Talking Points, Oct 14, 2019
On October 12, 1492, a sailor named Rodrigo saw the early morning moon shining on white sands and cried out. It was an island in the Bahamas. The first man to sight land was supposed to be rewarded a yearly pension of 10,000 maravedis for life, (for today’s dollars, click here) but Rodrigo never got it. Columbus claimed he had seen a light the evening before and he received the prize. A People’s History of the United States, 1492-Present
The NBA has twice as many fans in China than there are people in the USA. CBS News, October 8, 2019
The combined net worth of the 400 richest people who made the Forbes’ list this year, now exceeds $2.96 trillion. There were 221 American billionaires who did not make the list. Forbes, October 2, 2019
Oil, natural gas, and coal account for 81% of the world’s energy consumption- a figure that hasn’t changed in 30 years despite the rapid growth of renewables such as solar and wind power. Axios, August 26, 2019
Charlie Chaplin once entered a Charlie Chaplin look-alike contest and came in third. Newsweek, April 16, 2019
The average new car loan now stretches a record 69 months. Ten years ago, dealerships, on average, made $837 on the sale of a new car, and $516 on the car’s financing. Today, they make an average $381 on the sale of a new car and $982 on its financing and insurance. Wall Street Journal, October 1, 2019
“Volatility breeds uncertainty,
Uncertainty breeds anxiety,
Anxiety breeds opportunity,
And opportunity is not a long-term visitor”
-Mark Zinder
