Red, White, and Blue

Veterans Day, or as some refer to it, Armistice Day, is celebrated on November 11th each year and honors the nearly 25 million veterans in the United States. I was curious what the significance of November 11th was for this day and after a brief bit of research learned that World War I officially ended on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918.

A year later, in 1919, President Woodrow Wilson declared the day Armistice Day, referring to the armistice treaty between the allies of the United States and Germany. It wasn’t until 1954, when President Eisenhower signed a bill to expand Armistice Day, that the name of the holiday officially changed to Veterans Day.

As a Nation we have since fought tirelessly to defend our freedom. We slip through many days without mention of the men and women around the world weathering harsh conditions and facing hatred to protect our great Country. Today as you drive down the road search for an American flag pounding in the wind and let yourself relish in the blood stained red stripes, the purity of the white stripes, and the perseverance of the bold blue holding together the individual 50 stars.

Thank you to the Veterans that gave us today and God bless those soldiers tending to us tomorrow.

Until tomorrow… -bag

Side note: according to dictionary.com, an armistice is a temporary suspension of hostilities by agreement of the warning parties.

Revisited: I’m Not A Good Neighbor

I’m excited to report that I’ve found the research I’ve been seeking. Thanks to the Scotts Miracle-Gro Company and Michigan State University, it is quite clear to me that I should never rake another leave. Read here for my scientifically proven logic: http://www.scotts.com/smg/learn/infoHowToArticle.jsp?detailId=11800002

I’m not sure that my good neighbor status will be reinstated based on these findings, but I’ll sleep much better tonight knowing my lawn will probably be the greenest on the block next spring (insert devilish grin here). As for my recently purchased John Deere backpack lawn blower – it’s still really fun to wear around the yard and my flower beds are flawless.

Word of advice: Don’t start the 175mph blower with your two year old close by, it scares them to death – oops.

Until tomorrow…     -bag

Scarlet and Gray

There’s no doubt that I’m rarely the optimist when it comes to Saturday afternoon football with my beloved Buckeyes. I had thoroughly convinced myself and prepared for a loss against that blue and white team in Happy Valley. I was so cynical that I even talked myself into believing that a 14 point loss would be a moral victory; ask my family, I was nauseating to listen to.

So, a dominating victory with near flawless execution left me dumbfounded (and quite thrilled)! Not only was it a beautiful fall day, but now my confidence has been built to an astounding level. Dreams of another Big Ten championship, a top ten finish in the coveted BCS rankings, and maybe even a BCS bowl game again this year — could it be?!

Certainly with two whopping week’s worth of games left on our schedule against an angry Iowa and that jaded team up north, my college football emotional rollercoaster hasn’t seen anything yet. I do know I hope the team that showed up against Penn State sticks around through the first week of January 2010.

Great win Bucks!

Until tomorrow… -bag

Bangladesh

Today was a big day for me and I’m excited to announce that I will be blogging from Dhaka, Bangladesh in the very near future. As a part of the NRECA International Program I will be assisting with a rural electrification project for a year or so. I will be working as a communications consultant and will be traveling in segments of close to a month at a time. I will also continue to serve in my current position at URE by working remotely and at our office when I am in the United States.

 

Dhaka is 11 hours ahead of my home eastern standard time, so please be patient with my DailyBAG posts being slightly ahead or behind normal. I do think that I’ll be posting some unique and exciting comments based on this experience… stay tuned.

 

In the meantime please wish me luck; I’ve got a busy schedule preparing for this opportunity.

 

Until tomorrow…     -bag

Global Recovery or Crisis? (revisiting last Thursday’s blog)

Last Thursday, October 29^th, my blog discussed an economic recovery in 2010. I stated my concerns of long-term issues related to the bailouts, but didn’t go into great detail.

Yesterday, I was reading the following article at WSJ.com (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125729703390626817.html?mod=WSJ_hps_LEADNewsCollection) and thought that it addressed issues similar to the anxieties I raised, but expanded my concerns to a global scale. The article certainly provides additional statistics, which focus on the distress of cash-saturated markets, not just in the United States, but in many recovering economies around the globe.

If the bubble bursts in Asia prior to the U.S., how will our markets react? Will we slide below 6000 on the DJIA if it happens? Tonight I’ll just take comfort in my mother’s notorious line that “only time will tell”.

Until tomorrow…     -bag

The Gambler

Earlier this week, billionaire Warren Buffet made the biggest bet in his acclaimed career: a $44 billion wager on Burlington Northern Santa Fe, a railroad company. Many have rendered an opinion on his unique bid of an antiquated business, so I too will share my thoughts — you nailed it again, Mr. Buffet!

For the past 10 years I’ve preached, but only to a handful of close friends, that I’d love to own a railroad. Having visited Europe and witnessed firsthand the potential of an efficient, well-run railroad system, we’re missing the boat (or in this case the railcar) here in the United States. Notorious for his ability to snatch up deals and put mass amounts of capital to the test, I’m a thrilled share holder. My only regret is that I haven’t accumulated enough B shares to “upgrade” to an A class share. I wish I had prior to the upcoming 50-1 split.

Nonetheless, I’m anxious to see the future of railroads in the United States. The engineer running this locomotive is first class and I look forward to following my small Berkshire railcar from Fort Worth to Omaha.

Until tomorrow…     -bag

I Love Election Day

Getting the opportunity to cast my ballot this morning still sends a tingle of excitement through my body. The opportunity to participate, the right to direct the future, and the obligation to make government the will of the people happens when you exercise your vote.

It’s easy to bash and be a cynic, “my vote doesn’t really matter, politicians do what they want anyway”, but that’s an excuse to be lazy in my opinion. The men and women that paved the path for us to walk into a voting poll and cast our vote, or better yet to show up at the board of elections and simply ask for and receive the documents to enable yourself to be a candidate, should inspire us all to exercise that wonderful freedom.

You might be Republican, a Democrat, liberal, conservative, or maybe even just floating somewhere in the middle, but do yourself and your children a favor and cast a ballot today. When you walk away and they hand you a sticker that shows you voted, don’t cast it aside, wear it and remember the medals that others are wearing that give you that freedom.

God bless America.

Until tomorrow…     -bag

I’m Not a Good Neighbor

It’s fall in Ohio. The weather changes hourly, the winds are gusty, and the 300 year old trees in our yard are shedding their enormous amount of leaves. I don’t get too worked up about it because I know all those hours of raking will be undone in a matter of a few days as the trees continue to shed. My neighbors, however, tend to prefer a well- manicured lawn that remains leafless throughout the season.

My dilemma: cave and herd the leaves every weekend (2.2 acres worth here, folks) shrugging my shoulders, while conforming to the pressures of my eager (and retired) neighbors or let those leaves lay? I mean, really, leaves will blow from my yard to their yard and their yard to my yard; who’s counting, right? Just let them lay and once the trees are barren we can all meet in our respective backyards and clean up leaves together. I’m sure it would be a great bonding exercise for all of us.

I’m curious what you are doing with your leaves or what you think I should do; please share.

I hesitate to tell you this already, but I decided to play the game and ordered a commercial grade John Deere backpack blower this weekend. I will soon be joining the collection of well-manicured lawns on Mulberry Street.

Until tomorrow…     -bag

iPhone Me

I’ve had my iPhone for approximately 6 months and I’m addicted. I’ve had various smart phones for close to 7 years, which have included Blackberry’s and Motorola Q’s, all of which I have enjoyed and appreciated, but the iPhone rocks (and rolls).

From apps like Facebook, TweetDeck, LinkedIn, and Skype to WebMD, WSJ, Google, and Wikipanion I’m hooked. Integrated to Exchange for synchronization with my corporate contacts, calendar, and mail I’m connected in every way to everyone I want and need. The usability of the touch screen was what I was most concerned about when I moved away from a physical keyboard, but I have to say it has been more than a pleasant transition.

From the palm of my hand in the Bloomberg app I just checked the AAPL ticker: 52 week low was 78.2, with a high of 208.71 and it closed today down 5.11 at 197.37. I’m not one to buy high, but you have to wonder where Apple is headed in the next 52 weeks. What’s in their R&D pipeline? Another iPod/iPhone grand slam or the next Apple Newton blunder? (Google it if you don’t remember that device)

Email, phone, and data with music, movies, and pictures; business and pleasure are truly at one.

Until tomorrow… -bag

Economic Recovery in 2010?

We’ve all felt the effects of the economic downturn in some capacity. We’ve read the despairing articles of the housing market, questioned the integrity of the banking industry, debated government bailouts, and compared this crash to the very worst in recorded history. A world economy has been shattered and certainly none of us know for sure if, when, and how it will be repaired.

As we look towards closing the door on 2009, with great anxiety of what retail markets might or might not experience on a quickly approaching black Friday, should we buy or should we short sell in the next year? Many economists have argued that recoveries usually begin prior to anyone noticing and only in retrospect are we able to see the initial trends ticking upward. Are we currently riding an artificial bubble with a correction looming yet again prior to year end?

I say not. Foolishly optimistic am I? Actually, I’m concerned not about the next few years, but rather an artificial bubble that lasts three to four years, and as those freshly printed bailout dollars begin to crinkle we will fall again into economic woes. Enjoy the roller coaster ride; it’s going to be a big hill. The experts preach, don’t try to time a market. I say don’t be greedy and you’ll find excellent guidance in making market decisions.

Until tomorrow…     -bag