Good Grief

I just read this article in Yahoo! (via Drudge) about how Countrywide (my mortgage loaner) just posted a huge loss this quarter, due to so many borrowers with GOOD CREDIT (aka Prime loans, as opposed to Subprime loans) defaulting or paying late on their loans. The article notes that rather than the sudden interest rate reset rise causing the problems, it's the fact that no one can sell their houses for anything close to what they paid. So now, it's not just the subprime shady loans going bad, IT'S EVERYONE!!

Notable quotes from the article:

-"I do think it's important to observe what happens going forward," Countrywide Chief Executive Angelo R. Mozilo said. "We are experiencing home price depreciation almost like never before, with the exception of the Great Depression." (emphasis mine)

-"The company has set aside $292.9 million in preparation for borrowers missing payments on loans, with some $181 million of that amount for prime home equity loan losses. The reserve is more than four times the size of the reserve established in the second quarter of last year." Good to see they've provided me with a cushion!!

-"Mozilo said the number of unsold homes must fall before the market can begin to recover. He doesn't expect the market will turn around until 2009 at the earliest."

-"Barring a decline in mortgage interest rates, the company said it expects its loan production volume to decline."

The last one is the important one. While Bernanke is off fightin' inflation, the economy is starting to go to shit due to the housing collapse. Fightin' inflation is an admirable battle, but not at the expense of EVERY HOMEOWNER IN AMERICA. The bad thing is, for every asshole investor like me who just has to keep renting out to alcoholic lunatics, there are 5,000,000 poor, struggling families who are going to have to foreclose on their house.

And, speaking of inflation, I don't see Burnin' Bernanke doing anything about my $4.00/gallon gas!

He's such a dream-stealer.

I'm Such A Dream-Stealer

Story is being borrowed for the time being...

WWJ(efferson)D?

From: http://www.usvetdsp.com/jan07/jeff_quran.htm (January 2007)

What Thomas Jefferson learned
from the Muslim book of jihad

By Ted Sampley
U.S. Veteran Dispatch
January 2007

Democrat Keith Ellison is now officially the first Muslim United States congressman. True to his pledge, he placed his hand on the Quran, the Muslim book of jihad and pledged his allegiance to the United States during his ceremonial swearing-in.

Capitol Hill staff said Ellison's swearing-in photo opportunity drew more media than they had ever seen in the history of the U.S. House. Ellison represents the 5th Congressional District of Minnesota.

The Quran Ellison used was no ordinary book. It once belonged to Thomas Jefferson, third president of the United States and one of America's founding fathers. Ellison borrowed it from the Rare Book Section of the Library of Congress. It was one of the 6,500 Jefferson books archived in the library.

Ellison, who was born in Detroit and converted to Islam while in college, said he chose to use Jefferson's Quran because it showed that "a visionary like Jefferson" believed that wisdom could be gleaned from many sources.

There is no doubt Ellison was right about Jefferson believing wisdom could be "gleaned" from the Muslim Quran. At the time Jefferson owned the book, he needed to know everything possible about Muslims because he was about to advocate war against the Islamic "Barbary" states of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Tripoli.

Ellison's use of Jefferson's Quran as a prop illuminates a subject once well-known in the history of the United States, but, which today, is mostly forgotten - the Muslim pirate slavers who over many centuries enslaved millions of Africans and tens of thousands of Christian Europeans and Americans in the Islamic "Barbary" states.

Over the course of 10 centuries, Muslim pirates cruised the African and Mediterranean coastline, pillaging villages and seizing slaves.

The taking of slaves in pre-dawn raids on unsuspecting coastal villages had a high casualty rate. It was typical of Muslim raiders to kill off as many of the "non-Muslim" older men and women as possible so the preferred "booty" of only young women and children could be collected.

Young non-Muslim women were targeted because of their value as concubines in Islamic markets. Islamic law provides for the sexual interests of Muslim men by allowing them to take as many as four wives at one time and to have as many concubines as their fortunes allow.

Boys, as young as 9 or 10 years old, were often mutilated to create eunuchs who would bring higher prices in the slave markets of the Middle East. Muslim slave traders created "eunuch stations" along major African slave routes so the necessary surgery could be performed. It was estimated that only a small number of the boys subjected to the mutilation survived after the surgery.

When American colonists rebelled against British rule in 1776, American merchant ships lost Royal Navy protection. With no American Navy for protection, American ships were attacked and their Christian crews enslaved by Muslim pirates operating under the control of the "Dey of Algiers"--an Islamist warlord ruling Algeria.

Because American commerce in the Mediterranean was being destroyed by the pirates, the Continental Congress agreed in 1784 to negotiate treaties with the four Barbary States. Congress appointed a special commission consisting of John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin, to oversee the negotiations.

Lacking the ability to protect its merchant ships in the Mediterranean, the new America government tried to appease the Muslim slavers by agreeing to pay tribute and ransoms in order to retrieve seized American ships and buy the freedom of enslaved sailors.

Adams argued in favor of paying tribute as the cheapest way to get American commerce in the Mediterranean moving again. Jefferson was opposed. He believed there would be no end to the demands for tribute and wanted matters settled "through the medium of war." He proposed a league of trading nations to force an end to Muslim piracy.

In 1786, Jefferson, then the American ambassador to France, and Adams, then the American ambassador to Britain, met in London with Sidi Haji Abdul Rahman Adja, the "Dey of Algiers" ambassador to Britain.

The Americans wanted to negotiate a peace treaty based on Congress' vote to appease.

During the meeting Jefferson and Adams asked the Dey's ambassador why Muslims held so much hostility towards America, a nation with which they had no previous contacts.

In a later meeting with the American Congress, the two future presidents reported that Ambassador Sidi Haji Abdul Rahman Adja had answered that Islam "was founded on the Laws of their Prophet, that it was written in their Quran, that all nations who should not have acknowledged their authority were sinners, that it was their right and duty to make war upon them wherever they could be found, and to make slaves of all they could take as Prisoners, and that every Musselman (Muslim) who should be slain in Battle was sure to go to Paradise."

For the following 15 years, the American government paid the Muslims millions of dollars for the safe passage of American ships or the return of American hostages. The payments in ransom and tribute amounted to 20 percent of United States government annual revenues in 1800.

Not long after Jefferson's inauguration as president in 1801, he dispatched a group of frigates to defend American interests in the Mediterranean, and informed Congress.

Declaring that America was going to spend "millions for defense but not one cent for tribute," Jefferson pressed the issue by deploying American Marines and many of America's best warships to the Muslim Barbary Coast.

The USS Constitution, USS Constellation, USS Philadelphia, USS Chesapeake, USS Argus, USS Syren and USS Intrepid all saw action.

In 1805, American Marines marched across the desert from Egypt into Tripolitania, forcing the surrender of Tripoli and the freeing of all American slaves.

During the Jefferson administration, the Muslim Barbary States, crumbling as a result of intense American naval bombardment and on shore raids by Marines, finally officially agreed to abandon slavery and piracy.

Jefferson's victory over the Muslims lives on today in the Marine Hymn, with the line, "From the halls of Montezuma, to the shores of Tripoli, We fight our country's battles in the air, on land and sea."

It wasn't until 1815 that the problem was fully settled by the total defeat of all the Muslim slave trading pirates.

Jefferson had been right. The "medium of war" was the only way to put and end to the Muslim problem. Mr. Ellison was right about Jefferson. He was a "visionary" wise enough to read and learn about the enemy from their own Muslim book of jihad.

2007 MLB All-Star Game

As I sit here with a Boddington's beer in one hand, and the Disgruntled Dog resting in my lap, while I watch the 2007 All-Star Game, I decided to jot down some thoughts as the game progressed:

-The Disgruntled Girlfriend claims that the West Coast (where she's from) is far superior to the East Coast (where I'm from) since this game, which started at around 9 PM EST(after the Willie Mays love-fest from 8-9), would have started at 5 PM out in Seattle (where the DG calls home). I say they should just not have these games out on the West Coast. However, I think PacBell Park (or whatever it's called now) is #1 on my list of stadiums to visit.

-Prince Fielder commits the first error of the game. PUT IN DMITRI YOUNG!!! (Side Note on Young: I witnessed in person a Dmitri Young TRIPLE the other day against the Cubs. Bill Simmons would have listed it as a 10 on the Unintentional Comedy Scale.)

-Barry Bonds - Here's my thought on B-Bonds. I remember watching games at the old Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium between the Braves and the Pirates, and Bonds definitely has gained some muscle and head size since then. Do I think he has used steroids? Possibly. Do I care? No. Here's five reasons why:

1.) The MLB players in the 50's-80's were high on either greenies or cocaine. If we're judging players now, we've gotta judge players then.
2.) Steroids don't improve talent - just look at Jason Grimsley. You still gotta be able to hit the ball.
3.) When McGuire and Sosa were battling it out to beat Roger Maris' single-season home-run record, MLB and Bud Selig didn't bat an eye, despite visual evidence that seemed to suggest that these two behemoths might possibly be using a little something extra. I abhor hypocricy more than anything.
4.) Bonds has never failed a drug test. Without a doubt, I'd vote for Barry Bonds as the 2007 "Sick of the Bullshit Award" on the Blogadier General's site.
5.) "Transformers" is a fucking incredible movie. Sorry, nothing to do with the game or Bonds, but I just love it. God, I love the Transformers.

I do like Hank Aaron, though, so I have mixed thoughts on the whole thing.

-Carlos Beltran still in in the 6th inning...interesting. Then, he hits a triple (Ichiro got an inside the park HR hitting at the same spot....). Shows how much I know.

-"Next on Fox 5 News, the DC Madam releases her client list - is someone you know on the list??" Um...I don't think so, but shit now I'm interested!

-Paula Cole singing "God Bless America." My thoughts - she's pale! And being booed!! And she's gained weight!!! And I'm an asshole!!!! (Actually she was pretty good whilst singing that song...)

-God I love Tony LaRussa. Seriously, why can't he ever manage the Braves or the Nationals so I can marry him and get it over with?

-Holy crap, I completely forgot about Carlos Lee this season (not being on my fantasy team or an actual team I care about). He struck out anyway against Johan Santana, so, no reason for me to remember him.

-Ichiro is the MVP of this game. Whoever wins. You just can't get him out. He's the King. You can't beat him.

-Soriano. I just saw him live in a game against my Nats (he used to play for them, before he wanted more money). He just struck out against Johan. When I saw him live the other day, he went 1-4, with 2 K's. Typical Soriano game. I don't miss him. We picked up Dmitri Young, who has more than made up for his offense. However, our new leadoff man...ahem, Nook Logan, ahem...is hitting .227.

-I'm not sure what my thoughts are on the new "Simpsons Movie." I think that this movie should have come out about 7 or 8 years ago, back at the height of their writing days. Also, the previews and commercials are terrible. I will, of course, see the movie, but I've got high expectations that I'm not sure will be met like "Transformers" did. Did I mention I loved that movie??

-The first batter struck out by an NL pitcher came in the top of the 8th inning. I have always thought/known that the reason they can't win All-Star games...and World Series's actually...is that the AL consistently has better pitchers. This is something the NL really needs to address. Shit, Vic Martinez just made the game 5-2 (in the top of the 8th) against one of the better NL relievers (Wagner). Can the NL come back from 3 runs down? No.

-Hate Jeter...but love the Jeter/Harvey Keitel "Schmendrik" commercial. BTW, please correct me if that's not Keitel.

-I'm pretty sure I could steal a base against these catchers. Might be a record for SB's in an A-S game??

-Rob Sen's nickname was "The Penguin"??

-So, here's my problem with the "This Time It Matters" idea. Despite the ONE TIME the game ended with a tie (and I'm pretty sure the world continued unabated after that), back when it was an overrated exhibition game, the A-S game allowed for a Little League-esque "Everyone Plays" situation. Now that the World Series home field advantage is decided by this, not everyone plays anymore. Well...fuck it...I want to see Dmitri Young play goddammit!! The American League at this point is essentially the NBA Western Conference, so why not just admit the AL is going to win, let the players we want to see play play, and just suck it up in October. Especially if you're Tony LaRussa, and your team has no chance in hell of being affected by this exhibition game.

-Miller "Chill" sounds a lot like "Tequiza". If I remember correctly, Tequiza made me throw up after a couple sips.

-My dog grunts like Mr. T when she wants something.

-Poo-Holes hasn't played yet, neither has Dmitri Young, according to my least-favorite announcer of all-time, Joe Buck. However, in this case, I wonder at that occurrence just as he does.

-I think that the managers selected to the All-Star games should come from the teams with the best records in each league at the time of the All-Star game, as they do in the NBA. LaRussa, despite my man-love for him, does not belong here...though Leyritz is doing a superb job.

-Hate to do this, but I gotta pick a favorite commercial of this game - the Miller High-Life commercials. For my grandpa, Pap-Pap, a lifelong High-Life drinker... When he's not plying me or the DG with bourbon or wine, that is.

-I'd rather vote for Hillary or Obama in '08 than watch a single episode of "Don't Forget The Lyrics."

-Hee! First inadvertent curse word of the night by Posada! Or was it the umpire...

-DMITRI YOUNG!! Last batter for the NL? Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge Young fan, but, um, Larussa, you have not played Poo-holes yet. He's pretty good, too...BUT DMITRI YOUNG WITH THE BASE HIT!!! GO NATS!!!

-No way Soriano takes the walk at 3-1...no way. HOLY SHIT, HE HIT A HOME RUN!!! I swear I was typing that as the pitch came. 5-4 AL in the bottom of the 9th, with 2 outs. Great game so far. Dmitri Young for MVP!!!!

-Orlando Hudson over Poo-Holes...interesting choice...Now it's 3-0. DON'T SWING THE BAT ORLANDO!!! Oh yeah, I'm rooting for the NL...Wow, now three walks in a row for K-Rod. Fascinating. Hey, here's an idea, how about Poo-Holes? Oop, nope, Aaron Rowand is up...and he flys out. What a surprise. Poo-Holes gets a day off. Well-managed T-Lar. Oh well, if the Braves manage to win the NL (Ha!), it won't matter anyway.

-Oh, hey, Tony, bottom of the 9th, 2 outs, bases loaded...you know who would have been great in that situation? Ah, fuck it, never mind...

-I think my LaRussa man-love is over. I hope Poo-Holes gives him a donkey-punch.

-That's all from the Disgruntled Camp. Disgruntled Out...

UPDATE Poo-Holes is Pissed at LaRussa for not letting him in the game. Said LaRussa: "I think we had the right guy [Aaron Rowand, who flied out weakly to end the game] at the plate." This is all Selig's fault...

BREAKING NEWS!!!!!!!

I couldn't believe the news when I read it, but it's all there, in print! This changes EVERYTHING!!

According to a report out of Reuters, "Women Prefer Muscular Men." Who knew????

Wasn't This Basically the Plot of "Three Kings"??

I've so far received two emails to my Disgruntled Investor's "contact" email - one informing me that I've won the UK Lottery (I didn't even know I was in the running!) and this one:

Dear Friend,

I am John England, an Army contractor attached to the US Army corps of engineers in Iraq. The reason why I’m explaining my findings to you are to seek for your assistance to enable you contributes immensely to the actualization of my dream.

On the 30th day of June 2007, I and my group of men under my supervision were alerted on the need of some urgent reconstruction works in Haifa Street, a long thoroughfare of high-rise buildings built and occupied by Saddam Hussein when he was alive here in Baghdad. Immediately we proceeded to the site and as we commence work to our utmost surprise we discovered a huge underground bunker in one of the buildings. Upon investigation of the bunker to our surprise we discovered one very lager box safely hidden and sealed together with numerous other boxes filled with different item, However I was attracted to the large box which was the only sealed box of them all, I told my men to open the box in order to find out the contents and when they were opened to our amazement the boxes contained US Dollars which amounted to $46M after time was taken to count them in bundles and rolls.

I however instructed them to keep this in high secrecy so that we can have the money to our selves, they all agreed to the plan, I wisely took the decision for us to share the money between our selves right there in the room to avoid suspicion in moving the very large box and that led me to having US$10.2 Million (US$10,200,000) as my own share of the money after which I concealed it in one box and decided to get the money out of the country but first I hid the money in a safe and untraceable location.

I am now in desperate need of a “Reliable and Trustworthy” person like you who would receive, secure and protect these boxes containing the US Dollars for me up on till my assignment elapses here. I cannot leave the boxes here in Iraq like most of my men have foolishly done due to many reasons one of which is because Iraq is getting unsafe and dangerous everyday and a full blown civil war among Shiites and Sunni Iraqis may start any moment. I assure and promise to give you 14% of this fund, however feel free to negotiate what you wish to have as your percentage in this deal.

Please assure me of your keeping this topmost secret within you so that my job would not be jeopardized. Kindly get back to me through my personal e-mail: johnnyingland@yahoo.co.uk

My Sincere regards,

John England

The Disgruntled Investor's Shop Is Closed

After a total of 0 sales. Thanks bitches.

I Wouldn't Say I've Been Missing It, Bob

Hello Disgruntleds!

Nothing substantial to talk about today, just a myriad of smaller things...

1.) First off, interesting development at work. My office window faces a luxury condo building about 50-75 yards away from us. Some of the units have an open balcony, and some have closed-in breakfast nook type balconies. Anyway, occasionally, we'll see small parties, exercise, or bong-smoking going on, but nothing too interesting.

That is...until a few days ago. It turns out that a certain resident with one of the breakfast nook balconies seems to have a dislike for wearing clothes. Luckily, she happens to be a shapely woman! My boss (whose office is next to mine) and I have been on "Nekkid Watch" all week now, and today's actually the first day she's disappointed. She's either always naked or in a bathrobe - all day long. Our secretary thinks she must be a prostitute, and that's definitely a possibility.

UPDATE!!! Just turned around as I was typing this, and she came out again in the bathrobe (note: it's 3:45 PM). I imagine the reason she was robed (doubtful that she's got anything on underneath) is that the maintenance man is fixing her windows. And no, that's not a sexual euphemism...or is it?? Maybe she's trying put some kind of tint on her windows so I can't look in.

TOO BAD PROSTITUTE, I'VE GOT EAGLE EYES!!!! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Seriously, though, most of us on this floor are in agreement that she knows what she's doing when she walks around naked. Oh yes, she knows what she's doing...

2.) If I inherited nothing else from my mom (besides the Disgruntled Dog), I definitely picked up her habit of not answering the phone if I don't recognize the phone number. This is probably an offshoot of my dealings with Craigslist tenant ads. I stopped listing my number for those, because it's a lot easier to racially profile via email. (KIDDING!!! Or am I??) Anyway, though, I had some awkward conversations back when I used to list it (like the time I got a call from an agency trying to place two refugee women in one of my rooms...awkward), so now I screen all my calls. It's a habit I'm not proud of, but, you know, it's there. My general rule is, if I don't recognize your number, and you don't leave me a message, then eat it, I'm not talking to you. Anyway, the problem with this is that there are a lot of people out there who seem to feel that leaving a message is below them, so I miss some important calls every once in a while. But, when I suck it up and answer, I inevitably get a goddamn telemarketer or something. If you try to look the number up on Switchboard.com, 99.9% of the time you'll get a "Name Unavailable" listing. Thanks guys.

However, I happened to stumble upon a little site called "Who Called?", which is friggin' incredible. I'm going to put it on my links section on the right side of the blog as well. Basically, what it is is a community of people fed up with telemarketers and unlisted phone numbers who answer these unknown numbers, then post on the site who they are. It's an incredible database - I've been getting a call from a California-based number for a week now, and, thanks to the site, I found out it's the Investor's Business Daily, probably wondering why I didn't reup my subscription. Ha ha guys. I'm sure I'll be using this service the next time Comcrap calls to try to convince me that $159/month is way too little to be paying for cable/internet service. Anyway, check out the site, it's great.

3.) I've said it before, and I'll say it again: AL GORE FOR PRESIDENT!!! (At least it was an environmentally friendly automobile, right?)

4.) And, finally, this...



Happy July 6th Everyone!!

-Disgruntled A

It's All About The Clevelands

At some point in the wee hours tonight (not long before I began writing this actually), The Disgruntled Investor's Blog Space received its 1000th visitor.

To celebrate, I offer the following picture of Maria Sharapova's panties.