Gary² and the Chipster: the bullying! the lying! Options

[Herschelkrustofsky]

Who is Richard Dennis? According to Wikipedia,

a former commodities speculator known as the "Prince of the Pit,"[1] was born in Chicago, in January, 1949. In the early 1970s, he borrowed several thousand dollars and reportedly made $200 million in about ten years.

Both Richard Dennis and Chip Berlet were born in Chicago in 1949.

Perhaps more significantly, the WP article reveals that "He is the president of the Dennis Trading Group Inc. and the vice-chairman of C&D Commodities, a former chairman of the advisory board of the Drug Policy Alliance, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Cato Institute." So he's on the drug legalization team, along with Chip's former employer High Times, as well as on the Randroid/libertarian bandwagon with the Cato Institute (and Jimbo.)

[nobs]

Who is Richard Dennis? According to Wikipedia,

a former commodities speculator known as the "Prince of the Pit,"[1] was born in Chicago, in January, 1949. In the early 1970s, he borrowed several thousand dollars and reportedly made $200 million in about ten years.

Both Richard Dennis and Chip Berlet were born in Chicago in 1949.

Perhaps more significantly, the WP article reveals that "He is the president of the Dennis Trading Group Inc. and the vice-chairman of C&D Commodities, a former chairman of the advisory board of the Drug Policy Alliance, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Cato Institute." So he's on the drug legalization team, along with Chip's former employer High Times, as well as on the Randroid/libertarian bandwagon with the Cato Institute (and Jimbo.)

Just for you, HK, here's some more (excerpted):

Lexux-Nexus,

Copyright 1984 McGraw-Hill, Inc.
Securities Week

May 21, 1984

SECTION: FINANCIAL FUTURES COMMODITIES REPORT; Pg. 7

LENGTH: 692 words

HEADLINE: INDUSTRY OUTRAGED OVER "TIMES" ARTICLE ATTACKING COMMODITIES TRADING
BODY:
It's been a rough month for the futures industry. A well-publicized lawsuit against ContiCommodity [note:in Chicago] alleges improper claims of big profits followed by major losses for retail investors in sugar-cocoa arbitrage. Several principals at defunct commodity firm Nelson Ghun & Co. have been indicted for fraudulently promising investors windfall profits. Insurance broker Marsh & McLennan's losses have been tangentially tied to futures trading, while tales of imminent terror were surfacing at the Chicago Board of Trade and its clearing corporation over bankruptcy rumors at Continental Illinois and Trust. The publicity peeved industry officials, but nothing seemed to rouse ire quite so violently as a New York Times article on Mother's Day, characterizing commodity firms as only a step removed from your neighborhood dope peddler.

The article, titled "The Sting in Commodities trading," was written by John Train, president of an investment advisory firm in New York. Train focused on the spec trader, arguing that this untutored soul is off on a road to ruin when he knocks on a commodity broker's door. Train offered Sunday Times readers what industry veterans called traditional bugaboos, declaring futures "a form of gambling" promising "big profits on modest investments." He contrasted the allegedly sound capital-formation purposes of equity investment (putting "savings to work by owning shares in businesses that offer a satisfactory return") with commodity speculation, in which the primary "purpose of the system would seem to be to fleece the customer, not to help him." The "under-informed outsider is virtually certain to lose his money if he keeps at it," Train wrote, and even professional floor traders face odds "worse than cancer" when it comes to making money.

Futures commission merchant houses were the villains of the piece. Train alleged that ". . . most brokerages push commodities hard, since the commissions it throws off are large and lucrative." He added, "Only a handful of the big brokerage houses . . . [have been] scrupulous enough to resist setting up commodities departments." ......

[dtobias]

Perhaps more significantly, the WP article reveals that "He is the president of the Dennis Trading Group Inc. and the vice-chairman of C&D Commodities, a former chairman of the advisory board of the Drug Policy Alliance, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Cato Institute." So he's on the drug legalization team, along with Chip's former employer High Times, as well as on the Randroid/libertarian bandwagon with the Cato Institute (and Jimbo.)

You say that like there's something wrong with it.

[nobs]

Who is Richard Dennis? According to Wikipedia,

a former commodities speculator known as the "Prince of the Pit,"[1] was born in Chicago, in January, 1949. In the early 1970s, he borrowed several thousand dollars and reportedly made $200 million in about ten years.

Both Richard Dennis and Chip Berlet were born in Chicago in 1949.

Perhaps more significantly, the WP article reveals that "He is the president of the Dennis Trading Group Inc. and the vice-chairman of C&D Commodities, a former chairman of the advisory board of the Drug Policy Alliance, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Cato Institute." So he's on the drug legalization team, along with Chip's former employer High Times, as well as on the Randroid/libertarian bandwagon with the Cato Institute (and Jimbo.)

Jimbo's bio says, "From 1994–2000, Wales served as research director at Chicago Options Associates, a futures and options trader in Chicago." By 1994, Richard Dennis made his millions and got into other ventures. And there is a semi-generational difference between the two. But it may be safe to speculate that Jimbo was a protege of either his book or his "turtles", as Dennis's bio says,

Dennis believed that successful trading was an activity that could be learned, rather than an innate ability. To settle this dispute with William Eckhardt, a friend and fellow trader, in 1983 Dennis recruited and trained 13 people who became known as the "turtles." Many turtles have gone on to successful careers as commodity trading advisors.

So if you were 28 years old and going to work on the Chicago commodity exchanges, you'd probably follow in the footsteps of the most recent self-made millionaire legend from the same environs. While Dennis went on to purchase and advise Presidents, Jimbo was starting up a dot com business. Meantime Berlet hooked onto the Richard Dennis gravy train.

This post has been edited by nobs: Wed 3rd October 2007, 12:48am

[GlassBeadGame]

Who is Richard Dennis? According to Wikipedia,

a former commodities speculator known as the "Prince of the Pit,"[1] was born in Chicago, in January, 1949. In the early 1970s, he borrowed several thousand dollars and reportedly made $200 million in about ten years.

Both Richard Dennis and Chip Berlet were born in Chicago in 1949.

Perhaps more significantly, the WP article reveals that "He is the president of the Dennis Trading Group Inc. and the vice-chairman of C&D Commodities, a former chairman of the advisory board of the Drug Policy Alliance, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Cato Institute." So he's on the drug legalization team, along with Chip's former employer High Times, as well as on the Randroid/libertarian bandwagon with the Cato Institute (and Jimbo.)

Jimbo's bio says, "From 1994–2000, Wales served as research director at Chicago Options Associates, a futures and options trader in Chicago." By 1994, Richard Dennis made his millions and got into other ventures. And there is a semi-generational difference between the two. But it may be safe to specualte that Jimbo was a protege of either his book or his "turtles", as Dennis's bio says,

Dennis believed that successful trading was an activity that could be learned, rather than an innate ability. To settle this dispute with William Eckhardt, a friend and fellow trader, in 1983 Dennis recruited and trained 13 people who became known as the "turtles." Many turtles have gone on to successful careers as commodity trading advisors.

So if you were 28 years old and going to work on the Chicago commodity exchanges, you'd probably follow in the footsteps of the most recent self-made millionaire legend from the same environs. While Dennis went on to purchase and advise Presidents, Jimbo was starting up a dot com business. Meantime Berlet hooked onto the Richard Dennis gravy train.

This is starting to flesh out rather nicely.

[Piperdown]

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=...oldid=158758673

Cliffb reverted as "sockpuppet of banned user". Nevermind that a quick wikipedia review of Cliffb's editing reveals no such thing.

Samiharris is out of control.

Good thing tag teamer Gary...er...um...Mantanmoreland is there to revert, so "samiharris" doesn't get a 3RR.

You're right. This is deeply corrupt and something needs to be done. Like... yesterday. Once someone like Cliffb gets reverted as a Wordbomb sock puppet by stooges, then the situation has clearly gone way too far.

I haven't paid much attention to this business, but it is obvious now that Mantanmoreland, who as far as we know is still protected by shadowy admins at WP, is given carte blanche to manipulate the public's perception of naked short selling via the use of wikipedia. Why? I'd like to know.

Somey recently concluded that Gary Weiss was largely the reason the Review exists. Weiss and Chip Berlet, who is also given special protection on WP for reasons that have never been explained, have debased any ideals other WP editors might have had when they embarked on editing. Of course, we all know the name of the high profile female Canadian admin who implemented this duel protection racket. Again, why? I don't know.

Attempts to rfc these situations, and bring them to eyes of "the community" have been immediately deleted and silenced. See this and this if you don't believe it. Why? I don't know.

With the Badsites/harrassment nonsense (ever read the Madness of Wikicrowds?) over and the poor "victims" satiated and put into Wikialias Protection Programs (how ya doin, Sunsplash?), it appears that that old crucible of Wikipedia Conflicts of Interest, Autobiography, and Administrative Favoritism Over a Chip/Fry Slight, the Gary Weiss article, has been opened up for an RFC:

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=...oldid=165437487

That Cla68 indicates is to be played out here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Req...r_comment/Cla68

Looks like some folks think Patrick Byrne's BLP deserves equal weights of the good and the bad, but Gary Weiss's promo just requires the good only. New York Times, New York Post (OK, that one is an utter waste of paper), Julian Robertson, BusinessWeek (ironically Gary's bitter ex-love) et al be damned....I'd put better than even odds on more reliable sources in this article's future rearing their heads.

This post has been edited by Piperdown: Fri 19th October 2007, 12:16am