Add to that, I was stuck late at work, had to suffer Friday evening traffic, and came home late. Never fear, I will post some items of interest, and then the games will begin.
Best of the Web
My favorite kind of post, but this is all time will allow.
One could wonder why after all the blatant mortgage fraud easily seen on TV shows like "Flip this House" that almost nobody has done jail time over this. You could wonder that, but why waste your valuable time? Along these lines, enjoy a few examples of how bad things were (and most likely still are) in the home business:
A Birdie on Possible Foreclosure Frauds from Market Ticker
My favorite fraud is the amazing numbers game played by the big banks as they report "earnings". I think future archaeologists will unearth a JP Morgan earnings report in the future and arrive at the conclusion that this era of mathematicians were the greatest of all time:
JP Morgan 2009 Q3 Results – Miracle or Mirage? by Muhammad Refeeq
So deflation will rule the day and nothing anyone does can stop the freight train of destroyed credit? What if credit demand is only down, but on the move back up? What happens then? I have no idea but this article shows how focused those in Washington are at restarting the housing bubble:
More Stimulus, but No More Bubbles via Bubblemeter
Today's must read comes from Yves Smith of Naked Capitalism with a no holds barred look at how in the tank the mainstream media is when it comes to financial reporting (and it does not end there!):
MSM Reporting as Propaganda (No one Minds Our New Financial Lords and Masters Edition)
I would only add that the MSM does what they do because the average Americans attention span is about 60 seconds, unless it involves reality TV.
Final thought on the week. I had not really been looking at oil prices for a while, but now the price is closing in on $80 a barrel. I had no idea stocks needed oil to run higher, but it seems oil fuels the market? Every indicator I do look at (shipping, miles driven, etc) would imply Oil usage is was down, yet the price has broken out here on a technical basis. I have no ideas, how about you?
Friday Night Entertainment
I have no idea if the general readership even likes this section, but I do and I have a ton of fun writing it, so away we go!
FAIL!
Ok, Wikipedia may have finally met its match for my reading time! FailBlog has become a first and last stop for me, it is just too funny. Tonight's selections:
Anti swine-flu, or child endangerment?
see more Epic Fails
The best entries are the ones titled "WIN". Here an old man scores a victory at an Internet cafe:
see more Epic Fails
Epic WIN!
Must See Pictures
I love views that can really give some perspective as to how silly all the games, wasted time, and deprivation everywhere you look are on a grander level. I cannot post the picture here, because it is too large, but I would implore you to check out a snap shot the Mars Global Surveyor took while Earth and Jupiter were lined up in reference to Mars. Note, Jupiter is much further away from Mars than the Earth, yet it is a giant in this picture. Got Perspective?
See it here.
Just amazing.
Film Clips
A few cinematic captures for a possible weekend rental (download, whatever people do these days!)
Kevin Spacey is one of my favorite actors. While "American Beauty" was surely his most dynamic role, I think few scenes give me the chills as the car ride scene from the film "Seven":
Great stuff.
A must see classic is "Real Men" with John Ritter and Jim Belushi. Perhaps the most off center comedy I have ever seen, it never ceases to both amuse and surprise. Take this one scene as an example:
"Who are those clowns?" Too funny!
Rock Blogging
Well, the nominations for fight night were a bit slow and sporadic. I will lead off with a few songs, and then we will have our first fight to end the show.
Maybe my favorite Eagles song is "Tequila Sunrise". Something about that steel guitar that really gets me:
In a rare combination of themes of music, film, and pure comedy I offer a scene from the box office bomb film "Rhinestone" where Sylvester Stallone shows his country music skills. You are going to hate me after this, some things cannot be unseen!:
OMG, my eyes and ears!!!!
Last undercard song before the main event!
I noticed Barry Ritholtz (The Big picture) had a Pink Floyd themed post up tonight. I have to admit, I am not a Pink Floyd fan. Still, I do like the song "Learning to Fly" and so I will jump on the train and post it:
It is now time for the Main Event of the evening, one round of boxing, for the right to move on in the Tournament of Greatest Songs!
Tonights fight is for the punk rock genre entry to the tournament. Well, at least semi punk rock. Here are your fighters:
In the Blue corner, we have the fabled band "The Ramones" who need no introduction anywhere. Entering the ring is the classic rock out tune "Somebody Put Something in My Drink":
Tough song!
Introducing, fighting out of the red corner, Billy Idol (Generation X band days) and his timeless get your freak on song, "Dancing with Myself":
I am energized!!
Please vote for the winner between these two gladiators. Tough call! Only one moves on.
Have a good night.
No surprises here, I'm voting for Idol although I do like that Ramones tune.
ReplyDeleteMaybe Sly was inspired by his bro Frank?
What if there is a tie?
ReplyDeleteWatchtower,
ReplyDeleteIn the event of a tie, I am the final tie breaker. Tough decision tonight, I have gone back and forth so far. Both Great tunes.
Lets get some votes!
I was digging up old vinyls awhile ago and found the old Eagles Greatest Hits. My fave on that record was "Peaceful Easy Feeling", great album. I'll Vote for Billy Idol only because he reminds me of a great girlfriend of times past that obsessed over that goofball and his fist pump.
ReplyDeleteW,
ReplyDeletethe song you mentioned is classic, I mean how does one pick a greatest Eagles tune?
Glad to see you
The Eagles Greates Hits was the first album to be awarded a Platinum record.
ReplyDeleteWhen our Scout troop went to Philmont, it was a two drive from here to New Mexico. That was the only tape we played all the way there and back. Terrific songs. I always liked "Already Gone" best.
As far as mortgage fraud is concerned, Calculated Risk had a post about MERS some time ago. The Supreme Court in the state of Kansas issued a ruling that put a stop to all foreclosures initiated by MERS, because it could not produce documentation that showed it actually owned the notes.
The housing bubble was the symptom. Financial fraud was the disease. And it continues unabated and untreated to this day.
While there are a lot of issues I disagree with Max Keiser on, he's exactly right about this one. It's financial terrorism.
Two decades ago finance accounted for 7% of GDP. Now it accounts for 40%. The difference between then and now? Rampant fraud, of course.
Where are the regulators? Where are the authorities? Where are the political leaders? In the back pockets of the banks, bought and paid for.
None of this will end well. It's no wonder politicians are desperately trying to create another housing bubble. Now that they've exported our manufacturing base, there's nothing left but finance, which owns them, and housing.
Curse the Baby Boomers forever.
I like "Blitzkrieg Bop" better, but I can't vote against my Ramones!
ReplyDeleteIf Billy Idol were singing "White Wedding", it would have made my choice much harder. LOL
Vive la difference!
Score one for the Ramones!