Here is a more serious post though. Can some one

Here is a more serious post though.

Can some one explain a retired stock?  My simplistic view is that a company retires shares to get the share count down, but are these shares ever available to be pulled out of retirement?  Is a company that buys back it's own stock to retire it basically throwing that money away? 
I guess you look at it as an investment in future earnings because you've limited the amount of shares?