There is nothing more frustrating than finding a good candidate for a trade, making an excellent entry, and then watching the profits disappear when the market turns around and moves against our position. This kind of experience can place an extraordinary amount of psychological pressure on someone trying to trade for a living. Learning to […]
Month: January 2009
Asking good questions vs :”knowing where you want to go” in participatory action research (PAR)
In the very beginning of a PAR (participatory action research) project, I would draw a distinction between asking good questions and “knowing where you want to go”. Going into the PAR with a preconceived notion of a certain outcome or of a preferred method of proceeding, particularly as a researcher, can lead to advocacy. It may […]
Interesting twist to prop up markets
Congress and President Bush signed legislation that suspends the rule requiring retirees over 70 ½ to take withdrawals (RMDs) from tax-deferred retirement accounts, such as traditional IRAs and 401(k)s. This suspension currently lasts for one year, 2009. The intention is to give retirement accounts time to rebound from the difficult economy/market conditions. Please note that you […]
Almost 1T in state pension shortfalls
Observed earlier that 5 large states were requesting 1T from Obama for combined medicare and pension shortfalls; Its now up to almost 1T just for the state employee pension funds alone, to say nothing of the medicare costs of an aging population determined to give voice to its feelings of entitlements. I can almost hear […]
Borrow more to get out of debt: all it lacks is an 800 number and an infomercial
In a sequence of CSPAN broadcasts, Washington insiders expressed their shock—Shock! at the state of the budget disaster in Congress. Senator Conrad, has suddenly discovered just how deep the debt hole that Congressional spending, aided and abetted by an unprincipled administration, has put our children in. Because its our children thathave inherited the mess these […]
Tactical trading: maxpain strategy in oil pays off within a week
closed our tactical trade in oil, using the 2x leveraged oil ETF (DXO). we bought at $2.20 with a .2 initial stop, after oil closed below $30/barrel, and closed the tactical portion of the trade today at $3.45. Thats a little over a 6R win in a week. here are some of the supporting slides […]
US government debt and the first rule of holes
when you realize you are in one, stop digging
Next in line for the bailout, after $1T for the states, is steel
we continue to spend more and more tax money on companies that are making things we dont want to buy at their proce. But remember, its not your money, it’s the government’s money and all they have to do is just decide how you will spend it. And if you wont spend it, they will […]
Historical responses to financial meltdowns (buckle up, it will be a bumpy ride)
Reinhart and Rogoff (2008b), in a recent paper entitled “The Aftermath of Financial Crises.”, demonstrate that banking crises in rich countries and emerging markets have a surprising amount in common. “… Broadly speaking, financial crises are protracted affairs. More often than not, the aftermath of severe financial crises share three characteristics. First, asset market collapses are deep […]
Challenges for education in the network age
I am taking a close look at a school of thought on modern network-based education called “Connectivism”. It aligns very closely to my primitive and naive thoughts as expressed in this short video i made in 2005 as i was making my first efforts in moving my department from an Industrial Age curriculum and paradigm […]