I'm not sure what I enjoy more...

The financial schadenfreude or the sangfroid of the players involved.

Call it even~

nope we did that yesterday when Chicago police arrested 13 year olds for having a fight in school- using lethal weapons CARROTS & JELLO. Arresting kids for a food fight- never mind that hundreds of people are getting shot in the streets.

They've got to be gaming both numbers.

• How many rooms are available? "Do you mean including the closed floors?"
• What is the average room rate? "You mean the rate we report or including the cash customers?"

Do you want these kids to escalate to using "fruit cake"?

Yogi, are you using an iPhone?

I have to go to Chicago in April for a meeting. It was moved to April because the hotel said they would increasing their rates.

Bring a carrot to school, go to jail.

A Weapons Crunch Down!

It'd be interesting to see these occupancy rates going back even further; aside from the summer numbers, I see nothing that justifies the number of new hotels that seem to have sprung up in recent years. But, then again, I guess we should never underestimate the power of 5 people chasing that 1 customer.

yagij
I don't have a strong opinion on what will happen. I do see the opportunity for a lot of different things to happen, and could understand how a Bastille 2.0 might happen

Not much of the bastille is left in Paris. I wasn't sure if I really saw it.

"Yes, the gospel is quite clear...however the application of those principals are hard to find at work into today's churches. IMHO."

We've had two members of our family in the ordained Catholic clergy. One is deceased. Bobby Snyder operated a fork lift for Chrysler for years, and was also a deacon. Worked hard and gave his all in his spare time to his clerical duties.

Fr. Guy is a priest in missonary order. He has had a gun held to his head by a Mexican cop.

Members of his order have been killed for defending the rights of the poor, and in certain countries they risk their lives every day.

Just saying.

...and if you bring baby carrots onto campus, we'll get you for vegetable-child endangerment charges as well, kid.

It wouldn't take much to improve over the Mobsters we have voted for in the last few decades.

Rob Dawg wrote:

They've got to be gaming both numbers.

Recently visited Charlotte, NC, where the Ritz-Carleton had a super-special opening month deal. It's brand-spanking-new, and right next door to the new Bank of America tower, still under construction, and when finished, will have a special, above-street-level walkway so that people can get from the bank to the hotel without ever going onto the street.

Anyhow, the hotel itself is owned by BofA... heard they had to get special permission to do it. Asking around, I was told that half of the people staying in the hotel we there from the bank itself. Lots of thoughts came from that:

• horror at my bailout money subsidizing BofA employees and friends staying at the Ritz;
• wondering what rate the employees were paying;
• asking why BofA was competing with other 4- and 5-star hotels next door,
• who held the other hotel's loans (coughWACHOVIA?cough); and of course,
• whether they counted these phantom 'customers' as paying guests.

No extra credit for guessing my answers to each of the above.

nova wrote:

He will initially build a third party,then watch it get hijacked by a charismatic sociopath

However, it's still a 3rd Party. The problem now is both Party's win by scaring their dumbasses with the simple message of "THE OTHER GUYS ARE GONNA GIT YA".

Having a 3rd Party would at least make this message more difficult.

nova wrote:

He will initially build a third party,then watch it get hijacked by a charismatic sociopath, and then we will all have fun

Lou Dobbs, like Tyler Durden, is his own charismatic sociopath, whether he knows it or not.

Spunkmeyer wrote:

You would probably disagree with this statement if you were of Hispanic descent, or even a vaguely brown person.

Yeah. True. But democracy needs competing Parties. This two Party thing isn't working at all.

Dobbs is really uncomfortable with "outsiders". meaning, swarthy "brown" types.

bumpersticker sighting this AM (hotel worker?)

F*CK WORK

No doubt an ACORN worker.

@Zantage

Concerning the trinitron tube.

I read your comments and it appears that your facts are probably better than mine, which I obtained during the mid-'80s from an engineer at the Sarnoff Research Center in Princeton.

I don't think he had any reason to mislead me, but may have gotten the story wrong.

Did you consult some history concerning this? If so, I'd appreciate it if you would provide me a reference so I can get my facts straight.

NOTaREALmerican wrote:

Yeah. True. But democracy needs competing Parties. This two Party thing isn't working at all.

Clearly, then, the solution is to introduce a third party predicated on the belief that the collapse of manufacturing and home prices is caused by Mexicans. Why not add a fourth party run by the UFO hoax family?

nova, no Bastille left. It was razed. Today we see a few stones, which are perfectly authentic, but no fortress.

The object of the raid wasn't to free prisoners (one of whom was an aristocrat, as it happens). The insurrection already scored weapons and shot in earlier actions. There was a considerable store of much-needed gunpowder at the Bastille. Tactical point was to neutralize a substantial North-side garrison. About one thousand Invalides brought it down.

Comrade Kristina
I'm sure it depends on where you are flying, but air fares are dirt cheap now even if seat availability is not high
Consider where jet fuel is priced now vs 3 years ago too. Either you use a monopolized airport, or your airfares 3 years ago were dirt cheap.
Cheap flights, hotels, destinations | Bing travel does a good job of helping choose a good flight

He's opting for driving which is 13 hours each way. I can't take off of work as they just fired our fill-in and we can't afford both of us not working anyway. The thought of being trapped in this shithole town with the mouthbreathers and no sane people to talk to for five days has me suicidal...literally. We can't afford for him to go but the woman raised him and it is the least he can do to pay his respects. In the interim I'll probably end up in jail for attempting to murder my freeloading uncle that lives with us and feels compelled to offer his two cents every ten minutes on any given topic.

EvilHenryPaulson wrote:

I'm sure it depends on where you are flying, but air fares are dirt cheap now even if seat availability is not high
Consider where jet fuel is priced now vs 3 years ago too. Either you use a monopolized airport, or your airfares 3 years ago were dirt cheap.

For personal travel there are some great deals. For my business travel, where I'm a little pickier about departure and arrival times, I'm finding that Air Canada is really expensive lately, after being reasonably priced through the summer.

I assume you're checking to see if he can take advantage of bereavement fares.

nova wrote:

When I think of Dobbs I see Buchanon in the background.

I think of Father Charles Coughlin, who was my parish priest when I was a kid (I was even his altar boy once). He could do a fire-and-brimstone speech like nobody's business -- all that's left now is a Really Nice Church, built with mailed-in dollar bills and by the best stoneworkers fleeing Europe.

Whiskey wrote:

Why not add a fourth party run by the UFO hoax family?

It's the concept of competing messages. The Parties just collect dumbasses to scream at each other. Disbursing the dumbasses is all that matters. The purpose of ALL Parties are the same: control of the loot.

NateTG wrote:

I assume you're checking to see if he can take advantage of bereavement fares.

Last time I checked, those cost more than the discount fares, though not as much as regular fares, and they are refundable like regular fares.

It was a chilly Friday cruising down the strip Dan Tanna-style doing drive-by doomtective work, in future-tense tomorrow~

My name is Saturnus, I carry a grudge...

Kristina
if it helps, Cheap Flights, Airline Tickets, Hotels, Travel Deals - Search Data from 100's of Travel Sites at KAYAK does a good job of filtering your choices and also gives historical pricing

Obama to attack guns as public-health threat?

Obama to attack guns as public-health threat?

Spunkmeyer wrote:

You would probably disagree with this statement if you were of Hispanic descent, or even a vaguely brown person.

IMO, anti-racism is to NARA Type II"s as patriotism is used by NARA Type I's.

Immigration increases the supply of labor, driving wages down. Immigration from Mexico has killed wages in construction and a number of other blue collar jobs. It's a transfer of wealth from American workers to employers, with cheerleading by the employers and "liberals" with government/university jobs that aren't exposed to international competition.

No other country tolerates illegal immigration. I guess they're all evil racists who hate teh brown people, too.

1 currency now -yogi wrote:

What part of Equal Protection of the Laws did the GOP remove from the Constitution?

YouTube - A Thing of Beauty in the House of Representatives

Comrade Kristina wrote:

I'll probably end up in jail for attempting to murder my freeloading uncle that lives with us and feels compelled to offer his two cents every ten minutes on any given topic.

Perhaps you should create a Twitter Feed like "ShitMyDadSays" and become famous.

I should probably wait for the late shift to post this, but anyhow:
TaxProf Blog: Schlunk: Law School Is a Bad Investment

I read that a group in South Carolina is trying to get "I Bereave" license plate frames for those that feel strongly about such things.

When guns are outlawed - only black males in really good shape that wear hoodies and ballcaps turned sideways will have them and you will hate when they kick your door in and come for you and you woman who will squeal in front of you and laugh next time mr winkie comes out!

Comrade Kristina
I've had to deal with a duopoly of choices flying out of Vancouver because of the way the Federal government restricts foreign carriers and basically only provides access to Pearson airport in Toronto at our expense, so I know ripoff fares, and you weren't exaggerating
if anyone wants to see the cheapest flights out of Panama City, FL

To anyone who cares,

I was incorrect this morning when I said that prearranged trading is against the law. Apparently there ways to prearrange a trade which may be legal. In past years when I was on the floor, it was my understanding that prearranging a trade was either illegal or against the rules of the exchange.

I regret the error.

nova wrote:

When I think of Dobbs I see Buchanon in the background.

he certainly made life easier for some of the wingnuts- don't need to change channels anymore

traderwalt
JPM I believe has a product they're pushing whereby insiders can sell at any time without restriction, and then have the actual share sale completed at a later date for regulatory purposes. probably saw the brochure on zerohedge
edit: Material, Non-Public Information? Why JPMorgan Does Not Care; And Why If You Are A Corporate Insider Client, Neither Should You | zero hedge

feralpig wrote:

Immigration increases the supply of labor, driving wages down. Immigration from Mexico has killed wages in construction and a number of other blue collar jobs. It's a transfer of wealth from American workers to employers, with cheerleading by the employers and "liberals" with government/university jobs that aren't exposed to international competition.
No other country tolerates illegal immigration. I guess they're all evil racists who hate teh brown people, too.

You make it sound like all immigrants are in America illegally. There's a green chick in a robe in NYC that thinks you need to read up on U.S. History, especially the "nation of immigrants" part.

traderwalt wrote:

I regret the error.

What, this is the Internet, dammit! Just like there's no crying in baseball, there's no apologizing on the Internet.

Now, to show you're sorry for forgetting the 'no-apologies' rule, get out there and torture google until it spits out some esoteric page written by a schizophrenic basement-dwelling psychopath that shows prearranged trading is against the law, and then stand behind that argument and Never.Back.Down.

Ever.

Spunkmeyer wrote:

You make it sound like all immigrants are in America illegally.

I don't think he said that at all. I think he said most countries protect its OWN citizens first. Immigrants are immigrants.

Interesting Alphaville article  on Chinese metal stockpiling, a consequential positive Baltic Dry Index, and the teetering, overleveraged shipping industry.

Wang Chao lived in Anxin county of Hebei province (rural area). He is in charge of a metal scrap collecting company. He used to purely take commissions for collecting scrap. Since 1H 2009, he started stocking scraps. He told CCTV his business now is like 'gambling'. Not only him, Mr Wang said many people in his town have stocked a lot of metal at their home.

NOTaREALmerican wrote:

Without wingnuts it's ALL cnbc.

I think you can be populist without being a wing nut. Check out my political platform from previous post. Braking up the too big to fail is populist - but I don't think it is a wing nut position. Criticizing health reform for being government run while being on Medicaire that is wing nut.

re: pre-arranged trading
unless you're talking about round trip deals to paint the tape?

Oh yeah. Way different than two one-way trips. Between the same destinations. Way different.

NOTaREALmerican wrote:

I don't think he said that at all. I think he said most countries protect its OWN citizens first. Immigrants are immigrants.

I disagree. What I read of his remarks was a very seamless transition from "immigration" to "illegal immigration," thereby conflating the two.

It was the backyard production of steel, that was the genesis for The Great Leap Forward, and now it's hoarding scrap metal?

feralpig wrote:

Immigration increases the supply of labor, driving wages down. Immigration from Mexico has killed wages in construction and a number of other blue collar jobs. It's a transfer of wealth from American workers to employers, with cheerleading by the employers and "liberals" with government/university jobs that aren't exposed to international competition.
No other country tolerates illegal immigration. I guess they're all evil racists who hate teh brown people, too.

You make an argument against immigration in general and then you throw in the bit in the end about illegal immigration. If you're against all immigration, why not just say so? Illegal immigrants aren't the only ones lowering wages.

it appears goooooollld has given up its gains from overnight trading....

tncubsfan wrote:

Glenn Beck's insane ass can carry the torch now for Dobbs, except Beck will douse the torch with gasoline!

He's like an over-reaching parody of an opinionated blow-hard. Everytime I watch the show I keep waiting for him to say "...and it's crazy we let the illegals in here because LIVE FROM NEW YORK, IT'S SATURDAY NIGHT!"

Revpar off? Of dear. Sounds like a coupla hundred AIG execs need a hug. Perhaps Benmosche can take them to a resort in Sedona while they plot the next move against the pay czar?

I'm thinking sweat lodges, cleansing... Something rigorous. Must be a movitational guru who can lead them to find inner peace in this turbulent time.

Permanent inner peace, perhaps.

C

Spunkmeyer wrote:

thereby conflating the two.

Well. I disagree. Regardless, the ONLY thing that matters now is WHO has the loot. WHO controls the loots. The immigrants and global-warming won't matter to you guys if you lose control of the country because Hu as all the loot.

Coinrinthians; 24k, chapter 79

Let it shine the path clearly, for all that glitters isn't fiat.

I, for one, am not opposed to immigration. It could be a big part of how we manage to get out of this crisis, and use all this extra stuff. With anything resembling careful rules, it could be quite helpful.

Oxtail wrote:

Illegal immigrants aren't the only ones lowering wages.

I agree. I'll say it. I'm against ALL immigration right now. Period. A country that can't control its borders isn't a very useful country. Just like, perhaps, one that can't provided its peasants with (very) basic health care.

DCRogers wrote:

Perhaps you should create a Twitter Feed like "ShitMyDadSays" and become famous.

Okay, now I have to explain what's so funny to my co-workers. Thanks for that.

Beck initially provided me with some entertainment, but now if I'm flipping through channels, I may pause for a second and continue on. I really think he has completely gone insane!

A few interesting tidbits on Lou Dobbs from Wikipedia:

-he was persuaded by the staff at Minico High to apply to Harvard University, where he was accepted and earned a bachelor's degree in economics in 1967.

-After graduating, Dobbs worked for federal anti-poverty programs in Boston and Washington, D.C.

-He is married to his second wife, Debi Lee Segura, a Mexican-American

• In 2003, Segura was arrested at Newark Liberty International Airport for carrying a concealed firearm in her purse

Based on my quick perusal of the Wikipedia bio, Dobbs could make a strong run as an independent candidate in 2012. I'm not endorsing him; I'm just saying that his resume looks pretty centrist to me. Enough to siphon enough votes to tip the election; hard to say which way but it could be in either direction.

A century ago, Italians were held in pretty much the same contempt as Mexicans are by many today.

Things Change

We are very much like Argentina in one respect, virtually none of the original inhabitants are around anymore, a nation of outsiders, E Pluribus Unum.

Fed to Ban ATM, Debit Overdraft Fees Without Opt-In (Update3) - Bloomberg.com

"Nov. 12 (Bloomberg) -- The Federal Reserve will prohibit banks from charging overdraft fees on automated teller machines or debit cards, unless a customer has agreed to pay extra charges for exceeding account balances.

Financial companies will have to explain overdraft programs and fees, as well as choices available to consumers, the Fed said today in a statement announcing a rule that takes effect next year. Lenders collected almost $37 billion in overdraft fees last year, according to research firm Moebs Services Inc.

“The final overdraft rules represent an important step forward in consumer protection,” Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said in the statement. “Both new and existing account holders will be able to make informed decisions about whether to sign up for an overdraft service.”

At least this doesn't have that closing the empty barn door feeling.

noob goldberg wrote:

Okay, now I have to explain what's so funny to my co-workers. Thanks for that.

.

"Son, no one gives a s**t about all the things your cell phone does. You didn't invent it, you just bought it. Anybody can do that." 10:40 AM Nov 4th from web

A more apt description of modern corporate management I have not seen. Somebody re-post it for mp if I'm not around

Don't Bogart that hopium, pass it around.

Not to mention, the larger part of the damage has been done to the American worker that has come from offshoring and outsourcing by the same interests that own and sponsor the messages you have internalized regarding THOSE PEOPLE...and who was it hiring them anyways? oh yeah...

curious wrote:

Kenneth Feinberg, the Obama administration’s special master for executive compensation, said he is “very concerned” about the possibility his pay cuts may drive talent away from companies bailed out by U.S. taxpayers.

OK, I'm turning off the snark for a moment. It is quite common to have good talent at firms where bad management or some other part of the firm was the primary cause of damage. Driving actual talent away from such firms is an efficient use of good resources.

Juvenal Delinquent wrote:

A century ago, Italians were held in pretty much the same contempt as Mexicans are by many today.

honestly, mexicans aren't the issue.

sdtfs wrote:

But just the name "pre-arranged trading" immediately suggests all sorts of ways to screw somebody.

I'm not sure if we're talking about the same thing, but if you're an "insider", you can only trade during certain "windows" after earnings are released. So you set up a pre-arranged selling program to unload your options as they mature. That might be one explanation for pre-arranged trades. Of course, this simply results in the CFO manipulating the earnings reports to match the pre-arranged trades that top management has set up.

nope - "no pain please we are Americans"

I don't know if the President mis spoke or was pandering when he was at Fort Hood. I don't if he meant to say that the men and women currently serving are as great as the greatest generation. But to say that this generation (without any qualifier) is as great as the previous generation made me want to throw up. While the greatest generation sacrificed to go to war this generation got a tax cut and was told to go shopping. Given the rest of Obama's economic policies it is easy to see how he would mistake that for greatness.

Don't Bogart that hopium, pass it around.

Can I haz some

curious wrote:

I wish the reporter had asked Mr. Feinberg to define the word "talent."

I think he means the stupid bastards who made this mess...

Bond vigilantes need some cheering up too. Pass it around for the long end...

C

Juvenal Delinquent wrote:

A century ago, Italians were held in pretty much the same contempt as Mexicans are by many today

A century ago, people would post job ads that said "No Irish need apply".

Who, her?

http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/4583/20070910aba609lp1.jpg 

Spunkmeyer wrote:

You make it sound like all immigrants are in America illegally. There's a green chick in a robe in NYC that thinks you need to read up on U.S. History, especially the "nation of immigrants" part.

1. In the past, there was a greater need for labor--settling the frontier, the Civil War, etc. This is no longer the case.
2. Immigration was always offset by a very strong pressure to assimilate. This pressure no longer exists, in part because of multiculturalism here (e.g., your reaction to Dobbs) and in part because of the higher relative prestige of many source countries.
3. We had a long period from WWII-ish to the reforms in the 1960s where there was very little immigration, which allowed digestion of the last big wave.

So, history's not a very good guide for the future--things have changed.

"You make it sound like all immigrants are in America illegally."

Lou Dobbs and his audience are particularly upset about illegal immigration because it's unfair. I think that they'll accept a certain amount of wage competition as long as they have a sense that their competitors are following the rules. Since they aren't, they're more upset. Forcing emergency rooms to shut down, serious car accidents and no insurance, etc are also issues.

IMO, this is naive. H-1B's are used to drive down skilled worker wages and that's perfectly legal.

What's really disturbing to me is the refusal of our intellectuals and elites to recognize a common national interest. Without that, the U.S. isn't a community, just a bunch of people trying to make as much money as possible, by any means necessary.

noob goldberg
probably the same reason the parents prodded you for years about having a grandchild
buying a house is a milestone in life, and within their experience the price is just a detail that won't screw up your next 40 years
you could tell them you own it, but are planning to sell in 2 years because you feel like it, and they will treat it the same way even though effectively it's like leasing the house
people eventually get sick of money in our society and really want to focus on things of social value because that is the easiest way to total wealth these days

sm_landlord wrote:

What is with societal pressure to buy vs own when it comes to a home?

I think it has become a self fulfilling prophecy. Purchasing a home was a rite of passage. It indicated that you had become stable and were willing to take on responsibilities. Renting had a sense of impermanence about it , a lack of commitment to the community to were living in. Renters were the outsiders. I think much of that is true in the old (ancient) mortgage finance model. People saved for their down payment and were delighted when the bank recognized their maturity by giving them a loan. All the new financial tools have destroyed what home ownership meant and people just have realized that yet.

dryfly wrote:

Yup drive the talent out then shut them down -- like catch and release -- let the big ones go so you can slaughter some small fry.

Tag 'em first so we can track their migration patterns and feeding habits.

Ukraine update:

Shock! New types of influenza found in Ukraine. 85 cases of swine influenza

Interesting read. Not familiar with the source, so reader's discretion and all that.

some investor guy wrote:

A century ago, people would post job ads that said "No Irish need apply".

Why did they stop? Is it just a given now?

feralpig wrote:

Immigration was always offset by a very strong pressure to assimilate.

That is a load of ****. There is no evidence that the assimilation patterns of current immigrants is any different. There is a reason that there are "little Italy's" or why Boston is considered to be an Irish town. Early immigrants always hung together and resisted assimilation. It was their children who went to public schools that rubbed shoulders with others who began the process of assimilation. This is equally true of current immigrants.

+1 Dawg

the gridirony of it all

.......x.......x...x...x..x...x...x...x......x.....
..............................x...........................
...........................................................
..............................x...........................

Everybody go deep and i'll try and find somebody open-minded.

EvilHenryPaulson wrote:

you could tell them you own it, but are planning to sell in 2 years because you feel like it, and they will treat it the same way even though effectively it's like leasing the house

Well, this is what burned me the last time, when I was only supposed to be in a town for 2 years and ended up staying for 5. That would have made a bit more sense for buying. But I don't know if I'll ever be able to pull the trigger on a home that's worth 4 times my annual salary, not when I can rent it for significantly less.

I guess I'm just too non-committal for the residential real estate market.

Hong Kong Mercantile to Offer Gold Futures Contract

Hong Kong Mercantile to Offer Gold Futures Contract (Update1) - Bloomberg.com

the good news is the occupancy rate for 2009 is tracking closer and closer to 2008.

Calling BOTTOM is imminent

Anecdotal evidence.. a few folks I know who aren't directly related to sales have been traveling on the company dime. Going to conferences, training seminars and even a user group meeting in one case (!!) This was all in the last couple of months. This type of expense had been on complete hold for at least 12 months I can see this is the type of travel which would help the occupancy rates of the hotel chains even if the corporate rates don't help the profitability much.

~splat

Guns are a health threat as much as Obama's Beer Summit was promoting alcoholism. Mentally defective people are the problem.

energyecon wrote:

Do you mean banging the nails in yourself or paying someone else to do it? If you are there smashing the occasional digit yourself, true that - seems like paying someone else to do it is another transaction.

I have a father who is itching to build me a house. He tells me I have to do it before he's too old to help. Since he's in his 50's, I'm pretty sure I've got time yet.

But I've seen the hassle building a home can be (parents, two siblings, and a few friends), and therefore I'm in little rush.

Are these companies that budget on a calendar year cycle?

CR should look into what's happening in the time share market. I have some elderly friends who just wanted to get rid of a timeshare, for whatever they could get for it. After a lot of work, they concluded: 1) there's no buyer's market for used timeshares; 2) there's not much selling in new time shares; 3) there's a glut of unwanted timeshares on the market. They ended up paying a fee to an agent just to get out from under the assessments, which have skyrocketed.

I wouldn't pay a fee to buy my way out of a time share because it sounds like a scam. But then, I would never buy a timeshare in the first place.

What happens to a lot of abandoned, unwanted timeshares? Some probably are falling down from neglect. But don't the rest mostly get converted into hotel rooms, at least until the timeshare market takes off again in 50 years? Better to get a few bucks a day than nothing.

shill wrote on Thu, 11/12/2009 - 11:26 am

ACORN says US funding cut was unconstitutional

We obviously passed into the Twilight Zone at or around the turn of the Century.

Mo money, mo money, mo hoes.....

and then shill wrote

shill wrote on Thu, 11/12/2009 - 11:44 am

bumpersticker sighting this AM (hotel worker?)

F*CK WORK

No doubt an ACORN worker.

shill...since haliburton has been found to have overbilled the us taxpayer, committed fraud, and complicit in providing toxic wter to our soldiers

im sure they are at least as high as acorn on your list of bad aorganizations that should get no more us money...right?

Did Contractor Expose Troops To Toxin? - CBS News

It is a metric shit ton of work, that is certain...but also very satisfying - I found it particularly so due to working in a fairly intangible space - you build something real that is there for years after the project is done, and in this case providing a place to live for family...but yeah, I saw my bro and SIL barking from time to time

mock let's not forget the showers that just accidentally electrocuted our soldiers as well. My dad have a field day with that one.

feralpig wrote:

IMO, this is naive. H-1B's are used to drive down skilled worker wages and that's perfectly legal.
What's really disturbing to me is the refusal of our intellectuals and elites to recognize a common national interest.

Interestingly enough, the third world used to call it a brain drain, where all of there talent was being sucked up by the US of A, keeping them from developing competitive industrial bases. I guess it all depends on your POV-

Give me your poor, your tired thunder thighs....

I have dozens of timeshares in the backcountry, and each and everyone of them has brought me a good return on my investment...

EvilHenryPaulson wrote:

So higher rates just mean lower principal

I have been trying to convince most anyone I talk to about this nugget of truth. Interest rates CANNOT go any lower than they are now. Which means that principal is pretty much as high as it's ever going to be because interest is as low as it's ever been. Even if rates went to 20%, I'd be more inclined to buy because that'd be pretty much as high as they could reach, meaning the principal would be the lowest. Principle is what lasts 25 years, not interest rates. They fluctuate.

Right now I'm exposed to high principal, augmented by potentially-higher interest rates at some point in the future. It just seems incredibly risky to buy-in to the real estate market right now. I'd rather save my pennies for a rainy day.

From a McDonald's presser on yahoo:

McDonald's, which has been outperforming its peers, posted a 0.1 percent dip in sales at U.S. stores open at least 13 months in October, the first decline since March 2008.

So Mickey D experienced no declines through the cliff diving in 4Q2008?! And they just did...not sure what that means, but made me go 'hmmmm'
McDonald's sets 2010 capital spending at $2.4 billion - Yahoo! Finance

thanks dryfly, was wondering if there was any "use it or lose it" at the end fo the budget year activity...

edit: and thanks splat

My team will never make it to the Souper Bowl, if the coaching doesn't improve.

Thanks for the tip~

feralpig wrote:

Lou Dobbs and his audience are particularly upset about illegal immigration because it's unfair.

This is the problem... it's not unfair, it's illegal! Period. All that the sense of "unfair" does is reinforce the ideas in narrow-minded people that every person of Indian descent is a H1B Visa software engineer stealing an American job, and everyone of Mexican descent must be an illegal construction laborer.

Juvenal Delinquent wrote:

if the coaching doesn't improve.

Illegal formation? That's just immoral regulation of your honest hardworkin' coaching staff. Just purchase the refs. This is a financial site. Where is your scummie thinking here.

energyecon wrote:

It is a metric shit ton of work, that is certain...but also very satisfying - I found it particularly so due to working in a fairly intangible space - you build something real that is there for years after the project is done, and in this case providing a place to live for family...but yeah, I saw my bro and SIL barking from time to time

I have two relatives and one friend building their second homes as a method of becoming virtually mortgage-free (by their mid-30's). I'm envious, but I also recognize that my current location does not permit me access to cheaply-available land that they can out in the more rural areas. They can buy an acre for $50K; I can't even get a quarter-acre for less than $100K.

noob goldberg
the kicker in Canada is that you don't have the choice of a 30yr fixed rate. your rate is going to reset before long anyways, might as well buy when principal is low

'Illegal immigration' is the result of standard 'globalization' economic policies...

Spunkmeyer wrote:

is reinforce the ideas in narrow-minded people

And YOU need to understand what the percentage of narrow-minded people is in the country, and always has been. Politics is about getting your victories WHEN you can get them. "Unfair" "illegal" come-on. We're dealing with peasants here, illegal and unfair is the same if you're unemployed and need a space-goat. It's like somebody posting something about Barry Frank and CONSTANTLY bringing up the wild-5th-appendage. That's how people are.

"Gold Losing Its Shine" headline metaphors in 3... 2.

Duh, hoocudanode. Eric?

Shill, you just hang on as the profits you had are going to vaporize for a short while as the gold market tosses those who were way too brilliant and who bought recently into the financial exterminator.

Eric's got the cheese I'm donating, so it'll be taco time for the gold longs.

No reason to teach here; I see the bingo tables at the rec center are full up. But this is a serious topic blog. I guess I missed it; it's about the numbers. Okay, I've contributed my 3 or so for today. I guess I'll just go cheese shopping as if it ferments a bit before my meeting in Oxnard in a few weeks, it might pair better with the Boones Farm that I'll guess my brilliant friend will be packing along with the sombrero.

For me, it's just another winning trade, well broadcast in advance for the real earners to profit from. Hoodudanode nobody saw it this way, short, the right way.

EvilHenryPaulson wrote:

for years it has paid to have the lowest capital and most credit

Evolution applies to human social traits as well as biological. Evolution just reduces a particular trait but doesn't eliminate it. Then the environment works against the dominant trait which gets reduced way down and the previously minor trait now becomes dominant. The financial markets are a case in point. By the early 80's the bullish trait had all but been wiped out and it was the bears that were firmly in command. The last 30 years have essentially reversed that trend with bears now only found on small islands such as this blog. The environment changes and the bears will again one day be in ascendency. The same is true about leverage. Debt was king and cash was trash.

Canada doesn't offer 30 yr. fixed rates? Wow.

Juvenal Delinquent wrote:

Haven't we shown enough patriotism by peeling off the back on a self-adhesive yellow sticker-fashioned into a faux ribbon, and placed them strategically on the rear of our vehicles, as a show of support for everything they are doing in either $andbox A or $andbox B?

Apparently you haven't, since if I'm not mistaken, those "stickers" are magnetic-

There really is a battle of ideas and political positions variously identified conceptually as 'information wars', 'spin wars', or 'deception analysis' and it's played out on the finance/econ blogs every day...each side of many sides trying to spin their version of what's really happening...

Why doesn't C offer 30 yr fixed? Is the product too insane?

NOTaREALmerican wrote:

But democracy needs competing Parties. This two Party thing isn't working at all.

Here's some data on percentage of campaign funds given by corporate PACs to individual Senators.

All 20 come from states with below-median populations. In fact, you have to go to #26 (John McCain) to find a senator from a state with an above-median population, and #30 (Saxby Chambliss) to find one from a state with an above-average population.

In the top 20 in Corp. PAC receivers of $$$ (ranging from 76.5% to 36.8%), all are Republicans or Conservative Dems (like Carper, Lincoln, Conrad, Nelson, Baucus, Bingaman, et. al.)

The corporations own a working majority of the Senate. The best Senate money can buy.

It isn't the two party system that is failing us, it is corporate money bribes that buy immunity from accountability and rejection of effective legislation.

Felt the need to contribute a tile and assuage my conscience for the 2 BFF polls I won back in September... enjoy!

Beware of internet friends offering 'free' advice...and extending friendship offers...

Cinco-X wrote:

You might try crossing the border and borrowing USDs at a fixed rate. Not sure how well that will work out however........

I've heard good things about this 'carry trade' idea.

Even if the bank would give me a loan for a home in Canada (and what hoops would be necessary to jump through), I'd still have to take out some options to hedge my currency risk. I'd have to cash flow that cost.

Hmmm, weekend project, perhaps.

Spunkmeyer wrote:

it's not unfair, it's illegal!

well put- it suits the PTB for the people to get mad at the illegal immigrant rather than the corporate and elite interest that hires them. Why haven't employers of illegal immigrants been put into jail?. Doesn't the wealthy farmer and rancher base of the Republican party and it doesn't suit all the liberals in California who would have nobody cheap to look after their gardens and children.

and they are made in China.

Which, of course, is the real reason we are killing people around the world.
To get oil for China.

The largest group spinning info and 'analysis' is the defenders of the staus quo who sound like 'critics' but don't believe in structural change or re-organization...just more of the same with some tinkering maybe...

Beware of internet friends offering 'free' advice...and extending friendship offers...

especially offers of cheese to selective posters.
I'll call it the Friendship Fondue Cheese or for the sombrero wearer, Amigo's Quesos.

n00b - be easier to just buy a house in Merica... like maybe a condo in Floriduh - bet Liz could set you right up. Maybe even 'hire' your dad to do the rehab [illegally of course - its the Merican Way]... then your families can use it whenever the snow gets too deep. They'll get off your back about buying up there pronto.

Can someone put in a call to animal control?
There seems to be a rabid dog running loose.

Beware of internet friends offering 'free' advice...and extending friendship offers...

especially offers of cheese to selective posters.
I'll call it the Friendship Fondue Cheese or for the sombrero wearer, Amigo's Quesos.

Dumbdog is about to go IU.

Do you suppose we have to see him prattle on, merrily day-trading his short-term tendencies...

Can we negotiate with Mish to take him back, and do battle back on his blog?

One way to obfuscate what's really happening in the shadow economy is make it more complicated than it is or drown topics in trivial minutiae and/or selective numbers crunching...

dryfly wrote:

n00b - be easier to just buy a house in Merica... like maybe a condo in Floriduh - bet Liz could set you right up. Maybe even 'hire' your dad to do the rehab [illegally of course - its the Merican Way]...

Put his name on the deed (jointly), and he can work on his own house as he sees fit.

There seems to be a rabid dog running loose.

Oh crap did someone leave Glen Beck's door open AGAIN ?
~splat

shill

i appreciate we agree on defunding haliburton

and btw we agree about the 2nd amendment

ya know my beef about the acorn expose was that when this gag got tried at other work sites one or more acorn workers called the cops on the fox news prostitution pretender filmaker

i see acorn as a large org that does some good for the lower class but also

has some bad people working for them, and yes those people should be prosecuted

Shill, you don't know me from dirt. Ask at Mish's. I don't trade the S&P unless I see nearly 100% probabilities. They're exceedingly rare, like in decades. I called DJIA 12000 over 6 months ago in that blog. It was not a high enough probability for me; my pal took the bet; that person's happy. I won't trade when I see anything other than the slimmest risk. Shorting the USD is a world I don't know. Investing is not gambling. IMO it can only be done after exhaustive independent research, as in months and months of full time attention, and the acquisition of confidence by discovering for oneself the insights. After that, with the paltry bag of tricks, one waits for the opportunities and then plays them. The rest is stupid risk taking. One either knows and assumes the risk, or one is a fool soon to have one's money separated. The post 2004 RE buyers are a good example of fools. It's cyclical. There's always a next flock to fleece.

dryfly wrote:

Sometimes - not usually. Plus they can lose it at anytime. Most comptrollers watch the cashflow pretty tight & dial up the boss when money is running low. These guys aren't gov't where they can run red a long time before TEOTWAWKI.

Agreed but keep in mind there is a whole lot of "budget envy" that goes on as well. He who hath the bigger budget > than those with smaller. So there is a temptation on the part of some to spend it while you can.

Sadly my experience has shown this to be a better strategy in a downturn. You can run your dept pretty lean and at the end of the day when they come for headcount or payroll you don't get rewarded for being lean - they take their pound of flesh from every dept...

dryfly wrote:

n00b - be easier to just buy a house in Merica... like maybe a condo in Floriduh - bet Liz could set you right up.

I actually have contemplated this. Seeing that FHA is going to breath a bit of life into the condo market again, I wonder if there aren't some deals to be had down there. I'll try to talk my wife into a family vacation and have a coffee with Liz.

Slumdog,
Whaddaya think of the 'collectible numismatic glod coin' bait and switch sales tactic switching buyers from bullion to 'rare coins'?

Cinco-X (profile) wrote (in reply to...) on Thu, 11/12/2009 - 3:13 pm

Sell the sizzle, not the steak-

Sell the sales pitch to sell the sizzle not the steak... Hire them to sell the steak you've outsourced production on. No actual product needs to change hands at all, and no liability, you just collect the money. The true Merican way.

Yeah, but if there are no homestead exemptions I think property taxes are high, hurricane insurance, & then you have airfare for a family to get there - not to mention FL is a really long way away. Altho Canadians do seem to like the area. I never understood that, having lived there.

Cinco,
Just had to ask a Goldman about the bullion 'bait & switch' rare gold coin trick used sometimes...

i changed "defending" to defunding above...but you knew what i tried to say...same treatment for haliburton as acorn

mock turtle wrote:

same treatment for haliburton as acorn

And both defended to the death by the Party dumbasses.

Sen. Bryan Dorgan was one of 8 Senators to vote against the repeal of Glass Steagal 10 years ago warning then that in 10 years we will come to regret it.

"Three things," the senator told me in an interview. "One is to separate investment banks and FDIC-insured banks. Second, prohibit FDIC-insured banks from dealing in risky financial instruments on their own proprietary accounts... And third, abolish 'too big to fail.' If you're too big to fail, you're too big. Too big to fail is what I call no-fault capitalism."

Byron Dorgan's Financial Plan: Common Sense From The Senator Who Saw This Coming

All in all, it's a much more forceful agenda than his party leaders -- including his president -- are advocating.

the lady or the tiger?

collectible numismatics are a matter of how to get out of them, not how to get in. bullion prices depend on who's buying and selling and the quantity. There are dealers who are at 2-3% brokerage against spot. Those folks are legit. The rest, as a dealer said 30 years ago to me, "We make our money when we buy, not when we sell.".

I don't trust any of those guys. If serious about numismatics, get yourself to a major coin show. There, the dealers will talk real turkey and you can find an expert. Long ago, I started a collection of CC Gold. I made a deal with a dealer that I'd front the money and we'd send the coins in for regrading. What a waste of time for such small dimes. It worked, but it was a life waste. I quit the CC gold game when I realized the Bass family held the best of the lot and they weren't parting with jack. So, what for? To have 3rd or 4th best? To tie up money and then wait for some other drunkard to take you out, so you held it just for profit? Craziness. I walked.

Not for sale sorry.....no need to sell my MONEY! for paper...I have my fair share.

Blah blah coulda been a contender blah blah but i'm a nobody blah blah.

Slumdog,
Yeah I've heard numismatics 'buyers' losing a bundle buying rare gold and/or silver collectible coins 'retail' and selling at a dip or finding out the 'graded condition' by the dealer was NOT accurate!

Slumdog,
Yeah I've heard numismatics 'buyers' losing a bundle buying rare gold and/or silver collectible coins 'retail' and selling at a dip or finding out the 'graded condition' by the dealer was NOT accurate!

That is why we have NGC.

What's really disturbing to me is the refusal of our intellectuals and elites to recognize a common national interest. Without that, the U.S. isn't a community, just a bunch of people trying to make as much money as possible, by any means necessary.

You've just noticed this ? The aristocrats of colonial Europe had pan-national ties to. As does the global elite of today. Chinese billionaires have their rhetoric for the masses as much as ours do. Both groups of billionaires despise workers.

Outsider wrote:

kcoop, if you come around, any way to manually scroll thru the tiles? 30 seconds for each flip is too long for us ADD-ers.

Hover over the tiles and use your mouse's scroll button-

Wow. Mish is pretty cynical today, with his CEO cover letter post.

Shill,
Yes NGC is a way to grade accurately...what's the cost to encase a rare coin?...any potential for counterfeits inside the plastic casing...rare comics are now encased in plastic and graded...still some differences of opinion come up even in 'Certified' grading since so much value is at stake in even a slight difference of opinion of the certified 'graders'...