Charlie D.: The Story of the Legendary Bond Trader

Book Description

In praise of Charlie D. "Falloon's eloquent explication of the life of the legendary Charlie D delivers a good read while exposing that most under-publicized commodity of them all-a mega-trader with a low public profile whose superhuman trading abilities were exceeded by only one thing-the extended reach of his heart and soul." -Patrick H. Arbor Chairman, Chicago Board of Trade "Charlie D. is a tribute to the entrepreneurial spirit of Charlie D, whose legend still lives today on our trading floors. It also captures the essence of the men and women of Chicago who, working in a unique environment, through their trading provide economic benefits around the world." -Thomas R. Donovan President and Chief Executive Officer Chicago Board of Trade "Charlie D was unique-a poker-faced, unemotional, swashbuckling trader every other trader seeks to emulate. At the same time, he was also a model of trading integrity and one of the most generous people I have ever known. Whether trading or gambling, vacationing with family or go lfing with superstars, he did everything with a special flair and spirit. Charlie was truly larger than life." -Thomas DeMark Author of The New Science of Technical Analysis and New Market Timing Techniques "Falloon captures the essence of the Charlie D I knew and rekindles my memories of a larger-than-life individual-how he laughed in the face of cancer, his generosity, and his sense of humor." -Mike Manning Rand Financial Services, Inc. "Charlie D was the most dynamic trader I've ever seen in my nineteen years in this business, and, beyond that, the best human being I've known." -Tom Fitzgerald TPF Trading

Customer Reviews:

Beware of superbookdeals seller.......2006-06-19

If you want to buy the book, go ahead, just be careful of superbookdeals, they take your money but don't deliver and don't answer emails. Caveat Emptor.

I've read this book, over and over again..........2004-04-11

I've had this book, for over five years. I pick it up, and read it again... every year. It's one of my favorite books.

The only "meat" for traders, is chapter six... "Charlie's lecture," and it's good.

But the book is much more than that, it's how to live well, and be good to people... with your wealth.

The book has some boring spots, but still, I enjoy reading it; every year or so.

Can you hold and add to a winning position ?.......2002-12-15

The meat is in Charlie D's lecture, a little foreplay before, nothing later on. The rest of the book looks like it is written for the Sports Illustrated book of the month club.

"The principles of trading are the same if you're trading 10,20,50 or 100 contracts at a time, or if you're simply trading one. But it takes less time to make more money when you're a larger trader."

When Charlie figured out trading calendar spreads was the most consistent way to make money he mastered the concept and started trading 50-lots at a time instead of always living in fear of losing money trading 1-lots.

He took little blips out (of the market) with enormous size.

Everybody's trading price relationships, you have to have a position on to earn a living. The bigger the position the less time it takes and the more you earn. Always challenge yourself to do it bigger and better and with more size.

"The longer time you serve ... with a position on, the more you know about yourself and the more you know about trading."

"One of the most important things you learn with positions on is how to get out of a trade. You have to take losses today so that you can come back tomorrow."

"The time you know you've become a good trader is that first day you were able to win by holding and adding to a winning position."

---0o0----

Fun Read.......2001-02-17

Charlie D is a wonderful biography that I could not stop reading. It helps put things into perspective. Investing and making money is one thing, but you have to live life as well otherwise you won't be able to appreciate your work and money. This book will give some motivation and help your psychological frame of mind, but will not directly help your stock picking and trading like the other books.

fun and easy read that gives some perspective.......2000-11-15

Customer Reviews:

Excellent biography of one of hockey's all-star characters........2001-08-22

A truly wonderful book for any fan of the great Canadian game. It tells the life story of Howie Meeker, one time war veteran, politician, winger, coach and very briefly manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, not to mention broadcaster and seminal teacher of the game.

His remarkable career with all its ups and downs is related in an honest and humble manner, giving much insight into how the game developed during the 1940/50s. Included are a host of anecdotes about the great hockey figures of the day, not least of which are some very enlightening accounts of the "character" that was Conn Smythe and his treatment of successive Leafs coaches.

This biography is very well written with an entertaining, informative and intelligent style that makes it a superb read for those new and old to hockey.

Book Description

The original and varied articles comprising Who is Andy Warhol? were specially written by an amazing variety of authors--including Christopher Hitchens, Peter Wollen, and Victor Bockis--for an event held at the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh. Through these pieces writers, researchers, and friends explore the nature of Warhol's achievements and the extent of his influence.

Who let the shoes out?: An article from: Arts & Activities

Average customer rating:

Who let the shoes out?: An article from: Arts & Activities
Marcia Gibson
Manufacturer: Publishers' Development Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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Book Description

This digital document is an article from Arts & Activities, published by Publishers' Development Corporation on January 1, 2004. The length of the article is 1168 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Who let the shoes out?
Author: Marcia Gibson
Publication: Arts & Activities (Magazine/Journal)
Date: January 1, 2004
Publisher: Publishers' Development Corporation
Volume: 134 Issue: 5 Page: 41(2)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Customer Reviews:

Freakin' Great! Buy This Book!.......2001-10-24

James Taylor is a minor genius on the order of Typhoid Mary, or the guy who invented the wide-mouthed soda can. What I mean is that Mr. Taylor has distilled the sweetest and most powerful liquor out of the grease and rust of the sideshow, and packed it into the meaty pages of "Shocked and Amazed". If you have any interest in the sideshow, freakery, or the hard red underbelly of American culture, you need these books. So far there are 5 issues, with "Shocked and Amazed" Number 6 coming soon.

James Taylor's Shocked and Amazed: On & Off the Midway

Average customer rating:

Amazing
the best of ballyhoo
James Taylor's Shocked and Amazed: On and Off the Midway

James Taylor's Shocked and Amazed: On & Off the Midway
James Taylor
Manufacturer: The Lyons Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1585747076

Book Description

The planet's foremost sideshow authority takes you on an unforgettable tour. (SEE QUOTE.)

Customer Reviews:

Amazing.......2003-06-23

You wouldn't know it on the East Coast due to all the rain, but summer is upon us. School's out, the days are longer, the nights are hotter, the beer goes down a little easier and in some parts of the country the fairs and carnivals are starting to roll through town. The fairs and carnivals of today are filled with shaky rides, artery clogging concessions, grifted games and not much else. Maybe you'll be graced by the occasional handpainted sideshow banner or, if you're lucky, perhaps you will come across an animal curiosity act, but the days of the old shows are long gone. The days of the ten in one, the talker working the tip, the days of THE SHOW have passed us by. The midway today is dominated by Bobo the Clown taunting passersby from his perch in the dunk tank. And while Bobo is a good show, he'll never replace the "good old days." Thankfully James Taylor and Kathleen Kotcher have been documenting the days of yore in the journal "Shocked and Amazed: On and Off the Midway" since 1995, and thankfully Lyon's Press has graced us with what is basically a Best of "Shocked and Amazed."
Lyons Press has included 21 pieces that they deemed most representative of the six earlier issues of the "Shocked and Amazed" journal and placed them together to form the bulk of this book. However, this book should not be looked at as simply a reprint of the journals of the past. Lyons, Taylor and Kotcher have added a number of never before seen photos, an introduction and an index, as well as updated some of the interviews to create a classic of sideshow lore and legend.
Included in this volume are pieces on the three legged man, the Human Blockhead, a sideshow fat man, the Monkey Girl and her husband the Alligator Skin Man, the Half Girl and her husband the American Giant, the Human Fountain, the Man with Three Eyes among others. Also included are pieces on P.T Barnum, Ward Hall, known as King of the Sideshows, Girl Shows, and Bobby Reynolds, the self proclaimed "greatest showman in the world."
There are other books that cover these topics on the shelves of your local mega bookstore/Starbucks, but "Shocked and Amazed" has one distinct advantage over those titles: it treats its subjects with respect and as people, and that comes through in the interviews. When reading this book you never get the feeling that Taylor is there to exploit his subject. Instead you get the feeling that Taylor has a genuine affection for, and interest in these people and is just there to document their stories and histories. The interviews are all very well done and offer the reader a candid look into the lives of these people and performers. Taylor does an outstanding job in this book of letting his readers get a candid and revealing glimpse into the world of the sideshow.
If you decide that this is a book that you should read (and it is!), then set aside a day in which to read it, because once you open it up you'll be hard pressed to put it down until you have devoured every piece of information contained in its pages. "Shocked and Amazed!" is a must have book for anyone interested in the lore, legend and myth of the sideshow.

the best of ballyhoo.......2003-04-30

Finally, those who have been outbid on eBay trying to acquire the long out-of-print early issues of James Taylor's sideshow magazine can read all fascinating articles in this book, which acts as a sort of "Shocked and Amazed" greatest hits collection. Over 250 pages of memories, history and humbug straight from the carnie's mouth are compiled in one handy volume, generously illustrated with unusual photographs.

One can only hope that this is the first in a series of volumes to collect articles from the fabulous magazine.

James Taylor's Shocked and Amazed: On and Off the Midway.......2003-01-02

"Step down a little closer you don't want to miss a thing!" James Tayor's writing is as interesting and colorful as his subject matter. He really loves the sideshow business and it shows in his writing. He gives the reader an intimate,insider, look at the shows, their operation and their performers. The photographs alone are worth the price of this book. "The shows about to begin...get your ticket and go now!"

James Taylor's Shocked and Amazed On & Off the Midway (Volume 7)

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James Taylor's Shocked and Amazed On & Off the Midway (Volume 7)

Manufacturer: Dolphin-Moon Press and Atomic Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000AV2T8U

Product Description

Coney Island ain't what it used to be. Can you name me one thing that is? James Taylor tells you to quit looking over your shoulder! Coney Island is a Mecca for sideshow performers. The best of the best have performed there and we interviewed darn near most of them!

Book Description

Twenty-six years in print-it's got to be good. Featuring the best groaners, most moronic knock-knocks, goofiest puns, and riddles so dumb you'll find yourself laughing and rolling your eyes, this perennial bestseller serves up another whopping year of silliness for 2006. Did you hear about the man who was turned down when he applies to be a human cannonball in the circus? He wasn't of the right caliber. Or the two vultures, each carrying two dead raccoons, who board an airplane. The flight attendant stops them and says, "I'm sorry, gentlemen, we allow only one carrion per passenger." Da dum! Get your daily groan right here.

Average customer rating:

Very Insightful

Great Book

Boring but Good

Baseballýs Business Side Revealed

Darn clear thinking

May the Best Team Win: Baseball Economics and Public Policy
Andrew Zimbalist
Manufacturer: Brookings Institution Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Baseball and Billions: A Probing Look Inside the Business of Our National Pastime

In the Best Interests of Baseball: The Revolutionary Reign of Bud Selig

Sports, Jobs, and Taxes: The Economic Impact of Sports Teams and Stadiums

Diamond Dollars: The Economics of Winning in Baseball

The Bottom Line: Observations and Arguments on the Sports Business

ASIN: 081579729X

Book Description

NEW EXPANDED AND UPDATED PAPERBACK EDITION

Received ForeWord Magazine's Silver Book of the Year Award in Business and Economics

The business of baseball stands in sharp contrast to the game's wholesome image as America's favorite pastime. Major league baseball is a deeply troubled industry, facing chronic problems that threaten its future: persistent labor tensions, competitive dominance by high-revenue teams, migration of game telecasts to cable, and escalating ticket prices. Amid the threat of contraction, existing franchises are demanding public subsidies for new stadiums, while viable host cities are begging for teams. The game's core base of fans is aging, and MLB is doing precious little to attract a younger audience.

According to Andrew Zimbalist, these problems have a common cause: monopoly. Since 1922 MLB has benefited from a presumed exemption from the nation's antitrust laws. It is the only top-level professional baseball league in the country, and each of its teams is assigned an exclusive territory. Monopolies have market power, which they use to derive higher returns, misallocate resources, and take advantage of consumers. Major league baseball is no exception.

In May the Best Team Win, Zimbalist provides a critical analysis of the baseball industry, focusing on the abuses and inefficiencies that have plagued the game since the 1990s, when franchise owners appointed their colleague Bud Selig as MLB's "independent" commissioner. Run by a shrinking and self-selecting group of owners subject to no oversight, MLB suffers from a lack of competitive pressure. Several large franchises are owned by media companies that have shackled their teams to lucrative broadcast and cable contracts—often making it impossible for fans to see games on television. Others own entities that do business with the teams, charging inflated prices for facility management, concessions, and catering. Complex intracompany transactions can reduce franchise revenues substantially, causing operating losses for teams while the owners still make millions. Zimbalist estimates that tens of millions of dollars are sheltered from MLB revenue each year—more than enough to eliminate the operating losses that led Selig to claim contraction and other radical remedies as fiscal necessities. Zimbalist believes that many of baseball's problems would be effectively addressed by removing the industry's presumed antitrust exemption. He urges reconsideration of baseball's antitrust status, encouraging legislation to force monopoly cable providers to de-bundle their services, along with private initiatives to cultivate the game's fan base, such as offering special ticket prices for families, allowing fans on the field after games, and involving players more in community events. Zimbalist also provides MLB with guidelines to reconstruct the incentive system underlying its revenue sharing policies. Zimbalist believes that consumers need an industry that is subject to judicial checks and competitive pressures. Only then will baseball fans be able to put the traumas of the 1990s and early 2000s behind them and utter freely the simple and enduring exhortation: May the best team win!

Customer Reviews:

Very Insightful.......2007-03-28

I thought this book gave me a brand new insight on buisness and the way this economy works. Zimbalist gave brilliant views of the corruption among the game.

Great Book.......2006-02-01

I work for a professional sports franchise (but not baseball), and this book really helped me understand the issues surrounding a professional team. This covers some major subjects, such as labor agreements, stadium financing, and broadcasting deals, by using major league baseball as an example. Anyone wanting to further their knowledge of how the economics of a professional sports league should grab this book.

Boring but Good.......2005-07-19

The information presented in this book is amazing. The economics of baseball are hardly talked about. There are some things that go on behind the scenes that most of us don't know about. It was fascinating to find out about this, but it got to be too much for me to handle. I ended up being bored with it in the end and that is why I gave it two stars. I also disagree with some of Zimbalist's theories on how to reform baseball. He is not open to any other ways, and I should know since I met him once for a seminar.

Baseballýs Business Side Revealed.......2004-04-15

Andrew Zimbalist's "May the Best Team Win" explains to the reader just how much the game aspect of baseball has dwindled over the years. Many owners nowadays seem to want to maximize profits out of their teams, not wins.

He goes into detail about the history of the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) and their fights against ownership. It is interesting to note that while the union is portrayed as the goat for many of the past labor work stoppages, after reading this book one can understand why the union's grievances with ownership are what they are. They have also harbored feelings of distrust not just against the owners, but against commissioners as well: Ueberroth and his role in the collusion scandal of the 1980s, and Selig and his ludicrous demands thrown on the bargaining table along with his claim after the 2001 season that Major League Baseball was in the red by millions of dollars.

Zimbalist studies Major League Baseball's exemption from antitrust legislation, how it came about, and how it is congressionally and judicially deemed today. While it seems baseball will retain exemption so long as they can police themselves, given the bevy of problems plaguing the game (or, rather, business) today, it seems that the government must sooner or later step in and right the many wrongs. If baseball were not exempt from antitrust legislation, notwithstanding the fact that owners could sell a team to municipalities and amateurs could challenge the right of a team to withhold exclusive rights to their services for up to seven years, one would find out just how much money ownership really lost and by how much the number would differ from Selig's number.

He writes with a viewpoint that seems to place most of the blame, right or wrong, on ownership and the commissioner's office. Labor problems aside, if the owners and commissioner would be open and honest with the union and the government while striking accord between themselves over what issues they should bring to the bargaining table, Zimbalist seems to rightly conclude this would lead to amicable relations between the union and management. He cannot be wrong in blaming management-because of their antitrust exemption, they are given a lot of liberty that many corporations in this country do not enjoy. In addition, the owners who own other businesses (John Hart, Ted Turner, et al) can rearrange their books to categorize revenue earned from the team under their other business ventures.

He proposes many rational solutions to be implemented: a promotion/relegation system similar to the English Premier League where the worst team moves down into a second-tier league and the best team in that league moves up to the premier league; an international draft, along with more early draft picks for low-revenue teams; and an adjustment to the revenue sharing system that discourages excessive spending but will not reward low-revenue teams that simply pocket the money they receive. If the government chose to intervene, he suggests splitting MLB into the American League and the National League as two separate leagues. This, Zimbalist believes, would bring down team revenues, player salaries, and costs to attend games while at the same time resolving competitive-balance issues. These solutions are certainly not without merit, yet given the myopia of the current caretakers of the game (or, rather again, business), it is unlikely any of them will be enacted, and if so, reach remotely successful fruition.

It seems really unfortunate to think about the idea that baseball really has become less of a game and more of a business. Given the "new wave" of GMs who feel they can put a team together on the basis of sound sabermetrics, it appears that the players are seen more as commodities than they are as people. They say baseball is a game of numbers. While common numbers used to center around batting average, home runs, and runs batted in, numbers studied in the "game" today seem to include expected rate of return, comparative advantage, and cost-benefit analysis.

Darn clear thinking.......2003-10-30

Good book. Read it after listening to the interview
on First Voice. Detailed, specific, thoughtful.

The interview is online at
http://www.7to7.net/zim.html

There's a transcript for those using dial up.

Book Description

This digital document is an article from The Public Manager, published by Bureaucrat, Inc. on June 22, 2003. The length of the article is 907 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Take me out ...(Book Review)
Author: James Spaulding
Publication: The Public Manager (Refereed)
Date: June 22, 2003
Publisher: Bureaucrat, Inc.
Volume: 32 Issue: 2 Page: 63(2)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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