The money that I have invested?
It would be worth 34% more if I had taken it as cash and stuffed it in a boot.
Hope it doesn’t get worse.
Is it a good idea to keep putting money in the market now? Certainly It Will Gain Value? Or should my jokes about stuffing it in a mattress become serious strategery?
Strangely enough, my water bill has gone down about 50% over the past four months. I don’t get it. But I think this means I should short-sell my own water.
Here’s the followup to my last entry. . . I actually watched some of the debate on Friday night and was surprised that no one used the annoying Wall St/Main St device. But this morning, on the way into work, as I was cresting the Wilmington Street bridge over the railroad tracks, I heard an American politician use that device in an interview on the BBC World News.
And the winner of the inverse straight ticket is. . .
Wait, hang on, I think it goes down smoother this way:
SHOW ME WALL STREET AND MAIN STREET!
*DING*
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U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX)
To remove all doubt, he also threw in something about Oak Street and Elm Street, but I kind of missed his point because I was thinking about blogging.
That’s it. I’m sick of it. The next politician who parallel-syntaxes “Wall Street” and “Main Street” in the same sentence, I’m voting the straight ticket the other way.
COZ THERE AINT NO DOUBT I LOVE THIS LAAAAAAND
GOD BLESS THE USAAAAAAAAAAA
So now that State’s 1st string QB is out again, Harrison Beck is starting again. Here’s a quote from today’s N&O, from our own head coach:
“[Beck] can wing it around,” O’Brien said. “We’re just going to have to tell him that we’re wearing the red jerseys on Saturday night, and we’ll be in good shape.”
LOL. Harsh, true, and hilarious.
I just watched Sarah Palin get interviewed by Charlie Gibson, which was a Big Thing that aired on Wednesday night. I heard that she’d not looked so good in it, but. . .wow. She is a very compelling speaker in a speechmaking situation, but when questioned, she handles herself only slightly better than I would.
I know that an interview tactic when cornered on a tough question, is to steer the answer towards something you do know about. But I’ve never seen it as transparently done as she did it. Here’s a paraphrase of a couple questions:
GIBSON: But this is not just reforming a government. This is also running a government on the huge international stage in a very dangerous world. When I asked John McCain about your national security credentials, he cited the fact that you have commanded the Alaskan National Guard and that Alaska is close to Russia. Are those sufficient credentials?PALIN: But it is about reform of government and it’s about putting government back on the side of the people, and that has much to do with foreign policy and national security issues Let me speak specifically about a credential that I do bring to this table, Charlie, and that’s with the energy independence that I’ve been working on for these years as the governor of this state that produces nearly 20 percent of the U.S. domestic supply of energy, that I worked on as chairman of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, overseeing the oil and gas development in our state to produce more for the United States.
GIBSON: I know. I’m just saying that national security is a whole lot more than energy.
PALIN: It is, but I want you to not lose sight of the fact that energy is a foundation of national security. It’s that important. It’s that significant.
Two more commas and the woman would be talking about Kevin Bacon.
Here’s another one. Important parts of the exchange bolded.
GIBSON: Have you ever met a foreign head of state?PALIN: There in the state of Alaska, our international trade activities bring in many leaders of other countries.
GIBSON: And all governors deal with trade delegations.
PALIN: Right.
GIBSON: Who act at the behest of their governments.
PALIN: Right, right.
GIBSON: I’m talking about somebody who’s a head of state, who can negotiate for that country. Ever met one?
PALIN: I have not and I think if you go back in history and if you ask that question of many vice presidents, they may have the same answer that I just gave you. But, Charlie, again, we’ve got to remember what the desire is in this nation at this time. It is for no more politics as usual and somebody’s big, fat resume maybe that shows decades and decades in that Washington establishment, where, yes, they’ve had opportunities to meet heads of state … these last couple of weeks … it has been overwhelming to me that confirmation of the message that Americans are getting sick and tired of that self-dealing and kind of that closed door, good old boy network that has been the Washington elite.
This is only noteworthy to me because I was talking to Dayo last night about the time he hung out with a foreign head of state for a few days. Sara Palin should talk to Dayo and see if he can set up a meeting.
By the way, what the hell was that last paragraph? I know that every answer is required to integrate at least one talking point about “politics as usual” or “Washington elite”, but both? And in an answer to this question? What, talking with foreign leaders is a “good old boy” method of dealing with diplomacy?
She didn’t know what the Bush Doctrine was. Even I knew that, and I have problems remembering how to hard-boil an egg. It states that we’re allowed to defend ourselves by preemptive offensive strikes, more or less. (Shout out to my peoples at Raytheon and SAIC, and of course, Northrup Grumman. With so much drama from the NGC, it’s kinda hard being. . . a resident in the hills of Afghanistan?)
One thing I didn’t like about the interview itself was how they cut it. I get the feeling that she doesn’t have much more of a clue than anyone else who reads the news — this was the first interview I’d seen with her and she did not acquit herself well — but she/her defenders could point out the jerky way the interview looked based on the snips and cuts that abc performed before putting it on-air. An argument could be made that if we’d seen the interview in its entirety she’d not have come across as so evasive or un-knowledgeable.
So, uh, in conclusion, I am not impressed.
As I try to ensure my constant good hydration, I am a Nalgene-carrying dude. Always with the Nalgene, I am. Show up at a meeting with it, get all sorts of comments like “did you hike here?” or “worried about dehydrating in the meeting?” Anyway, yeah, I drink water.
I made a comment last night to milady about her water bottle, something to the effect of “I like your water bottle,” and today she went and bought me one! She is the best.
“Why am I so excited about this?” he wondered to himself. “Oh, that’s right,” he remembered, “it’s because I’m white people.”
