RETHINKING - DECEMBER 18, 2022 - AN EPIC MATCH FROM AN UNUSUAL EYE

 The Wall Street Journal, a newspaper focused in economy, finance and business, has today also an interesting section about sports.

In this section, one of the most important analysts is the journalist Jason Gay.

Since the first match of the Soccer World Cup, Mr. Gay posted very special analyses of nearly each match and the other events related to the celebration of the World Cup in Qatar.

Today after Argentina defeated France in the final of this championship, Jason Gay posted one of his best columns about soccer.

The column was titled "Messi, Mbappé, and a World Cup Masterpiece".

Under this title, the sport analyst of WSJ wrote: "An epic final showdown between Argentina and France delivers beyond expectations"

In the end of his opinion column, Mr. Gay expressed his most important statements related to an event that decades ago nobody from the Wall Street Journal would eye.

"Think of how rarely hype delivers on expectations. How often do these promised “epics” disappoint? How often have you rolled your eyes at proclamations of “greatest _______ ever” from sports mouths who can barely remember what happened last week?
And yet…
Argentina vs. France will be forever. I think it’s safe.
You’ll remember just like Messi and Mbappé. It was that good. "

In summary, it is great to see how from a media like The Wall Street Journal, its sport columnist put in the top of the sportif expectations the final match of World Cup 2022.

Thank you, Mr. Jason Gay.

RETHINKING – DECEMBER, 17, 2022 - DIRTY POLITICAL BUSINESSES

The collapse of FTX motivated the journalists of The Wall Street Journal to learn more about the anti-hero Mr. Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF).

In an opinion column titled "Sam Bankman-Fried’s Dirty Political Donations", the columnist Kimberley A. Strassel analyzed the political "donations" of the co-founder of FTX.

"According to OpenSecrets, SBF came in as the sixth-largest donor overall in this midterm cycle, and the second-largest donor to Democrats. Only George Soros gave more. SBF dumped close to $40 million into political-action committees, outside groups and individuals."

"SBF gave money to 50 Democratic House and Senate candidates and eight Republicans, and several have already announced they’ll direct their donations to charity. "

After reading the column, I posted a series of comments in the blog section of the WSJ ONLINE that received the approval of other members of the community.

These were my comments:

"It is evident the "good intentions" of Mr. Sam Bankman-Fried were not good intentions."

"Really, the "donations" were not donations. They were the payment in advance of the influences he was buying."

In summary, "The co-founder of FTX tried to buy the "protection" of the political elite. This is nothing new between corrupt businessmen and politicians."

SOURCES: The Wall Street Journal

RETHINKING - DECEMBER 14, 2022 - FAIRY TALE OF A CRYPTOCURRENCY GUY

After the collapse of FTX, The Wall Street Journal focused into the research about the vulnerability of the businesses with cryptocurrency.

Yesterday, December 13, 2022, the bomb news was the capture order of the anti-hero of FTX, Mr. Sam Bankman-Fried.

This was the story's title about the charges against the FTX’s co-founder “FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried Charged With Criminal Fraud, Conspiracy”

Today the Editorial Board of WSJ posted in its online version the following opinion column “Opinion | Sam Bankman-Fried’s Crypto Crash”
Under the title of the column, we can read “It’s ‘old-fashioned embezzlement,’ but with new blockchain jargon.”

Next, WSJ wrote “If the rise of Sam Bankman-Fried was a modern tale about cryptocurrency tokens and “effective altruism,” his fall seems to be as old as original sin. “This is really old-fashioned embezzlement,” John Ray, the caretaker CEO of the failed cryptocurrency exchange FTX, told the House on Tuesday. “This is just taking money from customers and using it for your own purpose, not sophisticated at all.”

“Mr. Bankman-Fried, FTX’s co-founder, was arrested Monday in the Bahamas and is expected to be extradited. SBF, as he is often called, has been on a media tour since FTX’s failure, and he portrays himself as a well-intentioned doofus' savant who got in way over his head and—whoops—lost billions of dollars. The sloppiness of bookkeeping is true enough: Mr. Ray said invoices and expenses were communicated via Slack chats, and “they used QuickBooks.”

I posted two opinion comments in the blogger section the editorial of WSJ Online column.

These are my posts:

1) “Regardless of any excuse to justify his actions, the FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried has to be punished. Like in the case of the founder of Theranos, he built a fraudulent business.”

2) “The fairy tale of Mr. Sam Bankman-Fried had a bad end.”

Other members of the blogger community of WSJ applauded my comments.

SOURCES: The Wall Street Journal

RETHINKING - DECEMBER 11, 2022 - RUSSIAN HOTEL

Now, Ukrainians started to bombing new Russian targets. About this subject, WSJ posted a story titled “Ukraine Hits Hotel Hosting Russian Military”

 
The story was written by Ian Lovett and Alan Cullison and poste on December 11, 2022 in the online version of The Wall Street Journal.

 
This is what we are reading in the paper: “KHERSON, Ukraine—Kyiv’s military demolished a hotel complex hosting dozens of Russian military personnel overnight with U.S.-supplied long-range artillery, while more Russian drone strikes continued to destroy Ukraine’s electricity grid."

Across this story, we learned Ukrainians are trying to hit Russian targets also in Putin's lands.

 
My comment posted in the blog section of the WSJ ONLINE:

 
“Russians will learn they are not safe if the Ukrainian rockets target civil buildings in their country.."

 
Other members of the WSJ Community applauded my comment.

 

SOURCES: The Wall Street Journal
 

RETHINKING - DECEMBER 7, 2022 - UKRANIAN IDENTITY

 
Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with frequency, President Putin said that Ukraine had not an identity. In his declarations, he repeated and repeated that Ukraine is Russia.

After the assault on its neighboring country, Russian troops are going against the civilian population, destroying homes of elders, women and children, and the infrastructure of the cities.

But this is not all!. Putin's soldiers also assault museums and schools, destroying Ukrainian literature and art. As we see, it looks like Moscow's order is the annihilation of all that the troops don't steal.

 About this subject, The Wall Street Journal posted a story titled: “Russians Systematically Loot Art, Ancient Relics from Ukraine’s Cultural Sites” by Ian Lovett

In the introduction of this story, the author wrote: “Moscow’s attacks on Ukrainian museums and theaters are part of a broader assault on national identity”.

My opinion posted in the blogger section of the WSJ Online:

“The attack on museums, theaters and schools is always a barbarian act. Vladimir Putin is acting like the Barbarians who destroyed complete civilizations across History.”

SOURCES: The Wall Street Journal

RETHINKING - DECEMBER 2, 2022 - CHINESE PROTESTS

 
In the last few days, the media is talking about the protests across China against the President Xi initiatives to fight against the new coronavirus pandemic.

In relation with this subject, the Wall Street Journal posted a story titled: "China’s Covid Protests Began With an Apartment Fire in a Remote Region"

My comment in the WSJ Online blog section was:

"The current protests across China generate a question: Could Chinese protesters shoot down President Xi?"

One of the other members of the blogger community answered me that with sticks and saucepans nobody will defeat a dictator like the Chinese President.

SOURCES: The Wall Street Journal

 

RETHINKING - NOVEMBER 24, 2022 - THANKSGIVING 2022

 

Hello,

 In this season of gratitude, “thank you” is the simplest way to express our good feelings for others. Never is late to share a smile with sane intentions with our friends and non-friends. Life is hard to lock us in cells of isolation.

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

D. Trassens

Nov. 24, 2022

RETHINKING - NOVEMBER 19, 2022 - An 80-year old President

 

Yesterday (November 18, 2022), The Wall Street Journal posted an Editorial Column titled "Biden Turns 80, Eyeing Six More Years"

And in the introduction, it wrote "What’s the presidential age limit for tussling with Xi Jinping? Democrats owe the country a 2024 debate."

Across the column, we can read a lot of the comments and opinions of the political observers about an elder president and his limitations to manage the country.

My comment posted in the WSJ Online blog sector was:

"Today, 80 years is not a limit of the life of normal people. However, in public affairs, it is a risky decision to name an CEO of the very important institution like the Presidency of the United States with this age. The most complex business organizations of the current days name younger CEOs, but retain elder managers and professionals as chairmen and board directors. "

Others members of the WSJ Blogger Community approved my opinion.

SOURCES: The Wall Street Journal

RETHINKING - NOVEMBER 16, 2022 - POOR RESULTS

Months ago, the majority of the independent observers and media like the Wall Street Journal expected a great victory election for the Republicans in the House and a possible victory in the Senate.

In the last few hours, WSJ posted that the GOP won the House for 218 against 211 of the Democrats.

This was a comment I posted on Twitter about the House Elections.

"In the end, the results of Republicans were worse than the worsen previous expectations. (218 - 211) Election Results 2022: Republicans Win Control of the House "

My reflection is: The Republicans need to rethink more than twice the poor results in both the Senate and House of Representatives.

RETHINKING - November 9, 2022 - DESANTIS TO TRUMP

After the Midterm Elections of November 8, now at 1.30 AM of November 9, we don’t know if the Democrat’s defeat will be huge or small or zero. However, at this moment we can analyze one of the most important results of the Tuesday voting. 

Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis is winning the re-election against a former Florida Governor, Charlie Crist, for a 59.5% to 39.9% according to the Wall Street Journal journalist Arian Campo-Flores.

The interesting side of this news is that during the voting day and in previous days of the election, the former President Donald Trump made harsh warnings against the possible intention of Ron DeSantis to run for president in 2024. 

In addition, in declarations of recent days, Mr. Trump mocked the Floridian Governor with the nickname of "Ron DeSanctimonious.”

About the mocking of Donald Trump, we have to observe that the name “Sanctimonious” is very contemptuous, in particular for a politician with the ambitions of Mr. DeSantis.

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the meaning of "sanctimonious" is about a "hypocritically pious or devout." In his writing, Shakespeare has used "sanctimonious" in this way.

Before the end of the elections, Ron DeSanctis didn’t answer Mr. Trump about this mocking. 

But immediately when it was public that his victory against Mr. Crist will be strong, the Floridian Governor went to his followers with a declaration that is implicit answer to Donald Trump.

In his speech of celebration of victory, Ron DeSantis said “We’ve got so much more to do. I have only begun to fight.” 

To complete this analysis, we have to remember that in 2018, in his first election for Florida’s Governor with the endorsement of at that moment President Trump, Ron DeSantis won against the Democratic nominee, Tallahassee mayor Andrew Gillum with only a 4.0% margin.

Independently, of other important issues of the Midterm Election, we think that the strong victory of DeSantis and the exchange of messages with the former President Trump marks probably the most important outcome of the voting. 

Surely, from now till the 2024 Election, we will see a sour political war between Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis. What do you think?

 

SOURCES: The Wall Street Journal, recent tweets about Trump declarations, biography of Ron DeSantis.