Friday, January 8, 2010

First Week of 2010 Fireworks

It is indeed Friday at last! Had some requests last post so you know some serious fun is on the way. Did you know it is Wild Card Weekend for the NFL? Sweet.

First Week of 2010 Fireworks
After about two months when things seemed catatonic out there, the first week of 2010 had plenty of fireworks set off which may or may not preview an unsettled year. I will summarize the big stories and then on to the Friday Night fun as I think we all need it!

Jobs Number
After plenty of whispers of a positive print, the BLS number was still negative this morning. I had imagined the markets would go up any way the data came out but they stayed about flat which was a surprise to me.

Here is a "the market knows everything" test that you can try at home:
2010 Census Hiring Employment Scam
It is well known, and I mean WELL KNOWN that the Census hiring this year is going to be very large and may add up to 1.2 Million workers over the first half of the year.

The experiment:
Data Input = More workers hired in the clearly "government" sector and attributed to Census hires will show a positive jobs print.
-Experimental results
1) non market moving as this is well known
2)touted as a turnaround in jobs and markets soar on every print
If (1) then I would submit that maybe things are not as fantasy land and made up as I think. If (2) this market is pure fantasy and nothing after that will change my mind.
Place your bets.

All Your 401k's Belong to Us
In a possible echo of the move Argentina has made to corral capital for funding, your 401k may have to purchase Treasuries should demand fall from other buyers. Not that demand will fall of course, how could that happen?:
401k/IRA Screw Job Coming?
Government control is expanding and I thought all this was going to end when Bush was out of the office? NOT!

The Many Signs of Credit Recovery
Here are some headlines that show how strong the US Economy is coming back:
Consumer Credit Plunges Record 8.5% In November
or try
Consumer Credit Plunges $17.5 Billion On Consensus Of -$5 Billion, Largest Drop On Record
Of course I think this is correct, credit should not be expanding to people that cannot pay it back. The Keynesian's will keep trying though.

Friday Night Entertainment
Make way for the mix of fun, trivia, and music!

Best Fails of 2009
Is there anything more funny than terrible falls, spills, and chance accidents? As long as it is someone else then the answer if No!

A compilation of the best FAILS of 2009.
My favorites:
-1:41 mark; mugger gets knocked out!
-2:32 mark; man makes narrow escape!
-3;55 mark; poor cat!
-5:24 mark; never drive through those open air zoos!
Enjoy!

Celestial Bodies
Get your minds out of the gutter!

I will post some pictures of things in Outer Space and you can guess where/what they are. This will make you Google searchers have a hard time! I would make this a contest, but every time I hold a contest and offer prizes like books, silver ounces, or guest posts on the blog nobody seems interested! the last winner opted for a guest post and never got back to me! Anyways, here goes.

1.)

2.)

3.)

4.)

5.)

Good luck!

Rock Blogging
I had no idea that today was Elvis Presley's birthday! Reader Anon requested Evis again and it would be a shame not to have a little "King" on his birthday. Enjoy "Now or Never":

Great studio take.

From last week, loyal reader C-T wanted some AC/DC and there is nothing wrong with that! Try out "Money Talks":

Rock out!

I have a long lasting love affair with Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac so any chance to play them is ok by me so by request here is "Dreams":

She is wonderful.

Now I have no idea why this song has been stuck in my head but today I was thinking about the song "Mr. Bojangles" which has been covered by many artists over the years. My Dad (has he been gone 14 years?) used to play this song on his old acoustic guitar and I always would listen. I found this cover by a guy that even sounds like my Dad did and the guitar work sounds identical. Try it out if you like:

I get chills on that one. Sorry about that!

Two more to close the show.

I love the Roy Orbison song "I Drove All Night". Maybe you will like it:

Nice!

Last Call! You know I am going to hard core the last tune. But what to play?

"You've Got Another Thing Comin'" is a classic that somehow I have overlooked during this blogs life, so here it is from Judas Priest:

Very Nice!

Have a good night.

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the Elvis. Roy Orbison is one of my favorites, too. Don't you just love the classics?

EconomicDisconnect said...

Anon,
it's strange because I am an 80's hair band fan, a total metal lover, but a huge segment of my favorites are from classic artists (When Elvis does "Are You Lonesome Tonight" is a top 10 for me!) and others like Orbison. Check the Friday night posts and you will see.

Is this the same Anon that beats me up over data? If so, it speaks well that we have common ground and can stay friends.

Check that Mr. Bojangles tune. You will like it.

EconomicDisconnect said...

Side note:
If you missed the message Silver was sending this week, well, you missed it!

EconomicDisconnect said...

When Elvis met Nixon:
http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2010/01/025336.php
or
http://tinyurl.com/ylytcjj

TomOfTheNorth said...

At the OfTheNorth household, we take our Roy Orbison very seriously. So I'm sorry connected but I'm not digging your Roy selection. Cindi Lauper AND Celine Dion both recorded "Drive All Night". Why not play some Cher while yer at it Mr. Mirth Strain!



Beyond the obvious 'Pretty Woman', I don't think you can go wrong with this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sE9AwR0awVQ

And the fantastic vintage feel is a bonus!

Cheers,

- TomOfTheNorth

TomOfTheNorth said...

I love your selection of Bojangles! I actually had that in my head a few days ago. Not something you hear on the radio in TheNorth. Was also thinking of American Pie of late.

For future reference, I want to submit requests for John Hiatt - Riding With The King, Paper Thin or Icy Blue Heart; and Frank Zappa - not the silly commercial stuff like Valley Girl or Jewish Princess - but perhaps Apostrophe, Inca Roads or Black Napkins....

GawainsGhost said...

I actually have an autographed picture of Elis from 1956. My mother got it at the Grand Old Opery in San Antonio when she was 14. She gave it to me when I bought her a new car after I got out of college.

It's a lovely little piece of Americana. Goes well with my stamp collection. First day of issue, commemorative envelopes, all the stamps celebrating the American Revolution, the Bicentennial and the Space Program. The Moon Landing stamp is not only marked first day of issue but also the day of the landing. It's quite a collection, probably worth a small fortune.

Playoff football tomorrow! I'll take Cowboys over Eagles, naturally. Packers over Cardinals. Patriots over Ravens. Jets over Bengals.

By the way, anyone care to know how many new properties we got assinged this week? 17. That's just for two realtors, me and my mom. I'll be working all weekend.

watchtower said...

GYSC you are correct, Stevie Nicks is wonderful.
Awhile back I was driving down the road listening to a live version of 'Landslide' on the radio (the one where she dedicates the song to her dad) and the next thing I know I'm starting to choke up a little, she can really bring a song to life.
Not to mention she's HOT!

Anonymous said...

I'm not the same anon that beats you up over data. I'm mostly a lurker. Found your link via Mike Morgan about six months ago. i see you post on Mish as well. BTW, I don't find your liking of the classics strange at all. When it's good, it's good.

TomOfTheNorth said...

I've been meaning to mention (but keep getting sidetracked) on your concern of Govt data manipulation.
Check my posts on:

U.S. Workforce Disappearing at Alarming Rate

http://outsidethe-cardboard-box.tumblr.com/post/281336116/u-s-workforce-disappearing-at-alarming-rate


BLS Said to be Using New Data Adjustment Model

http://outsidethe-cardboard-box.tumblr.com/post/271835487/bls-said-to-be-using-new-data-adjustment-model

They will give you an entirely new perspective!

Cheers!
- TomOfTheNorth

EconomicDisconnect said...

Wow! This is a treat with all the responses!

Tom,
Yes, the I drove all night song has been copied, but never equalled, key difference.
I would warn you against overplaying the "mirth strain" joke as I was really kidding. I used to box for years so no tenderness here! Mr. Bojangles was a song my Dad loved to play and I miss that very much. It is late Friday so I will leave data debates till 2morrow.

Gawains,
I agree 100% with your picks. Glad you are an Elvis fan too. My wife asked me tonight how the Saints look this weekend and I told her they do not play but look good if the Cowboys lose! Man Dallas is scary right now.

Watchtower,
thanks for stopping in. "Gypsy" tends to tear me up, but try "When you leave that way you can never come back" by Confederate Railroad to bust out in tears. Also Bette Midler "The Rose" messes me up.

Anon,
no problem. So glad you have come by. Please dont lurk but get in on this action!

EconomicDisconnect said...

No answers to the visual quiz!!??

Anonymous said...

5. Jupiter

4. Saturn

3. Venus

2. The Moon

1. Mars

Anonymous said...

Bookmarked this. Sometimes non-standard due to you for sharing. Undoubtedly value my time.

EconomicDisconnect said...

Anon@8:46:
your guess on #4 is kind of correct but the rest are not.

Anon@2:240 if you are the same anon as the rest of the comments, thanks!

I will post the answers in a bit.

TomOfTheNorth said...

hi conected,
re: mirth strain, thought it was hysterical, know you're kidding, I'm just goofing too

BTW, saw you up on Seeking Alpha. WELL PLAYED! Congrats.....very nicely done!

- TomOfTheNorth

EconomicDisconnect said...

Tom,
Not all of my posts make Seeking Alpha I think because I am always all over the place on topics! I had a pair of "Editor's Picks" over the year that I was very, very proud of!

I was just kidding as well. Thanks for the interaction.

Jim R said...

1. A view from Russia's Venera lander on the surface of Venus.

2. Sunrise over ??? Mars maybe? The Sun looks pretty small.

3. Europa?

4. Titan through the rings. Epimethus in the foreground.

5. Io, showing the pockmarks from extreme tectonic activity.

Did you see that amazing picture of the Martian dunes they published this week?
http://www.boingboing.net/2010/01/12/photo-of-martian-dun.html

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