Well, looks like Brian Paddick has hired Jerome Armstrong as his internet consultant. Known as "The Blogfather" (well, on the left, Glenn is tagged thus on the right of the US blogosphere).
A very interesting hire.
Based on 1999 postings made on stock trading websites, in April 2003, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission filed a civil action suit against Armstrong alleging stock promotion without disclosing of compensation. In September 2003, Armstrong submitted a response to the Court in which he denied the allegations, then agreed to a settlement with the SEC in December 2003 that neither admitted or denied the allegations of the complaint, and paid a nearly $30,000 fine in August 2007.
Most interesting.
He wasn’t particularly young at the time — in his mid-30’s and a graduate student. He sounded as though he had been swept up in the exuberance of day-trading in its heyday several years ago, and wasn’t paying particular attention to the downside of penny stocks or to regulations regarding trading. (We’re not offering any judgments on his actions here, just reporting his observations.)
The S.E.C. alleged that he touted the stock by posting “unsubstantiated, favorable buy recommendations on the Raging Bull internet site. Armstrong posted over eighty such recommendations during the first three weeks that the stock of BluePoint was publicly traded.”
Astrologer Jerome Armstrong notes that Ixion and Quaoar are following close in Pluto\’s wake in early Sagittarius, and connects the rise of the political version of religious fundamentalism with the astronomical exploration of the Kuiper Belt in 1992. He cites incidences as disparate as the rise of Osama bin Laden onto the world stage and the Republican Revolution of 1994, fueled by Christian fundamentalist voters and culminating now with all three branches of government in Republican control. In addition, he cites the ascendance of political Hinduism in India in 1996 with the election of the BJP. One might add to this list the emergence of Conservative majorities in Israel and the UK. [The author wishes to acknowledge the help and inspiration provided by astrologer and author Jerome Armstrong of AstroWorld.mydd.com for information and links regarding Varuna and Trans-Neptunians which have been vital to the preparation of this article.]
Another Update [2006-6-25 14:13:39 by Jerome Armstrong]: Oh yea, on the astrological stuff. I have done the new age type things over the years—life’s never boring that way. Down that line, I dabbled with planets and predictions in the most abstract manner, as one of several different predictive mathematical disciplines, when coming out of finances and into politics during my early blogging days (nobody is surprised that remembers the early 2001 days here), and since then have completely tapered out of it over time. So yea, the cons got me on this one being a little out of the ordinary… It has nothing to do with what I consult with in online political strategy. But hey, like JP Morgan once said, “millionaires don’t use astrology, billionaires do!” I hope to see those wingnuts that are obsessed with every little thing I do at the next bikram yoga or vipassana meditation session in DC
Should fit right in with the Lib Dems then, eh?
Swindlers, yoga, tofu eating….
Whatever else, Brian Paddick is an alumnus of one of our cluster of outstanding local grammar schools, of Oxford University (PPE) and of Warwick University for his MBA. Academically, he is the best qualified of the candidates for London mayor.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Paddick
Ah, PPE – a whole term of economics, then?
C’mon. The reformed PPE degree structure is very flexible. It can comprise almost all economics, almost all philosophy or almost all politics, or various combinations of the three subjects.
Reportedly, more undergraduates at Oxford read for PPE than for any other degree course and there’s a low acceptance rate of applications for admission to read for the degree, something like 22 per cent, as I recall.
Btw I’m not an Oxbridge graduate although I’m a graduate of one of the Russell universities, albeit from a very long time ago. I’ve therefore no personal vested interest in defending PPE to the last ditch, except that my son is a PPE graduate from the mid 1990s.