Over at the sidebar at the right, I have something called "
Themes -- 2021."
The overriding theme for 2021 is a "risk-off" trade for investors and a booming global economy as we move to a "new normal."
"New normal." LOL.
I'm mentioning that because it will help explain some of the stories I post and/or link on the blog.
Example: I see that Mosaic Company is among the "leaders" in those companies moving tomorrow's market in futures. Linked here but the link is dynamic and will probably be different six hours from now.
From wiki:
The Mosaic Company is a Fortune 500 company based in Tampa, Florida which mines phosphate and potash, and operates through segments such as international distribution and mosaic fertilizantes.
It is the largest U.S. producer of potash and phosphate fertilizer.
The Mosaic Company was formed in October 2004 by a merger between IMC Global, a fertilizer company formed in 1909, and Cargill's crop nutrition division.
It is a combined producer and marketer of concentrated phosphate and potash with a customer base which includes wholesalers, retail dealers and individual growers worldwide.
Its headquarters are in Plymouth, Minnesota and it employs approximately 12,000 people in eight countries.
On October 26, 2018, Mosaic announced that it would be relocating its headquarters from Plymouth, Minnesota to Tampa, Florida.
Disclaimer: this is not an investment site. Do not make any investment, financial, job, career, travel, or relationship decisions based on what you read here or think you may have read here.
I don't invest in Mosaic (at least not directly) and never will .... wait, let me check its dividend ... nope, not enticing ... but Mosaic Company will be something to follow in line with my "Themes -- 2021."
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The Movie Page
Wow, wow, wow -- 84 Charing Cross Road, 1987. TCM, Sunday night, what a treat!
I had never seen the movie and I certainly didn't think I would ever like it but after last week this movie appears to be a breath of fresh air.
On one side of the Atlantic, London. On the other side, New York City.
Wow, what a treat. Judi Dench pops up everywhere.
84 Charing Cross Road: one of my top ten movies. I didn't know that until tonight, having seen it for the first time. I just don't know how actors do it.
"Breaking through the fourth wall": I learned that phrase from our oldest granddaughter of all things. It would be interesting to know if Anthony Hopkins considered this his favorite film.
We lived three years not far from London when "we" were in the USAF. In addition to those three years I was back over to England many, many times over a four-year period. I immediately got the map out and re-lived old memories.
It's funny how things work out. I was assigned to a seven-physician flight medicine clinic at RAF Lakenheath, a prime and much-sought-after assignment. The clinic had a satellite clinic a few miles away over at RAF Mildenhall which was considered an outpost which no one wanted; the poor step-child as it were. I always went with the flow, never argued or fought for the spoils which I thought I deserved, but just did what the boss said. The boss told me I would be assigned to that satellite clinic along with another junior physician.
It turned out to be the best non-decision decision I ever made. I had a blast over at that two-physician clinic. Operationally it was an incredible experience, but just as important: geographically separated from the main hospital and the seven-physician flight medicine clinic I was free of all office politics and had (almost) no administrative responsibilities. All I did was practice clinical medicine; fly all over England; and spend several wonderful weeks in Spain, northern and west-central Africa, during those three years.
Life in the military is funny. Some years -- actually many years -- a lifetime later, in fact, -- after that RAF Mildenhall assignment, I was sent back to northern England for short periods, multiple times. I like to think I spent a full year in northern England over the course of four years but it's possibly I exaggerate the amount of time actually spent in Yorkshire. During that time I cultivated numerous friendships, closer than (m)any I had previously experienced.
One colleague was a US civilian, working for an organization which did not exist on paper. She was as good as any in her field, and after 20+ years in the organization, she deserved the best of assignments. Near the end of my own career, I learned that she had been given an assignment no one wanted: remote and literally at the end of the world. We talked about the (un)fairness of life; she accepted the assignment after my support. She could have retired but she took the assignment. I lost track of her after she departed but I can only imagine she ended up having the best of times in .... Australia.
Yes, truly funny how things work out in life.
Now, to look at that map and bring back a lot of memories.
