Month: August 2008

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Stevens’ Soccer Expects Big Things In 2008

This coming from a press release by the Stevens Athletics Department written by Rob Kulish:

The Stevens Institute of Technology men’s soccer team has set a precedent for success under head coach Tim O’Donohue. In seven-plus seasons at the helm, O’Donohue has led the Ducks to a 114-14-13 record and five straight appearances in the NCAA Division III Tournament, and 2008 should not be any different. Stevens returns eight starters and 18 letter winners from a team that won the Empire 8 Championship in its first season in the conference and went 17-1-3 overall.

An interesting note for those from around Edison, New Jersey or went to the Middlesex County Academy high school located there that Forward Mykel Pereria “will also push for some time on the front line as the season progresses” for the Stevens Ducks. Personally, I can’t wait to broadcast his games as I have seen him develop over the last four years and certainly he can be a great asset up front along side Terrance Johnson who scored 14 goals last season and led the team in both goals scored and total points (29).

The Ducks open the 2008 season by hosting the Stevens College Cup as the Ducks will take on No. 9 Redlands University on Saturday, August 30, at 2:00 p.m. You can get more information on the team here: Stevens’ Men’s Soccer.

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Phelps Fulfills Wish Of Young Friend With Cancer

It has been said time and time again that Michael Phelps is a machine in the pool but this story shows a different side of Phelps. For all the medals he has won, for all the mistakes he might have made (yes he is only 23 years old), here is a great thing this man did for a family going through a real tough time. A great piece here by Alan Abrahamson of NBC Olympics.com:

It was late, after midnight, and a little boy lay asleep in his bed. Just 11 years old, he was a desperately sick boy. He did not, as it turned out, have many more days left to live.

It was late, and Michael Phelps’ plane had been delayed, and so by the time he got to Stevie Hansen’s bedroom, Stevie could not be roused. No matter. Michael sat there on Stevie’s bed, holding Stevie’s hand. Just talking, certain Stevie could hear him. For two hours. Maybe longer. No one remembers exactly.

The next morning, Stevie woke up and said to his mom, Betsy, “I wish I had woken up. But I know he was here.”

Betsy Hansen sighed and said, “He was so thrilled.”

A little more than a year has passed since that night, since Michael quietly paid tribute to the fighting spirit and the soulfulness of a little boy who, before cancer took over his body, had himself been a swimmer, too — a boy who dreamed of one day being like his idol, Michael.

“He was an inspiration to me,” Michael said Monday. Continue reading “Phelps Fulfills Wish Of Young Friend With Cancer”

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UpDown.com Virtual Investing

Recently I stumbled upon a virtual investing site called UpDown.com which provides you with a fictional $1 million to start investing. You can compete it real contests which can earn you real money depending on which place you finish – some even provide prizes for the top 50 investors. Also, every month you are eligible to earn some cash if your portfolio for the entire month out performs S&P 500.

I take a little pride in investing (virtually) and ever since winning $800 prize way back in high school I have joined contests to see how well I can do. I think it’s fair to say I end up in the positive more than I end up in the red so that’s a good sign. Think you are good? Why not give this a shot just to see. You can always just buy a couple of stocks and let it sit long term or do daily trading… whatever suits you.

Here is a brief summary of my portfolio so far:


I’ll give a little detailed description of my portfolio right now where in about less than a week I am up 2%. I have a couple of big technology stocks in Apple and Google which do bad when the market goes out but definitely out perform the market on the good days. I shorted on a couple (which are currently paying off but I would never short in real life). Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and BlackRock are the ones I shorted on and all three have declined this week. It’s a careful balance on when to cover those shortrs and not get too greedy. Also, I am hoping for Sirius Radio to shoot through the roof soon as it is awaiting a merger in the upcoming weeks or months so I will be holding on to that.

The one stock that has just exploded these past few days is little known Pyramid Oil Company (PDO) which I had bought at a measly $12 per share and it has jumped $2 already. I had thought about Exxon Mobil (XOM) but the price on that is a little steeper than I want to invest in an oil stock. I stuck to the smaller alternative and so far so good.

I’ll keep updating every now and then to see how my portfolio is doing against the S&P and I already know that people like Mike, Justin and my sister have joined in on this. I have a mini group just to compare how everyone does against each other so if you decide to join, let me know. It’s a fun little thing that you can check in on every now and then or heavily follow if that’s the type of investor you are.

Once again, the site is called UpDown.com and it’s free to join. What can beat that?

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Why So Serious?

Maybe, just maybe… some people in Wisconsin are taking this Brett Favre move to the New York Jets a little too seriously.

Also, as DeadSpin reports, “I can never figure out who’s supposed to be talking on these church billboards: is it God or the parish? Because if God is pissed at Brett Favre, well, it’s going to be a long season for New York.”

Anyone know? Who is supposed to be speaking on those billboards anyways?

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Quote Of The Day: Barack Obama

Definitely the quote of the day by far. Barack Obama speaking to a South-Asian community and hauling in a record $7.8 million in one fundraiser in San Francisco, California.

“Not only do I think I’m a desi, but I’m a desi,” he said, using a colloquial term that describes South Asian immigrants. The remark was greeted with laughs. “I’m a homeboy.”

He said that when he went to Occidental College, his first roommate was Pakistani. And in his dorm, he said with a laugh, “Indians and Pakistanis came together under one roof … to cause havoc in the university.”

To applause, he said he became an expert at cooking dal and other ethnic dishes, though “somebody else made the naan,” the trademark Indian bread.

As if he didn’t already have a huge advantage within the community, I am sure he certainly picked up several more points with this record fundraising and that quote up there.

[Source: San Francisco Chronicle: Shakil Bhai to Summaiyah to Me]