Abomination!

You might think this is funny.

I found myself shouting at the computer screen a few minutes ago, spitting mad and cursing up a storm. The tirade stopped almost as fast as it started, when I realized what a spectacle I was making of myself. Lucky thing I live alone.

And what brought on this emotional storm? A blog essay entitled “Obama sought rape victim for ad”.

Seems the campaign for the Democrat candidate is seeking a female rape victim to use against the Republicans. The thrust of the ad will be that sexually abused women should vote for the Democrats because Republicans don’t fight for rape victims.

We don’t? That is news to me. Looks like it is the Democrats who let the victims down.

There are a lot of things in this world I can’t do anything about. This is one of them.

Just Because I Like It

Take a break from politics and finance…well, contemporary politics and finance, anyhow…with Sir Patrick Spence.

The king sits in Dunfermline toun,
Drinkin’ the bluid red wine
‘0 whaur will I get a skeely skipper,
To sail this ship o’ mine?’

Then up and spak an eldern knicht,
Sat at the king’s richt knee,
‘Sir Patrick Spence is the best sailor,
That ever sail’d the sea.’

Our king has written a braid letter,
And seal’d it wi’ his han’,
And sent it to Sir Patrick Spence,
Was walkin’ on the stran’.

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Wise Words on Troubled Times

Like many, the current events in the financial markets have me a bit dazzled.  I understand a lot more than I did a few weeks ago from reading blog posts, newspaper articles and a small book or two.  I also have been watching CNBC and Fox Business which have had a lot of interesting information on them as well.  But I have a reservation.  Whenever I see a report on CNBC or soak in a few pixels of information on a website I get a certain empty feeling.  I feel as though I am being played.  These information outlets feed on advertising for their lives, after all.  Blood always leads, even on the financial pages.

The very best thing I have read on the current situation was in the WSJ weekend edition a week ago.  It wasn’t “world ending” stuff, and it was easy to understand and concise.  Several articles in the same edition were excellent.

That said, here is an excellent quote from Blogging Stocks:

In these tough times, the media does it best to convey the impression that it’s really looking out for the best interest of the humble investor.
 
In its September 28, 1998 issue, Fortune’s cover screamed: “The Crash of ’98. Can the U.S. Economy Hold up?” The Managing Editor explained that Fortune was “dedicated” to making sense of the “scary” financial situation.
 
How helpful!
 
I am not trivializing the current financial crisis. I have no idea what the direction of the markets will take in the future. What I do know is the financial media have a vested interest in hyping extreme conditions because it is in their economic interest to do so.
 
Investors can learn from the terrible track record of the media in predicting the future of the markets. They are not a reliable source of information.
 
What are your alternatives?
 
Consider the 80-year history of the markets, which have experienced ten bear markets. Look at long-term risk and reward data. Read books that have peer review, academically tested data supporting intelligent investing principles. There has been a trend by authors of these books to write them in way that is easily understood by everyone…
 
…Ignore the financial media, unless you find it entertaining.
 
The big wooden horse the Greeks gave the Trojans was not a gift. Neither is the information provided with such confidence by most of the financial media.

The article is appropriately named Kissing Cousins:  The Wall Street Collapse and Media Hype.