Friday, June 11, 2010

Unplugged

I had a couple of articles and a couple of thoughts I wanted to go over but I have to tell you this week has got me beat. I was swamped at work, there were a few really long commutes home, and I stayed up too late watching the basketball game last night. I think I am out of energy for deep thought (I am capable, stop laughing!) so instead please enjoy an extended fun section for a pick me up.

Friday Night Entertainment
The Friday show is the most fun you can have with your close on when the NFL is in the offseason. My opinion of course!

Visual Aids
Some pictures for sampling. Clicking the picture will give you a bigger version or use the link to see original.

Well things must be getting serious if they want to try and send back the Terminator to change history:

This would be all over the place is Bush was president.

All you need to know about popular websites:

Yup.

Music for babies indeed:

EPIC WIN!!!

Do not eat the LOL Cat!:
funny pictures of cats with captions
see more Lolcats and funny pictures
Cookie Monster is evil.

Random Stuff
You can come across plenty of stuff across the interwebs. All of them.

-Do not delete your boyfriends Warcraft character. Really, Don't!
-Once thought to be only a legend, Rogue Waves were proven as fact by the Draupner Wave.
-The most expensive thing in the world? Californium-252, about $350 Billion a pound!
-A compilation of weird places to go.
-Do it yourself LASIK surgery??:

FAKE!!!! Love the smoke from the guys eye.

Rock Blogging
Some tunes for your listening enjoyment. Had quite a few requests so maybe not everything makes the show, but I do what I can!

This should be the anthem for the stock market, ABBA and "Take a Chance On Me":

My mom's favorite band BTW.

I learned this week that purplehulls are where black eyed peas come from! Who knew? Did anyone else know that? Don't lie! For my fellow Keg griller, fisherman, and botanical expert rock out with The Black Eyed Peas and "Pump It":

Fergie, call me darlin, the restraining order has expired!
Also, if you would like a Gulf Coast hand built fishing rod, my man can set you up.

Reader Watchtower wonders if I will play country music, and of course I grew up on country music. Funny stuff. Try out Keith Whitley and "I'm No Stranger to the Rain":

Nice tune.

Lurker would like Cher with "Gypsys Tramps And Thieves" and I forgot how hot, I mean how good a singer Cher is:

Love the 70's hair!

I have NO IDEA why this song has been stuck in my head but try out "Duke of Earl" by Gene Chandler:

Love it! Singers used to be able to sing, now not so much.

Two more but then you are on your own.

What is funny is that I LOVE the band Rage Against the Machine even though I would argue plenty about their view on quite a few things. They do rock though so try out "No Shelter":

Nasty tune!

Last call! You know what to do.

I had this up a couple of years ago and both Lt G and Watchtower were readers then! Amazing, we have been together a long time boys!

Anyways, this tune by the Boston band Big Wreck just gets to me and so I offer it up and ask you give it a fair shot. Try out "That Song":

Special song indeed. Wow.

Have a good night.

11 comments:

EconomicDisconnect said...

Im first to comment, that Big Wreck tune gives me the chills! LOVE IT!

RANDALL said...

Thanks for the rod pimp breaux..

I really love Fergie. She's hot.. lol

I thought you might need a lesson in beans, seeins how you are kinda in the bean countin mindset here..
Its always good to know how ya can grow your beans and get the most out of your investment..lol.
great blog tonight...

watchtower said...

"I had this up a couple of years ago and both Lt G and Watchtower were readers then! Amazing, we have been together a long time boys!"

I may suck at financial analytical thinking, but I'm usually loyal to a fault!

Lurker,
Fanastic request with Cher's Gyspys, Tramps and Thieves!

EconomicDisconnect said...

Randall,
we are kin , and as a west virginian that means sumthin.

Watchtower,
you have offered plenty of insights and tons of ideas that I made money on, dont sell yourself short! SO glad to have you long term.

Early night for me, stuff to do in the morning. I will answer all comments manana.

watchtower said...

GYSC

This is off topic, but it is Saturday and it might be of interest to you.

I believe you have mentioned in the past that you enjoy Civil War related items, so I offer the following:

The Mustang car club I belong to got up a road trip to go and visit a Confederate fortification on the Missippippi river awhile back.

It was the Columbus-Belmont State Park outside of Columbus, Kentucky.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbus-Belmont_State_Park

During the Civil War the Confederates strung a huge mile long chain across the Missippippi River at this location.

This in turn was meant to slow down the Union gunboats so they would have a crack at sinking them.

It was an interesting trip, and well worth the time involved to check it out if you ever get to this neck of the woods.

EconomicDisconnect said...

Watchtower,
Yeah, I cannot beleive you remember I like Civil War related stuff! That place looks great, If I am ever down that way I would go there for sure.

GawainsGhost said...

Ah, morning coffee and whiskey. Great way to start your day. It helps the brain process all the nonsense in the news.

I just read a post on Naked Capitalism about a PR campaign by lenders to demonize borrowers who walk away from their underwater mortgages. It includes a video of some guy who wants to bring back debtors' prisons.

Debtors' prison? It's called a house, you freaking idiot!

Surely you jest, GG. I jest not, and don't call me Shirley. (Ba da boom ching!)

Actually, I've made my position on this issue before, but I'll make it again. I think there's a lot of panic going on, and people are overreacting to perceived losses due to declining housing prices. You only lose money if you are forced to sell.

That said, there were many people who were deceived into taking out toxic mortgages--0% down, interest rate only ARMs, for example--so that they could buy houses they really couldn't afford. This was done primarily by mortgage brokers, who are not licensed or regulated. That's the real problem right there. Basically, all it takes to become a mortgage broker is to have some business cards printed that say "Mortgage Broker."

That's it! Whereas to become a Realtor, one has to take courses--in law of agency, contracts, real estate principles, finance, marketing, ethics--pass tests, take an oath, and so on. Real estate is actually a heavily regulated business. If I lie to a buyer--say I know a house has a foundation problem and do not disclose that fact--it is an actionable offense, meaning I can lose my license and be sued for treble damages, three times the value of the house.

The financial sector is not so much regulated, in fact has been dramatically deregulated, and that is the source of the crisis. Banks and lenders defrauding borrowers.

I agree with Yves Smith that strategic defaulters are simply doing what banks do all the time. Banks default on loans, say for commercial development projects like malls, condos or casinos, when it becomes obvious that they're only going to lose money on the deal. It is a financial decision.

But this is a destructive trend that is becoming a mania. All these websites popping up, giving people advice (for a fee) on how to walk away from their obligations. There are laws involved that could prove disastrous. For example, it matters whether you live in a recourse or non-recourse state. I'd have to look it up, but I think there are only seven non-recourse states, Texas being one of them. In the recourse states, the defaulter can be pursued for losses incurred on the resale of the house, even years after the fact. So really this is more deceptive trade practices being fostered on an uninformed public. (What else is new? Not much.)

Also, many people simply made poor decisions, not only in their choice of financing but in their choice of house to buy. There is no easy way out of this mess. But not forcing banks to recognize losses on bad loans is certainly not the solution.

Anyway, as far as the Civil War related stuff goes, you know what really freaks me out? It's these guys that spend years building these models of battlefields. Their detail is incredible!

au soleil levant said...

If only the Governator really could go back in time and do something about the oil spill...

Love the social media graphic. Nice selection of songs too.

sedintary state said...

All these websites popping up, giving people advice (for a fee) on how to walk away from their obligations.

I stopped paying on a condo in southern california in 1995, after struggling in a heavily upside down situation for 6 years. It was some urban renewal project that turned out to be mostly hype and fantasy, and then the unit turned out to have construction problems. Things got very very ugly.

Now, I walked. It was nearly a matter of life and death with the stress it was giving me, and it was permanent. Permanent. I chose to have my life rather than donate it to a banks balance sheet. Survival mode kicked in.

And guess what, there was nothing to 'learn'. Just walk. period.

>Recourse or non-recourse state. Sure, whatever.


I've never borrowed a dollar for anything since.

EconomicDisconnect said...

Sed,
people are trying to make it an ethical thing, but a contract is a contract, if you walk the bank gets the collateral (house, car, boat, whatever) thats the deal. Everyone has to do what is best for them. Glad your situation improved.

Lurker said...

Glad my music pick was well-liked.