StreetScooby

Have you read any critiques of DSM V/5? Relying on psychiatrists to make this decision is laughable. We are all engines of karma

We are all engines of karma

It's reasonable to "deny" that proposed government solutions will do nothing to remotely address this issue, other than take more money away from us and give them ever increasing power over our individual lives. We are all engines of karma

I see the same thing, lurch. Our nation has become one where people no longer think "I need to take care of myself and family" as the prime directive in a civil society. That's down right frowned upon in some circles. Personal responsibility, hard work, and thrift are no longer heralded as American values. Markets, where there are many buyers and sellers, are evil because you'll get taken. Why not go to the next seller? They're basically too lazy to make that effort, and they simply don't trust their fellow man. Yet, these same people will elect some of their fellow men and happily give them great control over their lives, taken in by a promise of "we've got your best interests in mind". Then, there is no recourse when you realize you can't walk away from that politician(s). I see Obamacare as a huge gateway to giving the Federal government unbelievable control over our lives. Just wait - "Hey, you can't skydive because that's too dangerous and we can't expect society to pay for your injuries". That, and many more scenarios, are barreling down at us right now. The current liberal Democratic government has shown no limits, and no respect for the Constitution, IMO. This is not going to be pretty. /rant We are all engines of karma

+1 We are all engines of karma

+1 We are all engines of karma

Having done a reasonable literature review of AGW in the not too distant past, I was quite impressed by the papers I found. It was very comforting to see serious work being done by people who clearly were scientists with no political agenda driving them. I figured something like this would happen, eventually. That being said, I do firmly think that humans cannot go on dumping massive amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere. There are ways we can minimize that, such as nuclear power. Hopefully, rational adults will start driving this process, instead of greenies who can't even spell thermodynamics. We are all engines of karma

He didn't help himself by "firing" Archibold Cox during Watergate. We are all engines of karma

He said coke, not crank... We are all engines of karma

Makes me wonder why any woman would have breast cancer... We are all engines of karma

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No, it does not. Not by any stretch of the imagination. Nor does the main stream media. We are all engines of karma

Something to distract from the gun threads. Good article from today's WSJ. ========================================= Warren Buffett Knows That Tax Rates Matter The bond market shows that people focus on after-tax cash flows when making investments. By CLIFFORD S. ASNESS There are important questions we need to answer about taxes. How progressive or regressive? How should rates vary on different forms of income? How much of fixing our fiscal problems should come from raising revenue versus cutting spending? I have my opinions and you are entitled to yours. But some basic truths, old fashioned as it may sound, really aren't subject to opinion. Nevertheless, in an effort to support raising taxes, particularly capital-gains taxes, and to head off the argument that such hikes would be a drag on the economy, billionaire investor Warren Buffett argued in a New York Times op-ed last month that tax rates don't matter to investment decisions. He wrote that if someone comes to you with a good investment idea, no one says, "If the taxes are too high, I would rather leave the money in my savings account, earning a quarter of 1 percent." In the field of economics and finance you would be hard-pressed to find something more patently wrong. Consider how every business-school student, investment banker and investment analyst on Earth has been taught to choose whether to invest in a specific project or company. You make a spreadsheet (a napkin will do sometimes). You put in your best guess of the future cash flows, and you discount those cash flows back to the present at some required rate of return you believe reflects the risk entailed. Of course, opinions about the future cash flows and the proper discount rate can vary widely, but the essential methodology is ubiquitous. Now here's the kicker: Nobody who pays taxes and has ever done this exercise has failed (while sober) to use after-tax cash flows in this calculation. Somewhere in the spreadsheet there is a number, say 20%, or 28%, or a Gallic 75%, representing the taxes you'll pay on the assumed cash flow—and you only count the amount you'll get after paying this tax. If you turn the tax rate up high enough, projects or companies that looked like good investments become much less attractive and vice versa. Mr. Buffett is undoubtedly right that rich people will continue to invest some amount in something regardless of the tax rate (except for a 100% rate!). He's also undoubtedly right that an investment that easily clears all hurdles will likely still be attractive after a small tax increase. But life, and the investment decision, occurs at the margin. Fewer and smaller investments will be made if the after-tax prospects are worse. It's just math and logic, unassailable and commonly accepted regardless of one's political persuasion. Some recent commentators have actually tried to prove the illogic that Mr. Buffett merely asserts. They argue that if an investment was profitable at a 15% tax rate, it will still be profitable at, say, a 35% tax rate—just less so. Therefore investors will still go ahead with it. But here, as in so many things, the government doesn't play fair. It taxes gains, but losses are deductible only under certain conditions and circumstances. In finance-speak, the government grants itself a call option on your profits. This fact alone will make investments that were profitable at one tax rate decidedly not so at a higher one. The bond market offers particularly compelling evidence that people focus on after-tax cash flows when making investments and that they will, contrary to Mr. Buffett's assertion, alter their investment behavior based on tax rates. The yield on tax-free municipal bonds is almost always considerably lower than the before-tax yield on taxable corporate bonds of similar risk. Despite his claim that taxes don't matter, we can be sure that Mr. Buffett would not hold corporate bonds in his taxable portfolio if, before taxes, they yielded only the rate on otherwise similar tax-free munis. This sort of investment decision is just one example of how taxes affect our actions. Consider that George Lucas sold Lucasfilm Ltd., including the Star Wars franchise, to Disney DIS +1.05% this year at least partially to avoid a likely coming hike in the capital-gains tax. While Mr. Buffett is telling us taxes don't matter, here's proof that taxes are stronger than The Force. Also consider the choice of where to retire. Opinions vary widely on how much state tax rates, high or low, affect this decision, but does anyone claim there is no effect? One simple visit to Florida dispels this misconception. When retirees choose Florida over California, it's not the heat—it's the progressivity. I have great admiration for Warren Buffett as an investor. He has also been smart about minimizing his tax bill. From making sure his profit is in the form of long-term capital gains and not, for instance, dividends, to how he structures his bequests and charitable contributions, Mr. Buffett is perhaps our premiere national example that tax rates and tax structure affect people's investment decisions in a very real way. Taxes matter. They matter to business and life decisions alike. They matter to the rich and to the poor. They are, or at least they should be, incorporated into nearly every financial decision made. Discussing tax policy without acknowledging this fundamental reality is bizarre. Actually asserting the opposite is willful ignorance. Mr. Asness is the managing and founding principal of AQR Capital Management . We are all engines of karma

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The boneyard is the 3rd largest airforce in the world (IIRC). Nice pics. Thanks for posting. We are all engines of karma

Interesting post Winsor. Off to buy more ammo... We are all engines of karma

I think you should listen to Remster's advice at this point. Looks like you're overworking this. The canopy you'll be flying is tantamount to a boat, and you'd have to work very hard to hurt yourself. Regarding rotations in freefall, there are many ways to do that, all of which involve some form of asymmetric body position. Which one works for you depends upon how aware you are of your body in freefall. When you first start, you're not going to have as much awareness as you'll have with a 1000 jumps. Listen to what your instructor tells you to do. We are all engines of karma

Phenomenal! We are all engines of karma

'Bama should do that the entire game. ND won't be able to consistently stop the run, and by the 4th quarter ND's defense will be gasping for air (like Georgia's was). We are all engines of karma

Another thing to consider that's not related directly to your canopy. When I'm long on a spot, I find the nearest road and ride it. You'll get a thermal that will keep you up longer, even at 3K'. Keep in mind when picking a off-DZ spot to land - there are power lines next to most roads, and you might not see them until you're low. Also, when landing in fields, keep an eye out for barbed wire fences. They're very difficult to see until you're right on them, and they will ruin your day. Try and notice any separation lines in fields, as that will most likely be where you'll find a fence. Don't wait too long to pick your spot landing off DZ. Also, get a feel for the wind direction somehow before choosing your landing direction. Blowing grass is a good indicator. We are all engines of karma

One thing to consider - if you go through a DZ's program, you're kind of looked after by those same people for a while. If you come in from another DZ as a student, it won't be quite the same. We are all engines of karma

We are all engines of karma

Absolutely fantastic game! Roll Tide! We are all engines of karma

Wow, that must have been an incredible meet. Good job USA! We are all engines of karma

Wouldn't that depend upon whether they were cut off with an axe, or he/she was born without them?