Is there anything more ridiculous than brokerage stock "ratings"?  One example of how worthless these ratings are can be found in todays GM news.  JPMorgan just now decided that GM is deserving of a downgrade.  But even given the stock's 65-year lows and the very real chance the company could go under any day now, the geniuses give it a rating of "neutral".  Not a "sell" or "shitty" rating, but a "neutral".  What does it take to get a bad rating?  It doesn't seem to have anything to do with the stock itself.

What a joker this guy is.  The Fed is the primary cause of all these problems. Considering this was a guy firmly in the belief of free markets (and the gold standard), it makes it more surprising what a political buffoon he has turned into.

Update: Ron Paul thinks so to.

Every wonder what happens to all those pocket knives, box cutters, wine openers or anything mildly hard and/or sharp that the TSA confiscates are airports? You would think that these items which are so dangerous they can't be allowed on a plane, would be melted down into paper clips. Don't want these weapons to end up in the wrong hands, do we now.
But it seems that the geniuses at the TSA just hand the knives off to your local schools. Here is but a small sample of the potential hijacking instruments that were removed from the hands of law-abiding citizens and given to 3rd graders.

WMD's in Iraq, nuclear weapons in Iran, uncountable numbers of overblown "terrorism" warnings, now the collapse of the US economy. Last I heard, the economy was still growing, albeit slowly, but nothing that seems to warrant the dire forebodings the government is putting out.

A recent screenshot of my email folders showed 666 spam emails. A sure sign of impending doom.

Recently , John McCain said the U.S. needs 'economic surge'.
Is the word 'surge' now going to be added to everything that demonstrates any measure of extra effort in the same way that 'gate' is annoyingly added to every quasi-scandal the media comes across. Coming soon: 'Obama surge', 'war-on-drugs surge', 'Britney surge'; it will never stop.

This is too funny, it almost seems like an April Fool's joke.

If you are thinking of getting into the business of armed robbery, don't bother with liqueur stores and watch shops where the proprietors are most likely better armed than you. Just head to the local private art museum, wave a gun around and walk out with $163 million worth of paintings. Its just that easy.
If I had an art collection worth that much, I would have better security than a few guys that roll over when "threatened with a pistol" and "forced to the ground."

Read this spam I got from someone purporting to be using clearancejobs.com to find employees. Keep in mind that clearancejobs.com is for folks with US security clearances.

Good day,

Let me introduce myself. I am the Head Hiring Manager of Condor Company Viktor Horoshavin. At this moment we are seeking a new employee for the constant position in our Structure. In our search we addressed to Clearancejobs Administration like to one of the most professional and respectable organization helping to find employees who answer to all necessary requirements. It is not the first time when we resort to this organization during our work in the world market since the year 2004.
Your profile in http://www.clearancejobs.com/ answers to all criteria, needed to be embodied. If you are ready for responsible, professional and honest work then you can become a member of our Staff.
Our Company is specialized in producing and selling different kinds of office and home furniture answering to all requirements of taste, fashion and price. Condor Company was based in 2004. Since that time we have proved high quality and modern technologies of our goods and achieved world popularity in furniture industry. Our production is well-known among our customers in France, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands and Sweden. At this stage we are interested in widening our market and now represent our Product in the United States of America. We need a Professional who will be our Official representative in the USA and serve our financial interests.

Our requirements: USA citizenship. Responsibility, diligence and honesty.

Job description: Financial operations with our company�s wholesale lots. Reception of payments for wholesale lots. Preparation of monthly reports.
Conditions: Beginning salary $ 2500, 00. After probation period 15 % salary raise. Possibility of career growth.
Our job proposal can be taken as a part time position and will not give any negative effect to your present job status.

Please feel free to ask any questions. Our managers will be glad to give you more information if you are interested. Contact us by e-mail:

condor.manager@gmail.com

Thank you. Best regards,
Condor Company.

Should I gamble on that juicy 15% salary raise? I wonder what kind of clearance I need to make furniture?

Some local people where arrested for allegedly "cheating" some casinos. Besides the bribing allegations and other insider dealings, I never really understood how this is considered cheating. Aren't they just using all the available information to improve their play; all the other players have access to this information as well. I remember reading about casinos banning card counters in blackjack. A lot of them weren't using any devices, just counting the cards in their heads. The casinos are free to let whomever they want play, but it goes to show just how much pull they have with politicians that they can make it a "crime" to get good at their games.

At my office, they have a coffee counter just like every other office in the western world. Among the available items are coffee stirrers. Here is a picture of the box of stir sticks:

Now I admire the Royal Paper Products company for the pride they take in their products, but this might be taking it a bit too far. These stirrers are simple wooden sticks. As far as I can tell, they do not possess any innovation whatsoever. Since they are probably made my machine in huge quantities and not individually handcrafted, they don't really contain any dedication either.