Next Barn Night: Monetary Theory – January 27th

Joseph Shalabi, a 16-year old high school student at The Hackley School, will give this presentation. He’s passionate about the subject of monetary theory, and has done considerable research in this area. Joseph will challenge our ideas about currency and cause us to question the stability of our current money system. Feel free to bring your teenage son to the presentation portion of this barn night. Soft drinks will be available, since alcohol will be strictly off-limits to minors.

Philanthropy II – December 2011

On our last Philanthropy Night, two years ago, we learned about the different ways individuals and organizations support charitable causes. On this barn night, we had a true philanthropist as our guest speaker. David Pope is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Generoso Pope Foundation, a philanthropic family foundation named after his great-grandfather. David shared the history and mission of his foundation, and the many ways it helps our community.  We also had a going away celebration for Ignacio Yusef, a frequent barn goer, who returned to his native country, Chile.

Investment Night II – November 2011

In November 2008, at the beginning of the financial crisis, Tom McCandless hosted the first Investment Night at the barn. Exactly 3 years later, he gave us an update on the current financial situation. As expected, Tom presented wonderfully detailed slides, which can be downloaded here. Included are investment tips based on his exhaustive analysis and many years of experience. If you invested in Tom’s recommended stocks 3 years ago, you realized a 70% return! Now we have another opportunity.

Politics Night – October 2011

Eastchester Town Supervisor, Tony Colavita, gave the presentation this evening. He shared some of the challenges he’s facing in the town, such as the cost increase from United Water. Tony explained the various things he’s been doing to cut costs and keep our taxes as low as possible. Everyone was impressed by Tony’s charisma and charm. It seemed as if he was a regular at the barn.

BBQ Night II – September 2011

There was no educational talk this month. Just a laid back BBQ with good food, beer, conversation, and music. Peter and Bob brought over the big charcoal grille. Peter grilled the burgers, hot dogs, and some amazing sausages that Tom brought from J&G Italian Deli. The Barn Band sounded unusually good this evening, thanks to Matt’s remarkable talent on the drums.

Management Consulting – August 2011

David Taylor recently left a steady job in commercial banking to become an entrepreneur. He started an independent consulting firm called Ohrn Consulting www.ohrnconsulting.com. David shared his story and provided insight into the world of management consulting. He gave examples from his experience and answered questions from the group.

Martial Arts Night II – July 2011

Back in May 2008, Peter Tocco gave us a hands-on introduction to the Martial Arts. Since then a number of people in the neighborhood have begun training with Peter. This month the master came back to share a particular aspect of Martial Arts called Situational Awareness. He gave us practical tips for being in tune with our surroundings and identifying threats before it’s too late. We all received valuable advise that may one day save our life or the life of a loved one.

Olympics Night – June 2011

Glenn Mills was a member of the 1980 Olympic Swimming Team. These were the Olympic games in Moscow that the United States boycotted. Glenn shared his story and his journey with us. He brought his Congressional Gold Medal which we passed around.  Glenn’s talk was captivating and inspiring. You could hear a pin drop in the barn. We also learned some practical tips for swimming faster and more efficiently. More of that is available on Glenn’s instructional website: www.goswim.tv.

Connoisseur Night – May 2011

Evan Goldenberg is the ultimate connoisseur.  He shared his passion with us, told some great stories, and answered questions about the finer things in life. We discussed wine, scotch, cigars, clothing, architecture, and women. Evan made some great value recommendations (see comments) and even offerred to assist any of us with wine selection when we’re at a restaurant and are not sure what to order. The highlight of the evening was when Evan shared a bottle of 1970 Fonseca Port with all of us. How generous of him!

Consumer Night – April 2011

Donato Vaccaro, who lives across the street from the barn, is an Associate Director at Consumer Reports. He’s responsible for overseeing the online version of the Annual Questionnaire, when more than 800,000 subscribers report on their experiences with a range of products and services. Donato gave us an overview of this 75 year old organization and answered questions about how products are evaluated and rated. Most of us were impressed by the steps Consumer Reports takes to insure that its tests are unbiased and its reporting impervious to outside influence.