The JSK Spot

MARKET MAGIC REPORT - Vol. II Issue II 'Bears, Bulls, and some Bullshit'

2011-03-14T17:50:00.000-07:00

The last issue of the Market Magic Report was February 7th, 2010 and the market just finished a short pullback and was on it's last leg before a true market correction. However, the stock market overall is still in a strong bull run and we believe it will continue threw the year at this point. As we all have learned any number of world events could change that in a heart beat.

Above is the 'working mans portfolio' basically where we left it as far as stock ownership goes. Just for the purpose of penalizing ourselves for not keeping up with the portfolio we will say all the options expired worthless and a total loss. Hopefully this was not the case with any of you following the Market Magic Report.

The Market Magic Report will be holding stat for the time being with the 'working mans portfolio', but will have more information for the 'working mans portfolio' in the very near future. The market is currently in a small correction and could be a buying spot. However we have agreed to wait and see what happens with the market this coming week or two.

The 'working mans portfolio' is still above it's $10,000.00 starting point and we promise to increase your total financial portfolio if you give us a chance. And unlike other marketeers I provide this valuable information to you and your friends and family for free. Does not get much better than that...

THE PGA TOUR - It's Rules, Ratings, and More...

2011-03-13T19:59:00.000-07:00

The PGA Tour is getting exciting again, so Tiger must be back and winning per usual right? Wrong, Tiger is just another golfer these days and everyone is saying Tiger who! It is the talk about the world rankings that has made it interesting and exciting again.

However, the rules of the game seem to be taking the front stage from time to time. I personally find it hard to believe that the players know as little about the rules of golf as they seem to know.

Either way the game has caught every ones interest again and fans are calling in about rule breaches and everything else. Fans are debating about who is the current number one golfer in the world and much more.

Martin Kaymer is certainly deserving of the number one world ranking at this point and Tiger is number five but playing like number 105 in the world. Only his past achievements are keeping him as high as he is now. At the end of this article I will rank my top 20 golfers in the world. I think you will be surprised at my list...

'The game relies on the integrity of the individual to show consideration for other players and to abide by the rules. All players should conduct themselves in a disciplined manner, demonstrating courtesy and sportsmanship at all times, irrespective of how competitive they may be.' This quote is straight from the rule book and truly describes the spirit of the game.

To read that quote and not want to know the rules of the game you love and provides a generous way of life it amazes me that every PGA professional does not know the rules inside and out. It only illustrates just how pampered the PGA professionals have become.

Then there is also the growing tension between the PGA and some European players. Stupidity gets headlines I guess but I don not see why the PGA and the European tour just can not make the top 50 players in the world exempt to play wherever they want, and when they want. They all want the top players in there tournament or their tour. Some players are making more money in appearance fees than for there actual performance on the golf course.

But the excitement in the game is back, summer is closing in, and everyone is excited to see what happens from week to week. But beware, there noses are in the rule book and cell phones in hand so the PGA professional better know what he is doing because they are watching and waiting for you to screw up, so they can nail your ass to the flag stick... golf sometimes in a tough love!

MARKET MAGIC REPORT Vol. II, Issue I 'Back in the Saddle'

2011-03-11T09:59:00.000-08:00

The Market Magic Report was put on hold due to some personal issues but I wanted to get back and make some of you some money. This is just a quick message to let you know that we will have a full report in the coming days. The MMR will also update the 'Working Man's Portfolio' as well as give you a full report on the market and where it is going from here.

The stock market has been on an amazing two year run, while the economy has not recovered at the same pace. This should result in a correction of some kind, but the market rarely does what it should as we all know. So give us a couple days and we will get you back in the game next week.

HACKERS

2011-01-29T10:34:00.000-08:00

It is a sad world we all live in these days. We all rely on these computers, cell phones and other tech gadgets. But how reliable are they and who really controls who sees what? Just recently my email was hijacked and now I feel like I am lost, I feel violated, raped of my senses because they have access to thousands of emails I have saved over the years.

Where is the respect, common courtesy, and common sense these days? I mean what can they really gain by this, can they dramatically effect my life, finances, etc.? Is this a form of identity theft? Left with so many questions and very few answers, especially from Microsoft.

The email is question was a hotmail account, controlled by Microsoft. And we all know how much help Microsoft can be with issues. Half of these hackers out there are probably Microsoft employees for all we know.

Hackers are the lowest form of criminal. As they use there great talents to harm rather than help others. I suppose all form of criminals tent to hurt people rather than help them but there is something about hackers that just bring the word scum to the surface.

Having someone steal my wallet would of been easier to deal with, just cancel my credit cards, etc. and get a new drivers licence. But stealing my email and all my business contacts, etc. and for what? A few email addresses that lead nowhere, I just don't understand why hackers do what they do... do you?

NFL WIZARD Vol. II Issue 9 'Quick Picks'

2010-11-25T07:18:00.001-08:00

Quick Pick week as I have two plays for Thanksgiving Day. Take Detroit +6 1/2 over the Patriots and take Cincinnati +9 1/2 over the Jets.

I will have issue 10 up on Saturday for this weekend. It is time to put the peddle to the metal and get serious winners this week. Last week we let ourselves down and only went 1-3 to bring our season total to 15-14, just not good enough.

We will get this ship going in the right direction. It is amazing how I can pick winners left and right but since I started my blog and been putting my selections up and out there for the record I have struggled.

However I feel that the ship is about to take a turn for the better and a smell a ton of winners coming my way. Hope someone out there is ready to take this ride...

NFL WIZARD Vol. II Issue 8 'Better Late Than Never'

2010-11-21T09:40:00.001-08:00

We are focused and the Yin and Yang is back. Three wins, no losses last week and could of been 4-0 if we had made Philly and official play. Standing at 14-11 for the year it is time to extend the profits especially for you gamblers that just don't have the faith in the WIZARD.

We have four plays this week and we do have the Monday Night game as an official play this week. But lets start with a home underdog. Take Carolina +14 over Baltimore, take Cincinnati -5 over Buffalo, and Atlanta -3 1/2 over St. Louis. And for Monday Night we love Denver +9 1/2 over San Diego. This division rivalry should prove to be an edge of the seat thriller. Taking the over in this game could be a good play also but that is not an official play. But the scoring in this game should often and exciting.

NFL WIZARD Vol. II Issue 7 'Day of the Dog'

2010-11-13T10:55:00.000-08:00

Well we are dead even to this point in the season with a 11-11 record. Actually it does put us behind the 8-ball with the vig. Last week there were no plays worth posting so we did not post any. This week we have three dogs that we like.

First is Denver +1 over Kansas City as home dogs are always a good bet. We also like St. Louis +6 over San Francisco and the pitiful Cowboys +14 over the Giants.

On Monday Night the Washington Redskins are home dogs and home dogs on Monday Night cover the spread 77% of the time. However I believe Philly is the play Monday Night, but this is not an official play from us. It is just a very interesting game on the schedule especially since it is a sandwich game for Philly also. So many things point to Washington covering this game, and this is the reason it is not an official play for us.

Good Luck gamblers...

NFL WIZARD Vol. II Issue 6 'Getting Even'

2010-10-29T17:41:00.001-07:00

A clean sweep last week helped some, bringing our record to 9-10 for the season to date. We have three plays for you again this week. We are back on track and you can have faith in our selections from here on out.

With the Detroit Lions coming off there bye this week we like them to get it done against Washington. Take the Lions -2 over the Redskins. Both Oakland and Pittsburgh are caught in division sandwiches this week. Take Seattle +2 1/2 over Oakland and take New Orleans -1 1/2 over Pittsburgh on Sunday night.

This should get us back to even after our terrible start to the 2010 season. We will break the bank yet...

NFL WIZARD Vol. II Issue 5 'Late'

2010-10-24T10:12:00.000-07:00

There were no selections last week and this week we are late, but better late than never, as they say. We like the Falcons -3 1/2 over the Bengals, Washington +3 over Chicago, and Seattle -5 1/2 over Arizona. Short and sweet since we are late getting these selections up.

NFL WIZARD Vol. II Issue 4 '50/50'

2010-10-07T11:21:00.000-07:00

So far this year we have been very disappointing with our selections but hopefully this week is the turn around. This week we have four selections. Starting with Minnesota +4 over Jets on Monday Night.

On Sunday we have Buffalo +1 over Jacksonville. Cincinnati -6 over Tampa Bay is a very nice play and Dallas -6 over Tennessee. Short and sweet this week because we just want to get winners going.

NFL WIZARD Vol. II Issue 3 'Horrific'

2010-09-30T14:43:00.000-07:00

A Horrific week 3 were we had only one winner out of six selections. Taking this years record to 5-7. So we have two winners this week. And we will slowing get back to a respectable level.

This week we love the over 40 points in the Seattle/St. Louis game. And to keep it simple we like the Patriots on Monday night. The Patriots -1 over Miami is our second and last play for week 4.

NFL WIZARD Vol. II, Issue 2 - 'Sitting at 80%'

2010-09-22T07:11:00.000-07:00

NFL Wizard has started 2010 with a 4-1 record, 80% winners. And things are just getting started, this week we have six solid plays for all you gamblers. We will start on Monday Night were we like the Green Bay Packers -3 over the Chicago Bears. We also like the over 46 points in the game.

Houston Texans are for real and Dallas will be no match for them in Houston. Take Houston -2 1/2 over the Cowboys. The Giants -3 over Tennessee is also a nice play. The Titans have quarterback issues and will be out matched by the Giants.

Look for some points to be scored in the San Diego/Seattle game. Take the over 44 points in the San Diego/Seattle game. We also like the over 41 1/2 points in the Detroit/Minnesota game. I smell a nice 6-0 this week because this year we are 'breaking the bank'!

NFL WIZARD 'Breaking the Bank'

2010-09-17T19:21:00.000-07:00

The 2010 season is here and the NFL WIZARD is off to a nice start. Even though we did not get the pick up in time officially we did play the under 34 in the Ravens/Jets game Monday night.

In 2010 the theme is 'Break the Bank' last year we were off with a 39-29 record, only 57% winners. We at NFL WIZARD anything less than 67% is a failed season.

NFL WIZARD will not be rating there selections anymore as we treat all bets the same, for the sake of keeping a money track we'll use $100.00 as our bet amount for every selection in 2010.

In week 2 we like four plays. The New York Jets simply do not have the offense in working order and the longer it takes to get going the harder it is going to get, especially for pretty boy Sanchez. Take the Patriots -3 points.

The Houston Texans are for real and will have no problem covering 3 points over the lowly Redskins. Take Houston -3 points.

We also like two overs on totals. Take the over 40 points in the Seattle/Denver game. And the Manning Bowl as they are calling it. Take the over 48 points in the Indy/Giants game.

Let's 'Break the Bank'...

NFL WIZARD issue XVII 'Salute to the Saints'

2010-02-14T12:11:00.000-08:00

The 2009 NFL Wizard was no wizard this season. However, the New Orleans Saints did and they had the voodoo working also, that is for sure.

How foolish could we be laying so much money on the Indianapolis Colts when all the voodoo priestesses had all those pins in the Peyton Manning doll. It was that last pin that did it. The one stuck in Peyton with just over five minutes left to play in the game. Pick seven, and it was over!

With the Manning family history in Louisiana it must of been hard for some of those priestesses but I am sure that a small part of Peyton is truly happy for the city of New Orleans. I also wonder who Archie Manning was truly rooting for?

Having spent my honeymoon in New Orleans it is a city that I respect for many reasons. It is a city truly rich in culture, from Cajun cooking to the Voodoo Religion to all the legendary Jazz music it is an amazing city.

Having gone threw the Katrina Hurricane I am extremely happy for the city and it's people. It was an awesome feeling when my New England Patriots won the Super Bowl shortly after 9-11, so I understand how they must feel. I great feeling it is!

Well the NFL Wizard finished the season with a 39-29 record, a 57% winners. The Wizards worst season ever. We will be back next year with a vengeance. Look for our first issue in August sometime with fantasy football draft preparation issues.

Golf season is here and it is time to swing the clubs. If you gamble on golf do not forget about Bottom Line J for your picks. There is a link on this page on the left column to his site. Otherwise you can go to www.blj04.blogspot.com or satellite radio on Sirius 98 on Wednesday evenings usually shortly after 5:30pm. I also believe you can go to HardcoreSportsRadio.com. His picks are right on week after week do not miss out on them.

MARKET MAGIC REPORT issue XII 'A Quick Update'

2010-02-07T08:48:00.000-08:00

Hello fellow traders, probably wondering why the MMR has not written an article in so long with all that has been going on. The MMR wanted you to fully understand that sometimes when the stock market is behaving this way the best thing to do is look the other way for a while.

Now some of you probably did not take my advice and sell your call options because we never came on here and told you to do so, correct? Well that is fine, even though we told you to sell at a certain point which the market did cross over. Great if you sold, that is what you should of done.

However, those of you that are still holding those call options. Great if you held them, that was certainly something you could of done. He's crazy your saying right now. Nope we are not crazy. We just know that the market sometimes acts very strange.

We here at the Market Magic Report (MMR) plan on having two Working Man's Portfolios now. Portfolio A - sold there call options and portfolio B - kept there call options. Hopefully this will not get confusing for you.

Portfolio A had a profit of about three hundred off those trades and that is where I will start it. Some of you probably did better than that and that is great but I think because we didn't have a exact sell point we need to take an average point of were you folks sold the options.

Portfolio B just continue to hold those options and I think we can still make some nice money. Just so everyone understands the reason some of us kept the options past the sell point was because it was holding the next support line so strong.

Which at the time was 1085 on the S&P. We are looking for the S&P to bounce off of the 1040 level at this point but if the market closes below that point you may want to sell what is left of your call options as our gamble did not pay off.

However, what we are truly looking for on the S&P is 1040 then to 1180 or 1200 then a bear market down to 800 area. However after that the sky is the limit and the MMR believes you will see 1500 on the S&P in 2013 and 2000 by 2016.

NFL WIZARD issue XVI

2010-02-07T08:30:00.000-08:00

A Jewel of a Play for this Week.... The Super Bowl, the game of all games. Besides maybe the World Cup final game or the Olympics opening ceremony.

Naaaa... the Super Bowl is king and will always be that way, especially in this country. It is the game of all games here. There will be more things to bet on today than any other Sunday during football season.

From the coin flip to the Super Bowl winner you can gamble your life away. But here at NFL WIZARD we have found the winners for Super Bowl Sunday.

First and most important the line. Indianapolis -5 over New Orleans is the play. We also like the game to go under the 57 Total. We also found some very interesting lines. Indianapolis to win by 7 - 12 for a 3-1 pay off, awesome play here. Not necessary a recommendation but Indy to win between 13 - 18 at 5-1 isn't too bad also.

This game was hard to pick since my heart is with New Orleans but Indianapolis is the prudent play. Good Luck and let's hope that this Indy win does not make them the team of the century over the Pats.....

MARKET MAGIC REPORT issue XI 'Panic Striken'

2010-01-21T20:27:00.000-08:00

The stock market was down big Wednesday and again today. That is usually were the panic sets in with investors and more so with traders. The 'Working Mans Portfolio' is operated somewhere in between.

Two thirds of the Working Mans Portfolio is an investment portfolio and the other third is a traders portfolio. But that is just how we feel every one's portfolio should be. Keeps you involved so you know where your money is going.

When you are investing or trading in the stock market the two worst things you can do is to panic or get too greedy. This is how and when we make bad decisions with our money.

When there are days like yesterday sometimes the best thing to do is walk away for the day. Do not get wrapped up in the market or it will consume you on those days. When the S & P dropped below 1136 we did stop and look at some intra-day charts to get a feel for what was going on then walked away.

The Market Magic Report simply decided it was not the start of a bear market but the bear claws are coming out soon. We still believe the S & P needs to kiss 1180 or 1200 before a bear market starts.

If you are following the Working Mans Portfolio and are concerned about the call options we have on the board. Stand fast and be patient and above all do not panic. However, we are really close right now to a support level and if it is broken we need to go ahead and sell our call options.

This support level is 1114 to be exact. If the market closes below this level you need to sell the call options. Even if you sold them today at closing prices you would make a profit of around five or six hundred so be patient, we still have the ability to make a nice profit.

However, we still believe the S & P needs to reach 1180 and when this happens keep a close eye on the market. I am looking for a day that sees the market sore upwards then comes way back down off of the highs. The S & P will probably be around 1170 - 1180 at the start of the day and will get up over 1200 then finish the day at 1188 or something. Sell all call options at this time.

The Market Magic Report has been asked recently about putting on stop losses on there trades. Stop losses are never a bad thing and in the Working Mans Portfolio's case we would let you know if we thought it was necessary to put a stop loss in on a trade.

When trading large quantities of stock, stop losses are strongly recommended. When we bought the penny stock OPMG we probably should of put a stop loss on that trade and if we had held it for any longer we may of just done that. But as you know we sold that bad trade off rather quickly.

It is always important to set levels when trading stock or options in the market. For instance, on the Weatherford International (WFT) Call option we are looking for 22 to 23 on the stock price to take profits and have a bottom sell point of 17.50.

On the other hand Arch Coal (ACI) Call option has past our profit taking point but has come back to it the last two days. You have not received a sell trade on this yet due to the fact that we feel it has more room to run and set a new profit taking level of 29 to 30. However, if this goes much below 24.75 think about taking your profits on this one, but again be patient I think it sees at least 29 first.

Just remember that panicking and getting too greedy are two very bad emotions to have when trading in the market. So are we getting greedy with Arch Coal? Possibly, but we are confident holding this a little longer will be profitable. However we will watch it closely with the sector down grade today.

Patience is a virtue... so they say, let's give it a try!

NFL WIZARD issue XV

2010-01-21T07:07:00.001-08:00

Post-season wizardry, the football post-season picks could not be hotter. A record last week of 2-0, and unofficially 4-1. Taking our post-season total to 4-1 officially and 6-2 unofficially. Just winners this post-season.

Just so my newer readers understand. Usually my record is much better in the regular season and not so hot in the post-season. This year it has been the opposite. 56% winner in regular season and 80% in the post season for an overall 59% winners in 2009.

This week we love our picks. Both games came out to 3 Star plays. Minnesota +4 over New Orleans and Jets +8 over the Colts.

There are two other plays that caught our eye this week. These are not official plays but wanted to let you know about them just in case you can take advantage of them. Minnesota 4.5 to 1 to win the Super Bowl are the best odds out of the four teams left that has a chance to win. We also found a pick em' line on the Super Bowl. Take the NFC over the AFC on the pick em' line for the Super Bowl.

Well here's to having a bucket full of money to spend on the Super Bowl as we will have more things to bet on that game than any other single sporting event. What other event can you bet on a coin flip?

MARKET MAGIC REPORT issue X - 'Where and When?'

2010-01-14T09:03:00.000-08:00

Off to a bumpy start to 2010 and everyone is wondering which way the market is going. Are we gonna get a double dip? Will the bull market continue?

Usually when these questions are being asked the market is getting ready to correct. However, this is usually preceded by a nice run up in the market before the correction. And this is where the Market Magic Report thinks we are at in the timeline.

This is why the call options are sill on the table in the working mans portfolio. We believe the market has one more nice run up before a pull back or correction. The Market Magic Report made a mistake with our trade on QQQQ put option. This option was put on the table way too soon, but with some patience we can still make a little profit as we have plenty of time left on this put option.

The biggest question facing the Market Magic Report is how big of a correction will the stock market have? This correction could be around 15% or greater. And certainly could end up being thought of as a double dip.

The Market Magic Report still thinks that stocks will never be cheaper than they are now. At least between now and the next market correction.

The stock market is closing in on a serious bull market and we hope you are not left behind during this amazing time in the stock market. Consider investing in the market soon.

The next working mans portfolio chart update will be towards the end of the month. The portfolio is up some 20+ percent at this point.

NFL WIZARD issue XIV

2010-01-14T08:56:00.001-08:00

Which NFL players will be getting frustrated on the golf course sooner that others is the true question this time of year. And the NFL Wizard is off to a great post season start with a 2-1 record last week.

This week we have two solid 3 star plays. The first is New Orleans -7.5 over Arizona looks great. Not sure what the over is but expect at least 60 points scored in this one. Next the New York Jets +7.5 over San Diego is another solid play.

We also like Minnesota and Baltimore this week but are not official play. Good luck.... 67% winners post-season, 56% winners regular season.

NFL WIZARD issue XIII

2010-01-06T09:13:00.000-08:00

Well it is playoff time of year. Our regular season totals are far from profitable, but they were break even numbers anyway.

A total of 33-26 on the regular season. Just shy of 56% winners. We will try and make that number bigger during the post season.

Our first selection for this week is a 3 Star play. Arizona -1.5 over Green Bay is our top play this week. However, we do have two 2 Star plays also. The Jets +2.5 over Cincinnati as I just think last weeks game took too much out of the Bengals, not to mention all that team has been through this year. And the Eagles +4 over the Cowboys should be the difference as I just do not think the Cowboys have another big game in them. And if they do win it will only be by a field goal tops.

Good luck everyone. Did not touch the Patriots game as they are my home team and there is too much emotion involved there to make a clear selection.

MARKET MAGIC REPORT issue IX - 'TRADE'

2010-01-05T06:29:00.000-08:00

Working Mans Portfolio TRADE; First we are going to sell OPMG at 0.07. Then we are going to buy CALL options on WFT, CHK, and ACI. First buy .WFTEY May 23 Call at 0.60 tops, then buy .HKWDT April 33 Call at 0,65 tops, and last buy .ACIDE April 25 Call at 1.45. I will update everything with a chart towards the end of the month.

Good luck everyone, lets make it happen in 2010.

MARKET MAGIC REPORT issue VIII - 'Making it Happen in 2010'

2010-01-03T10:12:00.000-08:00

The Market Magic Report would like to start 2010 off with a bang. But greed is a bad thing, so maybe smart instead of a bang is better.

The stock market is getting closer and closer to a serious bull market. A stock market that may see the S&P 500 reach 1500 or better. However, this bull market could still be a few year off.

If you are playing the stock market for the long term now is the time to buy. If you have the money to invest for the long haul, Congratulations you will be one of the rich ones someday.

The question is, where to invest your money. Well if the market is going that high it will be hard to go wrong. However, there are certainly places where you can get the best bang for your buck.

Financials, technology and commodities are the three best areas to invest your money now. Companies like Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, Optionsxpress, Apple, Amazon.com, IRobot Corp., Alcoa, Arch Coal, and US Steel are just a few.

Remember to always check with your financial advisor on our stock selections, but we recommend that you learn how to make your own selections when investing your hard earned money. Learn for yourself why and when we buy and sell stock, commodities, options, and futures.

But to put it simply, the stock price on most quality companies will never be this low again. And to put it simply, to make money in the stock market we buy low and sell high. And let me repeat myself one last time. 'Most stocks will never be this low again!'

THE WORKING MANS PORTFOLIO UPDATE

Above we have the working mans portfolio updated picture. Looks like we may of made a bad decision about OPMG as that stock has gone nowhere but down.

We need to put some of our cash to work for us to start the new year. But we will sit back and see which direction the market will start 2010 off with.

We have our eye on some moves like we think Bank of America could start to climb the ladder so to speak. Not to mention US Steel and others.

The Market Magic Report will let you know shortly about our moves so you can take full advantage of them. Probably towards the end of next week or the following week.

Since our last working mans portfolio update we have lost almost 400 bucks. Three hundred of which is with our terrible penny stock pick. However, we will continue to hold it and see what happens.

Stick with the Market Magic Report for 2010 and we will make you some money in the market. It should be a slower year than 2009 but we will show you how to continue to make a nice profit in a sideways market.

The Market Magic Report would like to wish you and yours a Happy New Year, and here's to a larger portfolio in 2010.

'2010' The New Year

2010-01-02T07:40:00.000-08:00

What will 2010 bring? Health and prosperity for all? Not likely!

Well 2009 certainly did not bring us any wonderful experiences as a country or a world. But more American soldiers died overseas. The rich got richer and the middle class got smaller and thousands of more Americans lost their homes.

Lets not forget more false promises that things will get better from our government. Meanwhile more people are losing there jobs and homes.

Not that some people in society even deserve better, as common courtesies and common sense has been totally forgotten by humanity. More and more we are becoming an all for one, one for all society.

Why respect each other, what purpose does it gain? A close friend of mine was robbed on Christmas day while he and his family were visiting other family members during the day.

This is how desperate and disrespectful our society has become.

So what will 2010 bring? I can only hope it brings a society of respectful, honest people that work together and help each other prosper both financially and spiritually.

There are a lot of things that truly scare me about today's society. Only can hope things will change for the better soon because society is currently headed on a path of destruction.

Sometime I want to just buy a bunch of good and head out into the wilderness like Grizzly Adams or my favorite Jeremiah Johnson. Just leave society behind and live the pure life. The simple life, the way life should be.

Society and the leaders of our societies need to make some serious decisions. Let us hope they make the right decisions or we are all in trouble.

Keep the faith and honor, respect and love thy neighbor. It just might be a good start.

NFL WIZARD Vol. XII

2010-01-01T10:28:00.001-08:00

Shark bitten last week with only a 2-2 mark on the day. And my fantasy football team, The Juggernauts came up short last week in the Stogy Bowl XIX our leagues nineteenth season.

Maybe this week will be better. We have another four plays for you guys and gals, one 3 Star play and three 2 Star plays. The 3 Star play is Chicago -3 over Detroit. The 2 Star plays are the 49ers -7, Miami +3, and Titans -4. Short and sweet this week, and back on winners.

NFL WIZARD Vol. XI

2009-12-26T11:46:00.000-08:00

Red hot in the past three weeks ladies and gentlemen, with a 10-2 record. Bringing our season total to 28-23 only 55% winners so far this season, not one of our best. But we plan on finishing strong. Just like our fantasy football team in the bowl this week. Our team logo displayed. I will add fantasy football advice to this spot next season.

This week we have another four winners. The 4 Star Play is Chicago +7 over Minnesota. Two 3 Star plays starting with Philly -7 over Denver and Indy -5 over the New York Jets. And finally our 2 star play Green Bay -14 over Seattle.

Good Luck this week ladies and gentlemen, not to worry the worst will be 3-1 this week. Below is our complete record for 2009 for your information.

5 Star plays - 1-3 for 25%
4 Star plays - 8-4 for 67%
3 Star plays - 5-10 for 33%
2 Star plays - 14-6 for 70%

Totals - 28-23 for 55%

MARKET MAGIC REPORT issue VII - 'Update-Trade'

2009-12-21T07:47:00.000-08:00

Ladies and gentlemen, the MMP would like to apologize as we had a nice trade for today and we meant to write this report on Friday so you could take advantage of the trade. Since I was late putting it up here I will not include it in our 'Working Mans Portfolio'.

However, we will put up one trade today that you can take advantage of, unfortunately it is not as solid as the AA call we wanted to play. But we are going to buy 10,000 shares of OPMG at 10 cents a share. Penny stocks are like options, you need to be prepared to loose all of the money you put into it.

So we are going to roll the dice with OPMG and see where it takes us. Again I apologize for the Alcoa trade as we did not expect there to be an upgrade today on the stock which has sent it soaring upward. However, our portfolio in whole will be taking advantage of this upgrade as we own 100 shares of Alcoa already.

We also should of kept our US Steel (X) call on the board a little longer as that stock has continued to climb the ladder. But the Working Mans Portfolio is still nicely in the green. Just remember only buy an amount of OPMG that you can afford to loose. Penny stocks can be extremely profitable but there is a tremendous amount of risk.

NFL WIZARD Vol. X

2009-12-19T22:18:00.000-08:00

Sorry guys, I thought I put this up earlier this week. So will make this one short and sweet like last week but will get things updated next week for you. But we are 7-2 for the last 9 picks. On FIRE!

This week we have three selections two 3 stars and one 2 star. First is the Eagles -7 over the 49ers and the other 3 star play is Patriots -7 over Buffalo. And the 2 Star play is the Detroit Lions +13 over Arizona. These plays will keep the NFL WIZARD RED HOT, so lay the money down.

NFL WIZARD Vol. IX

2009-12-11T11:25:00.000-08:00

We got the ball back. Last week was a 3-1 week and back into the winning ways. I guess a couple weeks off is just what we needed. This week is short and sweet.

We have five plays; 5 Star play San Diego +3 over Dallas. 4 Star plays Eagles +1 over the Giants and Jets -3 over Tampa Bay. And two 2 Star plays Colts -7 over Denver and Bengals +7 over Minnesota.

Take these five to the bank and we'll see you next week. Good Luck.

A TIGERS TAIL

2009-12-08T20:49:00.000-08:00

The Mighty have fallen! Living a fairy tail life was too much for even the mentally tough Tiger Woods. What does that say about our society?

If even Tiger Woods can not live a perfect fairy tail life, how can any of us? Yeah, I know... your perfect! Point the finger at Tiger Woods and say he is bad. You would never do that.

A few years back I read an article that a University published about marriage infidelity. The cold hard facts are 82% of married men cheat on there wives. And even more amazing 87% of married women cheat on there husbands.

Hippocrates! He lived the perfect respectful for so long. And when most of us have fun playing the field in high school and college, Tiger was being groomed for the PGA. The man never got to see what that was all about and his curiosity got the best of him.

Tiger, Tiger, Tiger he is all the media ever talked about. He was there Hero, now they want to throw him under the bus. I personally was never much of a Tiger fan because he was too perfect for me. Now that I know he is just a regular guy, I kinda like him.

Nobody can wait until his next tournament to see how he handles the added pressure. Well we have all seen him shine in all kinds of versatility, especially when people call him out. Now the whole world is calling him out. I say he dominates every tournament he enters in 2010.

Tiger is not perfect, neither are you. Tiger is the butt of many jokes these days, even Saturday Night Live has gotten into the act. How society loves to see there hero's fall.

A society that is less than perfect and that thrives on the negative things in life. Not to mention it takes something like 9/11 to get Americans to come together. Otherwise we live in a cut throat society, and now you want to blame Tiger. Maybe you should take a good look in the mirror. How perfect is your life?

NFL WIZARD Vol. VIII

2009-12-04T07:54:00.001-08:00

The NFL Wizard is back after taking a few weeks off. The record was not good and the mind needed a rest from football.

Now we have a clear mind and are ready to post winners for my readers. Those of you that know me personally know it has been a long time since I have had such a bad run in NFL handicapping.

To re-cap the misery: 5 Stars are 0-3, 4 Stars are 5-4, 3 Stars are 3-9, 2 Stars are 10-5 for a total of 18-21. A less than 500 mark.

We have four plays for this week. 4 Star play is Giants +2.5, 3 Star play is Patriots -4, and two 2

Star plays are Detroit +13 and Washington +10. We hope that they are four winners for you to take to the bank.

Global Warming - Who's Kidding Who?

2009-12-04T07:16:00.000-08:00

Let's go green! Society's favorite word or phrase these days. Global warming is happening and it is our fault. Society and humanity fail!

The only true fact is our weather patterns have been changing to some degree, but then again they always have. They know earth has gone through at least two ice ages. So why isn't global warming just part of earths weather cycles.

Is pollution contributing to this global warming? Of course it is, but are we causing it? Do not think so! Speeding up the process up to some degree is a good probability, but causing it, get real!

Driving to work one day recently, listening to the radio, they were reading the news and had some kind of scientific report on global warming. This report claimed that if all the ice on Greenland melted all the oceans of the world would rise 25 feet.

Are you kidding me? When I got home that evening I went straight for my globe. Figuring it out by the numbers, the results were amusing. The ice on Greenland would have to be twice as high as Mt. Everest to come close to making the oceans rise 25 feet. Impossible!

But yet these are the things they are trying to 'wow' the public with all this global warming junk. Simply improbable situations that they expect us to believe because it was a scientific report and most Americans can not think for themselves. So they believe anyway.

The first question that comes to my mind is who is giving the grant money to these scientists for these conclusions? Who is pulling the strings? And who has the true hard facts?

We are a society that will never have the cold hard facts as long as big business and big money are running this country and the world. And that will never change. It just might take another ice age to change that one. Then again they are the only people with the means to survive another ice age. And we wonder why we can not get the cold hard facts on global warming.

Some things never change, unlike the weather.

MARKET MAGIC REPORT issue V - 'Working Mans Portfolio update'

2009-12-03T21:03:00.000-08:00

It was a busy day at MMP today as we took the Call options off the table in the Working Mans Portfolio. The QQQQ Call was not too nice too us as we lost a total of $440.00 including a $10 trade fee. However, the US Steel Call was very very nice to us as it brought in $1710.00 after trading fees. Then we turned around and bought a QQQQ PUT for $1.13 per option and bought 10 contracts for $1140.00. Leaving us with a cash total of $3028.00 which we will put some of that to work in the coming weeks as soon as we watch the market a little closer and check out some things.

The MMP, Working Mans Portfolio is off to a great start. A profit of $1437 after only a few weeks. Let's hope it gets better and better.

MMP will probably add some kind of option to the portfolio in the coming weeks. There are some keys levels we are waiting for the market to break before we commit more money at this time.

Greed and Panic and two emotions we do not want to have to deal with when looking to make money in the stock market. You might consider it a golden rule, Do not get greedy and never panic. And profits will come our way.

MARKET MAGIC REPORT issue V - 'Trade'

2009-12-03T07:23:00.000-08:00

This is a update for the 'Working Mans Portfolio'. Sell options: You will take a small loss on the QQQQ option and a nice profit on the X option. Will put up chart later with new trades and a portfolio update. But until then you want to buy a QQQQ PUT 1 contract of .QQQRK at June 2010, 37 strike price @ 1.13 for a total of $1,140.oo.

MARKET MAGIC REPORT issue IV - 'The Buying Issue'

2009-11-16T14:50:00.001-08:00

The Market Magic Report realizes we said to wait until the S&P breaks above 1100 to buy, but we are retracting that and giving you another option. We beleive it is still a buy situation and pulling the trigger is not the wrong thing to do.

The other option is to wait until the correction we believe the market will have sometime next year. Basically when the US Dollar starts to recover from it's bear run. This market correction should be a 10 to 20 percent pullback.

MMP also believes that you can not go wrong either way. Maybe the best thing to do is buy now and cover them during the correction next year with PUT options.

One important thing to remember about trading options, that we forgot to mention in the last issue, is always choose options with plenty of open interest in that options chain. If there is no open interest it will make it very hard for you to get out of the trade when the time comes.

As we all know to buy stock, there has to be someone out there willing to sell you there stock. It is the same with options, but because thee are so many choices in options you need to make sure there is interest in the option you wish to buy, or it will be almost impossible to get out of the trade.

MMP does have four more stock referrals to add to the twelve we gave you in the first issue; CHU - China Unicom, LTD, CNI - Canadian National Railway, WMT - Walmart, MCD - McDonalds.

This brings the total number of referred stocks by MMP to sixteen stocks. Please do your own research and determine which ones your like the most. Another play could be to just buy the US Dollar since it has been beaten down pretty good.

MMP received a question the other day. Well more of a request which we thought might be a fun idea. The question was if I gave you $10,000 how would MMP invest it?

Well here is the first MMP portfolio and we will call it the 'Working Mans Portfolio'. We hope this will help some of you. We will show every movement to this portfolio but do not expect MMP to sell any of the stock anytime soon. But every option trade will be shown here at the time of the trade and we will keep track of every penny right down to trade fees.

The goal of MMP is to please and inform our readers and hopefully make the financial side of your life more secure. Financial stress is probably the leader for causing health problems today. So let's avoid all that and become financially secure together.

Please remember that MMP is just a source of information for the investor and suggests that you consult a professional advisor before entering the stock market or any other type of investment.

MARKET MAGIC REPORT issue III - 'What are your options'

2009-11-12T15:44:00.000-08:00

When buying and selling stocks you need to decide whether you are a trader or an investor?

Traders work the stock market on a daily basis and it becomes a full time job, 9:30 to 4pm est.

Investors are in there trades for the long haul. This is were most of you will fall, and is a good way to play the market.

In fact, if during the last down turn in the stock market, you were able to just look the other way, you will soon be back to where you were before the down turn depending on which companies you were invested in. And should not be too much longer for the others.

Some of you might of made money with PUT options during the down time. A PUT option makes money when your stock falls in price. A CALL option makes money when the stock price goes up. Some traders buy and sell options instead of stock because they are much cheaper. Just a fraction of the stock price.

However, options are truly a different animal in the market. It is hard to loose all your money in stocks because they rarely go to zero. But options expire and can become worthless in a couple different ways.

Options cost a fraction of the stock price and are bought and sold in groups of 100 options per contract. Some options expire in a week, some expire in several years depending on which one you choose as there are many different options in options. No pun intended!

The safest way to use options is as a back-up for your stock in down times. An option can also be exercised, which means you buy the 100 shares of stock at the strike price you bought the option at. But more commonly the options are just sold for a profit or lose. But unlike most stock you can loose every penny you put into the trade.

It too MMP some time to become familiar with options so we do not expect you to completely understand them in one issue of MMP. So we will cover more of options later as there are several ways to play options. But the most practical way to use options is to protect the stock you own in your portfolio in down times.

The first thing you need to do is have an investment strategy. The MMP strategy is simple: 10% cash and savings, 20% commodity's, 20% options, 50% stocks. There are plenty of ways to play commodity's with commodity companies such as Canadian Natural Resources, US Steel, Alcoa are just a few and ones we gave you in the first issue of MMP.

Please feel free to ask MMP any questions you may have, or stocks you wish MMP to check on and give you an opinion on. But please also remember that we are just another tool for you to use and you should always check with your professional financial advisor before committing your money to a trade.

NFL WIZARD Vol. VII

2009-11-10T11:51:00.000-08:00

The Wizard, not really, more like Chris Berman. Ha Ha! But as we all know Chris is terrible at picking winners. And so is the Wizard this year. There has never been a time were I have been below 50%. And with an overall, 17-18 there is no were to go but up. More amazing than that is 5 Star plays at 0-3 for the year so far.

All I can say at this point is I will do my best to just find winners of any kind.

This week I tightened up my rating process and let's see what happens. The Titans -6.5 should get the job done at home against the Bills a 4 Star play. Also a 4 Star play is Miami -10 over the Buccaneers. Two 3 Star plays as the Saints -13.5 will have way too much offense for St. Louis and Detroit +16.5 might catch the Vikings a little soft after a week off. Well those are Week 10 plays, I hope the Wizard gets back on track this week.

MARKET MAGIC REPORT issue II - 'Special Report'

2009-11-10T11:26:00.000-08:00

The first Special Report from Market Magic Report. Do NOT buy until the S&P 500 Index closes about 1100. We might be playing a game with the 1100 level.

If it breaks through and closes above this level the market will continue up until the end of the year sometime. Or we will drop down again then come up and test the 1100 level again by the end of the year.

If it does not break above 1100 this time we will be looking at a double dip and the market will then have a significant pull back. So lets keep an eye on this before we pull the trigger. Unless we want to put some PUT's on the board. The MMP will get into options in our next issue.

MARKET MAGIC REPORT issue I - '12 Bars of Gold'

2009-11-09T13:08:00.000-08:00

Gold has had an incredible run up and has reached new highs and probably has more room to run. However, that is not what this article is about, it is about twelve stocks Market Magic is going to refer to you today.

For the past seven years we have been learning and studying how to make money in the stock market. The Market Magic Report is now at the point were we are ready to share our thoughts, predictions, and strategies for making money in the market.

This introductory issue to the Market Magic Report will be simple and to the point. We will give you twelve companies that you can check out while we wait for the perfect entry point.

Timing is everything when dealing with the market. We use the S & P 500 index to determine timing for buying and selling stock as well as options. We will get into options in later issues of the MMP (Market Magic Report).

Until then here are the '12 Bars of Gold' with there stock symbol and current price:

# Symbol Company Stock price as of 6 Nov.

1. AA Alcoa, Inc. $12.86
2. ASTI Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. $ 4.92
3. BAC Bank of America $15.05
4. CELL Brightpoint, Inc. $ 7.64
5. CNQ Canadian Natural Resources, LTD $65.14
6. FDX FedEx $77.12
7. HPOL Harris Interactive, Inc. $ 1.02
8. JNJ Johnson and Johnson $60.30
9. MO Altria Group, Inc. $18.54
10. OXPS Optionsxpress Holdings, Inc. $15.61
11. PWAV Powerwave Technologies, Inc. $ 1.28
12. X US Steel Corp. $37.38

The S & P 500 Index broke out above 1080 since I wrote this article over the weekend. Making it a buying point for the stock market. So jumping in on some or all of these is warranted.

As time goes on I will have more stock recommendations and will keep you informed on these twelve at the same time. This is a great time for investing in the stock market. Just remember timing is everything and there is a ton of money to be made over the next five years or so. So let's get rich together just look for the next issue of the Market Magic Report. Which will be out no later than next week.

* The Market Magic Report is basically just a stock analyzing source and suggest that you consult a professional investment advisor before investing your hard earned money. *

NFL WIZARD Vol. VI

2009-11-08T11:16:00.001-08:00

Sorry guys little late this week. So here we go since it is Sunday. 5 Star play: Denver +3, 4 Star plays: Indy -9 and Philly -3, 2 Star plays: GB -9.5, Balt. -3, Chicago -3, Ten. +4, and Giants -5. I know alot of plays this week, all I can say is stick with the 4 Stars and 2 Stars as they are hitting 85% and 5 Star and 3 Stars are hitting only 25% of the time. Good luck will get things up earlier next week.

NFL WIZARD Vol. V

2009-10-30T11:30:00.001-07:00

Another 5 Star play bites the dust. The New York Giants want to make the Wizard look like a fool this year. Oh well, guess they are just not as good as I was giving them credit for, typical for a New York team. However, my other three picks were winners and we are back on track.

The Wizard will be adjusting his rating system a little from here on out. No half star plays anymore. Three and half stars will become three stars and two and half will become two stars. The only major change is two star plays are now one star plays. With this adjustment my 5 Star plays are now 0-2, 4 Star plays are 3-1, 3 Star plays are 2-5, and 2 Star plays are 9-2, Overall 14-10. Still not good enough but I will get to 75% at least.

Four plays for this week. And all four plays are 3 Star plays. They consist of Minnesota +3 over Green Bay. The Colts -12 over the 49ers. San Diego -16.5 over Oakland, and the Bears -13 over the Browns. I think they are four winners so load up on them if you wish. However, they are all 3 Star plays and 3 Star plays have not done well to this point. Good Luck......

NFL WIZARD Vol. IV

2009-10-23T15:02:00.000-07:00

The Wizard is off his game so far this year. We will work had to get things back on track. The 3 Star plays or better are 4-7, however 2.5 Stars are 7-2. For an overall 11-9, not very good for a Wizard. And for the record 5 Stars = 0-1, 4 Stars = 2-1, 3.5 Stars = 0-1, 3 Stars = 2-4, and 2.5 Stars 7-2. So you make the call this week.

This week I have one 5 Star play, the Giants -7 over Arizona should be a lock. A 4 Star play in the Indianapolis Colts -13 over St. Louis. Then two 2.5 Star plays in San Diego -5 and Philly -7. Good luck guys but I think they are solid plays this week.

NFL WIZARD Vol. III

2009-10-17T18:34:00.000-07:00

This week is a quick one. Bad week last week so this week we will have nothing but winners. Have two 4 Star picks for you. The Giants and Broncos both +3.5 pts and are nice plays. And for those of you following the 2.5 Stars, there were three this week. Kansas City, Cincinnati and Philly. I will get caught up with stats next week. Good Luck guys......

NFL WIZARD Vol. II

2009-10-09T16:52:00.000-07:00

Well we got off to a not so good start last week as we went 2-3 for a loss of -$130. Unless you played the 2.5 stars, then you went 6-3 and won $270. But they were not official for me so.

This week Indianapolis -3.5 will be a 4 Star play. The I have three 3 Star plays, first of which being the Jets -1.5 on Monday Night Football. Also love the 49ers -2.5 and Jacksonville +1 over Seattle. I hope these picks work for you better than last week.

If you are curious there were two 2.5 Star plays this week and since they went 4-0 last week, they are the Bengals and Eagles. Nothing but winners this week I can feel it.........

NFL WIZARD

2009-10-04T09:42:00.001-07:00

The NFL Wizard is now here. Sorry it took until week four to get going but we are here. The solidest picks you can get on NFL games against the spread. And I know what you are saying, 'another pin head picking NFL games'. Not so as I have lost enough money over the years and with experience and a network to work with I have learned where, why, and when you lay your money on the table.

So let's get to it. For dollar purposes all my picks will be worth $100. I will grade the picks with one to five stars but all bets stay the same at $100. The top pick this week is Cincinnati -6 over Cleveland a 5 Star pick. Then Tennessee -3 over Jacksonville for 3.5 Stars. The last three picks are all 3 Stars which is the lowest value for a bet. Indianapolis -10 over Seattle. And for your Sunday and Monday night pleasure San Diego +6 over Pittsburgh and Minnesota -4 over Green Bay in the most interesting match up of the week.

Do not always expect five selections a week from the NFL Wizard as not this many plays make it to 3 Stars. This was a special week, especially when four other teams only came up a half point short with 2.5 Stars. They were Baltimore, Houston, San Francisco, and the Giants.

The NFL Wizard should have his selections by the end of the day on Saturday from now on and just so you understand more about the NFL Wizard. We make the final decision on which picks are put up here but we consult with many different sports writers and insiders before making our selections. From Bottom Line J to Hardcore Sports and others we get the best information available and put it to work for you my readers. If you put $10 on every golfer, Bottom Line J selected this season you would of made $1,500, not bad. I will do my best to keep the money flowing in your favor.

The 2009 Masters

2009-04-15T22:16:00.001-07:00

The Masters golf tournament is the biggest event on the PGA tour. Playing in the Masters or simply playing a regular round of golf at Augusta National is like entering a new relm of existance. It is so majestic it is like playing a round of golf in the clouds. The only tournament that even comes close is the oldest tournament in golf, but only when it is played at St. Andrews (the home of golf).

The 2009 Masters had everything you could of hoped for; Tiger on the prowl on Sunday, paired with a very hot Phil Mickelson. The oldest man ever to win a major leading by two strokes, but could not seem to hold that title with only two holes to play. Gary 'The Black Knight' Player playing in his last Masters tournament. Extra holes to find someone to wear the green jacket. And so much more, what else could you ask for in a golf tournament?

Those of us that play the game of golf understand how hard it is to play golf when the pressure is on, don't we? Getting off the first tee because there are other people around watching is extra pressure we all have trouble with. Can you imagine having to make that same shot with thousands of people watching with TV cameras and all kinds of other newspeople and photographers. I just hit a banana slice thinking about it.

Now try and hit a three or four foot putt under those conditions to win the Masters. That's right go and change your shorts then come back and finish reading......

........OK, feel better? Well that may of not been the situation Sunday for Kenny Perry but a 40 plus foot chip is not much easier. His twitchy right wrist, as he put it, failed him again. And he put the 60 degree wedge in the bag just for this tournament and this reason. What was he thinking... then again it is called the pressure of winning the Masters.

To come up short in the Masters with a two stroke lead, with two holes to play, has to be so depressing. It was for me as I had put ten bucks on Kenny to win the Masters at 60-1. During this economy that win would of been welcome. Then again I could of been the one that brought Kenny bad luck by betting on him!

Congradulations to Angel Cabrera for hanging tough and getting it done when he was struggling also with the pressure of the Masters. Just about the only two that did not struggle with the pressure on Sunday was the worlds number one and two. Phil and Tiger put on a show and both made a very nice Sunday run which probably added to the leaders pressure.

And I would like to take this moment to thank Gary Player for the memories. A classy man and a great golfer, the Black Knight is easily one of the top ten golfers of all time. Thanks for 52 Masters Gary.

The Masters....... In a league of it's own.....

Peace, Love, Faith, and Dreams

2009-04-13T17:31:00.000-07:00

Peace, Love, Faith, and Dreams these are the things that make life enjoyable for everyone. And we all find Peace in different places. For instance, being out on the golf course with some good friends brings me peace. And for you it could be something completly different. But we all find peace of mind one place or another. Or we all would go completly insane.

And sharing your life with a loved one is also very important to most of us anyway. Being able to confide in a soul mate or life partner is very important to ones self. Knowing your loved unconditionally by another is the most gratifying feeling in the world. Someone you can count on through thick and thin. Someone you can laugh or cry with. Someone you can always count on. Trust me, finding your soul mate is a true gift of a lifetime, don't waste it.

And what motivates you? Dreams! Dreams are what motivates me. Weither it is a Dream for a better life or something simple we all dream of something. Dreams create goals that we try and achieve. Some of us achieve these goals, some of us don't achieve them. Either way Dreams keep us alive and motivated to improve ourselves.

Saved Faith for last because it is the most complicated. When you mention the word Faith most people think of God instantly. And that's fine, the thing that bothers me the most about that is people have more Faith in God (someone they only have Faith that he exists) than the people around them. The flesh and soul right in front of them and they have less Faith in them, than in God. That makes no sense to me because if there is a God I would think the most important thing for you to do for him is Love and care for the people around you. God would rather you spend Sunday morning at a soup kitchen than at church worshiping him. Not that spending time at church is wrong, not by any means. I just think in his eyes he would rather you care for another human being.

All I really want to say is "Keep your 'Dreams' alive, find 'Peace' and have 'Faith' and 'Love' for one another". And most importanly enjoy your life, it is way too short.

Life Sucks!

2009-03-17T16:47:00.000-07:00

A very popular phase that we all have used once or twice in our lifetime. Well 'Life Sucks' is the moto I now live by thanks to our wonderful country and it's leaders. How in the world does our government expect us all to live right now. While I am starving our government is giving Insurance companies billions of dollars, are you kidding me? I pay more for insurance every month than I do my mortgage payment. They should give the banks a few more billion since they have been so helpful lending it out. So where is all the money going? Oh yeah, those big bonus need to be paid to those people who already have more money than they need.

I own and run my own small business that hasn't seen a customer in five months due to this economy. So where is my bailout package? Guess I am not worthy enough for any help.

So where is our country headed? The rich get richer and the poor die, and the middle class, well what middle class. So are we all still proud to be American? This country needs a good old revolution. Remember those days? OK, well maybe not but how nice was it to live in a truly free country. But what do we have these day..... Well Massachusetts charges eight dollars for a pack of cigarettes but your not allowed to smoke them anywhere. And about 75% of that cost is taxes. And what about New Hampshire, the live free or die state. You don't have to wear a helment on a motorcycle but behind a steel frame car it is the law to wear your seat belt. Makes sense!

So be honest with yourself for a minute and ask yourself; Is our country really the land of opportunity, or is it the land of opportunity for a chosen few? If we all did not have family members that have died for our so called freedom, would you truly be proud to be an American? You should all really think about it.

The Competitor

2009-02-23T15:57:00.000-08:00

If it is possible to be born with a competitive spirit, Stephen James was certainly born with it. Horrifying his mother by walking after just 134 days and running a week later she knew she had her hands full. Stephen's competitive spirit started early as everything became a competition from building things with Lego's to drawing pictures to throwing rocks! Anne, Stephen's mother, was always apologizing for his behavior, mostly because one of his favorite competitions was turning on the neighbors hoses and seeing how many people he could drench with water. Some of Stephen's neighbors found his antics very entertaining.

Having a competitive spirit of his own Stephen's father, Jim, started getting him into sports. As something was needed to consume some of Stephen's energy and competitive spirit. Starting to compete at everything from racing to the car to board games father and son begin to compete. They watched sports on TV and went to local games. Stephen often talks about his first Red Sox game at Fenway Park. Sitting in right field he got to see how the fans ribbed Reggie Jackson and how Reggie gave it right back. One of my oldest memories of Stephen is a day he and I spent as ball boys for a tennis match his father and a friend were having together. Jim's friend screamed, "Look out!" Stephen turned, raised his right arm behind his back and caught the ball. The guys was totally freaked out, walking towards the net he was very apologetic, and was amazed that Stephen caught the ball in the manner he did. Jim just laughed and said, "Don't worry about it". They continued the match and the guy never stopped saying how amazing the catch was, especially since Stephen was only 4 or 5 years old at the time.

Then Little League baseball and Pop Warner football followed. And Stephen's skills and athletic ability rose to the top and he excelled a both sports. But that was not enough for Stephen. In fourth grade during recess everyone played kick ball so Stephen organized a kick ball league, picked captains and made schedules, etc. even gave out all his fathers football trophies at the end of the year. And it did not stop there he also started a wiffle ball league but with a catch. He wanted each one man team to pick major league baseball players and bat like them. And having to use at least half lefty and half righty hitters. He kept every players batting average, earn run average and so much more. But we played all kinds of sports and other activities also. And I just remember whenever we played a pick-up football game in the snow, no one could touch Stephen. Sure footed and extremely quick and still able to cut on a dime, he made the rest of us look silly.

The transition from Little League to Babe Ruth was a difficult one for Stephen. "It's like trying to run dragging cinder blocks", he said often. Stephen left Little League with the third most home runs and found it hard to hit the ball out of the infield in Babe Ruth. With the encouragement of great coaches it did not take him long to become one of the teams best players. By the time he was 15 years old he made the Babe Ruth All Star team that went all the way to North Carolina for the National Championship. Playing right field with his strong arm and the lead off hitter that was only caught stealing once all season. It was not that he was blazing fast, but he was incredibly quick. The Babe Ruth team did not win the National Championship but seven out of the nine starters played at least semi-pro baseball and three making it to the majors, while one of them spent 13 seasons pitching for three different major league teams. During this same period Stephen was playing basketball for his school team and quickly became a star in basketball also. Or maybe more of a showman in this sport. In the ninth grade he made fantastic play after incredible shot every game and it was amazing how many people would squeeze in our small gym to just watch him play.

Headed for high school sports Stephen started to realize that his size would now start to become a problem. It was going to take hard work and some breaks to get a chance to show his stuff. But high school also brought a whole different set of challenges. The partying lifestyle for one and Stephen took the drinking as just another competition which he wanted to dominate. Around this same time gambling and fantasy football came into the picture. And in order to be the best at these other things, income and a job became necessary. As a result high school sports had taken a back seat. All decisions Stephen would later regret.

Now out of school and in the real world Stephen's competitive spirit was appeased by playing softball, basketball, gambling, and fantasy football. The gambling did not last long as the lesson was learned when he had to look to his father to pay a gambling debt. It took some years after that for Stephen to regain his fathers respect but he did. Sponsoring his own softball team, he fielded a very competitive team but after a few years a knee injury ended his softball and basketball careers. But the fantasy football league he built was still going strong, but would just that be enough?

No, there needed to be more to satisfy his competitive spirit. Then Stephen found golf. A very difficult game that seemed to completely consume Stephen. All he talked about was golf and wanted to play as much as possible. Eventually he started a golf club and took it as far as he could. Building a website for the league, keeping statistics for over twenty guys, with pictures and the whole nine yards, including four major championships a year. With the handicap coming down year after year he started to wonder why he did not take up golf earlier. Who knows maybe the PGA tour if he started sooner! Then again, Stephen was born under the sign of Pisces and they are dreamers!

Even though Stephen was never good enough to play professional sports it does not mean he did not have a competitive spirit. I have known Stephen all my life an one thing sticks out in my mind. One day Stephen and I with two other friends, Leo and Dan, were out on the golf course and on the fifth tee box, Stephen was throwing something out there like 'I'll give each of you a stroke on this hole for a buck'. I just remember Leo snapping at him and saying, "Does everything have to be a competition with you?" Stephen just smiled and said, "It's just my nature, sorry". But Leo was no different, a very good athlete himself was just frustrated always coming up second to Stephen.

Obama

2009-02-19T14:38:00.000-08:00

The 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama. What will he and his administration end up being recognized for? Or has it already been defined? There seems to be a lot of motivation on his behalf not just to be recognized for being the first African American President. But to right a ship that has almost capsized. To right the ship that Bush has left is a tall task. The good thing for Obama is it can't get much worse, so there is a lot of upside.

One of the greatest moments in the history of this country was when it became official, and Obama took the stand for his victory speech. At that moment I do not remember feeling more proud to be an American. More so than 9-11 and when the Olympic hockey team won gold in 1980. It was an amazing feeling because it felt like our country finally became ONE.

It was funny leading up to the election in conversations with people, friends and family, etc., everyone would say the same thing, 'I do not think a black man can get elected president but I am going to vote for him anyway'. And I am glad they did! The most disturbing element during the election were the emails and rumors that went around saying that Obama was a radical Muslim and not a Patriotic American. It is amazing that some people can be so disrespectful and despicable.

But seeing the faces on my fellow Americans on TV the evening of Obama's victory speech took me to a special place. It is a night I certainly will not forget for as long as I live. We can only hope that Obama will be as great a President as we all hope he will be. His spirit and faith will certainly carry him through tough times and his determination to help his fellow Americans will be the greatest asset.

By American citizens electing Barack Obama as there 44th President we brought our country instant credibility internationally and maybe one of our best achievements since the founding fathers wrote the Declaration of Independence.

An American citizen proud to have Barack Obama as President. And I thank my fellow Americans for helping make it happen.