A Writer's Blog

A Word about Finance #CNBC #Finance

4/11/2014

I post about finance often because I believe watching the monetary health of the world can help me make more informed decisions. Some people say, "I don't own stocks, so why should I care."

To this I say:

You might not be 'into' stocks, but if you work for a corporation, the person making decisions about your job likely will own stocks. Wall Street is important even if you try to avoid it.

So, ordinary workers need to acquaint themselves with the basics of the stock market.

Real world applications of this even if you DON'T own stock:

1) Be able to gauge and understand the health of the company you work for---don't be the last one to jump a failing ship. Why is this so important? Because if you can read the balance sheet, you can make your own estimation of the company's financial health, not rely on the spin from the corporation.

2) Use larger trends such as housing prices and financial numbers to decide where to re-locate. See a city popping up repeatedly on the news with tales of new jobs and wealth gains-- consider moving there!

3) Be the star of the next dinner party. (On this one I'm kidding. Finance bores people to tears)

So, you want to learn the basics. What now? I suggest CNBC. It's free and covers the major business news of the day. If you want to know more, head to Amazon and buy a book on investing. Begin the process of learning.

Next Finance Topic: Starting a 401k and/or individual brokerage account.

The Morning News- Nirvana, Stephen Colbert, and Can the Nasdaq hold at 4000?

4/11/2014

The rumors were true, Joan Jett stood in for the late Kurt Cobain to front Nirvana at their induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of fame by Michael Stipe of REM. Find the full article at Rolling Stone.

For those curious, here is a YouTube video of Joan Jett singing Smells like Teen Spirit with Nirvana.

Our second story comes from Television. Stephen Colbert of the Colbert Report fame from Comedy Central has been picked by CBS to replace David Letterman as host of the 'Late Show' Read the article here at CNN. How will this change Colbert's persona as a faux conservative taking on the world's wasteful liberal agenda? We shall see.

The last news comes from Wall Street. A viscous sell-off is underway, particularly in big-cap tech. The Nasdaq composite index is in danger of breaking major support in the 4000 area as you can see by the chart below. Will the Nasdaq turn it around before this important level?

More to the point--- what does this mean for your money?

My take--- watch 4000. If the Nasdaq breaks that support level and makes a run at lower prices, it's time to take notice. I do have a 'line in the sand' number, but as we haven't even begun to approach it yet...I'll simply keep watching the Nasdaq for further weakness.

Have a great Friday.

Exciting Writing News

4/10/2014

I'm pleased to announce that my sister, the poet and rapper Melissa Moran, will post a piece to the website. Her writings and songs are very unique, as is her unbelievable story that she will share over the coming months.

In addition to a poem, I will post a short interview to acquaint readers with her rap art.

In other writing news, there is a new Ella story to be posted quite soon, a continuation of Coffee, with Assassin.

Finally, the painting I selected to be the cover for the Ella e-book is currently en-route to Las Vegas and I can't wait to share the final portrait with my readers.

These are exciting times with many new developments every day, so stay tuned to the website for new fiction, my pick of news and the continued postings of the indie artist showcase.

From Las Vegas,

Stephen John Moran

Joan Jett with Nirvana, Stephen King on Writing, and a fight over cows #themorningnews

4/10/2014

THE MORNING NEWS

Joan Jett to Lead Nirvana at Rock Hall Induction? That's the rumor and question posed by an article at Spin.com. As a Nirvana fan, I can't wait to find out if this rumor is true. Will she front the remnants of Nirvana for the induction ceremony and is it possible there will be more to follow? I will continue to watch this story.

Stephen King spoke on Writing, the current state of selling books in America, on whether bookstores will make it, and if print books are doomed to die. A must watch for writers and all fans of Stephen King.

Finally, in the oddest story of the day--- In Nevada, one rancher battles the government over cattle. That's right-- a heated battle over cows. Rancher Cliven Bundy refused to pay fees for his cattle grazing near his property and the government, after a twenty year battle, is rounding up his cows.

The amount owed is one million dollars says the government while the rancher claims he owes closer to $300,000. Who knows the truth in this latest property grab by the government. I will be following this story.

That's all for the morning news. Enjoy your Thursday.

GAME OF GOATS (Game of Thrones Goat Version)

4/9/2014

Game of Thrones theme song. Sung by Goats. Enjoy.

NEW The Last Will and Testament of Bernadette Cynthia Healy-- PART FOUR @duchessshire

4/9/2014

THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF BERNADETTE CYNTHIA HEALY
PART FOUR

I need to stop myself from remembering the early days; the days when we fell in love and the days before our marriage was dictated to us by a third. I close the distance between my writing desk and I and glance down at the inked perpetrator lying incongruously between my personal belongings. I pick it up and reread the letter, though I am not sure what it is I am looking for.

... just as you once asked me for a favour...' it is the most subtle of phrases but I know exactly what favour she is referring to, and I questioned my right to have asked it of her for decades. But with time I have come to terms with what I did and though guilty, it only meant I levelled the playing field for myself as I sunk to her level.

Bernadette Cynthia Healy. I mouth the name silently to myself and get a feel for the woman whose life was so intertwined with my own for so long. I knew how they had met - when I accepted that the affair was not just a delusion nor idle rumours spread by the gossipmongers, it was the first question I had for Jonathon. He at least had the decency to look ashamed, but I think it was more because he'd been caught out, not because of the affair.

Did my heart break? I'm not sure, and I think that signifies no crucial heart-breaking moment. I know I could have divorced him and even though divorce was still considered highly scandalous in my social circles of the 1960s I thought it better to stay by my husband's side – for better or worse.

And for several years it certainly felt like the worst.

Mrs MacIver, the wonder that she was, often took the children away for afternoons to the zoo or even to her own mother's, who was like family to us, so that Jonathon and I could argue out the situation.

I was stupefied when Jonathon refused to end his affair. I thought once I'd shown him up for the adulterer he was, his shame would make him regret his decisions and he would come crawling back. But no, that's not the outcome Jonathon had calculated.

After I had ranted and raved, screaming blue murder and questioning the sanctity of our marriage, he left me. He left me standing alone in our home, with the fleeting words 'tell me when you want me to come home'.

I know he went to hers. Bernadette Cynthia Healy. And she must have thought she'd won him there and then. But I wasn't about to lose my husband to some hussy, and our family meant far more to me than she would ever be able to understand.

I let Jonathon stew for a week, but it was Polly and Jack who kept asking for their father, who forced me to make a decision. It was a decision that would affect the rest of my life, and my children's life. I let Jonathon return home.

This time I did not want to let my emotions get the better of me and I had a speech prepared. But when I saw him open the front door my heart soared at the sight of him coming home. He knew I would never leave him, and he was right. I was strong enough and perfectly capable of surviving without him, but the thought of never touching him again was more than I could stand.

Jonathon apologized for keeping the affair from me. He surmised that it was a callous thing to do and he should have been upfront about it from the start. He told me he still loved me and would never leave me, but the affair too, meant something to him. I sat in silence, swallowing the words he fed me, and wondered how to react.

There was nothing in me that I could control. Yet there were no tears, no shouts, no cries. I had exhausted myself and knew that I would never leave this man, and that he would never leave me. He was a lawyer and showed me both sides of the argument all the while spinning out this ideal situation for him. When I think about it now, I can completely understand why Polly could never comprehend why I stayed with her father. No twenty first century woman would have stayed under those circumstances.

And I do have to admit that for the first year after I found out about the affair, I felt like I was treading on eggshells around Jonathon. It took us years until we were on an equal playing field again, and it gladdens me to say I have my ingenuity to thank for that.

I do not regret my decision to stay with my husband. I have friends who have left their husbands for less, and I too have persuaded clients of my own to leave their philandering spouses for the sake of one night's mistake. Yet I stayed with my man, even though he loved another woman, almost as much as he loved me.

As I think about why I stayed with Jonathon, I cannot quite find the words to explain and I know there are no words, because I stayed with him purely based on feelings. I loved him and knew that I came first, even though there was another woman who came close second. I only ever asked Jonathon to leave her the once, and then never again.

But leave her he did. Eventually, and of his own accord, which must have stung her more than knowing a pushy wife got the better of her husband. I had wanted to get the better of her, and two things solidified that in my mind; the little favour I asked of her and knowing that Jonathon chose me and our family over her and whatever little she had to offer.

#RIPUltimateWarrior

4/9/2014

In another life called childhood when I watched WWE, The Ultimate Warrior was my favorite wrestler. He entertained many and died at the age of 54. RIP.

I thought this picture worth the look.

Inequality- One Brutal Example- #inequality #poverty #homeless #housing

4/8/2014

I present one selection from 5 Incredibly Brutal Extremes Of Inequality In America That Will Frustrate You an article by Paul Buchheit posted at ThoughtCatalog.com

2. A single top income could buy housing for every homeless person in the U.S.On a winter day in 2012 over 633,000 people were homeless in the United States. Based on an annual single room occupancy (SRO) cost of $558 per month, any ONE of the ten richest Americans would have enough with his 2012 income to pay for a room for every homeless person in the U.S. for the entire year. These ten rich men together made more than our entire housing budget.

For anyone still believing “they earned it,” it should be noted that most of the Forbes 400 earnings came from minimally-taxed, non-job-creating capital gains.

The richest ten people in America made more than the entire housing budget and still we argue about whether or not to raise the minimum wage? At what point will the greed end? We can have a flourishing one percent without that small sliver of our populace owning every bleeping cent.

Also a major point of the article--- most of the income gains for the one percent come are the lower taxed capital gains variety. This is the loophole that allows Mitt Romney to pay a lower effective tax rate than a laborer that makes $50,000 a year. Why do they get this tax-break? Why do we allow capital to be valued over labor?

This is a consumer economy. At heart everyone understands what that means-- we need the masses to do well enough to continue personal spending at the extent needed to maintain the economy. If all monies fall into the hands of a few, the structure of our economy will crack.

We, the people, will cease if we allow one percent to run everything via BOTH the financial channel and directly through Washington.

There is hope. People across the country are waking up to the obvious fact- the one percent are openly trying to purchase our democracy and it needs to stop. Here is an article in the NY Times about what cities are doing to fight the growing inequality in America.

I thank Paul Buchheit for permission to re-post part of his story. I highly recommend reading it.

Thank you to all the readers that have stopped by today. I hope you enjoy the stories. If you like what you see, please share it into the internet.

Have a great evening.

From Las Vegas,

Stephen John Moran

Batkid Throws out First Pitch at @sfgiants game #BatKid #Batman

4/8/2014

My wife is an avid SF Giants fan and I just had to post this for her!

Batkid's back! Miles Scott throws the first pitch for the @SFGiants...and arrives in style! http://t.co/21HNdgLxDX pic.twitter.com/kdAlGrV1l7
— E! Online (@eonline) April 8, 2014

Pictures of Vegas #LasVegas #Bellagio

4/8/2014

Random Pictures of Las Vegas taken by my wife as we stomped around the city.
FREMONT HOTEL AND CASINO

THE D

These next few pictures are from the Bellagio.