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Financial crisis: Eat, spend and be merry
Topic Started: Oct 27 2008, 06:31 PM (644 Views)
Admiralbill_gomec
UberAdmiral
whitestar
Oct 30 2008, 10:54 AM
Admiralbill_gomec
Oct 30 2008, 06:28 AM
Um, the US dollar is quite strong right now. I believe your dollar has lost some 20% in value against it since July.
Actually it is closer to 40%, it was near parity to the US dollar at it's highest about 97cents to the US dollar, which I find ridiculous.. but it is also worth more than todays value of 60+ cents, that is a direct result of commodity prices crashing due to the recent meltdown, we are a commodity driven economy
Thank you. Since I don't follow the A$, I was guessing based old, old data.
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Minuet
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Fleet Admiral Assistant wRench, Chief Supper Officer
Franko
Oct 29 2008, 10:53 PM
Sorry, but I agree with the Admiral. The malls here are packed. And this afternoon, I was helping some people I know pick out a large screen HD TV and a stereo system at our "upscale" electronics store here in town.

After deciding on a good unit, guess what ? Another "consumer" came along and bought it from another sales person before we'd made the deal. So our clerk phoned the warehouse about the same model, and managed to get the last one. 15 orders had come in for the very same HD plasma set featuring 52 inches (Samsung). (about 4,000 dollars with extended warranty and tax and stand)

Yeah, retail consumerism is really taking a beating alright. The other day we were checking out the recent sale on high-end laptops, because they were over-stocked. By the time my friend and I got there (shopping till 9:00pm) they were sold out.

Another friend of mine sells trucks and autos at the local GM dealership. Big huge shiny black 4 by 4's ? Can't even keep up.

And this is just my little semi=rural hicktown of Abbotsford. 15 supermalls throughout our area, and you can't even get a parking space.

I'm starting to wonder why the markets needed 860 billion dollars. Hey, just have more sales and build more malls.





Haven't read the whole thread yet - so I don't know if this has been addressed. I wanted to point out that Canada was affected far less by the crisis then the US. So the comparison is not necessarily apt.

In addition I also sell a luxury good - in a brand new store and things have been very slow. Although there are still purchasers for the luxury items. I live in a pretty upscale area.
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Minuet
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Quote:
 
I don't accept that it's OK for the americans here to behave in a confrontational manner or to talk down to and ridicule the nonamericans here (who happen to dare to see things differently to them) which some of them do all so often with no consequences,. yet us foreigners have to behave like we are walking on eggshells in case we offen someone. If they dish it out they need to be prepared to ware it too.


Two wrongs don't make a right. And some have had consequences.
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Minuet
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Admiralbill_gomec
Oct 30 2008, 06:27 AM
whitestar
Oct 29 2008, 11:15 PM
Franko
Oct 29 2008, 10:53 PM
HD plasma set featuring 52 inches (Samsung). (about 4,000 dollars with extended warranty and tax and stand)





Four grand! lot of money, I recentley bought a Samsung 42 inch plasma HD, with extended warranty, $1000, it was on sale, usual value between $1500-2000
Wow, for a television? No thanks!!
I think Franko was including the cost of a stereo in that figure. Surround systems don't come cheap.

Whitestar - a 52" is going to be a lot more then a 42". I have a 42" Sanyo. The selling price at Wal-Mart was $1000 (I paid less with an employee discount - employee appreciation day - I got double the usual discount. I'm starting to miss that discount at my new job) A decent surround sound system cost me an additional $800 (not at Wal-Mart - I wanted a GOOD system :rotfl: ) I could easily have spent thousands more on a sound system.
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Admiralbill_gomec
UberAdmiral
Minuet
Oct 30 2008, 01:07 PM
Admiralbill_gomec
Oct 30 2008, 06:27 AM
whitestar
Oct 29 2008, 11:15 PM
Franko
Oct 29 2008, 10:53 PM
HD plasma set featuring 52 inches (Samsung). (about 4,000 dollars with extended warranty and tax and stand)





Four grand! lot of money, I recentley bought a Samsung 42 inch plasma HD, with extended warranty, $1000, it was on sale, usual value between $1500-2000
Wow, for a television? No thanks!!
I think Franko was including the cost of a stereo in that figure. Surround systems don't come cheap.

Whitestar - a 52" is going to be a lot more then a 42". I have a 42" Sanyo. The selling price at Wal-Mart was $1000 (I paid less with an employee discount - employee appreciation day - I got double the usual discount. I'm starting to miss that discount at my new job) A decent surround sound system cost me an additional $800 (not at Wal-Mart - I wanted a GOOD system :rotfl: ) I could easily have spent thousands more on a sound system.
I did see a 50" plasma TV in Costco last weekend. It retailed for $1399, and then had a $200 instant rebate.

The retail price is what I paid for my 40" LCD a year and a half ago. Wow! It made me think, for about a second and a half, "Hey, that'd be nice." Then my wife gently guided me toward the checkout lines.
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Admiralbill_gomec
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Admiralbill_gomec
Oct 30 2008, 06:26 AM
RTW
Oct 29 2008, 11:04 PM
I've heard that handgun sales are way up because many people feel that if they don't buy one now they may not be able to later.

Has anyone else heard this?
There was a link on Drudge claiming that gun sales in Florida had increased.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V71Do4Fj8XU

Just heard on the 3PM news update that gun sales are also up in Texas for similar reasons... there is a fear that an Obama administration would restrict firearm sales more than the Clinton administration did.

I'm happy with what I own. I don't need another pistol nor do I need another rifle. Honestly, though, with the amount of ammo I shoot at the range (and occasionally back yard), I'm going to buy in bulk soon. I expect taxes on ammunition to go up, too. My problem is that I use five different calibers of ammunition.

I would have posted this sooner, but forgot where it was (and the search function doesn't work here either) and had to sort through several threads and fora.

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Admiralbill_gomec
UberAdmiral
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081107/ap_on_re_us/obama_gun_sales

The latest and greatest. This was on Yahoo's front page.

By the way, I'm stocking up on ammo this weekend and next weekend. ALL five calibers (.357, 9mm, .22long, .243, and 7.62x39mm). No, I'm not expecting a revolution and won't be fighting off hordes of criminals coming to "spread my wealth around." I expect taxes on ammunition to rise quite a bit. I also expect to see it tracked at some point or another, which is why I'll be paying cash.
Edited by Admiralbill_gomec, Nov 7 2008, 04:53 PM.
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Minuet
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I did my share of spending today.

My company has an employee appreciation weekend. I bought a diamond solitare pendant necklace for a steal. Less then half the original price and less then a third of the appraised replacement value (I work in the business and still don't understand why replacement values are higher then what you actually pay for the piece :rotfl: )
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RTW
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Admiralbill_gomec
Oct 30 2008, 03:30 PM
I'm happy with what I own. I don't need another pistol nor do I need another rifle.

What would you recommend for someone considering purchasing his/her first gun for all the reasons listed here.
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RTW
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Detailed travelogues, gun collections, humungous TVs and diamonds?

I'm not sure if I should be impressed or depressed.
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Admiralbill_gomec
UberAdmiral
RTW
Nov 8 2008, 12:29 AM
Admiralbill_gomec
Oct 30 2008, 03:30 PM
I'm happy with what I own. I don't need another pistol nor do I need another rifle.

What would you recommend for someone considering purchasing his/her first gun for all the reasons listed here.
It all depends on your needs.

Are you looking to get a concealed carry permit, just want a weapon to target shoot, or want something for home defense?

For a CCW, there are any number of compact 9mm and .40 caliber handguns out there. Do not go for a full size frame semiautomatic. Do not buy a revolver. A full frame handgun isn't really concealable, and that's part of the point behind "concealed carry." Compact revolvers just aren't very good. I have a .357 with a 2" barrel. I'm accurate on the 7 yard targets if I take the time to aim and I use a two-handed death grip. The center of gravity for a small snubnosed revolver makes it a big noisemaker during a dangerous situation. You'll go high.

I have a compact Smith 9mm and a full frame Browning. Both are beautiful handguns but I'd never put the HiPower in a paddle holster (it'd fall out). S&W makes a good 9mm compact. I like mine.

For a little more stopping power, go with a .40 caliber. If you do, get a Glock. The model 23 is the best .40 caliber compact handgun I've ever fired.

If you're looking for home defense, a pistol is not very accurate in the dark and a rifle gets in the way (I own three, but none are for home defense). Get a shotgun. Twenty gauge is sufficient for home defense, but I'd go for a 12 gauge. Something like a Mossberg Maverick (less than $200 in Texas).
Edited by Admiralbill_gomec, Nov 9 2008, 10:32 AM.
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RTW
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Admiral ...

I don't know.

Probably home defense. Perhaps CCW but I doubt it. My college roommate is now a police officer. Growing up as a skinny kid he ventured into Seattle all the time without giving it a thought. Since college his hobby has been weight-lifting and self-defense so combined with his police training he knows how to handle himself. However, even with all that training, now that he's privy to what really goes on there he won't go into Seattle at anytime without his gun. Apparently Seattle now has more murders than Miami and many of them are gang-related.

I've never needed a gun. I probably never will ... but it's better to have something you don't need than to need something you don't have.

From what you've said the compact 9mm would be the best option. I'm not looking to "stop" anyone, just make them think twice and hopefully choose a different target.

map of Seattle area gangs
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Franko
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Yeah, we're getting a lot of gang-related shootings up here as well. It's really been escalating over the last couple of years (and more in recent months) in the general Vancouver area and "lower mainland". We even get a few murders out here in semi-rural Abbotsford, now about one a month.

Fortunately, these guys are after each other. You just want to make sure that you aren't in the wrong place at the wrong time and take a round in some sort of squirmish as an innocent bystander. So far the police (municipal as well as RCMP) are having trouble making arrests. It's amazing that after all this time there are still a lot of young people who think this lifestyle is "cool". Well, ya, morgue slabs are certainly cool.

These are excellent and sensible options put forth by ABG here. One might even consider a .22 automatic for home defence. They're also fun to plink with out in the woods; me and my friends used to have a gas a few years back going out into some isolated areas and plinking at beer cans and squirrells and stuff. Not as powerfull as higher caliber handguns, but a .22 round at short range still hurts like hell; and still can kill.

I'm not sure, but I think that Mace is legal to carry in Washington state, although illegal in BC. You can find the odd shop around the lower mainland that sells pepper spray, but you have to "fill out a form". Gee, wouldn't want law abiding citizens to be "undocumented". Me, I pack a modified crowbar with a grip handle that I keep covered up in the compartment behind me or on the floor of the back seat. It's main purpose though is for wild dogs or a marauding pit bull attack. You have to be careful sometimes when you're doing legal document deliveries; I was once cornered by two Rottwiellers and some other monster at a rural property once; that was the scariest situation I've ever been in. Fortunately, they just growled at me and the owner came out and put them at bay. It was a long couple of minutes, though as they circled me while growling. At least people you can negotiate with....

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Admiralbill_gomec
UberAdmiral
Franko
Nov 9 2008, 09:12 PM

Yeah, we're getting a lot of gang-related shootings up here as well. It's really been escalating over the last couple of years (and more in recent months) in the general Vancouver area and "lower mainland". We even get a few murders out here in semi-rural Abbotsford, now about one a month.

Fortunately, these guys are after each other. You just want to make sure that you aren't in the wrong place at the wrong time and take a round in some sort of squirmish as an innocent bystander. So far the police (municipal as well as RCMP) are having trouble making arrests. It's amazing that after all this time there are still a lot of young people who think this lifestyle is "cool". Well, ya, morgue slabs are certainly cool.

These are excellent and sensible options put forth by ABG here. One might even consider a .22 automatic for home defence. They're also fun to plink with out in the woods; me and my friends used to have a gas a few years back going out into some isolated areas and plinking at beer cans and squirrells and stuff. Not as powerfull as higher caliber handguns, but a .22 round at short range still hurts like hell; and still can kill.

I'm not sure, but I think that Mace is legal to carry in Washington state, although illegal in BC. You can find the odd shop around the lower mainland that sells pepper spray, but you have to "fill out a form". Gee, wouldn't want law abiding citizens to be "undocumented". Me, I pack a modified crowbar with a grip handle that I keep covered up in the compartment behind me or on the floor of the back seat. It's main purpose though is for wild dogs or a marauding pit bull attack. You have to be careful sometimes when you're doing legal document deliveries; I was once cornered by two Rottwiellers and some other monster at a rural property once; that was the scariest situation I've ever been in. Fortunately, they just growled at me and the owner came out and put them at bay. It was a long couple of minutes, though as they circled me while growling. At least people you can negotiate with....

The only problem with a pistol in close quarters is that it is hard to hit a target in the dark. A shotgun is a little less dependent on accurate aim.



Also... Rottweilers? Never liked them. Brrrr... too many people around here (in semi rural areas) raise them. I believe that the primary reason is the same reason they all drive duelie pickups... it is part of the redneck lifestyle inventory.
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RTW
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Pitbulls are the new white-trash status symbol. They're the pride of middle aged women who live in trailers and young guys with inadequacy issues.
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