Quincunx

1995 Gallo Estate Cabernet, North Sonoma

2008-04-26T09:00:00.002-04:00

Gallo making sure that Europeans can read numbers...

What is Change?

2008-04-21T23:07:00.002-04:00

Δομήνικος Θεοτοκόπουλος

2008-04-18T22:11:00.005-04:00

Vangelis

Judas Priest!

2008-04-18T21:10:00.003-04:00

Plants are green because the sun that keeps them alive is a type G star. Luxury goods used to signal high status and distinguish their owners from hoi polloi. Now every klutz can buy Gucci... Are you an angry renter? More expensive wines taste better than cheaper wines, a new study shows. Even when they are exactly the same wine... First thing you notice notice in Beijing is that China’s Internet seems slow. This is partly because of normal congestion. But there is something else... Lopsided love: why do people, both left- and right-handed, tilt their heads to the right when they kiss?... Web 2.0 is an echo chamber. No debate, no conversation – they’re bloggers just listening to themselves... An advertising war.... The pop music industry has sadly come to depend on “heritage acts”... Rich people don't care about gas prices.

Exactly Who is the World Indebted to?

2008-04-18T21:07:00.003-04:00

via Chyco

Zeitgeist

2008-04-13T07:40:00.001-04:00

Another weekend of financial news so horrendous that it can’t be released during market hours.

Μία απ' τα ίδια...

2008-04-03T15:47:00.002-04:00

Κοιτάς πίσω απ' τη βιτρίνα. Οπου κι αν γυρίσεις το βλέμμα, βλέπεις νεκρούς. Οπου κι αν γυρίσεις το βλέμμα, βλέπεις πεινασμένους. Οπου κι αν γυρίσεις το βλέμμα, βλέπεις εξαθλίωση. Κατ' εικόνα και καθ' ομοίωση. Οχι του θεού - του ενός και μόνου αναμάρτητου - μα του συστήματος, που σπέρνει δεινά, πολέμους, φτώχεια. Θα πείτε: Πάλι για τα ίδια θα μιλάμε; Ε, λοιπόν, ναι, θα μιλάμε για τα ίδια. Απ' τη στιγμή που αυτά δεν είναι αποκυήματα κάποιας αρρωστημένης φαντασίας, μα πράγματα που βλέπουμε καθημερινά, είτε ανοίγοντας την τηλεόραση, είτε διαβάζοντας τις μικρές στήλες των εφημερίδων - εκεί που τελειώνουν οι «μεγάλες» ειδήσεις. Τα βλέπουμε όταν πάμε απ' το Σύνταγμα στην πλατεία Βάθης, όταν απ' τη Στουρνάρη - εκεί που είναι όλα τα μαγαζιά της «σύγχρονης τεχνολογίας» - πάμε στην Τοσίτσα. Τούτη η ζωή, λένε κάποιοι - και δεν έχουν άδικο - σε πληγώνει, όπου κι αν κοιτάξεις.

Η αλήθεια αυτή, όμως, είναι μισή. Γιατί, μαζί με την αδικία, τροφοδοτείται και η αγανάκτηση. Τροφοδοτείται η θέληση και η δίψα για δικαιοσύνη, μια λέξη τόσο σπάνια όσο και η λέξη ειρήνη στο σύγχρονο κόσμο. Ισως, αν δούμε κάποια στοιχεία, να καταλάβουμε γιατί η αγανάκτηση - το λιγότερο - είναι αναπόφευκτη. Πάνω από το 50% του παγκόσμιου πληθυσμού ζει με 2 δολάρια τη μέρα. Αυτό, όσο τυφλός και αν είσαι, θα το δεις. Οπως, επίσης, δεν μπορεί παρά να δεις και το γεγονός ότι 50 εκατομμύρια άνθρωποι (δηλαδή το 1% του παγκόσμιου πληθυσμού) έχει τόσα εισοδήματα όσα είναι τα εισοδήματα των 2,7 δισεκατομμυρίων φτωχότερων ανθρώπων του πλανήτη! Και την ίδια στιγμή, οι εκπρόσωποι αυτών που εντείνουν τούτα τα φαινόμενα κάνουν ...διαλέξεις για την αντιμετώπιση της φτώχειας!

«Εντάξει», θα πείτε, «όλα αυτά τα ξέρουμε. Αλλά εμάς τι μας ενδιαφέρουν; Εγώ δε ζω σε ..."ακραία φτώχεια", ούτε έχω τέτοια προβλήματα». Εύλογη η απορία. Ειδικά γι' αυτούς που ζούνε μέσα στη ζεστασιά της «σιγουριάς» και της «ασφάλειας», η συνείδηση που παράγεται είναι πως όλα αυτά είναι μακριά, πολύ μακριά. Ελεγε ο Μπρεχτ, απαντώντας σε τέτοιες «απορίες»: «Οταν ήρθαν να πάρουν τους Εβραίους δεν διαμαρτυρήθηκα, γιατί δεν ήμουν Εβραίος. Οταν ήρθαν για τους κομμουνιστές δεν φώναξα, γιατί δεν ήμουν κομμουνιστής. Οταν κατεδίωξαν τους Τσιγγάνους, ούτε τότε φώναξα, γιατί δεν ήμουν Τσιγγάνος. Οταν έκλεισαν το στόμα των Ρωμαιοκαθολικών που αντιτάσσονταν στο φασισμό δεν έκανα τίποτα γιατί δεν ήμουν καθολικός. Μετά ήρθαν να με συλλάβουν, αλλά δεν υπήρχε πια κανείς να αντισταθεί μαζί μου...». Τέτοιες απορίες τις απαντά η ίδια η ζωή σε ανύποπτη στιγμή...

Κάποιοι ίσως πούνε ότι όλα αυτά είναι ...μία απ' τα ίδια. Οτι λέμε με διαφορετικά λόγια τα ίδια πράγματα. Οτι, εντάξει, υπάρχουν φτώχεια, δυστυχία, πόλεμοι, αλλά ο κόσμος προοδεύει. Ο κόσμος προχωράει μπροστά. Ναι, σε αυτό, θα συμφωνήσουμε. Ο κόσμος προχωράει μπροστά και ακριβώς γι' αυτό τούτη η αδικία θα συντριβεί...

Κώστας ΤΡΑΚΟΣΑΣ

The Hidden, the Serene, and the Inexhaustible

2008-03-26T23:38:00.005-04:00

When people see some things as beautiful,
other things become ugly.
When people see some things as good,
other things become bad.

Being and non-being create each other.
Difficult and easy support each other.
Long and short define each other.
High and low depend on each other.
Before and after follow each other.

Therefore the Master
acts without doing anything
and teaches without saying anything.
Things arise and she lets them come;
things disappear and she lets them go.
She has but doesn't possess,
acts but doesn't expect.
When her work is done, she forgets it.
That is why it lasts forever.

Lao-tzu

From a translation by S. Mitchell

MetaphorMoses

2008-03-25T02:07:00.003-04:00

Vide

2008-03-25T01:30:00.000-04:00

Demonarchy: Myriarchy

2008-03-16T22:56:00.005-04:00

The U.S. is caught between misplaced capitalism and crony socialism and suffers from the worst components of both.

"The past is not dead. In fact, it's not even past." WF

2008-03-16T22:45:00.003-04:00

We Will Never Have a Perfect Model of Risk
By Alan Greenspan

"The current financial crisis in the US is likely to be judged in retrospect as the most wrenching since the end of the second world war. It will end eventually when home prices stabilise and with them the value of equity in homes supporting troubled mortgage securities."

The brIdes of March

2008-03-16T21:47:00.011-04:00

Thanks to Maoxian.

Fora

2008-01-31T20:30:00.001-05:00

I’m going to steal some of James Dalton’s ideas on time frames, mostly because his seem to fit nicely, and from anecdotal experience, it seems to hold true. Five time frames exist, grey areas obviously exist, but I find it’s a good starting point when dissecting the charts. Scalper, Day Trader, Short-Term Traders, Intermediate Traders, and Long-term Traders are the five main divisions.

Scalper

The scalper lives by the minute hand, continually buying and selling in order to take advantage of fleeting discrepancies in order flow. Scalpers may make as many as several hundred trades a day, comprising thousands of contracts. Scalpers rely on intuition. They buy and sell from all timeframes, and their ability to respond to the immediate needs of the marketplace provides essential liquidity. This timeframe is utterly detached from longer-term economic trends, for obvious reasons. For these guys, its all about reading order flow.

Day Trader

The day trader enters the market with no position and goes home the same way. Day traders process news announcements, reflect on technical analysis, and read order flow in order to make trading decisions. They also have to deal with the other timeframes buying and selling, margins calls, major economic news, even seemingly harmless speeches by Fed insiders (hello Greenspan effect!). Anyone who believes the markets are rational should spend a day trying to digest and react to the landslide on conflicting data day traders must wade through to make a decision.

Short-Term Trader

Short-term traders often hold trades longer than a day, but usually not longer than three to five days (a trading week). Short-term traders usually have to be much more aware of economic trends, and monitoring important junctions that exist, such as trend lines, new highs and lows, etc. They’re always on the look out for break outs, either to fade (which means to bet against the movement continuing), or get on board the momentum.

Intermediate Trader (or investor?)

The difference between intermediate traders and short-term traders is simply they operate on a longer term view. Rather then thinking of a set timeframe, Intermediate Traders (often referred to colloquially as “swing traders”) are usually more focused on the time the market spending bracketing, rather then an actual set time piece of a month or 3 months. They usually attempt to buy at the bottom of a bracketing market, hoping to sell at the top, or vice versa. They may also, like the other timeframes, pile aboard powerful break outs or short when the market tanks. Swing traders usually process a lot more fundamental information then both Short-Term and Day Traders, because the sheer amount of different technical ideas can make it difficult to judge which is important in the context.

Long-Term Investor

Long-term investors are far more attatched to the securities they own. They have a stronger tendency to buy securities and put them away for some time, with holding periods from months up to several years. When they are active, they deal with very large positions that are very visible to all participants in the market. Shorter term participants that wish to stay solvent understand to either get on board or move out of the way when the long-term investors decide to take a position.

Note that when you see a major, powerful move in the markets or a stock, its almost always all the timeframes moving in unison. Like the food chain, the longer timeframe is the dominate force over the smaller one, taking on an alpha like role. Short-term traders, no matter how stubborn, will always get run over by the long-term investors, through the sheer weight of the contracts/stock quantity they use when entering the market..."

Full Post:

ConcateNation

2008-01-31T20:08:00.000-05:00

Should we be connecting the dots?

New cable cut compounds net woes;

Details for Iran's internet traffic reports.

Pop! Goes RE Bubble

2008-01-27T12:33:00.000-05:00

Inflation-adjusted chart concerning the recent boom in housing valuations in the US by economist Robert J. Shiller: We can see that while prices have fluctuated over the past 116 years, the rise in prices since 1997 is not only steep, but unprecedented. While it is possible that home prices will continue to rise or even remain stagnant, there is high probability of substantial and steady home price declines extending over many years to come. If the current move was to repeat the cycle of its recent predecessors, we'd see an approaching top and an ensuing move down towards the lows of the last cycle lows. This would bring us down back from whence we came (~ at 116 on Shiller's chart). Note here that stock market bubbles rarely meet with such a definitive end.

The Ships

2008-01-25T00:25:00.001-05:00

From Imagination to the Blank Page. A difficult crossing, the waters dangerous. At first sight the distance seems small, yet what a long voyage it is, and how injurious sometimes for the ships that undertake it.
The first injury derives from the highly fragile nature of the merchandise that the ships transport. In the marketplaces of Imagination most of the best things are made of fine glass and diaphanous tiles, and despite all the care in the world, many break on the way, and many break when unloaded on the shore. Moreover, any such injury is irreversible, because it is out of the question for the ship to turn back and take delivery of things equal in quality. There is no chance of finding the same shop that sold them. In the marketplaces of Imagination, the shops are large and luxurious but not long-lasting. Their transactions are short-lived, they dispose of their merchandise quickly and immediately liquidate. It is very rare for a returning ship to find the same exporters with the same goods.
Another injury derives from the capacity of the ships. They leave the harbors of the opulent continents fully loaded, and then, when they reach the open sea, they are forced to throw out a part of the load in order to save the whole. Thus, almost no ship manages to carry intact as many treasures as it took on. The discarded goods are of course those of the least value, but it happens sometimes that the sailors, in their great haste, make mistakes and throw precious things overboard.
And upon reaching the white paper port, additional sacrifices are necessary. The customs officials arrive and inspect a product and consider whether they should allow it to be unloaded; some other product is not permitted ashore; and some goods they admit only in small quantities. A country has its laws. Not all merchandise has free entry, and contraband is strictly forbidden. The importation of wine is restricted, because the continents from which the ships come produce wines and spirits from grapes that grow and mature in more generous temperatures. The customs officials do not want these alcoholic products in the least. They are highly intoxicating. They are not appropriate for all palates. Besides, there is a local company that has the monopoly in wine. It produces a beverage that has the color of wine and the taste of water, and this you can drink the day long without being affected at all. It is an old company. It is held in great esteem, and its stock is always overpriced.
Still, let us be pleased when the ships enter the harbor, even with all these sacrifices. Because, after all, with vigilance and great care, the number of broken or discarded goods can be reduced during the course of the voyage. Also, the laws of the country and the customs regulations, though oppressive in large measure, are not entirely prohibitive, and a good part of the cargo gets unloaded. Furthermore, the customs officials are not infallible: some of the merchandise gets through in mislabeled boxes that say one thing on the outside and contain something else; and, after all, some choice wines are imported for select symposia.
Something else is sad, very sad. That is when certain huge ships go by with coral decorations and ebony masts, with great white and red flags unfurled, full of treasures, ships that do not even approach the harbor either because all of their cargo is forbidden or because the harbor is not deep enough to receive them. So they continue on their way. A favorable wind fills their silk sails, the sun burnishes the glory of their golden prows, and they sail out of sight calmly, majestically, distancing themselves forever from us and our cramped harbor.
Fortunately, these ships are very scarce. During our lifetime we see two or three of them at most. And we forget them quickly. Equal to the radiance of the vision is the swiftness of its passing. And after a few years have gone by, if—as we sit passively gazing at the light or listening to the silence—if someday certain inspiring verses return by chance to our mind’s hearing, we do not recognize them at first and we torment our memory trying to recollect where we heard them before. With great effort the old remembrance is awakened, and we recall that those verses are from the song chanted by the sailors, handsome as the heroes of the Iliad, when the great, the exquisite ships would go by on their way—who knows where.

Translated by Edmund Keeley/Dimitri Gondicas

The Essential Cavafy. The Ecco Press, New Jersey 1995.

Architecture in Motion

2008-01-19T10:54:00.001-05:00

DeBeers in Class Action All by Itself

2008-01-14T19:29:00.000-05:00

If you are one of those people who spend large amounts of money for one of the most common elements on earth (carbon), then you are in luck. According to a lawsuit brought against DeBeers, all persons located in the United States who purchased any diamond or diamond jewelry or other products containing gem diamonds for personal use between January 1, 1994 and March 31, 2006 may be eligible for a piece of a class action lawsuit. This action contests that DeBeers conspired to monopolize the diamond industry by fixing and controlling diamond prices by issuing false and misleading advertising. Someone who purchased a $4,000 dollar ring, for example, may be eligible to receive around $750.00 dollars back. Assuming you purchased several diamonds as gifts or for personal vanity (rings, earrings, diamond-studded watches, etc), you can file a claim for each separate purchase you have made.

Solar Architecture

2008-01-14T19:07:00.001-05:00

Sanyo has erected a spectacular solar building (actually, a power generation facility) in Gifu, Japan. The building itself is composed with 5,000+ solar panels, which in turn produce over 500,000 kWh of energy per annum. It stands as one of the best examples of photovoltaic design to date. Let's now hope that Sanyo will also be producing eco-friendly products to match its stunning, progressive architecture.

苹果产品优质转售商 Afor每股0.33元售股

2008-01-12T21:09:00.000-05:00

苹果产品的优质转售商（Apple premium reseller）Afor将在凯利板挂牌，以每股0.33元的股价发售2350万新股。其中100万股为献售股，2250万股为配售股，包括了70万的保留股（reserved shares）。

　　于2002年成立的Afor是本地乃至亚洲地区的首家苹果产品的优质转售商，通过位于伟乐坊（Wheelock Place）与新达城购物中心的EpiCentre专卖店售卖苹果牌产品。该集团于去年9月走出国门，在吉隆坡开设首家海外专卖店。

　　集团总裁房德伦表示，EpiCentre专卖店以新颖的商业模式吸引顾客，店内除了售卖苹果品牌的产品和相关配件外，还为顾客提供专业的咨询和修理服务。集团根据了顾客的口味和需求，推出了iWorld品牌的Mac和iPod配件。

　　他说：“首次公开售股可以帮助公司迅速地扩展在亚洲的业务。我们计划在新加坡和马来西亚开设更多的专卖店，也会把业务拓展到亚洲其他国家和地区。”他认为，亚洲地区的生活水准逐步上升，人们对数码产品的需求会随之攀升。

　　Afor近期受邀在“滨海湾金沙”（The Marina Bay Sands）开设一间零售店，目前正在建设中，预计于明年开始营业。

　　房德伦说：“苹果品牌的产品在亚洲的市场有着巨大的潜力，而苹果公司也不断推陈出新，增长的势头非常强劲。这些因素都为我们的成长打下了良好的基础。”

　　截至6月底的前三个财年，Afor获得了40％的复合年增长率（CAGR），营收自2005财年的2610万元增至2007财年的5100万元，净利同期自93万元增至347万元。

　　集团预计可通过这次售股筹得780万元资金，其中400万元将用来拓展业务，120万元支付售股所涉及的费用，剩余的260万元作为运作资本。

　　公开发股的截止日期是1月16日（下星期三）中午12时，并预计于1月18日在新加坡交易所交易。

A Partial List of Taxes Americans Pay

2008-01-12T18:50:00.000-05:00

Accounts Receivable Tax
Automobile Registration Tax
Building Permit Tax
Capital Gains Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
CDL License Tax
Dog License Tax
Estate Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges (Tax on top of tax)
IRS Penalties (Tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Local Income Tax
Luxury Tax
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Parking Meters
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Septic Permit Tax
Service Charge Taxes
Social Security Taxes
Road Usage Tax (Truckers)
Sales Tax
Recreational Vehicle Tax
Toll Booth Tax
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax
Telephone Federal Excise Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Telephone Recurring and non-Recurring Charges Tax
Telephone State and Local Tax
Telephone Usage Charge Tax
Toll Bridge Taxes
Toll Tunnel Taxes
Traffic Fines
Trailer Registration Tax
Utility Tax
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Water-craft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax
Gasoline Tax (42 cents/gallon)
Federal Income Tax

Entheomania

2008-01-12T13:26:00.000-05:00

A recent communication with one of my readers:

Jon Rogers to me

2:04 AM

Hello Yorgos,

If you had only one or two trades to make this year, which would you say or feel were the strongest? I like LDK, SVA, and UGTH and think they are very viable long-term positions to hold. I have really have enjoyed reading your blog and think you have made many excellent picks for this year and beyond.

Many thanks for the blog

Jon

Yorgos Voyiatzis to Jon

1:25 PM

Good day to you, Jon and happy new year.

This year proffers a great opportunity to buy into many outstanding companies, as their valuations have fallen back to sensible levels. The financial sector proposes itself as a good buy this year but, with the exception of ETFC and a few others which are highly likely to be acquired for valuations greater than they are now worth, I would not venture into this morass until 2010, maybe earlier but not now; for I suspect the financial sector will continue its volatile decline and reach a plateau in 2010 where it will stagnate for a couple of more years. Look at what happened to TWX since 2001 and you are pretty much looking into what will be unfolding for C, BAC, WFC, etc.: stagnancy.

As for 2008, it is my opinion that China, South America, and commodities in general will retain their strength and continue to proffer returns far superior to those in American and European markets.

It is imperative to invest in broad sectors and not just one or a couple. My current portfolio consists of 203 different equities, comprising most industries globally, most of which were purchased in 1997; none of my acquisitions has been sold since! This is because I subscribe to a long-term-buy-and-hold philosophy. If you want to make money in stocks, you buy them and forget about diurnal fluctuations and such asinine and witless observations. I inspect my portfolio toward the end of the year to see who is outperforming whom so as to seek guidance about how to proceed the following year. Once a solid foundation has been established, your only pre-occupation should be whether to add more onto an existing position or venture into something new. Granted, most folk are not that heavily vested into equities, but I can only speak for myself.

My blog is intended for me to keep in touch with friends and relatives living abroad. It is a means of communicating with them. So, what goes onto my blog should not be construed as investing advice. It is not; for IT ONLY REFLECTS WHAT I MYSELF AM DOING AT A GIVEN POINT IN TIME. Having said that, I am thrilled, I must admit, when my path intersects that of strangers whose ideals and interests reflect those of my own. After all, this is what the internet is (should be) all about. Just ever remember never to commit yourself to anyone's opinions unless you yourself have performed and committed your own due diligence and research upon the topic you are inquiring into. Never seek out one's advice; instead try to reinforce your instincts and give credence to your intuition vicariously: by scrutinizing others' opinions and by gaining insight from their empirical knowledge.

Now, from my perspective, alternative energy in general and solar energy in particular is the play for the next decade; and while the candidates are many, the real players are few. LDK Solar is my favorite in the solar sector for various reasons, but primarily thanks to its fundamentals and its unequivocal growth prospects. UGTH has prospects too, but I feel it is yet premature to dive into pure geo-thermal energy plays in 2008. I do own UGTH but I am not expecting much from it in 2008. If you have a couple of grand sitting idle, then go ahead and purchase UGTH; but, again, don't expect much this year. ORA and RZ are also great geothermal energy plays which should do better than UGTH this year ONLY BECAUSE their models are more diverse. Do yourself a favor and look into these.

To answer your question: If I could only make a couple of trades this year, which would they be? LDK, DBA ( PowerShares DB Multi-Sector Commodity Trust), ETFC (at anywhere less than $4.00/share it is an imperative buy). SVA appears to be a great buy as well; but as with most biotech plays it could prove lethargic sans major breakthroughs/deals. Had I intended to make at least 10 purchases this year, then SVA would definitely be one of them. But if I were looking to acquire only 2 or 3, I would want to be standing on firmer foundation.

Thanks for writing to me. Have a healthy and prosperous year.

Yorgos Voyiatzis

The Iowa Caucus: Watch Them Run

2008-01-02T07:24:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow the US election season kicks off with the Iowa Presidential preference caucuses. The plural of the term caucus (namely, a meeting or gathering of members) is being used here because in Iowa this event is held locally in various public buildings in each of its nearly 1,800 precincts. What happens here in Iowa is that these caucuses elect local delegates, who elect state delegates, who select the national convention delegates (Presidential Electors) who in turn cast their state's votes (7 electoral votes for Iowa: it takes 270 electoral votes to win the Presidential election) for the President and Vice-President of the US. Not unlike the rest of the US Presidential electoral process, the very first step toward electing a President is exceedingly convoluted and vastly indirect. But, hey, folks are and have been content with this process of electing their big wigs so it must be working, right?

What is important to note here is that for the past thirty-five years the Iowa caucus has been the first step into the process for nominating a US President. Accordingly, this event is closely watched and reported on by all media, major and independent, and it is widely believed to bear exceptional effect on the success and perseverance of who remains in the race to the Presidency and who drops out.

The mainstream media will deluge us with stories that essentially treat the election as a paint-by-numbers exercise: with nothing more than red and blue on the palette. For the bulk of news readers, I suppose that's fine; it is a two-party system, after all. We should, however, have higher expectations from the censors; for it is they, in the final analysis, who supervise public morals especially to those with the appetite to see through a seemingly interminable presidential electoral process.

I have long been tired of the facile and jejune analysis and partisanship in traditional media. I gave up on TV first and newspapers not long thereafter. I don't know, perhaps the advent of the internet has had much to do with ditching these dinosaurs. I needed objective and disinterested assessment of current affairs and could not find it on Channel 7; I needed snapshots of where our country fits into the international system and could not find anything to read on it in The New York Times; I needed to know about my politician's true capabilities and capacities but alas could not bring to light this info from any orthodox news source; I wanted to know about the threats and opportunities this country of ours faces and found myself just shutting everything off, for there was nothing on, nothing meaningful printed in any consequential way.

We ought to be more interested and attentive in what the United States can do than in what some politician is promising to do. Mainstream media package candidates the same way advertising firms sell cereal: sound-bytes and photo-ops. Who needs slogans and logos, we're drowning in all this as it is. There ought to be a difference between "news" and "intelligence." But where is it? In Iowa, perhaps?

LDK Lift Off!

2008-01-02T05:35:00.000-05:00

LDK Solar just announced their 2008 and 2009 gross margin outlooks. Do they look good! LDK should close above $52.00 today; nowhere but up from here.

Check out the current asking price...@ 5:35 a.m.!!!
Let me back up the money truck and load up some more [slow smile]...

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| $LDK$ To Double ||__\,__
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(@)'(@);;''''(@)*(@)******(@)+