The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Archives - Page 54 of 57

A Wrangler’s Story

By Chris Carosa on October 21, 2010

[This Commentary originally appeared in the October 19, 1989 issue of The Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel.]

Born on February 15^th in what was then a small seaport, his father belonged to a noble, but impoverished, family. Dad dabbled in the clothing business, but had an aptitude for mathematics and music. He also had common sense, for he realized that, in those days, none but the chosen few could afford a living in the mathematics or music industry.

The father sent the son to study medicine – always a fine and rewarding industry – at the local University. The proud parent knew the temptation music and mathematics might have on the boy, so he purposely dissuaded him from those fields. The young man, however, already possessed a proficiency in music.

At the University, he incurred the wrath of his professors. He simply refused to accept Continue Reading “A Wrangler’s Story”

The Faces of the Week

By Chris Carosa on October 14, 2010

[This Commentary originally appeared in the October 12, 1989 issue of The Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel.]

Take a close look at the people you pass by every morning on the way to work. You’ll find most faces exhibit the same traits. I began my character study on the mindless Monday morning of last week (you know, the one where the cloudy gray dawn urged you to stay in bed until the last possible minute).

For years I have walked from the South Avenue Garage, through the Chase-Lincoln building, across the skyway (or is it the “shyway”), into and out of Midtown Mall before finally crossing Euclid Street and the reprieve of a solitary office. Facing people too early in the morning might lead to an embarrassing mistake (like forgetting their Continue Reading “The Faces of the Week”

Posted in The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged humor

Legalize Drugs?!

By Chris Carosa on October 7, 2010

[This Commentary originally appeared in the October 5, 1989 issue of The Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel.]

In a recent CBS-New York Times survey, 64% of the respondents named drugs as the nation’s top problem. The high degree of attention currently being paid to our country’s drug epidemic may be due to President Bush’s initiatives of just about a month ago. (A similar poll taken last July revealed only 22% of the people claimed drugs to be the nation’s number one plight.)

With all the political news coming from Washington D.C. and the war stories emanating from Columbia, the issue of uncontrolled use of controlled substances has supplanted Continue Reading “Legalize Drugs?!”

Posted in The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged cocaine, Honeoye Falls, internet, Mendon, Prodigy, Rotary, Yale

Outfitting Today’s Athlete

By Chris Carosa on September 30, 2010

[This Commentary originally appeared in the September 28, 1989 issue of The Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel.]

The last time I bought sneakers Jimmy Carter occupied the White House, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dragged along at 800, and the city of New Haven provided its first taste to a freshman from Rochester. The old fashioned red, white and blue Nikes I purchased saw much action. They cushioned my soles against the city pavement when I walked the half mile each way to Science Hill (and Ingalls Rink). They accompanied me on the intramural battlefields, (but witnessed precious little action in the many squash courts which dotted the campus).

After graduation, the sneaks helped cut grass – their white skin becoming progressively Continue Reading “Outfitting Today’s Athlete”

Posted in The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged Growing Up, Mendon, sneakers, Volleyball, Yale

Can America Compete? (Part II)

By Chris Carosa on September 23, 2010

[This Commentary originally appeared in the September 21, 1989 issue of The Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel.]

Part Two – A Living Example of the Risk-Return Tradeoff

This is the second of two commentaries aimed at exploring a novel approach to determining our nations’ true standing in the world economy. Last week we looked at the risk-return tradeoff, the idea that risky investments are more likely to have higher returns (and larger losses) than safer investments.

Earlier this year, a Siberian valley explodes suddenly. The cause – a leaky gas pipeline. Low safety standards lead to a faulty job. People die. Property is destroyed.

You read about it all the time. Not-so-old bridges collapse, sending trainloads of passengers plummeting to an early demise. Third World ferries, overloaded with holiday travelers, capsize again and again. Athens and Frankfurt sport airports which appear to openly invite terrorists.

Across the globe, we see examples of why we are happy to be Americans. Not only do Continue Reading “Can America Compete? (Part II)”

Posted in The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged banking crisis, economy, finance, Glass-Steagall, Modern Portfolio Theory, regulation, return, risk

Can America Compete? (Part I)

By Chris Carosa on September 16, 2010

[This Commentary originally appeared in the September 14, 1989 issue of The Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel.]

Part One – The Risk-Return Tradeoff

The following is the first in series of two commentaries aimed at presenting a unique approach to determining our nation’s position within the world’s economy. This week is expository, meaning some readers will already be familiar with the concept of the risk-return tradeoff. In the spirit of all mini-series, we save the real interesting part for next week.

Finance professors, like all other professors, find they can enhance their employment options (i.e., get tenured) by coming up with all these fancy dancy theories to describe the real world. They write scholarly articles and intricate textbooks (most of which end up on the “Required Reading” list of the courses they teach). Many of these theories remain in the academic realm (where they can take on a life of their own). Every once in a while, though, a really neat idea escapes the verbosity of pedantic journals and appears in the vernacular of the newsweeklies. (When this happens, the professor generally writes a book for the casual reader, appears on several talk shows and becomes a highly paid consultant.)

One of the more significant investment models developed by the academic industry goes by the name, in generic terms, Modern Portfolio Theory. It attempts to provide a Continue Reading “Can America Compete? (Part I)”

Posted in The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged economy, finance, Modern Portolio Theory, return, risk, Simon School

A Personal Reflection of A. Bartlett Giamatti

By Chris Carosa on September 9, 2010

[This Commentary originally appeared in the September 7, 1989 issue of The Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel.]

I sat in Woolsey Hall with 1,300 other Freshmen nearly 11 years ago to the day. At the podium stood the newly ordained University President, who’s very pompous pontification my Gates-Chili classmates had earlier warned me to be wary of. “Remember, Chris,” they advised me prior to my departure in early September, “don’t let their fancy words and snobby accents intimidate you. After all, they’re only Continue Reading “A Personal Reflection of A. Bartlett Giamatti”

Posted in Memoir of a Real Life, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged family, Gates Chili, Giamatti, Growing Up, Italian, Yale

From a Bachelor’s Cupboard

By Chris Carosa on September 2, 2010

[This Commentary originally appeared in the August 31, 1989 issue of The Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel.]

WARNING: BUTTER IS COMBUSTIBLE.

Such a message never graces the sides of butter packages. As a service to all culinary illiterates (like me), I must urge you: pay heed to this warning! But, more on that story in a moment.

As much as I hate to admit it, everyone has certain limitations. Like a recalcitrant halfwit, I often refuse to abide by such diminished expectations. I have, however, never Continue Reading “From a Bachelor’s Cupboard”

Posted in The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged Cooking, family, Growing Up, humor

What If…?

By Chris Carosa on August 26, 2010

[This Commentary originally appeared in the August 24, 1989 issue of The Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel.]

A Collection of Potent Ponderables:

What if the Cubs and the Orioles both reach the World Series? Who will America’s hearts cheer for? Will they align themselves with the Chicago Cubs, the world’s favorite underdog, who haven’t won a World Series in over 40 years? Or will our nation take hold of the Horatio Alger Story embedded in this rags-to-riches season of the Baltimore Continue Reading “What If…?”

Posted in The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged humor, nostalgia

Adiós Opus

By Chris Carosa on August 19, 2010

[This Commentary originally appeared in the August 17, 1989 issue of The Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel.]

Something happened to Doonesbury in the late 1970s and maybe the early 1980s. Maybe Mr. Trudeau just plain gave up. Unable, though he tried, to stem the ever growing swell of conservative ideology (particularly among the young), his creative passion dwindled to a fraction of its former self. Of course, he and his surviving brethren may have merely become disenchanted with the unfulfilled promise of their own Continue Reading “Adiós Opus”

Posted in The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged 1980's, Bloom County, Doonesbury, Reagan