Thanks for clarifying.
It's true, but I find it interestingly coincidental how that falls neatly within the deepest dip in the 10-year history, which has the effect of showing the 41% gain you mentioned.
If we plug in October 5, 2001 - the last close prior to the invasion of Afghanistan - ostensibly the beginning of TWOT, we see it closed at 1,071.38.
When compared to the recent close you mentioned, 1236.83 we see a gain instead, of 13.3% over a nearly 7 year period.
It was already on its way down from an earlier high, as the tech bubble was deflating(cursed irrational exuberance!)
And that same 10 year view of the index shows that it's again declining from a similar high from a different bubble.
I've lost track of my original train of thought - I think I misunderstood you to be suggesting the 41% gain in that period to be correlated with the Iraq conflict - i.e. the markets -like- war.
And in looking into it(for that Oct5-2001 data) thought that the longer view makes your point about bubbles more obvious and convincing.
To me, there is little doubt that some parts of the index and other indices have been making money hand over fist as a result of the military actions in Afghanistan and Iraq(I refuse to call them wars until Congress issues a declaration).
I'm not so sure about "the market" writ large.

Posted at September 5, 2008 5:27 PM in response to Wall Street & The War Party

Hi Destor - I suspect Mr. Taplin is snarking on Larry Kudlow and Bob Kramer, or more specifically, their assertions that the market's 1% drop the day after Obama's acceptance speech reflects a concern about an Obama presidency.
Some of us are eagerly awaiting their analysis of
Gov. Palin's acceptance speech and the corresponding 3% decline.

Posted at September 5, 2008 8:57 AM in response to Wall Street & The War Party

Ellen, is there a reason that you chose to use the lowest point of that index as your starting comparison point?
Would you be so kind as to provide the data for the index as of Sept 5, 2001?
Or Jan 20, 2001?
thanks!

Posted at September 5, 2008 8:43 AM in response to Wall Street & The War Party

Ah so, Shooter ... how would your friend be doing if she was still being abused, every day? It wouldn't be a residue, would it?

* Shelling - if you know of artillery in the hands of Palestinians, I am sure the IDF and Mossad would very much like to speak to you.
* You don't seem to realize how many Palestinian refugees are in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, etc. You may wonder why they haven't integrated into those societies and prefer to maintain a Palestinian identity - I wonder if there's any other group in history that had such an experience.
* Worth? To whom? The IDF? What's the square root of -1? To George W. Bush? To bin Ladin?

Occupied territory - I'm guessing you don't know what the Balfour Declaration is.
For my part - my ancestors were at the first Thanksgiving, giving thanks for the generosity of the first people whose help allowed most of them to survive the first winter in the New World. King Philip's War notwithstanding, my people never took native land by force. How about you?

Posted at September 3, 2008 2:28 PM in response to Palestine: It's Not Just The Economy, Stupid

"weak sauce"?
Um, no, that's actually grain alcohol(99%).
Anyone who contemplates, or supports secession from the USA is by definition, not a loyal American (pronounced 'Murcan).

Posted at September 2, 2008 2:07 PM in response to David Frum: Palin "Makes Barack Obama Look Like George C. Marshall"

You owe me a new keyboard.
It was funny, though.

Posted at September 2, 2008 11:27 AM in response to Eagleton?

Of course DonnaAnn - the resources belong to the people of the country, and it's perfectly reasonable that they receive a share of the proceeds.
But.
Who paid for Alaska? It was taxpayers, just like it was for the Louisiana purchase, Gadsden Purchase, and other non-military land aquisitions. Some residents migrated to those areas, but the bulk remained in the states they came from.
So - where's my check? And yours? And heck, if he's a citizen there's no reason OldSarg shouldn't get one too.
And, more to the point - are the oil companies paying market value for the black gold they're extracting from my land(yeah yeah, it's yours too) and putting on the global market?
If not, why not?

Posted at August 31, 2008 6:57 AM in response to Oh Sarah . . .

Yeah, sure OldSarg.
The state trooper was her brother-in-law (in the midst of an apparently ugly custody fight), the 10-yr old reportedly requested trying the taser on the test setting, and her(Gov. Palin's) own father was a party to the moose hunt.
If you have an cite for the allegation of spousal abuse, please supply it - I haven't seen it in any other sources thus far and if true, it could help mitigate her highly inappropriate actions in the case. Be careful where you're getting your info - I think someone is trying to play you for a useful idiot.
Also, I must say that the invokation of executive privilege in the case certainly is at odds with her reputation as a reformer and proponent of open government.

Posted at August 29, 2008 8:44 PM in response to Vice President Sarah Palin: It Is Over!

Hey, don't knock it!
In fact, this may be the perfect opening for those of us disappointed by Obama's moderate tendencies - we can start talking about nationalizing energy production and point at Gov. Palin's home state as a sterling example.
If Alaskan oil goes to US(and perhaps state) government petroleum needs, that takes a fair bit of demand off the market(the DOD uses a LOT of fuel) and could help bring prices down.
I mean, who can argue with putting America first?

Posted at August 29, 2008 8:44 PM in response to Oh Sarah . . .

Yeah, sure OldSarg.
The state trooper was her brother-in-law (in the midst of an apparently ugly custody fight), the 10-yr old reportedly requested trying the taser on the test setting, and her(Gov. Palin's) own father was a party to the moose hunt.
If you have an cite for the allegation of spousal abuse, please supply it - I haven't seen it in any other sources thus far and if true, it could help mitigate her highly inappropriate actions in the case. Be careful where you're getting your info - I think someone is trying to play you for a useful idiot.
Also, I must say that the invokation of executive privilege in the case certainly is at odds with her reputation as a reformer and proponent of open government.

Posted at August 29, 2008 8:39 PM in response to Vice President Sarah Palin: It Is Over!