Who Wants More Beer Randomosity

• John Paulson vs. Paul Krugman: Inflation or Deflation?
economists and opinions are like, well, you know. But a good read for this late 4th of July. Just in case you're too wired to sleep.




• Investors buying foreclosures in Phoenix. Nothing says trophy location like the Mohave Desert!


• Asian markets mixed in early trading. The US markets are closed on Monday, but there is always something in TV. Getting the blame in Asia? Concerns over the US economy. Aka, the same old, same old.

***
That's it from the Thunder Valley casino, where they prove everyday that there is no such thing as a free lunch. But there are go go dancers at the Falls Bar.

High Oil Prices on Deck?

$100 oil around the corner?


The common sentiment is that we are well on our way to a double-dip recession if not there already. So where would the demand for crude come?

What if the economy is doing the exact opposite of what the experts are telling us? Is that such a far-fetched notion? Did those experts warn of the stock or housing bubbles?

No. They didn't see it coming.

The link points to the reduction of supplies via off shore drilling, too.

***

At the local Indian casino tonight. Extremely crowded. Maybe things arent as bad as the news headlines. Just saying.

July 4th Randomosity and Bikini!

• Nothing like a patriotic bikini for the 4th of July!
• $GOOG looks for Android’s growth in emerging markets.  For Google, it’s all about quantity of phones in order to sell advertising.
• How low will stocks go?  I’m not as pessimistic as that and believe we’re just in a market correction, as dire as it may seem right now. 
• So, the party yesterday went well.  I have lots of leftovers.  Now wondering what to do today.  Maybe a road trip to another bbq, or just a drive to the coast.  Debating!
• I thought I heard footsteps!  Stocks: Pursued by a Bear. "The market is near a critical point where if it loses just a few more percentage points, it's really going to collapse," said Stephen Carl, head equity trader at Williams Capital Group.
• General David Petaeus says, “We are in this to win!”  That is sooo much better than our previous strategy.  Despite mounting casualties and a stiff insurgency, Gen. Petraeus vowed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization coalition had a long-term commitment to Afghanistan and that "neither insurgents nor our partners in the region should doubt that."
• Did I mention I was watching all the Stargate SG-1 via Hulu?  In season 5!
• Joey Chestnut wins Nathan’s July 4th hot dog eating contest.  And, IMHO, the most ridiculous contest ever.  Eating competitions.  Good grief.
• Last week, Microsoft pulled the plug on the Kin cell phone just 6 weeks after launch. Nice.  Not many buyers.  So, the workers were redirected to work on Windows Phone 7. 
• Hey, if you’re feeling a bit unsettled, wondering where Joe Biden is today, he’s in Iraq celebrating with the troops!  Here’s a column from Jill Biden. 
• Are we sure states can’t declare bankruptcy?

BBQ Mas Grande! Party on!

• Pool is clean.  Patio hosed off.  BBQ clean.  Cooler full of beer and soda.  Let the party begin.  Well, maybe in 30 minutes or so.
• On the BBQ?  Salmon, chicken apple sausages, and hot dogs.  There will also be some veggies, corn and the like tossed on.
• I hope this finds you celebrating as well.  Despite the bad news in the headlines, try and make the most of it.  It all comes back to spending time with friends and family.
• Besides, it’s not all bad.  The AGW (global warming) tipping point, aka the end of the world, has been moved to 2200.  So, use as much charcoal as you like today!
• Kind of funny to see the US and our allies really with differing points of view on whether to spend like crazy or reign in deficits.  Obama and the Fiscal Road to Hell.  Worth a read before the party starts today.
• Spend it while you got it!  Obama’s tax hikes start in 6 months.  And not just on the rich:

- The 10% bracket rises to an expanded 15%
- The 25% bracket rises to 28%
- The 28% bracket rises to 31%
- The 33% bracket rises to 36%
- The 35% bracket rises to 39.6%

• Marriage penalty returns. The Death Tax returns.  Higher capital gains taxes.  Good times…
• I knew it!  Soccer is a socialist sport!
• Looking for a map of the “Lost” Island?  Because GPS is teh suck out on that island!  And no software patch from Apple is going to fix that!
• I saw the first Twilight movie.  Haven’t seen the second or the third.  But I did bump the second one up in the Netflix queue.  Might as well see what all the fuss is about.  I’m a sucker for a good romance, anyway.  Throw in some vampires, and what’s not to like?  Okay, it could have time travel.  There is that!

Travel up for the 4th!

Not sure where I read it, but 26% of Americans don't know which country the US won it's independence from.


No reason to let that prevent a barbeque and swim party.

More Americans traveling this year for the 4th of July holiday weekend.

Less than Cheery Market Breadth

Market breadth may be bad and foretelling even worse news ahead, but that's not slowing down gamblers at the Cache Creek Indian Casino this late Friday night...


Worry, worry and more worry.

That's not just for stocks. Heck, Manny Ramirez may go on the DL. It's all spinning out of control. And Lebron James talking to the Clippers?

Job Loss Friday!

• I remain with a bunch of cash on the sidelines.  After selling, I’ve been quite patient (thank goodness) at timing the buy back in.  Just because of the historic pattern of mid-term elections and the summer seasonal stuff.  My gut feeling is that we don’t have that much further to fall, and any buys around here would be gravy by the end of the year.  Of course, in the short term, it may be a bit unnerving.  Just an opinion, of course.  And I haven’t bought back in.
• Double dip?  The unemployment rate fell as job losses increased.  The U.S. lost 125,000 jobs in June as temporary census workers exited the labor force. The private sector added only 83,000 jobs. The unemployment rate fell to 9.5%.  And the beat goes on. 
• Apple plans a fix for iPhone glitch.  The Cupertino, Calif., company said that since the original iPhone, it has used an incorrect method to determine the number of bars to display on the device. In some cases, the iPhone would display two more bars than it should, providing an overly rosy indication of its cellular reception.  That’s funny.
• I still don’t have the iPhone 4.  Not even on order, yet.  I find I’m using the iPad around the house more, and not sure I need to upgrade the phone just yet.  My 3G is slow, but mostly functional.  Still can’t blog from it very effectively, which is why my blog posts are way down.
• Maybe I’ll get that Droid X, instead.
• Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger got the thumbs up from the court to cut California state worker pay down to the federal minimum of $7.25 an hour.  That will make some of my friends less than happy.  I think it’s kind of interesting to see this play out.  California’s budget is a mess.  I don’t think the state workers are the problem, but they make easy scapegoats.  Heck, I think the governor and the legislature should be busted down to minimum wage, too.
• I feel as if the state, and maybe the country, is at some tipping point between capitalism and free markets versus government controls and regulations.  People want their entitlements, but is there enough money around to do that while at the same time allowing for economic growth?  I think that’s where we’re at.  I suppose there is some happy medium, but we don’t seem to be there.
• (And a few good quarters of economic growth would fix everything, right?)
• Lindsay Lohan punched by a waitress at LA club Voyeur on her 24th birthday.