With so much uncertainty surrounding politics across the globe the VIX seems to be good buy. I was recently told by a professor of mine he is long the VIX and got into thinking if i should do the same?
My thought, Yes!Yes!Yes!(A joke far all yall wrasting fans out there).
My reasoning: The fiscal cliff, the overall terribleness of Europe, the upcoming US election and the continued slowdown of Chinese economy.
If the market continues to be teased about more QEs and continues to wonder if the bush era tax cuts will be renewed volatility will only increase as these dates quickly approach.
Its an interesting idea that I will continue to look into.
Note: I do not hold any positions in the previously mentioned. All discussion is for academic purposes only. Also, you should NOT base any financial decisions or any decisions at all off of what I write.
Something I did a a little while back but that was not read by many. I think its pretty interesting, give it a read
Today Eminem performed in front of thousands in Chicago and although I could not be there it got me thinking about if Em truly is the G.O.A.T. or even the greatest rapper alive.
Eminem's accomplishments are monumental and he has accomplished what no rapper before him has ever been able to do, break through to a mainstream audience with a pure hip-hop sound. Em is the most profitable recording artist of the decade in terms of album sales. Every album of his has gone platinum and his list of chart topping singles is unmatched. With that being said I have always had a problem calling him the G.O.A.T. Don't get me wrong Eminem is as gifted with the mic as anyone in the game and his rhyme scheme/cadences are contested by few. However, in my opinion Jay-Z is simply better. The main reason for this is more very good albums consistently with the same amount of missteps. Em is still the 2nd best rapper alive but let me make my case for Jay without getting too technical about his double entendres (for that read: Decoded) or debating his flows vs Eminem's (both are equally great).
Jay has two undeniable hip-hop classics in The Blueprint and The Black Album. Reasonable Doubt is also as good as mafioso rap gets. American Gangster is great and The In My Lifetime trilogy is something serious. Jay was not without his missteps though, putting out Kingdom Come and a disastrous R. Kelly collabo album or two.
The first two albums mentioned top to bottom do not miss a beat. No song is mailed in and every songs feels like an event. When Jay opens up with "The Ruler's Back", off The Blueprint, you cannot help but feel like you are listening to a moment stuck in time. When Mr. Beyonce Knowles says,
"I wanna thank everybody out there for they purchase
I surely appreciate it What you about to witness is my thoughts Just my thoughts man - right or wrong Just what I was feeling at the time You ever felt like this, you vibe with me Walk with a nigga man - just vibe with me"
its hard not feel transported back to 2001 when he was at the height of his beef with Nas. The album carries that same feel throughout, a stream of conscious. Whether he is focusing on Nas or simply reminiscing on his past on "Never Change", Jay doesn't miss a step .
I can say the same thing about The Black Album. A classic from front to back with the only questionable song being the R. Kelly sampled "Threat" and that song is still is above average . The whole album takes you back to those moments when everyone thought Jay was gone forever. He of course has made 3 albums since his "retirement". The album did seem like a perfect way to leave rap, but I think we are all happy to still have Hov around.
Around the time Jay was releasing The Black Album, Em was prepping the release of Encore and preparing for his own hiatus due to a long battle with prescription drugs. Up to this point in his career Em had made 3 very good good albums and debatable classics. The 1st album he released was The Slim SHady LP and I find it extremely difficult to criticize The Slim Shady LP which is a classic.
The Marshall Mathers LP was also great, but something held it back from being a true classic. A song like Under the Influence doesn't belong on a classic album because quite frankly D-12 is pretty damn bad, especially with songs like "Bitch Please" and "Kill You" already on the album. Both those songs serve the same purpose as Under the Influence and serve that purpose much better. I know its being picky, but classic albums have a higher standard.
The Eminem Show also suffers from D-12 syndrome, this awful group kills all the CD's momentum with "When the Music Stops". Of course I am exaggerating quite a bit to make my point but the Eminem Show is still great and belongs with hip-hops elite albums.
Now on to Encore which is a mess. The highs are extremely high and the lows are, well, really low. Em sounds unfocused and on drugs (which he was). There are some great songs (Yellow Brick Road. Encore, Evil Deeds, Crazy in Love) and some songs that are just as bad (Puke, Big Weenie, Ass Like That, Just Lose It). It chalked up to an average album from a great rapper.
Fast forward a few years and Em is off drugs and he creates the accent filled Relapse which also has its highs and lows. Despite all its faults it still manages to be above average and standout tracks such as "Underground", "Deja Vu" and "Beautiful" outweigh "Medicine Ball" and "We Made You".
Possibly my favorite Jay song..
A year later Em comes back with the refined Recovery which exceeds his previous two albums in terms of commercial and critical success. Every song seemed to have "single" potential and the missteps were few and far between (anyone else not fall in love with Won't Back Down?)
Possibly my favorite Em song...
All in all Eminem has 2 or 3 classics/very good albums, 1 average album, and 1 slightly above average album. While Jay has made 14 or 15 albums with 2 being certified classics, 7 or 8 being very good and probably 3 or 4 average albums. Both are legends, but when it comes to legends its important to nit pick.
Jay, up to this point, has the upper hand. There is still a long way to go though and a lot that can happen with their careers.
Edit: Since I wrote this both artist have come out with great collaborative records. Hell:The Sequel and Watch the Throne are both incredible works.
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Disclosure: 8 Mile is my favorite movie of all time
No one predicted this. We hoped for this. I posted on my twitter I secretly thought the Sox would be good. I was not bold about this prediction nor was anyone else.
Kenny Williams even went up to manager Robin Ventura in Spring Training and said not to expect much for the 2012 season besides some mid season salary dumping trades. Here is a quick recap of this team and their 1st half and what fans can expect in the 2nd half.
Highlights-
Adam Dunn, Jake Peavy, and Alex Rios have all bounced back from terrible years in 2011. Dunn is an all star, Peavy is a Cy Young candidate(he should be an all star), and Rios looks the 5 tool player he was pegged to be as a young player in the Blue Jays system. Each player has changed major parts of their game, Dunn is in shape(yes he is striking out at a record pace still). Peavy has reinvented himself as much more than a power pitcher. Peavy now changes speeds and mixes pitches rather than throwing his arm out with every pitch he throws. Rios has begun to stand up straight in the batters box, rather than having a stance that resembles an awkward human being that has no idea how to sit.
Paul Konerko has continued his quest to take over as the franchise leader in many statistics and is once again an all star and MVP candidate.
De Aza and AJ have been the model of consistency in the lineup. Their contributions cannot be understated
Chris Sale is an all star and the possible 1st half Cy Young. Long forgotten is the idiotic decisions of White Sox management to put Sale in the bullpen.(Side Note: When I heard he was moving into bullpen I freaked out and yelled at my roommate to give me an explanation of this horrible decision. I do not remember ever being so mad about a White Sox decision. the only other thing that comes to mind is when Ozzie continued to play Pierre in left in 2011.) I have been lucky enough to see Sale start twice this year, including seeing one of the few starts he has struggled in after he returned from the bullpen. Expect an strict inning count on Sale but also expect more brilliance from this former #1 pick.
Robin Ventura appears to be far more comfortable as manager despite a few mishandled situation (ie Addison Reed as closer, Sale out of rotation)
YOUKKKKK! has been motivated since switching his sox. Hopefully he can stay healthy and give decent production at 3B. It was well noted the White Sox had the worst offensive numbers in MLB at 3B before Youk came over in what looks to have been a steal from the Red Sox.
Jose Quintana has been incredible for a rookie that the Yankees did not even want. He was projected as back of the rotation starter in the minors but has pitched like an Ace so far. The Sox will need Quintana on tope of his game if they want to make into the post season and go deep.
The young bullpen, especially Reed, has been key. Few leads have been given up and players are staring to get established roles. Nate Jones has also been spectacular.A return of Jesse Crain for the DL should help. O and Will Ohman is finally gone!
Room for Improvement-
Back end of the rotation. Injuries and poor pitching has plagued the likes of Gavin Floyd, John Danks, and Philip Humber. Floyd has begun pitching better as of late with 3 of his last 4 starts going at least 6 innings and not having given up an earned run. Danks may not be back until August and struggled before his injury. Humber is near the end of his rehab but absolutely sucked following his perfect game. This is the most likely place for another Kenny Williams trade, but Kenny will likely give these inconsistent pitchers the chance to redeem themselves.
Gordon Beckham. After a terrible offensive start has somewhat bounced back but is still not the player the Sox hoped he would be coming form Georgia. Beckham has turned in stellar defense at second but not enough to forgot his offensive troubles. The 25 year old Beckham having a a complete second half could go a long way for the Sox.
Alexei Ramirez. Same story as Beckham. Ramirez has picked his offense up lately raising his average to around 260. The Cuban Missile could use to walk more (he probably will never learn this) and eventually find his power.
Threats-
Though the AL central has been the weakest AL division thus far, the pre season division favorite Detroit Tigers still have enough talent to catch the White Sox. Cleveland is also a viable threat and with some kind of move(perhaps more pitching?) could continue to contend. The two AL wild card will likely come from the East and/or the West. Expect the re emergence of Detroit and continues success of the Indians. Call me a homer but I have the Sox taking the division by a few games. The holes of the Detroit pitching staff will be exploited and Cleveland will lose what magic they have had. Look for a fun AL 2nd half.
White Sox Awards
1st half MVP- Paul Konerko
1st half Cy Young- Chris Sale
Comeback Player-Adam Dunn
Best Rookie- Addison Reed
Best Moment- Philip Humber Perfect Game
Worst moment- Alexei botches run downs in Astros series and All Humber starts post Perfect Game and Moving Sale to Bullpen
Best Play- Rios Robs Corey Hart of Home run vs Brewers
In the opinion of many A Tribe Called Quest embody everything positive about the golden age of Hip Hop. A Tribe fundamentally changed the way many artists functioned at the time and shaped the music of the past two decades. In this documentary, Beats, Rhymes and Life, director Michael Rapaport takes us behind the scenes of this influential group.
As we find out in the opening moments of the film the group has had more than their fair share of differences over the years. The main culprits of these arguments, Phife and Q-Tip. The documentary does not blame one member or the other for the problems of the group, rather the film makes each member look as if they are fighting over petty comments and actions.
While the documentary focuses on the problems of Phife and Q, it also briefly touches on the two other members, Ali and Jarobi. Ali comes across as the cool and collected member who simply wants to make good music and Jarobi, as Q-Tip mentions, "is the heart" of A Tribe.
If you love A Tribe, music or just a fascinating story Beats, Rhymes, and Life is a film for you. Anyone who watches will recognize many of the men and women in the documentary who were inspired by this legendary group as the film puts into perspective how important A Tribe Called Quest was/is to Hip-Hop Culture.
I tend to not be a fan of romantic comedies, but over the past couple weeks I have found myself enjoying these "rom coms".
Since I have been bit by this bug I had to watch the Woody Allen directed "Midnight in Paris" starring Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams. Wilson has not been this dynamic since The Royal Tenenbaums. Gone is the actor who has starred in Hall Pass and in is an actor who provides a charming performance.
The premise of the movie is simple, Gil (Owen Wilson) is writing his first novel when he visits Paris with his fiancee Inez(McAdams) and her parents. Gil loves the 1920s. He feels that was the Golden Age of writing and creation. He believed the 20s were simpler and far more inspirational. During a midnight walk without his fiancee, Gil is invited into a car with a group of strangers. Gil accepts this invitation and when he steps out of the car and enter a party he meets Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda. The plot takes off from there with Gil taking nightly midnight walks to the dismay of his fiance and soon be in-laws.
The story explores the idea we all seem to have that for some reason the past is better than the present. Nostalgia is a concept the film heavily explores and delves into. Midnight in Paris is a short, easy watch. If you have an hour and a half give it a chance and enjoy the phenomenal sets and actors that bring the 20s alive.
