Yes, this has absolutely nothing to do with Personal Finance or Banking or the like, but I really like this video from the NFB, Here’s Hockey talks about an earlier day, when kids played hockey without helmets or cages, and we played outside and maybe a more naive time.

I remember playing outside, with my Dad standing there freezing himself solid and then having to listen to me complain how cold I was after the game was played. The only thing that kept him warm was his cigarette!

I love this clip, it has Jean Beliveau, and Dick Irvine the coach.

Listen to the size of the NHL, it’s a $6M dollar business (how much is Jim Balsillie paying for the Coyotes?). Skates that are LUDICROUSLY expensive at $50 a pair, a simpler time that is for sure.

OK this one I cannot really say has anything to do with Personal Finance, Banking, Taxes or about Swine Flu for that matter, however it is a short from the NFB that I remember from my childhood that I loved.

A bit of a long one for you, but Paddle to the Sea chronicles the long journey of a carving  from Lake Superior to the Ocean.

I suppose the story is much like the very long Financial journey we all take in our lifetimes, with all of it’s twists and turns until we reach our goal of Financial Freedom (yes, that is a very looong stretch, but it kind of fits).

John Wooden is the dean of Basketball Coaches, and to many he is the yard stick which all other basketball coaches are measured against. I was delighted to see that Coach Wooden had done a talk for Ted.com, and I include it here as the weekend Video simply because it is a very good talk about leadership, teaching and coaching.

I think the outline of this talk says it all:

With profound simplicity, Coach John Wooden redefines success and urges us all to pursue the best in ourselves. In this inspiring talk he shares the advice he gave his players at UCLA, quotes poetry and remembers his father’s wisdom.

Happy Easter !!!

This coming week could be quite interesting for many different reasons but here are just a few.

Labour Numbers

Stats Canada will be publishing a new Labour Survey this week and we shall see if the drain of jobs continues in Canada. From what I saw last week at a job fair I attended, I would suggest the unemployed numbers will be higher. Remember the February unemployment rate was 7.7%, but that may roll higher, in my opinion.

Earnings

Many firms are announcing their earnings this week, which could either crush the mini Bull market that started last week or it could help things keep going, with nice surprises (like RIM’s announcement last week). The upswing in the market may keep going, but how big it will be (or whether it is a sucker’s rally) remains to be seen.

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Lent is almost over

How goes your Lenten financial project? Mine is doing ok, but remember that Easter is the New Beginning you might be looking for as well. In Christianity, Easter is really the “big thing” (not Christmas), and it is an excellent time to start something new as well, so keep that in mind this week as well. Setting goals and keeping your focus on them is how you will succeed in your Financial Journey.

Tax Deadlines

Remember either in Canada or the U.S. your income tax filing deadlines loom. This long weekend coming up might be an excellent time to finish that off, and tick off another box on your list of things to do (or you can go out and rake leaves, either one needs to get done).

Pity the Billionaires

Forbes announced their list of billionaires and the number of alleged Billionaires is down sharply from last year’s number from 1,125 to 793.  How many “billionaires” are now collecting Unemployment Premiums? What do you do with a Billion dollars? Would any of them like to adopt me or my kids? These are all good questions to ponder on a Monday.