Squirrel Hill

This weekend’s update was scheduled to be drenched with baseball terminologies, my thoughts on the Dodgers (not looking good for its fan base), and the upcoming elections.

But all this changed yesterday when a horrific shooting took place in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 11 people lost their lives and six were wounded when a man enraged with hate decided to murder innocent people that were gathered at the local synagogue to celebrate the recent birth of a child. Our condolences go out to all the families impacted by this tragedy.

We can no longer live in a world that one can be safe anywhere, because people have access to weaponry everywhere. Something significant is going to need to happen in this country for this type of occurrence to stop happening with consistency. Blood is being spilled in places of worship, schools, and locales that promote and teach the “right” methodologies.

As a young man, I was taught out of the Bible, to love thyself and to make everyone around you better. Socially, physically, mentally, all of the above. Whether it is giving a helping hand to those in need, supporting your neighbors, or being available for your family. Love and kindness come in an infinite assortment of ways.

As a young adult, I would go to church every Sunday to reiterate all the things I learned as a child growing up in Ft. Worth, Texas.

The moral and ethical fabric in the United States has become tainted, and a lot of different organizations are to blame. Going back to the basics is what is required for people to come back to their senses. It feels that “doing good” is in short supply these days, and needs to make a comeback to combat all the recent divisiveness on the political side.

The stakes have never been higher for the upcoming mid-term elections. If my predictions follow the same suit as my investments and sport picks (not very accurate historically), then a lot of the incumbents shall win re-election. I believe that the turnout will be big on both sides.

Our government should do us a favor and make Election Day a national holiday so that everyone goes out and gets counted. Millions have died for our right to have the ability to elect officials, decide on state propositions, and to shape their local communities.

As one friend and active reader so eloquently states to those that do not partake in casting ballots, “Rich people vote and that is how you know it is important”.

CL

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In what was a hellacious week for markets, all indices other than the DJIA were down 2%+, though most were down more than 3% at one point Thursday.

Weekly Indicators for October 22-26, 2018

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