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443. Jun 28, 2007 5:56 PM

» stocktiger - this week

Quite an interesting day whipsawing as everyone knows. Managed to squeek out a profit. Added to positions in FSLR and AAPL.

Energy, Steel, Telecom, Gold all up a bit.

This is going to be a crazy quarter but earnings will more than likely surprise everyone.

Tomorrow is AAPL day, should be a darn good indicator of forward earnings into Q4 at least. Apple TV is coming, entertainment convergence is coming, heck INTC may even go up.

-- posted by stocktiger

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444. Aug 18, 2007 9:49 PM

» stocktiger - Jerusalem Israel 2007

In response to this week posted by stocktiger:

Jerusalem, 2007

10 yrs ago I was here last, and it seems like yesterday. We arrived 5 days ago amidst a sweltering heat at the new Ben Gurion airport close to Tel Aviv and after seeing the half hearted security measures at airports in Chicago and Brussels, it was relieving to arrive safely to an ultra modern airport with sane and effective security.

As always the subsequent drive to Jerusalem was inspiring and breathtaking. To me, it always feels like coming home from a very long trip though I was not born or raised in Israel, very weird déjà vu feelings occur quite frequently. So much has changed and so much is the same in the bustling streets of Jerusalem. There are more diverse ethnic groups than I remember, many new French, Russian, and Ethiopian people, the streets are packed with families, elderly people, groups of young men and women, tourists, soldiers, security personnel, and everything in between. With the exception of Shabbat from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday the streets are always busy and pedestrians are everywhere.

New construction of large hotels, shopping malls, roads and re-construction of old stone homes is everywhere as well. The city is cleaner than I remember and more modernized and the traffic is just as wild as before though it seems like less horn honking occurs now. A new light rail train system is in the works to reduce vehicles in and around Jerusalem and quite frankly the existing bus and cab services preclude the need to drive in the city. Walking everywhere from the bustling city center to the local market has proven very easy from the home we are staying in though it takes a few days to get used to walking the multitude of hills and stairs throughout the city.

A strong sense of peace emanates in the city and the streets feel incredibly safer than any US city or anywhere else my travels have taken me. Every pub, restaurant, large store, etc.... has security checking out EVERY person who enters and in the streets, police, soldiers, and undercover security officers are everywhere, though unobtrusive and no obvious crimes occurred. The only sad part is the occasional street beggar or drug addict but they are few and hassle no one just sitting in the streets with cups in hand.

Families go to late dinners in street cafes/restaurants/pubs and walk the streets listening to a large variety of street musicians (some excellent, many hopelessly bad), religious folks speak openly for their beliefs; children are everywhere as well, even late into the night. It's not uncommon to see elderly couples walking the city center streets very late at night with grandchildren in tow. Amazingly safe is an understatement regarding this situation as Israel itself has many ongoing military issues on every side of its very small borders.

The same sense of unity regarding the terrorist situation can be easily seen and heard and the Israeli regard for human life is also very apparent. People in general are educated and very intelligent and have no problem expressing their viewpoint. I continue to be especially impressed with the maturity of the young 20ish Israelis. Mandatory military service in harsh conditions with poor food, worse living conditions, and very low pay does not faze them at all and they view it as a responsibility to the country.

Sitting in a great local pub I met Big Mike, quite the character living in Israel for years now, an articulate student of archeology, spiritual growth and a great story teller. The city is full of interesting characters, musicians, artists, and the music scene is thriving. Everyone appears to be passionate about the arts in a way that inspires both the artist and the audience. Most Israelis are actually not religious but in Jerusalem it's not uncommon to see religious Jews watching and playing live music and perhaps having a beer with friends and most of them are excellent musicians.

I must digress into the WATER leak incident at our new home my wife's family has been rebuilding, quite the mansion by any standard but needing finishing work, heating, and minor construction. The nefarious leak under the kitchen sink, a small problem to fix in the States, turned into a 3 day event. On one fateful Friday morning with all proper tools in hand I attempted to remove the bad part only to have the entire WATER MAIN hot line break in half, flooding the 2nd story, me, and my pride. Quickly I grabbed a large bucket, running up the stairs thru a minor waterfall, a phone to call for help, all the while sweating profusely. After shutting off the neighbor's water which of course got his attention I was directed to the RIGHT valve, isolated the problem, and mopped/squeegee a few hundred liters of water.
Now it gets interesting, I get the parts needed from my brother in law; proceed to fix it late on a Friday afternoon, only to find the leak is still present on the new fittings AFTER the stores all close for Shabbat. I managed to get it to a livable condition for the weekend and said "Heck with this nonsense."
On the subsequent Sunday morning (which is a business day here) I managed to get new BETTER fittings, do the old remove and replace, Teflon tape dance, and guess what, ANOTHER small leak. By now the local hardware store guys like me and decide to show me the old flax hair trick. The real root issues being machined parts here are machined to 1/10th of US standards so nothing fits snug, you wrap the hair into the threads and then wrap it with Teflon tape, normal clockwise direction, and VOILA the evil leak was fixed. Actually it was quite the learning experience on dealing with Israeli pieces parts to fix things and I met some great people in the process. Turns out the real root cause of this issue was the original plumbers used dissimilar metals causing electrolysis which ate up the parts, causing the leak. Oi Vay!

After returning from a trip to the north my wife and son joined me and we went to a local place for some great American food. While enjoying dinner and talking to some local musicians and characters all of a sudden a Fox News reporter entered the scene. Instantly I recognized him as Mike Tobin the ME reporter of many years. We met, took some pictures and chatted a bit. Later I had the chance to watch him play bass guitar with a local fantastic guitarist named Yanni. Quite an interesting evening to say the least.

Over the course of our trip the family highlights included a visit to the Western Wall and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in the old city of Jerusalem, swimming the sea of Galilee and kayaking the Jordan River where my son's favorites. Numerous trips to zoo's, children's shows, parks, and swimming are available and children have a lot to do and enjoy. My favorites were teaching my son to pray at the Western Wall, just walking the city taking in everything possible, and playing live music with some local musicians to an enthusiastic audience. Jerusalem rocks on a different wavelength and must be seen by all.

Toward the end of our trip we attended an Israeli wedding which was amazing, wonderful and very much fun. These people know how to throw a wedding and we ate, danced and drank to our hearts content. The family cousins were all warm, kind, and very eager to meet and know me. It truly felt like home.

Returning home thru London's Heathrow Airport was even worse than the arriving trip thru Brussels. Chicago immigration and customs were a nightmare and the lesson I learned is don't fly thru the Europe EVER. Flying direct from Atlanta to Tel Aviv is the best bet to avoid headaches and long security lines.

Israel and especially Jerusalem are not to be missed no matter your beliefs or non beliefs are. With an open mind you can experience what's really important in life and possibly improve your life as well as others.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

-- posted by stocktiger

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445. Aug 19, 2007 1:04 PM

» Happy_2 - Jerusalem Israel 2007

In response to Jerusalem Israel 2007 posted by stocktiger:
I really enjoyed your monologue. Thanks,
I have been to Israel twice. 1982 and 1993.
It was much as you described it.
I stayed at the King David both times.
I wanted to go sooner but was waiting for the
"situation to clear up". If you wait for the situation to clear up you will never go. Thanks for the tip on going direct from Atlanta. Great idea. Even in 1982, airport security was very tough. Guards checked all waste baskets at the airport every 10 minutes. When the security guards took every person into a private room, there was no joking around.
Did you visit Bethleham?

-- posted by Happy_2

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446. Aug 19, 2007 1:54 PM

» stocktiger - Jerusalem Israel 2007

In response to Jerusalem Israel 2007 posted by Happy_2:

I did not visit Bethleham or any Arab areas. There was a State Dept warning issued July 13th warning US cititzens to avoid many areas. I did attend huge gatherings in the streets of Jerusalem in disregard to the warnings and we took my son to the old city. The only bad incident involved an Arab camel which tried to bite my son after he was put on its back by an old Arab guy who later wanted LOTS of money for doing so. I paid him a fraction of what he asked and told him to PO. Its best there to buy things in the Shuk and give your money to Israeli business owners IMHO.

Its safer there than here, don't believe the BS on TV, go there as soon as you can afford it (which isn't cheap by any means).

-- posted by stocktiger

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447. Aug 19, 2007 6:05 PM

» brofojoe - Jerusalem Israel 2007

In response to Jerusalem Israel 2007 posted by stocktiger:
Growing up as a Southside, Irish, Catholic, Democrat, Sox fan from Chicago, I was fortunate enough to visit Israel 2yrs ago and fully concur with your positive review of Israel. Jerusalem was one of my favorite places and definitely a must see in anyones lifetime!! It was much more culturally diverse than I ever thought!!
Thanks for sharing your families trip, brought back some great memories!

brofojoe NC

-- posted by brofojoe