Thanksgiving Day 2005

Thanksgiving.................

Hope everyone has their sleigh and reindeer ready for some Holiday presents .........Santa may come after all. Not much has changed as of late except the bullish stance of the players behind the curve this year. Bonds flickering to invert, oil and gas doing it's thing, the metals bright and shiny, no shortage of scams (Refco, option mispricings, scam-de-jours) and NYSE seats at record highs.

And I for the life of me can't figure out why they aren't making a stink about taking the NYSE public. Oh, I forgot, it is about THE MONEY!!!

The Nasdaq at a year high yet Cisco, Microsoft and Intel aren't getting it done.

I want to wish you and yours plenty of great cheer on Thanksgivng Day.

Living in America we have much to be thankful for.

Take heed, another commandment from Victor Neiderhoffer..........

Prices are artifacts of prevailing systems' intent.

Give-away programs...........

A Somali arrives in Minneapolis as a new immigrant to the United States. He stops the first person he sees walking down the street and says, "Thank you Mr. American for letting me in this country, and giving me housing, food stamps, free medical care and free education!" But the passer-by says, "You are mistaken, I am Mexican". The man goes on and encounters another passer-by. "Thank you for having such a beautiful country here in America!" The person says "I no American, I Vietnamese. "The new arrival walks further, and the next person he sees he stops, shakes his hand and says "Thank you for the wonderful America!"

That person puts up his hand and says "I am from Middle East, I am not an American!" He finally sees a nice lady and asks suspiciously, "Are you an American?" She says, "No, I am from Russia!" So he is puzzled, and asks her, "Where are all the Americans?"

The Russian lady looks at her watch, shrugs, and says..."Probably at work!"

Sent to me from Edward A. Bondy...........

Teddy Roosevelt on Immigrants

"In the first place we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the man's becoming in very fact an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag, and this excludes the red flag, which symbolizes all wars against liberty and civilization, just as much as it excludes any foreign flag of a nation to which we are hostile...We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language...and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."

Theodore Roosevelt 1907

The Congressional Budget Impasse'

What lunatics we have elected. Truly stunning that the Republic can still function.

For sure, the give-away programs won't go away. Apparently there is no need for Alaskan oil.

The most dangerous place for a taxpayer is inside the Beltway........they will rob you one way or another.

And they have no desire to shutter our borders.

Allstate says...............

8 out of th 10 largest U.S. catastrophes have happened in the last four years.

Is this random or a trend we can trade?

Lighten up..........

A man and his friend were enjoying Deer Hunting Season in rural Arkansas near a blacktop highway. A huge buck walked by and the hunter carefully drew his bow and took careful aim. Before he could release his arrow, his friend pointed at a funeral procession passing on the road below their stand. The hunter slowly let off the pressure on his bow, took off his hat,bowed his head and closed his eyes in prayer. His friend was amazed. "Wow, that is the most thoughtful and touching thing I have ever seen. You are the kindest man I have ever known." The hunter shrugged. "Yeah, well, we were married for 35 years."

Prayers for my Sister................

From an email last night from my Sister in Minnesota. Please be thinking of her and prayers her way.

"just thought I would share with you what has came up in my world, looks like I have some breast cancer, awaiting the scheduling of the neeedle biopsy to confirm am kind of in a daze but things are ok it is good that I have great faith cause otherwise I would be falling apart. the biopsy won't be soon enough for me seems like the dr's aren't in that big of a hurry but I am they probably know that I am a very poor patient!!!!!!!!!! anyway not to worry because I am not truly I am not"

CNN and Wolf Blitzer

How can this CIA/Libby/White House "who said what, when" so-called newsworthy nonsense make top billing with all the real problems in our great nation? The problem is in the media. The liberal media.

The shooting in Tennessee.............

Sick, angry, pained children can and will do great damage with guns. It is the price we pay for the 2nd Amendment. Imagine if every second citizen in France was packing heat the last 12 nights when the Muslim crowd came calling.

on Citizenship................

With a measly market today and a lack of citizenry in France I thought I should put down afew words and brag on my oldest son. The breakfast was at 8:30 this morning. He showed up as a member of the brass ensemble that was asked to play at the Citizenship Awards breakfast at Hopewell Middle School. When the principal excused the band, the guidance counselor said, "Hunter, please take a seat, you are part of this".

He was one of only a couple of 8th grade boys to get the award. The award was decided by 8th grade teachers.

He's on the right track. His mother is extremely proud of him. My mother would have been very proud of him. He's on the right track. He makes his Dad proud.

Parisian betting..........

After 11 long nights in Paris of looting, burning and hooliganism would anyone care to bet they will make it a "Dirty Dozen" nights of despicable crime? 1,400 cars torched last night, 750 the night before.

What's next France?

Professional Football and Basketball..........

Is anyone else as tired and sickened by these ignorant thugs as I am? The diss'in, the beating of chests after a tackle, the tats, the hype, the instant replay's, (when will basketball get the instant replay?), the jewelry, the lax drug policy, the exorbitant salaries per down played, per minute played, etc, the "you-knows" multiplied exponentially per interview and the general lack of cohesive team spirit.

Anyone for a walk on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon?

An Interview.........................

Investment News
October 31, 2005
By Charles Paikert - New York City


Native American Advisors Helps Tribes Manage Money

Some are flush with cash from gaming operations – Dean Parisian is on a mission to help Native American tribes do a better job of managing money. Thanks to lucrative casino and gaming operations, some Native American tribes are flush with cash. But the tribal councils overseeing those operations are short on financial know-how, said Mr. Parisian, chairman and founder of Alpharetta, Ga.-based Native American Advisors Inc.

“There’s a lack of financial sophistication and a lack of knowledge about the availability of investment services,” said Mr. Parisian, a member of the White Earth Chippewa nation. For the past 20 years, Mr. Parisian, whose firm does business as Chippewa Partners, has been working as an investment advisor for Indian tribes.

Relationship Problems - Many tribes, he said, are swayed too easily by their relationships with local bankers and high-pressure lobbying from Wall Street firms. Local banks, Mr. Parisian said, should be doing a better job of managing short-term money for the tribes. And large Wall Street firms, he maintains, burden tribes with excessive fees. One of the biggest investment challenges that many tribes face is “the need to understand the roles and responsibilities of the money managers that they hire and be able to evaluate their effectiveness and their overall performance,” said Mike Roberts, president of First Nations Development Institute, a Denver-and Fredericksburg, Va.-based policy, research and philanthropic organization for Native Americans. For years, Mr. Parisian has provided pro-bono advice and management to a variety of Native American Tribes, foundations, retirement plans and scholarship funds.

He has advised the Chippewa on their retirement and 401-k plans and managed fixed-income securities for First Nations. He also sits on its advisory board and is preparing an educational curriculum for understanding investments. Mr. Parisian also is featured in an investment guide for Native Americans that is being put out by Washington-based NASD. “I’m trying to effect positive change,” said Mr. Parisian, who often donates 10% of his fee back to a tribe he is working with, so it can set up a scholarship fund.

Some Frustration – But as a businessman, he admits to sometimes getting frustrated. “You’re dealing with sovereign nations, and some tribal councils are not that well-versed in financial matters,” Mr. Parisian said. Many tribes also insist on a number of face-to-face meetings, which can be difficult for an advisory firm with less than $25 million under management. “You can’t fax a handshake,” he said.

But Mr. Parisian is heartened by the younger generation, which is starting to assume tribal leadership. “They’re better educated and more sophisticated,” he said. “And there are more people willing to do business on the phone.”

R. C. Gorman............

At age 74 the Navajo painter and sculpter has gone on ahead.

He left the world a better place.

May the Creator bless the soul of R.C. Gorman.

The 2005 Edition of the Red Eagles.............

The Red Eagle team of the Alpharetta Youth Football Association lost in the playoffs on a beautiful fall afternoon today. I had never helped coach a football team until this year. Being a player for afew years is far different than being a coach. These kids not only got bigger, faster and stronger since the disgusting heat and humidity of July but they became a team. They became friends. The parents became friends. I am proud of these little men and how they played. Every day. Every game. They showed up. They tried so hard. They played with heart. I learned as much from them as I hope they learned from me on how to play the game.

It is sad to see it end. Coaching my son was special. He has the attitude and the physical skills to make a good football player some day.

He played so hard. He practiced courage. He never quit. Every second was worth it.

Priceless.

Postal SERVICE.........

A couple of days ago a letter showed up containing a check for $100.

It was sent from Crown Point, Indiana on April 28,2005. I could have walked it here in half the time.

And they want to raise rates?

They should shutter the USPS and turn it over to private enterprise. We have lost enough trees to junk mail. Thank the Creator for email.

The Angry Beaver

If you are ever in the vicinity of Oakes, ND I strongly suggest you stop in the above-named restaurant and give their Angry Beaver burger a try. I have never had a "10" rated burger yet, but this one rates a "9".

You'll be glad you did.

Tennessee................

Our new horse farm in TN has deer trails all over.........nice buck rubs...........deer watering in the pond, lots of slab-sized bluegills and catfish..........beautiful hard woods...good cedar tree pocket in the middle for deer bedding .......a little stream through the middle............will be the headquarters of Chippewa Outfitters.........frankly, they aren't making any more land...........no dilution by management.........no stock option/compensation programs to dilute ownership by employees..........and it adjoins the in-laws , I guess the acorn fell from the tree and is returning...............nice country home, great rustic cabin, a hay field and 3-stall horse barn........will be a nice legacy for my sons to enjoy.............

North Dakota...........

North Dakota has the lowest per capita credit card balances in the nation. An interesting stat given there isn't that many people and few places to spend their money other than on $250,000 tractors. The duck hunting is priceless though. Especially with a son, great friends, nice weather and accomodating landowners.

Nice to go, great to be back.

Georgia...........

The wonderful salesmen at State Farm say Georgia ranks 5th in the country in collisions with deer with 8,451 claims submitted in the last year. Maybe all drivers should slow down when they see deer in the headlights.

It might make it safer for Georgia drivers and less costly to me as a State Farm policyholder.

Wesley Patterson Henderson

The world lost a beautiful, loving, intelligent woman this week.

My prayers go out to her husband, children and parents.

May the Creator bless the soul of such a wonderful person.

on George W. Brush

Our Presidents image and approval ratings may increase, especially with me if he would do three simple things.

One, shut down the borders.
Two, revamp Social Security.
Three, reform the tax code per fairtax.org.

I hope he handles the bird flu much better than Iraq.

And you still believe you need a flu shot?

Interesting number.......

1.5 million babies were born last year out of wedlock.

An amazing number.

America will need more schools and more prisons.

Where is the responsiblitly to "self"?

Santa Claus............

Looks like the annual Wall Street Christmas Fund Drive for battered and abused investors has started early.