"You know there's a lot of discussion now about how you curb those entities in order to guarantee that you're going to have some accountability on facts, etc. But look, if people only go to one source, and the source they go to is sick, and, you know, has an agenda, and they're putting out disinformation, our First Amendment stands as a major block to be able to just, you know, hammer it out of existence.

Democracies around the world now are struggling with the absence of a sort of truth arbiter, and there’s no one who defines what facts really are."

- John Kerry, on disinformation & climate change

Got through the storm okay...it wasn't much worse than what I expected. The power went off at O-dark-hundred, then came back on at about four in the morning. That was a nice surprise, as I have a plan for if the power ever goes out for 24+ hrs. Didn't have to use it, obviously. I feel for the poor souls in GA, TN & the Carolinas.

It occurred to me that in my discussions on here with @TheMiamiDeSantos, not all of you may know what we were talking about. If you'd like to learn more about modern finance, great. You should know it as an inhabitant of this modern world. Everyone should have basic knowledge about how to invest their money. However, you must be cautious about who you listen to/read & what you learn. The Internet has made learning about finance way easier than it has ever been, but it's also increased the amount of erroneous info, lies, & plain old bullshit by several orders of magnitude. In any field the easiest people to fool are the noobs. There are a thousand & one YT channels about finance & investing; not all of them are of equal value--or are of any value at all. Be careful who you listen to & believe. If someone has a quick smile & is trying to sell you some kind of "online course" then most likely it's a scam.

Now with that out of the way, here are a couple clips for "Stock Market Indices 101". The first one is a bit lengthier for the more scholarly among you whereas the second one is more recent:

The above clips are American-centric but don't let that throw you off. Most modern countries have at least one index; the more developed ones have two or more indices to choose from. This is undoubtedly true if you live in Europe, Latin America or anywhere in Asia. Japan has the Nikkei 225, Hong Kong has the Hang Seng Index (HSI), Saudi Arabia has the Tadawul All Share, etc.

Also, my take on it: Ignore the Dow Jones. As an index it isn't representative of the stock market today. 30 companies cannot serve as a reliable indicator for a market with stocks in > 4,000 firms in it, no matter how successful those 30 companies may be. I pay attention to the S&P & the NASDAQ. There are also more focused indices--mid-cap, tech, mining/metals, consumer staple goods, a whole bunch--that not only give you a more well-rounded impression of the market as a whole, but can also provide good investment opportunities as well.

I hope you enjoy seeing it as much as I enjoyed making it.

For those who don't know, the title is an acronym. It stands for Bend Over - Here It Comes Again!

From my weather app:

as of 1855 hrs

same but with infrared screenshot layered over it at about 45%

Oh goody.

In unimportant news:

• I've uploaded some artist's instructional materials from my personal vault. They're all in PDF format so you cannot preview them...that's just how the NG website is set up. But they are here, just so you know. If you're interested, leave a comment or send me a note. I'll send you a link as soon as I read it.
• Hurricane Helene is expected to pass by a bit west of my area sometime on Thursday or Friday. I already have emergency supplies, but not enough canned goods. Gonna hafta buy enough to fill one of my crates, at least. Also, potable water...I have a few gallons stored, but I want at least three more--five would be better. Need a few filter!
• Certain analysts are predicting the Fed will do another 50-bp rate cut by the end of November. We'll see.

...of the 9th cane. Handle of live oak, shaft of aged hickory.

I couldn't remove all the scuffs & discoloration in refinishing without altering the dimensions, but I think it turned out okay overall.

Posted this because what else is there to do when you're waiting on a medical appointment besides scratching your nuts.

Here I figured Jpow & co. would ratchet it down 25 basis points with plenty of noise about how they might cut it further.... That explains why the indexes suddenly dipped yesterday.

Let it be a lesson, gentle reader: when it comes to economic predictions, Nostradamus I ain't. :-D

Almost done now...if the weather stays shitty for the rest of this week, which I'm guessing it will, then I'll finish this piece in a jiffy. (If it's nice outside & my body behaves itself, I'll work on the cane which is also almost done)