Upcoming events in December and for 2008 - 11.30.2007.2

From Michael Vass,



As we enter the month of December I just want to take a moment to share some of the things that are going on with M V Consulting, Inc. and all of its sites. As you may notice there has been a lot of activity in recent weeks. And I’m not planning on slowing down anytime soon.

Currently there is the $1000 Holiday Give Away Contest, which will end on December 15th. I invite everyone to review the rules at the above link or the press release at PRWeb (http://www.prweb.com/releases/2007/11/prweb569295.htm ). I’m looking forward to giving away the money and I hope a truly needy family or individual wins. Remember that the entry is free, and no purchase is required.

There is also the TV One webcast of the Heartland Presidential Forum on December 1st @ 2:30pm. As one of the bloggers selected to cover this webcast I look forward to sharing my thoughts on all the candidates comments. This is an important webcast as regular people will be providing questions for the candidates, live not YouTube. This is also critical as voting in primaries will start early January.

There is little more important than selecting who will run for President of the United States, and there has not been a more critical election, in my opinion, since the 70’s when I was a child. Every vote counts, as recent elections have proven, and never are they as important as the 2008 election.

You can see my political commentary from 2007 and in the future at Vass or at Presidential Race Blog where I also write.

But in more immediate terms there is the holiday season. Some may have taken a look in the past at my online store and I want to let everyone know that there are many types of t-shirts, mugs, mousepads, posters, jewelry boxes, Teddy bears, sweatshirts, and more available. There are over 10 different clothing lines featured at the store including Anti-MoveOn.org, Sexy Woman, You’ll Do (as seen above, a favorite among many women it seems), Cowboy Ride, and I am the Myth.

Oh, there is also a deal for purchases over $75. And as I mentioned in my press release, I will be donating all profits from the sales at the online store to $1000 Holiday Give Away Contest. While purchase is not required to enter or win, if you do see something you feel would be a great gift for someone or yourself (there are over 200 items available) it will go to help others.

In addition, for those with businesses or who just want to be charitable, all donations made to the $1000 Holiday Give Away Contest will be given out to the winner(s). Every dollar counts and adds to what will be given away.



In the near term I will be doing my annual lists, summing up some thoughts of 2007. In addition I will be reporting the growth of M V Consulting, Inc. and all its sites. It has been a tremendous year.

Looking to 2008, expect to see another $1000 Give Away Contest or several of them. I will continue to follow the Presidential race, right up to the election night. I will get some free time and will be doing a few photo shoots for the various clothing lines. [Anyone interested in being a model for the photo shoot can send a headshot and contact information to info@vassconsult.com] Additional clothing lines will be released throughout the year as well.

I will also be seeking one or 2 corporate sponsors for the various sites. It is my hope that by gaining dedicated sponsors I will be able to decrease the advertising found on each site (though I have tried to do my best to keep it minimal. But it costs money to keep things going. You can donate to help by going to the PayPal donation button at the top left of the sidebar).

There also will be some changes in the look of the blog sites. You are welcome to provide me any suggestions on changes you would like to see. I value the opinions of all my readers and those that leave comments, so tell me your thoughts.

You can look forward to better (I hope, I do make them myself) video ads, an improved resources pages, reworked gift store pages, and new video clips of posts (possibly in a news commentator style). These are ambitious (and costly) changes, so give me time but I’m working on it.

Again I thank you all for your readership and commitment to my blogs and sites. Remember to enter the $1000 Holiday Give Away Contest (it’s free and who couldn’t use the money?), and check out the TV One webcast of the Heartland Presidential Forum, and my commentary tomorrow.

Sincerely

Michael Vass
President – M V Consulting
info@vassconsult.com

What analysts are buying for Christmas

Mortgages are in trouble, and the financial sector is reeling because of it. Enormous discounts, online sales, massive toy recalls and a recent correction place serious questions on the outcome of the 4th quarter. The chance of a Democratic Presidential candidate winning the 2008 election stands high. And whispers of a potential for a recession loom in the background.

Investors are searching left and right for a place to move their money, and there are few comfortable places to go. But there are a few choices out there. In particular is the Energy sector. A quick glance at a chart of the S&P 1500, with 10 analyst recommendations or more, shows a surprising trend. Energy is considered a buy, with 54% of these stocks holding buy recommendations.

In fact the only stock to have every analyst covering it recommend it as a buying opportunity is an energy stock. That’s a huge indication of confidence out there, as opposed to the financial sector. Financials currently have only 36% of buy ratings and lead the S&P 1500 sectors with 9% recommending sells.

Now add to this the facts that Chinese stocks have entered a bear market, Oil prices has jumped to all time highs, and the credit markets are tightening, analysts see the future as lit by the sector with the power.

As we are in the beginning of winter, and demand for heating oil, electricity for Christmas trees, and natural gas to bake and cook meals for the holidays are all current expectations for the near-term seem quite logical. It seems unlikely that usage is going to drop suddenly, thus profits running into the 1st quarter of 2008 sound reasonable.

The recent pipeline explosion at the Enbridge Inc. facility in the Midwest also seems to be a factor to help stimulate the sector over all.

So what is the perfect stock gift for investors? I have no idea, but it seems that analysts are stuffing their stockings with the Energy sector. Whether that will get them a lump of coal or a sack of cash, I doubt if even Santa knows.

**This can also be seen at Energy Stocks Blog, where I am a contributing author.**

Previews of 2008 films - 11.30.2007.1

Recently I was in the movies watching the Hitman movie and of course before the film there were several trailers. One of the trailers was for the new Will Smith film I Am Legend. I think that will be a good remake, this is the 4th reiteration of the film. I’ve spoken about this film before.

But there were 2 other trailers that also caught my attention. Both have A-list stars in them, and in each one of those stars is also African American. Both are Sci-fi films, and as longtime readers know I love comic books, video games and scifi. (Yes I’m a bit of a geek) But the big differences in the 2 films are the date they will be coming out and the quality of the films. One will bomb almost assuredly, the other should do well as long as it’s not up against Iron Man.

I’ll start with the worst and go to the best.

Jumper is trash. Not only did I get that impression from the trailer, but it is confirmed when the trailer states the movie will be out in mid-February. The worst of films almost always start off the year and appear between the middle of January thru February. It’s a dead time, with only a slight break for romance movies targeting the Valentine’s Day holiday. But romance movies don’t bring in the money.

This film has several fatal flaws. They are so big even Mr. Samuel Jackson can’t save the film with his presence. The big problem? They went for CGI heavy effects and forgot about the plot, and you can’t blame this on the writers strike. As you can see in the clip, the main character is a X-men-esque type with the power to jump from anyplace in the world to any other. Ok. Anything he holds onto goes with him. OK. So when he jumps to some other place in the world how can a rope catch him half a world away and pull him back? The rope was after the fact, and once it went through shouldn’t Mr. Jackson be pulled to the kid? Sci-fi films that rip off good ideas for quick bucks on a gimmick tend to fail. So will this I bet. See for yourself.



On the other end of the spectrum we have a more action based film with sci fi elements. WANTED looks to do quite well. It has Mr. Morgan Freeman (as a headmaster assassin – a bit different if he really is a bad guy), and the lovely Mrs. Angelina Jolie. It a movie about top assassins, so good that the laws of physics fail. [Yes a Matrix rip off, but it looks like they paid for a plot too] Our everyday guy, turned super killer looks plain vanilla enough. The chance for massive gunfights with really hi-tech guns seems excellent. And Mrs. Jolie looks great in those outfits.



Neither film will win an Oscar, granted. But my money says that WANTED is a winner, and Jumper will only look like a strong film when compared to Redacted or Lions for Lambs (the theme of both I hate, and happy to see them burning up in red tape).

Well you know what I think, what do you think of them. Which does better? And I still say Iron Man is the early leader for best blockbuster, and overall best film, of the year 2008.