The Barron Blog

Wednesday, 23 January 2008

Rays Of Shunshine In 2008 For The Global Economy

The U.S. Housing Bubble has burst and housing is becoming more affordable to lower income workers (with good credit).
Multinationals on the Dow like "Johnson and Johnson" "Coca Cola" and "General Electric" are doing well internationally because of a lower American dollar.
Millions of speculators have lost billions of dollars moving in out of global markets over the last six months. Kiss the "Get Rich Quick Hustlers" goodbye.
Green techology companies are the fastest growing businesses in the world.
There's a strong possibility that a democratic president and a democractic congress will intervene to soften the effects of a recession or slowdown.
Millions of delinquent debtors will receive credit counselling from social agencies in many states.
Thousands of bankers and financiers in the U.S. and the world will receive a crash course on "Risk Management 101".
The stock markets of North America are coming under the control of experienced investors rather than erratic speculators.
The Olympics in China this year will not only bring athletes of the world together, but deal making business leaders as well.
The Federal Reserve will lower interest rates quicker in 2008.
The TD Bank of Canada will be used as a example of good banking and investing policies.
More and more banks will get into "microfinancing" which helps small time entrepreneurs. This is also a job creator.
More Opportunities For Investing In Green Technology
Big Time Operator

Posted by qualteam at 5:34 PM EST

Updated: Thursday, 24 January 2008 2:59 PM EST

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Monday, 21 January 2008

Fear Mongering On The Stock Markets

FDR stated back in the depression "that we had nothing to fear but fear itself." He could be talking today about the markets.
More than anything bear markets seem to feed on baser human emotions like fear, hopelessness and depression. Mankind can't advance if they think they're going to be eaten alive.
We survive because we step back from a situation (even a world war) and see what can be done about it. We use our heads, our rationality. We solve problems rather than being a problem.
On the stock market "bubbles" burst all the time. In 2001, there was the "tech bubble", in 2007, it was the "credit/subprime bubble".
However, the bottomline is not everyone that has money invested in mortgages, the stock market or anything else is stupid or nuts.
If fact, most of the companies in the U.S. are more value priced then other companies in the world. Most of them like G.E., Microsoft, Caterpiller are in good shape with good profits.
We all have to live within our means and I believe most people in the U.S. and elsewhere try to do so.
Affordable housing is beginning to appear in the U.S. and that's good. People will buy to live there rather than flipping the property because of inflated prices.
Green technology is coming on the scene and within a few years it will be driving the stock markets. The investment sheep are always chasing the next big thing.
My advice is to do what Warren Buffett does "buy good stocks at a value price and hold them a long time".

Posted by qualteam at 11:26 PM EST

Updated: Monday, 21 January 2008 11:35 PM EST

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Wednesday, 16 January 2008

The Most Influential Man Of The 1960s Is...

Gene Roddenberry, of course. How many other writers have spawned a TV series that lasted more than 40 years?
From the frontiers of science to the end of our galaxy, Gene opened up the universe more than any other sci/fi writer in history.
I remember well my top ten favourites of all the episodes:
The Squire Of Gothos
Metamorphosis
City On The Edge Of Forever
Spectre Of The Gun
Encounter At Farpoint
Best Of Both Worlds
Measure Of A Man
The Offspring
Remember Me
All The "Q" Episodes
The whole medieval/religious concept of "heavens above" and "hell below" changed with Gene's viewpoint of high tech civilizations in a high tech universe. Our loss is the future's gain.

Death of Star Trek Creator Gene Roddenberry - 1991
Uploaded by tvnut

Posted by qualteam at 10:45 PM EST

Updated: Thursday, 17 January 2008 11:23 PM EST

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Sunday, 13 January 2008

Living Under The Threat Of Nuclear Destruction In The 50s And 60s

The threat of a nuclear attack was very real during the 1950s and 1960s. The weapons became bigger and bigger with each test and there were enough of them to wipe out mankind many times.
The only time I really felt a sense of doom was during the Cuba Missle Crisis (October/1962) when President Kennedy confronted Soviet Premier Khrushchev over the deployment of missles in Cuba. Fortunately, the crisis was averted but most of the boomers felt that nuclear war could happen at anytime.
Many felt that they had to experience love, success and enlightenment very quickly or they wouldn't experience it all. In the 50s and 60s, we found outlets for our youthful feelings in rock music, alternate life styles, civil rights movements, anti-war protests and new age religions.
Personally, I feel, the emotional intensity/creativity of this time was brought on not only by the threat of massive global destuction, but the subconscious memory of it in a previous lifetime.
We know that information can be compressed into tiny bits and bytes on a hard drive. In a human being, I believe that pictures and sounds can contain our memories. This is "subatomic memory". Within my own subconscious, 50s and 60s rock songs brought back memories of an ancient civilization destroyed by nuclear weapons.
Why did this destruction happen? Perhaps, the answer lies in the song "One Tin Soldier".

Posted by qualteam at 8:21 PM EST

Updated: Sunday, 13 January 2008 9:24 PM EST

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Friday, 11 January 2008

Great Songwriting Duos Of The 20th Century

In discussing the roots of today's popular music, I couldn't leave the subject with Carole King and Gerry Goffin. There were other marvelous songwriters that I should mention here like Lennon and McCartney, Leiber and Stoller, Elton John and Bernie Taupin and my personal favourites, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. The picture above was them from the 1960s.
Barry and Cynthia are almost pure songwriters who have written hits for Tony Orlando, The Drifters, Dan Hill, Dolly Parton, James Ingram, etc. They've written almost 50 hits over four decades.
Below is a rare B-side recording by Barry called "Love True Love". The A-side was his only hit Who Put The Bop?

One of my all time favourites was written by Barry and Cynthia. It's "Bless You" by Tony Orlando. Enjoy.

Posted by qualteam at 10:35 PM EST

Updated: Friday, 11 January 2008 11:33 PM EST

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Thursday, 10 January 2008

A Great Musical Performance Of All Time: This Chick Rocks
Mood: a-ok

This is Carole King doing her own version of Locomotion(note that Slash from Gun And Roses is on lead guitar).
The song has been covered multiple times. It is notable for making the Top 5 in the USA three times: for Little Eva(its original release in1962; went to #1); for Grand Funk Railroad in 1974 (US #1); and for Kylie Minogue in 1988 (US #3). It is not a well known fact, but yes, it was written by Carole along with Gerry Goffin.
Below is my favourite Carole King song:
Will You Love Me Tomorrow?/The Shirelles

Posted by qualteam at 5:15 PM EST

Updated: Thursday, 10 January 2008 5:33 PM EST

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Tuesday, 8 January 2008

Running Bear: The Video And Song

I discovered this video of "Running Bear" on YouTube and it's just beautiful.
It's a real tribute to North American Native Peoples.
I believe Sony James sings the vocal in this one. Below the video is the original Running Bear by Johnny Preston.

The Original Running Bear/Johnny Preston
The Journey To Katimavik, The Sacred Burial Grounds

Posted by qualteam at 10:19 PM EST

Updated: Tuesday, 8 January 2008 10:27 PM EST

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Sunday, 6 January 2008

Starting 2008 Off Right With Some Great Rare Oldies
Mood: cool

It is very doubtful that you might hear the songs below on an oldies radio station. They come from the lost period of music from 1958 to 1964. Most of the tunes are very romantic but not in the style of Frank Sinatra or Tony Bennett. They move with their own groovy beat.
This is a sample of the young music of the time. Mostly young teenage girls and boys listened to this music.
Nothing like this existed before or after this time. Please enjoy.
Sandy/Larry Hall
Ginny Come Lately/Brian Hyland
The Girl Of My Best Friend/Elvis
Cradle Of Love/Johnny Preston
Robbin' The Cradle/Tony Bellus
Dreamy Eyes/Johnny Tillotson
Cinderella/Paul Anka

Posted by qualteam at 9:49 PM EST

Updated: Wednesday, 5 August 2009 6:07 PM EDT

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Saturday, 5 January 2008

My Comfort Zone Just Shrunk

Here's the dictionary definition of "comfort zone": the level at which one functions with ease and familiarity.
My particular comfort zone on finances just shrunk over the last week. Part of the reason, is that I'm still invested in both U.S. and Canadian mutual funds/stocks.
Well, what goes down, eventually will go up. I believe most of the negativity is priced into the stock markets already and it has no where to go but up.
On a personal level, there was blow to my "comfort bubble" on finances. I'm not as well off as I was last week. Maybe this is a good thing, because I'll have to extend my comfort zone to other part-time jobs that would raise more money towards a secure retirement. Working harder and smarter goes along with this situation.
Saying a prayer also helps.
I Gotta Be Me/Steve Lawrence

Posted by qualteam at 9:13 PM EST

Updated: Saturday, 5 January 2008 10:05 PM EST

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Thursday, 3 January 2008

Top Ten Courtroom Cross Examinations

I discovered these courtroom interrogations by accident on www.stumbleupon.com . These incidents actually happened with different lawyers who were getting paid by governments or clients.
Attorney: Are you sexually active? Witness: No, I just lie there.
Attorney: So the date of conception of the baby was August 8th?Witness: Yes. Attorney: And what were you doing at that time? Witness: Uh.......
Attorney: All your responses MUST be oral, OK? What school did you go to? Witness: Oral.
Attorney: Now doctor, isn't it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn't know about it until the next morning? Witness: Did you actually pass the bar exam?
Attorney: Do you recall the time that you examined the body? Witness: The autopsy started around 8:30 P.M. Attorney: And Mr. Denton was dead at the time? Witness: No, he was sitting on the table wondering why I was doing an autopsy on him.
Attorney: What was the first thing your husband said to you that morning? Witness: He said, "Where am I, Cathy?" Attorney: And why did that upset you? Witness: My name is Susan.
Attorney: She had three children, right? Witness: Yes. Attorney: How many were boys? Witness: None. Attorney: Were there any girls?
Attorney: Doctor, how many of your autopsies have you performed on dead people? Witness: All of my autopsies are performed on dead people.
Attorney: How was your first marriage terminated? Witness: By death? Attorney: And by whose death was it terminated?
Attorney: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse? Witness: No. Attorney: Did you check for blood pressure? Witness: No. Attorney: Did you check for breathing? Witness: No. Attorney: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy? Witness: No. Attorney: How can you be so sure, doctor? Witness: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar? Attorney: But could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless? Witness: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law.
Cross Examinations In Court
Why It Is Important

Posted by qualteam at 9:49 PM EST

Updated: Thursday, 3 January 2008 9:52 PM EST

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