Chicago Hammering Cleveland Tonight; Tesla Beats Expectations; Shares Surge -- October 26, 2016

The Russian a/c carrier / Northern Fleet has sailed through the Strait of Gibralter; is in the Mediterranean Sea, more than three hours ago. Don't laugh at Putin's rusty navy -- he, at least, has an a/c carrier. 

Moscow’s illegal annexation of territory in Georgia and Ukraine, as well as its brutal assault on rebel forces in Syria, are all part of Mr Putin’s plan to re-establish Russia as a major player on the world stage. And, with America transfixed by the horror show that the current presidential election contest has become, who is to say the opportunistic Mr Putin might not be tempted to embark on yet another military adventure, perhaps this time focusing his attention on the vulnerable Baltic states?

Watch the price of gasoline in November: indications suggest the price of gasoline could spike in Europe in November, 2016.

TSLA: beat expectations; shares surge; this is a surprise profit of $22 million, buoyed by record sales of its pricey EVs; its first profit after 12 quarterly losses amid a push to generate cash for building its $35,000 Model 3. Good for them. This really puts the kibosh on those shorting the stock. This will be fun to watch.

World Series: Meanwhile, Chicago -- the favored team -- must have had it with Cleveland last night -- now leading 4 - 0 at the top of the 5th evening. They need to wrap up this win before it begins raining. Now, 5 - 0 -- walks a batter, bringing in an unearned run. Wow. Normally, games would be considered completed after five innings, but some years ago the baseball commissioner said games would be completed ... regardless. Rain starting to fall at the bottom of the ninth. If they don't finish tonight, the weather looks bad tomorrow. [Chicago wins: 5 -1. The series is tied 1 - 1. Now, on to Chicago. Day off tomorrow, then three days in Wrigley Field.]

Reading. If you have nothing better to do tonight -- other than watching the World Series -- I highly recommend the book review / essay in The Wall Street Journal this past weekend: "The Truth About Egypt's Revolution."

And yet the day before Mr. Mubarak’s resignation, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper assured a House committee that “the term Muslim Brotherhood is an umbrella term for a variety of movements.

In the case of Egypt, a very heterogeneous group, largely secular.” The White House too seemed unaware of the kind of movement that might replace Mr. Mubarak.

On Feb. 1, 2011, just a week after the protests began, President Obama declared that a change of government in Cairo “must begin now.” (By comparison, it was five months before he said the same about Syria’s Bashar al-Assad.) When Mr. Mubarak stepped aside 10 days later, a U.S. diplomat later recalled that Mr. Obama’s advisers toasted with vodka and beer.

Meanwhile, the US cedes the Atlantic Ocean to the Russians and the Chinese as Obama's Pentagon withdraws from another key strategic position. Another ally thrown under the bus. Truly amazing. Just one more Obama legacy. Less than 86 days. If historians are honest ten years from now, President Obama will go down as the most inept president in modern US history.

America's Energy Policy: White Paper from Horizons: Journal of International Relations and Sustainable Development. Of course, this paper will be outdated as soon as Hillary or Trump takes the oath of office, next January 20, 2017.

Global Warming: I don't know if this is early or not, but it's not even November yet. The National Weather Service predicts snow in the northeast: snow showers with accumulations of 3 to 7 inches possible over the Catskills and Adirondacks in New York.

Dumbing-down American education. Oil, gas automation sector suffering from skills shortage -- Rigzone -- I don't think the article said anything we didn't already know; I wouldn't bother clicking on the link.

The Accountant. I think most folks would enjoy this Ben Affleck movie.