Investment Strategy: The podcast discusses the use of Interactive Brokers' forecast contracts, allowing investors to trade on future events like economic changes or political outcomes, with a specific focus on the October 2025 Fed rate decision.
Market Insights: There is a mention of the potential impact of market conditions on investment strategies, highlighting the importance of understanding market dynamics and leveraging opportunities.
Company Discussions: The hosts humorously recount past discussions about pump and dump schemes, emphasizing the need for investor vigilance and awareness of fraudulent activities.
Personal Finance: Anecdotes about personal experiences with investments and financial decisions, such as the story about the Bank of Antigua, underscore the importance of due diligence and skepticism.
Economic Conditions: The conversation touches on the economic environment, including historical market downturns, and the importance of having a strategic approach to investing during volatile times.
Financial Advice: The hosts stress the importance of consulting with financial advisors and conducting thorough research before making investment decisions, especially in uncertain economic climates.
Transcript
This episode is brought to you by Interactive Brokers. And here's a question for you. Will the Fed leave the rate unchanged at the October 29th, 2025 meeting? The forecast contract recently traded at 38% and the no was at 61%. With Interactive Brokers forecast contracts, you can trade on future events like climate change, the economy, or even politics. You choose yes or no, and if you're right, you get paid. It's that simple. Explore trending data, spot the trends, and make your prediction for October 2025. Trade forecast, contracts, and interactive brokers, and earn a dollar for every correct prediction. Plus, you'll earn 3.83% APY on your investment with an interestike incentive coupon, and you get $3 when you start trading forecast contracts, which you could use for any purpose. Forecast contracts are not suitable for all investors. Go to ibkr.com/for and start predicting today. The last trading day for this contract is October 29th. >> Hello and welcome to D'vorak Horowits Unplugged, an hour-long discussion of activity in the financial markets around the world featuring columnist John C. D'vorak and money manager Andrew Horowitz. This conversation is casual and unrehearsed. Let's join John and Andrew now. I'm John C. D'vorak. >> And I'm Andrew Horowitz. >> It's the October 7th, 2025 show. >> Yeah. Special show. Ryan Rediski did it again. Put together an awesome collection going back a number of years of the antics that you and I go through. What were the funny discussions that we've had over the years? >> I've noticed that. Yeah. I listen to it. It's got some some It's got like the phony baloney pump and dump schemes that we've talked about. Your first car. >> Yep. Yep. My first car. >> Which is I don't know the of course the vinegar book. Everyone has to write me about that forever. >> Of course. I mean we talk about it so many times it's got to come up in a best of. So we talk about these you know I I thought I was laughing out loud when we talked. >> It's funny. You know they even reminds me because they did that bit about how I always buy wool suits in Florida. which is pretty obscure, but it's a good idea and I still recommend it. >> Yeah, but I talked about You got to listen to this. But I remember when I talked about Yeah, but that's great until it rains and then what happens is every every male sheep in the area is starting to attack you for the smell. >> Yeah, but I don't wear the suits in Florida. >> Anyway, let's have a listen. >> January 2020, a different kind of pump and dump. I had a friend that lived across the street from me when I was growing up. And back in the day, they would use I forgot the chemical's name, but they'd use this chemical and they would drill holes in the ground around your house and pump some in and it would seep into the soil and it was just, you know, terrible, terrible chemical, but it was in the soil and and it kind of surrounded the house. It kept all the bugs and the rats and all that stuff out, right? Well, one day this guy drills a hole and he starts filling and filling and filling and it turns out he's just pumping all this stuff into their basement. >> Yeah, >> the house was abandoned for like eight years. >> That's a good story. >> Oh, this is the same I have two similar but different stories about the same person. They had a boat went to the gas station to fill the boat up. So, like you know, most people you take it, put it into the the nozzle into the the hole. Well, they put it into the rod holder, not to the gas tank, and they filled up the boat with gas. So, the boat was literally filled up with gas. >> Oh jeez. >> Yeah. Two two pumping stories for the same family. >> Ancient Chinese secret, huh? >> You know, from >> Yeah. This is an old Chinese trick. >> Uhhuh. One of the first times I flew into Hong Kong, this was years ago. And this was dur during one of the they had a Trident jet, some sort of jet crash, a crash at the uh in in uh Hong Kong, and they had it was still there when I had landed and it was on the side of the runway just a mess. This this thing burnt to a cris. And the I was actually talking to one of the pilots. The first thing the Chinese did when they ca when this cr jet crashes they sent a huge team of people to paint out the logo. >> So it's just this fuselage with no it was just painted white. >> Right. So nobody knows what it is. Ah that's smart. >> Yeah. Well that's what the the bowling's thinking now. >> Yeah. Take the name Max off and nobody will know. We're going to call it 737 plus. >> So h blows. >> Yeah. You you were a boy scout. That means you had to come up through the cub scouts. No, that's not true. You could join the Boy Scouts straight up. I never was a Cub Scout. >> I stopped. So, I was in the Cub Scouts and something always bothered me. I got up to the point of being a weeblow. I'm like, what? What? What kind of a name is that? Why are we getting >> Yeah, I don't know anything about >> called a Weeblow. I boys, what are you what are you I'm a weeblow. Oh, terrible. >> Weeblow. >> That's called a weeblow. W >> Weeblow. That's what I'm called. >> Unbelievable. A lap of luxury. I'll >> tell you instead of toilet, somebody in the chat room brought this up and I agree with this. Get beday. I'm going to tell you a secret. That's all we have in my house. It is. >> Well, you have the I I know people that have had those. I play I had one uh I've never had one in our house, but I've been to hotel rooms that have them. They're pretty cool. They work. >> Yeah. They're clean. It's not like they blow dry. Yeah. >> Right. Yeah. Exactly. Means they're all over. Let me tell you, never felt so clean and ready to go. >> D'vorak Horowit's origins. >> The story about how we came together and how this all started. I thought people would be pretty interested in that. >> I don't remember. >> Oh, I remember. >> Well, I do know that we we we met up uh sometime before the show began uh at little restaurant on Gilman Street in Berkeley >> and you had been doing this other podcast for a while. And uh I'd been doing No Agenda for about a year. >> And you're doing Twitter >> and I was doing right. I was doing a lot of tweet. I was like on Twitter all the time. >> And are you doing that other show you were doing? I don't think you were doing Grumpy Old Man or whatever that was. >> Uh >> I think I was No, I was doing um a tech Tech five News Report or something like that. And >> I think I still had some video podcasts I was doing over at Mio, the uh Tech Grouch and the Tech Hippie. >> Mhm. And uh and then I then we started to do this show and it was actually Eric Dill who named it because we didn't have a good name for it. So just to get back to this, I'll tell you how the story that I remember how this all started. So we met up uh of course a love affair started from the very beginning and then we started talking and I remember very distinctly that we would talk about once a week and we would talk about the markets because at that point things were not fun, right? I mean, Marcus were falling apart. And I remember it was my kind of weekly uh ability to just kind of get stuff off my chest. And I was at my house out in western Florida. I would go out in the backyard and I would kind of pace around my backyard as I talked to you for about an hour. I remember this very distinctly. And then one day you said, you know, a lot of people would be >> wasting content. >> Yeah. Exactly. Is what you said. You know, a lot of people would be really interested in what what we're talking about. And I'm thinking, what do you what I don't understand? You're like, yeah, this would be a great podcast. I'm like, I don't understand, but okay, let's do it. So, I don't I don't remember what the original format of this was because when I look back, I can't even find the file online. It's probably in my archive somewhere. >> It's It was pretty much the same. Uh, I I solicited uh Lisa Bettany to do the voices and I wrote a script for her >> and it took I probably took a couple of months after we started the show to get her to finally finish it. She didn't she's not a voiceover pro, but she's she could be if she wanted to be. >> And so I had to like, you know, keep begging her to do it. And uh so she finally did. And I I guess she gave me about four versions of each uh of the stuff. And I then I just laid that over an old uh an old 19 29 1930 song. And uh because the music fit in with her voice and the and I we made it the theme and that was the uh that then we just stuck with that because it was fine. It was good and you liked her voice and the whole thing was great. And uh and then we started uh cranking the show out. And it was uh it was a conversation that we decided to uh it was content. It was good content. And I see this I mean I No agenda shows kind of the same way. It's two guys with a lot of information backed up. >> Yep. >> Talking about it or with not just yakking. I mean because I've seen these you you hear a lot of podcasts with two guys just yak yak yak. They they never really bring out any facts or stats or they don't read anything or they don't have anything to say other than what they think. >> Yep. >> And so we always had information to convey and that was the why it worked. >> Parenting styles of the silent generation. >> You know, my first car that I got was a uh a Camaro. Was a 1970 Camaro rally sport split bumper 307. We did a lot of work on it. But that was 1983. Okay. I got a 1970 car that was all beat up. It was cool as hell. It was a Camaro. It was my grandmother. She gave it to me. And that's great. That doesn't mean I'm privileged because I got a car because I had a lot of work that I put into it. And then once I get it all put together, you know what happened? My parents decided, you know what? That car, it's not fuel efficient. It's got little problems with it. It's old. You should sell it. So, they sold it. They kept the money. And then >> they sold your car out from under you. >> That's correct. Wow. >> And then but they did give me their car which was only about three years old. It was This is embarrassing. >> It was a station wagon. >> It's worse. It's worse. It was a Pontiac T1000. It was a white four cylinder 0 to 60 in 3 minutes Pontiac T-1000. And with that, they gave me the remainder of the payment book. >> You like that, huh? That's true. That's true. >> That's that's tough love. >> Yep. I said to my wife, she goes, "Oh, let's go travel." I'm like, "Do you want to get an RV?" She's like, "Okay." Then I started thinking about it. I'm going to be like, you know, 20 hours in RV with the wife who's, you know, just telling me all the things I'm doing wrong the whole time. No, I don't think so. Nope. >> Well, we did an RV tour uh some years back with the kids. >> How was that? >> Had a big RV. We had a big RV. Took a took a drive all the way up to Washington over to through Idaho to to Yellowstone Park and then through the Hell's Half Acre and all the rest and came back. It was a nightmare. >> Andrew's financial groupy. >> Quick note I'm flustered. So, I went uh I left the building tonight at I don't know 5:30 or so touh grab some dinner to come back for this evening show and there was a couple cops outside and they said, "Uh, did you see a woman walking around blonde hair and a bikini top?" I'm like, "No, no, I don't think so." And anything? No, no, nothing. I come back to the office. I go through the back door of the parking lot and I go into the stairwell and I smell smoke and I look over and sure enough there is that woman sleeping underneath the stairwell with a beautiful uh kind of a a really nice looking flask and smoking. You know, she's been smoking so it stinks. >> She's sleeping and smoking at the same time. >> I'm not sure, but she was smoking at some point cuz the whole place stunk. So I go back up to my office and I do my thing and what to do. So I said, "All right, let me call the cops. I'll call the cops and tell her she's got to go." >> Hour and a half goes by, nothing. Go downstairs and take a peek. >> Wait, we stop. >> Yeah. >> Then I want to savor this. So the cops were asking you specifically about this woman. >> That's correct. >> And so when you called them, they didn't bother to show up. >> That's correct. >> Okay. Go on. >> So uh and I didn't call the 911 line. I called just the, you know, the the the dispatch, >> the courtesy line, the good line. >> Right. Uh, and um, so I I said, "Let me go downstairs and see if she's still there." I go downstairs. I still the whole the stairwell stinks. I walk down the stairs. I peek. Yep, there she is still sleeping. Come back upstairs. The hour and a half later, I called the police again. I said, "Listen, uh, just let you know, you know, somebody's sleeping downstairs. Maybe we should have them, you know, maybe ask them to leave." Did you wait? Did you make sure to mention that this was the person that the cops were inquiring about? >> I did. >> Okay. >> And they asked me all sorts of questions. What was she wearing? I'm like, I didn't look. What was she looking? I don't know what she looked like. Does she have any weapons? I have no idea. I just saw her sleeping there. Or maybe I said, you know what? Maybe she's not sleeping. She could be dead. I don't know. But she's laying on the ground underneath the stairwell. Although she's probably not dead because she's been smoking, it seems. But nonetheless, so now another hour goes by. >> So we're at two and a half hour point. >> We're at two and a half hour point. Finally, they show up. >> And these are the then this is the person the cops were looking for. >> That's correct. >> Okay. >> So now uh I meet them outside and they're at the wrong door. I told them exactly where to meet me. They meet me outside. We walk through the building. They do a whole sweep. She's no longer sleeping at the spot. So they go through everywhere. They open up all the bathroom doors, you know, with their flashlights in hand. You know how they do the the flashlight in one hand, crossed on the other hand? You know what I'm talking about? >> They're holding it funny. >> Yeah. >> Uh, now let's stop again. >> Yeah. >> For more clarification. >> Uhhuh. >> Um, so by the time they got there 2 and 1/2 hours later, she had gotten up and moved. >> Seems that way. She left her flask, >> but she left her flask. >> She left her flask and some tissues. And the flask was kind of rhinestone studded. I felt bad for her leaving her flask pink with rhinestones something she probably savored. >> So now they come in, they go through all the different things and all I see are, you know, uh, Fort Lauderdale police, is anybody in here? And then you hear, uh, clear and they're clearing the >> Can I jump to the end and give and give a quick idea of how this ends? >> Yeah, go ahead. >> You got arrested for filing a false police report. Uh, that would be that would be what would usually would happen, you would think. But she's not there. Um, I'm I'm tempted to leave her flask outside as a good Samaritan because otherwise it can be thrown out. That's how my That's how my evening was up until about 15 minutes ago. >> Cooking with gas. >> I was thinking about getting a new stove. I have a gas cooktop. >> Yeah. >> And I wanted a little bit hotter. And then it's like I'm like, "Okay, what does it cost for something like this that I want?" It's like uh 5,500 plus installation. I'm like, "For for a stop a stove top?" >> That's just a stove top. Yeah. >> That's not even >> That's a That level of heat you're talking about. That's in a That's a professional kitchen. >> It was Yeah. But so the problem is that I'm I'm part of the issue of thinking about buying just new things for the house because, you know, we're spending so much time there. I just want to gussy it up a little bit. >> Well, my advice, stop. >> Yeah. Okay. It's time to cancel Christmas. >> And And you know what? They're going to shut down Christmas. Do you watch the same way they did on Thanksgiving? >> Oh, how are they going to shut it down? What? Oh, >> they just tell people, "No, no. Don't go. No, no, no, no, no. Don't go. You're going to kill your granddad, >> right? >> There's going to be empty chairs next year." >> Oh, back. The empty chairs discussion. >> Empty chairs. They're going to be empty chairs. You're going to you're going to see you're going to see your granddad and then next year you're going to expect them to see an empty chair. Is that what you want? that you know that image is kind of interesting because I don't know about you but if I had an empty chair for every dead person in my family I wouldn't have any room at my table. >> Well I always say that Jews always have an empty chair at the table. We have for at least one. >> Yes. For Elijah. >> Elijah. That guy. Yeah. >> He never shows up. >> Never shows up. >> Never shows up. You open the door. You know during that prayer it's I think during Passover we say you know we have a a glass of wine. We have food for Elijah. Elijah, the representation of anyone who is in need. Please come in our house and eat. And one year I said, "Listen, you're going to open this door and what if actually somebody comes in? What are you going to do? What are you going to do? What are you going to do?" I'm not saying it's going to be some kind. You're going to call the cops. >> Yeah. You're going to call the cops. >> Call the cops on Elijah, >> right? Some guy comes in. It's like, you know what? I'm hungry. By the way, I know that I saw the Jew thing on your on your door here and I know it's about the right time. The door was open and you said I say, "Come on in. I'm sitting down. I'm eating." >> Call me maybe. >> All right. Listen, you have a wonderful Are you going to Are you going to see your wife for Thanksgiving and your whole family or just >> No, no, the kids, nobody will come over. I mean, I got my daughter here, so she'll be here. My wife is stuck in Washington. >> She she's coming down for for a couple weeks in in December for Christmas and New Year. And so we're doing we're getting the extra we're opening up a can of cranberry sauce. >> Do you want to do you want to zoom in with my family? >> Oh, we that'd be great. only what we do is we use the phone. We do a we could actually do a call if you don't mind using the uh the phone and we can say hi. >> Okay. I will try to remember that on Thanksgiving. >> Well, send send me your numbers that I need to that you can take from your cell phone. >> What? What do you mean? What numbers? You know my cell phone number. >> I do. >> What do you mean? We text back and forth. What are you talking about? >> Oh, okay. >> I I'll double >> We've only known each other for 13 years. Fortunately for us, >> stunted by morality >> and I look back on all all the years that I've been in and out of the market doing one thing or another. And if I had just been while in college just bit my tongue and bought as much of debeers at the time >> as I could because it was it was just in the tank because it was politically incorrect back in the day. >> Yeah. >> Uh to even talk about the company. But if you had bought it when I could have bought it, I I wouldn't be doing this podcast. >> What? What? I take offense to that. I thought this was uh you know something that you this is one of your life's ambitions. This is one of those those things that you look forward to every like starting Monday. >> Oh, I look forward to doing it, but if I had bought the stock the right stocks at the right time, uh I probably couldn't get a connection to do this show. >> Gotcha. I understand. No, I understand. Now, >> if you are listening, thank you. >> So, there I am going through the market. I'm checking out all the wet stuff, you know, the meat. >> You were actually there when a train came through. >> Let me There's more than a story. This This is serious. I heard this that the trains come through, right? I'm like, whatever. So, I'm doing my thing. I'm doing my thing. And I walk outside and they have all these awnings that are over the train tracks and all this and all these people that are selling their wares on the track. I'm standing there. Nothing's happening at this point. I'm standing there and this little Vietnamese woman takes her elbow and jams it into my stomach. I'm not kidding. I'm like, "What the hell was that?" And then she takes her arm and and and sprawls it out in front of me and then pushes me back. I'm like, "What is going on?" Next thing you know, everything comes up in an instant. The awnings go up and this train, honestly, 3 seconds later, plows through. I'm not kidding. Train goes through, everything stops, they put the stuff back down, the awnings come back down, everybody's just going along. The weirdest thing ever. >> So, this woman saved your life. You were going to get run over by the train cuz you were unaware of the situation. >> I I guess that's what was going on. Yes. I never really thanked her properly either. >> Well, maybe she's listening. >> Thank you. >> Yeah, she's listening. That's right. >> Thank you so much. >> This will turn you head. I had this babysitter that was over the house and she was decided to watch The Exorcist, okay, when it first came out >> with the kids. >> And let me tell you something, that scene where she was bouncing around in the bed and then spun her head damaged me for a long time. I was like, I wouldn't go near the TV. I couldn't touch the TV. It was bad. >> How old were you? >> I don't know, maybe eight, 10. I was I was not happy about that. >> The funny line would have been I was 20. >> Just an average mugger. >> I have the original green >> Microsoft mug with the original Microsoft logo. >> Wow. >> And I was given this by an old-timer at Microsoft and they who told me it was woman actually said uh this mug is gonna be worth a fortune. people at Microsoft would anyone would buy this mug back because it makes it look like you're an old-timer. It's been at the company forever. >> How many mugs do you have, do you think? I mean, could you make a uh like a a mini book out of it? Pictures of them. >> I don't have that many mugs. >> Not that many. >> I'm not a complete nut. >> What a coincidence. >> So, I had a golden retriever, great dog. Penny was her name. And uh one day late in her days, Penny started having these these seizures. And uh the doctor says, "Oh well, this is kind of common late stage of goldens. They get some kind of brain thing going on and they get these these seizures, but you know what we're going to do? She's still, you know, good dog. She's doing well. What we're going to do is we're going to give you this medicine and when she has a seizure, give her this and that will calm her down." I said, "Doctor, I mean, I don't understand something. It's my understanding when someone is having a seizure, you don't want to put your hands near their mouth. And giving this minute, he says to me, "Whoever said about putting it in her mouth." Huh? Well, there was a whole Family Guy episode about this exact same topic. >> Was there? >> April 2021, the GIF gift. >> And it is the 6th. >> April. >> 6th of April. >> After my birthday. My birthday was yesterday. >> I know. Happy birthday. I mean, the the I saw all the fanfare and the love and just the outright outpouring of gifts and just people love you. >> Everything you got everything right except the gifs part. >> Did I say gifs? I meant gifs. >> Oh, gifs. >> Yeah, gifs. I meant gifs. Gifs. Gifs. >> So, I know that uh I heard that you're taking >> By the way, you just you just came up with another new reason not to use the misprononunciation of gif. Yeah, >> it sounds like gif, >> right? Wh why is it why is it GIF? Why is it not JIF? >> It's because it stands for graphical uh interface format or something like that or gra something like that and it was developed for I think CompuServe and it was and the guy who invented the format that's what he called it. >> Oh, I mean we don't call a JPEG a JPEG. >> Well, some people do in San Francisco. >> A positive boat and experience. >> Well, here we are. We're at the end of April and there is just a just a bash of information going on. Speaking of which, I did attend Bokeh Bash this weekend, which is a world famous uh gathering of boats on a sandbar in Bokeh. Last year it was cancelled. Every year there's some real shenanigans that go on. Let's just say that uh there was plenty of uh bare naked ladies and drinking going on. >> Really? I I don't know if it was orgies. I didn't see that part, but I did see plenty of kayaks that I had to do a double take on. >> No, you should do. And you had your camera and you took some great pictures. >> I have one that would be acceptable for you. I will send it to you. >> Oh, okay. Good. >> Uh but uh not a mass to be found. 12 arrests so far for drunken, disorderly, resisting arrest and all that. Plenty of boats slamming into other boats. Thousands of boats lined up in here. We um we had a boat of about 12 of us or 10 of us like maybe 10 or 11 of us on a 40 foot craay and uh I smoked some great wings that morning. Brought on the boat. The guy has a couple of built-in barbecues in there. So we had a good time. >> The red book legacy. >> You write stuff down in a book, right? >> The red book. Yeah. >> What is that a thing? Is that a real thing? Is it more of a >> I actually have a couple right here. I have a couple down here under the under the desk that are from I don't know when these are from, but the real book. It's red and it's got pages. It's got predictions and you can hear the pages and in these books are a bunch of notes from the shows and occasionally there's a prediction. The problem is when you use this methodology, >> they can't find what you did. >> Exactly. >> Of course. That's why I was asking useless. That's why I was asking it. I've I've I've for for many years I've been listening about the book >> and writing it down in the book. We got to write >> more than one book. I think you have about five volumes. >> Does anybody ever go through? You should just do a show on the books. >> Well, I Well, right now I'm looking at there's only one book here. I don't know where the other three are or four. But this uh I've gone occasionally on the show when things have got slow before co and just randomly open the book and started looking at predictions and it's interesting. But there's another problem that's that you don't know but I I'll mention it. I can't read my own handwriting. >> Oh god. >> A wolf in sheep's clothing. >> Dillards. And we can put a few other stocks in here. But you know what Dillards is? It's a department store that >> Yeah, I've been there. I shop there. I like to shop at the dealers in Florida because for some reason it seems like as though they have uh central buying that's in New York. So you go to Florida in the middle of summer and you can buy a dynamite wool suit on sale at Dillards because nobody in Florida buys wool suits in August. >> You know, one of the worst things you could ever buy in life is a wool suit in Florida. Besides the heat, but the general humidity makes it stink. You you feel like you're going to get >> Yeah. stinks like an old sheep. >> You feel like if there's a male sheep around, he's coming for you. You know what I'm saying? Coming. Keep the sheep away. >> So, they're on sale. These $500 suits are always on sale for like 90 bucks. It's It's hilarious, >> right? >> Long time listener saw this one coming. >> Did you have a nice Father's Day? Did you get anything? Did anything happen nice to you? >> I got a I got a Finally got a cheese slicer. Oh, one of those with the with a little a handle like a a knife one or one with a like like a piece of >> razor the the wire. >> Oh, the wire. Oh, yeah. The knife. >> Not a cheap but not a cheap one. A really good one >> with like a marble. >> That's what I want. That was what I want. So, I asked for two things. I wanted the cheese slicer and a pocket knife. >> And you get the pocket knife. >> Yeah. I really wanted the high-end. There's a bunch of these high-end pocket knives out there. They cost like a lot. >> I had two of them I was looking at today in my office. Somebody brought in. one was $300, but one of those you push a button, it slams the knife out. >> Oh, that's illegal in California. >> And another one that was just very sharp. I got >> These weren't I guarantee it wasn't 300 bucks. I'm thinking more like 40, which seems high to me for a pocket knife. But >> I I got I got an ashtray. >> Well, you don't even smoke. >> I smoke cigars. I got an ashtray. >> Oh, you do. Right. Right. Right. And uh I got um one of these really very intense massager things where you could it it it just honestly it's like a it's like a sledgehammer. >> I've seen those are the big giant ones. I've seen those in a lot of porn on a lot of porn. >> Okay. >> They use them for other things than massaging. >> Mercilessly, wholeheartedly and without reservation. John avoids adverbs. >> John C. D'Vorak, you go to the Substack. Uh, tell them the address. >> Yeah, d'vorak.substack.com. You can read these columns. I have a an editor that I work with that helps me keep these columns clean. >> Oh, >> when you get older, you need an editor. It's the way I see it because you get careless as a writer. I like >> I also have another I have a kind of a funny game I'm playing with these columns. One of them is there's no adverbs in any of these columns except unless I'm quoting somebody and they put an adverb in there. There's zero adverbs in any of this. >> Who thinks of these things? Why would you even think of why? Why is something like, oh, it's >> like a game I play with myself. >> That guy D'vorah, could you believe the quality? >> Even when she edits it, you know, she'll edit these things down and she'll leave some pronouns. No, no, no. I'm getting rid of them. I got I get rid of every pronoun. I'm sorry, not pronouns. I mean adverbs. She leave an adverb or two in and maybe even add one once in a while. No, no, these are out. So there's no there's you can look them up. There's not except for a quote somebody quoted in there or some some has an adverb. >> So your stories are adverbless. >> Yes, totally. >> The adverbless ad that's what the next the next book stories of the adverbless author. >> There's a lot of >> who does this >> star? Well, I think Stephen King's one of them. >> He doesn't use adverbs. >> Makes a big f Stephen King's the one that made the biggest fuss about adverbs >> in his writing class. He says adverbs are not your friends. And uh most writers are familiar with the fact that your your writing is easier to read if there's no adverbs in it. >> What about Adam? I mean I I refuse to use those in my in my in my uh writings. >> I don't know that that's not an adverb. I don't care. Also some you got to knock passive voice down too. >> Priceless knowledge. >> People can look up Liium. >> Liium. Look at the things that you learn on this show. I'm always impressed of what I learn the show with your seriously with the wealth of you have you have a wealth of ins crappy >> insignificant knowledge as I call it >> totally insignificant knowledge that is fascinating frankly I think >> it might be significant someday and I'm storing it I'm hoarding it >> this is kind of like if you want to play trivial pursuit and stuff and you're like hey how do you know that I heard D'vorak tell me that he said something about it there about I knew the you know what was the uh alternative water steam engine of the 80s Oh, liium. Of course. >> Well, liium was the was the fuel. Yeah. >> Or the boiling the the substance you boiled. >> Mhm. >> John's famous beetle encounter. >> Can I just segue and move back to Egypt for a second? >> Yeah. >> I did learn what one of the most important bugs in Egypt is. Are you aware of this? >> Probably not. >> The scarab, which is the dung >> The scarab. Yeah, they're very famous. >> Yeah, the dung beetle. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. So, look that up. Anybody that wants to know why the dung beetle is related to the sun and um why the importance in in Egypt. >> I have my I have my dung beetle story. >> What do you have? >> So, I'm in I'm with the family. We're in a we're in South Africa >> and we're at some camp someplace in the middle of nowhere and it's a really nice place. is one of these resorts that they have. It's a a game park and they have these these huts and this is kind of a restaurant looking area and it's all indooroutdoor and so this giant dung beetle >> uh is walking along the floor >> and the things are huge. They're the size of your fist. >> Wow. Really? >> Oh, a big big boy. And so, uh, he's walking along the floor and he's in somebody's way. So, somebody kicks the dung beetle to get him out of the way. Kind of like a cat >> kicks the dung beetle and the dung beetle decides to flee by very slowly opening up his case and bringing out his wings. >> Uhoh. >> So now, and so he just takes off. And the thing is, dung beatetles, it turns out, can can fly away when they need to in an emergency, but they have no controlling mechanism. It's like a helicopter with nobody at the wheel. >> So, there's this crow basically a giant crowbized thing flying around inside the restaurant just bouncing off of stuff. You have to duck >> as it goes goes passing by. Anyway, this is my dunk beetle story. >> Yeah, that's pretty wild. >> Silk Road Services. >> Yeah, I'm reminded of my dry cleaning story. >> I've told it before. I used to have uh of course I had these these these clothes made in uh Asia, but I had a a white linen suit or white linen sport coat jacket. And one time I had spilled some wine on it and it got stained and no dry cleaners around here could get it cleaned off. It was just it was just a horrible red spot. I couldn't use the jacket. One day I got the bright idea because I was going to China to take the jacket with me, have it dry cleaned in China. Clean as a whistle. Clean as a whistle. I And I discovered once I found that out, I had this other jacket, a very expensive uh sport coat from Casper, uh, you know, style. I got it I got it so cheap. I bought it in Florida for like 70 bucks or something for it's like a $500, $600 coat. I said, "Why is this so cheap?" And this from a distance it was like a Seinfeld episode. You could see a big stain, huge stain on one half of the jacket. It was just And then once you noticed it, you couldn't wear the jacket again. Took it to China. >> Clean as a whistle, >> right? >> Yeah. They got They do things differently over there. >> Yeah. >> There's no OSHA. >> No. No. None. >> John's second favorite car. Although when you buy the car, I'm sure there's a ULA involved nowadays. That's why you don't want to buy new cars. >> Yeah, we need to buy like an 80s 80s Chevel or something. >> Well, that's what you 80s Chevel. >> Old AMC Pacer. Who cares if it's going to blow up? >> You know, I had an AMC Pacer. >> Did you? >> Yeah. We got one for somebody g we got it almost for free. I don't know how we ended up with it, but I have to say this, the only other person I know that had an AMC Pacer was Reggie Jackson. >> Oh, really? >> I was at a liquor store in Oakland at the right after that World Series where he hit the three home runs with three different off three different pitchers to three different, you know, three home runs in one game. >> There comes Reggie Jackson driving a pacer >> with two blondes. >> Might get a two. How do you get two blondes? One in the back seat spread. was >> Yeah, I think there was. >> It was like the weirdest looking car. It was like a fishbowl. >> It was I'll tell you this, having owned one >> and people and the ridicule involved in having owned one cuz it is it's one of the greatest cars I've ever owned. >> Really, >> it the visibility was unbelievable. The the seat swung out when you got out of the driver's side. It just swung so you can just hop right off the seat onto the car. >> There's a lot of window in that car. >> There's a lot of stuff going on with that car. It was an, you know, it was it wasn't a dog when he drove it. It handled didn't handle like a pig. And uh I don't know what ever happened to it, but we I never minded having the thing. It was nice. >> That's interesting. I I saw them on the road and then uh I just thought they were the ugliest things I've ever seen. >> They were pretty, you know, if you if you like the bubbly look, you know, it wasn't that ugly and it was uh it was it was a better car than people gave it credit for. It looks like a elephant stepped on the top and everything just squirted out the sides. >> Well, yeah. >> Well, that's the ridicule you got for it. >> They got a lot of people, you know, but if you actually had one, you would have enjoyed it. >> The gut-wrenching ' 90s. >> You You remember this? Remember the time they had this Ostra? Do you remember Ostra? >> What was that? There was an oil or what was that? >> It was It was an oil used for doing French fry for potato chips. >> Right. Right. Right. Right. But it gave everybody horrible gas. >> You horrible gas and diarrhea. Yeah. And I had these I had a a couple of these chips and I don't know how you could get to the diarrhea or the the gas because you ate one chip at norm like room temperature potato chip and it was just the goo this this Ostra stuff stuck to the roof of your mouth >> and there was just like it's like a crayola had been scribbled on the top of your mouth that and you you could use your tongue and you couldn't get it off. Oh, >> you sound like Larry Summers now. Why? That's what he's probably still trying to get the alle out of his mouth. So, uh I don't see how people could eat his more than one chip before they just yuck. >> Official Horovitz branding. >> Hey, did you uh were you uh are you into making truffle butter? >> Why do you ask that? That's funny. I I >> had a dream about you arguing with somebody making truffle butter. >> I did make truffle butter recently. Yes, I did. >> Oh, wait a minute. Oh, wait a minute. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. If that wasn't a dream, somebody butt dialed me. Who the hell would have me on their phone and that would have be making truffle butter and I just didn't take long. >> Yeah. Well, yeah, I did I did have a nice evening. Uh I made a comp compound butter uh that I usually make when I when I'm doing steaks. And then uh I had a picture actually I put up on Twitter. It's of the Chateau Bons. And I even put my brand in there. It was really cool. >> You have a branding thing that you >> Yeah. put on the stakes and puts a brand on there. >> Sure. >> Oh, man. >> Come on. It's fun. >> I'm gone. >> Andrew's Saucy Retail Rebellion. >> You like Starbucks coffee? >> I I find our coffee to be somewhat bland. >> Re that I've never heard. What do you mean bland? >> It doesn't have the powerful flavor of a good coffee. >> It has a burnt flavor in my opinion. >> Well, yeah, that could be true. That's what you do when you got a bland coffee. You burn it. So it has people think, "Oh, that tastes good." It's burnt. >> I see. It's like this It's like this place down here that makes burnt pizza and burnt wings. Seriously, it's They're delicious. They're delicious. >> Yeah. Well, there you go. >> Yeah. I I think I think >> I just don't know. I don't like Starbucks coffee. I've had it. >> I I think some of their their bottled drinks are pretty tasty. Uh but that's about it. I I I also don't like the This is going to be a little off. I don't like the whole I got to feel happy when I go into a Starbucks. You know what I mean? Just give me the goddamn coffee. Don't ask my name. You know what? They asked me my name to put on the cup in Starbucks. You know what I tell them? My name's Duncan. That's what I tell them. >> Andrew, stories never fall flat. >> Do you know if you're able to sue the city, a city, for faulty roads that damage your car? Uh, I think you can. >> Did I tell you about my flat tire? >> It's a rigomear roll. >> You got a flat tire from a chuck hole? >> Yeah. And And guess what? My wife did it the next day. >> Same chuck hole. >> And she got a flat tire, too. >> Yep. And then two days later, >> a bad chuck hole. >> And then two days later, >> I'm driving and I see this poor guy pulled over to the side of the road jacking his car up. I'm like, "Hey, mister. What happened? cuz god damn a hole in the road back there. Thing is just claiming everybody. >> Wow, that's a bad one. Yeah, I mean I there's some some around here that I'm aware of that I've hit, but I've never gotten a flat tire from hitting one. That's terrible. >> Yeah, it's it's just the perfect size that your tire goes in and smashes against the other side. >> Yeah, I can Yeah, it's probably Yeah, it's a perfect storm of a of a pothole. >> Yeah. >> Tell me what you really think, John. I'm just sick of chicken. I don't like chicken. I mean, I can some maybe sometimes the Chinese can compare prepare it in such a way that I can choke it down. >> A good fried chicken. You'll eat you'll eat a good fried chicken. >> If it's a really good piece of fried chicken, I can I can manage that. But it's like so few and far between. It's just nothing. I don't relish it. I don't yearn for chicken. I don't like chicken. >> Does anybody yearn for chicken? Who yearns for chicken? Somebody must I like duck. >> I eat chicken a lot. I must tell you I do eat a lot of chicken. >> The first bank of Antigua. >> Oh, he told this story once on the show about 5 years ago. This is hilarious. >> Come to the office and uh meet the guys. They want to talk about this deal they have. I want to thinking about putting in, you know, a few million dollars into this deal. I'm like, "All right." So, I come as the personal financial adviser and I sit down. I listen to their pitch. the, you know, the Bank of Antigua and this and that and it's 8% >> red flag number one. >> So, I'm like, uh, let me ask a few questions here. How are you achieving this quote guaranteed 6% or whatever it was? Well, what we're doing is we're leveraging up all these bonds in this way that we know how to do it to do. Okay. And then what? Well, uh, then what we do is we pay it out and all that. We've had problems that Okay. Let me ask you a few questions. What happens if the bond market changed dramatically? What are you going to do? You're all the way levered up on it. Well, you know, we have safety measures, this and that. I said, the second question is, what if my client wants to get his money? Well, of course, he just comes to the bank, calls the bank and gets the money. I said, in Antigua. Uh-huh. And where is bank? I saw this bank. It's on the side of a hill. There were, no lie, no lie. There was goats and chickens crossing the road as I passed it. And I said, "What guarantees?" Well, he is guaranteed to the Bank of Antigua. I'm like, "Oh, the Bank of Antigua." So, uh, long story short, I told him not to do it. Thank God. And then it collapsed. >> And they never had a fight. >> We come here every single goddamn Tuesday night, John, for how many years? >> Uh, about 12. >> 12. 12? >> Yeah. You know, I talk to John on the phone once a week more than I speak to my wife on the phone for a month >> or a year. Maybe a year. >> Yeah. >> So, you know, and you know, I I'd like to I'd like to Oh, I'd like to mention something. One of the one of the running themes of No Agenda is that John and Adam do a three-hour show twice a week. They've been doing it for 10 years. Round number. Okay. Is that right? >> 15 15 >> 15 years. And the uh after you hear that Yeah. There's always something said. The only line's always the same. And we've never had a fight, right? >> Yeah. >> Have we ever had a fight? >> No. >> We've never had a fight. There you go. So, you know what it is? It's you. You're the nice guy. Cuz I bet Adam fights with other people. >> Oh, he's a he's a scrapper. >> Yeah, I fight with other people. Although I I'm not a big fighter, but you must be the glue that just binds us. >> That's it. Exactly. >> That's what I'm saying. Right. >> May 2022 in England. They call it the boot. >> Then my car has a very I have a BMW X5. >> Okay. Love that car. Love that car. >> Bet. >> And uh it has a quirk. >> So when you >> BMWs have quirks. >> This one particular item, I don't understand it at all. Let's say that I'm in my car driving just oh just driving away and doing my little maneuvering. I stop the car. I get out of the car. I close the door. I walk away 10 feet or so the doors automatically lock. Okay. Got that? >> Okay. >> Happens all the time. You hear a little beep. Locks. >> Yeah. Now, do you have the is that when you don't need a key in the ignition? So, the key is always in your pocket, >> right? The fob is in my pocket. So, now uh there's a weird thing. the trunk. When you open the trunk, there's two buttons to close it because, god forbid, you can close it manually. One's just a close button and one's a lock button. And oddly enough, and I'm not sure what the design theory is behind it. >> What is the point of this? >> When you close it, where sometimes when you push the lock button to close it and lock the car, it doesn't actually close. You have to push the other button. And randomly, I've never figured this out. When you walk away from the car, it doesn't lock. Every once in a while, I'm looking, ah, it must have gone on the trunk again, and I locked the car. Well, tonight it was very bright outside. I came home. I was doing a few things, having a little dinner before I came back to the studio to do uh the show, and I get this weird call of a panicked neighbor saying, "What's going on?" He said, uh, he said, 'Well, uh, there was something going on. I saw some people checking cars and trying to break in, and lo and behold, I saw this backpack in the middle of the street. I said, "Oh." So, I open it up and your name's in it. I'm like, "What? What do you mean?" It wasn't dawning on me at this moment what was going on. So, I guess they went in my car in the middle like 7:00 at night when it was bright out. reached across from the front passenger door into the back seat. Grabbed my backpack, which I thought at first had my money clip in it, which I sometimes put in there. It was in my front pocket. There was nothing in there but a few cigars, some sunglasses, some other pens and things like that. They pulled it so fast that all that stuff went on the seat and on the ground and they got nothing. Zippity doodah. Cops came, dusted my car for Prince. Good luck. >> Dusted the car over there. We got a partial silver fusion or something like that, but we didn't get the plates from the uh ring ring camera. He was He knew how to get in front of the car and get behind it so it wouldn't be detected. >> A sharp operator. >> Did he break a window? How did they get in? >> It was open. This is that point of my story. >> Oh, because of the Oh, the car was open. >> Because of that godamn trunk thing. >> Come on. There's some funny stuff there. I mean, the whole idea that you can't read your own handwriting when you're trying to write a book is f I love that. That's great. >> Well, most people can't write read their own handwriting, by the way. Uh, was there investment advice? I'm not Was there any in there? I hope so. >> No, not at all. Not at all. It was just Well, there was some anecdotes, some things about the like pump and dump schemes. There was things about, you know, what to learn and whatnot. But it was more this whole this whole thing that Ryan uh put together these two episodes this week. >> This is I found as amusing. I don't remember the cheese slicer story. >> You got a cheese slicer for a birthday and I was questioning was it a cheese slicer like this? Or was it one of those with a wire that you'd slice? >> Yeah. I mean, I just don't remember talking about it. >> You remember this cheese slicer, don't you? >> I have a bunch of cheese slicers. That's the thing. >> Yeah. Well, we did talk about that and so many other things. And like I said, um the the the idea that um the the voice actors when you were soliciting Lisa to do Lisa Bettney to do the opening of the show and the closing of the show and then um that story about the across the street neighbor when they pump chemicals into their house by accident, the house was uninhabitable for like 22 years across the street when I was growing up. And that same person, that same person who pumped gasoline into their boat, but used the rod holder instead of the gasoline. That's terrible. Oh well. Well, with that, we >> And by the way, thanks thanks goes out to Lisa Bettney for doing that for us. >> Yeah, she's the best. >> I haven't seen her forever. >> I know. All right. Well, I'll uh we'll talk we'll pick this up next week. We'll volume two. >> I'll see you then. >> Thanks. You've been listening in on a conversation with John C. D'vorak and Andrew Horowitz. Hope to be with you again soon. Bye-bye. >> Now, I'm not broke, but badly bent. I'm not down to my last scent, cuz I got a dollar, but it's my last dollar bill. Yes, sir. In my pockets there's a dent. All my dough is nearly spent, but I got a dollar and it's my last dollar bill. Oh, I'd love just one more buck. Fortune left me by chance. Now, here's a hint. I feel like a men. You can hardly tell by a glance. I don't care. No millionaire can give me the Isis stack. Cuz I got a dollar. My last dollar bill. This podcast is intended forformational purposes only and does not constitute personalized investment advice. Investing involves risk including the possible loss of principle and past performance is not indicative of future results. The views and opinions expressed are those of the host and any guess and may not necessarily reflect those of Horowits & Company Inc. an investment adviser registered with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Registration with the SEC does not imply a certain level of training or skill. Advisory services are only offered to a client or prospective clients where Horo is a company is properly registered or is excluded from registration requirements. Any mention of thirdparty companies, products or services is provided forformational purposes only and does not constitute an endorsement. Hypothetical scenarios or forward-looking statements are for illustrated purposes and should not be viewed as guarantees. Content is intended for US residents only and may not be applicable in other jurisdictions. Listeners should consult a qualified financial adviser before making any investment decisions. Please visit our website for additional information, disclosures, as well as a copy of our form CS. Advertisements are not related to the host or affiliates and are not considered recommendations by the host of the show or any affiliates of Horowits Company.
DHUnplugged #772: Best of Us (1)
Summary
Transcript
This episode is brought to you by Interactive Brokers. And here's a question for you. Will the Fed leave the rate unchanged at the October 29th, 2025 meeting? The forecast contract recently traded at 38% and the no was at 61%. With Interactive Brokers forecast contracts, you can trade on future events like climate change, the economy, or even politics. You choose yes or no, and if you're right, you get paid. It's that simple. Explore trending data, spot the trends, and make your prediction for October 2025. Trade forecast, contracts, and interactive brokers, and earn a dollar for every correct prediction. Plus, you'll earn 3.83% APY on your investment with an interestike incentive coupon, and you get $3 when you start trading forecast contracts, which you could use for any purpose. Forecast contracts are not suitable for all investors. Go to ibkr.com/for and start predicting today. The last trading day for this contract is October 29th. >> Hello and welcome to D'vorak Horowits Unplugged, an hour-long discussion of activity in the financial markets around the world featuring columnist John C. D'vorak and money manager Andrew Horowitz. This conversation is casual and unrehearsed. Let's join John and Andrew now. I'm John C. D'vorak. >> And I'm Andrew Horowitz. >> It's the October 7th, 2025 show. >> Yeah. Special show. Ryan Rediski did it again. Put together an awesome collection going back a number of years of the antics that you and I go through. What were the funny discussions that we've had over the years? >> I've noticed that. Yeah. I listen to it. It's got some some It's got like the phony baloney pump and dump schemes that we've talked about. Your first car. >> Yep. Yep. My first car. >> Which is I don't know the of course the vinegar book. Everyone has to write me about that forever. >> Of course. I mean we talk about it so many times it's got to come up in a best of. So we talk about these you know I I thought I was laughing out loud when we talked. >> It's funny. You know they even reminds me because they did that bit about how I always buy wool suits in Florida. which is pretty obscure, but it's a good idea and I still recommend it. >> Yeah, but I talked about You got to listen to this. But I remember when I talked about Yeah, but that's great until it rains and then what happens is every every male sheep in the area is starting to attack you for the smell. >> Yeah, but I don't wear the suits in Florida. >> Anyway, let's have a listen. >> January 2020, a different kind of pump and dump. I had a friend that lived across the street from me when I was growing up. And back in the day, they would use I forgot the chemical's name, but they'd use this chemical and they would drill holes in the ground around your house and pump some in and it would seep into the soil and it was just, you know, terrible, terrible chemical, but it was in the soil and and it kind of surrounded the house. It kept all the bugs and the rats and all that stuff out, right? Well, one day this guy drills a hole and he starts filling and filling and filling and it turns out he's just pumping all this stuff into their basement. >> Yeah, >> the house was abandoned for like eight years. >> That's a good story. >> Oh, this is the same I have two similar but different stories about the same person. They had a boat went to the gas station to fill the boat up. So, like you know, most people you take it, put it into the the nozzle into the the hole. Well, they put it into the rod holder, not to the gas tank, and they filled up the boat with gas. So, the boat was literally filled up with gas. >> Oh jeez. >> Yeah. Two two pumping stories for the same family. >> Ancient Chinese secret, huh? >> You know, from >> Yeah. This is an old Chinese trick. >> Uhhuh. One of the first times I flew into Hong Kong, this was years ago. And this was dur during one of the they had a Trident jet, some sort of jet crash, a crash at the uh in in uh Hong Kong, and they had it was still there when I had landed and it was on the side of the runway just a mess. This this thing burnt to a cris. And the I was actually talking to one of the pilots. The first thing the Chinese did when they ca when this cr jet crashes they sent a huge team of people to paint out the logo. >> So it's just this fuselage with no it was just painted white. >> Right. So nobody knows what it is. Ah that's smart. >> Yeah. Well that's what the the bowling's thinking now. >> Yeah. Take the name Max off and nobody will know. We're going to call it 737 plus. >> So h blows. >> Yeah. You you were a boy scout. That means you had to come up through the cub scouts. No, that's not true. You could join the Boy Scouts straight up. I never was a Cub Scout. >> I stopped. So, I was in the Cub Scouts and something always bothered me. I got up to the point of being a weeblow. I'm like, what? What? What kind of a name is that? Why are we getting >> Yeah, I don't know anything about >> called a Weeblow. I boys, what are you what are you I'm a weeblow. Oh, terrible. >> Weeblow. >> That's called a weeblow. W >> Weeblow. That's what I'm called. >> Unbelievable. A lap of luxury. I'll >> tell you instead of toilet, somebody in the chat room brought this up and I agree with this. Get beday. I'm going to tell you a secret. That's all we have in my house. It is. >> Well, you have the I I know people that have had those. I play I had one uh I've never had one in our house, but I've been to hotel rooms that have them. They're pretty cool. They work. >> Yeah. They're clean. It's not like they blow dry. Yeah. >> Right. Yeah. Exactly. Means they're all over. Let me tell you, never felt so clean and ready to go. >> D'vorak Horowit's origins. >> The story about how we came together and how this all started. I thought people would be pretty interested in that. >> I don't remember. >> Oh, I remember. >> Well, I do know that we we we met up uh sometime before the show began uh at little restaurant on Gilman Street in Berkeley >> and you had been doing this other podcast for a while. And uh I'd been doing No Agenda for about a year. >> And you're doing Twitter >> and I was doing right. I was doing a lot of tweet. I was like on Twitter all the time. >> And are you doing that other show you were doing? I don't think you were doing Grumpy Old Man or whatever that was. >> Uh >> I think I was No, I was doing um a tech Tech five News Report or something like that. And >> I think I still had some video podcasts I was doing over at Mio, the uh Tech Grouch and the Tech Hippie. >> Mhm. And uh and then I then we started to do this show and it was actually Eric Dill who named it because we didn't have a good name for it. So just to get back to this, I'll tell you how the story that I remember how this all started. So we met up uh of course a love affair started from the very beginning and then we started talking and I remember very distinctly that we would talk about once a week and we would talk about the markets because at that point things were not fun, right? I mean, Marcus were falling apart. And I remember it was my kind of weekly uh ability to just kind of get stuff off my chest. And I was at my house out in western Florida. I would go out in the backyard and I would kind of pace around my backyard as I talked to you for about an hour. I remember this very distinctly. And then one day you said, you know, a lot of people would be >> wasting content. >> Yeah. Exactly. Is what you said. You know, a lot of people would be really interested in what what we're talking about. And I'm thinking, what do you what I don't understand? You're like, yeah, this would be a great podcast. I'm like, I don't understand, but okay, let's do it. So, I don't I don't remember what the original format of this was because when I look back, I can't even find the file online. It's probably in my archive somewhere. >> It's It was pretty much the same. Uh, I I solicited uh Lisa Bettany to do the voices and I wrote a script for her >> and it took I probably took a couple of months after we started the show to get her to finally finish it. She didn't she's not a voiceover pro, but she's she could be if she wanted to be. >> And so I had to like, you know, keep begging her to do it. And uh so she finally did. And I I guess she gave me about four versions of each uh of the stuff. And I then I just laid that over an old uh an old 19 29 1930 song. And uh because the music fit in with her voice and the and I we made it the theme and that was the uh that then we just stuck with that because it was fine. It was good and you liked her voice and the whole thing was great. And uh and then we started uh cranking the show out. And it was uh it was a conversation that we decided to uh it was content. It was good content. And I see this I mean I No agenda shows kind of the same way. It's two guys with a lot of information backed up. >> Yep. >> Talking about it or with not just yakking. I mean because I've seen these you you hear a lot of podcasts with two guys just yak yak yak. They they never really bring out any facts or stats or they don't read anything or they don't have anything to say other than what they think. >> Yep. >> And so we always had information to convey and that was the why it worked. >> Parenting styles of the silent generation. >> You know, my first car that I got was a uh a Camaro. Was a 1970 Camaro rally sport split bumper 307. We did a lot of work on it. But that was 1983. Okay. I got a 1970 car that was all beat up. It was cool as hell. It was a Camaro. It was my grandmother. She gave it to me. And that's great. That doesn't mean I'm privileged because I got a car because I had a lot of work that I put into it. And then once I get it all put together, you know what happened? My parents decided, you know what? That car, it's not fuel efficient. It's got little problems with it. It's old. You should sell it. So, they sold it. They kept the money. And then >> they sold your car out from under you. >> That's correct. Wow. >> And then but they did give me their car which was only about three years old. It was This is embarrassing. >> It was a station wagon. >> It's worse. It's worse. It was a Pontiac T1000. It was a white four cylinder 0 to 60 in 3 minutes Pontiac T-1000. And with that, they gave me the remainder of the payment book. >> You like that, huh? That's true. That's true. >> That's that's tough love. >> Yep. I said to my wife, she goes, "Oh, let's go travel." I'm like, "Do you want to get an RV?" She's like, "Okay." Then I started thinking about it. I'm going to be like, you know, 20 hours in RV with the wife who's, you know, just telling me all the things I'm doing wrong the whole time. No, I don't think so. Nope. >> Well, we did an RV tour uh some years back with the kids. >> How was that? >> Had a big RV. We had a big RV. Took a took a drive all the way up to Washington over to through Idaho to to Yellowstone Park and then through the Hell's Half Acre and all the rest and came back. It was a nightmare. >> Andrew's financial groupy. >> Quick note I'm flustered. So, I went uh I left the building tonight at I don't know 5:30 or so touh grab some dinner to come back for this evening show and there was a couple cops outside and they said, "Uh, did you see a woman walking around blonde hair and a bikini top?" I'm like, "No, no, I don't think so." And anything? No, no, nothing. I come back to the office. I go through the back door of the parking lot and I go into the stairwell and I smell smoke and I look over and sure enough there is that woman sleeping underneath the stairwell with a beautiful uh kind of a a really nice looking flask and smoking. You know, she's been smoking so it stinks. >> She's sleeping and smoking at the same time. >> I'm not sure, but she was smoking at some point cuz the whole place stunk. So I go back up to my office and I do my thing and what to do. So I said, "All right, let me call the cops. I'll call the cops and tell her she's got to go." >> Hour and a half goes by, nothing. Go downstairs and take a peek. >> Wait, we stop. >> Yeah. >> Then I want to savor this. So the cops were asking you specifically about this woman. >> That's correct. >> And so when you called them, they didn't bother to show up. >> That's correct. >> Okay. Go on. >> So uh and I didn't call the 911 line. I called just the, you know, the the the dispatch, >> the courtesy line, the good line. >> Right. Uh, and um, so I I said, "Let me go downstairs and see if she's still there." I go downstairs. I still the whole the stairwell stinks. I walk down the stairs. I peek. Yep, there she is still sleeping. Come back upstairs. The hour and a half later, I called the police again. I said, "Listen, uh, just let you know, you know, somebody's sleeping downstairs. Maybe we should have them, you know, maybe ask them to leave." Did you wait? Did you make sure to mention that this was the person that the cops were inquiring about? >> I did. >> Okay. >> And they asked me all sorts of questions. What was she wearing? I'm like, I didn't look. What was she looking? I don't know what she looked like. Does she have any weapons? I have no idea. I just saw her sleeping there. Or maybe I said, you know what? Maybe she's not sleeping. She could be dead. I don't know. But she's laying on the ground underneath the stairwell. Although she's probably not dead because she's been smoking, it seems. But nonetheless, so now another hour goes by. >> So we're at two and a half hour point. >> We're at two and a half hour point. Finally, they show up. >> And these are the then this is the person the cops were looking for. >> That's correct. >> Okay. >> So now uh I meet them outside and they're at the wrong door. I told them exactly where to meet me. They meet me outside. We walk through the building. They do a whole sweep. She's no longer sleeping at the spot. So they go through everywhere. They open up all the bathroom doors, you know, with their flashlights in hand. You know how they do the the flashlight in one hand, crossed on the other hand? You know what I'm talking about? >> They're holding it funny. >> Yeah. >> Uh, now let's stop again. >> Yeah. >> For more clarification. >> Uhhuh. >> Um, so by the time they got there 2 and 1/2 hours later, she had gotten up and moved. >> Seems that way. She left her flask, >> but she left her flask. >> She left her flask and some tissues. And the flask was kind of rhinestone studded. I felt bad for her leaving her flask pink with rhinestones something she probably savored. >> So now they come in, they go through all the different things and all I see are, you know, uh, Fort Lauderdale police, is anybody in here? And then you hear, uh, clear and they're clearing the >> Can I jump to the end and give and give a quick idea of how this ends? >> Yeah, go ahead. >> You got arrested for filing a false police report. Uh, that would be that would be what would usually would happen, you would think. But she's not there. Um, I'm I'm tempted to leave her flask outside as a good Samaritan because otherwise it can be thrown out. That's how my That's how my evening was up until about 15 minutes ago. >> Cooking with gas. >> I was thinking about getting a new stove. I have a gas cooktop. >> Yeah. >> And I wanted a little bit hotter. And then it's like I'm like, "Okay, what does it cost for something like this that I want?" It's like uh 5,500 plus installation. I'm like, "For for a stop a stove top?" >> That's just a stove top. Yeah. >> That's not even >> That's a That level of heat you're talking about. That's in a That's a professional kitchen. >> It was Yeah. But so the problem is that I'm I'm part of the issue of thinking about buying just new things for the house because, you know, we're spending so much time there. I just want to gussy it up a little bit. >> Well, my advice, stop. >> Yeah. Okay. It's time to cancel Christmas. >> And And you know what? They're going to shut down Christmas. Do you watch the same way they did on Thanksgiving? >> Oh, how are they going to shut it down? What? Oh, >> they just tell people, "No, no. Don't go. No, no, no, no, no. Don't go. You're going to kill your granddad, >> right? >> There's going to be empty chairs next year." >> Oh, back. The empty chairs discussion. >> Empty chairs. They're going to be empty chairs. You're going to you're going to see you're going to see your granddad and then next year you're going to expect them to see an empty chair. Is that what you want? that you know that image is kind of interesting because I don't know about you but if I had an empty chair for every dead person in my family I wouldn't have any room at my table. >> Well I always say that Jews always have an empty chair at the table. We have for at least one. >> Yes. For Elijah. >> Elijah. That guy. Yeah. >> He never shows up. >> Never shows up. >> Never shows up. You open the door. You know during that prayer it's I think during Passover we say you know we have a a glass of wine. We have food for Elijah. Elijah, the representation of anyone who is in need. Please come in our house and eat. And one year I said, "Listen, you're going to open this door and what if actually somebody comes in? What are you going to do? What are you going to do? What are you going to do?" I'm not saying it's going to be some kind. You're going to call the cops. >> Yeah. You're going to call the cops. >> Call the cops on Elijah, >> right? Some guy comes in. It's like, you know what? I'm hungry. By the way, I know that I saw the Jew thing on your on your door here and I know it's about the right time. The door was open and you said I say, "Come on in. I'm sitting down. I'm eating." >> Call me maybe. >> All right. Listen, you have a wonderful Are you going to Are you going to see your wife for Thanksgiving and your whole family or just >> No, no, the kids, nobody will come over. I mean, I got my daughter here, so she'll be here. My wife is stuck in Washington. >> She she's coming down for for a couple weeks in in December for Christmas and New Year. And so we're doing we're getting the extra we're opening up a can of cranberry sauce. >> Do you want to do you want to zoom in with my family? >> Oh, we that'd be great. only what we do is we use the phone. We do a we could actually do a call if you don't mind using the uh the phone and we can say hi. >> Okay. I will try to remember that on Thanksgiving. >> Well, send send me your numbers that I need to that you can take from your cell phone. >> What? What do you mean? What numbers? You know my cell phone number. >> I do. >> What do you mean? We text back and forth. What are you talking about? >> Oh, okay. >> I I'll double >> We've only known each other for 13 years. Fortunately for us, >> stunted by morality >> and I look back on all all the years that I've been in and out of the market doing one thing or another. And if I had just been while in college just bit my tongue and bought as much of debeers at the time >> as I could because it was it was just in the tank because it was politically incorrect back in the day. >> Yeah. >> Uh to even talk about the company. But if you had bought it when I could have bought it, I I wouldn't be doing this podcast. >> What? What? I take offense to that. I thought this was uh you know something that you this is one of your life's ambitions. This is one of those those things that you look forward to every like starting Monday. >> Oh, I look forward to doing it, but if I had bought the stock the right stocks at the right time, uh I probably couldn't get a connection to do this show. >> Gotcha. I understand. No, I understand. Now, >> if you are listening, thank you. >> So, there I am going through the market. I'm checking out all the wet stuff, you know, the meat. >> You were actually there when a train came through. >> Let me There's more than a story. This This is serious. I heard this that the trains come through, right? I'm like, whatever. So, I'm doing my thing. I'm doing my thing. And I walk outside and they have all these awnings that are over the train tracks and all this and all these people that are selling their wares on the track. I'm standing there. Nothing's happening at this point. I'm standing there and this little Vietnamese woman takes her elbow and jams it into my stomach. I'm not kidding. I'm like, "What the hell was that?" And then she takes her arm and and and sprawls it out in front of me and then pushes me back. I'm like, "What is going on?" Next thing you know, everything comes up in an instant. The awnings go up and this train, honestly, 3 seconds later, plows through. I'm not kidding. Train goes through, everything stops, they put the stuff back down, the awnings come back down, everybody's just going along. The weirdest thing ever. >> So, this woman saved your life. You were going to get run over by the train cuz you were unaware of the situation. >> I I guess that's what was going on. Yes. I never really thanked her properly either. >> Well, maybe she's listening. >> Thank you. >> Yeah, she's listening. That's right. >> Thank you so much. >> This will turn you head. I had this babysitter that was over the house and she was decided to watch The Exorcist, okay, when it first came out >> with the kids. >> And let me tell you something, that scene where she was bouncing around in the bed and then spun her head damaged me for a long time. I was like, I wouldn't go near the TV. I couldn't touch the TV. It was bad. >> How old were you? >> I don't know, maybe eight, 10. I was I was not happy about that. >> The funny line would have been I was 20. >> Just an average mugger. >> I have the original green >> Microsoft mug with the original Microsoft logo. >> Wow. >> And I was given this by an old-timer at Microsoft and they who told me it was woman actually said uh this mug is gonna be worth a fortune. people at Microsoft would anyone would buy this mug back because it makes it look like you're an old-timer. It's been at the company forever. >> How many mugs do you have, do you think? I mean, could you make a uh like a a mini book out of it? Pictures of them. >> I don't have that many mugs. >> Not that many. >> I'm not a complete nut. >> What a coincidence. >> So, I had a golden retriever, great dog. Penny was her name. And uh one day late in her days, Penny started having these these seizures. And uh the doctor says, "Oh well, this is kind of common late stage of goldens. They get some kind of brain thing going on and they get these these seizures, but you know what we're going to do? She's still, you know, good dog. She's doing well. What we're going to do is we're going to give you this medicine and when she has a seizure, give her this and that will calm her down." I said, "Doctor, I mean, I don't understand something. It's my understanding when someone is having a seizure, you don't want to put your hands near their mouth. And giving this minute, he says to me, "Whoever said about putting it in her mouth." Huh? Well, there was a whole Family Guy episode about this exact same topic. >> Was there? >> April 2021, the GIF gift. >> And it is the 6th. >> April. >> 6th of April. >> After my birthday. My birthday was yesterday. >> I know. Happy birthday. I mean, the the I saw all the fanfare and the love and just the outright outpouring of gifts and just people love you. >> Everything you got everything right except the gifs part. >> Did I say gifs? I meant gifs. >> Oh, gifs. >> Yeah, gifs. I meant gifs. Gifs. Gifs. >> So, I know that uh I heard that you're taking >> By the way, you just you just came up with another new reason not to use the misprononunciation of gif. Yeah, >> it sounds like gif, >> right? Wh why is it why is it GIF? Why is it not JIF? >> It's because it stands for graphical uh interface format or something like that or gra something like that and it was developed for I think CompuServe and it was and the guy who invented the format that's what he called it. >> Oh, I mean we don't call a JPEG a JPEG. >> Well, some people do in San Francisco. >> A positive boat and experience. >> Well, here we are. We're at the end of April and there is just a just a bash of information going on. Speaking of which, I did attend Bokeh Bash this weekend, which is a world famous uh gathering of boats on a sandbar in Bokeh. Last year it was cancelled. Every year there's some real shenanigans that go on. Let's just say that uh there was plenty of uh bare naked ladies and drinking going on. >> Really? I I don't know if it was orgies. I didn't see that part, but I did see plenty of kayaks that I had to do a double take on. >> No, you should do. And you had your camera and you took some great pictures. >> I have one that would be acceptable for you. I will send it to you. >> Oh, okay. Good. >> Uh but uh not a mass to be found. 12 arrests so far for drunken, disorderly, resisting arrest and all that. Plenty of boats slamming into other boats. Thousands of boats lined up in here. We um we had a boat of about 12 of us or 10 of us like maybe 10 or 11 of us on a 40 foot craay and uh I smoked some great wings that morning. Brought on the boat. The guy has a couple of built-in barbecues in there. So we had a good time. >> The red book legacy. >> You write stuff down in a book, right? >> The red book. Yeah. >> What is that a thing? Is that a real thing? Is it more of a >> I actually have a couple right here. I have a couple down here under the under the desk that are from I don't know when these are from, but the real book. It's red and it's got pages. It's got predictions and you can hear the pages and in these books are a bunch of notes from the shows and occasionally there's a prediction. The problem is when you use this methodology, >> they can't find what you did. >> Exactly. >> Of course. That's why I was asking useless. That's why I was asking it. I've I've I've for for many years I've been listening about the book >> and writing it down in the book. We got to write >> more than one book. I think you have about five volumes. >> Does anybody ever go through? You should just do a show on the books. >> Well, I Well, right now I'm looking at there's only one book here. I don't know where the other three are or four. But this uh I've gone occasionally on the show when things have got slow before co and just randomly open the book and started looking at predictions and it's interesting. But there's another problem that's that you don't know but I I'll mention it. I can't read my own handwriting. >> Oh god. >> A wolf in sheep's clothing. >> Dillards. And we can put a few other stocks in here. But you know what Dillards is? It's a department store that >> Yeah, I've been there. I shop there. I like to shop at the dealers in Florida because for some reason it seems like as though they have uh central buying that's in New York. So you go to Florida in the middle of summer and you can buy a dynamite wool suit on sale at Dillards because nobody in Florida buys wool suits in August. >> You know, one of the worst things you could ever buy in life is a wool suit in Florida. Besides the heat, but the general humidity makes it stink. You you feel like you're going to get >> Yeah. stinks like an old sheep. >> You feel like if there's a male sheep around, he's coming for you. You know what I'm saying? Coming. Keep the sheep away. >> So, they're on sale. These $500 suits are always on sale for like 90 bucks. It's It's hilarious, >> right? >> Long time listener saw this one coming. >> Did you have a nice Father's Day? Did you get anything? Did anything happen nice to you? >> I got a I got a Finally got a cheese slicer. Oh, one of those with the with a little a handle like a a knife one or one with a like like a piece of >> razor the the wire. >> Oh, the wire. Oh, yeah. The knife. >> Not a cheap but not a cheap one. A really good one >> with like a marble. >> That's what I want. That was what I want. So, I asked for two things. I wanted the cheese slicer and a pocket knife. >> And you get the pocket knife. >> Yeah. I really wanted the high-end. There's a bunch of these high-end pocket knives out there. They cost like a lot. >> I had two of them I was looking at today in my office. Somebody brought in. one was $300, but one of those you push a button, it slams the knife out. >> Oh, that's illegal in California. >> And another one that was just very sharp. I got >> These weren't I guarantee it wasn't 300 bucks. I'm thinking more like 40, which seems high to me for a pocket knife. But >> I I got I got an ashtray. >> Well, you don't even smoke. >> I smoke cigars. I got an ashtray. >> Oh, you do. Right. Right. Right. And uh I got um one of these really very intense massager things where you could it it it just honestly it's like a it's like a sledgehammer. >> I've seen those are the big giant ones. I've seen those in a lot of porn on a lot of porn. >> Okay. >> They use them for other things than massaging. >> Mercilessly, wholeheartedly and without reservation. John avoids adverbs. >> John C. D'Vorak, you go to the Substack. Uh, tell them the address. >> Yeah, d'vorak.substack.com. You can read these columns. I have a an editor that I work with that helps me keep these columns clean. >> Oh, >> when you get older, you need an editor. It's the way I see it because you get careless as a writer. I like >> I also have another I have a kind of a funny game I'm playing with these columns. One of them is there's no adverbs in any of these columns except unless I'm quoting somebody and they put an adverb in there. There's zero adverbs in any of this. >> Who thinks of these things? Why would you even think of why? Why is something like, oh, it's >> like a game I play with myself. >> That guy D'vorah, could you believe the quality? >> Even when she edits it, you know, she'll edit these things down and she'll leave some pronouns. No, no, no. I'm getting rid of them. I got I get rid of every pronoun. I'm sorry, not pronouns. I mean adverbs. She leave an adverb or two in and maybe even add one once in a while. No, no, these are out. So there's no there's you can look them up. There's not except for a quote somebody quoted in there or some some has an adverb. >> So your stories are adverbless. >> Yes, totally. >> The adverbless ad that's what the next the next book stories of the adverbless author. >> There's a lot of >> who does this >> star? Well, I think Stephen King's one of them. >> He doesn't use adverbs. >> Makes a big f Stephen King's the one that made the biggest fuss about adverbs >> in his writing class. He says adverbs are not your friends. And uh most writers are familiar with the fact that your your writing is easier to read if there's no adverbs in it. >> What about Adam? I mean I I refuse to use those in my in my in my uh writings. >> I don't know that that's not an adverb. I don't care. Also some you got to knock passive voice down too. >> Priceless knowledge. >> People can look up Liium. >> Liium. Look at the things that you learn on this show. I'm always impressed of what I learn the show with your seriously with the wealth of you have you have a wealth of ins crappy >> insignificant knowledge as I call it >> totally insignificant knowledge that is fascinating frankly I think >> it might be significant someday and I'm storing it I'm hoarding it >> this is kind of like if you want to play trivial pursuit and stuff and you're like hey how do you know that I heard D'vorak tell me that he said something about it there about I knew the you know what was the uh alternative water steam engine of the 80s Oh, liium. Of course. >> Well, liium was the was the fuel. Yeah. >> Or the boiling the the substance you boiled. >> Mhm. >> John's famous beetle encounter. >> Can I just segue and move back to Egypt for a second? >> Yeah. >> I did learn what one of the most important bugs in Egypt is. Are you aware of this? >> Probably not. >> The scarab, which is the dung >> The scarab. Yeah, they're very famous. >> Yeah, the dung beetle. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. So, look that up. Anybody that wants to know why the dung beetle is related to the sun and um why the importance in in Egypt. >> I have my I have my dung beetle story. >> What do you have? >> So, I'm in I'm with the family. We're in a we're in South Africa >> and we're at some camp someplace in the middle of nowhere and it's a really nice place. is one of these resorts that they have. It's a a game park and they have these these huts and this is kind of a restaurant looking area and it's all indooroutdoor and so this giant dung beetle >> uh is walking along the floor >> and the things are huge. They're the size of your fist. >> Wow. Really? >> Oh, a big big boy. And so, uh, he's walking along the floor and he's in somebody's way. So, somebody kicks the dung beetle to get him out of the way. Kind of like a cat >> kicks the dung beetle and the dung beetle decides to flee by very slowly opening up his case and bringing out his wings. >> Uhoh. >> So now, and so he just takes off. And the thing is, dung beatetles, it turns out, can can fly away when they need to in an emergency, but they have no controlling mechanism. It's like a helicopter with nobody at the wheel. >> So, there's this crow basically a giant crowbized thing flying around inside the restaurant just bouncing off of stuff. You have to duck >> as it goes goes passing by. Anyway, this is my dunk beetle story. >> Yeah, that's pretty wild. >> Silk Road Services. >> Yeah, I'm reminded of my dry cleaning story. >> I've told it before. I used to have uh of course I had these these these clothes made in uh Asia, but I had a a white linen suit or white linen sport coat jacket. And one time I had spilled some wine on it and it got stained and no dry cleaners around here could get it cleaned off. It was just it was just a horrible red spot. I couldn't use the jacket. One day I got the bright idea because I was going to China to take the jacket with me, have it dry cleaned in China. Clean as a whistle. Clean as a whistle. I And I discovered once I found that out, I had this other jacket, a very expensive uh sport coat from Casper, uh, you know, style. I got it I got it so cheap. I bought it in Florida for like 70 bucks or something for it's like a $500, $600 coat. I said, "Why is this so cheap?" And this from a distance it was like a Seinfeld episode. You could see a big stain, huge stain on one half of the jacket. It was just And then once you noticed it, you couldn't wear the jacket again. Took it to China. >> Clean as a whistle, >> right? >> Yeah. They got They do things differently over there. >> Yeah. >> There's no OSHA. >> No. No. None. >> John's second favorite car. Although when you buy the car, I'm sure there's a ULA involved nowadays. That's why you don't want to buy new cars. >> Yeah, we need to buy like an 80s 80s Chevel or something. >> Well, that's what you 80s Chevel. >> Old AMC Pacer. Who cares if it's going to blow up? >> You know, I had an AMC Pacer. >> Did you? >> Yeah. We got one for somebody g we got it almost for free. I don't know how we ended up with it, but I have to say this, the only other person I know that had an AMC Pacer was Reggie Jackson. >> Oh, really? >> I was at a liquor store in Oakland at the right after that World Series where he hit the three home runs with three different off three different pitchers to three different, you know, three home runs in one game. >> There comes Reggie Jackson driving a pacer >> with two blondes. >> Might get a two. How do you get two blondes? One in the back seat spread. was >> Yeah, I think there was. >> It was like the weirdest looking car. It was like a fishbowl. >> It was I'll tell you this, having owned one >> and people and the ridicule involved in having owned one cuz it is it's one of the greatest cars I've ever owned. >> Really, >> it the visibility was unbelievable. The the seat swung out when you got out of the driver's side. It just swung so you can just hop right off the seat onto the car. >> There's a lot of window in that car. >> There's a lot of stuff going on with that car. It was an, you know, it was it wasn't a dog when he drove it. It handled didn't handle like a pig. And uh I don't know what ever happened to it, but we I never minded having the thing. It was nice. >> That's interesting. I I saw them on the road and then uh I just thought they were the ugliest things I've ever seen. >> They were pretty, you know, if you if you like the bubbly look, you know, it wasn't that ugly and it was uh it was it was a better car than people gave it credit for. It looks like a elephant stepped on the top and everything just squirted out the sides. >> Well, yeah. >> Well, that's the ridicule you got for it. >> They got a lot of people, you know, but if you actually had one, you would have enjoyed it. >> The gut-wrenching ' 90s. >> You You remember this? Remember the time they had this Ostra? Do you remember Ostra? >> What was that? There was an oil or what was that? >> It was It was an oil used for doing French fry for potato chips. >> Right. Right. Right. Right. But it gave everybody horrible gas. >> You horrible gas and diarrhea. Yeah. And I had these I had a a couple of these chips and I don't know how you could get to the diarrhea or the the gas because you ate one chip at norm like room temperature potato chip and it was just the goo this this Ostra stuff stuck to the roof of your mouth >> and there was just like it's like a crayola had been scribbled on the top of your mouth that and you you could use your tongue and you couldn't get it off. Oh, >> you sound like Larry Summers now. Why? That's what he's probably still trying to get the alle out of his mouth. So, uh I don't see how people could eat his more than one chip before they just yuck. >> Official Horovitz branding. >> Hey, did you uh were you uh are you into making truffle butter? >> Why do you ask that? That's funny. I I >> had a dream about you arguing with somebody making truffle butter. >> I did make truffle butter recently. Yes, I did. >> Oh, wait a minute. Oh, wait a minute. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. If that wasn't a dream, somebody butt dialed me. Who the hell would have me on their phone and that would have be making truffle butter and I just didn't take long. >> Yeah. Well, yeah, I did I did have a nice evening. Uh I made a comp compound butter uh that I usually make when I when I'm doing steaks. And then uh I had a picture actually I put up on Twitter. It's of the Chateau Bons. And I even put my brand in there. It was really cool. >> You have a branding thing that you >> Yeah. put on the stakes and puts a brand on there. >> Sure. >> Oh, man. >> Come on. It's fun. >> I'm gone. >> Andrew's Saucy Retail Rebellion. >> You like Starbucks coffee? >> I I find our coffee to be somewhat bland. >> Re that I've never heard. What do you mean bland? >> It doesn't have the powerful flavor of a good coffee. >> It has a burnt flavor in my opinion. >> Well, yeah, that could be true. That's what you do when you got a bland coffee. You burn it. So it has people think, "Oh, that tastes good." It's burnt. >> I see. It's like this It's like this place down here that makes burnt pizza and burnt wings. Seriously, it's They're delicious. They're delicious. >> Yeah. Well, there you go. >> Yeah. I I think I think >> I just don't know. I don't like Starbucks coffee. I've had it. >> I I think some of their their bottled drinks are pretty tasty. Uh but that's about it. I I I also don't like the This is going to be a little off. I don't like the whole I got to feel happy when I go into a Starbucks. You know what I mean? Just give me the goddamn coffee. Don't ask my name. You know what? They asked me my name to put on the cup in Starbucks. You know what I tell them? My name's Duncan. That's what I tell them. >> Andrew, stories never fall flat. >> Do you know if you're able to sue the city, a city, for faulty roads that damage your car? Uh, I think you can. >> Did I tell you about my flat tire? >> It's a rigomear roll. >> You got a flat tire from a chuck hole? >> Yeah. And And guess what? My wife did it the next day. >> Same chuck hole. >> And she got a flat tire, too. >> Yep. And then two days later, >> a bad chuck hole. >> And then two days later, >> I'm driving and I see this poor guy pulled over to the side of the road jacking his car up. I'm like, "Hey, mister. What happened? cuz god damn a hole in the road back there. Thing is just claiming everybody. >> Wow, that's a bad one. Yeah, I mean I there's some some around here that I'm aware of that I've hit, but I've never gotten a flat tire from hitting one. That's terrible. >> Yeah, it's it's just the perfect size that your tire goes in and smashes against the other side. >> Yeah, I can Yeah, it's probably Yeah, it's a perfect storm of a of a pothole. >> Yeah. >> Tell me what you really think, John. I'm just sick of chicken. I don't like chicken. I mean, I can some maybe sometimes the Chinese can compare prepare it in such a way that I can choke it down. >> A good fried chicken. You'll eat you'll eat a good fried chicken. >> If it's a really good piece of fried chicken, I can I can manage that. But it's like so few and far between. It's just nothing. I don't relish it. I don't yearn for chicken. I don't like chicken. >> Does anybody yearn for chicken? Who yearns for chicken? Somebody must I like duck. >> I eat chicken a lot. I must tell you I do eat a lot of chicken. >> The first bank of Antigua. >> Oh, he told this story once on the show about 5 years ago. This is hilarious. >> Come to the office and uh meet the guys. They want to talk about this deal they have. I want to thinking about putting in, you know, a few million dollars into this deal. I'm like, "All right." So, I come as the personal financial adviser and I sit down. I listen to their pitch. the, you know, the Bank of Antigua and this and that and it's 8% >> red flag number one. >> So, I'm like, uh, let me ask a few questions here. How are you achieving this quote guaranteed 6% or whatever it was? Well, what we're doing is we're leveraging up all these bonds in this way that we know how to do it to do. Okay. And then what? Well, uh, then what we do is we pay it out and all that. We've had problems that Okay. Let me ask you a few questions. What happens if the bond market changed dramatically? What are you going to do? You're all the way levered up on it. Well, you know, we have safety measures, this and that. I said, the second question is, what if my client wants to get his money? Well, of course, he just comes to the bank, calls the bank and gets the money. I said, in Antigua. Uh-huh. And where is bank? I saw this bank. It's on the side of a hill. There were, no lie, no lie. There was goats and chickens crossing the road as I passed it. And I said, "What guarantees?" Well, he is guaranteed to the Bank of Antigua. I'm like, "Oh, the Bank of Antigua." So, uh, long story short, I told him not to do it. Thank God. And then it collapsed. >> And they never had a fight. >> We come here every single goddamn Tuesday night, John, for how many years? >> Uh, about 12. >> 12. 12? >> Yeah. You know, I talk to John on the phone once a week more than I speak to my wife on the phone for a month >> or a year. Maybe a year. >> Yeah. >> So, you know, and you know, I I'd like to I'd like to Oh, I'd like to mention something. One of the one of the running themes of No Agenda is that John and Adam do a three-hour show twice a week. They've been doing it for 10 years. Round number. Okay. Is that right? >> 15 15 >> 15 years. And the uh after you hear that Yeah. There's always something said. The only line's always the same. And we've never had a fight, right? >> Yeah. >> Have we ever had a fight? >> No. >> We've never had a fight. There you go. So, you know what it is? It's you. You're the nice guy. Cuz I bet Adam fights with other people. >> Oh, he's a he's a scrapper. >> Yeah, I fight with other people. Although I I'm not a big fighter, but you must be the glue that just binds us. >> That's it. Exactly. >> That's what I'm saying. Right. >> May 2022 in England. They call it the boot. >> Then my car has a very I have a BMW X5. >> Okay. Love that car. Love that car. >> Bet. >> And uh it has a quirk. >> So when you >> BMWs have quirks. >> This one particular item, I don't understand it at all. Let's say that I'm in my car driving just oh just driving away and doing my little maneuvering. I stop the car. I get out of the car. I close the door. I walk away 10 feet or so the doors automatically lock. Okay. Got that? >> Okay. >> Happens all the time. You hear a little beep. Locks. >> Yeah. Now, do you have the is that when you don't need a key in the ignition? So, the key is always in your pocket, >> right? The fob is in my pocket. So, now uh there's a weird thing. the trunk. When you open the trunk, there's two buttons to close it because, god forbid, you can close it manually. One's just a close button and one's a lock button. And oddly enough, and I'm not sure what the design theory is behind it. >> What is the point of this? >> When you close it, where sometimes when you push the lock button to close it and lock the car, it doesn't actually close. You have to push the other button. And randomly, I've never figured this out. When you walk away from the car, it doesn't lock. Every once in a while, I'm looking, ah, it must have gone on the trunk again, and I locked the car. Well, tonight it was very bright outside. I came home. I was doing a few things, having a little dinner before I came back to the studio to do uh the show, and I get this weird call of a panicked neighbor saying, "What's going on?" He said, uh, he said, 'Well, uh, there was something going on. I saw some people checking cars and trying to break in, and lo and behold, I saw this backpack in the middle of the street. I said, "Oh." So, I open it up and your name's in it. I'm like, "What? What do you mean?" It wasn't dawning on me at this moment what was going on. So, I guess they went in my car in the middle like 7:00 at night when it was bright out. reached across from the front passenger door into the back seat. Grabbed my backpack, which I thought at first had my money clip in it, which I sometimes put in there. It was in my front pocket. There was nothing in there but a few cigars, some sunglasses, some other pens and things like that. They pulled it so fast that all that stuff went on the seat and on the ground and they got nothing. Zippity doodah. Cops came, dusted my car for Prince. Good luck. >> Dusted the car over there. We got a partial silver fusion or something like that, but we didn't get the plates from the uh ring ring camera. He was He knew how to get in front of the car and get behind it so it wouldn't be detected. >> A sharp operator. >> Did he break a window? How did they get in? >> It was open. This is that point of my story. >> Oh, because of the Oh, the car was open. >> Because of that godamn trunk thing. >> Come on. There's some funny stuff there. I mean, the whole idea that you can't read your own handwriting when you're trying to write a book is f I love that. That's great. >> Well, most people can't write read their own handwriting, by the way. Uh, was there investment advice? I'm not Was there any in there? I hope so. >> No, not at all. Not at all. It was just Well, there was some anecdotes, some things about the like pump and dump schemes. There was things about, you know, what to learn and whatnot. But it was more this whole this whole thing that Ryan uh put together these two episodes this week. >> This is I found as amusing. I don't remember the cheese slicer story. >> You got a cheese slicer for a birthday and I was questioning was it a cheese slicer like this? Or was it one of those with a wire that you'd slice? >> Yeah. I mean, I just don't remember talking about it. >> You remember this cheese slicer, don't you? >> I have a bunch of cheese slicers. That's the thing. >> Yeah. Well, we did talk about that and so many other things. And like I said, um the the the idea that um the the voice actors when you were soliciting Lisa to do Lisa Bettney to do the opening of the show and the closing of the show and then um that story about the across the street neighbor when they pump chemicals into their house by accident, the house was uninhabitable for like 22 years across the street when I was growing up. And that same person, that same person who pumped gasoline into their boat, but used the rod holder instead of the gasoline. That's terrible. Oh well. Well, with that, we >> And by the way, thanks thanks goes out to Lisa Bettney for doing that for us. >> Yeah, she's the best. >> I haven't seen her forever. >> I know. All right. Well, I'll uh we'll talk we'll pick this up next week. We'll volume two. >> I'll see you then. >> Thanks. You've been listening in on a conversation with John C. D'vorak and Andrew Horowitz. Hope to be with you again soon. Bye-bye. >> Now, I'm not broke, but badly bent. I'm not down to my last scent, cuz I got a dollar, but it's my last dollar bill. Yes, sir. In my pockets there's a dent. All my dough is nearly spent, but I got a dollar and it's my last dollar bill. Oh, I'd love just one more buck. Fortune left me by chance. Now, here's a hint. I feel like a men. You can hardly tell by a glance. I don't care. No millionaire can give me the Isis stack. Cuz I got a dollar. My last dollar bill. This podcast is intended forformational purposes only and does not constitute personalized investment advice. Investing involves risk including the possible loss of principle and past performance is not indicative of future results. The views and opinions expressed are those of the host and any guess and may not necessarily reflect those of Horowits & Company Inc. an investment adviser registered with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Registration with the SEC does not imply a certain level of training or skill. Advisory services are only offered to a client or prospective clients where Horo is a company is properly registered or is excluded from registration requirements. Any mention of thirdparty companies, products or services is provided forformational purposes only and does not constitute an endorsement. Hypothetical scenarios or forward-looking statements are for illustrated purposes and should not be viewed as guarantees. Content is intended for US residents only and may not be applicable in other jurisdictions. Listeners should consult a qualified financial adviser before making any investment decisions. Please visit our website for additional information, disclosures, as well as a copy of our form CS. Advertisements are not related to the host or affiliates and are not considered recommendations by the host of the show or any affiliates of Horowits Company.