ps: Amazing,
If you just sell another call after each expiration then, in principle, you could watch your stock go to zero. Again you'd not make any money although you would lose less then if you simply held the stock outright.
T.
Trilobite
JoinedPosts by Trilobite
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40
Boston Tea Party--A Terrorist Act?
by GinnyTosken ini'm not sure what i think about this myself and am curious to hear your opinions.. here is an account from paul johnson's a history of the american people.. ginny.
the origins of the boston tea party had nothing to do with america.
the east india company had got itself into a financial mess.
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40
Boston Tea Party--A Terrorist Act?
by GinnyTosken ini'm not sure what i think about this myself and am curious to hear your opinions.. here is an account from paul johnson's a history of the american people.. ginny.
the origins of the boston tea party had nothing to do with america.
the east india company had got itself into a financial mess.
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Trilobite
Amazing,
>If I own stock, and then sell a "Call" option, I get a premium similar to earnest money, that I get to keep. If the price goes up, the buyer exercises his Call, and buys the stock at the lower price. But I still made money adding the p[rice of the stock plus the Option money.
So far so good.
> If the market stays flat, or goes down, the buyer likely will not exercise the Call and I keep the option money. If the buyer exercises his call anyway, then I still make money because I sell at the higher price plus keep my option money.
The call buyer would be nuts to exercise if the price went down. The scenario you have not addressed so far is the one that I asked (rhetorically) about; what happens if the underlying stock goes down by more than you make from writing the call? Then you lose money. Ergo, your statement that you make money whichever way the market goes is incorrect.
> The Option Seller is secured by the underlying stock and the Option money. Where the Seller may lose is still
>holding stock where the value of the stock declines and Dividends decline. But he can make much of this up or
> make a profit in selling more and more Otpions as each unexercised Option period ends.The flaw is this; if the stock goes down and you have written a call you can't just sell the stock; otherwise you'd have a naked short call position which carries infinite risk. So you must hold on to the stock as it goes down or close the position altogether. If you do (wisely) decide to sell the underlying then you also have to repurchase your calls which eats into what you made from writing them in the first place and may result in an outright loss, depending on when you sell. To argue that you can make much of any loss up by doing what you suggest is incorrect. If you sold more options then you'd have to buy more stock to cover it. That's a good way to go broke in a down market. Actually, a lot of people tried this with tech stocks starting in March 2000. All the covered call writing in the world couldn't make up for the losses that many stocks suffered. Every time you sell a call you must buy the underlying (with your strategy) so you may end up just making your losses worse. That is, it's not a sure thing as you stated. It's throwing good money after bad.
T.
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40
Boston Tea Party--A Terrorist Act?
by GinnyTosken ini'm not sure what i think about this myself and am curious to hear your opinions.. here is an account from paul johnson's a history of the american people.. ginny.
the origins of the boston tea party had nothing to do with america.
the east india company had got itself into a financial mess.
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Trilobite
Amazing,
> Also, the best way to make money in Options is to buy the stock and sell the Options rather than buy them. That way, no matter which way the market goes, you make money.
Not always. What happens if the stock price goes down by more than the profit you make from writing the calls?
T.
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40
Boston Tea Party--A Terrorist Act?
by GinnyTosken ini'm not sure what i think about this myself and am curious to hear your opinions.. here is an account from paul johnson's a history of the american people.. ginny.
the origins of the boston tea party had nothing to do with america.
the east india company had got itself into a financial mess.
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Trilobite
TJ,
It's pretty straightforward really but a bit nonintuitive at first. Short selling is the exact opposite of buying stock low and selling it high. It's just that you are borrowing the stock, then selling it, while accepting the obligation that you will replace it at some time later (of your, or sometimes the lender's, choosing) at whatever price it happens to be trading at then. With luck you can buy it back for less than you sold it for. Options are another way of doing it but you get a lot more return, although with a lot more risk. It doesn't require much sophistication although I'm sure that, based on bin Laden's background in Saudi, he knows a fair bit about the markets. But if he knew that terrorists were very likely to succeed, as they did, it would be a no brainer to buy puts. The risk would be if the attacks failed. However, the markets were so weak prior to Sep. 11 that even a failed attempt would likely have led to some downside action in the markets. It almost seems like they waited to strike at a time that would do most damage to the financial markets. Unfortunately, as even the myopic YK has noticed, September/October is historically a bad time for the stock market, as it is for JW prophecies and speculations, including his own.
Short selling of itself is often given a bad rap mainly because most investors don't understand it. Without it the markets could not survive. There are arguments that if more mutual funds could sell short as well as buy stock then bubbles and crashes wopuld be smoothed over somewhat. If you wanted to buy 1000 shares of XYZ then why is it that you can always do it; there is never a situation where there is "no stock available." It's because someone will sell you the stock short. Also, when prices collapse who would be there to buy if there were no short sellers who need to redeem the stock they sold at higher prices? Dumping on short sellers is often a convenient way of transferring blame when overblown analyst expectations cause people to lose tremendous amounts through a buy-and-hold, no matter what, philosophy.
Of course to profit in any way from tragedy is disgusting.
T.
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40
Boston Tea Party--A Terrorist Act?
by GinnyTosken ini'm not sure what i think about this myself and am curious to hear your opinions.. here is an account from paul johnson's a history of the american people.. ginny.
the origins of the boston tea party had nothing to do with america.
the east india company had got itself into a financial mess.
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Trilobite
Amazing,
You can't buy stock short; you sell it, even though you don't own it. So, you have first to borrow the stock from your broker. When the stock drops (if it does) then you buy it back for less than you sold it for. That creates the profit. If it goes up then you lose money.
The speculation, however, is that bin Laden bought put options in airlines and financial companies. This is equivalent to establishing a short position by the sale of actual stock. However, puts are options which, if one buys them, gives one the right, but not the obligation, to sell the stock at some predetremined price, called the strike price. As an example, if you buy a put with a strike price of $50.00, if the stock drops to $40.00 you make $10.00 per share, or $1000. per option contract. The advantage of options, as opposed to an outright position in stocks, is that a lot less capital is needed, or, equivalently much higher leverage is possible.
T.
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Need Research Help!
by WhatNow inhelp guys (and gals).
i am a df'd lurker of almost a year now.
i don't post much, usually just enjoy 'reading' the topics.
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Trilobite
*** w92 8/1 28-30 "Return to Me, and I Will Return to You" ***
"Return to Me, and I Will Return to You"THE family was enjoying a delightful outing in the woods. Then, Peter, the youngest, strayed away, chasing down a hill after a squirrel. Suddenly, the sky filled with clouds, and rain began to fall. At first it was a gentle shower, but gradually it became a downpour. The family hurriedly gathered their belongings and ran for their vehicle. And everyone wondered where Peter was.
Peter, meantime, was trying to get back to the family. It was difficult to see ahead, and the path up the hill was slippery in the rain. Unexpectedly, the ground seemed to disappear under his feet as he stumbled into a deep, hidden hole. He tried to climb out, but the sides were too slippery.
Rainwater poured down the hill and was filling the hole with mud. Peter was in real danger of drowning. But then his father found him and pulled him out with a rope. Later, Peter was severely scolded for wandering away. Yet, wrapped up in blankets in the arms of his mother, a scolding was very easy to accept.
This experience well illustrates what happens to some who used to be among God's people. They have fallen into the deep hole of this system of things and are desperately trying to crawl out and return to the haven of Jehovah's organization. How pleasing it is to know that Jehovah is merciful and ready to 'lower a rope' and help them back to safety!
Jehovah's Merciful Dealings
Back in the days of Israel, at the completion of the building of the temple, Solomon offered a prayer of dedication in which he begged Jehovah to listen to petitions directed toward the temple. He then said: "In case they [the Israelites] sin against you (for there is no man that does not sin), and you have to be incensed at them and abandon them to the enemy, . . . and they indeed come to their senses in the land where they have been carried off captive, and they actually return and make request to you for favor in the land of their captors, . . . you must also hear from the heavens, your established place of dwelling, their prayer and their request for favor."-1 Kings 8:46-49.
Solomon's request was fulfilled on many occasions during the history of Israel. Time and again, God's people turned aside and abandoned him. Then they recognized their error and returned, seeking him. And Jehovah forgave them. (Deuteronomy 4:31; Isaiah 44:21, 22; 2 Corinthians 1:3; James 5:11) Through Malachi, Jehovah summed up a thousand years of dealing with His people when He said: "From the days of your forefathers you have turned aside from my regulations and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you."-Malachi 3:7.
Causes for Stumbling
As with the Israelites, a number of God's people today turn aside and separate themselves from Jehovah's organization. Why? Some go after something that appears innocent at first, like Peter chasing the squirrel. This is what happened with Ada. She reports: "It was a custom for all of us workmates to go to lunch together at some nearby restaurant at noontime. So when they invited me to have a cup of coffee at the end of the day, it was not difficult to accept. I reasoned that I was not using time that should be used for meetings or for preaching. I did not realize that this might be a failure to observe the principle at 1 Corinthians 15:33.
"Soon, I was going horseback riding with them on Saturdays. Then I was going to the movies and the theater with them. That led to my missing some meetings. Finally, I was not going to any meetings nor sharing in the preaching work. When I realized what was happening, I was no longer associating with the organization."
In other cases the reason might be a serious hidden sin that makes the person feel unworthy of serving God. (Psalm 32:3-5) Or an individual might stumble over something that was said or done by Christian companions, not understanding, as Solomon said, that "there is no man that does not sin."-1 Kings 8:46; James 3:2.
Still others get discouraged when they receive discipline. (Hebrews 12:7, 11) The attraction of materialistic life-styles has led many to cease serving God. Often, in the search for worldly success, they have immersed themselves so thoroughly in secular work that there has been no room in their lives for God's service. (Matthew 13:4-9; 1 Timothy 6:9, 10) Is the situation of such ones hopeless?
Will You Respond to Jehovah's Invitation?
On one occasion Jesus said something that was hard to understand, and some were stumbled. The record says: "Many of his disciples went off to the things behind and would no longer walk with him." But not all were stumbled. The Bible account continues: "Jesus said to the twelve: 'You do not want to go also, do you?' Simon Peter answered him: 'Lord, whom shall we go away to? You have sayings of everlasting life.'" (John 6:66-68) Jesus' apostles wisely perceived that it would be disastrous to leave Jesus.
Some who fall away eventually come to a similar conclusion. They realize that leaving God's organization was a disastrous step to take and that only with Jehovah and Christ will they find the sayings that lead to life. Once they come to such a realization, they should also realize that it is never too late to reconsider, ask Jehovah for forgiveness, and come back to him. It was Jehovah himself who gave the invitation: "Return to me, and I will return to you."-Malachi 3:7.
Really, where can a sincere Christian find happiness if it is not in serving Jehovah? If a person drifts away after having been a part of God's organization for some time, what awaits him in the world outside? He will quickly realize that he is now part of a world that is getting more and more violent. He will find himself involved in a system of things full of hypocrisy, lies, fraud, and immorality, a world as dangerous and unpleasant as the mudhole that threatened the life of young Peter. When he comes to his senses and realizes that his eternal life is in jeopardy, he should lose no time in seeking help to extricate himself from the situation. Still, returning may not be easy.
Are you one who has tried to return to Jehovah but found it difficult? Then know that you need help. And believe that your brothers and sisters in God's organization are willing to offer you help. But you have to make an effort to show Jehovah your desire. It is time to 'come to your senses' and 'actually return to Jehovah.'-1 Kings 8:47.
Helped to Return
Ada explains what helped her to return to Jehovah: "At just the right moment, the sister who had conducted the study with me invited me to attend a circuit assembly with her. She was so sweet! And she did not reproach me at all! She showed so much love. A year had gone by since I attended my last meeting, but I had been meditating on the emptiness of the world and on the fact that, behind the glitter, there was only sadness, frustration, and immorality. So I decided to attend the assembly. Once at the theater where it was held, I went to the last row of seats and hid myself in a dark corner. I did not want the brothers to see me and ask questions.
"However, the program gave counsel that I badly needed. When it was over, I was determined not only to return to Jehovah's people but also to devote myself to him with all my heart. The brothers received me with open arms and the 'prodigal' returned." (Luke 15:11-24) All that happened some time ago, and Ada has now been in full-time service for more than 25 years.
The case of another individual who wandered away had a similar happy outcome. Some elders gave José counsel that reflected more their own thinking than Bible principles. José, discouraged and resentful, eventually fell into inactivity. For eight years he was separated from God's people, and during that time he married an unbeliever and became father to children, one of whom he allowed to be baptized in the Catholic Church.
Finally, he was helped when the circuit overseer made shepherding calls on him and encouraged the elders to do the same. He was restored and was happy to see his wife take an interest in the truth. José is at present serving as an elder in the congregation. As these two experiences show, Jehovah does not withhold blessings from those who respond to his loving invitation to return.
In order to enjoy such blessings, though, one first has to appreciate the help offered and respond to it. In most congregations the brothers remember those who have become inactive and visit them from time to time, trying to help them. Responding to such help shows appreciation for Jehovah's mercy.-James 5:19, 20.
In truth, this is the time to respond to Jehovah's invitation: "Return to me." (Malachi 3:7; Isaiah 1:18) Do not wait any longer. World events are moving with remarkable swiftness. The best place to be during the stormy times that lie ahead is within Jehovah's organization, safe under his protection. Only those who take refuge in Jehovah have a firm hope of being hidden from his wrath on the great day of his anger.-Zephaniah 2:2, 3.
[Picture on page 30]
Will you respond to Jehovah's invitation, "Return to me"?
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Something DIED in me on Tuesday
by Amazing ini appreciate the words of another poster who commented that he felt it unwise to post in anger.
i have tried to hold calm and keep my anger in check, but that started to change with my nato posting yesterday.. i am set back over 30 years: i was raised to respect all races, and not to be prejudiced.
i was also raised a proud american, and that it was important not to tolerate bullies.
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Trilobite
Ginny,
Excellent comments, as usual from you. Someone sent me the following email. I thought you might like it.
T (Just another guy from East LA)
______________________________________
This was forwarded to me by a friend. It is a response to Tuesday's violence by Deepak Chopra, who is a vociferous advocate for peace and
compassion. He expresses so many feelings so very eloquently that I wanted to share it with you.In peace,
Mary Elizabeth>From Deepak Chopra
As fate would have it, I was leaving New York on a jet flight that
took off 45 minutes before the unthinkable happened. By the time we
landed in Detroit, chaos had broken out. When I grasped the fact that
American security had broken down so tragically, I couldn't respond
at first. My wife and son were also in the air on separate flights,
one to Los Angeles, one to San Diego. My body went absolutely rigid
with fear. All I could think about was their safety, and it took
several hours before I found out that their flights had been diverted
and both were safe. Strangely, when the good news came, my body
still felt that it had been hit by a truck.
Of its own accord it seemed to feel a far greater trauma that reached
out to the thousands who would not survive and the tens of thousands
who would survive only to live through months and years of hell. And
I asked myself, Why didn't I feel this way last week? Why didn't my
body go stiff during the bombing of Iraq or Bosnia? Around the world
my horror and worry are experienced every day. Mothers weep over
horrendous loss, civilians are bombed mercilessly, refugees are
ripped from any sense of home or homeland. Why did I not feel their
anguish enough to call a halt to it? As we hear the calls for
tightened American security and a fierce military response to
terrorism, it is obvious that none of us has any answers.
However, we feel compelled to ask some questions. Everything has a
cause, so we have to ask, What was the root cause of this evil? We
must find out not superficially but at the deepest level. There is no
doubt that such evil is alive all around the world and is even
celebrated. Does this evil grow from the suffering and anguish felt
by people we don't know and therefore ignore? Have they lived in this
condition for a long time? One assumes that whoever did this attack
feels implacable hatred for America. Why were we selected to be the
focus of suffering around the world? All this hatred and anguish
seems to have religion at its basis. Isn't something terribly wrong
when jihads and wars develop in the name of God? Isn't God invoked
with hatred in Ireland, Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Israel,
Palestine, and even among the intolerant sects of America? Can any
military response make the slightest difference in the underlying
cause? Is there not a deep wound at the heart of humanity? If
there is a deep wound, doesn't it affect everyone?
When generations of suffering respond with bombs, suicidal attacks,
and biological warfare, who first developed these weapons? Who sells
them? Who gave birth to the satanic technologies now being turned
against us? If all of us are wounded, will revenge work? Will
punishment in any form toward anyone solve the wound or aggravate it?
Will an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and limb for a limb,
leave us all blind, toothless and crippled? Tribal warfare has been
going on for two thousand years and has now been magnified globally.
Can tribal warfare be brought to an end? Is patriotism and
nationalism even relevant anymore, or is this another form of
tribalism? What are you and I as persons going to do about what is
happening? Can we afford to let the deeper wound fester any longer?
Everyone is calling this an attack on America, but is it not a rift
in our collective soul? Isn't this an attack on civilization from
without that is also from within?
When we have secured our safety once more and cared for the wounded,
after the period of shock and mourning is over, it will be time for
soul searching. I only hope that these questions are confronted with
the deepest spiritual intent. None of us will feel safe again behind
the shield of military might and stockpiled arsenals. There can be no
safety until the root cause is faced. In this moment of shock I don't
think anyone of us has the answers. It is imperative that we pray and
offer solace and help to each other. But if you and I are having a
single thought of violence or hatred against anyone in the world at
this moment, we are contributing to the wounding of the world.
Love, Deepak"When you're finally up on the moon, looking back at the earth, all these differences and nationalistic traits are pretty well going to blend and you're
going to get a concept that maybe this is really one world and why the hell can't we learn to live together like decent people?" ~ Borman Frank ~ -
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Concerning Innateness
by dunsscot indear wonderful folks of j-w.com,.
the other day, one of my distinguished interlocutors contended that if joelbear says he is innately gay, then he is innately gay.
it seems that my interlocutor is saying the following.. 1) s verbally claims that his sexual orientation is innate.
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Trilobite
Duns,
There are numerous examples of homosexual behavior in animals and even insects, and, therefore, there are reasonable grounds for supposing that homosexuality or the potential for homosexuality is "innate" in the individual entity displaying this behavior.
If you maintain that homosexuality is "unnatural behavior" and that heterosexuality is the default _inborn_ condition then a quandary results; if that were the case then obviously homosexuality must result from the lack of whatever it is that makes heterosexuality "natural." When a creature is born lacking something then its condition is by definition "innate."
If, on the other hand, you are making the case that homosexuality is learned behavior then you run into the issue of whether heterosexual behavior is also learned behavior. Presumably the mere fact that people claim they are heterosexual from birth carries no weight with you? Otherwise you would have to consider on an equal footing the claims to innateness made by homosexuals. If all sexual behavior is learned then the concept of "natural behavior" becomes meaningless. This wouldn't go down at all well in Dub and Fundie Land.
In reality, the origins of sexual behavior are complex and cannot be reduced to one liners.
However, this seems not to be your main point. What is quite apparent from you post, however, is that you are prone to committing logical fallacies.
Whether people are born homosexual or not has no connection with the question of whether people are born with the desire to worship God. You might as well make the argument that accepting the claim of a man that he was born without his left foot requires that we also accept that people who claim to have an innate desire to worship God should be believed.
All I can say is that you should less time on this board and more practicing for your dissertaion defense. Unless you go to a real hole in the wall school, which I suspect you do given your attraction for big words, you will be torn to shreds at your defense. And rightly failed.
I've often pondered the apparent inverse relationship between average word size and the intelligence of the one abusing them. It's a bit like dicks; the smaller it is the more one engages in penile (or is that penal) bragadoccio.
T.
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?Anyone read CoC and not been affected?
by lookingnow22 indoes anybody know of ..anybody that has read coc and not been affected so as to leave/question the society?
i myself haven't read it, but am curious about this.. thanks,.
looking
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Trilobite
BillyGoat,
GodRules' response is fairly typical of the formulaic response of many Dubs to actual information. Anyone who leaves is clearly "presumptuous" and must have been wanting to "run ahead" like Korah. If only they "had waited on Jah" etc. The pre-programmed Dub mind has been trained to turn itself off when it hears such statements. Essentially the JW deludes him or herself into thinking that an explanation has been provided.
GodRules is right on one point; had Ray been allowed to remain a witness it would have done much good for the organization. Thankfully he didn't. More seriously, it is impossible to "do good" in the organization in the sense that GR implies; innovation is simply not possible in a system where rigid adherence to organizational rules and precepts is the most valued attribute in an individual.
T.
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?Anyone read CoC and not been affected?
by lookingnow22 indoes anybody know of ..anybody that has read coc and not been affected so as to leave/question the society?
i myself haven't read it, but am curious about this.. thanks,.
looking
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Trilobite
GodRules,
Ray's book does an excellent job of dividing people into those who blindly follow a manmade organization and put that above all else, including the lives of children, and those who respect actual truth and can think for themselves. Don't you think that's the case?
T.