He is a down to earth poker player in Las Vegas who started making video productions related to Vegas lifestyle and poker sessions. Why am I writing about him? Well, he’s a good guy and deserves a little notoriety for bringing a vacation destination to home computers in the thousands. He wasn’t really the ultimate ground breaker on the youtube vlogging scene but he put a twist on the activity with his unique laid back charm. In fact, his popularity earned him a nomination and victory at the 2018 American Poker Awards gala held recently.  Whether it’s game nuance, Vegas cocktail bar suggestions, interviews with poker Joes, hand breakdown, or destination highlights from tournament play abroad – there’s a little something for everyone blessed with a little competitive spirit and sense of adventure. Andrew’s success in the vlogoshere has had much to do with his genuine sense of courtesy and goodwill coupled with poker ambassadorship. The game has indeed been in need of positive rebranding efforts of which Andrew stepped right into the void. Go ahead and subscribe to his channel and see for yourself.              

 I love LinkedIn because it’s fun to see people profiled as their very best. You know, without the nose hairs or perspiring pits.  A little resume padding or subtle embellishment takes us unto the realm of the wannabe versus the actualized being – for some anyway. I’m always wondering about the five year question. What do all these perfect people expect of themselves in five or even ten years? To define oneself professionally via computerized profile just seems pretentiousness enough to not give the exercise much merit. You can’t help but be impressed by those with enough idle time to actually put up posts  or regurgitate business news in hope of garnering a “following” and even soothe the ego by witnessing feedback alongside.  It’s just too much for me to digest with a straight face but the phenomenon is still no match for the textomaniac in between sets at the gym.        

The thing about Gary Moore was how masterful he was at identifying the right note in the scale at the right time with feel and distance. Distance you ask? Yes, the blues requires delay for effect.  You just can’t rush a riff if the mood doesn’t call for it.  Yes, he was fast but only used his gifted fast fret work during connected movements or outros.  Although a rocker back in the day with Thin Lizzy, it’s fair to say that his best work was done with the Blues. In fact, he may have covered Hendrix’s Red House better than anyone and duplicating the Hendrix style was no easy feat.

This was a guitarist who could sing, keep rhythm, and break out into melodic solos at will. Moore understood time and enraptured audiences with intervallic breath. His bends were precise, vibratos pristine, and always came home to the “one”. He may not have carried the stage presence of a Prince or Slash, but in fact his modesty was enamouring. His expression was always one of feeling the music as he played which ultimately brought you into his auditory canvass. Gary Moore was a very talented musician but may not have grasped the extent of his gift leading a lifestyle attributable to his death. Thankfully, YouTube channels have catalogued the man with flavourful selections of his playing over the years. Of all guitarists, his playing has been most instrumental in aspiring my learning and practice. 

Songs of note, “The Loner”, “Still Got The Blues”, “I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know”, “Parisienne Walkways”, “Redhouse”          

It’s called “short selling” and 95 per cent of investors have no clue what this legal form of trading is and what it can do to them. You see -investment professionals have an inside track on the markets. Unlike yourself, they watch the “ticker” by the minute throughout the trading day. They are more interested in short term fluctuations and any newsworthy event that can spark blips on the chart.

Regulators have also provided traders with a mechanism to keep markets liquid. When bids are few, “market makers” can jump in to facilitate trading activity. Short selling can be viewed as a component of market making whereby investment brokerages “borrow” securities from somebody’s portfolio (even yours) and sell them into the market looking to buy back later at a lower price.  Sound dodgy? Well – completely legal. Apply this apparatus to the professional investor’s inside track and suddenly you the naive holder of stock position without a stock certificate in your possession becomes the conduit of an investment brokerage’s profit.

Every year around this time, folks invest more in the market irrespective of the quality of stock in the market in order to qualify for an RRSP deduction. Yes, some utilize GIC’s but most will invest in mutual funds which are completely exposed to the market’s peculiar system of operation. Hence; you need to monitor your financial advisor.