CNN Breaking News

I have some RSS feeds set up to give me the latest information on financial markets.

Here are the messages that came in through CNN today. Short and very to the point.

Sent: Sep. 29, 2008 1:48 p.m. - Dow Industrials fall more than 600 on fears bailout package vote will fail.

Sent: Sep. 29, 2008 2:30 p.m. - $700 billion bailout bill fails in House. Dow down by nearly 600 points.

Sent: Sep. 29, 2008 4:43 p.m. - Dow suffers biggest point drop in history, falling nearly 778 points in reaction to House vote rejecting economic rescue.

I don't know what the right answer is to resolve the crisis. I just know that I'm a big spender and...a very big saver. Strange combination. But, in this situation it's almost like I'm being burned for being such a good saver. So, I'm not sure what to do. Help - Craig, where are you? 

Do I keep contributing to the 401k? Should I scale back? It's good to buy low, right? But, what if low means it is going to zero soon? Do I scale down the contributions and pay off debt? When should I get back in?

Alas, it's a difficult time. Even the guys on Fast Money don't know whether to buy or sell. The reason they give - the rules are changing and still haven't been re-established and so ...if the standard is floating how does someone make a decision? They do have a point.

All stress aside, I'm glad I have some food storage, I'm glad I have a very stable job (if I lose mine that would mean the country is in REALLY bad shape) and I'm glad I have friends. That doesn't solve all problems, but it at least provides a little peace.

Technology and Memory Lane - Facebook

I signed up for Facebook in 2007 primarily to communicate with my brothers that were/are still in college. They tend to respond to me faster from that forum, but the side benefit was also finding current and old friends.


Last week I logged into Facebook and discovered that one of my brother's had re-connected to a neighbor of ours in Michigan. This was the little boy (Chi Wei) that stood at the end of Burrell Court everyday and waited for Bus 53 with me and my sisters. Out of the 12 houses on that court we had quite the eclectic mix of people. We had my family (Mormon, big family), the Jewish family, the Muslim family, the Chinese family, the Episcopalian bishop and his family, the Methodist bishop and his family, the other bishop (?) and his family, the Dow Chemical chemist who helped invent aspirin (at least I think that's the story), the people that were never home, the Dow Chemical scientist or engineer that woke up every winter morning and shoveled the driveway even before we (the Mormon family) left for seminary (early morning church class for 9-12 graders often referred to as "cemetery" because of the early morning dead feeling), and the amazing pianist/organist that we all took piano lessons from. I think I am missing one or two, but there were a couple of moves of people during the nine years we lived there.

Really, it was a great mix of people and there were often holiday picnics where we all gathered in Bishop Gordon's backyard and had the usual "food, folks and fun."

Oh, back to Chi Wei - he just got married and has an awesome wedding video at http://www.chiweiandstacy.com/