Insider Reviews Wall Street 2

TUESDAY UPDATE FROM ZH: ANYBODY LISTENING? BE FOREWARNED, READING NOT FOR SISSIES; ALSO, US ECONOMY CLOSE TO DESTRUCTIVE TIPPING POINT
MADHEDGEFUNDTRADER REVIEWS WALL STREET:MONEY NEVER SLEEPS TODAY @ ZERO HEDGE


WAS EXPECTING TO DISLIKE IT, cause I don't care for Oliver Stone, his politics or even his looks. But lo and behold, after being taken there on Saturday after bemoaning then acquiescing, I ended up liking it better than I ever expected. While MadHedgeFundTrader can better give you details of who each character in the film represents in real life---though it's not rocket science--- I can tell you most of the film rang true on a lot of financial themes and cast of characters that have played out over the past few fast-paced years. These are the same themes that will undoubtedly play out to an even greater degree in the years ahead and fodder for more movies to come starring those bedeviled stars of quantitative easing (money printing) and S&P and bond manipulation now in the process of collapsing the economy for us and our children and grand-children. Men like Geithner and Bernanke will be easy to spot as they're drug off to the electric chair.....just a little joke.

Still, we never seem to learn from history and so are doomed to repeat it. Nevertheless, if you want to see how the big boys play their games at the top echelons of madness and then get bailed out using our money, then go and see this movie.

Conversation Between Tim Keller and John Piper

LON SOLOMON PREACHES ON THE BLIND MAN JESUS MET

Women---Conservative Movement's Greatest Asset

FIREWORKS: WHITE HOUSE FURIOUS OVER FORBES COVER STORY ON OBAMA

MORE FROM STEPHEN KRUISER AT BIG HOLLYWOOD:

Having grown up in the supposed age of feminism, I couldn’t help but think that this is probably what it was supposed to look like: strong, independent and successful women who have no interest in hand-wringing victimhood. The Left has Hillary Clinton, a woman who rode her husband’s coattails for a couple of decades before trading her Aggrieved Wife Victim Card for elective office. The Right has Phyllis Schlafly, who still commands attention in the way few men can.

It also has Reps. Michele Bachmann, Jean Schmidt, and Cynthia Lummis working hard within the system. Bachmann’s famous grilling of Timothy Geithner is one of the highlights of the film (and featured in the trailer on the website). The film also features Ann Coulter, Michelle Easton, Michelle Malkin, Deneen Borelli, Janine Turner, Dana Loesch, S.E Cupp, Jenny Beth Martin, Jamie Radtke, Sonnie Johnson and Michelle Moore. These women represent old and new media and a cross-section of the Tea Party movement. In short, they’re everywhere.

Update: Bristol and Dance Partner Mark Ballas Run Up To Alaska To Meet Momma Bear

BEING A DANCE PRO NEVER LOOKED MORE FUN! Sure hope Mark is a conservative. With the kind of ratings Bristol is bringing to Dancing With the Stars, don't think she'll be kicked off anytime soon. She'll go much further with Mark, though probably not to first place. But what do I know. Read more.

Mama Told Me Not To Come

UPDATE/SOURCE:-- "Dancing With the Stars" (21.3 million viewers, 5.1 adults 18-49 rating) returned up 24% from last fall and gave ABC the highest-rated show on the season's opening night (videos here). "Dancing" drew a younger-than-usual audience, marking its best-ever fall premiere among teens. Though even the inspired casting of Bristol Palin and The Situation couldn't overthrow last spring's Kate Gosselin-fueled opener. Last fall: 4.1 adult-demo rating / Spring: 6.4.



DECENT PERFORMANCE, CUTE COUPLE AND GREAT, FRISKY FUN. GO BRISTOL AND MARK!

From The Daily Beast:

On Monday night, Bristol cha cha-ed her way into a pretty good score from the ejudges. Her moves, coupled with supporters by the phones ready to vote for another Palin, means that there is a good chance that she may be around for awhile, leaving plenty of episodes for her Mama Grizzly to root for her in person. Until then, Palin sent one last tweet, along with a photo: “Over-the-moon excited and happy for Bristol! Cheering her on @ DWTS party in the Palin living room.”

The King's Speech, Movie Well Worth Seeing

HAVING TAKEN TORONTO BY STORM, The King's Speech will win every award this year. An historical movie of a period of time in England before Queen Elizabeth, it's a niche of time most of us know very little about. But we will. Colin Firth is the star and what a role he has.

Could We Talk, Hillary?

WOMANO A' WOMANO

KNOW YOU'RE BUSY AND STRESSED what with the wedding this summer, the UN meeting this week in Manhattan and Bill's Global Intiative going on right up the street, so I'll make it brief and to the point: This is not your best look by a long shot. Not even by a country mile. We all have bad hair days when we're too tired and involved in the cares of the world to take care of ourselves and recharge our batteries.Sometimes we just stay close to home. But you're out in public and need to go look at yourself in the mirror. Right now. Then run out to the nearest salon and get a quick cut, shampoo and blow-out that puts you back in the presentable lane. A little more softness around your face and a few more bangs would be good.

Please don't do this again. There will be no excuse if you do. You can forget ever running for president. It just wouldn't do to have you looking like a puff ball while trying to become president. Do us all a favor and get yourself back in a little better shape with a little more stylish do. And shining shampooed hair. Do it for the children....and the orphans and the whales and.....

Sunday

New York Fashion Week Ends With Beautiful Feminine Gowns I'd Love To Wear

STARTING WITH THOSE CRACKERJACK BE-RIBBONED ORANGE POP VENUS PUMPS...I TELL MYSELF WHEN IT GETS RIGHT DOWN TO IT, THERE'S VERY little I really covet anymore. Then I pat myself on the back, feel rather self-righteousness and go on with my life. I really think I mean it. Until. Well, until I see photos of the grand finale of New York's fashion week yesterday. Gallery at The Daily Beast.

Lord, I love every one of these dresses! Is there a recession that may go into a double dip or depression? More banks going under? OK, I'll buy some silver and store olive oil and Clorox. But oh my goodness, how I'd love to be wearing any one of these feminine dresses when our economic ship goes down. Just for a little while....if only on the way to my revolutionary vegetable garden! Is that too much to ask?ABOVE: Could this be the perfect apres-fishing/hiking outfit for Jackson---leather, glitter, sequins, satins, velour and silver? Oh and did I mention a small touch of soft fur? Ethereal. What more could an outdoorsy girl like me ask for? After denim comes chiffon. Mercy me, I love these neutral softnesses!

OK, OK, so this one might be just a bit too-too for me. Somehow I don't think this chiffon whip would work so well at the Calico. But it might be perfect for a mid-summer southern ball at Tara. I can just see Sarah Jessica Parker stepping out of her over-sized limo onto the red carpet at the Oscars in this. Divine and divinely feminine to the max for the real woman who can carry it off.

Return of Citizen Politicians

RUSH: O'DONNELL'S OPPONENT A SITTING DUCK
ACE: 5 REASONS SHE MIGHT WIN
INSIDE-THE-BELTWAY CARL ROVE BITES THE DUST
THE REVOLUTION HAS ARRIVED
HUMBLING DELAWARE GOPLOOKING RESPLENDENT IN RED

LET US HOPE CHRISTINE O'DONNELL'S primary victory over Mike Castle for U.S. Senate last night in Delaware portends many good and desperately-needed things to come at the ballot box. Forget parties and career politicians who are often part of the entrenched problems of political entitlement without principle on both sides of the aisle. If this country is going to survive, it must elect women and men like the one above who are willing to go up against the so-called Goliaths of our decaying system. Those willing to let the gargantuan federal tier of government decrease while states rights and individual responsibility increase in size and scope. Those willing to get elected and then go to Washington and remain fiscally and politically conservative,even if it's for only one term. It's our only hope outside armed revolution. The clock is ticking.....and it's a frightening few minutes to midnight.

People who are truly concerned for our country and the principles on which it was founded and has flourished for generations have completely lost their sense of loyalty to specific political parties. Are you listening, Carl Rover? The establishment is over. All this talk of how the Tea Party movement will cause the GOP to lose the possibility of majority rule in both Houses this fall is hogwash. People need to vote their convictions and let the chips fall where they may. We've frittered away far too many elections and held far too many entrenced politicians unaccountable. It's got to end and soon or our country will be unrecognizable in a matter of years.

Great Dress, Beautiful Presentation, Blake

IN OUR CURRENT CULTURE OF NEVER-ENDING FASHION AWARDS EXTRAVAGANZAS AND BIZARRE OPENINGS---where clothes and costumes get more outrageous by the minute, it's truly refreshing to see a woman present herself with a modicum of good taste and discretion.

A woman looking like a woman should is a beautiful thing to behold.

Enter Blake Lively photographed in Toronto at the film festival this past weekend premiering her new movie. How refreshing. Of course it doesn't hurt that she has a world class great figure and gorgeous long blond hair. But so do plenty of other wackos who walk the red carpet.

Nope. She's a classically beautiful woman here and lovely to look at. Perhaps the most appealing part of the outfit is that her dress is hemmed at a perfect length instead of the current fad of thigh-high which I find extremely unattractive and screams for desperate attention. The length of Blake's dress here fits the proportions of her height and long legs to a tea and steps out of the narrow confines of fad-wear and into the the classic fashion hall of fame.

I also like the deep red lipstick for this formal occasion and the feminine red pumps that bring this striking dress into unified perfection.

Nice job, Blake. And just so you know she can do it twice, here she is looking darling in a summery classic garden party dress.

Bach: Brandenburg Concertos No 3

A LOVELY WAY TO END THE WEEKEND AND A VERY LONG DRIVE.

Sunday: Gaga----End of Sexual Revolution With A Disturbing Trend Towards Death

ASEXUAL, MANUFACTURED FREAK OF OUR TIMES, 'Lady' Gaga is just another symptom of the ending of our debauched, deeply narcissistic, relativistic age of immorality and sexual indiscretion. Not a minute too soon, if you ask me. Read the whole thing. Camille Paglia nails it in a not-to-be-missed hammering of our culture's latest, most outrageous and pathetic icon.

Our Country Has Truly Lost It

UPDATE: BREATH OF MUCH NEEDED SANITY

HE WHO KNOWS NOT AND KNOWS NOT THAT HE KNOWS NOT, IS A FOOL--SHUN HIM

HEAVENS TO BETSY! Greetings from Kansas. Just want to weigh in momentarily on the ridiculous national orgasm our country is having over this publicity-seeking nut case--A minister?? Really??---in Florida who's wrapped the media---and most of us--- around his little finger over his plan to burn the Quran on 9/11. When will we ever learn to ignore stuff like this instead of making a gargantuan mountain the size of Everest out of a molehill? Or even giving it credence by debating it?

Can't we ever learn to just walk away and ignore someone? Why do we continue to give such vast amounts of power to anything outside ourselves and their immaturity? I can tell you when things like this happen, one thing's for sure....Islam has won. This nut pastor has won. Fear and terror have won, hands down.

Just for the record President Obama, General Paetrus, Hillary Clinton and a cast of unnamed thousands have lost. They've also all lost my vote...every one of them for all time.

Didn't we learn when we raised our children that bad behavior persists when we make a huge deal over it? Ignore it and set limits which the Constitution has done. Instead this idiot---who should remain unnamed and unlinked---has succeeded in creating an international incident over this. Now another nut in Springfield, Tennessee is getting into the act.

From here, any idiotic publicity seeker can and will soon enter the fray.

I sincerely think we are in a national sophomoric emotional regression of heroic proportions. Until we start to grow up and ignore and shun certain stunts and stunt seekers---and our frothing media starts to grow up instead of always being hyper-excited---we'll more and more be at the effect of a minority of lunatics on all sides of the fence. Sad, sad, sad and silly to the max.

We need to start walking away much more often instead of this compulsive national need to manage and control everyone and everything. And comment on everything. President Obama is a nut himself. There, I said it.

Good day.

Saddling Up For Tennessee

WHERE'S THE BEEF?
THE PAST TEN DAYS IN THE BUFFALO VALLEY AROUND MORAN have been mostly cool, breezy and rainy, atypical for late August/early September. Today however is sunny and warm---a good moment to be packing up and saying goodbyes for now. It's time to leave, since never in my recollection have there been so many grizzly bears down low---instead of up in the higher country----this early in the fall. Evidently it's because the pine beetle blight has killed so many pine forest stands with pine nuts---bears' favorite bulk up food for winter---in higher elevations and grizzlies have been forced to come back down. It's had a sobering effect on my fishing and hiking here this year. Believe me, I've seen and encountered many more grizzlies than I could ever wish for in a lifetime. Frankly, I don't want to push my luck right now.

That and very limited Internet connection have me to almost looking forward to getting back to the city soon. Anyway, I'll put up some links as I proceed, but mostly will be in travel mode for the rest of the week. Hope to be back to civilization and a bit more computer functional next week.

Sunday Reflections

ABILITY TO SPEAK or act in a particular way...is only a charisma if and as God uses it to edify. Some natural abilities that God has given he never uses in this way, while sometimes he edifies through performances that to competent judges seem substandard.... What constitutes and identifies a charisma is not the form of the action but the blessing of God.

— J. I. Packer, Keep in Step with the Spirit

MANY BAD MEN have had these gifts. Many will say at the last day, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?” [Matt.7:21]. Such as these, who have had...gifts of the Spirit, but no special and saving [work] of the Spirit.... Gifts of the Spirit are excellent things, but...they are not things which are inherent in the nature, as true grace and holiness are.... Gifts of the Spirit are, as it were, precious jewels, which a man carries about him. But true grace in the heart is, as it were, the preciousness of the heart, by which...the soul itself becomes a precious jewel....

— Jonathan Edwards, Charity and Its Fruits

H/T Redeemer, Manhattan

The Queen Breakfasting, Circa 1965

QUITE CIVILIZED, I SAY, AS RENDERED IN OIL BY HER HUSBAND, THE PRINCE.

A bit more at The Daily Mail.

Thursday, Sun Shining

GLORY BE! Though it's still cool and breezy. Rivers momentarily too high, off-color from recent rains to fish. Grizzlies everywhere. Starting to think of Tennessee....

What Was She Thinking?

DON'T KNOW HOW LONG I CAN LEAVE THIS post up. It's so bad on so many levels that it may be only a few hours. I hope Glenn has gone home to New York to batten the hatches for Hurricane Earl. If not, and she's still running about in this, she may become airborne and blown all the way to Nova Scotia as The Dark Knightess just in time for Halloween. Or a scene from fashions for The Casting Couch....

What ever was she thinking when she, or some crackpot stylist, chose to wear this to an Emmy party? Hasn't she figured out by now, just because something's a fad---let alone three fads all rolled into one---doesn't mean it's a good one or appropriate for her, me, or any sentient woman over say 22.

Good gracious, if this is her judgment in fashion, I shudder to think what her judgment is in politics, art and various other arenas of life. Edgy doesn't have to mean tasteless. Isn't this an actress who at her stage in life needs to concentrate on looking wonderful in classic designs instead of appearing ridiculous in costume malfunctions?

Quick Update

GREETINGS FROM MORAN, WYOMING where it's rainy, gray and cold. Word has it that the sun is coming out Thursday! I'll believe it when I see it. It's like a cold November day in Tennessee! The photo above is from last year...here's hoping!

For the next ten days, I will be on and off my blog again. One of my oldest, dearest friends here in Moran---a woman and rancher---an actual native I've been blessed to know from the start of my adventures here since the mid-1980s---lost one of her grown sons this morning to a virulent and fast-growing form a cancer. By the time doctors had diagnosed it three weeks ago, it had already spread over his entire body. My main priority right now is to be here for her and her family who are like family to me.

Also, my Internet connection is slower than molassas. It's the only thing about being on the edge of the wilderness that I regret---connectivity. Still, I will post as I can over the next little while. And thanks as always for coming by.