Month: November 2018

Fly Your Flag.   My View, My Take.

Fly your flag all the time, but at a minimum today and tomorrow.  November 11 designates Veterans Day, honoring those who are and have served in the United States Armed Forces.  Forget politics, forget Woodrow Wilson and WWI, Harry Truman and WWII, LBJ and Vietnam, and any of our other leaders who have put our soldiers in harms way.  Stand up, give up your seat, shake the veteran’s hand, and above all else say thank you to them for their service to our country.  This is not about politics, this is about honor and sacrifice.  The least all of us can do is say thank you.   

I don’t remember the curriculum in middle and high school but I do know that at one time I took American history classes.  My knowledge of World War II is mediocre and maybe enhanced by all the war movies my father made me watch (over and over)…..can you say Von Ryan’s Express, Bridge Over the River Kwai, The Guns of Navarone, and The Longest Day?  What I have barely any knowledge of is World War I, the war of all wars. Today marks the 100-year anniversary of the United States entering WWI.  We waited until 1917 but in 1914 the division of power within Europe was remarkable, starting with the Triple Entente (allies) and the Central Powers. The incident that sparked this massive conflict was a bit surprising and resulted in the total number of deaths of 10 million military personnel. The civilian death toll was about 8 million, including about 6 million due to war-related famine and disease. I have never been known as the sharpest pencil in the stack but having little to no knowledge of WWI is a bit embarrassing.

Vote recount.  To Florida, Georgia, and Arizona:  it is the end of 2018 and you are an embarrassment to the rest of the country.  I will not comment on who should win and who should lose as I will stay away from politics.  It is both remarkable and unjust that your voting processes are disruptive, corrupt, biased, and influenced.  There are five Constitutional Amendments that deal with voting and the right to vote.  Don’t marginalize voter’s beliefs about the value of their vote.  For once and for all, get your systems in place to avoid what our Constitution stands for.  Disgusting with the technology and so-called oversight that is in place.

On the lighter side:  Thanksgiving is ten days away.  The NFL and MLS playoffs highlight a busy Sunday.  The beach will be really nice today and this better not be Tata Martino’s last game with Atlanta United.

Thoughts and prayers to all that are affected by California’s wildfires and the devastating attack at the restaurant/bar in Thousand Oaks.

Adios and Have a Funday Sunday!

Where Did the Bull Go?   Saturday Fun.  Making Things Happen.  Dark Shadows.  It is Your Right.

Do financial planners and money managers plead with their clients to run from the stock market just before and during October?  Last month Nasdaq had its worst month since 2008 and the S&P 500 had it worst performance since September 2011.  Though the Dow rebounded a bit on Halloween day, last Tuesday’s 800 point drop was alarming.   October is historically just plain bad – the month is infamous for the two black Mondays and the black Thursday.  Five out of 10 of the market’s worst days have happened in October as well as the Panic of 1907.  Is the play to drop out of equities in September and then jump back in late October when eye-opening stock prices like General Electric seem like a strategic buy?  There are many investors and financial people who thankfully read this blog – how about chiming in with your take on the markets and the month of October?

As I have stated many times, I grew up as a big fan of the National Football League and remain a fan of the NFL, especially the Atlanta Falcons. With that said, there is no doubt that college football rises way up over the football games played on Sundays (yes, on Thursday and Monday nights as well).  The pageantry, fan experience, and level of enthusiasm is tremendous and outshines most NFL experiences.  Take for example yesterday’s Texas v West Virginia match up.  An incredible offensive display by both teams and West Virginia’s coach going for two with no time left on the clock down 41-40.  You did see the final play, correct?

I am not the only critic of the season’s performance by Orlando City.  A rough year to say the least, with of change of head coach at mid-season opening the door for both local Orlando and national soccer journalists to lean hard on Orlando City’s management and ownership.  And OCSC’s management and ownership group has responded to the down year and criticism with immediate effect. OCSC has changed up their scouting staff with the objective of finding those talented but relatively young South Americans, Europeans, and Americans who they can sign for a reasonable transfer fee. The strategy is to then develop their skills and professionalism so that a few years down the line they can be purchased by a European club.  It is a key business strategy and goal of all Major League Soccer clubs to acquire talented players on a low transfer fee and then sell high.  Look for Atlanta’s Miguel Almiron to drive home this business tactic – he was purchased for somewhere around $8M and it looks like one or more Premier League clubs will buy him in the winter transfer window for as much as $25M.  A return of 2.5-3X. Along with their new scouting team, OCSC has also announced that they are building a world-class training center just south of Orlando.  This training center will serve as a key strategy when pitching a potential player who is looking for the right club with the right combination of training facility and stadium. The two-year old stadium is fantastic and as of next July, will dovetail with a great training ground.  A great start to the off season.

I have previously harped on the disaster of daylight savings time ending so I will stay away from the subject.  Actually, I cannot refrain. Darkness before 6pm absolutely, positively sucks.  I do understand and am sensitive to the young children being in the dark at their bus stops, but in reality, and unlike when I was a youngster, there are usually sets of parents with kids waiting on their bus.  Daylight savings time has many attributes that all of you are aware of, and more importantly darkness leads to daylight seasonal disorder (also called “it’s too damn dark too early”).

The 15th Amendment. Exercise your right to vote on Tuesday.  Enough said.

Adios and Have Funday Sunday!!