War on Wordcraft

James Butler is a cheeky boy. His latest post describes his response to a question from an old man who is:

...keen to try to earn a decent living for myself and my partner in the the time I have left!

With the above in mind, I'd really value your opinion as to the best way to begin/restart my trading, in order to perhaps make that possible?

I don't want an AtoZ of how to trade, just a couple of pointers in the right direction would be great and most welcome.

James opens his response with these lines:

How was I to answer such a question, point them in the direction of my books and leave it at that? I wonder what the software/course vendors would have said? "Try using a larger typeface with my software", "Try my video pack with subtitles for the hard of hearing" or "Try a silver surfers trading course with tea and biscuits and a free ear trumpet for all delegates!" I must point out to Cassini that the silver surfer course is now full.

How rude! As John Barrymore so eloquently put it:

A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams

And Cassini is still dreaming. Last night's dream was of a brand new Aston Martin, a dream that is just one Bet Angel course away. Perhaps. I just need to get the £400 together, and I'll be all set.

In all seriousness, James' response was spot on. The email to James opened with:

I'm just turned 60 and have been banging my head against the very expensive trading wall for over 2 years now.

Two years is more than enough time to devote to trading, especially if the exercise has been expensive. The fact that it was expensive is worth highlighting, because there's no need to lose a lot of money while you are learning.

As James rightly points out, at 60 you need to be looking to reduce your expenses, and protecting your assets, since your future years for earned income are winding down fast, especially if you are in a manual job. James' answer should really have been a few words "Check out Green All Over" and a link to this blog.

My PeeWee blog drew several comments, the first from that cheeky monkey mentioned earlier:

Pee Wee still hasn't lernded how to spell experience at the top of this page.

"On this blog I chat about my experiance in the market and my opinions."

Some might say, "What if he isn't that good academically, his results speak for themselves."

What results? They are all self-reported.

Surely a "teacher" is supposed to be educated. I didn't get to be a graduate teacher in computer science without first getting a degree in the subject.

Courses by Pee Wee, the squadie and The Bodger are all given by poorly educated and unqualified people. You get what you pay for.

If I want to understand the workings of the universe do I ask Brian Cox the actor because he's cheap and is resting between movies or do I ask Brian Cox the physicist?

PeeWee's woeful writing, along with his "obviously" proven inadequacies in mathematics:

"But despite this, I still got 14 out of 14 trades right and have delivered similar results on courses prior to and after this one. If I trade without doing this then I, obviously, do even better."

and logic, 

"So in this particular match you should have struggled to lose money if you were trading."

bring to mind the words of B R Myers who said:

“People who cannot distinguish between good and bad language, or who regard the distinction as unimportant, are unlikely to think carefully about anything else.”

Quite. World of Warcraft aficionado and presumed fantasist 'gnome mange' then engaged in a 'debate' with James:

Gnome mange: "What results? They are all self-reported."

Actually his results are proofed by betfair. Its a requirement to become an ambassador of betfair.

My question here would be since when do Betfair proof results? Where can I access this? 

I was also under the impression that Betfair ambassadors were well known names from various sports - Lee Dixon and Will Greenwood among them. I wasn't aware that tiddlywinks had any representation in the Ambassador community, but I could be wrong. 

James responded to gnome mange:

"Actually his results are proofed by betfair. Its a requirement to become an ambassador of betfair."

If it is believed that certain parties cut deals with Betfair for lower PC then it is quite conceivable that Betfair will paper over other incongruities too. Whatever works for the marketing department.

Gnome mange: 

Do you have any evidence to back that up?

James: 

Do you?

All I hear is bleating sheeple who are frightened of admitting that they were taken in.

It does you no good at all.

Gnome mange:  

No i dont. Thats why i don't simply make wild accusations.

James: 

And that's why I don't accept marketing guff as the truth.

Both Webb and Berry worked in sales and marketing before and continue to do so today.

Gnome mange

So, you dont have any evidence to back up your claim.

If I can get a word in, I'd say that there is plenty of circumstantial evidence that special deals are being made regarding PC. Zeljko Ranogajec has come out and said that if you are a big enough player, you can negotiate special deals. I have no reason to doubt him. It's also worth mentioning that PeeWee doesn't answer a direct question regarding PC. In my experience, people avoiding giving a direct answer usually have something to hide. PeeWee claims to have paid PC at one time, but has been very quiet on the topic for many years. Enquiring minds may well wonder what might trigger such a silence. Logic would also say that Betfair would obviously insist on silence as part of any agreement.