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The DJIA is the sum of 30 stocks on the NYSE, divided by the Dow Divisor. As I write this, the DJIA stands at 14,438.

The Dow divisor is currently 0.130216081. If we used the same divisor as they did in May of 2001, which was 0.153694, the DJIA would be 14375.

So
adjusting for changes in the Dow divisor, the DJIA is actually
unchanged from where it was 12 years ago. These numbers are so
manipulated, it is ridiculous.

Originally, the Dow divisor was intended to adjust for stocks that split, so that a company could not manipulate the DJIA merely by splitting their stock. Otherwise, a stock that sold for $50 today could split, and cause a large drop in the DJIA when it sold for $25 after the split. 
The Divisor approach worked well for the first few decades but in
recent decades the Divisor has become very small. In 1986, the Dow
Divisor fell below 1.0 for the first time, effectively becoming the ‘Dow
Multiplier‘ since to divide by a fraction, we invert it and multiply, resulting in a larger number.

The math is simple. Now that the Dow Divisor is .130216081, a one dollar change in the price of a stock results in a 7.67 point movement of the DJIA. Mathematically, the system is set up to oscillate out of control as the Divisor approaches zero. After all, dividing by zero causes an infinite result, so as the divisor approaches zero, the DJIA will approach infinity.

 Another problem is that the Dow treats all price increases the same, regardless of relative magnitude. For example, a $2 change in the stock price of IBM, which is selling at $209, would offset a $2 decrease of Alcoa, currently selling at 8.64. The IBM change is an insignificant 1% movement, but the Alcoa change is a staggering 25% movement. This allows for easy manipulation of stock prices. An entity can manipulate the DJIA by buying large amounts of low priced stock, and cause large movements in the Dow.

9mm Ammunition is now selling for over $800 a case. The last 9mm buy I did was last February, and I got it for $180 a case. One of my usual suppliers is still selling it at $280 a case, but they have a 2-8 month back order.

.45 ACP Ball is selling at $600 a case, up from $250.

I am tempted to put in an order for a few cases of that 9mm, and when it is delivered in two months, sell it for $1,000 dollars a case.

So the University of Cambridge says that they can predict things about you from your Facebook postings, even if those postings don’t reveal the information. Color me unimpressed.

They claim that they can predict a male’s sexual orientation with 88% accuracy. Yawn. At best, 90% of males are heterosexual, meaning that I can beat their numbers merely by calling all men heterosexual. It isn’t as if I can’t guess the sexual orientation of a guy who posts pictures of himself kissing other dudes, or of a woman who looks like a man, with short hair and her arm around another woman.

Likewise for the claim that they can predict religion and political leanings. If I click the ‘like’ button on the NRA page, the Pope’s page, and the page for Rush Limbaugh, it is a safe bet that I am not a Democrat.

The thing that bothers me the most is that this study was likely done with tax dollars. This is why we are broke.

I have to say that I can no longer trust any public reviews from Google. There is a local (to me) school that teaches paramedic and EMT classes. They periodically will have a bad review come up, and it will remain there for a week or so, and then will disappear. There are currently 8 reviews up there, with five of them written since the format changed to only allowing Google+ users to rate a business. Of those 5 reviews, one is written by the owner of the school, and all of the reviews are positive. I have seen at least three negative reviews get deleted.
In short, I will no longer trust Google reviews.

So yesterday, I had a friend decide that she wanted to buy an AR15. I shopped around a bit and discovered that Spike’s Tactical has an 8 to 12 month wait. L&R armory, not too far from my house, is selling stripped lowers for $900 each.
Well, considering that the Florida legislature is considering a law that would make it illegal to purchase an “assault weapon” after July 1, and a felony for those guns already owned not to be turned in by December 1, one has to wonder if people are paying $2000 and more for an AR15, are they planning on turning them in this summer?
I doubt it.

More on the bill: It would require proof of an anger management class to buy ammo, make it illegal to manufacture, import, possess,  purchase, sell, or transfer any “assault weapon” or large-capacity magazine. Any weapons or magazines that are in your possession as of July 1, 2013 would have to be turned into the police by December 1. Violations of this law are a second degree felony, punishable by no more than fifteen years imprisonment in a state prison and a fine of up to ten thousand dollars.

Possessing a 15 round magazine for your handgun would now be a greater crime under this bill that possession of cocaine, selling and growing marijuana, burglary, and battery of a law enforcement officer. It will be treated the same as Aggravated Assault with Deadly Weapon No Intent to Kill, Unlawful Sexual Activity with a Minor,  Sale of cocaine, DUI with Serious Bodily Injury, DUI Manslaughter, and certain forms of Homicide.

There are enough prohibited items in my house to get me a couple of centuries in prison.

This is the mindset that we are dealing with: A democrat that says we gun folks are approaching crime all wrong. They way to prevent rape, and presumably all crime, is simply to tell people not to do it:

This is the mindset. Why, if we just put up a sign that says “No guns” or “Rape free zone” or even “No robbing of this store allowed” then no one will do so.

This is why some people cannot be argued with or reasoned with on the gun debate. They simply do not have the mindset to have an intelligent conversation. I try to see things from their point of view, but I just can’t get my head that far up my ass.

Yet another relatively minor crime that has been blown up to the point where it will cause the removal of a person’s right to vote and to own a firearm for the rest of his or her life.

So the Supreme Court says that no American can fight an unjust law allowing his rights to be violated, unless he can prove that the law directly affects him. This means that the government is free pass laws aloowing them to spy on you, as long as they keep it a secret.

Gotta love them checks and balances.