Screwball

Not really investing related, but an interesting way the "market" works. Our debt is sold by auctions, so are many other things. There is an old bar here in Cornhole that closed a year or so ago. It was part of our history since the turn of the century. They just had an online auction over the last week. The featured item was this...I don't know what you call it. The online minimum was $111,000, which wasn't met. At least online. I can't imagine what that weighs, or how to get it out of there. But there were another 300 items you could bid on. I looked through them. If you have a food or bar place there might be some real deals here. Kitchen and bar stuff is really expensive. But also a bunch of beer signs, and stuff that doesn't bring much money. The bids have been open for a week. Suppose to close today at 4. I found a box of security camera stuff. Same brand as the ones I have. It looks like one I have that I really like. Depending what's in the box (I didn't go look), maybe a solar panel too it looks like. That's $150 bucks worth of cameras for $5 bucks. So I bid. I wasn't the only one. As of close today at 4, I had the winning bid at $8. I thought I was good, but no. That's when the auction started. DUH! My item was #227 so it would be another 4 and a half hours. After about an hour I got out bid. I don't know how this stuff works, so I waited. They have a countdown clock for each item. I got inside an hour and hit the bid button just to see what would happen. Then someone else made a bid. Then website refreshes every minute so you can see your bids. Once inside around 5 minutes at button starts flashing for live bids. HOLY **** - this is almost like live trading... OK, how do we handle this??? I have kick ass fiber optic down here in Cornhole that gets me 500 Mbps so I figured my best bet was to trust my cable company and be quicker (many here still have slower stuff). The bid was up to $12. Watching the clock tick down.... When do I pull the trigger? Pushed the button with 8 seconds. The auction was over. HEY, how about that, I won!!! But it wasn't. They tacked on another minute and a half. I don't know what that was all about? As it turned out, I did win the bid. A wild and interesting experience. I followed a few of these now. I think they are a neat way to go for some places/people to liquidate things.

We thought about stopping at the ball park when we went to Knoxville in 2021. Didn't have time but would have been neat to see it. The track seats around 21k. They run Wednesday thru Saturday. I don't think that number counts the race teams (or track personnel). They had around 100 cars and each team is at least 5 people. Huge boost for the local economy. They even have a parade. But they have been doing this for 65 years. Last week was the same format but for 360 ci cars. The 360 Nationals. I don't remember when that started, but that gives them two weeks of fun.

I was watching. The drama over him making it was better than the race. They go 50 laps but stop around half way for fuel (don't get me started on that). He started on the pole and by lap 26 he had lapped half the field. Finished a couple of seconds in front of 2nd place at the end. I was watching the flight tracking site and there were almost 17k following his plane. It was the most tracked plane in the world at that time. He flew into Pella, Iowa (Knoxville has an airport too but Pella has a longer runway) and had a police escort to the track, about 15 miles away. The feature started after 1 am our time. This is the 4th sprint car race he's won this week. Wild that Hendrick's Motorsports allows him to do this. Kasey Kahne, the former NASCAR guy got 3rd, and an Ohio guy, Sheldon Haudenshield got 2nd. Now the little town of Knoxville will go from 30 some thousand people back to 7.5k. Those 4 days in August are huge for many businesses there. The track entrance is on a state highway (14) just as it gets into the little town. Right smack across the street is the Dingus Lounge, a popular hot spot for the week. You have to see it all to believe it.

The NASCAR race just finished. Logano won. Kyle Larson ran 6th. He won the pole for the big race mentioned above (the Knoxville Nationals), but due to the scheduling conflict he can't be there. Knoxville has a rain delay in his favor. Hendrix Motorsports has a plane lined up to try to beat the window. A slim chance, but fly from Richmond to Knoxville, Iowa. Why not? Neat stuff. Racing people are just cool.

Back in the early 70s they measured it by the yard at some tryouts when they used a school field that had them. They needed to beat 8.2 for 60 yards, or 180 feet, the distance from home to second base. They also did it on a track, so they didn't have get out of the batters box after hitting a ball. This guy has wheels... And that was long ago. One of the five tools. And the most important one. No wheels, you ain't going anywhere.

I read he went from the batters box to third on his triple in 12 seconds (a week ago?). Is that in the ballpark (no pun intended) to the stat and scouting reports?

I know this thread is about F1, but there is other forms of racing. On the other end of the F1 spectrum is dirt track sprint cars. They actually have a higher weight to horsepower ratio than an F1 car. They can pop a wheelie at 100 mph. They run on small ovals between 1/4 and 5/8 of a mile dirt track. This week starting last night, is the annual Knoxville Nationals, the most prestigious race event of the year. 4 nights, around 100 cars, all going after the big prize on Saturday night of $200,000. Which isn't really that much when an engine cost $75,000. Kyle Larson the NASCAR champ will be in the field tonight. Kasey Kahne, ex NASCAR guy was in the field last night. Speaking of last night - quite the finish between 3 guys.

You can only read the first part of that article, but I can only imagine how awful and gross it was. Sounds like an incident about 6 months ago here in Cornhole. Ex husband had an unknown security camera in the house so he knew when the current boyfriend wasn't there. Two kids and a wife. He killed all but his ex wife, starting with shooting his youngest kid in a car seat, and eventually himself. I'm not convinced any gun laws would have prevented this sick **** to do what he did.

That is really cool.

I was most amused during that time of the people who wished other people dead.

This is the game today. They have maximized the physics of the game. Pitchers arms will break down. I'm glad they traded Skubal, and I loved to watch him work. I think he will prove to be a china doll.

No it's not.

There is no such thing as a good bank. They should be the most hated thing in the world. Money, banks, this isn't difficult.

Short story about a small town corruption scheme, and a good example on how "WE THE PEOPLE" get the big red, white, and blue American Dream treatment that Carlin told us about in 1991. Dateline Cornhole, Ohio; A nearby construction company wants to rezone some land for development. NW Ohio, population 18k city and 54k county. We are about 30s miles from the closest 4 lane highway running N/S or E/W. I only bring that up because of the bigger picture. To make and long and complex story short, think of an intersection (roads, both 2 lane St. Routes), and quadrants. One of those roads marks the city limits, so two quadrants are already inside the city, so they would be adding a third quadrant indicated by the perpendicular road. The space inside the proposed additions are spelled out by the usual parcels you can look up on county/city auditor maps. The two sides along the two highways are lined with homes, They probably don't pay city/property land tax because they are not in the city. Little over 30 homes. There is around 200 acres behind these homes they want to develop. It would be in everyone's back yard. Nice homes on the edge of town. Just so happens, these acres are owned by the big time builder around here that puts up buildings many of our small companies use to manufacture stuff for our big OEM's like the auto or appliance companies. He's built a bunch of what they call "spec" buildings around here over the years. Is there a need? We are 30 miles from a 4 lane. We already have places closing. The logistics suck this far inland from a major highway. Anyway, the Township would not approve a zoning change from agricultural to manufacturing. Not to mention the homeowners who are pissed off (they might pay taxes to the Township, not sure) so the Township would represent them. They don't want factories in their backyard. We are in the middle of farm country. This is what we do. Farm. So the builder went to the city, who immediately got on board, to annex this land into the city limits. Since these homes are in the same quadrant, they would go too, and the homeowners don't want that. Once annexed, the city will re-zone the land to manufacturing because the people have no say. None - zero. That's why he's doing it. One might think they have something in mind and maybe that's good for jobs. Or maybe they don't. The last building he did here was for an energy company. They send out crews to build infrastructure for data centers all over Ohio. I talk to the warehouse manager at my ****hole bar. There are only a dozen or so people that work there, most of which are on the road. They just need space to store things. Local government loves it because they get more tax money to stupidly piss it away. It's more complicated, but the basic facts stand. What a bunch of BS. If this goes through, the costs will find it's way to our taxes. Water, sewer, and I have to wonder...They same day there was an article about our Fire Department not having enough room and other things they need. That side of town is already not good for fire protection. None of it makes any sense. Other than $$$$ for the right people.

No argument. More of a general statement. Over the years I become more cynical. Especially with stuff like this.

I hope your not a tin foil hat guy like me...

Nothing will happen. Maybe a few low level nobodies. This is the Big Club. They are all going to cover for each other, as usual. Look how well they made the story go away. We have a bunch of sick ****s who have done despicable things over the course of years for power and money and continue to get away with it. They also happen to be some of the richest and most influential people in the world over the years. <tin foil hat on> then you have the spooks </tin foil hat off> But here we are...

Funny how the Maxwell women is sitting in prison and we don't know much else. This fits;

For fun and for those who don't have Twitter - Investing related from the scum that inhabit the cesspool of DC. So you don't have to click; Nothing to see here move along and keep worshiping these assholes.

A little more on IBM. It was an early release which usually spells trouble as this one did. ‘We faltered’: IBM stock collapses after a grave warning about AI

$136 something as I type this. Don't remember the IPO price but retail couldn't get it until it was around $160 ish on IPO day if I remember right. Those who did are underwater now.

IBM getting crushed to the tune of %25 today on earning miss.

I remember this, I think... Didn't they call it Kaline Corner, with a banner up in the stands way out there in right field? Might be remembering wrong, but there were never too many balls hit way up there. Abreu just kept jacking them and I thought they better get some clubhouse kid to go get some balls that didn't say Titleist on them or we are going to be here all night.

The 71 Orioles say hold my beer. That was incredible to watch. The game has changed so much since then. All different today. Which always brings up the age old argument - which generation was better. What a can of worms that is. Nothing wrong with that. This is the worlds greatest game after all. To the last - yes - there is this thing called pitching. But it's easier to find guys who heave it 100 mph. But they do have to get it over the plate - and probably not right down the middle because at some point they will time you - and "clobber" it as Rod Allen would say. And you help generate the speed. You don't have to throw 100 mph to get people out.

Imagine everything in life revolving around Donald Trump? What a way to live. Micron locks in historically high memory prices for five years