2009-12-31

The Most Powerful Man

Regardless if the currency is in yen,euro, or pesos, with the dollar as the reserve currency of the world, the Fed wields tremendous power of those currencies.

The Fed Chairman doesn't have to ask President Obama or the US Congress for permission to do what he wants. When Bernanke wants to print trillions of dollars,he doesn't have to ask permission. He has the ability to print trillions of dollars out of thin air. That's power.

The banks that caused the crisis were being bailed out at the same time millions of people were losing their jobs, businesses, and homes.

How would you like to have the ability to control the Fed, the US Treasury, and the mega-banks such as Goldman Sachs? That's power.

The TIME Magazine article was very kind to the Fed Chairman ... almost kissing his butt. They painted him as a simple genius, born for this time in history in order to save the world economy. Doesn't TIME know the Fed, with its power to print money and create massive debt, is the very organization that through its fiscal policies caused the crisis in the first place?

The Fed refuses to be audited. Can you imagine telling the US Congress to mind their own business if they asked to audit you? If we told a lowly IRS tax agent, "Bug off.How much money I have or don't have, and who I'm giving the money to, is none of your business," we'd be thrown in the slammer.

2009-12-30

Recent Readings About Malaysia

The top 10 countries for 2010 by Lonely Planet
Malaysia

Malaysia often gets criticised as being mild in comparison with its grittier neighbours, Thailand and Indonesia. It’s true, natural disasters and coups only seem to happen across its borders, the roads don’t have too many potholes, buses and trains have air-con and plush seats, and hotels are of international standard. While troubles are few, visiting Malaysia lets you leap into the jaws of one of the most interesting parts of Southeast Asia’s roaring cultural smorgasbord – and not be too worried about it. Cheap connections to Europe and great exchange rates mean that you won’t get eaten up by your wallet either.
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/malaysia/travel-tips-and-articles/42/15809

Malaysia Continues To Be A Competitive Investment Destination In Asia
- due to its well-developed physical and institutional infrastructure compared to other countries on the continent.
- a potential investment to tap into in the country, is the halal industry. Malaysia continues to make great strides in promoting its world class Halal hub.
- Located strategically within the Asia Pacific region, Malaysia is among the most developed countries in Asean.It is also recognised internationally as a modern and progressive Islamic country with an open economy offering competitive business incentives.
- Blessed with economic and political stability, the country is well positioned to become the leader in developing the halal industry.
- Malaysia's active role in the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and its position as the home of the Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB), further enhanced the country's standing as the market leader in the provisioning of halal products and services globally.
- Having taken the lead in the global multi-billion business of providing halal products and services, including Islamic finance,Malaysia has moved aggressively in the industry over the past few years
- Investors should know that under the Asean Free Trade Area (AFTA), products manufactured in Malaysia, which meet the Asean content requirements, enjoy preferential access in the other member countries.
http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsbusiness.php?id=464953

Economy may face tougher times in 2010
- following concerns that the United States may be heading for a double-dip recession.
- There are worries that the growth momentum that we are seeing now -- not only in Malaysia but everywhere else -- is somewhat fragile because the growth that we are seeing in the United States and Europe and some other countries are very much driven by fiscal stimulus packages,
- the possibility of asset bubbles especially in China and many countries in East Asia and rising inflation
- all these countries had been printing money this year to finance part of their deficits.
- These extra money printed actually have not translated into higher prices because of repressed demand conditions. But once economy starts to recover, demand will begin to recover, there is a strong possibility of inflation reemerging. If inflation were to rise, countries like Australia and Europe which are very sensitive to inflation numbers, may jack up interest rates. And if they jack up interest rates, then I think it will scuttle the growth process

http://sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=41757

2009-12-29

3M讀書會: 【好文分享】很Nice的八句話...

1.「傻瓜繳學費學習,聰明人以傻瓜繳的學費學習」-- 巴西諺語

有一個楞頭楞腦的流浪漢,常常在市場裡走動,許多人很喜歡開他的玩笑,並且用不同的方法捉弄他。

其中有一個大家最常用的方法。

就是在手掌上放一個五元和十元的硬幣,由他來挑選,而他每次都選擇五元的硬幣。

大家看他傻乎乎的,連五元和十元都分不清楚,都捧腹大笑。

每次看他經過,都一再的以這個手法來取笑他。

過了一段時間,一個有愛心的老婦人,就忍不住問他:

「你真的連五元和十元都分不出來嗎?」

流浪漢露出狡黠的笑容說:

「如果我拿十元,他們下次就不會讓我挑選了。」



默想∼

當人自以為聰明時,其實正顯出愚昧和無知。

讓我們多以柔和謙卑的態度與人相處,那才真正是智者的作為。



2.「多數人的失敗不是因為他們的無能,而是他的心志不專一。」 ----吉魯德

有一個外科醫生告訴學生:

「當個外科醫生,需要二項重要的能力:

第一、不會反胃,

第二、觀察力要強。」

接著,他伸出一隻手指,沾入一碟看來令人作嘔的液體中,然後張口舔舔手指。

他要全班學生照著做,他們只好硬起頭皮照做一遍。

醫生頷首一笑說:

「各位,恭喜你們通過了第一關測驗。

不幸的是,第二關你們都沒通過,因為你們沒注意到我舔的手指頭,不是我探入碟中的那根手指。」



默想∼

你有沒有仔細而認真的觀察,現在從事的工作是否有不佳之處?

及時調整,永遠不晚。

一個認真的人也必是一個智慧的人。



3.「不要害怕你的生命會結束,而要害怕它從未開始。」 ----格雷斯•漢森

有一個人搭船到英國,途中遇到暴風,全船的人驚慌失措,他看到一個老太太非常平靜的在禱告,神情十分的安詳。

等到風浪過去,全船脫離了險境,這人很好奇的問這老太太,為什麼一點都不害怕。

老太太回答:

「我有兩個女兒,大女兒叫馬大,已經被上帝接走,回到天家,二女兒叫馬利亞住在英國。

剛才風浪大作時,我就向上帝禱告,如果接我回天家,我就去看大女兒,

如果留我性命,我就去看二女兒,

不管去那裡我都一樣,所以我怎麼會害怕呢?」

默想∼

無論是甚麼樣的遭遇任何事,總不致懼怕。

把命運交託上蒼,充實而用心的過好每一天。



4.「沒有烏雲,沒有暴風雨,便沒有美麗的彩虹。」---- 芬生

有一朵看似弱不禁風的小花,生長在一棵高聳的大松樹下。

小花非常慶幸有大松樹成為她的保護,為它擋風擋雨,每天可以高枕無憂。

有一天,突然來了一群伐木工人,兩三下的功夫,就把大樹整個鋸了下來。

小花非常傷心,痛哭道:

「天啊!我所有的保護都失去了;從此那些囂張的狂風會把我吹倒,滂沱的大雨會把我打倒!」





遠處的另一棵樹安慰她說:

「不要這麼想,剛好相反,少了大樹的阻擋,陽先會照耀妳、甘霖會滋潤妳;妳弱小的身軀將長得更茁壯,妳盛開的花辦將一一呈現在燦爛的日光下。

人們會看到妳,並且稱讚妳說,這朵可愛的小花長得真美麗啊!」



默想∼

當失去了一些以為可以長久依靠的東西,自然會有難過及割捨的痛苦,但其中卻隱藏著無限的祝福和機會。

日後回首時,你才驚訝自己成長的痕跡,是那麼清晰明顯,甚至是令人滿心喜悅的。



5..沒有失敗,只有暫時停止成功。

如果你已經為人父母,當你的孩子正在學習走路時,你會給他幾次機會?

你會在他跌倒十次之後,讓他改坐輪椅嗎?

還是只給他二十次學走的機會,若學不會走路就要他放棄?

或者當你身邊有五十個人叫囂著勸你放棄,你就決定讓他坐輪椅呢?

我想你的答案是:不會。

的確,當我問每一位父母,會給你的孩子幾次機會呢?

他們都說:

我會給他無數次機會,直到他站起來,學會走路為止!

是的,一直堅持到底者,最終都會站起來。

為什麼許多父母只給孩子一次聯考的機會?

為什麼常用失望的口氣告訴孩子不適合某種行業,要求他轉行呢?

而許多人竟也因為沒有堅定的信念,一遇挫折就認為自己能力不足,因此放棄了他們的理想。

其實,凡事沒有失敗,只有暫時停止成功。





6.上帝的延遲並不是上帝的拒絕。

有一個人,他在二十一歲時,做生意失敗。

二十二歲時,角逐州議員落選。

二十四歲時,做生意再度失政。

二十六歲時,愛侶去世。

二十七歲時,一度精神崩潰。

三十四歲時,角逐聯邦眾議員落選。

三十六歲時,角逐聯邦眾議員再度落選。

四十五歲時,角逐聯邦參議員落選。

四十七歲時,提名副總統落選。

四十九歲時,角逐聯邦參議員再度落選。

五十二歲時,當選美國第十六任總統。

這個人就是林肯,因為他堅信上帝的延遲,並不是上帝的拒絕,因此能屢仆屢起,最終成就不凡。



7.重要的不是發生了什麼事,而是要做那些事來改善它。

佛家說逆境是「增上緣」,可遇而不可求。

遇到困難時,重要的不是發生了什麼事,而是你即將用什麼態度來面對,做些什麼事來改善它。



8.我對我的生命完全負責。

成功者對事情百分之百負責,負責的定義是永遠握有主控權,如果不能主控生命,很可能一生隨波逐流。

對生命負全責者,他為自己而活,並學習替別人著想。

把心化為水,以身為容器,反映世界的影子,我在影子中找尋自己的價值.......

2009-12-28

劉勝義世界觀開創新人生

游走廣告網絡界
劉勝義世界觀開創新人生

- 15年前的中國,無論物資或基本建設,都比我國來得匱乏及落后。
- 許多人都知道中國有個QQ網很火紅。
- 如果一個人的職業生涯要走向專業,稍微宏觀或世界觀的想法,非常重要。
- 始料未及的是,劉勝義卻因為中國太多的發展機會“一去不回頭”,此后沒有想到返馬發展。
- 從當年剛到步時的迷茫,到見證今日的巨龍崛起,提到認為最大的改變時,劉勝義停頓了一下,思索好一會后才緩緩說出:“是人的改變。”
- 一個國家面對那么大的全球經濟危機挑戰,還能持續交出這么漂亮的成績單,管理的功力和智慧都很重要,而且管理還講究對于某種理念的持續。
- 人的素質在提升,以及人對未來盼望指數也比往年更高。
- 在中國“水土不服”,沒有改變觀念乃是最大因素,並早已習慣從自己的觀點出發。
- 屬于人才外流的他,以過來人的身分語重心長指出,政府應該避免人才外流,但當務之急必須了解人才的內心需求是什么,並強調以積效為導向的發展空間。
- “大馬要和中國競爭人才會很難,畢竟中國市場大、機會多;但大馬可從安全角度著手,要是治安不好,還有誰敢來?”
- 若要啟發一個人的激情,就必須讓他當作經營一份事業而非上班,這已是本質上最大的差異。
- 樹高千丈,落葉歸根

- 每個國家都有自己的問題,大馬這些遺留下來的狀況,至少現在的人要知道怎么去按部就班改正過來。

http://www.chinapress.com.my/topic/business%20weekly04/default.asp?dt=2009-11-29&art=20091129atopic19ee.txt

2009-12-26

MOSO lifestyle

As the old saying goes "there is absolutely no certainty in the world except time and change".

Yes, at an epistemic level, only time and change remains a certainty in this world as we know it.

And as the dawn of a New Year approaches, if we take a look back at the year 2009, we see a multitude of changes that have occurred in just one year.

We might not be able to foretell the future but we are pretty good at speculating on what will happen tomorrow based on our current state of existence and how we intend to put things in motion.

Living a life with awareness in every single aspect of what we do, is probably the best way to prepare ourselves for the future. It could be the most careful and well thought out method.

MOSO

MOSO is derived from the term Moderation Society. It is a network which seeks to promote a set of beliefs based on research conducted in 2005.

Moderation Society or MOSO is one way to approach the realm of change no matter how it manifests itself.

This movement's mission is to introduce the philosophy of a sufficiency economy into the daily lives of people. The question is, how do they build upon this and sell it to the masses?

A network was developed to complement a series of movements in the guise of several activities under the theme "Focusing on Awareness Over Money".

This meant taking the middle way in living your life. No luxuries or excesses, yet not going overboard by penny-pinching.

Everyone and anyone can be a MOSO member regardless of one's social standing in society.

Be Slow To Buy

Life's necessities for most of us can be boiled down to four basic requirements: food, clothing, medicine and shelter.

However the modern world has given several interpretations of the generic definition of basic necessity. I am talking about telecommunications such as the mobile phone, computers and the automobile.

Being part of the MOSO community doesn't necessarily stipulate that you have to abstain from all of life's comforts, so to speak.

What is required is that you are more careful in choosing and buying what you need.

Take for example, the use of a simple personal account of your income and expenses, in addition to a household account. If you need to purchase something, don't do it on the spur of the moment. Be slower in the buying process. Try out the expense account concept.

Say you want to buy a new computer on a 20,000 baht budget. Set a timeframe for consideration and a rationale for this purchase - say 15 days to one month.

When this time elapses and you are still able to get through life without a new computer then this purchase is not a necessity. You don't need it for Christmas, Songkran, Valentines Day or any other festive holiday that usually stimulates the urge in many people to go out on a spending spree.


Change your outlook. Are there other kinds of presents that we can give our loved ones without having to spend anything at all or spending as much?

Now that you are buying slower you should be able to look at a new measure called the "Buy Nothing Day". Try it once a month and then progress to a weekly basis. This special day should be devoted to just buying food only.

If you can do this on a more frequent basis until it becomes a daily activity, you will discover that you can actually attain happiness without buying anything at all.

Spiritual Happiness Reigns Supreme For Moso Members

As we welcome in the New Year, it should be noted that this should be regarded as an opportunity for everyone to take a step back and think about doing new things. And of course always being aware of your decisions.

The end result will be sustainable happiness that does not rely on wealth and money.

Try it frequently and you could discover that doing things slowly, with a more well thought out approach, can generate an unbelievable level of spiritual happiness within.


Source:

Bangkok Post
Be aware to take care
Economic sufficiency using the MOSO lifestyle

* Published: 24/12/2009 at 12:00 AM
* Newspaper section: Mylife

2009-12-23

CoTR Notes (2)

It is interesting to note how hungry the people of emerging countries are to learn.

One advantage of writing online was that I could write about things as they were happening. I could write about history as it's being made.

Desperate people do desperate things.

Because our political leaders are in trouble, they're handing out more money. They are desperate, and they don't want to lose their power.

A German style hyperinflation is good for those who know how to borrow tens of millions of dollars at extremely low, non-recourse, fixed, forty-year interest rates, and how to invest those dollars into real assets that produce steady cash flow.

Everyone needs a place to live, and we provide safe, well-maintained apartments at reasonable pricing. That's a recipe for success. We continue to operate at a 92 percent occupancy rate, which keeps the cash flowing.

Take care and stay vigilant. You are witnessing the greatest wealth transfer in the history of the world, and I want to see you prosper. ~Robert Kiyosaki

2009-12-21

Crisis or opportunity,it's up to you.

As most of the world knows by now, the Fed and most of the world's governments are printing money. In fact, they've printed more money in one year than has been printed in the last one hundred years. So the question is, where has the money gone? If trillions have been printed, why are so many businesses failing, why is unemployment climbing, and why are homes being lost to foreclosure? Some people have received a lot of money, but have YOU received your share of bailout money?

Everyday, the Fed is printing tons of dollars. The problem is that this hot money is not getting into the hands of those who need it most. The money is going to those who have connections. The top groups to receive this hot money are the US government, foreigners who borrow the money at zero percent interest, Wall Street, and big corporations. There is not much left over for ordinary people. This is why foreclosures increase, small businesses fail, and unemployment increases.

If you are rich and know how to borrow money, there is a lot of federal money waiting for you. The Fed is printing money, but you have to know how to borrow it.

There is a lot of money looking for smart people, so please do not use the excuse, "I don't have any money." If you get smarter, money may start looking for you.

Those that know how to short the market or use put options will grow rich off those investing for the long term. Obviously, study and take courses before risking your money in ANY market.

Since our schools do not teach us much about money, it's up to you to invest in your financial education. The worst thing you can do is follow the old financial advice of, "Work hard, live below your means, save money, get out of debt, and invest for the long term in mutual funds." That is disastrous financial advice.

Why work harder when the government is raising taxes? Why live below your means when inflation is on the horizon? Why save money when the government is printing money? And why invest for the long term in the stock market when interest rates are near zero? All the Fed has to do is raise interest rates and the stock market will crash as money runs into the bond market. Don't take any advice at face value. Get your own financial education and follow the advice that you think is best for you.

This crisis will go down as the biggest wealth transfer in the history of the world. That means that many of today's rich and middle-class will be tomorrow's poor. A wealth transfer also means that even if you are poor today, you could be rich tomorrow. This is the crisis you have been waiting for. It could be your biggest opportunity, but that depends upon you and the choices you make.

Crisis or opportunity,it's up to you.

There are trillions of new counterfeit dollars floating throughout the world. If you do nothing, these counterfeit dollars will steal your wealth via taxes, debt, and inflation. Workers and savers will be the biggest losers.

So where is all the money going to? It's going to those who have a great outlook on life, know the old economy is gone, and live life according to the new rules of money.

2009-12-20

六堂课 * 富爸爸不愁穷

一本只需数十令吉就可以买到的书,网络上甚至有电子版本全文可以下载,任何人不花成本就可以知道成为富人的秘密,但是有多少人因此变成有钱人?

1:富人不为钱工作
穷人和中产阶是因为恐惧,害怕失去工作,付不起帐单而工作,最后变成钱的奴隶,把怒气对准老板。
富人则不是为了钱工作,因此可以看到大多数人忙着寻找眼前财富与安定感之外其他的机会。人在一生中若能不断看到机会,就得以避开生活中最大的陷阱,不再恐惧。

2:厘清资产与负债的差别
财务知识如同大厦的地基,要有坚实的地基才能建造稳健的大楼。资产是“能把钱放进口袋的东西”。负债是“能把钱从你口袋取走的东西”。

3:只要关注自己的事业
自己的事业围绕的是自己的资产,而不是收入。
增加的收入用于购买可以产生新收入的资产,才有可能获得真正的财务安全。
当经济衰退来临时,穷人和中产阶级会发现他们最重要的资产,房子,正活活的吃掉每月现金。另外一项资产,汽车,同样没有价值,而且还得缴贷款。若不幸被裁员,简直就是掉入地狱。
真正资产是:不需要到场就可以正常运作的业务,拥有它们,但是有别人经营和
管理,像是:股票,债券,共同基金,创造收入的房地产,票据(借据),专利权或是其他可以创造收入,或是可能增值,并有很好流通性的东西。

4:开源节流
懂法律的人之间,就像是一个会飞和只会走路的人在競赛。富人赚更多钱,缴更少税,
天大秘密就在于富人会将自己的资产,以公司的形式持有。每当遇到法律诉讼时,富人用公司和信托来隐藏财富。

5:训练自己的财务IQ
财务IQ包括4项专业:财物知识,投资战略,市场供给和需求,法律规章。在练习中进步,在错误中领悟。

6:不为金钱工作
当人们因为害怕失去收入而工做时,往往会蒙蔽了双眼。在学习过程中,不要担心,也不要在乎短暂的收入数字。当你累积多专业足以彼此支援时,就更能发挥自己的才华。

2009-12-19

CoTR Notes

Since the year 2000, all you would have had to do was watch the Fed print money and then buy gold and silver. In 2000, gold was approximately $275 an ounce, and silver was $4.75 an ounce. Today, an ounce of gold is pushing $1,200, a 430 percent increase; and an ounce of silver is $18, a 380 percent increase. Keep your eye on the ball. Keep up your financial education and don't go into cruise control. Anyone can look smart in a bull market, and most look like fools when that market crashes.

After 1971 all major currencies of the world became debt - bonds backed by governments promising that tax payers would pay for the debt via taxes. In other words, after 1971 taxpayers were paying for the blunders of the rich. The rich who made the mistakes will keep the money they made, and the taxpayers will bail them out. Dubai is not the only country doing this. The US, Japan, and England are doing the same. If there is anyone to cry for it is the poor and middle class who ultimately pay the price. And the highest price is the lack of financial education in the world's educational systems.

"If the American people ever allow private banks (the Fed) to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation and then by deflation, the banks and corporations that grow up around them will deprive the people of their prosperity until their children will wake up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered." ~ Thomas Jefferson (over 200 years ago)

Now that the economy has crashed, the rich get richer, even as unemployment and homeless grows in America.As homelessness rises, so does crime.

How can there be honesty if there is no transparency? What are they hiding? What is it they don't want us to know? Are our leaders that powerless? How much power do multinational banks and corporations have? What power do you and I have?

Recommended Readings: The Creatur from Jekyll Island - Edwards Griffin

2009-12-14

Gold and Silver

China is the biggest miner of gold. China is now encouraging its citizens to hold gold and silver.

What will happen when the average American wakes up and begins to buy gold as India and China are doing? Will gold be the next bubble? Today, there is less than one ounce of gold for every person on Earth. There is even less silver per person. And yet, there are tillions of new conterfeit US dollars.

As long as the Fed is printing money, don't save dollars - save gold and silver.

While gold has been hoarded, silver is being consumed in the electronics industry. Silver is used in every cell phone, computer, and gadget. Silver's only problem is that it is not considered money by central banks - but it is considered essential in industry.

With silver under $20 an ounce and gold over $1000 an ounce, silver offers the little guy the last opportunity to save real money rather than counterfeit money.

1 ounce = 28.3495231 grams

Words of cautious: There are LOTS OF SCAMS out there. Invest wisely.

2009-12-13

Mad Magazine

Sometimes all you can do is laugh at absurdity..

"In a real capitalist society, when companies fail, they go out of business. But in the U.S. some companies are designated as "too big to fail" and get special treatment. These behemoth institutions are actually allowed to steal money, screw investors, post record losses and still pay out millions of dollars in bonuses to the greedy, incompetent, reckless, white collar, criminal executive scumbags who run them. President Obama was so upset about this that he gave a disapproving speech to Congress before signing off on a multi-billion dollar government bail-out plan. Ain't that America! "~ Corporate Bailouts, Keeping Bad Companies (Mad Magazine, Jan 2010 Issue)

The rich who control our world banks have more power than the President of the United States. Mad Magazine may be satire, but what they write it is the sad truth.

President Obama states he is upset, yet he must sign multi-trillion dollar bailout plans... bailouts that reward the rich and crush the poor and middle class, the very people who work, pay taxes, save, and invest for their retirement and college education in the stock market.

The rules of money are written for the rich - at the expense of everyone else.

Unfortunately, that is the real America and that is why so many Americans are angry... but not yet mad.

While a weak currency promotes jobs, it also screws the country's worker. Printing of more money will ultimately increase the taxes, cause inflation for things like groceries, and at the same time rob savers by devaluing their reserves. And as the government robs the poor and middle class, it rewards the rich.

Today, the stock market climbs steadily because the bond market is paying less than zero. As money flows into the world's stock markets, the rich who control the stock markets get richer. As the stock market climbs, the rich are slowly withdrawing their funds, making profits as your retirement and college savings plans prop up the market.

2009-12-08

Money is an Illusion

The most valuable resource we have is our time, not our money. It is the only limiting factor, and we never know when it will cease to exist.

We may think we like money, but what we really like is what we can do with money.

Rich people have a lot of money; wealthy people have a positive flow of resources.

The real measure of wealth is the flow of resources. When we think about resources instead of money we create and discover new opportunities.

It is what we expect to do with money that empowers us to have more.

Our most limiting factor in life is time, not wealth.

When we learn to balance our lives in ways that give us time to enjoy, to learn, to help others, we are wealthy.

When we realize that we can have a great time without spending money, money becomes secondary to happiness.

Wealthy people have broken the ties between success and money and wealth and money.

Success is being able to do what you are absolutely passionate about doing; being wealthy is having more resources than you need because you created them.

Assets don’t measure wealth; value does.


http://www.facebook.com/notes/official-money-your-page/the-illusion-of-money/191640652905

2009-12-03

Buckminster Fuller - Everything I Know


You never change things by fighting the existing reality.
To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.





Bucky Fuller was concerned with the question “Does humanity have a chance to survive lastingly and successfully on planet Earth, and if so, how?“

Considering himself an average individual without special monetary means or academic degree, he chose to devote his life to this question, trying to identify what he, as an individual, could do to improve humanity’s condition, which large organizations, governments, and private enterprises inherently could not do.

You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.

During the last two weeks of January 1975 Buckminster Fuller gave an extraordinary series of lectures concerning his entire life’s work entitled Everything I Know.

http://www.bfi.org/our_programs/who_is_buckminster_fuller/online_resources/everything_i_know

2009-11-30

The Millennium Wave

The Millennium Wave
By: John Mauldin

1. Within ten years, most of the world will be able to access cheap (I mean really cheap) high-speed wireless broadband at connection rates that dwarf what we now have. That is going to unleash a wave of creativity and new business that will be staggering, and energy to change the world in ways we can hardly imagine.

2. Because of the internet, the advances of one person soon become known and built upon in a giant dance of collaboration. It is because of this giant dance, this unplanned group effort, that we will all figure out how to make advances in so many ways. (Of course, that is hugely disruptive to businesses that don’t adapt.)

3. Within a few years, it will be hard to keep up with the number of human trials of gene therapy and stem cell research.

4. A whole new industry is getting ready to be born. And with it new jobs and investment opportunities.

5. Energy problems? Are we running out of oil? My bet is that in less than 20 years we won’t care. We will be driving electric cars that are far superior to what we have today in every way, from power sources that are not oil-based. We will find ourselves with whole new industries as we rebuild our power grids, not to mention what this will mean for the emerging markets.

6. What about nanotech? Robotics? Artificial intelligence? Virtual reality? There are whole new industries that are waiting to be born. In 1980 there were few who saw the rise of personal computers, and even fewer who envisioned the internet. Mapping the human genome? Which we can now do for an individual for a few thousand dollars? There are hundreds of new businesses that couldn’t even exist just 20 years ago.

I am not sure where the new jobs will come from, but they will. Just as they did in 1975.

7. My boy play online video games with kids from all over the world. And the kids from around the world get on the internet and see a much wider world than just their local neighborhoods.

Will it be a smooth transition? Highly unlikely. But it will happen, I think.

I look at my kids and their friends. Are they struggling? Sure. They can’t get enough hours, enough salaries, the jobs they want. They now have kids and mortgages. And dreams. Lots of dreams. That is cause for great optimism. It is when the dreams die that it is time to turn pessimistic.

I believe the world of my kids is going to be a far better world in 20 years.

We live in a world of accelerating change. Things are changing at an ever-increasing pace. The world is not linear, it is curved. And we may be at the beginning of the elbow of that curve. If you assume a linear world, you are going to make less-than-optimal choices about your future, whether it is in your job or investments or life in general.

In the end, life is what you make of it.

With all our struggles, as we sat around the table, our family was content, just like 100 million families around the country. Are there those who are in dire distress? Homeless? Sick? Of course, and that is tragic for each of them. And those of us who are fortunate need to help those who are not.

We live in the most exciting times in human history. We are on the verge of remarkable changes in so many areas of our world. Yes, some of them are not going to be fun. I see the problems probably more clearly than most.

But am I going to just stop and say, “What’s the use? The Fed is going to make a mess of things. The government is going to run us into debts to big too deal with? We are all getting older, and the stock market is going to crash?”

It is the collective individual struggles for our own versions of psychic income, the dance of massive collaboration on a scale the world has never witnessed, that will make our world a better place in the next 20 years.

All that being said, while I am an optimist, I am a cautious and hopefully realistic optimist.
I do not think the stock market compounds at 10% a year from today’s valuations. I rather doubt the Fed will figure the exact and perfect path in removing its quantitative easing. I doubt we will pursue a path of rational fiscal discipline in 2010 or sadly even by 2012, although I pray we do. I expect my taxes to be much higher in a few years.

But thankfully, I am not limited to only investing in the broad stock market. I have choices. I can be patient and wait for valuations to come my way. I can look for new opportunities. I can plan to make the tax burden as efficient as possible, and try and insulate myself from the volatility that is almost surely in our future – and maybe even figure out a way to prosper from it.

A pessimist never gets in the game. A wild-eyed optimist will suffer the slings and arrows of boom and inevitable bust. Cautious optimism is the correct and most rewarding path. And that, I hope, is what you see when you read my weekly thoughts.

We live in a world of accelerating change. We live in the most exciting times in human history. We are on the verge of remarkable changes in so many areas of our world.

2009-11-27

Money & You Rules

Why are rules so important? Because in the absence of rules, people make up their own.

Here are the rules we play by:

1. Be willing to support our purposes, games, rules and goals.

2. Speak supportively.

3. Acknowledge whatever is being communicated as true for the speaker at that moment.

4. Complete your agreements:

a) Make only agreements that you are willing and intend to keep.

b) Communicate any potential broken agreement at the first appropriate time.

c) Clear up any broken agreement at the first appropriate opportunity.

5. If a problem arises, first look to the system for corrections and then communicate your solution to the person who can do something about it.

6. Be effective and efficient (Optimize every event … more with less).

7. Have the willingness to win and to allow others to win (win/win).

8. Focus on what works.

9. When in doubt, check your intuition.

10. Be responsible – no lay blame or justification.

11. Hold the person “innocent” until proven “guilty”.

12. If an upset lasts longer than 50 minutes, the upset party(s) to seek support, from a neutral third party.

2009-11-25

美元的结局:有控制的归零 (美元崩溃决不意味着美国崩溃)

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Unfortunately, it is always the little guy that is the last to know, which may be why he is the little guy in the first place. It's OK to be a little guy, but please do not be the last to know.

如何才能看清真相,以何种态度理解当今世界运作的真实状态,这是现实社会中每一个具有独立思考能力的成员都必须要严肃面对,认真思考的重大问题。
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美元崩溃决不意味着美国崩溃,相反,在赖掉所有美元债务后,美国反而得以轻装上阵。

在拥有强大的军事力量、科技创新能力和丰富的资源基础上,美国通过“破产保护”,彻底摆脱债务纠缠,更改世界货币游戏规则。

最终,美国将拿出它压箱底的 8100 吨黄金储备和 3400 吨 IMF 黄金,此时,美国为了“拯救货币信用”,不得不将“新货币”与黄金挂钩,以取信于天下。

当然,世界上缺少黄金储备的国家将是最大输家。

届时,美元失去的不过是一条“债务的锁链”,而得到的将是一个金光灿烂的全新世界。

我们会重蹈 1923 年德国超级通货膨胀的覆辙吗?如果会,那么极少数人开始大规模做空美元就是一个危险的信号弹。

美元的结局:有控制的归零 (Scanned from Currency Wars 2, 宋鸿宾 - 货币战争 2 金权天下):

Page 1:
http://corporatejourney2u.com/businessresources/viewimage.php?imagesrc=ending-USD-1.jpg&pagetitle=ending-the-US-Dollar

Page 2:
http://corporatejourney2u.com/businessresources/viewimage.php?imagesrc=ending-USD-2.jpg&pagetitle=ending-the-US-Dollar


Related:

2009-11-24

权力金字塔及世界政府

任何一个社会都是由人组成的,对社会的研究应该以人为中心,特别是在一个社会中发挥着重大影响力的关键性少数人群。

任何人类社会的结构都是一个典型的金字塔型,关键性的少数人群由于自身的聪明与勤奋,某些情况下也通过暴力与欺诈手段,在社会结构中遂渐向上攀升。

当他们具备足够的财力和影响力时,又会反过来通过改变游戏规则从而巩固和扩大其既得利益,并形成利益互锁的统治精英阶层。





西方的统治金字塔是以非常隐蔽的债权为链条,将社会各阶层牢牢地维系在一起。在西方社会中,债权人拥有者支配性权利,债务人处于被支配的地位,而国家机器的主要功能就在于保护和强化这一链条的可靠性

在西方,谁是最大的债权人,谁就是游戏规则的最终制定者。

Related:

Bretton Woods Agreement and The US Debt


US deficit for 2009

On top of that, the $176 billion deficit for October puts the total reported US deficit for 2009 at a record $1.4 trillion, and te US may reach its legal credit limit of $12.1 trillion in December. The US government is at its credit limit. Before the US can borrow more money, the US congress must approve an increase. What does this mean to you?

Sometimes it is difficult to understand what this all means because experts use strange jargon, words such as "quantitative easing" which means the government is "printing money". It is also difficult for honest people to understand how bankers can print money and collect interest on counterfeit money.

This printing of counterfeit money robs us all, including foreign central banks, because the dollars and bonds we are holding are dropping in value.

The US government is using inflation to steal from its own citizens by devaluing their labor and savings. In other words, the more counterfeit dollars the US prints, the more dollars it takes for you and me to live.

Life is about to get hard for Americans as the world says,"We do not trust your dollar."

If the world's central banks stop buying our bonds and dollars, the US will have to raise interest rates, which will crush the stock market. If higher interest rates do not work, then the US will have to print even more money, possibly leading to a hyperinflationary state, once again stealing from those that work for and save money.

The rich know how to print their own money like the Fed - it's the middle-class that is most affected by the financial crisis.

Bretton Woods Agreement and The US Debt

2009-11-22

Bretton Woods Agreement and The US Debt


In 1944, the Bretton Woods Agreement caused most world governments to duplicate the US Federal Reserve System. If a country did not duplicate the Fed, the country would not be allowed to join the World Bank or the World Trade Organization. This is why today's financial crisis is a global financial crisis.

Today, this is changing. The central banks of the world do not trust the US. They do not like the fact that in 2009 the US has essentially printed trillions of counterfeit dollars.




Technically, every dollar we print, robs foreign countries currencies of value, just as printing dollars robs the value of your savings in your bank. Simply said, the more money the US prints, the less valuable all money becomes. Every dollar printed makes your money worth less and less.

If central banks around the world start dumping dollars and buying gold, who knows how high gold will go?

A depression with hyperinflation will be the destruction of the middle class.

The rich will become richer and many in the middle class will join the poor. This does not mean that the rich are safe. Many of today's rich will go sliding past the middle class and join tomorrow's poor. This is a tragedy.

We are in the midst of the greatest wealth-transfer in the history of the world. Wealth will flow from the financially ignorant to the financially informed. This transfer of wealth could be your time. It could be your turn to take a shot at the goal line.

2009-11-21

The Global Banking System As A Vampire

A vampire does not want to kill you. A vampire only wants your blood.

The same is true for the global banking system. They don't want to kill you or your debt, they just want to keep sipping interest off the top, and keep you just crippled enough that you can't get better but not so crippled that you die.

When you receive your credit card statement, it always says,"minimum payment due."

This minimum payment does not decrease your principle. All it does is take money from your pocket, partially pay your interest, and increase your balance. The reason the bank does not need you to reduce your balance is because the money they lent you was created out of thin air. The bank then collects interest on that money. Big bank or small bank, this is the world system of debt and credit in existence today.

In simpler terms, when a bank sends you a credit card, there is no money for that card.

But the moment you use your card to buy something for let's say $100, that $100 magically comes into existence. It did not exist before you used your card. The bank wants you to make minimum monthly payments but never pay off the debt. As long as you make minimum payments, that $100 principle increases, and they enjoy the interest you pay them.

When your debt becomes too high, the bank offers you a home equity loan so you can pay off your credit cards but not pay off your debt.

All they want is our cash flow, money they suck from us via our taxes, debt, inflation, and retirement plans.

This is not a time for blind hope. This is a time for financial education, new thinking, and great opportunities.

2009-11-17

Money is a Handicap

Most people assume that one needs money in order to invest. Money can be a handicap because it limits your thinking.

When money is involved, people focus on how much money something is worth.

Without money in the equation, the entire focus moves to value.

When we focus on value we can create exchanges where all parties come away feeling like they got more than they gave.

The convenience of using money can also stop you from thinking creatively.

Training your mind to solve problems without money is a skill that is truly priceless.

Creating Wealth from Nothing

One Red PaperClip : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BE8b02EdZvw&feature=player_embedded

2009-11-14

One Thing You Don't Need To Be An Entrepreneur: A College Degree

It's a large percentage founders who did not graduate from college.

Some reasons:
- founders grew up in other parts of the world where college attendance is less common.
- founders didn't have the patience to sit through four years of education they didn't feel was relevant to them. - founders were too busy starting companies to finish college.

Entrepreneurs don't need degrees like lawyers and doctors do.

They are credentialed by virtue of their track record.

The first startup is hard but if they make that one work, they end up with something much better than a college degree. They have a notch in their belt. They've got a track record of success.

Even if the first one is a failure, I'd say that they've got something more than a degree. They've shown they can start something from nothing, build a team, a product, and maybe even a business.

We've been spending a lot of time lately thinking about, talking about, learning about, and looking at the whole education sector.

Education is critically important. But you don't have to go to school to be educated and if being an entrepreneur is your goal in life, that's even more true.

http://www.avc.com/a_vc/2009/02/one-thing-you-dont-need-to-be-an-entrepreneur-a-college-degree.html


2009-11-13

We are living through an entrepreneurial revolution, on a global scale

When you work for others, you are at their mercy.

They own your work; they own you. Your creative spirit is squashed.

What keeps you in such positions is a fear of having to sink or swim on your own.

Instead you should have a greater fear of what will happen to you if you remain dependent on others for power.

Your goal in every maneuver in life must be ownership, working the corner for yourself. When it is yours, it is yours to lose -- you are more motivated, more creative, more alive.

The ultimate power in life is to be completely self-reliant, completely yourself.

You came into this life with the only real possessions that ever matter -- your body, the time that you have to live, your energy, the thoughts and ideas unique to you, and your autonomy.

But over the years you tend to give all of this away. You spend years working for others -- they own you during that period. You get needlessly caught up in people's games and battles, wasting energy and time that you will never get back. You come to respect your own ideas less and less, listening to experts, conforming to conventional opinions. Without realizing it you squander your independence, everything that makes you a creative individual.

Before it is too late, you must reassess your entire concept of ownership. It is not about possessing things or money or titles.

You can have all of that in abundance but if you are someone who still looks to others for help and guidance, if you depend on your money or resources, then you will eventually lose what you have when people let you down, adversity strikes, or you reach for some foolish scheme out of impatience.

True ownership can only come from within. It comes from a disdain for anything or anybody that impinges upon your mobility, from a confidence in your own decisions, and from the use of your time in constant pursuit of education and improvement.

Only from this inner position of strength and self-reliance will you be able to truly work for yourself and never turn back.

Understand: We are living through an entrepreneurial revolution, on a global scale.

The old power centers are breaking up. Individuals everywhere want more control over their destiny and have much less respect for an authority that is not based on merit but on mere power.

We have all naturally come to question why someone should rule over us, why our source of information should depend on the mainstream media, and on and on. We do not accept what we accepted in the past.

Where we are naturally headed with all of this is the right and capacity to run our own enterprise, in whatever shape or form, to experience that freedom.

We are all corner hustlers in a new economic environment and to thrive in it we must cultivate the kind of self-reliance that will help push us past all of the dangerous dependencies that threaten us along the way.

Think of it this way: dependency is a habit that is so easy to acquire.

We live in a culture that offers you all kinds of crutches -- experts to turn to, drugs to cure any psychological unease, mild pleasures to help pass or kill time, jobs to keep you just above water. It is hard to resist.

But once you give in, it is a like prison you enter that you cannot ever leave. You continually look outward for help and this severely limits your options and maneuverability. When the time comes, as it inevitably does, when you must make an important decision, you have nothing inside of yourself to depend on.

Before it is too late, you must move in the opposite direction.

You cannot get this requisite inner strength from books or a guru or pills of any kind.

It can only come from you. It is a kind of exercise you must practice on a daily basis -- weaning yourself from dependencies, listening less to others' voices and more to your own, cultivating new skills.

As you progress on this path, you will find that self- reliance becomes the habit and that anything that smacks of depending on others will horrify you.

Related: Retire Young Retire Rich

One Thing You Don't Need To Be An Entrepreneur: A College Degree

Full article:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cent/make-everything-your-own_b_356915.html


2009-11-12

401(k) for Dummies

Your brain is your greatest asset. Protect it. It is up to you to decide what goes in it. Your brain does not belong to President Obama, the school system, Wall Street, the banks, financial planners, real estate agents, your boss, or even people like me. It is up to you to decide what is best for you, your family, and your future. ~ Robert Kiyosaki

Rather than teach students about money and investments, the schools to this day bring in the very agents of the rich, the financial planners and bankers, the very people that profit from financial ignorance, to teach our children about money.

In 1974, the 401(k) system (a kind of retirement planning, in many other names in other countries) began, forcing many people who did not trust the stock market to depend on it for their retirement.

"This is a great time to get rich."

But don't listen to insurance salespeople masquerading as financial planners, selling you the wonders of the 401(k). The 401(k) was designed for people who know nothing about investing, which is why the New York Times says, "401(k)'s might not be ideal, but they're all some investors have."

The reason the 401(k) is all most investors have is because our school system is failing us. Without an honest financial education, a 401(k) is all most people know. Even today, after the failure of the 401(k) is evident, our school system continues to invite financial planners and bankers into the classroom under the guise of financial education.

This is not honest. This is deceptive. This is self-serving. This is the conspiracy in action in our schools.

2009-11-11

10 Tips to Overcoming your Personal Financial Crisis

1. Know that this is about YOU. It’s not about the economy. There are many people making money when others are not.

2. Determine what you are good at and what will bring you money now. Not later – now! Don’t worry about the tasks. Some of us had to roll up our sleeves and do jobs we had paid others to do for many years.

3. Focus on income generating activities. Let go of all those things that waste your time and don’t bring in the cash flow that you need.

4. Tighten up your belt. No new clothes, cars, or any other doodas that are not going to create money for you. You now spend money only on those things that will make you more money.

5. When you’re done with your personal financial crisis, keep your agreements and pay everyone back. If you cannot do that for years, create new agreements as necessary.

6. Do a good transformational program that will “kick-start” you in making new decisions and creating new references for yourself.

7. Surround yourself with loving and supportive people – particularly a good mentor – who will tell you the truth and give you good feedback to accelerate your progress towards getting back on your feet.

8. Do something once a day and one day a week that brings you pleasure. Exercise, ride your bicycle, spend time with your loved ones, watch your favorite program, read a novel… This is crucial to keep your spirits up.

9. Don’t make yourself wrong – forgive yourself for things that you think you could have done differently.

10. Keep taking action… Your life will turn around!


http://www.facebook.com/notes/official-money-your-page/tips-to-overcoming-your-personal-financial-crisis/170859882905