The Barron Blog

Sunday, 13 September 2009

Remembering The Financial Crisis Of 2008
Mood: irritated

Like most people in North America last year, I took a cold shower on the stock market. As the crisis unfolded in 2008, I wrote many blogs on the situation. These are on the right side of the page under the link heading: "Investing For the Future".
The whole financial crisis began to unravel when Lehman Brothers declared bankruptcy. Stockmarkets of world then crashed and bottomed out in early March of this year. There was much said about bank CEOs and their large bonuses for crashing the world's banking system through toxic products like subprime mortgages. Even today, some people are still scratching their head about the financial system and what bankers can get away with.
All through this crisis, Canadian banks were good examples of how banks should act.
Since January/2009, my Canadian Index mutual fund has increased 25%. While unemployment remains high, housing in Canada has rebounded nicely.
It still looks like the G20 has to create stronger regulations for international banking and investing.
I'd like to wish everyone who reads my blog all the best in their investing activities including buying and renovating a house.

Posted by qualteam at 10:08 PM EDT

Updated: Sunday, 13 September 2009 10:51 PM EDT

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Wednesday, 9 September 2009

The Original Star Trek Pilot, The Cage
Mood: a-ok

This was the first time, I've seen, The Cage, and I wasn't disappointed.
The remastered version included better colours and special effects, however that isn't what makes this episode good science fiction.
Basically, it's an alien abduction story that has a controversial anti-traditional Christian theme in it.
The aliens(i.e Talosians) want to build a new world using Enterprise Captain, Chris Pike (Jeffery Hunter) as a "New Adam" in their dying world. They already have a "New Eve".
The Talosians are capable of producing strong delusions in humans. In attempting to control Pike, they send him to hell for thinking wrong thoughts. They also manipulate him by sending him to places that he's been yearning for. Needless to say, Captain Pike fights the mind control while Number One, Majel Barrett (Mrs Roddenberry) assists him in finding a solution to his entrapment.
It's interesting that Jeffery Hunter once played Jesus Christ in "King of Kings". The battle to separate truth from powerful lies can happen not only on Earth, but anywhere in the universe.
Alien abduction and mind control are powerful themes in today's world relating to the study of UFOs and aliens. The Cage is a realistic example of this phenomena. Back in the 1960s, this subject matter stepped on too many toes. Four Stars.

Posted by qualteam at 12:19 AM EDT

Updated: Wednesday, 9 September 2009 9:59 PM EDT

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Sunday, 6 September 2009

Best Poker Show Of The Year: "Poker After Dark"

My choice for the best TV poker show is Poker After Dark. Unlike other cash games like "Poker Den" and "High Stakes Poker". The game has a winner take all prize of $120,000. Six players contribute $20,000 each to create that prize. This is a pocket-money-game compared to other cash games where players have lost over $500,000 in one hand.
Because of its friendly stakes, the atmosphere in Poker After Dark is often relaxed and comical. All the players have mikes and the repartee can be easily heard or bleeped over the commentator's voice. Entertaining characters like Phil Hellmuth and Daniel Negreanu have made their unique contributions.
One special moment for me was Mike (The Mouth) Matusow's first win after eight tries in PAK. With a short stack, he fought tenaciously to win this prestigious tournament.
I play a cash game with friends once of week and we're not playing beyond our limits. The company is as much fun as the poker.

Posted by qualteam at 12:50 PM EDT

Updated: Sunday, 6 September 2009 1:17 PM EDT

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Wednesday, 2 September 2009

Heaven, Purgatory, Hell: Where Are They And What Are They?

Concepts of Heaven, Hell and Purgatory (i.e. all other places) didn't start with bibical writers and end with medieval artists. Fundamentalists might strongly disagree with that statement.
I feel that divine inspiration or inspiration period wasn't solely located between 5000 BC and 500 AD. My "Spiritual GPS" points to the 20th and 21st century for divine visions. Not from traditional theology, but from sci/fi writers and new age thinkers.
The best vision of Hell that I've seen was a Twilight Zone episode called "A Nice Place To Visit". A close second would be "The Q Continuum" where immortality can be a real drag. Other personal hells would include "The Land Of The Sith Lords", "Voldemort's Domain", and "The Afterlife Where Dreams May Come True".
My own personal vision of Hell can be found at www.hellfun.com.
I've also have my own visions of Heaven and Purgatory. They can be discovered under the right side links called "Cosmic Views Of The Universe".
Within most of us is an intense desire to know more than the human condition on Planet Earth. "Seek and ye shall find".

Posted by qualteam at 9:32 PM EDT

Updated: Wednesday, 2 September 2009 11:48 PM EDT

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Sunday, 30 August 2009

Ted Kennedy Remembered

Ted Kennedy was proud to a "Liberal" in a nation that looked down on liberals. They were often called socialists and worse by Republicans.
When most Americans supported the war in Iraq, he didn't.
Throughout his 47 years as a senator he supported the underdogs in the U.S. like the poor, the sick, the disabled, children and immigrants.
From the eulogies of his sons Ted Jr. and Partick, he was a role model and a loving father.
President Obama admired Ted for the personal concern that he showed to him when he became a senator. He also talked about the letters that Ted wrote to the families of the victums of 9/11.
Personally, I remember him giving the eulogy for his brother Bob in 1968. The words he used could be applied to Senator Kennedy today:
"My brother need not be idealized, or enlarged in death beyond what he was in life, to be remembered simply as a good and decent man, who saw wrong and tried to right it, saw suffering and tried to heal it, saw war and tried to stop it. Those of us who loved him and who take him to his rest today, pray that what he was to us and what he wished for others will some day come to pass for all the world. As he said many times, in many parts of this nation, to those he touched and who sought to touch him:"
"Some men see things as they are and say why.
I dream things that never were and say why not."

Posted by qualteam at 4:39 PM EDT

Updated: Sunday, 30 August 2009 4:44 PM EDT

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Friday, 28 August 2009

We're Lucky It's 2009 Rather Than 1909
Mood: special

THE YEAR 1909
This may boggle your mind! The year is 1909. One hundred years ago. What a difference a century makes! Here are some statistics for the Year 1909 :
The average life expectancy was 47 years.
Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub.
Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
There were only 8,000 cars and only 144 miles of paved roads.
The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
The tallest structure in the world was the   Eiffel Tower!
The average wage in 1909 was 22 cents per hour.
The average worker made between $200 and $400 per year
A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, A dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.
More than 95 percent of all births took place at HOME .
Ninety percent of all doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION! Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press AND the government as 'substandard. '
Sugar cost four cents a pound. Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen. Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.
Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into our country for any reason.
Five leading causes of death were: 1. Pneumonia and influenza 2. Tuberculosis 3. Diarrhea 4. Heart disease 5. Stroke
Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea hadn't been invented yet. There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day. Two out of every 10 adults couldn't read or write. Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school. Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores. Back then pharmacists said, 'Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health.
I prefer early 21st century to early 20th century any day. We are truly fortunate and blessed.

Posted by qualteam at 5:46 PM EDT

Updated: Friday, 28 August 2009 5:54 PM EDT

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Wednesday, 26 August 2009

My First Beach Boys Concert: Aug/19/09

I've seen many concerts in my lifetime and the Beach Boys performance at Casino Rama ranks up there with an Eagles concert in 1998 and a Roy Orbison concert in 1985.
It is hard to believe that the Beach Boys sound of 2009 is produced without the aid of Carl, Dennis or Brian Wilson. Most of the credit goes to Mike Love who now has ownership over the group's name "Beach Boys".
Like McCartney and Lennon, there was a falling out of Mike Love and Brian Wilson over musical directions in the late 1960s. Mike Love continued on "The Beach Boys Greatest Hits Bandwagon" while Brian Wilson formed his own band in the 1990's to promote "Pet Sounds" and other highly original creative works.
While Brian Wilson is a songwriting genius, his singing (I listened to him on YouTube) leaves something to be desired. In the meantime, the Beach Boys sound was recreated with high fidelity at the Casino Rama concert. Four stars!

Posted by qualteam at 10:27 PM EDT

Updated: Thursday, 27 August 2009 8:40 AM EDT

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Monday, 24 August 2009

Last Week Was A Busy Week
Mood: energetic

After seeing the Beach Boys on Aug/19/09, my wife and I drove to Nottawa, Ontario (near Collingwood) to pick up our nephew, Clarence Noseworthy, his wife, Renee and their kids, Michael and Olivia. They are pictured above.
The Noseworthy family is from Newfoundland and they only had a few days to see some of the hot spots in Ontario.
The first one was "The African Lion Safari" between Hamilton and Cambridge. There wasn't as many animals here as in The Toronto Zoo, but the bamboons were a delight when they jumped and hung on to the cars and the bus we were riding in. It was a hoot when a monkey crapped on the roof of an SUV.
Marineland in Niagara Falls was entertaining as always. The Dophins did their jumping routines with precision, The Killer Whales splashed the spectators with gusto and the Beluga Whales poised for pictures with the kiddies.
Anyone going to these places should get discount coupons first because the prices were not cheap even for the children.
After Marineland, Clarence and his family went on "The Maid of the Mist" which gave them the closest view of the Falls. My wife and I had been on The Maid of the Mist during our honeymoon. It definitely was very exciting looking at and feeling the water from the nearest point to the Falls. We didn't go with them, instead, we went to the Casino where we both broke even.
Next day, I took Michael and Olivia to a recreational center in Brampton. While I worked out in the gym, they entertained themselves in "The Kid's Zone" where they worked out with Wii games and small gym equipment. Apparently, there're no kid's recreational zones in Newfoundland.
The week was capped off with a reunion of Noseworthy cousins, aunts and uncles in Bradford Ontario. We played cards, sung country songs and chit chatted together.
Today, I got Clarence's family to the airport on time. Hurricane Bill died down before they arrived in St. John's, so everyone was safe and sound.

Posted by qualteam at 3:41 PM EDT

Updated: Tuesday, 25 August 2009 12:43 AM EDT

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Sunday, 16 August 2009

Poker Addiction???

Last year, I made $250 playing online poker. This year, despite the fact that I've played more games and I'm a better player, I've only managed to break even.
Why is that? Well, other players improve their games too. It's more competitive now. That's part of the challenge and fun.
However, you can waste too much time playing this game. 10 hours a day is not uncommon. Poker games can run close to two hours.
Poker is exciting and interesting and no two games are alike.
I'm not a poker addict, but it was taking up too much of my time.
I've decided to limit myself to two games a day and a third one if I win one of the two (That's a reward for lucky/good playing). I don't usually play for more than a dollar a game. Know your limit and play within it.
Either the game controls you or you control the game.

Posted by qualteam at 1:18 PM EDT

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Friday, 14 August 2009

Les Paul: The First And Best Guitar Hero

During the 1960s, I learned songs like "Wipeout", "Dance To The Guitar Man" and "Apache" for the guitar. During the late 50s and early 60s, guitar instrumentals were very popular and some songs like those above reached the top ten.
Without a doubt, Les Paul popularized the guitar as a solo instrument. It's interesting how he lays multi guitar tracks into a performance he does with a drummer in the youtube video above.
For a short while, I played like a guitar hero in the 60s, but basically, I wanted to be a singer and my dreams were realized in karaoke bars. I even won a few singing contests.
Chet Atkins, Duane Eddy, Chuck Berry, and Les Paul were the best of the 50s guitarists. Les Paul ranks as the best because he was an inventor who created the first solid state electric guitar along with multiple music tracks.
"Tiger Rag" is my favourite Les Paul and Mary Ford song. You can listen to it on this website.

Posted by qualteam at 11:33 PM EDT

Updated: Saturday, 15 August 2009 4:46 PM EDT

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