Happy ,Healthy and Prosperous New Year to All!

With the year rapidly coming to a close, I wanted to send special thanks to my readers, friends, customers and colleagues.
Remember, life is short so live it to the fullest !
Second chances, redemption and forgiveness should never be forgotten!

Happy New Year.

Knicks Basketball; Look I Know It's Only One Game, But a Helluva Opener it Was!

Go New York! Go New York ...Go New York , go! Woo hoo..Christmas Day, first NBA game on the slate, newly renovated Madison Square Garden and the Celts are in town against Stoudemire, "Melo" , Chandler and Company. Yes , the same Celts(a little bit older) who beat the Knicks 8 out of 8 last year and I believe they have stomped the Knicks 20 out of the last 22.
So when the Knicks blew a 17 point lead yesterday I was like "here we go again" . After watching the first two games of last years playoffs and the first half yesterday, I knew the Knicks could play with the Celts, but did they know how to put them away? That was the question in everyone's mind .
Well you know what? We got our answer yesterday . They could indeed play with
Garnett and Company", and yes in a close game they did get the "W"! The place was rocking like old times.
So many positive things can be taken from yesterday's matchup....Yes, you'll have to excuse me...I know it was just one game! Sixty five more to go.

Holiday Time!

I've had the good fortune of having a second career in funding after trying cases for 20 years. I'm now completing my "7th funding season" . Without hesitation I wanted to state "I could not have done it without you"!
Happy Hannukah, Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year !
THANK YOU!

Joe Arpaio, Maricopa County Sheriff, You Have No Business Acting as a Sheriff in a Position of Public Trust!

Let me try to understand this. And I'll start off and tell you I'm not a saint, don't profess to be one . But I actually learned from my parents respect, decency, caring, sharing, understanding and I know it's hard to believe... sensitivity .
So when I hear that a U.S. Justice Department report found widespread civil rights abuses of Latinos by Arpaio and his department , I instantly started fuming! This report reminds me of the Justice Department's investigation and findings of the widespread abuses and crimes by the Puerto Rican Police Force not too long ago. Except these abuses are happening on the 'mainland".
And to fully grasp the import of this whole culture and way of life , the abusers are members of perhaps the most powerful law enforcement unit in the State of Arizona. Scary! How high up does it go ?
To me , with the current leadership in place it appears almost impossible to believe that this "Department " can be turned around. The culture, prejudice and abuses are too deep-rooted.
Therefore , the solution must start from the top....Arpaio must go!
Your thoughts?

Barry Bonds, So What Did That "Whole Scorching of the Earth " Accomplish ?

Tens of millions of dollars spent , astronomical efforts by prosecutors and defense attorneys alike, millions in legal fees, Bonds' trainer in and out of jail, Bonds' Hall of Fame chances possibly destroyed, countless hours logged by the trial Judge, Appellate Court and a lengthy trial.
And all for what? A minor conviction on the Obstruction of Justice charge , 30 day home confinement , community service and a fine . And add in a sympathetic trial judge. That's what happens when the Government "sticks its big nose " into a "baseball matter " !
And you know what ? It's not over . Bonds' still looking to wipe the slate clean on appeal. Another year and a half! More media coverage....
Happy holidays to all involved in the BALCO Fiasco!

Iraqi War Officially Over, We Had No Right Being There in the First Place!

Man, there is nobody I have more respect for than the "Armed Forces ". Bravest men and woman on the planet . The sacrifices, dedication , fortitude and stress is unparalelled in our society. Bombs, artillery, snipers, ambushes, land mines, car bombs....All for what ? Well first of all so the world can be made a safer place for us . Of course there are many side themes to this motto.
So what did 9 years in Iraq accomplish? The end of Sadam Hussein , some temporary stability in the Country and region, and OIL! The casualties were astronomic and gut wrenching .Young men and woman maimed for life .
At the end of the day , we had no business being there . A whole generation of suffering for our warriors. Billions spent while millions in our country are not eating properly . And unfortunately, with all the internal strife there , things will slowly revert to fighting between clans and tribes and national conflict .
Nothing more to say except God Bless our troops and their families. Thank you!

MF Global, Corzine....We Have No Idea Where a BILLION Dollars of Missing Money Is!

MF Global is becoming more of an embarrassment each passing day . First a half a billion dollars of missing money . Now a billion , and no one including Jon Corzine, knows where it is . Laughable! To add insult to injury , the firm allegedly( out of sheer desperation) borrowed client funds from customer accounts(a huge no, no) and then subsequently declared bankruptcy, effectively fu__ing all their customers again. Still, no criminal charges.
Then , this past week Mr. Corzine appears in front of Congress, doesn't invoke the 5th Amendment and is treated with "kid gloves ". Don't make me gag! Am I the only one seeing this for what it really is? The firm at Corzine's direction took wildly risky positions on European debt . They lost their shirt, took money from clients in a desperate attempt to save their asses and then lo and behold declare bankruptcy. Their attitude is "these things happen on Wall Street ". That's bullshit! This conduct is totally unacceptable and the culpaility of MF Global starts at the top.
I'm still in utter disbelief that one simple , little, tiny tiny question hasn't been answered yet...Who gave the order to use their client's funds for company use ? Let's start there .
This has been Wall Street analyst Steve Goldman reporting.

Blagojevich Gets 14 Years, Raj Rajatnaram only 11, Who is Really Worse in the Eyes of the Law?

So the gavel of justice came banging down hard on the former Governor yesterday . Despite open remorse and acceptance of full responsibility by "Blags", the Presiding Federal Court Judge handed down a stern sentence of 14 years. As reported, he will have to do probably close to 12 years. Not going to be easy for a 55 year old former politician.
So reading about his sentence in the Times this morning got me thinking . Raj R , the former hedge fund manager a short while back received a sentence of 11 years . Raj allegedly earned $60 million in illegal profits arising from the illegal inside information he received and traded on .
So after looking at the totality of circumstances , which convicted individual warranted a stiffer sentence? Both were crimes of greed, ego and power. Both involved powerful, influential men . You could argue both were victimless crimes. Although Blags' crime involved the breach of public trust of a high ranking elected official and Raj's crime involved his utilizing illegal information which compromised the very fabric of the financial markets .
At the end of the day, in my opinion, Raj's crime was pure greed . But Blags' was more than that. If all evidence was to be believed he actually was trying to auction a United States Senate seat. Doesn't happen very often , and a message was sent out during sentencing that it should never ,ever happen again ! Sentence actually could have been worse.
After closely following these two cases, I have to continue to ask myself , what were you two guys thinking ? Hey, maybe they'll wind up as roommates.
This has been political analyst Steve Goldman reporting.

Ron Santo Finally Inducted into Hall of Fame, Excellent Player, Brave Man, Great Baseball Enthusiast...But Did His Numbers Warrant Hall of Fame?

Big baseball news ! Ron Santo finally inducted into the Hall of Fame a year after his passing. Santo was a nine time all-star, won Gold Gloves, hit over 300 homers , 1300 RBIs, .277 career average, 40 year career as Cubs announcer...and a tireless advocate for a cure for diabetes. You will never find a braver , stronger, more upbeat person...Especially in light of his bi-lateral leg amputations resulting from diabetic complications . He never openly felt sorry for himself! Let that be a huge life lesson for all of us.
His offensive numbers were a little better than Brooks Robinson's... Brooks, "The Human Vacuum Cleaner ", was inducted on the strength of his unbelievable defensive play . Superior to Santo in that respect .
So while Santo was an all-star and an unbelievably great human being.....Did his numbers actually warrant the Hall of Fame?
Your thoughts?

I Don't Know About You, But I Was Happy to See Tiger Woods Win a Tournament in Dramatic Fashion Yesterday!

Let me ask you a question, did you like, admire and respect Tiger Woods BEFORE his personal and professional lives went into a freefall 2 years ago? Most people did. Most sports fans did. Most sponsors did. Apparently, many woman did too!
Tiger Woods , like many a megastar could not resist the temptations out there , got caught(maybe he wanted to) and pretty much destroyed his family , his reputation and his golf game. He made the same mistake that millions make every year worldwide. And you know what, he has paid for it in more ways than one . The great one took two long years to get his personal life together and basically started over professionally from "soup to nuts ".
So Sunday when he birdied the 17th and 18th holes to win his own tournament in dramatic fashion, it was like happy days are here again . I was very happy for the man , who has earned the title " one of the greatest golfers ever"!
We can only hope that he's back and can give us another major championship, or maybe two, three or four.. Watch out Jack!

Four Republican Candidates on the Stump, Four Republican Candidates, One Falls Down Lands on the Ground...Three Rublican Candidates on the Stump......

Well the inevitable has occurred ! Herman Cain's campaign , which has been rapidly deteriorating for months over past sexual harassment allegations and most recently an affair, is officially over . Cain announced his campaign for Presidency is history . It boggles my mind to think that Cain's people either didn't know about these "issues ", didn't think they would come out or thought that he could over-"come " them, keeping in mind that Presidential candidate's pasts are looked at with high-powered microscopes.
So that leaves three Republican candidates ;Who will implode next ? "Right wing Rick" (Perry) with his refusal to recognize the Constitution's "Separation of Church and State " ,has been sinking slowly and I believe he will be the next to go. "Crazy Newt " will say or do something very soon I'm sure, which will convince any American that he is totally unfit to be President.
So Mitt Romney will get the nod . Unfortunately for the Republicans, unemployment is down, The Dow Jones is back over 12,000, we're pulling out of Iraq and Obama(while not out of the woods yet) has mobilized what I believe to be sufficent support and dollars to sneak in for a second term.
Hey Republicans, if you really become desperate there is always Ms.Palin!

This has been political analyst Steve Goldman reporting.

Penn State, Syracuse ; Are Big Universities Operating Within 'Their Own Legal System" ?

To me , one of the most troubling revelations that has come out of the " Sandusky " and "Bernie Fine " debacles is that big Universities regularly act as if they are above and beyond the law. Power, prestige, money , national success or "we will deal with our own dirty laundry " do not allow you to take allegations of serious crimes into your own hands . Once private citizens start taking the law into their own hands, the very fabric of a civilized society starts to shred and acrimony takes over. No excuses for that! Ever, ever, ever!
So now that we've heard of Penn State's and Syracuse's "lame attempts " to conduct "the old internal investigation " of allegations that their coaches were molesting boys, you realize that this practice is probably common in the world of big time college sports .(Did someone say sweeping things under the rug?) As we have known forever , powerhouse college sports programs and athletic departments operate in their own little world because they are "cash cows". The only time there is any accountability is when the NCAA catches them on a recruiting violation and all hell breaks loose.
In my opinion, the NCAA and all colleges and Universities must immediately start working on the implementation of guidelines laying out what must be done when allegations of "sexual misconduct " are made. No ifs, ands or buts...Law enforcement gets notified .
No more protecting a fu__in football program when kids' well-being is at stake.
This is wrong ! The whole culture must be rethought! Your comments?

Wild Gains in the Market Yesterday.....All it Takes is a Little Good News!

Wowee! I check in yesterday at about 10:00 to see what's up with the market. Lo and behold the Dow is up 400 points . I thought it was a mistake . As we learned, proposed actions by the Central Banks fueled the craze. Hey, in this volatile economic atmosphere it only takes a little good news to get investors heart's collectively pumping.
The Dow held strong the rest of the day and even climbed over 12,000. Lots of drinks were being hoisted last night....and rightfully so.
The concern as always , is that one little blip of bad news coming out of Europe can wipe out all the gains in one fell swoop.
Hey, another day of stress and prayer on Wall Street today . Can we, maybe, could we...[nah] possibly get back to 13,000?
Reporting, market analyst Steve Goldman.