People want things!

I want things! I'm a big fan of consumerism, just not a big fan of dishing out the fist full of yen(or whatever currency you may use). Times are bad now and we need to curb our enthusiasm for buying things we don't need. Everyone wants stuff, but do we really need all the things that we want? I'm hoping out of this down turn in the economy people will start to make things that are good and worthwhile buying. Like this impressive...camera...camcorder...thing by JVC. I wonder what the battery life is like?




JVC Everio X

Is this the bottom?

A few days ago I received an email after discussing whether we have reached the bottom. As you may know we reached 1997 levels today breaching the 7000 level for the Dow. Is this the bottom? We certainly hope it is, but probably not. "There is no limit to stupidity," my friend claims referring to the market. I respectfully disagree. When we reach 0, it will be the bottom to this stupidity.

So, Is this the bottom? Your answer lies below at the link.

http://isthisthebottom.com/

Created by Train Horns

I'm 32 and could hear this sound. I guess I should be happy that I am young at ear...

I love COFFEE!

How about a blend of Hawaiian, Kenyan, Indonesian Coffee?

The Barack O Blend

http://www.konajoe.com/shop/krc_blend_kona.html

Can't wait to try it!

NO EXIT

Walmart recently disclosed that as many as 15,800 exit signs cannot be accounted for. This wouldn't be big news if these exit signs didn't contain tritium gas, a form of hydrogen which is used for emergency exit signs because of its ability to glow in the dark when the power goes out. What??? How can something with radioactive material be so casually misplaced? Isn't it ironic that when so many are trying to find the exit out of their economic misery in this turbulent of times, exit signs are missing and they are also radioactive. What does this mean? Stay away from the exit?

Optimisim vs Pessimism

I sent an article to a friend and received a quite different reaction than what I expected. I originally sent the article to reflect an opinion that was based on logic. However, it became an exchange of whether the writer is pessimistic or realistic. Although the tone of the overall article is dark, he uses well organized examples to defend his points. I didn't think it was pessimistic but rather a realistic vision of what will happen.

Back to the title. I've always considered myself to be somewhere in the middle, neither optimistic nor pessimistic but realistic. Having a label never fit me either and I like to be objective in how I see things and not have it distorted by opinion. However, having lived in the US for over 15 years I've become immune and sometimes repulsed by the overt optimism that goes around and the constant accusations that I am a pessimist because I say what I see.

If there is a 100ml glass and there is 50ml of water in it, it's still going to be 50ml of water no more no less. What difference does it make that it is half full or half empty. Why is it better to be optimistic than realistic? Having hope is a great thing, but not when it is pushed into people's minds. In essence you are trying to change the way someone thinks to match yours, you are pushing that person out of reality. Being optimistic is a good thing especially in these dire times when we need to focus on how to straighten ourselves out. However being optimistic all the time leads to a false sense of hope and a dislocation from reality.

Why do I mention optimism? Often I read articles or watch a video selling that the market has hit bottom and that now is the time to buy if you want to make money...Well, the same thing was said a few months ago and nothing has really changed much, we are still slipping lower in the markets. Before that? Remember when the fundamentals of the economy were sound? People are starting to sell hope and market to people based on hope. There's a problem with this because it means that the average consumer does not have enough knowledge and base their purchasing on people who are interested in selling and not accurately reflecting what the reality of the situation presents. I'm sure some people reading this blog are thinking that I am pessimistic.

Economist

The Economist is probably my favorite magazine. There was a cover that went around this summer when the markets started tumbling which surprised me. It was an appropriate headline but I thought it was a little too much for circulation. The cover was a spoof but it might as well have been the cover that week, or even the cover of the year. I bring this topic up because some people are starting to get that feeling again.