Interesting take

[AstuteShift]

Of course they manipulate markets. It’s child’s play for them and they love nothing but see the masses in fear and panic

They do respect the few people who do escape and refuse to participate in the charades the masses like to do

[SOL]

But surely we can point to one example? If Buffet, Zuckerberg, or Bezos are Wannabe that implies there are 1 or more persons with MORE money or power than they have. I've heard politicians claim they have the real power. You also hear about people like Koch brothers or Soros who manipulate policy thru back door funding but they aren't exactly off the radar either.

Let me ask the question this way: Are the shadowy elite players elite because of wealth? if so they can't stay shadowy too long as they publish lists of the richest persons. Are the shadowy elite players elite because of political positions? They publish lists of those too. https://www.forbes.com/powerful-people/list/. Exactly who are we talking about when we talk about the shadowy elite?

Those published lists are pure rubbish, the real players can easily avoid them by hiding behind multiple trusts, foundations, etc. They hold enough cash under their names to lead a decent life, the rest is done via corporate accounts. It's too complex to get into here. You will have to read up on bulletproofing your assets. The many strategies (legal) to hide one's funds to make it look like one has almost nothing or one has 1/1000th of what they are really worth

As for naming the reason they are called shadowy players is precisely for that reason. They remain in the shadows. However, if you look around carefully and examine the data and follow the trend, you can see what they are doing and ride on their coattails.

[Yodean]

I had never heard of the Black Pope. Interesting. I WAS aware that the Roman Catholic church is the largest real estate holder in the world, and that no one knows their true net worth.

If you are really interested in this kind of stuff, scan through one of T.I.'s recommended readings, _Divine Province_. Also check out some of the references in that book. Then you can decide how much of it rings true, how much is probably true, and how much is pure conjecture. There are some rare, exceptional individuals who have dedicated their lives, and in some cases risked them, to attempt to make some of this information available to the public.

[Triplethought]

I had never heard of the Black Pope. Interesting. I WAS aware that the Roman Catholic church is the largest real estate holder in the world, and that no one knows their true net worth.

If you are really interested in this kind of stuff, scan through one of T.I.'s recommended readings, _Divine Province_. Also check out some of the references in that book. Then you can decide how much of it rings true, how much is probably true, and how much is pure conjecture. There are some rare, exceptional individuals who have dedicated their lives, and in some cases risked them, to attempt to make some of this information available to the public.

Thanks Yodean. I took your recommendation seriously and spent some time looking. Before I decide to buy a book I look at the description, authors, and reviews. From the description of Divine Province: "Learn how the silent dominion has separated the Earthlings from spirit, accepting the physical slavery of the body vessel, disguising the truth of who they are."

Uggghh. I fear my mind is not sufficiently open to read such absolute utter tripe. That and a 4 star review on Amazon that mentions constant spelling errors tells me most of what I need to know. (That for me this would be a waste of time).

I found the website of one author http://www.edrychkun.com/edauthor.htm . Let's just say between the rookie web design and his other content I'm unimpressed, other than he has been somewhat prolific. His books cover everything from "prepping" to pot (why am I not surprised).

The other author I can't find but I'm curious if this guy James McBride is the same person. Note first name spelled differently but the criminal indictment linked below mentions seminars called Divine Province so I'm guessing this is the same dude with a deliberate first name misspelling to hide his criminal record.
https://www.dispatch.com/article/201411 ... /311289749

[Yodean]

Thanks Yodean. I took your recommendation seriously and spent some time looking. Before I decide to buy a book I look at the description, authors, and reviews ...

You may get _Divine Province_ free just by clicking the link in one of the MUs. No need to buy.

By reading reviews before you read something, you are essentially biasing and creating additional filters before you read something. Much better to read or at least scan something, let it simmer, and think independently about a particular topic or set of ideas, before reading those of other "experts."

By reading reviews beforehand, you are essentially telling yourself - this reviewer's opinion is better than my own. I bend the knee to this reviewer. Etc. Now, sometimes this is necessary and useful, but when studying anything seriously, much better to think a bit independently about the subject, then read all the "experts'" opinions to see if they address any of the blind spots in your ideas/opinions, etc.

[AstuteShift]

@TT

You can also look at who owns certain stocks. Who runs the clearing house for options, stocks, futures.

Another is history. Eisenhower talked about this club. JFK tried and got murdered. Andrew Jackson’s speech on central bankers also.

They’re also observers but solely on the money aspect of things. View it from their perspective, why would they ever help the masses if they can’t even help themselves. They do however add clues to the few who are astute to get out of trouble and ride on their coat tail

They’re the masters of mass psychology, so it’s best to learn from the top.

Sometimes it’s not so obvious but they’re called shadow players for a reason.

[Triplethought]

Thanks Yodean. I took your recommendation seriously and spent some time looking. Before I decide to buy a book I look at the description, authors, and reviews ...

You may get _Divine Province_ free just by clicking the link in one of the MUs. No need to buy.

By reading reviews before you read something, you are essentially biasing and creating additional filters before you read something. Much better to read or at least scan something, let it simmer, and think independently about a particular topic or set of ideas, before reading those of other "experts."

By reading reviews beforehand, you are essentially telling yourself - this reviewer's opinion is better than my own. I bend the knee to this reviewer. Etc. Now, sometimes this is necessary and useful, but when studying anything seriously, much better to think a bit independently about the subject, then read all the "experts'" opinions to see if they address any of the blind spots in your ideas/opinions, etc.

I accept your feedback and your point. 96% of reviewers will be idiots. It's just that I've wasted soooo much time on books to get half way thru them and discover the author says something that tells me he isn't speaking from authority. So I take a shortcut and try to get the "cliff notes". I'd venture to say that over 96% of what has ever been written in this world is either obsolete or wrong in many ways. "The wisdom of crowds" as they say can be a powerful time saver.

[Yodean]

"The wisdom of crowds" as they say can be a powerful time saver.

Well, at the risk of oversimplification, "the wisdom of crowds" is pretty much the antithesis of what you should do in the markets, if you want to make $$$.

For me, in general, >80% of the time, "the wisdom of crowds" = "the idiocy of the sheep."

If you follow the "wisdom of the crowds" really, really well in life matters, I would guess you end up with B- or C+ results, at best; usually, they are worse. Mediocrity, generally.

If you go against the Horde and take the path less travelled, the possibility of getting A+ results arises. Of course, so does the possibility of getting smashed and getting D-. But that's a more fun journey, imo.

A cursory review of my own life reveals that my best moments, practical accomplishments, highest points of joy, etc. were mostly when I went directly against "the wisdom" of the Herd that surrounded me, whether it was making millions in the markets, getting into the Ivy Leagues and medicine, having a fairly high "Finishing Ratio" when I was younger with women who were supposedly out of my league, and sparring in Muay Thai against younger, bigger opponents with a completely torn ACL.

Okay, the last was just me being a dumba**, but you get the point.

However, if I were making a decision about something with extremely low impact on my life, I do read a few reviews, to save time. For example, I ordered a humidifier off Amazon the other day, and didn't want to spend too much time on this particular decision, so I spent about 66.6 seconds reading reviews before clicking "buy."

[Triplethought]

"The wisdom of crowds" as they say can be a powerful time saver.

Well, at the risk of oversimplification, "the wisdom of crowds" is pretty much the antithesis of what you should do in the markets, if you want to make $$$.

For me, in general, >80% of the time, "the wisdom of crowds" = "the idiocy of the sheep."

If you follow the "wisdom of the crowds" really, really well in life matters, I would guess you end up with B- or C+ results, at best; usually, they are worse. Mediocrity, generally.

If you go against the Horde and take the path less travelled, the possibility of getting A+ results arises. Of course, so does the possibility of getting smashed and getting D-. But that's a more fun journey, imo.

A cursory review of my own life reveals that my best moments, practical accomplishments, highest points of joy, etc. were mostly when I went directly against "the wisdom" of the Herd that surrounded me, whether it was making millions in the markets, getting into the Ivy Leagues and medicine, having a fairly high "Finishing Ratio" when I was younger with women who were supposedly out of my league, and sparring in Muay Thai against younger, bigger opponents with a completely torn ACL.

Okay, the last was just me being a dumba**, but you get the point.

However, if I were making a decision about something with extremely low impact on my life, I do read a few reviews, to save time. For example, I ordered a humidifier off Amazon the other day, and didn't want to spend too much time on this particular decision, so I spent about 66.6 seconds reading reviews before clicking "buy."

I've noticed if you do that you can't find a single wine refrigerator that someone doesn't hate and say the customer support sucks. Same with most other appliances.

[nicolas]

A study found that (some) negative reviews help to build trust in a product. Here's the study: https://spiegel.medill.northwestern.edu ... w-content/

Customers will typically trust a 4.4 rating more than a 5-star rating, which could appear fake. The optimum seems to be in the 4.2 - 4.5 range.

So, if you have a business with an online presence or a product to sell, it's ok to have a few bad reviews. It can even help you appear more trustworthy!

[Eric]

A cursory review of my own life reveals that my best moments, practical accomplishments, highest points of joy, etc. were mostly when I went directly against "the wisdom" of the Herd that surrounded me, whether it was making millions in the markets, getting into the Ivy Leagues and medicine, having a fairly high "Finishing Ratio" when I was younger with women who were supposedly out of my league, and sparring in Muay Thai against younger, bigger opponents with a completely torn ACL.

LOL.
https://clip.cafe/the-secret-life-of-pe ... d-a-tiger/

[Yodean]

LOL.

To be fair, I've also had my share of epic fails, both in and out of the markets.