patrick.net

requiem,

They'll also have to kill Lois Weisberg and many other actors. Sadly, Kevin Bacon is #668 in connectiveness, according to IMDB stats.

http://www.gladwell.com/1999/1999_01_11_a_weisberg.htm

Conor,

You appear to be sophisticated enough to employ more modern "post-diversification" diversification models to your holdings. You seem to wish to express sentiment, so I suggest you look at the Black-Litterman model. Here is a starter resource. I have others if you're serious about it. It's tough to find any tools that do it (at least free ones), but you can do it yourself in Excel if you can handle linear programming.

At the minimum, BL will give you an idea about just how much exposure you are taking as a result of your sentiment.

Peter P asked GC to explain his statement: "I like war."

GC replied:

Explain? The sentence speaks for itself.

Well, yes, GC. The sentence does speak for itself. One gathers that you like war.

But the sentence doesn't explain itself. What would possess you to say such a thing? Is it a joke?

I don't get it.

GC,

I once read that Marine DI's tell their recruits to "pray for war." If you saw the movie Jarhead you may understand. Many young soldiers, having trained so very hard to become truly professional warriors, have a strong drive to practice their professions. That was my experience in the Army.

As I recall General Lee once said "It is a good thing that War is so terrible, else we should love it too much." Of course, Lee was no stranger to butchery, no more so than Grant and Sherman. Lee's finest hour IMHO was at Appomatox. He decided to surrender against the urgings of many young Rebel officers to fall back into a state of perpetual guerrilla warfare.

GC said:

Besides, when American soldiers go out to kill people and rape girls at their military bases, nobody in this country can claim innocence. Every single one is a cog in this giant machine.

Have you lost your mind?

GC,

You have crossed the line in my opinion as a bona fide Troll. You are, at this point, merely inciting debate for the thrill of it without merit. It's not the most recent statement in isolation, but the pattern of similar incidents over the past couple of days which lead me to this conclusion.

I seldom call anyone a Troll, nor do I cast that label lightly. You are only the second Troll I have fingered. I do not consider Scott C (who's long since disappeared) a Troll, nor do I consider Bap33 or DS Trolls. They make political or controversial statements because they believe in them or the ideals they stand for, and they are willing to debate and defend their perspectives.

Your statements are meritless and purposefully inflammatory.

From Wiki on Internet Trolls:

# Politically contentious messages: "Everyone knows that all Republicans/Democrats are evil."
# Posting politically sensitive images in inappropriate places.
# Feigning innocence, after a flamewar ensues.

Your "images" have been narrative in nature, but nonetheless you are simply stirring up shit for the sake of stirring up shit.

This isn't my thread, but I'll most probably zap you from any I author subsequently. I encourage other authors to at least think about doing this as well.

--

GS said:

I like war.

Others asked

[explain yourself please]

GS said:

No amount of explanation will do justice to me. Of course I like war if (1) I can profit from it and (2) I won’t get harmed. But, of course, it can also be interpreted as a joke with tears — no, not the croc kind — because I know the world is sliding towards a major armed conflict and I will be killed one way or another.

Next GS Will:

Feign innocence.

SQT,

quid erat demonstratum

roughly translated: time to hit the delete button, IMHO.

SQT, if you wouldn't mind removing my prior posting, it would be appreciated. I don't think it's well suited to the current thread without additional addenda.

I was once in uranium. But I sold last year. U has gone up more, I think 100% more. But I think it’s going to crash, ‘cuz all this talk of building nucleur power plants is pure garbage planning.

I hope it crashes. Then I can build that depleted uranium-reinforced straw-bale house I've always wanted. It'll have an unbeatable energy coefficient, plus be able to repel tank rounds. Who could ask for more?

I like both DS and Bap
I would never throw them under the bus...or group them with GC.
DS is the prince of smilies..IMO!

I like DS also, and didn't mean to cast aspersions on him or the others with my statement. I was more meaning to say that I don't consider them Trolls even though others--usually of opposite political sensibilities--have labeled them so.

In fact, I happen to think DS' perspective needs a wider airing than it tends to get these days, which is why I'm a fan or the new, shorter and concise, DS comment style.

The recent troll is same ole crap, shit coming out of the mouth, I say wipe and flush.

SQT,

Thanks for the moderation.

Right
You didn't lump him in... they were already lumped...someone else did last night.
You seem to have impeccable manners, in fact. :)
Controversy is good...differing opinions are good...
Trollish behavior undermines any valid discussions here.

X
But he seems to be a floater...no matter how hard you flush...

DS is just very typical aussie. They are kind-hearted, very inquisitive, and sometimes a bit off the beaten path. I don't mind DS at all.

Actually I don't mind SJ_Jim for his racist comment either, because I would rather hear honest racist opinion online and understand why they think so than encountering PC facade off the line. As human beings, we cannot overcome our visual bias, and skin color is certainly something that forms a natural affiliation. SJ_Jim is kind of what-you-see-is-what-you-get type of person. Even if Bap33 comes off as borderline racist, I think I can understand his perspective, and I don't think his perspective necessarily applies to me particularly if we meet face to face.

As long as one is able to explain his position, remains open-minded to other alternatives, and be reasonable, he should be entitled to his own opinion. People who are pervert just fall into a different category.

What we need is a good Surfer-X thread to close off this one then. X is very handy with the Troll-B-Gone spray.

OO
This site can be like the movie' Crash '...Racism is a topic we all need to understand better...even if we find it in ourselves..
How does it relate to housing?
I'm sure it does...

Is it Newsfreak that has red hair?
Soooorrryyy!

Yes, I believe auburn is the way she described her hair.

Owneroccupier,

SJ_Jim is most certainly not a racist! You may have confused him with someone else.

LILLL,

I am never supportive of the approach to be hush hush about racism. If people feel the way they feel, let them speak, and then the group that is being discriminated against can have a better way of understanding it, and overcoming it through education or interaction rather than just shutting everyone up.

We as human beings draw generalization all the time, how can we not with other races and cultures? Some of the discrimination is targeted towards some rather backward and indeed inferior elements of a culture that is more often than not found in developing countries, eg. lack of hygiene. And most of the racism is based on lack of understanding, or lack of tolerance for a different set of environments which shaped these seemingly "odd" values.

I have dealt with some rednecks, and to be frank, I don't find them to be racist because their seeming racist comments are just a sign of ignorance. If you take the time to explain things to them, they become rather intrigued and understanding. The most racist type are actually those who have made up their mind about certain things *after extensive interaction* and there is absolutely no way you can do about how they judge a person.

After all, whether one likes it or not, we have to learn about how to live with different people, it's just not a choice.

Owner Occupier -

your comments on racism were very refreshing. As a caucasian who has lived in Asia, or Vancouver for that matter, I can assure you that the most likely aggregation of individuals is based on similar cultural experiences and institutions - when there is no common ground there, people fall back on religion, when there is no common ground there, people fall back on their own socio-economic origins, or skin colour.

This is why I can get along with a banana who might be shunned by his own ethnic peer group as a "Canadian", as opposed to an asian. I know some second generation immigrants, and while they are still in a transformative stage, they all joke and speak in Chinglish, too.

Even though facial features are different, the facial expressions of the banana and myself are understandable to each other. Not so the facial expressions of the FOB Beijing immigrant and myself - maybe because the banana is thinking in english, quite possibly, while his ehtnic compatriot is still thinking in Mandarin.

That's why in America, you could have "racism" as an issue, while in Ireland, it would be all be about religion and cultural affiliation, even though ethnically, the differences between the groups in question visually would be too subtle for most "whites" to understand.

There is some pretty convincing research showing that the whole concept of "black" and "white" is completely artificial anyway.

My grandfather certainly knew the difference between the "blacK" irish and the orange. He was completely racist about it, even in his 90s.

Could a typical american pick that out in a line-up? I doubt it.

In an attempt to rerail the thread, has anyone yet tried plugging "housing bubble" into Google Trends?

http://www.google.com/trends?q=housing+bubble&ctab=0&date=all&geo=all

(Thinking idle thoughts towards how this might be applied to other commodities, in terms of where the "dumb money" is going.)

This is pure manipulation. You think you can mind control others? Fucking puke. Go and live your sissy midde-class life.

Hmmm, how would your corporate masters feel about your profane comments?

What was that address to send complaints? Shouldn't be so abusive whilst posting from Bill's house.

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SP,

Sticks and stone are for WW5. WW4 will be fought with knives and arrows.

WW4 will be fought with knives and arrows.

Ceramic?

Whatever is in your kitchen drawer. Get a shovel too. My old history teacher said it is very good for fast decapitations.

Bap33,

I'm a self identified liberal, though I disagree with the Democratic party on many things. You say you hate liberals and have said a lot of ad hominem stuff about how awful liberals are. It's hard not to take offense after the 100th time of reading the stuff, it is also frustrating that you're unwilling to contemplate evidence of the Bush administration's failure to deliver for hard working people like you. If I've misjudged you, I apologize and I hope we can speak on more convivial terms.

I assume you come here to blow off some steam, however, keep in mind that your words are in fact quite hurtful and offensive to many who blog and lurk here. You really shouldn't be surprised that there could be reactions to your blowing off steam statements.

Please note that I have occasionally agreed with you in the past and have had my mind changed by your arguments at least once. I'm not close minded or certain that I'm right, but I'm much better persuaded by fact based arguments. The thing is, if you're willing to speak to me as a person, then I'm more than happy to speak to you as a person. Constructive discussions and respectful disagreements are much more likely to breed respect.

And I'm not a guy, unless I am indeed a gay man trapped in a female body.

Bap33,

Anyways, truce. I'm touched by your chivalry and you're right, there is much more to life than the web (though my life right now doesn't really feel like it).

I guess my interest in knives and economics threw you off :)

" Uh, so how bout those White Sox heh? "

Whadda yiz wanna know about em?