Ryder Cup Single Pairings for Sunday 9/21/2008

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Ryder Cup 2008 Alert

Single Pairings for Sunday 9/21/2008

Here's a look at the 2008 Ryder Cup Sunday's singles pairings and tee times.

12:03 PM: Kim (USA) vs. Garcia (EUR)
12:14 PM: Mahan (USA) vs. Casey (EUR)
12:25 PM: Leonard (USA) vs. Karlsson (EUR)
12:36 PM: Mickelson (USA) vs. Rose (EUR)
12:47 PM: Perry (USA) vs. Stenson (EUR)
12:58 PM: Weekley (USA) vs. WIlson (EUR)
1:09 PM: Holmes (USA) vs. Hansen (EUR)
1:20 PM: Furyk (USA) vs. Jimenez (EUR)
1:31 PM: Cink (USA) vs. McDowell (EUR)
1:42 PM: Stricker (USA) vs. Poulter (EUR)
1:53 PM: Curtis (USA) vs. Westwood (EUR)
2:04 PM: Campbell vs. Harrington (EUR)






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This election has no need for this race card crap!!

This post is in response to Karen Tumulty, TIME's National Political Correspondent, web post and the comments posted about it.

Karen, your headline is a hoot, and kids, do you think people give a hoot about what you think this ad is saying? The message of this advertisement is clear, “Osama bin-Laden, I mean, Obama-Biden team, (I always mix up these names) does not have what it takes to lead this country!”. Period, end of explicit message, nothing more, nothing less. So all the ‘hootin and hollerin’ should be focused on this message, but nooooo. There’s also these moronic ‘trash bashing’ comments of an implicit message, an individual perspective based on personal thinking, for which I say…

Advertisements are intended to get people to think, and when people think, they think what they want to think, and the thinking on this ad illustrates the diversity of what people will think. But this ad is not doing the thinking, the people are doing the thinking, so the ad has served its purpose of making people think. So don’t think, you think, the ad is saying what you think, because ads don’t think, they say. People think, so quit thinking what you think is what everyone else is thinking, and want to hear what you think. So get over it and shut up about what it is you think, and save your thinking for the ballot box, it’s only a 30 second advertisement.

This election has no place for this race card crap. Only if this issue is explicitly reference should it be professional addressed. Even though it may be what many Americans are thinking, this post is NOT the place to announce the race card has been played by one of the players!!

September 18, 2008 9:45
McCain Plays the Race Card
Posted by Karen Tumulty Comments (200) Permalink Trackbacks (0) Email This

When politicians interject race into a campaign, they seldom do it directly.

Consider McCain's new ad, which the campaign says it will be airing nationally:

This is hardly subtle: Sinister images of two black men, followed by one of a vulnerable-looking elderly white woman.

Let me stipulate: Obama's Fannie Mae connections are completely fair game. But this ad doesn't even mention a far more significant tie--that of Jim Johnson, the former Fannie Mae chairman who had to resign as head of Obama's vice presidential search team after it was revealed he got a sweetheart deal on a mortgage from Countrywide Financial. Instead, it relies on a fleeting and tenuous reference in a Washington Post Style section story to suggest that Obama's principal economic adviser is former Fannie Mae Chairman Frank Raines. Why? One reason might be that Johnson is white; Raines is black.

And the image of the victim doesn't seem accidental either, given the fact that older white women are a key swing constituency in this election.

After the McCain campaign introduced the ad, the Obama campaign responded with this statement:

• Statement from Frank Raines on the ad: "I am not an advisor to Barack Obama, nor have I provided his campaign with advice on housing or economic matters."

• "This is another flat-out lie from a dishonorable campaign that is increasingly incapable of telling the truth. Frank Raines has never advised Senator Obama about anything -- ever. And by the way, someone whose campaign manager and top advisor worked and lobbied for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac shouldn't be throwing stones from his seven glass houses," said Obama-Biden campaign spokesman Bill Burton.

At Politico, Ben Smith reports:

• McCain spokesman Brian Rogers notes that Obama didn't contradict the claim when it first appeared in the Post.

But that's not really the point of the ad, is it?

UPDATE: The McCain campaign has now put out an ad on Jim Johnson. Please see my post above.

Check out the rest of the story here.

Financial Market Manipulation >What has this country become??

Being a real believer in capitalism and having a passion for the stock market, this is a sad day for the good old USA. Banning the short selling of stock by the SEC is an outrage, one that will be heard for a long time to come. I'm not sure many Americans understand what this action means, but let's just say it reeks of socialism.

But rather than listen to what one man thinks, below is a summary consisting of commentary from a few of the top free market capitalists. You decide what the truth is, and what's the official BS.

SEC: Ban All Short Selling
Here is tonite's theater of the absurd SEC headline:

SEC intends to temporarily ban short selling, but it's not clear if the commission has approved the move. Cox is briefing congressional leaders. Separately, the government is seeking congressional authority to buy distressed assets.

This is nothing short of a total panic by people who have no clue what they are doing. And to think, I mocked Russia for being a nation run by market commies.

This is the ultimate bailout attempt, which will have repercussions far far beyond our imaginations:
1) We suffer a loss of Market Integrity; The US is now a Banana Republic

2) Blatant market manipulation: this is nothing more than an attempt to force markets higher;

3) 60 days prior to a presidential election? This is a none-too-subtle attempt to influence the elections -- especially coming on top of the Fannie/Freddie bailout;

4) The coming pop will create a huge air pocket, ultimately leading to us crashing much lower;

5) Expect a huge increase in volatility -- upwards first, then down;

We Are A Nation of Morons, led by complete Idiots, making us complicit in our own self destruction.

Bloomberg:
Financial regulators in the U.S. and U.K., attorneys general in New York, Texas and Connecticut, and the three largest U.S. pension funds are cracking down on short sellers in the wake of the collapse of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. and American International Group Inc.

Hedge funds and investors who profit from share declines are being scrutinized after a crisis of confidence in the financial industry erased more than $3 trillion from stocks globally this week. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Morgan Stanley, the only remaining independent securities firms on Wall Street, suffered the worst-ever declines yesterday. Morgan Stanley's chief executive officer, John Mack, said short sellers may be spreading false information and using abusive tactics to attack companies.

"You have to enforce the rules with regards to short selling,'' said Mario Gabelli, who oversees about $28 billion as chairman and chief executive officer of Gamco Investors Inc. in Rye, New York. "Shorts were running amok.''

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said it may require hedge funds to disclose short-sale positions and plans to subpoena their communications, while the Financial Services Authority in the U.K. banned short selling financial shares for the rest of the year.

New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo began an investigation into whether bears illegally drove down stock prices of financial firms. The California Public Employees' Retirement System and the New York State Common Retirement Fund decided to stop lending shares for short sales, after a similar move by the California State Teachers' Retirement"

Marketwatch:
"Gathering anger over short selling of vulnerable financial stocks exploded into the open Thursday as top market regulators and industry giants took steps to limit the practice and begin investigation into possible abuses.Britain's stock market regulator on Thursday banned short selling in financial companies and said it might extend the ban to other sectors. The move followed the Securities and Exchange Commission's curbs on the practice that went into effect Thursday morning.

In other steps aimed squarely at the bearish practice, the country's largest pension fund, the California Public Employees' Retirement System, said it was taking steps to limit the practice on three financial stocks and the New York attorney general called for a wide-ranging investigation of the short selling of some prominent financial companies, including Goldman Sachs (GS) and Morgan Stanley (MS).

The concerted reaction followed two days of sharp declines in global stock markets, triggered by mounting fears that the credit crunch would spin out of control and deepen the financial crisis. As stock declines have deepened, the role of short sellers has come under fire."

And then there is this from Tom Brown, long and wrong all the way down:

"The moves should help restrain the abusive short-selling practices lately rampant in the stock market," said analyst Thomas Brown of Bankstocks.com. "Short sellers can no longer deceive their brokers about their intention or ability to deliver shares."

Sources:

Short-Selling Crackdown Extends to New York, London

Michael TsangBloomberg,

Sept. 18 2008

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aQeq1yaXSHzQ&

Regulators, industry giants seek to curb short selling

Matt Andrejczak, MarketWatch,

5:48 p.m. EDT Sept. 18, 2008

http://tinyurl.com/banshorts-upyours
Thursday, September 18, 2008 07:50 PM

Consolidated source content from:
The Big Pucture
Thursday, September 18, 2008 07:50 PM
Link to from here

Is the US Ryder Cup team too deep (in do-do) with rookies?

My view on this subject is EP based...

With golf being a huge interest of mine, I will be totally dialed into the Ryder Cup action this weekend. From a PGA fan perspective, the team events, like the Ryder Cup, are unique. In regular PGA events, fans may have a favorite player they want to win, but ultimately it's the dramatic, down-to-the-wire, mono-on-mono, competitive action that provides the fan excitement, entertainment, and satisfaction.

For golf fans, a dramatic, great finish is what we desire, not necessarily who wins. Wanting to see this type of golf competition, to the fan, the second place finisher is also viewed as a winner, because they were part of this entertaining thrill (plus they earned half million dollars, or more).

But not with the Ryder Cup competition. No way, ho'se', banana. There is one winner and one loser, just like any other team event. Futhermore, to enhance this competitive team spirit, the event takes place every two years. Both players and fans don't want to endure a two year loser complex. Finally, there's patriotism, just like the Olympics. More than anything, I believe, patriotism is what inspires the players and infatuates the fans.

Can the US team win the Ryder Cup this year? There are two points to thinks about. First one is the greatest golfer that ever lived, Tiger Woods. As we all know, the Man is not playing due to his knee surgery. It's obvious this is a huge negative for the US team. Secondly is the high number of players on the team that are playing in their first Ryder Cup. But ya know, even so, they are still the studs of their profession. And the rookie pressure that's talked about, I feel the pressure will be more on the veterns like Mikkelson, Furyk, and Cink.

So as for my prediction on who will win... lets just say it's mostly patriotic....

Anthony Kim is one of six Ryder Cup rookies on the U.S. team.(How/Getty Images)

Ryder Cup rookies feel new pressure, bring new energy
By Dave Shedloski, PGATOUR.COM Senior Correspondent- PGATOUR.com

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- To paraphrase Bobby Jones, there are golfing nerves, there are major championship nerves and then there are Ryder Cup nerves, and they are not at all alike.

When the 37th Ryder Cup Matches begin on Friday at Valhalla Golf Club, no competitor for either the United States and for Europe will be immune from feeling pressure like no other in golf. But it's the rookies who will feel it the most, who will recognize the nervousness but won't be familiar with its intensity.

It's largely for this reason that newcomers to the Ryder Cup fray aren't expected to contribute tremendously to the fortunes of their teams. It is the man with experience and moxie who thrives, who can handle the heat, the headaches, the heartaches and the hectic, hair-on-fire schedule.

But while experience can be helpful, and being on form doesn't hurt either, these factors aren't necessarily indicators of success in the Ryder Cup.

"I think experience is overrated," said U.S. captain Paul Azinger, who went 3-1-0 in his debut in 1989 at The Belfry in Sutton Coldfield, England. "My best Ryder Cup was my first Ryder Cup. I played great the whole week. I played. I didn't even play great in '93 at the Ryder Cup (as the reigning PGA champion). I played better than my record, but it was nothing special there."

It's no wonder then, that Azinger was not afraid to use three of his four captain's picks on first-time competitors -- J.B. Holmes, Steve Stricker (in photo, left) and Hunter Mahan. They join fellow rookies and automatic qualifiers Anthony Kim, Ben Curtis and Boo Weekley on a U.S. team that features the most newcomers since eight Americans debuted for the 1979 team that went on to a 17-11 triumph.

Europe, which has won five of the last six meetings, counters with four rookies: Soren Hansen, Graeme McDowell, Justin Rose and Oliver Wilson. Its highest population of rookies appeared on the 1999 team that dominated for two days before the Americans staged their historic rally from six points down at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass.

It's important to note that in the history of these matches that started in 1927, there have been 27 first-time American players who have gone undefeated who played at least two matches, including Larry Nelson, who posted a 5-0-0 mark in 1979. The Great Britain-Europe teams have four, led by Nick Faldo, who went 3-0-0 in his '77 debut.

Eighteen Americans have scored at least three points in their debut while Europe has had seven rookies score at least that many, including Sergio Garcia.

"I think the fact that we have six newcomers is a good thing," said Jim Furyk, who is playing for the U.S. for the sixth time. "I think Paul is actually very happy about that. He said it before, I heard him say it at his press conference, 'I don't know if experience is all that important because those guys have experience in losing.'"

"Here we are with a fresh team. To have players that are new that haven't felt the sting of defeat, it's a good thing," Stewart Cink added.

Phil Mickelson chimed in with similar sentiments, but he added that the selection process that was based on a one-year performance cycle initiated the growth of the rookie class. The younger guys played better in 2008.

"I think for the U.S. side, our new points system has helped get the players playing best this year because it's been a one year process," said Mickelson, who went 3-0-0 in the first of his six Ryder Cup appearances in 1995. "Just because some guys have not played in this particular event doesn't mean that they are not ready and equipped and have their games ready to play.

"Also, not being a part of the last few U.S. teams is not necessarily a bad thing," Lefty added. "So the guys who haven't played, they have never lost this event."

And two so-called rookies actually can hang their hats on contributing to a winning team. The fact is that two U.S. Ryder Cup rookies aren't pure rookies. They are new to the Ryder Cup, sure, but Stricker and Mahan competed for the victorious U.S. squad in last year's Presidents Cup, and they teamed up to twice win foursomes matches. Stricker also competed on the winning '96 Presidents Cup squad.

Nevertheless, to circle back to the beginning, nothing correlates to the Ryder Cup in terms of pressure, and Stricker, for one, seemed to understand that.

"The Presidents Cup team, I played on in '96 and then last year, and even the difference between those two years have been a great deal," Stricker said. "Some guys are telling me that it's getting closer to this event as far as impact, the type of crowds, the atmosphere and everything else.

"But they're telling me here, this is another level of anxiety, I guess, but to have fun with it," Stricker added. "That's the bottom line that they're telling us. You're going to be nervous; first tee is a tough one. But I always figured if you prepare well and you feel good about your game, all those things tend to be a little bit easier."

link to this story

Smart decision by Ford with Fiesta ECOnetic

New Ford Fiesta ECOnetic gets 65 mpg - but not available in U.S.
DAILY NEWS STAFF

The new Ford Fiesta ECOnetic will only be available in Europe.

The 2009 Ford Fiesta ECOnetic gets 65 miles a gallon. Good news for the struggling American company, right? Not so fast - the Fiesta ECOnetic, which goes on sale in November, will only be available in Europe.

According to Business Week, the main reason that the Fiesta ECOnetic will not go on sale in the U.S. is that it runs on diesel. In America, diesel still has a bad reputation as something with a bad odor that is used for tractor trailers.

In fact, new diesel vehicles have anti-pollution technology that make them as cleaner or cleaner than gasoline-powered vehicles. The new diesel cars are also 30% more fuel-efficient than gasoline-powered cars. As a result, in Europe, half of all cars sold last year were powered by diesel.

But in the U.S. diesel is used by only 3% of cars. Taxes here make diesel cost as much as a dollar more per gallon. Instead of diesel, hybrids such as the Toyota Prius are seen as more trendy.

According to Business Week, the price of the car is also an impediment - current exchange rates mean that the Fiesta ECOnetic would cost around $25,700 in the U.S., compared to $24,000 for the Prius.

While Ford won't go introduce their diesel car into the U.S. market, international automakers such as Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and Honda do plan to introduce such cars here in a couple of years.

It would be a nightmare for Ford if diesel cars do eventually become popular in the U.S., but from other companies, when Ford has one all ready to go.

A Look at Possible Day One Ryder Cup Pairings

Lookahead: Potential Ryder Cup Pairings
By Dave Shedloski, PGATOUR.COM Senior Correspondent- PGATOUR.com

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- A look at potential pairings for the first day of the 37th Ryder Cup viewed through one man's prism:

Link to complete article..

Short Selling Stock >A Bear Strategy

This post is a result of Mystery Blogger IP force...

Long Buying Stock or Short Selling Stock?
When most people think of taking a position in a stock, they probably think of buying and holding. The objective of their “buy and hold” strategy would be a rise in the price of their chosen stock and for some, to collect a quarterly dividend. This position is known as being “long”.

Most people have no idea that they can take the exact opposite position and profit from a drop in price. This strategy is known as having a “short” position or “selling short”. When you buy a stock or invest in a mutual fund, your account appreciates when the stock, or stocks in the case of the mutual fund, increases in value. Most of America understands this premise as the only way one can invest.

Experienced traders on the other hand, know the profit potential gained by selling short! Instead of riding the market down with long positions (which is typical of most investors), they take a short position and profit when the market is in a downtrend! To sell short is to sell a stock that you don’t own. The position is opened by a sale instead of a purchase.

Short Selling Stock
Therefore, short selling stock is where you profit if the price of the stock drops. For example, if you think stock XYZ price has reached a peak, and will soon begin to fall, you could short sell XYZ. You would sell the stock at the current stock bid price, even though you don’t own, or have never purchased, and shares of XYZ stock. However, to cover this short selling stock transaction, you are required to have stock margin, which is sort of like a loan.

Let’s say XYZ stock is trading for $20/share. You don’t want to purchase the stock at this price because you think the stock price is about to drop. So you sell short XYZ at $20/share instead, which means this stock investment is worth, and always will be worth, $20/share, regardless what the stock is actually trading for in the future.

This allows you to sell, anytime you chose, the XYZ shares for $20/share. So in essence, you know the stock selling price. To complete the stock transaction, at some point you will purchase this stock at the current trading ask price. Therefore, you want the stock price to be lower than $20/share, because you are buying the stock for which, your selling price is set at $20/share.

Short selling stock transaction example
You decide to sell short 100 shares of XYZ stock at $20/share, for a total of $2000.

Your stock brokerage firm credits $2000 of XYZ stock margin to your account, for which you are financially obligated to ‘repay’. The ‘repay’ amount is determined by the share price you pay to buy XYZ stock in the future.

Two weeks later XYZ ask price is $15/share, so you decide to buy 100 shares at that price, for a total of $1500. The brokerage firm debits the 100 shares of XYZ stock margin from your account for the ‘repay’ amount of $1500, and this investment has left a $500 profit in your account.

BUT…

If two weeks later the XYZ ask price is $25/share, to buy 100 shares at that price will cost a total of $2500. The brokerage firm would then debit the 100 shares of XYZ stock margin from the account for the $2500 ‘repay’ amount, and this investment would leave the account with in a $500 loss.

(note: The two week time frame was used as an example and has no significance. This closing transaction can occur whenever the trader decides the time is right.)

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Interrogating Palin's Religious Profile

This post was written with Mystery Blogger SP...

Pentecostalism obscured in Palin biography
By ERIC GORSKI and RACHEL ZOLL – AP Associated Press

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -

Sarah Palin often identifies herself simply as Christian.

Yet John McCain's running mate has deep roots in Pentecostalism, a spirit-filled Christian tradition that is one of the fastest growing in the world. It's often derided by outsiders and Bible-believers alike. Palin was baptized Roman Catholic as a newborn. She was then baptized in a Pentecostal Assemblies of God church as a teen and attended that church until six years ago, when she and her family adopted a different home church, an independent evangelical church.

Maria Comella, a spokeswoman for the McCain-Palin campaign, has said Palin attends different churches and does not consider herself Pentecostal.

Details of Palin's religious background and its influence on her public policy are still emerging. As Alaska governor, she signed a proclamation as Alaska's governor honoring Christian Heritage Week and said creationism shouldn't be barred from classroom discussions. She used traditional evangelical language in praying that a natural gas pipeline be built in Alaska and that the U.S. mission in Iraq was a "task that is from God." Yet she's also said she would not force her views on others.

Palin identifies herself only as Christian in her biography on the National Governors' Association Web site. In an Aug. 14 interview with Time magazine, she once again described herself as Christian. When pressed, she said she attended a "nondenominational Bible church."

SNURF >Is it legalized ecstasy??

NO. Would you believe Black and Blue, and Pink all over??

Four students from Council Rock High School in Philadelphia have been hospitalized for overdosing on an herbal supplement. Yes, you heard correctly, even mother nature can mess you up, if you're an idiot. Word is the students bought "SNURF pills" online. So now everyone is wondering, what the heck is SNURF?

Well, my understanding after some intense reserach (by reading the package), is SNURF seems to be an herbal supplement with mood altering properties. Since your mood can be altered, and we now know in a negative way, it is strongly recommended that anyone in possession of these pills dispose of them immediately."

So here are some SNURF facts. We know the packaging stated it is a mood altering herbal supplement. In addition, the pills are small and pink. Hmmm, but isn't that what is known as ecstasy?

No, further searches on Google specified, "(SNURF pills) generally consist of pure dextromethorphan, or DXM, a drug found in many cough syrups that can act as a hallucinogen, if taken in large doses."

So were the kids turning blue, as they were hauled away for medical attention? No, sounds like they were just superly, duperly ill. No word on their condition. Well it looks like good ole Smurf, I mean SNURF, won't be the next market opportunity, unless it is black.

However, further check of SNURF at urbandictionary.com, stated:

A snurf is a person who farts in the bathtub or similar water-filled area, such as a pool, and bites the bubbles as they rise. Normally, it is implied as an insult, such as; You're such a snurf, Sam..

Makes sense. I guess you could consider anyone using this shitola a snurf. Ya think!?!!?!

Getting to know Mystery Blogger!!!

Greetings my fellow Americans from Mystery Blogger. I hope this will be the first of many daily altercations together, as we begin on a journey for truth, justice and the American way. A key attribute of mine is taking on various power identities. Depending on the situation confronting me, and the task at hand, I manifest into, and utilize one of my four inner power forces; physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual. Just check out the picture on the blog post to know what power force identity is driving Mystery Blogger.

Any clue as to my current power force identity? Yes, it's physical power, referred as PP. As we get to know each other better, you will understand PP, as well as the rest of the power identities. You will see what makes each tick and how they transform, when, and why. Let me introduce you to the rest of the power identities.

This is intellectual power, and is called IP. When the situation calls for using 'brains' to solve the problem or issue, then you'll see an IP transformation. The majority of the time, it's about IP.

Good ole' SP, or spiritual power, is around quite a bit, but at times will seem confusing or 'out of this world'. Well hells bells, baby, that's because it is. You see, although SP is a godly-sort of chap, it is also a wanderer with-in the universal, dark, and unknown realms.

Any finally there's emotional power. Poor EP, as is known, has a heavy influence on all the other power identities, but is shy (imagine that) and does not like the limelight. EP does not come out in public much, but its influence sure does. But don't be shocked when you see sweet EP, because transformation does occur from time-to-time.

So until later...

Adios my Amigos