Surrounded By Reality

Not So Far From The Truth!

2009-04-21T20:58:00.002-05:00

Treasury Department Issues Emergency Recall Of All US Dollars

Family Fun With the Wii

2009-02-21T09:58:00.002-06:00

It's all in the wrist....

Ballad of Bernie Madoff

2009-02-18T21:44:00.002-06:00

A salute to everyone's favorite Ponzi schemer:

Digital Killed The Analog Star....

2009-02-17T10:20:00.003-06:00

Midnight 2/16/09 WMTV NBC Channel 15 analog broadcast in Madison, WI signs off for the last time....

NBC 15 Ends Analog Broadcast

Love the test pattern, hate the tone. But where's the "snow"?

Is This a Surprise?

2009-02-17T09:37:00.003-06:00

The Governor will now get to show how great she is with fiscal matters or is she? We'll see......

A Chink in Sarah Palin's Armor

He Didn't Succeed- Did He?

2009-02-17T09:28:00.002-06:00

Read the full story below........

Quote from the story- "Muzzammil Hassan, founder and CEO of Buffalo, N.Y.-based Bridges TV which launched in 2004 with a mission to show Muslims in a more positive light"

US Muslim TV Network Founder Charged With Beheading Wife

Not only did he fail in his mission, he has done considerable damage to his cause-very sad....

Gov. Blagojevich Makes Statement to IL Senate

2009-01-29T17:21:00.002-06:00

A re-creation of Governor Rod Blagojevich's closing statement to the Illinois Senate trial to oust him after impeachment.

I'm Back!

2009-01-29T17:20:00.001-06:00

Sorry, I've been extremely busy for the last month- no time for posts. I'm hoping to start posting again on a regular basis soon..

GW

Need Storage Space? Here You Go.....

2008-12-19T19:19:00.000-06:00

Yeah But She Didn't Pal Around With Bill Ayers!

2008-12-19T11:45:00.002-06:00

Also note the the December wedding will now happen next summer....we'll see....

LEVI JOHNSTON'S MOTHER ARRESTED ON DRUG CHARGES

PrayerMAX5000

2008-12-12T20:05:00.000-06:00

White House Press Briefing......

2008-12-12T20:01:00.000-06:00

Paul & Storm-25 Days of Newman

2008-12-08T20:24:00.001-06:00

<a href="http://paulandstorm.bandcamp.mu/track/day-2-the-big-lebowski">Day 2 - The Big Lebowski by Paul and Storm</a>

Two of my favorite artists-check out more of their stuff at the Paul & Storm website

Let's Get Small....

2008-11-30T12:06:00.001-06:00

Needle Sized Art
Very incredible story! Not only is this mans art cool but he got a ton of cash for it!

Finally, Someone To Stand Up For The Small Grower!

2008-11-28T20:15:00.000-06:00

USDA Official Takes Courageous Stand Against Interstate Countercyclical Potato Pricing

Believe it!

2008-11-27T18:34:00.001-06:00

Didn't See This One BEFORE The Election....

2008-11-21T22:59:00.001-06:00

Just saw this & liked it a lot.....

See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die

The Money Hole....

2008-11-17T21:40:00.000-06:00

In The Know: Should The Government Stop Dumping Money Into A Giant Hole?

Thank Goodness for Lower Gas Prices!

2008-11-14T08:58:00.001-06:00

This is interesting....

Body Language

2008-11-10T17:36:00.004-06:00

I found the "body language" in this photo interesting....I don't think Bush wants to leave office...

Voting Machine Elects One of its Own

2008-11-08T08:42:00.001-06:00

Voting Machines Elect One Of Their Own As President

I told you Sequoia voting machines would affect the election!

Making Ends Meet in Today's Economy

2008-11-08T08:39:00.001-06:00

Here's how some Americans are making ends meet....

STRUGGLING AMERICANS FORCED TO WORK EXTRA-DIMENSIONAL 4TH SHIFT

VOTE TODAY!

2008-11-04T08:45:00.000-06:00

"Nicholas Sarkozy" Calls Sarah Palin

2008-11-02T07:51:00.004-06:00

Canadian comedy duo known for making fake calls to government officials and celebrities poses as the French President and calls Sarah Palin for an interview........

This is what happen when you "go rogue".....Man, the people in this campaign are dumb....

CINDY McCAIN CLAIMS SHE'S JUST LIKE ANY OTHER FEMALE HUMAN

2008-10-31T22:03:00.001-05:00

Cindy McCain Claims She's Just Like Any Other Female Human

Political Science for Dummies

2008-10-31T07:50:00.003-05:00

DEMOCRATIC

You have two cows.

Your neighbor has none.

You feel guilty for being successful.

REPUBLICANISM

You have two cows.

Your neighbor has none.

So?

SOCIALIST

You have two cows.

The government takes one and gives it to your neighbor.

You form a cooperative to tell him how to manage his cow.

COMMUNIST

You have two cows.

The government seizes both and provides you with milk.

You wait in line for hours to get it.

It is expensive and sour.

CAPITALISM, AMERICAN STYLE

You have two cows.

You sell one, buy a bull, and build a herd of cows.

BUREAUCRACY, AMERICAN STYLE

You have two cows.

Under the new farm program the government pays you to shoot one, milk the other, and then pours the milk down the drain.

AMERICAN CORPORATION

You have two cows.

You sell one, lease it back to yourself and do an IPO on the 2nd one.

You force the two cows to produce the milk of four cows. You are surprised when one cow drops dead. You spin an announcement to the analysts stating you have downsized and are reducing expenses.

Your stock goes up.

FRENCH CORPORATION

You have two cows.

You go on strike because you want three cows.

You go to lunch and drink wine.

Life is good.

JAPANESE CORPORATION

You have two cows.

You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk.

They learn to travel on unbelievably crowded trains.

Most are at the top of their class at cow school.

GERMAN CORPORATION

You have two cows.

You engineer them so they are all blond, drink lots of beer, give excellent quality milk, and run a hundred miles an hour.

Unfortunately they also demand 13 weeks of vacation per year.

ITALIAN CORPORATION

You have two cows but you don't know where they are.

While ambling around, you see a beautiful woman.

You break for lunch.

Life is good.

RUSSIAN CORPORATION

You have two cows.

You have some vodka.

You count them and learn you have five cows.

You have some more vodka.

You count them again and learn you have 42 cows.

The Mafia shows up and takes over however many cows you really have.

TALIBAN CORPORATION

You have all the cows in Afghanistan, which are two.

You don't milk them because you cannot touch any creature's private parts.

You get a $40 million grant from the US government to find alternatives to milk production but use the money to buy weapons.

IRAQI CORPORATION

You have two cows.

They go into hiding.

They send radio tapes of their mooing.

POLISH CORPORATION

You have two bulls.

Employees are regularly maimed and killed attempting to milk them.

BELGIAN CORPORATION

You have one cow.

The cow is schizophrenic.

Sometimes the cow thinks he's French, other times he's Flemish.

The Flemish cow won't share with the French cow.

The French cow wants control of the Flemish cow's milk.

The cow asks permission to be cut in half.

The cow dies happy.

FLORIDA CORPORATION

You have a black cow and a brown cow.

Everyone votes for the best looking one.

Some of the people who actually like the brown one best accidentally vote for the black one.

Some people vote for both.

Some people vote for neither.

Some people can't figure out how to vote at all.

Finally, a bunch of guys from out-of-state tell you which one you think is the best-looking cow.

CALIFORNIA CORPORATION

You have millions of cows.

They make real California cheese.

Only five speak English.

Most are illegal.

Arnold likes the ones with the big udders.

MONEY AS DEBT

2008-10-30T20:47:00.002-05:00

Below is a link to a video I was sent several months ago explaining our money system. It's long ( 45+ minutes) but very well done and worth a watch. Should be shown on network television....

MONEY AS DEBT

Race Not An Issue Says McCain

2008-10-29T20:22:00.002-05:00

FROM YAHOO NEWS TODAY- TAMPA, Fla. – Republican presidential candidate John McCain says racism will play virtually no role when voters head to the polls next Tuesday because it will be trumped by the nation's economic problems.

In a transcript of an interview taped for broadcast Wednesday night on CNN's "Larry King Live," McCain said people will vote "for the best of reasons, not the worst of reasons." He said most people will vote based on who they want to lead the country.

Referring to people who might vote against Democrat Barack Obama because he is black, McCain added: "It would be a tiny, tiny, minority. Because people are hurting too much now. I mean, they're worried about staying in their homes, keeping their jobs."

Well see what his supporters say.....

Yep, not an issue at all.......

BUSH TRYS TO PARDON HIMSELF.....

2008-10-29T20:19:00.002-05:00

Watch this video- I hope our Wisconsin guys don't let this by.....

Global Warming......

2008-10-23T20:55:00.000-05:00

Bush Tours America

2008-10-23T20:37:00.002-05:00

Bush Tours America To Survey Damage Caused By His Disastrous Presidency

Would be funnier if it wasn't so true.....

What The Vice President Does...

2008-10-23T20:25:00.002-05:00

This is just plain sad...Also, Nancy Pfotenhauer needs more fiber in her diet.....watch her smile...

McCain Accidently Left On The Bus

2008-10-23T20:23:00.002-05:00

John McCain Accidentally Left On Campaign Bus Overnight

Oh Oh- X-Rays..You'd Never Guess From What...

2008-10-22T20:10:00.002-05:00

I find this interesting...

X-RAYS DETECTED FROM SCOTCH TAPE

Wear lead gloves when wrapping gifts?

Sitting Back & Watching....

2008-10-21T12:20:00.002-05:00

I've just been sitting back watching the world go by the last few days. So sick of the elections & financial crisis.. The stock market up 400+ points Monday...everything all good again...

OOPS! Market down so far Tuesday-nearly 200+ points..guess everythings NOT good again...

The McCain/Palin campaign throwing everything against the wall and hoping something sticks...

Just fun to watch ...

It is a bummer that Obama needed to cancel his Thursday stop here in Madison due to his grandmother's worsening condition. Perhaps we'll still get a visit-it'd be the first time in my 54 years to get to see a Presidential candidate in person...

A New Sport- Rocket Racing

2008-10-18T12:33:00.002-05:00

Here's something that looks interesting- check it out...Rocket Racing League...

ROCKET RACING LEAGUE

Joe The Plumber ( Well, Sort of.....)

2008-10-16T18:08:00.002-05:00

Oops......Joe's got some tax problems too! (he didn't pay them). Even if his taxes would be higher under Obama's plan does that really matter if he isn't going to pay them anyway? What other tax games is Joe playing-perhaps the IRS should take a look at his tax returns for the last few years.....

IS "JOE THE PLUMBER" A PLUMBER? THAT'S DEBATABLE

Must have been the same campaign aid checking this guy out that checked out Sarah (Cheney Borg) Palin.....

McCain's Own ACORN Connection....

2008-10-16T17:40:00.002-05:00

Well this is interesting...

Sigh,McCain and his friends at .....ACORN

This is from Michelle Malkin's website- not exactly a far left-leaning pundit...

Who Is McCain-AARP Asks-No Answer

2008-10-15T18:51:00.002-05:00

We hear John McCain & The "Cheney Borg" constantly saying "Who is Barack Obama?" Well, AARP*'s Voter's Guide asked the two candidates opinions on several issues affecting older voters. Obama picked a position on all the issues.

But, you know what? McCain wouldn't commit to agreeing or disagreeing on a single one of the issues AARP asked about-NOT A SINGLE ONE...NONE...NADA....ZILCH . Back at you Johnny boy- exactly WHO ARE YOU?

Read the article AARP VOTERS GUIDE-CANDIDATE RESPONSES

*American Association of Retired Persons-I'm a member

Drama Behind The Banking Deal

2008-10-15T12:51:00.002-05:00

An interesting article from The New York Times:

DRAMA BEHIND A $250 BILLION BANKING DEAL

Well, it looks like $700 Billion wasn't quite accurate- surprised?

Something To Think About.....

2008-10-15T09:21:00.004-05:00

From Yahoo News today-

"GM has cut about 19,000 hourly jobs represented by the UAW through buyouts and early retirement incentives over the past six months. It now employs about 64,000 blue-collar workers in the United States, a spokesman said on Tuesday. "

So in six months GM has cut blue collar jobs equal to about two times the current estimated total population of Wasilla. AK....Hmmmmm, makes you think about the abilities and qualifications of political candidates-doesn't it?

We Almost Missed Something Big Yesterday

2008-10-15T08:50:00.002-05:00

Evidently an alien "light ship" was to arrive on Earth yesterday- I would have missed it.... But it was a no-show...

Then again, I just checked the latest post- the "believers" have decided maybe it's actually today (due to time zone differences)....

Personally, I think it's just another attempt by the McCain Campaign to distract people's attention from the economy....

Read about it .......

10-14-08

Decide For Yourself...

2008-10-14T20:05:00.002-05:00

I found this video to be interesting. Watch and make up your own mind...

On The Lighter Side- Gerry Phillips

2008-10-14T14:10:00.002-05:00

Gerry Phillips is one of my favorite musicians, yes musician. Below is a new video of him with a guitar trio. You can't hear him real well so I've included links for two other videos he's done related to Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody". Watch and enjoy...

Gerry's Solo version of "Bohemian Rhapsody"

Gerry Playing on -"Freddy Mercury-It's 1975"

He also a great version of Led Zepplin's "Stairway To Heaven" on YouTube

Gerry's Website is Gerry Phillips /Manualist- Hand Musician

The Rise of the Machines

2008-10-14T09:03:00.001-05:00

This was sent to me by a friend. While I have no idea how accurate it is, I found it quite interesting.....

The Rise of the Machines

By RICHARD DOOLING
Published: October 11, 2008
Omaha

“BEWARE of geeks bearing formulas.” So saith Warren Buffett, the Wizard of Omaha. Words to bear in mind as we bail out banks and buy up mortgages and tweak interest rates and nothing, nothing seems to make any difference on Wall Street or Main Street. Years ago, Mr. Buffett called derivatives “weapons of financial mass destruction” — an apt metaphor considering that the Manhattan Project’s math and physics geeks bearing formulas brought us the original weapon of mass destruction, at Trinity in New Mexico on July 16, 1945.

In a 1981 documentary called “The Day After Trinity,” Freeman Dyson, a reigning gray eminence of math and theoretical physics, as well as an ardent proponent of nuclear disarmament, described the seductive power that brought us the ability to create atomic energy out of nothing.

“I have felt it myself,” he warned. “The glitter of nuclear weapons. It is irresistible if you come to them as a scientist. To feel it’s there in your hands, to release this energy that fuels the stars, to let it do your bidding. To perform these miracles, to lift a million tons of rock into the sky. It is something that gives people an illusion of illimitable power, and it is, in some ways, responsible for all our troubles — this, what you might call technical arrogance, that overcomes people when they see what they can do with their minds.”

The Wall Street geeks, the quantitative analysts (“quants”) and masters of “algo trading” probably felt the same irresistible lure of “illimitable power” when they discovered “evolutionary algorithms” that allowed them to create vast empires of wealth by deriving the dependence structures of portfolio credit derivatives.

What does that mean? You’ll never know. Over and over again, financial experts and wonkish talking heads endeavor to explain these mysterious, “toxic” financial instruments to us lay folk. Over and over, they ignobly fail, because we all know that no one understands credit default obligations and derivatives, except perhaps Mr. Buffett and the computers who created them.

Somehow the genius quants — the best and brightest geeks Wall Street firms could buy — fed $1 trillion in subprime mortgage debt into their supercomputers, added some derivatives, massaged the arrangements with computer algorithms and — poof! — created $62 trillion in imaginary wealth. It’s not much of a stretch to imagine that all of that imaginary wealth is locked up somewhere inside the computers, and that we humans, led by the silverback males of the financial world, Ben Bernanke and Henry Paulson, are frantically beseeching the monolith for answers. Or maybe we are lost in space, with Dave the astronaut pleading, “Open the bank vault doors, Hal.”

As the current financial crisis spreads (like a computer virus) on the earth’s nervous system (the Internet), it’s worth asking if we have somehow managed to colossally outsmart ourselves using computers. After all, the Wall Street titans loved swaps and derivatives because they were totally unregulated by humans. That left nobody but the machines in charge.

How fitting then, that almost 30 years after Freeman Dyson described the almost unspeakable urges of the nuclear geeks creating illimitable energy out of equations, his son, George Dyson, has written an essay (published at Edge.org) warning about a different strain of technical arrogance that has brought the entire planet to the brink of financial destruction. George Dyson is an historian of technology and the author of “Darwin Among the Machines,” a book that warned us a decade ago that it was only a matter of time before technology out-evolves us and takes over.

His new essay — “Economic Dis-Equilibrium: Can You Have Your House and Spend It Too?” — begins with a history of “stock,” originally a stick of hazel, willow or alder wood, inscribed with notches indicating monetary amounts and dates. When funds were transferred, the stick was split into identical halves — with one side going to the depositor and the other to the party safeguarding the money — and represented proof positive that gold had been deposited somewhere to back it up. That was good enough for 600 years, until we decided that we needed more speed and efficiency.

Making money, it seems, is all about the velocity of moving it around, so that it can exist in Hong Kong one moment and Wall Street a split second later. “The unlimited replication of information is generally a public good,” George Dyson writes. “The problem starts, as the current crisis demonstrates, when unregulated replication is applied to money itself. Highly complex computer-generated financial instruments (known as derivatives) are being produced, not from natural factors of production or other goods, but purely from other financial instruments.”

It was easy enough for us humans to understand a stick or a dollar bill when it was backed by something tangible somewhere, but only computers can understand and derive a correlation structure from observed collateralized debt obligation tranche spreads. Which leads us to the next question: Just how much of the world’s financial stability now lies in the “hands” of computerized trading algorithms?

•Here’s a frightening party trick that I learned from the futurist Ray Kurzweil. Read this excerpt and then I’ll tell you who wrote it:

But we are suggesting neither that the human race would voluntarily turn power over to the machines nor that the machines would willfully seize power. What we do suggest is that the human race might easily permit itself to drift into a position of such dependence on the machines that it would have no practical choice but to accept all of the machines’ decisions. ... Eventually a stage may be reached at which the decisions necessary to keep the system running will be so complex that human beings will be incapable of making them intelligently. At that stage the machines will be in effective control. People won’t be able to just turn the machines off, because they will be so dependent on them that turning them off would amount to suicide.

Brace yourself. It comes from the Unabomber’s manifesto.

Yes, Theodore Kaczinski was a homicidal psychopath and a paranoid kook, but he was also a bloodhound when it came to scenting all of the horrors technology holds in store for us. Hence his mission to kill technologists before machines commenced what he believed would be their inevitable reign of terror.

•We are living, we have long been told, in the Information Age. Yet now we are faced with the sickening suspicion that technology has run ahead of us. Man is a fire-stealing animal, and we can’t help building machines and machine intelligences, even if, from time to time, we use them not only to outsmart ourselves but to bring us right up to the doorstep of Doom.

We are still fearful, superstitious and all-too-human creatures. At times, we forget the magnitude of the havoc we can wreak by off-loading our minds onto super-intelligent machines, that is, until they run away from us, like mad sorcerers’ apprentices, and drag us up to the precipice for a look down into the abyss.

As the financial experts all over the world use machines to unwind Gordian knots of financial arrangements so complex that only machines can make — “derive” — and trade them, we have to wonder: Are we living in a bad sci-fi movie? Is the Matrix made of credit default swaps?

When Treasury Secretary Paulson (looking very much like a frightened primate) came to Congress seeking an emergency loan, Senator Jon Tester of Montana, a Democrat still living on his family homestead, asked him: “I’m a dirt farmer. Why do we have one week to determine that $700 billion has to be appropriated or this country’s financial system goes down the pipes?”

“Well, sir,” Mr. Paulson could well have responded, “the computers have demanded it.”

I Was Going To Be Quiet Today But..

2008-10-13T16:19:00.002-05:00

I was going to take a day off from blogging but I saw this...Is this REALLY who we want as Vice President?

Palin Mistakes fans For Protesters

I'm sure she gave a "Nevermind" afterwards just like Emily Litella (Gilda Radner) used to do on Saturday Night Live in the 70's....

The Return of Rove- Anybody Else Smell Him?

2008-10-12T11:08:00.002-05:00

An interesting article but remember it is Rolling Stone Magazine. Something tO think about at a minimum...

ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE- THE RETURN OF ROVE

Come to your own conclusion......

Two Good Websites For Facts

2008-10-12T09:36:00.003-05:00

Here are two good websites for checking claims by candidates and for information on where campaign money comes from:

FactCheck.org

OpenSecrets.org

Both are excellent if you want more detailed information about what's going on.....

Palin- GOTCHA!

2008-10-11T08:44:00.001-05:00

That's all I need to say, you all know what I'm talking about... It's just too easy...like kicking a dead moose....

Finally Some "Straight Talk" From McCain

2008-10-11T07:33:00.002-05:00

John McCain mops up the damage Dick Cheney-wanna-be Sarah Palin is doing to his campaign.

Sarah Palin has no understanding of the implications her "palling with a domestic terrorist" line of campaigning is causing. It shows in this video. It is not only hurting her party's chances in the election but dividing the electorate and population, inciting anger and calls of "kill, kill him" at rallies.

Our leaders need to unite people, NOT polarize them. Another example of why she is unfit to serve as Vice President. It's a kind of "good old Wasilla-Main Street" thinking we all can do without.

The first man speaking should be more afraid that McCain will send his job to Mexico or China and he won't be able to support his new child...... The elderly lady is just plain sad.......

Anybody smell Karl Rove lurking in the background??

Gilda Radner Corn Maze

2008-10-11T07:21:00.003-05:00

Here's something unique just east of Madison....read the story below...

SHUCK CANCER-GILDA RADNER CORN MAZE

Link For Gallup Polls

2008-10-10T20:28:00.003-05:00

Here's a link for Gallup polls- many to look at-interesting...

GALLUP POLL-ELECTION TRENDS BY GROUP

Bush Says Anxiety Feeds Anxiety

2008-10-10T11:16:00.006-05:00

Quotes from President Bush this morning...

"This uncertainty has led to anxiety among our people. And that is understandable, that anxiety can feed anxiety, and that can make it hard to see all that is being done to solve the problem," Bush said in a televised address.

"We know what the problems are. We have the tools to fix them. And we're working swiftly to do so," Bush said in a national address after Wall Street opened with an 8 percent slide, soon pared its losses but extended the damage from a seven-session losing streak.

Finance ministers and central bankers from the Group of Seven faced mounting pressure to repair the system after joint interest-rate cuts, individual liquidity injections, a $700 billion U.S. bailout and government plans to take equity stakes in banks failed to restore investor confidence.

Here's what I am confident about:

1). I am confident that George W. Bush has no understanding of what is going on and that's why he speaks in vague terms. And that his advisors can't put it in simple enough terms for him

2). I am confident that Ben Bernbake and Henry Paulson have no idea how to fix the problem as they can't refer to history to fix it. It's different this time and they know it.

3). I am confident that the Congress & Senate cannot get past partisan politics to fix the problems. They will continue to look at their own interests (re-election) and to blame the other party for what's happening. Both parties are responsible.

4). I am confident that George Soros, Warren Buffet, T. Boone Pickens and a handful of others will make billions of dollars on profits off this crisis.

5). I am confident that America's image in the world has been damaged and diminished by the failure of our leaders to address the issues involved before the crisis happened.

6). I am confident that myself and normal Americans will suffer most of the pain and get stuck for nearly all of the debt that occurs from the failures of our government.

Who says there is no confidence today?

Sequoia Voting Machine Problems

2008-10-09T21:01:00.004-05:00

Google Smartmatic & Sequoia-an electronic voting machine manufacturer. The link to their website is below:

SMARTMATIC AUTOMATED ELECTION SYSTEM

Look at the background of the company and problems users are having. This could be pretty darn scary come November 4th.....

Sequoia Voting Systems- Wikipedia

The Front Fell Off

2008-10-09T19:55:00.001-05:00

Enough about politics.....

Shout Out

2008-10-09T18:20:00.001-05:00

As this blog is still very new- Here's a big shout out to my first two regular readers- CW & PB- you know who you are-Thanks!

HONESTY FROM OUR GOVERNMENT

2008-10-09T15:14:00.002-05:00

OK-CAN OUR GOVERNMENT FINALLY BE HONEST WITH THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AND ADMIT WE ARE IN A RECESSION? THAT MIGHT HELP RESTORE CONFIDENCE IN THE MARKETS. FIVE SIMPLE WORDS.....

WE ARE IN A RECESSION

It's A Great Time To Invest!

2008-10-09T15:06:00.002-05:00

Look at the market today-it sure is! *

GREAT TIME TO INVEST

*Long way to go still- maybe 7,000-7,500?

How The Markets Really Work

2008-10-09T12:57:00.002-05:00

How did these comedians see it coming
when financial reporters did not?

I received this video from a friend. Below are the comments that we included with the video from the original poster....

Yes, it really is this bad

Another example of humor that is deadly accurate.

I worked on Wall Street for a few years, elbow to elbow with "top" investment bankers.

It was one big casino with the saps in pensions funds and savings and loans (and us) being used to finance the game and cover the losses.

Amazingly, this was recorded in 2007.

NYC National Debt Clock-Not Enough Digits!

2008-10-09T09:17:00.002-05:00

Read The Story-

NYC National Debt Clock Runs Out of Digits

As it says, they will add 2 more digits-so it's ready for a QUADRILLION DOLLAR NATIONAL DEBT.
The problem isn't too few digits-it's too much debt. "Adding" is how the Federal Government fixes things (witness our financial crisis) when it should be "Subtracting" (debt)....

The Fed's Penalty For AIG's $440,000 Spa Spree

2008-10-08T18:38:00.003-05:00

I just saw this on Yahoo News...

FEDS SLASH INTEREST RATES, BUT STOCKS LOSE AGAIN

EXCERPT FROM STORY- "Underlining the seriousness of the situation, the Federal Reserve on Wednesday also agreed to provide faltering insurance giant American International Group Inc. with another loan, $37.8 billion on top of the $85 billion it proffered the troubled company last month."

These guys are paying one of their former employees a $1 MILLION PER MONTH CONSULTING FEE and a bunch of their executives went on a $440,000 spa spree at the St. Regis Resort days after getting the $85 billion. So you penalize AIG by giving them another $37 BILLION ! Getting that extra $37 BILLION is pretty stressful- they better take a week off and go to Disneyland-Paris.....

Any wonder the market investors and taxpayers have no confidence? Where are our representatives in Congress and the Senate?

We'll Have To Make Do For A Few Years

2008-10-08T18:22:00.003-05:00

I guess we're we going to have to make due for a few years with what we get in November......

Campaign For Liberty Website

10/3/08 Speech By Ron Paul On Passing The Bailout

2008-10-08T18:00:00.004-05:00

Congressman Ron Paul speaking after passage of the bailout bill on October 3, 2008

Since October 3rd:
--The bailout did nothing to improve confidence in the markets
--The Federal Reserve put an additional $800 Billion into the market for the purchase of commercial paper
-- Reduced the prime rate and discount rate by 1/2 %

Result to date- Stock Market has dropped from 10,482 on 10/3 to 9,258 on 10/8 a drop of 1,224 points. You make your own decision......

Pelosi's Gonna Cost Obama The Election

2008-10-08T17:31:00.003-05:00

Pelosi says $150B economic stimulus plan needed

Read the story above- can't the Democrats make this woman the ambassador to Borneo or somewhere similar? The first economic stimulus package ( $158 Billion) was a major blunder. The government basically borrowed the money (mostly from the Chinese would be my guess), spent about $50 million of the money for two letters explaining it to taxpayers and printing checks.

The remainder in large part, (other than people who used wisely used the money to payoff debt) of it was spent on products made overseas (LCD TV's, etc.) It had a very small overall effect on the economy outside of retail and probably didn't create any permanent new good paying jobs.

This is just plain stupid. Isn't insanity defined as doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results?

Just when Obama has McCain on the ropes, Pelosi comes along and gives McCain ammunition for the final debate and potential reason for undecided voters to go McCain's way. Hasn't she listened to the debates? McCain's only hope is to validate the Democrats "tax & spend" reputation which Obama has successfully fought and she opens her big mouth.

I've told friends for a long time that the Democrats are always able to figure out a way to lose an election-this may be it...

Just plain dumb.....Who'd she get this idea from? Tim Robbins? Susan Sarrandon? Woody Harrelson? Ted Danson? Barbara Streisand? Roseanne Barr?

Any wonder California is in money trouble?

Response From Senator Herb Kohl To My Letter

2008-10-08T17:12:00.002-05:00

I RECEIVED THIS RESPONSE FROM SENATOR KOHL TODAY TO A LETTER I WROTE TO HIM . MY COMMENTS ABOUT HIS RESPONSE ARE IN RED. I'M STILL DECIDING WHETHER TO RESPOND TO HIS LETTER WITH SOME OR ALL OF THESE COMMENTS ATTACHED. MY GUESS IS AT LEAST SOME OF YOU FEEL THE WAY I DO. BY THE WAY, SENATOR RUSS FEINGOLD VOTED AGAINST THIS BILL....

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

October 8, 2008

Mr. Gregory Warner
901 Watson Avenue, Suite 141
Madison, Wisconsin 53713-3285

Dear Mr. Warner:

MY COMMENT: WELL, MY SEX & THE SPELLING OF MY NAME IS CORRECT....

Thank you for contacting me about the nation's financial
turmoil and the efforts of Congress and the Administration to
stabilize the economy. I appreciate hearing your views on this
very important issue.

MY COMMENT- NO YOU DON'T- IT TAKE A LOT OF TIME TO REPLY TO ALL OF THESE......

I am gravely concerned about the economic difficulties
facing Americans. Homeowners are losing homes, communities
are losing tax revenue as foreclosures rise, banks are rapidly losing
money and our credit markets are freezing up. Wall Street and
Main Street rely upon each other to function properly and the
federal government has now been forced to intervene to help our
economy and communities get back on track.

MY COMMENT: THE ECONOMIC CRISIS HAS CAUSED THE CORPORATE SPECIAL INTEREST & CAMPAIGN FUND PIPELINE TO FREEZE UP....

We cannot allow this crisis to worsen and bring down the
nation's economy. The well-being of ordinary Americans is at
stake, with our jobs, lifesavings, homes, college funds and
retirements on the line. For this reason, I supported the Emergency
Economic Stabilization Act of 2008.

MY COMMENT: BAD MOVE HERB-SEE HOW WELL IT WORKED? THIS PLUS ANOTHER $800 BILLION AND A 1/2% DROP IN THE PRIME & DISCOUNT RATE-STILL AIN'T DOING IT....MARKET DOWN 200 POINTS TODAY....

The stabilization package is intended to restore liquidity
and confidence in our markets, provide relief for homeowners,
hold Wall Street accountable, and protect taxpayer dollars. It
creates the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) in the Treasury
Department, which will purchase impaired assets from financial
institutions, restructure or modify these assets, then hopefully re-
sell them for a profit. The Treasury Department is authorized to
use $250 billion immediately and upon written request from the
President, can use up to $700 billion to maintain TARP.

MY COMMENT: WHERE IS THE OTHER $800 BILLION THE FED IS USING TO PURCHASE COMMERCIAL PAPER COMING FROM? (THE ADDITIONAL $800 BILLION CAME UP BETWEEN MY LETTER AND THE SENATOR'S RESPONSE...)

The bill passed by Congress is much improved from the
original Administration proposal. It establishes the Financial
Stability Oversight Board to monitor and regulate the newly
created program. The board will make recommendations to the
Treasury Department and hold the department to the principles and
guidelines laid out in the bill. Furthermore, the bill directs federal
agencies holding mortgages to work with homeowners to minimize
foreclosures.

MY COMMENT: IMPROVED BY $110 BILLION IN EXTRA SPENDING TO BUY VOTES IN THE HOUSE.....

Additionally, Congress included several layers of
protection to ensure taxpayers receive a good return on our
investment. The Treasury Department will receive equity stakes in
companies selling troubled assets, allowing taxpayers to share in
future profits. If the taxpayer investment has not broken even
within five years, the President must submit a plan to Congress to
recoup these losses from the financial industry.

MY COMMENT: $440,000 TRIP TO EXCLUSIVE SPA FOR AIG EXECUTIVES DAY AFTER GETTING $85 BILLION FROM FED...

I am particularly concerned with the reckless behavior of
Wall Street executives who allowed greed to control the
management of their companies. Those same executives who put
our entire economic stability at risk - who asked us for help -
complained when Congress decided they needed to be held
accountable for their actions. I am pleased to say that Congress
ignored their objections and included limitations on executive
compensation for those firms selling troubled assets to the federal
government.

MY COMMENT: $1 MILLION PER MONTH "CONSULTING" CONTRACT FOR AIG EXECUTIVE. PERSONNEL HIRED TO ADMINISTER BAILOUT WILL PROBABLY BE FORMER EMPLOYEES OF THE WALL STREET FIRMS THAT CAUSED THE PROBLEMS...

However, I would still like those most involved in this
crisis on Wall Street to come before Congress and explain to the
public what role they played in this mess. I think they owe us all
an apology. They should also explain what they plan to do in the
future to make sure we never end up in this kind of crisis again.
They should tell us what regulations they think are necessary to
avoid another crisis. It is the least they can do in exchange for the
risks the American people are about to absorb on their behalf.

MY COMMENT: WALL STREET EXECUTIVES ALL TESTIFY-"WE'RE SORRY, BUT NOT SORRY ENOUGH TO GIVE BACK THE HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS WE'VE BEEN PAID TO RUN THESE COMPANIES INTO THE GROUND....

This was not an easy vote and I am disappointed by certain
aspects of the bill. I believe we should have included additional
financial regulations to restore the public's confidence in Wall
Street and make sure this never happens again. I am also
disappointed that this bill did not include stronger provisions to
help homeowners facing foreclosure and to get at the root of the
crisis. Regardless, we cannot let the perfect be the enemy of the
good, which is why I ultimately supported this legislation.

MY COMMENT: DISAPPOINTED BECAUSE THE VOTERS WILL HOLD YOU RESPONSIBLE NEXT ELECTION ? OR BECAUSE HOMEOWNERS DON'T HAVE THE MILLIONS CORPORATIONS DO FOR CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS.....

Many people have expressed concerns about other
provisions approved with this legislation. The economic
stabilization legislation was attached to a bill extending a series of
existing tax breaks that were expiring at the end of the year. These
provisions had been voted on and passed previously by both the
House and the Senate, but differences between the two bills kept
these extensions from becoming law.

MY COMMENT: ENERGY CONSERVATION & DISASTER AID-GOOD, TAX BREAKS FOR RACETRACK OWNERS, RUM PRODUCERS & WOODEN ARROW SHAFT MFG- BAD.......I SMELL BACON FRYING!

Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts with me on this
critically important issue. I have heard strongly held views from
many constituents on this legislation, and this was a difficult
decision for me to make. If I can be of assistance to you in the
future in any other matter, please do not hesitate to contact me.

MY COMMENT: YOU BLEW IT SENATOR!

Sincerely,

Herb Kohl
U.S. Senator

Nope, That 1/2% Didn't Do It......But Don't Panic..

2008-10-08T15:49:00.003-05:00

"OK guys, we've taken care of sub-prime mortgages, market liquidity and commercial paper- what have you got?"

"I've got California Bonds"
"I've got bad car loans from GM, Ford & Chrysler"
"I've got mortgage & commercial-based derivatives"
"I've got pension fund liquidity"
"I've got retail store credit debt"

"Guys, guys, calm down-this is Hank & Ben you're talking to......there will be plenty for EVERYBODY!"

Joe Biden on SNL's Joe Biden

2008-10-08T12:18:00.002-05:00

Watch the end of this video- around the 3:30 mark........

ABC News Joe Biden on the Debate

Spoofing The Spoofer?

2008-10-08T10:24:00.003-05:00

Speculation that Sarah Palin will appear on Saturday Night Live spoofing Tina Fey. Interesting and it would probably get her a few points for being a good sport..

Take That Tina Fey

Anybody Seen The Clintons?

2008-10-08T09:29:00.003-05:00

Anybody seen Bill or Hillary lately?

I've got two theories...
1). With the Fed printing so much new money they're busy printing up those "Hillary 2012" posters before the country runs out of ink.

2). They've got another land development down in Arkansas and they're filling out forms for "bailout money".

What do you think?

Our Debate Drinking Game Last Night

2008-10-08T08:56:00.002-05:00

Boy- we should have picked have picked "maverick" instead of "my friends" for our debate drinking game last night. I'm paying the price today.....

Lipstick on a Pig from the Pros.!..

2008-10-07T16:28:00.005-05:00

Fed Chairman Ben Bernake used a new term (at least to me) today- "the downside risk to growth has increased". What a bunch of gobbilty-gook politician-speak BS this is......

Translated this means "Holy crap, Another $800 billion and the economy is STILL going into the shitter!"

Translated into Palin-speak this means "Gosh darn, Another $800 billion and the economy is becoming a maverick!"

Well That Didn't Work-What Next?

2008-10-07T12:54:00.001-05:00

Well I guess that extra $800 BILLION announced today didn't do anything...market down 335 at 1 PM.

Watch for a 3/4% cut to 1.25% from the Fed. That would effectively be zero money for banks as if they borrow money & leave it in the central bank for which the Fed is going to pay them 1.25%. They better extend the ban on short selling on financials (expiring tomorrow) and expand it to ALL short selling...

Watch- an interest rate cut will work positively for only a few days on the market- Paulson & Bernake have no idea how to fix this...they're grasping at straws.

Is a negotiation with Canada & Mexico over a combined new currency in the works? Think Amero......

Sweet Weekend Deals

2008-10-07T10:21:00.002-05:00

Anybody investigating these sweet weekend deals the Fed & Treasury are arranging? A weekend deal supposedly gets done with Citicorp buying Wachovia for $1.5 billion. Citicorp would have to write of $42 billion in bad debt right away. Interesting the the FDIC fund has $42.5 billion it in- with no buyer for Wachovia would the FDIC have had to bail out Wachovia thereby rendering the FDIC insolvent and necessitating a bailout there?

Realize the FDIC only has enough bucks to cover a couple of failures-that why these deals are being done.

Then along comes Wells Fargo who offers $15 billion for Wachovia- ten times as much. Looks like Citicorp was getting a pretty sweet deal huh? Kinda like an insider deal. Pretty obvious average America's interests weren't being watched.....Expect more of the same in the future....

What Influences Politics? Take a look...

2008-10-07T10:00:00.003-05:00

If you don't think campaign contributions play a big part in politics-take a look...

Goldman Sachs

Any wonder that Henry Paulson (former CEO of Goldman Sachs) is Treasury Secretary? Have you seen who Paulson appointed to hand out the $700 billion bail out? A former Goldman Sachs executive of course...Neel Kashkari....

Oh and by the way, the bailout isn't just the $700B- now the Fed is going to pump in ANOTHER $800 billion or so....

Let's see:
$700 Billion pumped into the stock market in the last year or so
$700 Billion bailout of banks
$800 Billion buying short term paper

And this isn't going to affect inflation? We'll see.....
That's 2.2 TRILLION dollars- we're screwed...

TAXES- Ain't it the truth!

2008-10-07T09:49:00.003-05:00

Received this from a friend- I've seen it before but now I've got this great blog to share it!

What's happened to our nation?

A TAX POEM

At first I thought this was funny... then I realized the awful truth of it. Be sure to read all the way to the end!

Tax his land,
Tax his bed,
Tax the table
At which he's fed.

Tax his tractor,
Tax his mule,
Teach him taxes
Are the rule.

Tax his work,
Tax his pay,
He works for peanuts Anyway!

Tax his cow,
Tax his goat,
Tax his pants,
Tax his coat.

Tax his ties,
Tax his shirt,
Tax his work,
Tax his dirt.

Tax his tobacco,
Tax his drink,
Tax him if he
Tries to think.

Tax his cigars,
Tax his beers,
If he cries
Tax his tears.

Tax his car,
Tax his gas,
Find other ways
To tax his ass.

Tax all he has
Then let him know
That you won't be done
Till he has no dough.

When he screams and hollers,
Then tax him some more,
Tax him till
He's good and sore.

Then tax his coffin,
Tax his grave,
Tax the sod in
Which he's laid.

Put these words
upon his tomb,
' Taxes drove me to my doom...'

When he's gone,
Do not relax,
Its time to apply
The inheritance tax.

Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
CDL license Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Excise Taxes
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gasoline Tax (42 cents per gallon)
Gross Receipts Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Luxury Taxes
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Personal Property Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service Charge Tax
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Tax
Sales Tax
Recreational Vehicle Tax
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone Federal Excise Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax
Telephone State and Local Tax
Telephone Usage Charge Tax
Utility Taxes
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax

STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY?

Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, and our nation was the most prosperous in the world.

We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.

What in the hell happened? Can you spell 'politicians!' ......

An Amazing & Timely Speech...

2008-10-06T18:59:00.002-05:00

Here is an amazing speech- and it's from 1961. President Dwight Eisenhower's farewell address. The link below is a complete transcript...

Eisenhower Farewell Address

There are videos on YouTube with excerpts on "The Military-Industrial Complex"

Remember this is a Republican President speaking....

Palin Family Name Generator

2008-10-06T18:29:00.003-05:00

Ever wonder what your name would be if you had been born as a member of the Palin Family. Use the link below to find out..

http://personal-space.com/embed/script.php

I'm "Dust Chinstrap Palin" -hoe about you?

Former Ebay Chief for Treasury Secretary?

2008-10-06T17:57:00.002-05:00

I saw in the news today that Meg Whitman is under consideration by John McCain for Treasury Secretary. Well, the Treasury is a monopoly just like Ebay so she's got that type of experience.....of course she'll make sure and hose the little guy just like Ebay does..

Wonder how her buy-in was (campaign donations) to get her on the list? This is all about power people- beware....

Kudos To Packer Aaron Rodgers

2008-10-06T17:49:00.003-05:00

Kudos to Packer Aaron Rodgers for a great performance against Atlanta yesterday. While he did throw a badly timed interception that may have cost the Packers the game, he did show the guts playing through his shoulder injury that we have become accustomed to. He's got to get real world experience some how-right?

Note that I still believe that the Packers should have kept Favre but that's over. Hopefully Rodgers can get and stay healthy for the remainder of the season and continue his high level of play.

Where's The Pork?

2008-10-05T18:51:00.002-05:00

Citizens Against Government Waste has an annual report about pork in government spending-very interesting...

Which State is number 1? Link below:
http://www.cagw.org/site/PageServer?pagename=reports_pigbook2008porkpercap

Well, when Senator Ted Stevens goes to jail the spigot will be turned off....

However-check the list and see who's #51- also interesting...

How much money did #1 get? Look at the party column-see who's pushing the pork.....
http://www.cagw.org/site/PageServer?pagename=reports_pigbook2008_database

Hmmm, I thought it's the Democrats responsible for all that spending....

Alaska even has an award winner....
http://www.cagw.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=10682

Perhaps Ms. Palin was able to do such a good job with her budget because the other 49 states were financing projects that SHOULD have been funded by the Alaska State Government..

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-love/alaska-bloated-state-budg_b_125274.html

The Alaska Legislative Journal is also an interesting read and a different perspective....

Congratulations Brewers / Cubs Choke Again

2008-10-05T18:23:00.006-05:00

Kudos to the Milwaukee Brewers for getting into the playoffs and winning at least ONE game. More than you can say for the Chicago Cubs..

I just learned about the "Cub's Curse"...

The Goat of 1945

Back in 1945, a man by the name of William "Billy Goat" Sianis attempted to bring a goat named, Murphy, to Wrigley Field during Game 4 of the World Series. Sianis was the owner of the "Billy Goat Tavern" and was a diehard Cubs fan.

Since there was no signs or warnings that barred animals from the park, Sianis figured he would have no problem bringing Murphy to the park. Ready with one ticket for himself and one ticket for Murphy, Sianis and his pet watched the game until late in the game when they were asked to leave. Orders came directly from Cubs owner, P.K. Wrigley, asking that both Sianis and his pet goat be ushered out of the park. The reason given was "because the goat stinks". As a disgusted Sianis left, he was heard saying "The Cubs ain't gonna win no more. The Cubs will never win a World Series so long as the goat is not allowed in Wrigley Field."

After the Cubs lost the Series to the Tigers in seven games, Sianis sent a telegram to Wrigley that said "Who Stinks Now?". Diehard Cubs fans believe the curse still exists today.

From Cubbiesbaseball.com

For those of you that are older, the Billy Goat Tavern was spoofed on early seasons of Saturday Night Live in the mid 70's - remember John Belushi saying "Cheeburger,Cheeburger,Cheeburger.....No Coke-Pepsi......No fries-chips". I never knew the connection- interesting...

Oh No Another Post!

2008-10-05T17:16:00.002-05:00

Well I couldn't leave this alone today....had a discussion with a friend ( more of a monologue actually- Ha Ha Ha) and here I go again!

There's gonna be several more failures unless the government buys up nearly all bad debt including failed lemonade stands ( they don't have enough money to do that 'cause it's WAY more than $700 billion). When they do dump their bad paper on the government, and Paulson is hurrying to get that done, the banks will go back to doing what they've been doing (trying to make a fast buck) before new, tough regulations get passed.

The next big shock may be GM getting kicked out of the DJI- it's market capitalization is down around $5.8 billion- if it goes under $5B it could happen-that is unthinkable for what was once the biggest corporation in the world. That's another issue- a couple components in the DJI have changed (I believe WaMU was one) so a this year-last year comparison isn't the same...

I believe that the market drop of 157 points on Friday immediately after the bailout passed was because short sellers (in non-financials) were betting on the bill to fail again and it didn't so they had to quickly cover the stock they borrowed to minimize losses.

The 30 day ban on short selling financials ends Wed.- 72 hour trigger when the bailout passed. . My guess is the market will go up tomorrow but nothing big... The SNL video about the bailout with George Soros in it wasn't far off from the truth. (watch it if you haven't) I believe he made over $3 Billion last year doing hedge fund trading. I've been saying he backs MoveOn.org to get the Dems in office because the market would tank even more and he'd be a big winner....

The bailout actually ended up being $810 billion. You must add in an additional $700 billion the Fed pumped into the stock market during the last year to prop it up. That's $1.5 TRILLION. Remember I've been telling friends about how much they've been pumping in starting over a year ago. The only person I've heard mention that fact is Ron Paul- NO other politician of either party has 'fessed up to that. That "propping up" amounts to setting prices which even Ben Bernake agrees was something the government did wrong during the depression (Ron Paul questioned him about this during hearings on the 1st bailout bill). The market wants to drop-Paulson & the Fed won't let it. All they and the bailout have done is to push the bubble down the road.

Also, the result of the emergency European summit this weekend was that the govenments of Germany, Ireland and I believe Italy are now guaranteeing all private bank deposits in their respective countries.

Well, that's enough for today. I SSOOOOO hope I'm wrong on this stuff....

If I Hear The Term "Media Filter" One More Time...

2008-10-05T14:22:00.004-05:00

If I hear Sarah Palin use the term "media filter" one more time I'll puke. Gov. Palin seems to think it is her right to do a political ad every time she's interviewed rather than answering the questions she's asked. She wants to speak "directly to the American people" so that we get only her biased opinion- in other words, she's doing the same thing she accuses the media of doing.

Face it, the days of Murrow, Cronkite, Huntley and Brinkley are gone. Even they were at least a bit slanted. All media ARE biased- it's reality. One must use a breadbasket of different media to get the real story today.

Shaken Not Stirred- Martinis & Wisconsin Vodka

2008-10-05T12:27:00.003-05:00

On a lighter note....

OK, now to the important stuff- MARTINI'S!

Here's a couple places in Madison, WI that I like for martinis ( though they don't have most of my favorite vodka's..actually none...)

Blue Velvet Lounge (metro look, great bartenders)
http://www.thebluevelvetlounge.com/bluevelvet.html

The Ivory Room (dark piano bar-live lounge music)
http://www.ivoryroompianobar.com/

The Brink Lounge (nice atmosphere-really poor service-credit given for introducing me to Hendrick's Gin... also live bands)
http://www.thebrinklounge.com/

I'd give the Blue Velvet the nod over the other two places. The martini's are larger and I belive their Happy Hour (1/2 price) runs till 7 PM.

Wisconsin made Vodka reviews (I think I've had all the Wisconsin made ones now)
Yahara Bay- very smooth but has a noticeable apple flavor- not my cup of tea for a traditional martini- sweet
Rehorst- noticeable burn I didn't like it (Sorry- won't buy this one again)
45th Parallel- very clean, smooth taste- liked this a lot....
Death's Door- very clean, smooth taste- liked this a lot....

Effen is still my favorite, "glacial " is the best way to describe it...extremely smooth, very subtle taste. Reyka is very good too & a lot cheaper- almost as "glacial" as Effen.. Grey Goose is really very good but I'm still boycotting French products.....

Be careful of designer vodkas made in Princeton, MN- I believe it's a contract distillery owned by one of the big guys. I don't know if it's just a marketing ploy or if it's small guys taking their own recipe's in- I'd love feedback on that from anyone who knows...

Favorite gins are Hendrick's- "Industrial"
Bombay Sapphire- "Herbal"

Half & Half mixes of these are very good too!

I'm A Little Confused....

2008-10-05T11:48:00.001-05:00

I received this in an email recently- a different way to look at things....

I'm a little confused. Let me see if I have this straight.....

* If you grow up in Hawaii, raised by your grandparents, you're "exotic,
different."

* Grow up in Alaska eating moose burgers,you're a quintessential American story.

* If your name is Barack you're a radical, unpatriotic Muslim.

* Name your kids Willow, Trig and Track, and you're a maverick.

* Graduate from Harvard law School and be President of the Law Review, and
you are unstable.

* Attend 5 different small colleges before graduating, you're well
grounded.

* If you spend 3 years as a community organizer, create a voter
registration drive that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a
Constitutional Law professor, spend 8 years as a State Senator
representing a district with over 750,000 people, become chairman of the
state Senate's Health and Human Services committee, spend 4 years in the
United States Senate representing a state of 13 million people while
sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and
Public Works and Veteran's Affairs committees, you don't have any real
leadership experience.

* If your total resume is: local weather girl, 4 years on the city
council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, 20
months as the governor of a state with only 650,000 people, then you're
qualified to become the country's second highest ranking executive.

* If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising 2
beautiful daughters, all within Protestant churches, you're not a real
Christian.

* If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left your
disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a Christian.

* If you teach responsible, age appropriate sex education, including the
proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society.

* If, while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with no
other option in sex education in your state's school system while your
unwed teen daughter ends up pregnant , you're very responsible.

* If your wife is a Harvard graduate lawyer who gave up a position in a
prestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner city
community, then gave that up to raise a family, your family's values don't
represent America's.

* If your husband is nicknamed "First Dude", with at least one DUI
conviction and no college education, who didn't register to vote until age
25 and once was a member of a group that advocated the secession of Alaska
from the USA, your family is extremely admirable.

OK, much clearer now.

How Politics Work

2008-10-05T11:46:00.001-05:00

An example of how politics works..... ( great punchline at the end)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w91-GMc3j7I

I'd love to dub new audio over this-related to the bailout...Walter Peck (Dickless) looks a lot like Ben Bernake.....

Laurel & Hardy Go To Congress

2008-10-05T11:41:00.001-05:00

"Other than that-how was the play Mr. Lincoln?"

If you think this is interesting...send it on...

Laurel & Hardy go to Congress...."Ollie, I think we have a problem..." , "Certainly not Stanley, everything's going to be JUST fine!"

The Players:
Stan Laurel- Treasury Secretary ( & former Goldman Sachs CEO) "Hank" Paulson" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Paulson

Olliver Hardy- Fed Chairman Ben Bernake (actually never worked in real life business- an academic) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Bernanke

Why do either of these guys still have jobs? The Fed has been pumping BILLIONS into the stock market for well over a year- that simply kept the market artificially high (free market? Blow me!) and allowed the big banks to continue down the road to destruction. Oh.... and to transfer hundreds of billions to the speculator-plunderer-looter traders....

Watch the video below-Bernake is scared shitless (listen to his voice). He has no idea what's going on (or maybe he does). Hank Paulson is a typical political appointment- incompetent, has this position as a Thank You for his party loyalty...

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/index.php?cl=9866762

============================================================

Now read the story below. Bernake thinks the government should pay near full maturity value for "assets" it would be buying. Right, pay 100% for something that's nearly guarenteed to be worth only a fraction of that. here's an excerpt. How can these guys keep a straight face.....

"One of the tricky issues confronting policymakers is how to price the distressed assets that the government would ultimately buy.

Bernanke suggested buying the assets at a "hold-to-maturity" price, which would be based on an estimate of what the securities would eventually be worth as payments came in over the years.

"If the Treasury bids for and then buys assets at a price close to the hold-to-maturity price, there will be substantial benefits," Bernanke said. "First, banks will have a basis for valuing those assets and will not have to use fire-sale prices. Their capital will not be unreasonably marked down."

These banks are desperate so the logical thing to do is to give them 100% of the "book" value knowing this toilet paper is worth only a small fraction of that. BAD BUSINESS. The taxpayers should get this stuff at fire sale prices for bailing them out.

The reason he wants to do this is because if the banks are given the true value, the losses go on the books and you'll see a bunch of banks fail as they have near cash nor equity to take that kind of beating...Oh...and by the way the FDIC is in seriously bad shape- a few more failures & that's going to have to be bailed out too...and you're not hearing about that...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080923/ap_on_bi_ge/financial_meltdown

These guys are running something akin to a ponzi scheme....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponzi_scheme

Realize this $700 BILLION is NOT going to fix the problem. What's next- drop the discount rate again? That's good for about two more good days in the stock market and a whole lot of inflation. The Republicrats ( I use that term because there really is only one party- the Dems & Republicans are equally responsible) will bail out their campaign donors again as usual. We'll get the bill...

The only answer is a third party BY AND OF THE PEOPLE and a flat tax plan. Flat tax- Congress has no power to give taxbreaks & favors- watch the campaign money go away. Campaign money goes away these clowns won't want to stay in office for 20-30 years..

Do this and I will allow the govenment to spend a few billion on retraining all the out-of-work lawyers, accountants & politicos into new useful careers- perhaps the food service industry.."Would you like fries with that?"

Quote from a Bill Moyers interview with David Cay Johnston:

"There's one party in Washington. It's the party of money. It has
different wings and factions. But Washington is the party of money. And
the wealthiest people in America, the large corporations in America, are
busy milking the government for everything they can get. And you are
paying the price of their free lunch."

Hey it's only my opinion (and a crap-load of what little money I have)

Cut Me Some Slack

2008-10-05T11:20:00.000-05:00

I'm new at this so if there are some bad links, spell errors, etc. -I'm working on that. Still learning the ins & outs of how this works.

Thanks for your patience!

Your Urgent Help Needed

2008-10-05T11:17:00.000-05:00

Oh oh! Over at his CrunchyCon blog, Rod Dreher has received an urgent
email soliciting his help in a large "transfer of funds":

http://blog.beliefnet.com/crunchycon/2008/09/your-urgent-help-needed.html

McCain's Economic Plan For Nation

2008-10-05T11:14:00.000-05:00

I thought this was pretty funny. It's from the Onion News Network....

McCain’s Economic Plan For Nation: 'Everyone Marry A Beer Heiress'

Banking: The Next Big Oil?

2008-10-05T11:13:00.000-05:00

This is an email I wrote to my legislators....

"I am a native-born Madisonian and Wisconsin resident.. I recently wrote to you for the first time but find the need to write again.

I am becoming increasingly concerned with the structure of the revised economic bail out (no, it’s not a “rescue” or “investment plan”) proposal being formulated by the House and whether adequate safeguards are included to protect taxpayers. I agree that assistance is necessary and understand your support in the recent vote.

There are two related areas of concern I have and I would like to know what current provisions in the package or future legislation may address these areas:

1). Money is a commodity (just like oil). The upheaval in the bank and finance markets has caused a sudden and tremendous contraction in the banking industry creating a small number of “super banks” which will control a large portion of the “money” industry. What provision will be included or will be implemented in the future to prevent these “super banks” from adopting the oil industry’s business plan of monopolistic pricing practices at the expense of ordinary consumers?

2). The banks strongly supported ( and were able to get legislation passed) creating major changes in the bankruptcy laws a few years ago. These changes were detrimental to consumers who find themselves in tough financial states and prevent many from filing bankruptcy when it is their only alternative. This meant that many people with no money could not file bankruptcy which would force banks to show the losses on their financials. The people still had no money and the loans still went unpaid but banks were able to continue to carry these loans on their books as “good “assets thereby artificially inflating their profits and also meant that necessary additions to reserves for these bad loans were not required. What safeguards will be put in place to prevent future financial “hocus pocus like this?"

Why This Country Is Messed Up

2008-10-05T11:11:00.000-05:00

The finance industry bail-out bill (or "rescue bill" or "investment recovery bill" if you're a politician trained as a lawyer) started out as a 3 page bill from "Handy Hank" Paulson- basically, give us $700 BILLION dollars and "trust us"- yeah, right....it just needed to be a big enough number to "shock & awe"- it might cost well over a TRILLION dollars-nobody knows.......

It goes to the House and becomes a 110 page bill which fails- now renamed "Emergency Economic Stabilzation Bill"

It goes to the Senate and becomes a 451 page bill which fails- now renamed "Emergency Economic Stabilzation Bill"
Here's the link:
http://www.c-span.org/pdf/hr1424_100108.pdf

Want to guess how many pages when it comes out of the house again? 600...700?

Some highlights-
Excise tax waiver on the manufacture of wooden arrow shafts
Excise tax limit delay on rum made in Puerto Rico
Change in investment recovery period on race car tracks to 7 years
Even something on incoming averaging on amounts received from Exxon Valdez litigation!

If you want to know who's votes are needed to get this porker passed- figure out who's districts have arrow manufacturers, rum importers and NASCAR tracks..

Look at page 261- there's a summary. There are some good things for disaster relief & energy conservation but that stuff should be separate.......not here....

Sounds like "Lipstick on a Pig to me!" And no, I am not insulting Sarah Palin....

Straight Talk Express- Yea right...

2008-10-05T10:57:00.000-05:00

Watch the whole video below- the whole McCain campaign is smelling a lot like Karl Rove and Sarah Palin is beginning to act a lot like Dick Cheney ( denying reporters access & refusing to appear for Alaskan subpoenas) ...this man is not fit to be president & she is not fit to be VP).......His "keepers" are leading him around making the decisions-he's got no idea what's going on and it shows. Obvious to see why he wants to bail on the Friday debate ( and get Palin out of hers).

He blew off Letterman just like he blew off his first wife... outright lied to him ( think he'd be straight with the American people?)....this is going to cost him....

Think this is bad? Check out Palin's interview with Katie Couric trying to explain how being able to see Russia from her house is foreign policy experience. Someone described it as very similar to the South Carolina pageant queen talking about "The Iraq"- I heard it and they were right! In another part of her interview you see her looking down like she had "notes" ( or rather a list of buzz words & sound bites and no full understanding of what she's saying).

David Letterman Reacts to John McCain Suspending Campaign
On the "Late Show," David Letterman talks about John McCain suspending his campaign in order to solve the economic problems.

A New Way For Me To Vent...

2008-10-05T10:50:00.000-05:00

Well, I've decided to actually use my account here. I've been sending out a lot of emails lately and thought this might be a good way for people to see what I'm thinking without having to deal with a bunch of emails from me. Trying to be more "green" in terms of internet bandwidth usage....

I'm posting a bunch of stuff from the last couple weeks. The number of new posts will probably be a lot less in the future depending on what's going on- I hope so...

Kucinich's Main Street Recovery Plan

2008-10-05T10:45:00.000-05:00

Read his plan- I think Kucinich left a few things out:

Zero Calorie Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream & McDonald's Big Mac's
Free Viagara & Sex Surrogates for all
A Windows OS that doesn't crash
A Beatles Reunion with all 4 original members

and of course....
Brett Favre's Return to the Packers and to the Superbowl!

KUCINICH'S MAIN STREET RECOVERY PLAN

Dear Friend,

While Wall Street and the Bush Administration try to blackmail Congress into a $700 billion bailout for corporations that have shown zero concern about the plight of the American people through the last decade, I have been working on a comprehensive alternative. Today, I am releasing a plan for economic recovery that will provide not only economic stimulus, but also fairness for everyday people on every "Main Street" in America. The plan is detailed below, and it will also be available on the campaign website www.kucinich.us.

Of course, this is a plan that has not only economic implications, but also moral and spiritual implications as well. The social, economic, and political divisions in our nation must be healed. We can make a new beginning, seizing this moment of crisis and transforming it into a moment of rebirth for our nation. I hope you will take the time to read it, consider it, and share it with your friends. I welcome your comments and your support.

More tomorrow.

Thank you,

Dennis
www.Kucinich.us
216-252-9000 877-933-6647

Kucinich’s Main Street Recovery Plan

1. Health Care for All: Insurance companies make money not providing health care. As the co-author of HR 676, a universal, single-payer, not-for-profit health care system, Medicare for All, I understand millions of Americans want health care that is accessible and affordable.

Medicare for All will help businesses large and small, create jobs as well as save the jobs of thousands of people including those of doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers who are currently leaving medicine because it is run by the insurance companies. $1 in every 3 dollars of the $2.4 trillion spent annually in America for health care goes to the insurance companies. If we take that money ($800 billion in unproductive wasteful spending) and put it directly into care, we will have enough money to cover everyone. We are already paying for Medicare for all, but not receiving it. HR 676 changes that!

2. Prescription Drug Benefit for Seniors: HR 6800 is the MEDS Act, which provides a fully paid prescription drug benefit, under Medicare, for all seniors. I wrote this bill to help alleviate the economic pressure that comes from the high cost of prescription drugs. We can pay for it by letting the government negotiate drug prices with the pharmaceutical companies as well as by permitting re-importation.

3. Stop the Oil Companies’ Price Gouging: As you know, I was the first one to step up to challenge of the corrupt price gouging and market speculation of the oil companies by proposing a windfall profits tax, on oil and natural gas companies, with revenues put into tax credits for the purchase of fuel-efficient American-made cars. However, it may be that nationalization is the only way to put an end to the oil companies' sharp practices.

4. Protecting the American Homestead: As Chairman of the Domestic Policy Oversight Subcommittee, I am working to protect your basic right to have a roof over your head, whether as an owner or renter. I have investigated and helped to expose the manipulation of mortgage markets, and I am crafting a new federal policy so that neighborhoods with the highest number of foreclosures get the most help.

5. Jobs for All: Congressman LaTourette and I have co-authored the bi-partisan New Deal-type jobs program, HR 3400, "Rebuilding America's Infrastructure." It will create millions of good-paying new jobs rebuilding our roads, bridges, water systems and sewer systems.

6. American Manufacturing Policy: I am drafting the American Manufacturing Policy Act, which for the first time, will state that the maintenance of U.S. steel, automotive, and aerospace industries are vital to our national economic security and must be maintained through integrated public-private cooperation, new trade policies, and investment.

7. Works Green Administration: I am also drafting plans for a green New Deal jobs program, in which the government creates millions of jobs by incentivizing the design, engineering, manufacturing, distribution and maintenance of millions of wind and solar micro-technologies for millions of homes and businesses, dramatically lowering energy costs and reducing our dependence on oil.

8. Fair Trade: The U.S. has lost millions of good-paying jobs, and more jobs have been out-sourced. As you know, I have helped to lead the way in opposition to trade giveaways. I strongly urge repeal of NAFTA. We must include workers' rights, human rights and environmental quality principles in all trade pacts. We must also protect the Great Lakes' water resources from the reach of multi-national corporations.

9. Education for All: I know families need help with the rising cost of day care. That is why I introduced HR 4060, a universal pre-kindergarten program to ensure that all children ages 3-5 have access to full-day, quality day care.

10. Protecting Pensions: I am working to change bankruptcy laws so pensioners' claims will be first, ahead of banks, and that corporate executives who misuse workers' pension funds are subject to criminal penalties. I want to fully fund the Pension Benefit Guarantee Board.

11. Social Security: From my first moments in Congress, I have exposed Wall Street's efforts to privatize Social Security and attacked it in the Democratic Caucus when it was being proposed. Can you imagine where seniors would be today if Social Security had been turned over to the stock market? Social Security is solid through 2032 without any changes.

12. Protect Bank Deposits: I will work to make sure the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has sufficient funds to provide for insurance of deposits up to $200,000 at all banks and savings and loans. This is an urgent matter since so many banks are said to be vulnerable.

13. Protect Investors: Bring back strong regulation to Wall Street. As Chairman of the Domestic Policy Subcommittee, I challenged the Wall Street hedge fund speculators as a threat to small investors. I intend to keep active watch over the machinations on Wall Street.

14. Strength through Peace: You'll remember when I led the effort against the ill-conceived Iraq war, which has now cost more than 4,100 US soldiers' lives, cost U.S. taxpayers between $3 trillion and $5 trillion, and resulted in the deaths of more than a million Iraqis. We must bring our troops home and end the war. We must engage in diplomacy. We must reduce the military budget, and we must stop outrageous cost overruns by the likes of Halliburton.

15. Safety in America: I am proud of my work for peace. In July 2001, I introduced a bill, which today is HR 808, that for the first time creates a comprehensive plan to deal with the issues of violence in American society, particularly domestic violence, spousal abuse, child abuse, gang violence, gun violence, racial violence, and violence against gays by establishing a Cabinet-level Department of Peace and Restorative Justice. This proposal has sparked a national movement and when implemented will save tax payers millions of dollars.

16. Monetary Policy: It is long past the time that we looked at the implications of our debt based monetary system, the privatization of money created by the 1913 Federal Reserve Act, the banks fractional reserve system and our debt-based economic system. Unless we have dramatic reform of monetary policy, the entire economic system will continue to accelerate wealth upwards. I am currently working on drafting legislation for an 'American Monetary Act' to address these and other issues in order to protect the economic wellbeing of America.

How Much Is $700 Billion? My List

2008-10-05T10:41:00.000-05:00

About the bailout- How much is $700 Billion?

I just did some numbers. The results are mind boggling- I didn't believe them but I checked them several times-check for yourself and let me know if I made a mistake. If you agree with these numbers- send them on to your friends and remember who put us in this position on election day...:

700 Billion $1 Bills stacked up would be 47,530 MILES HIGH
(1/6th the distance to the moon- a $1 bill is .0043 " thick)

700 Billion $1 bills placed end to end is 66,287,878 MILES LONG
(2/3rd the distance to the sun or 138 round trips to the moon- a $1 bill is 6" long)

$700 Billion divided by the number of people on Earth (6.93 Billion)= $104.58 for each person on the face of the Earth

$700 Billion would buy 28 Million Toyota Prius automobiles (at $25,000- base price is $22,000)
(The are roughly 135,400,000 passenger cars in the US- not including trucks or SUV's)

$700 Billion would buy 1.75 BILLION Playstation 3 game consoles
(roughly 1 for every 4 people IN THE WORLD)

$700 Billion would pay for 1 MILLION heart transplants with 10 years of follow up care
(Transplant-$300K plus 10 years at $40/year = $700K)

$700 Billion would buy 26,223 TONS of Gold
(10/3/08-Gold Price $834.16/ oz. -2007 world gold production was approximately 2,500 tons)

$700 Billion would give each person in Wasilla, Alaska $71,574,300
(2007 Population estimate 9,780. Yes that’s $71 MILLION for each resident)

$700 Billion would buy 358.9 MILLION 52” 1080P LCD TV’S
(Samsung 52LB5-$1950 at American TV- Over 6 for each US household (105.5 million -2000 figure)

Brain To Nowhere

2008-10-05T10:38:00.002-05:00

	help center \| e-mail options \| report spam
madcitygork has shared a video with you on YouTube: Too awesome! Ken Lonnquist from Madison, WI -watch the piano player....also listen to the piano at the end.. Brain to Nowhere Topical song about Sarah Palin by Ken Lonnquist.
© 2008 YouTube, LLC

VP Debate on SNL

2008-10-05T10:38:00.001-05:00

These just keep getting better & better.

http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/clips/vp-debate-open-palin-biden/727421/

What's scary is that Tina Fey's portrayal of Palin is so accurate...Palin could actually become Vice President- even scarier then Dan Quayle who was VP....Palin believes in the Dick Cheney model of the office- we all know how dangerous that is...

Outsourcing

2008-10-05T10:35:00.000-05:00

http://www.informationweek.com/news/management/outsourcing/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=210602255&pgno=1&queryText=&isPrev=

This is an interesting article- look to the paragraph at the end, it's all about money- the writer has just put a lot of lipstick on it.

What he doesn't realize is that he is helping educate the outsourcers and eventually they will probably replace his company when second generation engineers arrive. This is the way China plays the game. Look at their space program. In just three flights they have gotten to the level it took NASA about 20 to achieve. They will do the same with other technology...

Also notice that India is now "too expensive" at 75-85% of American wages....Indian outsourcing firms are actually moving into China as well-thereby screwing their own citizens.. Don't be surprised if the African market is tapped too. There are millions of Nigerians that could be re-trained from inheritance /lottery scammers into help desk representatives quite easily. They speak/write English (sort of) and have basic computer skills...