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"In a period like this, the way you make money coming out of it is to own the things where the fundamentals have not been impaired." Such are the words of investment guru Jim Rogers.

In a quick yet effective interview with CNBC, Jim Rogers laid out his concerns about the way in which boiling financial troubles are being handled. Rogers lays responsibility directly at the feet of Ben Bernanke and crew, with a side plate of crow for some of the biggest Wall Street talking heads. Rogers warns that the practice of throwing cash at this problem, with the intention of providing liquidity from the top down, is an unquestionable recipe for inflationary disaster. I would hasten to agree with him.

Jim Rogers indicates his opinion that this entire economic disaster needs to be allowed to self adjust. In the mean time, he counsels investors to be carefully placing their money in positions which, while possibly being liquidated, remain fundamentally sound. He points at commodities, which are physical retainers of true value, as instruments of some protection. He does indicate though, that he has taken some losses in commodities. It is my opinion that commodities are currently swinging downward on profit taking and shall soon begin another upward phase.

Rogers also gave his opinion that the G7 needs to have a beer and leave this mess alone. He sees the artificial propping up of world banks as futile. "We had the worst excesses we had in credit markets in world history. We're going to have to take some pain," Rogers told CNBC.

It's like this, folks: If you built a dam, and after the dam was full you discovered that there was no mortar between the bricks, you wouldn't build a new dam in front of the old one, hoping it would hold when everything lets go. Instead, you would warn the people in the valley about what was coming and you'd let the dam collapse. Then, you'd try to control the carnage and you'd build a better dam ---- using different contractors.

But of course, that's just my opinion.

As the ever-increasing stench of socialism wafts from the halls of our legislative branch, one must take pause to wonder exactly how we got to where we are today economically. Yes, I know that there has been a lot of pausing and wondering going on lately. What ticks me off is that it seems that very few of those who are pausing and wondering seem to be able to form the words to express the reality of what they have determined to be true, which is: that the single most significant root cause for today's economic dilemma is the erosion of income for the American middle class private sector.

For the purposes of this piece, I'll state that I consider the "middle class" to be those workers who earn between $14,000 and $125,000 per year. That covers just about every worker from entry level manufacturing to first tier management. We create the bulk of real wages that move throughout this country. We also pay virtually all of the taxes in this country. Never mind that corporations pay huge sums in corporate taxes every year, because the fact of the matter is, they collect those sums from us at the consumer level. Yes, we pay those corporate tax bills, and we know it.

If there's one great advantage to the failed $700 billion bailout bill, it is this: America has just been given one undeniable opportunity to see which side of the fence the bear squats on. In other words, we can now see exactly who is serving whom.

A majority of Republicans voted against the bailout bill. A majority of Democrats voted for it. So, who's kidding who? Who is serving their constituents? By all accounts that I've heard and read, Republican representatives are saying that they voted the bill down because their constituents were split on the matter 50/50. Fifty percent said no, the other fifty percent said hell no! Yes, we know this could hurt us a bit, but delaying the inevitable would hurt worse.

Your best investment today, in my humble opinion, is to go to Congress.org to review exactly how your personal representatives in government voted on the $700 billion bailout package. Then, armed with the facts, support the candidates who took your position on the most important piece of fiscal legislation brought to the floor in our lifetimes.

Pardon me Washington, but your slip is showing . . .

In this post, Gary E. Sattler tries to explain Main Street to Wall Street. Gary asked his friends and neighbors, took a virtual tour and asked his eBay's message board frequenters what they thought of the crisis on Wall Street and the looming economic crisis. Read what Main Street has to say.

I've spent quite a bit of time lately canvassing friends, neighbors and coworkers, to get a feel for the grassroots reaction to our current economic turmoil. I even went so far as to solicit opinions from discussion board frequenters on eBay. It's been an interesting exercise, if a bit heart wrenching and emotionally wearing. To say the least, it's been a lot less fun than going to a ball game.

A couple weeks ago, I didn't hear much spontaneous conversation about the subject. At that time, I had to solicit individual opinions. For the last week, however, it's been quite a different story. People have begun discussing their opinions on the matter in earnest. Everywhere I go, someone is talking about how disgusted they are with the current economy.

How people are feeling is best summed up in one word -- angry. That anger runs the gamut from slightly agitated to positively fuming. Each person's level of anger seems to be dependent upon their depth of understanding about what is going on, and their interpretation of how deeply it affects them personally. Generally speaking, the more they understand it, the angrier they are. Age also seems to play a significant part in determining the individual level of angst with the situation. People over 40 seem to be the most upset, while most people under 20 almost couldn't care less. This dynamic is probably best attributed to the severe beating that retirement savings have taken, the tendency for incomes to level off as we age, and an increased understanding of what a widespread economic collapse could mean to us all.

This post is part of our Ads Gone Bad series. Share your thoughts and memories of this ad in the comments, and be sure to check out our other posts on marketing gone wrong.

No doubt you've heard the expression, "You're setting a bad example." Perhaps the most interesting application of the concept that I've ever witnessed was the strict scolding received by General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM) in regard to a $5 million television ad . In that television advertisement, which was intended to promote GM's quality obsession, a cute but ill-fated assembly line robot imagines itself committing suicide by jumping from a bridge after making a slight error.

Sometimes, it's hard to determine if major investors are being overly optimistic, outright daffy, or are simply seeing something that the rest of us just don't see.

In my view, the current course of events at Chrysler Corp. is one of those difficult to determine situations. On its face, it looks like it could be a case of basic business logic in action. But on closer examination, it just doesn't make sense, at least not to me.

Declaring a payoff horizon of ten years, Cerberus Capital Management has placed a great deal of faith in Chrysler, the American auto manufacturer which is best described these days as an also ran. The kicker is, the Cerberus ten year plan is being initiated at a time when auto industry profitability is near impossible. Consider also the fact that current Chrysler management openly admits that the company isn't in any condition to go it alone.

And there's more trouble in the mix. Cerberus said in a New York Times story that Chrysler is meeting "every financial metric." But Cerberus considers the world's current economic turmoil to be a temporary problem, not the economic world change that it actually is. Meanwhile, Chrysler CEO Bob Nardelli is smiling because Cerberus has given Chrysler lots of money, and he gets to cut heads.

This post is one in a series on prominent company nicknames. See all 25, and share your thoughts and memories about the Peacock Network below in the comments.

Perhaps more visually recognizable than any other television symbol today, NBC's colorful peacock logo and nickname encompass far more depth and history than simply having been a tool of recognition for NBC Television, subsidiary of General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE). Beyond simply identifying network programs in the age when NBC and CBS began applying the color palette to broadcast television, NBC's peacock was charged with the awesome task of informing and convincing the parents of the baby boomer generation that color television had arrived, it was good, and they wanted it. The peacock was assigned the monumental task of engaging the public. Indeed, it has performed that job to perfection.

I grew up fully addicted to television, and NBC's peacock long heralded the appearance of many of my favorite shows. Bonanza, NBC's first serious success in color broadcast television, was a weekly treat for me, as it was for millions of other enchanted TV viewers. Accordingly, by the time color television promotion had begun to move consumers to purchase the new color television sets, which sold for approximately $1,000 initially, the NBC peacock, which had begun its glorious life as a simple static image, learned how to fan its tail feathers in a motion indicative of the sweeping changes the television age would come to initiate.

Until man orbited the earth, television was perhaps the single greatest technological achievement since Henry Ford had put automobiles into mass production. Since the coming of color television in 1956, the NBC peacock has been a television communications fixture, and NBC television is respectfully referred to as "The Peacock Network" by people and publications throughout the industry. It can be said that very few other company logos have stood as representative for changes that have affected so many people, so very deeply, for such a long time.

This post is one in a series on prominent company nicknames. See all 25, and share your thoughts and memories about Home Despot below in the comments.

One of the most unfortunate of company nicknames that I have ever been witness to, is the distasteful tag of homage that has been bestowed upon Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD). Even more disconcerting than the nickname itself, is the fact that it was bestowed on the company not from outside sources, but from within the company's own hierarchy. "Home Despot" is a name that shall long remain the legacy of one well-jettisoned corporate executive. Home Despot is the name that distinctly belongs to Bob Nardelli, a man who took his own personal neuroses and bound a great corporation with them.

I could feel the effects of the Home Despot when I entered one of the company's retail locations in my neighborhood. Though the store was always tidy and quiet, it had a tight and smothering feel to it. Associates were always available to show me where specific merchandise was, but they were never friendly or engaging. They always seemed afraid to get involved. It was quite a stark contrast to the Menard's store where I definitely preferred to shop. At that store I always felt welcome, and it always felt like things were going on.

I have moved away from the Home Depot store since then, so I can't say if the effects of the Home Despot still linger there. I can however, say that the name itself still does. It's an unfortunate reality that negative nicknames often have a tendency to hang around far longer than the good ones do. I can only hope that the man who gave spawn to the concepts that deserved that nasty title, took with him all the negative sentiment such a name entails. Home Depot never deserved such a negative association, and I think that Bob Nardelli never deserved Home Depot.

This post is one in a series on prominent company nicknames. See all 25, and share your thoughts and memories about Big Blue below in the comments.

Although there shall probably always remain unanswered speculation as to exactly how the nickname came to be, most people in business or industry today know, when you mention Big Blue, you're talking about IBM, International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE: IBM). It's a name that invokes a respect of power, much in the same way that motorists pull aside for a fire engine or stop for a moving train. As reflected in the three letter company logo, Big Blue is solid and steady, yet quite on the move.

People have attributed the company nickname to a past company dress code, when employees were required to wear white shirts and most of them wore blue suits. That theory seems a bit shallow to me. Besides, that policy was done away with in the 1990s by CEO, Lou Gerstner. Since that time, I haven't noticed anyone calling IBM, Big Business Casual.

A second theory about the company moniker follows a more logical theme. It relies on the fact that IBM uses blue for its company logo and equipment, blue being a color that denotes strength. People also naturally associate blue with largeness, similar to the sky, the oceans, and even outer space. When used in context, people just know what big company you're talking about when you use the name. For instance, if I asked my step-mom; "How are you and Big Blue doing?" she'd immediately know I was referring to one of her independent engineering contracts with IBM.

A lot was said this past week in regard to the SEC attack on rumor mongering and willful misrepresentation of facts for the benefit of naked short sellers. One point that I'd like to make perfectly clear is this: The SEC's indicated desire to quash the spreading of false negative information by, and for the benefit of, manipulative short sellers, is nothing even remotely akin to a First Amendment issue. The First Amendment does not give protection to slanderers, liars, and sabotage artists. I'd also like to make clear my opinion that honest short selling is a positive, healthy, and necessary practice. I believe it helps to define and benchmark real value within the markets.

The Los Angels Times reported that SEC Chairman Christopher Cox may have his hands full in the wake of a measure that protects nearly two dozen large financial firms from naked short selling. The measure requires "anyone effecting a short sale in these securities (to) arrange beforehand to borrow the securities and deliver them at settlement." It's a rule that is long over due for enforcement and that shall most probably, at least temporarily, lay to rest some serious market abuses.

Park Falls Wisconsin is just like any of the hundreds of other bustling small towns across America. At least, it was until Monday July 14, 2008. That was the day when it was announced that the Department of Energy had awarded a $30 million grant for the construction and operation of a bio-refinery at the existing Flambeau River Papers, pulp and paper mill. The project shall be a show piece, and the first of it's kind.

The Park Falls Herald reported that, when in full operation, the bio-refinery is expected to produce a minimum of six million gallons of sulfur-free diesel fuel annually from nonfood-based, timber and agricultural waste materials. Additionally, the bio-refinery is expected to generate at least one trillion BTUs of process heat annually, which will be sold directly to the paper mill. That exchange is expected to make Flambeau River Papers the first integrated pulp and paper mill in North America essentially free of fossil fuel usage.

The project is expected to reach operational status by 2010, and is also expected to garner the close attention of alternative energy investors and governments world wide. The project is, in part, a response to the current presidential administration's nationwide call for increased energy independence without additional pressure being placed upon the food supply. It is widely hoped that these types of refinery operations shall soon be considered for development in other suitable locations across the country.

Eleme Medical plans to take its laser and light energy cellulite zapping technology into commercial application after receiving $18 million of investment capital and the backing of a couple big names. Hambrecht & Quist Capital Management has joined forces with L Capital Partners in backing Eleme in its efforts to smooth the thighs and buttocks of the world.

The new system is called the SmoothShapes cellulite treatment, and the FDA has given it aapproval. The company's website however, sheds little light on how the device actually works. It would seem that the SmoothShapes laser and light energy system, in combination with suction and kneading of the tissue, causes restoration of certain skin cells which are important in the restructuring and maintenance of a smooth butt.

If you ask me, the whole thing sounds like a 3 a.m. Thigh Master commercial tucked in between episodes of Murder She Wrote. But if venture capitalists choose to place their bets on the possibility that there really is a new and effective method for enhancing the appearance of cellulite, who am I to question it? If the device has true potential, the venture partners might think about getting a celebrity to use it and endorse it. Then, all that will be needed is for Eleme to convince the insurance industry that cellulite maintenance treatments are a necessary medical procedure. Oh yes, one can just hear the cash registers ringing at the thought.

Gary Sattler is a freelance blogger. He does not knowingly have financial interest in the companies mentioned in this blog post.

In keeping with its typical marketing flavor, Harley Davidson Inc., (NYSE: HOG) wants its newly opened Harley Davidson museum to be more about the rider's experience than just the ride. The company wants its museum to be a lifestyle exploration adventure, rather than a commercial presentation. While the new attraction indeeds feature hundreds of motorcycles, reams of vintage Harley Davidson advertising and other Harley memorabilia, in an article published by Business Week, museum director, Stacey Schiesl is quoted as stating: "It's not just about what's inside."

It's always been that way with Harley Davidson. In strong years and lean years, the company had always taken the experience of its enthusiasts very seriously. That is why the museum was designed and constructed to be enjoyed in a manner that stimulates what Harley owners like most about their bikes. It's a feeling of camaraderie. It's a sharing of an experience. It's good will and good times on a piece of open road. Architects designed the site to reflect and embody a feeling of Main Street Americana, with accommodations for up to 15,000 bikes at any given time.

The Harley Davidson Museum is a testimonial to 105 years of American made motorcycle greatness. Even in the face of tough times, with the company forecasting slowed earnings and reduced production, it's good to see that it has maintained its successful focus: to create both a visual and a tangible motorcycling lifestyle experience for all motorcycle enthusiasts to enjoy.

eBay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY)'s growth decline started nearly two years ago. Now, as reported by The New York Times, the final spike has been driven into the very heart of what eBay once was. In a Johnny-come-lately effort to revive a growth curve which eBay's top brass blindly shackled ten years before its due, the company is shifting its focus from the tried and true, mom-n-pop auction strategy to a business model of "stock the shelves with all the discount crap that you can, and don't charge for the benefit."

It's okay though, anyone who can achieve eBay's new "diamond power-sellers status" will be qualified for the same discount perks that eBay has negotiated with Buy.com. It's just too bad that the eBay stuffed shirts never figured out that eBay's sellers were its buyers also.

The discount store concept might have worked for eBay, if it had been tried as a parallel effort, while leaving the original working eBay alone. But of course, they had to tinker with the formula. I tried to warn you. Honestly.

If you got out in time, I applaud you.

Gary Sattler is a freelance blogger. He holds no position in eBay. His wife does still operate an active eBay store.

If you're hearing whispers that the dollar might be creeping up in value and that this might put downward pressure on commodities, then let me tell you: Don't you believe it. Although some upward adjustment might occur for the dollar, it's my opinion that this won't, by itself, reduce commodity prices. To think so is just too limited an economic scope.

First, we can believe that the platform of oil prices is going to hold solid. I do think that the price of oil will eventually recede, but it's not going to be soon and it's not going to be much. It'll be a couple years before we see any real decline, if we ever do. That reality gives us a good launching point for some speculation. Alternative fueling for motor vehicles will keep upward pressure on oils other than petroleum. Consider commodity soybeans, soybean oil, and palm oil as possible hedges. There's also potential in propane, and to me, natural gas is still artificially under valued. You might not think there's a relationship between these commodities and petroleum. Believe me though, there is. Also, like the high volume traded commodities, other vegetable oils, such as sunflower oil and cottonseed oil, are worth looking into.