On May 1, 2008, I made up a fake portfolio of investments on Google Finance. I put around $1,000 in ten different companies, and then just let the portfolio sit. I never planned on actively "trading" on this portfolio, I just wanted to see what my idea, at the time, of a good portfolio would do relative to the market.
Since May 1, 2008, the S & P 500 has dropped 16.22%.
Since May 1, 2008, my experimental portfolio has only dropped 3.02%.
My best stock? An airline company. My fake investment in Southwest Airlines has gained 7.77% since May 1.
My worst stock? Apple. Lost 28.75% since May 1.
I used to have a different set of fake investments. I wonder how those would be doing right now. They included Anheuser Bush, Phillip Morris, Harrah's casinos, and a few defense contractors. The idea was, when the world gets bad, wars, tobacco, alcohol, and gambling would still make money. Then Harrah's got bought out by a private company and delisted, so I would've had to think out some new investment to take its place. In stead, I opted to try out an investment plan that I wouldn't feel wrong to actually use with real money, should it prove to be profitable.
Too bad I don't have $10,000 to invest in the stock market right now. Then again, I'm not sure PwC would let me buy any of the stocks on my list anyway.
Some people fear guns because guns kill people. I won't say the old adage, but guns are only dangerous if treated dangerously. If you know how to properly handle a gun, it won't do anything stupid.
Now, I'm not saying I would try to teach someone this lesson in the following manner, but it sure is fun to watch.
Ok, so I haven't posted on Zanga in a while. Over 2 months. Lets see..... The Red Wings won the Stanley Cup, I moved to Houston, I started work at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Everyone who reads this already knows that. (Except maybe the Stanley Cup part.)
Two more recent events: Michael Phelps just won gold medal number 7 of the 2008 Olympics. That's 7 medals in one Olympics. He's got 11 total. His most recent (as of the time of this writing) win came in the 100 meter butterfly. Before watching the event, I couldn't tell you how you swim the butterfly. I still can't really. I don't think I could figure it out if I were in the water right now. But, he swam 100 meters in 50.58 seconds.
The silver medal winner? This guy, Cavic, who claimed it would be good for the sport, and good for Phelps, for Phelps to lose tonight. Tonight being the one contest of the last two that Phelps competes in for this Olympics that Cavic competes in. He finished in 50.59 seconds.
That's a difference of 0.01 seconds. The entire race, Phelps was behind. In the last 10 meters or so, he starts to pull even, and it looks like he's just barely going to miss it. But, then they announce that he won. Of all the replays they showed, the greatest was the replay of the camera focusing on Phelp's mom. She's watching, cheering, screaming. The race ends, she's smiling but not ecstatic, holding up two fingers. She and, presumably, her daughter look up at the board, stop, take a double-take, then the daughter starts jumping up and down and screaming and the mom basically collapses. Watch it Here, unless it gets pulled by NBC first. It took me nearly 20 minutes to find this video. [EDIT: the video has already been pulled. I tried. Go look for yourself. END EDIT.}
Oh yeah, and the other reason why I wanted to post on Zanga: This article makes me want to be a teacher. Texas, our Texas, all hail the mighty state. Whoop.
I am not a Detroit Red Wings fan. (and this is NOT a post about hockey) The Red Wings knocked the Stars out of the playoffs, and for that, as well as the simple fact that they're the Red Wings and I'm a Stars fan, I don't like the Red Wings.
BUT...
This is pretty awesome. The Red Wings have a tradition of throwing octopi on the ice during playoff games. This tradition dates back to the Original Six era, when there were six teams in the NHL. During this era, it took eight wins in the playoffs (four per round) to win the Stanley Cup. Thus, the eight legs of the octopus stood for the eight wins needed for the Cup.
Fast forward to the present, when the Detroit Red Wings are playing the Pittsburgh Penguins for the Stanley Cup. Pittsburgh grocers publicly announced that, if they have anything to do with it, there will be no octopi flying in Pittsburgh. They went as far as refusing to sell octopi to anyone with a Michigan driver's license.
That didn't stop at least one die-hard Red Wings fan.
To put it another way: Octopus at a Michigan Grocer: $30 Round-trip drive from Detroit to Pittsburgh: $76 Ticket to Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals: $300 Extra Ticket in case you get kicked out: $300 Throwing an Octopus on the ice knowing fully that you may be arrested: Priceless
