atlanta dysfunction............

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ATLANTA — Talk about some bad Samaritans.

A woman says she was fighting off a cellphone thief at an Atlanta gas station when she dropped her keys and a group of bystanders stole her car.

Emma Ebosi tells WSB-TV that a woman attacked her from behind Sunday afternoon and wrestled her phone away.

Ebosi dropped her car keys during the struggle and a group of men grabbed them and drove off in Ebosi's vehicle. The incident was captured on surveillance video.

Police spokeswoman Officer Lisa Bender says officers believe the car theft was a crime of opportunity and not connected to the cellphone theft.

All four suspects got away.

Last Day Canadians

My friend and waterfowl partner limited out today, the last day of the Montana season and to top it off it was his birthday!

With his old dog on his last legs it was an epic finish.  Congratulations on some nice birds.  I would have loved to have been there instead of watching the Dow open up above 20,000.  

Anika Christine Scholz Art

"One thing I am proud to be is a dreamer."   

ACS   on   1/25/2017

Let me give a huge shout out to fellow dreamer and aspiring artist Anika!

We encourage you to look at her great art work and consider her varied offerings as presents for friends, gifts for family or beautiful art for yourself.  Great talent!

www.anikasdesigns.com

Celebrating new leadership in America

Inauguration Day.   2017.

DOW 20,000

Thank you to the massive server farms,  Central Banks around the world,  NON-GAAP chicanery and the move in Goldman Sachs!

Paging Mark Cuban, paging Mark Cuban....................   

Never forget, the American taxpayer has it all on his or her back. 

Every FED bail-out, every upcoming failure of the big banks, every CEO chieftan who is running things into the ground, listen closely;  can you hear it?  

That great American sucking sound coming straight from the wallets of the good old American taxpayer.

  

DAPL

The birkenstock brigade is out in force this morning.

Pretty funny hype coming across the wires.

When Trump shuts off the taxpayer funded FED SPIGOT to the Hunkpapa it will all come together fairly quick.

The fossil fuel folk who ALL used fossil fuels to roll into ND.   Trucks and trains use fossil fuels to transport crude.

And you probably think pipelines use fossil fuels too...............

American Express

You just don't get it do you?

Your customer service is dam near on par with that of COMCAST and I once doubted any company could be that horrorific.

Obvious why COSTCO sent you packing...........

Slow it Down..........

SLOW DANCE

Have you ever watched kids on a merry-go-round?

Or listened to the rain slapping on the ground?

Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?

 Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?

You better slow down.

Don't dance so fast.

Time is short.

The music won't last.

Do you run through each day on the fly?

When you ask, “How are you?”

Do you hear the reply?

When the day is done, do you lie in your bed,

with the next hundred chores running through your head?

You'd better slow down

Don't dance so fast.

Time is short

The music won't last.

Ever told your child, 

We'll do it tomorrow?

And in your haste,

Not see his sorrow?

Ever lost touch, let a good friendship die 

Cause you never had time 

To call and say,'Hi'

You'd better slow down.

Don't dance so fast.

Time is short.

The music won't last..

When you run so fast to get somewhere,

You miss half the fun of getting there.

When you worry and hurry through your day,

It is like an unopened gift....

Thrown away.

Life is not a race.

Do take it slower

Hear the music

Before the song is over.

Meanwhile down in Australia..........

 Inauguration Day in Sydney Australia.   Even the Aussies get it!

President Trump's Speech

Chief Justice Roberts, President Carter, President Clinton, President bush, President Obama, fellow Americans, and people of the world, thank you. We the citizens of America are now joined in a great national effort to rebuild our country and restore its promise for all of our people. Together we will determine the course of America, and the world, for many, many years to come. We will face challenges. We will confront hardships, but we will get the job done. Every four years, we gather on these steps to carry out the orderly and peaceful transfer of power, and we are grateful to President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama for their gracious aid throughout this transition. They have been magnificent. Thank you.

Today's ceremony, however, has very special meaning, because today we are not merely transferring power from one administration to another, or from one party to another, but we are transferring power from Washington, D.C., and giving it back to you, the people. For too long, a small group in our nation's capitol has reaped the rewards of government while the people have borne the cost. Washington flourished, but the people did not share in its wealth. Politicians prospered, but the jobs left, and the factories closed. The establishment protected itself, but not the citizens of our country. Their victories have not been your victories. Their triumphs have not been your triumphs, and while they celebrated in our nation's capitol, there was little to celebrate for struggling families all across our land.

That all changed starting right here and right now, because this moment is your moment. It belongs to you. It belongs to everyone gathered here today, and everyone watching, all across America. This is your day. This is your celebration, and this, the United States of America, is your country.

What truly matters is not which party controls our government, but whether our government is controlled by the people. January 20th, 2017 will be remembered as the day the people became the rulers of this nation again. The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer. Everyone is listening to you now. You came by the tens of millions to become part of a historic movement, the likes of which the world has never seen before.

At the center of this movement is a crucial conviction, that a nation exists to serve its citizens. Americans want great schools for their children, safe neighborhoods for their families, and good jobs for themselves. These are just and reasonable demands of righteous people and a righteous public, but for too many of our citizens a different reality exists. Mothers and children trapped in poverty in our inner cities, rusted out factories scattered like tombstones across the landscape of our nation, an education system flush with cash, but which leaves our young and beautiful students deprived of all knowledge, and the crime, and the gangs, and the drugs that have stolen too many lives and robbed our country of so much unrealized potential. This American carnage stops right here and stops right now.

We are one nation, and their pain is our pain. Their dreams are our dreams, and their success will be our success. We share one heart, one home, and one glorious destiny. The oath of office I take today is an oath of allegiance to all Americans. For many decades, we've enriched foreign industry at the expense of American industry, subsidized the armies of other countries, while allowing for the very sad depletion of our military. We've defended other nations' borders while refusing to defend our own. And spent trillions and trillions of dollars overseas while America's infrastructure has fallen into disrepair and decay. We've made other countries rich while the wealth, strength and confidence of our country has dissipated over the horizon. One by one, the factories shuddered and left our shores, with not even a thought about the millions and millions of American workers that were left behind. The wealth of our middle class has been ripped from their homes and then redistributed all across the world, but that is the past, and now we are looking only to the future.

We are assembled here today issuing a new decree to be heard in every city, in every foreign capital, and in every hall of power, from this day forward, a new vision will govern our land, from this day forward, it's going to be only America first. America first. Every decision on trade, on taxes, on immigration, on foreign affairs will be made to benefit American workers and American families. We must protect our borders from the ravages of other countries making our products, stealing our companies, and destroying our jobs. Protection will lead to great prosperity and strength. I will fight for you with every breath in my body, and I will never, ever let you down. America will start winning again, winning like never before.We will bring back our jobs. We will bring back our borders.

We will bring back our wealth, and we will bring back our dreams. We will build new roads and highways and bridges and airports and tunnels, and railways, all across our wonderful nation. We will get our people off of welfare and back to work, rebuilding our country with American hands and American labor. We will follow two simple rules -- buy American, and hire American.

We will seek friendship and goodwill with the nations of the world, but we do so with the understanding that it is the right of all nations to put

their own interests first. We do not seek to impose our way of life on anyone, but rather to let it shine as an example, we will shine for everyone to follow. We will reinforce old alliances and form new ones, and you night the civilized world against radical islamic terrorism, which we will eradicate completely from the face of the Earth. At the bedrock of our politics will be a total allegiance to the United States of America, and through our loyalty to our country, we will rediscover our loyalty to each other. When you open your heart to patriotism, there is no room for prejudice.

The bible tells us, how good and pleasant it is when god's people live together in unity. We must speak our minds openly, debate our disagreements honestly, but always pursue solidarity. When America is united, America is totally unstoppable. There should be no fear. We are protected, and we will always be protected. We will be protected by the great men and women of our military and law enforcement. And most importantly, we will be protected by god.

Finally, we must think big and dream even bigger. In America, we understand that a nation is only living as long as it is striving. We will no longer accept politicians who are all talk and no action, constantly complaining but never doing anything about it.The time for empty talk is over. Now arrives the hour of action. Do not allow anyone to tell you that it cannot be done. No challenge can match the heart and fight and spirit of America.

We will not fail. Our country will thrive and prosper again. We stand at the birth of a new millennium, ready to unlock the mysteries of space, to free the Earth from the miseries of disease, and to harness the ies industries and technologies of tomorrow. New national pride will stir our souls, lift our sights, and heal our divisions. It's time to remember that old wisdom our soldiers will never forget, that whether we are black, or brown, or white, we all bleed the same red blood of patriots. We all enjoy the same glorious freedoms, and we all salute the same great American flag.

And whether a child is born in the urban sprawl of Detroit or the windswept plains of Nebraska, they look up at the same night sky, they fill their heart with the same dreams, and they are infused with the breath of life by the same almighty creator. So to all Americans, in every city near and far, small and large, from mountain to mountain, from ocean to ocean, hear these words. You will never be ignored again. Your voice, your hopes, and your dreams will define our American destiny, and your courage and goodness and love will forever guide us along the way.

Together, we will make America strong again. We will make America wealthy again. We will make America proud when it. We will make America safe again, and yes, together we will make America great again. Thank you. God bless you. And god bless America. Thank you.

THANK YOU ZEROHEDGE.COM

As always...Zero Hedge with the most concise straight to the point rundown of the timeline of what will occur today.  I looked everywhere all morning.  I should have known better.

The moment we all were hoping for, for about 8 years and now seeing Trump. Someone who finally is not the status quo trying to turn this franchise around.

Godspeed President Trump

The Trump Presidency, A good day for America

For the first time in decades, it feels like morning in America again. I was quite young when Ronald Reagan was president, and I only have vague memories from those days. But I do remember the extraordinary optimism that his leadership inspired, and my hope is that Donald Trump’s leadership will be just as inspirational. For such a very long time, it has seemed as though a giant dark cloud has been hanging over America, but now a new day is starting. If Donald Trump can be president of the United States, it seems like just about anything can be possible. And even though our nation is facing incredibly serious challenges, could it be possible that we can find a way to turn things around if we all work together?

Seeing Trump on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on Thursday was a very special moment. Like Lincoln, Trump represents a once in a generation hope for real change…

Kicking off three days of carefully orchestrated inaugural proceedings infused with pomp and guided by precision and protocol, the president-elect reveled in the moment and delivered a tribute to the populist movement that propelled him into office.

“We all got tired of seeing what was happening and we wanted change, but we wanted real change,” Trump said on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. “It’s a movement like we’ve never seen anywhere in the world, they say.”

Inaugurations are a time for hope, and tens of millions of us are hoping that the election of Trump will mean a better future for all of us.

But of course so many among the elite hate him with a passion, and there are many in both parties that will be fighting him every step of the way.

Can Trump really be successful in such an environment?

We shall see, but what seems clear is that he doesn’t plan to change who he is now that he will be residing in the White House, and this is clearly rankling a lot of people…

Donald Trump enters the White House on Friday just as he entered the race for president: defiant, unfiltered, unbound by tradition and utterly confident in his chosen course.

In the 10 weeks since his surprise election as the nation’s 45th president, Trump has violated decades of established diplomatic protocol, sent shockwaves through business boardrooms, tested long-standing ethics rules and continued his combative style of replying to any slight with a personal attack — on Twitter and in person.

In his inaugural address, Trump will plead for national unity, and that is a good thing because our nation is deeply divided right now. As a new Rasmussen survey has discovered, most of the country has a very strong opinion about him either one way or the other…

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 52% of Likely U.S. Voters share a favorable opinion of Trump, with 30% who have a Very Favorable one. The president-elect is viewed unfavorably by 48%, including 37% with a Very Unfavorable view.

But the good news is that Americans are feeling quite good about life overall these days. In fact, an astounding 80 percent of all Americans are content with “the overall quality of life” that they are enjoying at the moment…

Americans are feeling far more upbeat this January than they were a year ago, especially about the economy, according to Gallup’s annual “Mood of the Nation” poll, which is conducted each January.

The most recent poll, conducted Jan. 4-8, finds a whopping 80 percent of Americans are satisfied with “the overall quality of life,” up four points from a year ago.

If Donald Trump can bring the nation together, perhaps the next four (or eight) years can be a time of renewal for America.

An immense amount of damage was done during the Obama years, and Trump has a massive amount of work ahead of him. But he seems to have a boundless amount of energy, and he is accustomed to only sleeping a handful of hours a night.

Let us pray that Trump and his team will make good decisions and will set this nation on the right course, because we are in desperate need of a turnaround.

Earlier today, I came across a piece from an anonymous source that is entitled “Twas The Night Before Inauguration“. The anonymous source indicated that it was okay to share this with others, and so I thought that I would share it with all of you…

Twas the night before Inauguration, and up in the tower,
The Donald reflected on his newfound power.
The conservative masses had come out in force,
And delivered a victory that would chart a new course.

The snowflakes were shell-shocked with tears in their eyes,
The media lied to them . . . What a surprise.
They had been promised a Hillary win,
But the criminal Clinton took one on the chin.

And though from all corners celebrities flew,
They made no impression, for they hadn’t a clue.
They talked about climate, racism, and such,
And they made up good stories . . . But didn’t know much.

The fake news and ignorance came at a cost,
And they can’t understand all the reasons they lost.
They blame it on Comey and Bernie and Vlad,
But fail to acknowledge the one that was bad.

Yes, Hillary Clinton, in many ways flawed,
Was her own biggest hurdle toward getting the nod.
The campaign exposed her corruptness and greed,
And her speeches were punch-less as ten dollar weed.

So out in the streets there arose such a clatter,
It was Soros-paid protestors and Black Lives Matter.
With cities to pillage and windows to smash,
They knew not the issues, but needed the cash.

Eight years of Obama had given them cause,
To expect a replacement of their Santa Claus.
But soon the protestors will feel the pain,
When the wheels fall off of the old gravy train.

And now all the snowflakes are riddled with fear,
Upset and offended by things that they’ll hear.
The cocoa and crayons will help for a while,
But fact-based opinions will soon cramp their style.

I originally supported, and voted, for Cruz,
In the end, I would vote for whoever they choose.
He wasn’t my first choice, but soon I would cede,
The one they call Trump is the one that we need.

I saw him on TV in front of a crowd,
He spoke about veterans, it made me feel proud.
He spoke about energy, safety, and jobs,
Taking this country back from the Washington snobs.

He was dressed in Armani, all tailored and neat,
And the Brunos he wore made the outfit complete.
For a man of his vintage, he seemed rather fit,
And he looked presidential, I have to admit.

His eyes glowed like embers, his smile was the best,
And his hair was the color of my old hunting vest.
His love for this country was on full display,
And his actions spoke louder than his words could say.

He thanked all his voters, and before he was gone,
Saved thousands of jobs while Obama looked on.
The fate of this country left nothing to chance,
So, he filled out his cabinet weeks in advance.

The men he had chosen were of the same mind,
Let’s set the bar high, and not lead from behind.
He picked up his phone as he rose from his seat,
With a flick of his finger, he sent out this tweet;

“Now Mattis!, now Kelly!’ now Sessions! And Pruitt!
On Perry! On Flynn, You’re the ones who can do it.
Start lifting restrictions and building the wall,
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!”;

The roar of his audience rose from the stands,
He kissed all their babies and shook all their hands.
He answered their questions and calmed all their fears,
They knew it would be a fantastic four years.
Then he jumped in his limo, and off to his jet,
A fellow that Liberals won’t soon forget.
He sent one more tweet as the evening expired;
“Happy Inauguration to all,
AND OBAMA – YOU’RE FIRED!”

I just thought that piece wonderfully captured the flavor of the moment.

Without a doubt, there will be some intense political battles in the days ahead.

But for just one day can’t we all come together and choose to have hope for the future of this nation?

I am not saying that everything has been fixed just because Donald Trump has been elected, nor am I suggesting that any of our problems have diminished in any way.

The challenges ahead of us are truly great, but at least the election of Donald Trump has given us a glimmer of hope, and there are many that believe that a new day for America may finally be dawning after all these years.