• Global stocks rally as banks announce profits
• World finance ministers gather to find ways to battle recession
• U.S. retail sales show stabilization
• Madoff jailed
• GE, Berkshire Hathaway downgraded
• Brazil and Switzerland cut rates

Market optimism returned in full force this week after Citibank, Bank of America, and JPMorgan Chase said they made money during the first two months of the year. Around the world, stock markets rallied on hopes that stability was returning to the financial sector. Citibank kicked off the markets’ rise when it said it was having its best quarter since 2007. The news sent the Dow Jones Industrial Average up 379 points Tuesday, thereby kicking off a week of gains. Read the rest of this entry »

Lamar Thames

Just a few random thoughts this week about topics in general. I am recovering from a dastardly chest cold that has short-circuited my brain cells, so there is really not much of a creative effort going on up there this week (as if there ever is.) That accounts for the lack of new content on the site, which is a definite handicap for a one-person operation.

****************

I have a favor to ask of you. If you are so inclined, go to

http://GoGreenCove.com/pages/Photo_Contest 

and cast a vote for a photo I posted (seen here) of Rusty the wonder beagle. I took the photo at Christmas and as you can plainly see, Rusty wasn’t very fond of the antler horns. I could never get a photo of him

Please vote for Rusty the wonder beagle. See details in story.

 actually wearing the horns but his expression is just too priceless. So, vote if your can or will and I will gladly share with you a portion of the winnings (a $25 gift card). Depending on how many of you take me up on it, we could be talking of no more than a stick of gum apiece.

**********************

Speaking of cheap, did you hear about the price of a share of CitiGroup the other day? Around $1. Boy, was I tempted to pull our money out of the safety and security of my investment portfolio (talk about an oxymoron) and buy some of that cheap paper. Then I decided, no, I would just buy a Coke instead, since that is about all that was left after last year’s roller-coaster ride in the stock market. I am going to leave it to smarter people than me to figure out how to handle this mess, but I guarantee you I am not throwing good money after bad (if you get my drift, President Obama). 

*******************

I am glad to see that saner heads have prevailed in some of the school-based decisions on which teachers to cut after the Read the rest of this entry »