Weekend joke - The waitress gets even with the truck driver
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Posted:May 17, 2019 8:38 pm
Last Updated:May 21, 2019 12:02 am 29398 Views
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A trucker came into a Truck Stop Cafe and placed his order. He said, "I want 3 flat tires, a pair of headlights and a pair of running boards."
The brand-new blonde waitress, not to appear stup*d, went to the kitchen and said to the cook, "This guy out there just ordered 3 flat tires, a pair of headlights and a pair of running boards. What does he think this place is, an auto parts store?"
"No", the cook said. "3 flat tires mean 3 pancakes; a pair of headlights is 2 eggs sunny side up; and a pair of running boards are 2 slices of crisp bacon."
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Oh . . . OK! said the blonde. She thought about it for a moment then spooned up a bowl of beans and gave it to the customer.
The trucker asked, "What are the beans for, Blondie?" (I love this one!)
She replied, "I thought while you were waiting for the flat tires, headlights and running boards, you might as well GAS up!"
FOR ONCE THE BLONDE GETS EVEN!
p.s. As a reminder, I NOT the original writer of all the "Weekend jokes", so I NOT responsible for them. Those "weekend jokes" are from my Las Vegas real estate agent weekly.
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US Trade Deficit With China and Why It's So High
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Posted:May 16, 2019 1:57 pm
Last Updated:Jun 2, 2019 3:31 am 33227 Views
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The U.S. trade deficit with China was $419 billion in 2018. The trade deficit exists because U.S. exports to China were only $120 billion while imports from China were $540 billion.
The biggest categories of U.S. imports from China were computers and accessories, cell phones, and apparel and footwear. A lot of these imports are from U.S. manufacturers that send raw materials to China for low-cost assembly. Once shipped back to the United States, they are considered imports.
China's biggest imports from America are commercial aircraft, soybeans, and autos. In 2018, China canceled its soybean imports after President Trump started a trade war. He imposed tariffs on Chinese steel exports and other goods.
Current Trade Deficit
From January 2018 to July 2018, the United States exported a total of $74.3 billion in goods to China. During that same timeframe, the U.S. imported $296.8 billion, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. As a result, the total trade deficit with China is $222.6 billion. A monthly breakdown is in the chart.
Causes
China can produce many consumer goods at lower costs than other countries can. Americans, of course, want these goods for the lowest prices. How does China keep prices so low? Most economists agree that China's competitive pricing is a result of two factors:
1. A lower standard of living, which allows companies in China to pay lower wages to workers.
2. An exchange rate that is partially fixed to the dollar.
If the United States implemented trade protectionism, U.S. consumers would have to pay high prices for their "Made in America" goods. It’s unlikely that the trade deficit will change. Most people would rather pay as little as possible for computers, electronics, and clothing, even if it means other Americans lose their jobs.
China is the world's largest economy. It also has the world's biggest population. It must divide its production among almost 1.4 billion residents. A common way to measure the standard of living is gross domestic product per capita. In 20, China’s GDP per capita was $,600. China's leaders are desperately trying to get the economy to grow faster to raise the country’s living standards. They remember Mao's Cultural Revolution all too well. They know that the Chinese people won't accept a lower standard of living forever.
China sets the value of its currency, the yuan, to equal the value of a basket of currencies that includes the dollar. In other words, China pegs its currency to the dollar using a modified fixed exchange rate. When the dollar loses value, China buys dollars through U.S. Treasurys to support it. In 20, China began relaxing its peg. It wants market forces to have a greater impact on the yuan's value. As a result, the dollar to yuan conversion has been more volatile since then. China's influence on the dollar remains substantial.
Effect
China must buy so many U.S. Treasury notes that it is the largest lender to the U.S. government. Japan is the second largest. As of December 2018, the U.S. debt to China was $1.12 trillion. That's 28% of the total public debt owned by foreign countries.
Many are concerned that this gives China political leverage over U.S. fiscal policy. They worry about what would happen if China started selling its Treasury holdings. It would also be disastrous if China merely cut back on its Treasury purchases.
Why are they so worried? By buying Treasurys, China helped keep U.S. interest rates low. If China were to stop buying Treasurys, interest rates would rise. That could throw the United States into a recession. But this wouldn’t be in China's best interests, as U.S. shoppers would buy fewer Chinese exports. In fact, China is buying almost as many Treasurys as ever.
U.S. companies that can't compete with cheap Chinese goods must either lower their costs or go out of business. Many businesses reduce their costs by outsourcing jobs to China or India. Outsourcing adds to U.S. unemployment. Other industries have just dried up. U.S. manufacturing, as measured by the number of jobs, declined 34% between 1998 and 2010. As these industries declined, so has U.S. competitiveness in the global marketplace.
What's Being Done
President Trump promised to lower the trade deficit with China. On March 1, 2018, he announced he would impose a 25% tariff on steel imports and a 10% tariff on aluminum. On July 6, 2018, Trump's tariffs went into effect for $34 billion of Chinese imports. China canceled all import contracts for soybeans.
Trump's tariffs have raised the costs of imported steel, most of which is from China. Trump's move comes a month after he imposed tariffs and quotas on imported solar panels and washing machines. China has become a global leader in solar panel production. The tariffs depressed the stock market when they were announced.
The Trump administration is developing further anti-China protectionist measures, including more tariffs. It wants China to remove requirements that U.S. companies transfer technology to Chinese firms. China requires companies to do this to gain access to its market.
Trump also asked China to do more to raise its currency. He claims that China artificially undervalues the yuan by % to 40%. That was true in 2000. But former Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson initiated the U.S.-China Strategic Economic Dialogue in 2006. He convinced the People's Bank of China to strengthen the yuan's value against the dollar. It increased by 2% to 3% annually between 2000 and 2013. Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew continued the dialogue during the Obama administration. The Trump administration continued the talks until they stalled in July 20.
The dollar strengthened 25% between 2013 and 20. It took the Chinese yuan up with it. China had to lower costs even more to compete with Southeast Asian companies. The PBOC tried unpegging the yuan from the dollar in 20. The yuan immediately plummeted. That indicated that the yuan was overvalued. If the yuan were undervalued, as Trump claims, it would have risen instead.
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中國依賴美國的根本不是什麼經濟和貿易 而是...
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Posted:May 15, 2019 10:54 pm
Last Updated:May 19, 2019 12:43 am 28526 Views
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據博士高管會報導，几乎每一個20世紀的新產業，比如航空、洗衣機、空調、電子、半導體與晶片、激光、光纖、機器人、互聯網、大眾傳媒、碳纖維、計算機軟件、網絡商務、網絡娛樂、現代醫藥、快餐連鎖等等等等，都是來自于美國的原創。
中國依賴美國的根本不是什麼經濟和貿易，而是發展的原創驅動力
這是對中國所有的錯誤批評中，正確的成分最多的一種——中國依賴美國的根本不是什麼經濟，而是發展的原創驅動力。說具體點，就是開創全新科技、全新產業、開闢全新生存空間的能力。
美國能夠享受高水準生活，靠的不是什麼石油美元，也不是什麼美軍，而是美國源源不斷的從無到有開創新世界的能力。這個新世界包括新的能源、新的材料、新的醫學、新的農業、新的信息、新的發展空間。
美國從新世界不停的帶來誘人的新產品，全世界都樂意高價購買美國人開發出來的新玩意兒，譬如飛機、交流電、留聲機、電視機、電冰箱、洗衣機、電子計算機、空調、激光器、光纖、計算機操作軟件、互聯網、晶片、移動電話、特效藥物、太陽能電池、機器人等等等等。所以美國人才能不停的獲得投資、獲得回報，再用回報去開發更多的新東西。
美國軍隊能夠打贏戰爭，也不是依靠強壯的體魄、嚴明的軍紀或者吃苦耐勞的精神，而是靠着不斷湧現的顛覆性的軍事技術，一次次讓敵人的武器裝備過時導致敵人面對美軍時只能被動挨打而毫無還手之力，比如飛機、潛艇、雷達、氣密增壓式遠程轟炸機、原子彈、噴氣式發動機、雷達隱形技術、激光制導技術、巡航導彈技術等等等等。是這個原創力支撐了美元、美債、美股和美軍，而不是反過來。
所以打擊美軍、美元、美債和美股的行為純粹是本末倒置，不會有任何結果。
而在發展的原創驅動力上，中國根本無法與美國匹敵，這裡面不僅僅是人才的問題，更是文化的問題、制度的問題。這才是根子上的問題。
中國的文化制度問題不解決，靠一時欺騙西方世界偷學的那一招半式的科技，根本支撐不了多久。跟美國領導的西方世界隔絶以後，用不了20年，中國又會再次落後。
中國就如同一塊在西方現代文明這個火爐旁邊烤了17年的磚頭，烤的滾燙以後就以為自己可以替代火爐了，可以象火爐那樣持續的發光發熱了。
問題是，磚頭連火爐為什麼能夠點燃、燃燒機理是什麼都沒搞明白，又何談取代火爐呢?
有人說中國落後於美國是暫時的。我要強調，絶對不是落後，而是依賴，是那種對從0到1的能力的依賴。
就是說中國缺少完全依靠自己憑空想像、獨立開發研製一個全世界本來不存在的科技並成功轉化為一個新產業的能力。
几乎每一個20世紀的新產業，比如航空、洗衣機、空調、電子、半導體與晶片、激光、光纖、機器人、互聯網、大眾傳媒、碳纖維、計算機軟件、網絡商務、網絡娛樂、現代醫藥、快餐連鎖等等等等，都是來自于美國的原創。
如果不是因為美國率先搞出來，中國自己根本就不會費事去創造的，會一直矇昧下去。用了1000年的火藥都沒進步到TNT就是個明顯的例子。燒了2000年的蠟燭都沒進步到電燈是另一個例子。看了3000年的羅盤都沒進步到GPS是第三個例子。三個發明分別對應的是化學、物理學、天文學和數學。這背後不是技術的落後，而是思想的矇昧和科學精神的缺失。
中國這種思想的矇昧和科學精神的缺失一日不除，中國對美國的原創驅動力的依賴就會持續下去，而不會是暫時的。
所以說，在未來的發展方向上，中國其實離不開美國的引導，更離不開跟美國的交流。如果中國跟西方世界隔絶開來，用不了20年，中國又會重新回到科技落後的狀態。
有人說，美國的這些領先都是美元支撐的，一旦沒有了美元這個支柱，美國的創新就會立刻停止。美元的祖墳蘇聯早刨過了，最後把蘇聯自己累死了，也沒瓦解美元體系。
為什麼呢?前面說過了，美元是美國文化和制度的副產品。是美國的創新能力支撐着美元，而不是反過來。
美國總是可以通過創造新的科學技術，以更低的成本、更高的效率、更可靠的質量替代現有的體系，這個「更」指的不是10%，20%的提高，而是一個數量級的提高。
甚至憑空創造出本來不存在的新產業為自己輸血。前者的例子就是隱形飛機對不隱形的飛機，後者的例子就是軟件、移動通訊、互聯網、網絡商務、網絡遊戲產業。
你戒手機一星期，就明白人類生活已經完全離不開移動通訊了。你戒軟件一星期，就明白人類離開軟件已經完全無法工作了。你讓周圍的青年人戒王者榮耀一星期，就立刻會知道青年人離開了電子遊戲已經沒法活。因為須臾都離不開，所以整個人類才心甘情願的為美國這些新玩意兒沒完沒了的掏腰包。
一個帝國的崩潰是從貨幣的崩潰開始的，而該帝國貨幣的崩潰是從這個帝國資不抵債開始的。而有整個人類為美國的財政掏腰包，美國財政怎麼會垮掉呢?美國財政不垮，美元又如何會垮掉呢?
中國什麼時候原創過這樣的科技，開創過這樣的產業?沒有，從來沒有!現實情況是：手機支付抄的paypal、百度抄襲google、阿里抄襲亞馬遜、騰訊抄襲臉書、華為抄襲思科和高通。這些事實都完美體現了中國對美國的依賴。
中國近幾年唯一的商業模式是共享單車，結果燒了幾千億，長出了一地鷄毛，中國人切勿自大，中國人需自強、自省。
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Who would pay for Trump’s tariff hike?
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Posted:May 10, 2019 3:41 am
Last Updated:Jun 2, 2019 3:31 am 28353 Views
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If the Trump administration follows through with its plan to hike tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports at midnight Friday, it would likely hurt not only China’s economy but American consumers and businesses, too.
Multiple studies show the tariffs the U.S. imposed last year on $250 billion worth of Chinese goods, plus the retaliatory tariffs China has put on $101 billion worth of U.S. goods, have led to price increases, reduced the availability of some products and forced businesses to seek alternative suppliers.
President Donald Trump is threatening now to increase existing tariffs on goods ranging from seafood to handbags from 10% to 25% if China does not agree to its demands during trade talks Thursday in Washington.
Trump said Thursday his administration is also starting the paperwork to impose tariffs on an additional $325,000 worth of Chinese products.
The idea: leverage more pressure on China to agree to a deal that the two countries have been negotiating for months.
“We’re the piggy bank that everyone steals from,” Trump said at a news conference on his efforts to reduce prescription drug prices Thursday, claiming that under his presidency, “we’re going to be taking in more money than we’ve ever taken in.”
But any increased revenue is not likely to come from China if current trends continue. Instead, it’s more likely to come from U.S. customers and companies, economists say. And any retaliatory tariffs China imposes could have larger ripple effects throughout the U.S. and global economy.
How tariffs affect prices and supply chains
When the U.S. puts tariffs on Chinese imports, the theory is that Chinese firms will reduce the price of their products to stay competitive. But so far, that has not happened, possibly because international orders are placed months in advance and the tariffs haven’t been in place long enough to renegotiate prices.
Plus, businesses might be waiting to see if the trade dispute is resolved before they make any major adjustments to their models, said Oleg Itskhoki, an economics and international affairs professor at Princeton University.
That leaves U.S. retailers to decide between three options: absorb the cost of the tax, pass it along to consumers, or search for an alternative supplier from a country other than China.
“In the short run, American consumers bear the cost of the tariffs.”
The last option could hurt China’s economy as U.S. companies take their business elsewhere, but it also comes with higher costs for American firms because it is not cheap to find new suppliers, plus domestic producers, as well as those from other countries, often raise their prices because they know customers have few other options.
Recent studies indicate businesses are not absorbing the cost.
“In the short run, American consumers bear the cost of the tariffs,” Itskhoki said.
But American businesses are still being hit in another way — by the retaliatory tariffs China has put on U.S. exports.
Because of the tariffs, some Chinese importers are not buying U.S. products and are instead doing business with suppliers from other nations, as they have with soybeans. That means U.S. producers are losing out on valuable income, especially if they cannot find other buyers for their goods.
U.S. farmers and other manufacturers could reduce prices to try to compete with other nations, but many of them are already operating on thin profit margins. If they reduced prices further, they could go out of business.
What do we know about how much existing tariffs have cost?
Trump’s tariff increase would generate an estimated $30 billion worth of taxes on Chinese goods a year.
It’s one of the reasons Trump has claimed tariffs are boosting the U.S. economy, but the Tax Foundation, a Washington-based think tank, estimates the current tariffs on Chinese goods will reduce U.S. GDP long-term by $30 billion. Additional tariffs as proposed by Trump could drop GDP by at least another $15 billion, according to the group’s analysis.
That doesn’t include other tariffs the Trump administration has imposed on other countries as a negotiating tactic, including an across-the-board tariffs on steel and aluminum. This week, the Trump administration announced it would impose a 17.5 percent tariff on imported Mexican tomatoes because it says Mexico is conducting unfair trade practices.
Some specific industries, such as aluminum manufacturers, have benefited from the tariffs. But that has come at a cost to U.S. customers who have to pay higher prices.
By October and November 2018, tariffs on China and other countries cost U.S. consumers and businesses $4.4 billion a month, according to a recent study by researchers from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Princeton University and Columbia University. Of that, the federal government recouped about $3 billion in import taxes.
But about $1.4 billion was lost entirely because tariffs make the economy less efficient–consumers might be buying fewer goods, for example, but they are paying more overall because of the price hike. The $1.4 billion loss amounts to an annual cost of about $133 per household, according to the researchers.
Looking at the Consumer Price Index, which measures the cost of consumer goods such as food and clothing, the researchers found the prices on products subject to the tariffs increased between 10 percent and 30 percent after the tariffs were implemented. If tariffs rise further, as Trump has proposed, consumers are likely to see prices increase again.
Much of that price increase comes from tariffs the U.S. puts on goods from China, which make up the heftiest tariffs, as opposed to the retaliatory tariffs China has imposed on U.S. goods.
Who suffers the most?
Areas with high concentrations of agriculture and metal production are most at risk of feeling the negative effects of tariffs. Those industries have been singled out in the tariffs Trump imposed on steel and aluminum, as well as by China, which imports a large amount of U.S. agricultural products.
By sheer number, regional metropolitan centers such as Chicago and Dallas export the most products that are affected by tariffs, but in rural areas a larger share of the economy is affected, according to a study published in October 2018 by the Brookings Institution, a Washington-based think tank.
Counties that voted for Trump in 2016 are twice as likely to be affected by the trade battle with China than those that voted for Hillary Clinton, the research also finds. That’s because Trump won a number of rural counties whose economies depend heavily on certain goods, such as agricultural products, that are included in China’s retaliatory tariffs
That observation is backed up by a study conducted by four academic researchers and released earlier this year. They found workers in “heavily Republican counties were the most negatively affected by the trade war.”
Trump’s base seems to be sticking by him when it comes to his stance toward China, but the views held by all Americans are more complex.
In September, only 42 percent of Americans said they thought the trade war with China was good for jobs, according to an Axios poll. But the percent of Americans’ who have a favorable view of China has also dropped significantly since the tariffs went into place.
Fear of the unknown
In addition to the more immediate effects, a trade battle injects unpredictability into the economy that can cause many businesses to rethink their long-term investments.
“If these tariffs go into effect, that makes you uncertain,” said Gary Hufbauer, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. “And if you’re a firm considering enlarging your relations with China, you could put that on ice for the time being.”
If enough companies pull back on their expansion, that can make a dent in the growth of both U.S. businesses and China’s economy.
That’s exactly what investors fear, said Hufbauer, a former deputy assistant secretary for international trade and investment policy at the U.S. Treasury Department.
The day after Trump announced his new tariffs threat, stocks plummeted. If Trump makes good on that threat, it’s likely Wall Street will see yet another sell-off.
On the other hand, other countries are benefiting from the U.S.-China trade dispute. Brazil has boosted its soybean production to make up for the soybeans China is not buying from the U.S. Other nations, such as Thailand and Malaysia, could also benefit if U.S. companies decide to purchase from them instead of China.
But so far, those larger effects are still hard to measure. No one is sure exactly how long the tariffs will be in place and are cautious about making any rash decisions that would be difficult to reverse.
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Survivor of Moscow plane inferno is accused of 'blocking' others from escaping
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Posted:May 8, 2019 1:22 am
Last Updated:May 16, 2019 1:27 pm 31851 Views
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Overweight survivor of Russian plane inferno 'blocked others from escaping' as hero stewardess pushed people out of jet which bounced down runway before bursting into flames, killing 41 people
Dmitry Khlebushkin sparked fury from passengers who said they were blocked by people retrieving luggage
The stricken Superjet plane failed to land properly as it came into Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport on Sunday
It was making an emergency landing at Moscow, where it had taken off for a domestic flight to Murmansk
New security footage shows a fireball erupting from the plane's fuselage as it hits the tarmac on Sunday
Stewardess Tatyana Kasatkina, 34, grabbed passengers by their collars and pushed them outside to safety
Another flight attendant, Maxim Moissev, died in the flames as he desperately tried to force a rear door open
Forty-one people have died in the disaster, including at least two and one member of the flight crew
Officials have three theories: weather, malfunctioning equipment, and pilots without proper qualifications
The two flight recorders have been found, but Russian officials do not intend to ground the type of aircraft
A survivor of the Moscow air disaster has sparked fury after he walked from the airport with a backpack he had rescued from the burning plane, prompting claims he had blocked other passengers from escaping.
Dmitry Khlebushkin demanded a refund and complained about his treatment by Aeroflot staff as he left Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport on Sunday, while relatives of 41 victims mourned their loss.
The 'overweight' Russian has become a focal point of anger after several passengers were seen retrieving luggage while others tried to flee.
According to reports in Russia, only three passengers behind Khlebushkin - who was sitting in seat C - survived the inferno.
As the fire raged, hero stewardess Tatyana Kasatkina, 34, had kicked open an exit door and grabbed passengers by their collars to push them to safety.
However another flight attendant, Maxim Moissev, died in the flames as he tried desperately to open a door at the rear of the plane.
Terrifying new footage emerged on Monday showing the stricken Russian plane bouncing down the runway before bursting into flames.
The security footage shows the Superjet plane flicking off the tarmac, collapsing to the ground and fireball careering along the runway with a huge cloud of smoke trailing behind it.
Russian officials are still probing the cause of the tragedy, suggesting three theories: insufficient pilot qualifications, equipment failure, and weather. They do not intend to ground the type of aircraft.
Both flight recorders have today been recovered, which will allow investigators to examine what went wrong aboard a plane which pilot Denis Evdokimov - and some passengers - said had been hit by lightning.
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Asian markets plunge as Trump threatens to hike China tariffs
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Posted:May 5, 2019 10:44 pm
Last Updated:May 15, 2019 10:16 am 32058 Views
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President Trump sent Asian markets plunging Monday after threatening to hike tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods at the end of the week in a bid to speed up stuttering trade talks between the economic superpowers.
Shanghai plunged more than 5% as it led big losses across the region, with the Chinese yuan also taking a battering after the president threw a spanner into the high-level negotiations, which many observers were expecting to wrap up imminently.
"For 10 months, China has been paying Tariffs to the USA of 25% on 50 Billion Dollars of High Tech, and 10% on 200 Billion Dollars of other goods," Trump tweeted Sunday night. "The 10% will go up to 25% on Friday."
The warning will throw a shadow over the next round of talks, with a delegation from Beijing due in Washington this week, with Bloomberg News reporting the Chinese side are considering their position.
The two sides have imposed tariffs on $360 billion in two-way trade since last year. But Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping agreed a truce in December, helping fan a surge across world stock markets for the past 4 months.
"Trump has taken the proverbial sledgehammer to the walnut this morning and the only two words likely to be on the minds of traders and investors this week are 'trade talks'," said OANDA senior market analyst Jeffrey Halley.
Hong Kong tumbled 3.3% by the break and Shanghai was off 5.2% as investors there returned for the first time since Tuesday. News that the People's Bank of China would slash the amount of cash lenders must keep in reserve, to support small businesses, had little impact in the face of Trump's warning.
Singapore was off 3.3% and Taipei shed 1.8%, while Sydney and Wellington were each 1% down.
Manila and Jakarta were also sharply lower. Tokyo and Seoul were closed for holidays.
- Yuan tumbles -
"Trade had been put to the side by many market participants," said Andrew Tilton, chief Asia-Pacific economist at Goldman Sachs. "Market pricing assumed there would be some kind of a deal, and no further escalation in tariffs. And meanwhile the growth outlook was actually improving," he told Bloomberg TV.
Trump's threat now "raises the spectre of a significant hit to growth should these tariffs escalate and should the uncertainty associated with that weigh on investment going forward."
The yuan also took a hiding, shedding more than 1.3% at one point against the dollar, its heaviest fall in more than three years. The currency had been sitting around 10-month highs on the back of optimism the two sides would sign off on a trade pact.
"Investors will remain bearish on the yuan, as they reprice in trade war risks because the new developments are a reversal of previous positive progress," Ken Cheung, senior foreign-exchange strategist at Mizuho Bank. "The news was unexpected."
The flight to safety saw the dollar surge against higher-yielding, higher-risk units, with South Africa's rand off one percent, the Mexican peso 0.9% lower and the Australian dollar 0.6% lower.
On oil markets both main contracts were hammered more than two percent by worries that a trade war between the world's top two economies could hit demand for the commodity.
Adding to weakness in the sector is the US drive to increase output, which comes as it reports rising stockpiles, which are offsetting unrest in Libya, tensions with Iran and production caps by OPEC and Russia.
However, while trading floors are awash with red, Stephen Innes at SPI Asset Management remained positive.
"We do know the president tends to retreat from more aggressive displays, so I am viewing this thinly veiled threat as political posturing or a tactical decision to apply more pressure on China to put through a trade deal that aligns with the best USA economic interest at heart.
"Despite US-China trade talks hitting an apparent impasse based on (the) tweet, I think a deal will be signed shortly."
Trump's outburst overshadowed another blockbuster US jobs report Friday that reinforced the view that the economy is in rude health, while measured wage inflation eased pressure on the Federal Reserve to hike interest rates.
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Weekend joke - Tampax or Thumbtacks?
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Posted:May 3, 2019 12:35 pm
Last Updated:May 5, 2019 12:56 am 28326 Views
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Ever spoken and wished that you could take the words back...or that you could crawl into a hole? Here is someone who do....
A lady picked up several items at a discount store. When she finally got up to the checker, she learned that one of her items had no price tag. Imagine her embarrassment when the checker got on the intercom and boomed out for all the store to hear, "PRICE CHECK ON LANE THIRTEEN, TAMPAX SUPER SIZE." That was bad enough, but somebody at the rear of the store apparently misunderstood the word "Tampax" for "THUMBTACKS." In a business-like tone, a voice boomed back over the intercom "DO YOU WANT THE KIND YOU PUSH IN WITH YOUR THUMB OR THE KIND YOU POUND IN WITH A HAMMER?"
 
p.s. As a reminder, I am NOT the original writer of all the "Weekend jokes", so I am NOT responsible for them. Those "weekend jokes" are from my Las Vegas real estate agent weekly.
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Do you want to become a millionaire?
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Posted:Apr 23, 2019 11:14 pm
Last Updated:May 3, 2019 8:05 am 29813 Views
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Do you remember that I posted a blog topic "Boeign Co." on March 27, 2019. Under that blog, I posted 4 comments mentioned many stocks that can make you a millionaire, did you follow me?
I said Boeign Co. is an excellent company but has a "dark cloud" over its head for a while due to two planes crashed. I said to stay outside, just observe its chart and news. Don't buy or trade.
In the 4 comments, I said I like Google that has the best search engine, maps, translate (many languages), YouTube video, .... I can't live without Google. Google was on sale for under $1,000. I didn't buy the lowest price of $977.66 but I bought $990. Today it day-high is $1,274.43.
I told you I have shopped on Amazon. Amazon plummeted from all-time high $2,050.50 to $1,307 (down $743.50 a share). I was in Italy for 36 days. Today high is $1,929.26. Amazon will report first quarter earning tomorrow aftermarket closed. I have a lot of Amazon. I paid lots of interest to hold Amazon up.
I have JP Morgan Chase Bank, Bank of America and Visa card. Look the Master card and Visa card jumped over all-time high.
I like Pepsico over Coca Cola, Pepsico jumped to all=time high after its earning report. I told you so.
Booking Holdings was gap down to $1,689.44, I told you to buy this stock when everyone dumped it. With a little patience, it is $1,895.28 (up $205.84 a share).
As Biogen announced it will withdraw a Alzheimer drug from stage 3 test for FDA approval, investors were so disappointed and dumped it to 52 week low of $216.12. When it went up to $244.50, I sold half of shares at $243. I still own 1/2. Bio-tech and pharmaceuticals are very weak sector for a while.
The worst performance is United Health Group. It dropped to $208.07 new 52 week low. I still have profits and holding it. Actually it reported good earning but its CEO blamed to bipartisan push healthcare insurance.
By the way, I have lots of Twitter stock because president Trump uses Twitter to communicate with Americans. All the news journalists and citizens follow Trump to read his tweets every day. Sometimes, Trump tweets many times a day. I don't have Twitter account or follow Trump, but I own Twitter stock. Twitter reported good earning today, Wow, it jumps up
I meant well to make you a millionaire on stock market and real estate (I posted a blog before). Real Estate market is easier for me to predict because "Supply" and "demand" need to be in balance.
In General, sell properties in Summer, buy properties in Winter because young people graduate from colleges, get married, having baby, move to new job locations, ... people buy properties, the prices will go up. You can sell to them for higher price. In Winter, most people spent money for holidays, buy Christmas gifts, eat a big feast, buy Winter coats, .... people stay inside while snowing days, so less people go out to look for properties. When less people buy, the prices will go down. You can ask for bargain in Winter. The sellers are more desperate to sell. Real estate agents said "Location, location, location". I said "Timing, location, location".
I am a "market contrarian". 做法與一般大眾想法相反的投資人（例如：買冷門股票）My banker friend said I am very brave.
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Sri Lanka attack death toll rises to 290
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Posted:Apr 23, 2019 12:25 am
Last Updated:May 1, 2019 5:36 am 28754 Views
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A coordinated series of bombings ripped through churches and hotels on Easter Sunday, killing at least 290 people and injuring hundreds more.
Sri Lanka’s minority Christian community — which accounts for less than 10% of the country’s total population of 21.4 million — appeared to be the main target of the attacks.
Here's what we know so far:
What happened:
Eight explosions paralyzed the country on Sunday. They took place in the cities of Colombo, Negombo and Batticaloa.
Though it wasn’t immediately clear who was behind the eight explosions, Manisha Gunasekera, high commissioner of Sri Lanka to the UK, said the blasts are “certainly acts of terror.”
The victims:
Most of the dead and injured were Sri Lankan. At least 39 tourists were killed, the country’s tourism minister said on Monday.
Eight victims were British citizens, two of whom held dual US-UK nationality; as well as three Indians, two Australians, two Chinese cousins, one person from the Netherlands, two Turkish citizens and one Portuguese national.
The aftermath:
Police have arrested 24 people in connection with the attacks.
Authorities have declared a state of emergency, and are conducting search and rescue operations. Tuesday will be a national day of mourning, and all schools nationwide are closed until Wednesday.
A social media blackout was enforced as authorities attempted to contain the violence and establish who carried out the attacks.
An island-wide curfew is being imposed from 8 p.m. (10 a.m. ET) until 4 a.m. (6 p.m. ET) local time for the second night in a row.
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Only 36% of Americans have a passport
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Posted:Apr 21, 2019 12:01 am
Last Updated:Apr 22, 2019 10:22 am 30263 Views
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According to the State Department, there are only 36% of Americans own a valid passport (and therefore 64% do not). How we decide to use our time and money are major factors in our failure to get abroad, as is a general lack of travel ambition.
In 2011 - when the last UK census took place - 76% of people in England and Wales held a UK passport. Only 17% had no passport at all.
My aunt's family moved from Taiwan to USA when I was only 9 or 10 years old (3rd grade). When I was at 7th grade, they came back to Taiwan for a vacation. They brought back a "Polaroid camera" that could print the pictures out. I was 13 years old at the time and surprised by that camera I've never seen before. My aunt also brought back many English musical records, i.e. Carpenters, Frank Sinatra, Andy Williams, .... for me. I listened to those English records over and over again when I was a .
My aunt wrote letters from USA and invited my mom to travel to Grand Canyon, Zion, Yellowstone, Yosemite, .... national parks in 1974. When my mom returned to Taiwan, she told me how big USA is and I saw the pictures when she traveled. That really encouraged me to come to USA. In 1978, my mom emigrated to USA for the 2nd time. She found a job at a Japanese Retirement Home, she applied me to come to USA and got USA approval in Sept 1979.
In Nov 1979, Jimmy Carter announced to abandon Taiwan and started diplomatic relationship with China. At that time I was working at "Government Employees Clinic Center" as a pharmacist for 3 years. My mom called me almost every night (different Time Zones between Calif and Taiwan) to urge me to quit job and come to USA because communist China threaten to attack Taiwan for consecutive 7 days & nights and destroyed Taiwan completely. Yes, I arrived on USA in 1980 and U.S. Custom gave me a stamp with my Green Card # and he told me "Welcome to America, with this # you can apply your Green Card and S.S. # then you can look for a job". That was how I came to USA.
I have the travel gene from my aunt, my mom. Actually I didn't travel much in Taiwan when I was little. But since I came to USA in 1980, I traveled a lot. I found first job as "Loan Secretary" at a bank, I prepared and typed loan documents for customers. Calif didn't recognize Taiwanese pharmacist license, but I had to make a living, so I worked. I had learned a lot about U.S. financial from this "loan secretary" job. I learned mortgage loan, commercial loan, SBA loans, ..... I learned how to build up "Credit" in order to borrow money. My supervisor was a Senior Vice President of the bank who was a 4th generation Italian-American. I only can speak with him in English. He said I have learned very fast, so he raised my salary after 3 months probation period.
I only could bring $3,000 from Taiwan in 1980 because Taiwan's limitation at the time. I lived with my mom in an apartment, saved money to buy a car. My boss told me "don't buy car with cash, borrow auto loan to build up your credit." I said loan had to pay with interest. He said if I pay payments on time for at least six months, the bank will trust you. So, I bought my first car with an auto loan. Then I have had credit card after six months and then after a year I had my first 2 weeks vacation WITH PAY. I felt USA is a very wonderful country.
I was single, had a car, credit card, vacation, .... I learned what is the USA financial system. Three years later I quit bank job to attend USC (Univ. of Southern Calif) school of pharmacy for a year and passed my Calif pharmacist license exam. I became a pharmacist again. Of course, I got more pay and bought the first condo with my mom with a mortgage loan in 1984. My first property in USA after 4 years I stepped on this land.
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