 |
Pew Puns
21 ECONOMIC MODELS Pew Puns Archive
SOCIALISM
You have 2 cows.
You give one to your neighbour.
COMMUNISM
You have 2 cows.
The State takes both and gives you some milk.
FASCISM
You have 2 cows.
The State takes both and sells you some milk.
NAZISM
You have 2 cows.
The State takes both and shoots you.
BUREAUCRATISM
You have 2 cows.
...Read the Full Article
VETERAN'S DAY TRIBUTE
For those younger readers, please remember that Veteran's Day was originally called Armistice Day in The United States. It was later changed after WWII to Veteran's Day to honor the fallen in all wars, not just "The War to End All Wars" as WWI was known....at the time. Obviously, THAT didn't work.
Because of the totally botched subsequent Treaty of Versailles, the groundwork was laid for the utter destruction of the German economy under punitive terms the Germans were never led to believe would be fostered upon them when they agreed to the Armistice. That chaos and financial panic led to the rise of Adolf Hitler and WWII the most destructive war in mankind's history.
The "armistice" was not a true surrender but an agreement to lay down arms and negotiate a peaceful solution to the horrific bloodbath that had enveloped Europe stemming from the actions of one "know it all" hothead 19 year old Serbian who assassinated Austrian Arch Duke Ferdinand over what he (the 19 yr old) mistakenly felt was the Arch Duke's position. Ironically, it was his ignorance of the facts that caused him to take the life of this visitor to his nation. In reality, Ferdinand had been speaking out, arguing the same position that the assassin supported so, in essence, he silenced his own most vocal and influential "mouthpiece".
But the state of affairs in pre-war Europe were such that, as I once so wisely quipped in class to my History Professor Emeritus, "In other words, Sir, if I understand the complex system of alliances and counter-alliances that had developed in Europe immediately prior to the onset of hostilities, would it be safe to say that if a robin passed gas, we would have a world war?"
After a moment of stunned silence, the entire classroom erupted with explosive laughter and the professor, a true genius on WWI, broke up as well and replied,
Well, Peterseim, though I've never heard it put quite that way, I think you have pretty much summed it up". It was 1962 in Baldwin-Wallace College.
Five years later, because of his stunningly visual teachings, I journeyed to the WWI battlefields and stood in awe at the makings of modern man's genocide. The place that touched me most was the Memorial at Verdun where today's services were held for many of the European leaders, then foes, now allies.
The 1916 Battle of Verdun marked the opitomy of man's destruction and pitiful planning and demonstrated such poor military tactics and utter disregard for human life, especially of your own men and helped coin the word "cannon fodder". Trench warfare was unimaginable. Tactics had changed little since our own Civil War when officers would order men to march into the face of thousands of rounds of mini-balls which tore limb from limb and saw as many as 50,000 Americans fall in one battle.
Only now, in WWI, the machine gun and mortars and huge artillary and even poison gas had been perfected and introduced multiplying the killing. Now officers ordered men "over the top" to assail heavily defended machine guns.
In Verdun, 300,000 men were slaughtered over the 11 months of trench warfare. And today, although the area is lush with forests, it is still largely a "no man's land" as countless unexploded ordnance still lies barely buried in the soil surrounding the land made hallowed by the blood and sacrifice of so many.
Veteran's Day is recognized throughout much of the world, particularly in former Commonwealth Nations where it is most often referred to as Rememberance Day and, for some Poppy Day. The latter got its name from the fields of beautiful mostly crimson poppies that somehow flourished in Flanders Fields despite the carnage of that horrific battle all around them. The color struck the men present as symbolic of the immense quantity of blood that was spilled.
The Armistice actually took effect on the 11th minute of the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. They announced it in advance, but the guns continued until that moment. I can't imagine what it must've been like to have been hit and killed 1 minute before it all ended. I've always considered the most tragic victims of any war to be the first killed,.....and the last.
In Britain, the last 3 surviving veterans may be celebrating the last anniversary of that war's end....the 90th today. In their honor their names are: Henry Allingham, 112, Royal Air Force; Harry Patch 110, the Army; and Bill Stone 108, the Royal Navy. It is perhaps fitting that the last 3 survivors represented each branch of Britain's military. The last surviving German and French WWI vets died in January and March of this year at a respective 107 and 110. On this day, let us honor all men from all sides.
In closing, allow me to put one other thing in perspective, especially in the immediate aftermath of a lot of anti-war rhetoric in the just ended, ever-lasting election campaign. As a Vietnam-era Veteran myself, and as a patriotic American, it grieves me to have our nation, our people, any family suffer the loss of even ONE American in combat. But, it happens and will continue to happen. The Bible says that, in particular, "In the last days there will be wars and rumors of wars".
But in perspective, the American death toll in Baghdad this past year is something like 215. Our President Elect who made such a case over this hails from good old Chicago, Illinois, heartland of the U.S. and whose death toll to murder in the same period was something like 290. The murder rate in Detroit and our nation's capital also exceeds that of Baghdad. Tough to make a case.
And, since we now honor the war dead from all wars, here are a final few thoughts and statistics all Americans should know.
In World War II, America lost over 15,000 pilots.....in training alone. They never saw one day of combat.
8th Air Force whose bomber jacket I proudly wear as I was finally blessed to fly in 2 of our then 12 restored and flying B-17 bombers from WWII, lost more airmen in combat over Germany than were lost in both the United States Navy and Marines combined in all theatres of operations during WWII. Our Son Stuart, incidentally, helped restore to active flying status, the 13th flying B-17 in the world. He will sleep tonight, as a civilian, but under Navy Contract, in a storage container on a NATO base in Kabul, Afghanistan...except tonight he will actually sleep in Kandahar where he is repairing a damaged Afghan military aircraft after a mission.
Please pray for his safety and the safety of all American and Allied men and women who go willingly into harm's way in our defence and in defence of freedom and democracy and ideals we should all embrace, around this scary world.
I'm Bill Peterseim, Veteran SAC, USAF 1963-67 Many blessings to all of our Vets, and "Thanks"
Issues Facing Our Nation
IMPENDING FINANCIAL CRISIS - AGAIN Issues Facing Our Nation Archive
Dateline: October 27, 2007
By: William Peterseim, CFP®, CMFC
Well, as they say, "It's like dejavu all over again". The impact of De-Regulation on banking is manifesting itself all over again, pretty much a repeat, with a little change in flavor, from the mid-80s to early 90's. That period was also marred by sloppy lending...Read the Full Article
100 YEARS AGO (1908)
The average life expectancy in America's 45 states was 47.
We only had 8,000 cars with a top speed of 10 mph to run full out on 144 miles of paved road (NOTE: Communist China today adds 8,000 cars A DAY to their roads, which is the main reason oil climbed to well over $ 100/barrel instead of falling back to under $ 40...and WE made it all possible by sending nearly all of our manufacturing to Communist China, and buying darned near everything at Wal-(our trucks used to say "Made in America") Mart.
95% of us were born at home. Well, since 90% of doctors had no college, no big "loss" there.
Wages were 22 cents an hour but since 20% of adults couldn't read or write and only 6% had graduated high school, who knew to complain. Of course eggs were 14 cents a dozen and coffee 15 cents a pound and sugar only 4 cents a pound. If you wanted creamer then, Bessie's in the barn. Just warm your hands first.
Only 14% of homes had a bathtub and women only washed their hair once a month in Borax and egg yolks. Given all that, it's flat out amazing the species continued to propagate itself.
Diarrhia and the flu were two of the five leading causes of death which gets back to that bathtub deal me thinks.
Iced tea, canned beer, and crossword puzzles hadn't been invented. Given the education level, obviously no one would've known what to do with a crossword puzzle anyway.
You could buy morphine, heroin, and marijuana "over the counter" in drug stores without restriction. I'm sure that didn't have any impact on society.
Only 8% of us had phones. Which is probably why our filth, drug use, and inability to call 911 (or any other number for that matter) overrode our rare driving at slow speeds to still kill us off at 47.
Of course, there are those who will argue that with no canned beer and the population of Las Vegas being only 30 (that's right, ONE zero) what was the point of living past the first 47 boring years? Hmmm.
I might counter that at least, at 230, the murder rate for the entire nation was less than that of any major city today. In fact, the murder rate in Detroit or Washington D.C. today is higher than that in Baghdad or Kabul. Most of the increase in crime and murders have occurred in the past 40 years. Hmmm. The Supreme Court took prayer out of school in 1962. How's that working for you?
HEALTH ITEM -STROKES AND THEIR PREVENTION
Strokes are a major source of death and disability in The United States claiming 150,000 lives each year from the 800,000 new cases. Now a medical study from Harvard, published in the journal "Circulation" shows that a "healthy lifestyle" plays a major role in the likelihood of stroke.
Their definition of "healthy lifestyle" is: Tobacco abstinence, normal weight, at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity per day, modest alcohol consumption, and a healthy diet.
Results of following that regimine? In the large body of both men and women studied, men who followed the "healthy lifestyle"
reduced their risk of stroke by 69% and women by 79%!
Given the fact that this "prescription" almost perfectly matches that in The Bible, it makes sense. It seems certainly worth living.
FLASH! ELECTION YEAR INTIMIDATION OF CHURCHES AND PASTORS
Days before the Iowa Caucuses, Iowa pastors began receiving anonymous letters warning them that they could go to jail and their church could be shut down by the IRS if they dared to speak out on the moral issues during the 2008 season.
This is a blatent attempt by an unidentified organization (supporting....Gee...I wonder which party???) in an election year to bully Christians from getting involved or speaking out. This is perhaps the most overt lawlessness and deceit seen to date.
Fortunately, Liberty Counsel acted swiftly to head off those attacks. They sponsored special pastors' briefings to clarify their considerable rights and a record turnout by Christians resulted.
I would like to add that, while CBN (Christian Broadcast Network) had part of its operations stripped from its tax exempt status years ago by the IRS, the rules are far from fairly administered. Jesse Jackson's "Rainbow Coalition" is all about politics and routinely is excused by the IRS for its activities and positions.
While countless pastors are warned about not making political endorsements, Democratic Candidates are continually invited to many black churches, taken before the congregation on Sunday Service, and wholeheartedly praised and endorsed by their pastors, often even on television, and the IRS does nothing. That's just wrong. If you have a standard, it needs to be uniformly administered and enforced.
One of the most valuable legal resources the Christian Community has is Attorney Mathew Staver of Liberty Counsel. Liberty Counsel is headquartered in Orlando and is constantly fighting our battles in the schools, city halls, and courtrooms around our nation, defending the religious freedoms of Christians now under attack as never before.
Holy Investments also urges each Christian to consider supporting this worthwhile legal “ministry” with your tax-deductible gift, with a level of importance ranking right after your tithe to your local church.
To check on the latest attack (or success), please click here. HEALTH / EXERCISE HINTS
Use water to your advantage.
I can personally attest to the value of water workouts. I am a distance swimmer and go far further today than as a teenager, with my current record being 5 miles non-stop.
People have often asked how I stay in shape with most of America over weight to obese. I was discharged from the USAF 41 years ago and my current weight at 174 is just 9 lbs over my military "fighting weight".
I read Dr. Cooper's book on Aerobics back in the late 1970's and when I saw how many miles one has to walk, run, or swim just to burn off the calories from one regular sized chocolate candy bar like a Milky Way or 3 Musketeers, I made every decision to eat one (or part of one) a real well thought out decision.
Aside from laps, which are extremely boring, particularly if you plan to swim non-stop as I, for 3 hours and 42 minutes, there are various exercises that you can do in water, verses on land. The advantage: Water puts up 12 times the resistance of air so it multiplies the workout (and shortens the time for any given land counterpart).
Other major benefits are the lessened impact on Joints, particularly important as you age. I stopped running 7 miles when my knee started bothering me. I no longer have the conversion tables, but they are readily available in books like Cooper's, but swimming a mile with NO impact burns the same calories as roughly walking 5 miles or running 3 miles with a whole lot of potentially damaging impact.
This is even more important if you are overweight. Someone carrying around an extra 50-100 lbs as many Americans routinely are places huge loads on their knees, hips, ankles, and arches and leads to all kinds of medical issues over time.
Here's another hint if you are trying to lose weight: Don't starve yourself. Doing so tells your brain that you may not eat again....like EVER. So, when you do, it IMMEDIATELY programs your body to take much of what you eat and store it as FAT, to get you over the fast. This is why studies have shown, for instance, that American Indians, historically "hunters" who go from feast to famine, struggle today with such obesity. This was not their heritage.
Look at photos of the Plains Indians and they were lean and mean. Why? They didn't eat regularly. They would go on hunts. Over time, their brains adapted to that pattern and when the White Man put them on a Reservation and gave them canned food with fat and preservatives that they could eat anytime, as much as they wanted, and were no longer active in a hunting environment, they gained considerable weight.
The other thing that happens internally is that a long gap in eating will cause your body to reduce your metabolism... the rate at which you burn food or calories..... again done as a "survival strategy". You actually, when desiring to lose weight, want to INCREASE that burn rate, so the starving thing is counter-productive.
So, according to expert nutritionists I read, they recommend eating small meals at least 4 times a day in regular increments to fool your brain THE OTHER WAY. This tells the brain that there is NO PLANNED SHORTAGE in your future so, burn it up and don't worry about converting to fat and, increase the rate of metaboism
One final hint on water. I forget the ratio of conductivity of heat in water verses air, but it is much much higher. If your workout then is done in moderate temperature water, say 78 - 85 degrees, it not only keeps you much cooler, particularly in the summer, as compared to running say a marathon and risking Heat Stroke which is deadly, but in drawing heat from your body it will also accelerate your metabolism even if you are standing still, just to maintain your body heat.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT IN THIS ELECTION YEAR... A MOSTLY FORGOTTEN HISTORICAL TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE IN ONE OF OUR BLEAKEST PERIODS AS A NATION ...IN THE MIDST OF WWII
WWII Analogy
During World War II -- the Japanese developed a way to demoralize the American forces. Psychological warfare experts developed a message they felt would work.
They gave the script to their famous broadcaster"Tokyo Rose" and everyday she would broadcast this same message packaged in different ways, hoping it would have a negative impact on American GI's morale.
What was that demoralizing message?
It had three main points:
1. Your President is lying to you.
2. This war is illegal.
3. You cannot win the war.
Does this sound familiar?
> Hillary, Osama, Harry, John, Teddy, Nancy, and etc. have picked up on the same message and are broadcasting it on CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, etc. to our nation's citizens and our troops. The only difference is that they claim to support our troops before they demoralize them.
Come to think of it, didn't Tokyo Rose tell the troops she was on their side, too?
The frightening difference is that Tokyo Rose was openly on the enemy's side. In our current case, some of these folks run the current majority in our House and Senate, and others, even those woefully unqualified, are actually running for President of The United States.
- - - - -
Seniors Must File Federal Tax Returns in Order to Receive Stimulus Checks
In 2008, close to 20 million Americans who rely primarily on Social Security income will qualify for the Bush sponsored economic stimulus check from the federal government. The income threshold for qualification was more than $3,000 in 2007.
Un- or Under-employed seniors with little or no "earned income" can qualify, if their Social Security benefits, Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits, and railroad retirement benefits add up to at least $3,000 annually.
Economic stimulus checks range from $300 to $600, and up to another $300 for families with dependent children under the age of 17.
If you want your rebate check in May, the IRS recommends filing a return by the regular April 15 deadline. Filing later with or without an extension, will likely delay your rebate. You can still receive payment in 2008 if you file by the last extension date of October 15. No checks will be sent after 2008.
So, if you haven't been required to file in past years due to low income, remember that YOU MUST FILE either a 1040 or 1040-A short form in order to receive any stimulus check.
- - - -
|
 |
|
 |
|
FLASH!! After hours October 9, 2008
DOW is now down 39.92% from its 12 month high!
The Broad-based S&P 500 is now down 42 1/4% from its 12 month high!!
And the Tech heavy NASDAQ is now down 42.5% from its 12 month high!
American wealth (equity) has now lost TRILLIONS of dollars these past two weeks despite Bailouts.
In late June of 2007, on this site, I predicted a BEAR MARKET (a decline of at least 20%) to take place in 2008. Many questioned that. We are now down TWICE my prediction and there is no end in sight. This is a CRASH, folks. And, we have both the Democrats and Republicans to blame for promoting DE-regulation in banking.
In May of 1985, 23 1/2 years ago, I warned on my Financial Show on Christian Radio that unless and until Congress dealt with and reversed the dangerous course of DE-regulation in banking former Pres. Jimmy Carter and his Democrat controlled Congress initiated in 1978 and which other Administrations and Congresses expanded upon (and have continued to expand upon) we would be visited by financial disasters periodically as bankers have long demonstrated that, left to their own devices and in the absence of strict regulation, greed would prevail and they would place us all in peril. Since my warnings, government has continued to remove further constraints instead of imposing more. We are reaping the results.
With Congress and The Senate "THERE IS NO LEARNING CURVE". We need to throw them OUT! .... while we still can.
I'm Bill Peterseim and you should be as upset as I am.
By early November 2008, the Number One U.S. automaker-GM's stock has traded as low as 1/9th its 52 week high! The former #2 U.S. automaker Ford would have to gain 10% to get close to 1/4th its 52 week high.
Ford says it can't make any money building cars in the U.S. That's interesting when its chief rival that cleaned its clock for the cherished #2 position-Toyota, has opened several new U.S. plants employing Americans. Makes you wonder what it's going to take to get Management and Labor to re-engineer a winning and profitable design for running a COMPANY.
In the Spotlight
FORMULA FOR WALL STREET DISASTER: GREED+DE-REGULATION+INSANITY In the Spotlight Archive
Dateline September 30, 2008
By William Peterseim, CFP, CMFC
48 years ago today I hunkered down through my first hurricane in Hialeah, FL. Hurricane Donna was a Category 4, and the first to make landfall in Florida in nearly a decade. It brought flooding and 115 mph winds to Miami on its first pass by Florida through the keys where its 160 mph winds and 12 foot storm surge literally moved homes. Picking up steam in the Gulf, it then horrified us by turning back and plowing head-on into Tampa and...Read the Full Article
Dateline: NOVEMBER 7 THIS DAY IN HISTORY
1874, the Republican Party was symbolized as an elephant in a cartoon drawn by Thomas Nast in Harper's Weekly.
1917, Russia's Bolshevik Revolution took place as forces led by Vladimir Ilyich Lenin overthrew the provisional government of Alexander Kerensky. Thus began the world's worst Revolution and nightmare Socio-Economic experiment. It took 74 years to admit failure and collapse the nemesis of peace: The Soviet Union. Before it was over Lenin's successor Josef Stalin had butchered between 11 and 25 million Soviet citizens in his paranoid "purges" and sent countless millions more to the Gulags (concentration camps). All to impose socialism, an alien form of economics diametrically opposed to the human spirit in most people, but increasingly embraced by more and more Western Europeans and some Americans.
1940, in Washington state, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, nicknamed "Galloping Gertie," collapsed during a windstorm (you've seen the film)
.
1962, Richard M. Nixon, having lost California's gubernatorial race to Gov. Edmund Brown, held what he called his "last press conference," telling reporters, "You won't have Nixon to kick around anymore." 6 years later Ronald Reagan soundly defeated Brown and I was there helping. I cherish the "one-on-one I had with candidate Reagan.
1967, President Johnson signed a bill establishing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Sadly, this broadcasting "icon" all too often voices a one-sided liberal view with tax dollars taken in large part from hard-working Conservatives.
1972, President Nixon was re-elected (see his prior comments on an earlier Nov 7 in 1962) in a landslide over Democrat George McGovern after first being elected in 1968 in a landslide over then V.P. Hubert Humphrey. During that campaign, I strung cables and lit "the set" at Camera 2 position inside Arlington Cemetary in June for Robert Kennedy's funeral and later hung a lavalier microphone around the neck of V.P. Humphrey prior to an interview with NBC in Cleveland, Ohio.
1998, John Glenn returned to Earth aboard the space shuttle Discovery, visibly weak but elated after a nine-day mission. This was Glenn's first space mission since his historic 1962 spring flight in which he became the first U.S. astronaut to orbit the earth. Also in 1998 just four years after leading Republicans to glory, House Speaker Newt Gingrich announced he would resign not just his speakership but also his seat in the House. Gingrich remains one of the most accurate voices in politics today holding one of the best grasps on economics and international affairs of anyone in or near Washington.
I'm Bill Peterseim, and I approve this message. Whatever....
STOCK MARKET CONTINUES ITS PLUNGE DESPITE BAILOUT APPROVAL
AS OF OCTOBER 6, 2008 THE DOW HAS DECLINED 28% FROM MY FORECAST JUNE 28TH, 2007 AND PENNIES SHORT OF 33% DECLINE FROM ITS 12 MONTH HIGH ABOUT A YEAR AGO TO BELOW 10,000!!
April 3, 2008 "Sign of the times" The current NATO conference announced that its 60th anniversary summit next year will be held jointly in the French border city of Strasbourg and its German neighbor, Kehl. NATO was an outgrowth of WWII in which much of the fighting took place in this region between these two nations.
NOTES ON EXERCISE, WEIGHT, and HEALTH Before you pick up that candy bar, read the ingredients and check the calories. Let's say it's 400 calories. You've heard the expression in exercise: "No Pain, No Gain"...well, perhaps it is better said, "You better feel pain or you will probably gain". Depends upon your conditioning, of course, but let's see how long you will have to exercise to burn off that 400 calorie treat. The following brief table shows the calories burned in ONE HOUR of the following exercises:
|
Walking slowly |
183 |
|
Ballroom dancing |
219 |
|
Lifting free weights |
219 |
|
Bicycling at a leisurely speed |
292 |
|
Water aerobics |
292 | So, you can see, for many of the "typical exercises" the average weight individual will have to expend 1 hour 20 min to over 2 hours per 400 calories. Could make you think twice, or cut the bar in half (and your workout time).___
From: The American Center for Law and Justice comes this startling announcement:
The attack on Christians by Muslims is expanding unchecked on a global basis and now the hateful, hate-filled Muslims are taking further steps through the U.N. to silence and punish ANYONE SPEAKING OUT AGAINST ISLAM anywhere in the world!
Iran has tortured a couple for reading the Bible. Two men are tried and convicted for possessing Christian books in Algeria. Communist China, our largest trading "so-called partner" routinely imprisons and tortures Christians.
Right now there is a radical proposal being pushed before the United Nations that would make expressing your faith an international crime.
Speak out for Christianity and you might face the death penalty.
The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) at the U.N. is pushing a dangerous resolution - making speaking out against Islam ... including proclamation of Christianity ... an international crime.
It's an anti-Christian measure and it clearly endorses what's taking place in many Muslim countries - where those who even speak out about Islam are severely punished with imprisonment and even death.
I firmly agree with Justice Scalia who said in his recent dissent on the Supreme Court ruling on Guantanamo Bay, ''American is at war with radical Islamists.''
The ACLJ attorneys and staff are opposing this issue through the High Commissioner of Human Rights at the U.N. and attempting, instead, to focus on improving existing international law to protect the religious beliefs of all individuals.
You can help by petitioning the High Commissioner directly at the U.N. or by contacting and supporting Jay Sekulow at his organization the ACLJ at jsekulow@aclj.org |
SEE ALSO IN THE "FEATURED ARTICLE ARCHIVES" THE RECENT ARTICLE ON REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Featured Article
PUT THE BLAME FOR HIGH OIL WHERE IT BELONGS - SQUARELY ON CONGRESS Featured Article Archive
FLASH!
DATELINE: July 23, 2008
By: William Peterseim, CFP®, CMFC
If you are outraged at our gas prices, consider the plight of our Norwegian friends. Their left-wing government just raised their gas tax in support of their efforts to fight "Global Warming" by discouraging driving. The consumers, however, note that the tax increase is small.... too small, they say, to impact driving habits one way or the other but that it only serves to aggrevate their situation more.
The price per gallon...Read the Full Article
Tax Topics
BORROWING FROM YOUR 401K COULD BE HAZARDOUS...TO YOUR FINANCIAL HEALTH Tax Topics Archive
Dateline: February 21, 2008
By William Peterseim, CFP®, CMFC
A recent survey indicated that over 50% of Americans responding stated that they have borrowed on their 401k Retirement Plans at work. This is serious.
Reasons for borrowing are varied and can, in some instance, be prudent and make perfect sense. Unfortunately, too often, that is simply not the case.
A prudent use, for instance, could be to borrow funds when your job is relatively secure and you have an...Read the Full Article
Stock Market Updates
NEW TWIST IN THE ON-GOING EVER-BUILDING FINANCIAL CRISIS Stock Market Updates Archive
Dateline: September 17, 2008
By: William Peterseim, CFP, CMFC
It just gets worse. In my article of late June 2007 in this column (see archives) I warned that 2008 would play host to a Bear Market on Wall Street. That almost hit early in the year, did officially hit in mid-late June with the DOW, S&P, and NASDAQ all falling more than 20% but, after a minor recovery since, these past few days have seen a plunge to new lows.
And now even the traditional "safety net" have sprung some major holes.
In...Read the Full Article
Little Known History
DANISH STUDY REVEALS THE SECRET TO THEIR HAPPINESS Little Known History Archive
Dateline March 10, 2008
By William Peterseim
Dr. Christiansen of the Univ of Southern Denmark conducted a recent study on why Danes are so content. It seems they are more content than actually happy. They see others in Southern Europe with better climates as happier, but they are content. Why?
They have universally low expectations. This stands in sharp contrast to we Americans who have high expectations and, hence, greater drive toward success. This hurts our ability to...Read the Full Article
|
"So we went to Atari and said, 'Hey, we've got this amazing thing, even built with some of your parts, and what do you think about funding us? Or we' ll give it to you. We just want to do it. Pay our salary, we'll come work for you.' And they said, 'No.' So then we went to Hewlett-Packard, and they said, 'Hey, we don't need you. You haven't got through college yet."
Apple Computer Inc. founder Steve Jobs on attempts to get Atari and H-P interested in his and Steve Wozniak's personal computer. |
Read it All in Our Archives
-GO THERE NOW-
As a follow-on to my Stock Market Update article, stocks have continued to fall until July 25th when they closed higher on better-than-expected economic news.
Leading the pact was the gain of .8% in June for factory orders of big-ticket manufactured items. This was the strongest gain in 4 months according to the Commerce Department which also reported that new home sales declined by a smaller-than-expected 0.6 percent. This shows some signs of approaching a bottoming, though marking the 7th time in 8 months of declines.
These markets always start to moderate declines as they approach bottom, so it gives hope to weary homeowners. Unfortunately, reversing the upward move in sales of existing homes for May, June declined which sent stocks plunging July 24.
Perhaps the best news was that, despite the "gloom and doom" penchant of mainstream Media to help "sell a Recession and need to elect Democrats" Consumer Confidence, as measured by The University of Michigan and Reuters, for the first half of July came in at 61.2, when economists had forecast a reading of 56.4. This is a rebound from a 28-year-low last month. From my Stock Market Update column you already know that consumers account for over 2/3 of GDP ... our measure of overall economic activity. The media was telling consumers it was all terrible nearly a year ago, when it was actually quite good, in fact, unsustainably high. So, despite incorrect rhetoric, consumers are starting to see more positives.
The other good news is that crude oil continued to fall, now to just over $ 123/barrel from its highs of mid-140's weeks ago.
Overall, I expect The Fed will maintain interest rates where they are hoping their lows will continue to help the economy, while they temporarily look the other way on inflation.
I'm Bill Peterseim
|
|
|
|
Bill Peterseim, CFP®
President, Holy Investments Inc.
REMEMBER THAT THE ARK WAS BUILT AND SAILED BY A LONE AMATEUR WHILE THE TITANIC WAS DESIGNED, BUILT, AND SAILED BY CREWS OF PROFESSIONALS
________
In keeping with that theme, be edified by the following:
A builder builded a temple,
He wrought it with grace and skill.
Pillars and stones and arches
All fashioned to work his will.
Men said as they saw its beauty,
It shall never know decay.
Great is thy skill, O builder,
Thy fame shall endure for aye.
<>
A mother builded a temple
With loving and infinite care,
Planning each arch with patience,
Laying each stone with prayer,
None praised her unceasing efforts,
None knew of her wondrous plan,
For the temple the mother builded
Was unseen by the eyes of man.
<>
Gone is the builder's temple,
Crumbled into dust,
Low lies each stately pillar,
Food for consuming rust.
But the temple the mother builded
Will last while the ages roll,
For that beautiful unseen temple
Was a child's immortal soul.
-- Author unknown
_________
One of Bill's Ten Commandments of Finance:
5th Commandment
Money is not the
root of all evil...it's the love of money
Read all 10 HERE
Before you do, however, please note that Bill is seriously leaning towards adding an 11th Commandment: "Thou shouldst be smackethed upside thy head for blowing your money"
Issues for Prayer
AMERICA GRIPPED BY CRIME-A SOLUTION Issues for Prayer Archive
Dateline March 20, 2008
By William Peterseim
One American adult in 32 is in prison, on parole, or on probation. The government clearly has never demonstrated an ability to resolve the problem of crime itself, or a participant's willingness to commit it. All government has done is warehouse them, temporarily, out of site away from the public. Sadly, far too often, the environment in which criminals are housed is worse than the one which helped foster the criminal...Read the Full Article
BIBLICAL WORDS OF WISDOM IN CHILD REARING
I was blessed last week to catch a message from Dr. Danny Akin, President of Southeastern Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina as he spoke at the Aloma Baptist Church in Orlando, Florida. His message from Ephesians focused on why children need to honor their parents and why Fathers should also not provoke their chirldren to wrath. Great message all parents and children should heed. Here then are his12 keys to applying the scriptures to child rearing:
(1) Get down to their level and into their world to see how they look at life. He calls this "incarnational parenting". Just as God came down to our level in the form of Jesus, in order to truly appreciate our issues, so too do we as parents need to go to our child's world and think on their level to understand their issues so we might best help them cope.
(2) Love your children first by loving your mate. You show and teach your childen what true love is all about by first showing love to your mate and in how you treat and relate to and respect your mate. Nothing is more important to a child than a sense of security. A child can handle much as long as they are confident that their Mom and Dad will be there... for each other and for them. That no matter what happened during the day, there was this safety, this security they could come home to and know would be there. In a world of 50% divorce, that is so vitally important. In 1960 only 17% of children were growing up in a single parent household. Today, over 40% know only one parent on a regular basis.
(3)
Set boundaries and give them discipline from the start, at appropriate levels as a means of teaching and enforcing those boundaries and what's right and, what's wrong, Don't give them "a little box" in which to function, punishing them any time they stray from those strictly limited confines. Instead give them a larger "playing field" (which you will enlarge as they mature and earn it). Too small a "box" is unrealistic and against the human nature of a child. It leads to unrealistic expectations on your part and increasing frustration and rebellion on theirs. It puts you in a bad light as overly oppressive and untrusting and hinders their development. When you do establish fair, realistic boundaries, it is vitally important that you rigorously enforce them. How many of us have seen other parents (or perhaps been guilty ourselves) of making idle threats that are never enforced? Your child isn't stupid. Telling them that if they do such and such again, they are going to "get it", without defining what "get it" really means, and then not giving it to them promptly when they disobey, is worse than ignoring it. It says many things to the child. First: You don't mean what you say. Second: it's obviously no big deal. Third: There really is no discipline. Fourth: There really are no boundaries and hence Fifth: There are no consequences for disrespecting and not obeying or honoring our parents. They can be ignored without consequence. And, maybe they don't even love us all that much if they really think these actions are bad enough to tell us not to do them but they don't care enough to force us to listen and that means punish us when we don't.
Stop bluffing.
Then, adjust your discipline with age. Spanking young children is not abuse as long as you spank properly... not in anger nor excessively and explain why they are getting the spanking and that it is no joy but your responsibility as a loving parent to do so. As they mature, the nature of the discipline changes... or should. Literally no one recalls spanking past about age 11. That makes Biblical sense too for in the Old Testament, a boy became a man and attained the "age of accountability" at age 12. Thereafter, their blood is essentially on their hands, not the parent's. They can go to hell based upon their actions, thoughts, and words from then on and they need to come into a personal relationship with Jesus as soon as possible to invoke His saving grace.
When they are very young, under 12, the Dr. says, and rightly so, "Their brains are in their butts" so that's where you go for discipline. the Bible says, "Spare the rod and spoil the child". When you see a child acting up in all manner and the parent apparently unable to take control in that public scene, you can bet it's because the parent has never properly disciplined the child privately. You can't expect the child to turn around and act properly just because the setting has changed if they have never been held accountable for their demeanor. The child is the obnoxious one but the parent is to blame. There is a saying on the streets that if you pull a gun, be prepared to use it. If you tell the child "no" and threaten a disciplinary act, and they disobey, you owe it to them, yourselves, and society to deliver. Not doing so, you create a monster that no one can take or may unwittingly bring about a scenario years later that can cost you that child.
I know of a child... a truly gifted child... who was the town's youngest entrepenuer. He was so intelligent, his parents, according to neighbors, largely trusted him to know what to do and set his own boundaries. In doing so, they failed to take into account his tender years and lack of wisdom. Being "smart" doesn't equate to knowing all the potential risks out there.
So, one day, returning home from softball practice, he was dropped off by a friend and his friend's father across the street from his home. After chatting excitedly a few minutes, it suddenly hit him that he had to go and he jumped from the truck passenger side and ran quickly at full sprint across in front of the vehicle before the driver could even say anything. The pickup truck had a camper on the back, obscuring any vision from behind of its occupants. Passing the parked truck at that moment was another car. The 12 year old intellingent, but unthinking, boy ran directly into its path less than 5 feet in front of it. At 25 mph there is no time to stop. He was run over and tragically killed bringing his promising young life to a horrible premature end. One has to wonder what if his parents had grabbed him on prior occasions as he started to dart into a street after a ball, like I did my son years before. And, what if they, like me, had smartly promptly spanked him hard, and scolded him firmly, in love, telling him in detail, the possible consequences of EVER running into the street without stopping and looking... would that child be an intelligent successful adult today. Discipline your child out of love for THEIR sake, as well as your own and society's.
As they age, shift to rebuking them as discipline. Rebuking them when they err gives wisdom. If they respect you because of your prior rearing, a rebuke is apt punishment and brings results.
(4) LOOK at them... in love. The eyes are the portholes to your soul. They are great communicators. How many times have you looked at the eyes of a serial killer on TV and seen black emptiness? Love, reproach, hate, disappointment... can all be conveyed in the eyes. And, remember this: Your eyes often shout your true feelings louder than any words. Show you child love, with the look in your eyes.
(5) Love them by touching... in a proper, loving, parenting way.Hug them. Kiss them tenderly to show how much you care for them. Don't be afraid of what others might think. How many girls have I heard cry that their fathers never hugged or kissed them unless they asked for it. How many men stated that their dads or moms never hugged or kissed them. Merely saying that "My kids know I love them. I don't have to tell them or do any of that stuff" doesn't convey to them, what you might think or delude yourself into believing. Girls need hugs and kisses and "I love you Princess" a lot from their Daddy. Boys need it especially from their Mom. But, Dad, hug and kiss your boys too. It really conveys love. Just probably not by Jr. High. I remember still wanting my Dad to kiss me goodbye when he dropped me at school, but by 6th grade I asked him if he wouldn't mind sliding down in the seat so no one else would see and make fun of me. (Sadly, other kids that often make fun of that secretly wish with all their heart their own Father would want to kiss them goodbye and they make fun of it as a means of coping with their not getting the same show of affection)
6) Spend time with them. On average, parents spend but 25-30 minutes a week with their child while the child spends 25-30 hours a week with the TV often being allowed to watch corrupting television. And, they spend even more time with their largely undisciplined peers under the influence of "the world" and its sad values. As many a parent has been reminded, "Dad, you didn't spend time with me, you bought me games or toys for me to spend time with". If you don't spend time with your children, don't expect them to want to spend time with you later in life.
A recent test was given 5 year olds asking if it were better to give away their Daddy or their TV. Sadly 1/3 were willing to give away Daddy in favor of their TV. Think about that, Dads. How would your children vote?
(7) Be quick to hear. Listen to them. In doing so, you are telling them that what they have to say, what they've done or experienced or think... is important....to you. They need to know that for there to be a good relationship.
(8) Love them by blessing them, not cursing them.
Build them up, don't tear them down. Words like: "Oh, you will never amount to anything". "Your Brother wouldn't act like that" "You're a rotten kid" "You embarass me" "I hate being around you" "I never wanted you to begin with" are so destructive and hard to overcome. We would never talk to strangers the way we often talk to our kids... and even spouses. We don't talk to our pets the way we often speak to our children. If you have done this in the past, pray, confess it, repent, and then go to your children and tell them you were wrong and ask, beg for their forgiveness.
(9) Love them by having FUN with them. No one likes a stodgy parent who thinks somehow it's a sin to laugh, carry on, be zany or even childlike, when the kids are young, and have fun. Get down on the floor and play with them. Do wild crazy fun things. Make them laugh. Get them to look forward to seeing you because it is fun to be with you. It will help them develop personalities too, including a sense of humor and, in so doing, make them more fun to be around. You should want, by the time they are teenagers, for your house to be overrun with other kids... you drive filled with other cars so you have to park down the street. Why? Because you did something right. Your home is a "user friendly" site that other kids, usually those not getting the kind of parenting they crave, see it in your kids and in you and naturally gravitate to your house. Isn't that a whole lot better than what is happening in so many neighborhoods filled with disfunctional broken homes, where those kids, seeking the same thing, join gangs as a means of filling their void? And, as you have fun with your kids, teach them that going to church is also fun as is reading God's Word in The Holy Bible.
10) Love them by nudging them out of the nest. As they mature, respect and encourage that maturity by giving them more and more personal responsibility and showing them that you deem them capable of handling it. Give them guidance but also don't be so protective that you don't allow them to fail and to experience the consequences of failing. Nothing teaches more than failure. We don't want them to go through all of the tough experiences life can teach, which is why we train and discipline when they're young, but it doesn't hurt to have them try things later on their own, even if the initial results are less than spectacular. Many baby birds when pecking their way out of their eggshell, if helped, will not develop the muscle strength necessary to develop and will die.
Do away with unrealistic curfews as the child matures into senior high. Doing so conveys trust. Help prepare them for the day they will be on their own so they will act responsibly when it falls to them.
(11) Love your kids by saying you are sorry, when you were wrong. It is not demeaning for a parent to admit failure, to admit when they wrongly interpreted something or reacted wrongly in a situation or falsely accused. Your child already knows it. Refusing to own up to it does NOT retain respect but robs you of the right to it, other than by the Ten Commandments. But, while The Bible implores children to honor their parents, you should make that task much easier and less blind obedience, by earning the right to their honor by always striving to do the right thing but also recognizing that you are human too and will fail periodically. No one, even your child, expects you to be perfect. They expect you to be human, with shortcomings. It's what you do with those shortcomings is what they are looking at.
When you fail, admitting it, apologizing for it, and asking for their forgiveness if not understanding, will gain you tremendous respect, reinforce their love for you, never detract from but only build on your relationship with them, and teach them great life, relationship, and parenting skills to use in their lives.
And finally (12) Love them by introducing them to "perfect parents: and that's not you... but God. Many has been the child who had terrible, unloving, even abusive parents, who ignored or abused them, never showing love. These children, as adults, have often led disfunctional lives. They had God sized holes in their souls. They go through life often in failed relationships not knowing or receiving real love. Those that "make it" and finally are able to get on with their lives, accept the past, come to grips with it, and even go back to those disfunctional, unloving parents and tell them how they feel, what they suffered, but that they forgive their parents, are those who found and were introduced to the perfect parent... your Heavenly Father God.
In conclusion, if you don't think it is important the largest survey of teenagers conducted right before the milennium revealed that their #1 Hero was their parents. Each of us, as parents, should resolve to be our kids' Hero.
ATTENTION SENIOR CENTRAL FLORIDA RESIDENTS
Here is a "hot tip" for you
Written by William Peterseim, CFP®
If you moved from Northern Ohio years ago to retire into Florida's sunny climate, but you're not getting around as well now and miss your kids and grandkids back in Northern Ohio, like the Cleveland Area, or perhaps you've lost your spouse, and feel isolated, here is a real thought for you:
In the past several years, due to job losses, the Greater Cleveland area, along with other areas of Northern Ohio, have experienced flat to declining markets for real estate.
The result has been that today, the Cleveland, Ohio area is considered "the Most Affordable Housing" metropolitan area in America!
During the same period, Florida has experienced its greatest "run-up" in real estate values in history. Many home owners have experienced hundreds of percent increase in values.
Florida will continue to be one of the top ultimate destinations for many Baby Boomers as they move toward retirement. But, for those of you already here with changing situations, now may be the time to review IF Florida is still the "right place" for you given your current family situation.
Many former Ohioans and Michiganers have returned to those points of origin to live out their remaining years close to their loved ones. And NOW, for the first time in history,
IT MAKES PERFECT FINANCIAL SENSE TO DO SO!
Consider this:
You could sell your highly appreciated Florida home
Move back to Ohio or Michigan where values have
remained depressed due to job markets
(that are of no concern to you)
You purchase a very nice home, possibly nicer than the one
you originally sold to move south
and you do so with a FRACTION of the proceeds
from the sale of your Florida home
You then invest or save the difference to provide you a
"financial cushion" or added income
and live out your years in close proximity to children
and grand children... and yet...
Have the money to travel anywhere you want,
particularly in those rough Ohio winters
In fact, you may have made enough on your larger Florida home to sell, purchase a smaller Ohio or Michigan home, AND purchase a smaller home, townhouse, or condo-tel in Florida to rent out and/or snow-bird in... all with the same proceeds.
If THAT makes sense to you, why not place a call to
BIG APPLE INTERNATIONAL REALTY
in Orlando, Florida
(321) 322-1100
Greg can talk you through the whole process
Big Apple International Realty can
List and sell your Florida home
and refer you to a good real estate firm
in your Ohio, Michigan or other state of choice
and oversee your service and treatment there
And, the folks at
Big Apple International Realty
also have many other
real estate investment opportunities
available to you or anyone interested
These investments are often structured so as not to be impacted by the external situations that typically hurt values of stocks and other publically-traded investments like mutual funds. This is particularly important at this time as I have projected since last June a Correction in the stock market for last summer from the impact of Sub-Prime Mortgage markets, and an actual "Bear Market" in the stock market commencing in 2008. It appears that this may be happening already in February 2008 as half the world stock markets are technically "Bear Markets" (20% or greater declines. The average Bear Market in stocks since WWII has lasted 18-22 months, so it very well may be the time to reposition at least some of your investment assets into other less vulnerable holdings.
The toll-free number for Big Apple International is
1 (800) 850-4046
|
|
|
|
