Sadder Than The Sea.........

  So titled my friend for it's with a heavy heart I put forth this writ.



   Carry on...




 In  2011,  Ukraine began LARGE-SCALE mining of gold within the country based on confirmation of gold resources by the State Service of Geology and Mineral Resources of Ukraine. The ministry at that time estimates the country's gold resources to fall within the range of 2,500 to 3,000 TONS.

 Now around that time I've discovered that Ukraine IMPORTED about 5 tons of gold a year and they were EXPECTING to produce at least ONE ton of gold a year within 3 to 5 years !

 ( So the plot thickens...ay ? Do the math ! It's THREE years right as we speak ! )

Furthermore....once they start, Ukraine plans to gradually increase its production output. All in all , the Ukrainian government upon undertaking this venture suggests that it importation of gold may be reduced by as much as ONE THIRD.

 So where does this leave one to understand what's really behind all this brou-haha over this country's autonomy ?

  Of the estimates of the country's gold resources , 900 tons are felt to be in the western and eastern areas. The balance ? In the central and southern potions of the country. One area in particular that has gained recent celebrity.................. CRIMEA !


  Couple this with the fact that there are at least TWELVE operating merchant seaports in the Crimean peninsula and ................................

   ( Am I clearing out the cobwebs, matey ? )


Is it about sovereignty ? Or .......actually a matter a touch more base ?


     ( He who owns the gold , RULES ! )

Interesting footnote : Petro Poroshenko - ( current President of Ukraine) is the former head of the Council of Ukraine's National Bank. ( the country's answer to our Federal Reserve. )

 A billionaire who is known in his country as " The Chocolate King ".


 And now he......


 Talk about a sweetheart deal to end all sweetheart deals !


 Your thoughts .














 

I Wonder.....

 The " one and done " phenomena which has taken hold of the N.B.A. needs to undergo a complete review.

 ( dare I say sports fans.... a sound dismantling !  ? )



  Founded in 1946, the league in the early days established a rule that a player could not make himself available for the draft until FOUR YEARS AFTER HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION.

 ( And ain't this a humdinger..... ? ! Up until the late 60's , in the N.C.A.A., college freshman weren't even allowed to PLAY varsity sports ! ! ! )


 
 Through the 70's and 80's , you had " giants " like Wilt the Stilt and Air Jordan who attended college and garnered THREE years of experience before coming to the league.
 
 Some might feel ( especially yours truly ) , that this contributed to their maturity of individual skills and team play.

 Nowadays.. What do you have ?
 Superstars bunched in a group of no cohesion on the level not seen in ages.

  My SUGGESTION :

• Expand the D-League from its current 17 teams to 30 like in the N.B.A .

 ( At present, an athlete can enter the D at 18 as opposed to 19 in the N.B.A. )

• If the player decides to forgo college and enter the D, the N.B.A. enters into a contract with him for 3 years while providing a stipend of $75,000 per annum.

 ( This is far better than what one player received in 2005 when he didn't make the cut. He went to the D and received $15,000 a season while another who made it to the N.B.A got $4.6 MILLION ! These two played against each other in college . The D-Leaguer at the time was third overall in rebounding while the guy who made it to the N.B.A. was second. )


 Sports-fans........ Time for you to voice your opinion !


 For The Defining Moment.



   

A Closer Look.....

Last week, I delved into the film " American Hustle " as part of my run-up to the Oscars.



 This time , let's go on to ' 12 Years A Slave " .


 BE ADVISED : THE CONTENT OF THIS MOVIE IS RATHER INTENSE.

 However, it makes for how cinema was meant to be seen even experienced..

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  British director, Steve McQueen , shall awash you with the disheartening truth of the plight visited upon one man in the colonial history of the States.

 Solomon Northup  -  a free man of independent means and colour - in the mid 1800's gets shanghaied and made to succumb to an existence of UNIMAGINABLE distaste .

 An amateur yet accomplished musician, he takes into confidence two men who want him to perform at a few events at which they promote. After playing at one and as they celebrate its " success " with some merriment, his drink is drugged and upon awakening he finds himself chained and forced to accept his new lot in life !



 ( Although the film doesn't share the following fact )

 While on the ship that was spiriting him away from the life he knew, he managed to find an empathetic sailor who agreed to deliver a letter to his wife to explain the ungodly turn of events which unfurls before him.  NEITHER ONE ABLE TO FATHOM WHAT LIES IN STORE FOR HIM.

 Now to his credit ( ! ), Solomon never ceases to champion his lonely cause to regain freedom by means of stout genius and unbending heart. 

 And to mention even more as to how he persisted in keeping his SANITY whilst on his sojourn would be ideal at this point.
.........................................................................................................................................


 The movie will better tell the tale as to how he found it within himself to do so.

 
__________________________________________________________________________________________
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  Next on the list - " Philomena ".



  The telling of how harrowed a care a young woman receives at the hands of Catholic nuns in '50's Ireland appalls me NO MIX .



  It takes off when , early in the film , the character - in her 70's  - meets a former British government advisor who takes upon himself to assist her to find a child she gave birth to out of wedlock before the age of 18.

 Her father ( due to the " morals " of the time ! ) places her in a nunnery.

( Such was the manner fitting for Da to deal with the family " shame ",you see ? )

The nuns, in turn .. when the boy is about three... , sell him to an American couple who wanted a child of their own.



Fast forward.


 He grows up to hold the position of chief legal counsel for the Republican National Committe in the 80's, which had to have been a bit much for his person considering............................. he was a closeted individual.

Though she tried hard in her search , even going so far as to make a trip to the States on her quest, our poor Philomena never meets him before he passes on from A.I.D.S.



  The film cleaves you in two over how people who take a vow of compassion for mankind can turn right 'round and ..just .. employ such means for the care of the unfortunate to be ( themselves ) ..... BAD NO HELL.




 How she comes to grip with it all shall floor you , be assured.

 The final resting place where she finds her son shall ASTOUND.


 For the Defining Moment,

 Gavin St.Clair


 

   

Towards Thee........

 We are now in the grips of Oscar madness...... ! ( oy vey ! )


  The film industry here in the States ( attempts ) once a year to acknowledge and pay homage to the best in acting ; directing ; screenwriting ; musical scoring , etc. etc. ETC.

 Who among you have seen ALL of the films nominated ? How would you judge their attributes ?


  Among the nine films given the nod by the Academy, 6 ARE BASED ON REAL EVENTS .

1.  American Hustle -  based on the F.B.I. sting operation started in 1978 called Abscam. 

•  Those convicted were a U.S Senator , several members of the House of Represntatives , a meMber of the New Jersey State Senate , the mayor of Camden, N.J , members of the Philadelphia City Council and ( last but not least ) an inspector of the United Staes Immmigration and Naturalization Service.

•   Interesting footnote, at one point during the sting , the F.B.I. approached Penthouse publisher Bob Guccione. He at the time was planning on building a hotel/casino in New Jersey and needed financing. Mr. Weinberg ( the individual who in the movie is loosely portrayed by Christian Bale ) wanted Bob to pay a $300,000 bribe to N.J. officials in order for his casino to receive the license since Mr. Weinberg told him an Arab sheikh was willing to invest $150 million dollars in the project only if the casino could get a gaming license !

           Guccione's response : " ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND ? ! "

Amazing ....the publisher of an adult mag whose writings exposed government cover-ups and corruption at the highest levels of the American government is not given some sort of
 " honourable mention " .



more information regarding Abscam can be found on Wikipedia.




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 As for performances :

• Jennifer Lawrence absolutely blew me away !

   In comparison to her acting in Silver Linings,  this is ................ ( I find to be  ) ........ ASTOUNDING.


  In my opinion, her stiffest competiton for Best Suppoting Actress is the lady from the next film I shall review who plays the role of Patsey in " 12 Years a Slave "..........................
Mexican-born actress Lupita Amondi Nyong'o .

So Mote It Be.... ?

That they have eyes yet do not see ......






 Consider the following .



 You purchase a house for $300,000 at 7.5 % interest on a 30 year fixed loan.

• Every month your mortgage is $2,097.64
• Interest paid to the lender on the first payment - $ 1,875 : amount paid to reduce the outstanding principal - $222.64.
• Total interest received by the lender from YOU at the end of 30 years - $455,151.67.

The breakdown after 5 YEARS :

• interest paid to lender - $109,710.92
• amount of principal reduced ( which is the same as saying " value of equity " ) -$16,147.69
• This reduction amounts to  equity of approximately 5 %.
• remaining principal - $283,852.31

 If you were the homewoner in this case , would the lender allow you to refinance after 5 years?
  If so , bear in mind all the fees associated such as title insurance to name just one.

  Throughout this economic downturn EVEN prior to such , lenders have been reaping what I consider HEINOUS profits at your expense.

 What's one to do , to level the playing field ?

 Perhaps ............ a ... mortgage modification ? ( ay ? )


 
 One doesn't have to modify at the threat of foreclosure or bankruptcy . One can be current and with persuasive motivation to the lender ,
A MORTGAGE CAN BE MODIFIED TO THE GREATER BENEFIT OF THE BORROWER.

                   ( if you don't mind ? )





 Let's review the figures from the top of the page.

•  monthly mortgage - $2,097.64
•  remaining principal after 5 years of payments - $ 283, 852.31

 In the fifth year, how about going to the lender to negotiate a modification to start at the beginning of year 6 by leaving the term intact yet changing the interest rate to 6.5 % and the principal to $283, 852.31? The following now occurs :

• monthly mortgage - $1,794.14
• monthly savings -   $303.50
• of the new monthly sum of $1,794.14 , $256.61 is the new amount each month going towards reducing the principal.

 Here is where my plot thickens !!!!

 Instead of paying the new monthly amount of $1,794.14 , you continue to pay the old figure of $2,097.64 FOR YEARS 6 TO 10 with the extra $303.50 separately designated towards reducing the principal !

                           MADNESS YOU SAY .......... RIGHT ?

Follow me :

• $283,852.31 @ 6.5 % from years 6 to 10 would give you $18,135.39 in principal paid off by itself.
• add the $303.50 per month for the years 6 to 10 , provides an additional $18,210.00
• therefor, in a 5 year span your reduction in principal is $36,345.39 instead of $18,135.39
• tack on the $36,345.39 to the $16,147.69 from the first 5 years and the grand total of reduced principal is $52,493.08 after 10 years with this " revised " payment plan.

 Had you kept paying the amount you were doing originally - $2,097.64 a month with 7.5 % on $300,000 , your reduction in principal after 10 years is $39,615.04.




                                     $52,493.08
                                   - $39,615.04
                                    ___________
                                     $12,878.04 more you've added in equity !





  Do your own research with these figures . Talk to an expert in the field of mortgage financing and have them crunch the numbers.

   Let's compare notes and discover whether this could TRULY be of benefit to all concened.


                                




 for the defining moment





 ( I remain )

  Appreciatively yours,

  Gavin St. Clair






                                     



    

Charlie Foxtrot

  It's been recently discovered that Cardinal Mahony used nearly $115 million dollars from the funds meant for maintenance of the grounds for the dearly departed to " assist " with the settlement payments the Church had to make to the victims of sexual abuse .


 The further travesty :

•  he did not tell the RELATIVES of the deceased he had taken the money ...and

• he and his aides said to various parish groups they had cashed in SUBSTANTIAL investments in order to help pay the $660 million settlement.

Whether you're Catholic or not...........


 Please weigh in on this .








Appreciatively yours ,

Gavin St. Clair

Quod Erat Demonstrandum....

  In our country's history , there was a time when studios made film shorts for the educational system with the goal to aid young people in reaching their potential to become productive citizens. These social guidance films were produced with the thought in mind to enhance even reinforce the advice children were receiving at home.

   No longer than 10 minutes ,these weren't done from the producer's point of view and actually had the collaboration of professors, sociologists and psychologists of the day.


 Some of the life lessons that made it to production were about developing traits such as : self-reliance or emotional balance. In one short , there was a boy who learned the value of setting high goals for himself : the more important lesson learned ( ! ) - through your expectations , don't put SO much pressure on yourself that you become emotionally upset during the times when you miss your goals.


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  Consider the state of things now .....

 There's one tv program of note on cable that uses inmates in order to show where juveniles will end up if they don't develop a measure of self-restraint and self-reliance for their own good. This production , to the best of my knowledge ,  is COMPLETELY done by a filmmaker without any input from any professional well versed in the rehabilitation of felons or teachersw actively involved in the school system.


    What we can learn from the past by a concerted effort from all and sundry is time well spent ........



 For the future of our kids .
 ( Q.E.D. )


 For the defining moment


 Your comments , views , and opinions are most welcome.



 ( I remain )

 Respectfully yours,

 Gavin St. Clair