livendive

Here's what I don't understand. For starters, AIG appears to have lost ~89% of its value in the last couple days, going from nearly $18/share to ~$2/share. To me, that says that its value was imaginary. That is, there was no real tangible or intellectual property associated with the supposed value of the stock. The problem is this all relates to the housing bubble and mortgage meltdown, right? And no matter how I split loans up in my head, they still fundamentally tie back to real, tangible property. Sure, some loans were on over-valued properties, and the downturn has magnfied this effect, but what bank or borrower initiates loans worth 5 times the collateral associated with those loans? If AIG bought a ton of mortgage backed securities, and ALL those mortgages went into default and ALL of those loans were on property worth only half of the loaned amount, shouldn't AIG suddenly own an awful lot of houses worth approximately 50% of the debt they incurred on such investments? This is the part I don't understand. How does real property translate into imaginary value? Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

That one's pretty cool! Towards the end there's a belly shot coming around the corner and it takes a couple seconds for his wing man to reveal himself. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Ha ha! That's just a tad worse than a gear up landing. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

I love that one! Makes me laugh, talk about using the last brick! Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

I'm not really opposed to extending unemployment benefits, provided they're incentivized to encourage any work, even if lower paying. But another check "just because"? Yeah, that's just throwing good money after bad. The first one was stupid and did nothing but hurt the big picture, why would this one be any different? Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

How do you feel about the fact Obama has promised another round of rebate checks? I haven't heard that promise. If so, I likely wouldn't be a fan. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

And what would you change at this moment? All the regulation in the world cannot stop management from making bad decisions and driving a company into the ground. I am just pissed they use tax dollars to save them before they go splat! I'm certainly no expert in this field, but are you referring to the tax dollars that were backing Frannie Mae and Freddie Mac so the investors could take on undue risk knowing the government would have their back? That would seem like something worth looking at ways to change. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

It's lost what, 75% of it's value in the last couple days? And this brings the federal bailout money for the last week or two to nearly $300 billion? But don't worry, the fundamentals of our economy are sound. Not changing a fucking thing ought to work just great. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

That seems like a silly argument to me. Are you saying that because you won't label yourself a Democrat today, tomorrow you might start voting Republican? You'll have to forgive me if I'm somewhat underwhelmed by the probability. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Sinclair isn't exactly better. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Mostly what Nightingale said. USA,Party- Libertarian when reasonable, otherwise D-leaning independent Faction- fiscal conservative /social liberal Legislation preferences-Pro-Entire bill of rights (pro-privacy, gun ownership, free speech, etc) ,Pro Choice Energy policy- reasonable alternatives to oil when possible, think we should pursue more nuclear energy Belief systems-Agnostic with a splash of hedonism Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Why the hell do you muslim bashers seem to think every muslim immigrated to the US. You do realize some are born here and others convert to the religion here, right? Blues, Dave P.S. Paging MarkHarju - Muslim bashing is occurring without you. Please insert insane death cult comment here. "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Agreed! Ha ha! I guess I should have done a better job picking between is rarely and isn't often...I guess the combination of the two might be the most accurate. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Last year we celebrated 50 years of fun in Missoula, MT. The Montana State University Parachute Club was formed in 1957 and renamed the "Silvertip Skydivers" in 1961 in deference to the MSU Siltertip Grizzlies. They have, however, had to move locations periodically throughout the years. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Assuming a 22 day work month, and a 15 minute break, that's a 5.5 hour break for prayer...substantially less than we give for Christmas. And if it's a re-scheduled break rather than an extra break, it's even less of an impact. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Hey look, I'm embarassed by one of my countrymen. Wait, nevermind. My country was founded, in part, on the principle that people should be free to practice the religion of their choosing without discrimination. Perhaps you should return to whatever xenophobic country you came from. Blues, Dave Get over your enlightened self. I do not have a thing against Muslims. But their religion does not entitle them to special rights. No employer should have to go out of their way to accomadate someones religious beliefs. That is what this thread is about. They are free to pray at home and in their Mosques all they want. You said, "If they want their Muslim traditions honored, they should return to their Muslim countries." What makes you think they're not from this country? Are you one of those people who doesn't get a couple days off, with pay, for Christmas? Maybe if you want your Christmas traditions honored, you should return to your Christian country. That'd make about as much sense as what you said. The people are simply asking that their break be moved to sunset during Ramadan. Their wish is at least as compelling as other people's wishes for the Sabbath and/or Christmas off, perhaps moreso because they're not asking for more breaks, just a different break. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

I think her appearance was certainly a big factor. For more on the Barbie comparison, do you know what she named her kids? Piper (!), Willow, Bristol, Track, and Trig. If I remember correctly, there actually is a Barbie doll named Piper We most certainly agree there! Can you imagine what Larry Craig would do? Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Wouldn't that make the parallels to Gore almost perfect? Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Hey, skill with words is better than the last guy, who had a shitty track record AND incredibly little grasp of his native language. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

I'll worry about that when my company starts giving out promotions on the basis of where one places in the bikini contest. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Well no wonder you Republican types are scared...Obama's plan gives tax breaks to 4 out of 5 American households. According to your logic above (which I cynically agree with, at least as applies to most people), Obama's a shoe-in. Edit to add: Nevermind. I just saw that McCain is promising a tax cut to 5 out of 5 American households, so he should win by virtue of the votes of the top 10% in income. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

You mean like those rebate checks the Shrub pushed through this past spring? Hey everyone who was bragging about the new TV or extra skydives they were gonna spend the money on....you're welcome. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Its not just with those whom he does not agree. These sorts of comments go deeper and into the heart of the problem, which would be a disrespect for women. Its on the same level as using racial slurs in regards to Obama. Either way, its disgusting from both sides of the political isle in regards to both persons. Why is "Caribou Barbie" offensive? She's a beauty pageant queen with a degree in journalism who worked as a television sports reporter before becoming mayor of a small Alaskan town. It seems to me perfectly reasonable to comment on her appearance, given that it's been a significant factor in her success. Blues, Dave Do you think it was meant with respect? Of course not, but I also don't think it was any less respectful than Mike Neal's "sunshine rays of HopeChange (tm)" or your insistence on referencing Obama's middle name. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Note there is a difference between mocking the way a person was born and mocking the actions a person takes. Black is how Obama was born. Female is how Palin was born. "Barbie" refers to actions Palin took (entering beauty pageants and achieving success on the basis of her looks). Nobody here ever called Hillary "Legal Barbie" because she never tried to draw attention to her looks (for obvious reasons). Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

A couple weeks ago. I am lots of things, but unintelligent isn't rarely one of them. I think "Barbie" comparisons became reasonable when the subject chose to participate in beauty pageants. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)