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Saturday, August 7, 2010

Steve Wynn Nails It!

Speechless.  So refreshing to hear this from such a high profile guy.

"It's got to stop".....I couldn't agree more Steve:

Friday, August 6, 2010

The Jobless Recovery Rolls On

I am sure you have seen this by now but I thought I would put it up anyway:

"Total nonfarm payroll employment declined by 131,000 in July, and the unem-ployment rate was unchanged at 9.5 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statis-tics reported today. Federal government employment fell, as 143,000 temporary
workers hired for the decennial census completed their work. Private-sector
payroll employment edged up by 71,000."

The last sentence on revisions from the BS...I mean BLS is a classic:

"The change in total nonfarm payroll employment for May was revised from +433,000to +432,000, and the change for June was revised from -125,000 to

My Take:

Needless to say today's jobs report was terrible and the revisions were even worse.

The revisions are what really frustrate me.  How in the hell can you be that far off in June?  The losses were almost double what was reported when the number initially came out last month.

Why are they pulling this crap?  Does the government think that serving us up BS jobs numbers will make us feel better about the economy so that we spend more?

Perhaps they just wanted another 30 days to re-arrange the deck chairs on the Titanic?

Folks, whatever the reason, it's a huge negative for the markets because all this does is further erode confidence.  How can anyone believe any of the numbers when you see revisions like this.

The economy is clearly tanking yet stocks rallied back hard late in the day.  HFT's anyone?

The bond market however wasn't buying it for a second and wanted no part of this late day pump.  Take a look at the 10 year:

As you can see yields collapsed this morning and closed down near 2.8% on the jobs news.  These are certainly historic times.  Folks, we have never seen price action like this where both stocks and bonds rally.  It's clear that the stock market is being overtaken by the HFT's.

The news we got today should have sent the market down 300 points.  Treasuries CANNOT move up like this with stocks moving higher unless the market is being totally gamed.

Where is the SEC?????

Alright before I throw this chart up let me admit that many of you who read me no that I am not a technical analyst and probably can do this a heck of a lot better than I can.

However, I did put together an interesting chart today on TOS:

I thought a couple of things were interesting here.  First of all if you bought the market at the beginning of this year your money has basically done nothing other than give you a heart attack as the S&P swung in a whopping 20% range.

If you were brave enough to hold stocks throughout this volatile period you have basically been rewarded with zero returns.  So much for buy and hold.

Secondly, I wanted to point out that we are now up against the 1030 level on the S&P which is where we peaked before selling off pretty hard in June.

This is a critical resistance level.  If we don't break through 1030 then there is a good chance that stocks could roll over again given all of the bad news the market has been forced to digest.

Keep an eye on this level over the next several trading days.  If we don't break through the resistance it could spell trouble for stocks.

The Bottom Line

Bonds are telling you one thing while stocks are telling you another.  The problem is the equity side is being gamed.  The treasuries are telling the real story of this market(like they always do).

This is a suckers stock market IMO.  The government is gaming the numbers while the HFT's game the stock market.

Follow the treasury market and you will be just fine.  I think owning a bond fund makes a lot of sense right now.  My largest holding here is PTTRX.  Treasury and bond funds should both continue to do well as the risk of deflation increases.

One thing to also take note of is we have the Fed meeting next week.  Any talk of a QE2 could create even more distortions in the bond and equity markets.

I continue to sit in cash for the most part.  I will not put myself in the position to be taken advantage of by the predators on Wall St that have the system set up to take advantage of the retail investor.

I suggest you read this piece around how the trading sharks are now even eating the index funds for lunch as they begin gaming the commodity markets.  This is increasing the cost of living in many poor countries which is causing mass starvation.

A shout out to The Automatic Earth for finding this.  This article will make you want to vomit but I think it's important for everyone to realize how vile Wall St has become.

They would sell their own mother down the river if they could make a buck off of it, and I think it's important that every retail investors understands this before they take capital and attempt to trade against them.

I will close with a little quote from the article above:

"Commodity-index ETFs are a global threat far more dangerous to the world than nuclear attacks from terrorist nations. Nuclear WMDs have the power to wipe out major urban areas killing tens of thousands instantly, like Japan in 1945, leaving massive scars across humanity for many decades.

And yet, as Funk puts it: "Heilberg's bet on chaos is beginning to play out on the streets." The toxic trail of commodity ETFs is already proving to be deadly, starving thousands worldwide, while the new Capitalists of Chaos only see incredible profit opportunities, as they make huge bets that they'll get even richer in the next round of catastrophes, disasters, poverty, starvation and wars.

Bottom line: Commodity ETF/WMDs are mutating into a toxic pandemic fueled (and protected by) the insatiable greed of banks, traders and politicians whose brains are incapable of giving up their profit machine, won't until it implodes and self-destructs. The Wall Street Banksters have no sense of morals, no ethics, no soul, no goal in life other than getting very rich, very fast. They care nothing of democracy, civilization or the planet.

They are in a race to become the richest man in the world, to control more assets, more commodities, more rights, more land, more money than Warren Buffett, Bill Gates and Carlos Slim combined. It's a contest and the other 6.3 billion humans on the planet are just profit opportunities (and collateral damage) in the dangerous high-stakes games played by the new Capitalists of Chaos ruling the world."

Please be careful out there all and have a great weekend.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Where are the Jobs?

It's all about the jobs number tomorrow folks.

If the number looks anything like the jobless claims report today then it won't be pretty:

From Haver Analytics:

"The already weak labor market suffered an unexpected setback last week. Initial claims for jobless insurance rose to 479,000 from 460,000, revised up from 457,000, during the prior week. The latest level was the highest since early-April and just missed the highest since February. The four-week moving average of initial claims which smoothes out some of the w/w volatility also rose to 458,500, the highest level since early-July."

My Take:

Ouch.  These numbers are flat out ugly.  You gotta wonder if all of these corporate earnings beats that we have seen recently are a result of slashing jobs versus increasing sales.

Many companies are beating estimates without seeing top line revenue growth.  You have to wonder if they are sacrificing their workers in order to meet profit expectations.

The consumer data continues to point towards much slower growth so where else could the earnings be coming from?  We got more poor retail data today that provided more proof that the consumer is on strike.

The only conclusion I can draw is companies continue to slash jobs and costs as they try and survive our Great Recession/Depression.

The problem here is you can only cut so much before it starts hurting sales and profits.

I predict that you are going to see a big drop off in earnings in the second half of the year as the consumer continues to deleverage.  Many companies are now running about as lean as they can.  You can only become so productive!

The fact that jobless claims are once again trending higher after all of the cuts we have already seen is staggering and very alarming.

I mean look at the graph above.  At one point we were seeing jobless claims at 750k.  Anything over 400k is considered to be recessionary.  We peaked at a little above 400k during the last recession earlier this decade.

Our Great Recession/Depression has been destroying jobs for over two years now and it is showing no signs of slowing.

Perhaps we shouldn't be surprised these days when we see news like this:

"WASHINGTON — The number of Americans who are receiving food stamps rose to a record 40.8 million in May as the jobless rate hovered near a 27-year high, the government reported yesterday.
Recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program subsidies for food purchases jumped 19 percent from a year earlier and increased 0.9 percent from April, the US Department of Agriculture said in a statement on its website.
Participation has set records for 18 straight months."

The Bottom Line:

The disconnect between Main St and Wall St has never been larger.  The people in this country continue to suffer and things appear to be worsening.

Investors continued to pile into treasuries today.  The 10 year yield ended the day at around 2.9%.

The market pretty much flatlined as it prepares for the jobs number tomorrow.  It will be interesting to see how this report is spun if it's negative.  I am sure they will use the "census worker" excuse if we get a bad print.

I think tomorrow is a big day.  The volume has been anemic heading into the jobs number.  This tells me investors are very concerned about where the economy is headed.  When you see the jobless claims numbers you can see why.

I wouldn't be surprised to see some serious volatility after the jobs number tomorrow as the market begins to contemplate the idea that the economy might be heading back into a recession.

Mr. Market is also pondering the idea that deflation might be rearing it's ugly head.

I think by Q1/2011 we will see a negative print on GDP.  The bond market is almost always right and its telling me that it sees the same thing.

Tomorrow will be interesting...Stay tuned.

Disclosure:  No new positions taken at the time of publication.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Market Dislocations Hit All Time Highs

No charts or videos tonight folks.  Just some thoughts.

The market we are currently witnessing really is a once in a lifetime event.  I am convinced that everyone is confused at this point.  The bulls are as insecure as the bears.

One moment we get bullish data then the next moment something comes out that makes you think the economy is collapsing such as a bad jobs report.

The retail investor is absolutely petrified at this point.  The money flows continue to fly out of stock funds and into bonds.  The 10 year remains under 3% as a result.  This tells you all you need to know if you are wondering where the big money is headed.

Many are now asking this question:  Why is the market rising at the same time treasuries are?  Great question.

I have talked to a few market makers about this over over the course of the last few days.  One of them blames the propped up equity values on the HFT's(high frequency traders).  He believes they are essentially creating false liquidity by creating massive trading orders of which only a fraction are filled.

This essentially allows them to game the market as investors run to the sidelines.

It becomes much easier for the HFT's to game the markets(especially when the SEC is essentially asleep at the wheel) when the market volume is so pathetically weak like it has been recently.  I have read recently that the HFT's may be supplying up to 80% of daily volume seen in the markets.

This would make sense given the fact that the market hasn't dropped as money flows so powerfully into treasuries.

You can blame the SEC for this mess.  The quants are so far ahead of these guys it's not even funny.

Think about it:  How in the heck can stocks be rising with such strong money flows into bonds?  This NEVER happens.  Take a look back at history.  One market's weakness is another ones gains.

There has never been a time in history where EVERYTHING went up at the same time like this.  It is absolutely ridiculous and it should not be trusted.

Another market maker friend of mine gave me his explanation of what he thought is also going on in addition to the HFT debacle.  He suggests that market liquidity has become hugely dependent on ETF's.

He believes that speculators have taken over the markets using these new investment vehicles.  Real investors have stopped owning individual stocks for the most part in his opinion and have decided to head for the hills for the most part..

This is a scary thought if it is true because it means the market is filled with nothing but speculators that go massively long and short investments vehicles like the SPY.

If the specs are not indulging on options you have to assume that they are buying leveraged ETF's that go long or short various sectors in the market.

This risky behaviour has basically turned the market into a casino that has scared away the average individual investor.

I'll be honest:  It has scared me the heck away for the most part.  I want nothing to do with this market long or short because the whole thing is a SHAM.

I see no confidence in the markets.  Investors are panicked when you look at whre bond yields are.

It's becoming obvious that no one knows what anything is worth anymore because the laws and regulations have essentially allowed Wall St to avoid marking anything to market.

The reason there has been ZERO price discovery is because the losses are so catastrophic.  Since these losses do not have to be recognized, the market acts as if nothing is wrong with any of the assets that are related to the credit collapse.

This gives investors a flase sense of security which is a recipe for disaster!

Denial is a Powerful Emotion

The market is as unstable as I have ever seen it in my entire life.  We have securities like MBS that are trading at 100 cents on the dollar when they are essentially worth pennies on the dollar without the Fed guarantee.

The same goes for many other credit assets:  Commercial real estate bonds/mortgages, high yield bonds, level 3 assets etc.  Everything is ridiculously overvalued and no one holding these assets has been forced to take the majority of the losses.

The same thing goes for housing:

Families stuck in overvalued McMansions are unable to take the losses because they are underwater on their mortgage and they cannot afford to short sell the house.

This has TOTALLY distorted housing values.  I wouldn't touch a house with a 10 foot pole at this point because the real value of these assets has not been established.

The sellers are stuck and they have no way of getting out.  This will not end well, and the real bottom in housing will not occur until the housing market is cleared.  We are far from seeing this given the fact that most markets have about 11 months of inventory plus god knows how much shadow inventory.

Let me repeat myself and explain why buying a house now at record low interest rates is the WORST time to buy a house:

There is no way for the house to appreciate in value because rates will be going against you over the term of the loan because rates will eventually start rising.

Rates might fall from here shorter term due to deflation,  but our deficits are going to eventually push rates up over the longer term.

The only way a house appreciates(other than bubble speculation) is when interest rates drop which allows buyers to borrow more. This former rising tide now goes against you as lending rates rise after dropping to about as low as they will ever get.

You need to start looking at buying a house like you do when you buy a car and realize that as soon as you buy it you are pretty much guaranteed to lose money on it as soon as you sign the papers.

Ignore the idiot Realtors who tell you rates are at record lows so now is the time to buy! It's actually the worst time to buy!

The Bottom Line

One thing is very clear here folks:  The bond market would not be trading like this if the markets were stable!

Bill Gross just increased his treasury holdings in PTTRX from 30% to 50%.  You don't do this unless you fear deflation or some other market event.  Many other large players have been making similar trades.

The market is preparing for deflation and this isn't going to be pretty when it happens.

The recent holding pattern seen in the markets is a result of the HFT's combined with false hope that is  based on the misrepresentation of the value of credit assets.  As I have said before this is unsustainable because the losses must eventually  be taken.

The Fed has been trying to reflate the credit bubble for 3 years now and it has done nothing to help the situation.  The economy continues to rapidly deteriorate as our deficits begin to overwhelm our revenues which leads to more job cuts and foreclosures.

If you trade long or short this market please put tight stops on your trades and stay nimble.

Disclosure:  No new positions at the time of publication.

Monday, August 2, 2010

Kudlow Takes a Beatdown From His Former Boss

I was happy to see another guy that gets it.  It's a shame clueless Kudlow doesn't it.  Take a look at this interview with former Reagan budget director Dave Stockton.

The fiscal math doesn't work and Dave Stockton brilliantly describes why it's impossible to grow our way out of this via tax cuts and economic growth.  AS he explains:  Our spending policy is unsustainable and it's going to fail if we don't rapidly cut spending and increase revenues.

Stockton called the last 10-15 years a "Phoney Boom".  I couldn't agree more.

Kudlow repeatedly tried to put David on the defense and the guy didn't blink as he shut down ALL of Kudlow's attacks one by one.

Kudlow consistently found himself speechless as he failed to come up with any logical flaws in Dave's brilliant thesis.

It should be noted that Dave Stockton was key part of the economic team that got things turned around in the early '80's via tax and budget cuts during the Reagan years. The fact that he is on the opposite side of the tax arguement is worth noting.

One by one everyone is slowly coming to the same conclusion:  Stimulus spending  has been proven to be a catastrophic failure.  Austerity and managing the budget is our only path back to prosperity.

It's going to be a very painful road to get there  but I see no ther way out and it appears many are also starting to think we need to make some adjustments.

Let's hope we start making the tough choices like letting the insolvent fail before this country goes down the tubes.

We need to open up all of the balance sheets and get back to sound accounting standards.  This economy is going nowhere until we make these changes.  I don't care what the market does in the short term because its meaningless in the long run because the current system is unsustainable.

Our financial system has been run like a Ponzi scheme for the last 30 years and we have run out of suckers to sell to.


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Stream Of Montreal’s unreleased “Dumb Acre” (playing The Troc on 12/13)

Of Montreal hanging with the Yo Gabba Gabba crew

You can now stream Of Montreal‘s “Dumb Acre” as well as a variety of other unreleased tracks from the band’s Kickstarter page for their forthcoming documentary, Song Dynasties (go here to donate – there’s still two weeks left!). In exchange for donations, the band is circulating previously unreleased singles, including some of their oldest material. You can catch Of Montreal playing with Foxygen and French Horn Rebellion at The Trocadero December 13th. Tickets and information can be found on our concert calendar here. In the meantime, listen to Kevin Barnes get extra hippie on the love-struck “Dumb Acre” below.

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Complete Jarrett
Complete Jarrett
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The Master Franchise Centre is a division of The Franchising Centre, Europe’s leading group of franchise advisors and consultants.

The Master Franchise Centre deals exclusively with the business of selling master franchises. We believe that this unique focus helps us provide both buyers and sellers with a level of attention that makes us the first choice advisors to work with.

In addition to a range of marketing activities aimed at matching buyers and sellers, we have more to offer you. Our broad range of professional services in franchising across the globe mean we are extremely well connected and have a database of the movers and shakers in the franchise world. This means we are able to match buyers and sellers and create deals from our unique personal knowledge of the players in the franchise market.

Watch this short video to find out more.

Brian Duckett Brian Duckett
Brian is chairman of The Franchising Centre. He writes regularly for the UK franchising and business media and has presented at several seminars and workshops, including those arranged for The Institute of Directors, The Confederation of British Industry, The British Franchise Association, The International Franchise Association and British Franchise Exhibitions. Internationally, he writes regular features for franchising magazines in the USA, Europe, Australia and India, and has spoken at several franchise conferences on five continents.  His book “How to Turn Your Business Into The Next Global Brand – Creating and Managing a Franchised Network” was published in the autumn of 2007.

Bill Pegram Bill Pegram
Bill is a founding Director of The Franchising Centre and has been in franchising for over 25 years. He was first attracted to the concept of franchising because, having run his own small business; he understood and related to the idea of small businesses benefitting from the branding and support of a franchisor. Bill went on to be the UK Managing Director of a major international franchise and has since advised many franchise businesses in all aspects of franchising. A qualified marketeer, he also acts as Marketing Director for The Franchising Centre.

Paul Monaghan Paul Monaghan
Paul is a professional retailer with over twenty-five years of franchising experience, including the set-up, training and support of the largest chain of retail shoe franchisees in the UK. As one of the Founding Directors of The Franchising Centre he has been involved in consultancy projects with a wide range of companies. He has special responsibility for the development and delivery of training through The Franchise Training Centre. He has been a Visiting Lecturer in Franchising at Bristol University and has delivered the Finance Module at Middlesex University Business School's 'Summer School in Franchising'. With Brian Duckett he is co-author of 'How to Turn your Business into the Next Global Brand'.

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Stanley A. Mathys

Mathys obit

April 9, 1928 to May 18, 2014

LOWVILLE- Stanley A. Mathys, 86, of River Road, Lowville, died Sunday morning, May 18, 2014 at his home, under the loving care of his family.

A funeral service will be held on Thursday, May 22, 2014 at 2:00 p.m. at Iseneker Funeral Home, Inc., Lowville, with his son, Pastor Michael Mathys of Bible Believers Independent Baptist Church, Pine Hall, NC, officiating. A calling hour will be held on Wednesday evening, May 21, 2014 from 7 – 8 p.m. at Iseneker Funeral Home, Inc., Lowville. Burial will be at a later date in the Riverside Cemetery Annex, Beaver Falls, NY.

He is survived by his wife of over 63 years, Joyce; four children, Andy John Mathys and his wife Tippy of Walnut Cove, NC; Jennifer and Sandy Robbins of Amenia, NY; Michael and Linda Mathys of Winston-Salem, NC; Connie and Sandy Sizemore of Walnut Cove, NC; a sister, Grace Longtin of Texas; 14 grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren with one on the way; and two nieces, and a nephew. Mr. Mathys is predeceased by a sister, Nellie Mathys.

Stanley was born on April 19, 1928 in Croghan, NY, a son of the late Andrew J. and Mary Wickman Mathys. He graduated from Beaver Falls High School in 1946. On September 9, 1950, he married Joyce A. Yousey at the Evangelical United Brethren Church with Rev. Pusey officiating. Mr. Mathys was drafted into the U.S. Army, and served during the Korean War. After the war, he worked for J.P. Lewis for five years. Mr. Mathys went to work for Geigy in Ardsley, NY, moving his family to Yonkers, and later Brewster, NY. In 1971, he was transferred to Ciba-Geigy in Greensboro, NC. Mr. Mathys retired in 1985 as a chemist for Ciba-Geigy, and moved back to Lewis County.

Stanley was a member of Beaver River Memorial Post 1663, Croghan American Legion. He was a member of the Beaver River Fish and Game Club, and was a life member of the New Bremen Fish and Game Club. He enjoyed hunting, fishing and snowmobiling.

Condolences may be shared with the family at

We accept obituaries from Funeral Homes only. If you would like to have an obituary aired on The Moose and on this website, please tell the funeral director to e-mail or fax (315-376-8549) the obituary to us. The Funeral Director will be charged for any and all obituaries aired on The Moose and on this website. Obituaries are changed according to their length. The entire obituary will be aired during Today In the North Country (8:25AM, Mondays through Saturdays) the first day. A shorter version will air each day prior to the funeral.

Sorry, we do not accept any obituary announcements from anyone other than a funeral home. All obituary announcements received will run on WBRV-FM in Boonville, WLLG-FM in Lowville and on this website. Thank you for your cooperation.


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AuthenTec’s stockholders to vote on $356 million Apple merger on October 4

AuthenTec’s stockholders to vote on $356 million Apple merger on October 4

Fingerprint security specialist AuthenTec announced today (via an SEC filing) that it has set a record date and meeting date for its stockholders to vote upon a proposal to clear the merger between the company and Apple, which proposed to acquire the company for $356 million in late July.

AuthenTec says that it will hold a “special meeting” at 10am ET on Thursday, October 4, 2012 at the offices of its legal representatives in Atlanta — iPhones (or any other recording devices) won’t be allowed in the building.

New York, are you ready?

We’re building Momentum: an all killer, no filler event this November.

Since the deal was announced, AuthenTec and Apple have already secured early termination of the waiting period, which was granted by the FTC on August 16. This is significant, because both the FTC and the US Department of Justice will not investigate the deal or pursue antitrust lawsuits.

However, it does mean that before the deal is approved by stockholders, another company could potentially submit a bid to acquire AuthenTec. Apple’s rivals could have feasibly lodged a bid following the announcement of the deal but now it has been cleared by regulators, there would be less hurdles for a rival to overcome.

As we noted in our earlier coverage of the deal, AuthenTec had already stated that no other companies were interested in licensing its technologies, based primarily on cost. Apple looked originally licensed its fingerprint technology, but then decided it would buy the company after weeks of negotiations.

Apple had already signed intellectual property agreements to use AuthenTec’s fingerprint technologies in its products, it now becomes a matter of when we will see them.

[Image Credit: pagedooley]

Read next: IAC buys DateHookup to bolster its online dating portfolio; terms undisclosed

Shh. Here's some distraction


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Israel violating crowd control rules: Report

January 29, 2013 - 2:45:06 am

JERUSALEM: An Israeli human rights group yesterday accused the military of “extensively and systematically” violating its own rules of engagement in suppressing Palestinian demonstrators in the West Bank, contributing to dozens of deaths in recent years.

According to a report by the B’Tselem group, 56 Palestinians have been killed in clashes with the Israeli military since 2005. The vast majority — 46 of them — were killed when live ammunition was fired at stone throwers.

B’Tselem cited two “main problems” with Israeli crowd-control tactics. First, it said the wording of open-fire regulations was “problematic and deficient.”

“Second, the regulations are extensively and systematically violated, and the military does not take the necessary action to end these violations,” it said.

The Israeli military dismissed the report as “biased,” and said it focused on incidents that are old or still under investigation. It called specific incidents in the report exceptions to military policy, not the rule.

Palestinians routinely demonstrate against Israel’s occupation of the West Bank.

The clashes frequently spiral into violence, with protesters hurling stones and firebombs at Israeli forces.

Israel has developed a number of what it calls “nonlethal” means of crowd control over the past two decades, including the use of tear gas, rubber bullets, paintballs and water cannons.

There is also the “scream” — a device that disperses crowds by generating extremely loud sounds — and a foul-smelling spray known as “the skunk.”

Israeli security officials say live fire is to be used only in life-threatening situations.

But the B’Tselem report said Israel often uses its nonlethal weapons improperly. Six Palestinians have been killed by rubber bullets since 2005, and two were killed by tear gas canisters, it said.

In addition, the group said that Israeli forces often use live fire unnecessarily.

“Over the past seven years, at least 46 Palestinians have been killed when live ammunition was fired at unarmed stone-throwers,” B’Tselem said.

While the group said further investigation was needed to determine how many of these deaths involved improper use of live fire, it said it “has documented incidents in which live ammunition was fired under circumstances that cannot be described as life-threatening to the soldiers.”

“In responding to demonstrations and ‘disturbances of the peace’ in the West Bank, the Israeli security forces employ various crowd control weapons that are supposed to be non-lethal, if used properly,” it said.

“In practice, members of the security forces make almost routine use of these weapons in unlawful, dangerous ways, and the relevant Israeli authorities do too little to prevent the recurrence of this conduct,” it concluded.

The group urged the military to enforce its rules of engagement, prosecute forces who violate these rules, restrict the use of live ammunition and rubber-coated bullets to instances of mortal danger, and prohibit the firing of tear-gas canisters directly at individuals.

In its response, the military said it has “clearly defined” rules of engagement determined by operational considerations and legal consultation. It said soldiers are regularly trained to follow these rules.

It said it “does everything in its power to ensure that the use of riot dispersal means is done in accordance with the rules of engagement, minimising collateral damage and maintaining stability and security in the region.”


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#PaulMartinPowerball: 03.20.12 $400 – New rules

 Only one entry per person/per game

Read below, there is a new little rule of a second hash tag.

Running Twitter contest for the rest of the season.  We will be raising the pot every game.

Huge thanks to GetToOurGame.com for this new PaulMartinPowerball song:

How to play:

1. Get yourself a Twitter account and guess the time and period Paul Martin will score a goal.

Using this screenshot, the goal is scored at 13:51 of the second period.
NOT 6:09 of the second.

2. Copy and paste the following into your tweet, obviously entering in your own guess:

@Pensblog 13:51, 2nd per. #PaulMartinPowerball #winnipegsucks

  • Note the second hashtag
  • Only one entry per person
  • Entries are locked at the opening faceoff.  No use jobbing.
  • Closest time, over or under, wins.

Every game going forward we will add $5 or $10 to the Paul Martin Powerball pot.


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Sunday, February 9, 2014

Out This Week: Brangelina's 2013 Rosé

The newest Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie sequel is being described as powerful and elegant, but the rave reviews aren't for a film...they're for the celebrity couple's second vintage of rosé wine, which is being released this week.

The grapes are grown and the wine is produced at the Jolie-Pitt's 1200-acre, 17th-century Provencal estate Château Miraval, located in the village of Correns, just north of Brignoles, in the Var. And if the new rosé is anything like it's predecessor, it'll be a huge hit with critics and consumers alike.

The 2012 vintage sold out all 6,000 bottles five hours after release last March. And Wine Spectator reported that a single autographed barrel (about 300 bottles) fetched more than $13,000 (about double its market value) at a charity auction.

Roughly 200,000 bottles of the 2013 will be sold for about 15€ ($20) each.

While the Miraval website says: "Sorry, booking exclusive Miraval first bottles of Rosé 2013 is now closed. Communicate your email address, we will keep you informed of upcoming availability," my contacts at the winery tell me it will be in shops in France and the U.S. starting in early March. shows it on sale through many international retailers here.

Decanter has given the 2013 Miraval 91 points, describing it as "charmingly pretty in colour" with "a delicate structure that deepens through the palate."  The magazine goes on to say the wine has “a sense of power alongside the elegance, a structure and a fresh acidity that gives the wine persistency, with a grip of minerality that gives a delicious mouthwatering finish.”

The 2012 vintage, Pitt and Jolie's first, was a serious rosé ranked No. 84 in Wine Spectator’s list of the top 100 wines of 2013...the only rosé to make the list.  (Press releases immediately started touting it as ''the best rosé in the world.'') Wine Spectator managing editor Kim Marcus described the 90-point wine as "Refined and elegant, offering pure and concentrated flavors of dried red berry, tangerine and melon. The focused finish features flint and spice notes, with a hint of cream."

To make their wines, the Jolie-Pitts joined forces with the Perrin family of the renowned Châteauneuf-du-Pape estate Château de Beaucastel and the Central Coast property Tablas Creek Vineyard.  At the time of the release of the 2012, Marc Perrin described the Miraval domaine:  “This is a magical place that we traverse from one end to the other to discover exceptional plots. The valley, property of the château, offers an unmatched eco-system and gives the wines a unique style in terms of freshness and elegance.” Perrin says he worked closely with Pitt and Jolie to develop the wine.

The rosé project has gone so well, Decanter's Jane Anson says, that the movie star duo has signed up the Perrins to make a red wine “in the style of Italy’s Super Tuscans.” But first they have to plant the vines and before that, according to Perrin, they’ll need to “experiment with different grape varieties, from Syrah and Mourvèdre to Cabernet Franc and others.”

If you get your hands on the 2013 Miraval and want to share your source, please leave a comment below! And I'll leave you with this fun factoid: One rosé wine previously made at Miraval (before the Jolie-Pitts took over) was called Pink Floyd, because the iconic British band recorded part of The Wall at the estate in 1979.

  1. so, where can I buy a bottle here in Cambridge or Boston?

    1. Hi, not sure where but I do know it will be stocked in US stores in early March.

  2. Thanks for this, Julie! This is a wine I'll be sure to watch for, and something I can chat about if I have the good fortune of ever working with him again (I did once way back when, 1995).

  3. We had a couple bottles of this rose last summer here in Vancouver. We actually bought it at the local wine store. I loved it! Looking forward to the next vintage.

  4. Lovely post...and is this wine available in the Morristown, NJ area? I would enjoy buying some! Thanks.

    1. Hi...sorry I don't know where'll have to call around or look online. Start checking in early March. Or maybe your fav. store can order it. Good luck! :)

  5. 24/7 in France: I tasted (and wrote about) their "Pink Floyd" rose, which was refreshing and delicious.

  6. Hi All,
    My contacts at the winery tell me that the wine is no longer available through but that it will be in stores in France and the US starting in early March. Hope that helps! :)

  7. Hi there, You've done an excellent job. I will certainly digg it and personally recommend to my friends.
    I'm confident they will be benefited from this web site, ,.

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Guest Post: What to Do During a Market Correction

We have a guest post today from my friend Alex Tarhini, who is an impossible combination of clever and handsome and still single, ladies.

I found myself nodding my head reading this…

What to Do During a Market Correction

Hedge Fund Managers:

1. Let clients know that you saw this coming and that of course you are hedged

2. Yell at the nearest trader to f*cking hedge the book

Stock Brokers:

1. Call everyone on your CRM that you have ever told to short a stock

2. Avoid calls from the clients who you told to buy stocks last week

Financial Journalists:

1. Over analyze anything that can be spun as a reason for the market to sell off

2. Deadly viruses typically work here

Dentist / part-time e-traders:

1. Panic into complex option positions that your wife will never understand

2. Yell at your kids about your damn theta burn

Financial Advisors:

1. As a fiduciary, it is your responsibility use this time to sell the most active, high-fee funds you can get your hands on.

2. Remind Mrs. Jones, you don’t know where the next 20% move is, but you do know where the next 100% move is.

1. Go on CNBC and make it clear that you are right about something

2. Tell yourself how awesome you are

Day Traders

1. Remember the “good years” when the VIX was at 90 and the economy was collapsing

2. Realize that isn’t happening and that HFT just scalped you again and you have no idea why you’re still doing this

Newsletter Authors:

1. Email blast that bearish note you wrote in July of 2013

2. Write a “what to do now” email behind a paywall with a 15% discount, type “bear” in promotion box.

LOL, thanks Alex!

Follow Alex on Twitter!

Follow Alex on Tumblr

Full Disclosure: Nothing on this site should ever be considered to be advice, research or an invitation to buy or sell any securities, please see my Terms & Conditions page for a full disclaimer.

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  1. Vernon commented on Dec 23

Read this next.


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A Birthday Sundae, A Birthday Surprise

DSC_0005 (3)

To my darling Frenchman, on his 28th birthday,

As you read this, you are fresh off a fourteen hour flight from Argentina: The tail end of a double business trip that took you far away for the better part of two weeks. But now you are home, perhaps puttering to the coffee machine, or scolding me for not watering the succulents, or racing a line of kisses across my collarbone, razzing “Pepé Le Pew!” into my ear—-or any one of a thousand, small deeds that constitute our life together.

I am grateful for the nearly five years I have known you. I am grateful for what we have together, for what we’ve built, unhurriedly, imperfectly, one day at a time. We’ve fashioned a partnership with firm foundations, you and I, and that simple, essential, stupendous knowledge gives me courage every day, and makes all things seem possible.

I love you so very, very much, sweet chéri. I love you so much, in fact, that I have been lying to you for the better part of five months. Can you forgive me? (Since you are still quibbling about that itty-bitty non-event wherein I told you I was buying two small shelves from Ikea to “organize” our apartment, already filled to the brim with (my) (kitchen) things, but then actually went ahead and bought three, not-exactly-minuscule shelves and then asked you to construct them for me, this remains to be seen.)

You see the thing is, we are not going to Florida on Tuesday like I told you we were, not even slightly. (Although I hope the literature I sent you about the hotel in Key West, and the invented research on renting a sailboat for the afternoon, and my apologies over not coming up with a more creative way to spend your one real vacation of the year was at least half-way convincing.) Instead, we are going home, to your home. We are off to be surrounded by your family and friends, who have been in on this surprise for some time.

birthday card

Keeping this secret from you has required every ounce of terrible acting skills I possess. (Seriously, it’s sort of a small, metal-worthy miracle that I didn’t accidentally drop it into conversation somewhere along the line.) There have been so many moments!

Do you remember when your Mom asked you, several Saturdays in a row, what we would be doing for your birthday and vacation? Mhm, by then she was already in on the plan! Do you remember when I suggested you email your friends in France, so that perhaps we could see them at Christmas; such a shame it had been so long? By then, they were already booking train tickets to Paris!

Instead of going to Florida, we will pass nine, languid days in Angoulins, walking barefoot on the terrace, eating grilled sardines, launching champagne corks into the pool, and swimming in the ocean. You’ll play tennis with your brother and violin with your father. You’ll laugh with your sister, be kissed by your mother, and serenaded bon anniversaire by your grandparents.

And after nine days, when you are tanned and relaxed and happy as a clam, we depart for Paris. Our hotel room looks out over the mess of slate and ivory roofs, cluttered with umber chimney pipes. Your friends wait at the bar on Boulevard Poissonnière: Alexandra and Antoine. Pierre, Alexandre, Jean-Charles, and Grégory. Jeremy, Clément, Anne Charlotte and Antoine. The weekend is yours and theirs, to do with what you like–to drink beer and catch up, to ramble around Paris or play tarot in the park, and then probably to drink some more beer.

Cris and Paul in Angoulins

I hope some, or all, of this birthday gift, surprises you. I hope you know unequivocally how much I care about you, and that this will be the best birthday celebration imaginable. So let me be the first one to wish you a most excellent, truly wonderful, wholly special 28th year, mon cœur. Here is to many more to come. Je t’aime à la folie!

PS. To sweeten the deal, I’ve made this birthday sundae just for you: a simple, perfumed sorbet of strawberries from the market, and a triple midnight dark chocolate ice cream. I topped the sundae with cherries and raspberries, the first of the summer.

a birthday sundae, candles blown out

When I asked the Frenchman to name his version of a favorite birthday cake, hopefully long enough ago not to be completely obvious, but probably not, he asked for dark chocolate ice cream, strawberry sorbet, and red fruits; so that is what he got!

If I do say so, this is a mighty fine sundae. Market strawberries make the sorbet sing: bombastic in color with bold, clean strawberry flavor. The triple midnight ice cream uses dark chocolate thrice; it’s the deepest, smoothest chocolate ice cream I’ve made yet.

A note about the xanthan gum: This is the first time I’ve experimented with xanthan gum, or any stabilizer for that matter, apart from egg yolks. (Believe it or not, I found some in the baking section of my grocery store.) While it is optional, I’ll say that it helped produce the smoothest batch of ice cream I’ve ever made at home. The texture was far closer to ice cream shop ice cream than anything I’ve spun previously.

A note about the chocolate: Chocolate is key to this recipe, so it’s important to use the very best you can find! I chose Mast Brothers Brooklyn Blend for the bar chocolate, and Valrhona for the cocoa powder.

Makes about 1 quart

Triple Midnight Chocolate Ice Cream

  • 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
  • a pinch of kosher salt
  • 1.5 tablespoons good-quality cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon xanthan gum (optional)
  • 1.5 cups good-quality cream
  • 1.5 cups good-quality milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 5 ounces (140 grams) good-quality dark chocolate, divided

1. In the base of a medium pot, whisk together 1/4 cup of the sugar, the salt, the cocoa powder, and the xanthan gum. Pour in the cream, the milk, and the vanilla; whisk to blend. Turn the heat to medium, and warm the contents of the pot, whisking occasionally, until the milk froths up in the pan. Turn the heat off.

cocoa powder

2. Meanwhile, in a separate small bowl, whisk the egg yolks vigorously with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar for about 30 seconds.

3. Very slowly begin incorporating the milk mixture into the egg yolks, whisking as you go; you don’t want the eggs to scramble. When the milk and eggs are completely combined, heat the custard base over medium-low heat, stirring, until the custard coats the back of your spoon, or until the it reaches 165F on a candy thermometer. Run the base through a fine mesh sieve to remove any clumps or egg stringies.

4. Break 2.5 ounces (or 1 bar) of the dark chocolate into pieces. Set the broken chocolate in a metal bowl, and place the bowl over a simmering water bath; let the chocolate melt. When the chocolate is just melted, take the bowl off the heat. Slowly begin incorporating the custard base. (As you go, you’ll be able to increase the pace.) If the base doesn’t look super smooth, run it through a sieve again.

5. Chill the base: you can do this with an ice bath, or simply by moving the custard to the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight. When the base is very cold, spin it in an ice cream machine, according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

6. Meanwhile, chip the remaining chocolate using a vegetable peeler. In the last minute of spinning, introduce the chipped chocolate into the ice cream.

chipped dark chocolate chipped dark chocolate chipped dark chocolate

7. Try not to devour the ice cream right out of the maker! Move the ice cream into a container, and then into the freezer for a few hours, to harden.

Now is the time for strawberries. I literally cannot stop myself from buying them at the market, because they smell and taste so damn good. Since I continue to come home with far too many, here are a few uses I’ve put them to lately: strawberry frozen yogurt, strawberry cake, and strawberry jam. This sorbet is also very tasty; refreshing, and appropriate for vegan and vegetarian readers.

A note about credit: Recipe adapted from David Lebovitz’s book, The Perfect Scoop.

A note about the Pineau: I used Pineau because we had some in the house, and because I thought it neatly symbolized where the Frenchman is from, and where we are going for his birthday. Mr. Lebovitz uses kirsch instead; I think any fruit brandy would suffice. You could also omit the alcohol, but then your sorbet will likely freeze more solidly.

Makes about 1.5 pints

Market Strawberry Sorbet

  • 1 pound (450 grams) fresh strawberries
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon Pineau
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • a pinch of kosher salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum (optional)

1. Wash and hull the strawberries. Slice them lengthwise into a large bowl, and then add the sugar and the Pineau; stir well to coat the strawberries. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and then let the strawberries hang out for about 1 hour, until they get juicy.

2. Move the strawberries to a blender or food processor, along with the lemon juice, the salt, and the xanthan gum (if you’re using it) and whiz them up until well pureed. At this point, you could run the mixture through a fine mesh sieve, to remove the seeds, but I sort of prefer to keep them, even if they do sometimes get stuck in my teeth.

3. Move the sorbet base to the fridge for a few hours, until it’s super cold. Then, spin the sorbet in an ice cream machine, according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

spun strawberry sorbet spun strawberry sorbet spun strawberry sorbet

You can serve the sorbet soft right out of the machine, or move it to the freezer until it’s properly frozen. I have a feeling this sorbet would also make a welcome addition to a champagne cocktail (cover your ears, darling Frenchman!), or scooped into a punch.

Since he requested “red fruits”, and since cherries and tiny raspberries just appeared at the market, that’s the route I went. However, feel free to top this sundae with any fruit you have available, and change it up as the summer progresses.

a birthday sundae a birthday sundae a birthday sundae a birthday sundae a birthday sundae a birthday sundae

a birthday sundae, vertical a birthday sundae, vertical a birthday sundae, vertical

  1. The Frenchman

    Cristina, you are the most wonderful woman I know. Thank you so much for this present, it really is amazing! I love you so much. Bisous

    ps: I can’t wait to taste that Sundae too

  2. Todd

    You two are just adorable. Great seeing you this week, and enjoy your bday in France!

  3. Erica

    Is it just me or wouldn’t this sundae be better served atop one of Paul’s homemade croissants? Just kidding! Has he heard of the cronut? I’ll be expecting that on my next visit.

    In all seriousness though, beautiful post, have an amazing trip! Love you both! Happy early birthday Paul, mon ami (sp?), whatever, you get the idea.

Leave a comment


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Synonyms for portray

1. portray, represent
usage: portray in words; "The book portrays the actor as a selfish person"
2. portray, depict, limn, represent, interpret
usage: make a portrait of; "Goya wanted to portray his mistress, the Duchess of Alba"
3. impersonate, portray, act, play, represent
usage: assume or act the character of; "She impersonates Madonna"; "The actor portrays an elderly, lonely man"
4. portray, present, represent, interpret
usage: represent abstractly, for example in a painting, drawing, or sculpture; "The father is portrayed as a good-looking man in this painting"
WordNet 3.0 Copyright © 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

See also: portray (Dictionary)

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Thursday, 12 February 2015

A new year.. and a review

I can't believe it is already half way through February! I have pretty much abondoned blogging for the past 8 months as I was busy trying to complete my PhD. Well I finished just in the nick of time and finally submitted a few days before Christmas. Then I took a bit of a break and spent some time on the NSW coast. Now it is back to reality and doing boring stuff like trying to find a real job!

In the meantime I thought I'd put together a little review of some empties I have been collecting. Some of these are old favs and some are new things I tried for the first time.
1. Essence Get Big Lashes Waterproof Mascara
I love this stuff! The cheapest mascara that actually does what it claims. They sell it at Priceline and is under $5. I find if I curl my lashes with my eyelash curler and then use this, it really holds the curl. My eyes have been very watery (hayfever, I think) lately so the waterproof is a must.
2. Garnier BB Cream Normal to Oily
I generally have dry skin and this was given to me from a friend who didn't like the colour. I actually like this version as it is more matifying and less greasy than the other versions. It is better suited for summer when there is more sweating and the last thing you need is more oil. These BB creams are good for everyday wear as I hate foundation that is thick and cakey.
3. Lush Celebrate Limited Edition Body Lotion
Wow... I cannot tell you how amazing this smells. It is like Skittles! Even better is that it is actually super hydrating. Unfortunately it only comes out at Christmas time (and maybe Christmas in July). I already have my next bottle lined up. Warning: Once applied your boyfriend may want to eat you, look out.
4. Matrix Biolage Full Lift Volumizing Conditioner
'Lifts and bodifies fine limp hair'... this is me down to a T - I need volume! But there is only so much shampoo and conditioner can do. This does make my hair feel lighter and definitely doesn't have that feeling of leaving product lingering in your hair. It also has a very neutral smell which is important to me as I hate weird smelling stuff in my hair (Kevin Murphy I am looking at you).
5. Rexona Pure Silver Crystal deodorant
This has been a long term fav of mine for one reason. No white marks! I hate how some deoorants claim the no white mark thing and then, they lie!
6. Ralph by Ralph Lauren
I love this scent, especially for summer. It's a shame it rarely goes on sale.
7. Nation Ageless Illuminating Primer
I had this for a very long time mainly because I had about three other primers that I would switch between. This one is quite hydrating but I am not convinced it helped my makeup stay put.
8. Burt's Bees Nourishing Milk and Honey Body Lotion
I received this in a Bellabox and was not overly impressed. It does say for normal to dry skin so perhaps my skin is just too far down the dry end of town but I don't feel that it was very hydrating. And I was not keen on the smell.
9. Avene Rich Hydrating Cream
Avene is a brand best known for their hypoallegenic properties due to the Avene thermal spring water. I was attracted to this face cream during winter when my face was uber dry. This was brilliant! I highly recommend if you have dry to very dry skin. It does cost around $40 but a tube should last around 3 months if you only use it once a day then use a different night cream.

Monday, 13 October 2014

Ozsale: Bec and Bridge bargains

Apologies for the blogging hiatus - last 6 months of a PhD will do that! I have just over 1 month left to finish so it is chaotic times. In the meantime I have been rewarding myself for all my hard work by online shopping. I thought I would quickly share my latest bargains - Bec and Bridge purchases from the website Ozsale. I got them for $30 each. The oriental blossom dress is something I loved when it was released last year (I think?). The fabric is gorgeous! I bought a size 6 as it was the last size left and prayed it would fit - thankfully I managed to buy a winner. The shorts are a really nice blue mosaic print and will be so pretty with a plain top. Usually Ozsale orders take at least a month but because this was last stock it came within a week! Super happy!

Hopefully I will get back to more regular blogging very soon x

Monday, 19 May 2014

Style File : Tulle skirts

(images via google images, pic 3 Melbourne fashion blogger, pic 6 Street Smith, pic 8 Atlantic-Pacific, pic 9 tulle & trinkets, pic 11The Pile of Style, pic 12 Pereira of Lovely Pepa)

Tulle has always held a soft spot in my fashion heart. I think this probably can be traced to my early years of dancing and wearing a pink tutu for a dance recital. There is something about tulle that makes a girl feel like a princess. Yet, there are only very few moments in life where we are able to wear it (in a completely normal un-bridal way). Well now is one of these moments. Quite a few years ago, Carrie Bradshaw brought back the tulle skirt on Sex and the City. I got so excited when I was recently viewing these photos from New York fashion week and came across the lovely Alexandra Pereira (above pic) sporting a gorgeous peachy pink tulle skirt teamed with a leather jacket for a perfect contrast of feminine/edge. It can be a little hard to imagine what to wear with tulle. So I put together a few of my favourites that nailed it. Long or short, puffy or straight, they all look amazing. Anyway, I am off to track down my old tulle dress that I'm thinking might be good converted into a skirt.

PS. If you dont already have one, and feel like a little project you can make one - check out this post by Cotton and Curls.

Monday, 5 May 2014

Winter wishlist '14

 1. White skinny jeans - White in winter? Hell yes. Still searching for the perfect fit.

 2. Tan coat - I already have one from last winter, but I wore it so much it's looking a little worse for wear.

 3. Flippy skirt, peplum hem skirts - whatever you want to call it, I dig them. Feminine and chic!

 4. The perfect pair of thigh high boots - yes I know Ill never pull them off like Elle Ferguson here but I just love them. I already have 3 pairs but still haven't found ones that fit just right.

 5. The white shirt - I am on the hunt for a silk white shirt for winter wear. Always a good investment.

 6. Snow leopard (anything) - I am obsessed with this print right now.

 7. The plaid shirt - So good for layering, just can't seem to find my ideal fit and colour.

8. Chunky scarf - I am in need of another chunky scarf, preferably in grey! I have a cream snood that saw me through last winter but I think grey would be nice with whites etc.
 9. Pink fluffy knit - I already have white, but I am really loving the soft pinks that are in stores.

10. Black chiffon shirt - I am not usually inclined to go all black, but I think occasionally it can look sophisticated (with a tan)

Tuesday, 1 April 2014

(all images via google images and pinterest)
Im back... sort of. The final six months of my PhD is proving a challenge to say the least - mentally and physically. I am getting excited for this autumn/winter fashion. The word on the street is that we shall all be blushing pink. In the fashion sense that is. With plenty of good inspiration from the European and US bloggers, I am sure you are already up to speed. Even though in Melbourne it has been a 33 degree day (hottest ever April 1st on record!), I am dreaming of the perfect pink coat.

Monday, 20 January 2014

Inspiration #9

Floaty dresses.
Long hair.
Tribal prints.
Pony tails.

A temporary return from an unplanned hiatus. And a new year begins.

Monday, 25 November 2013

Style Envy: Olivia Palermo

Olivia Palermo must have the most amazing wardrobe. She never fails to look utterly sophisticated, even when she is going casual. I love her statement necklaces and how daintily she looks even in ballet flats (I suppose this isnt difficult when you have legs like hers). I picked out a few of my favourite outfits, a mix of summer and winter as Melbourne cannot seem to make up it's mind as to what season we are in. One day we have a pop of summer, then the next day it will be back to cold, rainy and miserable. Quite annoying wardrobe wise, since I can't put away any of my big coats yet. Lucky I have Olivia for some inspiration! I particularly love the white on white, the leopard flip skirt and the blouses. And how does she manage to pull off a pant suit so well! I think it is the shoes and Hermes bag. Still, I think I would just look like a man.

On a side note, how exciting is it that Melbourne is getting a H&M store?! Finally!
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Saturday, February 25, 2012

Hillary Clinton, mouthpiece for the UN/International Corporations/Banks, Dangerous

The international organized criminals who run the US Government and Military have nuclear weapons and are almost unopposed. American taxpayers are under armed occupation.

Hillary Clinton speaks for these people. She does not speak for the American people. Look at the groups and individuals she panders to. Do you think she for even one second, considers the average American? What you see in any mainstream media story is just international corporate and banker propaganda. They want more of your money. They want to squash dissent. The most elite in the world have taken power. They want you to just shut up and sit on your ass.

Very few of us are willing to actually stand up against these tyrants. If more of you would do you part, it would not be so dangerous for the very few of us who are standing up for you. Stop being a lazy slob just sitting on your couch. If you value your life, get up. If you value having any future, get up, stand up, and do something right now. The time is now.

stevengerickson At

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Uploaded by on Feb 24, 2012

Calls for tougher economic sanctions against Syria are getting louder at the 'Friends of Syria' meeting in Tunisia, with the EU already preparing to freeze the Syrian Central Bank assets next week. It's among the new measures to cripple the Assad regime being proposed by the U.S. and its allies, as they gather to hammer out the Syrian crisis. German government consultant Christoph Horstel thinks that the West is trying to transplant its regime-change strategy from Libya to Syria.

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'CIA & Western media's total fiasco in Syria'

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Clinton blasts China, Russia over Syria

Last Updated 4:45 p.m. ET

TUNIS, Tunisia - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton blasted Russia and China as "despicable" for opposing U.N. Security Council action on Syria, and more than 60 nations began planning a civilian peacekeeping mission to deploy after the Damascus regime halts a brutal crackdown on the opposition.

President Barack Obama said Washington will keep pressuring Syrian President Bashar Assad to stop the "slaughter" of civilians, saying it was imperative that the world unite in condemning the Syrian military onslaught.

"It is time to stop the killing of Syrian citizens by their own government," Mr. Obama said after a conference by a group of nations known as the Friends of Syria concluded in Tunisia.

Syria in crisis: Who are the key players?

The move by the group is aimed at jolting Assad and his allies into accepting demands for a democratic transition, even as they are still unwilling to commit to military intervention to end the nearly year-old bloodshed.

While the conference in Tunisia offered nothing other than the threat of increasing isolation and sanctions to compel compliance from Assad, Clinton went on to predict a military coup inside Syria of the kind that ended the old regimes in Egypt and Tunisia.

"We saw this happen in other settings last year, I think it is going to happen in Syria," she told reporters at the end of the meeting. "We also know from many sources that there are people around Assad who are beginning to hedge their bets — they didn't sign up to slaughter people."

Clinton said the Syrian regime will have "more blood on its hands" if it doesn't immediately comply with cease-fire demands.

Assad allies Russia and China, which have blocked previous U.N. action on Syria and are eager to head off any repeat of the kind of foreign intervention that happened in Libya, gave no sign they would agree to peacekeepers. Their actions prompted a particularly strong reaction from Clinton.

"It's quite distressing to see two permanent members of the Security Council using their veto while people are being murdered — women, children, brave young men — houses are being destroyed," she said. "It is just despicable and I ask whose side are they on? They are clearly not on the side of the Syrian people."

4 killed in renewed shelling of Syrian city

Syria humanitarian crisis spirals out of control

"Friends of Syria" to call for U.N. peacekeepers

In New York on Friday, U.N. deputy spokesman Eduardo del Buey said the secretary-general's office had no immediate response to a call for a peacekeeping mission.

The conference, meeting for the first time as a unified bloc, called on Assad to end the violence immediately and allow humanitarian aid into areas hit by his regime's crackdown. The group pledged to boost relief shipments and set up supply depots along Syria's borders, but it was unclear how it would be distributed without government approval.

The friends, led by the U.S. and European and Arab nations, also vowed to step up ties with the Syrian National Council, an opposition umbrella group. They took a tentative step toward recognition by declaring the council to be "a legitimate representative" of the Syrian people, a possible precursor to calling it "the legitimate representative."

Despite the show of unity, which diplomats said they hoped would impress upon Assad that the end of his family's four-decade autocratic rule is inevitable and at hand, there were signs of division. Some nations argued for arming Assad's foes, while others called for the creation of protected humanitarian corridors to deliver aid.

Neither idea was included in the conference's final document, which instead focused on steps nations should take to tighten the noose on the regime, including boycotting Syrian oil, imposing travel and financial sanctions on Assad's inner circle, and working with the opposition to prepare for a post-Assad Syria, including lucrative commercial deals. It also welcomed the appointment of former U.N. chief Kofi Annan to be a joint U.N.-Arab League special envoy for Syria.

On the sanctions front, France said the European Union would on Monday freeze assets of Syria's national bank held in EU jurisdictions while Clinton vowed that already tough U.S. penalties would be strengthened.

Highlighting the divisions, though, Saudi Arabia called publicly for weapons and ammunition to be sent to the opposition, including the Free Syrian Army, a Turkey-based outfit made up largely of Assad regime defectors.

"I think it's an excellent idea," Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal told reporters as he prepared to meet Clinton on the margins of the conference. Asked why, he replied: "Because they have to defend themselves."

Saudis: Arming Syria rebels an "excellent idea"

Clinton demurred on the question. But on Thursday in London, she said the opposition would eventually find arms from some suppliers if Assad keeps up the relentless assault.

The Obama administration initially opposed arming the opposition but has recently opened the door to the possibility by saying that while a political solution is preferable, other measures may be needed if the onslaught doesn't end.

The Syrian National Council, for its part, said it would be grateful for help in any area.

"We welcome any assistance you might offer, or means to protect our brothers and sisters who are struggling to end the rule of tyranny," council president Burhan Ghalioun told the conference. He laid out the council's goal of a free, democratic Syria free of the "rule of a Mafia family" in which the rights of all would be respected.

Qatari Foreign Minister Hamad Jassim bin Jabr al-Thani, who has been a driving force to unite Arab opinion against the Syrian regime, directly called on Assad to step down. And, together with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, he called for the creation of humanitarian corridors to get aid to embattled citizens.

Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki, the host of the conference who only recently assumed power after his country became the first in the Arab Spring to topple its longtime leader last year, called for an Arab peacekeeping force to ensure stability during an eventual transition.

"We have to respond to the demand of the majority of the Syrian people to get rid of a corrupt, persecuting regime," he said. "We have to stop the bloodshed, but this cannot be through military intervention."

The Friends group recognized this call by giving a green light to U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon to start drawing up plans for such a joint Arab League-U.N. peacekeeping operation that would be comprised of civilian police officers. Ban is expected to begin recruiting possible contributors to the mission and preparing its mandate.

Such an operation would not be a military intervention but would still require authorization from the U.N. Security Council, where it will likely face opposition from veto-wielding members China and Russia, neither of which attended the Tunis conference, and Iran. Russia and Iran are Syria's two biggest military suppliers.

As the conference began, about 200 pro-Assad demonstrators tried to storm the hotel. The protest forced Clinton to be diverted briefly to her hotel.

The protesters, waving Syrian and Tunisian flags, tussled with police and carried signs criticizing Clinton and President Barack Obama. They were driven out of the parking lot by police after about 15 minutes.

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Keiser Report: Bubbling Economy (E254)

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Uploaded by on Feb 25, 2012

In this episode, Max Keiser and co-host, Stacy Herbert, discuss market participating rally monkeys, market regulating surrender monkeys, economic policy making suicide monkeys and Greek ministry website hacking cheeky monkeys. In the second half of the show, Max talks to David Hales about ending top down Central Bank imposed financial and economic systems with peer to peer economics.

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Volkswagen’s 2013 Super Bowl Ad Isn’t Racist, But It Might As Well Be (VIDEO)

Emily Abbate Eye Roll

VolkswagenOh Super Bowl commercials. In one 60-second spot, a company could make a name for itself and go down in famedom as epically hilarious and witty, or it could fail. This year I'm afraid Volkswagen, who struck GOLD with last year's Darth Vader spot, is headed for Doomsville. Or at least that's what they want us to think.

VW's Super Bowl commercial hit the Internet this week, featuring a white Minnesota man speaking in a fake Jamaican accent, encouraging his coworkers to overcome "the Mondays." He then takes some of them for a spin in his shiny red Beetle. When they come out, they emerge happy with the same Jamaican twang.

The problem? People are finding it racist. Racist for a white man to impersonate being "happy" by using a Jamaican accent. To that, I say this ad's hilarious. I bet they knew EXACTLY what they were doing releasing it: Getting people to talk. Heck, when it comes down to it, the ad may as well be racist. It's stirring up controversy like it is, anyway.

You know how I really know that this is all just one big PR effort? The company has already come forward saying that they have a backup for the commercial. WHO makes a backup when they have material they plan on using? There's no doubt in my mind that this spot coming out during the week leading up to the Super Bowl is Volkswagen's effort to sell even MORE cars while creating a stir in the media. Oh you smart little German car makers, you.

Yeah, something tells me this little Jamaican gem won't be making it anywhere near the Ravens/49ers game on Sunday night. To that I say no worries mon.

Do you think the Volkswagen commercial is racist? Do you agree people are making a fuss over nothing?

Image via Volkswagen/YouTube

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Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Critics of Senator Santorum’s Economic Plan are entitled to their Own Opinions but not their Own Facts

A considerable number of conservatives have expressed criticism at Rick Santorum’s manufacturing plan. Incidentally, many of them have a horse in the race – someone other than Santorum - and that’s pretty understandable and perfectly fine. It’s still a free country where people may publicly disagree with the president and anyone else they so much as desire. When taking someone’s plan to task, though, it would be most beneficial to be factual especially if attempting to promote a rival candidate. If one’s disagreement is full of falsehoods and non-factual information then not only won’t they be successful in convincing many that their argument is correct, they present themselves to the public as possibly uninformed and more likely to be purposely misleading.

For those unfamiliar with Santorum’s
"Made in America" Plan it is one portion of his economic plan and is in itself a lengthy and detailed plan. The Plan includes but is not limited to pushing for a balanced budget amendment, removing unnecessary burdensome regulations, granting permission to increase of energy production, providing authorization for the Keystone Pipeline, simplifying the tax code, reducing taxes to the Reagan-era pro-growth top tax rate, and completely eliminating the corporate income tax for manufacturers from 35% to 0%. For the complete details please check out the link provided above.

It is the last item I’ve mentioned – the elimination of the corporate income tax for manufacturers - at which many have expressed their opposition and for a variety of reasons. I’ve decided to review the criticisms and then explain the facts surrounding this one aspect of Santorum’s economic plan, since lots of untruths are circulating.

A popular argument is the notion that Santorum is playing class warfare by favoring one group over the rest of the country. A second misconception which has circulated widely is that his plan favors big unions. A third criticism often put out is that the problem manufacturers face is not increased taxes but burdensome regulations and that Santorum’s plan doesn’t address it. A fourth claim is that this is a minor tinkering of the tax code which will result in nothing but increased taxes in another sector to make up for the loss in federal income.

All of these complaints appear quite serious, except that none of them are based on the facts.

Firstly, Santorum’s plan is unrelated to class warfare. Class warfare is pitting the poor against the rich, employees against employers, and so forth. Class warfare is usually achieved through placing a strong emphasis on the bounty others have and comparing it to the state of those who have less in order to create strong emotions of envy and unfairness in those with less. The politician then promises to punish those better off – such as taxing the rich guys – while extending help to the little guy via handouts aka tax-cuts/tax credits by spending other people’s money in order to “make things fair.”

Secondly, Santorum’s plan doesn’t turn employees against employers or anything of a similar nature. It simply eliminates the corporate income tax for manufacturers of all sizes and stripes as an incentive for manufacturing companies which have left the USA and gone to countries with fewer burdensome regulations and lower taxes to return to American shores. His plan will once again make the USA a country where it is financially worthwhile to manufacture goods rather than making them elsewhere and then having the goods shipped over. The elimination of the corporate income tax for manufacturers thus benefits the owners of manufacturing companies in order to benefit the overall economy of the US. The economy will receive a much-needed boost since the creation of many businesses will lead to the employment of millions who’ve previously watched their jobs be shipped overseas.

Santorum has put forward an actual plan (and not a twitter hash-tag like Newt’s 2.50) for a sector of the economy that’s crumbling and shrinking at a time when million are unemployed and many have despaired of finding a job. Santorum has also clearly explained why manufacturing requires additional reductions over local retailers and other companies who will also watch their taxes being cut. This is because your local pharmacy isn’t disappearing to China and neither will your grocer. It is manufacturing and jobs that are disappearing from this country and in order to be competitive with the rest of the world one has to look at the global rate and adjust accordingly.

This is the exactly what Obama and the left so strongly oppose; the trickle-down theory which keeps government out of the lives of the people.

Those who describe Santorum’s plan as pro-Union have portrayed his plan as though he were out to specifically favor union workers/bosses over the rest. This is completely untrue and those using this argument are either uninformed or purposefully misleading. The only method for unions to benefit from Santorum's plan is if they are successful in signing up more workers into their membership. This may occur since Santorum’s plan will lead to a greatly increased number of American workers, yet is far from guaranteed to happen since Santorum has also promised as a president to push for “right-to-work” on a national level.

Even if unions do increase their membership levels, then that in its own right will be proof of the success of Santorum’s plan. It will provide clear data that removing government from the picture has led to business owners hiring many workers, thus creating a considerable number of new jobs and new union members. This may indirectly lead to benefit unions but so be it if that’s one of the results of an improved economy and millions of new jobs. Unlike Democrats who only seek to benefit specific voting blocs and political donors, Santorum is out to create equal opportunity for all Americans.

Manufacturing currently costs over twenty percent higher in the USA than in other countries excluding labor costs because of regulations and taxes. This has caused and continues to cause many manufacturers to flee the country. Those who attack Rick’s plan to eliminate the corporate income tax for manufacturers as a worthless solution while explaining that the key to increasing manufacturing is cutting regulation, have proven that they are unable to walk and talk simultaneously. The argument displays their ignorance and lack of research in a day and age when information is available at one’s fingertips. Or worse yet, some are attempting to purposely omit Santorum’s heavy focus on regulation, somehow thinking that if they ignore it then it doesn’t exist.

For the sake of those truly uninformed, here’s a link to
a video in which Rick Santorum speaks to voters in which he labeled the removal of all unnecessary regulations as Step Number One and only then continued to Step Number Two which is the reduction of the manufacturing tax to zero.

Additionally, Santorum is the only GOP candidate to have opposed from the start the burdensome regulations the government enforced on the people based on the bogus global warming facts. His support for increased energy production through additional drilling, nuclear energy plants, and all other forms of safe energy had never wavered. Newt and Romney, though, supported government regulation - as recently and to the far extreme as having supported Obama’s Cap & Trade.

As for the last misinformed case against Santorum’s plan, his Made in America plan does indeed eliminate the corporate income tax for manufacturers. In today’s topsy-turvy world where Obama “cut taxes” for people who pay no taxes, cutting taxes is seen as the government sending (back) a check to people/companies and thus thought of as a federal expense. This is not the case here and whenever true tax cuts occur. Tax cuts aren’t refunds. They simply allow the company to keep more/all of the money which they’ve earned. As for the government making up the money they’ve received until now through the raising of taxes of other groups, Santorum’s plan includes tax cuts for ALL as can be
viewed here. He thus won’t raise the taxes of another group because he’s cutting everyone’s taxes.

The question of how the government will manage with fewer taxes is null and for two reasons: Firstly, lower taxes leads to increased government revenue since it jumpstarts the economy. Even though manufacturers will pay zero % on corporate income tax, the tremendous growth of newly employed people who will pay the new lowered rate of taxes, will lead to considerable federal income.

Secondly, and equally importantly, a large focus of Santorum’s economic plan is to cut government spending with five trillion in the next five years thus reducing the amount the government will require to operate. Santorum plans to shrink continuously the size of government while working with all states to accept a Balanced Budget Amendment. Newt supporters who use this argument of “how will the government manage with reduced funding” when discussing Santorum’s plan is pretty ironic when considering their applause for Newt for similarly saying that he’ll cut taxes and reduce government expenses to match the money that comes in.

Santorum has had the guts in the past to create actual reform – he had written the successful welfare reform – and continues to present actual details in the actions he will take. He doesn’t just throw platitudes and empty promises, but addresses all the issues facing this nation including but not limited to the economy. Santorum focuses on the importance of energy Independence, the need to bring jobs back to America, and so much more including the freedom –grabbing Obamacare. The success of his campaign therefore isn’t hinged solely on the price of gasoline as Newt’s is, or the unemployment levels, as Romney’s is. He can successfully battle Obama on every topic since he’s the only one who provides the contrast to Obama we so desperately need.

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Photo:                                     , License: N/A, Created: 2014:05:08 13:01:50

BUTCH COMEGYS / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Lackawanna County Judge Terrence R. Nealon, right, presents the Lackawanna Bar Association 2014 Harold Miller Award to Thomas G. Rose.

Photo: N/A, License: N/A

Clarks Summit Elementary School students, from left, Nick Dodge, Gretchen Reese, Nate Rosenski, Patrick Walsh, Quentin Birch and Connor Clearwater, present elementary Principal Marc Wyandt with a photo.

Rose gets Miller

at Bar luncheon

Thomas G. Rose was the honoree when the Lackawanna Bar Association conducted its 24th Annual Harold E. Miller Legal Support Staff Luncheon.

Judge Terrence R. Nealon presented the Miller Award to Tom, who has been his tipstaff since March 18, 2002. Tom succeeded Bob Williams , who received the Miller Award in 1999. Tom is married to the former Lisa Hubshman and is the father of Tom Jr., Justin, John, Izabella, Dominick and Dylan .

The award’s namesake was appointed tipstaff to county courts in 1955 and began working for Judge William J. Nealon in 1962. Harold was remembered at the luncheon at the Radisson Lackawanna Station hotel in Scranton for “his dedication to the law and the administration of justice (which) has been an inspiration to others serving in legal and judicial support staff positions.”

Guests were welcomed by attorney Malcolm L. MacGregor , bar association president, who also offered closing remarks. Lee Ann Munley , executive director, offered invocation. Along with Judge Terrence Nealon, remarks were offered by attorney Howard A. Rothenberg .

Super students

Katherine Mitchell of Springville was inducted into Baldwin Wallace University’s Eta Alpha Chapter of the Order of Omega honor society. Order of Omega is a leadership society for members of fraternity and sorority organizations. Katherine, a senior majoring in psychology, is a member of Delta Zeta Sorority. She is a graduate of Elk Lake High School. ... Deanna Moore of Tunkhannock received the Wilkes University Global Scholar and Citizen Award during the seventh annual Multicultural Awards ceremony. Deanna, a management major and international studies minor, was honored for demonstrating high academic achievement and involvement in campus and community activities promoting cross-cultural awareness.

High notes

Abington Heights Clarks Summit Elementary School students welcomed their new principal, Marc Wyandt, with a framed photo. Quentin Birch, Connor Clearwater, Nick Dodge, Gretchen Reese, Nate Rosenski and Patrick Walsh presented the photo on behalf of all the school’s students.


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Lauryn Hill honoring Aretha FranklinLauryn Hill was one of the celebrities to honor soul legend Aretha Franklin at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland with a music tribute. The event was the 16th American Music Masters Tribute at PlayhouseSquare’s State Theatre and here’s a look at L Boogie onstage.

?uestlove Wants Black Thought To Get His Male Lauryn Hill On [EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW]

Top 10 Lauryn Hill Songs Lauryn Hill Has Butchered [ORIGINAL]

Lauryn Hill Brings Her Kids Onstage, Reunites With Pras [PHOTOS & VIDEO]

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