Unemployment Claims - USA

Well... is it bottoming out?

Unemployment Claims - USA

Whoever said that it's a good time to invest in stocks now may be a bit early or overly aggressive. Whoever thinks that the worst has past us is clearly dreaming. The unemployment numbers have to come down before we can say that this round of 'economic crisis' is over.

By the way, these are NEW unemployment claims.

More China 'gloom and doom' news.

China and South Korea have announced sharp falls in economic growth, in a further sign of the financial crisis sweeping through east Asia.

China said its GDP fell to 6.8% in the final three months of 2008, from 9% in the previous quarter.

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Yes, yes... We all know the propaganda already. China has human right issues, China trained their athletes too hard, China has bad air pollution, China has unfair trade practices, China is going down the drain with this economic slump.

But 6.8% GDP growth?... That's like Germany on a good year.

Acceptance.

(Kinda a response to chris's post)

hey dude, what a nice post :)

I just came back from the wedding that you were just in. During the time of catching up, wife told me that someone said something about me that it's downright insulting...

When she first told me what was said, I was shocked. I mean it doesn't feel good to be demeaned, insulted directly or indirectly. I got over it fairly quickly (because God is a very skilled healer). And now that I thought about it, what she said revealed more about her than me...

Like you said man, "...Not everyone knows us through and through and we end up getting unnecessarily hurt by these people." In the end, we get hurt by ppl whom we want acceptance from... or our need for acceptance.

Acceptance is a funny thing. By itself it's not a bad thing nor a good thing. It's when we need that accpetance from a 'wrong' person. And when that person say things hurtful, we feel pain.

Anyone can say anything about us really. Someone wise once said, opinions are like assholes, everyone has one. But for me, I'm concerned only with the one who has the final say- Jesus. He says I'm blessed.

It's interesting to note too that as smart, likeable, warm, loving...etc Jesus is, He isn't liked by everyone. In fact, most people hate him. During His days on earth, He was called names, ridiculed, stones were thrown (at least Bush got only shoes!) and in the end murdered and betrayed.

So if the best man on earth can be hated to such levels, what more me, a mere mortal? Furthermore, I'm far far from perfection.

Someone told me recently that at any one time, chances are, 1/3 of the ppl like us, 1/3 hate us, and 1/3 are undecided. Our job is to convince the 1/3 of undecision to come to our side. Math wise, it looks simple and logical. Still our hearts want to be love by everyone. Perhaps my pride is way too big to acknowledge that 66.6% of the world out there can't be bothered about what I'm saying or hate what I'm saying. Being rejected by 66.6% or 4 billion people isn't a good feeling. Imagine 4 billion rotten tomatoes coming at me!

But that is reality. Especially for us who are gifted (even less ppl understand us!) . Who can understand Galileo when he said that the world is round? (He should have just gone to China, they already knew) Who can understand Picasso when he drew those 'ugly' pictures? Who can understand Warren Buffet when he buys when everyone is selling? Who can understand Paul when he talked about the Gospel of Grace?

These men 'see' in their mind's eye.... who can understand Jesus when He said, " Believing is seeing but seeing is not believing". These men are seldom liked when they are alive. They could see where we could not and because of that they are rejected. Are they right? For sure. Are they liked? Not really.

And we are all gifted in our own ways. I can't see what you see, but I can allow you to express that which you see. And if I can do just that, you will feel and know that the love I show you is genuine - then you and I will both feel accepted. My life will also be made richer by your gifts to me. What a wonderful world that will be.

Sale up to 80%... while 'stocks' last!

Late last year we told friends and families that a next round of crash is going to happen. Some have no clues what we're talking about, some think we're talking air. One said,' Har?! Still got some more to go ah?"

To which I replied with the song..."it's only just begun".

It's round two now at the Dows and.. Apple is out of Jobs :) Banks are still desperate for cash. Not only that, I hear that hedge funds need to liquidate their positions to pay back withdrawals request from last year. It would mean a big sell off of everything in the market which leads to plumetting prices.

We haven't even heard about credit loans, car loans yet.

It's not a beautiful picture really. However for the wise, therein lies great opportunity. Loans are getting cheaper. Good assets are getting more 'affordable'...

And inline with the Golden globe fever... I want to thank USA for this opportunity that they have given us. To be more specific, the Feds who has royally screwed the people of USA, the SEC and of course not forgetting the secretary of treasury.

Your determination to have more debt and to print more money has made all these things possible. Your undeterred support to your banker friends in these great times, giving them free loans to buy up other banks... *smiles* you know who you are... has also given all of us hope that indeed money is 'free'.

I hear you car szar, you're the fastest learner of us all, well done. The threat on massive unemployment did worked! :)

Last but not least, Mr President George W Bush. All this cannot happen without your clueless, aimless and visionless leadership qualities.

Your ability to dodge 2 shoe throws has inspire us all that indeed you can spew out any and every bullshit and dodge all repercussions.

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You guys should have just elected Ron Paul instead.

Hero of the week - NINJA

The hero of the week - NINJA - No Income, No job or assets.

Mr. NINJA Loan, NINJA credit cards, NINJA Putra... the NINJA family is taking the headlines everywhere I turn!

Hero of the week - Bernard Madoff

There are con man, and there are CON master. I've always thought that if I were to be a con man, I should do it big time. Like really BIG time.

Why do it small time? Firstly, it's harder to con. Secondly, if your'e caught your losses still far outweights your rewards. Take our hero for the week for example. The con is worth USD 50bn!!!!! Who knows how much more he kept? The penalty apparently is 20 years jail or 5m fine.

I can almost hear it in court, "The defendant pleads guilty. Here's 10m, keep the change."

But the question I have in mind is how did he get past all the 'checks'. Did the governing authority practiced double standards in doing their job:- if you're a who's who they let you off easy, if you're a new player, they scrutinise you?

A friend have another good theory. The scheme he says, is 100% legit. Just highly leverage and exploiting some insider loopholes. When the financial crisis hit, the scheme starts to fall apart. So, Madoff, being the smaller fry is taking the fall. It's impossible for him to pull out such a scheme alone.

Now if the whole scheme falls apart, not only the insider loopholes will be compromised, the big fishes that Madoff works for will also be affected. Now, Madoff is already big, so you can imagine who the other bigger fishes are. Big money are also at stake .

Saying that it's a Ponzi scheme is easy and less 'technical'. Pleads guilty quickly. Investigation stops. Names are protected, loopholes are still intact. More money exchange hands. In about 2 years, the whole thing can start again when the financial crises is over. Afterall, humans do have a very short term memory.

Heads you win, Tail you lose pt 3

Tell me, what was the first word you said (in your head also count!) right after you read this.
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Context... ever since petrol peaked a few months ago, the government has been crying foul about how they can't afford subsidy anymore. They were losing billions!! (So they say... except for that P-company which were making billions suddenly with the increase of oil price)

They had NO choice. See they say it here:

"PUTRAJAYA: The Government announced yesterday an increase in petrol and diesel prices, stating that it can no longer continue to subsidise fuel. "

Some people then say taking away subsidy is also good because we should go to a free market system. The government can also use what's saved to other areas.

"He said the Government would save RM13.7bil through the restructuring.

From the savings, he said RM4bil would go to the National Food Supply Guarantee Policy, RM1.5bil for subsidising cooking oil and RM400mil to subsidise rice imports to make the price uniform in peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak.

The Government would also spend RM200mil on flour subsidy, RM100mil on bread subsidy and RM7.5bil was meant for contributions to the subsidies for petrol, diesel and gas."

Subsidy or not, inflation quickly sky-rocketed.

And just as it quickly went up it came down. And down. It came down so much that we are now paying TAXES on fuel? TAXES?!!!

CCB! From GETTING subsidy at current prices we end up PAYING taxes!!!!!! and the more petrol price is dropping the more the government can take!

Now, with ALL the BIG savings we get from the cancellation of subsidy we were promised infrastructures.. bla bla blah... now leh? Now do we get more?

Savings + Taxes = more infrastructure? better internet lines? cheaper goods? or just more eurocopter?

When oil prices went up, the people had to take the big blow. We bore the inflation and now that the oil prices has come down we have to pay tax? Is this how a caring government show love?

So what did u say right after you read the news?

FUCK!

Heads you win, Tail I lose

... wall street for you.

... and if they manage to brokee the deal to outright spend USD$700bn to buy back all the bad debts, and indirectly passing back all the risk to the taxpayers

....while the bankers, regulators (ie the Feds) get off scott free....

Hahahahaha! Muahahahaha!

All Americans taxpayers just got butt fucked / screwed / whateveryouwannacall it.

How I nearly puke over my coffee

See here. The topic reads "China chemicals starve Indian pharma". If you read further, it says , "But because China has stopped, there's pressure on materials coming from Taiwan, Korea, Europe. And everyone's taking a little bit advantage and jacking up their prices."

So apparently closing factories in China causes prices to rise why? because everyone else is taking advantage to jack up the prices. So now when China's factories take a break for the olympic is China's fault and not the countries that jacking up their prices?

Why not blame the fund managers for pushing up oil prices? Where are they, the fund managers from? How come those issue are not covered nor their country blamed? How about food prices? How about energy prices?


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On the local front, this news made me 'vomit blood'. The issue of opening up UiTM to non-malays is actually a 10% issue. 10% of the total places in UiTM is hardly opening up to other races isn't it?

And I quote: "If something like this is allowed to happen, then there will be a worrying situation where many Malay institutions will crumble and be 'Malaysianised'.

So the problem here is that a university being Malaysianised? So much for Merdeka day coming.

Addicted to Oil

Before I write more I want to say that I totally don't agree with the way the government increase oil prices? Why can't they warn everyone first, like 3 months before so that everyone is prepared mentally. It seems they like to 'shock' everyone. Maybe they were trying to prevent prices to 'increase so fast' but that's inevitable isn't it?

As Malaysia is pondering about the shocking price increase I can't stop to wonder, why are we still addicted to oil?

And human race as a whole seems to be a forgetful lot. Take Malaysia for example, just more than a few months ago, we were 'shocked' when fuel prices went up to 1.9. The governement said it'll use all the savings for this and that... now they're spinning the same story. Are we expecting the 'savings' to put to good use again...?

So everytime the oil price hit a new high, the human race cries out. When crude oil first hit 50/barrel then 80/barrel then 100/barrel and then 130/barrel as in now. Each time we cry foul! The airline all went crazy. Then the powers that be produces a bit more oil, bring the prices down a bit... and then.... all is merry again!

The car manufacturers, oil producers...etc are playing all of us suckers! Electric cars (google who killed the electric car) were mass produced 10 years ago. Using 'lousy' batteries in today's standards and yet they still say electric cars are 'not ready'. Comparing electric cars and Hybrids, we would conclude that Hybrids are the 'Low-tech' cars isn't it?

So the Low Tech Hybrid cars are made so 'expensive' today because like all new product, they're going to bring the price down slowly. Does that make sense, you decide.

Yet government don't make efforts to shift us from the addiction. Why don't they give tax exemption for such cars? or restructure incentives to promote alternative energies. The technology is not ready is complete bull. It'll never be 'ready' if it isn't given a chance. Actually I think it's more than ready... just google it and you'll see what I mean or if you don't know how to read or spell just watch discovery. But what's stopping it from happening is $$$, money, mulah.

There's just so much unmade profits! from oil, from electricity...etc power supply is big business.

The other half is that, we're not used to energy being free. Humans are habitual creatures and after 100 years of paying for energy we're just not used to it being free... and it can be free. But in a capitalist world that's not gonna happen. And when there's money, there's greed and with that - even the best projects in the world can fail. (but really 100 years ago, energy are mostly free)

Meanwhile, the weather in the world gets worst. We blame it global warming- which is linked! heloo?!

So back to Malaysia and the world, we're addicted to oil and we're not doing anything about it. Like the guy who's addicted to cigarettes, he tells himself... after his it's the last stick. I was there and I tell you, he's bluffing himself. Until the world becomes convicted, we'll continue to be addicted to oil... so start preparing for 200/barrel and then 300/barrel.