Friday, February 5, 2010

Update on Stock Market

On January 20, 2010, prior to the market opening, I indicated the stock market would decline to around 1000. See HERE. From January 19 to February 5, the S&P declined from 1,150.23 to 1066.19--a drop of 7.3%. I recently dipped my toe in the market, buying dividend-paying stocks, but now I'm not sure if the S&P will decline to 1000. If the market continues to decline to 1000 or 900, I will double down. I kept some gunpowder for another shot, which makes me feel better if the market does in fact decline to 1000 or less.

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Brandeis on Gossip

Reason #28,474,556,347 why I love Brandeis:

When personal gossip attains the dignity of print, and crowds the space available for matters of real interest to the community, what wonder that the ignorant and thoughtless mistake its relative importance. Easy of comprehension, appealing to that weak side of human nature which is never wholly cast down by the misfortunes and frailties of our neighbors, no one can be surprised that it usurps the place of interest in brains capable of other things. Triviality destroys at once robustness of thought and delicacy of feeling. No enthusiasm can flourish, no generous impulse can survive under its blighting influence.

More here.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

People to Government Unions: Baaaa Baaaa

More on government unions HERE. I've shown this article to some people, and they never address it directly--they just start talking about the increasing prison population, the increasing immigrant population, etc.

In short, people keep trying to justify out-of-control state spending by referring to the specific expense they hate the most; however, the point isn't that some people dislike specific expenditures--everyone dislikes some expenses, whether it's Medi-Cal, prisons, pensions, etc.

The point is that overall state spending is out of control, and a specific segment of the population has made themselves immune to economic fluctuations at the expense of taxpayers, including the middle-class.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

How to Select a Jury

HERE is an excellent post re: jury selection by Texas attorney Mark Bennett.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

California's Unemployment Fund Problem

From the nonpartisan California Legislative Analyst's Office:

The Unemployment Insurance fund is currently insolvent. In its most recent fund forecast, the Employment Development Department projects that the fund will experience a year-end deficit of $7.4 billion in the 2009 calendar year, rising to $18.4 billion in 2010 and $27.2 billion in 2011.

Perhaps this explains why the unemployed might be having a harder time getting approved for benefits.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Another Blog Recommendation

Interesting post on Iran here, with some pictures. Good stuff, no? The entire blog is worth a look-see.

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Warren Buffett on Sex

Warren Buffett on sex...yup, you read that right. See here for more.

On selling your business to Berkshire vs. private equity: You can sell it to Berkshire, and we'll put it in the Metropolitan Museum; it'll have a wing all by itself; it'll be there forever. Or you can sell it to some porn shop operator, and he'll take the painting and he'll make the boobs a little bigger and he'll stick it up in the window, and some other guy will come along in a raincoat, and he'll buy it.

A Puritan, he's not.