JustThinking.us

I skulk through Jesse's Cafe' Americain once or twice a week.

Sometimes his analysis is a little deeper than I am tall.

But I keep coming back probably, mostly because I almost always agree with him when I can figure out just what the hell he's talking about.

Among the most time honored chart patterns identified by technical analysts of stock and commodity pricing is the "cup and handle" pattern.

This Gold daily chart offers about as good an example of the "cup and handle" pattern as any you are likely to see.

From The Economist, A History of World GDP.

Click anywhere on the chart to call up the site, if you have the time go through the comments, you'll find some thoughtful stuff.

Thanks to Gary V. for sending this in.

Smart Little Lena suffered a stroke and was euthanized Monday August 30, 2010 at his home in Aubrey Texas.

He was 31 years old.

Arguably both the greatest show horse, and the greatest sire in the history of the National Cutting Horse Association, the tiny sorrel earned $743,275 in only eight shows.  

His offspring have earned in excess of 34 million dollars in the cutting pen alone.

He has also sired champion Reining and Working Cow Horses.

I really am not crazy about the video available for Smart Little Lena at this sitting, so in order to answer the question,

"Just what the hell is a cutting horse anyway?"

Here's promotional video of Metallic Cat doing his thing.

Smart Little Lena sired both of Metallic Cat's grandams (grandmothers)

 Whoa buddy.

I like Porter Stansbury.

Many, many years ago I bought one of his newsletters, ended up not using it much out and called and asked to cancel.

I'm pretty sure Porter picked up the phone.

I had my money back on the next statement, no muss, no fuss.

That's a good businessman in my opinion.

Even if it wasn't Porter that picked up the phone.

The following is a piece he published for Casey's Daily Dispatch.

He's in a mood.

I don't blame him. 

This Is Why There Are No Jobs in America

By Porter Stansberry
Saturday, August 21, 2010

I'd like to make you a business offer.

Seriously. This is a real offer. In fact, you really can't turn me down, as you'll come to understand in a moment...

Here's the deal. You're going to start a business or expand the one you've got now. It doesn't really matter what you do or what you're going to do. I'll partner with you no matter what business you're in – as long as it's legal.

But I can't give you any capital – you have to come up with that on your own. I won't give you any labor – that's definitely up to you. What I will do, however, is demand you follow all sorts of rules about what products and services you can offer, how much (and how often) you pay your employees, and where and when you're allowed to operate your business. That's my role in the affair: to tell you what to do.

Now in return for my rules, I'm going to take roughly half of whatever you make in the business each year. Half seems fair, doesn't it? I think so. Of course, that's half of your profits.

You're also going to have to pay me about 12% of whatever you decide to pay your employees because you've got to cover my expenses for promulgating all of the rules about who you can employ, when, where, and how. Come on, you're my partner. It's only "fair."

Now... after you've put your hard-earned savings at risk to start this business, and after you've worked hard at it for a few decades (paying me my 50% or a bit more along the way each year), you might decide you'd like to cash out – to finally live the good life.

Whether or not this is "fair" – some people never can afford to retire – is a different argument. As your partner, I'm happy for you to sell whenever you'd like... because our agreement says, if you sell, you have to pay me an additional 20% of whatever the capitalized value of the business is at that time.

I know... I know... you put up all the original capital. You took all the risks. You put in all of the labor. That's all true. But I've done my part, too. I've collected 50% of the profits each year. And I've always come up with more rules for you to follow each year. Therefore, I deserve another, final 20% slice of the business.

Oh... and one more thing...

Even after you've sold the business and paid all of my fees... I'd recommend buying lots of life insurance. You see, even after you've been retired for years, when you die, you'll have to pay me 50% of whatever your estate is worth.

After all, I've got lots of partners and not all of them are as successful as you and your family. We don't think it's "fair" for your kids to have such a big advantage. But if you buy enough life insurance, you can finance this expense for your children.

All in all, if you're a very successful entrepreneur... if you're one of the rare, lucky, and hard-working people who can create a new company, employ lots of people, and satisfy the public... you'll end up paying me more than 75% of your income over your life. Thanks so much.

I'm sure you'll think my offer is reasonable and happily partner with me... but it doesn't really matter how you feel about it because if you ever try to stiff me – or cheat me on any of my fees or rules – I'll break down your door in the middle of the night, threaten you and your family with heavy, automatic weapons, and throw you in jail.

That's how civil society is supposed to work, right? This is Amerika, isn't it?

That's the offer Amerika gives its entrepreneurs. And the idiots in Washington wonder why there are no new jobs...

Xenophobia:

From the Greek words ξένος (xénos, foreign) + φόβος (phobos, fear) + -ia.

An exaggerated or abnormal fear of strangers or foreigners.

A strong antipathy or aversion to strangers or foreigners.

 

Oikophobia:

From the Greek words oikos meaning a “house,” “family,” “people,” or “nation” and phobos.

An abnormal fear of the home, or of a house.

Recently expanded to mean an extreme or irrational fear or dislike for one's own people, home, nation and culture.

From The Washington Post

Thanks to Pkil K. for sending the link to this editorial.

Click anywhere below to link straight to the entire piece. 

The last refuge of a liberal

By Charles Krauthammer

Friday, August 27, 2010 

Liberalism under siege is an ugly sight indeed.

Just yesterday it was all hope and change and returning power to the people.

But the people have proved so disappointing.

Their recalcitrance has, in only 19 months, turned the predicted 40-year liberal ascendancy (James Carville) into a full retreat.

Ah, the people, the little people, the small-town people, the "bitter" people, as Barack Obama in an unguarded moment once memorably called them, clinging "to guns or religion or" -- this part is less remembered -- "antipathy toward people who aren't like them."

That's a polite way of saying: clinging to bigotry.

And promiscuous charges of bigotry are precisely how our current rulers and their vast media auxiliary react to an obstreperous citizenry that insists on incorrect thinking.

--Resistance to the vast expansion of government power, intrusiveness and debt, as represented by the Tea Party movement?

Why, racist resentment toward a black president.

--Disgust and alarm with the federal government's unwillingness to curb illegal immigration, as crystallized in the Arizona law?

Nativism.

--Opposition to the most radical redefinition of marriage in human history, as expressed in Proposition 8 in California?

Homophobia.

-- Opposition to a 15-story Islamic center and mosque near Ground Zero?

Islamophobia.

Now we know why the country has become "ungovernable," last year's excuse for the Democrats' failure of governance:

Who can possibly govern a nation of racist, nativist, homophobic Islamophobes?

Did you hear about the dyslexic, agnostic, insomniac? 

Lays awake all night wondering if there really is a dog.

Three of four years ago I'd receive a Parkour vid in my email seemingly on a daily basis.

I don't believe I've ever posted any of them.

Anyway, I'm posting this one despite the fact that I couldn't embed the code and can only post the link mostly because it's the most fun of any I've seen.

If it loads a little slow, it's worth the wait.

http://biertijd.com/mediaplayer/?itemid=22029

Thanks to Kelly (my personal chef) for sending this in.

As an aside, I used to be able to do stuff like this ............... before the operation.

Complicated.