By Jim Amrhein From the last Agora Financial Investment Symposium Vancouver, British Columbia Dear Reader, "Jimbo, when did you turn into such a sissy?" That's what I was saying to myself as I stood at the entrance of the awesome Capilano Suspension Bridge several miles north of Vancouver. This 154-yard footbridge, which hundreds of people traverse every single day without incident… Swings gently to and fro 230 feet above the Capilano River, one of those impossibly clear, cold mountain streams — like the kind you see on fishing shows. You know, the ones that are teeming with millions of salmon fighting their way upstream to spawn, dodging grizzly bears along the way. From this height, though, you wouldn't even be able to see a salmon, even in the more placid parts of that gin-clear water. And even a record-book grizzly would've looked like some sort of weird, fat, tailless mouse. But who was I kidding: It wasn't grizzlies (or salmon) I was scared of at that moment. It was that bridge. Now, it's not that I'm afraid of heights. I'm not even afraid of falling. That would feel awesome. It's becoming a human Jackson Pollock on the boulders below that doesn't thrill me. And that was exactly what was on my mind as I stood before this span, pretending to study my little folding map of the park surrounding the bridge. To the casual onlooker, I'm sure it appeared as though I were deciding whether to cross over to the attractions on the far shore… Or venture up the path on this side of the river and see the replica totem poles first. But on the inside, a debate was raging between my body parts… My head said: "The sign says this bridge could hold 96 elephants. Hell, you're not that fat. Go for it." My heart said: "I'll go if you go." My bladder said the same thing — only it meant it like: "I'll GO if you go. You got Depends on under those shorts?" My knees said: "Uh-uh. Not gonna do it. And you can't make us do it." But they all shut up when another pair of important body parts chimed in with a voice like a drill sergeant… "Listen, Princess. You get your ass out on that bridge — and like it — or we'll choke off your testosterone supply so bad you'll be menopausal by the weekend." And, as usual with us not-quite-old-yet men, that's the voice I listened to… Well played, sirs. What that bridge can teach us about the U.S. economy I promise, there's a point to this story that we can all gain from. Bear with me… OK, so I go out onto this cable-and-wood bridge, right? And I'm trying my hardest not to trip and involuntarily squeal like a little girl. Or soil myself. And wouldn't you know it, right when I'm in the middle of this thing — at the highest, wobbliest and most vertigo-inducing point… Three teenage boys 50 feet in front of me start sidestepping right-left-right-left in unison to try to get the bridge swinging as violently as possible. What's worse, their high-school-bully looking dad was egging them on — chuckling and snapping photos on his phone as he walked backward in front of them. Yes, it was terrifying, I don't mind saying. And not just for me. At least one small child on that bridge started crying, I'll have you know. But I persevered — and once clear of that contraption, I entered a wooded wonderland the likes of which I've never seen before. It was an immense forest of those enormous, 10-foot-diameter cedars and firs like the kind you see on Stanley Island. And high up within their dense, dark canopy… Was a series of bridges and platforms linking a succession of these massive trunks together in a kind of village-in-the-trees. At one point, I was so high up — 98 feet, to be exact — that I found myself very nearly eye-to-eye with an enormous Barred Owl! He was about 25 yards away, perched on a dead branch, facing away from me… When I hooted loudly at him, his head swiveled around and gave me a look that seemed to say, "For real, dude? Like I've never heard that one before!" OK, now here's where this story turns into something you can profit from… After an hour or so of exploring various trails and walkways and ponds and trees, it was time to go back across that bridge again. But just as I stepped onto it, I flashed on a thought. Like that bridge, throngs of people trust the U.S. stock market every day to support them and give them hope… And to lead them to miraculous wonders on the "far shores" of their lives. Also like that bridge, the market has been engineered by powerful people (like Ben Bernanke) to be far higher than any natural path to that far shore would ever be. And those rocks and roaring currents below? Those are the inexorable forces of the real economy — waiting to dash us to bits and sweep whatever debris is left out to sea if our fragile little invention fails. So we better make sure it doesn't fail, right? And when I say "we," I don't mean Helicopter Ben and his minions on The Hill… I mean you, me, and the entrepreneur across the street. Now, after this little epiphany, crossing back over that bridge was even scarier. But it didn't kill me this time across, either… Which means I'm still alive to delve into this year's Vancouver Symposium for you. A Tale of Two Americas: Seeking Opportunity at the Intersection of Breakthrough New Technologies and the Crushing Debt Crisis Yes, it's Jim Amrhein here once again, ladies and gents. And as usual these last few years, I'm going to be your boots-on-the-ground correspondent for this no-holds-barred event… Which, sadly, will be the last of its kind. EVER. That's right: Agora Financial's annual flagship event — a 14-year tradition at the posh and glitzy Fairmont Hotel Vancouver… Is coming to a grand crescendo with this year's shindig. And boy howdy, is it gonna be a barnburner. Now here's some good news for you. To take the sting out of not being here with us for this historic last hurrah… AF's going to be recording the best parts of this event in new, improved high-definition video. Building on the incredible success of last year's first-time-ever video coverage of the Innovate or Die-themed Symposium… Agora's production wizards have refined, tweaked, fine-tuned, and basically pulled out all the stops for this year's coverage. Now, if you've never been to one of these incredible Vancouver Symposia… Or if you were as shocked as I was at the announcement a few weeks ago that this year's event would be the last of its kind… And don't worry — I'll show you how to nail down your own copies of this year's event coverage in a second. But first, I want to bring in someone you already know to elaborate a bit on this year's theme… You know him as Bruce Robertson, Agora Financial's Conference Director. This year, "Deuce" (as he's known on the inside) joins me again for an impromptu interview — over breakfast on Monday at the swank Bellagio Cafe. After ordering various hyper-caloric selections from their decadent menu, we got started… JA: "So Deuce, how about this, man? The 'last hurrah' for the Vancouver show." BR: "Yep. It's been a long, great run. But yeah, this is it." JA: "The final curtain. So why don't you tell me a bit about this year's theme?" BR: [Chuckling] "Which part of it?" JA: "I know, right? What a whopper. You guys didn't leave anything in the bag for this one." BR: "Well, you know. The grand finale is always the best part, right?" JA: "Absolutely. So let's get down and dirty. What was the genesis of such an ambitious theme?" BR: "Well, you've got this contradiction. You've got macro-economic indicators that are terrible across the board. You've got basically nothing that speaks to a positive, strong economy—" JA: "Right, it's all a house of cards. You guys have been on that beat for years." BR: "Yeah, now we've got a stock market that's being supported by QE Infinity, and by the simple act of printing money. And really nothing else." JA: "And whenever Bernanke even hints at slowing down the printing presses, the markets stumble." BR: "Yep. That's the whole debt crisis aspect of it. But the positive side of this year's theme is that when you look at what's going on in science and technology—" JA: "You mean bioscience, what?" BR: "All of it. Bioscience, computing, nanotech, superconductors, high-tech energy, you name it…" JA: "OK…" BR: "The point is — and this is something we began to realize five years ago, when we were filming I.O.U.S.A. — that when everybody says 'we're going to grow out of this,' who are they talking about?" JA: "Well, it wasn't the government, though you couldn't prove that by the CBO numbers from the last decade or so." BR: "No. And it's not going to come from IBM and Microsoft and other giants like them, either. It's going to come from smart, nimble entrepreneurs taking risks, innovating, providing jobs— " JA: "And becoming tomorrow's Microsofts and IBMs." BR: "That's exactly right. We see it as kind of a race between entrepreneurial risk-takers versus government spending and the debt cycle." JA: "Like which one's going to kill the other." BR: "And what's an investor to do? How do you play it? That's the Tale of Two Americas." JA: "Reminds me of the whole Nietzsche thing: What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." BR: "Right, that's a good analogy. If this oppressive, hostile-to-innovation government can't kill a company, they're going to be world-beaters." JA: "And aren't we going to hear from a lot of those kinds of pioneers this week?" BR: "Jimbo, you have no idea. It's gonna be pretty mind-blowing." OK, then. That about sums it up, I think… I know we're all ready and raring to go on this end. And I hope you're ready to ride along with the last — and most exciting — Agora Financial Investment Symposium ever. But as always, I'm up against a midnight deadline to turn this dispatch in… So let me just real quick give you the specifics on your options for this year's event. Right now, audio-only digital MP3 coverage will set you back $79. And the full audio package — hard-copy CDs and digital MP3s — are going for $129. But you can get the whole bundle — CD and MP3 audio, plus crystal-clear, user-controlled high-definition video… For just $179. One thing, though: These are NOT the regular prices Agora Financial's going to be charging for these coverage bundles for all week long… They're low "pre-show" prices — and they're only good until midnight on Tuesday, July 23rd. That's tonight, boys and girls. You want the best deal? It's now or never… Just click anywhere in red in this dispatch to choose your coverage option now. D'oh! It's 11:54PM. Gotta proofread this and fire it off. I'll "see" you again tomorrow — it's gonna be a rockin' week! Stay tuned. Yours truly, Jim "Jimbo" Amrhein Symposium Roving Reporter P.S. Remember, the prices for ALL coverage options go up to full retail tonight at midnight — and will remain that way through the end of my show coverage series next Monday. They will never be this low again. On the last chance you'll ever get to see the Agora Financial Vancouver Symposium in crisp digital audio and high-definition color video. |
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Keep a civil tongue.