Tuesday Nov 7, 2017
Lots of news in the WSJ as always but several stories speak to the rapid increase in positive social mood, let's take a look.
Positive mood is inclusionary. This results in new alliances. Typically we see mergers and acquisitions at market tops, never at market bottoms when company prices are the cheapest. And so on the front page, Broadcaom is making an unsolicited$105 Billion take over bid for Qualcomm. Befitting the new high in the stock market, this would be the biggest tech takeover ever.
And Disney is interested in buying 21st Century Fox entertainment assets. Fox Shares rose 10%.
There is always a mix of moods. Negative mood is exclusionary and it is on the rise as positive mood may well be peaking. Negative mood has banished numerous individuals from high places including AMZN Studios Chair Roy Price. Now all sorts of allegations have quickly come to surface and Price is gone. Ditto for Kevin Spacey.
The Governor's Chair in Virginia has gone from Republican to Democrat and is up for grabs again today. This will get more attention than New Jersey where Republican Christi never recovered from Bridge Gate and instead ran for President.
Apparently unable to raise taxes any higher,Northeast States are expanding all types of gambling. Struggling PA is now second to Nevada as the US biggest gambling market. All this is the mark of desperation as bloated governments grab for even more money. The State Capitol of PA Harrisburg, filed for bankruptcy in 2011, and then restructure its debt instead. In the same vein, the lead editorial comments on on the Sorry State of New Jersey, ever higher taxes, population exodus, residents voting negative mod with their feet.
Gerry Seib notes Trump's trip to Asia s the last best chance to curb North Korea's threats to near everyone. But Kim's backers of Russia and China want the US off balance, will they actually do anything?
India like its Western Counterpart, Brazil, is slowing again. What is wrong with the Southern Hemishphere ?
The horror film IT cost $35 M and took in $671 M. That sounds like the way to make money to me. Now Justice League due out Nov 17 has cost $300 M to make. Return on investments will be a lot lower for Justice. Hmm is interest waning in Super Hero movies? Super Heroes first appeared, no surprise, at the end of the 1930s. Unable to cure the Depression woes, the cartoons suggested a new super hero, ore series of them, was needed to save the day.
It's the 75th Anniversary of the release of Casablanca, the movie. The movie and the WW II invasion are the subject of an exhibit at the International Museum of WW I I in Natick, MA. Casablanca is on every list of the greatest movies ever made, at least all the lists I have seen. We really should show it on campus now that we have a dorm.
But the A & M College Station Fund Raisers get the prize for Innovation. There is lottery for the right to pay $100,000 for a room reservation during an Aggie football game. Adding your name to the list requires a $10,000 deposit. I read this again and it says $100,000 donation in exchange for the right to reserve a specific room on any day for the next ten years. Hmm I wonder what two nights cost? The only flaw in this plan is that neither A & M nor UT Austin are having big winning seasons.
While much is made about the US Military an editorial wonders about the condition of our Navy. If two collisions in one year occur in peace time, what might happen if actual shooting breaks out?
We have positive mood showing signs of a parabolic rise to previous unheard of heights. At the same time negative mood, Brexit, Catalonia, North Korea, is on the rise.
Stay tuned.
Comments