Liberty

Good blog post on Buffett's early investments. http://basehitinvesting.com/buffetts-early-investments/

http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/07/01/allergan-valeant-defense-idINL2N0P61CD20140701 Also: http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/07/01/pershing-square-said-to-hire-credit-suisse-for-allergan-fight/?smid=tw-dealbook&seid=auto

Totally agree.

Thanks Sanjeev, and thanks to Paul and his team :)

I got it from Amazon.ca, and I think I got the last copy they had. Sorry about that :-\

http://www.peridotcapital.com/2014/06/profitless-amazon-myth-lives-on-thanks-to-lazy-financial-media.html

http://glennchan.wordpress.com/2014/06/30/lmca-is-there-hidden-value-in-trueposition/

Thanks for the suggestions above. I did some more research on meditation practices this weekend. Here's what I found. Basically, it seems like there are 3 major types of meditation: [*]Concentration - to focus exclusively on one thing, such as your breath or a rock in the grass (Zen, Tibetan Buddhism, Samatha); [*]Mindfulness - to experience and observe all your sensations and thoughts without attachment (Vipassana, MBSR); [*]Transcending - to think or experience nothing at all (Transcendental Meditation, NSR, Hindu meditations). From these buckets, I found 2 specific techniques that are both widely taught in the West and claim to be backed by scientific research: Transcendental Meditation A meditation in which one silently repeats a specific, meaningless phrase (mantra) while sitting quietly for 20 min twice daily. Popularized by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who turned the technique into a "movement" backed by programs and organizations starting in the 1960s. Maharishi Foundation owns the registered trademark on "Transcendental Meditation" and charges $1500 to teach the basic technique. Claims to be backed by hundreds of scientific studies, but the validity of this research is widely disputed. From my own cursory review, it does seem that much of the research on TM is seriously flawed at best. Personal opinion: It smells a little cult-ish and reminds be of scientology in some ways. Charges big money for something no one else does. Touts a long list of celebrity practitioners, a few of whom evangelize for the "movement" (David Lynch, Ellen Degeneres, Jerry Seinfeld). Used to make crazy claims about levitation and "yogic flying" (not anymore). Claims to be completely secular, but requires the practice of some ancient Hindu ceremonies and incantations. Appears to have a well-funded marketing infrastructure and a very active PR strategy. Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Combines mindfulness mediation with yoga for 45 min daily. Developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn, a professor of medicine at the University of Massachusets. Now widely taught as a 8-week workshop course in medical centres, hospitals, clinics, and non-profit organizations. There are also numerous self-study books written by Kabat-Zinn and others. Completely secularized, with no religious or mystical theory or practices. Lots of peer-reviewed research available. Conclusion from one literature review done at Johns Hopkins in 2008: "MBSR is an effective treatment for reducing stress and anxiety that accompanies daily life and chronic illness. MBSR is also therapeutic for healthcare providers, enhancing their interactions with patients. No negative side effects from MBSR have been documented." Liberty, I think you might enjoy these blog posts by Sam Harris, a neurologist, meditation fan, and outspoken critic of religion: How to Meditate Killing the Buddha For me, I am now going to look further into MBSR and mindfulness meditation. In particular, I'm looking at these books and CDs: Mindfulness: An Eight-Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World A Mindfulness-Ba​sed Stress Reduction Workbook Full Catastrophe Living (Revised Edition): Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness Guided Mindfulness Meditation Series 1 It looks like there are also MBSR classes offered in Vancouver by certified trainers (mostly clinical counselors and therapists): http://www.mbsrbc.ca/pages/classes.htm I may look into those further after reading some of the books. Thanks to this thread for prompting me to pursue this area of interest again! Thanks Leftcoast, this is golden. I had a similar reaction after doing some quick research on TM; if it's as easy and simple as you say it is, why do you need to be to pay someone hundreds of dollars to show you and select a mantra for you? It had kind of a bad smell to it... At first glance I was expecting something more like Toastmaster.. I just got the book mentioned earlier in the thread, Mental Resilience, so I'm going to start there. If that doesn't satisfy me, I'll dig deeper into MBSR.

That sounds like a good starting point. Thank you, I think I'll order it and see where it leads me. Amazon is so ridiculous. I ordered it late Saturday night, iirc, and I got it today. That's the free shipping option. No idea why I would ever need to upgrade shipping... Good timing too because I finish the Ed Catmull book last night (and in a later chapter, he talks about how he discovered meditation and silent retreats...).

Thanks Meiroy. Do you happen to have the links to the youtube videos that got you started?

Finished it. Quite liked it. There's a very good chapter at the end about Catmull's 25 years relationship with Steve Jobs. There's also this podcast about the book, for those interested: http://5by5.tv/incomparable/197 And this recent Farnam Street post: http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2014/06/the-role-of-a-critic/

I guess Dexter Shoes doesn't count ;)

That sounds like a good starting point. Thank you, I think I'll order it and see where it leads me.

I got quite interested in this last January, and purchased a few books on my kindle. What I found is that it's difficult to find a "how to" guide that separates the actual techniques of meditation from all of the new-agey spiritual and religious (Buddhist) stuff. Not that Buddhist theology isn't interesting, but it's not what I am looking to learn about... I just want a practical guide on the techniques of meditation and how to setup a meditation program. (I guess I see it as analogous to learning how to set up a personal fitness program and how to perform the specific exercises therein.) My engineer brain just wants to understand what to do and how to do it (and a scientific explanation of how/why it works would be icing on the cake). I did look look at www.getsomeheadspace.com, because it claims to offer just that ("we've secularized meditation") but was turned off by the aggressive marketing and shameless promotion of their subscription service. "We've monetized meditation" might be a better tag line. Would definitely be interested and appreciative if anyone can recommend resources (books or courses) that focus on teaching meditation without the mysticism. I live in Vancouver and would be interested in either in-person classes or online courses. This is exactly what I'm looking for. Please let us know if you find something. Thank you.

http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/06/27/allergan-valeant-ackman-idINL2N0P812L20140627

For you practicing TM people, do you think getting the TM course in person is worth it, as they claim it is, or can this be done via books?

You guys have piqued my curiosity. I'm definitely looking into this. I added the two books recommended by Carvel46 to my list and I've been looking around the net for info about this. Youtube has some stuff too, which I've added to the list and will watch later. Thanks guys :)

http://www.peridotcapital.com/2014/06/sears-holdings-third-party-tenant-leased-space-surpasses-one-million-square-feet-capital-needs-remain-overwhelming.html

Very nice work. I certainly hope that you are correct!

Not everybody learns the same way. I learn best by myself, reading. Some people learn better from other people.

Saw this on Twitter:

Look up what Buffett has said and written about the concept of a "circle of competence", I think that will be helpful. Either start withs something you already know well and keep going deeper and wider, or pick something that interests you and focus on that industry for a while (ie. if you want to learn about insurance, there's tons to read on the web, and you can study the top companies in that industry). Even if you don't find any investable ideas right now, it's ok. You are just building out your circle of competence. It'll come in handy later.

Anyone planning to go to the Alderon AGM in Montreal on july 29th?

http://ir.valeant.com/investor-relations/news-releases/news-release-details/2014/Valeant-Files-Preliminary-Proxy-Statement-for-Special-Meeting-of-Shareholders-to-Approve-Share-Issuance-in-Proposed-Acquisition-of-Allergan/default.aspx

Anything specific made you sell ALS?