Alkar earns certification

During the early 1980s and while still in high school, Mike Marino had the bright idea that visitors might enjoy touring the wine country in a limousine. At the time, “A lot of people thought I was crazy,” wrote Marino in an e-mail.

When I was young, I heard stories of inflation in South America so high that locals would show up with a wheelbarrow full of money to make a modest purchase of food or clothing. We sometimes called it funny money.

Call me late to the party or whatever, but I am just now discovering the Oxbow Public Market. I mean, I know it’s been there — I attended the opening night event and went a half dozen times after that — but I never appreciated it as a place to go without a specific agenda in mind.

A smart kind of risk is good. Long ago, in a cynical moment, I told my friend, John Garn, “You’re crazy. Business people are never going to buy into this.”

As part of my investment business, I track a number of research sites. Since the stock market hit its low on March 9, 2009, most investment categories have made a nice rebound. In general, most of the experts are expecting a fairly good overall result in 2009. Equities should be in the low double-digit range and fixed income high single-digit return range. If they are right, this will be a good recovery from a dismal 2008.

Every once in a while, I see an Internet posting that is entertaining and full of wisdom. A friend sent me one written by Regina Brett, a columnist in Cleveland, Ohio’s Plain Dealer, who had just turned 50. She listed 45 lessons of life, plus five to grow on, which I have reduced to the ones with business applications.