May 31, 2010
Clusterfuck in Israel
Fuck! That’s just great!
That’s just what we need right now – another escalation of Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I already hear AIPAC and National Review proclaiming – see, we told you that Obama is no friend of Israel! Apparently because of the released WH statement
The President also expressed the importance of learning all the facts and circumstances around this morning’s tragic events as soon as possible
as opposed to a garden variety knee-jerk neocon reaction. However, I looked at the Israeli military video – yes the soldiers are attacked by those on board, so they had to retaliate. But why did they have to board the ships in the first place? What did they expect would happen once they board, they will be met with hugs and kisses?
A cause for celebration for Hamas and local neocons indeed.
May 24, 2010
You’re only as good as your last trade
There was a great article in this weekend’s New York Magazine that echoed some of my earlier posts about Wall Street.
Obama is from Mars, Wall Street is from Venus
It’s rather long so I will put out a summary, quote most memorable passages and comment on it.
More under the cut
May 23, 2010
Bikers in NYC
What’s the deal with bikers (I mean bicyclists) in New York? They have all the rights and no responsibilities, it seems. There are no rules for them: they ride on red light, they ride in the wrong direction, they don’t slow down for you when you cross the street, and all of this is seasoned with such sneer, with such superior attitude! Because, you see, they care about the environment, so they don’t have to follow rules. They are holier than thou. They seem to be the most powerful lobby in NYC, because I can’t think of any street these days that doesn’t have a bike lane.
When I cross the street, I’m accustomed to look in the direction of the coming traffic, even if it’s my green. There are plenty of nuts out there. But I have never seen a car going the wrong way on the one way street. Bikers do that all the time, and I don’t think they see anything wrong with it. You see, they are not really transport so traffic rules do not apply to them; and they are not really pedestrians, so they don’t have to wait for their green light. I was crossing a street the other day, my green, his red. He’s riding his bike faster than 30 MPH and is not slowing down. I thought to myself – I’m not stopping or speeding for this fucker – let him brake. Two feet from me he finally swerved to the side and only after I shouted at him: It’s your red! He said OK as if there was nothing wrong with it and kept going. The other time I was unloading my car in front of my building and because I haven’t learned to hover over the ground yet, I was standing in the bike lane. Of course, here comes the biker. “Bike lane!” he shouts at me. “Fuck you!” – I didn’t find any other words. But seriously, how am I supposed to load/unload?
Once I was driving on Houston and there was one of those in front of me, obviously aware of my presence behind him, but I guess he was trying to make a point. I was trying to make a light and he was going, like 10MPH, wallowing in his own environmental superiority and thinking that he’s teaching me a lesson. I’m a very good driver, so I went ahead and surgically cut him off, literally 2 inches away. Didn’t touch him, but apparently scared the shit out of him, because he caught up with me on the next light, screamed some obscenities at me and shifted my left mirror. It gave me great satisfaction, though, because I’m sure next time he will think twice before slowing down traffic.
It’s not that I don’t care about environment, don’t get me wrong. I just hate to see this holier than though attitude among some on the Left, that really makes them no better than the Bible-thumpers, so certain in their righteousness. All I want is for them to follow the fucking rules! Because I do. And let me live my life the way I want.
May 12, 2010
British Conservatives
I wanted to comment on David Cameron, but then I thought to put it in context to write about British conservatives in general. If only our conservatives were like British conservatives. You need a playbook to come back to power? Drop the silly act and become grown-ups.
May 9, 2010
Sultan of Swing (off topic)
There’s too much interesting stuff going on these days to write about, but I will indulge myself into writing about something unrelated. I just came back from Atlantic City where I saw Mark Knopfler perform. I assume readers of this journal know who he is which will spare me from engaging in platitudes like “one of greatest guitarist of our time”. Statements like these won’t even begin to describe the level of mastery that he still possesses, at 60 years old. I first became acquainted with his music by way of Dire Straits back in the 1980s. The iconic image is still imprinted in my head of Mark wearing headband with the fluorescent guitar in the famous Money for Nothing video.
Unlike my beloved Jimmy Page, another guitar God, whose heavy and powerful chords overwhelm you like a bulldozer, delivering a muscular, unrestrained sound, Mark’s is a fluid, crafty woven guitar lace that is so characteristic of Dire Straits. I was unfamiliar with his latest solo releases, perhaps because I’m a bit of a conservative when it comes to music and I didn’t want to be disappointed. But the sound that I heard from the first notes yesterday was so unique, so unmistakably familiar that it became instantaneously clear who was on stage. His guitar is telling a story in almost Tolkienesque way with many intertwined subplots and ornamental diversions. He doesn’t just go a straight line from A to B, he dances his way from one note to another with his fingers, rivaling Fred Astaire footwork. Despite such mastery, Mark is completely devoid of showmanship and is totally consumed in the moment. He’s there to deliver quality music and not to inspire air-guitar playing kids with various acrobatic tricks. Here’s what I’m talking about (this is from another performance 5 years ago, but he hasn’t lost it). I like how nonchalant he is.
Continue under the fold.
May 6, 2010
Markets
Well, with the Dow down 900(!) points mid-day you have to have some balls. I have a feeling I’m trading against computers and not people. Damn high-frequency traders. I’m not Garry Kasparov to compete with them. What a move! I hope the freaking machines can move up the same way they moved down. Thank God, my biggest position is in gold today.
May 3, 2010
Masters of the Universe
Wall Street. My favorite topic.
I’m sure many of you have seen this letter. We are Wall Street
Listen up little boys. If you are who you say you are, that is you eat what you kill, why am I hearing you crying like children and calling for mommy? If you’re as tough and smart as you think yourself to be, then you will make money under any circumstances. If you only can make money when the market goes up then you’re no different from the Joe Mainstream for whom you show such disdain.
You’re embarrassing your profession with this letter. True predators hunt in all kinds of weather and don’t blame the gazelles for not cooperating. If circumstances change they either evolve or die – they don’t turn into their prey (as you intend to do). If you exercise just a thought of teaching or mowing lawns, then perhaps that means you’re in the wrong profession to begin with, because true carnivores don’t try on a zebra costume when the going gets tough. They grow sharper teeth or develop faster legs or adjust hunting strategies. If you can make money under Bush and can’t make money under Obama it doesn’t say anything about Obama – it says a lot about you. If you think government is inept – you make one bet, if you think government is smart and anti-business you make another bet. If you think things are bad under Obama and stimulus is not working– why don’t you short the market for example? If you think otherwise – why don’t you go long? If you don’t know what the government is going to do – stay flat for a while. The rules of the game have changed – deal with it. It shows that that you’re a one trick pony or worse – a crook with the loaded dice. Try making money the old fashioned way – by making calculated bets, adjusting for political risks and anticipating the government moves, and not complaining about government joining the game. You’re used to sitting at the poker table and seeing fishes and thinking that the way it’s supposed to be. Now a few sharks joined the table and you object! Masters of the Universe my ass! Pathetic wimps! And please stop crying. If I want to hear more wailing I’ll listen to Eddie Vedder.*
*I love Pearl Jam, but Eddie Vedder does indeed wail.
May 2, 2010
May Day 2010
Happy May Day, everybody! With the bevy of events to go to in Manhattan today we couldn’t miss our traditional marijuana march, which happens to be on May 1st.
