I was born on 6 August 1956 in San Francisco, California to Janet and (the late) Richard Hovis.
I grew up in Santa Monica, California where I attended elementary, junior high school, and high school (graduating in 1974), in addition to involvement in sports and recreation (Little League +, the Boy’s Club ++). Further, it was in elementary school – St. Augustine’s By-the -Sea Parish School that I found, and made the choice to truly journey with God.
I attended Arizona State University from 1974 to 1977 – seeking to become an architect, however, I was not accepted, and, as such, I graduated with a Liberal Arts degree.
Upon graduation from Arizona State University, I attended Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and studied City and Regional Planning at the Master’s level. I successfully completed one (1) year in a two (2) year program – I did not complete the Master’s degree in City and Regional Planning – due to personal reasons.
I returned to Santa Monica where I started (October 1979) my career as graphic designer with Exxon Company, USA. I spent five years with Exxon Company, USA.
While working with Exxon Company, USA I was accepted into architectural school – Sci-Arc in Southern California, however, I did not attend preferring to stay with Exxon..
In 1982 I married Laura Flosi and in April 1983 we had our one and only child – Lauren Alain Hovis – a gift from God.
We moved to Phoenix, Arizona in 1984 from Los Angeles, where I went to work as a graphic designer with Kitchell CEM (from 1985 -1987).
From 1987 – 1995 I was an independent contractor, and a registered representative in mortgage finance, financial management, graphic design, and drafting.
Further, I attended the University of Phoenix and successfully obtained a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) in 1982.
I was also a member of the Scottsdale Jaycees, where I became very involved in community events and projects.
In 1994, I accepted a cartography position with the Defense Mapping Agency in Reston, Virginia. As such, I relocated from Phoenix to Reston.
In 1998, I was accepted and worked as a Visual Information Officer with the Central Intelligence Agency. In 2002, I worked as a Support Officer until my retirement (due to a need for shoulder surgery) in September 2018.
Away from my Federal Government service, I have been involved in various organizations and activities in Northern Virginia.
In November of 2011, I married Rebecca Ouellette in Santa Monica, California. I reside in San Tan Valley, AZ with my two hamster - Jess and Timothy, our fish, our lizard - RJ Lizard., and our cats - Pearl and Grey.
As to hobbies, I enjoy playing sports, attending sporting events, mentoring individuals from financial management to hamsters, building models, photography, travel, multimedia design, managing partner for RJ Hamster, and jazz – smooth jazz to a samba or a bossa nova.
Love and God Bless,
Peter – aka RJ Hamster Jo hi
The second half begins as the first half did — with the Dodgers at No. 1. But many of the other teams near the top worked their way up since Opening Day and could challenge the champs.
How do you go from unranked in the Starting Pitcher Power Rankings all the way to third? Nearly throwing a no-hitter and starting an All-Star Game did the trick for Dylan Cease.
Some teams are looking for a missing piece before the Trade Deadline while others are trying to build for the future, and our 30 beat reporters identified what each club should target.
The Dodgers are memorializing Andy Pages’ game-saving catch while colliding with Kiké Hernández during Game 7 of the World Series with a one-of-a-kind bobblehead.
Yankee Stadium is known for its short porch in right field, but those dimensions are cavernous compared to Nashville’s Sulphur Dell ballpark, where the right-field fence was 262 feet from home plate.
US Air Force Academy players visited All-Star Week as part of the Air Force and MLB partnership celebrating America’s pastime for America’s 250th birthday.
(24) And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren. King James VersionChange email Bible version
Matthew 20:20-26 records the occasion when the mother of James and John asked Jesus for special consideration for her sons. When the other disciples heard of the mother of James and John asking Jesus for special consideration for her sons, they were indignant, angry. Why? From Jesus’ reply we can infer that their vanity was pricked—they had been “beaten to the punch”! They had been thinking of the same request because in their vanity they thought they deserved special consideration too.
Their proud minds had pictured themselves as worthy of being served, and they were offended because they thought that chance might be slipping away. Jesus reminded them that, even to be in the Kingdom, one has to have a humble attitude of a servant.
Unlike love, pride is “touchy and fretful.” When pride feels threatened, it broods against what it perceives to be hurting it or lessening its chances of “being on top,” “coming out ahead” of another, “looking good,” or “getting even.” And so it competes against others. It looks for ways to elevate itself or put another down. It counts all the offenses, real or imagined, and puts them into a mental account book to justify its position until it finds an opportune moment to break out in “vindication” of itself.
Love does not do any of those things. I Corinthians 13:5says it as simply as it can possibly be put. Love does not insist on its own way—it will not even become provoked in the first place. And it makes no accounting of the evil done against it! We all have a long way to go in this regard!
When love dominates a person’s life, becoming offended either through hurt feelings or a strong temptation to sin is remote. When pride dominates, hurt feelings or strong temptations to sin seem to lie behind every bush.
We The People Love Summer Baseball. No summer is complete without hitting up your favorite ballpark. Head to mlb.com/tickets and grab your seat to finish the summer off right.BUY TICKETS
Welcome to The Pregame Lineup, a weekday newsletter that gets you up to speed on everything you need to know for today’s games, while catching you up on fun and interesting stories you might have missed. Today’s edition is brought to you by David Adler.
We’ve made it to the second half, and we’re already starting to dream about blockbuster trades and riveting playoff races. But first things first.
The second half kicks off tonight with a Mets-Phillies rivalry showdown at Citizens Bank Park (6:10 p.m. ET on ESPN). It’s the only game of the day.
The All-Star Game might be over, but we’re not ready to leave Philadelphia just yet. For the second-half opener, we get to see two of the best hitters in the National League go head-to-head — the Mets’ Juan Soto and the Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber — just two days after they were hitting back-to-back as teammates at the top of the NL’s starting lineup in the Midsummer Classic.
Schwarber leads the Major Leagues with 32 home runs — the most ever by a Phillies player at the All-Star break, ahead of Mike Schmidt’s 31 in 1979.
And Soto? He’s his typical all-around superstar self at the plate. Soto’s batting .290 with 21 home runs and a .967 OPS, with a dozen more walks (55) than strikeouts (43).
But these two teams are going in opposite directions. The Phillies enter the second half at 54-43, in the second NL Wild Card spot and just two games back of the Braves in the NL East. They’re tied with the Brewers for the best record in baseball (45-24) since Don Mattingly took over as manager on April 28.Philadelphia is a top-five team in our Power Rankings entering the second half.
The Mets, on the other hand, are in last place at 40-57 and well out of the playoff picture. They’re likely to be sellers at the Trade Deadline as they look toward 2027.
Burns was drafted just two years ago, going No. 2 overall in 2024, but he’s already an All-Star, a rising ace and one of the most promising young pitchers in baseball.
The 23-year-old made his first career All-Star Game after going 11-1 with a 2.54 ERA and 118 strikeouts in 102 2/3 innings in the first half. Burns’ upper-90s rising fastball and low-90s wipeout slider make for one of the nastiest pitch combos in baseball.
Burns’ new deal is tied for the largest guarantee given to a pitcher in Reds history and tied for the third largest the franchise has given to any player. In total dollars, it equals the six-year, $105 million contract pitcher Homer Bailey signed in 2014. The biggest commitment the club has ever made was the 10-year, $225 million extension given to first baseman Joey Votto in 2012. In 2000, upon his trade from the Mariners, Ken Griffey Jr. was given a nine-year, $116.5 million contract.
Burns joins the ever-growing list of young players who’ve gotten extensions this season — which includes one of Burns’ fellow All-Stars (the Tigers’ Kevin McGonigle), a trio of rookies on division rival squads (the Pirates’ Konnor Griffin, the Cardinals’ JJ Wetherholt and the Brewers’ Cooper Pratt) and more.
Now that the first half is wrapped up, we can take a look at some of the players who are having the biggest breakouts.
There are 21 qualifying hitters who hit more home runs in the first half of 2026 than they did in the entire 2025 season. Our Max Ralph took a look at those hitters to see if there were any common themes.
The one that emerged: Bat speed.
Most of the power surges have been driven by gains in bat speed. Sixteen of the 21 hitters are swinging the bat faster this season than they did last season. Nine of those hitters have increased their bat speed by at least one full mph — which is a lot.
Here are some of the most interesting bat speed gainers to watch as the second half gets underway:
Jordan Walker, Cardinals
The first-time All-Star and Home Run Derby champion already had elite bat speed, but it’s gotten even more elite. Walker has increased his bat speed from 78.1 mph in 2025 to 79.2 mph in 2026 (second highest in MLB), as his home run total has skyrocketed from six to 22.
Miguel Vargas, White Sox
Vargas, who crushed the only home run of the All-Star Game, has gained more bat speedthan any other qualifying hitter. He’s up from 70.6 mph in 2025 to 74.1 mph in 2026 — an increase of 3.5 mph — and hit 21 homers in the first half after hitting 16 last season.
Liam Hicks, Marlins
Hicks is one of the many breakout players for one of baseball’s biggest breakout teams. With a bat speed increase of over a mph (67.4 mph to 68.5 mph), he’s more than doubled last year’s home run total (six to 13), and has just been a much better hitter all around as the Marlins fight for a playoff spot.
Luis García Jr., Nationals
García has been red-hot since the start of June — one of the best hitters in the entire league, in fact. If you look under the hood, you see that the bat speed is up from 72.4 mph to 73.6 mph, allowing him to reach the 20-homer mark for the first time this year after totaling 16 in 2025.
Abbott, who was born without a right hand, still pitched 10 seasons in the Major Leagues — including, memorably, throwing a no-hitterfor the Yankees on Sept. 4, 1993.
“To be here, to be included, to be in this room means the world to me,” Abbott said as he accepted the award. “To be included.”
Shohei Ohtani also won a pair of ESPYs: Best MLB Player, and Best Single-Game Performance.
It’s no surprise that Ohtani won the former, as he took home his third consecutive MVP trophy and led the Dodgers to a second straight World Series title.
And he earned the Best Single-Game Performance ESPY for his jaw-dropping two-way performance in Game 4 of the 2025 NLCS, when he threw six scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts as a pitcher and crushed three home runs as a hitter.
In a recently released promo for “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” Spidey visits Citi Field as Soto takes batting practice.
Soto spots the masked web-slinger — who’s sitting in the stands with Mr. Met — and exclaims: “No way! Hey Spidey! You the greatest, man!” before asking for a selfie.
Spider-Man is excited too, turning to Mr. Met and saying, “That never happens!”
“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” hits theatres on July 31.
ASML’s monopoly on EUV lithography machines and its growing Installed Base give it a durable competitive moat against emerging rivals like Canon.
ASML’s Q2 results beat expectations with 21% revenue growth, expanding gross margins, and guidance suggesting continued strong demand into 2027.
Analysts raised price targets after the report, though geopolitical risks tied to China, Taiwan, and customer concentration remain significant threats.
ASML (NASDAQ: ASML) holds a monopoly on foundational AI technology, making it the most structurally sound tech investment you can own. Its Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines are the only ones capable of printing AI-capable circuitry, and they are in high demand.
Evidence of its strength was seen in the company’s Q2 results and guidance update, released July 15. The report highlighted not only demand but also a business model designed for the long term. While new EUV machines are the story today, those sales will cool over time. The long-term opportunity is the persistent upgrade cycle built into the technology, which means software and hardware upgrades and the services to implement them.
ASML’s machine bodies are bolted to the floors of semiconductor foundries globally, foundry capacity is expanding rapidly, and each machine body equates to Installed Base volume. As it stands, the Installed Base accounted for 30% of net revenue, growing 11% sequentially and 5% year-over-year, with a wide moat around the business.
There is an up-and-coming competitor technology developed by Canon (OTCMKTS: CAJPY), but it’s not slated for anything like commercial-scale availability until 2028 and, even then, isn’t truly a viable competitor. Canon’s Nanoimprint technology, which stamps circuits onto silicon, produces similarly fine circuitry but also a much higher error rate, making it unsuitable for advanced computing.
A veteran trader with nearly 30 years of experience – including running multi-million dollar hedge funds alongside Turtle Traders and a key economic advisor to President Trump – is releasing his day trading cheat sheet at no cost.
With markets posting one of the weakest first quarters on record, these principles may be worth a look. The report outlines the core rules that have shaped his approach across three decades of active trading.Tap here to access the free day trading cheat sheet now
ASML Signals Momentum Shift in Lithography Markets
ASML had a robust quarter, with revenue growing by 21% in Q2. The topline outpaced the consensus by approximately 450 basis points (bps), on strength in new equipment and upgrades. The company sold 86 new machines, up 28%, while used equipment sales declined. Gross margin, another critical factor, expanded by 1,000 bps due to leverage, including that provided by Installed Base management.
Margin is another critical factor for this investment, as the company has maintained a healthy gross margin in the mid-50% range and is improving due to sales strength and Installed Base growth. The only bad news is that the net margin contracted, leaving earnings up by only 5.8%, but there is a silver lining. The company is investing in technology and capacity to meet the new demand, signaling the cycle’s durability.
Guidance is yet another signal of this company’s strength, position, and momentum within the industry. The company issued a Q3 revenue target more than 1,000 bps above expectations, lifted its full-year outlook, and signaled a change to its long-term outlook. The caveat is that the change won’t be revealed until next year at the subsequent investor day event. Until then, ASML forecasts Q3 revenue to grow more than 23% sequentially and 31% year-over-year (YOY), which may underestimate demand for its products.
Analysts Pound Table for Top-Pick ASML
Analysts responded vigorously to ASML’s release, issuing numerous commentaries to strengthen their narrative. The group noted the considerable top- and bottom-line strengths, Installed Base growth, Installed Base management strength, and the direct translation into capacity expansion.
Activity included several price target increases, aligning with trends pushing the high end of the range. The consensus price target of $1,891 reported by MarketBeat in mid-July offered only a modest upside, but the high-end added nearly 40% to it. The likely outcome is that analyst trends remain robust through year’s end and into 2027, underpinning the stock price rally.
Capital returns are a factor in this stock’s ownership, including dividends and share buybacks. The dividend is little more than a token, yielding approximately 0.6% as of mid-July, but it is reliable, the distribution increases annually, and it is compounded by share count reductions. Q2 activity aided a nearly 1% trailing 12-month decline, a pace that is likely to continue in upcoming quarters.
Stock price action following the earnings release told a mixed story. ASML jumped more than 3% premarket before giving back the gains, though it held support near $1,775, coincident with the 30-day exponential moving average.
This suggests short-term buyers are active and defending support, but they haven’t yet taken decisive control. A push through the existing high near $2,000 is the level to watch—clearing it would likely trigger fresh capital inflows. Assuming new highs are set, the next resistance target is in the $2,250 region.
ASML’s biggest risks are geopolitical. Restrictions, bans, and actions by China against Taiwan pose an existential threat, potentially disrupting the business. U.S. legislation currently under review could keep the company from even servicing equipment already placed in China. Customer concentration is focused on Taiwanese manufacturers, including Taiwan Semiconductor (NASDAQ: TSM), as well as Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) and Samsung (OTCMKTS: SSNLF). Valuation is also a risk, pricing in perfection and flawless execution.
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The system holding the dollar together is gone… (ad)Saudi Arabia has terminated its 1974 petrodollar agreement with the United States – the deal that forced every country on Earth to hold U.S. dollars to buy oil. Since then, Saudi Arabia has signed a $7 billion currency swap with China, begun settling oil in digital yuan, and joined China’s cross-border payment system, mBridge.
With 10-year Treasury yields pushing toward the 4.4% danger line and global dollar demand in retreat, gold is being repriced. There’s one asset that still trades at a steep discount to gold’s current price – a rare opportunity to leverage the metal’s continued rise.
One just posted 76% year-over-year data-center growth. Another holds a $12 billion backlog from global hyperscalers. A third is generating 59%+ gross margins on next-gen chips.
Recent U.S. Insider SellingCompanyInsider NameBuy/SellSharesTotal TransactionTransaction DateCurrent PriceSEC FilingBBB NonePhilip S Kurtz InsiderSell30,000 shares @ $11.32$339,600.007/14/2026$29.70KKR KKR & Co. Inc.Yael Cosset EVPSell30,000 shares @ $58.80$1,764,000.007/14/2026$102.02MMA Mixed Martial Arts GroupEdward Grunde Mclaughlin InsiderSell19,800 shares @ $534.87$10,590,426.007/15/2026$0.50PP Meet Kevin Pricing Power ETFCharles H Giancarlo CEOSell70,000 shares @ $80.68$5,647,600.007/10/2026$26.10PP Meet Kevin Pricing Power ETFCharles H Giancarlo CEOSell65,800 shares @ $80.05$5,267,290.007/9/2026$26.10PP Meet Kevin Pricing Power ETFJohn Colgrove InsiderSell100,000 shares @ $79.82$7,982,000.007/10/2026$26.10PPL PPLJohn W Raymond DirectorSell6,494 shares @ $26.16$169,883.047/13/2026$36.12PPL PPLWilliam Spencer Marshall CEOSell200,000 shares @ $25.92$5,184,000.007/10/2026$36.12RRH Advocate Rising Rate Hedge ETFGary G Friedman CEOSell69,069 shares @ $169.48$11,705,814.127/6/2026$7.25RRH Advocate Rising Rate Hedge ETFGary G Friedman CEOSell48,238 shares @ $158.66$7,653,441.087/8/2026$7.25SAFT Safety Insurance GroupCorp Srb Major ShareholderSell34,272 shares @ $76.04$2,606,042.887/13/2026$74.13One webinar worth putting on your calendar. (ad)Sean Allison is hosting a free presentation on what he calls the Zero-Dollar Trade Advantage – a trading approach designed to help everyday investors participate in the market more strategically.
Whether you trade daily or occasionally, this session is built to offer a concrete alternative perspective – not a pitch, just a method.
Top Insider-Buying Stocks (Last 30 Days)CompanyShares PurchasedTotal Cost of Shares PurchasedNumber of Insider PurchasesNumber of Insiders BuyingCurrent Share PriceMarketBeat Consensus RatingMarketBeat Consensus Price TargetRead MoreTSM Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing3,547$274,361.003230$404.97Moderate Buy$452.50FCBM First Carolina Financial Services116,655$1,458,258.001512$12.79Moderate Buy$15.00SPG Simon Property Group2,387$533,056.001111$227.41Hold$213.07DPC DPC2,297,621$75,821,493.00119$45.63N/A$0.00FNWD Finward Bancorp112$4,028.0066$36.22Moderate Buy$41.00PSNY Polestar Automotive Holding UK15,129$264,398.0066$15.23Sell$0.00EML Eastern6,105$130,497.0055$26.60Hold$0.00AUBN Auburn National Bancorporation211$5,622.0044$27.38Hold$0.00BZFD BuzzFeed88,194$126,999.0044$1.40Reduce$1.00MPB Mid Penn Bancorp647$22,541.0044$36.06Moderate Buy$37.50
Top Insider-Selling Stocks (Last 30 Days)CompanyShares SoldTotal Cost of Shares SoldNumber of Insider SalesNumber of Insiders SellingCurrent Share PriceMarketBeat Consensus RatingMarketBeat Consensus Price TargetRead MoreLQDA Liquidia315,796$23,892,572.001310$75.44Moderate Buy$68.88TTMI TTM Technologies82,043$17,191,859.001910$130.01Moderate Buy$212.00SOPH SOPHiA GENETICS158,211$866,523.00188$5.76Hold$7.50MIAX Miami International299,250$12,541,449.00118$42.83Hold$51.80NXST Nexstar Media Group3,751$640,708.0088$186.79Moderate Buy$259.67CRWV CoreWeave2,479,558$247,749,083.00338$72.24Moderate Buy$139.69CXM Sprinklr324,295$1,711,168.0097$5.93Hold$7.79CBIO Crescent Biopharma68,156$1,226,126.0077$15.50Moderate Buy$29.40SAIL SailPoint490,345$7,785,111.00147$15.74Moderate Buy$20.08IONS Ionis Pharmaceuticals156,317$12,656,566.00107$54.78Moderate Buy$96.05More Calendars from MarketBeat and InsiderTrades.comToday’s Insider Trades CEO Purchases CFO Purchases COO Purchases Top Insider Buying Stocks Top Insider Selling Stocks Insider Trades Screener MarketBeat All Access
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RJ Hamster 