Thank God for the internet!

Just wanted to know how many other people also bet sports / gamble in addtion to play the market. Got in a discussion with a friend of mine about it. I could see how certain people are more prone to it due to their personality. And if you do, what kind of trader are you? Day, Swing, long, etc....

I could see day or swing traders being more of the gambler type or they just like the action.

Curious to get some other insight.

Have you heard of the Rule of 72 and its tremendous predictive power to illustrate the snowballing effect of compound interest and it's interesting.

Here's how it works: take the number of "72" and mentally divide it by the absolute value of an interest rate to quickly work out the number of years compound interest need to double your money.

So if you had invested $10,000 at a steady 6% each year, it will take you 12 years to grow that money to $20,000.

Hope this is of some help to all of us trying to double our money.


good luck
Steve

I oft times reflect upon how moi became a Cramer Automaton

I think his Friday show is one reason, because it was packed with cynical Wall Street Wisdom (or as I prefer “Nasties”)

First was his take on Ethanol http://www.thestreet.com/_tscs/funds...0310783_2.html

Next, what “Markup Week” is really all about
http://www.thestreet.com/_tscs/funds...0310783_3.html

It amazes me how the Big Shots of the World get away with such things, such as Markup Week and TV networks with juicing up Rating Periods and advertisers let them get away with this

The side to CramerLand that sux for me are those wasted college tours
All I can ponder is why no one seemingly ever thinks about the book of “Ecclesiastes”

I am certainly not religious, but I sure wish Master Cramer would scan this book and slow down his insane marketing of himself before he lets the forces behind him do an “Elvis Presley” on him…

Oh, I am testing for two-weeks Investors Business Daily’s “Under $10 stocks”
What a busy screen…

I am such a sucker for these two-week tests of newsletters as I refine my stock screener

Alas, even with this newsletter I still have to do my homework!

Boy, it is so darn hard being that irrational committed Cramer Automaton!

(Wish I could make all that ez money his callers extol about after only watching Cramer for a few months and these darn callers probably ain't even a Cramer Robot as moi--strolling in and, and reaping moi's loot--GEEZ!!)

found this and thought it was worth the 3 minutes to read:

from Steve Sjuggerud's Daily Wealth:

The Mara River Meets Wall Street
by Tom Dyson
September 18, 2006

Every year in June, in search of grass and water, three million wildebeest move from the Serengeti grasslands in Tanzania to the Maasai Mara grasslands in Kenya. And every October, they go back again.

The scale of this migration is hard to imagine. Try this: From a satellite in space, the animals look like a black stain moving across East Africa.

The Mara River crossing is the final – and most perilous – hurdle of the long journey. It’s nature’s way of controlling the wildebeest population. The banks are mostly jagged and cliff-like, so in most places, it’s a long drop into the river. It’s easier to cross the river where the banks are depressed and there’s less vegetation. The herd gathers at these points.

The river is high from rains upstream and the current is strong. The mud beside the river is very heavy too. But a worse danger lurks in the water: crocodiles. The waters are crowded with Nile crocodiles. They know there’s a walking banquet on the way, and they gather at the fords.

The animals pace up and down the bank, grunting loudly, eyeing the dangerous river. They are anxious. No one wants to go first. Finally one animal takes the lead and lunges in. The crowd then surges into the river behind.

Carnage follows. Thousands of wildebeest charge the river. Some animals are trampled to death. Others panic and dive in where the bank is too sheer. Many drown, especially the young. And all around, crocodile jaws thrash about in the water, snapping at the weak swimmers.

It is estimated that up to 25,000 wildebeest die at the Mara River each year.

I love Africa… and I’ve written about investing there many times this year. But this column is not about Africa. It’s about the manic behavior of investors in the commodity markets this month. They’re acting like wildebeest. And right now, the crocodiles are tearing their guts out.

News of huge inventories is spooking the energy pits. “Storage is almost maxed-out,” said one analyst. “Soon they’ll have to cap the gas wells.” Oil is down 19.6% in the last 35 days. Natural gas hit its lowest price in two years yesterday.

The Financial Times says the panic in oil and gas has spread to the metals. Gold is down $65 in the last eight trading days, a 10% loss. Silver is down $2.50 over the same period; a 21% drop.

Wall Street says this is the beginning of a new bear market in commodities. I found research from Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank, Merrill Lynch and Citigroup in the last few days on this matter.

Wildebeest. Don’t believe them.

I got a divorce - not nasty, because we both realized the only ones who win with this are the lawyers. We may have fell out of love, but we fortunately did not fall out of our senses.

I decided to get back into the dating scene; thus, on line dating. What a world! If Cramer PO's youse, then on line dating will take this to a new level of being PO'd.

First, dating sites want you to pay to get ignored. If you catch a "fish"? once every one hundred times you wink or blink interest, you catch a woman who wants a guy either like their dead husband or an alcoholic creep who beat the crap outta em. These ladies also want to talk about kids and grand kids—puh-leaze! My favorite on-line ladies though are those who I am sure are models, because their pictures are always posted. I ponder how could such lovelies never find a guy?

Anyway, at last I have found a FREE dating site! http://inmatesforyou.com/ THESE LADIES RESPOND!! I don't know what it is but I am just plain partial to murderesses. After I have done my homework and like the Metrics (Master Cramer has taught me well), I plan on conjugal visits to feel each other out. If I can, I will check her out for a day. I should probably not refer to her as "my wittle library book"? in our communications. I will keep you updated on my search for the Beautiful Murderess who will have me. BOOYAH!!

http://tinyurl.com/ms3bt

Obviously another government conspiracy right fellas? These poor terrorists are just so misunderstood. If people would only leave them alone

The Guru has spoken

Yea, I finally came to terms I am Cramer robot. When I am accused of this here (by implication), the poster has it wrong about what I am, at least. For example, I do not blindly follow Cramer. I take one of his picks and follow it for a week or more to get into the psychology of the stock (remember humans are behind any jiggling up and down of a stock). The Fundamentals are important, but in the end, what also controls a stock at any one moment is the resulting vector of all the other minor vectors creating the Main Vector of up/down/flat. If I can catch how a stock is vectoring, then for me, it may be usually worth a taste. I find a small taste initially will more focus me on the stock (sorta like cancer is a terrific focuser). I am very, very good at picking stocks that will jiggle about a flat line once I buy in. This is Mad Money, so no big deal. Note, too, I am moving up from blindly just buying into a Cramer filler to separate the ads, as I once did. My next goal is to pick stocks that stay on the rise.

Oh, this is important Newbie-Newbies here: I am diversified, because I let a good mutual fund handle my retirement. Were I twenty something, I would do my investment work for retirement, because I would have time to learn as Master Cramer did. Expensive lessons at Hard Knock U are fine if you have a lonnnnnnnnng time line to recover and can become a “Cramer.”


As a Cramer Robot, I am getting to the point at least once a week I can anticipate a Cramer Pick. I have my Newgator RSS Newsreader set up to scan the Style Pages of the New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, and LA Times. I also scan the obits in the Times, thus, I picked up on this obit: “Bill Stumpf, a designer of the much-honored and highly popular Aeron ergonomic office chair, died on Aug. 30 in Rochester, Minn…” and then Cramer’s take on 9/11/06 the next night: http://www.thestreet.com/_tscs/funds...0308209_3.html

Please don't forget to watch the video after you read the letter!


Strongest Dad in the World
[From Sports Illustrated, By Rick Reilly]

I try to be a good father. Give my kids mulligans. Work nights to pay for their text messaging. Take them to swimsuit shoots.

But compared with Dick Hoyt, I stink.

Eighty-five times he's pushed his disabled son, Rick, 26.2 miles in marathons. Eight times he's not only pushed him 26.2 miles in a wheelchair but also towed him 2.4 miles in a dinghy while swimming and pedaled him 112 miles in a seat on the handlebars--all in the same day.

Dick's also pulled him cross-country skiing, taken him on his back mountain climbing and once hauled him across the U.S. on a bike. Makes taking your son bowling look a little lame, right?

And what has Rick done for his father? Not much--except save his life.

This love story began in Winchester, Mass., 43 years ago, when Rick was strangled by the umbilical cord during birth, leaving him brain-damaged and unable to control his limbs.

``He'll be a vegetable the rest of his life;'' Dick says doctors told him and his wife, Judy, when Rick was nine months old. ``Put him in an institution.''

But the Hoyts weren't buying it. They noticed the way Rick's eyes followed them around the room. When Rick was 11 they took him to the engineering department at Tufts University and asked if there was anything to help the boy communicate. ``No way,'' Dick says he was told. ``There's nothing going on in his brain.''

"Tell him a joke,'' Dick countered. They did. Rick laughed. Turns out a lot was going on in his brain.

Rigged up with a computer that allowed him to control the cursor by touching a switch with the side of his head, Rick was finally able to communicate. First words? ``Go Bruins!'' And after a high school classmate was paralyzed in an accident and the school organized a charity run for him, Rick pecked out, ``Dad, I want to do that.''

Yeah, right. How was Dick, a self-described ``porker'' who never ran more than a mile at a time, going to push his son five miles? Still, he tried. ``Then it was me who was handicapped,'' Dick says. ``I was sore for two weeks.''

That day changed Rick's life. ``Dad,'' he typed, ``when we were running, it felt like I wasn't disabled anymore!''

Oops, even his eminence has to watch out, quoting a 14th century scribe on the differences between Jesus and Mohammed and the S*** hits the fan. You would think of all people the Infallable Vicar of Christ on Earth would have realized you can't point out the truth to zealots or they take out their frustration with violence.
Truth should be left in the province of science who's single goal is to find it, it is too important to be left in the hands of politicians, and religious zealots, whose only use for the truth is to spin it to their ends or to obfuscate it.

Disclaimer: I am an athiest and find the whole state of affairs to boil down to the "Angels on the head of a pin" debate, a bunch of people bringing their intense belief in their own brand of nonsense being pissed off at the other guy and his brand of nonsense.

I am posting my theory here and not in the guru section, because I am not a stock guru, but anyway, see if you like my hypothesis for the sake of argument:

(1) The ACQUIRED company (“xmsr”) will be the company that gets the bounce

(2) “siri” has the better CEO and will be the ACQUIRER

(3) Once joined, there could be only one receiver type, much like early on in radio we got am radio—allowing for the springing forth of broadcasting

(4) The NEW “siri” could tier services after a trial period offering all the services—Tiering would allow users only to have to subscribe to the services s/he desires—as with cable

(5) Looking at the “siri” and “xmsr” charts:
http://stockcharts.com/h-sc/ui?s=XMS...d=p68749676377
http://stockcharts.com/h-sc/ui?s=SIR...d=p68749676377

(6) Xmsr has the stronger Slow Stochastic, thus indicating strong interest by big buyers of the stock -- Is something afoot?
http://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/...oscillator.asp

(7) Its MACD has moved very big into the Buy range for "xmsr"

8 Its RSI is nicely above 50

(9) Its price is up

(10) All this speculating breaks one of Master Cramer's Rules: do NOT gamble on kinda/shoulda/woulda, so forget my speculating "siri" will start the acquitsition of Xm Radio within 30 days, because this is pretty lame, so forget what I have written...It's the weekend...

You Can Be A Millionaire But It Takes Time

Interesting perspective from the right.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...r=emailarticle

Republicans distancing themselves from Bush et al as a move towards self preservation. Gonna be an interesting political season, we'll see which side does the best job of self destruction, usually the Dems are better at shooting themselves in the foot, but this time the Repubs have a lot more to lose and it's gonna be difficult to blame anyone but themselves for the state of affairs we see today.


Disclaimer: I am a godless liberal, and my motives should be regarded as an attempt to put forth that agenda.

SMILE - TALK - RAISE BOTH ARMS -STICK OUT TONGUE





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My cousin who is a pediatrician send me this e-mail.





STROKE: Remember The 1st Three Letters...S.T.R.





STROKE IDENTIFICATION:
During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) and that she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes. They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening. Ingrid's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00 pm, Ingrid passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would be with us today. Some don't die. They end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.

It only takes a minute to read this...
A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.
RECOGNIZING A STROKE
Thank God for the sense to remember the "3" steps, STR . Read and Learn!
Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.

Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:

S * Ask the individual to SMILE.
T * Ask the person to TALK to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE
(Coherently) (i.e. . . It is sunny out today)
R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

*NOTE: Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out their
tongue. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other,
that is also an indication of a stroke. If he or she has trouble with
ANY ONE of these tasks, call 911 immediately !! and describe the
symptoms to the dispatcher.

The Guru has spoken

I see this:

"Most users ever online simultaneously was 254, 06-07-2006 at 10:00 PM."

What in the Fabric of Time happened to cause this?

Average worker vs. Military man

----Your alarm goes off, you hit the snooze and sleep for another 10 minutes.

He stays up for days on end.

-- -- You take a warm shower to help you wake up.

He goes days or weeks without running water.

-- -- You complain of a "headache", and call in sick.

He gets shot at, as others are hit, and keeps moving forward.

-- -- You put on your anti war/don't support the troops shirt, and go meet up with your friends.

He still fights for your right to wear that shirt.

-- -- You make sure you're cell phone is in your pocket.

He clutches the cross hanging on his chain next to his dog tags.

-- -- You talk trash on your "buddies" that aren't with you.

He knows he may not see some of his buddies again.

-- -- You walk down the beach, staring at all the pretty girls.

He walks the streets, searching for insurgents and terrorists.

-- -- You complain about how hot it is.

He wears his heavy gear, not daring to take off his helmet to wipe his brow.

-- -- You go out to lunch, and complain because the restaurant got your order wrong.

He does not get to eat today.

-- -- Your maid makes your bed and washes your clothes.

He wears the same things for months, but makes sure his weapons are clean.

-- -- You go to the mall and get your hair redone.

He doesn't have time to brush his teeth today.

-- -- You are angry because your class ran 5 minutes over.

He is told he will be held an extra 2 months.

---- You call your girlfriend and set a date for that night.

He waits for the mail to see if there is a letter from home.

-- -- You hug and kiss your girlfriend, like you do everyday.

He holds his letter close and smells his love's perfume.

-- -- You roll your eyes as a baby cries.

He gets a letter with pictures of his new child, and wonders if they'll ever meet.

-- -- You criticize your government, and say that war never solves anything.

He sees the innocent tortured and killed by their own government and remembers why he is fighting.

-- -- You hear the jokes about the war, and make fun of the men like him.

He hears the gun fire and bombs.

-- -- You see only what the media wants you to see.

He sees the bodies lying around him.

-- -- You are asked to go to the store by your parents. You don't.

He does what he is told.

-- -- You stay at home and watch TV.

He takes whatever time he is given to call and write home, sleep, and eat.

-- -- You crawl into your bed, with down pillows, and try to get comfortable.

He crawls under a tank for shade and a 5 minute nap, only to be awakened by gun fire.

-- -- You sit there and judge him, saying the world is a worse place because of men like him.

If only there were more men like him !!

The Guru has spoken

Freedom is Not Free / War Is Hell

A Story of Six Boys


Each year I am hired to go to Washington, DC , with the eighth grade class from Clinton , WI where I grew up, to videotape their trip. I greatly enjoy visiting our nation's capitol, and each year I take some special memories back with me. This fall's trip was especially memorable.


On the last night of our trip, we stopped at the Iwo Jima memorial. This memorial is the largest bronze statue in the world and depicts one of the most famous photographs in history -- that of the six brave soldiers raising the American Flag at the top of a rocky hill on the island of Iwo Jima, Japan, during WW II.


Over one hundred students and chaperones piled off the buses and headed towards the memorial. I noticed a solitary figure at the base of the statue, and as I got closer he asked, "Where are you guys from?"
I told him that we were from Wisconsin "Hey, I'm a cheese head, too! Come gather around, Cheese heads, and I will tell you a story."


(James Bradley just happened to be in Washington, DC , to speak at the memorial the following day. He was there that night to say good night to his dad, who has since passed away. He was just about to leave when he saw the buses pull up. I videotaped him as he spoke to us, and received his permission to share what he said from my videotape. It is one thing to tour the incredible Monuments filled with history in Washington , D.C. , but it is quite another to get the kind of insight we received that night.)


When all had gathered around, he reverently began to speak. (Here are his words that night.)


"My name is James Bradley and I'm from Antigo, Wisconsin my dad is on that statue, and I just wrote a book called "Flags of Our Fathers". It is the story of the six boys you see behind me. "Six boys raised the flag. The first guy putting the pole in the ground is Harlon Block. Harlon was an all-state football player. He enlisted in the Marine Corps with all the senior members of his football team. They were off to play another type of game. A game called "War." But it didn't turn out to be a game.


Harlon, at the age of 21, died with his intestines in his hands. I don't say that to gross you out, I say that because there are generals who stand in front of this statue and talk about the glory of war. You guys need to know that most of the boys in Iwo Jima were 17, 18, and 19 years old.


(He pointed to the statue) "You see this next guy? That's Rene Gagnon from New Hampshire. If you took Rene's helmet off at the moment this photo was taken and looked in the webbing of that helmet, you would find a photograph... a photograph of his girlfriend. Rene put that in there for protection because he was scared. He was 18 years old. Boys won the battle of Iwo Jima Boys. Not old men.


"The next guy here, the third guy in this tableau, was Sergeant Mike Strank. Mike is my hero. He was the hero of all these guys. They called him the "old man" because he was so old. He was already 24. When Mike would motivate his boys in training camp, he didn't say, 'Let's go kill some Japanese' or 'Let's die for our country.' He knew he was talking to little boys. Instead he would say, 'You do what I say, and I'll get you home to your mothers.'


"The last guy on this side of the statue is Ira Hayes, a Pima Indian from Arizona. Ira Hayes walked off Iwo Jima. He went into the White House with my dad. President Truman told him, 'You're a hero.' He told reporters, 'How can I feel like a hero when 250 of my buddies hit the island with me and only 27 of us walked off alive?' So you take your class at school, 250 of you spending a year together having fun, doing everything together. Then all 250 of you hit the beach, but only 27 of your classmates walk off alive. That was Ira Hayes. He had images of horror in his mind. Ira Hayes died dead drunk, face down at the age of 32 .. ten years after this picture was taken.