Another TBB post featuring the most eclectic links around the web such as the rise and fall of Cathie Wood, the first US mass shooting, a CIA hacker, Crypto Lehman moment, widow brain, financial literacy expands, becoming an expert witness is very lucrative, we travel to Norway and Michigan and the most beautiful places around the world, airline fleet captivating visual, Germany’s appeasing policy towards Putin, Russia war effort is running out of steam it appears, a creepy movie made out of a Russian soldier’s cell phone, the Great Reinfection with Covid, a deep dive on Steve Bannon, an amazing story of a fugitive recaptured decades later, Alex Honnold fears of fatherhood, the latest most important news in the miles and points world and some personal updates. Enjoy your weekend and see you next Friday!
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This blog will publish every Friday in the month of June 2022.
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PERSONAL FINANCE
Excellent article about her: The Rise and Fall of Cathie Wood. She is the famous (and now infamous) manager of the ARK Innovation ETF. For the record, I liked Cathie…before she got famous. And then…she changed. Fame and money got to her head imho.
Her ARK Innovation fund, often known by its ticker as ARKK, returned some 157 percent during that first year of the pandemic, compared to just 18 percent for the S&P 500 as a whole. It was a legendary performance that drew accolades from various market watchers, including CNBC’s Jim Cramer, who in February of last year tweeted, “Cathie Wood is a genius.” In late 2020 ARK even started running parody “Bad Ideas” ads, making fun of investors seeking “safety and comfort” in traditional funds. [After that, a legendary and ongoing collapse took place…and all along Cathie never wavered from her increasingly ridiculous always bullish predictions. Also, NEVER listen to Jim Cramer!]
This is an excellent reference for widows: Widow Brain: What To Expect After Your Spouse Dies & 9 Ideas to Help.
Another state, my state Michigan, finally! Personal finance would be a required class under bill headed to governor’s desk. I can not believe this is not required in every state, this is a life skill! It will get through to some kids. So we won’t have as many totally clueless people that nobody ever showed them what compounding can do! And the impact of ridiculously high interest rates on credit cards and…so many other basics.
I had heard being an expert witness can be lucrative. Well, this article will shock you, I had no idea, wow! The lucrative economics of expert witnesses.
CRYPTO
I just can not seem to get away from this space…Crypto Just Had Its Lehman Moment. What’s Next? No idea, but life is better without all this heartache imho. Maybe it’s more fun staying poor? The last sentence was a joke…
There are many players in crypto who understand that making the space safe and reliable is key to its long-term success. Accepting regulation as a way to bolster confidence in the entire proposition may be the only way to overcome the damage wrought by Terra and, let’s be honest, the other potential disasters still out there. Yet regulation goes against everything so many crypto entrepreneurs believe in. The whole point of DeFi is to not need regulation. There’s the rub. But as crypto supporters reckon with the wreckage of their Lehman episode, do they have any other choice? The masses won’t use DeFi if they don’t trust it.
TRAVEL
This looks lovely! The Kystriksveien: Earth’s most beautiful road trip?
If you are running out of places to visit, here is one more link: The 51 Most Beautiful Places in the World.
If you love planes, you will love this: Visualizing Well-Known Airlines by Fleet Composition.
Well, I guess more people have discovered this: No longer a hidden gem, Pictured Rocks inundated with record tourists. In Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. We almost got stuck in the tiny road to see Chapel Rock, park away from the parking lot, you are welcome.
Sticking with Michigan: Michigan is a top 10 state for private golf courses. Here are the 15 best tracks. I am not a golfer and I had no idea about this.
GUNS
Amazing work in Texas Tribune about the first ever US mass shooting back in 1966: America’s first modern mass shooting never really ended. I did not know much about it, another psycho gone crazy. Imagine if he had an AR-15 back then…Actually, don’t!
I have never understood the obsession with guns. Obsession you say? Yeah, see this Twitter thread.
Watching the testimony in Congress of the parents who lost their kids in Uvalde was beyond heartbreaking. And watching the politicians waffle again and again is beyond frustrating…
UKRAINE RUSSIA WAR
Best of Web: The New Russian Offensive Is Intended to Project Power It Cannot Sustain. I think this guy has this right so read it in its entirety if you are interested. I hope I am not wrong.
Another amazing read for you: ‘We were all wrong’: how Germany got hooked on Russian energy. It goes back through history how the country got hooked…
Ukrainians made a movie out of a Russian soldier’s cell phone and it is kind of surreal and creepy to watch at the same time…
COVID-19
Looks like new variants keep coming: Welcome to the Great Reinfection. At this rate, I should probably hold out for variant Z.69 lol.
There was a recent small study that determined that people with food allergies do not catch Covid as easy. Me and my daughter have food allergies and never had Covid (as far as we know/test); wife and son do not have them and had Covid, coincidence?
There is a new vaccine out apparently, who cares at this point? I mean, the ones who did not get vaccinated by now, would the new vaccine make them change their mind?
And there goes China again back to lockdowns…I don’t know, maybe they should get some Pfizer and Moderna vaccines and go all out on vaccinnating instead of keep testing and locking down?
ODDZ & ENDZ
Best of Web: Deep and disturbing deep dive on Steve Bannon: American Rasputin. Steve Bannon is still scheming. And he’s still a threat to democracy. Archived Link.
Amazing story about a fugitive drug dealer in Nebraska who skipped town for decades and finally captured in his 80’s with everyone coming to his defense and support. I must admit I was really pulling for the guy in the end for some reason, people change! The Fugitive Next Door. Other focus on clickbait “shocking” crap, I focus on bringing you wonderfully written gems…
In my blog I have mentioned Alex Honnold many times, the legendary climber. He married his girlfriend and they now have a son. And he is scared…which, I guess, every new father should read to feel better about themselves! Alex Honnold, the World’s Boldest climber, Just Became a Dad. For the record, I am still shocked this dude is still alive!
I felt like you did not really fear death at all in prior years.
“No, I would actually disagree. I’d say that death is probably the only thing that I really do fear.”
Go on, then. How are you able to do what you’ve done while fearing death?
“You just make sure you’re not going to die.”
Another deep post and I am going to push the brakes in this section with it as the post is getting really long…The Surreal Case of a CIA Hacker’s Revenge. Reading this you will think of a coworker you had to endure. Or a neighbor. Or heard of one I am sure. You know, the absolute asshole you could not stand, they are out there! And this guy now sitting in jail awaiting his trial is one of them. And everyone around him knows it too! And he is now representing himself and threatening to spill the secrets of the agency and, I think, he may win in the end…Hope he does not move next to me like that dude who moved next to us in our previous house, still have nightmares about that guy woohoo! Archived Link.
A hot-headed coder is accused of exposing the agency’s hacking arsenal. Did he betray his country because he was pissed off at his colleagues? [Yes!]
MILES & POINTS
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This section is about my hobby addiction of collecting frequent flyer miles and hotel points since the early 1990’s! Feel free to skip this section and parts of the next one if this is not for you.
Newbies: This hobby is mostly about getting the fat signup bonus of travel rewards credit cards while of course NEVER EVER carrying a balance. But it takes a lot of work to do this well, you must be very detailed and organized and of course have great money habits too. Great money habits always start with having a cash emergency fund set aside! Big enough that when the unexpected happens (and it will at some point in your life) you don’t sweat it at all.
The Capital One Venture X card recently had a 100,000 point signup bonus. It is now a still lucrative 75,000 point signup bonus after a minimum spend of $4k in the first three months. If you like simplicity and are looking for one (premium) card, I highly recommend this card (and yes, I have it myself!). It has an annual fee of $395 but it comes with a VERY easy $300 statement credit for travel booked on its excellent travel portal, essentially turning it to a $95 annual fee card. Wait…at each card anniversary you earn 10,000 points essentially making it FREE! Every dollar of spend earns 2 points and flights booked on the travel portal earn 5 points per dollar. You get a Priority Pass Select lounge membership and, this is important, you can add four authorized users FOR FREE who can also open their own Priority Pass Select membership. No foreign transaction fees. Awesome seats at baseball stadiums for just 5k points. And lots more. Available with my Credit Card Links, thank you for your support!
The Chase Sapphire Preferred card signup bonus is back down to 60,000 Ultimate Rewards points. Here is my daughter’s REFERRAL link if you prefer not to use my Credit Card links.
Surprisingly, this offer is back! Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless FIVE Free Night Certificates (Up To 50,000 Points Each) Bonus. I am no fan of Marriott Bonvoy but this offer I must admit is very tempting as you can enjoy almost a week at a very nice property anywhere in Marriott’s vast footprint. Available HERE under Card Category/Hotel, thank you for supporting this blog! Remember, you are NOT allowed to ever carry a credit card balance if you ever get a credit card here, ok?
Another devaluation: Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer 10% Award Devaluation & End Of Paid Stopover Awards.
Finally here: (Update: Milestone Rewards Now Live) IHG One Rewards Complete Guide.
As you know, I am a big Twitter user. And when it comes to travel, it is indispensable! Stop Calling Your Airline, Message Them on Twitter Instead.
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BLOG BUZZ
We are now entering BLOG BUZZ, a section for advanced hobbyists and veterans of this fast imploding hobby and also a section where I go on and on about some stuff that happens in my life because it helps me feel better about myself.
I am committing to posting at least one comment daily in my blog, thank you for visiting.
As of today I have burned 639,147 miles and points year to date. And I have 4,750,157 miles/points in the bank (probably more, I need to do an “Update All” in my Award Wallet account).
My wife applied for the 80k Barclay Business Aviator American Airlines card (Direct Link) and I had to coach her what to say to the reconsideration department as she was not instantly approved. It was an ordeal for me…just imagine how unpleasant it was for her. No pain, no gain I said! Looking forward to get the card to earn another easy 80,000 AA miles and canceling her Citi AA card with its annual fee coming up.
I like basketball and the NBA. And watching the new movie Hustler with Adam Sandler playing a Philadelphia 76ers scout helping a talented kid from Spain break into the NBA was extremely enjoyable!
Detroit Tigers baseball fan? Click and watch this video: Pure Michigan: Detroit Tigers ’22. You will laugh, I guarantee it!
Daughter had a car accident, she is fine but the car is not looking good at this point. I am going through the insurance claim process and, naturally, tried to see if I can conveniently enter my National Car Rental frequent driver number for the rental car I have coverage for…but I was shot down, boo! Also, Ford air bags work flawlessly!
We both ran a great race this past Sunday in the Dexter-Ann Arbor Run in our back yard. The weather was absolutely perfect for a run, I hit my target goal and my wife ran her first ever half marathon in a faster time than she ever dreamed. 10k race in Royal Oak this Sunday. Keep moving!
I am really proud when I click “Publish” on each post. Enjoy another blog post and stay healthy my friends.
Let me leave you with this…
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TBB
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Gold? Amazing content George. I’m fascinated with the crypto unraveling. See a lot of people falling for the sunk cost fallacy, in terms of having spent years pushing for this tech try really don’t understand and refusing to acknowledge it now. There’s this travel blogger Out and Out who was peddling a 15% APY with Stablegains. Spoiler alert, he lost 97% of principal
Sorry about the crash! Glad she is ok. Whew.
The fact that BOTH Carter and Reagan were pushing in the same direction on Russian German exchange says a good deal.
The expert witness fees table is great. A very long time ago I was an expert witness for the department of justice. The most they could pay was very limited! Very.
Thanks for the links!
Bronze! For the glory of the Pacific Northwest! WOOT! Great stuff here! Gonna be dipping into this email all weekend as I read all the stuff. I did read the one about that hacker guy. Some people are just too dang weird!
Good work on the racing like I had told you! Happy your Daughter is ok. Cars can be fixed or replaced. Not kids!
Have a great weekend!
Greetings from South Dakota! I can’t believe so many people bought the Cathie Wood / ARKK hype for so long.
Headed off to Badlands National Park just as soon as everybody finishes getting ready. Can’t wait! I’m just happy I could finally use the last of my Avios.
Sorry everyone, I was busy doing my profiles this morning in several expert witness search sites. Ok, that was a joke.
@ Peteco: Thanks. Yeah, this whole space is kind of fascinating to watch…from afar. You would never see me post here about crap like Stablesgain or whatever else bloggers will hawk to make some money. I already feel bad for keeping the same few credit card paragraphs in back to back posts 🙂 Anyway, I am aware of that blog and I could post daily calling out blogs like this. You know, I used to do that here and I am just tired! There is so much bad advice in “expert” blogs that is awful, we all need to be more selective of our clicks!
@ DML: Good to know to turn down expert witness gigs for the government then, thanks 🙂 Putin yesterday speaking portraying himself to Peter the Great and stuff like that smh. Waiting to hear back from adjuster, $1,000 deductible is coming out of her college fund #consequences Looking back, it is amazing how the car did not roll over!
@ Carl: Thanks a lot. Definitely right on kids vs cars of course. Been doing an exercise class for runners twice a week which has helped immensely to avoid injuries since I started them. So far, so good…it is a marathon, not a sprint (pun intended).
@ NIck: Enjoy Badlands, I need to visit it, let us know how you like it. How did you do the flights?
Got an email from a long time reader wondering how come I had nothing to say about the Jan6Hearings? Well, 98% of the post was done by the time they started. Of course I watched. Nothing shocking, you all know how I feel about the orange dotard…Liz Cheney’s quote will outlast her, it was perfect.
Already have some material for next Friday, TBBing never stops. I had a second cc conversion this month, 100% growth you guys LOL. I think my affiliate link days are numbered at this rate, sad!
Saw Badlands yesterday, it was great! Highly recommended. Saw bison, antelope, tons of prairie dogs, and even a badger going after a prairie dog. And the views live up to the pictures, it’s a really cool landscape. L
Wall Drug… Meh.
Avios redemption: lucked out, basically. I had been checking availability on direct flight from CLT to various less common locations I’d be interested in and somehow this one had wide open availability so I grabbed seven tickets. That was in October for flights eight months out.
Great, thanks for the feedback!
Yeah, amazing how tickets booked months in advance proved to be a great move…as demand skyrocketed recently! I may do the Chase transfer bonus to Avios, plenty of AA seats Detroit – New York again available. And for son’s trip to West Coast from Honolulu.
If you come here make sure Custer State Park is on your itinerary. Definitely worth a day.
Glad to see you’re still active! I’m trying to lose a few pounds myself!!!
Gotta keep moving!
So the NBA Finals is down to a 3 game series, with two games in SF…I still think Boston has the better TEAM. Will see what happens, maybe I stay up to watch Game 7 🙂
Started watching on Netflix “My Octopus Teacher”…Wow! I quit eating octopus going forward.
Today is a slow biking expedition to Dexter’s awesome park.
I must admit that inflation number was a bit shocking, I expected a continued easing in inflation…Will see. I think it is pathetic of Biden to keep repeating “Putin’s put”…then again, the other side keep waffling on protecting our children, attacking women’s right to decide what to do to their bodies and the orange dotard ditches his own daughter while insisting he did not lose the election….of course, what did you expect, hello?
Can’t wait for the Monday Jan6Hearing, much better than Benghazi hearings Fox News posted endless hours live, zzzzzzz.
Sadly, the troll reappeared to make his unwelcome presence posing as someone else again smh.
Short term, anything is possible in the markets. Long term, someway somehow capitalism will likely win again so stay the course and don’t look at your portfolio!
You all enjoy the weekend!
Turns out there are more crypto idiots (in this case a VC founder) who ends up going on podcasts trying to come up with user cases for Bitcoin/crypto It’s obvious they don’t know how the real world world and why there are checks and balances (middlemen) when transferring large sums of money (crypto transfer by design is irreversible).
https://twitter.com/zachweinberg/status/1535638900470861824?s=21&t=hgYd_dQMq_f8fKKNoF0pqA
Hustler was good. Adam Sandler should focus on movies with depth and stay away from stupid comedies. I lost interest in the NBA over the last 20-30 years. The style of play has changed and the middle range shot has been lost.
https://twitter.com/kirkgoldsberry/status/1217109175894831105?s=21&t=naytViiA9-CnNuFK4cxEfw
Too many teams playing the same way. Steph Curry et al…. Made the game less exciting. Maybe remove the 3-point line?
Thanks for that crypto related link, I bookmarked it to watch later.
I am not sure NBA is less exciting now and yes, I agree the game has certainly changed. I would rather see little guys like Steph be out there than NFL built tall dudes park around the basket overpowering everyone 🙂
It is 5 am and it is already 65 degrees outside in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Going to be a hot one running 10k today!
Sure big tall guys can “ruin” the game. I enjoyed watching the Pistons beat Lakers’ dream team (Kobe, Shaw, Malone, Payton etc).
Steph ruined the game all the way up to the mountains too:
https://twitter.com/chanodesigns/status/1536042762725863424?s=21&t=OJopYObuo35Z_do5s6rB3w
Wow, what a shot!
MonkSteph! 🙂
Managed to run 10k in 50.41 today at 8.10 pace.
Finally managed to place first in my age group! I think key is to run races that do not have many participants lol.
Wonderful nap, time for some portfolio reviews before 60 Minutes starts and…maybe I stay up for Game 5 of the NBA Finals tonight.
Get outside and move your body!
https://twitter.com/FlyerTalkerinA2/status/1536318928217047041
Bigly News
you know what else is big news around here? You getting a cc with my site…you can be….third this month maybe, sad lol.
Anyway, I need to shift my Radisson Americas points to the Radisson World exc Americas smh asap
Any chance you have a link or referral for a Citi Shop Your Way card?
Not seeing it in my links, sorry!
Thanks for thinking of me though, much appreciated.
To all:
The Citi Premier card is back up to 80,000 signup bonus!
https://travelbloggerbuzz.com/credit-cards/
Standing at 2 cc conversions month to date, 1 in May, 1 in April. When I am supposed to have 10 per month…so the end is near. Save TBB 🙂
In other news, Bitcoin down to $22k…Can’t wait for that Saylor of Microstrategy to receive a margin call…Meanwhile, 4 Coinbase execs revealed they sold $1 Bil in shares…can you spell ponzi?
Anyway, it is rough out there. Markets will recover eventually, get outside and have some fun!
Note to self: Do not run on park boardwalks after storms the previous night. Fell again and right hand is bruised…right knee less so.
Friday post is developing very nicely…
Not sure why the Wednesday Jan6Hearing was postponed, maybe Trump wants to make a deal to stay out of jail? LockHimUp 🙂
Also, do not take NBA advice from me lol. Tough to win a game when Celtics go 0 for 12 in 3pointers to start the game…I think we are going to see a Game 7 and definitely do not bet on this.
I blew the last three month blog revenue tor an ad to a newsletter I subscribe to. We’ll see if this brings any new readers…never give up lol.
Greek national team made it 4 wins in the last 4 games without conceding a goal and earned a potential playoff spot for Euro 2024, yeah!
We have an excessive heat weather alert, heatwave!
Everyone waiting for the Fed to announce an interest rate hike…Don’t fall into this short term trading/speculating mode…will not matter years from now.
Blog post is developing nicely…and it is getting very long!
Do NL winners in groups B and A also get a playoff spot to Euro 2024? England…..obviously the players don’t care.
Massive hike by the Fed, I wonder if they now know how to predict inflation….
Bought raw chicken at the same grocery store. 40% increase since the beginning of the years…. This can’t be just organic inflation. The producers are improving their margins.
Citi premier bonus should be >120k points to keep up with inflation
Not sure about the NL question, all I know is that Greece moved up a spot in the rankings and will get a playoff shot if it (most likely) won’t qualify for Euro 2024 after group play.
Fed has a tough job and everyone is complaining…My theory has been that everything has been messed up by the pandemic and we are all trying to find ourselves. This includes inflation numbers too. May take a while to find our footing I guess.
Good point on the Citi 120k SUB…not seeing this happen though.
Had coffee on the deck and it is already hot out there at…5.25 am!