[Mick1]

Stanford’s response. They sent the photo to the FBI:

White Plaza updates – Stanford Report

Audaces fortuna iuvat

[Mick1]

Next time I hear a Muslim chanting “Death to America” while in America, I’m going to remember this fellow…a “protestor” wearing the headband of the Hamas military. In essence, a terrorist committed to Jewish genocide (for now. Other groups, on the way.

Here’s the video link: Stanford Jewish students on taking photo of man with Hamas headband on campus

Here’s his photo. The background may look familiar to you. It’s the Stanford University campus:

 

• This reply was modified 2 years ago by Mick1.

Audaces fortuna iuvat

[Mick1]

Maybe they can’t afford better models. Or better designers…

Their stock has lost 1/3rd of its value since late February. Probably right after the new line was announced…

Audaces fortuna iuvat

[Mick1]

Not mine, Mick, as well you know.

Too true, GR and Hurlburt is correct, the day of reckoning is coming. I posted that tongue-in-cheek.

GR’s method as originally outlined seemed feasible and desirable, but in the face of an $81 billion deficit in CA, and a $29T, $30T, $31.46 trillion dollar U.S. national debt, the surgery will be done with a cleaver, not a scalpel; and by politicians, not economists or concerned citizens.

Audaces fortuna iuvat

[Mick1]

Biden has the worst 13th quarter job approval rating of all presidents since Eisenhower (who had the best at 73.2%).  Second best was Reagan (54.5%), third best was Nixon (53.7%)

Biden’s the worst, at 38.7%. Second worst was G. H. W. Bush at 41.8%. Third worst, interestingly, was Obama at 45.9%. Trump was 46.8%, and this was juuuust after COVID had started.

https://news.gallup.com/poll/644252/biden-13th-quarter-approval-average-lowest-historically.aspx

Audaces fortuna iuvat

[Mick1]

Good question. It’s funny…California had outlawed non-competes for non-business owners (essentially salaried employees) starting in 1982 or thereabouts. The substantive case law involved two accountants in San Jose, a tax manager and an audit manager for a very large regional accounting firm, Moss Adams. In accounting, the managers are non-owners, but do the bulk of the day-to-day work until they become partners.

These two accountants weren’t being promoted fast enough (in their eyes), so they left and formed their own firm, essentially causing the local office of the regional firm to close down. They didn’t solicit business (although it was both legal and not considered against California’s CPA Society ethics to do so at the time, and 10 years later would be expressly approved by the USSC), but they sent announcements to all their contacts, including their former clients. Their former employers sued for breach of non-compete. A friend of mine who had this case in law school said it was studied as an example in which plaintiffs’ counsel did just about everything wrong.

Moss, Adams Co. v. Shilling, 179 Cal.App.3d 124 | Casetext Search + Citator

Gut feel…I think non-competes for non-owners won’t survive. The gist is that it’s an unnecessary, unlawful prevention of employment. In essence, the employees are no longer being paid, therefore they have no obligation to their former employer. I think federal judges are likely to back the employees, following California’s example.

Also, I think the labor component pendulum is likely to start swinging back. Ten years ago, I was a CXO at the largest labor law firm in the country, and the labor attorneys there held a summit call, the subject of which was how to pivot, given that they had done their job too well, and had more or less crushed private labor unions. I believe that work is going to return.

Three interesting follow-up notes:

1. Those two accountants learned their lesson. When they hired their first substantive manager, they gave him a very tiny percentage of the firm’s equity, making him a (very) minor shareholder. When he became disgruntled — as most managers do, who work 2,500 to 3,000 hours annually — he left to form his own firm. And his former employers successfully sued him because he was, technically, an owner of the business.
2. Their accounting firm was extraordinarily successful and profitable. They sold out 16 years later to a second-tier national firm, having grown to 40 employees.
3. Moss Adams returned to San Jose with a vengeance. They are the 14th largest firm in the country and they have a large San Jose office,

Audaces fortuna iuvat

[Mick1]

Yikes. And this is happening as America is entering a broad slowdown…GDP only increased 1.6% it was announced yesterday (economists were expecting a 2.4% gain). Consumer spending increased just 2.5%, down from 3.3% last quarter and falling short of 3% expectations. At the same time, the personal consumption expenditure price index, key component of inflation, increased at 3.4%, biggest gain in a year. Core PCE prices rose at 3.7%, above the Fed’s 2.0% target.

Personal savings rate down to 3.6% from 4%, income rose 1.1%, down from 2%. Spending on big ticket items declined 1.2%

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/04/25/gdp-q1-2024-increased-at-a-1point6percent-rate.html

The federal funds rate is currently the highest in 23 years, though it hasn’t been hiked since last July.

Audaces fortuna iuvat

[Mick1]

CEO of Belong, a residential property management company on why its relocating to Miami -“Belong CEO, Ale Resnik, emphasized the cultural fit between Miami and Belong: “Miami represents a glimpse at a possible future of the USA. One that’s multicultural, more pragmatic, and less ideological. This is an ecosystem where consumer tech can blossom.” More pragmatic and less ideological- sadly wonder if the west cost will ever be described this way. Not in my lifetime, I’m sure.

I think we can agree that California is sufficiently multicultural, though on the opposite end of the pragmatic/ideological spectrum relative to Florida. I was just reading that Mrs. Mick’s high school, Lynbrook of San Jose (mascot “Vikings”) is now 93% minority. Also in the Top 10 in California, top 100 nationwide. 85% of students take AP classes.

Three Bay Area high schools make US News’ top 10 in California (msn.com)

Audaces fortuna iuvat

[Mick1]

U. S. Sales of Bud Light were down a full 29% at the end of October. 13% down overall. In that business, that’s a huge number.

https://youtube.com/shorts/QWtP5_Z45m0?si=IitW1ndQntnZEZ9A

Audaces fortuna iuvat

[Mick1]

More info on the two lawyers. One is from Hunton Andrews Kurth, a civil litigator. He conned made his way onto the jury by claiming he doesn’t know anything about criminal law, election law or finance law and said his political views about Trump are “a mixed bag.”

The other is a corporate attorney at Gunderson Dettmer who says he’s not familiar with the charges against Trump in other venues. They’re actually based in Foster City but have a sizable presence in NYC.

 

Audaces fortuna iuvat

[Mick1]

You beat me to it. She’s right, of course. Taxes keep going up, the problems keep getting worse, politicians have no idea how to solve it.

Rich, wealthy people will continue to depart this state (as they are departing New York), particularly as their taxes increase. They have the freedom to do so. If you’re rich and not tied to a job, you can move to Nashville or Jupiter Island or Galveston or Austin or what have you.

The next two big tax increases we will see in California will be levied on those who have no choice but to stay here, whose jobs or real estate are tied to this state. Held hostage by their jobs, they will stay and pay the higher taxes.

So:

1. Higher tax brackets on all levels but the most wealthy.
2. New taxes on real estate transactions, similar to the taxes levied in Los Angeles county.

Grim.

Audaces fortuna iuvat

[Mick1]

Chapter 7. There are inter- and intragenerational lawsuits flying between my cousins and two uncles. Thankfully, I was never in the business, my granddad passed 16 years ago, and my dad retired 20 years ago.

Audaces fortuna iuvat

[Mick1]

Possibly, assuming you can deal with the criminal elements.

It used to be that 85% of the fruit was grown in California with 12% in France and 3% in Yugoslavia. It’s now down to 39% in CA, Chile has 26%, France has increased to 24% and Argentina is 9%, with Italy, Australia and South Africa all between 1% and 2%.

My family’s business (started by a ’42 Stanford grad) used to export to 48 countries. Went BK about two years ago, thanks to high labor costs, high taxes, poor strategic decisions, management infighting, etc.

e14ef-country-statistical-reports_ipacongress

Audaces fortuna iuvat

[Mick1]

Presidential Voting Results
Last two elections
	Republican	Democrat
2020	74,223,975	81,283,501
2016	62,984,828	65,853,514
	11,239,147	15,429,987

Trump received 11.2 million more votes in 2020 than he did in 2016. Biden received 15.4 million more than HRC over that same period.

There were approx. 245 million adults in America in 2016, rising to 252 million by 2020, an increase of about 3%. Yet the number of voters increased almost 20%.

I wonder why?

 

Audaces fortuna iuvat

[Mick1]

I saw that Barnes & Noble dropped another 27 stores. More interesting to me is that B&N had 725 stores at their peak, but are only down to 604. Meanwhile, Crown Books, Walden Books, B. Dalton, and Borders have all gone completely out of business.

Audaces fortuna iuvat

[Author]

Posts