Investing for Hyperinflation and Deflation

Now this is an interesting article on what you should do when there is hyperinflation and deflation scenarios. We may just end up with the second scenario in 2008.

Investment Themes For Hyperinflation
In hyperinflation the last place one wants to be is in cash.
Commodities in general are a standout.
Gold is a standout.
Precious metals are a standout.
Property is a winner.
Equities are a winner.
Treasuries are distinct losers if not outright shorts.
Foreign currencies
Energy

Investment Themes For Deflation
In deflation, debt is the enemy.
Risk is to be avoided.
Cash is raised.
Treasuries are sought out as a safe haven
CD ladders offer a good investment structure.
Gold, acting as money does well.
Select equity shorts or Puts are a standout.
Renting as opposed to owning a house should be considered.
Currency plays.

Thoughts on Jim Cramers Stock Picking Tips

Now this is an interesting article on how Jim Cramer picks his stocks. This is what he does when the stock market is down:

Usually when a stock gets upgraded, it jumps higher immediately, he
said. But not when that upgrade comes out on a bad day for the market. "On those days, a stock that gets upgraded isn't going higher. In fact, there's a good
chance it will go lower depending on how awful the action is," Cramer
said.

His other rule of thumb is:

"If a stock has a price-to-earnings multiple -- remember E (the
earnings) times M (the multiple) equals P (the price) -- that's lower than its
growth rate, then that stock is cheap," Cramer said.

This is one rule of thumb that I already use to vet a stock. You first look at why the P/E is low compared to its growth rate. If it is because the company has crappy earnings that need to be revised lower and lower but lots of potential (but unrealized) growth then you should avoid the stock. However if the potential is finally met (like Amazon) then the stock takes off if there is more earnings growth possible.

A lot of times the P/E is artificially lower because the stock is in a "cyclical industry" that "deserves" a lower P/E. You can look at many agricultural stocks like Deere (P/E 22 to 52% growth,) Bunge (P/E 18 to 107% growth,) and Terra Nitrogen (P/E 17 to 232% growth)falling into this category. Those stocks will grow very well in the coming years as the ethanol boom consumes more and more corn and thus needs more farming equipment, seeds, and fertilizer too keep things moving. The ethanol stocks on the other hand have the potential growth but the fundamentals just don't add up yet. That realized growth may be there in the future but it is hard to hold those stocks to that period.

Cramers final tip has to do with buying with wide scales:

With wide scales, people buy larger and larger positions as the stock goes
lower, and "when it's so low you can hardly believe how poorly the stock is
trading, you double down," he said.

This one is hard to do for the small investor since this stock ends up as a large portion of your portfolio. It is just psychologically difficult to keep buying a stock over and over as it goes down without much upside hoping for a bottom so you can double up. It works but you have to be very careful with the stock you pick.

If you are certain that the stock is undervalued and it has great prospects in the future then it is a sound strategy. I think many financial stocks are starting to fit the bill as this sub-prime mess spools out. I think a company like Goldman or Citigroup can start making big money again once they write off all of that bad debt and get back to what they do best.

The Main Stream Media on the Bhutto Assassination

Now this is exactly why people do not trust the Main Stream Media. With Pakistan reeling and riots in the streets the MSM chooses to cover the advantage that it has on our own Presidential race.

The assassination of Pakistan's former prime minister occurred one week
before the Iowa caucuses, the first test of the 2008 race for the White House,
and provided a reminder of the importance of national security in an era of
terrorism.

How America-centric can you get? This assassination does not affect our long, tortured election process one bit. Of course all of the candidates condemn the attack. Of course all of the candidates will thump their chests about their foreign policy experience. Or they will try to make up for the fact that they do not have it.

I think the MSM should focus on how this will affect people in Pakistan and what it means for the war on terror and not try to see who gains or looses from it in a US election. Too bad the AP only thinks in terms of "Bhutto Assassinated"=Good for McCain and Clinton and Bad for Obama, Huckabee, Romney. I guess every world event must be shown in terms of this Red/State blue state horse race to these guys.

J. Michels Video Game Index 12/27/07

-$870.00 -1.81%

J. Michels Uranium Index 12/27/07

-$1,605.00 -2.63%

Club For Growth Goes After Huckabee

It looks like they are trying to Swiftboat Huckabee.

The Club for Growth is spending $175,000 to continue running ads in Iowa
that highlight tax increases adopted in Arkansas when Huckabee was governor.
During the past three weeks, the group has spent $550,000 to criticize
Huckabee's economic policies.

I figure these types of groups should be running ads for Huckabee and his Fair Tax plan. Instead they are going after some small potato tax increases when he was governor? His Fair Tax Plan will save Americans the time and money that comes from filing Income Taxes. This group needs to save their money for Hillary/Obama. If they think Huckabee is bad he will look like a miser compared to these tax and spenders.

Interesting Article on Xbox360 Price Cuts

This is an interesting article on why Microsoft should cut the price of the Xbox360 before the PS3 introduces its exclusive games in Q1 2008.
They have a second advantage in that the 360, whilst technically as capable as the PS3, is relatively economic to manufacture. This is something Microsoft have put a lot of effort into. So as their AAA exclusives advantage reduces, then their ability to use the price mechanism will come further into play. Especially as Microsoft have lots of money in the bank.
Judging by this list I'm not certain that this AAA exclusives will be Halo 3 type of games that are able to push out PS3s by the truckload. I agree that Metal Gear Solid 4 will be a console mover but that game doesn't come out until Summer. PlayStation Home won't be something you go out and plunk down $400 for and FF XIII may not be out in 2008 at all.

The other exclusive games on this list aren't very well hyped since I haven't heard of quite a few of them. So this MSFT opportunity may not be as big a deal as this guy makes it out to be. However, I think reducing the price and at the same time bundling GTA4 with a branded Xbox360 sounds like a great idea that might really move some consoles out the door.

J. Michels Video Game Index 12/26/07

+$195.60 +0.41%

J. Michels Uranium Index 12/26/07

+$1,346.00 +2.26%

J. Michels Video Game Index 12/24/07

+$528.00 +1.12%

J. Michels Uranium Index 12/24/07

+$940.00 +1.60%

Stores or Consumers who will Win on Black Saturday?

It looks like there is no real "must have gift" this holiday season and it will be interesting to see what people will be buying in this last push. Activision and Nintendo however may have a big weekend. I think giftcards may be the most important thing this holiday season as people just give up and buy them instead of any one gift. The gift card line at Ala Moana stretched out the door during the other day.

Traffic to U.S. stores for the week ended December 15 fell 8.9 percent
compared with last year, according to ShopperTrak.

NPD's Cohen said some of the decline was due to indecision.

Besides popular electronics like Nintendo Co Ltd's (Osaka:7974.OS - News) Wii game console and Activision Inc's (NasdaqGS:ATVI - News), Guitar Hero
video game, he said shoppers are unsure of what buy.

"They're walking around like lost puppies," he said.

BioShock Wins Game of the Year Honors

This should be good news for Take Two. I should be picking this thing up once I get my hands on Assassins Creed. So many games so little time.

Beyond “Game of the Year” roundups, BioShock is being championed as a
top pick for the holidays, with the top video game enthusiast websites leading
the pack. These include IGN, GameSpot, 1UP, GamePro.com, GamesRadar and
GameSpy.

J. Michels Video Game Index 12/21/07

+$617.11 +1.32%

J. Michels Uranium Index 12/21/07

+$2,073.37 +3.66%

J. Michels Video Game Index 12/20/07

+$312.39 +0.67%

J. Michels Uranium Index 12/20/07

-$224.37 -0.39%

The So-Called Biblical Bookshelf

My question is what do those balls represent? I think they are a subliminal message that says Huckabee has got big balls. In fact he might have the biggest balls of them all. The secret AC/CD endrosement that noone in the Huckabee camp seems to talk about.

How you can Tell Reuters is for Hillary+Anyone but Huckabee

I love how they picked these pictures to accompany the "Biblical Bookshelf" fake controversy and Obama pulling even with Hillary story.



Reuters is trying to say that Huckabee is a nutty Baptist preacher from the South that has those "crazy, religious zealot" eyes and Obama looks like an inexperienced neophyte with that dumb look on his face. Of course they couldn't show a picture of Huckabee looking relaxed and happy and Obama looking presidential. Reuters needs to portray Huckabee as crazy preacher man and Obama as the clueless newbie. And people say the MSM is objective.

Huckabee "Defends Ad"

As if such a thing needed to be defended.

"In the harshness of this political campaign, with attack ads and negative
stuff coming at us every day, we decided we wanted to do something that showed, 'Hey, folks, life isn't all about politics. Life is also about our family and
friends,"' Huckabee said.

This holiday message showed his human side and of course Reuters needs controversy now that US troops aren't dying in Iraq so they just drum it up in any way possible. I love how the so-called "biblical bookshelf" is now taken as a given.

Huckabee, who has come out of nowhere to lead Republican polls in Iowa and
challenge Giuliani for the lead in national polls, took criticism from
Republican candidate Ron Paul on Tuesday for a "Merry Christmas" advertisement that included a book shelf behind him that looked like a Christian cross.

I guess the bookself could have looked like some other kind of cross but I'm glad Reuters is there to let us know exactly what kind of cross the bookshelf actually looked like. Talk about a controversy made out of nothing. There must be something to Huckabee if the MSM wants him beat him so badly.

"Don't Tase Me Bro!" Top Quote of 2007

I agree with this selection 100%.

"Don't Tase Me, Bro," a phrase that swept the nation after a U.S. college
student used it seeking to stop campus police from throwing him out of a speech
by Sen. John Kerry, was named on Wednesday as the most memorable quote of
2007.

The funniest part about "Don't Tase Me Bro, Don't Tase Me!" is that it happened at a Democratic function in a speech by Kerry. I could have sworn that they were the party of peace, understanding, tolerance, and hearing all viewpoints. I still say that some of those campus police, who obviously overreacted, and tased that poor doof should be reprimanded.

Huckabee *Christ*mas message too religous?

Now this one just strait-up pisses me off. There is no other reason for having *Christ*mas other then the birth of *Christ.* I mean His Name is part of the holidays name! This is what the Huck-meister said:

The ad, which is airing in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, shows
Huckabee in front of a Christmas tree as he says, "Are you about worn out by all
the television commercials you've been seeing, mostly about politics? Well, I
don't blame you. At this time of year sometimes it's nice to pull aside from all
of that and just remember that what really matters is the celebration of the
birth of Christ and being with our family and friends."

Yes, that is what we celebrate at *Christ*mas-time. Even though the Happy Holidays brigade is out in full force and try to bury the Christ child. Also I think the head of this Catholic League president needs to come out of Krak des Chevaliers and mix with the regular folks once in a while.

Catholic League president Bill Donahue said Huckabee went beyond
wishing people a joyous holiday. Donahue said he was especially disturbed by the
cross-like image created by a white bookcase in the background of the ad, saying
he believed it was a subliminal message.

Yes, this guy saw a cross-like image in a white bookcase and immediately thought that Huckabee must be using Ye Ole Mind Games. I thought Catholics were supposed to be more observant then this. Obviously that hidden cross just means that Jesus is thumbs up on Huckabee. It's too bad for Romney that he got that Herod the Great endorsement. That Fatted Calf hidden in the curtains on his Social Security Reform commercial might be a killer for his campaign.

The Hobbit is a Go!

Finally someone came to their senses at New Line and decided to back up the money truck for two more go around in Middle Earth.

New Line, which is a division of Time
Warner (NYSE:TWX) , and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer said on Tuesday
they would co-finance and co-distribute two films based on J.R.R.
Tolkien's The Hobbit. Mr Jackson and Fran Walsh, Mr Jackson's production partner, will produce the two films.

That is great news for Middle Earth fans like myself. Why quibble over millions when there are billions to be made out there. It is good to see that geek-fandom is the new currency in Hollywood. Now I can't wait until Smaug is introduced in the 2nd film and the battle of 5 armies will be sweet. I hope the director (who isn't going to be Jackson unfortunately) will keep some of the whimsy of the book intact. The Hobbit was not as heavy as the Rings Trilogy and I hope this new guy will reflect that. Bilbo never had that awesome weight on his shoulders that Frodo had and was able to be a little lighter in his interactions with people.

Jamie Lynn Spears Pregnant!

Is it just me or is the Spears clan are really Backwoods Hillbillies.

Jamie Lynn Spears, the 16-year-old "Zoey 101" star and sister of Britney,
tells OK! magazine that she's pregnant and that the father is her longtime
boyfriend, Casey Aldridge.

So she got knocked up at 16? I don't think Nickelodeon would want a pregnant 16 year old star on that Zoey 101 show. First the naked pics of the High School Musical girl and now a pregnant teen sitcom star. I guess the tweener life is getting pretty tough out there.

J. Michels Video Game Index 12/18/07

+$393.00 +0.86%

J. Michels Uranium Index 12/18/07

+$1,098.99 +1.97%

Unintended Consequences of Carbon Footprint Reduction

Now this is a true knock-on effect of all this Al Gore reduce your carbon footprint stuff.

The nation's corn crop is fertilized with millions of pounds of
nitrogen-based fertilizer. And when that nitrogen runs off fields in Corn Belt
states, it makes its way to the Mississippi River and eventually pours into the
Gulf, where it contributes to a growing "dead zone" — a 7,900-square-mile patch
so depleted of oxygen that fish, crabs and shrimp suffocate.

So in other words farmers grow more corn to make ethanol to add to the gas to keep the carbon out of the air. In return it kills off 7900 square miles of fish. This is one of those lose-lose propositions that the environmentalists don't tell you about. We can either stop using the nitrogen fertilizer and thus make it harder to grow the plants to replace the oil that is creating global warming. Or we can keep the nitrogen and then the fish will die off.

I guess this is a prime opportunity for someone to come up with a way for nitrogen to be kept from going into the Mississippi river. I think this is a job for the EPA (or a private company) to find a way to prevent the nitrogen but also increase the corn yields. I think some of those hefty farm subsidies need to start going to Monsanto and Bunge Ltd.

J. Michels Video Game Index 12/17/07

-$836.00 -1.79%

J. Michels Uranium Index

-$2,767.00 -4.73%

Stong Words on Dendreon vs. FDA

I agree with his feelings on Dendreon 100%.

For the sake of prostate cancer patients, of whom we lose some 30,000
each year, here’s to hoping the decision to approve comes earlier rather
than later. Provenge is safe and effective even if the biostatistics are not
as perfect as some FDA bureaucrats and their enablers in the ivory towers of
academia would like. Last I checked, our society ranks saving lives well
ahead of bureaucratic perfection on our list of priorities. With some luck,
Congressional hearings might remind the FDA of this fact.

If it is safe and it is actually saving some lives then why hasn't it been approved? Late stage prostate cancer victims are dying while waiting for the FDA. Let's hope those Congressmen can get the FDA to budge on this thing.

Google Introduces Wikipedia Like Service

They are calling it the "Knol" which stands for a "unit of knowledge."

Knol's goal, writes Udi Manber, Google's engineering chief, in a blog post, is "to encourage people who know a
particular subject to write an authoritative article about it." The system,
which is currently running in an invitation-only beta, offers free Web hosting
space and editing tools to allow anyone to write up a page about whatever they
like. Google is calling each article a "knol," which it says stands for a "unit
of knowledge."

Now Udi Manber is one hell of a cool D&D style name. Like Udi Manber the Grandmaster of Flowers. It's almost Gleep Wurp the Eyebiter good. In any case I think this is a pretty good idea for Google to try since it looks like they will have the authors name prominently displayed.

Also it will have a community aspect to it where people can rate it for accuracy, provide comments and questions, and make edits. In many ways it will be like Wikipedia with peer review bolted on. Sometimes you just can't trust Wikipedia but a Knol will hopefully have people checking it out and editing it for accuracy.

Obama Catches Clinton in New Hampshire

I guess this race isn't over after all.

Clinton has dropped 5 percentage points since the CNN/WMUR November survey, while Obama has gained 8 percentage points, according to the poll conducted by
the University of New Hampshire Survey Center. Clinton is now at 31 percent to
Obama’s 30 percent.

I would be willing to bet the Oprah factor could be behind this surge. The O and O show is cashing in better then Obama's wildest dreams. He should offer her VP and really see his polls take off.

J. Michels Video Game Index 12/14/07

+$33.00 +0.07%

J. Michels Uranium Index 12/14/07

-$2,038.00 -3.37%

Huckabee Leads in South Carolina

You would figure South Carolina would be a slam-dunk since he is a southern governor.

Huckabee was the choice of 24 percent of South Carolina Republicans in the
CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll taken December 9-12, up from 3 percent
when a similar poll was conducted in July.

I think Americans are finally getting a handle on who Huckabee is and what he can do for America if he is elected. Also the other choices save Rudy seem kind of crappy to many Republicans.

Activision Tops November Sales

It looks like another winning month for Activision.

"Gamers answered the call, propelling Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare on
the 360 platform to the top spot for the month in software unit sales. With
only one month of retail sales, it is already the four best-selling title in
video game sales year-to-date, behind Halo 3 (from Microsoft), Wii Play and
Pokemon Diamond (from Nintendo)," said Anita Frazier, an analyst with the
NPD group, in a statement.

Call of Duty 4 is yet another game that I will soon be buying when I finally get my Xbox360.

EAs Warhammer may be World of Warcraft in the making

The funny thing is I might be part of this new wave of players for Warhammer® Online: Age of Reckoning once it launches next year.

Poised to be one of the biggest new MMORPG releases of next year, WAR is
slated for official launch in Q2 of calendar year 2008. The Beta Center is still
open and accepting recruits at: https://betacenter.eamythic.com/signup.php.

The idea of playing an MMORPG set in the Warhammer's Old World sounds really interesting to me and it would be worth plunking down a $12-$14 or so dollars a month to play in it. I would be really interesting to see how many players World of Warcraft will lose to this game in 2008. Could be EAs ace-in-the-hole to go head to head with Activision/Blizzard.

J. Michels Video Game Index 12/13/07

-$274.00 -0.58%

J. Michels Uranium Index 12/13/07

-$1,859.20 -2.98%

Dendreon Enlists Congressional Help

And the shares were up 23% in response to it.

Rep. Mike Michaud, D-Maine, sent a letter to the House Energy and
Commerce Committee requesting a probe into whether two Food and Drug
Administration advisers who questioned Provenge's effectiveness were
influenced
by financial ties they had with Dendreon competitors.

The letter, sent Thursday to Chairman John Dingell, D-Mich.,
was also
signed by Reps. Dan Burton, R-Ind., and Tim Ryan, D-Ohio.

I understand Rep. Michaud's concern on the matter. It was weird that these two advisers questioned its effectiveness like they did. I also didn't understand why the FDA needed more information even after their own advisory panel said it was safe and effective. Part of why I bought into the story was that that panel usually is a slam dunk to FDA approval.

I just don't like how people with late stage prostate cancer might be dying while waiting to get their hands on a drug that the FDA advisory panel already recommended. In any case if Congress does finds some sort of dirty dealing by those two advisers I hope they lose their positions and maybe even their licence to practice medicine.

Clinton Adviser Quits

That was fast. So one bad thing and you are out on your ear.

"I made a mistake and in light of what happened, I have made the personal
decision that I will step down as the co-chair of the Hillary for President
campaign," Shaheen said in a statement released by the campaign Thursday. "This election is too important, and we must all get back to electing the best
qualified candidate who has the record of making change happen in this country.
That candidate is Hillary Clinton."

The Clintons campers are trying for 100% perfection. At least they know what the stakes are. They have the potential to control everything and to create a "Progressive America." One nation under high taxes with health care and open borders for all. No mistakes in 2008 should be both parties motto.

Clinton Advisor Blasts Obama over Drug Use

I love the little GOP dig he fit in there for good measure.

It'll be, 'When was the last time? Did you ever give drugs to anyone?
Did you sell them to anyone?'" said Shaheen, whose wife, Jeanne, is the state's
former governor and is running for the U.S. Senate next year.

"There are so many openings for Republican dirty tricks. It's hard
to overcome," Shaheen said.

You have to give Obama credit for freely admitting that he took drugs in his youth. He didn't smoke pot and not inhale or try to gloss over it like Kerry or even Bush did. This admission makes him a stand-up sort of guy in my book. Lots of people have dispossessed youths and Obama learned from it and I think it made him a better guy.

Bush Vetoes SCHIP again

I guess this is getting old hat for W to use the veto pen. I think his administration officials need to do a better job of getting their message out. It just makes Bush look hard hearted by continuing to veto "money for sick kids." It is just too easy to make a club out of that statement and beat on him with it.

The bill Bush vetoed would have increased federal funding for SCHIP by
$35 billion over five years, to add an estimated 4 million people to the
program that provides insurance coverage for children from families who earn
too much to qualify for Medicaid but cannot afford private insurance. The
joint federal-state program currently provides benefits to roughly 6 million
people, mostly children.

I think W should just sign the thing and get it over with. That is only a $7 billion a year increase and 4 million extra people get to have health insurance. It isn't a massive Hillary-esque expansion of Medicaid but just a few extra billion to help a bunch of kids and some adults. These people are just too rich for Medicaid but too poor to afford private health insurance. I just can't see the point in handing Dems ammo like this going into 2008.

J. Michels Video Game Index 12/12/07

+$338.01 +0.72%

J. Michels Uranium Index 12/12/07

-$154.81 -0.25%

Contenders Jump on Huckabee at Debate

Another boring assed debate was on tap for the GOP side yesterday and it looks like the other candidates are firing on Huckabee.

Moments after Huckabee said schools should provide all students with
music and art instruction at all grade levels, Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo
took him to task. "That's not the job of a president. It's the job of a
governor," he said. "That's what you should run for if you want to dictate
curriculum."

Yup it seems that Tancredo is in the no Federal money for the arts wing of the GOP. AKA the Philistine wing. You have to admit that giving money for art and music education is a much better way to spend the funds then giving them to the National Endowment for the Arts. I'm pretty sure we won't see any crucifixes in a jar of urine from grade schoolers.

One thing I also found interesting that NBC even had a slanted hit piece on the NBC nightly news last night as well. Some crap about Huckabee receiving gifts and trying to slant it so that he was giving out patronage. It's just like a governor to sell his votes in exchange for Target gift certificates (which was one things that he got from someone that they were sure to point out on NBC.) I guess hit-pieces are just par for the course when you are the front-runner.

Man Kills Daughter over Hajib

Now this is a sad story and this father should be put away.

A 16-year-old girl has died after allegedly being choked by her father over
a dispute with her family over her refusal to wear the hijab, the Islamic
headscarf worn by some Muslim women.

Too bad this girl couldn't get in child protective services before the father killed her. This is another sad story of a Muslim that flies off the handle instead of sitting down and reasonably discussing why he feels his daughter needs to wear a head scarf even though she lives in the Western World. I guess reasonable Muslim discourse is an oxymoron nowadays.

Geert Wilders vs. the Muslims

Now here is another Dutch person that dares to talk about Islam in a bad light. He has pretty strong anti-Muslim feelings though:

Four months ago, he called for the Koran to be outlawed in the
Netherlands.

"I believe our culture is much better than the retarded Islamic
cultures," he told FOXNews.com in a telephone interview. "Ninety-nine percent of
the intolerance in the world comes back to the Islamic religion and the
Koran."

So of course the Religion of Peace wants to kill the guy instead of actually sitting down and getting into a dailogue with him. I think Muslims need to look down deep and figure out why this guy thinks that 99% of the intolerance in the world comes from Islam. Maybe he gets that view from the fact that *any* anti-Muslim sentiment is met with violence and bloodshed.

Anti-Christian or anti-Jewish sentiment is simply met with condemnation and the view that the person should be educated and set strait with words and not bombs. Imagine if Kevin Smith made Dogma about Islam. He would have to go into hiding and would fear for his life and probably never make another movie. Or imagine if someone made a Life of Brian about Muhammad. The Muslim would needs to deal with criticism in some way other then "that person must die." Until then Islam will always clash with the openness of the Western World.

MSM already on Huckabee over 15 year old answers

It didn't take too long as the front runner for the Main Stream Media to jump all over Huckabee. You have to color every answer with the fact that the person answering these questions was a 36 year old Texarcana Pastor running for his first office and not a 51 year old Governor. In fact this AIDS thing is so full of crap.

Huckabee's 1992 comments on isolating AIDS patients run counter to a
statement he released last month calling for increased federal funds to find a
cure. Huckabee says the earlier remarks came at a time when there was confusion about how AIDS could be transmitted.

In other words Huckabee sat down with some knowledgeable people and got educated when it came to AIDS and is now advocating *more* federal money to find a cure. I mean people should get a chance to get more information on a subject and come to a new conclusion after 15 years. I guess the MSM thinks people don't get a chance to change their minds about things as time goes on. For instance I have almost totally different views on things now then what I had 15 years ago.

FED Cuts Rates by 1/4 Point

And the market is getting killed because of it. And Cramer calls the FED too complacent for their own good.

"I'm no longer fiery. They had their chance. I wanted to do a wake-up
call then, in August. ... That was when it still mattered," said Cramer, who had
been hoping for a 50-basis-point cut. He believes the Fed's unwillingness to act
"just made [Treasury Secretary Henry] Paulson's job much harder."

J. Michels Video Game Index 12/11/07

-$695.02 -1.46%

J. Michels Uranium Index 12/11/07

-$3,003.00 -4.59%

Suggestions For Huckabee Slogans

I think this should be the free T-shirt "The Huck" needs to give away. I think he needs a better slogan then "I Like Mike" it is too derivitive of "I Like Ike." Here are some suggestions I came up with

1. "Make Mine Huck"
2. "Huckabee There in '08"
3. "Elect The Big Bee"
4. "Nothing can stop the Huck!"
5. "A Bee is Better then a W." (for the Bush Haters out there)
6. "You Won't Like me When I'm Angry" then Huckabee tears off his shirt.
7. "Huckabee; the Arkansas Governor that Kept His Pants On."
8. "The Man from Hope; No, Not the the Pervert." (Yup, Huckabee and No-Pants Bill are both from Hope, Arkansas.)
9. "Hill-A-Bee in '08? No it's Huckabee in 08." (If Hillary wins the Dem Nom.)
10. "It's Gonna Bee Huckabee in '08"

Huckabee Should Offer Free T-Shirt for a $100 Donation

I'm thinking about giving like $100 to the Huck-man's campaign but I think a free T-shirt with something like Hucka-bees! or something like that would grease the skids a bit. I guess when he starts pulling in that front runner money he can start giving out the Free(Hucka)bees!

Holy Crap Chuck Norris is a Huckabee Man?

This pro-Huckabee thing is getting better and better!

I won't leave you in suspense. Though Giuliani might be savvy enough to
lead people, Fred Thompson wise enough to wade through the tides of
politics, McCain tough enough to fight terrorism and Romney business-minded
enough to grow our economy, I believe the only one who has all of the
characteristics to lead America forward into the future is ex-Arkansas Gov.
Mike Huckabee.

With Chuck Norris endorsing him Huckabee could potentially win the nomination for Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Green Party, American Communist Party, American Bund, Confederate States of America, Free Soil Party, Whig Party, Bull Moose Party, Pope of both Rome and Ravenna, Holy Roman Emperor, Grand Ayatollah, and President and Prime Minister of both Iran and North Korea all at the same time and win them all. That is how powerful a Chuck Norris endorsement is.

Huckabee Has My Nomination!

I went to Huckabee's site to check out his stand on issues and came across this gem.

The FairTax will replace the Internal Revenue Code with a consumption
tax, like the taxes on retail sales forty-five states and the District of
Columbia have now. All of us will get a monthly rebate that will reimburse us
for taxes on purchases up to the poverty line, so that we're not taxed on
necessities. That means people below the poverty line won't be taxed at all.
We'll be taxed on what we decide to buy, not what we happen to earn. We won't be taxed on what we choose to save or the interest those savings earn. The tax will apply only to new goods, so we can reduce our taxes further by buying a used car or computer.

I'm not sure how much this tax will bring in as opposed to the Income Tax but I wholeheartedly support the thing 100%. It seems like the money would be alot less but I have no idea since alot of the flat taxers out there use lots of different revenue figures in their calculations. In any case this FairTax means no Capital Gains Taxes and no Dividend Tax (which I hate with the fire of a 1000 suns!) Just not having to do my taxes every year and having to record each one of my options trades would be worth putting this guy in office.

In fact if Huckabee wins then buy Ebay stock since they will be swamped with people buying used goods so that they can avoid having to pay the FairTax. I will also try to make the majority of my purchases right up to the poverty line and save everything else so I can get the maximum tax reimbursements. Huckabee is a brave man and a great man and he will be the next President in 2008. A vote for Huckabee is a vote for never having to pay income taxes again! I might even give him some cashola for his campaign. And that would be a first for me.

Huckabee Catches Rudy

Now this is something that came out of nowhere

Giuliani, the former New York City mayor, is backed by 24 percent of
Republican voters nationally while Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas, is
at 22 percent.

I have a feeling that this Arkansas governor will be involved in a lot less shenanigans then the last Arkansas governor that we had in the White House. I guess he just seems like a positive sort of guy that seems very value oriented. In fact maybe a little too values oriented when you take his remarks in 1992 about putting people with AIDS into quarantine. However he seems to have changed his mind on that position in the 15 years since.

J. Michels Video Game Index 12/10/07

+$789.00 +1.68%

J. Michels Uranium Index 12/10/07

+$1,315.00 +2.05%

2000 Year Old Mansion Found Under Parking Lot

Now that is one of the only cool things about the Middle East. There might be a 2000 year old mansion under almost anything.

The remains of the building were unearthed just outside the walls of
Jerusalem's Old City, underneath layers of a more recent settlement that was
hidden until recently under the asphalt of a small parking lot in east
Jerusalem.

They even know from the writings of Josephus that it might have belonged to the family of Queen Helene that was destroyed by the Romans during the revolt of 70AD. I wonder if there were any items found in the house at all. In any case it would sure make a cool D&D adventure locale.

Dems Say Bailout Doesn't Help Everyone (as if that was possible)

As you would have thought the Dems are picking Bush's Subprime Bailout plan apart.

Putting the interests of investors aside, Democrats and consumer
advocates question whether enough borrowers will be helped. They say the plan
doesn't do anything for borrowers whose loans reset at higher rates already, or
for those with other kinds of risky loans. Some also question whether the
five-year duration of the plan will be long enough for many borrowers to
benefit.

Well, in anything it doesn't help everyone but just the people that are the most behind the 8-ball. I didn't see the Democratic plan so I don't know what the alternative would be. I know Hillary had basically the same thing with a moratorium on foreclosures tacked on. I guess the Dems giving any kind of credit to Bush is too terrible to contemplate.

J. Michels Video Game Index 12/6/07

+$404.00 +0.87%

J. Michels Uranium Index 12/6/07

+$735.99 +1.17%

Bush Bails out the Subprime Afflicted

I wonder if this move has just staved off the recession that could be coming down the pike in 2008?

Another person familiar with the matter said the rate-freeze plan would
apply to borrowers with loans made at the start of 2005 through July 30 of this
year with rates that are scheduled to rise between Jan. 1, 2008, and July 31,
2010.

I wonder if this caught enough people so that spending won't slow in the near future? I know that a 30% or more rise in mortgages is equal to a possible 30% cut in consumer spending by Americans. I think the choice between losing your house and buying some crap will usually come down to keeping your house.

This will be interesting to see what will happen after 5 years pass. Hopefully interest rates will be lower then so people can refinance easily. If that isn't the case then an extension means that adjustable rates mortgages are actually a fixed rate mortgage on the cheap. I wonder if people will be taking out less fixed rate mortgages during that 5 year period? In any case I hate when government messes with markets but I guess this is what needs to happen to dodge the recession bullet.

Facebook CEO Apologizes

Facebook is finally doing the walk of shame when their new Ad feature started telling people what they bought them for Christmas.

"It took us too long after people started contacting us to change the
product so that users had to explicitly approve what they wanted to share," he
added. "Instead of acting quickly, we took too long to decide on the right
solution. I'm not proud of the way we've handled this situation and I know we
can do better."

I think they should have known that any opt-out type of program will run no matter what since people usually don't read what they are hitting the okay button for. I guess if they made it an opt-in program because not many people would sign up for a service that advertises what you bought to your friends as if that information is important to them or something.

I guess some people would like to know this stuff but basically it is worthless information. Oh well, I guess Gen Yer and the Millennials are more into sharing this kind of useless information then Gen Xers

Take-Two's Big Problems

This is a pretty sobering article if you are long Take-Two.

"Precarious is a pretty accurate word to describe their finances," says
Arvind Bhatia, an analyst with Sterne, Agee & Leach. Bhatia has a sell
rating on the stock and a price target of $12. Sterne Agee makes a market in
Take-Two shares.

The company's situation took a turn for the worse in August when it
said it will push back the release of Grand Theft Auto IV from October this year
to second quarter fiscal 2008, ending April 30.

So pretty much because they delayed this game they might be in tough financial straits going forward. They might also run out of cash and have to draw on their debt for everyday financing. GTA4 better be a massive blockbuster or there might not be a GTA5.

J. Michels Video Game Index 12/5/07

+$423.48 +0.92%

J. Michels Uranium Index 12/5/07

+$260.01 +0.42%

J. Michels Video Game Index 12/4/07

+$176.52 +0.39%

J. Michels Uranium Index 12/4/07

+$651.99 +1.05%

Activision+Blizzard=Trouble for ERTS

In what would be called a pretty stunning announcement it looks like Vivendi is buying out Activision and adding it to their gaming arm which includes Blizzard.

Paris-based Vivendi SA and Santa Monica, Calif.-based Activision Inc.
said Sunday that their respective board members had approved a plan to combine
Activision with the French company's game unit, Vivendi Games, which includes
Blizzard and three other divisions.

This really makes a well rounded company that has consoles covered on the Activision side and MMORPGs covered on the Blizzard side. Hmm, we might even see a Starcraft 2 for console that comes out at about the same time as the computer version. I would be willing to bet that it would come with a USB keyboard like thing with hotkeys for various attacking and grouping functions.

This might even be a game changer when it comes to the console and PC converging. This is because most of the newer consoles are essentially gaming rigs stripped down with a controller attached. So I wouldn't be surprised if Sony connects their Gaming Service to a web browser and lets people connect to the internet on their PS3s. All you would need would be a USB keyboard (like the one that came with the potential StarCraft for console) and a copy of Firefox and you would essentially have a new computer for the price of a console. You could even attach a productivity suite and kids could do their homework, connect to MySpace, and play Assassins Creed all from the same box. It would actually be a truly seperate selling point that the PS3 would have over the Xbox360.

In any case I think EA should really fear this company because EA is so very weak when it comes to MMORPGs. Blizzard could come out with that Starcraft 2 for console and then an MMORPG based on the StarCraft universe and it would clean EAs clock. A StarCraft MMORPG that would be available both on console and PC sounds like the next World of Warcraft but with an even greater reach and a built in fan base.

I would be willing to bet even money that the Korean Star Craft MMORPG market may even dwarf the US one in a few years since that game is an insane hit over there. So this new Activision Blizzard would have a broadened international revenue base, carry continued strength in consoles, have established million seller franchises under their belt, and could create a PC/console convergence. I would be willing to call that a game changer.

J. Michels Video Game Index 12/3/07

+$218.00 +0.48%

J. Michels Uranium Index 12/3/07

-$2,130.00 -3.32%