Poem for fall

When the world has spun itself out
and vanished
When men are no more
nor time, nor space
Surely God will stir
in the infinite deep
remember autumn
and begin again

Welcome to Wal-Mart...

Just in time to accompany news of Wal-Mart's proposal to cut its already meager employee benefits comes a new Jib-Jab video, Big Box Mart. Enjoy.

Bonds. I Bonds.

Behold the lowly I Bond: Yields soon to be around 7%, tax advantaged, and as close to no-risk as it gets. Not bad, not bad at all. Check 'em out:

USATODAY.com - Savings Bonds: Should you buy now or later?

Whether you buy I Bonds before Nov. 1 or after, you'll get a rate that beats other conservative investments, such as certificates of deposit and money market funds.

When you buy Savings Bonds, you're required to hold them for a minimum of 12 months, so don't buy one if you think you'll need the money before then. If you cash them in before you've held them five years, you'll forfeit three months of interest.

But at current rates, investors who sell I Bonds after a year and take the penalty will still earn more than they can get on most other low-risk investments, Pederson says.

Just another manic Sunday

I just realized this: It's Sunday, and everyone in the family is working. Hubby's doing spreadsheets in his office, I'm studying tax law in mine, elder son is teaching ground school at the flight center, and younger son is doing homework. What's more, this is pretty much par for our weekends now.

Does anybody actually get a day of rest anymore?

Step away from the computer...

This is it, people: peak foliage time! Check out your local best bets at Fall Foliage, get out there, and drink it all in. Quick, now ... "nothing gold can stay."

Puzzle lovers unite

This site has been around for quite a while, but in case you've missed it, check out Jigzone.com. Select your puzzle, decide how hard you want to work to solve the thing, and have at it. It's every bit as addictive as solitaire, and just as mindless. Perfect for weekend downtime.

About Bob...

Wife is sitting all alone in the kitchen, mad as hell, pacing the floor, trying to keep dinner warm. Hubby was supposed to be back from golfing hours ago, and he hasn't shown up or even called. Finally, Hubby drags himself through the door, rumpled, dirty and totally exhausted. Wife takes one look at him and forgets all about dinner.

Wife: "What's happened? Are you OK?

Hubby: "I am, but it's been one hell of a day. On the third hole, a freak storm blew up. Lightning came out of nowhere and ... well, it hit Bob. He's dead.

Wife, horrified: "Oh no! That must have been horrible!"

Hubby: "It was. All day long, it was hit the ball, drag Bob ... hit the ball, drag Bob ... "

The Hindenburg Omen

As if we weren't clutching our bucks to our breasts tightly enough these days, along comes Mark Hulbert at MarketWatch with this little gem:

Watch Out for the Hindenburg Omen
ANNANDALE, Va. (MarketWatch) -- According to a little-known technical indicator known as the Hindenburg Omen, the risk of a stock market crash right now is high.

Should we pay any attention to this indicator?

"Yes" is the answer from quite a few of the investment newsletters I monitor. Indeed, in recent days so many advisers have referred to the warnings that the indicator is emitting that investing blogs are all abuzz.

And, naturally, more than a few of you emailed me to ask that I devote a column to it.

Let me start by reviewing the Hindenburg Omen. The core idea behind it is that it's bearish whenever there are a large number of both new 52-weeks highs and new 52-week lows on the New York Stock Exchange... click to read on.

Bottom line, proponents of the indicator think our portfolios are about to crash and burn.

Oh, the humanity.

First day of work

Hey, guys, thanks for the luck! It seems to have stuck. Either this is a great place to work or they buy their Kool-aid in industrial drums, because everyone I met is insanely happy to be there. This position could prove to be a Very Good Thing.

:)

New beginnings

Well, tomorrow is my first day on the new job. I won't be blogging about it much, because it's just too easy to get yourself fired that way. But I'll let y'all know how it goes.

Wish me luck!
:)

A question of ethics

A few weeks ago the New York Times sent me an e-mail notice along with my online newsletter, informing me of "an exciting new opportunity."  The "opportunity" turned out to be a chance to pay for access to its previously free op-ed columns. Needless to say, I was underwhelmed by my good fortune.

My budget being what it is, I didn't sign up for a Select account and so, reluctantly, I gave up reading the editorials. However, some readers are more ... well, let's say resourceful: Web Users Try to Navigate Around TimesSelect. They're seeking out bloggers who are posting entire Times columns, making them available on their own sites for free.

Which brings me to the question: We all know posting copyrighted material is wrong. But do you think it is wrong to read content like this, if somebody else has put it up?

Update:

PS: Didn't mean to accuse or offend, certainly! Apologies if it seemed that way. Maybe I should have worded this better.

We're not talking here about the garden-variety posting of interesting clippings, pics, quotes or poems. The blogs in question seem to be using the Times' subscription-only columns to attract people to their own sites to read them.

I'm just curious about how others view the fact that people are actively looking for blogs that are doing that.

;-)

Weekend assignment: sci-fi!

John Scalzi's Weekend Assignment #81: Share one of your favorite science fiction movies. Note that this doesn't have to be the "best" science fiction film ever, or the most popular, or the most significant; it doesn't even have to be a good science fiction film. It just should be a science fiction film you enjoy watching over and over again -- the kind that always sucks you into the couch whenever it's on TV.


And I say: No question, absolutely, hands-down, it's Stanley Kubrick's '2001: A Space Odyssey'.

I saw it in the theater in 1968 when it was the must-see, lines-around-the-block event. It was the first time I had ever seen science fiction that didn't involve a giant rubber lizard, and it blew me away. The grandeur of it, the wonder, the mystery ... and oh man, that amazing soundtrack.

I was in high school at the time, and my whole gang saw it together. Then we spent half the night debating its meaning and pondering the nature of the universe, as kids were wont to do in the Sixties. Good times, fond memories.

Extra credit is "Coolest character"? Hal: pure, ice-cold malevolence.

Save America, win $100,000

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Have an idea on how to preserve the American dream? It could be worth $100,000.

A contest sponsored by the Service Employees International Union is looking for ideas that will help the economy grow, encourage existing companies to expand and create well-paying jobs. The winning idea will be worth $100,000 and two runners-up will claim a second prize of $50,000 each.

Check out the rules on the Web at SinceSlicedBread.com:

"We're looking for fresh, new ideas for a better America. Do you have a common-sense idea that will improve the day-to-day lives of everyday Americans? Or an opinion on how working families can succeed in the new global economy?

"You have until December 5, 2005, to submit your idea and to weigh in. A panel of judges will select the top 21 ideas. All of America will be able to vote on the finalists, and on February 1, one person will win $100,000—runners up receive $50,000 each.

"Ordinary Americans can help determine the future, so join this important national conversation right now. More."

Good luck!

 

Taking it to the bank

There's a new game in town. The banks around here are advertising some fairly attractive CD rates -- 4% or better for periods of 12 months and less. But to get one, you have to open a new checking account. That's mentioned in teeny tiny print at the bottom of the ad, the part you literally need a magnifying glass to read. Seeing as how I don't want three or four checking accounts, I'm out of luck.

Is it me, or are these guys going out of their way these days to be difficult and deceptive?

I recently moved all my uncommitted cash into a local savings account at 4%, which I figured was an introductory rate. Now, I should have packed up my checkbook and run when the bank rep didn't seem to know what an "introductory rate" was. She seemed confident, though, that the rate would remain the same for "a while" and, with rates rising, I figured I'd be OK for six months or so. Well, try six weeks. In this month's statement, the APY had dropped considerably, with the new rate taking effect last month. And to make things even more insulting, the statement gave only the "APY earned to date" which would, of course, average in the higher original earnings. No clue as to the current rate.

There seemed to be no way to get a phone call through to a live human at the bank, so I stopped by to find out what the new rate was on the account. The teller handed me a list of rates that didn't include the kind of account I had. When I insisted she look up the "Maximum Money Market Savings" she quoted me the APY. I wanted the rate. So I had to walk her through the difference before she could figure out what to tell me. It's 3.78 now. Still pretty good, but there are better choices elsewhere.

So what have they gained, these banks? Here I am, a ready and willing customer who prefers to keep her accounts at local institutions. And I'm pissed at all of them.

I will never do business again with the one above because I feel ripped-off and the customer service just sucks. I will not open checking accounts all over town, either, so those other banks won't be seeing me anytime soon.

Instead, I'll keep the same checking account I've had for 15 years and link it to Emigrant Direct : American Dream Savings Account. And for CDs, there's always  BankRate.com and my broker, TD Waterhouse.

So. Neener.

Grave matters

It's that time of year again. The dark and somber part, where we look Death in the face, dress him up in a spangled tutu and feed him candy. Gotta love it.

What do you want on your tombstone?

To try one on for size, click here: Tombstone Generator.

Son of Duck Joke

Wow. No flame mail over the original Duck Joke? Maybe I can get away with this one, too...

A duck goes into a bar. He hops up on a bar stool and says, "Got any duck food?"

The bartender says, "Of course not. This is a bar, not a feed store. Get lost." So the duck hops down and waddles out.

Next day, he's back: "Got any duck food?"
"No! Get out!"
Duck hops down and waddles out.

This goes on for a week. Finally, the bartender has had it.
"Got any duck food?"
"NO! And the next time you ask, I'm gonna nail your bill to the bar!"

Next day, incredibly, the duck is back: "Got any nails?"
"No."
"Great. Got any duck food?"