The Only 3 Questions That Count

The Only Three Questions That Count: Investing by Knowing What Others Don't by Ken Fisher


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Ken Fisher teaches a scientific method of discovering what other people don't know. What they don't know is what they have been taught to believe are likely to be market myths which have no correlation to the reality of the market. This book was important to me because for the last several years I have been intent on learning what other people know that I don't.
I gave it 3 stars out of 5 because I'm not sure the structure of the book worked as an unabridged Audio book. I kept thinking, get to the point! For those who are listening where they can't write down the 3 questions here they are:
1. What can I know that other people don't? What do they believe that is actually false?
2. What can I fathom that other people find un-fathomable? Out-of-box thinking
3. What the heck is my brain doing to midlead or misguide me now? What can behavioral finance teach me to do a proper reality check?
A book may be more helpful to have to scan some parts and truly study the necessary details.

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3 Bowls

3 Bowls : Vegetarian Recipes from an American Zen Buddhist Monastery by Seppo Ed Farrey


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
My favorite recipe is Pasta Puttanesca (p.58.)

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A Taste of Heaven and Earth

A Taste of Heaven and Earth/a Zen Approach to Cooking and Eating With 150 Satisfying Vegetarian Recipes by Bettina Vitell



This was a Christmas gift from my daughter in 2002. There were directions for preparing tofu for cooking I did not know before I read this book. (The family still did not like tofu after I learned to properly marinate it.) A favorite recipe was Bechamel sauce (p. 163).

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I wanted to post my review before I loan this book to a friend.
I don't need the cookbook as much as I once did as all members of my family consider themselves "recovering vegetarians."

Propaganda/Press Release from HFCS Folks

Juno Message Center: "High Fructose Corn Syrup Propaganda
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This press release is brought to you by the same
'corn growing' folks who have started airing those
wonderful TV ads about high fructose corn syrup.
They've even bought some scientists and they want
to show us some studies!

http://chetday.com/highfructosecornsyruppropaganda.htm"

Better than Oprah

Before Oprah: Ruth Lyons, the Woman Who Created Talk TV by Michael Banks

My review

Until I was fifteen years old on weekdays at noon, tv sets were turned to watch the 50-50 Club and if you did not want to sit quietly and watch, you were sent outside. Ruth Lyons was a major influence on every woman I knew during my childhood. Ruth's endorsements meant we slept on Serta Mattresses, shopped at Shillito's when we were in Cincinnati, washed our clothes in Fels Naptha, ate Roman Meal bread with Nu-Maid margarine. Women could converse about topics from her shows, knowing any other woman in this tri-state area had seen the show. Sympathy was extended to those who had to miss a show.

Two of my brothers and my own daughter received gifts from the Ruth Lyons Christmas Club during their hospitalization. This occurred over a time span of 30 years and 25 years after her show stopped broadcasting.

People who remember her show and her influence on Cincinnati, northern Kentucky, Dayton, Columbus, and Indianapolis will probably enjoy this book more than others who did not know of her.






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Lords of Finance

Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World by Liaquat Ahamed

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
I listened to a Blackstone audio version during commutes. I never would have finished it if I had been reading as a book for too many characters were introduced and never heard from again. That's a problem with nonfiction, you can't make a composite character for the sake of the narrative.

I learned a lot and recommend it (that's why I give it 4 stars.) I recommend the last section (disc 19 for me) where the author compares certain similarities between the advice and strategies of economic advisors and the stance of politicians with historical events.


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Review of Game Over by Stephen Leeb, Ph.D

Game Over: How the Collapsing Economy Will Sink Your Wealth by 50% or More -- Unless You Know What to Do by Stephen Leeb

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
It is time to get our heads out of the Canadian Tar Sands and read this book to promote discussion and cooperation. "Even today, Americans still cling by and large to the optimism born in the postwar period. Yet, while we bask in a false sense of security, the rug is being pulled out from under us."

I read this book at a slow pace, a chapter a day, to give myself time to truly hear the challenges to seven comforting but false assumptions. "These assumptions are:

1. The world contains virtually limitless oil and mineral deposits. If the supply gets tight, we can always find more.

2. Governments and central banks know how to keep inflation under control.

3. Economic growth, perhaps with some occasional small interruptions, is on a perpetual upward track that will bring greater prosperity to all the world's inhabitants.

4. America's wealth is based on enduring advantages--including free enterprise and Yankee ingenuity--that will ensure we will always have the top spot in the global pecking order.

5. The national debt is no problem because economic growth will be so strong that we can pay it off...someday.

6. Technology can solve all our long-term problems. It's just a matter of putting more money into research.

7. Meanwhile, we can easily cope with any short-term emergencies. If we need new infrastructure, we'll build it. When it becomes urgent to switch to alternative energies, we'll turn our attention to it and get the job done. Ditto for reversing the trade deficit, funding government entitlement programs, or anything else. Therefore, too much planning ahead isn't necessary."


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