Daily Intent

Santa Barbara, CA
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
-The Declaration of Independence 4 of July, 1776.

In efforts to fire you up for the big day tomorrow, I present to you a list of fun facts I’ve found across the internet.  Have an enjoyable and safe holiday.

The major objection to being ruled by Britain was taxation without representation. The colonists had no say in the decisions of English Parliament.

The Liberty Bell sounded from the tower of Independence Hall on July 8, 1776, summoning citizens to gather for the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence by Colonel John Nixon.

The names of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were withheld from the public for more than six months to protect the signers. If independence had not been achieved, the treasonable act of the signers would have, by law, resulted in their deaths.

In July 1776, there was an estimated 2.5 million people living in the newly independent nation.  Today, there are 304 million.

The word “patriotism” comes from the Latin word “patria”, which means “homeland” or “fatherland”.

Fireworks were made in China as early as the 11th century. The Chinese used their pyrotechnic mixtures for war rockets and explosives.

The value of fireworks imported from China in 2007 was $207 million, representing the bulk of all U.S. fireworks imported ($217 million).

Before cars ruled the roadway, the Fourth of July was traditionally the most miserable day of the year for horses, tormented by all the noise and by the boys and girls who threw firecrackers at them.

And the most interesting of all: The American national anthem, the “Star-Spangled Banner”, is set to the tune of an English drinking song (”To Anacreon in Heaven”).
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Catalyst - Meeting of the Minds - “Tapping global resources, locally”
Premier executive lunches that bridge the entrepreneur with inspirational leaders who have dreamed, achieved, and created change.  Gain Insight. Be one of the eight.
Lorrie Thomas, founder of webmarketingtherapy.com will be our guest Wednesday, July 8th.  12pm.  Seats are sold out.  Please sign up on our website www.CatalystSB.org if you would like to be notified of future events before they sell out.

Inspire Santa Barbara - A new group focused on living with intention and consciousness.  Thursday, July 9th you are invited to listen to W. Mitchell at the University Club.  7:15pm - 9pm.  $10. Be inspired.   “Before I was paralyzed, there were 10,000 things I could do. Now there are 9,000. I can either dwell on the 1,000 I lost, or focus on the 9,000 I have left.” -W. Mitchell

Buzzword: Freed Up
“A slang phrase used in the underwriting process to refer to the time when the underwriters are no longer obligated to sell securities at the agreed upon price, as decided by the syndicate. When an underwriter is freed up, it is allowed to trade any remaining securities at the market price.

The amount of capital that becomes available to an investor when a position is closed. The ‘freed up’ capital can then be used to invest in other assets.

During an initial public offering, underwriters agree to market their allotted securities at a fixed price. Sometimes, the demand for the shares is very large and investors are willing to pay higher prices. Until the syndicate is ‘freed up’ from the fixed price restrictions, it cannot adjust the sale price of the stock, despite increased demand.

For example, an investor that holds shares of ABC Company may decide to close the position and use the freed up capital to invest in other opportunities. ”
-Investopedia.com

  Five Points to Ponder:

   1. The jobless rate rose to 9.5 percent. The consumer sentiment index decreased to 49.3 in June from 54.8 in May.
   2. Markets - Two of the three are down for the third straight week. The Dow is trading at 8289, S&P 500 at 896 while the Nasdaq is up to 1796.  Oil is down to $66/bbl.
   3. Iran to bring to trial some UK embassy staff that supposedly spurred on the communal unrest.
   4. Developing economies are growing at a much faster clip than developed nations.
   5. Wimbeldon: The Williams sisters will battle for the title.  Federer set for a finals domination.  Lakers: Ron Artest to become a Laker.  Our very own Sports Guy, Lucas Herrera, tied the knot Sunday with the beautiful and talented Bree Horvath.

Positives:

    * We have our freedoms.  Independence Day is a reminder that we must both appreciate and uphold them.
    * “All 10 of the world’s best-performing indexes in the second quarter are developing markets, led by Ukraine, Vietnam and Kazakhstan…Developing economies will probably expand 1.6 percent as a group this year and 4 percent in 2010, according to the Washington-based International Monetary Fund. Developed nations will contract 3.8 percent in 2009 and have zero growth next year, the IMF forecast in its April World Economic Outlook report.” -Bloomberg
    * The union of Lucas and Bree presents the opportunity of Usain Bolt like speed in their children.

Negatives:

    * The U.S. Labor Department said payrolls declined by 467,000 in June.  Americans continue to lose jobs as businesses do all things necessary to keep their doors open and become more efficient.
    * Iran is using a blame tactic to refocus energies.  A few British are in harms way.  Millions are dissatisfied with the way the election has gone.  The people’s voices have yet to be fully heard.

Services: Purchase Preparation
With the summer months comes transition.  Many are eager to move apartments and homes.  I’m here to help you assess what is the next smartest step for your living situation.  We’ll go over your finances and prospective rents and / or mortgages expenses.

Local:

4th of July Fireworks
Where: West Beach
When: 9pm
Cost: Free
Why:  Colored rings of fire.  Empowering noise.
Forecast: Partly cloudy in the morning.  71 degrees.

Live and Be Well,

Jeff Bochsler