Comments on: Things to watch out for this year

By: Eric Sedensky, Madison, AL

Eric Sedensky, Madison, AL — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 23:31:51 +0000

Yes, Bing, it shows up under “ostriches” on Google Images. It shows up under “Emus” too. Look closely. Stare into its eyes… It’s an emu.

By: Mike, Spokane, WA

Mike, Spokane, WA — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 02:24:45 +0000

Ivan, shorting a stock is most certainly a legitimate investment strategy, but a part of me is always delighted when the shares go rapidly the other way…..the potential upside risk is unlimited, yet the potential gains are quite finite.

Sort of like watching the animal planet….everyone enjoys seeing the nasty old crocodile get stomped by an elephant about the time its getting ready to enjoy a tasty baby wildebeest. Doesn’t nearly happen often enough….but nonetheless very satisfying.

By: Mike, Spokane, WA

Mike, Spokane, WA — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 02:05:59 +0000

And, Insert Name Here, you’re very quick to denigrate any thought that might trivialize the importance of money to happiness.

By: Ivan, Washington, DC

Ivan, Washington, DC — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 23:10:42 +0000

This may be all well and good. but it really sucks to be Ford. Everyday their common stock has gone down by a couple of percent.

So that’s my recipe for happiness in this market: open a margin account with some on-line trading house and start shorting Ford (F). Just make sure that you dump your entire position before they declare bankruptcy.

By: Insert Name Here, New Jersey

Insert Name Here, New Jersey — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 12:39:56 +0000

…..everyone’s quick to rationalize the triviality of money when there isn’t any.

By: Mike, Spokane, WA

Mike, Spokane, WA — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 01:30:33 +0000

Josh…sounds to me like you’ve got your head screwed on straight. You’re quite correct; there’s no end to acquiring the stuff we think will make us happy (and no mistake about it, the greed that drives markets, and individuals, has very little to do with achieving actual happiness). I’m sincerely glad you’re enjoying your life in the ‘here and now’.

By: Paul, Miami Fl.

Paul, Miami Fl. — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 01:28:54 +0000

Bing,

Indubitably.

By: Chris, Plano, Tx

Chris, Plano, Tx — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 01:01:41 +0000

Bing: you mentioned that you have decided to “avoid, deride and abjure the following group of bad actors that right now are circling in the mist:” and you go on describing executioners, revisionistas, etc, etc, so the question is: why did you have to wait for the storm to take that decision? was not a long overdue action to take? so means that in good times this actors are good to be around?

By: Robbie P, Endicott NY

Robbie P, Endicott NY — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 01:01:20 +0000

So here is the zoo as I see it in Company X:

The Elephants invoke the Lions, Tigers, and Bears.

The Lions Tigers and Bears invoke the Badgers.

The Badgers do what they do…badger the Worker Bees.

The Worker Bees go make it happen, stinging the rest of the zoo animals so they run in the desired direction.

Just my take…

By: Robbie P, Endicott NY

Robbie P, Endicott NY — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 00:37:48 +0000

Josh I hope you will be back, Jack is right you do have vision and insight that I enjoy reading.

Hey yeah, I worked a long time for minimum wage and piecework making shoes, before going corporate in a still humble way compared to the moguldom discussed on this blog…those moguls need worker bees like us…

So anyway, good luck to you, as Zappa said, “Music is the best…”
– Mary from the Bus, Joe’s Garage

By: Isaac, Culver City, Ca.

Isaac, Culver City, Ca. — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 22:30:57 +0000

Josh: and your point is…..? You and the likes will come back as soon as things improve, no human being can live with just love and a nice family and beautiful songs, it takes money, dude, lots of money, it does not give you happiness but it really calm your nerves and worries!!!!! Love is good but it does not protect you from weather, cant eat it or drink it

By: Bill, Laurel, MD

Bill, Laurel, MD — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 22:27:19 +0000

To Bing: Love the ostrich picture! In addition to the characters of whom we need to be careful, I must add each one of us. Ourselves.

To Josh: May your girl always love you as much as she does now, and may your songs make you both happy. Takes me back to an earlier time in my own life. My girl (now my wife of 26 years) loves me as much as ever, but our lives are so hectic, I wonder what happened. The world can be a rough place We each must find our own inner happiness. Please come back and share your thoughts now and then.

By: Ed, Montreal

Ed, Montreal — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 22:26:16 +0000

Josh,

Thanks for sharing your parting thoughts. You are absolutely correct of course that wealth has nothing to do with happiness … unhappiness maybe. A passion for money as the root of nasty things is proverbial.

I hope though you won’t do the pendulum swing into hating it. When we’re putting in 40 or 50 hours a week anyway to pay our bills, it’s only reasonable to watch for opportunities of more pay which can trim working hours and free up more time for what’s truly important to us.

I envy your gift of songwriting and understand enough about it to know it can be a wonderful catalyst in searching into “most interesting and educational things.” Although your explorations down one road failed to satisfy, I sincerely wish you unqualified satisfaction down another.

- Ed

By: Tim Martin,, McKinleyville, CA

Tim Martin,, McKinleyville, CA — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 22:15:23 +0000

Unlike Josh, I’m never giving up. That means the bad guys win. Not only am I not giving up, I’ve got two kids that I’ve brainwashed into thinking war is bad, hippies are good, and right-wing government is the devil’s work! I realize that I’ll probably go to hell for this, but at least I won’t have to buddy around with George W. Bush or quail hunt with Dick Cheney. My battle cry is: Keep kicking against the pricks!

By: Jack Hammond Canada

Jack Hammond Canada — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 21:18:59 +0000

BYE Josh, By Josh

Don’t give up kid, the world is mostly slime and you figured it out at a young age,,,that puts you ahead of the game already,,,so you don’t make a lot of bucks,,,,we all started out that way even warren…
The quality of your life can never be measured against anyone else’s and you shouldn’t try to measure it with anything but “your own yard stick”….

Think you got it tough,,,look around you…lots of people haven’t the brains to think the thoughts you do,,and ,,come to conclusions like you do…

It ain’t how much you earn, it’s what you do with it after you earn it.

Just recently a blacksmith gave 3.5 million to a Neb. University
never had much of an education himself but believed in learning.

The memorable comment about the man was:

“He lived by his needs and not by his wants”

We could all use some of that advice…

Hope to see you around

Jack

By: Bing

Bing — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 19:35:50 +0000

Why try, Paul? Just go with it.

By: Bing

Bing — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 19:35:13 +0000

Emu? It was under “Ostrich Images” on Google!

By: Bing

Bing — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 19:34:46 +0000

We will miss you until your return. Bye for now, Josh.

By: Josh, Tucson, Az

Josh, Tucson, Az — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 18:47:16 +0000

This will be my last entry so please excuse the length. I started watching the markets a year and almost a year and a half ago when the dow was at 14000. I just happened to get interested through the efforts of a good friend of mine. I have witnessed the whole downfall we have had on a day by day basis at my old job which is how I first happened upon the Bing blog. Seeing this downfall has been among the most interesting and educational things that i have ever seen. Side note: I love FDR, but if you are a free maket capitalist, that man is not your choice, but i digress. I honestly believe that what I learned is worth far more than Warren Buffet can even shell out. I learned that humans are inept victims of cycles. Economists are just like weatherman, they aren’t looking at something that is in their control or even complete understanding. I have always found economists and weatherman completely useless. I go outside and know the weather well enough, I go to the store and I know the economy that matters the most to me. I’m in Arizona so hooray for the weather. A twelve pack of pepesi costs 5.99 so boohoo for the economy. I make 7.50 an hour which isn’t alot at all, but I might as well be Warren Buffet. HAPPINESS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH MONEY. Cliche maybe but true to me nonetheless. Warren is a miserable old miser who disowned his own granddaughter for offending “high society.” What a putz. Nothing is of more value than your own family. To me the real dow is love. If your love dow is low you can have all the money in the world, all the whiskey in Ireland, and all the pot in Amsterdam and have nothing, whereas a guy like me who makes 7.50 working between 40-50 hours a week at a convenience store has everything because I love myself and my girl. Studying market movement was just a lesson on sociology more than economics. Human cycles. Love is all that really counts. So I’m done with CNBC with CNN money and with the bing blog, not that I don’t love Bing, but because money is bullshit and it is now to me finally boring. I’ll go back now to being the wonderful ameteur songwriter I am, and kick the dust off my guitar and keyboard. Peace to all!

By: Eric Sedensky, Madison AL

Eric Sedensky, Madison AL — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 18:46:22 +0000

Ostriches, yes. So what’s with the pic of an emu?!?!