10/29   I made a mistake on my day trade and I'm wondering how that affects
        my tax. Let's say I bought 1 share of X for $10 (call it X1) and
        another share of X for $14 (call it X2). When X went up to $12, I
        decided to sell X1 for a profit of 12-10=$2. However, Etrade
        executed my X2, meaning I have a real loss of 12-14=$-2. Let's say,
        hypothetically, that X goes to $16 and I sell X2 for a profit of
        16-10=$6. Is there a different tax scenario given the two scenarios?
        Sum of (12-14) + (16-10) = $4 (what actually happened)
        Sum of (12-10) + (16-14) = $4 (what I intended it to happen)
        \_ The IRS views transactions as first-in, first-out.  So they
           will take the second view.  If you've closed out both positions,
           it doesn't make a difference; if you still held one position,
           they would look at $12-$10.  -tom
           \_ So I can't write off the first one as capital loss of $2?
              Darn I was hoping I could do something clever. Oh well.
              Thanks tom that's pretty helpful.
           \_ Actually, you can designate which shares you sell but this
              needs to be done in writing and in advance of the sale. This
              is the "specific shares" method. There is also the
              double-category method where you have "long-term" shares and
              "short-term" shares. The "average cost" method is when the
              IRS decides long/short-term based on FIFO, but that is for
              mutual fund shares only AFAIK. Consult your tax advisor.
        \_ See how dumb this is?  Support the FairTax.

10/29   Dear motd Republicans: you're about to lose. You should take some
        time and look in the mirror. The majority wants change. Look in
        the mirror, and think why your ideology is dated, and what you
        need to change. Better luck next time!
        \_ Congratulations on getting more than 50.1% of the popular vote
           for the first time since 1964. Even a broken clock is right
           twice a day.
           \_ The Republicans had to preside over a stock market crash,
              dragged-out war, and nominate a 70-year old geezer with an
              airhead sidekick to get to this point, and it's still in
              doubt.
              \_ LOL

10/29   The Bitch is Back, or 1974's Greatest Hits all over again:
        http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,908956,00.html

10/30   I bet Obama wishes he never met Joe The Plumber
        \_ Why is that?  Because JTP turned out to be a Republican
           hack?
        \_ Obama's responses is being twisted in all kinds of ways into
           SOCIALISM.
           \_ so?
              \_ oh i dont think he's a socialist.  I dont think McCain is
                 evil.  I just think Obama is going to win.  When your
                 opponent starts whining about the evil media, you know he
                 know's he's toast.
                 \_ What does that have to do with why Obama might wish he
                    never met Joe the Plumber?

10/30   I really want to get on the Republican talking point mailing list.
        Do you think they conf call?  AIM each other?  SOCIALIST.

10/30   is there a hyperbaric chamber in the bay area i can rent a few days?
        I want to go into deep freeze until Nov. 7th.
        \_ Sounds like a solid plan to me. Just remember to vote first.
        \- dont you mean a sensory depreivation tank?
        \- dont you mean a CNN depreivation tank?

10/30   YES WE CAN

10/30   It'll be funny if McCain fails to win in Arizona.
        \_ Not gonna happen.  Unfortunately.
           \_ It is definitely in play.
                \_ not really. 538 gives Obama a 3% shot at AZ.
                   \_ Intrade has the line at 19%. Granted there are 11
                      states are are more "in play" but it is possibly one
                      of them, especially if undecided voters break heavily
                      to Obama, which they are likey to do.
                      to Obama, which they might do.

10/30   I need to stock up on guns. Obama is going to outlaw guns
                                                        -Republican
        \_ I don't think Obama is particularly pro or anti gun.
        \_ Yes, buy guns, gold and beans and move into your bomb shelter
           for the next four years.
           \_ I'd go with 40 just to be safe.

10/30   The Empire Strikes Back is such a great movie
        \_ we're not at that movie yet, dude!
           Luke's ship streaks through the trench of the Death Star.
           \_ ob this is annoying, you are not funny/clever
            \_ At all.  It's like watching some pathetic nerd trying
               to hit on the hottest girl in the room, but without
               even having that amusing "watch someone fail miserably"
               factor.
               \_ dans gets laid ALL OF THE TIME
                \_ He isn't the most pathetic nerd in the room.  He's
                   just the most slapable nerd in the room.
           \_ did you get any of those things from the actual script,
              or was it all from memory?

10/30   Why is a vote for Barack Obama a vote for the death of Israel?
        \_ I'm excited about President Blackman
           \_ Because he has no Holocaust Guilt.

10/30   WELL KNOWN SOCIALIST RAG THE ECONOMIST ENDORSES OBAMA
        http://www.economist.com/world/unitedstates/displayStory.cfm?story_id=12516666&source=features_box_main
        \_ Sounds great.  Are they atoning yet for endorsing Bush?
           \_ I thought they endorsed Kerry last time around.
               \_  Well they definitely endorsed W in 2000.
                   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Economist_editorial_stance

10/30   Obama transliterates to "He is with us" in Persian. Oo bah mah.

10/30   YOU ARE ALL JOE THE PLUMBER
        \_ The Obama Administration's slogan will be
           THEN SURELY THE PARTY OF GOD ARE THEY WHO WILL BE TRIUMPHANT
           \_ I like OSAMA, HERO OF ISLAM
           \_ Obama transliterates to "He is with us" in Persian. Oo bah mah.
           \_ Obama transliterates to "He will impale us" in Persian.
              Oo bah mah.
              \_ Are you sure it isn't "He who feeds on the blood of
                 the innocent"?  Oob ahm ah.

10/30   50 Moby Thesaurus words for "SOCIALISM":
        Fabian socialism, Fabianism, Marxian socialism, Marxism, Nazism,
        Saint-Simonism, centralism, collective farm, collective ownership,
        collectivism, collectivity, collegiality, common ownership,
        communal effort, communion, communism, community,
        constitutionalism, cooperation, cooperative society, democracy,
        democratism, fascism, federalism, feudalism, feudality,
        governmentalism, guild socialism, imperialism, kibbutz, kolkhoz,
        monarchism, national socialism, nationalization, neofascism,
        parliamentarianism, parliamentarism, phalansterism, pluralism,
        political principles, profit sharing, public ownership,
        republicanism, royalism, sharecropping, state ownership,
        state socialism, statism, town meeting, utopian socialism
        \_ Fucking constitutionalists
        \_ "royalism"?

10/30   Has anyone used a Carl Zeiss Planar lens? What does it give you
        that other lenses do not? Just curious.

10/30   Top 100 companies to work for. Yahoo is higher than Google!
        http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/HotJobs100
        \_ I wonder who owns HotJobs, the people who make that list.
        \_ Having worked at both PwC and Apple, my guess is that this list
           is significantly worse than "random".

10/30   HISTORY OF IMPALING IN WAR, now on the history channel

10/30   Who will have the hottest post election President sex, Obama McCain
        Biden Paolo or Palin?
        \_ Obama on Hillary.
           http://www.hogrockcafe.com/Obama%20Hillary%20Clinton.jpg
           \_ NSFW

10/30   Does a AT&T laptop connect card work in Ireland?

10/30   Ever wonder why Ghadafi was sleeping in a tent behind his mansion
        instead of in it, that day we bombed it? Turns out our "allies"
        tipped him off:
        http://tinyurl.com/6crt3g
        \_ Why didn't he just leave the site altogether?
           \-Muammar has left the building.