Stock Market Gamble

Disclaimer: I am not a gambler nor do I intend to be. That said...

Five years ago I started buying shares of stock in the company where I worked. It was easy, the company I worked for deducted the allotted amount from my paycheck and bought the stock for me. At the time I was buying one share for anywhere from $40-$50. I quit working for that company nearly a year later and held on to the stock in a separate brokerage account.

In August 2007 I had to sell that stock because Joe and I are poor. I sold the stock at $105 per share. A really good return if you ask me.

Today the company that I used to work for has been absorbed by another company and stockholders were given approximately .94 shares of the new company stock for each 1 share of the old company stock, which makes the original stock (which I fortunately don't own) worth approximately $14.50 a share now.

With all the news of stock market woes, I'm having a hard time differentiating between gambling with dice, for example, and gambling in the stock market.

Why is it considered smart and reasonable to put all of your money in a market that may or may not give you decent returns but a sin to put your money down on cards?

Is it in the definition? I've been reading a bit online and a USA Today Columnist suggests that the definition is the key: that gambling is a game meant for entertainment. But, it's possible that people go to Vegas seeking a return on their "investment"? In fact they go in droves hoping to return home with more money.

Ultimately, the action remains the same. Risking money on a hunch or potential luck of the investor; knowing when to get in and knowing when to get out.

Everything that I have read explaining the sinful nature of gambling can also be easily attributed to investing in the stock market. Help me. What's the difference?

Winner, winner and a funny side note

Thanks for entertaining me and playing my election contest. Missouri still has not declared a victor but regardless of Missouri's vote, Jamie won. Obama received 364 electoral votes and McCain received 162. Missouri's 11 electoral votes are still in limbo.

I was at Toys 'R Us this evening entertaining Henry when I was passed by some serious hoodlums (picture: baggy, sagging black pants. White oversized t-shirt. Skater shoes. Greasy hair.) probably 15 years old, running down the isles chanting O-bama, O-bama. I know that I'm stereotyping those kids, but I think that the interest from kids this young and niaeve, is a sign that Obama has really touched Americans in a way that no other politician in recent history has. That's invigorating!

Henry, to my dismay, was clearly not as interested in Obama as those kids at Toys 'R Us. Today we received the most recent copy of Newsweek, a magazine to which we subscribe. Here's the cover:


Henry looked at the cover and said, John McCain. Clearly he's been listening in on our conversations at home, but why did he pick up John McCain? Don't worry, all is well, now, he also says President Barack Obama.

Election Day Contest Anyone?

In the spirit of election day, I thought I would offer a contest.

If you want to play, pick your presidential winner, and then respond with a comment on how many electoral votes that candidate will receive. The person with the closest number of electoral votes will win homemade chocolate cookie sandwiches, which I will personally deliver to you.


If no one votes I reserve the right to eat all the chocolate cookie sandwiches all by myself while lying in bed tonight. :)

You have to vote before 8pm tonight, when Utah's polls close, which gives you almost three hours of watching results come in to make your decision.

NPR has an interactive map that allows you to predict the results of the 2008 presidential election. If that sounds useful, you can find it here: http://www.npr.org/news/specials/election2008/2008-election-map.html#/president?view=predict.

The Power of Stem Cells

Check out http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=boozers to read about how Carlos Boozers son was cured of Sickle Cell Anemia using stem cells from his brother.

This article replaces the video which was great, but is no longer available.

Register to Vote TODAY!

www.maps.google.com/vote

No matter who you're voting for, this has got to make you laugh, right?

Poor, poor Sarah Palin. She's getting slammed by the media now. She is funny though.



Already Mrs. Palin is being compared to another of our favorite comedians. Maybe next time Palin should use another of her interview methods - find the answer and get back to us later.

Pundits Double Speak on Palin

I thought this was funny, not because it makes Palin look bad, for some strange reason, I kind of like her, but because it makes the pundits look ridiculous.

The Presidential Candidates, What I Love & Hate

This post might be boring if you decide to watch all of these videos at once. I created the post more for my own benefit. I couldn't (and to some extent still can't) pinpoint the exact reason why I do and do not like certain candidates so I tried to do some research. I really like John McCain, but I cannot vote for him because of his position on the war in Iraq. I'll likely vote for Obama, assuming he's the party's nominee. I guess you could say, I'm hopeful. Enjoy!

WHAT I HATE:

CLINTON

Ridiculous political tactics.


MCCAIN

ps - He's wrong. The Japanese people have been trying to get rid of the American base since at least 1995 when a 12 year old was gang rapped by American soldiers.

OBAMA

I don't hate the honesty part, obviously, it's the topic that bugs me. And,

WHAT I LOVE:

CLINTON

Ha, Ha. I don't think she's going to get the nomination, so I decided not to take her seriously. Honestly though, as a woman, I do have to say that it's about time we had a representative in the highest office.

MCCAIN

Plus he supports stem cell research. Thank you!!

OBAMA

Obama motivates people to love America.

AS A SIDE NOTE, THIS WAS FUNNY

Stem Cell Research Continues to Progress

This is yet another attempt to make stem cell research an option without destroying the potential life of an embryo. Isn't science great! Click the link on the title above to read the article.

Same Old

The comic is here, only because it made me laugh outloud!

I think I have officially published my first article ever. When I was younger, all I wanted to be when I was grown is a reporter. Now I'm grown up and I have a boring office job - seems we knew so much more when we were younger. At any rate, several months ago I signed on as a freelance reporter for the Salt Lake Tribune community pages and then did nothing. Finally, an opportunity presented itself and I took hold. The article I wrote should be published in the Holladay edition of the Salt Lake Tribune (maybe even the City and Avenues pages as well) on Friday, September 16. You can read it by going to www.sltrib.com and clicking communities on the top row on the right hand side. If I can get motivated I'll probably even write some more!

Joe hasn't heard any more from any of the medical schools he applied to. It's still a little early in the admissions process but not hearing anything at all is making us both a little anxious. We've assumed that his interview with Tulane is cancelled; everything we have read has indicated that Tulane has lost all of their admissions files so they'll be starting from scratch in January. Fortunately, Joe was convincing enough to the Delta agents that they gave him a full refund on his flight.