XL-entLady's Account Talk

[Eldritch Flatus]

Someone on another thread stated their opinion that, "...from an ideological standpoint, multiculturalism is but a thinly veiled attack on the central principles and ideas of Western civilization." So I wanted to put in my 2 cents.

I think multi-culturalism is accepting the best parts of all people in order to grow - - a sort of educated evolution. And it's happening regardless of what we think about it. So we may want to remember that when faced with evolutionary changes, we have three choices: adapt, migrate, or die. I think I choose ... hmm-m-m-m ... adapt!

Lady

I am concerned that the term 'multi-culturalism' is simply a whitewashing of the term 'invasion'. I believe that history shows us that when cultures and countries are invaded, the invaders are absorbed, or absorb the invaded culture, or are repulsed. In our case, I think those are our choices. But what do I know, I just do science stuff.

 

[XL-entLady]

I am concerned that the term 'multi-culturalism' is simply a whitewashing of the term 'invasion'. I believe that history shows us that when cultures and countries are invaded, the invaders are absorbed, or absorb the invaded culture, or are repulsed. In our case, I think those are our choices.

If this is an "invasion" (I don't subscribe to that opinion but this would be a boring world if we all thought alike) then I agree that we would have the three choices you've outlined. History shows that we can absorb, be absorbed, or let a river of blood run in the streets for at least a generation while we repel. Given those choices, I choose .... hmmm-m-m-m ... still adapt!!

Thanks for your visit to my MB home.

Lady

 

[luv2read]

fourth choice...resistance is futile....you will be assimilated. -The Borg:worried::nuts:

 

[XL-entLady]

fourth choice...resistance is futile....you will be assimilated. -The Borg:worried::nuts:

Thanks for a grin to lighten this discussion. L2R doing her impression of Locutus of Borg .... Ooooh, I hope this doesn't damage your presidential campaign!! :laugh:

Lady

 

[Steadygain]

I am concerned that the term 'multi-culturalism' is simply a whitewashing of the term 'invasion'. I believe that history shows us that when cultures and countries are invaded, the invaders are absorbed, or absorb the invaded culture, or are repulsed. In our case, I think those are our choices. But what do I know, I just do science stuff.

Sarah, my daughter in South Korea - will go to North Korea in the near future. Her ultimate goal, and dream of dreams, is to somehow be a part of uniting them as "one". Hopefully we are comming to a better time - a better place - where we can openly accept each other AND resolve the "ongoing war between N & S Korea" without bloodshed or conflict.

But your point is a good one. As I've researched Iran over the years I've come to find the general population have held on to their true idenity - and largely resent the powers over them.

 

[XL-entLady]

Hopefully we are comming to a better time - a better place - where we can openly accept each other .... without bloodshed or conflict.

Amen to that, my sparkling friend! It's good to see you in the neighborhood again. And thanks for your visit! In the words of the dastardly invaders (<- ), mi casa es su casa!

Lady

 

[Frixxxx]

Sarah, my daughter in South Korea ....

Steady, I was just there....I could've popped in on her and said hi...oh well. I get to go back in March!

Take it from one who has spent many a year in South Korea, I too hope they can tear down that fence and get on with focusing on the real things in life......LIVING instead of FIGHTING!!!!

 

[FogSailing]

Lady:

Thanks for the definition...I always wanted to learn Latin..

FS

 

[Birchtree]

Lady,

Come on over to ChemEng thread and share some of your life long experiences with us regarding educating children.

 

[XL-entLady]

Lady:

Thanks for the definition...I always wanted to learn Latin..

FS

You're very welcome. Thanks for taking the time to stop by!

Lady

 

[Steadygain]

Steady, I was just there....I could've popped in on her and said hi...oh well. I get to go back in March!

Take it from one who has spent many a year in South Korea, I too hope they can tear down that fence and get on with focusing on the real things in life......LIVING instead of FIGHTING!!!!

Wow!! Started my day off perfect - and now...what can I say, I'm speechless.

That's the ultimate beauty of this site NOT the 1-4% gains; but the real bonds that make it all so beautiful.

Lady - thank you too!!

Am over the worst and feeling the healing.

It's strange because I refused to let it go - somehow felt to let go of the pain was the worst failure - but had to find something deeper inside and once I found that nothing else mattered.

Well, I've honestly got at least 10 charts to write up and an admission in the hospital I need to take care of. But today is one of those glorious days that keeps bringing back for more and more.

Have a good night - see ya tomorrow.

 

[nasa1974]

Lady, found some information about Barclays contract. It is on my account. Enjoy the reading.:laugh:


May the force be with us.

 

[XL-entLady]

For anyone who still has IFTs for August (an IFT before noon today) or wants to use their first September IFT (an IFT after noon today), here are this week's updates on the simple moving averages. Trend shifts? Or just a plot to make us crazy?

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,G Fund,,,,F Fund,,,C Fund,,,S Fund,,,,I Fund
10 day SMA: ,,+0.0%,,,,+0.2%,,,,+0.9%,,,+1.2%,,,,+0.9%
20 day SMA: ,,+0.1%,,,,+0.5%,,,+0.7%,,,+1.0%,,,,-0.1%
50 day SMA: ,,+0.4%,,,,+0.9%,,,+2.3%,,,+3.0%,,,,-3.0%
100 day SMA: ,+0.7%,,+0.8%,,,-1.9%,,,,,-0.3%,,,,,,-9.0%
150 day SMA: ,+1.1%,,+0.7%,,,-1.7%,,,,,+0.9%,,,,-8.9%
200 day SMA: ,+1.5%,,+1.0%,,,-3.2%,,,,,+0.1%,,,,-10.5%

The above numbers are the simple moving averages (SMAs) for each fund, based
on Thrift Fund share prices and simplified by being recorded only once a week. Because I'm
trying to look at trends I've highlighted any changes < or > 0.5%. Follow the column
down in order to see how a TSP Fund is trending long-term.

 

[luv2read]

Lady, your expertise is required by the Happy Bear - and this information would be helpful on the Retirement Planning thread as well.

http://www.tsptalk.com/mb/showpost.php?p=177754&postcount=1335

 

[XL-entLady]

The tables in the following article aren't going to format correctly, but I've included the address if you'd like to see the original article. I thought it was interesting.

• Why Now Is a Good Time to "Be Greedy"
  By Jim Mueller
  August 26, 2008
  "I will tell you how to become rich. … Be fearful when others are greedy. Be greedy when others are fearful."
  -- Warren Buffett
  What makes Buffett's quote especially relevant today is the following bit of information:
  A recent New York Times article pointed out that bearish sentiment, as measured by the Conference Board, has hit an all-time high. Fully 55% of the people questioned in July expect the stock market to decline over the next 12 months.
  Why is this important today? Because each time the bearish sentiment has exceeded 35% over the past 21 years, the market has confounded that sentiment by gaining ground over the following year, at an average pace of 20.5%.
  Month
  Bearish Sentiment (% of People Questioned)
  Following 12-Month Rise in S&P 500 Index
  Nov. 1987
  39%
  19%
  Oct. 1990
  48%
  29%
  Dec. 1991
  36%
  4%
  April 1994
  36%
  14%
  Oct. 1998
  36%
  24%
  Mar 2003
  47%
  33%
  July 2008
  55%
  ??
  
  Source: The New York Times.
  I love pessimism
  Of course, past performance is no guarantee of future return, but take another look at that quote above. And then read this one, also from Warren Buffett, from his 1990 letter to shareholders:
  The most common cause of low prices is pessimism -- sometimes pervasive, sometimes specific to a company or industry. We want to do business in such an environment, not because we like pessimism but because we like the prices it produces. It's optimism that is the enemy of the rational buyer.
  Were you one of those who checked the table above when I told you the date of that quote? The man knows what he's talking about.
  As an example, in October 1990, just as bearish sentiment was peaking at 48%, he revealed that he had upped his position in Wells Fargo to just shy of 10% of the company. In the following 12 months, while the market returned a "mere" 29%, that one investment returned 123%. In the five years following that bearish peak, it returned 290%, or 31.3% average per year! And that doesn't even include the dividends. He still owns about 8.8% of the company.
  Here's a more recent example
  The last time bearish sentiment peaked, in the spring of 2003, it reached 47%. However, if you had been greedy instead of fearful, you could have picked up shares in the following fairly prominent, well-capitalized companies and gotten some outstanding returns:
  Company
  Market Cap, 3/31/03
  Debt-to-Equity, 12/31/02
  Price Change, 3/31/03 - 3/31/08
  Apple(Nasdaq: AAPL)
  $5.1 billion
  7.8%
  1,930%
  Celgene(Nasdaq: CELG)
  $2.0 billion
  0.05%
  840%
  CVS Caremark(NYSE: CVS)
  $9.4 billion
  21.4%
  240%
  Research In Motion(Nasdaq: RIMM)
  $1.0 billion
  1.6%
  5,056%
  
  Source: Capital IQ, a division of Standard & Poor's.
  What is Warren doing today?
  Now with bearish sentiment again sky high, Buffett has been greedy this year. Not only has he continued to increase his position in railroad Burlington Northern(NYSE: BNI), but he's also taken a fairly sizable position in industrial-equipment maker Ingersoll-Rand(NYSE: IR). He's even bumped up his holding in health insurer UnitedHealth Group(NYSE: UNH) some 7%.
  Will those picks work out for him? Given his record, probably.
  However, the question you must ask yourself today isn't "What is Warren doing?"
  Rather, it's "Am I going to be greedy?"
  
  Pasted from <http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2008/08/26/why-now-is-a-good-time-to-be-greedy.aspx>
  

 

[Warrenlm]

Is it appropriate to draw general conclusions from Buffet’s current selective purchases? Isn’t it likely that the sentiment will further retreat? While the market looks forward, I wonder what we can see as the future good news that would cause a turnaround at this moment rather than some far off future date? I’ve yet to see an analysis of news and events at the time of the previous bottoms that would help put current data and political news in that context. Buffet also says never bet against America, but when offering a time range says that things will not be better in 5 months but will be better in 5 years. Dennis believes in DCA to offset the possible missing of a dramatic increase, but a 20% dramatic increase after another 25% drop is still a loss. Besides, now he’s no longer investing for his own use but for his heirs’ use. That’s really longterm and makes his advice of less value to his contemporaries.

 

[XL-entLady]

.... Isn’t it likely that the sentiment will further retreat? .... Buffet also says never bet against America, but when offering a time range says that things will not be better in 5 months but will be better in 5 years. Dennis believes in DCA to offset the possible missing of a dramatic increase, but a 20% dramatic increase after another 25% drop is still a loss. ...

Excellent points and questions, all, Warrenlm.

I took my first marketing class at the age of 19, and the Law of Supply and Demand is a rock on which I have built much of my adult life. I believe it applies whether the medium of exchange is time, recognition, or financial gain. Supply and demand are strongly influenced by expectations, and decisions are based just as much on emotion and behavioral bias as they are on factual information.

I know from my recent studies of technical analysis that volitility indexes usually peak at market bottoms. Ned Davis Research, Inc. found that between 1970 and 2005, when the Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index was predominately pessimistic the stock market rose on average 27.3% per annum.

One thing in that article below that arrested my attention was the statement that bearish sentiment, as measured by the Conference Board, has hit an alltime high. That means, obviously, that emotions of stress, uncertainty, fear and nervousness are at an alltime high. The Law of Supply and Demand dictates that there should be a swing.

I don't know if we've hit the bottom yet or not. My crystal ball is in the shop for repairs. All I know is that we'd better perk up and pay attention because we're either close to the bottom, or we've hit the perfect storm and the "D" word will be coming into play.

But that's just my opinion. And my opinion and a dollar still won't buy anything at Starbucks! :cheesy:
Lady

 

[XL-entLady]

On another thread someone mentioned thinking that an old lady should just shut up and color. It reminded me of something and I hope you don’t mind if I share it.

From my early teens until I graduated from high school I worked as a kitchen helper at a senior care center (but in those days it was called a nursing home) in the town where I was raised and where my parents still live. I did it to save money for college, but I learned a lot while I was there. It was easy to make friends with the patients, because little things meant so much to them.

Mrs. Belliston was always delighted when I would bring her a fresh pot of hot water for her green tea after my shift ended. But she would never let me bring her a new teabag when I asked. Most of the time she would follow her reply of “no, thank you dear” by saying “you know, child, I lived through the depression and I’ve learned how to use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without!”

I learned songs like “When You wish Upon a Star” and “In the Cool of the Evening” because Mr. Simon, who had alzheimers, was much less restless while I fed him if I sang songs he still recognized.

And every Sunday morning when I brought Mrs. Johnston her breakfast tray, I helped her put on her necklace and earring set while she explained to me that she needed to look her best in case her boy, Charles, came to visit her that week. Most weeks he didn’t. On the rare occasions when he did, he would talk at her rather than to her for a few minutes and then gather up his young family and walk back out with a smile on his face because he had done his Christian duty that week.

A few months ago my mom told me that Charles Johnston had passed away after a long stay at that same care center where I used to work. I wonder if his children treated him the way they were taught on those visits to their grandmother…..

Lady

 

[justbizness45]

On another thread someone mentioned thinking that an old lady should just shut up and color. It reminded me of something and I hope you don’t mind if I share it.

Lady, it's your thread so you can share anything you wish. I for one find your observations fresh and enlightening. Please continue to share your thoughts. JB45

 

[XL-entLady]

Lady, it's your thread so you can share anything you wish. I for one find your observations fresh and enlightening. Please continue to share your thoughts. JB45

JB45, thanks for the vote of confidence! It made me realize that I should have clarified at the start of my story below that the person who made the comment about the lady was not talking about me! :embarrest: Oops!

I guess I didn't think about needing the clarification because in my everyday life I do have a nickname that everyone calls me but it's not "Lady". Sorry about the confusion everyone! Oh well, you can't teach an old dog new ....math....

Speaking of mangled proverbs, since the last few posts on this thread were a little heavy,we should lighten things up a little. So here are some more proverbs that make me smile:

It's always darkest before daylight savings time.
The pen is mightier than the pigs.
Two's company, three's The Musketeers.
If at first you don't succeed, get new batteries. And last but not least,
Laugh and the world laughs with you; cry, and you have to blow your nose.​

Have a good evening, everyone!
Lady