On Syokaun-Dori Avenue, about a half-hour train ride away from Tokyo Stadium where Johnny Sexton, on Friday, went through the captains run under heavy cloud cover, hard-charging city bikers like to wait until the lights turn green so they can then wheelie through the hundred odd-metres of open road in front of them, their machines screaming through a patch of the city where the bars stay open from early until early and the street soundtrack seems permanently set to Heartbeat City by The Cars.

And its just there, if you walk down the narrow alley between Sushi Zanmai restaurant and the Family Mart convenience store and keep going past the dentists and the small family homes, that you will come to the modest plaque at the elementary school marking the former home where Patrick Lafcadio Hearn died.

He remains Japans most famous Irishman and was gone in 1904, a year before Dave Gallaher took his New Zealand team on the tour of the old countries which started the All Blacks rugby furnace.

The only connection between the two men is a kind of restlessness and the creation of a new identity common to so many epic Irish stories. Hearns story has been well documented over this World Cup: his personality shaped by the horrific fact of his abandonment, in Dublin, by his Irish father and Greek mother before he was moved like an unwanted parcel by relatives from London to America, where he became famous as a journalist and writer, before discovering Japan at the age of 39 and never leaving.

By the time of his death 15 years later, he had achieved a kind of sacred status as a tireless collector of Japanese ghost stories and myths, had changed his name to Koizumi Yakumo, and had at last both psychically and geographically placed an enormous distance between himself and his grim early years in Victorian Dublin.

He was into trippy imagery, but its hard to know what Hearn would have made of Tokyo this weekend, with many thousands of Irish faces and accents drifting through the metropolis on their way down to the game.

The build-up to this quarter-final has been neutral on the surface, but its not hard to detect a slightly tetchy edge about New Zealands attitude to Ireland right now: that the feisty if once-reliably beatable party animals from the land that gave them Gallaher has become an itch they just cant wait to scratch preferably through a scatter of breathtaking tries.

Not for the first time, the issue of the Haka has been brought up at both media briefings and the responses from both squads predictably measured. The Haka is a ritual that will always divide opinion but, whatever advantage it does or does not give the New Zealand team, it is regarded as a jewel in the crown by World Rugby because the spectators love it. At all New Zealand games, the Japanese fans have been thrilled by the spectacle. And the Haka is a part of New Zealand culture: their national rugby team is entitled to interpret it as they see fit.

But what is interesting about the pre-match rituals in Saturdays game is that the symbolism and meaning behind Irelands chosen anthem is so often and so easily overlooked on these days.

Its probably to their credit that Ireland rugby as an entity have never made that much of a deal of the fact that even through the most poisonous and strained of times on the island of Ireland; even when the deaths were everyday occurrences and, in act and deed, beyond the darkest imaginings of anything Lafcadio Hearn might have dreamt, that the rugby fraternity managed to scrabble together southern Catholics and Ulster unionists with no common ground except for their love of the game. That they played together was, in the bleakest years, a tiny but vital reason for optimism. It was a small miracle that at least that much held.

Donal Lenihan, the former Ireland great and RT analyst, has spoken and written entertainingly about the shambolic prelude to Irelands inaugural World Cup participation in 1987 when, days before the game against Wales, the squad held urgent debates as to what song they should sing if any at all.

Wales would lift Eden Park with their rendition of Land of Our Fathers. Three of Irelands rugby international stars Nigel Carr, Philip Rainey and Davy Irwin had, that April, been incidental casualties in the massive republican car bomb which killed Lord Justice Maurice Gibson and his wife. The trio had been travelling to Dublin for international training. It was a startling illustration to all living in the South of what happened if you happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Carr never played rugby again. Trevor Ringland, travelling separately, was just five minutes up the road. Jimmy McCoy, an RUC man, was heading to training on a train. He told Tom English in his acclaimed book No Borders that he immediately wondered if theyd been trying to get him. I always thought if they wanted to get me, they could get me. Representing Ireland, standing in Lansdowne, listening to Amhrn na bhFiann was hotly contentious and even a dangerous business for the players involved. It was a fraught time.

In 1987, the Irish teams chose James Lasts The Rose of Tralee as a last-ditch compromise. It went disastrously. By 1995, Phil Coulters Irelands Call was unveiled and was simultaneously acknowledged as appropriately safe and derided as an assault on music. The Derry man didnt care. It was there as a compromise, he told the Guardian just this year. And it has proven stubbornly resilient and serviceable. It has earned a kind of begrudging acceptance over the years through the absence of an alternative.

Over the past three years, as Brexit has forced a hardening of positions and attitudes in the North, memories of the pure horror and mental torture of daily life across Ulster have become sharp and refreshed. And, as the clock ticked and Westminster descended into chaos, tens of thousands of people across Northern Ireland must have shuddered at the thought that two decades of relative serenity and normality might again be threatened.

It was probably coincidental that Ireland enjoyed a golden era of rugby success in that period. But the rugby traffic across the border improved dramatically as supporters from the south made journeys for games in Dublin and Belfast that they simply wouldnt have dreamt of making during the worst of it. Ravenhill and Belfast afterwards became a good night out.

Its a good bet that people from all backgrounds and persuasions will sit down in front of the television on Saturday morning to see how the one strand in Irish life that remained united through the violence will get on in the big match.

And in the minutes beforehand, the world will pay attention to the Haka: the menacing Maori dance will steal the show. And that is fine.

But its worth remembering that when Rory Best leads off Irelands Call for what might well be the last time in his career, the vanilla words and wilfully safe music will run deeper than mere symbolism and hold the spark of what might be the most meaningful achievement in Irish rugby that its national team, its players from all corners, stayed soldiering through the worst of it so subsequent Ireland teams like this one might enjoy the best of it.

Read more:
Vanilla words of Irelands Call an unlikely antidote to bitter divide - The Irish Times

On Saturday, No. 11 Auburn will play Akransas in Fayetteville at 11 a.m.

Auburn is coming off its first loss against Florida while Arkansas is on a three-game losing streak. The game will be critical for both teams, one whos looks to snap a losing streak and the other whos looking to prevent a losing streak.

Prior to the game, we reached out to Thomas Murphy who covers the Razorbacks for The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette to ask him some questions about the Tigers upcoming opponent. Follow Murphy on Twitter at @TomMurphyADG for more coverage on the game.

1. What was the attitude around the program following the loss to Kentucky and how has it shifted as it prepares for Auburn?

Clearly the Razorbacks are in a tough mental state after losing its third one-possession game in a row and its second SEC game in a row in which they had the ball trailing by four points with plenty of time to drive for a go-ahead touchdown. Both of those drives, with senior Ben Hicks at quarterback, were stopped on downs inside the red zone, which has been a trouble spot all year long.

The six Razorbacks who did post-practice interviews on Tuesday spoke about keeping up the fight and keeping a positive attitude in the locker room, which can be easier said than done when a team isnt succeeding in winnable games.

2. Auburn is a run-heavy offense, and its run defense is one of the best in the SEC. Will Arkansas be able to compete in the run game? Will it try to? Or will it rely on its quarterbacks completing passes?

I think the Razorbacks will have to be creative to make things happen on the ground. Running their inside zone against a mighty front with a lead back in Rakeem Boyd whose right shoulder is ailing doesnt add up to sustained success. Arkansas has not blocked well enough on the perimeter to make its jet sweep plays super productive and Auburns speed across its defense will factor into that. Arkansas will need to make some misdirection plays pay off and try to confuse the keys of the Tigers linebackers and defensive backs.

Auburns ability to attack the defensive edges is well known and it has been a soft spot for this Arkansas defense. Clearly the Tigers will try to exploit that.

3. Nick Starkel played the majority of the game against Kentucky but Ben Hicks finished it. Who is more likely to start against Auburn?

My best guess is Ben Hicks. I would not be surprised if the Razorbacks execute some kind of rotation, because theyve been more explosive (and turnover-prone) with Starkel; more alignment sound and safe with Hicks.

4. How has the team been affected by the players who left this week?

Hard to say. The players in Wednesday interviews all wished linebacker DVone McClure and cornerback Devin Bush well. I thought McClure deserved more playing time. Bush, one of the fastest defensive players, had been used sparingly, so the rotation will be impacted only if there are injuries.

5. Where does Arkansas have the most potential to hurt Auburn and what do you think the final score will be?

The Razorbacks had trouble moving the ball on Auburn last year, so theyll need creative ideas and theyll have to get the ball out quickly vs. a ferocious pass rush. Matching tight end C.J. OGrady on linebackers, nickels and safeties should factor in; slants to talented WRs like Trey Knox, Treylon Burks and Mike Woods are likely possibilities, and involving Rakeem Boyd is a must.

Read more:
5 burning questions and a prediction with an Arkansas beat writer - AL.com

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Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images

Hockey fans around North America will be rubbing their eyes and shaking their heads in disbelief, after viewing the NHL standings on Saturday morning. Sat right there at the top of the perch with 14 points, are no other than theEdmonton Oilers.

That would be the same Oilers team which has only made the playoffs once in the previous 13 seasons. However, things seem to be changing for the better in Edmonton.

The latest example of this came on Friday night when the Oilers ground out a hard-fought 2-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings. In fairness to the team, the game arguably wasnt as close as the scoreline suggests, as they actually hit the iron four times.

Regardless, the Oilers improved their record to 7-1-0 in eight games, with fans around Canada and the United States wondering how theyve managed to achieve this. Lets look at that right now, with five factors that have contributed to the fast start in Edmonton.

There are plenty of hockey media analysts who remain unconvinced by the Oilers excellent start to the season, with some pointing to the first five games as evidence. More specifically, the factthe team had to overcome a deficit on each occasion to win.

However, we would argue that this actually proves Edmonton is a good team. Surely its a sign of mental fortitude hard work and togetherness when a team can repeatedly overcome adversity to succeed?

Perhaps the best example of this never-say-die attitude came in the second game of the season, at home to the Los Angeles Kings. Consider that the Oilers came from behind four times during the course of the 60 minutes, to secure a dramatic 6-5 win.

No doubt critics will point to the Kings being an average team, but to repeatedly recover from deficits throughout a game is a good sign. And in this respect, Edmontons ability to continually come back after falling behind in contests should stand them in good stead during the coming months.

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Read more:
Edmonton Oilers: 5 factors behind fast start to the season - Puck Prose

A powerful editorial in a leading Bengali newspaper raised relevant questions on the issue of how logical and justified it is to compensate a rape victim in monetary terms when her rapists have gone scot free for lack of sufficient evidence.

This relates to the recent news that the West Midnapur rape victim who belongs to the poorest of the poor has rejected the monetary compensation offered to her instead of giving justice by punishing the rapists. She demands that the rapists be punished for destroying her body, her mind, her social status and her dignity which is a precise and fair demand.

The victim has said that she will not accept any monetary compensation until her rapists are punished because mere money cannot be equated with the torture, humiliation and insult she has suffered and more importantly, is a denial of justice to the five rapists who raped her repeatedly when she was in a mental hospital.

Medical tests have not only proved that rape has been committed but has also been produced as evidence in court. Proper police investigation and its presentation in the court would have taken care of lack of evidence.

Recent studies have proved that in only one of four rape cases is the rapist punished. The victim in question has reportedly informed the media that monetary compensation alone cannot rehabilitate the victims life in the present and future in any way.

The entire concept of monetary compensation is based on patriarchy that dominates our social, legal and administrative systems. Patriarchy dictates that handing some money to the victim and her family is the right evaluation of the physical torture, the mental trauma and the social ostracism.

In other words, this reasserts the patriarchal theory that the female of the species, like any object or service, be equated to an object that has exchange value and can be bought and sold in exchange for money. In the meantime, the rapists go scot-free and in all probability, rape again.

Can a rape victim be compensated with money? Should she be compensated with money? Will that remedy the violation of her soul and body and restore her dignity? Will it punish the rapist and be a deterrent? These questions arise in the wake of the West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjees public announcement about the State organizing monetary compensations to rape victims for having been raped!

On September 6, 2012 the CM of West Bengal, in response to the rising rate of rape across the state, said that genuine rape victims would be paid Rs.30, 000 as compensation if they were minor, Rs.20, 000 if they were adult, Rs.50, 000 if the victim suffered from 80% disability, Rs.20, 000 for 40% to 80% disability. In case the victim died during the assault, her family would be paid a compensation of Rs.2 lakh!

How will the infra-structure be set up? When? How long will the process take till the victim can lay hands on the money? No one knows.

Mamata Banerjee is not the first CM to have made this humiliating proclamation. On August 26, 1983, PTI published a news report in the Times of India that stated that the Andhra Pradesh Government had announced a monetary compensation of Rs.5000 over and above the already-in-practice compensation of Rs.1000 to rape victims belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes within A.P. District Collectors would sanction this relief.

The rape victim would need the certification of a government doctor below the rank of a civil servant. It was as if, by announcing this monetary compensation, the A.P. State Government was not only admitting rape as a frequent occurrence among women of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes but also legalizing it with compensation so that the victims did not file their complaints or approach the legal machinery for justice! In the mid-1980s, the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board, London, proposed a reasonably handsome compensation to each rape victim. Womens organisations in the country rose up in arms. They insisted that not only was the amount small but it was also insulting to the dignity of women.

Measuring rape in monetary terms is tantamount to equating the rape victim with a sex worker who sells her services for money. It is like putting a monetary value on the act of rape and rationalizing it by remaining silent about what steps will be taken to book the rapist. The sex worker does it by force of circumstance poverty, lack of education, trafficking, etc. The element of force is present here. But the rape victim has sex forced on her person without her consent and mostly, by physical force when she tries to resist. Rape is an attack, not forced sex alone. The rape victim is often killed by the rapists so that she cannot identify them in court.

Rape cannot be separated from the larger spectrum of violence against women that could range from simple harassment to murder. It is just another weapon in the arsenal that keeps patriarchy alive and thriving. It is the attitude of misogyny central to the institutional structures responsible for maintaining individual violence, including rape.

This misogyny results in the blaming and the shaming of the victim, two accepted modes of treatment. Such treatment creates and sustains a deadly conspiracy of silence around rape. It punishes the victim and makes her bear the burden of violation in isolation, thereby allowing the perpetrator undeserved freedom. The four rapists of Mathura, the 14-year-old girl who was raped in Chandrapur district by four men including two police constables, Ganpat and Tukaram way back in 1972 is an example.

All men are socialized by their own economic, social and political oppression, as well as by the overall level of social violence in the country in which they live to inflict social violence on their women, which includes rape. Rape, therefore, is not a simple by-product of maleness. Nor is it, as is commonly portrayed, the result of man's anatomical construction. Neither does it result from an immutable male psychological constitution.

For, if this were true, then sexual violence would not flow directly from official policy. Arlene Eisen in Women in Vietnam points out that US soldiers received instructions for their search-and-destroy missions which included the raping of Vietnamese women phrased in political terms, Rape, as is common knowledge today, is frequently a component of the torture inflicted on women political prisoners by fascist governments and counter-revolutionary forces. The Ku Klux Klan in the USA has used rape as a weapon of political terror.

Political leaders who offer humiliating solutions to grave problems, leaders who surrender to acceptable responses defined by a patriarchal culture can never understand the extent of female oppression and the tenacity of patriarchy. Nor can they offer real solutions to complex social, historical and political problems arising out of the very gender-bias patriarchy thrives on.

Can monetary compensation restore the lost dignity and self-esteem of the victim?

View post:
Can Compensation Replace Justice in Rape? - The Citizen

We all get frustrated when things are not going our way. But does frustration lead to anything that is good for the team? I only think what needs to be done. Mistakes can happen from anyone.

New Delhi: In March 2016 at Chinnaswamy stadium, a tottering India scraped past Bangladesh by the narrowest of margins. A close analysis in the last moments of the match reveals the difference in attitude between Indias captain M.S. Dhoni and Bangladeshi players.

While the hyper-excited Bangladeshi players were already celebrating with an over to go, Dhoni kept his calm and eventually ran Mustafizur Rahman out on the last ball of the innings. India won the match by 1 run and kept their hopes alive in T-20 World Cup.

Unlike other players, Dhoni still did not celebrate as if it was just another day for him on the cricketing field. Instance like these has always left many wondering his unreal control over emotions and hailing him as Captain Cool.

So much so that team India former mental conditioning coach Paddy Upton, in his book, The Barefoot Coach went on to explain Dhonis lack of access to emotions.

The 38-year-old on Wednesday made his first public appearance after Indias semi-final exit in the World Cup at a promotional event in New Delhi and revealed about his mindset during crunch situations.

I would say I am like everyone else but I control it slightly better than some of the other individuals. I always felt that my emotions should be under control and if I am able to do that, my thinking would be more constructive, Dhoni said at Mastercards Team Cashless India event.

We all get frustrated when things are not going our way. But does frustration leads to anything that is good for the team? I only think what needs to be done. Mistakes can happen from anyone. It can happen when you dont execute your plans well. I like to get into the process again and think what can be done depending on the situation, the former captain explained.

Dhonis calculated risks during crunch situations have been the stuff of folklore. Critics may argue that he has captained best in the shorter format of the game but he still is the second best captain in the Test format for India, if stats are anything to go by.

Hailed as one of the smartest cricketing brains, Dhoni led India from front with a match winning 91not out in the final of 2011 World Cup. It was under his captaincy that India successfully defended 129/7 in 20 overs to lift ICC Champions trophy title. His long list of achievements also includes winning CB series down under eleven-years-ago.

In Test matches you have two innings and you get slightly longer duration to plan your strategies out. In ODIs, there is time constraint. In T-20s, everything happens very quickly, he said.

It might be an individual, who has committed a mistake or it might be the whole team. Maybe we didnt execute the plan whatever the format may be. What you want to achieve as a team is to win the tournament but thats a long-term goal. Ultimately, what you do is to break it into smaller things, Dhoni added.

The Ranchi boy further recalled some fond memories of inaugural ICC T-20 World Cup in 2007 where the group stage match against Pakistan went for the tie-breaker (bowl-out) and India registering one of most famous win against the arch-rivals.

There was something particular about that World Cup. The Bowl-Out was one of the things, he said. I remember we would go for practice. Before every practice session, we would practice Bowl Out before or after the warm-up. We said it very clear it is for fun but at the same time, whoever hits the wicket most number of times, we will use him if the situation arises. It has got nothing to do with I am a bowler, this is my job. Its like a performance thing and we will keep doing it everyday and whoever has the best hit-ratio are the ones who will be used.

Ultimately, winning or losing comes to each and every individual who is part of the team. In team sport, everybody has a role and a responsibility. Throughout the T20 World Cup, the roles and responsibilities given to individuals was fulfilled to the best manner possible. That was the reason we won the tournament, he said.

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I control my emotions better than other individuals: Dhoni - The Sunday Guardian

Updated: May 25, 2018:

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The Truth About Your Need Of A 401(k) Investment Policy Statement - JD Supra

A lot changes in a decade.

Ten years ago, the economy was still reeling from the effects of the Great Recession, and the stock market, though it had rebounded somewhat from its lows, was still well off of all-time highs set in October 2007. Few would have guessed that the longest bull market on record was beginning.

Data by YCharts.

The 2010s are now coming to an end, and worry is mounting that another recession is inevitable. Recession or not, it's worth reviewing the investment motifs that have fueled the last decade of returns, as they will likely be the drivers of growth in the next 10 years -- the beginning of them, anyway. Here are my favorite themes, quotes, and other business trends from the 2010s.

During the first-quarter 2018 earnings conference call for Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk gave the world this gem of a quote when answering a question about "competitive moats" and Tesla's charging stations:

First of all, I think moats are lame. It's nice sort of quaint in a vestigial way. If your only defense against invading armies is a moat, you will not last long. What matters is the pace of innovation. That is the fundamental determinant of competitiveness.

It was my favorite earnings call ever and will be a tough one for any CEO to beat. This statement, in particular, is worth unpacking. It offers some real insight into what has been happening in business and investing in the last decade. Historically, investors have searched high and low for companies with defensible business models, ones that are difficult for potential competitors to enter because of high costs or some enduring advantage the business maintains over everyone else. A slew of trends intersected over the last decade to challenge the idea of a competitive moat. Technological advancements, shifting consumer trends, venture capital willing to play the long (and sometimes money-losing) game, and changing brand loyalties have all been disruptive to the moat investing theory.

Technology has always been a disruptor of the status quo, but the pace of disruption and the subsequent rise of upstart businesses in the last decade has quickened. It isn't just Tesla that has benefited. I'm also thinking of Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) CEO Jeff Bezos' mantra "your margin is my opportunity," referring to the company's willingness to aggressively go after other retailers' business even if it meant little (or oftentimes no) profit -- all in the name of innovation and progress. Amazon seemingly came out of nowhere to become one of the largest companies on the planet, with its stock booming 1,750% over the last 10-year stretch. Disruption was also prevalent in 2007, with Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone being responsible for setting the stage for the reshaping of communications. It too had a stellar run in the 2010s to make it one of the top dogs in the market. Steve Jobs passed in October 2011, but his legacy will be an especially long-lasting one.

Businesses and investors slow to pick up on where technology is headed have suffered (retail apocalypse, anyone?), while those with a keen eye for visionary ideas have ridden gains to new record highs. Does that mean the business concept of defensibility is dead and constant disruption is the new norm? Probably not. Investment in innovation will only continue if the long-term payoff is still there. Nevertheless, another decade of disruption appears to be in the cards, since "digital transformation" -- organizations updating their operations to a digital-first strategy -- is only just beginning to take hold around the globe.

Image source: Getty Images.

Speaking of digital transformation, "the cloud" came into its own during the 2010s and has been rocket fuel for organizations looking to make a digital upgrade to spur on future growth or higher profitability. But what is "the cloud"?

Put simply, the cloud refers to software or some other type of service delivered via a data center. The concept isn't new, as many organizations have been building their own data centers and servers for decades -- usually within or near the office building it was intended for. The concept of the cloud in today's language, though, came from the idea that excess network or server capacity could be "rented" via an internet connection -- saving money for businesses without the resources to build a dedicated data center and allowing those with excess capacity to generate extra revenue.

Amazon was again a revolutionary in this department. The e-commerce giant caught on to the idea that it could farm out its extra storage and computing power to others, birthing Amazon Web Services (AWS), now Amazon's primary source of profitability.

Other tech companies caught on and started building public cloud services. The market for these public data centers and the services they support is now dominated by AWS, Microsoft's (NASDAQ:MSFT) Azure, and Alphabet's (NASDAQ:GOOGL) (NASDAQ:GOOG) Google Cloud. The cloud has given rise to mobility, giving consumers and business employees the ability to access data and services on the go as long as they have an internet connection. Myriad digital services have arisen from the movement as well, from basic personal and business software like Microsoft Office 365 to streaming media (more on that in a minute) to ride-hailing on a platform like Uber to complex business needs like digital infrastructure and artificial intelligence.

The growth of the cloud is far from over. The pace of new data center construction has slowed in the last couple of years, but the industry is gearing up for phase two: edge computing. Smaller data centers and other small computing systems intended to do heavy lifting are getting built closer to the source of data and end-users, powering more mission-critical operations like connected manufacturing, healthcare, and autonomous machines. Build-out of edge computing systems could overtake the cloud in the decade ahead as technological demands continue to increase.

Now ubiquitous with television and home entertainment, TV streaming really didn't become a thing until the 2010s. Thank you, Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX). But while streaming shows and movies has become big business over the last 10 years, Netflix's monthly subscription model has had more far-reaching effects than just how consumers spend their free time.

To be fair, Netflix did not come up with the subscription service model, but Netflix and its cloud-delivered programming certainly helped pioneer what has become a subscription economy. Originally envisaged as software-as-a-service (SaaS), it now encompasses a wide array of digital platforms, services, and digital infrastructure paid for by customers via recurring payments.

The subscription model has gained in popularity for various reasons: ease of switching, low cost of entry, convenience, etc. Sometimes new subscription services pop up as a sort of gimmick or test, like how the auto industry has been trying out car subscription services. Others have quickly built small empires on the model, luring in customers with easy sign-up and low-obligation terms.

One argument against the subscription model is that all of those monthly obligations add up and create a big bill for consumers and organizations. Over the long term, a perpetual subscription can also be more expensive than just making an up-front purchase. However, given the rampant disruption and innovation going on, it looks like the subscription economy is here to stay.

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Moats Are Lame: 3 Top Investing Themes of the 2010s - The Motley Fool

Invest in a vacation rental

Vacation rentals are becoming a popular real estate investment vehicle largely due to the rise of home-sharing companies like VRBO and Airbnb. A vacation rental can be a room or a home that's rented for a short term, often nightly or weekly. It can be a great way to generate cash flow.

The success of a vacation rental is largely based on the location, amenities, and quality of the property. Short-term rental demand in the area also plays a major role. Owning vacation rentals requires time spent managing online listings, communicating with potential renters, managing calendars for bookings, and ensuring check-in and turnover are handled effectively.

This type of rental property has a higher vacancy rate than other rental types and is restricted in some places.

Vacation rentals are best for the following investors:

Commercial real estate (CRE) is used for business purposes, such as retail or office space. Industrial buildings, apartment complexes, mobile home parks, and assisted living facilities also fall into this category. Commercial real estate is costlier than residential real estate, often requiring a greater down payment. There's usually more property to manage, too.

Investors in CRE need to dedicate ample time to learning how to properly invest in and manage the asset class before finding, buying, and managing an asset. With the larger upfront cost and significant time and effort required, many choose to invest in commercial real estate through alternative methods, such as REITs, ETFs, partnerships, or crowdfunding.

Commercial property is best for the following investors:

Real estate crowdfunding connects accredited investors with investment opportunities. These deals pool money from multiple investors to fund a real estate investment. The asset is owned and operated by the sponsor and the sponsor's management team, making this a passive investment.

Investors get returns in multiple ways, including dividends and preferred returns over time. Crowdfunding is a risky investment option and many variables affect the quality of an investment.

If you're interested in this avenue of investing, take a look at our complete guide to crowdfunding to determine whether it's right for you.

Real estate crowdfunding is best for the following investors:

There are times when specific avenues of real estate investing may be better than others because of current market conditions, but rarely is there one "best" way to invest over the long haul. The current investment fad may not be the best investment in 10 or 20 years.

There's no perfect model for investing. People have different financial goals, means, areas of interest, and specialties.

If you hate managing people and have a poor eye for design, rehabbing probably won't be good for you. If you're short on time and can't consistently find and review investment opportunities, never mind manage one, maybe real estate ETFs or REITs are better.

In general, the goal of investing is to build wealth over time and find investment opportunities that provide stable growth, income, and returns. Make sure you understand how the investment works, including how the return is calculated, the costs associated with that asset type, the risks, and the factors that contribute to a quality investment over time.

No matter which investment strategy you pursue, always conduct due diligence on the quality of the venture and the viability of the overall return. Continue to educate yourself on how to invest in that avenue to ensure you pursue worthwhile investments.

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The Best Way to Invest in Real Estate Right Now - Motley Fool

Delta Air Lines was the first U.S. carrier to report third-quarter earnings this year, and despite rising costs putting pressure on the airline, strong travel demand helped its revenue and profit grow.

Since returning to the public market in 2007, Delta's stock has been a consistent performer, making it a win for those who invested 10 years ago. A $1,000 investment in 2009 would be worth more than $6,600, as of Oct. 10, 2019, for a total return of nearly 570%, according to CNBC calculations. In the same time frame, by comparison, the S&P 500 earned a total return of nearly 240%. The Atlanta-based airline's current share price is hovering around $54.

While Delta's stock has done well over the years, any individual stock can over- or underperform and past returns do not predict future results.

CNBC: Delta stock as of October 10, 2019.

Despite performing well in its third quarter, Delta's fourth quarter could be tough due to the airline's expectation that costs, excluding fuel, could rise as much as 5% year over year, CNBC reports. As J.P. Morgan analysts put it, Delta's prospects for the fourth quarter could be compared with "limping across the finish line."

Delta's stock has faced both ups and downs this year. In January, the shares tumbled almost 9% in one day after it predicted lower revenue growth. However, the stock is up almost 8% this year.

But going into the fourth quarter, many experts stand behind Delta, despite a lackluster forecast. Mark Tepper, CEO of Strategic Wealth Partners, said he's a fan of Delta's stock as opposed to other popular U.S. airlines for three main reasons.

For one, Delta doesn't fly the Boeing 737 Max, a type of airplane which has been grounded since March after two fatal crashes, Tepper said during a recent segment of CNBC's "Trading Nation." Two, it has "the best maintenance team in the industry," which helps extend the life of its aircraft, making it a good move financially. And three, Tepper supports Delta's partnership with American Express, which he calls "the gold standard," because it helps the company's bottom line.

Delta gained extra business while its competitors such as Southwest and American Airlines were forced to stop operating the Max and cancel thousands of flights. While Delta CEO Ed Bastian agrees the extra market share helped the airline's third-quarter performance, he doesn't believe "it was the main driver," Bastian said during a recent appearance on CNBC's "Squawk Box."

Ed Bastian, CEO, Delta Airlines

Anjali Sundaram | CNBC

Earlier this month, Delta was named the "Best North American Airline" for the second year in a row at the 2019 Business Traveller Awards. Delta has also been recognized by multiple organizations worldwide for its dedication to sustainability. And on Oct. 6, in an effort to close the gender gap in aviation, Delta celebrated International Girls in Aviation Day by flying 120 girls ages 12 to 18 to NASA in Houston.

The company isn't without its struggles, however. In 2007, the airline exited bankruptcy following a 19-month restructuring that cost $3 billion. Delta's shares were delisted by the NYSE after the bankruptcy filing before the company went public again in 2007. To get back into the black, Delta cut its labor force by around 6,000 and added dozens of new international routes, among other things. In 2008, the carrier merged with Northwest Airlines creating the world's largest airline at the time.

Looking forward, Delta plans on meeting the increased demand for flights by hiring at least 12,000 employees through 2020. This will include pilots, flight attendants, ground staff and more, Bastian told "Squawk Box." "We're [in] the process of hiring 6,000 people this year and at least a like amount next year," he said. Given that Delta expects its costs to rise in the fourth quarter, some wonder how a massive amount of hiring will impact its threshold for extra expenses.

If you are considering getting into investing, experts, including Warren Buffett, often advise starting with index funds, which hold all of the companies in an index, such as the S&P 500. Because index funds fluctuate with the market and aren't tied to the performance of a single business, they're less risky than individual stocks, making them a safer choice for beginners.

Here's a snapshot of how the markets look now.

Disclosure: Strategic Wealth Partners holds DAL.

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If you invested $1,000 in Delta 10 years ago, here's how much money you'd have now - CNBC

The $34 billion Iowa Public Employees' Retirement System, Des Moines, terminated Fisher Investments on Friday from a $386 million actively managed U.S. equity portfolio, said Shawna Lode, a spokeswoman for the pension plan, in a statement.

The fund's investment staff reviewed the recent sexist comments Kenneth L. Fisher, the firm's executive chairman and co-chief investment officer, made at a conference earlier this month.

Ms. Lode said the opinion of the fund's investment officers was that "Mr. Fisher's comments have damaged the credibility of the firm and its leadership. As a result, the risk to IPERS is that the firm could lose investment talent and/or it may be unable to recruit high-caliber talent in the future."

She added that the fund's investment team also is concerned that the negative publicity resulting from Mr. Fisher's actions "will probably continue to be a major distraction to Fisher investment personnel."

She added that IPERS is considering transition options, including a search for a manager to take over management of the portfolio.

Ms. Lode did not provide more details on the strategy Fisher Investments managed.

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Iowa becomes latest pension fund to cut ties with Fisher Investments - Pensions & Investments