An Important Cautionary Tale...

...click here for the Washington Post story that discusses two very human sides of the current crisis.

This Is What I am Thankful For...

Even though times are tough these days, I wish all Daily Sprawl readers a wonderful Thanksgiving Day...May the Lord Bless You and Your Family on this most favored of holidays.

Chad.

The Viability of the Entire U.S. Banking System...

...is now in doubt as a result of the Citigroup bailout. So says, Mish's Global Economic blog.

I'm afraid that he may be correct. Indeed, Daily Sprawl suspects that there is not a Defcon high enough for the pending situation.

If you still have money in the stock market, we highly, highly recommend that our readers consider removing it during this brief bull rally amidst a disruptive bear outlook. The reason is that the myth of all things financial being "cyclical" will continue to be proven false. And, we assure you that this is not a hollow recommendation on our part.

Daily Sprawl moved every penny it had from the stock market in January 2008 (including from all 401k accounts). As a result, we have not lost a single dime in the current stock market downward spirals.

Ultimately, the reason we did this was that we are confident there will not be a return to 2005 during our lifetimes.

This doesn't mean that we'll all be living on farms barely getting by. But, it does mean that there will be fundamental changes like we've discussed in the past here at Daily Sprawl.

Don't believe us? Just check our archives and the archives of those sites and blogs we link to. The proof is right there as most of those predictions continue to bear out.

Please--don't sit still in this all. The results could be financially debilitating to you and your family.

Ugh!

Just back from a trip to a couple of conferences. Upon returning, I found this article which argues that President-Elect Obama is poised to appoint another economic trouble-maker as his Treasury Secretary.

Please, please, please. Purge this from the system. Move on to someone who has not had a major role in the current crisis like this nominee.

Change? No. Apparently, we can't.

As Predicted...

...the commercial real estate market is tanking because of oversupply and lousy car-centric designs. Here's the Calculated Risk blog's take on it all.

The New York Times...

...reports on the stark reality that the automobile business is completely oversaturated with excess supply.

Time Magazine Headline: "Why the Energy Crisis Will Outlast the Credit Crisis"

The Paris-based organization's annual World Energy Outlook, released on Wednesday, predicts that oil prices will start a steep climb soon, and by 2030 will settle around $120 a barrel — more than double this week's price — as producers face rocketing costs of equipment such as drills and rigs, and are forced into the increasingly expensive business of extracting oil from less accessible fields, many of them far out at sea.

Daily Sprawl concurs. Sure, oil prices are down these days but at what cost? Easy answer: a massive demand destruction via a deep recession that very few anticipated would be even this bad.

So, enjoy the $1.99 per gallon gas. Take a picture of the pump. And then pine for it again later in 2009 as it will be but a fleeting memory.

Healthy Sippy Cup Option...

...for your kids. That's what the Safe Sippy cup represents. We've tried it and recommend this chemical free and BPA free sippy cup choice.

Senator Inhofe is right. Stop the "blank check" madness.

The Answer is a Resounding Yes!

Click here to see the question asked by Newsweek in this week's issue.

Another Healthier Option...

...recently Daily Sprawl reviewed products from Camelbak and the Planet Bottle. Both offer excellent BPA-Free options for adult and child water bottles.

They save on wasteful plastic from disposable water bottles, are free of nasty chemicals, and embrace sustainable practices.

That's why Daily Sprawl recommends Camelbak and the Planet Bottle.

Clay, Alabama Considers...

...adopting a SmartCode. This is a strong strategic move by the City of Clay and hopefully will work out. I've been informally advising on this effort and there seems to be careful and prudent thought being put into the overall strategy.

Two More Startling Articles...

...over at the Market Ticker blog, Karl Denninger is making some bold predictions. While they might sound somewhat over the top, the reality is that he has often been correct on these things. His disturbing analogy related to the economy and a drunk with a bad liver is especially apt.

Here's why: the Paulsons and Bernankes and Congresses of the world seem intent on flooding the markets with more and more money (liquidity) in the hope that doing so will restart the credit spending that has propped up the economy for the last 20 years. The problem though is that the markets are NOT starved for credit but rather engorged with it. They simply can't digest anymore and that's why they are hemorrhaging it. Forcing a drunk to drink more will only kill them. That's what is happening here.

Meanwhile, over at Portfolio.com, Michael Lewis is revisiting the origins of the current economic woes and such. An incredibly compelling read.

Two Very Troubling Articles...

...that the always informative Global Economic Trend Analysis blog is covering today.

First, this one about GM retiree health care benefits going away and then this one about parents pulling kids out of daycare because of the continuing financial problems.

Readers, this is getting even more serious. Due preparations (starting with debt reduction/elimination) remains crucial in light of the continued uncertainty. Do not assume that a recovery is near.

Another Healthier Option...

GMO Free. No Trans Fat. No Hydrogenated Oils. No Refined Sugars.

Sound too good to be true for a great tasting cookie?

Fortunately, its not if you're eating Organica Foods line of all natural ingredient cookies.

Daily Sprawl highly recommends Organica cookies to our readers.

Anecdotal Stuff...

...this evening, Mrs. Daily Sprawl and I went shopping without the kids for the evening. While browsing around Montgomery's newest "lifestyle center" mall, we were astonished to see 50% off sales all over the place. It was like the day after Christmas--1.5 months early!

Considering that this mall--EastChase--is considered the region's most desirable retail location it was strange to see Linens N Things and Harold's both holding "Going Out of Business Sales".

Worse still, while talking with a store manager at EastChase, I learned that at least three other tenants will be leaving by the end of the year.

Yeah, this is only anecdotal, but its still pretty compelling coming from a lifestyle center that is less than 6 years old.

AIG Back for More...

...folks, at some point even the U.S. government cannot continue to loan billions into trillions.

An important point when you considered that AIG alone is nearing the 100 billion mark in various bailout funds.

Naked Capitalism has some good info on this bad situation:

The Financial Times reports that AIG is up to its old tricks, back again to the trough for more money. Christmas The Iceland credit default swaps settlement is coming soon, you know.

The worst is that AIG is pretending to act as if this is a negotiation as opposed to extortion.

Read the entire article and you should quickly see that the current woes are worsening rather than improving.

Dow Headed Toward 4,000?

That's a scenario suggested by this MSN Money column:

once the current rally interlude is over, it's not hard to see the Dow Jones Industrial Average ($INDU) sinking to around 4,000 -- a level it last hit in 1995, before debt started to play such a large role in corporate and personal finance.

That would entail a decline of 70% from its 2007 peak, or about the same amount the Japanese stock market has fallen since 1990 in the wake of its own debt unwinding. Or the amount the Nasdaq Composite Index ($COMPX) dropped from 2000 to 2002. Or the amount the Russian market has plunged since June.

Meanwhile, one CNBC columnist is suggesting that, if the domestic automakers cannot make it as is, then they should be allowed to fail.

While it would be painful, Daily Sprawl agrees with that assessment. Ultimately, the system must be cleansed of bad debt and bad business models before it can reliably work again.

Seventh Generation's Blog...

...has posted new articles on children and chemicals as well as healthy eating.

Both are very informative and worth checking out.

More Healthy Alternatives...

When it comes to snacks and sweets, Daily Sprawl is always on the lookout for healthier options. Treats without high fructose corn syrup, preservatives, and other modified ingredients that sound like they belong more in a science class more than on a recipe label.

Well, more good news from Daily Sprawl. The taste tests are in and these two options fantastically exceeded even our highest expectations:

1. Liz Lovely cookies

2. Margaret's Artisan Bakery

Kudos to both for embracing natural ingredients while keeping great taste!