Thanks to all for the helpful contributions...

Ok, so Bob Hoye appears to have gotten it right so far; I wish I had had his advice to follow....but I didn't.

I also followed the trail described by Hysteria. My stomach hurts.

The important question now is "Where do we go from here?"

Listening to the second segment of FSN about naked shorting and how rigged the markets are, I felt like getting out completely, even with a 50% loss. Jim`s guest sounded in a state of total despair!

However, what I am going to try to do is roll up my sleeves and get to work on marching forward. Here`s what gives me hope:

1. Barbera, Hoye, and others who correctly called this crash are now suggesting we are near a bottom (= a very good reason not to sell now).

2. Despite the "apparent deflation" caused by deleveraging, inflation (and possibly hyperinflation) seems to be on its way. Yes, we may have to wait, but the alternative is getting out and missing the boat altogether.

3. Theories about new currencies, world government, etc. abound, and I certainly do not know what to believe in all of that, but I do think I know one thing: there is a physical shortage of what my juniors have in the ground AND some big boys like Goldman Sachs appear to be making an about face and going long.

4. This gut wrenching experience of having my portfolio trashed does not need to destroy me; it can be used to build character, learn from others, and learn to be humble. On this point, I am indebted to all of you who share your thoughts; despite the fact that we do not always agree, I do feel a kinship that makes me want to hope in the future (I would prefer the NEAR future).

5. Every day we enjoy freedoms and a quality of life that many in the world do not have; for the moment, try to focus on that. Yes, this is the "go kick a soccer ball" idea, but it`s a good one.

I cannot help but believe/hope that things will be much better for us between now and December.

All the best,

stone