Saturday, June 27, 2020

Let's Not Oversimplify the Answers to the Virus

I watch a lot of news....ok ok....maybe a little bit too much news😝. But sometimes having a bead on the news of the week gives you a unique window into where people's minds are at. ( I should add that the liberal biased media doesn't necessarily reflect the common citizen....but that's another rant for another day...)

I wanted to talk today briefly about what i see as a rather childish reaction to the virus. 
The notion that just one simple answer is going to "stop or kill the virus" is a bit naive in my humble opinion.

I see politicians and all manner of "experts" and laymen saying loudly and with "great authority" that 
if we all "just wore masks" then we would be back in Neverland. Yes, wearing a mask does appear to slow the spread....but a mask in and of itself is not going to kill anything.

I see a lot of puffed up people looking down on folks who strut through town without a mask on....as if wearing a mask is the new great Messiah. Please children, can we think a little more comprehensively than that?

There is a lot that a person can do to "fight" the virus or as I would prefer to say... "prevent illness".

Number one, we can take care of our own health by eating healthy and consuming what is my own "personal magical " potion (lol) namely....tons of raw juices and yes, my ole fave ....raw garlic.

I also want to personally say that those who are defiant to the virus in their words and lifestyle may have something good going for them. They have a defiant attitude towards sickness. They believe in their own life and that they are not going to get sick no matter what. Who are you to disagree with a person's bold faith in their own strength and life?

Now you could say, that those defiant folks are living in denial....and you might be right. But there is a LOT to be said for people who are confident in their own life force and their ability to fight disease. The mind is a VERY POWERFUL instrument in the fight for good health. You can say all you want about petri dishes and lab grown antibiotics, but good common sense supports the notion that those who love life and enjoy life to the fullest don't usually get as sick as those who hide under a rock and wait for science to rescue them.

Oh, and just so that I don't sound too much like a self help paperback....let me say for the record, that there is a God in heaven who is very much alive and able to preserve and restore life. Those who seek God usually find Him and His assistance. Secular scientists can roll their eyes now...I'm not asking for your approval.

If you are a scientist, don't worry....you'll still keep your funding, and I might just read one of your text books or soak up one of your M.I.T videos, but I will always retain my own filters and maintain that wonderfully mystical process by which christians always wind up holding onto their faith in God, in Jesus and His love for us.

We are not alone. We are not stuck. Mankind, with God's help will find our way through this. I pray that those "therapies" and "preventative" measures which don't fit into the popular medical journals will also come to light as the powerful potions that they are.

For a long time, the fields of science in North America turned their noses down on people of faith, even though it was the Christian churches that founded the biggest Ivy League schools in  the world. If we can get over our own pomp and circumstance, we just might discover that the worlds of faith, the Bible and science are perfectly good friends and can cooperate to accomplish what will become a blessing to mankind for generations to come.

Peace, my friends, stay you...and and stay well.

Carla.


Saturday, June 6, 2020

Just by using "Preview Order" you might be Swinging the Market

Quite an intriquing book....Michael Lewis' book entitled "Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt".

I had wondered in my own life, when it was in the order of me placing a trade, that my trade would become visible to other traders on the market. According to this book, even if you don't complete the trade by hitting "enter", and simply by using the "preview order" process offered by your broker, this trade, or rather your "intention" to place a trade has already become visible to other traders. These traders then may, if they so choose, use that knowledge to bet "ahead" of your proposed trade, thereby using a process commonly called "front running".

What do you feel about these ideas? Do they may you squirm...? Or do they just confirm what you have felt has been going on in the markets for a decade?

hmmm....much to digest.

Peace,
Carla.


Friday, June 5, 2020

Berkshire Hathaway....Simple or Complex...You Decide

 Having spent much time reading and listening to much written and spoken about the brilliance of Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway holdings and investment style...I thought I'd prattle on a bit of musings.

Derek Foster, who is known in North America as "The Lazy Investor" is a great fan of Warren Buffet's investment style especially because Mr. Buffet seems to invest in companies with "simple" products..... products such as Dairy Queen softserve cones, Duracell Batteries and Kraft Ketchup.

But then again, that is only one part of the picture.

CNBC has an interesting Berkshire Hathaway portfolio tracker...
for an example...here's a recent posting update from their site :                      https://www.cnbc.com/berkshire-hathaway-portfolio/

One can see that Mr. Buffet's company also invests heavily in financial companies, banks and three major credit card companies. It also has stakes in media companies, entertainment, and a credit ratings agency.

Such a large swath of the American economy is represented by the various stakes Mr. Buffett's company holds. Many of the companies are linked in the financial markets ....either intentionally or unintentionally....I don't know.

I would encourage you, before you jump to conclusions about the legendary Mr. Buffett, that you do more reading and thinking...and then do MORE reading and more thinking.

By the way, that is what Mr. Buffett is best known for...his utmost respect for those two major occupiers of his time.....reading and thinking.

Peace,
Carla.






Thursday, June 4, 2020

That Bird's Got Her Worm

Across the way....there's a house. At the tip of the rooftop..... birds like to rest for a moment and have a lookout.

Today, that robin commanded attention at that rooftop. She was holding the prize.... a long chubby worm dangling from her beak. That worm will feed her and her young gangly spring babes.

She is right to stand proud...to be downright cocky holding her prize up high. She could have been a snap shot from a Rocky film, like Sylvestor Stallone, after a winning match, holding his fist in the air. She has won her right to fight....and win.

And so, it is  that we must push on...until we find that thing...which we will at once, or perhaps gradually realize over time....is our own worm....our own fight worth winning.

It's feeding time. It's time to lay claim of what you can do....that will produce that livelihood.

What a great word...."livelihood". It has a much better ring to it than money.

May you find your "livelihood" soon, my dear friends. Because when you recognize the worm, and do whatever it takes to dig it up and take it home to feed your babes, it has become yours. It's not just about paying the bills...it's about a delicious livelihood.

Press on, brothers and sisters, your livelihood awaits...It may already be in your sights, awaiting your target, your perseverance, your study. You are not hallucinating. You are not living in a dream world. This is real.

That which you enjoy....can really actually become your livelihood.

Peace out,
Carla.