This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Narrated by Sean McKinley. God's Troubadour. The Story of St. Francis of Assisi by Sophie Jewett. CHAPTER XIV. THE CHRISTMAS AT GRETCHIO The beautiful mother is bending low where her baby lies, helpless and frail for her tending, but she knows the glorious eyes. The mother smiles and rejoices while the baby laughs in the hay. She listens to heavenly voices. The child shall be king one day. O dear little Christ in the manger, let me make merry with thee, O king in my hour of danger, wilt thou be strong for me? Adapted from the Latin of Jacopone d'Ato di in the thirteenth century. One night in December, a few years after his return from the east, Brother Francis, with one companion, was walking through the beautiful valley of the Vellino River toward Riedi, a little city where he came often on his way from Assisi to Rome. Tonight he had turned somewhat aside from the main road, for he wished to spend Christmas with his friend Sir John of Gretcio. Gretcio is a tiny village lying where the foothills begin on the western side of the valley. The very feet of Brother Francis knew the road so well that he could have walked safely in the darkness, but it was not dark. The full moon floated over the valley, making the narrow river and the sharp outlines of the snow-covered mountains shine like silver. The plain and the lower hills were pastureland, and, not far from the road, on a grassy slope, the brothers saw the red glow of an almost-spent shepherd's fire. Let us stop and visit our brothers, the shepherds, said Francis, and they turned toward the fading fire. There was no sense of winter in the air, scarcely a touch of frost, and the only snow was that on the silver peaks against the sky. The shepherds, three men and one boy, lay sleeping soundly on the bare ground, with their sheepskin coats drawn closely around them. All about them the sheep were sleeping too, but the solemn white sheep-dogs were wide awake. If a stranger's foot had trod the grass never so softly, every dog would have barked, and every shepherd would have been on his feet in an instant. But the dogs trotted silently up to the gray brothers, and rubbed against them, as if they said, We are glad to see you again. For they knew the friendly feet of the little poor man, and they had more than once helped him to eat the bread that was his only dinner. Followed by the dogs, Francis walked about among the shepherds, but they slept on, as only men who live out of doors can sleep, and Francis could not find it in his heart to awaken them. The sheep lay huddled together in groups for more warmth. Around one small square of grass a net was stretched, and inside it were the mother's sheep who had little lambs. There was no sound except the faint cry, now and then of a baby lamb. The coals over which the shepherds had cooked their supper, paled from dull red to gray, and there was only a thin column of smoke, white in the moonlight. Francis sat down on a stone, and the largest of the white dogs pressed up against his knee. Another went dutifully back to his post beside the fold where the mothers and babies slept. The Italian hillside seemed to Francis to change to that of Bethlehem, which he had seen perhaps on his eastern journey. The clear December night seemed like that of the first Christmas Eve. How the shepherds sleep, he thought. How they would awaken if they heard the peace on earth of the angel's song. Then he remembered, sadly, how the armies that called themselves Christians had year after year battled with the Saracens over the cradle and the tomb of the Prince of Peace. The moonlight grew misty about him. The silver heights of the mountains and the silver line of the river faded, for the eyes of brother Francis were full of tears. As the two brothers went on their way, Francis grew light of heart again. The sight of the shepherds sleeping on the grass had given him a new idea, and he was planning a surprise for his friends at Gretcio. For at Gretcio all were his friends, from Sir John, his host, down to the babies in the street. In the valley of Rietti he was almost as well known and as dearly loved as in his own valley of Assisi. The children of Gretcio had never heard of Christmas trees, nor perhaps of Christmas presents. I am not sure that in the 13th century Italians had the beautiful custom which they now have of giving presents at 12th night in memory of the coming of the three kings with their gifts to the Christ child. But in the 13th century, even as now, Christmas was the happiest festival of the year. This year all the folk of Gretcio, big and little, were happier than usual because their beloved brother Francis was to help them keep their Christmas tide. Next day Francis confided his plan to his friend Sir John, who promised that all should be ready on Christmas Eve. On the day before Christmas the people came from all the country around to see and hear brother Francis. Men, women and children dressed in their holiday clothes, walking, riding on donkeys, crowding into little carts drawn by great white oxen from everywhere and in every fashion the country folk came toward Gretcio. Many came from far away and the early winter darkness fell long before they could reach the town. The light of their torches might be seen on the open road and the sound of their singing reached the gates of Gretcio before them. That night the little town was almost as crowded as was Bethlehem on the eve of the first Christmas. The crowds were poor folk, for the most part peasants from the fields, charcoal burners from the mountains, shepherds in their sheepskin coats and trousers made with a wool outside so that the wearers looked like strange, two-legged animals. The four shepherds who had slept so soundly a few nights before were of the company, but they knew nothing of their midnight visitors. The white dogs knew, but they could keep a secret. The shepherds were almost as quiet as their dogs. They always talked and sang less than other people, having grown used to long silences among their sheep. Gathered at last into the square before the church by the light of the flaring torches, for the moon would rise late, the people saw with wonder and delight the surprise which Brother Francis and Sir John had prepared for them. They looked into a real stable.  It looked as sweet and innocent as a Christ child himself. The people shouted with delight, they clapped their hands and waved their torches. Then there was a silence, for Brother Francis stood before them and the voice they loved so well and had come so far to hear began to read the old story of the birth of the child Jesus, of the shepherds in the fields, and of the angels' song. When the reading was ended, Brother Francis talked to them as a father might speak to his children. He told of the love that is gentle as a child, that is willing to be poor and humble as the baby who was laid in a manger among the cattle. He begged his listeners to put anger and hatred and envy out of their hearts this Christmas Eve, and to think only thoughts of peace and goodwill. All listened eagerly while Brother Francis spoke, but the moment he finished, the great crowd broke into singing. From the church tower the bells rang loud, the torches waved wildly, while voices here and there shouted for Brother Francis and for the blessed little Christ. Never before had such glorious hymns nor such joyous shouting been heard in the town of Gretcio. Only the mothers with babies in their arms and the shepherds in their wooly coats looked on silently and thought, we are in Bethlehem. Chapter 15 La Verna The story of the troubadour is almost finished.  Now that the brotherhood had grown so large, many of its members were forgetting the teaching of their leader. Instead of serving Lady Poverty they were serving Lady Wealth or Lady Pride or Lady Fame, and they were little poor men only on the outside. In their coarse grey robes and their unshod feet. This change in his brother's well-nigh broke the heart of Francis of Assisi. He remembered the first winter in the hovel at Rivo Torto, when, in spite of cold and want, the little company had been so happy and so united. He remembered the joy with which they had built the huts in the plain, and had planted at their tiny gardens. It seemed to him that his children were scattered far and wide over the world, that they were no longer simple servants of all who needed help, but that each was striving for his own comfort and his own gain. There came back to him an old dream. He had dreamed of a little black hen, who had so many chickens that she could not gather them all under her wings. Some would be left out to die of cold or to be stolen by the fox. Even in his grief, Francis smiled over his dream. I am the little hen, he thought, and I cannot any longer shelter my brood. Besides his sorrow, Francis had much illness and pain to bear. His body, brother Ass, as he sometimes called it, was worn and weak, but his heart was brave and his heart was always sweet. In those days, sick people could not have the help and comfort that doctors and nurses have learned to give. There was no ether nor chloroform to put a patient out of pain, and surgery was horribly cruel. Once, when Francis was exceedingly ill, the doctors decided that they must burn his forehead with a hot iron. As the surgeon came with a terrible rod, heeded till it looked white and quivering. Francis shrank away fearfully for a minute. Then he lifted his hand and said cheerily, Brother Fire, thou art one of the most beautiful of all things, help me in this hour. Thou knowest how I have always loved thee. Be courteous to me to-day. The brothers, unable to bear the sight, had gone to the next room. A moment later they came back and Francis smiling on them said, Why did you run away in such a cowardly fashion? I have not felt the pain. He added, Brother Doctor, if it is necessary, you may begin again. One great joy remained to Francis almost until the end, the joy of being out of doors. His love for a life under the sky, his love for birds and flowers, for long journeys through the river valleys or among the high mountains never left him. One mountain he loved best of all. It is called La Verna, and it stands wild and beautiful among the Tuscan Apennines. A certain Count Orlando, to whom all the region belonged, had once heard Brother Francis preach, and had said to him, I have a mountain in Tuscany. It is a silent and lonely place where one might rest and think and pray. If you would like it, I will gladly give it to you and to your brothers. The old story says that Brother Francis was greatly pleased by this gift of the mountain. He thanked First God and then Messer Orlando, and he promised that when he should return to the Portiuncula he would send some of the brothers to Messer Orlando at his castle of Chiusi. This castle stood and its ruthless wall still stand where the road begins to climb to La Verna. So it happened that when Count Orlando went home he was visited by two gray brothers from Assisi come to see if, in the forest of La Verna, they might find a fit place for Brother Francis. Count Orlando received the two brothers with the greatest joy and friendliness, and because the mountain was filled with wild beasts he sent armed men to escort the strangers.  Here, they said, is the right spot. Let us build huts for ourselves and for our brothers. The soldiers of Count Orlando began to cut down great branches from the fir trees and beaches, and with these they helped the brothers to make rude shelters. Then startled eyes looked out from the green shadows, and soft feet rustled away over the fallen leaves. And a thousand pair of wings made a whirring sound, for all the wild things of La Verna were disturbed by the loud voices and the ringing axes of Count Orlando's soldiers, and Brother Francis was not there to understand and comfort them. When the green, sweet-smelling huts were finished, the two brothers, with their guard of soldiers, went back to the castle of Chiusi to thank Count Orlando for his gift. Then they journeyed down to the plain of Assisi and reported to Brother Francis that the Tuscan Mountain was the fittest place in the world in which to think and pray. Brother Francis rejoiced at the account of the two brothers, and he thought it good that a company of the poor men should keep at La Verna the feast of St. Michael and all angels, which comes at the end of September. He started out bravely on foot, as of old, but during the long, rough journey he became so weak that the brothers were forced to ask help of a peasant who was riding upon an ass. The peasant gave his beast to the sick man and walked beside him all the way until they reached the sheer gray crags below the little huts that Count Orlando's soldiers had built. Here they rested under an oak tree before making the steep climb. Brother Francis sat looking about the place of which he had heard so much. And, says the story, as he was looking and thinking there came great flocks of birds from every direction, singing and beating their wings, and they showed signs of joy and welcome. They circled around Francis so that some perched on his head, some on his shoulders, on his arms, in his lap, and even on his feet. His companions and the peasant saw them with wonder, but Francis said all happy of heart. I believe, dearest brothers, that our Lord Jesus Christ is pleased that we are to live in this lonely mountain since our sisters and brothers, the birds, show such joy at our coming. The little company lived for some weeks on the mountain. Apart from the others that he might be more alone, Francis had a tiny hut, and here he spent much time in prayer. Only Brother Leone was allowed to come to him before dawn each day bringing his scant food. His only other comrade was a falcon whose shrill cry used to wake him long before light, but sometimes when brother Francis, worn and ill, lay sleeping, brother falcon, like a person discreet and pitiful, would be silent until later in the morning. The forest was full of singing birds, but sweeter music than theirs sounded sometimes in the ears of the little poor man, who, growing weaker and weaker in body, fixed his mind more and more on the glory and the joy of the heavenly life. Once, as he thought on these things, longing to know what heaven might be like, he saw before him a most beautiful angel with a veal in his left hand and a bow in his right. As Francis gazed, wondering, the angel touched the strings with the bow, and so soft a melody was heard that the spirit of Francis was filled with sweetness, and he forgot all his pain of body and mind. One morning, in the house before sunrise, Francis was kneeling in prayer not far from his hut, when a light shone in the heaven above him, and came nearer and nearer, and behold, it was a seraph with six wings shining and aflame. As a seraph came nearer in swift flight, he seemed to Francis like the figure of a man crucified. Two wings were lifted above his head, and two outstretched in flight, and two were folded down, covering all his body, and Francis was filled with fear, and yet with great joy. Then all the mountain of Laverna seemed to burn with the rosiest flame, the flame shone out and lighted all the hills and valleys far away, as if it were the red light of dawn. The shepherds watching their flocks were frightened to see the mountain all ablaze, and afterward they declared that the flame had lasted on Laverna for an hour and more. The light shone even into the windows of the low houses and little ends in the country round about, so that some mule-drivers who were sleeping at an inn not far away to the west rose and saddled and loaded their mules, thinking that it was day. As they went on their journey they were astonished to see the beautiful light fade away over Laverna, and, after an hour of darkness, the real sun rise. If the shepherds on the hills and the mule-tears going sleepily along the road wondered and feared because of the great light that was not dawn, the brothers on Laverna wondered still more. But brother Francis knew what the vision meant. Often in these last years his life had seemed a failure, and sometimes he had envied the martyrs of the early church, and even his own brothers who had given their lives for the faith in Africa and in Spain. Now the vision of pain and glory seemed to say to him, Be content, little or man, for not by the martyrdom of thy body, but by the fire of thy spirit, thou art made like to thy master Christ, and the brothers who wrote down the story tell how, from that wonderful hour upon the mountain, their beloved leader bore on his hands and on his feet marks like the nail-prints of the crucified. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Almost the first we know of St. Francis of Assisi is the story of the sweet-voiced lad who liked to sing gay songs of love and war. Almost the last that we know of him is the more beautiful story of the song which he made and sang only a little while before he died. He had been terribly ill, he was weak and sad, and in great pain. But one morning his friends heard the wonderful voice strong and clear as of old, singing words that they had never known. He had often sung the sweet old Latin hymns. But these words were Italian, and so simple that it seemed as if the singer had made them as he sang, and so he did. The weary suffering man was still at heart the troubadour. He was still, as he used to call himself, the lark. And, like the lark, he sang for sheer happiness and praise. It is not easy to put the quaint old Italian into English. The beauty and the music seemed to disappear. The last song of God's troubadour, the song that cheered his hours of pain and comforted the friends who loved him, was a song of the son. O Lord, we praise thee for our brother son, who brings us day, who brings us golden light. He tells us of thy beauty, Holy One. We praise thee, too, when falls the quiet night, for sister moon and every silver star that thou hast set in heaven, clear and far. For our brave brother wind we give thee praise, for clouds and stormy skies, for gentle air. And for our sister water, cool and fair, who does service in sweet humble ways, but when the winter darkens bitter cold, we praise thee every night and all day long. For our good friend so merry and so bold, dear brother fire beautiful and strong. For our good mother earth we praise thee, Lord. For the bright flowers she scatters everywhere. For all the fruit in gray in her fields afford, for her great beauty and her tireless care. It was through this song of the son that the last great joy of his life came to Francis.  Bishop Guido must have been an old man now, but he was, as always, impulsive and hot-tempered. He had kept a certain love for Francis all these years, but with most of his neighbors he was often at odds. Just now a sharp feud was going on between the bishop and the governor of the city, and all of Assisi was in Tulmult. Francis loved his native town, and he loved peace and his heart, and this quarrel meant to him the deepest sorrow. His days were full of suffering, but he forgot himself, and only prayed that he might make peace before he died. One day he called a brother to him and said, Go to the governor and beg him to come with all the chief men of the city to the porch before the bishop's palace. The governor came at this request from dying Francis, and when the bishop stepped out at his palace door he found himself in a gathering of the very men with whom he was at strife. Just at that moment two gray brothers came forward before the two proud enemies and one said, My lords, brother Francis has made a song for the praise of God and he begs you will all listen to it, and they began to sing the song of John. They sang the praise of sun and moon, of wind and fire, of sister water and mother earth, and then their voices rose higher and sweeter in a new stanza that Francis and his longing for peace had added. We praise thee, Lord, for gentle souls who live in love and peace, who bear with no complaint all wounds and wrongs, who pity and forgive each one of these most high shall be thy saint. The old story tells that the governor listened standing humbly, weeping hot tears, for he greatly loved the blessed Francis. When the song was finished, no in truth he said, that I pardon the lord bishop whom I wish and ought to regard as my lord, for even if someone had murdered my brother I should be ready to forgive the murderer. After these words he threw himself at the feet of the bishop and said to him, Behold me, ready to do all that you wish, for love of our lord Jesus Christ and for his servant Francis. Then the bishop, taking him by the hand, lifted him and said, In my calling I ought to be humble, but since I am by nature too quickly angry you must pardon me. A few days later brother Francis was carried out from the bishop's palace and borne tenderly down the familiar road toward the Porti Unkila. At the leper hospital he asked his bearers to halt, and he looked back with dim eyes, lovingly, and lifting his feeble hand he blessed Assisi. Then the gray procession entered the forest and passed softly through the fallen leaves to the poor huts and the bright garden which had been the dearest home of the brotherhood. And here the troubadour, the little poor man, died, happy and high hearted, singing praise at the last for the welcome coming of our sister death. In Umbria Under a roof of twisted boughs and silver leaves and dune-day sky, among gaunt trunks where lizards howse, on the hot sun-burned grass I lie, I hear soft notes of birds that drowse and steps that echo by, unseen along the sunken way, that drops below the city wall, not of today nor yesterday the hidden holy feet that fall. O whispering leaves beseech them to stay, O birds, awake and call! Say that a pilgrim, journeying long, from that loud land that lies to west, where tongue's debate of right and wrong, would be the little poor man's guest, would learn the lark's divine sun-song, and how glad hearts are blessed. Say, Master, we are of overseas, confess that oft our hearts are set on gold and gain, and if, with these, for lore of books we strive and fret, perchance some lore of bended knees and sainthood we forget. Still, in one thought our lips are bold, that in our world of haste and care, through days whose hours are bought and sold, days full of deeds and scant of prayer, of thy life's gospel this we hold, the hands at toil are fair. Therefore forgive a soil each stain, of trade and hate, of war and wrath, teach us thy tenderness for pain, thy music that no other hath, thy fellowship with sun and rain, and flowers along thy path. Thou dost not answer down the track, where now I thought my feet must pass. With patient step and burden back, go brother ox, and brother ass, a mountain cloud looms swift and black, or shadowing stone and grass. The silver leaves are turned to gray, there comes no sound from hedge nor tree, only a voice from far away, born o'er the distant hills to me in treats, be light of heart to-day, to-morrow joy shall be. The glad of heart no hope betrays, since mother earth and sister death are good to know and sweet to praise. I hear not all the far voices sayeth, of love that trod green ombrian ways, and streets of Nazareth. End of Chapter 16 The Troubadour's Last Song End of God's Troubadour The Story of St. Francis of Assisi by Sophie Jewett


Interesting. What's up? Money gigs. Mr. V here. Welcome to another video, guys. So into this video, I want us to talk about Coastal Deer account with the light of everything that's been happening in the market with GameStop and AMC with the shirt squeezes going on. A lot of people have been talking about the stock market. I've seen even no grandparents that didn't even know anything about the stock market talking about GameStop and AMC, which is, in my opinion, crazy, but exciting. And one of the things that I've seen is a lot of younger people are starting to reach out to me in asking questions about investing in the stock market, how they can get involved. So that's why I wanted to make sure that I do a video like this to really kind of give you guys some context because it's exciting. Everything that's happening is really opening the eyes of many people to see that is opportunities out there. The stock market is one of those places where you can also continue to build wealth and not just focus on building wealth through working, but putting your money to work once you earn it. So I love seeing that younger people are really looking to get involved. But that said, there are some limitations. If you are under 18, you cannot just go out and open an account. Again, it's because under 18, you are considered a minor and require an adult to kind of help you through the process. Again, the whole premise here is that you would not mature enough to make certain financial decisions. That's why before we actually jumped into custodial accounts that I think are right now the best, I want to give you guys a little bit of background and give you guys some information that I think is useful. Again, just to help you through the process. First, what is a custodial account? That's probably the question. So a custodial account is a financial account held in the name of a minor, usually by a parent, a legal guardian, or another relative.  As soon as that child turns rightful age, they have full ownership of the account and you have to hand over the account to them. So that's pretty much what that does. Again, some key takeaways that I want you to be aware of is that custodial accounts, again, you hold the account on behalf of your minor until they reach that age. And when they reach the age, it's your obligation to transfer that money to the minor. So the other thing I want you to be aware of the fact that the money that you put into the account for your child or for the minor is an irrevocable gift. So if you put money in there, you cannot go back and say, I changed my mind. I want to withdraw the money and put it in my pocket. The other thing that you need to be aware of is the fact that there is an age at which you have to transfer that money to your minor or to at that point, your adult kid. So if they turn the rightful age, depending on the state that you live in, sometimes between the ages of 18 and 25, you should turn over the account to them and they have full control over. You cannot determine what they do with that money.  But again, they have full control over it.  When should you transfer the account when the child turns the rightful age, which varies by state ages between 18 and 25? That's when she transfer it. So who can contribute to the account? Your parents can contribute. Your grandparents can contribute. Your friends can contribute. Your relatives can contribute. As a matter of fact, it makes sense that you can tell people on your kids' birthday instead of bringing all these crazy toys. How about you just give them money to put in your custodial account and invest it 10, 15, 20 years down the road, the 20 or 30 dollars you give them could be worth, I don't know, three, four, five, six thousand dollars depending on the investments that you put in. So I think that's brilliant. And that you can look back and say, yes, I did help you pay for your college because I gave you that 25 dollars, which has grown into 10,000 dollars, which is awesome. So that's something that you want to be aware of. Then again, do we have any requirements for, you know, contribution? As far as the minimum or maximum, there's really no minimum or maximum contribution amount in the account, but there is a minimum amount to invest if you want to invest in certain securities. So for instance, we have index funds that would require you to have a minimum amount of, let's say, 250 dollars to invest in those funds. But otherwise you can buy some ETFs or individual stocks. And so that way you wouldn't have any limitations as to any investments that you want to get into. And then the last thing I want you to be aware of is the fact that when can you withdraw that money? You can withdraw the money anytime as the parent, as long as you are using it to the benefit of the minor. So if you pull money out, you can use it for your school, for your hospital bill, something it has to do with the minor. You cannot go pull that money out and go to Vegas and have a good time or go on vacation to have a good time. So definitely be very aware of that. So now let's jump into looking at my top five companies where you can open a custodial account. So the very first one on the list here, again, this one is an account where if you want to teach your kids how to invest, the best one is stockpile. As you can see here on the screen, I like stockpile because it's very simple, very intuitive. The only thing that I don't really enjoy about a stockpile, which I can bring up here so you guys can see is the execution time. So when you play straight on stockpile, what happens is they hold us straight and execute them at 4 p.m. That's when just when the market's about to close. So if you saw a stock that dropped to, let's say the stock was $10 and it dropped to five, you know, it's going to go back up and you play that trade when stockpile execute that trade, that stock could have gone back up to eight or $9, so you'll miss out. So that is what stockpile does. But again, guys, I'm talking about investors here. This is designed for investors, not for traders. If you're looking to trade and then I can give you a different solution that you can actually try to if you want to buy and sell.  But this is basically designed for traders. So again, the first one here is stockpile. Very easy to get started with. I like the fact that they have gift cards that you can actually buy. So instead of buying people gift cards to go to, I don't know, Google's Google Play Store or whatever, you can buy gift cards that are actually investment amounts so they can put it and buy stocks. Or you can even buy gift cards to specific stocks, let's say Tesla or Netflix or whatever, so that your kid can invest in those companies as you can see here. They have all these different companies that you can invest in. So that's the very first one on the list. The second one that I want to bring up to you guys here is Vanguard. So Vanguard has the UGMA and the UTMA Acoustodial Accounts, again, points to consider here. These are Acoustodial Accounts with asset held in the child's name, which we've covered that already. So you can just read through this and you'll see how everything works. So Vanguard is right up there. I like the fact that they have a ton of securities that you can invest in. Vanguard ETFs and index funds are one of the best out there.  It's commission free, so you can definitely take advantage of that. And I mean, they have good customer service. I do have Vanguard, I use Vanguard a lot. They have excellent customer service that you can definitely consider. So the third one here is TD Ameritrade. So again, this is another one. These platforms are pretty much the same in terms of the features that they offer. So Vanguard, TD Ameritrade, in terms of the features that they offered. So I do like them. As you can see here, they offer Acoustodial Accounts where parents can actually open an account on behalf of their kid and put money in there for you to get started. And once you know that kid, you can give the kid access to manage the account, but they cannot legally take anything out of the account without your permission until they turn 18.  Number four here is Chaz Swap. So again, good place to open Acoustodial Account. Like I said, guys, most of these accounts are pretty much the same. TD Ameritrade, Vanguard, Chaz Swap, they pretty much have the same. And they all have a selection of index funds and ETFs and mutual funds that you can pick from and invest in your child's name. And most of these ones don't really have a learning curve. Pretty straightforward, unless you're trying to get into what I'll call trading or day trading where you can start using different tools that will be a little bit complicated. But if you're just an investor, all these apps are pretty straightforward. I mean, they have tutorials on the websites where you can actually go there and take a look. And then the last one I want to show you guys here is Fidelity. Again, pretty much the same thing offers you a bunch of security so you can invest in from index funds and ETFs. Definitely go check them out. Again, like I said, the one that I think is really straightforward has an app that's easy would be Stockpile. This one, your kids can learn on this platform very, very easy. They have a lot of tutorials here to help your kids also get into the business of investing, so definitely go check it out. So those are some of the places where you can actually get started with investing. I think that's it for this video. I know it's a very long one, but I wanted to make sure that cover all the different areas that can definitely help you in this whole process of getting started with investing or you as a parent setting up a custodial account for your kid. Let me know in the comment section if you do have any other questions.


What do you think about New Zealand? Yeah, what do you I'm I'm kind of familiar with objectivism, so I Understand the whole hierarchy of I mean, I know they're one of the freest Countries politically now, but I'm kind of interested in your what accent do you have South African South Africa Okay, I can tell you what I think about South Africa. I don't want to hear about that. I love New Zealand I mean I've been to New Zealand New Zealand has to be one of those beautiful places on the planet You know, I did a five-day driving trip through the South Island of New Zealand and it's beautiful They also have one of the freest economies in the world. I think the number three right now so yeah, New Zealand has a lot going for it. It's not it's far from perfect and You know again, I don't think there's any place in the world that's anywhere near perfection in terms of real Freedom New Zealand is as good as it gets in the world in which we live today. It's far From what good should and could look like Do you have any comments about the longevity of that good considering their morality? Do you have any? Yeah? No, I don't think it'll survive So goodness doesn't survive for very long in this world because it always come under attack From the morality. So what happens typically is a country does well Typically it did well in the 19th century early 20th century then people get pretty rich So then they say oh well, we should really redistribute all the wealth because that's what feels good, right? We feel guilty. There's inequality right at the poor got richer, but the rich got richer fast though Well, some of the poor got richer faster than other the poor.  And you see that everywhere in the world and Because nobody's challenging the premise nobody's challenging the the altruistic premise behind it all which is that Equality is a good thing quality of outcome or that The purpose of life is to sacrifice and to feel guilty when you succeed in all of that as long as you don't challenge that premise You're gonna have this back and forth freedom less freedom more freedom and you're seeing it You know you see it in Georgia you went through a period where you freed up the economy things were going well And they said yeah, but that's a little too free and it feels uncomfortable these these rich guys They're getting away with too much So let's regulate them a little bit and and the economy will suffice you regulate them one more and more and then you'll wake up one day And say oh this is bad the economy is not growing again So we need to stimulate the economy so we reduce regulation and lower taxes, you know get better And then you'll feel guilty again it'll go about I mean all countries behave this way and it's because of this morality Which constantly is battling with practicality the morality doesn't work So then you do something practical it's immoral But don't tell anybody again according to the prevalent views and things get better But then the morality kicks in and things get bad So it's it's everywhere you see it in the United States. You see it in Sweden. You see it everywhere my question is about that Western society and our Society generally is based on Christian religion, right? So our values are based on this me as an atheist I raised in family of priests So my moral values are very strongly connected with Christianity. Yeah, so how we have to change is morality What's the way to make it? So let me first disagree with you in this sense. I think I think that Western civilization is Not Christian It's not judo Christian Western civilization and the positive aspects of it is Greek It's a statillion It comes out of Greek philosophy Greek mythology the Greek view of life. I would actually say that Christianity I don't I you know, maybe maybe that I'll never be invited back to Georgia, but Christianity's anti-western because it's anti-greek and it's anti-enlightenment If you think about what makes the West the West it wasn't the Christian era that was Horrible, it was the dark ages. It was really really really bad What makes Western civilization Western civilization starts with the Renaissance Renaissance is a Renaissance of what of? Ancient Greece like Michelangelo. Where does he get the idea of making a David, right? It's a biblical story, but a David like that. Where does he get it from? He sees Greek sculptures and he's trying to elevate man to the way Greeks viewed him and if you see the progression from the Renaissance through the enlightenment the enlightenment is an era of secularization of respect for two things the respect for reason and individualism It's a putting religion to your private realm But in every other respect and politics and science and every respect religion is not relevant You're dedicated to facts and reason and reality So what the essence of Western civilization is Greek its reason individualism those are the fundamental concepts and the West succeeds to the extent that it rejects religion and Elevates reason and individualism So I would argue that what the problem has been in the West That when during the enlightenment when we put Christianity aside The one element of Christianity that we embraced and did not give up is morality we adopted the Christian moral code and I think that's what drives us towards socialism constantly I mean the meek shall inherit the earth That's not capitalism In capitalism the meek don't inherit the earth the entrepreneurs in the earth The idea of Jesus sacrificing on a cross since he didn't commit Is the ultimate sacrifice? That drives us towards socialism until we are willing to reject Christian morality and adopt a new morality based on reality and reason based on facts and evidence We will not escape the socialist draft. We will not escape this collective So and that's why it's so hot because you know you're relatively Religious other countries are much more religious even than you are American And they hold on to that moral code. They don't they don't care about religion and anything else except for well But that's where they actually That's where they have to give up That's the only way to do this Thanks Thank you very much for your interest in It is on yeah, so I know I was just wondering because of one of our students asked the question about the ethics and morality of Christianity and there is there was a quite smart guy named Max Weber. Yeah, which wrote that actually the Protestant ethic is the basic for the capitalism and that of course would not exclude the Christian morality from the Vitalistic, yeah world and my question would be then so you Really think that this smart guy was wrong or what what is your idea when you I think a lot of smart guys are wrong Yeah, Karl Marx was smart and he was wrong. Yeah, yes. I think Max Weber was wrong Yeah, because I think he identified he identified the success of Western civilization civilization Wrongly he saw it as happening in northern Europe and that it didn't happen in southern Europe and Northern Europe was Protestants and southern Europe was not and he and and and there's certain things about Protestantism it focuses on the visual relationship with God rather than a collective and an authoritarian view through through a pope That he identified with the success of the West. I think all of that is wrong I think the sensual success and the reason it happens in northern Europe is is is Because that's where the enlightenment happens. So the enlightenment is what leads to the success So the Renaissance happens in southern Europe But it creeps north and then the enlightenment happens in the north it happens in Paris and happens in Scotland If you think of the great thinkers of the 18th cent of the 17th century. No 18th century 17th and 18th Really is Amsterdam Paris London and Scotland and it's that enlightenment those ideas that idea of reason as efficacious Which generate the activity? Where was the Protestant ethic in the 18th century or in the 16th century the Protestants the 16th century They were slaughtering Catholics when they were not being slaughtered by Catholics Something happened in the in the in the 1700s. That's completely different that has nothing to do with religion It has everything to do with identification of the efficaciousness of reason and With the identification of individual rights It's Newton and it's John Locke and all the way through to out of Smith and and David Hume and Voltaire and monoskew and and the encyclopedians who are most the atheists In France that is the era that makes all the difference and for whatever reason Probably because he wanted to save religion Webber can't see that or doesn't want to see it. Yeah, but his idea was the different one His idea was actually that if you are successful and if you are getting rich Yeah, then you serve better the God So if this thesis was right Then so it would not exclude the murals so so if you get rich you serve God better That's why rich people nobody feels guilty none of them feel guilty because they all feel like the serving God better They all feel guilty. They all feel guilty. Why because nobody believes that Because it's not it's not consistent with the New Testament.  It's Sacrificing it's giving up your wealth. It's it's hard if a camera go through the avenue Than a rich man again into heaven now. I know other people interpret that other ways, but that's what it says so wealth success is Not for the most part consistent with Most people's understanding of Christianity not mine. I don't know Christianity most people's that's why when rich people get successful They feel guilty about the success. That's why Bill Gates Nobody thinks all Bill Gates when he made Microsoft did God's work good for Bill Gates. We love Bill Gates for making Microsoft No, nobody thinks that we all think yeah, he made too much money increased inequality now He's a good guy because he's giving the charity That charity is what makes you good. I You know I once gave a talk at in South Carolina very Christian Protestant Conservative supposedly free marketplace South Carolina, and it was a luncheon to for Lifetime achievement awards for businessmen. So like three businessmen were being celebrated for their lifetime achievement awards Stay read long biographies write the story of their life and what they did and their achievements and saw So they read these achievements and the first minute and a half Was about their business and then nine ten eleven twelve minutes They spent on charity and community service and they handed out their words, and then I spoke and I got up And I said you should be ashamed of yourself Your charity community service is not what makes you deserving a lifetime achievement award your charity community service Is not that important your charity community service didn't change the world what changed the world is your business But it's exactly because they're religious that they can't admit that and they can't be proud of it. I Said America from 1776 to 1914 went from being a third-rate colony that nobody really cared about That's why the British didn't really fight to the richest country in the world not because of charity and community service Why did America become so rich because of whom because of whom? Who made America rich politicians? generals Generals make you poor Politicians can only take stuff. They don't produce anything who makes you rich businessmen Business is what made America rich. What do we call those businessmen today? No, what do we call the businessmen from the 19th century who made America rich robber barons?  We're conditioned to resent business success and that's That's not economics and that's not history. That's something else driving that conditioning and I think it's our morality. Oh We better yeah First of all, thank you for your lecture. I have some issues though. So first of all, I used to call myself Anarcho-capitalist, but now I'm calling myself free market anarchist So why neither I'm not an anarchist. I know I think anarchists are totalitarians in the end So yeah, so I do not think yes, so and I think that the anor and was wrong about anarchy, but anyway What I'm going to say now First issue I have is term capitalism itself So there is a one economist still Horowitz, maybe know him who said that the term itself was created by a socialist and implies that Capitalistic system the capitalism in general helps capitalists which is completely wrong because Capitalistic system is not helping capitalists capitalists or Businessmen sort of producers. It's helping consumers. So there is the consumer who is benefiting the most from this system which is free market in general and so from that regard this time is wrong and There is another guy who is Roderick long Roderick long Who said such a thing? It's short. So I'm going to read I think the word capital is if used in the meaning are most people give it is a package deal term by capital is most people mean neither the free markets simplistic nor the Prevailing no market realistic system simply stir rather what most people mean by capitalism is that free market system That currently prevails in the Western world In short the term Capitalism is generally used can seals an assumption that the prevailing system is a free market and Since the prevailing system is in fact one of the government Favoritism toward business the ordinary use of the term carries with the assumption that the free market is Government favoritism toward business. It's colonialism. So can I write the question? But most people when they say capital in capital is they mean exactly chronic capitalism or cronyism or what answer the question? Just a few more things and I'm done. So What I wanted to say about the bill gates now, yes consumers in general May also benefit from free market, but they do not like very much competition John the Rockefeller even said the competition is a scene so what I want to What I want to say that even bill gates benefited from Corporate system which are we libertarians do not consider as a Rightful private property system. Okay. So and that the monopoly was implemented by the government Yeah, because intellectual property rights. So you libertarians are wrong and Stephen Horowitz and along a long Most people don't know the definition of anything If you ask most people about almost any concept, they will get the definition wrong This is why educators have to educate about what words actually mean and what they should mean Bill Gates did not make money off of corporatism He made money off of a free market and a free market cannot exist unless we protect property rights and intellectual property rights Are the most important of all property rights and must be protected? If Rockefeller indeed said competition is a bad thing. Absolutely every businessman who is worth his soul Is trying to establish a monopoly? That's great By the help of government no without the help of government Rockefeller did not use help of government enough to establish his His so-called monopoly, but the fact is that the market won't let them establish a monopoly It's by the fact that they try but yes Apple has a monopoly. What's Apple's monopoly? What's Apple's monopoly? It's a put aside that the stupidity of not believing intellectual property is property That's just silly and it's incredibly destructive. What is Apple's? What is Apple's monopoly? It's Apple There is no other company that has the reputational capital the reputational monopoly that Apple does I can't call my company Apple and gain that reputation. I buy Apple products because Apple makes them and I consider Samsung products for like five minutes and I always go to Apple because I know Apple and that's and yeah That's great. That's wonderful. That's extraordinary. So I You know, so let's go back to the word capitalism Capital is it comes from Latin and it means of the mind I can't think of a more beautiful term to describe what free markets are They are fundamentally people's use of the mind to produce stuff and the idea a Placing consumers first is Keynesian not free market The free market is driven not by consumers. It's driven by producers. This goes to say's law Supply creates its own demand. It is producers first and Then consumers sure they benefit from the production, but they benefit more or less How does anybody know but there is no consumption? With our production, how many of you knew well you guys are too young Let me tell you what I I didn't know I wanted one of these I didn't need one of these until Steve Jobs taught me that I needed it I didn't want a cell phone. I indeed rejected cell phones for a long time. I refuse to use cell phones But the industry taught me that it was an incredible value. It is production first You don't get consumption until you get production 250 years ago we didn't consume because nobody produced we ate what we grew that was it So capitalism is primarily about production indeed I think economics that science of economics is the science of Production and trade not consumption consumption is easy go down mall anybody can do it Producing is hard Producing takes effort producing is an achievement So we should venerate businessmen. They are the true heroes not consumers There's nothing heroic about consumption, but there's something truly heroic about producing something new Something valuable to human beings creating something that didn't exist before That is valuable and that's a product of the mind the proper of capital Capitalism does not now people get capitalism wrong. That's why I started the talk by saying what by defining what it meant But that would be true of any field that I went to any area that you go into You have to first define what you mean because most people don't know Most people are not experts. They don't think about it It's a great term. I love capitalism Questions and there was one in the middle here. Okay. Yep. Thank you You started from the definitions and I was just wondering how you would define equality of opportunities Because is it important? I mean, I guess socialists would define is equality of outcome And I also know that you said that equal is unfair. Yes, and I've got a book called equalism fear Buy it. It's good. Can you expand on that a little bit? Yes, I don't believe in equality of opportunities I think it's the same as equality of outcome equality Opportunity is just another outcome. The fact is we don't go to all to the same schools We don't all have the same parents. We're never gonna have the same opportunities anytime. You have a concept where Where you can never achieve it There's something wrong with it So I don't believe in equality of opportunities. I don't believe in anything that to achieve it You have to sacrifice some people for the sake of others. So how do we make all of us schooling the same? So that everybody gets equality of opportunities. Well, you have to hurt the people who get good schooling Because it's impossible to raise everybody So I don't believe in it what I believe is only one type of equality that makes any sense And that is equality of liberty equality of rights Equality of freedom equality before the law So we're all born with a right to life liberty property in the pursuit of happiness We're all born free You cannot the government cannot discriminate against you based on your sex or your race or your ethnicity or your religion or any Feature like that. We're all treated the same by the government So the only sense in which equality means anything the sense in which in the Declaration of Independence of America when Jefferson writes All men are created equal. What he means is they all equal in their rights in their freedoms We'll all have the right to be free of coercion We all have the right to be free and act free from Authority coercion force That's the only sense in which equality means anything. I I've worked hard. I worked really really hard to make some money so I could give Really good opportunities to my kids If you believed in equality of opportunities, you would suppress my kids opportunity because some other parent didn't Work hard to give their kids an opportunity. That's wrong anytime you suppress it's wrong So equality of rights equality of freedom. That's the oh equality before the law is another way to express it Is the only proper way to talk about equality politically? Yeah It's me Okay, first of all, thank you for your lecture and second of all I wanted Your opinion about the golden age of America when the country was right right age of America When the country was run by Rockfeller JP Morgan and Andrew Carnegie. Yeah, I want all my viewers It was a wonderful beautiful era. I don't think the country was run by them. I mean business. They dominated the business world, but You know that is an error in which In spite of the fact that they had a huge market share prices went down every single year quality went up every single year Productivity labor productivity went through the roof Wages went up standard of livings went up everything we take for granted in the world today was created by People during that era who created the industry the infrastructure All the material wealth that we have today is based on on things that these people did they were not robber barons They were the great benefactors of mankind They're the same as the Bill Gates is of today in a sense of they made the world a better place to live in dramatic fashion, there's a wonderful little book called the myth of the robber barons by Folsom who is a who is a famous economist and I recommended highly and you know most Historians teach that they were bad guys who exploited the system and used government to get ahead It's just not true. I strongly recommend reading the myth of the robber barons Yeah, way in the back Do you have a mic? So you mentioned secularism. Yeah, and maybe that's what we need and not change in the morality I mean not in meaning of church and state but Separation of personal morality and morality of the system. Yeah, for example, I may consider capital use as a moral system However, I may like Sacrificing personal life when somebody I may consider it virtual. Yeah, I don't Why do we have to get to religion but I Don't consider that possible I Think we have to have a moral code that applies to everything in life and You know to have a dual moral code to say I Behaved this way to my family and friends and I know I mean I don't sacrifice my kids. I Love my kids So what I do for them I do because I love them because they were high value So I Think we need a new moral code and I think by definition a moral code means it's applies to everything that we do And I think rational self-interest is a moral code that can and should Apply to everything that we do. I mean I so my view in life is I want to make my life the best life that it Can be I want to I want to die knowing that I tried my best to make my life the best I want to die happy. I want to live happy, right? I want to make the most of my life I only get one shot right if you believe You know if you're a Buddhist and you think you're gonna be reincarnated as another human being then you know You have enough of tries to do this But I worry about being carnated as a cockroach. So I've got I view it as one shot, right? I've got one life and that's it. I Want to make the most of it. I want to make the most of it in my business life I want to make the most of it in my personal life I want to make the most of it in every aspect of my life There's absolutely no reason Quar morality that I should say oh no in this part of my life. I'm gonna be miserable Or I'm gonna sacrifice or I'm gonna be self-less Now that doesn't mean it means you have good healthy relationships with other people That's what being rationally self-interest means. It means you have trading relationship with other people. I mean I don't do Lose when related stuff with my wife Because lose when in an intimate relationship becomes lose lose and nobody wins Your relationship with your spouse should be win-win You should be doing stuff or you're both benefiting Okay, and if you're not it won't last and it won't be happy And the same with your kids and the same with the world you want to establish Maximize win-win relationships where your life is better and so is theirs That's true in business. That's true in personal life. I don't see why one would be different than the other Yeah What would you say about Scandinavian countries? We are the taxes are really high, but they are still developing wires So what do I think about Scandinavian countries? We get this every time, right? No, it's a good question What's the difference you think between Scandinavia and other countries they have slightly higher taxes slightly so in the United States Today the government spends close to 40% of GDP if you take federal state and local government total The government spends close to 40% of GDP in Sweden. It's like 42 So the difference is not that big So first we have to recognize that Sweden and Scandinavian countries are mixed economies just like the United States Some freedom and a lot of controls The only difference between Sweden and the US let's say and the US is by the way growing faster than Sweden and is richer than Sweden But if you took Sweden, you know where it would be in terms of GDP per capita Where it would be in the United States It would be like the 40th richest state Like the 30 the 40 states richer than Sweden in America, right if Sweden was a state But all Sweden does is it redistributes more But it actually and this is what people don't realize it regulates business less It's easier to start a business in Sweden than it is in the United States It's easier to run a bank in Sweden than it is in the United States America on the other hand regulates a lot and redistributes a little Relatively still redistributes a huge amount, right? So they're both mixed economies and they have a slightly different mixture but it's not like Sweden is socialist and America's capitalist no both are mixture Let me tell you one other thing about Sweden because the history is fascinating between 1870 and 1958 or so late 50s Sweden was the most capitalist country in Europe. It had the freest market It also had the largest industries 1870 by the way Sweden was the poorest country one of the poorest countries in Europe by 1960 it was the richest country in Europe on a per capita GDP It had the biggest companies eight like like six out of the biggest European companies were based in in Sweden So up until 1960 Sweden was this un-unbelievable success story and then they felt guilty and They adopted socialism and they said, you know, this isn't good There's too much inequality all the stuff you hear today and they started redistributing wealth So they accumulated a huge amount of wealth and they redistributed it and Sweden became poorer and poorer and poorer and poorer by 1979 What was the business that generated the most revenue in Sweden anybody know Abba, you've heard me talk give this talk, right? Abba Then I don't know if you know who Abba is right the singing group That was the biggest and the second biggest revenue generated Sweden in 1979 was Johan Borg the tennis player That's how successful Swedish economy was back then. It was a disaster in 1994 Sweden was bankrupt. You can look this up. They were like Greece is today They couldn't pay their debts and they started reforming their economy by doing what cutting government spending reducing handouts and reducing dramatically regulation and They became more capitalist and they're still doing that if you go today to Sweden You're seeing reduced regulations reduced taxes reduced redistribution They've done things like school vouchers, which in America you can't do They have moved more towards capitalism than America has in the last 30 years and therefore they're doing pretty well No way is cheating because they have oil and They lucked out by managing it well, right? The government's managed it fairly well but Denmark and Sweden and Finland are basically Semi-capitalist countries just like everywhere else You know and and and that's why they're so successful. It's not because of socialism It's in spite of redistribution. They've managed to stay wealthy because they don't regulate as much We are almost out of time. So let's just have one more question and then we all right last question who wants to do that Oh, we got you've already asked Yes My question so you mentioned that government cannot discriminate against people so yeah Race or color etc etc, which I totally agree. What do you think? Can people in their personal life Discriminate against against each other. Well, we do all the time, right? I mean, I just do the right to do this I discriminate against employees who don't do a good job Right. I mean we the whole point of life is to discriminate. It's the it's now the question is Should we be allowed by the states to discriminate based on race gender? Ethnic and all of that should you be allowed to have a shot a store? Your private property, it's yours and put a sign on the store. No Jews allowed and My answer is yes You should be a it's not an issue of allowed. It's you're not violating anybody's rights The state has no business in what you do in your shop As long as you're not committing fraud the government needs to stay out of it now Would I go to a store and I'm Jewish so I they wouldn't let me in but If they had a no blacks allowed when I go to a store like that never I would boycott them I would demonstrate outside. I would encourage everybody not to go there if I thought somebody was a racist I would discriminate against that person. I would actually have a sign outside my store. No racists allowed, right?  I think when we see rationality and stupidity at that level But the state government has no business dictating to us what is moral and was not What is discriminatory and was not I mean I discriminate who comes to my house? That's what private property means you get to discriminate you get to decide who comes into your store and who doesn't come into the store and people get to decide whether they want to use your Use you as a merchant or not That's a pretty depressing last question Anybody want to ask an uplifting question? Yeah, we've got an uplifting question here, and this will be the last one. I promise Sure, it's an uplifting with the microphone because we're filming What do you think about? Economic competition between China and the USA and which country is doing better? So what I think of economic competition with China in the USA I don't consider countries to have an economy and I don't consider that it be competition between countries China is doing well by selling stuff to me for cheap cool America does well by Producing and selling stuff elsewhere or by producing for internal consumption. There's no competition here in a in a negative Sense trade is good, but countries don't trade America doesn't buy Chinese good. I buy Chinese goods. I love Chinese goods when they're good, right? Otherwise, I don't buy them, right? I mean, where's this assembled right by the way, where's this made anybody know where this is made? No, it's not made in China. It's assembled in China. Where's it made? In the United States in California, is it made there? It's designed there. It's it's assembled in China Where do the pieces inside of it come from? About 40 different countries Now is that good? Yeah Because the entire supply chain is made up of win-win transactions where everybody from the work who is assembling it To the people who make the chips to everybody across the entire assembly line to the designers in Cupertino in California Every single person is better off for having done it Millions of people make this and It's it's a beautiful thing. I don't consider them competing. I Mean the essence of capitalism is not competition. The essence of capitalism is corporation The essence of capitalism is working together. By the way, one of the companies that makes Stuff inside this is Samsung the biggest competitive Apple for these and yet it makes the stuff inside So no, this is a beautiful product of corporation that happens to be assembled in China That I happen to buy from China who cares right? But it's me buying from some Chinese company. It's Apple buying from Foxcom It's not America buying from China. The whole idea of international trade is bogus Countries don't trade individuals trade corporations trade corporations. It's just individuals people trade and Why I care if my stuff is made in Arkansas or in California or in China or in South Korea or in Georgia? I don't care as long as it's good and the price is good that's what self-interest means so You know China I hope China becomes super duper rich Because that I mean that it becomes free and it means it's producing beautiful things and it means all our lives are better It's just like a business. I hope people in China become incredibly rich. I hope America becomes even richer But it's not it's not a zero-sum world China getting rich does not mean America gets poor China gets rich means America's getting rich That's one of things that Donald Trump never studied economics and the people around him. I think skip class Because they don't know economics. None of them I mean, I've never seen a group of more ignorant people than the people surround Donald Trump when it comes to economics.  We all benefit. Oh now I've really got them going Thank you very much. Thank you If you if you If you have any question, yeah, if you have any question, you can always just ask yeah, I'll be here the lecture. He'll We're not You know imprisoning him or taking him away. So Yeah, so thank you so much for this. I mean I I Think that a lot of us have learned a lot about What it's like to earn money and not feel guilty about it. So that's probably the most important thing because it's the It's something that is engraved in us so deeply that we have to feel bad about it. So Thank you. That was great good. Yeah, so we'll just quickly do this demo that I'm Was forced to do I'm not here By course Right Yeah, so I wanted to create a A birthday present for a car and to include all things that exist about him Like videos and interviews and articles and things that some of you have written Your memories about him and To just get one place where you can one-stop shop where you can get all your info About kaha been the kids them the one thing that I would like to say is that currently Because there is so much stuff. It exists in all the whichever language it Existed before And if we go here, so kaha lived 50s, I mean 56 years, but he had 56 He was born in 56 and he lived 58. There we go who remembers their parents birthday anyway so and he was the Educator and a reformer and a businessman and a scientist. So these are all four lives that he had managed to crumb in one life or one person and If you go on to I hope this works. You don't know Oh, this picture is taken actually in this room So yeah, there's all these articles and videos with him about him being a Cannot liberal educator so if we go back Leave there the one interesting feature that I like here is the timeline That we have Okay, well, it's a bit Okay, let's see so Yeah, so these are there are some baby pictures of Little kaha because I thought that it would be nice to see how a man has progressed throughout His life and how how could this adorable baby turn into? well, we all know what he turned to into a wonderful man who did so much and It looks obviously better on when you're on a full-size computer and you can see how he had hair yeah, isn't that crazy and He had hair and well, he also and yeah, some things hadn't changed so Yeah, actually I will tell you a little secret some this lady right here right that's my mom So, you know Some things are happening So yeah, so I think that you can see a lot of things about kaha and about his life and how how he changed throughout his life and How he thought because there is articles from 1996 for example and all throughout 2014 so I hope that you guys enjoy it and I I hope that he would have liked this too, so


And it just doesn't make sense because they should be dead. Ray Carson running away from plot holes. What's gonna happen? Gonna shoot me? I doubt it. You have to catch me first, I'm like a whippet. Hello friends, I hope you're doing well. Welcome back to another reading vlog. So usually I do themed reading vlogs but this week I'm living at this desk because my final year deadline is due and it involves a lot more work than I thought it would and I'm stressed. So I wanted just like a chill theme for this week and so I decided to read some new and upcoming releases. I find that I'm not reading new and upcoming releases often as I want to be because I do the theme vlogs and so I thought that this week it would just give me a chance to read kind of what's coming out or what is about to come out. So the first thing I'm going to be reading is The Empire of Dreams by Ray Carson. So if you don't know I've been doing a read along for the original series leading up to this. This is a companion novel to the Crown of Fire... Crown? Girl? Girl. Ha! The second one's called Crown of Embers, that's why I got mixed up, to the Girl of Fire and Thorns series and I've really enjoyed all the books so far. They've all kind of been like four stars for me, not like a new fave but really good books and this one is following a child that we know in the third book kind of eight years on and the Queen wants to adopt her and the court says no like in order for the Queen to adopt her the court has to vote on it. So she decides to go into the Royal Guard instead and be the first girl to train in the Royal Guard and I think it's basically the story of her dealing with PTSD and trauma that she had in her past life before she came into the court because she used to be a slave. The next book I'm going to be reading is actually an e-art so thank you very much to Roundham House UK for sending this to me and it is One by One by Ruth Ware. Oh my god I'm so excited to read this so if you don't know I loved The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware, it was actually the first ever reading vlog I ever did but One by One comes out in October or November I think, I think it's maybe October in the US and November in the UK and so I should have waited a little bit longer before reading it like I should have read it a bit close to the release date but I can't wait and from what I know it follows a group of people who know each other going to the ski resort and it's very isolated I think they get trapped. I think there's some mergers that's basically all I know but as soon as I heard that Ruth Ware was coming out with a new thriller and like an isolated one at that like where the characters are so insular I'm so excited. I am one of the fortunate ones. When I've been reading other books I'm like I just really want to read a thriller like I'm in such a mood for a thriller so hopefully I'll love that and then the final book I'm going to be reading is Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo so this has just come out the other day. My copy is on its way it's coming from Waterstones I paid it with it with my £10 Waterstones credit because if you don't know every £10 you spend with Waterstones you get £1 so basically every £100 you spend you earn £10 to spend you can only spend it when you earn the £10 if that makes sense it's like a stamp system and so I spent my £10 on it I paid for first-class shipping which was an extra pound so that hopefully I can get it in time for this video. Again I don't know too much about the plot I think it's about two girls whose dad died and they find out they have the same dad I think but I loved the Poe X by Elizabeth Acevedo it was again like a full star for me I hope it arrives in time but anyway without further ado let's just get into the vlog and I'm going to start The Empire of Dreams so I am just over halfway through Empire of Dreams I'm really enjoying it it's a lot of funding in the same universe same world same land whatever you want to call it but with red not with Elisa she's taken in by Elisa at the end of the third book well no throughout the third book she's like a really fun girl but she was in slavery before that Elisa buys her out of slavery and she's obviously been through some really troubled stuff and this one is dealing a lot with PTSD that red has it's flushing back between then and now then and now then and now and so we're seeing parts of her childhood before she even met Elisa that we were never aware of seeing all the stuff that she went through like seeing her mother die in front of her being branded a slave and then in the present day Elisa and Hector they attempted to adopt red but they had to have a vote on it in the court and the court voted against it there was a plot against them and they didn't it didn't happen so then red decides I'm going to go train with the royal guards I'm going to be the first girl to go and train with the royal guards and that's going to be kind of how we salvage my reputation something I'm really enjoying in this is the way that Ray Carson is managing to show that the boys will not be entirely respectful to her to red because they're not they're making snide comments but how they are also not just one note there's a lot of boys who are helping her who are looking out for her a lot of boys come to respect her more than anyone else I just think it's really interesting how we're seeing red come into her strength and be really brave she's back for her crown the bitch is back she's back for her crown yeah she's having to like protect her brother Rosario from like an assassination plot she's trying to do all these things and she's just a little girl who's been through a lot and seeing how her past effects are very interesting however I am halfway through I don't feel like a whole lot has happened but I think it is just a bit of a slower simpler book hello I actually look ill I'm so pale you haven't seen me without conceit on in a hot minute let me tell you that so I finished this like a few days ago and just realized I'd forgotten to talk to you about it I enjoyed it quite a bit I thought that it dealt with trauma really really well however it did feel a bit weird for the book to be so stationary it's pretty much just in one place in a very enclosed place at that because the guards the trainee guards aren't allowed to leave the place that they're living at very often when the other three books in the original series were very much traveling books so you're constantly moving from place to place to place so it was like polar opposites in that regard and that was a bit weird to be reading I gave it four stars because I felt like I couldn't give it a three star but then we did the live and I think the other girls didn't love it quite as much Nicole definitely gave it two stars and I wasn't discussing with them I was like oh I felt like it dealt with PTSD really well and they were like hang on it's to do with PTSD I was like yeah it says so in the back and I think I had read the bit in the back the authors acknowledgments before reading the book and so maybe that's how I knew but they were like we had no idea that it was that she was suffering with PTSD because it's never spelled out and it's not particularly clear then the final nail on the coffin which resulted in me lowering this to like a 3.5 was that we realized and I don't want to spoil anything for the original books but basically a character a character comes back at the end very integral to the plot that we've known before but we thought was dead and when I was reading it I was just glossed over who exactly they were but in the first book they die and then one character says from another one they're dead aren't they and the other character says yes I think so and then we just never hear of them again I thought she died I thought she died too yes hang on the army breaks the I'm on Wikipedia so like this may not be this may not be trustworthy but the army breaks through the palace of defense and kills she's dead how do you make the mistake isn't all thought and then when we read the end of this book it actually looked like nothing happened and I saw other storyline happens as to how they left and how why they weren't in the rest of the books and it just doesn't make sense because they should be dead Ray Carson running away from plot tells what's gonna happen gonna shoot me I doubt it you have to catch me first I'm like a whip it because oh it's choking me up I'm so upset I am lowering it to a 3.5 I don't think this is the kind of book I'm gonna remember or think about much further than like a couple weeks away I mean I finished it like two days ago and I'm already kind of like on the details and then I have started one by one on my iPad I'm only like 3% in or something like that I'm not far in oh the the sun is coming out on us today I am nervous because it feels very very very similar to the hunting party by Lucy Foley now if you know me you know I love the guest list by Lucy Foley I didn't like the hunting party by her and it was set like a remote kind of ski lodge wilderness lodge with a bunch of rich people and that oh my god this lighting is ridiculous it's redone say that shit again say it again it's just full of rich people with rich people problems it felt like to me and this seems like very much the same we're following a kind of app called snoop the the people who work at an app are on like a corporate trip there and it's basically a music app where you can listen to what you can see what everyone is listening to at the time who you follow so like if Beyonce had it you could see what Beyonce was listening to and listen to it alongside her in real time and so they've gone to this lodge and there's like a woman and a man who run the running of the lodge like there's an hunting party and I'm worried about that however it does seem like there is a normal one in the group someone who used to work at the company and left but has come on the trip as well and she seems like she has it together a bit from what I can tell so far which is what I thought the hunting party was missing they were all just annoying they were all just horrible people whereas with the guest list you had again a bunch of rich people who didn't like but there was one normal person within that group and so I feel like if we have that in this it will make it easier for me to read and enjoy my god she's she's really cute and like the lettering is is raised don't you love the color scheme like the color scheme is actually killing it and the girls are so beautiful hang on let me focus it right isn't it like just so beautifully done in terms of the book holy shit oh my god excuse me it's so good I'm just past 50% at the way in and essentially you do I think I've said this but you do find out right the beginning that four people are dead I don't want to spoil anything obviously I'm 50% of the way through and it's an arc as well so like not a lot of people have reviewed it I think that's difficult I've never done this before where like I've not heard anyone else speak about it and so you kind of are able to judge what you can speak about by what everyone else is speaking about but things are happening very gradually and it's building a suspense even more each time it's gotta get a sip of water they are snowed in they're stuck in this chalet with each other and I love the isolation of it I really love when murder mysteries are completely isolated your your cast of characters are completely you know on their own I don't know who to trust I really don't know who to trust and even the people who you think you can trust have got secrets you know I said we're kind of reading from the two most normal people's uh points of view but there's definitely aspects of them that means I can't trust them which is great because like I feel like it just adds a whole other dimension to it oh they're all just starting I feel like it hasn't happened yet but I feel like they're all going to start turning on each other and Ruth Ware is just doing something to me I need to read all her other books now because wow I am so proud of her I could cry and here we go yo it could easily be a five star like this could easily be a new thing a book so I think I even prefer it to the turn of the key I loved it I'm giving it five stars okay let me explain I don't I can't say anything about the plot obviously I look I look you can tell I don't have a good sleep anyway um the baddie is revealed about 75 percent of the way in and I figured out who was going to be about 50 percent of the way in and just like literally just after I checked in with you last and when I figured it out I was like oh but I hope it's not because I really don't want it to be there I'm like I I think that'll really annoy me and then the time between that realization and then it being revealed like she slowly worked you over to the idea of you being okay with it being them and like you being like oh yeah this is this is dope you know in the end kind of half the way that the tension built and how ominous it was was brilliant there was a really great mix between on-the-edge suspense moments where kind of like nothing's happened and you feel like you're always you're always teetering on the edge of like something big happening and then like action it was this is a this is a new favorite this is a new favorite I have to own it when it comes out oh my god you guys put it on your want to read right now pre-order it I don't care I'm gonna go pre-order it your volume levels are up here it needs to be brought down to here I think Ruth wears writing in this is absolutely incredible I need to read all of Ruth wears other stuff now um I think I want to read either the woman the woman in cabin 10 next or the death of mrs west away so let me know which of those you prefer but I cannot wait for this to come out I think it is brilliant I think it's so good this setting the isolation that the characters are in unable to get help unable to speak to anyone the mistrust within the group and the way that you don't trust anyone I loved it I'm giving it five stars I want you all to go and put it on your want to read and maybe we'll read it all together again when it comes out because it was so so so so good anyway I'm going to go start clap when you land now these are Mickey Mouse ears the reason I have more than about to take part in Karras's Disney quiz um I'm loving this I think I prefer this to the Poe X by quite a long way the only thing I don't think it's going to be a five star I my guess is that it's going to be like a four point five star because I feel like because Elizabeth Acevedo's books are told in verse they read so fast and so they feel quite short and so it feels like there's not a lot of plot and like I'm over halfway through and we're still kind of just up to what the blurb says so I feel like these books aren't focused on plot they're very much focused on character feelings and I'm enjoying that but like I I think that means I can't give it a five star as much as I enjoy it being much more focused on the characters past and how the characters are feeling in this kind of like one moment I do need a bit of plot I do need a bit of intrigue for a book to be a five star but the way that we're seeing these two girls deal with grief deal with the loss of their father deal with the troubles of being a woman in their own respective countries learning who they are in relation to this man who they know now lied to them about their identity about his life is so brilliantly done and there's so many lines in here that I just stand out to me oh my god it's making my chest hurt talking about this I think the characters are really different in a really understated way it's very subtle how they're so different to each other final thoughts on Clap When You Land I'm gonna give it four stars there was a point when I thought this was gonna be a 4.5 stars but I think that the ending felt very rushed I read Jess's review and I'll link her channel down below I love her channel where she said on Goodreads that it feels like the story never really moves along from what you find out in the blurb and I think that is definitely true it is much more a story of how they deal with this one event emotionally and so I don't think that's a bad thing but like I would have liked a bit more plot I would have liked just a little bit a little bit something more I gotta have more I gotta have more I wanted more of an exploration of their lives together of them getting to know each other and I didn't really get that the writing is beautiful like some of the most beautiful writing in this some some of the lines in this just stand out and stick with you but in terms of like oh I liked when this happened I liked how this happened there's not really that it's just like feeling you are like you are in these characters heads like you've never felt like that before if that makes sense so whilst I I love that aspect of it I definitely admire that aspect of it there are some ways in which I just wish more had happened so I could tell you about it and like how I felt about it a lot of the characters feel um complex relationships in this towards the girls dad because they all had very complex relationships with him and I think that's explored very well there's so much that's explored so well and and that that tension that like contrast that is it dichotomy is that the word I'm looking for but that like push and pull between your love for this person and recognizing that they they did wrong to people is a very interesting thing that's explored in this book so if you've been eyeing this up I would definitely recommend that you'll fly through it it's a super quick read and it's brilliant but just know going into it that there's not a lot of plot like not much happens so as long as you're okay with that then I would definitely recommend picking it up so there we have it I hope you enjoyed going through all these new and upcoming releases with me let me know if you'd like a video like this again soon sometime in the future and there are a lot of books coming out I'm excited about because I'd like just get to them you know sometimes I feel like I put them off so yeah I hope you enjoyed this video thank you ever so much for watching till the end I'm surprised that you did and I will see you very soon in another one bye


From Soldiers Radio and Television, this is the Army Now. Sergeant Major of the Army Raymond Chandler spent some time with leaders at Fort Eustis, Virginia to address the drawdown of over 80,000 soldiers and what that means to the overall force. It means we're going to retain the best and brightest. For our enlisted population, that means we're going to have a couple of boards that actually start this year a little bit different than what we've done in the past. If you have staff sergeants and above and specific MOSes in your formation, we're going to look at their records and determine whether or not they're going to be able to stay in the service. Soldiers in stagnant MOSes may find themselves asked to reclass or even retire. Fully qualified soldiers may find themselves barred from re-enlistment as well. Sergeant Major Chandler says soldiers will have to do more to stand out from among their peers if they wish to remain in the Army. That's the Army Now.


When the Narcissist realizes you've had enough When the Narcissist realizes you're done You can't take anymore You're fed up There are signs that let the Narcissist know that it's over That you're finished with them We always talk about the effects that Narcissists have on us But it's also important to understand the power that we have And the effects that our actions have on the Narcissist Because there are reasons why you don't hear from them There are reasons why they stop hoovering you Because they've picked up on these signs They've realized they can't mess with you anymore They've realized they're not going to get a reaction out of you They're not going to get the response they're looking for It's over When you stop giving the Narcissist your attention They realize you've had enough They might text or call you But you're not giving them time to talk You're not having a conversation with them You have no interest in talking to them You have no interest in what they've been doing while you were away You're not trying to fix or resolve the situation You just don't care You don't mind ending the conversation and going about your day And they notice that They notice how you're behaving and feeling about them When you no longer have any desire to talk to them When you're no longer entertaining their conversations Because the more involved you are and the more you try to make things right The more they know that you are still emotionally invested in them The more they know that you still care Because you're still trying to make things work The Narcissist realizes you've had enough When you're no longer worried or concerned When you show a complete lack of care and bother When you don't show feelings of agitation or annoyance When you don't let them bait you in When you're not getting wound up When you're not reacting When you're not giving them your emotions If you're getting angry and frustrated It tells them you're still emotionally invested It tells them you still care And they're laughing at you behind your back They think it's funny It's amusing to them Because they're still able to toy with your emotions They're still able to mess with you But when you're no longer bothered by their insult and put downs And you're not even reacting to it It triggers them It makes them question their own significance Because you used to get wound up You used to get very angry But you're not doing that anymore So when you take away your emotions That is a huge trigger for the Narcissist They see it as though something else has hindered their power and control over you You used to walk on eggshells around the Narcissist You used to be very careful not to offend or upset them You used to be very careful not to set them off But when you stop walking on eggshells And you criticize them They realize you've had enough You didn't use to do it Because you didn't want to hurt them Because you cared about their feelings But they didn't care if they hurt you But when you stop holding back On the things that you want to say It annoys and upsets them They realize you've had enough Because they've never seen you do that before But now they're seeing you rise in opposition You're no longer tolerating it Which means you're pretty much done When the Narcissist is unable to reach or contact you But you have no interest in speaking to them And you keep things short They realize you're done They realize they no longer have an effect on you They realize they no longer have power over you They realize they can't control you And this is when they will get really upset They will behave even more poorly and inappropriately Their behavior will become even more extreme Because they're trying to get you to react to it They want to see if your lack of emotion is real They want to see if you're really done Or if you're just trying to punish them They have to test you They have to see if it's real Or if you're just messing with them Or if you stand your ground against their tests They know it's done They know you're over them Thank you for watching I hope this video wears in it with you Please like, comment, share and subscribe If you would like to donate My PayPal link is in the video description Coaching inquiries You can email me at coaching.naxify.uk Thank you for watching I'll talk to you soon