Protests in Moscow

People in Paris might riot but Russians can only protest - if they riot they'll probably be shot on sight. Anyway, thousands showed up in a Moscow demonstration on Saturday to show their anxiety over the global economic crisis. As far as I know, nobody was hurt, though police kept a watchful eye on everybody. What good is a demonstration anyway? Will that create jobs? Are Russians allowed to own guns? I do not know. On January 19, two people were shot while walking near the Kremlin - Anastasia Baburova, a reporter for Novaya Gazeta (New Gazette), and Stanislav Markelov, a human rights attorney. Both were very young. Many thought the murders were orchestrated by conservative political fringe groups. I had recently heard a story on NPR about the Russian Orthodox Church getting cozy with the Kremlin. Is that really so? In the eyes of a lot of people, a re-uniting of church and state is probably overdue. Imagine the power that can emanate from such an entity.

google

I typed in my webpage's violinhunter.com name on the google browser and the thingy game me a warning that the site might be harmful to my computer. No such thing of course. It is perfectly safe. I had never seen that before so I checked with the automated google help site and I could not make the google automatons understand that they need to check things thoroughly before putting such alarming notices on my search results. Perhaps they do these things to encourage people to buy their spyware protection services? I do not know. I do know McAfee does the same thing. They tell you your site is not safe but they can make it safe for you if you do this and that - become a client of theirs. It's soft blackmail - like the old protection rackets. It is annoying.

Riots in Paris

I'm sure you noticed that a few Parisians rioted yesterday because they thought they were not getting a fair shake in their government's plans to easy the economic downturn in France - they thought the banks were getting all the benefits and they were getting nothing but a debt burden. The guys who created this mess were getting taken care of nicely and they were being ignored. I would not know. New Yorkers will not riot like that, unless, of course, they start running out of things to eat. This topless woman does not care either way - she lives in Rio.

Liberals and Conservatives

Alfred Wiggam (yes, that Alfred Wiggam) said: “A conservative is a man who believes that nothing should be done for the first time.” Then Jim Brown (yes, that Jim Brown) said “A Liberal will cut off your leg so he can hand you a crutch.” I do not know anything about this but they are both amusing. I don't know what this young topless woman thinks.

Bishops and Rabbis

The Chief Rabbis of both the Ashkenazi and Sephardic branches of Jews signed some letter expressing consternation and severing ties to the Vatican because the Pope reinstated some wayward Bishops, one of which is a Holocaust denier. The group representing the rabbis also canceled some meeting between the Vatican and the rabbinate which was set for March. The Pope must have known that the Rabbis would squirm once they found out. I think he sort of asked them to reconsider their protest but he did not apologize. Since the Pope is infallible, can he change his mind on reinstating that particular Bishop? The situation is kind of interesting. Most people do not know that one of the biggest anti-Jewish persons in history was none other than Martin Luther – the founder of Protestantism. It appears there are more than enough skeletons in all the closets to make for interesting conversations among people who like to talk about religion.

Blagojevich again

Irish writer and malcontent Brendan Francis Behan once said: "I was court-martialed in my absence, and sentenced to death in my absence, so I said they could shoot me in my absence." Governor Blagojevich may have to be fired from his job in his absence since he is refusing to attend his own impeachment trial.

JOBS

From Yahoo! Hot Jobs: "As long as human beings continue to inhabit the planet, there are many worthwhile and fulfilling jobs that will never go away." The jobs listed were ACCOUNTANT, COMPUTER SUPPORT SPECIALIST, TEACHER, ENTREPRENEUR, AUTO MECHANIC, and PARAMEDIC. Please, please, please!!! They completely forgot about DOCTOR, LAWYER, MEDICAL field employee, PHARMACIST, GOVERNMENT employee. CARPENTER, PLUMBER, ELECTRICIAN, and FARMER. We all need houses, food, medical care, and transportation. Everything else can wait. That man is not a government employee - he's my grandpa.

DEBT

From a prescient newsletter: By Porter Stansberry: "This is how America ends – with the lie that we all can live at the expense of our neighbor and borrow endlessly. Rather than simply face a downturn in the economy, we plan to borrow trillions of dollars our children and grandchildren will be forced to repay. Rather than let all those people and institutions that took on too much debt (like GM) be liquidated and restructured, we plan to risk a hyperinflation. Rather than insist homeowners who can't afford their mortgages lose their homes, we would jeopardize the credit rating of the country. It is all madness. None of the government's bailout plans will solve any of the problems. The government can only shift the burden of the failures. Instead of bondholders and shareholders being wiped out, taxpayers are put on the hook. These actions will temporarily resuscitate the economy – but cause a permanent decline in the value of the dollar." If the first and second lienholders foreclose on the U.S. Treasury, we can all go wash dishes in China and Russia and Quatar and other foreign places in order to work off the debt to them. No problem.

The few

There is some sort of pattern about this. Cortez conquered more than 300,000 Aztecs with 400 Spaniards and a few thousand Indian mercenaries. Enron was brought low by the actions of fewer than a dozen men. President Nixon resigned and caused a crisis after the Watergate mess planned by a few men. Bernie Madoff caused the collapse of several financial entities by paying out much more than he was taking in, losing 30 billion in the process. Now, Wall Street has collapsed and many banks are insolvent due to the actions of a handful of men. The national economy is in dire straits because a few men thought there was no end to the flow of good money available for bad investments. What next? Will crops fail, too? Are the farms in the hands of a few? Pictures at 11:00.

China

There's this story on the net about a statement by the new Secretary of the Treasury having to do with China's manipulation of its currency so that their exports have an unfair advantage over domestic products. It's been like that for quite some time. However, this is not a good time to be making statements like that. The old rule still holds true: never negotiate from a position of weakness. "The statement, which is certain to anger the Chinese government, comes at a particularly sensitive time, with economies in both the United States and China weakening and tensions already rising around the globe over trade. The United States, moreover, is increasingly dependent on China to finance its ballooning deficit." So said the New York Times. It will get interesting, to say the least.

Adsense

From the news wires: “Google Inc. (GOOG) said yesterday (Tuesday) that it would end its Print Ads program on February 28, Reuters reported. The program was intended to create a new revenue stream for newspapers, but was not having the desired impact and fell by the wayside as Google retrenched amid the current global downturn.” This is good news for those of us who depend on Adsense to earn enough to keep our heads above water, no? Of course, if you read the blog but don’t click on an ad, it doesn’t do anyone any good. This woman appears skeptical – for no good reason.

Herd

You've heard of the herd mentality - people behaving as one because they are part of a large herd. Like a game of follow-the-leader. Today, the market behaved badly. It was down 300 points for no good reason other than that everyone thought it was a great time to sell. Tomorrow, it will be a great time to buy. The market keeps hitting bottom (7900) over and over again. The only reason is a lack of courage and an abundance of fear - too much caution, if you prefer. This woman would probably not want to be seen in the company of timid investors. PLEASE. Snap out of it.

Chasing Windmills

From an investor newsletter: By Porter Stansberry: “I'm facing a lot of skeptics who believe what Al Gore has told them about solar energy. But once you know the only real buyers of solar panels are governments (through subsidies and large direct purchases), you should immediately suspect the promise of solar power isn't what it's cracked up to be. If everyone could power their homes by putting solar panels on the roof, everyone would want to do it. We wouldn't need tax incentives. Instead, the cost to install and maintain a solar system far exceeds the economic value of what it provides. And the reason is basic physics, specifically the Second Law of Thermodynamics. This is nature's version of "there's no such thing as a free lunch." The Second Law says energy moves from more useful forms to less useful forms, from more concentrated and powerful forms to more disparate and less powerful forms. In short, machines that promise to bring us the power of the sun by harnessing its rays won't work because by the time the sun's rays reach the Earth, not much useful energy is left. That energy won't return to a more concentrated form without the input of just as much additional power. I'm not the only person who has doubted the functional utility of solar power. Another skeptic is Warren Meyer, who frequently blogs about free market economics, climate nonsense, and solar power, among other topics. Meyer is a Princeton and Harvard Business School graduate, but even those institutions didn't ruin his brain, which tells me he's a very smart guy indeed. Al Gore has claimed, repeatedly, that if we were to build a 90-mile by 90-mile solar-panel facility in the Southwest desert, we would have enough electricity to power the entire United States. The claim is fantastic. If only we cared enough about the environment to build enough solar panels, then the world would be saved and power would be free! Al Gore is a masterful politician, which is to say he is a complete liar.” According to Mr. Stanberry, the cost to build this energy machine would be 21 trillion dollars. He didn’t mention the issue of fossil fuels’ contribution toward global warming. I think I like windmills a lot better already.

Insurance

Never underestimate the value of an insurance policy, whether it's for flying on a jet, or driving a car, or living quietly in a house. Look at what happened to all those Katrina people who had no insurance. The government had to step in to help them - helpless people are like borrowers who have nowhere to turn except other people who may be better off than they are. I remember the time my little sister got suddenly sick and my mom and dad had to take her to the hospital. He showed them an insurance policy but they couldn't accept it - it was a life insurance policy. Poor dad - he simply didn't know better. When I received a shipment from UPS that arrived in less than perfect condition, they were excellent about reimbursing me - the item was insured. Think about it - I know this woman will.

Square One

From the New York Times: “Speaking at a conference in New York in December, Walter M. Pressey, president of Boston Private Wealth Management, a healthy bank with a mostly affluent clientele, said there were no immediate plans to do much with the $154 million it received from the Treasury. “With that capital in hand, not only do we feel comfortable that we can ride out the recession,” he said, “but we also feel that we’ll be in a position to take advantage of opportunities that present themselves once this recession is sorted out.” The report on the TARP concluded that the Treasury’s top priority seemed to be to “stabilize financial markets” by simply giving healthy banks more money and letting them decide how best to use it. The report also said it was not clear how giving billions to banks “advances both the goal of financial stability and the well-being of taxpayers, including homeowners threatened by foreclosure, people losing their jobs, and families unable to pay their credit cards.” For Mr. Hope, the Whitney National Bank chairman, “the main motivation for TARP” was not more loans, but rather to safeguard against the “possibility things could get a lot worse.” He said Whitney would continue making loans “that we would have made with or without TARP.” “We see TARP as an insurance policy,” he said. “That when all this stuff is finally over, no matter how bad it gets, we’re going to be one of the remaining banks.” WHAT UNBELIEVABLE CYNICISM. Isn’t this the same kind of greediness that got us here? Now, thanks to the bailouts, China and the Middle East hold the mortgage on the entire country – first and second lien, as it were. The higher ups don’t care – they will just go live in Europe. (The woman is indifferent to all this. She is actually disillusioned too.)

Global Freeze

From Yahoo News: “BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Alabama was colder than Alaska, water fountains froze into ice sculptures in South Carolina and Florida shivered through a brush of Arctic air blast that deadened car batteries in the Northeast and prompted scattered Midwest power outages. As Southerners awaited an expected weekend thaw, the Northeast persisted under the bitterly cold air from Canada that sent temperatures plunging in some places below minus 30 degrees and left even longtime residents reluctant to venture outdoors.” So, what happened to global warming? We should be melting. Bring it on!!!! PLEASE.

Church on Sunday

From Yahoo! News: “VATICAN CITY – The Vatican says Pope Benedict XVI is getting his own channel on Google. It says the Vatican TV Center and Vatican Radio are collaborating with Google on the project. The Vatican's press office said Saturday that texts and video of the pope's speeches as well as news about the pontiff would be posted directly onto the channel. It says more information will be given next week. The Vatican began using its Web site widely to publish teachings and pronouncements under the late Pope John Paul II.” This might make it easier for the Church and the State to re-unite. What do I know? Nothing, that’s what. If commerce can be globalized, why not religion?

Wyeth is Dead

Andrew Wyeth, the painter, is dead. He was 91. They say he died in his sleep, but I don't know if that's true. It might be. Anyway, he was admired by many and was very popular for a long time. He was also criticized my many art critics as a painter who couldn't paint or whose paintings lacked color. His most popular painting is Christina's World, shown at left. I have taken the liberty of adding some color. I know he won't mind.

Convicted

From a Yahoo News story: By Miral Fahmy “The top five most offensive workplace behaviors are not saying hello or good morning, not offering office guests a beverage, speaking loudly across the room, using swear words and taking calls on mobile phones. The use of stationery without permission and asking colleagues about their personal lives are also deemed insulting. Australians are very natural in their business style, perhaps more so than workers in any other country in the world.” The story went on to say that Australians are considered the rudest workplace people on earth because they are guilty of practicing all of the above described behaviors. I would not know. I do remember that Australia was initially colonized by British convicts. That’s all I know. This lady is Australian and she looks very polite to me.

Frostbite

From Yahoo! News: “MONTPELIER, Vt. – The cold wave that stunned the nation's midsection expanded into the Northeast on Wednesday with subzero temperatures and biting wind that kept even some winter sports fans at home. The wind chill hit 33 below zero during the night at Massena, N.Y., and the National Weather Service predicted actual temperatures nearly that low in parts of the region by Thursday night. Winter-hardened people across northern New England bundled up amid warnings about how fast exposed skin can freeze. "Anyone who sends their kid out today is out of the running for parent of the year," said Eric Friedman, a spokesman for Mad River Glen ski area in Fayston, Vt. A frostbite caution sign was posted at the ticket office, but few skiers were there to see it because of the 5-below-zero cold, Friedman said.” When I lived up there, I went out for a stroll in 10 below zero weather. My walk lasted all of two minutes. This woman, of course, doesn't care - she lives in Puerto Rico.

Five seconds of carelessness

It didn't have to end this way: From a story in The New York Times: “Adolph Merckle’s creditors were responsible for his death, even if they were not present by the tracks on that snowy night that he jumped in front of the train”, said a town resident. His employees and residents of his hometown saw Mr. Merckle as a decent, taciturn man who looked after his workers and his community, despite his wealth. He was No. 94 on Forbes magazine’s most recent ranking of the 400 richest people in the world. His four children grew up in a modest one-family house with the Merckle name on the mailbox. “I look at this as the banks’ taking the heart out of the family,” said a member of the Blaubeuren City Council. Mr. Merckle’s suicide shocked Germany as much as it angered Blaubeuren, where he was eulogized Monday at a memorial service that overflowed the hamlet’s church.” Merckle had recently lost 400 million Euros in a bad bet against the share price of VW. He was deep in debt with no way to pay it down quickly or restructure it. His flagship company was about to be sold. He had simply been caught in the vise of the worldwide economic downturn – completely unprepared. But, he had also borrowed way too much in order to acquire new businesses. One of my favorite teachers once told me, “be careful that you never bite off more than you can chew.” GOOD ADVICE.

Ukrainian women

All of a sudden I am getting advertisements on this blog from a matchmaking business for Ukrainian women. What's that all about? Not that Ukrainian women are not beautiful - of course they are. They are gorgeous and very young, too. They deserve a good, comfortable life. It's way too cold up there. I think the woman at left is Ukrainian. She might be Russian too. Is it the same thing? I don't know. Good luck.

Old Age remedies 2

From an article on Yahoo!: “New research reveals that two of the most boring-sounding personality traits can actually help you live a healthier, happier and longer life. It turns out that people who are ambitious and disciplined live up to four years longer than more impulsive folks. A study from the University of California at Riverside found that conscientious types--the kind of people who have their nose to the grindstone and always pay their bills right on time (or early!)--are more likely to have stable relationships and are less tempted by health-dampening drugs, alcohol and other risky behaviors. People who were less conscientious were 50 percent more likely to die at any given age, on average, than those who were highly conscientious. Order and achievement were the top two traits associated with having a long life, but that doesn't mean that you have to be a snooze to reach the ripe old age of 100. "Conscientious does not mean boring or humorless," said lead study author Howard Friedman. Want to boost your conscientiousness? Surround yourself with friends who are good influences and consider investing in a day planner or an online calendar to stay organized.” How about people who take Yahoo! articles seriously? This woman looks like she’ll live to be 99.

Madoff

This is about nothing - I am just writing this to poke fun at Bernie Madoff. He has become a celebrity by cheating people and being untrue to himself - a big fraud. A fake. An impostor. A cheater. A thief. A pretender. More unreal than a three dollar bill. It does not bother him because he can justify himself to himself. If he ever in his life dressed as Santa Claus, he looked like this guy. I never had any money with him - not rich enough. Don't pity his clients - they were just greedy fools.

He needs the money

From a Yahoo! News story: CHICAGO – "Gov. Rod Blagojevich was out jogging in Chicago as lawmakers in Springfield voted to impeach him. Upon returning from his jog, he likened his situation to long-distance running. Blagojevich refused to answer any specific questions about the 114-1 vote by which the House impeached him Friday. But he said: "Let me simply say I feel like the old Alan Sillitoe short story 'The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner.' ... And that's what this is by the way, a long-distance run." He then promised to say more at an afternoon news conference. Earlier Friday, the 52-year-old Democrat emerged from his home in a black jogging suit and berated the media for bothering his neighbors before heading out on a jog. He now faces a Senate trial. If convicted, he'll be removed from office." What if he doesn't want to leave? I'm betting it will take at least a year to get him out. If he had a sense of shame or a good job waiting for him, he would be gone already. Someone please find this man an alternative job. You cannot find him a sense of shame - he is, after all, a politician. This woman is saying something like "What are you looking at?"

Macy's

By now, everyone knows that Macy's is closing eleven stores here and there. If you looked carefully at the list, these are all stores that have been in operation for a long time - some from as long ago as 1956. I think the newest among these stores being closed was opened in 1990 - eighteen years ago. I have no idea what that tells us but I'm sure someone out there does. My guess is that the older stores were under performing because they were old and Macy's was not about to spend a small fortune refurbishing them. What do I know??? Perhaps this woman used to model at one of those stores.

Coercion and Extortion

From a news a story on the net: “Russia's decision to choke off natural gas supplies to a shivering Western Europe couldn't have come at a worse moment — and that's just as Moscow would have it. As icy temperatures chill European households normally heated by Russian gas, a diplomatic race is underway to resolve the Russo-Ukraine dispute behind the cut. Moscow seems in no hurry. Wednesday marked the second straight day that many European nations received but a trickle of Russian gas pumped via Ukrainian pipelines. Ukraine is pivotal to Europe's gas supply; about 80% of Russian gas normally flows through Ukraine, and Russia provides 25% of Europe's gas.” I say this is a ridiculous situation for the Europeans. All they really have to do is wear more and heavier clothing, no? I don’t really know. This is no time for high hemlines though.

Charity from Venezuela

From a Yahoo! News story: CARACAS, Venezuela — “The Venezuelan government reversed course on Wednesday, announcing that its U.S. oil subsidiary (Citgo) will continue to provide free home heating oil to poor Americans. Critics of President Hugo Chavez had pummeled him for suspending the program. Among the beneficiaries of the 100 gallons of heating oil were 65 Indian tribes, including those in Alaska, Montana and South Dakota.” Perhaps Russia should do the same. The U.S. is not so proud that it would not accept foreign aid from them also. I’m sure of it.

Accountability? hahaha

From an investor newsletter - don't ask me which one - there are so many: "After receiving hundreds of billions of dollars in taxpayer-funded federal bailout money, the biggest U.S. banks say they can’t track how that money is being spent. Some of the banks are outright refusing to discuss the matter, a new study has found." Isn't this attitude just like the one that got us in this fine mess to begin with? Where's the government when you need it? Where is that famous bully pulpit I keep hearing about? Who is accountable? Hello? PLEASE. That photo shows a pressed wood violin. That's what the financial system is now made of - PRESSED WOOD. It used to be OAK.

Crystal Balls

From Business Week (the magazine): Some of the worst financial predictions for 2008 and you can see why: “1. "A very powerful and durable rally is in the works. But it may need another couple of days to lift off. Hold the fort and keep the faith!" — Richard Band, editor, Profitable Investing Letter, Mar. 27, 2008. 2. AIG "could have huge gains in the second quarter." — Bijan Moazami, analyst, Friedman, Billings, Ramsey, May 9, 2008. 3. "Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae are fundamentally sound.... I think they are in good shape going forward." — Barney Frank (D-Mass.), House Financial Services Committee Chairman, July 14, 2008. 4. "I'm not an economist, but I do believe that we're growing." — President George W. Bush, July 15, 2008. 5. "I think Bob Steel's the one guy I trust to turn this bank around, which is why I've told you on weakness to buy Wachovia." — Jim Cramer, CNBC commentator, Sept. 15, 2008. 6. "Existing-Home Sales to Trend Up in 2008" — Headline of a National Association of Realtors press release, Dec. 9, 2007. 7. "I think you'll see $150 a barrel [of oil] by the end of the year." — T. Boone Pickens, June 20, 2008. 8. "I expect there will be some failures.... I don't anticipate any serious problems of that sort among the large internationally active banks." — Ben Bernanke, Federal Reserve Chairman, Feb. 28, 2008. 9. "In today's regulatory environment, it's virtually impossible to violate rules." — Bernard Madoff, money manager, Oct. 20, 2007. 10. "There's growing evidence that parts of the debt markets...are coming back to life." — Peter Coy and Mara Der Hovanesian, Business Week, Oct. 1, 2007” THE WOMAN AT LEFT is saying something like "SAY WHAT?"

Santa Claus

Here’s a photo of Bernie – Bernie Madoff, that is. He looks in good spirits, though they say that at the time the picture was taken, he already knew he was in deep trouble. Looks can be deceiving, no? He could almost pass for a guy I met at the Detroit Yacht Club many years ago, when it still existed. Pretensions are among the most useless things around, except to a con artist. They say he used to be fastidious and obsessive – nothing but the best for him. I wonder if his family knew he was just a fraud – as fake as Santa Claus. Judging from this photo, he would probably have made a good Santa Claus. I don’t really know.

Lilli Ewing 3

Working out is hard to do - especially if you don't make a habit of it. Bobby Fischer (the late chess player) used to prepare himself for grueling chess matches by working out in the pool - swimming dozens of laps - and drinking lots of orange juice. One cannot be in good mental shape unless one is in great physical shape. A sound mind in a sound body, remember? If you find yourself in an obesity rut, do what Lilli Ewing does - work out and make it part of your routine. Would you like it if someone gave you a ten pound sack of potatoes and forced you to lug it around for no reason? If you are over your sensible weight, that's exactly what you're doing - burdening your body and your precious heart. Acai berries might help, too. I shouldn't be talking - I'm four pounds overweight. In case you are wondering - that's Lilli Ewing on the left - she lives in Seattle - champion bodybuilder.

Who knew??

A Congressional hearing into the workings of the S.E.C. is scheduled soon. People want to know how it was the S.E.C. failed to heed warnings about scammers on Wall Street. Were these smart people just duped??? I don't think so. I believe they chose to look the other way, just like Enron's auditors. Remember them (Arthur Anderson.)? Remember the Kansas City building inspectors and the New York City building inspectors who ignored problems in structures that later failed? Same thing. I once asked a CPA friend how it was that Mexico enjoyed such a high level of corruption in government if the books were audited? His response: "The auditors are in on it." OBVIOUSLY. This woman is looking the other way, but I'm pretty sure she's not an auditor.

Privacy

From a news story on the net: I had not heard about this wild idea: "PORTLAND, Ore. – Oregon is among a growing number of states exploring ways to tax drivers based on the number of miles they drive instead of how much gas they use, even going so far as to install GPS monitoring devices in 300 vehicles. The idea first emerged nearly 10 years ago as Oregon lawmakers worried that fuel-efficient cars such as gas-electric hybrids could pose a threat to road upkeep, which is paid for largely with gasoline taxes." Raising gas taxes is just too simple a way out of this dilemma. Everyone knows that cars cause most of the world's pollution. The real reason behind this lame idea must be to reduce the number of cars. Maybe soon, we'll hear someone say that people over a certain age shouldn't drive at all. The words "monitoring devices" scares the unholy sweat out of me.

Cuban Revolution

On January 1, 1959, Cuban dictator Batista was overthrown by Fidel Castro’s communist rebels. The scene is depicted in Marlon Brando’s famous movie – The Godfather. In the movie, Batista makes a farewell speech, says goodbye, then leaves. Political leaders who make a mess of things have a habit of just leaving – I hate to think what happened to all the subordinates Batista left behind. Anyway, that’s water gone past the Cuban shoreline and back. Now, the Cuban people are hoping the U.S. can reinstate normal relations with their island. That would probably boost not only the Cuban but the U.S. economy as well. I read somewhere that Cuba imports lots of processed chicken meat. I have no way of knowing – I don’t live there. In order to benefit from the coming change, I could buy shares in meat processing companies. I just hope the Cubans don’t all become vegetarians overnight.

Bargains

This is the first blog of 2009 so why not start with a topic that will no doubt be very popular this year? LIQUIDATIONS. Businesses are going out of business fast. When the time comes, they turn to specialists who get rid of inventory quickly. If you need to buy something right about now, you might be able to get good deals through these liquidations. You can either visit the stores yourself or you can try the internet. Some places to visit online: Redtagdotcom, Topperliquidatorsdotcom, liquidationdotcom, and (if you’re rich) Yachtauctionsdotcom. The art piece at left is not for sale, but if it were, I might offer $5,000 for it. Good luck.