Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Lincoln's Thanksgiving Day Proclamation


Lincoln wrote a proclamation, which was issued on October 3, 1863. The New York Times published a copy of the proclamation two days later. The idea seemed to catch on, and the northern states celebrated Thanksgiving on the date noted in Lincoln's proclamation, the last Thursday in November, which fell on November 26, 1863.
Washington, D.C.

October 3, 1863

By the President of the United States of America.

A Proclamation.

The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God.

In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign states to invite and provoke their aggression's, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere, except in the theater of military conflict; while that theater has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union.

Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defense have not arrested the plow, the shuttle, or the ship; the ax has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege, and the battlefield, and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom.

No human counsel hath devised, nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.

It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American people. I do, therefore, invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a Day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens. And I recommend to them that, while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners, or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty hand to heal the wounds of the nation, and to restore it, as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes, to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility, and union.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United Stated States to be affixed.

Done at the city of Washington, this third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the United States the eighty-eighth.

Abraham Lincoln



Happy Thanksgiving from PrudentTrader.com

Thursday, November 3, 2016

Is Your Mind Open?

I'm willing to meet with anyone, Democrat or Republican, who has a good idea, an open mind and a willingness to come together to tackle the challenges we face.
Brad Schneider

Do you have an open mind? Think about it a moment; an open mind is a free mind. Your inner winner image emerges as you open your mind to new ideas, new thoughts, new concepts, new people. If your mind is closed to new ideas and concepts, you are closing a door that imprisons your own mentality.


Prejudices occur when you close your mind and lock the doors. Intolerance cuts off the flow of ideas between your subconscious and your conscious mind. It also cuts off communication with others that may brighten your horizons.


About 100 years ago, The Wright Brothers decided to invent a flying machine. History tells us, the majority ridiculed them. In fact it was the closed minds of that majority; that rejected the concept, the idea. Luckily for us all The Wright Brothers listened to their inner selves. Your inner winner (self) is a voice that encourages you to try and try again. That voice will give you the courage in the face of ridicule.


If you are working on a project and seem to be stuck, or if you are unsure of what to do about your investing and trading dollars, then form a brainstorming partnership with at least one other friend. Share with them your problem, your confusion, your wishes, your desires, your
concerns, and ask for help. Put the power of two or more brains to work on the situation. The Wright brothers succeeded because they put the power of more than one brain into their dream.


After more years in the markets than I sometimes care to admit, I still seek out others with new, different, and perhaps fresh ideas. It does not matter if they are 60 years in the market or just 1. Many times it is the new or relatively new trader who has a fresh and different perspective. While I may see caution written all over his or her words, it often sparks an idea that I will give further attention to.


You will discover that brainstorming forces your inner winner to come to the surface. The more you use it, the more it will work to assist you.