What Is Wrong With the US Healthcare System

A wise man is strong; 

yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.

Prov 24

PragerU

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Money: These 5 Millionaires Give Financial Advice

Weeks ago I was directed to this article via Chris Hogan of Dave Ramsey fame. Mr Hogan is no longer with Ramsey, but the short article is worth a read:

by The Werk Life

Live cheaply so you can use the extra money towards other opportunities – Mark Cuban

Mark Cuban, aka the shark tank billionaire, prides himself on the fact that before his wealthy days, he was living frugally. And we’re talking real frugal, as in: living with 5 roommates and dining on mac and cheese. Cuban advises to ditch the fancy cars, the luxurious vacations, and the designer clothing. Instead, he recommends putting that money towards other opportunities. “The more you stress about your bills, the more difficult it is to focus on your goals. The cheaper you can live, the greater your options.” In other words, be as poor as you possibly can be, first.

Source: Business Insider

Start investing as soon as possible – Tony Robbins

Now, we’re also HUGE believers of this one. Start investing as soon as possible (aka you should have started yesterday). You need to give yourself time to learn and understand the basics of investing, but start now! Investing at a young age is so important because of compound interest. Compound interest is your BFF, and the sooner your start investing, the sooner that cash money can grow. Robbins advises to diversify your investment portfolio and avoid putting all your eggs in one basket. Roger that, Tony!

Source: Blinkist

Avoid using money that you don’t have, in other words: credit – Barbara Corcoran

Read the full article by TheWerkLife ---> H E R E

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

 Hebrews 11:6

These 5 Millionaires Reveal Their Advice When it Comes to Money

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Today in History: Poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's Death

A Psalm of Life

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 
(February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882)

Tell me not, in mournful numbers,
     Life is but an empty dream!—
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
     And things are not what they seem.

Life is real! Life is earnest!
     And the grave is not its goal;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
     Was not spoken of the soul.

Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
     Is our destined end or way;
But to act, that each to-morrow
     Find us farther than to-day.

Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
     And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
     Funeral marches to the grave.

In the world's broad field of battle,
     In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
     Be a hero in the strife!

Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant!
     Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act,—act in the living Present!
     Heart within, and God o'erhead!

Lives of great men all remind us
     We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
     Footprints on the sands of time;

Footprints, that perhaps another,
     Sailing o'er life's solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
     Seeing, shall take heart again.

Let us, then, be up and doing,
     With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
     Learn to labor and to wait.

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might;

 for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, 

in the grave, whither thou goest. (Ecclesiastes 9)

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

A Psalm of Life

Ars longa, vita brevis

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Ravinia Festival Returns in 2021!

I hope they bring back Pianist, Yuja Wang!!

 Dear Ravinia Patron,

It gives me great pleasure to share with all of you the news that Ravinia plans to reopen in July! While our detailed programming schedule will not be announced until late April, we wanted to share with you a little about our plans today.

The health of audiences, artists, community, and staff are very important to us.  We are taking our guidance from Northwestern Medicine, state and local government, and industry standards for outdoor activity to bring shared live-music experiences back to Ravinia this summer. All concerts at Ravinia this summer will take place outside in the open-air Pavilion, have a reduced audience capacity, and be offered only with reserved-in-advance distanced seating in the Pavilion and on the Lawn. The number of artists on stage will also be reduced, in order to allow for proper distancing between performers.
 
We are thrilled that the Chicago Symphony Orchestra will return to Ravinia, its summer home, and that Marin Alsop will lead seven concerts with the orchestra in her first season as Ravinia’s Chief Conductor and Curator.
 
While we know that this summer will look a little different, we look forward to sharing magical summer nights with you once again. Our website will be up to date with the most current details about programming and guidelines for attendance. Thank you all for your steadfast dedication to Ravinia, for your support, and for your understanding over the past year as we continue to navigate a most unusual time.
 
 
Sincerely,

Jeffrey P. Haydon
President & CEO

(A Psalm of praise.) Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.

2Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.

3Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

4Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

5For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations. ( Psalm 100 )

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LV at the Louvre Museum 2021

Louis Vuitton closes first audience-free Paris fashion week in Louvre

- by The Guardian

Catwalk setting for luxury luggage brand is in intimate Michelangelo sculpture galleries

Louis Vuitton shows its womenswear autumn/winter 20-21 in the Louvre, Paris. Photograph: Giovanni Giannoni/c/o Louis Vuitton

Jess Cartner-Morley

@JessC_M

Wed 10 Mar 2021 12.48 EST

Louis Vuitton’s Paris show closed a catwalk season which will go down in fashion history not for a trend or a hemline, but for being the first to take place entirely without live audiences. Nicolas Ghesquière, along with most other designers, hopes it will also be the last.

The creative director said he stuck to filming a traditional catwalk format, instead of attempting a narrative movie, because “I wanted to do a pure fashion moment. We had everything except the audience. I miss you all.” In a zoom call after the show, he added: “Paris is a wonderful city but without visitors, it is not the same.”

Louis Vuitton’s womenswear autumn/winter 21/22 collection. Photograph: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty

Louis Vuitton, which began as a luggage brand and is steeped in the glamour of jet-set travel, has a vested interest in the reopening of international borders. But the ban on audience did have a silver lining for Ghesquière, who has the luxury of staging his catwalk in the Louvre each season, Louis Vuitton being one of the museum’s most generous donors. Without guests to accommodate, he was upgraded from a temporary marquee to the more intimate setting of the Michelangelo sculpture galleries. “In December I went to the Louvre and they showed me three locations, including this beautiful gallery which is usually too small to do a show and which will be under restoration for the next two years. I thought, OK, I can do something special.”

The film fitted the mood music of the week, which has been of a fashion industry confident that it is about to reap the benefits of a year of pent-up energy. The show opened with a hoodie – but in lemon organza, the hood embroidered with a crown of sequins, worn over a tulle skirt in sky blue. There was slick leather, sharp tailoring and even a drop-waisted, roaring 20s flapper-silhouette dress in silver.

Daft Punk, for whom Ghesquière designed stagewear while designing at Balenciaga a decade ago, agreed to curate a new soundtrack out of live versions of their music. “I wanted something that would bring a jolt of energy to an audience watching at home,” Ghesquière said. “Everyone in the studio, from the older team members to the young assistants, has great memories of listening to their music.”

After the soundtrack was finalised, Daft Punk announced they were splitting up, “which makes it feel even more of a gift to have worked with them,” said Ghesquière. “To me, they are great French artists.”

pc: RCEscobar, 2016

A year in which loungewear has become a new normal poses a challenge to Ghesquière, who brought sneakers, bright colours and technical fabrics into fashion as a way to shake up the catwalk. Now that sportswear has gone from edgy to oversaturated, where can he go next? “If there is a positive to come out of this year, it is that comfort is not a bad word,” he said. “Comfort is not something we associate with beautiful fashion, but now my clothes are padded and soft as well as being highly decorative. There has always been an idea of armour in fashion – but now that we are wearing masks in real life, the role of fashion is different. It is about feeling well, feeling protected.”

With Europe still under lockdown, the brand is focused on resurgent markets in Asia. “China is an amazing place for a designer, because the market there is extremely demanding of newness and high fashion,” said Ghesquière, adding that while the size of the Chinese market is well-known, “what people don’t always understand is how sophisticated the Chinese consumer is.”

Louis Vuitton 2021

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)

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Richard Mille Luxury Watches, Part 2

Mr Stallone owns at least 4 of these super-expensive RM watches. He put them up for auction recently with amazing results.

pc: Quill & Pad

But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. (Luke 12)

Auction: Prices, 4 RM Watches 

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Crossing A Rubicon

According to Suetonius, Caesar uttered the famous phrase alea iacta est ("the die is cast"). The phrase "crossing the Rubicon" has survived to refer to any individual or group committing itself irrevocably to a risky or revolutionary course of action, similar to the modern phrase "passing the point of no return." Caesar's decision for swift action forced Pompey, the consuls and a large part of the Roman Senate to flee Rome in fear. Caesar's subsequent victory in Caesar's civil war ensured that punishment for the infraction would never be rendered. This took place during the time of the Roman Republic. - Wikipedia

From an email concerning Money Management (which deserves its own separate post, but the phrase is explained within its context):

We were broke!

How could this be possible? We weren't living extravagantly (at least it didn't seem that way). But, numbers don't lie.

I realized that we needed to do something - and do it quickly - if we were to avoid disaster.

Larry and I discussed our situation. We were out of time - out of money - and out of options.

We were heartbroken and we felt like failures.

That day, we vowed that we would learn how to handle money, figure out how to budget, and live within our means.

We had crossed our Rubicon.

If you've never heard that phrase, it refers to a day in 49 BC.

Julius Caesar was making the Senate in Rome mighty nervous. He had been sent to keep order in a a far off post of the Empire. Julius had apparently been quite popular and had amassed a collection of soldiers, dedicated to serving him (and not necessarily Rome).

The Senate quickly called Julius back to home base. He was told not to cross the Rubicon River with his new band of fighting warriors in tact. He had a choice to make. Would he follow the directives of Rome or cross the river, thus beginning a war with the Senate (and the mightiest empire on the face of the earth)?

He chose to cross the river - with his men.

Thus, to this day, making a decision from which you will not retreat is referred to as, "Crossing your Rubicon".

from Hope, Under the Median

What's my most recent Rubicon or point of no return?  I am committed to moving forward in Life; and lessening my dependence, longing, or bondage to the Past. Too much time and energy looking back  has brought me nothing but tears, anger, malice and guilt, sigh  😕😢😒 

God help me!

 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Philippians 4

Gaius Julius Caesar 

Ides of March

Under the Median

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