His demeanor reveals much more than his words.
Hey sam.2,
You're way out of line right now! Go back to BofA Flagscape, and read up on "talking points" 
His demeanor reveals much more than his words.
Hat tip to Bearly for using this rally as my last trades in the leveraged short ETF's. While I am still convinced the direction is down ( fill in your own blank: economy, market, standard of living) the leveraged ETFs are poisonous and not to be utilized.
By the way I work for BofA and will gladly take questions as to my feelings of where we are headed (short answer: hell)
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remember the coal mine disaster a year or two ago? the one in the Rockies, after which the CEO kept getting in front of the cameras to proclaim the Herculean efforts his company was taking to save the trapped miners? Utah is the state where it happened.
I commented to my wife then, I said "His best interests and the best interests of his company would be that he should shut up and not be seen or heard from again."
What's the frequency Kenneth?
--
The World of Crooks is safe. Entertainment for dopes. Everything is normal in America.
Jas
Nationalize the damn banks, bankster assets escheat to the state, banksters placed in protective custody until detoxified.
.............................
If you don't take your profits, someone else will.
There is always someone who can do worse than you
SALT LAKE CITY, April 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Zions Bancorporation (Nasdaq: ZION) ("Zions" or "the Company") today reported a first quarter loss from core banking operations of $0.39 per diluted common share, excluding impairment and valuation losses on securities of $1.35 per diluted share and noncash charges from goodwill impairment of $5.55 per diluted share. Including these charges, the first quarter net loss applicable to common shareholders was $832.2 million, or $7.29 per diluted share.
Gosh, we all missed you Jas.
lawyerliz
Lewis : It's allright, until it's not.
"We'd like to, but..."
[We could cut salaries and bonuses to start to pay back the money, but.................]
Liar.
Picking up this from Krugman's comment on the conversion of preferred to common shares:
And in this case, the TARP is your mother.
Which makes these banks a bunch of mofos.
Sorry, but it just had to be said.
-K
It's stopped raining, so I'm outta here before the heavens open again.
Or Jas responds, whichever comes last.
lawyerliz
Jas always comes out when Treasuries rally, and he always disappears when they sell off. It's very predictable.
The question is, what alias does he use when they sell off? Because there is no way is he actually refraining from making comments.
- Nemo
sam.2,
where is BofA headed, really? break-up?
can you search the directory and tell us how about many VP or above employees vs. below VP employees?
is everyone waiting for the conversion to common before they dump all their BofA shares in their stock plans?
have they erected a statue of Hank Paulson in front of the BofA buildings yet?
re Jas--I miss having the flu every year but I still get the shot.
Hey sam.2,
You're way out of line right now! Go back to BofA Flagscape, and read up on "talking points"
sam.2,
which division are in, can you refer me for a job at BofA?
You can send me you contact me off-line at bernake@washington.gov and I send you my resume.
Thanks man!
Me too Sam,
I'm looking for part time parking attendent position or elevator operator, you can contact me at GWB@natziactionforce.org.
Talk to you.
it think i got this through Some Assembly Required:
Carolyn Baker on dark optimism and the need to make use of a good crisis
maybe Lewis (and all the other bigHeads) is really working hard to push this bitch over the cliff and get it over with already.
UCE
where is BofA headed, really? break-up?
That would be a welcome outcome, if you see what component of BofA was truly providing cash flow this past quarter to prop up the consumer banking disaster ( it starts with an M)
the next two questions - no answers - I am still stuck with 13000 restricted shares, btw
Paulson doesn't deserve a statue, Thain does - as the one person who unloaded all the junk on the Charlotte fool. The other "choice" was the Lehmans road to infamy
The banks got beaten-up in today's market, even though BofA showed a "profit." BofA down about 25%! Those investors are awful moody.
Jas would be proud of me telling the sheeple how they are brainwashed.
this is no opinion:
The American people are being controlled and manipulated through a dialectic process of "right" versus "left," when both sides are controlled by the same elite interests and both are selling out the U.S. for global government, aka the "New World Order".
"The Hegelian Dialectic is, in short, the critical process by which the ruling elite create a problem, anticipating in advance the reaction that the population will have to the given crisis, and thus conditioning the people that a change is needed. When the population is properly conditioned, the desired agenda of the ruling elite is presented as the solution. The solution isn't intended to solve the problem, but rather to serve as the basis for a new problem or exacerbate the existing one."
http://www.amerikanexpose.com/hegel/
---------------------
Chemical con-trails from Air Force spraying operations cause cancer and respiratory problems! Where are all the environmental wackos concerns? See; Killer Chemtrails: The Shocking Truth
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Psdg3OAw_a8&fe
It is interesting to hear Ken Lewis talking about some 'cracks' of light regarding the economy.
I think that the moratorium on foreclosures is a good policy initiative to analyze. At the end of the day, the foreclosures still need to be dealt with. This is the same with all of the US debt burdens (Gov't, Agency, Financials, Household, Corporate). Many of the policy actions are delaying the day we will have to deal with this debt. I'm not saying I'm opposed to what has been done to date in that it might make sense to delay some of these things until things stabilize a bit. But the question is will things stabilize with so many deferred obligations hanging over us.
Don't listed to Micheal's rant on Hegel. That rant is the real dialectic. He's in with the elites.
I heard congress is working on adding an extra a letter to name of our country, is this true?
United States Bank of America (U.S.B.A)
Really OT but interesting :
Former astronaut: Man not alone in universe
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/TECH/04/20/ufo.conference/index.html
Mitchell, who was part of the 1971 Apollo 14 moon mission, asserted Monday that extraterrestrial life exists, and that the truth is being concealed by the U.S. and other governments.
---------------------------------
Awaiting Klaatu.
BAC was down because people are actually reading financial statements, not just looking at the headline #.
Everyone should sell the banks tomorrow. They are at ridiculously high prices.
Can somebody in the know translate what part of the BofA business is that starts with an "M", that is providing cash flow for the business??? I assume it's Merrill? Which is cash flow positive for now, but a source of future disaster?
If so, how long is Merrill going to be a source of cash, and not the "unloaded junk" which along with countrywide is going to sink BAC?
The MOST important:
"Lewis: I think it will be what requirements are there on what banks in terms of conversion of TARP preferred into TARP equity"
I thought it was to fend off financial failure!
Each and every taxpayer is now an investor - probably for some time, too
Something everyone needs to be aware of, regarding the banks: Some of them, even Goldman Sachs, which wants to repay the TARP money, have benefitted more from the FDIC backstop of their debt than they have from the TARP funds !!! If they cannot live without the backstops (FDIC debt guarantee isn't the only one), then they are not healthy !!!
Re: ZION. Holy crap. They are a pretty decent sized regional. Loss $7+/sh. Granted, Goodwill took a pretty big hit. What are banks doing with goodwill on their balance sheet to begin with? (WFC has 21B in goodwill)
Stress test result: D-
Another Ward of the USG.
"Don't listed to Micheal's rant on Hegel. He's in with the elites"
---------------
Yes, we know.
Merrill was probably positive due to the AIG unwind that TD has talked about endlessly on zerohedge. Based on what I have heard in the bond markets, that is probably accurate.
Not very repeatable unless we get another taxpayer funded firesale (then again, if C goes down this quarter...).
OT, but interesting....Lennar is being sued for installing Chinese drywall..
AP...Homebuilder Lennar Corp. disclosed on Monday it has been named in a class-action lawsuit brought on behalf of homeowners who bought houses built with Chinese-made drywall and claim it emits gasses that make people sick.
The lawsuit, filed last month in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, is one of several that have been filed in several states against Chinese drywall manufacturers, builders and suppliers.
Good thing that protectionism idea isn't getting rolling...
Putin's Tariffs Stall Russian Growth for Caterpillar (Update1)
Putin is trying to boost Russian industries with tariffs on everything from drugs to farm equipment as declining oil revenue saps the nation's economy. The policies are hurting sales by Caterpillar, Deere and Agco Corp. in a market where revenue was forecast to rise as much as sixfold in the next decade.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=aR1e4WmGYTMA&refer=home
" reptillian (member) wrote on Mon, 04/20/2009 - 3:13pm.
Something everyone needs to be aware of, regarding the banks: Some of them, even Goldman Sachs, which wants to repay the TARP money, have benefitted more from the FDIC backstop of their debt than they have from the TARP funds !!! If they cannot live without the backstops (FDIC debt guarantee isn't the only one), then they are not healthy !!!"
You are right the FDIC guarantee isn't the only one:
What about the increased FDIC deposit insurance, that prevents their deposit base from evaporating a la WaMu?
What about the Fed guarantee on money market accounts so people don't pull funds out of brokerage accounts (most brokerage money is swept into MM accounts)?
What about the origination fees from the refi boom that is only sustainable due to $1.3T of MBS purchases by the Fed?
What about the HUGE tax benefit WFC got in the WB purchase.
From what I can tell, we have the following government-linked entities all helping out the banks directly:
Fed
Treasury
FDIC
IRS
FHLBs
Fannie/Freddie
FHA
And it still might not be enough.
"Don't listed to Micheal's rant on Hegel. He's in with the elites"
should read; Don't listen.
---------------------
Chemical con-trails from Air Force spraying operations cause cancer and respiratory problems! Where are all the environmental wackos concerns? See; Killer Chemtrails: The Shocking Truth
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Psdg3OAw_a8&fe
This market is scary. I am long 100 spy at 84.05 and hoping! (A fool and his money are soon parted!)
@Sam.2:
Many of us have wondered... was the MER deal done under duress from the Fed or was this totally voluntary?
Same question for CFC.
Many of us felt at the time there was a quid pro quo, perhaps even a backdoor channel for Fed money.
@ ghostfacedinvestah:
You left AIG off your list. TARP $$ to AIG is a back-door payment to GS and the other CDS counterparties.
At some point we must draw a line across the ground of our home & our being, drive a spear into the land, & say to the bulldozers, earthmovers, government & corporations, "thus far & no farther."
- Edward Abbey
Michael,
if you're going to get all correction-y about it- it should say Michael too.
-------------------
Who the hell wants to read the same quote under a post every time? We are easily bored individuals! Plus, forcing people to ponder the same point over and over is kind of, uh, controlling! So mix it up under there!
What are banks doing with goodwill on their balance sheet to begin with? (WFC has 21B in goodwill)
For the big banks :
Goodwill = overpaid for bad aquisitions & soon will go belly-up.
U.S. Economy: Leading Index Shows Extended Recession (Update1)
19 paragraphs
The worst of the job losses may be over, according to a survey by the National Association for Business Economics.
Half of the executives surveyed said they expect employment at their companies to stay the same over the next six months, compared with 45 percent in January. The share forecasting a decrease through attrition declined to 22 percent from 27 percent, and the share expecting a drop due to "significant layoffs" dipped to 11 percent from 12 percent.
That is the most bullish paragraph, in an article purporting to show the worst is over. Stop being so needy stupid reporters
"What does converting preferred shares to common accomplish?"
It accomplishes the same things as every other step Geithner has taken - it makes things more confusing so the taxpayers have a harder time figuring out what is going on, and it maximizes the amount of TARP money the bank executives can keep in their pockets with no recourse for the taxpayers.
Goldman Sachs Executives Infiltrate the World of Finance and Business
http://www.goldmansachs666.com/2009/04/goldman-sachs-executives-infiltra...
---------------------
Chemical con-trails from Air Force spraying operations cause cancer and respiratory problems! Where are all the environmental wackos concerns? See; Killer Chemtrails: The Shocking Truth
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Psdg3OAw_a8&fe
Samdog nailed the goodwill question.
It's the gifts to the executives of previous acquisitions.
albrt (member) wrote on Mon, 04/20/2009 - 3:33pm.
"What does converting preferred shares to common accomplish?"
Well, it is the first step toward reverse divies. You see once done, Qly payments will be due from the common stockholders to the Company. It will foster good will and a sense of community participation.
Anonymous2: re--we are not alone: well then screw the difference, and the limit too! Game over people! Relax, enjoy the sideshow between now and 2012.
You eventually stop reading the signature line and it subliminally becomes etched in your mind.
---------------------
Chemical con-trails from Air Force spraying operations cause cancer and respiratory problems! Where are all the environmental wackos concerns? See; Killer Chemtrails: The Shocking Truth
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Psdg3OAw_a8&fe
I spoke to some congressmen about the 7th Amendment over the weekend at a protest rally. They were not aware of what the amendment said or what means.
Red Beckman Seminar
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5959251658237547562
---------------------
Chemical con-trails from Air Force spraying operations cause cancer and respiratory problems! Where are all the environmental wackos concerns? See; Killer Chemtrails: The Shocking Truth
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Psdg3OAw_a8&fe
Where is Lloyd Blankfein's confidence? Where is his courage? If he had any confidence in Goldman Sach's prospects, it seems to me that he would renounce the government's backstops in addition to repaying the TARP money. Of course, up to the present, he has only talked of repaying the TARP money. Talk is cheap !!! Put up or shut up !!! Either stand on your own or admit that you're a ward of the state !!!
Anon 2 " Former Astronaut: Man not alone in the Universe... MItchell... "asserted Monday that extraterrestrial life exists, and that the truth is being concealed by the U.S. and other governments.
Maybe *that's* where the jobs are... : -)
You eventually stop reading the signature line and it subliminally becomes etched in your mind.
. . . exposing the base metal.
Michael
Check out this report by NOW on PBS. It might make you think for once
RED BECKMAN
M. J. "Red" Beckman, an influential figure in the militia movement, has a record as an anti-Semite and an anti-tax activist. He recently lost a long struggle with the IRS when he was finally evicted from his land long after it had been sold to pay for taxes due the government. Beckman, like many militia proponents, is a conspiracy theorist. He has said that the Federal Reserve Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the so-called New World Order are conspiring to dominate the world. In his 1984 book, The Church Deceived, Beckman proclaimed that the Holocaust was a judgement upon the Jews for worshipping Satan. More recently. he appeared on KULR-TV, a Montana television station. and repeated his view that Jews are worshippers of Satan.
So Michael,
I thought it was the Republicans were worshipping Satan.
http://afterthecrash.net - Home of the Doomer Story Portal and Other Stuff
We are not a collective and we cannot be controlled!
I....am a human being!
nova: must be a full moon
That's PBS, that tells me most of what I need to know to be wary of the story. I Have the unique ability to read between the lines.
---------------------
Chemical con-trails from Air Force spraying operations cause cancer and respiratory problems! Where are all the environmental wackos concerns? See; Killer Chemtrails: The Shocking Truth
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Psdg3OAw_a8&fe
volker: probably is. I was cut off in traffic 4 times today instead of the usual 2.
http://afterthecrash.net - Home of the Doomer Story Portal and Other Stuff
JPMorgan Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon, in a letter to shareholders, touched on a theme that critics of the Iraq war were highlighting more than a year ago: That spending on the war was damaging to the economy.
Dimon cited "an expensive war in Iraq" as one of the possible triggers of the economic collapse. Spending on the war ballooned the deficit and crowded out investment in domestic priorities. Meanwhile, the trade deficit soared.
------------------------------
I'm sure it's nothing to do with cheap credit and pure speculation on 'sure bet' OTC unregulated derivatives.
Elephant Man wrote on Mon, 04/20/2009 - 3:54pm.
We are not a collective and we cannot be controlled!
I....am a human being!
Destined for a short brutish life beset by extraordinary acts of kindness and cruelty. Yeah, you got it about right.
On topic. Ken.
Q: You said you want to pay back the TARP money in 2009. Is that still on the table? Are you expecting to pay back that TARP that soon?
Lewis: Well, we would like to, and we would prefer to. But again that is now in the hands of the regulators and we will be in consultation with them as to what the best avenue will be in that regard.
Translation: We find ourselves caught in the cash advance trap of our own design. We thought it was clever to make credit card borrowers pay off the cheap money first before the expensive ones. Worked great, kept the suckers on the hook. Now the damn guvmint does the same thing. As long as we need money to meet the stress test we can't escape the rules we don't like.
volker the viking wrote on Mon, 04/20/2009 - 3:54pm.
nova: must be a full moon
OT but it is 92F here in Camarillo right now. Highest in 2 years and almost as hot as it ever gets. Coastal SoCal prices and inland weather is enough to bring out the beast in anyone.
Whatever Beckman's allowed beliefs, his work on the7TH amendment is outstanding. If you prefer, study what Tom Crier did to beat the IRS.
The Truth About the IRS and Income Tax by Attorney Tom Cryer
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6955634094972581851
---------------------
Chemical con-trails from Air Force spraying operations cause cancer and respiratory problems! Where are all the environmental wackos concerns? See; Killer Chemtrails: The Shocking Truth
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Psdg3OAw_a8&fe
Ken Lewis looks nervous.
I could see Lennar stock cliffdiving. Somebody's gonna have to pay for that scandal.
So the banks need consumers and business to invest, spend, and generally do the right thing. Only one problem...
Lowest monthly level in seven years
Jeff Berman, Group News Editor -- Logistics Management, 4/20/2009
This point is made clear by the report, which states that import cargo volume at the nation's major retail container ports sank to its lowest level in seven years in February, with the number of containers going below the one million mark for the first time in five years. And they are not likely to hit one million before May, even though activity will pick up in March and April with imports likely to see major year-over-year declines through the summer at a minimum. February was the 20th consecutive month in which volumes were down year-over-year.
snip
"The sharp downturn for retailers in this recession has continued and is not turning around quickly," said Bingham. "This is reflected in the weak traffic forecast outlook for the ports. As a consequence there is no congestion in the system however available transportation service options for shippers are changing as carriers cut back on operations in attempts to scale capacity to the reduced demand levels."
snip
Looking ahead, the Port Tracker report predicts March volume at 930,142 million TEU, down 19.7 percent from March 2008; April at 987,371 million TEU, down 22 percent from April 2008; May at 1.02 million TEU, down 21.5 percent from May 2008; June at 1.06 million TEU, down 18.3 percent from June 2008; and July at 1.11 million TEU, down 15.6 percent from July 2008.
http://afterthecrash.net - Home of the Doomer Story Portal and Other Stuff
Doesn't the conversion to common come with voting power--nationalization through the back door?
"extraordinary acts of kindness and cruelty"
-----------
Dawg, when does the "kindness" part kick in?
It's sunny and 69 degrees in Kirkland.
Pleasant and quiet.
We are being made crazy by our world. The weak give in soonest. The strong keep posting, stay out of the sun and drink more than usual.
That's Ballgame, Goat Herders wrote on Mon, 04/20/2009 - 4:07pm.
I could see Lennar stock cliffdiving. Somebody's gonna have to pay for that scandal.
LEN supposedly went down because of a collective action lawsuit over shoddy construction. Face it. Lennar houses were inspected by people who never entered without a hard hat.
The ^HGX is a 2x SRS at this point.
note to Comrade Lieutenant jg (last thread):
I know more about Elliot Spitzer than Elliot Wave.
That said, I'm leaning more towards the general strength of metals in the future. Fiat money is now seriously in question and the discussion is now about a market basket a la SDR. Russia is touting gold as part of that general basket and I suspect that the Chinese would play along since they're now a major gold producer and moving to extend their holding of AU.
Metals will play some role in the misty future, even if they don't become the prima facie global currency backer.
Course, I picked the Eagles to win the Super Bowl, too.
homedad43
Michael
How do you know that The Powers That Be didn't put that information out through PBS specifically because they knew you knew to trust the opposite of what PBS says. Every game is just one more layer of lies and you were so foolish to think you out-thought The Powers That Be at their own games. You obviously will lose every time if your sole defense mechanism is to not think at all. You could only imagine yourself to be intelligent if everyone in your life were somehow even stupider than yourself. You're leading us all into a lifetime of slavery for the ancient alien king Xenu by acting as a puppet
Broward Horne wrote on Mon, 04/20/2009 - 4:10pm.
"extraordinary acts of kindness and cruelty"
-----------
Dawg, when does the "kindness" part kick in?
Have you received the bill for your personal share of the bankster bailout yet? Consider that a kindness.
And on China...
I thought this was interesting. Stockpiling commodities? It has been mentioned before. Perhaps gov policy shift tto buy, buy, buy? Even tho they can't move out of the way fast enough? Also, the same article mentions the Chinese stepping up purchases of small costal type shipping. Are they getting ready to go heavily into commodities and if so why?
Brazilian Iron ore shipments have remained at their high new level, despite Chinese authorities announcing a new record level of stockpiles. The 72.45Mt of iron ore, sitting at Chinese ports is the volume of ore that was a few weeks ago, waiting outside the ports in Capes, waiting to discharge. With such a high and possibly unmanageable high volume of stocks, where is all the newly imported ore going to go? With Chinese steel production reportedly falling, it seems Chinese stevedores may have to start throwing it into the sea, just so they can operate their dumper trucks. This increase in stocks will probably put a cap on imports and prospective Capesize earnings over the next two weeks, but the question is whether these incessant imports will continue once the seasonal limitation on Chinese domestic ore production comes to an end?
http://afterthecrash.net - Home of the Doomer Story Portal and Other Stuff
And Nova that thing on Beckman you found is an ADL report. Enough said. Don't get me started on J-People.
---------------------
Chemical con-trails from Air Force spraying operations cause cancer and respiratory problems! Where are all the environmental wackos concerns? See; Killer Chemtrails: The Shocking Truth
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Psdg3OAw_a8&fe
"On Tuesday, Warren will spark controversy once again when her panel questions Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. The Treasury Department has resisted testifying before the committee for months."
http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=C066D93A-18FE-70B2-A82A21640...
TARP Report
http://www.financialstability.gov/docs/105CongressionalReports/105Report...
Let's see what Timmay has to say tomorrow. Here's some prep reading for what will hopefully be fireworks.
nova:
Big believer in boots on the ground intel.
Was at a soccer game this weekend and conversation turned to how the racks at Walmart have way space between them than before. Multiple people up and down the row of chairs all chimed in on that particular conversation, all agreeing that they'd noticed.
Walmart must be buying way less w/expectations of lower sales and then spreading things out in the Big Box stores to cover it up.
homedad43
"Have you received the bill for your personal share of the bankster bailout yet?"
-----------
I pay no taxes anymore.
I earn nothing and spend little. 
I found out last week that the VA will cover my health care benefits if I'm unemployed (or underemployed) long enough.
I appreciate you paying my share, though.
ADL? It came up first on Google? Is that a sign of possible control? It is the American Defense League?
All I know is this Michael. My spirit guide "Bobarinski the Aranist" came to me in a dream. He said to me "nova, they are coming for the chosen ones in foreign cars. Beware the black Mazda and the man who whispers 'palladium' They will stuff the women in the trunks (I think that meant Liberty) and drive off. Then I saw you on a white horse with a bullhorn! You were screaming. "My Honor is True!"
What do you think that means?
http://afterthecrash.net - Home of the Doomer Story Portal and Other Stuff
Michael - I left you a reply at the bottom of the last thread.
homedad,
Interesting. Inventory control or production failure? Or both. I noticed awhile back resturaunts doing the same thing. My wife said Bloomies is not carrying the same amount of merchandise as before either.
http://afterthecrash.net - Home of the Doomer Story Portal and Other Stuff
For the resturaunts - spreading out the tables. Nice. No more fat asses squeezing by with apologetic smiles on their red faces.
http://afterthecrash.net - Home of the Doomer Story Portal and Other Stuff
With bank stocks up 200% plus in a few weeks only to drop 20% in 10 minutes of trading first thing this morning, it seems like a game of musical chairs is being played. All know the rally in bank stocks is fake, but some figure they can "get a seat" when the music stops. What happens if you are playing musical chiars on the deck of the RMS Titanic? You may have a seat reserved, but you are still going to sink!
@ homedad: Wal-Mart's supply chain to China gives some Wal-Mart employees an uneasy feeling. Don't know if Wal-Mart is looking to find find back-up American sources yet.
There's recently been a big push to monitor stock levels several times a day as opposed to daily. Wal-Mart's logistics seemingly was totally focused on the truck fleet in years past. This is the first year I've seen the company care what happens to product after it arrives at the store.
Michael,
They are coming for you. Hide !!!
I have a theory that Walmart, like a few other big chains, is only feeding the stores inventory who are moving it. Same stores, different area, different goods in quanity and sometimes quality.
http://afterthecrash.net - Home of the Doomer Story Portal and Other Stuff
The Chinese are buying and stockpiling enough commodities for fifty years and then they will shut the door (as they did before.) Then trade with foreigners will be forbidden (though it kind of crimps their export industry, but most of that is foreign owned anyway.)
"You were screaming. "My Honor is True!"
What do you think that means?"
------------
It means that the ban on absinthe needs to be re-instituted.
nova writes: "What do you think that means? "
## I'm pretty sure it means you shouldn't have a heavy meal too late in the day before retiring early. And alcohol is totally out of the question.
[Putin's Tariffs Stall Russian Growth for Caterpillar ]
I know! We can place a tariff on russian Tupolevs! That ought to teach that commie fukcer a lesson.
HaHaHa! WalMart is fickle. It wasn't but a few years ago that they were touting "Made In America." Wonder what happened to that marketing campaign.
"This is the first year I've seen the company care what happens to product after it arrives at the store"
---------------------------
Shrinkage.
Wouldn't be surprised if groups of store staff are colluding against the company and reporting it as shoplifting.
I saw this at a movie chain several years ago.
It means that the ban on absinthe needs to be re-instituted.
I think a few people are taking "4:20 Day" too seriously.
CSC we miss you.
For the first time I noticed a Chinese made product that I had on my Amazon Wish List doubled in price. It was a 12v battery converter (total doom toy) Very strange.
http://afterthecrash.net - Home of the Doomer Story Portal and Other Stuff
I believe the conversion of preferred to common, subordinates the US taxpayer to the bottom and allows the banks to issue preferred to the private sector or SWF. I think we have to think a couple chess moves ahead.
@reptillian: For more than a decade both Investment Banks and Wal-Mart flat-out told suppliers to move production off-shore to cut labor costs. There's been big consulting money made in arranging just that.
Make fun of me all you want. Michael knows it is a prophecy! He is one of the chosen ones who will feed on the power of the coming age of sunspots! As long as they don't sneak into his room late at night with their shapened blades an attack Mr Winkie!
http://afterthecrash.net - Home of the Doomer Story Portal and Other Stuff
"... alcohol is totally out of the question."
OMG !!! How can we ever digest the words of Lord Bankenstein and Ken Screwus without the aid of alcohol?
If the Chinese are stocking up on commodities - then when they stop the bottom is really going to fall out of shipping and the related companies...
http://afterthecrash.net - Home of the Doomer Story Portal and Other Stuff
oh boy..
It is a very strange day when Hal Turner inspires a Bloomberg article and a U.S. Treasury response.
Amusingly, whether the document is truly a "leak" or not, the info seems in-line with realistic expectations.
--
The Zombie Apocalypse begins when U3 hits 15%
homedad, thank you; makes sense, that folks around the world are waking up to the weakness of the dollar and the strength of gold.
Yep, today may have been another sign of that, with gold rising strongly in the face of commodities falling broadly and meaningfully.
nova (member) wrote on Mon, 04/20/2009 - 4:39pm.
If the Chinese are stocking up on commodities - then when they stop the bottom is really going to fall out of shipping and the related companies...
The copper is to jacket bullets so we'll be getting those back soon enough.
Details probably won't be available until midnight, but Inspector General Neil Barofksy is issuing a very critical 250-page assessment of TARP tomorrow.
"It is a very strange day when Hal Turner inspires a Bloomberg article and a U.S. Treasury response"
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Maybe the Treasury is worried about their credibility.
@ Broward: "What is the robbing of banks compared to the owning of them?" -- Bertolt Brecht.
To efficiently steal, or to steal large quantities, one must be in management. I saw this first hand in the Navy, the Prison system and now from my worms-eye view of the corporate world..
I'm not an internal auditor ( nor do I even play one) but I've been thrown in with them off and on through various consulting or other projects and now have something of a "nose for trouble" -- or is that a finely developed bullshit detector?
Some of the internal accounting systems at Wal-Mart are remarkably crude and archaic. This may be where in the past slush funds were generated for various projects of Mr. Tom Coughlin and his ilk. Wouldn't surprise me in the least to find that fairly common in many large companies.
Bill Hicks wrote on Mon, 04/20/2009 - 7:06pm.
Ken Lewis looks nervous.
Ken Lewis keeps his briefcase stocked with clean boxers.
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BAC's shareholder meeting is this month. If Ken Lewis keeps his chairman post, I would loose yet more faith in our model of corporate governance.
I voted all 4000 of my shares AGANIST all existing board members.
Samdog (member) wrote on Mon, 04/20/2009 - 4:49pm.
Bill Hicks wrote on Mon, 04/20/2009 - 7:06pm.
Ken Lewis looks nervous.
Ken Lewis keeps his briefcase stocked with clean boxers.
Toothbrush, Speed Stick, Maple Leafs, Caymans account numbers and 10% off coupon at
Miss Mimi's Thai House of Underage Massage.
"Wouldn't surprise me in the least to find that fairly common in many large companies"
"have something of a "nose for trouble"
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My brother worked inventory control for Microsoft and Amazon for twenty years.
I've heard many interesting stories.
Yes, there's a fingerprint of behavior, or reaction.
Once you become aware of it, it's surprising how much fraud is going on.
I estimate that about 1/2 of the gigs I've worked had some kind of hidden issue going on, although it's not always direct monetary fraud. Resume fraud, padding timesheets, etc. In one gig, a third-party vendor had falsified several claims about their quality processes.
When their actions make no sense, either they know something you don't.
Or you know something that they don't.
Michael (member) wrote
And Nova that thing on Beckman you found is an ADL report. Enough said. Don't get me started on J-People.
So, Michael, what do you suppose happened to almost all the J-people that lived in Europe up until, oh, 1942-1945? Hmmmmmm?
10% off coupon at Miss Mimi's Thai House of Underage Massage.
[crickets]
Man, tough crowd.
What does it do? It tricks stupid Americans into thinking the government is protecting their inerests and not Wall Street's when of course that is NOT the case. But this government is as much in bed with the Wall Street crooks as was the previous administration, so of course it lies just like the Bush administration did. Why not lie if the public is so stupid it can't tell it is being lied to and the lies serve your interests?
Bonds of Steel: you still have 4000 shares of BAC? I pity you. LOL
BAC will fill the $3.75 gap.
Yes 
I have 4000 shares of BAC. I also had Lehman and WaMu bonds.
OTOH, I'm pretty well diversified... part of being diversified means you own a little of everything. No worries here... overall, I'm down 30% from the Oct 2007 peek.... and sitting on enough cash to live 6+ years.
Q: How can you tell when Ken Lewis is lying?
A: You can see his lips move.
- Nemo