First Blog

Post-modern Sports. In the beginning, like when I was a kid, sports was completely devoted to sports. I read about who’s doing well, whose not.  I read about trades and how they might affect the team.  I read about the draft and the talents of the draftees.  Rarely did I read about money, except for the superstars.  But now, we see less of this as sports has evolved.  The evolution?  Here's a sketch. Sports teams, talent, prospects, achievements, hopes, potentials, front-runners. Sports money, who’s making the most, minimal salary scales, how much this player can demand, owner’s net worth, league’s rulings on player behavior. Sports personal issues such as domestic abuses, arrests, dress style, diverse opinions, executing contract options. Sports and politics, athlete’s opinions, athlete’s political expressions, athlete’s standing on personal principles, league rulings on politically oriented dress. Only tangential these days is a discussion of the issues

Dear Kids,  Experts recommend you save 10% of your income each year for retirement. Do you? This is just the beginning.  Make sure you put the money into a 401K plan, the only way you can build a substantial nest egg.  For me, I would need $500,000 in savings just to pay my property tax with the 1% interest, if I invested in a bank savings account.   Put your money where you can't get at it .  Not banks. "Banks shaft you in two ways, high interest when you borrow and minuscule interest when you save." Only 39% of Americans can meet a $1000 emergency.  Can you?  If you cannot, you are in dire straits.  About 80% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck.   Is you, then ditto.  Have a two month minimum, hopefully eight month financial cushion. Actually, much more if you're in your forties. About 38% of Millennials believe $200,000 is enough for retirement.  Do you?  Of course, this is ridiculous.  You need at least $1,000,000 just to begin thinking about ret

To friends of course, and to foes where ever.... I have given to political parties in the past.  The downside of so doing is that the parties then have your contact points and contact they do, over and over and over again.  Also, these become part of the public record, accessible to all.   This last point is my issue today.  The party is irrelevant. Let me list a few observations. I get frequent follow-up emails, sometimes a dozen per day from various named or unnamed senders.   This morning one identified himself as Bob.   That’s it. I get several phone calls every week asking for contributions. I often get multiple mailings from congressional candidates looking for contributions. This goes on and on, day in and day out, weekly, monthly, and so on.  OK, these folks want money.  That is my value to them.  But where is the scam? Finally, my point.  Two days ago I got a phone call from a friendly fellow supporting the governor, and asking for money.  Just a hundre

Not supporting but...  Oprah has business experience, is practical, is possibly not an ideologue, lives in this world not an alternate, theoretical world, understands meeting expenses/payroll, knows media incantations.  Compare her with Elizabeth Warren who is a few pages of talking points and little depth.  Compare her with Bernie Sanders, who is a pure ideologue believing only in giving away free stuff.  Compare her with Andrew Cuomo, who micromanages everything, including the color of toilet paper in the men's room. Compare her with any of the players in the Dem field!   This is partly a consequence of Hillary and company for not allowing any others at the top.  We might call this an aspect of the  tyranny of the old age . Oprah just may be  seduced into running by her financially and morally bankrupt party.  There we would have it.  Two billionaires competing on platforms of helping the poor and middle class.  Neither professional politicians, neither lawyers, neit

Listen all.  NOKO has no industry, no research, no university system, and no technology.  Yet, they are world class in ICBCM and nuclear weapons technology?  SOMEBODY  is helping them.  Their only problem is rolling it out slow enough so everyone thinks they are doing the research. Why does everyone talk about giving or not giving them more time in process?   They do have, however, world class hackers.  A lot cheaper.

James Comey - former FBI director turned author.  His editor must be tearing his hair these days with new testimony and discovery requiring new chapter versions.  Likely his staff is sub-titling the future book, “Revelations then Rewrite.”  Cheer up, Jim! The truth is there; you may find it yet. For the Dems, it has been a love-hate-love-hate, and now love affair with hate just around the corner.  For the Reps, it’s been mostly hate all the way.  ----------------- On the Trump foreign policy: We may ask if President Trump is taking us to the edge of the volcano to see what’s there, or if he has some plans for quenching the fires down below. In a way, it is good news he has top generals guiding his moves.  These guys understand the horror of war, and do not celebrate “glorious death.”  They also understand that weakness invites reckless adventures by bold despots who themselves are guided by the simplistic policy to “hang on and they’ll cave.” A game difficult