The Message Forum is an ongoing dialogue among classmates. The goal is to encourage friendly interaction, including interaction among classmates who really didn't know each other. Experience on the site has revealed that certain topics tend to cause friction and hard feelings, especially politics and religion. 

Although politics and religion are not completely off-limits, classmates are asked to be positive in their posts and not to be too repetitive or allow a dialog to degenerate into an argument. 

Forums work when people participate - so don't be bashful! Click the "Post Response" button to add your entry to the forum.

Janalu Jeanes (Parchman)

I was just listening to Bill O'Reilly's daily news wrap-up on YouTube.

What he said made me laugh, being truth hitting one in the face, so to speak.

He had just reviewed that yesterday, in Florida, Joe Biden had made some intense statements, saying the Supreme Court WAS WRONG to have "changed" Roe v. WADE, so he was announcing that abortion would be on the ballot for the benefit of women everywhere, touting that those women should vote Democrat in Nov.  He also spoke of other Democrat positions, positions that a good many citizens consider to be too far to the left.

Then O'Reilly made this statement I thought was quite funny.  He said, "Since I believe, along with other Christians in our country, that there will definitely be 'a profound day of reckoning before God Almighty,'  I would not like to be Biden, at all."  

Whew-w-w-w-w !!

David Wier

Ahh -- Purple People Eater by Sheb  Wooley - straight from his role in Rawhide. 

I always said "Was it an eater who just ate purple people? "

or was it a "People eater who was purple?"

Kind of like - Was she a Black -- magice woman or a Black Magic - woman?

Lawrence (Lance) Cantor

Lawrence (Lance) Cantor

Janalu Jeanes (Parchman)

Lance,

You wanted me to clarify the long history of the area now known as Israel.

I'm wondering why you want me to do that?  Do you want to try and 'trip me up' on my facts, which I rely upon mostly from memory of approx. 70 years of participation in the Methodist Church?  Well, I'm sure that I may have confused some facts, as I'm not the scholar you are.  Nor do I have plenty of time to read and attend study groups like you.  You are fortunate to have that kind of time for study.

I would suggest to anyone wanting to know the very long history of the Jewish people and their relationship with the Palestinians, as well as the many other ethnic groups of the area, to simply read the Bible, with the study guides made specifically for that type of factual information.  They should not take my words as truth, because I am fallible, absolutely.

The main point I was trying to make about the college students we see on TV currently, is that they are 'caught up' in an irrational belief that THEY KNOW ALL ABOUT WHAT IS GOING ON IN ISRAEL, as they have heard explained by their professors (who are very often far-leftist/biased people) while I believe they don't know even a tenth of the complicated situation's truth.

I also believe that those students don't have any idea that the Bible tells one and all, "THERE WILL NEVER BE LASTING PEACE IN ISRAEL UNTIL THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST." 

Do you, Lance, agree with THAT statement?

The Bible also tells us that "There will always be poor/unfortunate people in our world," so the Marxist believe that all people can and should be equal, will never come to pass.

Ron Knight

THANKS Lowell!! 

I appreciate the time and advice.

Lawrence (Lance) Cantor

David Cordell

Lance,

Where is your reference to Exodus (the 1960 movie)? Maybe it stuck with me subconsciously.

You typed "1948". Not sure why. The action of the movie is in 1947, up to the date of the UN's partition of Palestine vote, November 27, 1947. One of the last scenes of the movie is Lee J. Cobb announcing the UN vote to a large group of people.

Lowell Tuttle

HBO had the show, Golda, starting a few months ago.   Watched, but not from start to finish...I kept dozing off..

I would guess it was all filmed before 10 07.

The performance of Helen Mirren was pretty good...although it was a bit disturbing watching someone chain smoke...and I mean really chain smoke like I guess she did.

It was the 1973 war.   My memory was that Israel had no problems handling the multiple fronts and toppled the attacks...but the Golda show gave a different perspective.

Hard for me to keep track of all the politics of Israel.   

Lawrence (Lance) Cantor

David Cordell

Watched Legally Blond last night. Much funnier than Exodus.

Lowell Tuttle

I gotta say, I didn't realize until all the recent full body deodorant ads that women stunk so much...

Jim Bedwell

The Cowboys at left tackle and left guard last year had 2 Smiths. Now with their number 1 draft choice selected yesterday, they have 2 Tylers. Not that anything the Cowboys do will help them reach the NFC Championship game this season; the chances of improvement this season are comparable to Biden's improving, except that Biden's chances of betterment are really worse than Our Boys.

David Cordell

Lowell, thanks for the chuckle!

Jim B., I'm not sure any of the names of the players make any difference, unless the name Jones is disassociated from the Cowboys. Alas, even when Jerry passes, other Joneses will remain.

Lawrence (Lance) Cantor

DAZED AND CONFUSED

Hey Lowell & TT,

If you have been watching the fun this week at UT-Austin...brings back my memories of us marching on the Capitol...burning the ROTC building on campus!

Those days were dazed and confused!

Here's a Nu version including lyrics and desperate feelings you will recognize...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0sZLo1bt24

.

Lowell Tuttle

Any day traders here raking it in shorting Truth Social.   I am sure it's just a fad.   He's got what, 40 subscribers?

Also, they should move Earth Day to just after Halloween, but before the election.

Lawrence (Lance) Cantor

OUR FISCAL INSANITY

SCHWEIKERT’S PLEA FOR TRUTH

This is probably the most important Youtube you are likely to watch this year!

Congressman David Schweikert, Member of the House Ways and Means Committee, Vice-Chairman of US Congress Joint Economic Committee…bless his frustrated heart…is pleading with his fellow Congressmen to actually TELL AMERICA THE TRUTH!

Largely due to our demographic of Aging Baby Boomers, and our entitlement$:

..We have only 9 future budget years before the USA surpasses $70T in debt.

..4 largest budget contributors are SS, Interest on US debt, Medicare, Defense…Given currently anticipated rising interest rates…within 5 years, Intere$t will be number 1.

RED is fixed…and Congress won’t discuss or debate avoids telling the public.

BLUE is discretionary.

https://youtu.be/4rCm58KPbVw?si=70eUQ2i92ga2FvNq

FYI...we Boomers are the lucky ones!

With our dollar evaporating before we’re 80 years old…whatta you and I do today to prepare….got ideas?

I MEAN...AS HE ASKED AT THE BEGINNING...

HOW TO TELL THE TRUTH...IN SPITE OF THE "AI LIES CAMPAIGN" BY RUSSIA AND CHINA+ ?

.

David Cordell

This is one of my favorite songs from elementary school days. Love the harmonies. Almost a capella.

Question for someone more musical than I: What instruments do you hear?

Janalu Jeanes (Parchman)

I heard the string bass, which is unusual as the instrument carrying the melody.

You're right.  The song is mostly a capella.

Lowell Tuttle

On 4 23 2024, Trump "earned" an additional 1.2 billion dollars in the form of 36 million "bonus" shares.   An SEC filing (from when the DJT/Truth Social media group was formed) had a stipulation that he was entitled to said bonus if the stock traded above $17.50 for 20 days in any 30 day period within the next three years.

No "stakeholders" can sell their shares during a six month lockout period from when the merger started.  Actually *edit*  I don't know what I am talking about here.   Certain types of stakeholders who are shareholders of a defined type, can't sell for six months... 

I don't understand this, but from what I can gather, short selling involves persons owning shares (like you or me,) "loaning" their shares to someone who sells a put...generally at a lower price, driving down the price...but I don't understand the other side of the transaction...

36 million shares might be worth nothing when he sells or has a legitimate selling oportunity...or it might be worth billions.

I guess a "stakeholder" is or are initial investors.  When an entity goes public, or becomes public, they have to file data with the SEC...

Somehow, stakeholders can't buy and sell according to this stock...but, 13%? of the company is or are shares which can be traded?   (Can a stakeholder also buy and sell part of the 13%?)  

Anyway, short sellers are working with that 13% and the stock is going up or not from the perceived sale short of those shares only.   The 87% which I guess is/are stakeholders cannot sell...but if they buy up the 13% why couldn't they hold off the short selling?   

The company is sending the 13% shareholders instructions on how they can avoid having their shares loaned out for short selling...

This is way too hard for my brain to understand.

I just know there is literally no value to this media enterprise...at least relative to its market cap.   

But, you know, so are a lot of other stocks...like Tesla...and just about all the tech stocks under 10 years old on the Nasdaq...

Be careful out there with your money, not just RHS'ers, but everyone

Lawrence (Lance) Cantor

RENEWAL TIME

David and Janalu,

This morning, I am especially pleased to join my classmates OTOS by reinforcing our bond as frequent posters to put our money where our mouth is!

The Punography website is soon approaching the time for renewal, and appropriately, is seeking small donations from our Class to keep the site ad-free.

While I recognize you’ve boasted several times that you haven’t viewed the Punography site in over five years, perhaps as we soon approach our time to Re-Unite this October; you would demonstrate your leadership here as an encouragement for us to follow.

Similar to the cost of our upcoming dinner together,  your outreach and donation of $55 each would represent so much more than the “food for thought” we share here daily on these Forums.

Lowell Tuttle

Listening to the Astros game in Mexico City yesterday.   The rally late in the game by the Colorado Rockies was cut short by a baserunner "missing" third base to end an inning.   The Astros third baseman, Bregman, and the thirdbase umpire definietly saw it...inning over.

The announcers on the radio reflected on a story from the 1962 Mets.   Marvelous Marve Throneberry was running the bases (this before instant replay,) and was called out for missing first base on a triple he hit.   The Met's manager, Casey Stengel, launched out of the dugout to argue that he had touched first...on his way to second and third, but the base coach and the umpire stopped his argument saying he had missed second base too.   Never at a loss for word, Casey responded, well, I know he touched third, because I can see him right there standing on it...

It was funnier when I heard it on the radio.   Radio is best way to "watch" baseball...no question...

Jerry May

Just had cataract surgery; left eye first (blind side) then right. 
I was not getting any light on left.....so totally "in the dark," and not seeing so well

on the right. (thought I needed new prescription) So after a referred visit to a new opthalmologist.... we discovered "moderate" cataracts. So, I decided to have the surgery. This was one of the best medical decisions I have ever made! I'm very pleased with the Dr and surgery! Also glad she was so diminutive with slender hands and fingers! Last thing I wanted was some huge guy with "banana fingers"!

So, now seeing 4 lines better on eye chart, with right......and can make out certain things with left again!

It appears I do need a new prescription.....but only for reading!  Just wanted to share~j
 

David Cordell

Short selling - boring description to follow.

First, being "long" in a stock means that you own shares of the stock. Being "short" in the stock means that you don't own the stock. Rather, you owe shares to someone else. How does this happen?

If someone is convinced that a stock will decline in value, they might want to "sell the stock short". To do that, he borrows the stock from someone, then sells the stock. If the stock does decline, the short seller will buy it back at a lower price and return the shares to the lender. The profit is the difference between the price at which it was sold and the price at which it was bought back, less fees to the brokerage firm. You don't actually try to find someone to borrow shares from. You transact with a broker-dealer, and he has an inventory of shares that can be lent. (You may "own" shares through a broker-dealer that have been lent without your even knowing.) The short seller is also responsible to pay an amount equal to any dividends that would have been due to whoever lent the stock.

Instead of "buy low and sell high", it is "sell high and buy back low".

Of course, the risk is that the stock price might go up instead of down. At some point, the short seller must buy the stock back to return it to the lender. In that case, the loss is the difference between the price at which it was re-purchased and the price at which it was sold. Again, an amount equal to the dividends must also be paid.

I always notice when someone says something like, "Don't sell yourself short." Of course it means that that person is "worth" more than they think they are. I have a few clips from TV that I used to share with my classes, including one from the movie Moonstruck. 

If anyone is interested, I could explain put options and call options. The explanation will be every bit as exciting as this one.

Sandra Spieker (Ringo)

Jerry,

I am glad your vision was improved with the cataract surgery!  Perhaps your left eye vision will improve with time since you can now see some light with is.  I am so sorry this happened to you!