1025. Jim Cramer and Important Tips

 I have reviewed most of Jim Cramer's tips and guidelines over the years. Here are the notes I took from his many articles and books:

Trading and Investing are NOT the same – Trading is the buying/selling of stock based on some catalyst. Investing is longer term accumulation of more assets.

 

E x M = P

 

Ten Commandments of Trading:

1. Never turn a trade into an investment. Do your homework and sell a buy later.

2. Your first loss is your best loss – Dump before you lose your pants.

3. Its OK to take a loss when you already have a loss – CLEAN UP that portfolio. It took you too long to take a dump.

4. Never turn a trading gain into an investment loss – corrolary of 1.

5. Tips are for waiters.

6. You don’t have a profit until you sell.

7. Control losses; winners take care of themselves – spend you time identifying potential or actual l9osses and take them. This is first priority.

8. Don’t fear missing anything – there will always be another opportunity and don’t be greedy.

9. Don’t trade headlines.

10. Don’t trade flow.

 

25 Investment Rules:

1. Bulls and Bears make money – Pigs get slaughtered. Take the profits while you can.

2. Its ok to pay taxes.

3. Don’t buy all at once – arrogance is sin.

4. Look for broken stocks, not broken companies. That is, identify stocks that are out of balance with reality of GOOD companies only.

5. Diversification is the only free lunch.

6. BUY and HOMEWORK; not buy and hold. MUST spend an hour per investment per week after it is bought to keep up with news. Dump when you have to; don’t hold and lose.

7. No one ever made a dime panicking.

8. Own the Best of Breed.

9. He who defends everything defends nothing, or why discipline trumps correction – if the analysis sees it as a fleabag dog, be disciplined and treat the sucker now! You may have to get rif of it.

10. The fundamentals must be good on a takeover.

11. Don’t own too many stocks – must have time for homework.

12. Cash and sitting on sidelines are fine alternatives. – wait till right time to buy or sell.

13. No wudda shudda cudda; no 2^nd guessing. – move on, you need to manage future, not past.

14. Expect corrections and don’t be afraid of them.

15. Don’t forget bonds – they get serviced before your stocks.

16. Never subsidize losers with winners – Don’t sell your winners to cover losers.

17. HOPE is not part of the equation. If you use the word HOPE, dump it.

18. Be flexible.

19. When high-level people quit without proper notice, something is wrong – bail out unless they are retiring.

20. Patience is virtue.

21. Ignore TV comments.

22. Wait 30 days after earnings preannounce before a buy.

23. Never underestimate the Wall Street promotion machine – be ready to do opposite.

24. Be able to explain your picks.

25. There is always a Bull somewhere in the market.

 

Spotting Tops:

1. When competition heats up.

2. When management no longer speaks specifics.

3. When a company over-expands – usually reported as integration problems, or trying to mix a slow grower with a fast grower. Compare aplees-to-apples, same-store sales; don’t be fooled by higher revenues as a growth of core business when it was due to new stores that bring with it more management and quality efforts.

4. Watch for Government actions – don’t be blindsided.

5. No place to expand? All states have stores? This could indicate a top.

6. What happened to the Fad? Top time.

7. Accounting problems!

 

Economy Indicators to watch:

1. 4 consecutive CPU increase may signal Fed tightening ahead.

 

Other Cramer tips:

1. BUY CYCLICALS when Multiples are HIGH

2. SELL NON-CYCLICALS when multiples are HIGH

3. Fed has 2 ways to control: (a) change borrowing rates and (b) change quantity of money in market by changing reserves banks are allowed to carry.

4. Claims P/Es correlate to GDP cycle and past can be used as guideline for a stock.

5. Look at EPS growth per year … fastest growing deserves higher P/E. Determine the multiple based on earning growth and then determine the proper price.

6. Compare companies by P/E to determine the norm and whether an anomaly is due to acquisition, mgt. change, new business, etc. or to predict a P/E.

7. Act on cpmpanies that aren’t discovered (#1M-4M) or any company that is not closely followed.

8. Compare dividend percent and history of growth.

9. Know the company’s business driver metrics – use to compare to others and for growth measurement. For example, $/seat in airlines, $/sq foot in realty, shipments per day, profit margin/product, same-store growth.

10. Build cash for Octobers buys (when mutual fund managers drive the prices down)

11. Examine Debt-to-Equity ration … avoid debt unless normal for industry. Some companies incur debt in 4Q (retail) to stock up for Xmas. Others may to buld planes, build more cable systems, etc.

12. Determine whether a stock is “secular” or “cyclical”. Secular stocks NOT dependent on economy and demand higher multiples.

13. Listen to company meetings and announcements.

14. Favor companies growing sales and earnings faster than peers AND S&P and costs less than average.

15. The Value of a DISCOVERED stock will mimic the market. UNDISCOVERED stocks may not.

16. Why do Large Caps grow/decline? (a) due to rotational catalysts, e.g., portfolio mgr. shifts from group to group base on macro backdrop, such as weak economy as dictated by Fed. Involves switching between secular (health, drugs, beverages, food) and cyclical stocks. (b) dure to estimate revisions

17. KNOW HOW sector MOVES! More important than a business. DON’T BUY A STOCK WHEN SECTOR OUT-OF-FAVOR! Look at the CYCLE chart.

 

My Methodologies:

1. Do your homework on stocks owned

2. Check the cycle chart! Know the GDP and CPI numbers and direction.

3. Focus first on losses and loss-candidates for a sell.

4. Buy/Sell: Try WR%. FIRST, look at 2-yr, weekly chart of WR% to determine WHEN to move on a stock. BUY when moving above -20% (short-term moves) or    -80% (longer-term moves). SELL when it moves below -20% or -50 to 80%. THEN consult 3-6 month and daily charts to do actual buy/sell.

 

The CYCLE:

 

GDP	To Do	Fed Action
	Fed tightening on DOWNward Economy
5-4%	SELL papers & chemical (IP, DOW, DD)	Tighten (raise rates)
4-3%	BUY Medical/food (PG, KMB, K, BUD, PFE)	Tighten (raise rates)
3-2%	SELL cyclicals (CR, CAT, MMM)	Tighten/Neutral
2-1.52%	BUY high multiple techs (GOOG, YHOO)	Neutral
1.5-1.25%	SELL metals & minerals (PD, AA, MUE, NEM)	Neutral
1.25%-1%	SELL Gold; BUY Banks & Retailers	Neutral
1%	Fed getting ready to EASE or starts	Neutral/Ease
1-0%	BUY Housing, BUY Autos	Ease
0 to -2%	Look for bottom (possible recession) and BUY Low Multiple techs (IBM, INTC)	Ease
-2% to 1%	Economy starts UP	Ease/Neutral
1%-2%	BUY Paper & Chemicals	Ease
2%-3%	SELL Medical and food	Neutral
2.5%-3%	BUY cyclicals before Fed tightens (M prob high)	Neutral
3%	Fed starts tightening again to void off inflation	Tighten
3-4%	SELL Banks, Auto, Retailer, Housing	Tighten
3.75-5%	BUY Metals and minerals	Tighten
Stocks oblivious to cycles: Oil & Oil Services, defense, Aerospace, Telecommunications

1024. We are beginning the LATE cycle of the Business Cycle -- Beware Stock owners

 Fidelity's Viewpoint Article is the 2021 version of a more complete 2017 article describing how to invest during the 4 different cycles of the Business Cycle. I maintains it's conclusions despite being a briefer version. 

Back in March 2017 when I read the previous version, I had penciled in dates of the cycles:

Mid-Early = 4/2017

Mid-Mid = 4/2018

Mid-Late = 10/2022

Beginning of Recession Cycle = 4/2024

So, what does this mean? Let me note some of the key points for the cycle I believe we are in. All this is in the current article referenced above.

Where the MID Cycle was remembered for growth peaking, strong credit growth, good profits that peaked peaked, a neutral policy, and inventories and sales growth reaching equilibrium, we find ourselves already about 8 months into the LATE Cycle that usually lasts 1.5 years. Here is what we can expect shortly: Growth moderating, Credit tightening, Earnings under pressure, Policy Contractionary, Inventories grow, Sales growth falls.

Previous recent posts note the mitigation attempts by Humpy Dumpy Joe -- mainly government spending and hand outs (94 year old mother-in-law will probably be dead before she ever receives her third stimulus check) -- aimed at presenting a rosy picture for a grim disease. It won't last long before even the average citizen to finally wake up. Until then, probably 75% will be clueless in the smoke stirred up from all the dog and pony shows.

Anyway, which sectors are in favor and which to avoid during the LATE CYLE and then the inevitable Recession Cycle? A chart I reproduced here from the 2017 version and from some of notes from some of Jim Cramer's articles and books follows with some differences:

Sector                                      Early     Mid     Late     Recession

Financials                                   +

Consumer Discretionary            ++                                    --

Info Technology                         ++         +        --              --

Industrials                                   ++         +                        --

Materials                                                  --        ++            -

Consumer Staples                         -                      +            ++

Health Care                                   -                     ++           ++

Energy                                          --                     ++

Telecom                                        --                                    ++

Utilities                                         --         -            +           ++    

Jim Cramer suggests that in this Late Cycle when the Fed begins tightening (it's tapering is first) at an expected 3% GDP, we should be buying food and medical stocks (seculars, e.g., PFE, ABBV, BUD, etc.). As economy shrinks to 2% GDP, we should begin selling cyclicals, e.g., CAT, IR. Still at 2% GDP we should be buying Large Techs such as AAPL, GOOG, etc.. As we continue to fall in strength, Sell Metals and minerals. Now get ready to jump into Financials when GDP approaches 1% and the Fed talks easing (that's printing money baby) and teasing consumers to buy. Retailers should benefit in rush of buying. Easing will take a few months of convincing to turn around housing and auto market and to get us back on an upward trend into another Business cycle Early Cycle and out of the Recession Cycle (not necessarily a Recession).

If you are like me, the recession choices of Energy and Utilities never happens -- they are always a loser in the long portfolio. 

Now, the caveat: Long Secular Cycles (10-30 years) will affect the smaller business cycles (1-10) years). If you are a long-investor thinker, would you ever dump your Technology and Health Care stocks just to play the Business Cycle? No. I read the above chart as a slowdown (-, --) or increase (+, ++) of portfolio choices during the cycle. But with outside factors like Covid and Humpty Dumpty Joe's plans for taxes a distortion of the above chart and Cramer's guidelines become just Rules of Thumb (ROT). Oops, sorry WOKE people, ROT is on the do not use list!

Bottom Line conclusion: I'd pay attention to the AVOID list generated by my analysis of LATE Cycle Business Cycle caught in the global, very negative, economy outlook. What will I do? Probably forget about the LATE and RECESSION choices this Business Cycle and SELL everything in my non-taxable accounts to avoid the 10-20% market crash coming shortly! Then I'll buy back in with some consideration of the chart and Cramer's tips into whichever cycle is driving the business cycle. 

So, if you remember Sam and her crystal ball which always guided you and me, she just sent a signal down to me to dump when techs next jump up. That's got to be very soon!

1023. Read Post 412 again re inflation, Mitigating pain by Gov't spending and handouts

 Reviewing the past sometimes reveals the destruction in progress by our current President and his administration and what's on our front steps waiting for the door to open.  Here's some snippets from Post 412 re "the Ten Million Dollar Gamble" by Russ Koesterich.

> 5/6 of budget = Entitlement programs, defense, and interest we have to pay on debt. 

> Slashing debt and deficits is hard to do when 45% of the population pay NO TAXES. The wealthy can't come close to helping us climb out of debt by increased taxes alone. Middle class MUST be taxed too. Even then, Entitlements must be reduced.

> Government tends to mitigate pain to those in trouble and the middle class INSTEAD of doing what must be done to reduce debt. Mitigating pain is a coverup that leads to much worse effects down the road. Handouts are killing us. Hard to take away and more and more want them. Just why do we continue to extend unemployment benefits? To mitigate pain. Result, we go further in debt to pay the extensions.

> Inflation signals (already knocking on our door):

1. Unemployment decreasing [note: inflation LAGS job growth by at least a year. Normally when inflation is 3% job growth will be <1.5%; If > 1% then there are more jobs than people. watch non-farm job reports 1st Friday of month at bls.gov/ces] which causes
2. Increase in Wages
3.Manufacturing Capacity Utilization >>80% means manufacturing can't keep up with demand and prices rise. [federalreserve.gov/releases/g17]
4.Money Supply grows too fast [federalreserve.gov/releases/h6/current/h6.html]. NOTE: there are long lags between money supply increase and inflation. In '60s it took 4 years. Watch M2 > 6% .
5. Fed Actions, like monetizing debt will increase money supply if banks loan out the money [federalreserve.gov/releases/h41/current/h41.htm balance sheet should now be shrinking from 2.3T. If not, look for inflation.

NOTE; Despite lags in inflation, the market reacts sooner anticipating the future.

> The vicious destructive cycle where large deficits lead to higher interest rates sometime in future and economic destruction:

Gov't needs to sell more Treasury bonds to spend OR what is happening today, Treasury will taper, i.e., gradually reduce the buying of bonds (same affects), which leads to (=>)

Higher supply of bonds =>

Lower price of bonds (supply & demand) =>

Higher interest rates (interest moves opposite bond prices) =>

Higher mortgage, student loans, car loans, all loan rates =>

Affects stabilization of housing market =>

Less people can qualify for a loan. 

Higher rates =>

Slows economy (both commercial and government will spend more on interest leaving less to put toward growth objectives) =>

Weaker job market. =>

Less productivity =>

Poorer economy

Humpty Dumpty Joe needs to stop reading Fairy Tales, dozing on the job, and pay attention to what affects Capitalism.

That's a wish that will never happen when Socialists and Marxists control Joe's strings! Guy can't even go to the bathroom anymore without a reminder to wipe and wash his hands.

1022. Couldn't be explained better -- You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it

 

“You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity.  What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is the beginning of the end of any nation.  You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it."

 

* Adrian Rogers, 1931 *

1021. Humpty Dumpty Joe [Biden]

 I've been quiet enough. It took me a long time to get on Obama (OBlunder) when in his times he screwed up America along with his sidekick Frail Joe. Newsmax had a clip of Obama at dome toast where a comedian cracked some jokes about V.P. Humpty Dumpty (yes, Joe Biden) which in 2014 already revealed his lack of cognitive facilities. SCARY. I suppose those who voted the clown in ignored that in 2020 election. I also blame those voters for the recent suicide bombing in Afghanistan!. Thanks, Joe! And thanks Dem voters for killing our 13 service men! Maybe you should stay home from the next elections. Or maybe you'll shortly get to see Kamala take over and really screw up OUR America. Don't you have ANY common sense. Sam, my beloved dog had more. Eventually Humpty Dumpty will fall, and the king's men and horses won't save him just like they can't now. Why? Because he ignored all intelligence reports and advice. His heart, his personal feelings, were more important than managing the credibility of America and protecting America. This WOKENESS needs to cease Dems! Then another 100 blogs that I want to avoid on a subject that mind-boggles me is how any human with common sense can pickup WOKE issues, so miniscule compared to others and make it the governing issues in their lives. And then try to push it on others who are focused on the big picture and reality. I applaud Gutfeld and his show and particularly Tyrus who brings common sense to the front. Thank you Tyrus. 

Back to Humpty Dumpty.

Let's blame it on Trump. You hear that before? Instead of I take the blame or even I take most of the blame or even I take some of the blame. But no-o-o. Humpty claimed he just followed the Trump plan. WRONG. He accepted the Trump mission/goal but dismissed his plan! He created his on plan (I'll give him the benefit of the doubt that he thought about the exit from Afghanistan while sitting on the pot trying to remember why he was there. ANYBODY with common sense knows you don't leave Americans and military assets to the victor and enemy. And that is precisely who the Taliban is. Humpty KNEW the Taliban were overtaking Afghanistan many months before as progression charts show, yet, he comes out as assures us that Kabul won't fall. ANYBODY with common sense knows you don't provide names of American military and citizens to terrorists and make identification down to biometrics available to terrorists of those who are against the terrorists. Yet, Humpty did! Anybody knows you can't rely on terrorists to protect Americans when evacuating (running from them) by laying your heart out on their table and pleading! Humpty did! ANYBODY knows you don't give up a military airbase when you know you need it in the future for any possible reason, like evacuation or future terrorism in the Mideast. Can I stop now. I'm already beyond my anger threshold. Humpty Dumpty MUST fall. Then Kamala gets to screw up more and MUST FALL. Unfortunately, thanks to you people who voted for the schmucks We the People of America who believe in America and Democracy get to fall with you. Idiots! Do you idiots understand the next in line after Kamala is Pelosi? We'll need 8 years of another Donald Trump to get us close to the top of the water we are about to drown in. 

I recommend a change to the Constitution and clarity of the Constitution:

There is NO requirement to have two political parties written in the Constitution. Change the Constitution to be specific, stating that the government of our Republic (Yes, dumb Dem voters, America is a Republic and "Democrats" party does NOT stand for Democracy! Instead, it appears they are pushing Socialism/Marxism. The misleading name itself has blindsided democratic voters. Gutfeld needs to get to Georgetown students again and ask them what the name means to them compared to the name "Republican" party. They ask them why all the Socialistic policies and plans are being pushed and ask them again is this Democracy?).

Back on track: 1. Change the Constitution to be specific, stating that the government of our Republic will NOT have a House and Senate where the room is separated by factions. Instead, seats will be alphabetical. 2. There will be NO funding of candidates in an election, or for advertising campaigns except to the one on the tax forms where one can donate just to everybody. 3. The ones presiding over the House and Senate will be an individual elected by his/her peers for the sole purpose of running the meetings, NOT the one who determined what will be on the agenda. That will be a committee who presents the agenda. It needs to be unanimous in the committee to reject a request NOT to present something to vote on the floor. This does not mean on matters such as a change on toilet paper in rest rooms. It does mean ONLY COMPLETELY DOCUMENTED bills/litigations/discussions pertinent to the governing of America's finances, economic responsibilities, world issues. Of course, I have not thoroughly provided all entities that should be included. But the bottom line is everything must be DOCUMENTED and presented with detailed explanation, reasons, expected outcomes. If they need a consultant to run the committee meeting like any other private company's short- and long-term planning sessions, then an independent company should be selected -- sort of like independent accountants are chosen by private originations. MEETINGS need to be administered by a consultant skilled to be impartial and only to gather findings, facts, and to determine conclusions and recommendations. Our government is run meeting by led by politicians! Not impartial consultants with the expertise to do so!

I'm tired of thinking and typing for now. I might return with more re changes needed.

Let me finish this entry with this, particularly for the people who voted Joe Humpty Dumpty as our president:

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall
All the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again

DON'T try to substitute AMERICA for Humpty Dumpty!!! We the People will more than just defend that! Wake up you WOKErs and share, at least what's left, of America's greatness and freedom before you kill it more.

Humpty Dumpty Joe nods as he barely stands on his feet
While America continues to take yet another defeat.
Soon he'll be asleep with a bowl of chocolate chip ice cream
Where he'll add flowers and puppies to his dream.
 
The "Immigration" Wall to protect America from drugs, criminals, terrorists is now dead
But that isn't as important as the cupcakes and snowflakes in his head.
As the Afghanistan evacuation flop destroys America's credibility, leadership, and worse, human life 
Joe thinks it is more important to follow his old woman's heart and let America be cut up with a dull, now bloody, knife.
 
It's time to go Humpty Dumpy Joe
For Your leadership can't get any more low
Kamala is next to continue your show
And she'll be even worse, We the People all know!

PRAY FOR AMERICA.

1020. Covid Studies

 So, what do we REALLY know about COVID (or variants) reinfections:

1. Do we have the number of reinfections of people who were unvaccinated AND already had COVID? Not that I can see. AN easy measure of those in hospital a second time. Hey patient, did you already have COVID before and are not vaccinated? Yes or No. Poof...a statistics that can be reported to CDC and can be accumulated across the country/world and reported to us. But, n-o-o-o. Instead they report things as they did here. This was MEDIA misinformation again. Now read this. A different story and in short they have no clue and need to continue to study: 

"

• How likely is reinfection
• How often reinfection occurs
• How soon after the first infection can reinfection take place
• How severe are cases of reinfection
• Who might be at higher risk for reinfection
• What reinfection means for a person’s immunity
• If a person is able to spread COVID-19 to other people when reinfected    "

This response still doesn't in general states how often reinfection occurs, but doesn't state the action required, such as, the one I mentioned to get it real numbers on the reinfections from the hospitals/doctors/clinics via a reporting tool.

Thus, the 2x more likely is for those who remain unvaccinated after already having been infected is made up. My wife also read somewhere that expect only 3 months of immunity from natural protection once infected and recovered. But then, as she explained, there are cases where people were infected and it appeared they recovered, i.e., full protection not obtained, only to have a reoccurrence of the virus later. In other words, are the reinfections being examined reinfections or reoccurrences of less protection not fully recovered patients.

2. One question I have is are there adverse effects from over-vaccinating? Please, someone tell me that too so I can make my on mind re getting a booster shot. I already received by 2 jabs of Moderna and recommend that others follow IF their doctor recommends. I would expect that recommendation for anybody with immunity problems or conditions already made available. 

As far as the booster? The doctor may have suggestions, but I'd question him on the facts available from 1. and 2. You'll have to make up your own mind. Also, there have been no conclusive studies re missing the 2 different types of vaccines. So, I would think you should to reduce any risk. So much more is needed. And then, which choice to make will still be difficult. In the distance past I would only ask DO I want Polio or NOT! COVID you might recover from, Polio you didn't.  

1019. Suddenlink pulled another one and I had to suffer Customer Service!

 My favorite company -- yeah, right. Fact is Suddenlink has one great pro that it's Internet is reliable and speed acceptable. However, the overriding quality, or lack of, is it's Customer Service/Support  if you ever have a problem. This was a monumental issue they created that affected my mother-in-law's Home Phone service.

Day 1, evening, I receive an email alert indicating she was going to lose her Home Phone service 4 days. She is 94 and needing the phone for emergency use.

 This was a shock -- neither she nor we requested, nor authorized it. Think SLAMMING from some other carrier. Let's call that carrier X since they apologized to the nth degree. Problem was that X submitted an order to Suddenlink to order the porting of her phone service to them. Let's say her number ended in 78. The order should have been to port a number ending in 70 (other numbers the same). Instead the order sent to Suddenlink was to port her number ending in 78. A simple typo that resulted in her account being LOCKED until it was processed and executed on day 5. Being 94 and relying on that phone for emergency service this was not acceptable. 

I called immediately on Day 1 to try to get an answer re what the alert really meant --  a lot of hmmms --- and was finally told by a later rep that her number was being ported to another carrier. Would you not think that BEFORE accepting the order from carrier X Suddenlink would have called her to confirm this? Didn't it also include an account number? Of course you do for you reading this Common Sense blog! They didn't and accepted the order which then locked the account from any other changes. Now here's the kicker. They would NOT tell me the carrier name so I could pursue with them how this happened. Note: we still did not know carrier X sent a wrong number. Suddenlink would not reveal the carrier name, but after about 1.5 hours and onto the 4th person I was transferred to a woman that actually WANTED to help me rather than the other who only read their script and said they did. She sent a request to get the details,...

Day 2

But, that request went pending. Of course I could not get back to her specifically since Suddenlink's auto answering system get you just the Next Available agent and they have no directory to get to a specific person despite a first name in the info log! And the merry-go-round restarted. Person after persons, manager after manager could not resolve the issue. By this time I had over 8 telephone hours in!

Day 3

I hits gold, I thought. After being transferred to many incorrect departments including two in the Mobile phone departments, I finally got to their Retention department by calling and saying i wanted to cancel my services. Can you believe? An experienced lady understood the problem, didn't know the answer, but looked at the pending report that a previous rep looked at and wouldn't give me the carrier name. She did! Carrier X was now known. I called and was told they do not service any apartments in this location and have no record by address, name, or phone in their system. Oh boy...fraud? More calls to Suddenlink to recheck the carrier name and determine the process followed to accept it. I was told ONLY a phone number with no other information from an authorized carrier is needed to port a number. Unbelievable. I remember in my past I signed an authorization form that included more, so I looked it up here. And, behold, it needs name, address, account number. This proves not only didn't they call consumer, but also didn't check number on the form to the account info. What a mess!

Day 3 continues bouncing around Suddenlink to new people and more wasted time until finally I got back to the same Retention Department and got to talk, yes a new person, but another qualified Rep who outlined the process in detail and said only Carrier X (another confirmation) could cancel the order. She tried calling them and went on the wait queue until disconnected. I called carrier X again, got same person, and same answer. But, this time I said fine, the FCC has already served Suddenlink and their investigation will involve you. In one ear out the other I assumed. 

Day  4

I bought another ticket on the merry-go-round and spun, but now put call into Altice Corporate only to have them disconnect me after a 15 minute wait. Useless. Fortunately I received a call from a personal phone 4-5 hours later, after another 10 or so Suddenlink reps stuck in mud, and it was the woman I talked to at carrier X. She search for phone numbers that began matching ours except the last 2 digits omitted. Gold! She found the correct person who should have been ported and the mistake on the order request where 78 was used instead of 70. She apologized at least 30 times, and got me a confirmation email for the cancellation of the order. Issue resolved.

Except, now I wonder what information Suddenlink sent back to carrier X re our phone number. All I need is a security problem to work through Suddenlink! They didn't even have a way to get to a Fraud department! Let alone security. Maybe I'll update this later.

1018. Thunderbird Yahoo popup when starting Thunderbird

When I started Thunderbird the other day a Yahoo Login popup appeared over the Thunderbird screen and FIXED itself there, i.e., could not be removed. Regardless of what I tried, it could only be removed via Task Manager, End Task. I closed Thunderbird and reopen, rebooted my system, rand antivirus scan, ran Malwarebytes, used CCleaner to clean system and nothing would prevent it from coming up. So I reinstalled Thunderbird. That didn't help. The only solution was to Remove the Yahoo email account I had in Thunderbird. Note: I have used this account ever since OAuth2 was required and it's settings matched that of the same level thunderbird on my other PC. After research, the only hits on a search for "Yming popup" were from 2019 and prior. All indicated it was tied to OAuth2 not being specified. Yet, mine was and on my other system it matched and worked. I decided not to add that yahoo account back on the failing system, so can't guarantee it will be gone if I do add back. For now, without the account, Thunderbird and my system is once again happy.

1017. "The Sinister" by David Putnam -- 5 Stars

 

The Sinister by David Putnam -- 5 Stars

Oceanview Publishing

ISBN: 9781608094264

 The Sinister is the ninth book in the Bruno Johnson series and like the others it is filled with great characters and plenty of action. No one knows the mean streets of Los Angeles like Bruno and he will go there to do whatever it takes to help a friend, especially if it involves a child in danger. It is a great story by an author who has experienced the world of law enforcement.

 Reviewer: Nancy

1016. "The Unheard" by Nicci French -- 4 Stars

 

The Unheard by Nicci French -- 4 Stars

Publisher: William Morrow and Custom House

ISBN: 9780063137745

 

Was there a murder or was it the imagination of a creative three year old? When it became apparent that there really was a crime, there were many possibilities for the identity of the killer and the reason for the murder.

Tess, mother of the young artist, leads the story through a twisted search, even breaking a few laws, to find the truth and protect herself and her daughter.

Feelings and relationship descriptions sometimes slowed the action. Overall, the story was suspenseful and enjoyable. 

 

Reviewer: Nancy

1015. "Marked Man" by Archer Mayor -- 4 Stars

 

Marked Man by Archer Mayor -- 4 Stars

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

ISBN: 9781250224163

 

There were so many characters, plots, lies, twists, and time changes that I needed notes to keep track of them all. Despite that, I enjoyed the story. Nathan who had old mob connections was a master manipulator who brought together his extended family and over decades twisted their lives through lies and extortion. The characters had personalities that were complex and flawed in so many ways. The investigating team intelligently pieced together the facts of current and past crimes bring them to a surprising conclusion. Although there are more than thirty books in the Joe Gunther series, this is the first I have read. I thank Netgalley for introducing me to Archer Mayor’s books. I will read more of them.

 

Reviewer: Nancy

1014. "Gated Prey" by Lee Goldberg -- 5 Stars

 

Gated Prey by Lee Goldberg -- 5 Stars

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

ISBN: 9781542029346

 

I read the first two books in the Eve Ronin series. I enjoyed them and so was delighted to receive an advance copy of the third book from Netgalley. There are so many good things about these books. Best of all are the characters. Eve is relentless and driven, working twice as hard as her colleagues to make sense of the twists in a case.  Duncan is her partner and mentor. He brings the right amount of humor and witty dialogue while offering wise and insightful guidance. He is just days away from retirement. I hope he will be a presence in future books. California and the craziness of the entertainment industry add a unique setting and flavor. The plot is smart with twists and surprises. It never slows. The best praise I can offer is I absolutely enjoyed this book. It was fun to read. I look forward to more books in this series.

 

Reviewer: Nancy

1013. "Paradox Lake" by Vincent Zandri -- 2 Stars

 

Paradox Lake by Vincent Zandri -- 2 Stars

Oceanview Publishing

9781608094189

 

This book did not live up to its advance praise and editorial reviews. It reminded me of a not very good slasher movie. The characters were silly. There was an annoying stereotypical twelve year old daughter, a mother who had strange conversations with her deceased daughter and husband, a handsome local who quickly had a steamy relationship with the mother, and the necessary murdering maniac. The mother rented a property in the woods that she did not know had a history of violence. There were spooky sounds, dangerous storms and of course, the mother and daughter had bloody battles for their lives. Not too original.

 

Reviewer: Nancy

1012. Use ADOBE Reader instead of Chrome for PDF FIles

 Chrome continues to make it difficult to allow ADOBE Reader to open PDF files instead of using Chrome. I have couple of major applications, e.g., a bank and a financial institution, where Chrome fails to download a file when invoking a download on the view screen. So, I am going to try letting ADOBE take care of PDF files instead.

UPDATE: 4/4/21. This was a waste of time. Read on if you want to do this, but heed the warning that no matter what you do, once you implement as below a download ALWAYS happens into you DOWNLOADS folder, even with an OPEN PDF IN ADOBE extension. Thus, I was unable to prevent a download to the DOWNLOAD fold as desired! So, back to using Chrome to open folders and then downloading from the view to the folder I WANT! For the two accounts that fail this way, I can simply do a PRINT to a PDF PRINTER (like Cute PDF) and direct it where I want. SUCCESS!

-----------------------------  Implement ONLY if you want to get your download automatically saved into your DOWNLOAD folder -------------------------------------------

This wasn't easy. Plus, I may still not have all the ducks in a row. According to ADOBE Reader download, I should have a function (Chrome Extension) to do what I desire. But, have NOT located it yet. Instead, there is a setting in Chrome that can be set to allow to DOWNLOAD PDF files instead of opening them. 

Anyway, this is what seems to work so far:

1. Download ADOBE Reader . On download be careful you download what you want. They push the download of McAfee (uncheck if not desired), as well as use of Chrome Extension (I kept it checked bu so far don't know what it is or how to activate it since it does NOT appear as an extension in Chrome after download of the Reader).

2.  The trick to tell Chrome to DOWNLOAD instead of OPENING is: Go to Chrome Settings (the 3 dots on right of the browser, Settings. Find SITE SETTING->ADDITIONAL CONTENT SETTINGS at bottom->PDF DOCUMENTS->DOWNLOAD PDF FILES INSTEAD... and turn it on. From then on the PDFs you access online through Chrome will NOT display, but will download and be shown at the bottom of the browser window (can also do the 3-dot bar on right top of browser and select DOWNLOADS to see all files. 

3. Doing a download to my DOWNLOADS folder is not really desirable for me. I want the file in a specific folder for the different accounts, like utility bolls, bank bills, Credit Card bills, etc. Thus, I then tell Chrome (bottom of screen, select the upside down caret, to OPEN IN FOLDER, then Cut/Paste it into the folder I desire. From there I encrypt it. Of course, you can reverse the downloading instead of opening it in Chrome by following the same settings instructions above and turning it off. I hate doing the download and will try to figure out the Extension Chrome is talking about and try that.

1011. "Mastermind" by Andrew Mayne -- 2 Stars

 

Mastermind by Andrew Mayne  -- 2 Stars

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

ISBN: 9781542020398  

 

I enjoyed other books in the Jessica Blackwood series and was excited to be offered an advance copy of Mastermind. I was very disappointed.

The plot was comprised of a patchwork of events and characters from previous books, scientific theory, ideas for schemes to cause global chaos, government conspiracy, and human rights violation. It was all thrown together in a stew. The killer chimps and medically induced zombies were interesting.  

Other books that I have read by this author were really quite good. I have not, however, read any with Theo Cray as a main character. Mastermind was a let-down.   

 

Reviewer: Nancy

1010. "The Hive" by Gregg Olsen -- 5 Stars

 

The Hive by Gregg Olsen  -- 5 Stars

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

ISBN: 9781542016469

 

The Hive is multilayer, fast-paced, and complex story of murder and suicide occurring over a period of twenty years. Detective Lindsay Jackson is relentless as she uncovers the truth hidden by a group of women, The Hive, who followed the teachings of a charismatic leader. She twisted them into a cult based on a belief in the powers of nature, especially bees. She convinced them that only by following her teachings could they escape lives that kept them from reaching their full potential. This blind-following led to lies, murder, and secrets. These secrets held for many years led to more death and tragedy.

I enjoyed the plot twists and character development. This is an absolutely enjoyable novel. 

 

Reviewer: Nancy

1009. "Fallen" by Linda Castillo – 5 Stars

Fallen by Linda Castillo – 5 Stars

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

ISBN: 9781250142924  

I have read all the books in the Kate Burkholder series. Each has a unique plot set in the Amish community. Kate has left the community but still has respect for its way of life.

Fallen begins with a brutal murder and the action never lets up. Events in peaceful Painters Mill sometimes turn dark. Kate, its sheriff, does not stop searching until she learns the truth, even when the search becomes life threatening. Her relationship with her fiancé and members of her staff is skillfully woven into the plot, as are descriptions of Amish life and Pennsylvania Dutch language.

I absolutely enjoyed Fallen and as always, I look forward to reading more books in this series.

Reviewer: Nancy

1008. "Wrath of a Minor God" by Anthony Hains – 4 Stars

 

Wrath of a Minor God  by Anthony Hains – 4 Stars

Publisher: BooksGoSocial

ISBN: 9781732388086

 

This is the first time I was afforded the opportunity to read one of this author’s books. My expectation was to read something with mainly present-day horror. It was a bit disappointing that so much of the past re the “vampire”, his possession with reincarnation, and his previous life Dash and Glo experiences. Truly a creative way to get the image across, but much to long when you’re sitting on the edge of your chair waiting for something to actually happen. I put this book down so many times and struggled to get back to it.

 

Despite my expectations and dissatisfaction with not meeting it, the book is very well written and presents beyond normal imagination delivery. Cole Nightshade is the main character and he possesses a special ability to glance at “unclear images” of past events. They come in spurts and he needs to encrypt them, interpret them, and assemble them into a realistic picture. He’s put on a case that involves multiple murders and soon trips his way thorough images that suggest vampire-like killings. The picture he builds is related to an individual who as a child viewed gruesome events performed by his previous life’s killer. Another decade+ later, he borrows those images to exercise present day crimes. His character is built in detail by the author to the point that you learn that the book’s main character just may be him instead of Cole and crew.

 

Overall, I think the author has delivered a fine story. It is short, and really short if you find yourself skimming to get back to the present-day action.

 

 Reviewer: Rich

1007. "Old Mrs. Kimble’s Mansion" by George T. Arnold -- 3 Stars

 

Old Mrs. Kimble’s Mansion by George T. Arnold -- 3 Stars

Publisher: Speaking Volumes

ISBN: ## 9781645403432

 

This book was in the category of mystery/ thriller/ suspense on Amazon and Netgalley, but there was not a hint of mystery until 63% into the story and very little suspense.

There are romantic elements, Christian beliefs, and descriptions of places in West Virginia. Not much was included about the history of the mansion. Forrest redecorated it to his taste to flaunt his wealth to the town. I found characters and parts of the story unbelievable. This book did not live up to its description and stellar reviews. 

 

Reviewer: Nancy

1006. "Dark Secrets of the Bayou" by Kim Carter – 5 Stars

 

Dark Secrets of the Bayou by Kim Carter –  5 Stars

Publisher: Raven South Publishing

ISBN: 9781947140127

  Louisiana is a unique state with a complex history and eerie bayous. It provides the perfect setting for this story and the characters whose sins and secrets carry through generations.

 The plot intertwines the past and present. It begins in 1859 when Emmanuel Sinclair inherits land and goes about becoming very wealthy. His greed and actions affect his family and the town of Kane for many years. When Tink, the current Sinclair descendent, inherits the family estate and comes to Kane, she finds a mansion that in falling to ruin, a town filed with secrets, a gristly murder, and a family curse. 

 The story is interesting throughout. There is history spanning over 150 years. Characters portray the changes in life and attitudes during that period in time. The bayou is described. And, of course, the murders are solved. I absolutely enjoyed this book and thank Netgalley for the opportunity to discover this author and her amazing novel.

 Reviewer: Nancy