March 19th 2009

Good Morning All, Markets have had a rather interesting couple of weeks, ones during which they have largely ignored the drumbeat of current negative economic newsin favour of a more macro view of what might be, once the troubles have past. It is at times such as these, as I mentioned in a previous letter, that I have often quoted Yeats' poem "The Second Coming", please look it up if you have not already done so. I have also used past crises to remind readers of the tide of history; and to point out the leaps of human progress that followed such momentous events. Sticking to more modern history, I have most often cited the prospects for gain which followed the Napoleonic Wars when the Industrial Revolution began in earnest; the end of the U.S. Civil War, a period dominated by railways, steel and robber barons; the boom that brought the automobile and the airplane after the Great War later to be known as WW l; or the new science of computers and jet travel that arrived amidst the many innovations that gained prominence during the decades of which we have each been a part. In short, we the human race, are much smarter and much more resourceful than we occasionally appear.

It is also at times such as these that our true natures and spirit become more evident, a time when we discover the fiber from which we are made. Dichotomous as it may seem, there has lately been a rise in volunteership and stranger still, this aroused spirit of giving is most often found among the young and the old and among those who can least afford the luxury of giving. This is not a world populated by the Rick Santellis or the Rush Limbaughs but by the ordinary folk who have been stirred to action because they recognize their own stake in the future world, be it for themselves, their issue or humankind, resides with the good of all. Sadly there are those among us, mostly in their middle years, whose concern is less about "doing good" than "doing well". These are, of course, the careerists who blame everyone else for the bumps in their road to nowhere. There are among them the ranters and the suers, opportunists who seek to gain during hard times at the expense of others. It has been said that we can learn a great deal about someone's character at a poker table or on a golf course; to this I would add....or times such as these.

I could go on about history and humankind's ability to thrust great individuals and leadership to the fore, just when they are most needed, but I won't because you will think I am hyping Barack again....oh okay I am.

On a less serious note, I have once again included my 25 stock suggestions first published in late November and early December 2008. The gains in many of them have been quite striking and although the list is far from being either complete or exclusive, it does embody a practical example of what really has been happening in recent weeks and what will likely occur in the years before us. I have no idea whether any of you have yet advantaged yourselves of this generational opportunity, but I hope you have, as it has been little my way of giving.

Let the renaissance continue.