But I've heard it said, and I believe it, that baseball fans are the most knowlegable about their sport. I was always impressed when kids could recite the batting order for every team in their team's league. In those days baseball cards came three in a pack with a piece of gum for a nickel. They were reference material, not speculative investments.
Where I live now in the Northwest suburbs has always been pretty much Cubs territory, but I grew up on the South Side and if I had to choose I would watch the Sox. I was a freshman in high school in '59 and we rode the el from Stony Island to Roosevelt Road every day and went right by Comiskey Park. That was a good year for the Sox. I've told everyone about the night the Sox won the pennant. About a half an hour after the game got over somebody (the fire commissioner took the blame)decided to run the air raid sirens to celebrate. Well, you have to remember it was still the fifties, and so my mother brought us all to the basement and started praying the rosary.
Nellie Fox and Little Louie Apparicio, Sherm Loller, Big Ted Kluzewski, Jungle Jim Rivera, and Early Wynn. Yeah I still like those guys better than any Cubs team.
And I like the Sox now, but its not the same. Nowadays an owner can go out and buy a pennant by signing a lot of high price free agents. In those days, a lot of players would be with their team for their whole career.
Now, I like Ozzie Guillen, partly cause he's a good manager, partly because he's proud to be a Venezuelan, and partly because he's all over that fag, Jay Mariotti.
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Monday, June 26, 2006
Days in the life
Usually, Sunday is a good day for posting, but today is Monday. I have had a nice week, but nothing came to mind to talk about yesterday. There was a Rolling Stones tribute band performing at a street concert in Aurora Friday night, They were supposed to be pretty good, and we were going to go, but then I kind of blew it off.
Actually, I'd thought it was going to be Saturday and it wasn't till Friday I realized my mistake. Then I had a hard time getting fired up for a street scene, and I wasn't sure how much Janett wanted to go. So we didn't go. Later in the evening Steffy told me Janett had been looking forward to going, so I felt a little bad, and thought I'd take her to dinner at a restaurant in St Charles Saturday night where they have pretty good blues players put on late shows.
But Saturday morning, Janett was feeling a little shy and wasn't sure she wanted to go to a crowded restaurant that evening, so instead we spent the day at the track, which was nice because it was a pretty day and Arlington is a pretty track. Afterwards we went to Julie's house (Julie is Lou's friend), and her neighbors were having a party in the yard celebrating their ninth wedding anniversary, and they invited us over for a good Mexican dinner prepared by the two mothers and a grandmother. It was all good, and we left there early enough to be home by ten.
Then Sunday after church, Janett and I ran errands. We spent some time picking out things to send to a few buddies of Noah's in Afghanistan who haven't been getting packages from home. In the evening, Steffy and Kim stopped by for a brief visit, which we all enjoyed.
See what I mean, everything was really nice, but maybe not too exciting to read about. I'll try to scrape some rough edges on my life this week to tell you about later.
Actually, I'd thought it was going to be Saturday and it wasn't till Friday I realized my mistake. Then I had a hard time getting fired up for a street scene, and I wasn't sure how much Janett wanted to go. So we didn't go. Later in the evening Steffy told me Janett had been looking forward to going, so I felt a little bad, and thought I'd take her to dinner at a restaurant in St Charles Saturday night where they have pretty good blues players put on late shows.
But Saturday morning, Janett was feeling a little shy and wasn't sure she wanted to go to a crowded restaurant that evening, so instead we spent the day at the track, which was nice because it was a pretty day and Arlington is a pretty track. Afterwards we went to Julie's house (Julie is Lou's friend), and her neighbors were having a party in the yard celebrating their ninth wedding anniversary, and they invited us over for a good Mexican dinner prepared by the two mothers and a grandmother. It was all good, and we left there early enough to be home by ten.
Then Sunday after church, Janett and I ran errands. We spent some time picking out things to send to a few buddies of Noah's in Afghanistan who haven't been getting packages from home. In the evening, Steffy and Kim stopped by for a brief visit, which we all enjoyed.
See what I mean, everything was really nice, but maybe not too exciting to read about. I'll try to scrape some rough edges on my life this week to tell you about later.
Saturday, June 17, 2006
Instructions
I've heard of Thomas a' Kempis' Imitations of Christ, but never read it. Today I Googled "recalled in tranquility", from Wordsworth's definition of poetry, (thinking that maybe I should try poetry) and that led me to Bartlesby's where I found a' Kempis' Imitation of Christ. Temporarily diverted from my pursuit of the muse, I found this admonition: a good message for all bloggers, and especially me.
Book I: Admonitions Profitable for the Spiritual Life
X. Of the Danger of Superfluity of Words
AVOID as far as thou canst the tumult of men; for talk concerning worldly things, though it be innocently undertaken, is a hindrance, so quickly are we led captive and defiled by vanity. Many a time I wish that I had held my peace, and had not gone amongst men. But why do we talk and gossip so continually, seeing that we so rarely resume our silence without some hurt done to our conscience? We like talking so much because we hope by our conversations to gain some mutual comfort, and because we seek to refresh our wearied spirits by variety of thoughts. And we very willingly talk and think of those things which we love or desire, or else of those which we most dislike. 1
2. But alas! it is often to no purpose and in vain. For this outward consolation is no small hindrance to the inner comfort which cometh from God. Therefore must we watch and pray that time pass not idly away. If it be right and desirable for thee to speak, speak things which are to edification. Evil custom and neglect of our real profit tend much to make us heedless of watching over our lips. Nevertheless, devout conversation on spiritual things helpeth not a little to spiritual progress, most of all where those of kindred mind and spirit find their ground of fellowship in God.
Book I: Admonitions Profitable for the Spiritual Life
X. Of the Danger of Superfluity of Words
AVOID as far as thou canst the tumult of men; for talk concerning worldly things, though it be innocently undertaken, is a hindrance, so quickly are we led captive and defiled by vanity. Many a time I wish that I had held my peace, and had not gone amongst men. But why do we talk and gossip so continually, seeing that we so rarely resume our silence without some hurt done to our conscience? We like talking so much because we hope by our conversations to gain some mutual comfort, and because we seek to refresh our wearied spirits by variety of thoughts. And we very willingly talk and think of those things which we love or desire, or else of those which we most dislike. 1
2. But alas! it is often to no purpose and in vain. For this outward consolation is no small hindrance to the inner comfort which cometh from God. Therefore must we watch and pray that time pass not idly away. If it be right and desirable for thee to speak, speak things which are to edification. Evil custom and neglect of our real profit tend much to make us heedless of watching over our lips. Nevertheless, devout conversation on spiritual things helpeth not a little to spiritual progress, most of all where those of kindred mind and spirit find their ground of fellowship in God.
Sunday, June 11, 2006
Afghanistan
Last weekend I emailed Noah a copy of an article from Asia Times addressing the strategic situation in Afghanistan. There's a very bad man who lives there (sometimes, sometimes in Pakistan, sometimes in Iran) named Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, and he's the leader of Hezb i Islami (Islamic Party)
He's been killing people, starting with communists, then Russians, then Taliban for about thirty years. Sounds like our kind of guy...and he was. He got most of the funds the CIA was pumping into Afghanistan through Pakistan's intelligence agency during the Mujhadeen's war with the Russians in the 80's. He was also the favorite of the conservative Saudi clerics, and they gave him a lot of money too.
He was in the Mujhadeen government after the Russian pulled out in the early 90's, but had loyalty issues, jumping in and out of political alliances. Having the revolutionary's perspective, he knows peace and stability were not to be desired, until and unless he held complete power. He was the main protagonist in the Mujhadeen civil war in the early 90's, at one time being allied with and against all the other powerful Mujhadeen leaders, Massoud, Dostum, and Rabanni. The civil war contributed to the popularity of the Taliban, which people hoped would end the bloody fighting between the war lords.
When the Taliban took over he had to leave, and went to Iran. A lot of his Hezb i Islami followers joined the Taliban, but retain some loyalty to Hekmatyar. When the US invaded and drove out the Taliban in 2002, Hekmatyar snuck back in to Afghanistan and started objecting loudly to the organization of a puppet government by the US.
The US tried to shut him up with a missile attack on his headquarters in late 2002 which killed a dozen of his people but missed him.
Now, he's hiding out, probably in the northeast of Afghanistan. His followers are still politically active in that region, but are biding their time. They're waiting for the resurgent Taliban in the south to do most of the heavy lifting in terms of fighting the Coalition forces. but once the Kabul government is sufficiently weakened he'll pop up again, assassinating rivals, making and breaking alliances, and jockeying for leadership in an Islamic government, pointing out that unlike the other warlords he made no deals with the occupiers. Also, unlike Dostum and other warlords from the old Northern Alliance who are Uzbeks and Tajiks, he's a Pashtun, which is the largest ethnic grouping in Afghanistan.
So, anyway, while things are relatively calm in the area where Noah is stationed right now, that's the area where Hekmatyar will be the most powerful when he decides to make his move. So, I'm hoping Noah's home by then.
He's been killing people, starting with communists, then Russians, then Taliban for about thirty years. Sounds like our kind of guy...and he was. He got most of the funds the CIA was pumping into Afghanistan through Pakistan's intelligence agency during the Mujhadeen's war with the Russians in the 80's. He was also the favorite of the conservative Saudi clerics, and they gave him a lot of money too.
He was in the Mujhadeen government after the Russian pulled out in the early 90's, but had loyalty issues, jumping in and out of political alliances. Having the revolutionary's perspective, he knows peace and stability were not to be desired, until and unless he held complete power. He was the main protagonist in the Mujhadeen civil war in the early 90's, at one time being allied with and against all the other powerful Mujhadeen leaders, Massoud, Dostum, and Rabanni. The civil war contributed to the popularity of the Taliban, which people hoped would end the bloody fighting between the war lords.
When the Taliban took over he had to leave, and went to Iran. A lot of his Hezb i Islami followers joined the Taliban, but retain some loyalty to Hekmatyar. When the US invaded and drove out the Taliban in 2002, Hekmatyar snuck back in to Afghanistan and started objecting loudly to the organization of a puppet government by the US.
The US tried to shut him up with a missile attack on his headquarters in late 2002 which killed a dozen of his people but missed him.
Now, he's hiding out, probably in the northeast of Afghanistan. His followers are still politically active in that region, but are biding their time. They're waiting for the resurgent Taliban in the south to do most of the heavy lifting in terms of fighting the Coalition forces. but once the Kabul government is sufficiently weakened he'll pop up again, assassinating rivals, making and breaking alliances, and jockeying for leadership in an Islamic government, pointing out that unlike the other warlords he made no deals with the occupiers. Also, unlike Dostum and other warlords from the old Northern Alliance who are Uzbeks and Tajiks, he's a Pashtun, which is the largest ethnic grouping in Afghanistan.
So, anyway, while things are relatively calm in the area where Noah is stationed right now, that's the area where Hekmatyar will be the most powerful when he decides to make his move. So, I'm hoping Noah's home by then.
Go in Peace
After services I'll generally slip out a door of church for a quick smoke before I go to the dining area and hook up with the kids for a little visit, and maybe a bite to eat. The last couple of weeks, as I watched folks leaving I recalled the scene of the pastor at the door after services, accepting some compliments and wishing the parishoners well.
I always thought that was just the kind of courtesy a good host would show. But standing there myself, I came to think the pastor would be sending his flock off, hopeful that he had helped prepare them in someway for the challenges they would face during the next week.
All those folks leaving church do appear uplifted and positive in their outlook, families together, older couples, young singles -who could know the challenges they'll all face before they return next week. Job problems, financial problems, medical problems, nasty kids at school, but as they leave, they don't appear weighed down or afraid.
Maybe it was in the pastor's heart to say, I hope you'll be alright and keep doing the best you can, and remember Jesus loves you.
I always thought that was just the kind of courtesy a good host would show. But standing there myself, I came to think the pastor would be sending his flock off, hopeful that he had helped prepare them in someway for the challenges they would face during the next week.
All those folks leaving church do appear uplifted and positive in their outlook, families together, older couples, young singles -who could know the challenges they'll all face before they return next week. Job problems, financial problems, medical problems, nasty kids at school, but as they leave, they don't appear weighed down or afraid.
Maybe it was in the pastor's heart to say, I hope you'll be alright and keep doing the best you can, and remember Jesus loves you.
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Clues in the News - Goldman Sachs
Last week, Henry Paulson, the CEO of Goldman Sachs was nominated to replace Paul Snow as Secretary of the Treasury. Maybe, they need someone pretty skilled in the investment markets and banking to handle the coming hedge fund meltdowns.
Even scarier, today Goldman Sachs hired the country's leading bankruptcy attorney away from the Chicago law firm of Kirkland Ellis to be managing director of their investment banking unit. Uh Oh The smart guys must see a lot of opportunities coming up in the "restructuring" industry.
Even scarier, today Goldman Sachs hired the country's leading bankruptcy attorney away from the Chicago law firm of Kirkland Ellis to be managing director of their investment banking unit. Uh Oh The smart guys must see a lot of opportunities coming up in the "restructuring" industry.
Monday, June 05, 2006
Celebrating Yeats
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of "Spiritus Mundi"
Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The darkness drops again; but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?
-- William Butler Yeats, "The Second Coming"
This is the kind of statement one can only make once. What prompted me to post it tonight? The news that supporters of the Islamic courts had driven the warlords out of Mogadishu, and that the warlords had been receiving financial support from the CIA. When you're confused about how you're doing in this complicated world, take a minute and look around to see what kind of friends you've been making lately.
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of "Spiritus Mundi"
Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The darkness drops again; but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?
-- William Butler Yeats, "The Second Coming"
This is the kind of statement one can only make once. What prompted me to post it tonight? The news that supporters of the Islamic courts had driven the warlords out of Mogadishu, and that the warlords had been receiving financial support from the CIA. When you're confused about how you're doing in this complicated world, take a minute and look around to see what kind of friends you've been making lately.
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Lapierre
I just looked it up and learned Lapierre did not direct City of Joy. He wrote the book. What I heard of City of Joy sounded like the movie reflected a love of the destitute, and not in a patronizing way. The Constant Gardner had the same feeling.
Friday, May 26, 2006
I was kidding
about the secret mission. I just haven't felt like posting. When I'm going through a learning phase I dummy up. Observe, assimilate, organize, evaluate, and project. I must be going through such a phase now.
But the secret mission thing made me think of John LeCarre, and that made me think of The Constant Gardner. Janett rented it last week and we watched it. I was surprised. It was excellent.
LeCarre doesn't adapt well to film, too nuanced, the insights too subtle. But this director was very successful. Maybe the screenwriter should get the credit, using snippets of conversations very naturally and yet economically to inform us. But now I'd like to see City of Joy by the same director.
I'm almost tempted to glance at Candide (Voltaire), but I won't because I don't think Justin Quayle played very nicely by Ralph Fiennes needs illumination beyond what is presented in the film.
But the secret mission thing made me think of John LeCarre, and that made me think of The Constant Gardner. Janett rented it last week and we watched it. I was surprised. It was excellent.
LeCarre doesn't adapt well to film, too nuanced, the insights too subtle. But this director was very successful. Maybe the screenwriter should get the credit, using snippets of conversations very naturally and yet economically to inform us. But now I'd like to see City of Joy by the same director.
I'm almost tempted to glance at Candide (Voltaire), but I won't because I don't think Justin Quayle played very nicely by Ralph Fiennes needs illumination beyond what is presented in the film.
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
I'm a bad man
Reviewing my posts, I come across nicer than I really am. Last week I e-mailed Senator Barak Obama, who has been disappointing me lately and told him that "I'd go out and find a Wobblie or LaRouchite to vote for before I'd vote for some Hillary in drag" I didn't receive the customary thank you note. Barak knows the real me.
Earth to Andy
Hi everybody. Sorry to be out of touch. (I put in the Hi everybody first so I wouldn't be opening with an apology.) It has been an unsettling week. Janett's been mad at me, she would say sad, and that anger is expressed in proportion to pain felt. All I know is some nights I'm afraid to go to sleep before she does. Just kidding.
And then I got beat up in gold on Monday; I didn't have a position overnight for the big sell off on Sunday night (Monday in London), but I kept looking for a bounce on Monday. (Even dead cats bounce a little). Buying and putting in a stop loss order, market falls, I get stopped out with a loss - about four times. Stupid. I'm going to hang a sign over my desk, "Not Losing is the Next Best Thing to Winning." And of course, as always when I do badly in the market what's the first rule? Say it together, children: "Blame Louie." That's right, my technicasl guru just on Saturday told me the market is always up on Monday in a bull marker - pent up demand from the weekend. He could have added, Unless the market is overdue for a correction.
So let's talk about something pleasant. Butera's. My neighborhood grocery store.
I love it. Butera's is a chain of grocery stores in the Chicago suburbs. I suppose the stores adjust their marketing to their locale. My locale is apparently Mexican. Other Anglo's show up with me to shop there, mostly older folks and working class folks; price conscious shoppers. I fit in both those groups. Maybe because they don't advertize prices are lower. But that's only part of the appeal.
I do like the Mexican music on the PA system, it's not too loud and kind of energizing. I especially like the produce, diverse and wholesome and reasonably priced...including a lot of things I don't recognise. I enjoy the meat counter - No salmon or scrod there - Tilapia for 1.19 lb., not frozen fillets - the actual fish.
And all the thin sliced beef steaks with different names. Sometimes I'm going to ask the butcher to tell me what makes them different. No live stock heads, no little eyes looking at you (except thge talapia), but some internal organs and feet (and the ubiquitous tongues). My friend Augie last year about Thanksgiving time told me he was indifferent to turkey, but he was looking forward to tongue for dinner. I guess you kind of peel off the tonguey stuff. The item I really didn't get was the turkey tails. Yep, turkey tails. Gotta be for soup, right?
But the selection in not limited. I can get Pilsner Urquel beer and Janett can spend as much as any sane person would on a bottle of olive oil. Oh and speaking of Janett, she was most amused by the sign by the open display case that read, "Customers, please don't eat the pig skins."
See you there!
And then I got beat up in gold on Monday; I didn't have a position overnight for the big sell off on Sunday night (Monday in London), but I kept looking for a bounce on Monday. (Even dead cats bounce a little). Buying and putting in a stop loss order, market falls, I get stopped out with a loss - about four times. Stupid. I'm going to hang a sign over my desk, "Not Losing is the Next Best Thing to Winning." And of course, as always when I do badly in the market what's the first rule? Say it together, children: "Blame Louie." That's right, my technicasl guru just on Saturday told me the market is always up on Monday in a bull marker - pent up demand from the weekend. He could have added, Unless the market is overdue for a correction.
So let's talk about something pleasant. Butera's. My neighborhood grocery store.
I love it. Butera's is a chain of grocery stores in the Chicago suburbs. I suppose the stores adjust their marketing to their locale. My locale is apparently Mexican. Other Anglo's show up with me to shop there, mostly older folks and working class folks; price conscious shoppers. I fit in both those groups. Maybe because they don't advertize prices are lower. But that's only part of the appeal.
I do like the Mexican music on the PA system, it's not too loud and kind of energizing. I especially like the produce, diverse and wholesome and reasonably priced...including a lot of things I don't recognise. I enjoy the meat counter - No salmon or scrod there - Tilapia for 1.19 lb., not frozen fillets - the actual fish.
And all the thin sliced beef steaks with different names. Sometimes I'm going to ask the butcher to tell me what makes them different. No live stock heads, no little eyes looking at you (except thge talapia), but some internal organs and feet (and the ubiquitous tongues). My friend Augie last year about Thanksgiving time told me he was indifferent to turkey, but he was looking forward to tongue for dinner. I guess you kind of peel off the tonguey stuff. The item I really didn't get was the turkey tails. Yep, turkey tails. Gotta be for soup, right?
But the selection in not limited. I can get Pilsner Urquel beer and Janett can spend as much as any sane person would on a bottle of olive oil. Oh and speaking of Janett, she was most amused by the sign by the open display case that read, "Customers, please don't eat the pig skins."
See you there!
Sunday, April 30, 2006
more bad news
It turns out that Vivendi is concentrating on the entertainment side of their business and sold off the water business to a company named Veolia, who in turn sold off US Filter to Siemens, the German giant, but sold Culligan to a private investment group, Clayton Dubilier and Rice (CDR). Well, we can't buy shares in CDR.
Presumably, CDR will manage Cullican for a couple of years, improve the bottom line and then sell the company to some other corporation. CDR did that with Kinko's. eventually selling Kinko's to Fed Ex.
Man this investing business is tough. I'm giving up for today.
Presumably, CDR will manage Cullican for a couple of years, improve the bottom line and then sell the company to some other corporation. CDR did that with Kinko's. eventually selling Kinko's to Fed Ex.
Man this investing business is tough. I'm giving up for today.
Bad news, good news
Sure enough, Culligan was acquired by American Filter Corp in 1999, which was acquired by the French conglomerate, Vivendi in 2001. Vivendi and its CEO were hit by an accounting scandal in 2002. The company was close to bankruptcy, couldn't afford the interest on the cost of a lot of acquisitions, and the CEO was burning through a lot of cash buying shares of the company on the market, trying to hold the price up. Eventually, the price per share fell from 80 to 10.
Now, it's back around 36. That's with a price/earnings ratio of about 16 and paying a 3.5% dividend. Very interesting. Since it's a French company (but with shares traded on the New York Stock Exchange), all its balance sheet and income numbers are computed in Euro's, then converted to dollars. So if the Euro goes up against the dollar that will increase the dollar amounrt of reported earnings.
That all sounds really good.
It's a multi-national, but without the negative connotations I associate with Suez and Bechtel, and it's a friendlier sort of name - don't you think? I'll have to look further into it.
Now, it's back around 36. That's with a price/earnings ratio of about 16 and paying a 3.5% dividend. Very interesting. Since it's a French company (but with shares traded on the New York Stock Exchange), all its balance sheet and income numbers are computed in Euro's, then converted to dollars. So if the Euro goes up against the dollar that will increase the dollar amounrt of reported earnings.
That all sounds really good.
It's a multi-national, but without the negative connotations I associate with Suez and Bechtel, and it's a friendlier sort of name - don't you think? I'll have to look further into it.
Confusion
I decided against the options approach to shorting the Dow index. A put would have cost $1400, and to me that meant the index would have to fall 140 dollars before I made any money. I will continue to look for opportunities to sell the future contracts.
I also have to find some other investment opportunities besides the highly speculative leveraged types. I can think of many stocks to sell short, like Daimler-Chrysler, but what can I invest in and hope to earn gains? I'm thinking about water. I'm afraid a lot of people and places are going to run out of water, and people who have water are going to find out it has bad stuff in it. Companies like Hinkley and Schmidt and Culligan's come to mind. But I'm afraid I'll find out these companies have been brought out by big corporations like Bechtel and Suez (and Nestle's). I don't feel morally comfortable investing in the big internationals. Their profit imperatives lead them to do bad things. I'll try to learn more.
Janett and I were talking this morning about evil in the world, in particular she was talking about the Janjaweed militias in Darfur. I told her it was right to feel compassion and sadness, but not to become depressed, because we must remain strong. As you probably know it is my sense that things are going to get worse (a lot worse) before they get better. My imagination conjured up Jerry Fawell and Pat Robertson announcing that the next catastrophe to befall us will have been divine retribution on our nation for tolerating the homosexual agenda.
In fact the catastrophes to come are not God's doing. They're ours. If the avian flu runs amok should we blame God, or should we regret spending 150 billion dollars killing Iraquis instead of investing that money in our health care system?
I also have to find some other investment opportunities besides the highly speculative leveraged types. I can think of many stocks to sell short, like Daimler-Chrysler, but what can I invest in and hope to earn gains? I'm thinking about water. I'm afraid a lot of people and places are going to run out of water, and people who have water are going to find out it has bad stuff in it. Companies like Hinkley and Schmidt and Culligan's come to mind. But I'm afraid I'll find out these companies have been brought out by big corporations like Bechtel and Suez (and Nestle's). I don't feel morally comfortable investing in the big internationals. Their profit imperatives lead them to do bad things. I'll try to learn more.
Janett and I were talking this morning about evil in the world, in particular she was talking about the Janjaweed militias in Darfur. I told her it was right to feel compassion and sadness, but not to become depressed, because we must remain strong. As you probably know it is my sense that things are going to get worse (a lot worse) before they get better. My imagination conjured up Jerry Fawell and Pat Robertson announcing that the next catastrophe to befall us will have been divine retribution on our nation for tolerating the homosexual agenda.
In fact the catastrophes to come are not God's doing. They're ours. If the avian flu runs amok should we blame God, or should we regret spending 150 billion dollars killing Iraquis instead of investing that money in our health care system?
Sunday, April 23, 2006
Trading News
In case you were worried about it, my stop loss sale order got us out of gold before it fell precipitously Wednesday night.
My Dow index short sale order never got filled since the index kept going up. I still want to sell the Dow, but now I'm thinking of options instead of future contracts. If I bought a couple of puts I'd be highly leveraged for a downside gain and the most I could lose would be the purchase price. I'm going to look into it, and I'll let you know what I find out.
My Dow index short sale order never got filled since the index kept going up. I still want to sell the Dow, but now I'm thinking of options instead of future contracts. If I bought a couple of puts I'd be highly leveraged for a downside gain and the most I could lose would be the purchase price. I'm going to look into it, and I'll let you know what I find out.
Blue Gold Game
We traveled to South Bend Yesterday. Left Home about 8 AM and got to SB around 11 (noon their time). After exiting the tollway we found the traffic turning left on Angela Blvd toward campus so backed up we stayed on the main drag into down town. We found a little diner where I could get bacon and eggs with hash browns and toast for $3.50. Lou and Skip had sandwiches that were also pretty cheap. Plus the place had a sign on the door: "This is a smoking establishment." Wow, I'll say. So add Bob's Cafe to my four star dining list.
We drove over to Notre Dame Ave and approached campus from the south with very light traffic, got to within 4 blocks, parked on a side street and hoofed it. I wasn't much of a guide as we walked onto campus. "That didn't use to be here" But once we got past the circle I was pretty much at home. We walked up the main quad to see the Dome and the Basilica, then headed for the stadium. It was pretty crowded. 40,000 + for a scrimmage, and they didn't open the upper deck. We sat for one quarter behind the band, but they ignored my "Down in Front" demands so we worked our way around to the north end zone. Lou and Skip may have been a little disappointed. It looks bigger on TV. But you feel closer to the players and the game. Anyway, now Lou really wants to go to a game in the fall.
Pretty much Quinn to Samardzjia, not a lot of action for Rhema McKnight. But the word is he's 100% percent after last year's season ending injury. Two highlights the Darius Walker/Tom Zbikowski confrontation. Darius juked Zibby on one long run. Travis Thomas was the featured runner on the Gold team and had an 83 yd touchdown run, and Leo Ferrine displayed great speed to run him down at the goal line.
After the game we went back to the student center for a light lunch (salad for me) at the Sbarro's. The old Huddle now also has a Burger King and Subway - sigh.
Then back across the main quad and down to the grotto, to the lake and south past the Rock and the south dining hall to the new book store. What a gold mine that place must be. I got Janett one of the 2006 model tee-shirts. They were out of Ladies Medium so I got her a Child's Extra Large and saved a couple of bucks.
On the way there and back everything was really green and pretty. I saw cows and horses and even some sheep. I guess all the pigs are in Iowa. (sorry, Mark.)
We drove over to Notre Dame Ave and approached campus from the south with very light traffic, got to within 4 blocks, parked on a side street and hoofed it. I wasn't much of a guide as we walked onto campus. "That didn't use to be here" But once we got past the circle I was pretty much at home. We walked up the main quad to see the Dome and the Basilica, then headed for the stadium. It was pretty crowded. 40,000 + for a scrimmage, and they didn't open the upper deck. We sat for one quarter behind the band, but they ignored my "Down in Front" demands so we worked our way around to the north end zone. Lou and Skip may have been a little disappointed. It looks bigger on TV. But you feel closer to the players and the game. Anyway, now Lou really wants to go to a game in the fall.
Pretty much Quinn to Samardzjia, not a lot of action for Rhema McKnight. But the word is he's 100% percent after last year's season ending injury. Two highlights the Darius Walker/Tom Zbikowski confrontation. Darius juked Zibby on one long run. Travis Thomas was the featured runner on the Gold team and had an 83 yd touchdown run, and Leo Ferrine displayed great speed to run him down at the goal line.
After the game we went back to the student center for a light lunch (salad for me) at the Sbarro's. The old Huddle now also has a Burger King and Subway - sigh.
Then back across the main quad and down to the grotto, to the lake and south past the Rock and the south dining hall to the new book store. What a gold mine that place must be. I got Janett one of the 2006 model tee-shirts. They were out of Ladies Medium so I got her a Child's Extra Large and saved a couple of bucks.
On the way there and back everything was really green and pretty. I saw cows and horses and even some sheep. I guess all the pigs are in Iowa. (sorry, Mark.)
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
The Big Fellow
It was giving me the creeps having that picture of the tOSU coach below. So I had to add this picture. By the way this picture is "subject to copyright" Does that mean I'm in some kind of trouble?
Gold Again
Sorry to bore you with this subject again. It's just one of my keen interests. Louie, my trading partner, has lost some of his joie de vivre in recent months and hasn't been in a risk taking mood, so I finally opened my own trading account. I did a mini-gold April contract in March and made about $400 on a minimal investment, so I figured I was ready for something bigger. I went long a 100 oz June contract last week (when my April contract was closing out,) and then BOOM a 40 dollar jump in the price of gold from Friday to Wednesday. That means we made $4,000 in three days. What fun. I've got a "stop loss" sales order in at $7 below the market to get out of the contract when the market adjusts downward. That means for example that I'd automatically close my position when the market weakens, and have maybe a $3,300 profit instead of selling today fot the whole $4,000. But in the meantime if gold continues to move higher we'll continue to profit. Deciding where to take profits is one of the tricky parts. Placing a stop loss sales order at a pre-determined price allows one not to worry about making that sell or not sell decision everytime the mearket looks a little shaky. Worst case the price could drop $7, trigger my sell order and bounce right back. Then instead of having a where to get out problem, I'll have a where to get back in problem. But that's an OK problem to have.
Emboldened by this recent good fortune, I placed an order to sell a mini Dow contract. The order is to sell the Dow June contract if it falls to 11250. Its at 11320 now, and whenever the Dow gets up around 11300 I think its going to drop back down, and one of these times it's going to drop Big Time. With a mini Dow you only make or lose $5 for every $1 move in the market price of the index future. Maybe if I do OK on a Dow short with the mini contract I'll try a regular contract where the gain or loss is $10 per every $1 move in the market price.
Worst case for an excitable type like me is that the markets just go sideways and spoil the fun. Well, we'll see.
PS For Lauren I tried to add a snapshot of Cheaty, Did it work?
Emboldened by this recent good fortune, I placed an order to sell a mini Dow contract. The order is to sell the Dow June contract if it falls to 11250. Its at 11320 now, and whenever the Dow gets up around 11300 I think its going to drop back down, and one of these times it's going to drop Big Time. With a mini Dow you only make or lose $5 for every $1 move in the market price of the index future. Maybe if I do OK on a Dow short with the mini contract I'll try a regular contract where the gain or loss is $10 per every $1 move in the market price.
Worst case for an excitable type like me is that the markets just go sideways and spoil the fun. Well, we'll see.
PS For Lauren I tried to add a snapshot of Cheaty, Did it work?
Saturday, April 15, 2006
Well, It's time to start getting excited about the Fighting Irish. The annual scrimmage, the culmination of spring training, is on for next Saturday in South Bend. My pal, Louie, and I will be going down there, driving down and back on Saturday. (No jacked up motel rates for us. Some of those places not only double their rates, they require two night reservations.) My only misgiving about not staying Saturday night is that I won't be able to attend a benefit dinner the Monogram club is throwing for Pete Duranko who played on the 1966 national championship and is now afflicted with Lou Gehrig's Disease. I won't spend $150 on a room, but I'd spent it to hang out with the guys who remember Pete Duranko. He and Larry Conjar epitomize for me those great western Pennsylvania football players, who, to use Coach Weis' words, played "all day tough".
Well, I nearly predicted the score in the Fiesta Bowl. Only problem was I got it backwards. That was a hard game to watch. I wasn't so upset with our DB's giving up the "big plays". I was upset that both our defensive and offensive lines looked small compared to the Buckeyes. Since most of our linemen are returning starters this year, it's up to the coaches to get them to play bigger, and I'm sure they will.
Coach Weis must have felt out-coached by Cheaty McSweatervest last year, and I'm sure he didn't like that very much.
Well, I nearly predicted the score in the Fiesta Bowl. Only problem was I got it backwards. That was a hard game to watch. I wasn't so upset with our DB's giving up the "big plays". I was upset that both our defensive and offensive lines looked small compared to the Buckeyes. Since most of our linemen are returning starters this year, it's up to the coaches to get them to play bigger, and I'm sure they will.
Coach Weis must have felt out-coached by Cheaty McSweatervest last year, and I'm sure he didn't like that very much.
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