Musical Moments: Vivaldi -- Autumn

Beautiful...

Autumn splendor.

Musical Moments features music and artists I've enjoyed over the years.

Today's selection is Vivaldi's beautiful Autumn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7hGiZ579cs

Photo: Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report:

Darien Real Estate Builds Inventory, Adjusts Pricing.

Darien Ends Active Real Estate Week

Weekly update...

Fall solitude.

Darien ended an active residential real estate week today.

Results, according to the Darien MLS, were:

-- 10 new listings of property for sale;
-- 13 price changes;
-- Six accepted offers;
-- Two properties going under contract, and
-- Three closings.

For more:

Next time on The Allen Report:

Musical Moments: Vivaldi, Autumn.

NASA Marks its 60th Anniversary

An incredible six decades...

NASA's Apollo 11 mission enabled Americans Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin
 to become the first men to land on the moon in 1969.

NASA is turning 60, Eric Mack reports on cnet.com.

Over six decades, it's had a remarkable run of rocketeering and exploratory achievements, from the moon landings to the space shuttles, from the surface of Mars to destinations far beyond our solar system, Mark wrote.

For a review of past glories and the future for America's space agency: https://www.cnet.com/news/nasa-60th-anniversary-all-about-the-space-agencys-past-present-and-future/

Earth seen from space.

A simulated NASA rover landing on Mars.

A concept of NASA's Cassini mission to Saturn.

A Hubble space telescope image of the Pillars of Creation.

A Hubble image of a star forming.

Photos: Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report:

Darien Ends Active Real Estate Week.

Smile: Your New Week's Here

Enjoy...

Making the difficult look easy.

For fun videos to start your new week:

-- GEICO: Foul ball: https://www.ispot.tv/ad/dl1g/geico-foul-ball-gone-wrong

-- Trivago: Round and Around: https://www.ispot.tv/ad/waZU/trivago-round-and-around

-- GEICO: Sticky hands: https://www.ispot.tv/ad/dyeT/geico-everything-sticks-to-stefon-diggs-hands-ft-stefon-diggs

-- Progressive: Future Son: https://www.ispot.tv/ad/dlz9/progressive-future-son

-- Subaru: Driving Lesson:  https://www.ispot.tv/ad/wXvc/subaru-dog-tested-driving-lesson#

-- Subaru: In the Dog House: https://www.ispot.tv/ad/7feP/subaru-dog-tested-in-the-dog-house?autoplay=1

Photo: Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report: 

NASA Marks its 60th Anniversary.

Darien Finishes Busy Real Estate Week

Weekly update...

Forest beauty.

Darien finished a busy residential real estate week on Friday.

Results, according to the Darien MLS, were:

-- Eight new listings of property for sale;
-- 13 price changes;
-- Five accepted offers;
-- No properties going under contract, and
-- Five closings.

For more:

Next time on The Allen Report:

Smile: Your New Week's Here.

Musical Moments: Nelson, September Song

A classic...

Willie Nelson.

Musical Moments features music and artists I've enjoyed over the years.

Today's selection is a Willie Nelson classic -- September Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7810J78TmbU

Photo: Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report:

Smile: Your New Week's Just About Here.

How Puerto Rico Became a Tax Haven for the Super-Rich

From Act 20 to iguanas...

A year after the tragedy of Hurricane Maria, the 51st state has become the favorite playground for extremely wealthy Americans looking to keep their money from the taxman, Jesse Barron reports on gq.com.

The only catch?

They have to cut all ties to the mainland (wink, wink), Barron wrote.

For more of a timely report: https://www.gq.com/story/how-puerto-rico-became-tax-haven-for-super-rich

For additional coverage of Puerto Rico as a tax haven: 

-- Rich U.S. Mainlanders Are Finding a Tax Paradise in Puerto Rico: https://www.truthdig.com/articles/disaster-capitalists-are-turning-puerto-rico-into-a-tax-haven/

-- Puerto Rico's Act 20 and 22 Just Made Offshoe Tax Havens Obsolete:  https://www.lowtax.net/blogs/Puerto-Ricos-Act-20-and-22-just-made-offshore-tax-havens-obsolete-574497.html

-- Puerto Rico May be the Last Tax Haven Standing After Trump: http://www.escapeartist.com/blog/puerto-rico-may-last-tax-haven-standing-trump/

-- Stop Letting the Rich Move to Puerto Rico as a Tax Haven: https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2015/04/14/the-worst-tax-breaks/stop-letting-the-rich-move-to-puerto-rico-as-a-tax-haven

-- Puerto Rico -- Tax Haven for High-Net Worth Americans and Cryptocurrency Holders: https://www.ckrlaw.com/our-voices/2018/03/09/puerto-rico-%E2%80%93-tax-haven-for-high-net-worth-americans-and-cryptocurrency-holders/

-- Puerto Rico Tax Haven -- The Best of Puerto Rico: http://puertoricotaxhaven.com/

Photos: gq.com, Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report: 

Preventing Muscle Loss as We Age.

Why We Buy the Things We Buy

The mysteries of consumer behavior...

Non-stop demands to buy.

Why do we by the things we buy, Dave Sax asks on vox. com.

This simple question forms the heart of a multi-trillion dollar riddle at the core of our culture of consumption, Sax wrote.

As someone who has been looking at consumer trends and the forces that shape them over much of the past decade, when you step back and try to understand trends, you see that nearly all trends and the buying that fuels them, are based on emotion, Sax noted.

For more of an intriguing report: https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2018/9/11/17838546/shopping-charcoal-ice-cream-bookstores

Photo: Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report:

How Puerto Rico Became a Tax Haven for the Super Rich.

The New iPhone X vs. Samsung's Galaxy Note 9

Similarities and differences...

The evolving iPhone.

Apple introduced its largest-ever smartphone Wednesday, the iPhone Xs Max, Nate Lanxon reports on blooomberg.com.

With a 6.5-inch screen, it dwarfs the 3.5-inch display on the original iPhone that Steve Jobs unveiled to the world in 2007, Lanxon wrote.

Onlookers will be forgiven for seeing the Max as a response to Samsung's popular Galaxy Note series, he noted.

Compared side-by-side, the massive similarities obscure a number of notable differences, he added.

For more of a timely report: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-09-13/iphone-xs-max-versus-samsung-galaxy-note-9-how-they-measure-up?utm_campaign=news&utm_medium=bd&utm_source=applenews

Photo: Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report: 

Why We Buy The Things We Buy.

How Water Damages a House -- And What Can be Saved

Storm damage...

When will it end?

Often it's not the wind from a hurricane that does the most damage, it's the water, particularly when a storm lingers and dumps huge amounts of rain over one area, Bonnie Berkwitz and Aaron Steckelberg report on washingtonpost.com.

But sometimes, a waterlogged house can be saved, they added.

For a timely report: https://www.washingtonpost.com/classic-apps/how-water-damages-a-flooded-house--and-what-can-be-saved/2018/09/14/1c64f202-b888-11e8-a2c5-3187f427e253_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.48012e625ccc

Photo: Tumblr.

Next time on The Allen Report:

The new iPhone X vs. Samsung's Galaxy Note.

Smile: Your Brand New Week's Almost Here

Enjoy...

Did you catch that?

For fun videos to start your new week:

-- GEICO: Hot Wings: https://www.ispot.tv/ad/d2Kc/geico-mlb-ghost-pepper-wings

-- Old Spice: Jungle Hero: https://www.ispot.tv/ad/Ac5X/old-spice-odor-blocker-jungle-hero

-- Ring: Night Watch: https://www.ispot.tv/ad/dSzi/ring-floodlight-cam-the-night-watch

-- GEICO: Neighborhood Hypnotist: https://www.ispot.tv/ad/dDTR/geico-neighborhood-hypnotist

-- Ring: Even Ollie Can Do It:  https://www.ispot.tv/ad/dKmS/ring-so-simple-even-ollie-can-do-it-feat-shaquille-oneal

Photo: Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report:
How Water Damages a House -- And What Can be Saved.

Musical Moments: Flack, The First Time

Beautiful...

Roberta Flack.

Musical Moments features music and artists I've enjoyed over the years.

Today's selection is Roberta Flack's beautiful,  The First Time:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqW-eO3jTVU

Photo: Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report: 

Smile: Your Brand New Week's Almost Here.

Darien Real Estate Posts Weekly Gain

Weekly update...

The Trevi Fountain, Rome.

Darien's residential real estate market posted a gain in activity in the week ending today.

Results, according to the Darien MLS, were:

-- 12 new listings of property for sale;
-- 19 price changes;
-- Five accepted offers;
-- One property going under contract, and
-- Three closings.

For more:

Photo: Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report:

Musical Moments: Flack, The First Time.

Why Hasn't Science Solved Acne Yet?

Doctors agree acne is difficult to treat...

There are dozens, if not hundreds, of theories on preventing and treating acne, Angela Lashbrook reports on theatlantic.com.

These imperfect remedies make it particularly exciting that there's a new acne vaccine in development, Lashbrook wrote.

But even that, as promising as it is, may fall prey to many of the same pitfalls as current treatments, she added.  

For more of a timely report: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2018/09/acne-vaccine/569176/

Photo: theatlantic.com

Next time on The Allen Report:

The Latest Darien Real Estate Update.

The Heartbreakers at Chain Restaurants

Fattening up Americans...

Burger after burger after burger...

Who is to blame for fattening up Americans and killing their hearts, Jane Brody asks on nytimes.com.

McDonald's, it seems, is not even in the running, she wrote.

In fact, when you compare the fare under the Golden Arches with many of the dishes served at chain restaurants around the country, a Big Mac with large fries and soda begins to sound like health food, she added.

For more an a timely report: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/27/well/eat/the-heartbreakers-at-chain-restaurants.html

Photo: Tumblr.

Next time on The Allen Report: 

Why Hasn't Science Solved Acne Yet?

Exercise Now, Sit in Front of TV Later

Staying fit...

If we spend an hour working out, that's one less during our day that we can potentially spend being sedentary, Gretchen Reynolds reports on nytimes.com.

But we may, consciously or not, find other opportunities during the day to move less, undermining our best intentions and the potential health benefits of the exercise, according to a new study on how people use their time, Reynolds wrote.

For more: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/29/well/move/exercise-now-sit-in-front-of-the-tv-later.html?nytapp=true&smid=nytcore-ios-share

Photo: nytimes.com

Next time on The Allen Report:

The Heartbreakers at Chain Restaurants.

The Quantum Computer Race the US Can't Afford to Lose

An international competition...

The Quantum Computing Lab IBM's T. J. Watson 
Research Center in New York.

Quantum computing has ushered in a new area of information technology, John Prisco reports on thenextweb.com.

An international arms race to develop quantum computers has steadily grown more competitive and more critical, Prisco wrote.

It's clear that quantum technology promises to usher in a new era of computing, he added.

And other countries are already staking their claim, vying to be the nation that ultimately emerges as the world leader, he noted.

For more: https://thenextweb.com/contributors/2018/09/01/quantum-race-united-states-must-compete/?amp=1

Photo: IBM.

Next time on The Allen Report:
Exercise Now, Sit in Front of TV Later.

Smile: Here Comes Your New Week

Fun...

 Keep your head down.

For fun videos to start your new week:

-- National: We've Got You Covered: https://www.ispot.tv/ad/dTAU/national-car-rental-weve-got-it-covered-feat-patrick-warburton

-- National: Lose the Wait: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXlu0y9qSCU

-- Progressive: Another Day at the Office: https://www.ispot.tv/ad/dTwP/progressive-the-neighborhood

-- Progressive: Excessive Use of Packing Bubbled: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bV0qQRx2RmE

-- Pampers: Cruisers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbxSO1hB9Fc

-- Citi: Kiddie Shoes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuQnk5vsj4U

--  GEICO: Nature Sounds: https://www.ispot.tv/ad/dThz/geico-nature-sounds

Photo: Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report:

The Quantum Computer Race the US Can't Afford to Lose.

Musical Moments: White, Never, Never Gonna Give Ya Up

Unforgettable...

Barry White.

Musical Moments features music and artists I've enjoyed over the years.

This week's selection is Barry White's unforgettable Never, Never Gonna Give Ya Up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXQ-qs5bDkI

Photo: Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report: 

Smile: Here Comes Your New Week.

Darien Kicks-off Fall Real Estate Market

Weekly update...

 Yosemite, one of America's favorite national parks.

Darien kicked-off its fall residential real estate market with a surge in activity in the week ending today.

Results, according to the Daren MLS, were: 

-- 16 new listings of property for sale;

-- 17 price changes;

-- Two accepted offers;

-- No properties going under contract, and

-- Four closings.

For more:

Next time on The Allen Report: 

Musical Moments: White, Never, Never Gonna Give Ya Up.

How the Magazine Industry's Identity Crisis is Playing Out on the Front Page

Judging by the cover...

Beyonce on the cover of the September Vogue.

Vogue's September issue is fabled in the magazine world, Alyssa Bereznak reports on the endringer.com.

This year, the magazine pulled off yet another headline-making September issue: On its cover was the inimitable Beyonce, resplendent with a flowery headpiece, Bereznak wrote.

For more on Beyonce, Vogue and an industry in which many magazines are struggling: https://www.theringer.com/2018/9/4/17816298/magazine-cover-industry-2018

Photo: Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report:

The Latest Darien Real Estate Update.

I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration

Extraordinary...

President Trump responding to a remarkable New York Times

op-ed piece today that was critical of him.

The New York Times published an anonymous op-ed piece critical of President Trump today that was attributable to an senior official in the Trump administration.

It was called extraordinary, remarkable and unprecedented by commentators.

It was called pathetic, reckless and selfish by the White House.

"The Times today is taking a rare step of publishing an anonymous Op-Ed essay," the newspaper wrote, introducing the piece.  "We have done so at the request of the author, a senior official in the Trump administration whose identity is known to us and whose job would be jeopardized by its disclosure," the Times added.

For the article:  https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/05/opinion/trump-white-house-anonymous-resistance.html

President Trump struck back at the Times: https://amp.businessinsider.com/trump-responds-new-york-times-anonymous-op-ed-2018-9

Sarah Sanders, White House press secretary, said: https://www.mediaite.com/online/white-house-press-sec-sarah-sanders-anonymous-official-is-coward-who-should-resign/amp/

On the heels of Fear

The Times piece came on the heels of yesterday's news reports about Fear, a new book on Mr. Trump by Pulitzer prize winner Bob Woodward.

For more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/bob-woodwards-new-book-reveals-a-nervous-breakdown-of-trumps-presidency/2018/09/04/b27a389e-ac60-11e8-a8d7-0f63ab8b1370_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.f72fbf568ffc

For a transcript of a phone conversation between Trump and Woodward about the book: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2018/09/04/transcript-phone-call-between-president-trump-journalist-bob-woodward/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.4b564a2b6f4b

Fear is scheduled to be in bookstores on September 11.

Photos: businessinsider.com, Google.

Next time on The Allen Report: 

How the Magazine Industry's Identity Crisis

is Playing Out on its Front Page.

Can You Spot the Deceptive Facebook Post?

It isn't easy..

A legitimate or a fake Facebook post?

Facebook, Twitter and Google executives have been invited to testify in Washington on Wednesday about foreign influence campaigns and disinformation online ahead of the midterm elections in November, Keith Collins and Sheera Frenkel report on nytimes.com.

The problem has been far-reaching, Collins and Frenkel wrote.

For more, including some examples of legitimate and deceptive posts: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/09/04/technology/facebook-influence-campaigns-quiz.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur

Photo: Pinterest.

Next time on The Allen Report:

I Am Part of the Resistance Inside

the Trump Administration.