I’m Leaving

Posted on October 5, 2012 by lmsinca

So, I think it’s time for me to leave y’all to your own devices. I’ve had some inklings lately that I’m not suited to the atmosphere here anymore (my own fault) and I really need to spend some time working on a few other projects. You’re all in capable hands (your own) and will hopefully carry on just fine. One suggestion I have is I think ATiM works best if you put the time in to create posts, at least two or three a day on various subjects………..so man up! Hahahahahaha

Seriously, I’ll try to check in on you once in awhile and you know where to find me via email, but please don’t worry if I don’t respond right away. It’s been a tough year for me and I need to change the direction of my life a little and spend a little less time on the internet, while I still have time for other things. I have about six quilts I need to finish, that’s number one.

Love all of you!!!!!!!!!

PS the book review post is scheduled for tomorrow. If you don’t want to carry on with that feature would someone delete the widget after this weekend. I’ll be gone tomorrow so won’t be able to participate.

Sorry for the Friday post but it’s a good dump day for news…lol

Filed under: administrative | 5 Comments »

How I Will Celebrate the Racist Mass Murderer Columbus

Posted on October 5, 2012 by Dave!

Never been a big fan of this holiday – not because I really care if CC really “discovered” America  or was good, bad or ugly.  It just does not rise to the importance of most of the other holidays, at least for me.  That won’t stop me from taking the day off, mind you.  My plans for the weekend are to head to a house we have rented with another family near the Shenendoah River, in the mountains, for a weekend of R&R.  Weather is supposed to turn crappy here so I am not sure exactly what we will be doing but it won’t be work.

Fortunately the place is wired and I won’t miss the news of day on Monday….which is Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner and his attempted record skydive from almost 23 miles and probably be the first human to break the sound barrier without a craft.  I love this guy.  I love that the current record holder is on his team.  I love that it is a private sector enterprise.  And I think that the one thing I do admire about CC is that he did have a spirit of adventure, just like Felix.  Well…maybe not quite that adventurous…  Here is the story:

On Monday morning (Oct. 8), Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner will attempt to break the world record for highest-ever skydive, leaping from a balloon nearly 23 miles above Earth’s surface.  If all goes according to plan, Baumgartner will step into the void 120,000 feet (36,576 meters) above southeastern New Mexico early Monday, then plummet to Earth in a harrowing freefall that will see him become the first skydiver to break the sound barrier.

After Baumgartner deploys his parachute and floats safely to the desert floor, he and the other architects of his mission — which is known as Red Bull Stratos — can celebrate breaking a skydiving record that has stood for more than 50 years.

One of those congratulating Baumgartner will likely be Joe Kittinger, who set the current record of 102,800 feet (31,333 m) back in 1960 while a captain in the U.S. Air Force. Kittinger serves as a Red Bull Stratos adviser. If everything works out on Monday, Baumgartner will also shatter the marks for fastest freefall, longest-duration freefall and highest manned balloon flight. But the daredevil says his leap is about more than just etching his name in the record books.

“Red Bull Stratos is an opportunity to gather information that could contribute to the development of life-saving measures for astronauts and pilots — and maybe for the space tourists of tomorrow,” Baumgartner said in a statement. “Proving that a human can break the speed of sound in the stratosphere and return to Earth would be a step toward creating near-space bailout procedures that currently don’t exist.”

Baumgartner’s 55-story-high balloon is slated to launch from Roswell, N.M. at dawn Monday, weather permitting. Winds must not exceed 2 mph (3.2 kph) at liftoff to ensure that the balloon — whose material is 10 times thinner than a plastic sandwich bag — isn’t damaged, Red Bull Stratos officials said.

Baumgartner will ride aboard a custom-built pressurized capsule that weighs about 2,900 pounds (1,315 kilograms). A hard landing during a July 25 practice jump from 97,146 feet (29,610 m) damaged the capsule, and the daredevil’s record-breaking attempt was delayed while his team made the necessary repairs.

During the July 25 jump, Baumgartner reached a top freefall speed of 537 mph (864 kph) — about as fast as a commercial airliner. But while his capsule got knocked around a bit, the skydiver landed safe and sound.

Baumgartner said he is nervous about Monday’s leap from the stratosphere. But the 43-year-old daredevil — who has jumped from some of the world’s tallest buildings and soared across the English Channel in freefall using a carbon wing — regards a tinge of fear as a good thing.

“Having been involved in extreme endeavors for so long, I’ve learned to use my fear to my advantage,” Baumgartner said. “Fear has become a friend of mine. It’s what prevents me from stepping too far over the line.”

Red Bull Stratos has described the Oct. 8 attempt as a jump from the edge of space. However, space is generally considered to begin at an altitude of 62 miles (100 km), or 327,000 feet.

 

Filed under: fun stuff | 13 Comments »

Morning Report 10/5/12

Posted on October 5, 2012 by Brent Nyitray

Vital Statistics:

  Last Change Percent
S&P Futures  1463.6 7.8 0.54%
Eurostoxx Index 2523.8 38.1 1.53%
Oil (WTI) 91.12 -0.6 -0.64%
LIBOR 0.351 -0.001 -0.28%
US Dollar Index (DXY) 79.3 -0.050 -0.06%
10 Year Govt Bond Yield 1.73% 0.06%  
RPX Composite Real Estate Index 194.3 -0.1  

Markets are higher this morning after a surprisingly good employment report. Stock index futures initially jumped on the number and now have given back the gains. Bonds are down a point and MBS are down 6 ticks on the number.

The unemployment rate dropped to 7.8% from 8.1% in September and total nonfarm payrolls rose by 114k.    The Street was expecting an 8.1% rate.  U6 (the underemployment rate) didn’t change at 14.7%.  873k people became employed in September and the participation rate ticked up to 63.6% from a 30 year low of 63.5%.  It looks like the job gains were largely part time, as that sector increased 582k.  Average weekly hours ticked up to 34.5, and earnings increased .3%.  This report does seem at odds with other economic reports showing the economy is slowing.  It certainly makes you wonder what the Fed was looking at when it announced QEIII.

 

In response to the numbers, Jack Welch tweeted: “Unbelievable jobs numbers…these Chicago guys will do anything… can’t debate so changes numbers.”  Unsurprisingly the left blogosphere is swarming.  That said, Jack (We always beat by a penny) Welch should be the last person throwing stones about massaging the data.  Given that BLS magically found half a million jobs in the sofa cushions, which allows Obama to claim that the economy has reclaimed all the jobs it lost since he took office, we are going to see some predictable partisan doubt on the economic numbers coming out of Washington.

The minutes from the 9/13 FOMC meeting didn’t have anything groundbreaking in it. Some of the regional presidents are doubting how much of an effect further QE can really have.  Certainly there is nothing in the minutes that suggests that the Fed is seeing more strength in the labor market; if anything they note decreases in hiring plans.

Larry Fink of Blackrock told Maria Bartiromo that “we are about a year away from a full rebound in American housing.”  He is worried about the fiscal cliff:  “The fiscal cliff is probably the biggest problem facing us.  We are already seeing a slowdown in the U.S. economy.  I know many CEOs who are sitting with large sums of cash.  If the government comes up with a comprehensive plan to handle it, we would see a huge rally.”

FHFA has a new white paper out for comment regarding a new infrastructure for the secondary mortgage market.  It envisions a platform that could be used by multiple issuers – which could be laying the groundwork for an MBS exchange where issuers can sell new issues electronically instead of over-the-counter.  

Filed under: Morning Report | 78 Comments »

The AL MVP Debate

Posted on October 5, 2012 by ashot

It’s Friday, so how about something on the light side?

We’ve discussed some weighty topics here at ATiM and, with the exceptions of Scott and QB, we’ve all managed to be right once or twice. But we have yet to tackle a topic as important or divisive as: Who should win this year’s American League Most Valuable Player award?

Like the Presidential race, there are two candidates: Mike Trout of the Anaheim Angels and Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers.

As in the Presidential race, the sides have dug in and the mud-slinging has begun. There are many other similarities as well, but let’s just get to the arguments.

Mike Trout:

.326 BA, 30 HR, 83 RBI, 49 SB, 10.4 WAR (via Fangraphs)

Pros:He’s one of the best center fielders in baseball and is a rookie! He’s having one of the best rookie seasons in the history of baseball.

Cons: His team didn’t make the playoffs and he faded the last month of the season.

Miguel Cabrera:

.330 BA, 44 HR, 139 RBI, 4 SB, 7.2 WAR (via Fangraphs)

Pros: He just won the Triple Crown, meaning he led the American League in Batting Average, RBIs and Home Runs. He is the first player to do so since 1967. He played his best in August and September with the Tigers trying to make the Playoffs.

Cons: He’s not a good defender and he is not a good runner. His team had a worse record than Mike Trout’s team.

Some of you may be asking…what in the world is WAR? WAR is a “new” statistic that stands for Wins Above Replacement and has become somewhat of a dividing line between the Pro-Cabrera and Pro-Trout camps. From Fangraphs: WAR basically looks at a player and asks the question, “If this player got injured and their team had to replace them with a minor leaguer or someone from their bench, how much value would the team be losing?”

So, according to WAR, if Cabrera was replaced with a minor league player, the Tigers would win 7 fewer games while the Angels would win 10 fewer games. Now I could go on and on about these arguments and am happy to do so in the comments, but the bottom line is I’d be voting for Trout. He’s nearly as good of a hitter as Cabrera and he adds a lot more value with his running ability and defense. Who’s got your vote?

Filed under: 2012, fun stuff | Tagged: | 27 Comments »