![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/AGNCOverFiveYears.jpg\" "\\"AGNCOverFiveYears\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\nPretty stable?<\/p>\n
I read AGNC’s 2011 annual report. I prefer reading their stuff more than NLY’s, because AGNC is more down to earth.\u00a0 AGNC had several neat charts:<\/p>\n
AGNC is currently yielding 18.14% — an amazingly high return, which reflects the strong (though declining diividend payout) and the fact there’s little growth in the traditional listed corporate security sense. 90% of its earnings must be paid out in a dividend — and of course, the mortgage REITs (like AGNC) atract a lot of bad ink on all the financial blogs. Before you do anything read AGNC’s 2011 annual report — or at least the introductory pages.ONe sentence that blew me away: “During 2011, the 10-year U.S. Treasury rate fell from 3.30% to 1.88%.”<\/p>\n For the full annual report, click here.<\/strong><\/a> When I buy stock in a company, I buy the management. This one has done a perfectly fine job of managing their company in very volatile times. I’m buying some more AGNC on the next small pullback.<\/p>\n I don’t like what’s happening with Google shares. Larry and Sergey have sold many of their shares. But they still want to retain control. Hence they now have separate classes of shares. One for control for them. One one for the rest of us. I like their search business. But they are violating their own motto about doing no evil. I suspect with the split the shares will go up. Item: my local pizza guy things Google and Apple are “too expensive.” He prefers to lose money on cheaper shares, like ERF and TBT. I don’t make this up.<\/p>\n New trends in food.<\/strong><\/span> Can you fail in food?Here are some new popiular trends I see in New York. This is the first of what will be a chain.<\/p>\n This is what you get for $4.35.\u00a0 Two bits of bread. One large meatball. Lots of tomato sauce. It was delicious.<\/p>\n Just off Park Avenue in the fifties lives:<\/p>\n Surrounding BlackRock is a battalion of food trucks, some of which include:<\/p>\n Morris sells the best grilled cheese sandwiches in New York City.<\/p>\n More computer tricks:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n +\u00a0 Get two identical decent networked printers. when one is jammed, switch to the other. Gets your work and your fingers clean.<\/p>\n + Uninstall (i.e. remove) software you’re not using, and don’t install software you may never use. Install new software on an old test machine. 90% of the time, you won’t like the new software.<\/p>\n + Don’t let your machine upgrade software. It will become bloatware and slow. It does make sense to upgrade your operating system and your anti-virus software.<\/p>\n + don’t open any attachments — even from your friends — without checking with them first.<\/p>\n The cheapest way to communicate to and from overseas.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n + Carry a laptop, an iPhone, or an iPad. Load it with Skype. Hook up on WiFi. Call using Skype to Skype. It’s totally free.<\/p>\n + Carry an unlocked GSM phone and buy a local SIM card.<\/p>\n + Unlock your Verizon world phone or AT&T iPhone and insert a local GSM SIM card. Both AT&T and Verizon will unlock their phones if you ask them and you have used the phone long enough.<\/p>\n + Your Verizon or AT&T phone will work overseas. You have to arrange the calling before you leave. It’s not cheap. But you will be reachable in emergencies. No one said you had to gossip from overseas as you do here.<\/p>\n + Use email over WiFi.<\/p>\n + Use your phone’s SMS messaging. But this can add up also. Or use this web site: TxtDrop.com<\/strong><\/a>, <\/strong>which is free.<\/p>\n The latest Borowitz Report:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n April 12, 2012 KINGS COUNTY, CA (The Borowitz Report) – Serial killer Charles Manson was denied parole yesterday, effectively ending his bid for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.<\/p>\n With Mr. Manson no longer a contender, the path appears to be clear for former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney to become the party’s nominee.<\/p>\n Perhaps in recognition of this development, Mr. Romney unveiled a new campaign slogan today: “Sorry, But You Have No Other Choices Now.”<\/p>\n As for the rest of the GOP field, former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum suspended his campaign this week, saying that he wanted “to spend more time with the voices in my head.”<\/p>\n And former House Speaker Newt Gingrich wrote a $500 check on an account that had no money in it, in the first sign that he might be qualified to be President.<\/p>\n Elsewhere, a Fox News spokesman blasted a mole who had previously worked for the network: “At Fox News we have zero tolerance for someone who tells the truth.”<\/p>\n My favorite New Yorker cover.<\/strong><\/span> Tells everything you wanted to know about the “joys” of travel.<\/p>\n Harry Newton who wonders if Claritin is not the magic (short-term) “cure” for hayfever and its horrid symptoms. The thing I have transforms itself each day — from coughing to sneezing to aches and pains. I pray the Claritin will finally kick in today. The culprit — New York City n the springtime. Taken yesterday.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
\nCharles Manson Denied Parole, Effectively Ending His Bid for Republican Presidential Nomination
\nClears Path for Romney<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>
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