Power of Intercession of Mother Mary - across the world

 Power of Intercession of Mother Mary - across the world

1. On the eve of the Battle of Borodino in 1812, Russian generals and soldiers sought solace and divine intervention by praying before the Smolensk Icon of the Virgin Mary. As a result, despite France boasting the most formidable army in Europe during the 1800s, Russia managed to resist the French invasion successfully. The turning point occurred when an unusually early Russian winter descended within a month, leading to the destruction of the entire French army. Napoleon, an avowed Atheist who even went so far as to arrest the Pope, experienced a crushing defeat in 1815. He was exiled to a small rocky island in the middle of Atlantic, far away from Europe and held in captivity as Prisoner of Europe. Before his eventual death in St. Helena, Napoleon embraced the Catholic faith once more.

 2. In 1571 and 1683, the Ottoman Empire attempted to conquer Vienna, where the Christian army found itself outnumbered and outgunned. On both occasions, the tide of battle shifted through the prayerful intervention of Mother Mary, saving Vienna from the Ottoman forces. Subsequently, the Ottomans never launched another attack on Europe. To delve deeper into this historical connection, you can explore the details provided in this link: https://schooloffaith.com/rosary-archive/the-holy-name-of-mary

The enduring faith of many Europeans, particularly in Eastern Europe, continues to play a significant role today. It is noteworthy that regions with a strong faith tradition tend to preserve their cultural heritage. Conversely, there is a perceptible decline in traditions and culture in places with diminishing faith, such as England, where Middle Eastern culture appears to be gradually displacing traditional values.

 3. When Tipu Sultan launched an attack on Travancore, the Christian women of the region gathered at the Manarcadu church, praying fervently for the defeat of Tipu and his formidable army. The rape, atrocities and horror stories perpetrated by Tipu's religiously motivated forces had already reached Travancore, instigating deep concern. This historical event is widely known among Kerala Christians, highlighting the origin of the unique tradition of an 8-day fasting period in the region. In a surprising turn of events, Tipu Sultan faced a sudden and devastating setback as his army was lost in an instant flood of the Periyar River. Tipu failed to invade Travancore & met his end with British. 

 4. There are couple of more wars against powerful Ottomans , won through luck by European nations. And the luck turned out to be the intervention of Mother Mary. Those who are interested may research on this further.

These are just a few examples where the intervention of Mother Mary changed the course of the world. Millions still seek the intervention of their daily problems and miracles are reported across the world. Mother Mary shrines are across all the continents. 

 No wonder, National Geographic, well known scientific magazine carried an article on Mother Mary and the millions of miracles attributed to the intervention of Mother Mary.  Thousands of Shrines across the world is devoted to Mother Mary , who was lucky to carry the Savior of Mankind in her womb. So, she is venerated across in all continents!  That’s why in December of 2015, National Geographic featured an amazing title. “Mary, The Most Powerful Woman in the World”.  It’s not often that the secular world bestows such a high title on the humble Mother of God as Catholics and Orthodox love so deeply. What is it about Mary that makes her so powerful?

 see the link https://ngsingleissues.nationalgeographic.com/ngm_december_2015

https://catholic-link.org/national-geographic-names-mary-most-powerful-woman/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CIn%20her%20messages%2C%20her%20call,What%20is%20this%3F

 The essence of this article is to underscore that the intervention of Mother Mary should not be dismissed as mere coincidence; rather, it has been credited with performing miracles. How the miracle happens? Is it faith healing? While prayer may be interpreted as a conduit for invoking quantum forces & energies, it's crucial to acknowledge that alongside prayer, human effort played a significant role in the outcomes observed. The message is clear: when seeking Mother Mary's intervention, it is imperative to complement prayers with sincere human endeavours. Only then Mother Mary can intercede on your behalf and seek blessings from her son, Jesus for their endeavours and efforts.  So, Human efforts and Prayers shall be in the ratio of 50:50.

 The idea of a 50:50 ratio between human efforts and prayers is not a strict rule but rather a conceptual way to emphasize the importance of both aspects. It suggests a balanced approach where individuals are encouraged to put in sincere and diligent efforts (the human aspect) while also seeking divine intervention through prayer (the spiritual aspect). The specific ratio may vary based on personal beliefs and interpretations.

 In essence, the message is to combine earnest human endeavor with spiritual faith, understanding that both contribute to the overall journey toward a goal. The emphasis is on a holistic approach that integrates both the practical and spiritual dimensions of one's efforts.

 God Bless all readers of this small Article 😊

FINESSE - THE LEADER IN CYBERSECURITY

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Our 'Finesse Cyberhub 24/7 CSOC' powered by our adept team is recently bestowed with the esteemed title of "Best Cybersecurity System Integrator," an honor presented by H.E Dr. Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, Head of the UAE Cybersecurity Council. 🏅🔐

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Market Musings for the week starting 12 Dec 2022

 

1. On Dec 9, 2022, Dow fell by 305 points
2. US Inflation Data and India's Inflation Data will be announced next week starting 12 Dec, which will decide the market moves.
3. 2023 recession in US is widely talked about and almost certain. However, since this is not a big surprise, the markets may not crash; however, could decline, depending upon the intensity of the recession.
4. Indian economy is expected to be resilient in 2023- but not immune to the recession in the USA & Europe.  If the recession is mild in USA & Europe, good for Indian economy. If the recession is steep, bad for Indian Economy, especially IT and hence, not so good for Indian stock market.
5. It is worth to note that during February 2018, when Inflation data was not favourable in the USA, Dow fell by 5%.
6. Year-end/ Santa Claus/ Christmas rally (albeit a minor one) can be expected in the next two weeks.

A day at Dubai Metro - a perfect example of successful VISION & MISSION

Dubai is a fascinating city- a true oasis in the middle of middle eastern desert. It hosts all nationalities and the local UAE nationals are always ready with a smile and hospitality.

Ever since I landed in Dubai as a banker than a decade ago, this place continues to amaze me. In 2004, there was no metro, no Burj Al Arab, no Palm, no Mall of Emirates with its wintery ski-mall, etc.

In today's blog, we will speak about Dubai Metro and how its common features with yet another success business story of GE. 

Today at 9.30 pm I was sitting at Dubai metro, Burjuman station and it was crowded, which tells about the success story of the first metro in the Middle east. 

My thoughts fly back to 2004 when the metro project was announced. It was the first such project. Many doubted its viability. Typical to UAE, (Dubai in particular) style it was built quickly and launched at the middle of the 2008 crisis. Even the promoters stated at the time of launch on 09-09-2009 that it may take more than a decade to see the metro profitable. However, the number of travellers in 2014 was around 15 million per day! and increasing.

 

Now a thumping success. It has much to do with the vision and mission 

IFRS 9 - RESULT OF 2008 FINANCIAL CRISIS

One of the main reasons that contributed to the Financial Crisis that began during 2006-end and became a full blown crisis on 15 Sep 2008, with the collapse of Lehman Brothers, can be traced to some of the Accounting Standards followed then, especially IAS 39. This is what critics says. By the end of 2008 , such accounting practices, along with other economic factors, resulted in the collapse of numerous commercial and investment banks, including several high profile institutions such as Bear Stearns,  Merrill Lynch, Wachovia, etc. 

The Financial Crisis resulted in a near collapse of the US banking sector.   Most agree the crisis started due to the bursting of the housing bubble in the US, traceable to the hike in interest rates by Ben Bernanke.  The near collapse of the financial sector has resulted in the greatest economic contraction that the US and Europe have seen since the end of the Second World War. 

After the dust settled, there were legislative and regulatory changes to address the underlying causes of the housing bubble and the Financial Crisis. Such initiatives to prevent a repeat of the Financial Crisis demanded suitable amendments to Accounting Standards.   In this regard, fair value accounting that was a considered as a major contributing factor to the pro-cyclical fluctuations in the value of financial assets, financial instruments and liabilities demanded a revisit.

Accordingly, Accounting Standard setters began to pay more attention to IAS 39 that might have played a significant role in contributing to the Financial Crisis. Now, IAS 39 is no longer in existence. It is replaced by IFRS 9 that provides guidance on Financial Instruments: Recognition and Measurement.

Many believe that IFRS 9 affects just banks and financial institutions. It is not true. It affects non-financial institutions as well, especially , if you have a substantial trade debtors portfolio. Such entities will have to start providing for possible future credit losses much earlier. Please refer to the attached presentation for more details. Please click the following link.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ciby-joseph-016b356/detail/recent-activity/

Market view - 22 Nov 2018

USA
Yesterday DOW ended flat after a promising jump at the beginning.
S&P Vix at 21, highest since Feb/Mar 2018. It touched low of 12 in Sep 2018. Only July/Aug 2015 VIX at 25 was higher than at current levels. It means there is fear in the US market. Recently, the confidence in the housing segment in the US hit a road block.

EUROPE
Germany GDP growth was disappointing
DAX went up yesterday, may go down today ... observe its opening and sentiments at 12 pm

ASIA

Asian shares mixed at opening

INDIA
Range bound

How Strategy Plays an important role in War and Stock market

ROLE OF STRATEGY IN WAR

Never in South India's history, perhaps, did a man of such extraordinary military genius suffer so extraordinary a military disaster. In late 1700s, Tipu Sultan, an accomplished ruler and military genius with tendency to Islamise the areas conquered , led an army of possibly 40000-60,000 men with 9000- 15000 cavalry and hundreds of guns  to conquer Travancore, a Hindu kingdom which was giving refuge to the Nairs and Brahmins fleeing Malabar, conquered by Tipu.

Since King of Travancore was a realist and knew that he had no chances against Tipu, he began to prepare strategies.  While he entered into an alliance with British East India Company based in Madras, his efficient General Keshav Das and King's war adviser D'Lenoy (Dutch) made a great wall (kotta) of defence of approx. 50 kms long and 15 ft to 50 ft high at Nedumkotta. (see the link for details https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nedumkotta)

By March 1790, after months of attacks and causalities, Tipu's army conquered Nedumkotta and Travancore army made a strategic withdrawal to Alwaye without defending a the few key towns in between. Instead, Travancore army took position on the opposite side of Periyar river, hoping to put up another massive resistance. 

East India Company declared a war on Mysore to force Tipu to return and cease operations against Travancore. 
But Tipu didn't care as he was confident of defeating Travancore and imposing his terms on both Travancore and British. Moreover, Tipu had the support of French East India Company and an accomplished French military genius Lally was also part of Tipu's army.

Tipu's Army was all set to cross Periyar river (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Periyar_(river)), the last stumbling block in the invasion of Travancore. Once the army crosses the river, there were hardly any ideal place for Travancore army to hide and fight. Tipu brought forward his ammunition, horses and forces to the banks of river Periyar during early April 1790 for the crossing of the river.

Possibly, unknown to Tipu, there was a large lake in Periyar at Bhoothankettu formed by the large rocks that fell into the river or possibly created by some Bhootams as the local folklore says. The rocks that supported the lake are still visible as evident from the photo below:

The huge rocks prevented the water-flow of the river, that created a large lake behind the rocks.  

Travancore General Raja Kesava Dasan, sent a secret strike force  upstream to blast a few rocks of Bhootankettu lake to create a temporary flood to wipe out as much as Mysore army as possible.

The plan worked. On the same night when Tipu moved his army to the banks of Periyar, the team sent by Raja Kesava Dasan celebrated 'Mission Accomplished' .

During our recent visit to Bhootankettu, a local person told that the location shown in the photo below could be the breach in the lake , widened by explosions by Travancore Army.

Possibly after 1-2 hours of successful blast at Bhootankettu, the massive body of water hit Mysore army. Tipu woke up at the mid of the night to see a flash flood wiping out his ammunition, cannons, most of cavalry and significant percentage of his fighting men. (The event has some similarities of Exodus, where the Jews, who were slaves of Pharaoh just managed to drown a large of Pharaoh's army in the red sea).

With this massive loss of force, Tipu had no choice but to return to defend his capital, Srirangapattanam, against the British forces. The strategy by Travancore Army helped them to defeat a larger and superior force. 

During our recent trip to Bhoothankettu (http://bhoothathankettu.com/) it was a disappointment to see that Kerala Govt authorities did not mention any of these historical events, that played a vital role in shaping the destiny of the state.

...................
ROLE OF STRATEGY IN STOCK MARKET

Now let us have a quick look at the stock market. Indian stock market had run ahead of it fundamentals when it hit 11200 +  in Jan 2018

Many in the markets knew it and booked the profits; so the stock market now corrected, with some stocks correcting sharply. If the Indian GDP is set to grow at 7%-8% in the next 15-20 years, the corporate earnings will grow much faster (as 12% - 20%) and such stocks will give opportunities to make money at the current levels

Of course, retailers are pitted against much larger Financial Institutions, who take the markets to dizzying heights and to despairing low levels, when they invest in.

Can retailers apply some kind of strategy to make 18% to 24% per annum in the long run from Indian stock market? A lot can be learnt from Warren Buffet. A few such learning point are:

a) It is ok to underperform the market at times ; but not ok to do so always. During his 50+ years at Berkshire Hathaway, WB underperformed the market on 12 occasions and on a few occasions, the performance was in line with the market. However, he was able to outperform market in many occasions too.
b) The CAGR of Berkshire growth is around 19%, compounded. The big idea worth noting here is that the annualized return WB has earned for its shareholders to achieve such magnificent result over 50 years is just 19% - something people of current bull run would discard as too less! The power is more on the compounding ; not on the return!
c) Buy the right stock and hold on to it. It is also known as 'Buy Right and Sit Tight' policy. Most of the stocks currently held by Berkshire Hathaway are bought in the 1960s, 70s, 80s and 90s.
d) Another important point is to invest. Exactly. Thou shall invest in good companies after making effort to study its fundamentals, future growth potential, etc. If you invest, you invest for long term (& not short term). 
e) Don't panic when the market panic- because you are sitting on good stocks with strong underlying business. WB says that during early 1970s when the Washington Post share price dropped by 50% (vs price he made massive investments), he got excited (instead of panic) and added more shares of Washington Post.