Omaha_farm_boy

Buffett and Goldman: Damn That Guy Is Smart

Dear Helpless. Did. long ago. Wish we'da done more.

Warren says "be greedy when others are fearfull"

Constellation: Buffett's Smart Buy

User, you weren't asking me, I know. BUT, I think Warren is the richest -- and perhaps the smartest -- SOB I've ever met!

An old uncle usta say "If you're so smart, why aren't you rich?" I've seen Buffy and his friend Gates at the same table. I'd guess I'm not the one to argue.

Constellation: Buffett's Smart Buy

dear paulk ... you say "just now" ?? perhaps you should check into Berkshires 90% ownership of MidAmerican Energy . HQ in little IOWA, which they've just made into #3 for wind energy -- trailing only the BIG states .. pop and size .. of TX and CA. MidAm being run by David Sokol, who made me $$ as honcho of Cal.Energy -- much into Geothermal. The same guy (Sokol) who's tops EVERYbody's short list for Warren's job as Brk CEO whenever W kicks or retires. MidAm also has energy biz in the Pacific NW and in Scotland.

Again, I wouldn't say "just now" getting in. I'm not selling any Berkshire, fer sure!

Four Reasons Why Gold's a Slam Dunk Investment

Up above, mbr mentions "other hard assets" and E.Neff Sed likes stocks.

Use your favorite fin'l engine -- Yahoo Finance works fine -- and compare CCJ and BHP with gold.

My friends here -- whose daddy-in-law is an old FOW .. that be Warren .. think stocks are just fine too.

Nonetheless, I AM buying a bit of hard and shiny ... but I doubt it'll ever get to the "5 to 10% insurance" that some pros recc.

Independence Day: Decoupling Gold and Silver from the Dollar

OK. Let's get specific. How much inflation is expected, how much will Gold (and silver) go up, and how soon?

AND how much gold should one have? Hard or soft?

Transocean: An Opportunity in Falling Oil

Interesting. Boone Pickens was here in Nebr. today -- pimping his project, of course. BUT ... look / Google for an article in the NYTimes on Peak oil. No politics even -- and yeah, it WAS the NYT! Just Google this phrase "oil production has begun falling at all of the major western oil companies" ... to find the sources.

BUT it makes the point that the "Big Seven" traded oils (XOM, COP, TOT, CVX, etc) control only 13% -- the rest is held by the "Nationals" like PeMex.

MY point is that even the Nationals are gonna need help -- RIG is making deals with PetroBras NOW ... and I'll wager they will with PeMex too. OFB

Wind's Our Future, but Natural Gas Is Now

formerhawk says it NEVER stops blowing in the "great plains corridor". Well, that's an strech -- "Seldom" might be more accurate. There are calm days, just not many. Wind velocities typically drop a bunch after sundown .. there are maps available with the best areas for wind. MidAmerican Energy (a Buffet / Berkshire company) has made the north of Iowa covered with turbines. I think when all are finished, Iowa will be #3 after TX & CA. BUT if you have big numbers over big areas, you need big transmission facilities (which have their own losses).

Will Automakers Switch to Natural Gas?

Natural Gas? Love the whole thread. I’ve lotsa comments.

NakedJB seems to be well informed – but more of an “enviro”. I’m sorta an agnostic on “climate change” .. I don’t know that CO2 causes warming – maybe warming allows/causes higher CO2 levels.

What I REALLY dislike is sending $$ to the Arabs (and yeah, the Persians too)!

Nobody has mentioned the BEST way to make electricity – by splitting the atom! (and sure, let’s fuse it too, but I’m unlikely to live long enough to see fusion power).

ANYTHING beats buying foreign (well, non – North American) oil. Until we have way better batteries – to drive the Nuclear power around – Nat.Gas sounds better than paying the Saudis.

Somebody (maybe elsewhere) was saying a buck or two cost for a gal/equiv … the local gas utility is just pimping the purchase of some of the Honda Civics made to run on NG (at an extra cost of 6-7000 ?) and they are saying $2.10 / gal/equiv. And this is a municipal utility – a nonprofit.

I’m an economist, but just retired from the local electric utility – yeah, we have coal, Nuke, AND some NG, but the NG is just for summer “peaking” use. A peaking plant is one you start quickly and run for a few hours only.

Another point --- Nakedbird said a coal plant is 30% effective .. that’s BTU heat into BTU electricity. That’s not too far off, the modern standard is 33.3%, but there are “combined cycle plants” that recapture lots of the “waste heat” and get the grand total closer to ½. Then IF you can re-capture the bulk of the CO2 .. and it’s coming .. a greenie like nakedJB should be less offended.

PS NJBird – tell us about the “so many storage technologies for solar and wind generated electrical power” that you like. The dual dams – one at much higher elevation than the other – with hydro generator that can also be a pump, is all that works on a BIG scale

One more point in favor of NG – I seldom see it mentioned – is vehicle maintenance. I have thousands of hours in the seat of propane vehicles – OK we had propane tractors when I was young (and yeah, in the 1960’s propane was like 11 to 17 cents … yeah PENNIES … per liquid gallon). I remember well the manual on oil changes (these were MM – Minneapolis Moline – tractors). They made the same machine in diesel, gasoline, and propane versions – and the oil change interval was 100 hr on diesel, 200 on gasoline, and 300 on propane!! THERE’s another heck of a reason to use NG in fleet vehicles – plus many fleets can have their own fueling areas and not depend on public stations

Buffet's Berkshire Buyout Trifecta

I thought the first one vanished. Sorry all.

Buffet's Berkshire Buyout Trifecta

Well, Chad, Every time that I think that Warren is wrong, 99% of the time it's me. I meet with him every year for 4 or 5 hours ... he answers every question. Just me and Warren ... and (this year) about 30,000 other friends at the Qwest center. I've done OK following him too ... like a home run in PetroChina (that's a 4 bagger to any newbies). My BUD is only gonna get me about 50%. Bummer. I've been investing almost 30 years -- my wife isn't too active except that she remembers telling me that I should buy BRK when it was it was between 8 and 9,000. I thought that was insane -- see how much I know?

Buffet's Berkshire Buyout Trifecta

Well, Chad ... I'm writing from Lovely Omaha. I've been investing for over 30 years -- and am pretty independent. There have been times that I've thought Warren wrong ... and it's seldom true. I meet with him every year for 4 or 5 hours, and he answers EVERY question. Just me and Warren -- and (this year) just over 30,000 other close friends in the Qwest center. I've done fine watching, and sometimes following. Home run in PTR, (that's a 4 bagger to any newbies) but only a 50% gain in BUD. Oh well. My wife isn't active, but will always remember telling me to buy Berkshire at 8,000 or 9,000. "That's absurd." says me. I don't think the old boy's slipped yet!