The Twilight Zone

This is a middle age man; he works in a world of finance and academe. He enjoys the competitiveness of the business world with the “pie in the sky” world of study and research. His friends in the business world think he is nuts to waste his time on management what ifs and selective reasoning. His friends in the academic world have no concept of the “real world” and the decisions associated with this world.

He has interests in sports, a good cigar, staying away from Montclair, CA and pie. He believes strongly in teaching and sharing thoughts and ideas with students in finance, accounting, statistics, and investments. But at the same time “making the deal” is intriguing and sexy to him.  He is caught in the gap between profit and purpose in life. In short, Mr. Businessman / Mr. Teacher is in that rare area of cold economic reality and today lets’ study Keynesian Economics, having decided too late in life which area is best for him, and who at any time will enter a realm where common sense, strategic management thinking and leadership collide.

Next stop for Mr. Businessman / Mr. Teacher - the Twilight Zone.

SPORTS BLINK - Olympics: Tokyo gets 2020 Games with help from prime minister: Tokyo was awarded the 2020 summer Olympic Games on Saturday, beating Istanbul in a head-to-head vote after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe delivered a charismatic plea to the International Olympic Committee and promised Japan's crippled nuclear plant was 'under control.' The Japanese capital won what one insider had called a 'least-ugly' contest by most effectively covering its blemishes. Rival Madrid has been laid low by the economy and Istanbul has been beset by anti-government protests. Tokyo won by a landslide, 60 votes to Istanbul's 36, after Madrid was eliminated in a first round of voting. ... Tokyo in its pitch highlighted its solid finances and strong track record of delivering on promises. Olympic President Jacques Rogge described it as 'a safe pair of hands.'

The next summer Olympics will be hosted by Rio de Janeiro in 2016, and the preparations for that Games have been plagued by delays and complications. Moreover, the Tokyo bid capitalizes on the potential of the Asian continent, with its increasingly consumer-focused economies. Winning the Games was an enormous prize after two years of intense lobbying and tens of millions of dollars spent, and Abe was thrilled. ... For Istanbul, it was its fifth unsuccessful bid in the last six votes to host a summer Olympics. The city had pitched itself as a new region for the Games, the crossroads of Europe and Asia, and as a vehicle to help foster peace in the Middle East. But the conflict in neighboring Syria and recent anti-government demonstrations in Turkey overshadowed the bid. ... The victory is expected to boost Abe's popularity, and could potentially spur his signature pro-growth policies for the world's third-biggest economy. A successful Tokyo bid should boost confidence as well as spur construction and tourism.

WORDS OF THE MONTH –

skedaddle \ski-DAD-l\, verb:

1. to run away hurriedly; flee.

noun:

1.      a hasty flight.

"We don't have time to waste today, Eddie," she told him abruptly. "Now get your coffee and skedaddle."

quejarse, reflexive verb

to complain

Quejarse is a basic word, meaning to complain, which it’s useful to know. To complain about something the preposition you use is de:

“Se quejaban de la falta de información.”

They were complaining about the lack of information.

BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK – Birthday wishes and thoughts this week to: Heidi Bravo … famous animal advocate,  Pete Carroll (62), Amy Irving (60), Tommy Lee Jones (67), Bob Lanier (65), Arnold Palmer (84).

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PICK OF THE WEEK – Saturday 9/14, 12:30 PM ET, CBS: #1 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide (1-0) visit #6 ranked Texas A & M Aggies (2-0). A HUGE SEC matchup, with end of the season implications – we like The Tide to roll 32 Aggies 20.  Season to date (2-0)

SMALL COLLEGE FOOTBALL PICK OF THE WEEK – Saturday 9/14, 3:00 PM ET, HGTV: a key early season west coast tilt - #13 Pacific Lutheran Lutes (0-0) visit Thousand Oaks, CA and the #18 ranked Cal Lutheran Kingsmen. Can the SCIAC compete on the national stage, we think so: Cal Lu 24 Pac Lu 21.  Season to date (1-0)

NFL PICK OF THE WEEK – Sunday 9/14, 8:30 PM ET, NBC: In one of the key games of the first month of the NFL season – San Francisco 49ers (1-0) visit Seattle Seahawks (1-0). Seattle in a surprising easy game for them, Seahawks 30 49ers 14. Season to date (1-0)

THE SWAMI’S WEEK TOP PICKS –

(NFL, Sept, 12) New England Patriots 42 New York Jets 20

(NCAA, Sept. 14) UCLA Bruins 24 Nebraska Cornhuskers 17

(SCIAC game of the week, Sept. 14) Puget Sound Loggers 35 Chapman Panthers 31

(MLB, Sept. 14) Los Angeles Dodgers 6 San Francisco Giants 4

Season to date (20-14)

DRIVING THE WEEK - Syria remains the dominant story with Congress returning in full and Obama addressing the nation on Tuesday evening. The White House continues to "flood the zone" with officials pressing members of Congress to vote in favor of a strike. Hillary Clinton is expected to speak on Syria after she visits Obama at the White House today and Obama blankets the networks with interviews tonight ... As of now, the odds remain fairly even in the Senate and long in the House but the situation is highly fluid ... NFIB survey at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday expected to rise to 95 from 94.1 ..

Treasury budget at 2 p.m. Thursday expected to show deficit of $160 billion down from $190 billion last year ... Retail sales at 8:30 a.m. Friday expected to rise 0.4 percent ... University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment at 9:55 a.m. Friday expected to tick down to 82.1 from 82.4 ... Senate Banking has a housing reform hearing on Thursday at 10 a.m. ... CFPB Director Richard Cordray testifies before House Financial Services on Thursday at 9 a.m.

Next week: Dear Rink Rats and an Economy update.

Until Next Monday, Adios.

Claremont, CA

September 9, 2013

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