MINNESOTA

What the heck, Maynard?  

Hard to comprehend the insane, cognitive extinction of common sense.

My sincere prayers to the families and friends who were killed.

How does a Democrat lawmaker vote with Republicans to eliminate free health care for illegal immigrants (criminals who have violated law) and then, hours later, die from a bullet fired by a Democrat?  

Take a minute,  and imagine if the Harris/Walz duo of miscreants had been voted in?

I grew up in Minnesota.  I went to college there.  I realize that cultural equivalency is a big lie.  People talk about 'wage gaps', 'income gaps', and 'wealth gaps'. 

Why do the Minnesota DFL oinks never discuss 'skill gaps', 'effort gaps', and 'talent gaps'?

How about advancing character, competence, skill, and hard work that have nothing to do with race, gender, and physical characteristics?

Yellowstone Beauty

I am biased.  No question.   I love the Yellowstone River.

I don't believe there have ever been 2 identical days for this river to behave in its entire existence.  

The southern boundary of the Ghost Ranch is the shoreline (high water mark) of the Yellowstone.   Probably the finest smallmouth bass fishery in the entire world.

Upriver from the Ghost Ranch about 340 miles lies the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone where the river gets it start.

   

United States Debt Obligations

The debt needs to be cut.   Spending needs to be cut. 

Entitlements need to be cut.

Military spending does not need to be cut.

You will be speaking Mandarin soon enough.

Miracles abound

It's that time of year!   The older females are busy tending to their tiny tots.

The males are settled into their bachelor groups far away from the nonsense of youngsters and will remain together until fall when testosterone levels cause them to disband and go on the hunt for breeding prospects.

You can find these fawns in the darndest places.   They will hit the deck anywhere, at any time, and lie motionless.  

How they survive in the numbers they do is mind-boggling.

When they have twin fawns (or triplets), the Moms are double busy as they split the youngsters up to prevent predators from getting both!

Magical, beautiful, graceful.   It's that time of year!

 

ATHLETA

 You are toast...............

LIFE ADVICE

The most important decision a man will make is who will be the MOTHER of his children.

The biggest financial decision to be made is who will be your life partner.

Compounding interest and compounding stock returns are the 8^th Wonder of the World.

Compounding is the way to wealth.

A high income does NOT equate to having a large net worth.

TANSTAAFL.   There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch.

Growing and building wealth is mostly boring.

The greatest component of your net worth is your health.   If you aren’t healthy, you aren’t wealthy.

The extra mile is never crowded.

Americans underestimate the value of pure freedom.

Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage.

Choice, not chance, determines your destiny.

Luck, typically created by hard work colliding with opportunity.

PAMELOT Summer

Summer is in full swing.  The lush greenery of the Cumberlands is on full display as are it's summer inhabitants.  These are a few shots we took this past week at our TN farm, PAMELOT.  It's a birding life!

The PRETEND Indians

This is another interesting article.

You will enjoy it! 

These fakes and frauds feed at the trough of liberal policy.  They are similar to the greatest fake Indian to ever grace the halls of the United States Senate, Elizabeth "Liewatha" Warren. 

Warren has to be the most recognizable liar in the Senate, to lie and lie and lie about her Native American lineage that was non-existent. 

PRETEND INDIANS

WHITSON DETAIL, CROSSVILLE, TN

Jerry Whitson was a good man.  He knew where he stood and he stood there.

I was proud to call him a friend.  Jerry had a sly sense of humor and would give you the shirt off his back.   Called it the way he saw it come down. Driving away from the reception after the funeral service was somber.  I miss the guy.  I miss his girlfriend.  I miss the smile.   I miss the laughter.  I miss the humor.

He knew Crossville, and Crossville knew him.

Jerry knew what he was doing with people.  He could read you a long way off.  He was always willing to give someone a chance. 

Jerry had a successful business washing and detailing cars, trucks, boats, and whatever else you could bring him.   We always had a good chuckle when I would tell him that running a car wash between two automated car washes wasn't my idea of a prime location.  He always enjoyed the humor in that because the clients just showed up, driving past the other car washes to have Jerry's team work their magic.

And let me tell you about magic.  Jerry's business is only getting better.

One of the talented employees who worked with Jerry has assumed the role of running WHITSON DETAIL and is doing the things that Jerry would be so proud of! 

Rebecca Kennedy is calling the shots at Whitson Detail these days, and I am proud to continue my relationship with her and Whitson Detail.  Whether it's my wife's beautiful Mercedes or one of my old pickups, it doesn't matter; she continues to deliver a thorough, showroom-quality shine every time.

From exterior washes to meticulous interior detailing, Rebecca's skilled team treats your car with the utmost precision and care, preserving its value and appearance.  It is my opinion, after using hand-washed car companies from Southern California to Atlanta for over 50 years, that no other company in Crossville does a better job of washing and cleaning a vehicle than her team!  

Rebecca knows that your happiness is her priority, and her team delivers a sparkling clean vehicle with unmatched convenience, quality, and care.

Whitson Detail, with competitive pricing and their friendly team is here to exceed your expectations!  Give them a call and let the magic begin!

The team stands behind their work with a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

Whitson Detail, they know magic is in the clean!   931.287.4234

Elon Musk bringing the heat......................

 

United States Debt

It took over 200 years for the U.S. debt to reach $12 trillion.

$12 trillion in debt was added in 4 years between 2020 and 2024.

Criminality that the average American is too dumb to understand.

Native America, Indian Country, Indigenous

I am a member at the White Earth Reservation of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe.

I grew up on more reservations than anyone I know. I attended 4 high schools in 3 states and lived on Indian Reservations at all times. My father was in Law Enforcement for the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

I know Indian Country.

The American Dream does not sneak up on you and hit you over the head with a baseball bat. If not here? Where? If not now? When? If not you? Who?

Success is where opportunity and hard work meet. At 14 I was hauling bales, working in a hot hay field on the Ft. Berthold Reservation in North Dakota. At 15, I hired out to a ranch in Montana while my parents lived on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. My summer job in High school was working on that ranch in Montana. Pay was $200 per month working 6 days a week. My last year it increased to $300 per month. Wow.

Know what? I have worked 55 years of my 70 on this planet. I am a bit tired. You want a good life? Work for it. Strap it on. Forget your skin color. Grow a pair and shut up and work your ass off. Think it is better elsewhere? Then move. Or shut the fuck up.

People who are brought up to believe that work is for suckers and that they are entitled to food and shelter will never move up. This culture of dependence will stunt a child's work ethic for life.

And speaking of children, one quarter of children on Pine Ridge are born with fetal alcohol syndrome, meaning with some degree of brain damage. Stop the cycle. Stop the poverty, the addictions, the suffocating absence of opportunity, and the loss of human capital.

Try this Pine Ridge. How about a communal alcohol-free house for pregnant women and young mothers, with classes?

Get a skill and get your child off to a good start.

Close down the Bureau of Indian Affairs. End the reservation system - it's never brought joy or prosperity to anyone. If Native Americans have to depend on government money for survival, how much dignity and self-respect do they have?

I graduated from a University where today, 27% of the students are of Native American lineage.

I know how business is done in Indian Country therefore I know Indian TIME! I have heard it and seen it all. The kickbacks that tribal leaders wanted, the corruption, fraud and waste at the expense of tribal members who don’t have a clue about the financial dealings of their own tribes let alone the 560 plus other tribes that are not subject to government oversight.

I know people don't want to talk about the real issues in the Native American population.

Fatherhood is the single greatest role a man could play in society. It's an absolute catastrophe that two-thirds to three-quarters of Native children are being raised in a home without a father present, in terms of the social cohesion of the community. People don't want to say that. Fatherhood is the single greatest role a man could play in society.

Today, the big reservation wars are internal -- rape, elder and child abuse, gang violence, alcoholism, obesity, opioids, lack of parental oversight, and vilification of those who understand that the top problem of "Native America" is the lack of in-home fathers.

The permanent victimhood class and the welfare state have created generational welfare, "project housing" to warehouse generations of people who have been told for 50 years that they are powerless and have no hope of ever succeeding on their own. Their family structure has been decimated. Their education has been dumbed down so bad that grammar, spelling, and financial literacy are foreign to them.

The race card has been sold as a substitute for ambition and success. Social programs have been sold as a replacement for a job and education. Government money has been sold as a replacement for a father, and in some cases, the entire family.

Remember I said this. The only person who can make a substantial difference in my life is the person I see in the mirror every day. My decisions affect my outcomes. 

I refuse to beg for some scraps with the illusion that something of significance is being done.

To pay people not to work, incentivize fatherless parenthood, and diminish the importance of the family, and guess what happens? Granted, it happens to the most gullible and least educated first, but it's front and center. Millions of Americans don't have a plan A much less a plan B. Pay check to pay check and zero savings. That doesn't stop them from having cable, $200.00 sneakers, the newest cell phones and the free shit army rolls on!

What are the ties that bind Natives to the reservations? Love of that plot of land they were displaced to? Racial allegiances/prejudices/bigotry? Distrust of those not like themselves? Shared misery? Handouts? Rejection of curiosity, adventure, exploration, or socialization?

If only Robert Gipp from the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation were still alive and in politics. For sure, Mr. Gipp was one of the greatest teachers at Oglala Community High School in Pine Ridge, SD.

Robert Gipp always said, more government is the problem, not the solution.

He was a smart man.

BBB Commentary

Dean Parisian says it's a massive con job on the back of the American taxpayer.

Elon Musk says "I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it."

Robby Starbuck says, "Congress has never been more hated. The good members know this and understand why. It’s largely corrupt, insular, narcissistic, and filled with the wrong incentives. It’s a both sides problem (esp in leader$hip). And that’s the nicest stuff I have to say about Congress right now."

General Mike Flynn says, "It will not get better. The hogs are still at the trough and will refuse to move away from it. There are not enough honest people in Congress who are willing to stand up for the harder right thing even at this stage of our monumental national debt."

Wall Street Apes say, "We’ve all had enough of this outrageous government spending. Not a single citizen would ever vote for 99% of things going on. We need single item bills and we need to solve this paid off Congress problem. We NEVER get what we vote for, we get what lobbyists pay for."

Mila Joy says, "I ADORE Trump, but I agree. Congress didn't get the memo that when we the people elected Trump we did it to burn the entire corrupt system to the ground and begin again. Its not business as usual."

Charlie Kirk says, "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.They just passed a $1.6 TRILLION pork bomb  filled with bribes, backroom deals & BS. This isn’t a budget — it’s a payoff list.  @elonmusk is calling it out. So should YOU. SHAME on every sellout who voted yes.  Our country is being drained by these parasites. WAKE UP.

Is BBB an American Worry? Is America Worried? Will America Worry?

The RINO's in government want to destroy the United States.   This one trillion dollars per year in interest payments is absurd.

The Congress thinks America is too busy worrying about TDS, Gender Identity, and Liberalism!   They better think again.  America will primary every last one of those spendthrift pricks right out of office.

Like David Byrne asks, "Well, how did we get here?"

DAILY

Like you I need sleep.   Older I get, the less I need.

My day starts early.  It's invariably dark when I awaken.  Birds are still quiet.

I scan the news/markets like anyone else who may have a substantial position in the global markets.   From there, the Keurig is started.

From there I head to my outdoor spa, which is located close to a plethora of bird feeders.  Birds have been a part of my life for a long time.   My LIFE LIST across six continents is rather impressive.  So, coffee, spa, birds, shower, office.   Being retired, i still love getting after it.  Why quit when you love the game?   Not many people get to spend part of their day trying to figure out who you can help with your daily "bread"!   I am humbled and grateful for what the markets have provided. 

So, with the coffee, I do one cup.  One.   There was a time in my life when large mugs of nasty coffee were part and parcel of my trading day.   It was so bad that in the La Jolla office of Drexel Burnham Lambert, the office manager actually charged employees for daily coffee.   This particular manager was extremely "tight" and ran a tight ship because his bonus depended on net profitability.   I had never heard of a brokerage office on the West Coast that started life very early and charged employees for subpar coffee!   I lived it!   

Coffee is the most abused drug on the planet I would think.   I was guilty.

Today, just one.   Black, unsweet, hot, and quiet.

 

Call It Straight..............

What CEO in North America would NOT have tried to beat the tariffs?

Name one.  Just one.

The media's hype on how great the economy is rolling is not honest.

Honest media (liberal media) is non-existent.  They are all compromised.

Believe it.

The numbers coming in are front-loaded.  GDP has been ramping ahead of the tariffs.   Why wouldn't it?   The fakery is all too obvious.

The media says the bears and doomers don't get it.   The media tells us the FED (always compromised, ladies and gentlemen, always) doesn't call for a recession anytime soon.   The nut jobs down in Atlanta are calling for a massive 4.6% GDP number in Q2. 

Bears and doomers won't believe it, but apparently, the Fed doesn't see a recession anytime soon. - Atlanta Fed forecasts huge 4.6% GDP in Q2 - inflation has cooled every month this year - retail sales still trending higher - labor market still robust.

These numbers are cooked better than Nancy Pelosi's stock trading account!

By the way, what brokerage firm handles all of this Congressional stock trading?  Who is the custodian of these Congressional frontrunners and thieves?

Nothing ever gets done.  SEC and FINRA are beholden to the mob of politicians. 

AMAZON Buyer Beware

Scum and slime are everywhere.  

AMAZON FAKERY BEWARE

Top Heavy

It's never easy.

The stock market is a beast.

There are very few times in a year that you can enter trades and be certain you will make a profit.

Defending profits is key.

Cutting losers is a much larger issue and very important.

Cutting losses aggressively is the foundation of great returns.

There are a million reasons that money can be "lost" in the market.

I am extremely close to having experienced every one!

The hard, cold reality of trading is that every trade has an uncertain outcome.

Today, June 2, started out in stellar fashion.  It ended well.  ATH! 

Let's remain vigilant, protect what we have, and do good for the world.

"The big secret to this business is losing the least amount when you're wrong." - William O'Neil

Never Gets Old................

 

CNBC, Joe Kernan and AG1

Today was epic.   Andrew Ross Sorkin buying into the hype and bullshit of an AG1 supplement with Joe Kernan laughing his ass off was so great.

It's Friday on the CNBC set, no Ms. Quick, and that kook CEO of AG1 was tragic!  

What an epic farce.   I am upset with Costco for even considering this product for sale in their warehouses.  I own COST shares, and this was humiliating!

If that unintelligible gibberish and B.S. is what generates $600,000,000 in annual sales, then America is far more gullible than I thought.  

That CEO is a fraud, a shyster, and would sell her soul for a dime of dishonesty. 

Any chemists out there who want to tell the world what exactly is in that AG1 product besides grass and vitamins?  

 

BITCOIN, what do I know?

There is a large amount of hype surrounding this asset class.  More every single day.

I have only made money in Bitcoin so far.  Lucky me.

Watching CNBC mavens and reading about the Government of the United States getting involved scares me to death.   Besides winning a couple of wars, what have the USA politicians done for America besides rip off taxpayers like me?  These clowns can't even get DOGE to work for American taxpayers who pay the freight.   So many criminals are involved at all levels in this government theft.

Debt levels are unsustainable.

Interest on the debt is a trillion dollars a year.

It's the end of May.  I am lessening equity exposure and am going to liquidate my BITCOIN exposure.

Sooner than later.

What does Bitcoin have, you ask?  I respond with zero, nothing, zilch.

No book value, no net asset value, no discounted cash flows, no earnings, no intrinsic value. 

It reminds me of tulips.  At least tulips were real, and you were left with something when price and value converged near zero.

I'm finished.  I rode the wave and made money.  Wake me up when you think the time is hot to "invest, gamble, play" again in BITCOIN.  When it hits a $1,000,000 per BITCOIN there is no need to call, text or email.  

It's a zero sum game is it not?

"It might make sense just to get some in case it catches on. If enough people think the same way, that becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy."
-Satoshi Nakamoto

NO BAD DAYS

Mexico has a 48-hour work week.   Bet you didn’t know that!   America, most of it that I have inhabited or inhabit, doesn’t have a clue about Mexico, its beauty, culture, or work ethic. 

America needs to go to work.

Optimism

At the 2025 Berkshire meeting, Buffett underlined his continued optimism in the stock market and chalked up much of his success to having been born in America.

“If I were being born today, I would just keep negotiating in the womb until they said I could be in the United States,” he said.

PSQ & SH

Those two positions are mainstays in my approach to generating gains on index short sales.   

When I bought them on Friday after the close, I would have bet anyone a million dollars they would be profitable trades this week.

Funny how that works.

Thank you Mr. Market.   

Your generosity is most appreciated today and always.

  

When Robert Safranek talks......................

"We are going to get a good one.  Don't know where. 

You and I paired up; there is only one result."

CANCERGATE

Staggering.

The dishonesty from many quarters is reason enough to downgrade the United States' credit rating.

They all knew.  They were all in on it.

Bidens' White House physician should need legal help.

United Health UNH

Who would have thought that a company, such a paragon of virtue, would commit fraud?  Inquiring minds want to know. 

So does the DJIA committee that selects companies for Dow Jones inclusion. So do the hundreds of ETFs that hold UNH in their portfolios.

Minneapolis company.   That figures doesn't it.  Woke.  Liars.  Dishonest. 

Billy Mills

Billy Mills, national treasure.

In the spring of 1972 I was presented by Mr. Billy Mills with an award I will always treasure.    

The "Outstanding Native American Athlete Award"  was presented to me at Andes Central High School in Lake Andes, South Dakota.  Lake Andes is adjacent to the Yankton Sioux Indian Reservation, and I am extremely proud to say that I am sure that Mr. Mills also had a tremendous impact on the long-time Chairman of the Yankton Siouix Tribe who graduated with me in 1972, Mr. Robert "Bobby" Flying Hawk.

Mr. Mills was an orphan.  His mother died when he was eight years old, and his father passed away when he was twelve, leaving him to be raised by his older siblings and later attend the Haskell Institute, a boarding school for Native Americans in Kansas.  

Mr. Mills does not drink alcohol.  

Olympic champion, philanthropist, motivational speaker, and special human being.

Olympic champion Billy Mills (Oglala Lakota), presented with an Eagle Feather at Lake Andes school.

The only American to ever win Olympic gold in the 10,000 meters.

Billy Mills remains the USA's one and only gold medallist in the men's 10,000m, a feat he achieved at Tokyo 1964.

  

     

Jason Whitlock, Man Among Men

I hope to meet this gentleman one day.

What an honest, courageous human.

Jason Whitlock HONESTY

One Month! From 4/8 to 5/9

Portfolio increased $541,168.

So you think I was uncomfortable watching my equity free-fall in early April?

You are brilliant.  You are so smart. 

I was uncomfortable.

Yet, I didn't lose a dime.   Why is that?

I didn't sell.

I did not get scared and liquidate.

I wasn't on margin, I had no margin calls.

I sat and did nothing.

   

TOST TOAST Inc.

Long 3,000.    I often buy stocks when they go into NEW HIGH GROUND.

The majority of investors won't buy names when they go into NHG.  That price action brings me into those names like a moth to a flame!

This was one I bought some time ago when it went into NHG.

FARO was another I purchased that day.  Look at the news on FARO this week!

XERS caught some bids yesterday as well.

Yesterday WBD had a corporate announcement that might bring some attention to the name.  Time will tell; it's been dead money for a long time, and I own it by default.   It wasn't a name I purchased, only one I inherited with the buffoonery from the nitwits at ATT.   Does anyone know if the HBS case study on the demise of ATT has been published?   I think it is called, "How Texans eradicated a FORTUNE 10 company's value by billions and cut shareholders' dividend income".   A conservative estimate of ATT shareholder assets squandered specifically from the Time Warner merger ranges from $40 billion to $60 billion, with the higher end reflecting the difference between the acquisition cost and the spin-off value, plus associated market cap erosion. The lack of a single definitive figure stems from complexities in isolating Time Warner’s impact from AT&T’s broader media strategy and market fluctuations.

Been off the desk most of the week, and it's fun to check in when the screen is green.

Remember kids, this too shall pass.   There's pain ahead, like there was from 4/2 to 4/8!

If it were easy, everyone would be rich. 

Most investors don't want to do the work.   I am in MARKETSURGE again this morning doing the work and enjoying my coffee.  Maybe I can make a few bucks before June Gloom in San Diego and I cut risk for the summer.  Why shouldn't I take the summer off?

My golf game needs work.

JASON WHITLOCK Talking..............

"I've spent the week recovering from Covid, taking in the world mostly from my laptop/X. The view is disturbing. Is it a reflection of reality? There's a steady stream of black people behaving dysfunctionally and violently. X is WorldStar. Is this reality? Has the rejection of the nuclear family created this level of chaos and irrational thought? I'm asking sincerely. Before getting sick, I spent the weekend hosting Roll Call. It was the antithesis of what I'm seeing on this platform. I spent the weekend with authentic believers fellowshipping in Christ. It was amazing. We were in three different settings -- bar, venue, and home. There was music, food, alcohol, and people of different skin tones and economics. There was no tension. Maybe I created the fantasy world? This week spent at home and forced to experience life mostly through a social media app has been sobering, chilling, disconcerting. What I'm seeing on this app is unsustainable. It can only end one way -- violent conflict. Not to pick on anyone in particular, but I watched Paul Pierce preach against family/marriage. I saw Joy Taylor brag about the joys of being a 304. These are the voices being elevated. You can't build a sustainable society that is hostile to the nuclear family. The unfathered are completely out of control. I'm rambling. I apologize. This app is disturbing. Is it reality?"

FARO

Why?

Why do I only own 1,000 shares?

Ametek has agreed to acquire Faro Technologies in a deal worth $920 million. Ametek plans to buy all of Faro's shares for $44 apiece, the companies said Tuesday. That represents a 40% premium to Faro's closing price on Monday. The boards of directors of both companies unanimously approved the deal. It is expected to close in the second half of this year. Faro provides 3D measurement and imaging solutions. It logged about $342 million in annual sales in 2024. Ametek provides industrial technology and had sales of $6.94 billion last year. "FARO's differentiated 3D metrology and imaging solutions expand our presence in attractive growth markets," Ametek Chief Executive David Zapico said.

Big Sky Fire

 

The Yellowstone River Valley seldom disappoints. 

At dusk, this fire erupted!

Market Risk or To the Moon?

On a wet afternoon in Tennessee this has been an awful good run.   I feel froth.   This is heating up faster than it should.  I don't feel comfortable with the speed we have moved to the upside.  The bond market is telling me to look around and stay nimble.    

I will be cutting stock exposure this month, before the summer heat.  I seldom make prognostications but this one you can put in stone.  Dean Parisian is cutting risk going into the summer of 2025.

As always, the golf game needs work, and I will be traveling to our ranch on the Yellowstone River and our beautiful crib in Mexico.  It's a grand time of the year to enjoy Montana.

I am surprised at the strength after such a hard pull-back in April.  It has been a stellar run off the April 8 low and I feel sorry for the legions of investors who sold their positions at much lower prices a few weeks ago.  Today, my biggest position, which is in Berkshire Hathaway, closed at an all-time high.

It has been a grand run and it truly started years ago when my first purchase of PLTR was at $3.875.   It has been extremely beneficial to know so many people who have been in this business so long and who share ideas.  I am thankful for the friendship! 

Who was it again who said, "sell" in May and go away?

I'm all ears to that.  It's too hard to make to give it back.

2008 and now 2025............

I grew up looking over my shoulder.   Always looked back to see where I had come from to see where I needed to go.  It served me well.

It is in my DNA.

Yes, optimism is a force multiplier.  Yes, Colin Powell had that right. 

Keep your head up, your eyes open, and keep the head swiveling. 

In my office, I keep these pictures predominantly displayed.  

I never want to forget that the carnage of 2008 can't be repeated.  I think Warren Buffett, a bright and savvy Nebraskan, has his own ideas on what might happen, and he's keeping over $350,000,000,000 in cash to deploy in case SHTF.  Smart guy, what does he know? 

Who is looking out for your money?   You think the SEC is?  You think FINRA is?  You think your accounting firm is?   You think your broker is?  You think your banker is?   

Think again.

After 2008, this was the result of nobody going to jail.  Real estate brokers, mortgage brokers, loan officers, bankers, lawyers, you name it, no one paid except the American taxpayer.

Every few months I watch a movie.  Not any old movie, this movie.  One of the greatest movies ever made.   A movie called, "THE BIG SHORT".  I watch it to keep my guard up.  To be alive and remind myself to look out for my financial welfare.  To think ahead of what "will" happen again, in some form or fashion.  Trust me, history repeats itself.  Greed will never go out of style.   It's been around 10,000 years and kills people daily.

 

What DOGE has uncovered is similiar to 2008.  The lies, deceit, corruption, fraud is easy to see, easier to decipher.  No one is being prosecuted.  Just like 2008.  The level of crime is so off-the-charts and no major media outlet is leading the charge to tell the story.  The criminals are losing the best scam in the history of the planet!

It is truly staggering and unbelievable. 

The NGO's have been havens for theft.  Not just a million here or there.  Tens of millions.  Hundreds of millions.  Billions of dollars of fraud and waste have been built into the fabric of government spending.  Have you seen anyone in orange jail attire?  Anybody in handcuffs?   No, not a chance.   There are too many guilty.  It appears far too many are in on it.  Too many to prosecute.  Too many in high places.  

This photo is one of the first pictures of the crash site of a large aircraft in the Florida Everglades.  A picture of no plane, no debris, just swamp.  Here is what happened.  Often things don't appear to look like what we think they should look like.  No smoke, no fire, no metal, no bodies.  Just a plane devoured in the muck. 

On May 11, 1996, ValuJet Flight 592, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, crashed into the Florida Everglades about 10 minutes after takeoff from Miami International Airport, en route to Atlanta. All 110 people on board (105 passengers, 5 crew) were killed.

Cause: The crash was caused by a fire in the cargo compartment, triggered by improperly stored and mislabeled chemical oxygen generators (hazardous cargo). These generators, which produce oxygen and heat when activated, ignited, creating an intense fire that spread rapidly. The fire compromised the aircraft’s electrical and flight control systems, leading to a loss of control. The flight data recorder (FDR) showed progressive system failures, and the pilots, Captain Candi Kubeck and First Officer Richard Hazen, struggled with smoke, electrical issues, and a loud bang (likely a tire explosion in the cargo hold). At 2:10 p.m., passengers reported smoke, and the pilots attempted to return to Miami but lost control as the plane banked sharply, rolled, and nosedived into the Everglades at over 507 mph.

 
I keep this picture of a sunken TITANIC to remind me to think in terms of extremes, to not be greedy, to stay focused, to do what should be done, and not to take huge chances that could put my financial future in jeopardy.   

In the markets, as in life, remind yourself of your boundaries. Never think it can't happen to you. I keep this framed picture on an office wall, easy to see, obviously to remind me daily. Don't think it can't happen to you.

There is no reason to be stupid in the markets and kill yourself and your trading equity. Yes, I experienced some tremendous drawdowns, which didn't put me out of business, but the worst one came at the absolute worst possible time. It was bad news on top of bad news on top of bad news.

Never believe it can't happen to you.

I believe the Trump Administration has literally saved our nation.  Putting the Harris ticket into the White House would have been like the Titanic backing up and hitting the iceberg again.

This next picture reminds me of the finest dining venue I have enjoyed with my wife.  Have never forgotten it.  The mountaineering excellence, the views, North, West, East, and South. Incomparable.  That is the Mt. Blanc summit above the restaurant, at 15,781 feet, it is the highest mountain in Western Europe, located in the Alps on the French-Italian border.

I found that restaurant so motivating, so captivating, so inspiring.

I still do.

Wall Street Journal

"As usual, we stand behind our lies and incorrect reporting on TESLA and MUSK."

You can't hate the media enough.

Master's in writing and printing lies to sell advertising!  

They are fake and criminal.  

Another TN Beauty

This is a Luna Moth (Actias luna), one of the most striking and recognizable moths in North America.

Key features:

- Pale green wings with long, trailing hindwings.

- Eyespots on both forewings and hindwings.

- Fuzzy body with feathery antennae (especially prominent in males).

- No mouthparts – the adult moths do not eat and live only about a week, long enough to reproduce.

They’re harmless and rare to see, as they’re mostly nocturnal and don’t live long.

VALENTINA GOMEZ

Two things come to mind when I think of her.

Brave

Brilliant

 

100 Days of TRUMP

My gratitude for having President Trump, his Cabinet, and DOGE working for America in the last 100 days is off the charts.

Imagine if the regime of the Democrats, Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders, etc., had been elected.  Surely America can't be that stupid. 

The amount of theft of taxpayers' money, the corruption, the dealing to steal, the NGO's all brought to light in 100 days.

We are just getting started.   Younger Americans are waking up.

It's so easy to see.

They want to eradicate America as we know it.

Not a chance! 

Long & Strong

 Flowserve (NYSE:FLS) shares rose 5.2% in after-hours trading Tuesday after the company reported first-quarter results including robust bookings growth, margin expansion and earnings momentum.

The flow control equipment manufacturer reported $1.2 billion in bookings, including a record $688.6 million in aftermarket orders, and a third consecutive quarter with more than $100 million in nuclear awards.

First-quarter revenue rose 5.2% year-over-year to $1.14 billion, beating the average estimate of $1.11 billion among Wall Street analysts.

Adjusted earnings climbed 24% to $0.72 a share, ahead of the consensus at $0.60 a share.

“Our first quarter results were a strong start to the year,” Chief Executive Scott Rowe said in a statement, highlighting “robust bookings growth, margin expansion and earnings acceleration” across Flowserve’s (NYSE:FLS) global operations. “These results demonstrate the strength of our diversified portfolio and the exceptional performance of our associates around the world operating under the Flowserve Business System.”

Margins and backlog rise

Gross margin expanded by 110 basis points to 32.3%, while adjusted gross margin improved to 33.5%, up 180 basis points from the year-ago period. Operating income reached $132 million, with adjusted operating income up 24% to $147 million. The company’s adjusted operating margin improved nearly 200 basis points year-over-year to 12.8%.

Flowserve’s backlog increased 11.1% to $2.9 billion, positioning the company for continued sales strength in the coming quarters.

Power and aftermarket segments lead growth

Flowserve reported a 16.3% year-over-year increase in original equipment bookings and nearly 20% growth in aftermarket bookings, driven by elevated demand in power and infrastructure markets. Notably, power sector bookings surged more than 45%, reflecting ongoing strength in nuclear and energy transition projects.

Cautious optimism amid tariff uncertainty

While reaffirming its full-year 2025 guidance of $3.10 to $3.30 in adjusted EPS, Flowserve acknowledged an increasingly dynamic macroeconomic landscape, shaped in part by newly implemented tariffs.

“As we pivot to the second quarter and rest of the year, the macro environment has become more dynamic as tariffs increase global uncertainty,” Rowe said. “With $2.9 billion of backlog, improved execution and expected benefits from the Flowserve Business System, we are positioned well to create value.”

Cash flow dips

One blemish in the quarterly results was a negative cash flow from operations of $49.9 million, a reversal from $62.3 million in positive cash flow in the first quarter of 2024. The company didn’t provide specific commentary on the shift but emphasized ongoing financial discipline and capital investments in line with long-term growth objectives.

Outlook maintained

Flowserve reiterated its expectations for 3% to 5% organic sales growth in 2025, with total sales projected to rise 5% to 7% when factoring in acquisitions. The company expects to spend $80 million to $90 million in capital expenditures this year and is projecting approximately $70 million in net interest expense and a 21% adjusted tax rate.

SOFI

 Added more shares today and sold call options on them.

NEVER STOP TALKING ABOUT THIS!

Joe Rogan and Elon Musk point out the INSANE details surrounding the Butler, Pennsylvania Donald Trump assassination attempt shooter

 

- The assassins house was PROFESSIONALLY scrubbed 

- His home was scrubbed so well there wasn’t even silverware left in the home

- No footprint on the internet 

- No social media footprint (completely wiped)

- He was in a BlackRock commercial

- Joe Rogan says some individuals inside BlackRock may have “recognized that it's beneficial to them if he gets assassinated” 

- There was never a formal report

- There was never a press conference where they detailed all the information they know currently and where the investigation stands at the moment 

- He was a very young kid there with a rangefinder (used to measure distances, very suspicious) 

- CNN streamed it live, which Joe Rogan does not believe they did for any other rally. And certainly not for a rally that's in the middle of nowhere in Pennsylvania

- They wouldn't let people be on that roof because the Secret Service lady said it was sloped and it was dangerous 

- The snipers that were on the other roof had a steeper pitch (It made no sense)

- Random people saw him and pointed him out on the roof with a gun for a long time before it happened

- The kid had 5 phones

- His body was immediately cremated 

- There were indications that there was a phone that had been traveling from outside the FBI offices in D.C to where this kid lived multiple times

We need answers.