Mafeking

Crisis in Context: 'This Time is Different: Eight Centuries of Financial Folly,' by Carmen M. Reinhart and Kenneth S. Rogoff

Great article.

Alas this time it is indeed different. America is going to go bankrupt under the lunatic Dems spending the country into poverty to follow a leftist dream.

Arianna Huffington: New Media Outlets Must Prove Commitment to Truth

Interviewing AH about misinformation is like interviewing a frog on the temperature of the water. The frog cannot tell temperature; AH cannot see misinformation. She simply sees all facts and views that are not aligned with Hufpost's left wing bias as propaganda (try getting anything not far left of center published on the site).

The boring thing about Hufpost and AH is that they never surprise. All their thought comes from the same left wing place.

Niall Ferguson: Dollar Is Doomed, U.S. Empire Over

Ferguson, is of course, a wet as you mention, but that does not affect his horribly accurate message re America - empire or not.

You sir are in denial. And I don't mean a river in Africa.


On Oct 20 06:28 PM Tony Petroski wrote:

> Dr. Ferguson is a typical British wet and he belongs in the safe
> confines of Harvard although he apparently is infecting Annapolis
> as well.
>
> 1) America isn't an "Empire." Thus, we don't suffer as we have
> to pull back from our "global committments" and get tired of doing
> the defense work of the Japanese and the Europeans.
>
> 2) We will emerge from the Carter Administration II also known as
> our normal dose of Democratic malaise.
>
> 3) The Chinese are a fine and creative people, but aircraft carriers
> and nuclear submarines cost lots of money. We'll see how their infrastructure
> spending holds out as they attempt to become a regional power.<br/>
>
> 4) The Germans never were able to become a naval power even though
> the Bismarck was a marvel as it sank under the waves. The German
> U-Boat was a menace to shipping, but there were only so many of those
> they could produce before they too were at the bottom of the ocean.
>
>
> 5) All Americans know not to trust the word of anyone named "Niall,"
> again, see earlier comment on the British wet.

Jim Rogers on the Next 10 Years

Actually there is no such language as 'Chinese'. Does Rogers mean Mandarin or Cantonese . Mandarin is most widely spoken, but Cantonese is most common in Southern China and HK.

Such a blunder seems strange from people who purport to be experts on China.

Dent Tactical ETF Will Likely Have Trouble Gathering Assets

Dent is, in fact, an excellent source of prediction regarding the stock market.

Just assume the opposite of what he predicts. So far that strategy has been 100% correct.

Sobering Stat: ARMS Index Indicates Market Is at Peak, Not Bottom

I am a well known coin toss expert that uses a proprietary coin toss methodology: heads the market goes up; tails the market goes down.

I tossed the coin for the coming week and the coin came up heads. Obviously that is rubbish so I kept tossing. On the fourth attempt the coin came up tails.

I declare that my methodology (which is close to the ARMS approach of evidence based analysis) suggests the market will go down this coming week.

Please note: the tossing method described in this posting should not be confused with simple coin tossing using a hand. All coin tosses were done using the proprietary Mafeking Tossometer that removes human 'thumb' bias.

Ben Stein, Predatory Bait-and-Switch Merchant

Wow certainly a hit job on Stein with comments to match. I see free enterprise is only free if people follow Felix's definition of acceptability

I'll be sure to check with Mr Salmon before I embark on anything that smacks of commercialism in the future.

So let me see all the spiteful posters: would you do the ad for $100 - probably not, but if I upped the ante a bit - say $10 million - would you then reconsider? Or better still $100 million do I hear some of the sanctimonious wavering....... perhaps even the upright poster who is -finally- losing respect for the NY Times because Ben is still associated with them. Are you serious?

Good God man, have you not heard of caveat emptor? Let Stein shill for this shaky outfit - that is his prerogative - and move on to more important things.

South Africa ETF - Nowhere to Go but Up?

In 2010 the Football (soccer) World Cup will be played in South Africa. The country will come under intense world scrutiny and the SA's 'animal spirits' will be buoyed - the first African country to host the World Cup.

So I can certainly see a short term opportunity for EZA, but post the World Cup there is going to be quite an economic let down. Currently many people are employed to refurbish existing stadiums and create other facilities and the government is spending whatever it takes to get these projects completed before the kick off.

But then employment will go up and it is not certain whether Pravin Gordhan is up to the finance minister job since he is relatively new in the position.

I would not hold EZA after March 2010.

Crocs (CROX) on their last legs: "The company's toast. They're zombie-ish. They're dead and they don't know it."

My God, this is a blow - I wear nothing but Crocs. I have multiple pairs: Yellow for indoors with socks, Orange for indoors without socks, Blue for the garden and the Gray pair for going out.

You have put me off my trading. What a terrible shock.

Book Review: Hedge Funds (An Analytic Perspective)

Remember the old saying "Bullshit baffles brains". It may be applicable here.

Priming the Pump for $20/Gal. Gas: Interview with Chris Steiner

Yup, this time its different.

Religious Muslims Now Have an ETF to Call Their Own

Investment tips from Allah - they work every time.

Dylan Ratigan's Morning Meeting debut (video, 6 min.). First take: good guests, interesting discussion.

Never mind the noisy Ratigan who has a built in megaphone and seems unable to shut up and let his guests speak. What about Spitzer and the reconstitution of his public personae?

What next? Can we look for a guest appearance by Sandford.

Book Review: Jeff Immelt and the New GE Way, by David Magee

If Immelt is judged on GE performance alone he has done a mediocre job. An Ivy leaguer promoted for his background and pedigree rather than his street smarts.

And street smarts may be the missing ingredient. Apparently oblivious to criticism and concerns from share holders, Immelt plows on with his singular poor performance communicating poorly or not at all.

I presume Mason has attended a share holder meeting. I have, and they have been, until recently, rather high handed affairs where mere shareholders are permitted to be at the feet of the glittering GE executive team. But recent meeting have been more rowdy as it has become all too apparent that Immelt has feet of clay. And share holders have voiced there extreme dissatisfaction.

The book may or may not be a good read (the article left me equivocal), but on its subject, Jeffrey Immelt, there is no doubt: He has to go to restore the credibility of a once great company.

Are Magazines Doomed Too?

Mr Jarvis, I wonder what you think of the Zinio model where you get the magazine electronically. Distribution costs are minimal and let's face it most people who read magazines have broadband.

I subscribe to a few magazines via Zinio one of which has recently gone all digital - PC Magazine for example.

It costs less and because it is a special interest magazine I am quite happy to print out the pages I need. Mostly I read it online. The Economist is also available.

Thing is I am not interested in a community, or exchanging views with other readers. I simply want the info.