Ides Of March

Beware The Ides Of March. But Why

... play “Julius Caesar” as the ominous warning given by a soothsayer to the soon-to-be ex-Roman emperor as he made his way to the Capitol that fateful day in 44 BC. And although good old Bill probably thought it was far from a throwaway line, even the great poet and playwright could not have imagined the life it’s taken on the 500 years since. Not only did Shakespeare’s words stick, they branded the phrase with a dark and gloomy connotation that will forever make people uncomfortable. It’s probable that many people who use the phrase today don’t know it’s true origin. In fact, just about every pop culture reference to the Ides—save for those appearing in actual history-based books, movies or television specials—makes it seem like the day itself is cursed. But the Ides of March actually has a non-threatening origin story. Kalends, Nones and Ides were ancient markers used to reference dates in relation to lunar phases. Ides simply referred to the first full moon of a given month, which usually fell between the 13 th and 15 th. In fact, the Ides of March once signified the new year, which meant celebrations and rejoicing. Yet, when heroes in movies, books and television shows are ...

Beware The Ides Of March? Not If You're A Test Cricket Fan

... touring Australia before, as promoters looked to make money in the colonies. But the colonial teams were weak, and to create some competition, Australian teams would field up to 22 players. One promoter, Lord Sheffield, gave a grant to Australian cricket for a trophy to encourage more regular competition. To this day, the Sheffield Shield bears his name. When James Lilywhite brought his team out in the summer of 1876-77, he found Australian cricket had greatly improved. And so at the end of the summer, it was decided to play two 11-a-side games. And Test cricket was born. It was just after 12 noon that Alfred Shaw ran in to bowl the first ball. Charles Bannerman faced, scored the first run, and went on to top score, retiring hurt at 165. By top scoring in the first innings, Bannerman created the record for the highest innings by an Australian on Test debut. That record still stands. ...

Befriend The Ides Of March

... why gold rose so rapidly from 2001 to 2011.). Graphs are for illustrative and discussion purposes only. Please read important disclosures at the end of this commentary. The dollar index (now around 101) bottomed out at 70.7 on Monday, March 17, 2008. That was also the date that gold first topped $1,000 per ounce. The proximate cause of both events was the collapse and bailout of Bear Stearns - the opening shot of the crisis of 2008, which reached its nadir six months later. Can it happen again - tomorrow, maybe. The World is Coming to an End Tomorrow (or Soon). How do I know the bull market is coming to an end soon? The press told me - on three consecutive days. On the eighth anniversary of the bull market last Thursday, the Wall Street Journal printed a very serious warning: "This Crazy, Expensive Stock Market is for Speculators, Not Investors." This review, timed to spark fears about the death of this bull market, said that investors now face a dilemma: "Chase the returns a final blowout would bring, or switch to cash now to survive the bear market that might follow?". The next day, I got the March 11, 2017 edition of The ...

Beware The Ides Of March

... a winning percentage of 57.2%. While a little better than a coin toss, it’s not by much. Since February has typically been a weak performance month for stocks, historically speaking, the month of March has often been a rebound month. This has led to March typically having stronger performance over time. The chart below shows the impact of $100 invested only in the month of March. While the backdrop currently remains bullishly biased and argues for maintaining long-biased exposure in the markets, we did take some profits off of the table last week to rebalance portfolio risk. I have to agree with Jeff Saut’s recent commentary as well wherein he stated. “In the short term, we do not understand what is going on. Consequently, when we do not understand the current market environment, we tend not to play.”. There are many pieces of evidence which suggest the current market meltup is very akin to what we have seen near previous major corrective market tops in the past. Such price action suggests that overall portfolio risk ...

From Trump's Critics, A Blizzard Of Old-fashioned Postcards

... medium for conveying those slogans seemed to stump some. “A lot of people these days don’t even know how to address a postcard,” said Eileen Ryan, a Watertown woman who organized the event. “I made a sample postcard after I had people kind of botch it.”. Maybe, she said, they thought she was going to send them in an envelope. If this seems to be a counterintuitive way to communicate in today’s world, so be it. The guy who dreamed it up wanted the messages to be tangible. Zack Kushner, a 44-year-old Sudbury native and freelance copywriter who lives in California, was overwhelmed by the turnout at the women’s march in Oakland in January. The trains were overcrowded; his 2-year-old lost a boot. They could barely get near the center of action, but they wanted their voices heard. “What if everyone could be counted another way?” he wondered. An online petition or Facebook page doesn’t hold the weight of a physical object, Kushner said. “That somebody took the time to write something, get a stamp, put it in the mail — there’s an additional level of commitment and resistance,” he said. This being 2017, the postcards are ...

Cicero And The Ides Of March

... an insatiable appetite for tyranny, civic disrespect and drunkenness – even vomiting in the senate chamber. By 44-43 B. C., Cicero had had enough, unleashing 14 scathing Philippics against Mark Antony’s debauched character. These speeches are masterpieces. Rome’s political bloodsport escalated and Antony’s soldiers hunted down and butchered Cicero. This tragedy teaches students how despots destroy republics. The historian Plutarch reports that Antony “laugh(ed) aloud for joy many times,” having ordered his men to cut off Cicero’s head and right hand, “with which Cicero had written the speeches against him…” Then Antony had them placed in the public forum. Cicero’s martyrdom has inspired liberty-loving patriots across eras. But not in our time. Former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick killed off a basic history-civics MCAS graduation requirement, which Governor Charlie Baker thus far has lacked the courage to reinstate. “To be ignorant of what occurred ...

The Ides Of March And The Left’s Figurative Assassination Of The President

... I sometimes fear that the Left would do anything to undo the results of the election, including abandoning the democratic process entirely. Thus, I can’t help but wonder if this postcard campaign is indicative of a more sinister wish. Now I am not the thought police, and a violent thought not acted upon is no crime, but choosing the March 15 th for this postcard frenzy is deliberate, and the allusion to the murder of an emperor is no coincidence. Yet Trump is no emperor. If he were, these people would be fearful of engaging in a postcard campaign. They would be fearful of participating in non-stop protests. In the United States, it doesn’t take any courage at all to complain about the president. Millions of Americans do it every day, and they always have, because they can. Likely tens of thousands—maybe millions—of people will send postcards to the White House, many signed, and with their return addresses on them. But would they do the same in protest of ...

Ides Of March Snow Day For Nutley Public Schools

... IN NEW YORK HAS ISSUED A BLIZZARD WARNING FOR 12-25 INCHES OF SNOW WITH HIGHER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE, ALONG WITH COLD. By TAPINTO. NET STAFF. March 13, 2017. ESSEX COUNTY AREA, NJ — Essex County’s “Code Blue” procedures are being activated from Monday at 5 p.m. to Thursday, March 16 at 8 a.m. due to extreme cold weather and snow in the forecast. In addition, Essex County Turtle Back Zoo, Codey Arena, the Environmental Center and Senior Centers within the Essex County Parks System will be closed on. Wed, March 15, 6:00 pm. Fri, March 31, 9:00 am. By TAPINTO NUTLEY STAFF. March 12, 2017. NUTLEY, NJ - The Nutley Board of Education will conduct a regular meeting on Monday March 13 at 6:30 p.m. at the John H. Walker Middle School. Items on the agenda include approval of field trips, professional development, and approval ...