My Sick Mind

From Blogs and Stories by Randall Lane : In an era of epically wrong financial predictions, boisterous Jim Cramer's declaration that "Bear Stearns is not in trouble!" a week before its March 2008 collapse, rated among the most moronic, or at least the most infamous. But it turns out that Cramer made one call far worse: He decided to make a stock-picking star out of a mumbling former Major League Baseball All-Star named Lenny Dykstra, giving him a high-profile column and ultimately an expensive "premium" newsletter on Cramer's site TheStreet.com. How did Dykstra return the favor? As I reveal in my book, The Zeroes: My Misadventures in the Decade Wall Street Went Insane , Dykstra took money—$250,000 worth of secretly issued stock—in exchange for recommending that stock to TheStreet.com subscribers. He also promised access to Cramer in exchange for the stock, which he apparently hid under his brother-in-law's name. We love the experts. We love to hear t...

I suppose the smoke has cleared over the Jon Stewart/Jim Cramer shouting match. I didn't see it and I didn't want to. As far as I was concerned, it was television screaming at itself. I don't have an official poll, but I'd guess that more people like Jon Stewart than Jim Cramer. Mostly because Stewart makes them laugh and most people don't know what Jim Cramer is talking about, and we always like people who make us laugh over people who confuse us. They're both smarter than us, and if it wasn't for the laughing part, we wouldn't like Jon Stewart very much either. Stewart was pissed over the way Jim Cramer turns investing into entertainment. That's the basis of the argument as I see it. Everything else is filler for the TV show. The point that Stewart missed is that he has made a nice living mocking people whom we're supposed to respect - like world leaders and people of authority - in a network news format. Sure, he mocks celebrities and other ...

Too tired to go to the gym, so I decided to sit and relax in front of my friend, the TV. These were my choices tonight: Nancy Grace debating for the one-millionth time, the controversy over the fate of Anna Nicole's baby. Holy crap, Nancy. Open a newspaper and find something else to talk about, will ya? Please. Dancing with the Stars , which, in spite of the dearth of stars, continues with the dancing. Even Cheryl Burke wasn't enough to keep me tuned in. Seemingly, for three hours it went on - some "results show" or something. "Results" of what, I have no idea. Boring. On several channels, the ongoing nonsense over some stupid remarks made by a radio host who long ago was irrelevant, and only now has found a voice, common sense notwithstanding. Anus, I think his name is. Meanwhile, the piling on continues, with bystanders becoming interested parties. Include me out. Jim Cramer screaming about Charter Communications , and telling his viewers that if they bid...