Random Thoughts: Top Kill!

I Shall Be Avenged!

I figured after my vitriolic rant of yesterday about the Globe and Mail survey of Financial Blogs, I might get a few responses or comments but heard nothing. I guess it’s hard to tell whether the crazy guy standing on the corner yelling about conspiracies is being Ironic, Sarcastic or Just Crazy!.I have been told that I do crazy well, so please be assured I will not be firebombing the offices of the Globe and Mail any time in the foreseeable future. Hopefully, all the links I gave back to Preet may win me the iPad he is giving away (in which case he can win the contest if I get a new Tech Toy).

As for BP and their lovely Top Kill idea, it just goes to show that it is a lot harder than you think to stop oil from spewing from the earth’s crust than you thought it might be. I do love the Media’s need to associate catchphrases with each idea put forward. I’d go for the “Stop the Darn Oil from Spewing” plan, it might be the best of the bunch.

Given the tremendous heat wave in Southern and Eastern Ontario, it was good to see the Hydro Grid stay functioning in my happy part of the world. Remember to look here to see where the power is out in Ontario (of course if it is out where you live, you may have some problems getting to this site).

My Other Rants of the Week

• Review: Madoff and the Scamming of America Madoff and the Scamming of America is a good overview of the Madoff fiasco. The Ponzi scheme that Mr. Madoff ran ruined many folks.
• Rainy Days and Mondays Always Get Me Down A Rainy Day Savings plan might be an older concept, but call it an Emergency fund and everyone gets very excited.
• Inflation Goes Back Up For April Inflation Up For Now, but How Long? After a joyful end of week where the stock market went back in the tank, but Gas prices dropped before the Victoria Day long weekend.
• Happy Victoria Day Yes indeed, it is a holiday Monday in Canada, and following the laws of the land I do not plan to work either. I am writing this the previous week. 
• The Canadian Medical System How good or bad is the Canadian Medical System ? I think it works jolly well, but I have lived in it my entire life.
• Random Thoughts: RDSP Week Some great financial stories and a bunch of stuff from RDSP week.

From the Blogosphere

In the financial blogs this week, some very interesting stuff (remember to follow me on Twitter. Most of these posts I have already put on my Twitter feed as well):

• A Penny saved is a penny earned is an expression Michael James would like to stamp out in his piece Endless Debate About the Penny, I like the penny, it’s a magical monetary item.
• The Darling of the Globe and Mail: Preet, gives us a useful hint on How to Do a Background Check on Your Advisor which makes sense since you are most likely giving them access to a great deal of sensitive information about you.
• Rob Carrick points out that lazy sods like me who didn’t do anything about their Bond positions, even though all experts were saying, Run away it’s the end of the bond world! May have been lucky in Bad Financial predictions? No, just bad timing good timing for me, bad timing for the prediction, that works.
• Are you financially sexy? It is an odd question, but Million Dollar Journey’s guest writer is manly enough to ask it.
• Gail V-O has some good points in her article 7 Ways to Avoid Fraud and these are important things to remember. Never put important documents out in the paper recycle!
• Budgets are $exy gives us Top 10 Credit Score Misconceptions and surprisingly, having a good credit score makes you sexy is not on this list!

Hopefully, this weekend is not as sweltering, and maybe a little rain would be nice to cause my grass not to crunch as much as it does now.

Remember to put on some sunscreen. I did see the most painful thing I could think of, which was someone who had just had a tattoo done (had that plastic covering on it); however, they had also got a severe sunburn in that area as well, double ouch!