I will add my portfolio results sometime after the close, but for now…time for the open thread!
For this weekend’s open thread, I offer my top 3 favorite cartoons from a website called “See Mike Draw“, which I highly recommend as the funniest cartoons since “The Far Side” ended. I will warn you, some of the site’s cartoons are R-rated, but still quite funny.
Enjoy:
PORTFOLIO SUMMARY: My results for Friday were negligible, but on the negative side.
 | STL on Daytraders corner |
 | Mike& Kathie on Buy ProShares Ultra DJ-AIG Cru… |
 | zosa on Politics and Emerging Markets:… |
| zosa on Politics and Emerging Markets:… |
 | m&m on Daytraders corner |
 | edmcgon on Daytraders corner |
| edmcgon on Buy ProShares Ultra DJ-AIG Cru… |
 | Latetom on Buy ProShares Ultra DJ-AIG Cru… |
 | sam on Politics and Emerging Markets:… |
| Mike& Kathie on Daytraders corner |
| Latetom on Daytraders corner |
| m&m on Daytraders corner |
| Mike& Kathie on Daytraders corner |
| edmcgon on Daytraders corner |
| Latetom on Daytraders corner |
Must be a generation gap thing-I will stick to reruns of farside or old Mad magazines-Sorry.
I had to read that twice I thought Ed was your age too.
Gigling…stop lying ’bout yer age there Mikie!
The Wizard of Oz was different there, Ed…brought back a few childhood memories.
Wishing everbody a wonderful weekend…
STL
I am confused about answers—- I think Ed is younger than 61- I do Think these cartoons are funny. Me I will stick to something stupid like daffy duck,Beep Beep- wiley coyote Or Wuds up doc??
I wish you could still find those cartoons on tv. “I smell me a rabbit”
wabbit is how he pronounce it. I grew up with them and love them. Then again I remember Annette and the Mickey mouse club-boy that dates me………. Leave it to Beaver-Eddy haskell and Lumpy. Problem is I was there for the first run………………………
I loved Leave it to Beaver, Annette and the Mickey mouse club was off the air well sort of I remember it didn’t like. Yes I’m still stuck in the 80′s so much that my sister in law bought me new swim shorts. Yes I can still at the age of 37 wear the same swim shorts I did in the mid 80′s!
Sorry-above should say I do not think cartoons are funny-If their was an edit button on blog I would wear it out. We are just ole fashioned and happy to be that way. We think modern TV stinks. Of course -my father was a TV tech and we had a color TV when the only color programs were Bonanza and wide world of color. Everything else was black and white. No TV after about 12:30. No cable 3 channels. about 1961 I think.
Grew up on tv shows we got cable early 80′s and then came the 46″ tv. Then came the computer 86′ (was 12) I took it apart to clean yea dad not so happy. Sad thing is dad wasn’t a computer guy so more tv for me and I got in trouble for the computer that was fine I put it back together.
For the record, I recently turned 47.
These cartoons are not my cup of tea.
I think this really has little to do with age. I didn’t like this kind of cartoons when I was 20.
It is that dark humor bit, never saw much in it. I guess it is like the expression of laughing in the face of danger, as in laughing at the bad in the world as a way to face it. Then I again I like to laugh at the comics about how stupid things are in business and such.
My style more like:
Garfield
Dilbert
B.S.
Born Loser
Herman
And one of my newer favorites is:
Drabble
http://news.yahoo.com/comics/drabble-slideshow/
Opps. That is B.C.!
I like Working Daze too.
Daggummitt…that should have read “EVERYBODY”…duhhhh…
Kathie-thinks they are disgusting- old man- child in bed-more like porn than humor.
Kathie,
Watch any sitcom on tv today and you thought “Married with Children” was bad
Bill we only watch History and Old movies. I cannot stand watching daytime TV. We have thousands of old movies.
Mike,
Tell Kathie that fairies are typically depicted as “child-like”, even though they may be hundreds of years old. I honestly did not see that cartoon as child porn, since it was about a fairy, not a human. Not to mention the fairy’s behavior wasn’t very child-like either.
Ed, no problem-I understand both views-just do not see the humor-Different strokes for……….
Just speaking for myself, the humor was the contrast of the unethical behavior exhibited by the tooth fairy in order to acquire money, combined with the punchline of the bright-eyed boy’s innocent joy of finding the tooth fairy’s money under his pillow.
There’s something to take off my “bucket list”: Over-analyze a joke about the tooth fairy…
I wanted to carry over what I read on the day trading, it’s getting long.
Do I understand correct we could pull back but not really sure?
I could really rant but I can’t put it all together so y’all have a good weekend.
Ed I saw that about the Baltic dry wasn’t trying to be a smart ass heck I don’t understand it.
Bill My take Ben and The Bummer would rather have weak dollar and for a certain amount of time they have the bullets to do it. Each time it will get harder and one day ooppps down we go. The only way Europe gets out of trouble is to monetize the debt-print money-inflation-problem euro down dollar up dollar down euro up. They are trying to bring dollar up at night-go to forex chart- 1-2 AM PST dollar at highest and all day long they bring it down-almost everyday this year. I have been getting killed short-making money long-best op today was long tna at open. Just my thoughts. This will be crazy year in markets………….
Bill,
No offense taken. Your link was useful, in that it not only refuted my concerns about the BDI, but it gave good info refuting it. Don’t EVER be concerned about proving me wrong. I fully appreciate what you did.
Thanks Mike, A coworker who understands the dollar much better than I has often said more money cheaper debt. I was also wondering how the dollar doesn’t go down like we hear, I’ll look at the forex chart. Makes me mad Fed printing there way out of the crap they started and I can’t even refi we are at 6.2% 7 years in on mortgage.
Bill,
Don’t know if this will help, but check into the HARP loans. If you’re over 80% loan to value, haven’t missed a payment in a year, and have a job I think you qualify. Fannie/Freddie’s way of getting mortgages down on people who were kicked in the head by the downdraft in prices. Your regular mortgage broker should be able to tell you more.
Daughter works at bank in special assets(overdue) Loans are only easy to get for people that don’t want them-almost no one gets the super low rate- why would they take risk when they can just do 30 year treasury with no risk. As long as government is borrowing most of the available money and penalizing the banks for lending to anyone else we will see more of the same economy………………. Time to make sawdust there is logic in the wood sure as hell is not in DC.
W, thanks I think I checked into that but lucky me I pay my bills so Wachovia kept my loan. Guess what screw the people that have the highest credit scores when the fed and banks all took from people that can’t mange money! That was a rant w seattle not at you. Obama did say something about that again in his speech
Mike, your right I’ve also been looking for a simple loan (hardwood floors) I think 2 years 5 or 6% is fair. No luck so far.
Bill,
Just a suggestion, but I think the banks are starting to open their safes a little. My stepbrother had been trying to get a business loan for the better part of a year, and only recently managed to get it. If you try for that refinance now, you might be able to get it.
I read this http://jubakpicks.com/2012/01/27/bust-times-for-u-s-natural-gas-producers-and-boom-times-for-u-s-oil-producers-could-go-on-for-quite-a-while-heres-how-to-reflect-that-in-your-portfolio/
You might want to wait for some of the euphoria to wear off over strong U.S. fourth quarter GDP growth before adding any of these stocks to your portfolio. The Federal Reserve, which on January 25 said it would extend exceptionally low interest rates of 0% to 0.25% until the end of 2014 (instead of just the middle of 2013) doesn’t think fourth quarter growth rates will carry over into 2012. I don’t either.
Now that was last but I think it applies to all companies.
Bill,
On top of that, the long-term technicals are looking ready for a correction. When that will happen is anyone’s guess.
From my point of view, if we got a decent correction, I’d look to take a few long positions. Even if U.S. growth is weak, I think we’ve seen the U.S. is not so connected to Europe that a recession there will send us down.
I share Jubak’s view on the coming rally: more wall paper on Greece = a few day’s rally, plus, Chinese, back from holiday and wanting their share of the last few days rally = one more reason for the rally. Jim does not commit himself on what comes next; for me, mid week, boom!
On the Buffet tax debate, I think he is being a coward now by not releasing how much his secretary makes. He claims it is no ones business…well then don’t single her out and let her be invited to the State of the Union address as a special guest. Just because Buffet says she pays 33% that makes it true? Let’s see the proof. Every time he opens his mouth I have less respect for him.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/46163945
What I think is worse Sam is him talking about paying 9 million extra tax if the Rep’s do. If he has 50 billion and made no more money ever- he could pay an extra 100 million for 500 years before he ran out- if he wants to put his money where his mouth far out- otherwise shut up- I am tired of his liberal BS………………
I agree with you Mike&Kathie. I am also sick of CNBC giving him a forum to spout off all the time. How about grilling him about laying off workers and hiring prisoners? Or how one of the biggest benefactors to the Keystone pipeline not going through is Burlington Railroads.
Also I like how he talks about fairness but doesn’t mind petioning the SEC to let him skirt rules:
http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/11/14/one-secret-buffett-gets-to-keep/
sam,
I think I read his secretary makes about 60k/year, so it was announced somewhere.
Ed, as of yesterday Buffet has come out and said no one needs to know how much she makes so it has not been released. Most guesses are she makes on the low end $100,000, many think it is closer to $200,000.
I could not find any who says $60,000, that would not seem to jive with 37% tax rate.
It should be pointed out that she is married, and I have no clue what her husband makes. Whatever he makes could move her up into a higher tax bracket.
Whatever they make, it’s enough to afford an extra home in Arizona:
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/buster/warren-buffett-secretary-homes-654812
My wife is a admin and she thanks $75,000 would be about tops. 60 to 75 is upper high end for an admin.
I would say this is all bull. So much misinformation and lack of understanding on the system. Not to mention the Buffet was perfectly happy with system until lately when it has got high and mighty. Just like Bill Gates. Bill Gates had no problem grinding good small companies into the ground to get what he wanted, and now he and his foundation is suppose to go out and save the world. Sounds like some people are just feeling guilty for their past sins.
Also personally I think people quoting someone’s “tax rate or tax bracket” don’t understand our tax system.
What I would want to know is the “effective tax rate”, which almost no one states.
First off there isn’t even wasn’t even a 37% tax bracket in 2011, 35% was the highest, and that required income of over $379,150, if she and her husband are making that kind of money they are far from “poor” admin they want to make her out to be.
Back to the “effective tax rate”. If you made $379,151, exactly $1 is in the 35%.
I remember people trying to convince people it was great to give the mortgage company $1 so that Uncle Sam would give them .33. Well it is a great deal if you need to borrow the money anyway, but I have heard people say stupid things like I don’t want to pay off my mortgage because I will lose my tax deduction. And that was if you really believe that you will get .33 back. In fact I have not run the numbers, but it is simple to see that you have to have an income of something more like $300,000 to be really paying 33% (33% tax bracket starts at 212,300) and that is what you get back the percent you pay on each dollar taxed. And that $300,000 would be after removing things like 401K contributions or maybe making money in the stock money and paying less tax on it.
And don’t forget the person that is worried about getting a raise because it will “put them in a higher tax bracket”. They don’t have a clue that even if they were setting on limit of one tax bracket the new money is all that is taxed at the new rate.
Now if I add up fed income tax, state, local, property tax, sales tax, gas tax, … I’m certainly not saying people are not getting taxed a lot. And that the system is setup to make the rich get richer, but in fact the main problem has nothing to do with the tax rate. We are paying some of the lowest tax rates in many, many, many years.
The problem is that the government (people with their entitlements) are spending it faster then it is coming in.
Oh and its nice how Shaw industries (carpet and wood flooring) owned by Buffet lays off thousands of workers around the country and instead hires prisoners to make flooring on the cheap. Also breaks laws by shipping this flooring to Canada and not marking it as made by prisoners. He is not the small town hero that he likes to portray.
http://inthesetimes.com/working/entry/12612
ED, Hope this isn’t too creepy but do you have a FB ?? After I heard about Mike’s Moose attacking some “OLD GUY” I was wondering how to follow you guys (off Wall ST.)
When I am at work FB is faster and HotMail takes forever to load, so would love to follow your extended family that way.
Sounds like a lot of work keeping up with that many Accounts but I thought I would ask.
I am heading back to the desert on Tuesday and will look forward to enjoying your banter between coasts
Have a good trip and be careful.
10Klyfh,
Sorry, I never got into FB. It takes enough time keeping my blog updated.
Baltic dry index article:
http://www.minyanville.com/businessmarkets/articles/baltic-dry-index-baltic-dry-index/1/27/2012/id/39077
Going wayyyyyy back up to the earlier post about TV’s…how many of y’all remember the “Star-Spangled Banner” being played right before the TV station(s) went off the air?!!
You are right- I had forgotten that.
I use to love High Flight.
Income up but december spending down-HMMMMM- no were we not hearing before christmas about all the record spending days- HMMMMM I wonder how that works. Sounds like some pretty creative math-I bet we see a lot of creative BS-err I mean math this election year.