Parsad

Yes actually! ;D I know the usual brands I buy and how many sheets are on the 12-16-24 roll packs, including double rolls and MEGA size. Softness counts in the analysis too and I prefer 2 & 3 ply. I don't separate the layers and re-roll into single rolls like some people...that would be just too crazy! :o Cheers!

+1 on this. I wonder who knew about it. I guess we will never know. This is definitely not something that would have been approved by head office in my opinion. I think it happened and then head office was left to deal with the media and consequences. Instead of blowing a milion dollars, Odyssey should have petitioned state and federal governments through education and information...someone should have taken that initiative...instead of simply throwing money at any specific political party. I would not have been happy with this whether it went to Romney or Obama. Just a waste of shareholder money and I deem it something out of the operating mandate of any corporation. Cheers!

Okay, so they want to lobby congress for favourable tax treatment. Why does that cost $1 million in a single donation? And why is it not being undertaken through an industry association which is financially supported by numerous insurers who have common public policy interests? Just as Buffett has suggested that owners ought to focus on "look through earnings" I say we should also focus on "look through donations." My share of ORH's donation is far more than I would ever want to contribute to any US politician...and I do not see the prospective financial return to justify it. SJ Exactly SJ...you nailed it on the head! That's why I'm not pleased at all, and it should not happen again. Cheers!

Yeah, this is just ridiculous! A completely speculative investment in the POSSIBILITY that Romney wins and reduces tax rates. How do you justify this to the owners of the company, who are left with egg on their face and are the ones dealing with the media and fallout. What does this say about the thought process at the subsidiary...someone should be taken to task on this one. There's latitude for the subsidiaries and then there is just stupid...someone made a stupid decision at Odyssey. Cheers!

Bloomberg article on the lawsuit. Cheers! http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-10-05/mbia-knew-of-risks-behind-mortgages-bofa-s-countrywide-says-1-.html?cmpid=yhoo

Article on U.S. bank deposits. Cheers! http://www.snl.com/InteractiveX/Article.aspx?cdid=A-15932209-13101

Maybe Fairfax should put in a call to XL Foods and see if they need any financing or a partner. XL would be the equivalent of National Beef in Canada and supplies virtually every grocery store and retail food outlet. They also have a processing plant in Nebraska and supply some stores there too. On another note, this should be great for National Beef! Cheers! http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/xl-foods-admits-its-processes-were-not-enough/article4589815/

Yes, this is very good news for Fairfax. With their partner in ICICI Lombard, they will be the largest private insurer in India. As the middle class continues to grow over the next 20-30 years, this portion of the business will become very large...probably not unlike the growth we've seen in Fairfax Asia over the last 5-6 years. Cheers!

Article on subprime mortgage bonds. Cheers! http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-10-04/subprime-up-as-funds-target-shrinking-market-mortgages.html?cmpid=yhoo

The thing with VIC is that you have to be invited, and you have to submit an idea. There are many people here who do not want to post but just read and lurk, so they would not be able to get into VIC. The forum is also a way for us to organize events or gatherings for board members in specific cities, such as Berkshire's AGM, Pabrai Funds AGM, and especially the Fairfax AGM where about 110-120 of our board members attended in April. I expect that number to hit closer to 170-180 at next year's dinner. Cheers!

Good article on how banks continue to be hated, while making the largest profits since the peak of the mortgage heydays. I especially love this quote...this guy is the head of PWC's financial advisory practice in New York...one of the dumbest things I've ever heard: “We may be on the verge of a new kind of banking crisis, and that’s a banking crisis where no one wants to own any banks as an investor,” said John Garvey, head of the financial- advisory practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in New York. “The future looks very dim.” http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-10-03/no-joy-on-wall-street-as-biggest-banks-earn-63-billion.html Cheers!

Professor Jeremy Harris Lipschultz recorded this video of Buffett at the Omaha Press Club back in 1992. Thanks to Shai for sending me the article! Cheers! http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeremy-harris-lipschultz/analog-warren-buffett-and_b_1920959.html

Article on Wilbur Ross. Love listening to what he has to say! Cheers! http://www.thestreet.com/story/11726738/1/distressed-investing-king-ross-loves-the-mortgage-market-exclusive.html?puc=yahoo&cm_ven=YAHOO

I'm not a particularly huge fan of Ellison, but he is a remarkably interesting fellow. Cheers! http://finance.yahoo.com/news/why-does-larry-ellison-4-151813692.html;_ylt=AuztwhmBOjz9UVn.sAS.412iuYdG;_ylu=X3oDMTQ4cjdqb2ZlBG1pdANDTkJDIFRvcCBTdG9yaWVzBHBrZwM0MjJiNDFjOS1jNGJjLTMxZDAtYTVkNy1mOTc2Nzk1ZTYzYTAEcG9zAzEEc2VjA01lZGlhQkxpc3RNaXhlZExQQ0FUZW1wBHZlcgNjZjQ3NTQwOC0wZDcxLTExZTItYmRmZS0wN2E4Nzg5Y2ZmMzA-;_ylg=X3oDMTFpNzk0NjhtBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANob21lBHB0A3NlY3Rpb25z;_ylv=3

Apparently the apple doesn't fall far from the tree...Charlie's children seem to be as independent-minded as he is. And they are driving Jerry Brown nuts! Cheers! http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/03/usa-elections-california-idUSL1E8KRJ0720121003?feedType=RSS&feedName=industrialsSector&rpc=43

Interview with David Winters of the Wintergreen Fund. Cheers! http://www.bloomberg.com/video/railroads-are-indicator-of-economy-winters-says-n22XypMjR1KGYCLjFau31Q.html?cmpid=yhoo

The charts look to me like they are contrary indicators if you look at historical net short and the actual results of the Dow. These guys are retarded! Markets are now fair-valued, but there are still pockets of cheap stocks. I'm not buying the market, and we still have a fair amount of cash. Just buy things that are really cheap and ignore all of the other crap and what anyone else is doing. Cheers!

More detailed Bloomberg article: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-10-02/jpmorgan-rivals-face-billions-in-damages-after-mbs-case.html?cmpid=yhoo Cheers!

Get rid of two small railroads and add two huge wind farms. Cheers! http://www.cnbc.com/id/49258987

Here you go: http://www.investeem.com/2012/01/does-price-reflect-value.html Cheers!

Looks like Berkshire actually contacted the STB regarding the two small railroads, and said that they had been overlooked. Berkshire will sell them by the end of the year. STB should actually thank Berkshire for coming forward and correcting the oversight, since the STB did not notice anything when the BNSF deal was consummated. Cheers! http://finance.yahoo.com/news/berkshire-hathaway-selling-2-short-150233989.html

He's too smart so far. There is nothing to implicate him other than that his firm has a culture of unethical conduct within its ranks. Hopefully eventually they nail him. Cheers!

In regards to the "Lifetime Member" tag. Everyone is a lifetime member once enrolled, but I will switch over Regular Members to Lifetime Member status once they hit the required number of posts. It doesn't mean anything different for members, other than how much you've contributed to the board by posting...which is really the foundation of the board, and does mean alot. Cheers!

It's ok, now you know how Kobe Bryant feels! ;D Speaking of which...I'm pretty excited to see this Lakers team in action...another ring! Cheers!

I don't think prizes are necessarily a good incentive for people to post. For those who feel $20 or $100 or a book is worth it, they will post, but I don't think it will incentivize those for whom those items aren't as valuable. For example, there are people on this board that buy a book almost every week, who are incredibly intelligent and very good investors...why would they be incentivized to compete for a book they already own and have read? I've always found that the best incentive is approval by your peers and other investors you admire. The people who post on here, do so because they have a sense of community, they find value in the ideas themselves, and are passionate about finding nuggets of value. I'm not interested in getting the lowest common denominators competing for $20 because they would not be incentivized to contribute any other way. We attract good investors and ideas, because we like the people we are sharing them with...whether we agree or disagree...there is a level of respect for other investors on here and those that read the board. They don't post and share their ideas here for the possibility of nominal prizes. The prize is finding the idea and seeing it unfold before other investors eyes...especially if they couldn't see it! ;D Cheers!