Monday, February 2, 2026

The Gap in the Daily Chart has now been Filled

Gold has made some crazy moves lately. Especially after a gap appeared in the daily chart some nine trading days ago.

We went from about $4,650 to $5,600 in a matter of five days, only to be hit by a three day sell off down to a low of $4,400.

This can all be explained, technically, in terms of the above mentioned gap.

The rule is that when a gap appears, it indicates speculative fever. What follows is unsustainable, and will always collapse down to below the gap. The gap will in other words be filled.

Once the gap is filled, we have support, and the rally can continue.

My prediction for the gold price is therefore that it will start producing a bullish base for a break out above $5,600.

There will be support at $4,650, and this support is likely to trend upwards.

This will take several months to form, so this is a good time to start accumulating gold. Buying gold at below $5,000 is likely to prove itself profitable by the end of this year.

Daily chart for gold up until 2/2 2026
Daily chart for gold up until 2/2 2026


Wednesday, January 21, 2026

Raw Garlic and Ginger

Growing old means that good health is no longer a given. Little ailments, pains and aches don't go away on their own as they used to. At least not as readily as it used to.

Sore thumb

For example, I managed to hurt my thumb while working in my mother's garden back in October. My thumb became painful and weak. I could grab, but not push with my thumb. It was the sort of little thing that should have passed on its own over a few days. But my thumb stayed sore and numb for weeks without any sign of improving.

I was starting to think that it was permanent, possibly rheumatism of a sort. So, I started looking for ways to simply live with it.

Other things have improved

However, other ailments have shown signs of improving lately. I have not had any back pain in a long time. Not even now, in the middle of winter.

A patch of dry and sensitive skin has also disappeared. But two toes on my right foot are still infected with fungus, despite initial improvements. My daily routine of washing, massaging and applying oil on them is merely keeping them from getting any worse.

Experimenting with garlic and ginger

So, I had the idea that my toes might benefit from some additional help. Since I'm massaging them in order to help blood flow, I figured I should look for foods that do the same.

Looking this up on the web, I found raw garlic and ginger mentioned among a list of other things.

We have both of this in house, so I figured I try it. A bit of both, like a supplement of sorts.

Unexpected improvement

The effect was pretty much immediate. But not for my foot, which remained unaffected.

It was my sore thumb that improved. So much so that it has just about completely healed by now, exactly one week after I started the experiment.

Effects come and go

I've been experimenting with different remedies for well over two years now, and I've noticed that some remedies lose their effectiveness over time. I was enthusiastic about cumin seeds for a while. But I no longer take them. Now, it's garlic and ginger.

It's as if my body gets accustomed to remedies, forcing me to change every now and again. There's no permanent fix. Just a set of things that work. So, there's a constant need for change.

But there's so many things that work, at least for a while, that the need for change can be met with a great cycle of change. Things that stop working will eventually start working again. Cumin seeds may be just the thing for me in the future. But for the moment, I'm sticking with the perfect breakfast.

Conclusion

There are three types of ailments, and three types of remedies. The ailments are:

  • skin problems
  • digestion problems
  • muscle and joint problems
and the remedies are:
  • oils, and cremes applied to the skin
  • herbs, seeds and spices taken as dietary supplements
  • healthy diet and exercise

For every ailment, there's a set of remedies, some of which are only effective for a while.

The trick is to experiment and cycle through the options available to us. Try things, pay attention to effects, and keep up anything that has a positive effect.

If there's no noticeable improvement after a few days, the remedy isn't working. If there's a noticeable decline, some important remedy has been terminated, or some bad habit/food has started.

Wellbeing is the measure of success. Awareness of its presence or absence is therefore key to success.

Ginger cross section.jpg
Ginger cross section

By Sanjay ach at the English-language Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

Monday, January 12, 2026

Judges, not Kings - Anarchy in the Bible

I've finally gotten round to read the Bible. In part because I want to check for myself whether or not Christianity is compatible with anarchy.

Slow going at first

For anyone interested in reading the Bible, I can highly recommend it. I'm about a quarter into the old testament, and things are happening at a blistering pace. However, there are some slow moving sections earlier on that it took some effort get through.

Endless lists of names, numbers and measurements related to clan structures, and sacred objects, isn't my favorite reading. So, I skimmed through it, as any sensible reader would do, and nothing was lost in the process.

The pain was well worth it, though. Because the endless ramblings formed a solid basis for the continued development of the story. With all the laws and regulations, as well as all the tribes, well documented. The stage is set for all the action to come.

Collective consciousness

There are a lot of noteworthy stories and anecdotes everywhere in the text. Too much to note in a short post like this one. But some things stand out.

First of all, I get a strong sense that I'm reading about a collective consciousness. Adam and Eve wake up from a sort of slumber. Violence and murder ensues. Human sacrifices are common all around. But Abraham realizes that this is a sin.

He instigates a new practice. Instead of offering first born boys to god through slaughter, they are offered in a poetic sense. They become priests.

But this creates too many priests. So, Moses changes things around. The tribe of Levi gets a monopoly on priesthood.

However, this too goes wrong. There is a realization that priesthood should be open for anyone who wants to become a priest. Instead of inheritance, it becomes a calling.

Judges, not kings

Samuel becomes the first priest that's not a Levite. He anoints Saul as king. Then, realizing that it was a mistake, he anoints David.

What follows is a civil war with the house of Soul fighting against the house of David.

But Israel was never meant to have kings in the first place. Samuel anointed Saul against his wishes. David is later anointed in order to fix the mistake. However, the true mistake was the decision to have kings in the first place.

Because Moses made it clear in his set of rules that there should only be judges, freely chosen by the people. Israel was meant to be an anarchy.

Samuel knew this. He warned about the consequences. He anointed a king for Israel, only because the people insisted.

Civilization is progressing

All of this happens in an environment where cities become larger. There's a sense of progress despite all the unhinged violence and destruction that's going on.

Interestingly, there's no mention of the devil, nor any heavenly court thus far in my reading. God rules supreme. The evil spirits that torment Saul and others come from God, not the devil. Even the snake in the garden of Eden is a creation of God.

Another interesting point is that other gods are recognized as real entities, despite their impotence. But only the Lord gives people freedom and prosperity. Worship any other god, and you end up poor and enslaved.

But people get tempted by empty promises, and they get themselves into trouble.

However, none of this changes the core features of the religion. Even as society moves towards a system of kings and social hierarchies, the religion remains unchanged. There's one true god, and that's it.

God's kingdom on Earth

Both bronze and iron is mentioned in these early stories, so we're looking at things as they were some four thousand years ago. We're a long way from meeting Jesus. But a prediction is made. David's descendants will eventually birth a king that will rule us all.

So, the stage is set for continued strife and slaughter. But also for some future king that will rule everybody in peace.

Fast forward to the last book in the Bible, and we learn that a new Jerusalem will descend from heaven, with Jesus as eternal king, and with no churches or temples anywhere.

Moses gets vindicated. The only king is God himself.

The end goal is to live free from earthly kings, priests and rulers.

In other words. Anarchy is the ultimate goal for humanity.

Israel's Escape from Egypt.jpg
Moses

By the Providence Lithograph Company - http://thebiblerevival.com/clipart/1907/ex14.jpg, Public Domain, Link

Sunday, January 11, 2026

Lessons from Minneapolis

“Activism is a way for useless people to feel important, even if the consequences of their activism are counterproductive for those they claim to be helping and damaging to the fabric of society as a whole.”

— Thomas Sowell

This week, we saw the fatal shooting of an anti-ICE demonstrator in Minneapolis, which reminds us of the importance of not facing the state head on.

From the footage we've seen, the shooting looks excessive. But that's the privilege of the state. If you go face to face against it, you may well get a bullet through your head, just like Renee Nicole Good found out the hard way.

Based on this, we can skip any discussion about the justification, or absence there of. However, this is precisely what everybody is focusing on.

That's exactly how politicians like it. Because they thrive in the antagonism that they create. The polarization of opinions creates a red team against blue team atmosphere, which in turn creates calls for new laws and regulations.

It's a win-win situation for both the red and the blue team. Politicians get more power, and everybody else lose.

However, if we make a simple observation like: "It was excessive but legal," and leave it at that, we can get on with our lives, largely unaffected by the turmoil created. Instead of focusing on the actions of the individuals involved, we can look behind the scenes to see what caused the situation in the first place.

This is where an anarchist view of the world comes in handy. Because, in an anarchy, this conflict would not have occurred.

Without taxation and subsidies, there's no incentive to move into a country in search of special favors.

So, the creation of the ICE task forces could have been avoided simply by cutting subsidies. A few cuts here and there would have had a greater deterrent effect on illegal immigrants than what the ICE agents are able to create.

But this peaceful solution wouldn't create the dynamic red vs. blue situation that we're now seeing. So, it never comes up as a suggested solution to problems. It simply isn't in the interest of politicians to create a stable non-antagonistic climate of trust and respect.

Thomas Sowell
Thomas Sowell

By Internet Archive Book Images - https://www.flickr.com/photos/internetarchivebookimages/14569447530/Source book page: https://archive.org/stream/belltelephonemag4344amerrich/belltelephonemag4344amerrich#page/n356/mode/1up, Public Domain, Link

Tuesday, January 6, 2026

Intervention in Venezuela

Here are some bullet points of what the Trump administration achieved with its night raid of Caracas, and what we can expect to see going forward:

  • A more cooperative tone from the new government in Caracas.
  • Venezuelan oil no longer sold in other currencies than the dollar.
  • Oil prices will be kept low through increased output from Venezuela.
  • Trial of Mr. and Mrs. Maduro will expose criminal involvement by western banks and politicians opposed to Trump and his policies.
  • Mr. and Mrs. Maduro will most likely go free. But only after many revelations related to criminal activities among Trump's foes.
  • This will help Trump win the midterm elections.

Uncle Sam Straddles the Americas Cartoon.jpg
Monroe doctrine

By Louis Dalrymple - https://diplomacy.state.gov/stories/the-monroe-doctrine-the-united-states-and-latin-american-independence/, Public Domain, Link

Friday, January 2, 2026

Continued Snow and Ice Accumulation

Winter is well on its way, and the UN's own data indicate that it's going to be a snowy one.

Snow and Ice accumulation 2025 to 2026
Snow and Ice accumulation 2025 to 2026

Just like last winter:

Snow and Ice accumulation 2024 to 2025
Snow and Ice accumulation 2024 to 2025

And the winter before that:

Snow and Ice accumulation 2023 to 2024
Snow and Ice accumulation 2023 to 2024

If this trend continues, we'll be having the sixth straight winter with above average snow fall, according to the UN's own scientists.

Glaciation

Note that every year ends with accumulation of snow and ice. So, we can conclude that the northern hemisphere is in fact gaining ice, and that this has been going on for six years straight.

Nine Year Cycles

Numerology has a fascination for the number nine. So, when a year is divisible by nine, they give it special significance. It is, according to this superstition, the end of a cycle. A year of completion, whereupon a new cycle starts.

So, 2025 is considered an important because it's divisible by nine. As it happens it's also divisible by nine times nine, which makes it even more significant.

Personal experience

This triggered my curiosity. Because it fits well with my own situation, as well as that of many of my nearest.

Going nine years back in time, I was in the process of selling my house in Asker, Norway. The money I made from this, I put into gold, which I have just started selling. My wife and I have just bought a house in Fermil de Basto, Portugal for some of the gold we purchased nine years ago.

Nine years before then, I had just started my move out of Norway. This move didn't fully complete before I sold my house in Asker.

Family and friends

My daughter in Norway has similarly bought a house in Bergen this year.

My oldest son in Norway has had something of a break through as a cameraman on film sets. He's gone from nine years of struggle to up and coming. Nine years into the future, he's likely to be well established.

My youngest son in Norway works for a company that has recently expanded. So, he's likely to see more responsibilities and better salaries.

My wife has, after nine years+ of struggle, established herself in the niche trade of machine knitting. She's seeing success both as a teacher and in sales of her products.

My stepdaughter has established herself as an interpreter in the EU parliament.

A friend of mine here in Porto has bought a house, and gotten married.

Politics

2025 marked the end of a bigger cycle that started nine times nine years ago. That would be 1944. The end of the second world war, and the start of the welfare state. An unsustainable system that is unlikely to last for much longer.

This coincides well with my sense that 2022 marked a turning point in politics. The chaos that we've seen over the last nine years are typical for the end of unsustainable systems. We're moving into a new era where people will rely less on the state. Most institutions introduced after 1944 will be gone within the next eight decades.

Super-cycles

Built into this logic, we have super-cycles that last 9^3 years. That is 729.

With year 1 being the height of the Roman empire, under emperor Augustus, we have a natural start to our cycles.

Year 729, although unremarkable in itself, is smack in the middle of the so called dark ages. The political structure is no longer that of empire. Instead, we had private kingdoms.

However, private kingdoms came to an end some 729 years later. By1458, the renaissance was in full swing. Private states changed into nation states. Taxation became systematic. The state went from being a private enterprise, often privately funded, to a powerful machinery of taxation, warfare, colonialism and corporate expansion.

This system is still in operation. But we are past its peak. The death of the welfare state is likely to take the nation state down with it. A new system will emerge. Most likely based on natural law and voluntary interactions between individuals.

The start of this new super-era will according to the super-cycle theory be year 2187. That is only two big cycles away. We can therefore expect the nation state to whither away over the next 162 years.

There will be an attempt to revive this dying system during this coming big cycle. There will also be a last ditch attempt to do so in the next big cycle. But the nation state will be as archaic in 2187 as Rome was in 729. Everybody will remember it, often fondly. But no-one will seriously try to revive it.

Andrea del Castagno 004.jpg
Vitality and strength

By Andrea del Castagno - The Yorck Project (2002) 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei (DVD-ROM), distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH. ISBN: 3936122202., Public Domain, Link