[Living Peace Series] Dalai Lama at University of California, Irvine

Take aways….

Real source of inner joy comes from remaining truthful and honest
Anxiety comes from fear and distrust

Okay I have no idea what he said. It was really hard to understand him.

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President Obama at the 2011 White House Correspondents’ Dinner

Notable quotes:

“Today for the first time, I am releasing my official birth video”

10:00 – Obama Rips Trump

“Where are Biggie and Tupac?”

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Casino Travel Destinations

There are two different ways that you can visit a casino. You can check online and play some apt internet casinos, or you can travel to one. There are many casinos online, a few of them are 32 Vegas, Club World Casino, Fortune Room, Cherry Casino, Party Casino, Platinum Play, Ruby Fortune, Slot O’ Cash and VIP Slots. Quite a few of these sites offer a full line of casino games, while others offer only slot games. If, however, you prefer to travel and visit a casino, you may want to check out some of these casinos located all over the world.

The first destination is Las Vegas. There is nowhere else in the world like Las Vegas, it is the capitol of glitz and glamour. Las Vegas is the home of many different casinos such as, The Bellagio, Binion’s Horseshoe Hotel and Casino, Ceasar’s Palace, Casino Royale, Golden Nugget, MGM Grand and The Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. All of which offer standard casino games like poker, blackjack games, craps and bingo. Next on our list is Les Casinos de Monte Carlo in Europe. This is the classiest casino in Europe, and players come from all over the world to experience the luxury that this casino offers.

The Venetian Macao in China opened on August 28, 2007 and is the largest single structure hotel type building in Asia. It cost $2.4 billion to build and offers 3,000 suits, 3,400 slot machines and 800 gaming tables. This casino is modeled after The Venetian in Las Vegas. The Congress Casino Baden in Vienna, Austria opened in 1934 and houses both the congress (11%) and casino (89%). they offer standard online casino games as well as host the Baden Poker Festival each year. Finally there is the casino at Sun City in Bophutatswana, South Africa. Sun City is the largest amusement facility in South Africa and the casino houses 40 gaming tables and 850 slot machines.

Casinos play a huge part in tourism no matter what country they are located in. Tourism is vital to many countries, including the ones listed above. The casinos not only bring in revenue from visitors but they also provide job opportunities to the locals who may otherwise be unemployed.

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Acura TL Commercial with Ashleigh McIvor and Calvin Johnson – UPDATE: Similar music to Teddy’s Cello from Hangover 2

More times than not, car commercials have great music. This is especially the case with luxury cars. Acura’s Calvin Johnson, NFL Football player, commercial was no exception. I can’t quite place my finger on where the cello music is from; it must be an original. But, it sounds very similar to the prelude to ‘Bach – Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major BWV1007 – Mov. 1-3/6’.

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Human Planet is REMARKABLE

If you thought Planet Earth was remarkable, you should check out Human Planet.

More reason to be thankful and appreciate life…

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The One That is Getting Away – Netflix (NFLX)

Not the best way to start off this series of “Successful Unknown Companies”, but I could not resist doing an article on Netflix (NFLX). Probably about a third of my earnings this year has come from NFLX.

This company basically took out Blockbuster.  Twenty five years of glory and now its been replaced by Netflix (thirteen years and counting). With more than twelve million subscribers, it is the world’s largest subscription service streaming movies and TV episodes. For one reason or another the stock has been going bonkers lately. I can think of a couple reasons why this might be the case. About a week ago, it raised its subscription fees a dollar per month. Furthermore it announced that it would be providing a streaming-only subscription.

Call me crazy, but that sounds like cannibalization. Online streaming will take away from DVD subscription packages. However, I believe this is the right thing to do as the world is definitely moving away from DVDs and more focus has been placed on the Web. Amazon and Hulu are a couple players already in the market. Though I’d argue Amazon’s streaming content is limited. Firms that provide streaming web content have entered into agreements with studios to provide content weeks after the release of the DVD. Evidently, studios DVD sales are declining and this is namely due to content being streamed online. If we bring this full circle, you can understand why it makes sense that the studios are limiting and delaying the release of content to streaming media providers.

In late November, NFLX gapped up approximately $10. Since then it has continued to climb hitting $200. In the last three months and six months its been up approximately $58% and 80% respectively. Since inception it has been up over 2000%. How insane is that? How is it possible that a service that simply provides streaming media and DVDs suddenly have a market value past $10.4 billion?

I’d have to say that their competitive advantage is branding. It is highly recognized across the nation. A recent survey conducted by an independent party determined that over 90% of Netflix subscribers would recommend Netflix to a friend.  Blockbuster had tried to retain its market share by providing DVDs by mail, but Netflix’s branding was far superior and eventually over took Blockbuster. This is despite the fact that Blockbuster also had brick and mortar operations across the nation.

How do you get to the point where your branding is far more superior compared to your competitors? You build that brand/reputation through providing convenience, fast delivery, and variety of selections. Since entering the Web to compete against YouTube, Amazon, and other streaming content providers, Netflix has increased its library by an estimated twenty six folds!

Sadly, like all things, I believe at some point this will come to an end. The stock will drop and the hype will drown with it. Until then it is best to ride the wave and catch as much of it as possible. Beware as this seemingly one trick pony could flip out at any moment. Still it looks like a fantastic party right now.

The writer does not own NFLX. The information provided on this site is not advice to buy, sell, hold, trade, or invest in any securities. I am not a financial professional. Do your own research before acting on any information provided on this site.

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Documentary by a Rich Person of Rich People

Jamie Johnson, the great-grandson of Robert Wood Johnson, who is the co-founder of Johnson & Johnson, explores wealth and issues of social class in America. In “Born Rich” he interviews rich heirs in their early or mid twenties. Some of them seem reasonable, but others seem jaded by their wealth. A few of them realize that happiness doesn’t come from money. They realize the gap between the top 1% and the middle class. However, Jamie gets push back from his wealthy peers. They are skeptical about the documentary he is making and family members are concerned about what the documentary can reveal. One of them even sues Jamie.

See for yourself.

If you haven’t had enough, then check out “The One Percent”, also made by Jamie Johnson. This is an inside look at how the wealthy rationalize the gap between the top one percent and bottom ninety percent.

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The Sunscreen Song – 10 Year Tribute (Everybody’s Free)

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In Between Chapter 6 (Finishing College) and Chapter 7 (Job)

I officially finished my undergraduate education about three days ago –Class of 2009. I walked out of the graduation ceremony not knowing in which direction I will be taking my next steps in my immediate life and maybe even more frightening what the future may hold for me. I work towards living for the present, but in today’s society it’s hard to not think about the future. I consider myself one of the more lucky undergraduates who managed to secure a relatively competitive job; still, I have approximately three months before that begins. What do I do to prepare myself for the next chapter in my life?

Three months to gather and direct myself in the right direction. It’s a terrifying thought. For about sixteen years, I’ve had an obligation to sign up for classes to take. After elementary school, there was middle school, then high school, and finally college. It was somewhat of a set path. School was my life and grades were a way of keeping score. Now that they are gone, I am left to carve another path. There is no designated road map and the paths are limitless. I can travel and see the world, volunteer, improve my golf swing, and anything else imaginable. I did give this some thought before I graduated, but ultimately I have settled on just enjoying what time I have before I start working. Let the chips fall where they may, I suppose.

Tiger Woods said, “The greatest thing about tomorrow is, I will be better than I am today.” I am always looking to become a better man and to change for the better. Whether that means honing my stock trading skills, my golf swing, or being more considerate and humble, it’s all part of becoming better. But, sometimes we forget what we learn and revert back to what we were like before. That’s why it’s important to revisit some of the core values we all so work to live through.

I was fortunate enough to come across a post by Tim Ferriss. In this post he embedded a video of his talk about stoicism. More specifically he talked about defining your fears instead of your goals. His five minute talk is best summed up by Mark Twain’s quote: “I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.”. The reality of most situations is that we can recover from whatever happens. Humans are extremely resilient and it’s proven by the longevity of the time we’ve spent as a species on Earth. I suppose I can say that it is better to have tried and gotten hurt then to have done nothing at all. Carpe Diem!

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Times Are Hard. How Do We Survive This Recession?

Borrowed from: Tom Peters

I am constantly asked for “strategies/’secrets’ for surviving the recession.” I try to appear wise and informed—and parade original, sophisticated thoughts. But if you want to know what’s going through my head, read the list below:

You work longer.
You work harder.
You may well work for less; and, if so, you adapt to the untoward circumstances with a smile—even if it kills you inside.
You volunteer to do more.
You always bring a good attitude to work.
You fake it if your good attitude flags.
You literally practice your “game face” in the mirror in the morning, and in the loo mid-morning.
You shrug off shit that flows downhill in your direction—buy a shovel or a “pre-worn” raincoat on eBay.
You get there earlier.
You leave later.
You forget about “the good old days”—nostalgia is for wimps.
You buck yourself up with the thought that “this too shall pass”—but then remind yourself that it might not pass anytime soon, so you re-dedicate yourself to making the absolute best of what you have now.
You eschew all forms of personal excess.
You simplify.
You sweat the details as you never have before.
You sweat the details as you never have before.
You sweat the details as you never have before.
You raise to the sky the standards of excellence by which you evaluate your own performance.
You thank others by the truckload if good things happen—and take the heat yourself if bad things happen.
You behave kindly, but you don’t sugarcoat or hide the truth—humans are startlingly resilient.
You treat small successes as if they were Superbowl victories—and celebrate and commend accordingly.
You shrug off the losses (ignoring what’s going on inside your tummy), and get back on the horse and try again.
You avoid negative people to the extent you can—pollution kills.
You eventually read the gloom-sprayers the riot act.
You learn new tricks of your trade.
You network like a demon.
You help others with their issues.
You give new meaning to the word “thoughtful.”
You redouble, re-triple your efforts to “walk in your customer’s shoes.” (Especially if the shoes smell.)
You mind your manners—and accept others’ lack of manners in the face of their strains.
You are kind to all mankind.
You leave the blame game at the office door.
You become a paragon of accountability.
And then you pray.

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