Pat Robertson

* Pat Robertson? I agree that Venezuela would be better as a free country, but certainly the way to achieve this would be through negotiations and discussions. In order for a country to change, their needs to be change that comes from the desire of the people. I think taking out one bad leader, just leads to the rule from the next bad leader waiting in line. I've seen Robertson's show here and there flipping through the set-top box over the decades. I'm not that interested in Pat, but there are lots of folks talking about him: Search for more on Pat Robertson.

* Now Lance Armstrong is fighting the bug-a-boo of performance enhancing drugs. Would it surprise me? No. Would I be disappointed? Yes. Here is a guy who has become a story of overcoming obstacles, and it'd be ugly to see that story tainted. I hope he's clean.

* The stock market? Yesterday, I heard one commentator lamenting on how at least one of the index trackers fell through the 50dma (day moving average) on high volume. That's supposed to be a negative. I've never been much to follow moving averages. Generally by the time the price crosses the average, the move is well underway. This applies for both up and down markets, so that you're always buying strength and selling weakness. Does that make sense? Maybe to some, but not to me. I'd rather sell strength, and buy weakness. In any case, it is the August-September timeframe, so the markets seem to be following their historically weak pattern. I'm still long in low-beta stocks (non volatile), but will be more agressive if I get a buy signal. (Not yet!)

* Should Intelligent Design be taught in schools? I believe that schools should shy away from any specific religious teaching. Public schools should stick with science, and say "this is what we've found out through science so far." I think it would be okay to mention that how "all this" came to be requires faith (in either science or intelligent design), and that there are those who have varying beliefs. But that "we're not going to discuss those beliefs in the classroom."

* Any risk takers buying drug stocks? Not me.

* At least the news on Iraq isn't all Cindy Sheehan. I can't imagine her pain for her loss, which is compounded by the strife she is going through with her family. Her family has ostracized her, and her husband seems to have had it. Cindy's probably dealing with a lot. I think she may need to meet with a therapist more than she needs to meet with the President. I'm glad the news is starting to detail the other side; the moms and families who are standing by the efforts of the US in Iraq. The news should never be one-sided, because there are certainly lots of opinions out there on this.

* When was the last time you had a bowl of Cheerios? (Uh, last night! I was was feeling like a snack, and the house is snack-less. Not bad in a pinch.)

* My podcast finaly made it. It was my fault that it didn't upload correctly in the first place. I'll consider it a trial ballon, or a beta-version, and do another one in the coming days. Meanwhile, if you want to subscribe to my Podcast feed via iPodder or your favorite client, you can automatically download it whenever. Well, as soon as I do one... It'll have a similar format to this blog. I'll keep it around 10-20 minutes at most.

* From the WSJ, comes a story on rising energy prices but what caught my eye was Hawaii placing a cap on gas prices. HUH? Without the backing of the governor, too. I think it's a mistake and will lead to shortages. (Remember the early 70's gas lines?) Right now, supply isn't the problem. There is plenty of gas if you have the cash.

* More later!