Now I know what the "Wintry Mix" is

I had heard people talk of this "wintry mix" that descends on the region, but didn't understand until last night what it really was. The conditions have to be just right for this little phenomenon.

It was raining, half the rain was frozen, the other half was wet. The ground was cold, and the mix of precipitation was forming several inches of slush. It's like that stuff around the chairlifts on a sunny day at the ski slopes. The slush has just enough body stack up like snow, but when you step on that layer it's like walking in a puddle. So walking back from the subway I got to walk in the rain and in a perpetual 2-3 inch puddle of slush. What Fun! So that's the wintery mix.

Paul Kedrosky's iGreed

My favorite blog lately has been Paul Kedrosky's blog Infectious Greed. There's a good mix of tech and business news, as well as interesting posts. And theres always lots of links to other media.

Jim Rogers Interview

I listened to a very good interview with Jim Rogers. Jim Rogers helped found the Quantum fund with George Soros.

Rogers talks about his investment strategy and his ideas about investing in China. Rogers sees China as being a new frontier in investing, much like the US was in the early 1900s.

The low down:

The dollar is going down, get out of dollar denominated assets. You can check out www.everbank.com for a bank account that will allow foreign currency trading. It's FDIC insured too.

Consinder investing in commodities (especially agriculture at the moment)

An easy way to play commodities is through ETFs and ETNs. Barclays has a number of these products. iShare.com.

I thought it was an enlightening interview, and it made me think a little deeper about my investment strategy and search for markets that were less correlated with the US market.

You can also find this on iTunes by looking for "dorsey wright & associates technical analysis podcast." There is a similar interview (text)in Forbes.

Underwithholding Your Taxes

Update: Thanks to my friend and his excellent investigative accounting skills, I've learned this is not such a good idea after all. Unless you are very productive with that money you withhold, you won't beat the tax they asses you. I appreciate the tax advice Tyler.

Why didn't I think of this before. You can gain interest on the money that is withheld from your paycheck to pay your taxes. Simply choose to withhold no money in the beginning of the tax season, and then greatly increase your withholding as tax season draws near. With a little bit of financial discipline and some buffer income you can put that money to good use --instead of giving the government and interest free loan. Mental math says at 50k per year, that money in a no risk investment will return at least $300. That's about $100 per hour of work that it takes to do the research and fill out a few W-4 forms.

And with that money in a trading account you have enough money to chase a more sizable return. Be careful of course, because the taxes will still be due at the end of the year.

More information

Randy Pausch "Last Lecture"

Randy Pausch was recently diagnosed with liver cancer and was given 3-6 months of good health. He gives a speech about his childhood dreams and how to live your life. It just makes sense to listen to someone who has achieved a fine degree of happiness and success. His terminal condition forces him to stop and reflect on lessons learned. The video is not sappy, he makes a point to dispel any pity in the beginning. It's worth your time.



Randy's Last Speech

What Axe?!

If politicians would spend less time "Sharpening their axes" and more time swinging their blunt axes, things would be a lot more interesting.

I know it's just a media term, but can we stop sharpening axes? I want a gun. You can keep on sharpening that thing down to the hilt, I'll be "taking aim!" (at the next journalist who thinks it's smart to give any politician an axe).

We are all influenced by our desire to be important

Think about it... And don't get too caught up in it.

Frito Lay Uses Sunflower Oil

Frito Lay has spent several million dollars to build up a farming operation that can continuously provide enough sunflower oil to use in all of their chips. Sunflower oil apparently has no trans fat and has the good cholesterol. I wonder if we'll start to see more sunflower oil in stores? Of course this improvement is plastered all over their bags of chips, but I tend to ignore a good deal of packaging and advertising.

Props to them for taking this initiative a while back. And props to their new development in fruit chips and other healthy snacks. The big guys are moving into the healthy(er) snack market; it might be worth taking a look at Frito Lay's stock. Those Sun Chips I just ate did taste healthier, healthy enough to have 3 servings...

Germs!!!!

Been doing a bit of reading about germs lately. I'd like to avoid sickness in this crowded city... Newsweek has had quite a few stories concerning anti-bacterial products and antibiotics. Here are some of the interesting things I read:

Bacteria are responsible for processing the calories in food, and they react differently depending on the person. So, some people are more prone to get fat because they have more "efficient" bacteria. (Newsweek)

The bacteria in your gut may be more responsible for the food you crave than you know. They want that extra cheeseburger, not you...

They have found evidence of bacteria that can stimulate serotonin production, acting like an anti-depressant without side effects.

Washing your hands well for at least 30 seconds with soap, and scrubbing between fingers etc. is more effective than using all the anti-bacterial wipes and creams that are out there. The alcohol in things like Purel hand sanitizer merely dry the bacteria to kill it, but your hands aren't exactly clean.

There is a strong link between allergies and exposure to bacteria in your early years. This includes food allergies as well. Today's children are increasingly susceptible to food allergies.(Newsweek)

Good bacteria are responsible for helping us fight bad bacteria (we've all heard this). So why do we use anti-bacterial soap and kill all the good bacteria? I'm no longer buying anti-bacterial products.

Industry uses mass amounts of antibiotics in livestock and farming. These pass straight through to the consumers (us). Here's a good article about 5 items you can use to limit your exposure. (NYT)

Fox News Anchor or Porn Star

I thought this was pretty good. It's harder than you think..

Buddha Bar

I'd like to recommend a group of albums that I have really enjoyed over the past few years. The entire Buddha Bar Series of Albums. Buddha Bar 1 - 8, all 2-disc sets. It's a world / jazz / house / lo-fi / chill compilation of music mixed together.

It is perfect background music for relaxing, studying, meditating, reading, subway drown-out etc. These albums got me through many tough nights of pre-exam cramming in school. In fact I think my brain is so accustomed to these albums that it kicks into another gear when I put them on. My work breaks occur during my favorite parts of certain songs, and I just kick back for a moment and listen.

There are so many languages and styles of music represented, they always remind me how big the world really is.

Entrepreneurship Quick Notes

According to some US government statistics: (I pulled these from a speech)

70% of college graduates will start a business at some point in their careers

In the baby boomer generation each worker held an average of 4 jobs by age 65
In our generation each worker holds 4 jobs by the time they are 30

50% of the jobs in the current US economy are in firms that are less than 5 years old.

And to end it nicely, I have a Bush Quote on entrepreneurship. "The problem with the French economy, is that they don't have a word for entrepreneur" (he he he)

To be fair, there is some debate that he did not really say this.

But if that's false I'll give you three more Bushisms: (sorry, couldn't resist)
1. “I am mindful not only of preserving executive powers for myself, but for predecessors as well.”
2. “Most imports are from outside of the country”
3. “You teach a child to read, and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test.”

Barack and Hillary's Days in Law School

I read a good article on the subway this morning. When They Were Young by John Heilemann.



Heilemann did a good job of relating how each candidate changed during his/her early years and gave some interesting biographical information from their pasts. I was interested to hear a little about Hillary and Bill's relationship; they married knowing they would be a political team. I also found it interesting how Obama was perceived by many of those around him as charismatic and confident, yet he resisted the call to become involved in student/political life until his time at the law review.

They Can't Kill The Electric Car

There has been more than one electric car program crushed (see photo) in the past few decades. Some say that big-auto and big-oil scrapped the most successful programs because they didn't like the thought of efficient automobiles dragging down future earnings. I wouldn't put it past them, but the good news is that the economy is becoming increasingly global; if US companies don't innovate then others will. More important to the dream of electric vehicles (E.V.'s) is the battery technology that has been developed to power our mobile electronic arsenals (especially lithium-ion batteries). Now more than ever it looks as if E.V.'s are ready to make an appearance in the marketplace and help relieve our dependence on foreign oil.

The Tesla Roadster is what really convinced me that E.V.'s were already practical and nearly ready to be adopted by people other than the super rich. Tesla Motor's founder Martin Eberhard showed excellent entrepreneurial skills by steering the company in its early stages and by raising the necessary capital from such investors as Sergey Brin and Elon Musk (paypal founder). Despite adequate funding, this company was still run like a start-up with a tight budget.

The newly released Tesla Roadster is a dream machine, designed to make people forget they ever though that an E.V. was a glorified golf cart. The car can go 0-60 in under 4 seconds, that's better than a Porsche 911 Turbo. It costs about 2cents a mile to operate, that would be kind of like getting 135 miles per gallon. Finally, the car can travel 245 miles on one charge. The downside is the $100,000 price tag. But as batteries continue to become more of a commodity and the design team works on a more practical vehicle we may start seeing E.V.'s on the road. Tesla has such a vehicle in the works (due out in 2010), and this one has an estimated $50-60,000 price tag. Now we're getting somewhere, lets keep cutting that price in half.

With continuing improvement to E.V. technology and better alternatives to coal power plants, it's not hard to imagine an environmentally friendly solution to transportation. I know the idea for the electric car has been bouncing around relatively unsuccessfully for many years. But get excited, every new bit of technology brings us that much closer. Most ideas take 20 years to become an overnight success.

(p.s. That link is a good article about a different type of solar power plant)

Taskbar Manager

Here is a program that incorporates a function I think windows should definitely have added. Taskbar Manager lets you move around the tabs on your taskbar into more logical groupings. I hate when I close outlook (it happens) and then open it to find it at the end of my tasks, I want it on the top left of my taskbar and sometimes I close every other program open to get it there (depends on my mood).

This program will do that, and I'd encourage you to visit their site where you too can learn that if you write a blog post they will give you the program or free! : )

While you're at it you might want to download the Alt-Tab Replacement power toy. It gives a view of each web page in the alt-tab menu, much like the Mac OS does.

Enjoy

Politics and Our Mercenaries

Many agree that 135,000 troops is not enough to occupy Iraq, Petraeus included. I was reading an interesting opinion piece online about the political nature of this war, and why private "contractors" are so prevalent. One of the most striking reasons is that the government does not have to report the deaths of our mercenaries.

"Since the troop "surge" started in January 2007, these numbers have accelerated -- contractors have been killed at a rate of nine per week. These figures mean that the private military industry has suffered more losses in Iraq than the rest of the coalition of allied nations combined. The losses are also far more than any single U.S. Army division has experienced."

The public isn't outraged by these deaths -they never hear about them. The extra money these mercenaries receive is keeping a lid on the bad news. If you believe in our system, you can't blame them individually. They make much more than the average American. But they aren't necessarily fighting for their country, they are fighting for their pocketbooks. In this case there is a capitalist incentive to fight, but no capitalist incentive to win (especially the hearts and minds of Iraqis).

What is Wrong With Sales?

Many people have a very negative opinion of sales positions. I guess they can't shake the image of becoming Willy Lowman. I can't even remember what Willy sold, it must not have been a great product.

I'll confess, during my job search I avoided all positions that had sales written on them. But the more I think about what is involved in sales, the more I realize that it is often the most important part of a business. Sales means expansion, sales means growth.

As I listened to another one of the Stanford Entrepreneurial Podcasts, I was struck by how frequently the speaker's advice could be followed by taking a sales role. One of the main points of several speeches was, "get in a customer facing role." In other words, put yourself in the position to deal with the client or customer as much as possible. What better way to do this than sales. What better way to shore up your persuasive abilities and on-the-spot small talk than approaching people that don't want to talk to you.

The role of most top executives can be described as sales. The exec that maintains the best relationships and sells the most product/business is going to end up on top.

As usual I want to refer back to the idea that "you are your greatest asset." The idea that you are your own company, complete with your own marketing, finance, sales, and core competencies. So, don't let the sales stereotype bring you down.

Relax Toi and Breathe

I have found that one of the best ways to quickly relax myself and focus again is through a quick breathing exercise.

The breaths you want to take are deep "belly breaths." Inhale through your nose deeply and as your lungs fill allow your belly to expand. Breath in until your lungs and your belly feel expanded. When you exhale you can exhale through either your nose or your mouth. Both the breath in and the breath out are slow and controlled.

The first three breaths think only of having a "calm body."
The next three breaths think only of having a "calm mind."
The last three breaths think "smile" and smile.

It is good to have something specific to think about, otherwise you will be inclined to think of whatever is bothering you. During these nine breaths you have to control all other thoughts and think of nothing else.

Comment and let me know if you find these types of posts worthwhile.

Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders

Have you ever wanted to attend the guest lectures of business leaders? Does taking the risk of starting your own company interest you? Do you like to hear the stories of past successes and failures? Yes, Yes, and of course you do. I've found a Podcast I want to recommend.

You'll need iTunes, then subscribe to Stanford's Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders Podcast. There is a large audio library of lectures from great business minds and innovators.

I especially liked the lecture I listed to today with Reid Hoffman, CEO of LinkedIn. He has been involved with several great names in innovation including Paypal, Mozilla, and now LinkedIn. He reiterated a common point that I have taken to heart in the past few years. Each person represents themselves as their own company, their own product. You are in charge of your development and you are in charge of your image. The way our economy is developing makes it more difficult to find just one job and stay at it for a long time. So instead of letting that scare you (which it should a little), embrace the change and make yourself more valuable. If you are curious and work on your own continual education and training then there will always be work for you.

A little more on LinkedIn

The vision of LinkedIn is that it will be your resource to connect with the business world. This will help you maintain contacts and get answers to business related questions. I signed up about 2 days before I heard this Podcast, but I feel I'll be vamping up my LinkedIn profile soon. The profile is kind of like a living resume complete with a network of people to serve as your references. I haven't used the site enough to endorse it, or give a quality review, but I like the idea. I need another social networking site anyways, Facebook just doesn't occupy enough of my time these days... (joke)

Book Review - The Road by Cormac McCarthy

A good work of post-apocalyptic fiction about the survival of a boy (the boy) and his father (the man). The setting of the book is dark, and the mood continually grim. McCarthy does a good job of making you feel the harsh realities of genuine need. The need for food, for warmth, and for peace of mind. From the beginning you are not sure of the intent of the man; the book is so filled with mal-intent and inhumane acts that you are constantly scared for the boy’s wellbeing. Overall the book does a good job of showing what it would be like for a new boy to grow up in a world entirely different from the one his parents lived in. To read the man’s account of a few simple pleasures in life makes you feel fortunate. I felt grateful to be living my lifestyle every time I put this book down. It was calming and temporarily removed my feelings of greed and consumer driven want.

It's a quick read, the story telling is simple but effective. The images come to life and you are drawn into this story.
http://www.amazon.com/Road-Oprahs-Book-Club/dp/0307387895/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-9941008-8468632?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1190605077&sr=8-1

I didn't know it until I read that link, but apparently it's on Oprah's book club, yeah!

Colbert's Word on Immigration

This was aired 9/11/07 but I just got around to it. It's funny enough to post.

Erectile Dysfunction

Bill Maher made a really good point on his show Friday night. A clear sign that something is broken in this country is that in 6 years we haven't managed to erect anything at ground zero. I'm stealing Bill's words, but how can we rebuild in Iraq if we can't even rebuild in SoHo. He goes on to point out that the Eiffel Tower was built in 2 years by hand, and by French people!

So I say, what happened to the glorious we'll build it bigger and better Fuck-You-World Freedom Tower? On second thought, maybe it's for the best that it hasn't been built. The last thing I want when I walk through that area is a giant reminder that the US has screwed up so royally under the guise of promoting freedom. In fact, I don't want the Bush administration or any "Loyal Bushies" to have anything to do with a lasting piece of architecture in one of the most prominent skylines. One would think that something as symbolic as a gaping hole in your largest city would be worth a little political capital to cover up. But for once I'm going to take comfort in the incompetence of this administration and enjoy the sunshine that fills the area.

Cortez, The Killer

This Dave Matthews and Warren Haynes song is great. It's a Neil Young cover from 1975.

It comes off of Disc 3 from the Live in Central Park Concert CD. An album that's on the top of my playlist lately.

I highly recommend you acquire a good audio version. But I've got the video for you right here. That would have been a great concert!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITSUF7v2kJE

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Thomas Friedman Interview

He wrote the World is Flat. One of my favorite books. This is a good video, feel free to skip around in the 1 hour interview to find the subjects you are interested in.

Friedman is a great communicator. He's described himself as an English - English translator. I'll just call him a good communicator, he takes difficult subjects and simplifies them. I enjoy the fact that he stakes out position and makes clear concise points.



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My Resistance to Apple Products

I feel kind of like the blogger that missed the boat, but Apple products are great. You can think of me as the PC guy from the Apple commercials that taped a web cam to his forehead. So, I'll announce it here, I have given up on my stubborn Apple resistance, and decided to embrace the convenience. They seem to have done everything right in the recent past. iTunes is great, iPods work great, and this new iPhone shows promise. My next mp3 player (and maybe phone) will be an Apple product.

A great deal of my annoyance stemmed from the original difficulties of iTunes on the PC and early iPod problems that I watched my brother go through. I got to experience iTunes re-tagging all of my id3 tags to "Kate Ryan - Desenchante" (my favorite song btw). Even years later my resistance/fear of iTunes ran deep enough that I bought a Zune instead of an iPod. [This is what my buddy iJon the Apple Nerd thinks about my Zune].

I still don't see the benefit of owning a mac/power book. My new PC endorsement goes to HP. I think this resistance comes from my ingrained financial conservatism, the same reason I am rarely an early adopter of new tech gadgets. As far as computers are concerned, I don't like to pay a lot of money for all the necessary software. The open source era is upon us, and when it really takes off in the US I think we'll see some major changes in hardware sales. It might even be good for Apple, although I don't know what kind of revenues they generate with their MacOS. (comment if you know). I do know it would cripple their competitor in this arena, Microsoft. In summary, the cost vs utility of Apple computers clouded my judgment about the rest of their products. oops.

I just have to share how impressed I am with iTunes. I enjoy the free podcasts, the ease of use and the bug free functionality it has provided me over these last few weeks. So long Winamp... Way to ruin a great prospect AOL!

So now, after realizing I've missed the boat, I remind myself that in tech there's a boat leaving ever 10 min. I'm taking another step towards appreciating my urban lifestyle, I'm streamlining my media, becoming more efficient and breezing through all the podcasts I can listen to.

Next up. Comments about a God device (like the iPhone), and saying goodbye to TV.

Reading List

As work takes up much more time than it used to in my life, I find myself relying on my magazine subscription and people's reading lists to keep me informed.

Here are a few good articles I've read recently, (and some ideas I searched out to share):

My Empire of Dirt. About a man that turned his small Brooklyn backyard into a farm and managed to feed himself for a month despite it being hit by a tornado. New York Mag

A Silver Lining. The Connection Between Gasoline Prices and Obesity What do you know, another source saying the more you walk the more fit you are. New York Magazine also ran a cover story about "Why New Yorkers Live Longer." It's because they walk, and they walk fast (more or less).

Don't read it all, just know this:

"I find that a $1 rise in gasoline prices lowers the obesity rate by almost 5 percentage points after five years. This result implies that a $1 increase in gasoline prices would reduce obesity by 15% in the U.S., saving 16,000 lives and $17 billion per year. I also provide evidence that the effect occurs both by increasing exercise and by lowering the frequency with which people eat at restaurant."PDF

eBay's Changing Identity It owns Paypal, Stubhub, and Skype. It just recently bought a 25% share in Craigslist. This company has quite a few things going for it Business Week

That's all for now. I misplaced one about the UK Market being dragged down by the global credit crunch. It pointed out how the English are in a bad position with with a low savings rate and an economy very dependent on finance related earnings. It could transfer over to their housing market as well, and they would be in a nice little mess. Couple that with a strong pound vs the dollar (less exports) and you could see their economy taking more drastic hits than the rest of the global market place. Although they seem quite correlated to the US market, to me it seems like the downside is higher than the upside (i.e. US goes down they go down more, but US goes up they don't go up all that much). I don't have any short positions staked out, but I'm sure there are a few good bets to be made here. I'll look into it some more, if you're interested let me know.

Bush on Sovereign Tribes

This is an old video, but I just saw it on Real Time with Bill Maher. He compared Bush to the 17 year old beauty queen that was trying to explain why so many Americans couldn't locate the US on the map. Well she lost, but Bush somehow won (twice). The fact that Bush didn't know what "sovereignty" means is still surprising to me.



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Charlie Rose Federer Interview

Yes, another tennis video. I watch a lot of tennis videos during the majors. This is long (56min) but worth watching. Enjoy!

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Drink Broker's Gin

I stumbled on a Gin tasting at Fermented Grapes (An excellent little Brooklyn wine shop). There I met Andy Dawson, an English character and part owner of Broker's Gin. He ran me through a few of the finer points of Gin making and tasting. His process uses a mix of juniper berries, coriander, nutmeg, etc. -quite normal. Most producers use a basket/sachet in the neck of the still and let the vapors extract the flavor. But these guys do it slightly different, they steep all the fruit and spices in the liquid mixture and boil it to bring out the full flavor of the ingredients.

You taste Gin the same as you would red wine; start at room temperature, smell the aroma, and taste. I was quite surprised how much flavor Broker's had in comparison to Bombay Sapphire, which tasted harsher and more like alcohol.

The selling point for me was the price. About $20 for 750ml. These business savvy fellows sell their bottle at a tidy discount to the other brands (Bombay and Tanqueray). Right now the bottles are only available in a few Manhattan and Brooklyn liquor stores, but I see this brand catching on. Gin and tonic anyone?

Djokovic the Joker

They always call him the joker, this might be why. He's doing a few on court impressions in this video. Gotta love him. They do say imitation is a form of flattery... Djokovic has become very popular on youtube, there's quite few videos of his antics.

Let's see if he can upset Roger Federer tomorrow at the US Open. I'm pulling for the Serbian. He's beaten Fed once this year, 7-6 (7-2) 2-6 7-6 (7-2) in Montreal. At some point in his career I believe he will reach the number 1 spot.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Re1cuQ42TIM

Tennis Surfaces. How They're Different

Here is a great guide that NYT put out. It explains how Nadal can be the King of Clay, but has not won any other Grand Slams. Good overview of all the surfaces and their difference, as well as the serve and return positions of Nadal on each surface.


Good interactive content:
The Master of Clay Takes Aim at the Fast Courts
Link Text: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2007/08/25/sports/tennis/20070827_NADAL_GRAPHIC.html

I have tickets to the US Open for Labor Day. I'll be writing a post as well as showing off some photos when I get back. Exciting isn't it!

Now Alberto Gonzales Resigns?

Is something even more amiss than usual in the White House?

When Rove resigned I figured he wanted to distance himself as much as possible from the current failure of a white house and move on with his political career.

Now we have Gonzales resign. He doesn't really have a political career ahead of him. I'd say he's ruined, so why resign? Is he just enough of a tool that he's being let go to earn a few points in the polls? Or is he actually a liability. How does an administration continue to remain credible when so many things are going wrong and high level officials are leaving. Is the whole thing going to to come crashing down soon?

When investing, it's often a good idea to sell the stock if a major exec leaves (If I held stock in this administration I would have sold it a long time ago). I consider this a sign that something is wrong, a moment of weakness perhaps, and I think that someone needs to get in there and prove it (Democrats).

A US Economic / Political Quiz

I stole this right out of Fortune Magazine. I suppose I can do that b/c this is such a small blog. I thought it was worth sharing though.

• Whose Medicare prescription drug plan was bigger? (a) the one proposed by Al Gore in the 2000 campaign or (b) George W. Bush's, enacted in 2003 and now being rolled out.

Answer: (b). Bush's plan was nearly twice the size of the outer limits of Democratic ambition in the previous presidential election. Yet Dems assail it as inadequate because it wasn't theirs and they fear the GOP could make inroads into the crucial seniors' vote. The drug bill wasn't perfect--there's been confusion galore over the dozens of private plans. Still, if poorer seniors picked any one of those plans by throwing a dart, they'd be vastly better off than before. What does it say when Democratic "strategy" is to discredit a program that offers hundreds of billions to the low-income seniors they're supposed to care about?

• The median stock ownership of U.S. households is (a) $78,700, (b) $24,300, or (c) 0.
Answer: (c). For all the hoopla over the democratization of the stock market, the latest (2004) Federal Reserve data show that just 48.6% of U.S. households own stock, meaning the median ownership is zero. (The median holding for households that do own stock is only $24,300.) What's more, two-thirds of stock market wealth is held by 5% of the population. The lesson? Pushing an "ownership society" is fine, but it's a cynical marketing ploy if we direct the lion's share of new "ownership" incentives (as Bush has in taxes, health, and pension policies) to those who already own everything.

• Whose government was bigger? (a) Ronald Reagan's or (b) Bill Clinton's.
Answer: (a). Federal spending under Reagan averaged 22% of GDP. Under Clinton it was 20%--the same as for George W. Bush. All the carping from the right that Bush is a "big-government conservative" misses the big picture: Uncle Sam could spend $250 billion more a year and still leave government as small as under Reagan.

• Pharmaceuticals account for what portion of national health spending? (a) 38%, (b) 50%, (c) 10%.
Answer: (c), according to government data. Yet surveys show that most people think drugs account for 40% to 50% of health spending--and the rest of the health industry is thrilled to have folks so confused. Drug companies may not be saints (disclosure: I consult for one), but it should put things in perspective. Even restrictions on drug pricing can never solve America's health-cost crisis, because those costs are driven largely by what's happening in the 90% of spending that has nothing to do with drugs.

By Matt Miller

First Day Pop on IPOs

I've been following the VM Ware IPO and am considering a small investment there.

This is a good post about the first day price jump in many IPO's. Counteracts the idea that the bankers left money on the table. It was something I hadn't thought of before...

Why First-Day IPO Pops Are Good for You

White Stripes - Icky Thump

I enjoy sharing the albums I like. This one is takes a place somewhere at the top. They have a good sound on this album, they are really jamming. It doesn't sound over-produced. There's a good variety of sounds throughout the album, they mix it up with each song.

Do you have a blog?

Do you have a blog? I'd love to know about it. Leave a comment here with the url and I'll take a look.

Is there something you want to see on my blog? Do you want to submit something? Having a guest writer or two would be pretty incredible for such a small blog as this one.

Cheyney's Thoughts on Iraq in 1994

Something this good needs to be linked to from every blog and mentioned in every newspaper. I'm just doing my part...




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Vegas Gambling = $12,700,000,000!

- Vegas Gamblers Lost $4,000 While You Read This Note (iGreed)

A Message to New York Drivers

I sit in the office and every time I look out the window there is gridlock on the street below. There must be a solution... Well it appears there is, just honk at the guy in front of you. And they do -all day. Seeing that I consider myself well informed, I find it hard to believe I was never notified of how successful this method can be. This video from the Onion News Network will help you understand.


Tired Of Traffic? A New DOT Report Urges Drivers: 'Honk'

Cramer Explains His Remarks

There are other videos out there that mention how traders and brokers actually stopped and cheered Cramer after his remarks on CNBC, perhaps they did. I don't think Cramer will stop speaking up like this though, he likes the attention too much... Maybe he got in a little trouble from the network, hard to say really. He's even claiming Bernake heard him, Bernake did mention he understood the problem in the mortgage and lending sector today.

I don't know how bad things really are, I do know that after researching both GS and C I am going to try to get rid of my financial stocks. I've listened to Countrywide, GS and Citigroup's conference calls, and I believe they are anticipating some earning that might not be there. The GS call stated that the homebuilders slump had reached bottom. We know that didn't turn out true. They are judging future earnings partly on such a prediction. I have a few other reasons I won't bore you with right now. Are these stocks now valued correctly? Don't know. They are just too risky to hold at the moment, I don't see the large upside to compensate. There was more liquidity in today's market, which drove these stocks up. Good chance to get out. I'll cut positions on any financials if they let me out gracefully tomorrow. Maybe I'll buy a few put options on some of the financials.

Here's Cramer's sentiment about the CNBC escapade.

I Love New York

Took me two hours to get to work today... It was entertaining I guess, to see the mass of human traffic try to make it into the city. I think it will only be entertaining this one time, I hope the make some infrastructure upgrades soon.

Here is a NYT article that captures the morning...

Update: A Better Article in the NYT. Click Here to read it.

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Heavy Rains Causing Transit Delays in New York

NEW YORK (AP) -- Flights were delayed at the area's three major airports and commuters were unable to get to work early Wednesday after torrential rain caused flooding on rail lines and subways.

Most subway lines in the city were experiencing delays or diversions, and there was no Metro North rail service to Grand Central Station on some lines.

For a brief time, the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for parts of Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau County on Long Island and southern Somerset County in New Jersey. The thunderstorms also caused flooding in parts of New Jersey.

There were delays of up to an hour and a half at John F. Kennedy International Airport and about an hour at LaGuardia due to the earlier storms, said Alan Hicks, spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

There was also some flooding on the roads leading to LaGuardia, traffic delays getting to the terminals.

The morning's climatic drama was expected to give way to an afternoon sizzle as the moisture from the rainstorm sent humidity levels up, the National Weather Service said.

The agency issued a heat advisory that warned of temperatures that could climb to 101 degrees because of the muggy weather.

"I can't believe it's going to get hotter, it's so sticky out," Linda Chapman, 59, told The Daily News in Wednesday editions, after learning that Monday would be hotter than the day before -- which had soared into the low-90s.

"If it's over 100, I may not leave the house at all," said the Manhattan resident."

Link to Above NYT Article on the Weather
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Here's what James Altucher has to say about the day. Yes he's a huge nerd, does that make me one for thinking this is kinda funny?

Cramer, At Least he's Passionate...

I'm curious to see how this economic problem turns out. Although this man is slightly crazy I think he still has plenty of good advice.

Jack Daniel's Shots at the Eye Doctor?

So I took a shot of Gentleman Jack with the cute assistant in the eye doctor’s office. Seriously, it was great. This may not sound like the most professional of institutions, but I walked out feeling quite the opposite -it was only one shot mind you and I used a little persuasion to have her join me. The point is, the office visit was relaxed but also honest and informative.

How many additional products and services did he try to sell me? None. How many hidden fees or taxes where there? None. Did they remind me to get a receipt for Flex Spending? Yes. It was a no pressure meeting, and the doc was happy to share information, all for a reasonable $115. He even told me, “here are my contact prices, check the internet and get back to me about where you’d like to purchase your lenses.” It made me feel cheated in my past experiences. I thought, why have I been putting up with these other jokers? It’s just the way I thought they all operated.

This got me thinking, what other experiences am I missing out on when dealing with the professionals of the world. Is there a similar general practitioner, lawyer, broker, electrician? I do believe there are good ones out there. But America’s professionals are usually more interested in their own well-being than yours, and that’s not obvious until you come across the occasional expert that is different.

I came across a good dental hygienist in Dallas. I now have a much better idea what they are doing when they clean your teeth professionally. I also know that if you don’t floss, your gums will decay in between the teeth and make little black holes… Why hadn’t any previous dentist told me that?

As American experts are increasingly more interested in their own well-being I fear for the average consumer. Either I’m just more aware, or things are becoming more cutthroat. Brokers are more interested in churning your account than making you a good return, doctors are more interested in paying for their new machines than saving you money by nixing unnecessary procedures or using the acceptable/cheaper alternatives. You need to be well educated every time you walk into an expert’s office, it’s a shame. They are supposed to look out for you, but they often just want your money. Side note: If you get a chance watch Michael Moore’s documentary “Sicko.” It’s a good account of the medical and insurance industry in America, and for Moore it’s told from a neutral stance.

We, as consumers of these services, are lucky to live in the information age. The internet is a great equalizer. I found the optometrist on yelp.com, a site where you can recommend, document and share your experiences with just about anything. I frequently consult Google or Wikipedia about products I eat or drink. I often try to quickly self-diagnose any small medical problem before I see a professional, and afterwards I check on the information they give me. I review any prescription medications before I fill them, and I consult the doctor if I find discrepancies. I shouldn’t have to do that, but the professional has to earn my trust before I will let down my guard. I feel this is something you need to do to avoid getting screwed…

Considering financial health, I believe there are many out there who are downright crooks. I don’t know how these people sleep soundly. They have rationalized their cut for looking after your assets, when they know full well there are better passive investments which require very little market knowledge. They intentionally keep you in the dark about what they do, because they often do very little. They use you to make money, and if the market is good average people are none the wiser. When the market’s bad they say, hey everyone is losing money.

So the doctor’s office can be fun, or at least informative. But be prepared for the worst, show up with a written list of questions if you have to and set the agenda for your meeting with the doctor. If you don’t he will leave as quickly as possible and continue making his money. Ultimately you are looking for the professional who chooses to share information with you, because they are the experts, you shouldn’t have to be. Furthermore, don’t settle on any specific professional just because you have made the initial effort of getting out there. Find the person that helps you most, you’ll only be better off in the long run. You might even be lucky enough to get a drink on the house and make a contact or two. I'd say I learned more at school that way than any other...

Iced Yerba Mate

Who needs coffee and all its side effects when there's Mate. Yerba Mate is common in South America and also Syria and Lebanon. There is an entire ritual based around its drinking, it's just slightly more complicated than puff puff pass... Read about it here on wikipedia.

Like any drink in its category, green tea, coffee, etc. it takes a little getting used to. These drinks grow on you, and you learn to love the subtle bitter flavors that each drink provides. When I finally decide to drop that $400 on an espresso machine I might start enjoying coffee more frequently at home. Until then I've think I've found a cheaper alternative with even more benefits.

Mate is a stimulant, much like coffee. But it does not have the side effects such as the jitterynes or diuretic properties of coffee. It does contain caffeine. It also contains many antioxidants similar to green tea, perhaps even more than green tea. Mate is also easier on your stomach than coffee and better for your smile : )

Now on to the iced mate. In NY at the moment it is quite hot, and my A/C doesn't work. The last thing I want is a hot beverage. I bought a 500g (1.1 lb) bag of Yerba Mate for $3 and started experimenting. The first batch was made with boiling water and was noticeably more bitter than the second batch which was made with hot water.

Directions:

- Add 3 tablespoons of Yerba Mate to french press (any brewing method will work)
- Add hot (not boiling) water
- Let steep for 5 min
- Pour a little less than half a glass
- Add sugar or sweeta
- Add a decent amount of water
- Add ice to chill
- Serve like iced tea

Very simple, and you can make a batch of it like iced tea and keep it in the fridge. You can also re-use the yerba (grounds) many times and they will continue to make a good drink. Mate is unlike tea in this sense in that it will not make the drink bitter if steeped too long.

For more information see wikipedia on yerba mate.

Here's the stuff they grind up and we drink. Because he can carry that all by himself we only pay 2.50 a pound...



While we are talking about drinks. Try this licorice mint tea it is one of my favorites.

If AT&T Ran The Highway System...

I thought it was a funny comparison.

If AT&T Ran The Highway System...
Posted on informationweek.com

Google My Maps + Tennis?

I located most of the tennis courts I've played on logged them into Google Maps.

I found out the system they have for linking to maps only allows you to link to one map at a time. I will post links to the tennis map and to my personal recommendations for food and entertainment.

About the tennis maps, I was thinking it would be a good idea to come up with a website that would allow people to submit their own knowledge of tennis courts across the country. Then have some way to moderate the additions and just run it like a free service to traveling tennis fans. Then wherever you are you could pull up a map to free courts around the nation and get info about them. Sounds time consuming, but it might be a valid idea. If anyone has comments about it I'd be happy to hear them.

Take a look at this map. It would be very useful if I decide to populate it. The real challenge is figuring out how to allow users to submit their court info.
Tennis Courts

I'll add this link to the right and update the old "My Maps" link as well.

Firefox Tweaks

I found a tweak guide on Digg, made the mods to firefox and I see remarkable gains in speed. Give this a try. Save many seconds of life : )

FireFox Speed Tweaks

My Maps on Google Maps

This is an excellent feature that allows you to keep track of new places and to share them with others.

I will post restaurant and venue recommendations.

Check out my maps

Keith Olberman Says -Bush Broke Nation's Trust

I can't wait for the Bush presidency to be over. Hopefully there will be numerous books detailing the corruption and boneheaded actions. Hopefully the word comes out and people actually take notice.

Olberman would love to see Bush leave now, and I've been thinking that for some time. Watch the video and listen to his rant, it's worth 10 minutes.

http://thenewshole.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/07/03/256978.aspx>

I Found an Apartment

Where: Astoria, near the Broadway stop on the N line

It's a 3 bedroom 2 bath. There is a couple in the master bed. Me and another guy share the other bathroom. The bedroom has a manhattan view. There is a roof deck, a balcony, and a spacious back patio. Best of all, I get a gated parking spot.

We Can Read and Write

What is it like to live without TV? For a tennis fan during Wimbledon it is slightly annoying. But that is the extent of my problem. Other than that it is refreshing –O.K. I miss the Daily Show and Colbert Report too. I live in NY now, so I think I'll go see them both live.

It might just be circumstance, but people in New York seem more informed than people in other regions where I’ve lived. I can’t help but think it is because they read. I’ve been fortunate to meet a friendly group of people since arriving, and they all have bookcases full of books they have actually read. When I walk down any Brooklyn street on the weekend I see stoop sales, where you can pick up a new book for next to nothing. It’s a little book marketplace, and if I had a stoop I would participate. It seems like a good way to meet the neighbors as well.

This city is a hub for ideas. And people stay informed through good ole word-of-mouth and the printed word (you need something to do if you’re sacrificing hours per day riding the subways). It feels good to be here. Once again I’m back in a city with worldwide influence, and I can feel its pulse –or at least read about it.

Ali G interview with Posh and Beckham

This is an old video, but worth a watch if you haven't seen it yet. With Borat making such a commotion, people need to look at Sacha Cohen's other characters. My personal favorite is Ali-G.

http://www.milkandcookies.com/link/13695/detail/
(Just right click and view in full screen. The audio and video were poorly synchronized on all the Youtube posts)

I was Ali G for Halloween. See....

First 2 weeks completed, better weeks ahead

Well the first two weeks are finally over. Those two work weeks were spent coding VB.net, of which I have very little interest.

My day looked like this:
Wake up at 5:30, Commute 2 hrs to work, write lines of code, enjoy co-workers company because they are experiencing the same thing, commute 2 hrs home, look at one apartment to rent, go to sleep.

Next up: Training for two weeks outside Chicago! I can't wait, this is supposed to be the fun one. We get to meet people from all over the world.

Other than work my new life in NY has been great, look at the photo evidence (The "My Photos" link is to the right).

I still have no apt, I'm hoping I get lucky tomorrow.

Take care!

My Photos

Just in case anyone is interested.

The link to my pictures is: http://picasaweb.google.com/benperet


I will put that in the links section on the right.

What are they reading!?

Ever look around the subway and try to catch a glimpse of what your fellow riders are reading? Of course you do.

Something interesting. I have recently met a few people involved in publishing and editing and sometimes they just have to read what the man says. So next time you see them reading a Vampire Romance novel, give them a break. As they give you their sheepish smile when noticed, just smile back, don't switch seats.

My Man Zakaria Writes High Profile Article

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19001200/site/newsweek/

Read it to understand something more about US foreign policy. It's nice and simple and fun filled with logic. Something that many people lack at times.

Jane Fonda Had to Get Her Some Colbert

I don't know why, but I thought this was just extra funny.

Fonda actually makes Stephen a bit nervous. Well done.

If you want the whole context you should watch this one first. The Ice Cream 3-Way

Then this is the one I'm talking about:
A Personal Interview

Latest Music Recommendation

Silversun Pickups - Carnavas

This CD just keeps getting better. My air guitar skills have gone up ten fold and I can't seem to turn the volume down... (Try out "Dream at Tempo 119").

To Better Know a Country: #1 France

Welcome to the first in a new series of what I'll call, "To Better Know a Country." The First one, France.

Today the French will elect a new leader to power and the country seems a bit divided. The polls suggest that Nicolas Sarkozy is most likely to win. He faces, the first would be woman President in France, Segolene Royal. She is the socialist candidate, concentrating on a new direction and a recall to more socialist policies. Sarkozy promises equally new amounts of change, but in the other direction. He claims to be able to pull the economy out of the doldrums and fix the current unemployment hanging around 8%.

Some main concerns that have arisen along the way; both candidates seem to love to discuss their feelings and themselves and not so much their qualifications and policies. This is especially true for Mrs. Royal who has been nicknamed Egolene... (comme Egoist). Sarkozy is not far behind in that camp, but he seems to pull it off with a more authoritative demeanor. During the last debates he was attacked by Mrs. Royal and managed to come of as the more level headed and prudent candidate. Wrapping up our brief critique of Royal is the well reported notion that she has absolutely no foreign affairs experience or direction. In this age of Globalization and increasing free trade, foreign affairs are more important than ever. This may indeed be her downfall.

Speaking of open borders, Sarkozy has faced a great deal of criticism from the French over his immigration policies. He holds a very hardline stance on immigration, promoting closed borders and a return to a more pure French state. During the car-burning rioting escapades of last year his tough stance on juveniles and immigrants disturbed many in the country and helped proliferate a rift between the French and their increasingly alienated immigrant population. Closed borders and rifts with a large portion of the population just won't do Mr. Sarkozy. Ultimately though the French will probably get behind this man because he does appear to be the more qualified candidate, and he promises more economic security. At the end of the day people still worry about their well-being, which is very influenced by the bottom line.

Something to consider though. France will be France, and despite all the tough talk of change France has proven remarkably resistant to change. And why not, the majority of their population enjoys a rich cultural lifestyle seeped in tradition. Craig Smith at the NYT says it well with Forget Who'll Win in France. Change Is a Loser.

Update: Sarkozy takes the Presidency (You can read about it anywhere)
Here is a good video

Next Series, Turkey...

Recent Articles Worth Reading

It's time for a new series! Recent articles worth reading. Enjoy. I'll add new ones every week or so.

-=Video=-
Jon Stewart on Bill Moyer's show. (Apr 30) (Politics)
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/04272007/profile.html
It's Jon as usual, well spoken, well formulated ideas steeped in logic and presented with a twist of comedy.


-=News=-
The Move From Hell (Apr 16)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18108845/site/newsweek/
In the past four years, the Pentagon has sent 9 million tons of gear to Iraq. Getting it all back will take time. What I want to know is how to predict which company/s will get these contracts to move home all the war stuff.


-=Politics=-
Money Chooses Sides (apr 23)
http://nymag.com/news/politics/30634/
Speaks about the democratic hopefuls and their fund-raising/campaign strategies.


-=Business / Economics=-
Credit derivatives. At the risky end of finance (Apr 21)
http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9033348
Good article about fin. derivatives. Helps explain some of the recent losses in the sub prime industry. (Fairly technical, it's economist..)


-=Sports=-
Federer as Religious Experience
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/20/sports/playmagazine/20federer.html?ex=1313726400&en=716968175e36505e&ei=5090
"Almost anyone who loves tennis and follows the men’s tour on television has, over the last few years, had what might be termed Federer Moments. These are times, as you watch the young Swiss play, when the jaw drops and eyes protrude and sounds are made that bring spouses in from other rooms to see if you’re O.K...." This might help one to understand the love of tennis..

Viva Norman

I'm here in Norman for some time with friends. This past weekend was a blast, I got to enjoy my new tennis racquet and it's performance enhancing abilities against formidable opponents. Won some lost some, but all and all I'm sold on the K factor. Played several marathon days (4-5 hrs of tennis). Yesterday I played some golf and about 9 games of Basketball. Sports all day / parties all night, life in Norman is tough. That's why I'm staying an extra day...


Here are a few various photos:

Msft Word Tricks

I found a few of these quite interesting. I consider myself someone that knows a good deal about computers, and there were quite a few useful new tricks in this article.

MS Word Tricks

I am also going to add "bnet" to my links section. I have enjoyed the information the site has to offer.

Beauty Contests and Curious Workers

It was a productive night spent reading “Liar’s Poker” by Michael Lewis. It got me thinking…

Ever heard the workings of the financial markets described as a “beauty contest?” Keynes likened them to that very thing. I’m sure he enjoyed the models on the inside cover of the English papers just as much as the next man. The beauty contest reference comes from an old London newspaper in which readers were asked to pick not which models shown in the paper were the most beautiful, but which model they thought the rest of the people would consider most beautiful. Keynes said it works the same way with financial markets (stocks, bonds, currencies, etc); people are always rushing into the position that seems the most beautiful to the masses. If you get in before the big rush you make some money. Liar’s poker talks a lot about that very same idea, when the mortgaging and junk bonding of America took place. People, especially in the short term, were always after the next big thing. If something was new, and it was sold well, people would hop on the bandwagon and hope a rush of people follow and make them rich. There came a point that educated bond-traders consulted worthless charts that tried to predict what certain shapes meant to the future bond prices simply because so many of the buyers were doing it. The research was more about the buyers than the actual underlying investment; the buyer’s picks were speculation. Things haven’t changed all that much today.

The book talks about the wild world of finance in the 80’s, where people were making money as never before seen, a kind of golden age for finance (at least investment banks). That world is still happening, and now it’s on an even larger scale. Look at all the M & A activity that took place in 2006, these are exciting times.

The book left me with a good feeling at the end; one of justice, and optimism. I felt justice because the end fit the story (they get what they deserve), I felt optimism because the closing remarks reinforced a view that I carry. It (indirectly) enforced my view that every employee is responsible for his or her professional well-being. By that I mean each person is responsible for learning as much as possible and making themselves as attractive a future candidate as possible. I feel the working world will see higher turnover, and the first world will face greater unemployment pressures as change happens more rapidly than before. The average worker and our approach to ensure their continuing education could both use an upgrade. If you are naturally curious, always learning and getting involved with your career, there will always be a place for you somewhere in the field. Make yourself rare, rare things are in demand. A little curiosity, a desire to learn, and reasonable people skills will ensure there’s always food on the table and a roof over your head. When I look around (/turn on the TV) it’s remarkable just how rare that combination is.

Abdel Rahman al-Rashed on Terrorism

When waging peace, it is often difficult to accomplish the mission with only military forces. These forces play a mandatory role, but something we don’t hear enough about is the other types of forces that are required, the economic and political forces. These forces should dominate the stage, whereas military operations must play the supporting role.

Civil war across the region may be something on the horizon given the building tensions, but the USA had a civil war and came out the better for it. These wars are not often welcome but can address ideas that need to be taken care of. I don’t advocate allowing civil war to erupt, but I do say much of the problems in the region need to be addressed internally and that we should offer as much support as possible in facilitating diplomatic missions and free trade agreements.

An insider can shed real light on a topic.

Abdel Rahman al-Rashed (Pictured above) speaking about terrorism. Originally published in Al-Sharq Al-Awsat

“Self-cure starts with self-realization and confession. We should then run after our terrorist sons, in the full knowledge that they are the sour grapes of a deformed culture… The mosque used to be a haven, and the voice of religion used to be that of peace and reconciliation. Religious sermons were warm behests for a moral order and an ethical life. Then came the neo-Muslims. An innocent and benevolent religion, whose verses prohibit the felling of trees in the absence or urgent necessity, that calls murder the most heinous of crimes, that says explicitly that if you kill one person you have killed humanity as a while, has been turned into a global message of hate and a universal war cry… We cannot clear our names unless we own up to the shameful fact that terrorism has become an Islamic enterprise; an almost exclusive monopoly, implemented by Muslim men and women. We cannot redeem our extremist youth, who commit all these heinous crimes, without confronting the Sheikhs who thought it ennobling to reinvent themselves as revolutionary ideologues, sending other people’s sons and daughters to certain death, while sending their own children to European and American schools and colleges.”

Once again Friedman’s book The World is Flat inspires me to think about world issues…

Gipsy Kings - Greatest Hits

I have really enjoyed this greatest hits CD. It is an album that I'm sure everyone can appreciate. Maybe even learn a little Spanish. For a good Spanish guitar song listen to "Love and Liberte." The guitar sings the whole story all by itself.

I'll make a list of my top favorite albums that most people won't have listened to before. That's for a future post.

TVU Player

I thought I'd share this wonderful new program I found.

Link: TVU Player

This player allows you to watch a number of TV channels over the internet. It has comedy central, and some foreign language channels to help with language studies or to get foreign news. My favorite channel though, is the tennis channel! With the tennis being played in Miami right now this is especially useful, I won't ever miss a good match again! Reading about them is just not the same. There is also Gol TV for soccer, and Comedy Central.

I got a new racquet! ebay deal ooh baby... Ksix-One 95 (Same racquet as Federer, just a bit bigger).

Europe, Old and New /Their Economy

So I spent tonight going over investment ideas and reading stockpickr at thestreet.com. stockpickr is a great resource, for all levels of investing. Their forums are worth reading.

I found a few books I want to read (like Jim Cramer's books), but ultimately did not answer my question of whether or not I should invest in bonds when the MM Savings rates on cash are so good at the moment. I know I don't like a portfolio of 100% equities, but are bonds the way to go? And what about a preferred stock fund, is that a good substitute for bonds? I'll keep it in cash until I figure these things out.

One interesting thing I learned was that Vanguard offers a Pacific Stock ETF which is part of the MSCI EAFE Index (28% I think). It's the pacific part, VGK is the European part.

I'll leave with a few words about Europe. The article is about 50 years of the new Europe, this is a snippet I liked.

"Europe, Old and New" Published March 24, 2007 in the WSJ.

"Fortunately, the EU's power of attraction has been effective closer to home. What begun as a club of six has grown to 27. From Greece, Spain and Portugal in the 1980s to the new members from the old Warsaw Pact, the EU has smoothed the path from authoritarianism to free-market democracy.

The bloc's economic record is mixed. This is still a Europe of wasteful farm subsidies, low growth and high unemployment, with rising protectionism and a regulatory zeal unmatched anywhere in the free world. Yet the bad ideas tend to come from bad leaders. When the Brussels bureaucracy and dreams of creating a super-state are checked by a vigilant media and national governments, the Europe construct itself can be market friendly. In the past two decades, the EU on balance has done more to open the door to greater competition than provide a back door, as Margaret Thatcher feared, for welfare policies.

Why? Most crucially, the 1957 Treaty of Rome was inspired by free-market principles. The EU is the world's largest zone for the free movement of goods, capital and people. When individual countries have tried to blunt those freedoms, Brussels has often fought back with vigor. The euro, the world's most successful currency union, has lowered interest rates, promoted internal trade by removing exchange-rate risks and -- especially in the Latin countries -- made it impossible for governments to inflate their way out of trouble.

Europe's diversity and growing size are also strengths. For each dysfunctional Italy, there's a booming Britain or Estonia or Denmark showing how market-friendly policies pay dividends. In a wider Europe, good ideas squeeze out the bad. The Eastern Europeans have popularized low and flat taxes. Boom-town London is home to hundreds of thousands of Poles and Frenchmen, whose departure is an electoral issue in their native countries, where politicians are realizing they must compete to keep their brightest at home.

On the edges of the Continent, a half-circle running from Spain to Ireland to Finland and down to Eastern Europe is a zone of strong economic growth. In the middle, the big powers of France, Italy and Germany cry out for deeper overhauls. As long as those economies are weak, voters will be anxious about global competition and, in turn, skeptical about opening Europe further. This explains the current unease about further EU enlargement, particularly to Turkey, and the backlash against freeing trade in services and cross-border takeovers.

The Continent's leaders could do worse than use their Berlin party this weekend to send the message that Europe's traditional openness -- to trade, people, new countries -- is the cornerstone of a half-century of success. These first principles from 50 years ago are still worth fighting for."

3 Book Recommendations (Some of My Favs)

After I finish each book I typically write a little blurb about it. I had a conversation the other day that reminded me of people's interest in good book recommendations. Here are 3 good ones, with three pretty different subjects. They are Fiction / Escape Literature

Kite Runner by Khalled Houssini
Excruciating story in the beginning, the author poignantly conveys the emotions of the main character. Many books and stories go in your mind and are forgotten, this one is unforgettable. It is about a boy growing up in an Afghanistan rich with tradition and family. He later is forced from his homeland and moves to America, he struggles with what his national identity and returns on a quest which will help him make peace with himself.

A Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein
This book was incredible. It absolutely changed the way I saw the world for hours at a time after I stopped reading. It gave me the viewpoint of an outsider to the human society. Valentine Michael Smith a human baby raised on mars comes to Earth after years in a Martian society. This gives the author artistic freedom to convey his message. The book reflects on all the major topics of life, religion, happiness, needs, wants, and sexual freedom. It is fantastic. I think the author may indeed have Scandinavian origins, and has a good knowledge of French as well. It is rewarding to know either of those languages when you read the book.

Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck
One of the best-told stories I have ever read. It is poignant and touching. This little book makes for a quick read but leaves an immense feeling in its wake. It captures the lifestyle of the American working south, with big ranches, long hours, and big American dreams. The dialogue, imagery, and characters are all well formulated to present this remarkably accurate account of a place and time that can, to a degree, still be seen today. More important to the story however is the struggle brought about by the main character Lennie’s lack of intelligence and the struggle of Lennie’s only friend and guardian George to fulfill their only dream; to have something they can call their own and live off the fat of the land!

Saving the Environment, One Swirly Bulb at a Time

Despite the recent media barrage, and the newfound celebrity hype of being eco-friendly, many people have yet to form an opinion on global warming. Most everyone has heard of it, but there are plenty of people that either don’t believe it, or feel that there’s really nothing they can do about it, so why worry.

In a conversation with a friend’s dad, the topic of climate change and CO2 emissions came up. This man had all but written off the idea as a liberal hoax, or some overblown unfounded idea to get people to buy those expensive swirly light bulbs. It wasn’t me who convinced him otherwise, and it wasn’t Al Gore. It was a national geographic documentary on TV that just happened to capture his attention at the right moment. He saw this documentary, saw the stranded polar bear and the ice caps melting, and as many decent Americans would, he thought what can I do about it? The realization just had to set in that all the hype is based on indisputable scientific evidence.

I had an answer for his question. Saving energy is a subject in which I am passionate, and one that will likely save you money. The easiest thing you can do is to change out all of your incandescent light bulbs for the new energy efficient fluorescents (Yeah, the swirly ones). They are being phased out in Australia; their government saw the value here… They end up costing you about $2.50 per bulb if bought in at least packs of three. It is better to replace these right away, just throw away the old bulbs working or not working. Even with cheap energy prices here in the south, the electricity savings over the life of the bulb will cover the cost of both bulbs (I did the math). There are plenty of other things you can do as well, including additional insulation, new windows, window tinting, efficient water heating, more efficient A/C and heating, or even just planting a well placed tree. All the information you need can be found by giving your household and energy audit. http://hes.lbl.gov you can also visit this site Energy Saving Ideas. The best thing is, these projects will save you money and you can feel good for helping the environment.

Individuals aren’t the only ones that realize the cost savings of an energy audit. Many top name corporations are tackling this in order to save money and get the added benefit of eco-friendly bragging rights. For the corporate side there is a comprehensive guide. Getting Ahead of the Curve: Corporate Strategies That Address Climate Change. My interest here was the case studies at the end of this guide. There are case studies on Alcoa, Shell and Whirlpool (among others) and they are worth a quick read (just to scan through them). There are still plenty of companies that could benefit from this, I just hope more of them take time to consider this information. Being efficient is profitable, think about it.

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This came straight out of John Carey's article in Business Week

The white house and opponents of some of these energy saving measures have been known to claim that CO2 reductions would be costly and detrimental to the economy. A new analysis from Vattenfall and McKinsey Consulting published different results. "The cost is so low, the world would hardly notice," says Vattenfall CEO Lars Josefsson, an adviser to the German government.

The world must slash CO2 emissions by 27 billion tons by 2030 to keep overall warming to 2C, Vattenfall says. Five billion can come from steps like more insulation, higher mileage vehicles, and better lighting. The rest can come from cellulosic ethanol, solar and wind power, carbon capture at coal plants, and other approaches - all at a cost of $53 per ton of CO2. The bill in 2030 would be about 0.6% of global GDP. "For the first time, we know what to do," says Josefsson.