Comments on: Links 10/27/08

By: doc holiday

doc holiday — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 21:08:00 +0000

Another example of what one frustrated engineer can do with misallocated resources. This is a visual metaphor for the massive boondoggle-like financial structures that provide society with tsunamis of unregulated derivatives and mindless pork barrel bridges (to nowhere in particular) which link together one set of retarded rubes to their twin swine clones that all reach towards the open sky with waving silk purses, each hoping to catch falling gold coloured coins from The Large Hadron Collider.

Amen and

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 16:25:00 +0000

the log’s nothing. you outta see what he did to the couch.

By: Uncle Billy, Snaggletooth

Uncle Billy, Snaggletooth — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 15:39:00 +0000

Asian Tiger?

By: baychev

baychev — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 15:14:00 +0000

poor little tiger. the credit crunch has affected his zoo’s credit line as well.

By: Dave Raithel

Dave Raithel — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 14:31:00 +0000

Yves Smith: Fair enough, I do appreciate the clarification.

By: Yves Smith

Yves Smith — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 14:26:00 +0000

Dave,

There is a big difference between being snarky regarding a public figure or what someone has written in a public venue, versus being snarky to someone in a comment thread. I have no problem with someone saying Hank Paulson is either corrupt or a moron at a dinner party, but would have a huge problem with someone saying to a fellow guest’s face that they were corrupt or stupid!

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 14:21:00 +0000

Can we label the tiger “Deleveraging” and the log “The World Economy”?

Bad, tiger, bad!

By: Dave Raithel

Dave Raithel — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 13:42:00 +0000

Yves Smith: I don’t know if I should be amused for the irony, or if I should just be confused, but I guess I’m a little of both. A few weeks back you admonished “snarky” posts and posters. Yet you link (and so by implication, refer us to)Shedlock/Mish.

The Hamilton link is a very good read, but it still leaves me questions about “printing money” that I hope he’ll answer.

Interesting that you haven’t (yet?) linked to the Laffer piece in the WSJ.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 12:00:00 +0000

Stupid unrelated questions.
I have read the posts here for quite awhile and think you guys are pretty sharp.
I’m trying to get a grip on interest rates. I have a floating loan on a commercial building I built for my own use. I’m paying .75% below prime or 4.25% today. I think they will lower rates this week again because of the dollar strength as it keeps inflation in check. I also think when the dollar starts to drop inflation will kick in and rates will go up. This is my first office building and I don’t know what a normal rate is. I don’t want to wait too long to lock in because I remember 1979-1980 well. When rates start to go up I’m afraid they will shoot up fast.
My stupid question is: What is a normal rate, maybe 10 year fixed, 20 year amortization, that I should be looking for? What should I look at that will warn me of coming hikes? Is a bank better or worse then private investors? This is the first time that I have owned a commercial building and already, I don’t like it.

By: wintermute

wintermute — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 11:48:00 +0000

I am just amazed at the damage he has done to the log. Top predator indeed.