THE ROOT CAUSE OF THE "CREDIT CRISIS" - From THE INTERNATIONALIST PAGE

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THE ROOT CAUSE OF THE CREDIT CRISIS
"Overconsumption fueled with hyperleverage is akin to walking the tightrope (while inebriated) without a net below." -- Douglas Castle


Dear Friends:

The entire world can use a good object lesson from the United States about what actually creates a credit crisis. It is not simply the excesses of financial institutions, a lack of regulatory oversight, the government's propensity to tax or to print paper currency.

A credit crisis occurs because consumers, businesses and governments have become addicted to credit in the same manner as motorists have become addicted to fossil fuels. The United States economy has been systematically running on credit (the use of a third party's money for some length of time, with an obligation to repay on the part of the borrower) for so long that all parties involved have completely forgotten some of the fundamentals of a sound economy:

1.     Save some of your money for contingencies;
2.     Keep some equity on your balance sheet;
3.     Invest money at a rate which is dependably higher than the cost of borrowing;
4.     Do not speculate with borrowed funds;
5.     Always maintain a budget, and constantly monitor your performance against it;
6.     You must produce (i.e., add value) in order to become wealthier;
7.     Re-invest some of your profits in future growth -- don't bleed your organization dry so that you strip it of all protection in the event of a temporary economic downturn.

Every economic phenomenon has its roots in behavioral psychology. It is our thinking and the actions we take which are attributable to it that get us into economic problems. The popular cultural trappings of material wealth are illusory.

When a family has two leased high-line cars, a palatial home which is worth less than the mortgage against it, and is using one line of credit to refinance another (i.e., spending more time and effort refinancing than eliminating debt), to all appearances they may look wealthy. But beneath this veneer of "Hollywood wealth" lies the worrisome knowledge that the family's total income is $1.00 per month in excess of its fixed debt obligations, and that there aren't any savings...overconsumption fueled with hyperleverage is akin to walking the tightrope (while inebriated) without a net below.

You can read more about this phenomenon by clicking on:
http://reasonoutofrandomness.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!CE3AA43D3EBF46F5!176.entry


BRIEF COMMENTARY:

U.S. SOCIETY'S REAL CREDIT PROBLEMS DO NOT CONCERN GROWING CONSUMER OBSESSIONS IN THE ZERO SUM GAME OF KEEPING A "GOOD" CREDIT SCORE -- THIS PREOCCUPATION IS MERELY SYMPTOMATIC OF A SOCIETY THAT HAS GOTTEN LOST IN A PATTERN OF: 1) USING CREDIT TO FACILITATE NON-INCOME-PRODUCING PURCHASES AND PAYMENTS WITHOUT A PLAN FOR REPAYMENT; 2) USING CREDIT TO "BUY" AN INDEFINITE EXTENSION OF TIME [THE "BRIDGE TO NOWHERE" THEORY]; 3) CHRONIC CURRENT CONSUMPTION USING "OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY"; AND 4) ACTUALLY DIS-SAVING IN LIEU OF SAVING OR INVESTING FOR THE FUTURE. -- Douglas Castle

Faithfully,
DC








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GICBC - Global Interworked Cooperative Business Community

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GICBC - Global Interworked Cooperative Business Community.

Dear Friends, Colleagues and Readers:

What follows is not the mere citing of a trend or its implications. It is an editorial suggestion for ceasing a destructive pattern.

I post notices of this sort from time to time because I understand how suggestions can lead to actions. It is not a moral or ethical statement which I make in this post -- it is simply a move in the direction of survival.

NOTICE: The Next Entity: Global Interworked Cooperative Business Community ("GICBC"). Successor to the ICBC. Subscribe. Join. http://twitlik.com/IN . A concept whose time is now.

You'll be hearing more about this.

Your question: Can there truly be enlightened self-interest? I believe so and very strongly. Our society is at stake -- we are not evolving by continuously repeating the expanding cycle of greed and need.






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KEYWORDS, TERMS, LABELS AND ORGANIZATIONS:


globalism, internationalism, cartels, CFR, NGO, UN, EU, WTO, IMF, central bank, outsourcing, offshoring, capital markets, import, export, international trade, strategic alliances, e-commerce, entrepreneurship, social networking, banking, finance, trade, ventures, business, securities, stock exchanges, indexes, futurism, trends, citizen ambassadorship, enterprise, capitalism, international politics, commodities, prime rate, LIBOR, foreign currencies, foreign exchange, blogs, blogging, bloggers, aol, google, yahoo, msn, AP, news, media alerts, world government, world governments, international affairs, treaties, tariffs, trade restrictions, marketing, advertising, business development, arbitrage, obtaining capital, promotion, publicity, EU, NATO, military affairs, government regulation, trade restrictions, liquidity crisis, business opportunities, web-based businesses, communication, communications, technology, intelligence, embassies, consulates, business resources, Douglas Castle,The 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future, adaptation, evolution, twitter, google, social media, networking groups, tendencies, statistics, joint venturing metrics, prediction, strategic interdependence, communications technologies, skype, New World Order, The 1% Rule, Mutually Assured Destruction, imperialism, fuedalism, freedom, peace, prosperity, demography, allocation of wealth, Digg, Zimbio, TNNW BUZZWORKS, Articles by Douglas Castle, search engines, entreprenership, business tools, networking, relationships, convincing, negotiating, energy, parapsychology, systems, chaos, complexity, perspective, entropy, behavioral psychology, systems of government, sovereignty, ethics, objectivisim, subjectivism, relativism, multidimensionalism, perspective, inflation, recession, valuations, intellectual property, trust, balance of power, balance of trade, balance of trade, gross domestic foreign investment, indexing, growth industries, commodities, options, exhanges, control strategies, risk evaluation, survivalism, globalism, internationalism, cartels, CFR, NGO, UN, EU, WTO, IMF, central bank, outsourcing, offshoring, capital markets, import, export, international trade, strategic alliances, e-commerce, entrepreneurship, social networking, banking, finance, trade, ventures, business, securities, stock exchanges, indexes, futurism, trends, citizen ambassadorship, enterprise, capitalism, international politics, commodities, prime rate, LIBOR, foreign currencies, foreign exchange, blogs, blogging, bloggers, aol, google, yahoo, msn, AP, news, media alerts, world government, world governments, international affairs, treaties, tariffs, trade restrictions, marketing, advertising, business development, arbitrage, obtaining capital, promotion, publicity, EU, NATO, military affairs, government regulation, trade restrictions, liquidity crisis, business opportunities, web-based businesses, communication, communications, technology, intelligence, embassies, consulates, business resources, Douglas Castle,The Internationalist Page, The Global Futurist, international politics, elections, time management, cyberspace, AI, energy, industry, productivity, Mixx, Digg, Technorati, Sphere, Facebook, YouTube, MySpace, LinkedIn, advertising, economics, strategy, management, cooperation, widgets, blidgets, links, incoterms, CCH, UCC, freight forwarding, custom house brokers, diversity, employment, culture, micro-loans, technological convergence, trends, financial planning, FOREX, futures, stock index, inflation, recession, sub-contracting, Department of Commerce, the next generation, amnesty, humanitarianism, foreign aid, philanthropy, charity, cooperation, peaceful cooexistence, a world without walls, The National Networker, Artificial Intelligence, AI, symbiosis, Interworked Cooperative Business Communities, ICBC, Lingovations, commerce versus combat, trends, analysis, imagination, innovation, introspection, exponentialism and the mastermind, exponentiality, predicting the future, shaping the future, adaptation, evolution, twitter, google, social media, networking groups, tendencies, statistics, joint venturing metrics, prediction, strategic interdependence, communications technologies, skype, New World Order, The 1% Rule, Mutually Assured Destruction, imperialism, fuedalism, freedom, peace, prosperity, demography, allocation of wealth, Digg, Zimbio, TNNW BUZZWORKS, Articles by Douglas Castle, search engines, entreprenership, business tools, networking, relationships, convincing, negotiating, energy, parapsychology, systems, chaos, complexity, perspective, entropy, behavioral psychology, systems of government, sovereignty, ethics, objectivisim, subjectivism, relativism, multidimensionalism, perspective, inflation, recession, valuations, intellectual property, trust, balance of power, balance of trade, balance of trade, gross domestic foreign investment, indexing, growth industries, commodities, options, exhanges, control strategies, risk evaluation, survivalism...

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UPDATE FROM THE WORLD FUTURE SOCIETY, PLUS A CAVEAT AND A HELPFUL PROTOCOL.

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UPDATE FROM THE WORLD FUTURE SOCIETY, PLUS A CAVEAT AND A HELPFUL PROTOCOL.

This article was written by Douglas Castle (http://aboutDouglasCastle.blogspot.com and originally published in THE GLOBAL FUTURIST (http://theglobalfuturist.blogspot.com). It may be reprinted or republished in its entirety without permission, provided that this this author and the original source of publication are conspicuously displayed immediately under the title or header of the reprint or republication, inclusive of live hyperlinks. For more useful and often humorous information about survival in both the present and the future, please join THE NATIONAL NETWORKER (http://www.thenationalnetworker.com)for/ free at http://twitlik.com/IN for more information about surviving and thriving through both the present and the future.

Dear Friends:

Following is a "cut and paste" unedited or re-formatted copy of the most recent correspondence sent to my attention by the WORLD FUTURE SOCIETY. In all candor, I frequently disagree with their priorities, analyses of trends, forecasts, metrics and relevance. But they have never failed to spark my interest, and to make me think. I respect them for their efforts, for their informational integrity, and for their acknowledgement of the importance of envisioning the future in the present. While my approach is somewhat different, I am obligated to share the contents of this correspondence with all of you.

The more information we have at our disposal, the better our decision making capabilities. But: there are caveats and a simple protocol to follow in wading through this ocean of information:

1. Sift through the information (instead of being paralytically overwhelmed by it;

2. Always look at the source of the information, and the motivation for presenting it;

3. Look at the way in which the information is presented and supported;

4. Look for repetitive themes -- they might be event of parallel thinking, but they also might be the fuel for a self-fulfilling prophesy worth knowing about. They tend to add weight to the likelihood of veracity;

5. Aggressively use the process of elimination is determining which trends to focus upon and which to study -- allow your intuition and instincts to play a role in this -- they are underestimated and underutilized analytic tools which operate at a very high (superconscious) level;

6. There is a COMMENT button at the end of every article presented on this blog. Please give me your feedback, input and opinions on the topics presented, and even on topics which you feel I should be addressing. I would be delighted to post your views openly to share with our readers;

7. Always bear in mind that you can forecast the future (passively), or you can work to make the future (creatively). This takes imagination, initiative, frequent reality and trajectory checks and genuine effort. Reciting the Serenity Prayer from time to time is also helpful.

Faithfully, and with great respect,

Douglas Castle
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FUTURIST UPDATE   
News and Previews from the World Future Society   
December 2009 (Vol. 10, No. 12)   

Read online: www.wfs.org/futuristupdate.htm    

Pass this newsletter along! FUTURIST UPDATE may be freely shared if   
forwarded in its entirety.

Receiving a pass-along copy or haven't joined WFS yet? Check out our
special membership offer. http://www.wfs.org/foresight

In This Issue:
* Kilimanjaro May Be Snowless In 20 Years
* Fashioning a Solution for Female Workers
* Women Reach Parity--As HIV/AIDS Victims
* Click of the Month: Trends in Japan
* News for the Futurist Community
* What's Hot @WFS.org


========================================
KILIMANJARO MAY BE SNOWLESS IN 20 YEARS
========================================

The snows of Kilimanjaro may disappear within the next two decades or   
sooner, predict researchers from Ohio State University and the National   
Science Foundation (NSF).

The researchers are worried not only by the rapid retreat of the ice   
fields atop Kilimanjaro, but by the ice surface's thinning. They now   
believe that the volume of ice lost to thinning is equal to that lost   
by shrinkage, which is occurring on all sides of the famed Tanzanian   
mountain.

"The loss of Mount Kilimanjaro's ice cover has attracted worldwide   
attention because of its impact on regional water resources," says   
David Verardo, director of the NSF's Paleoclimate Program. "Like many   
glaciers in mid-to-low latitudes, Kilimanjaro's may only be with us for   
a short time longer."

SOURCE: National Science Foundation
www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?org=NSF&cntn_id=115847&preview=false


=========================================   
FASHIONING A SOLUTION FOR FEMALE WORKERS
=========================================   

Designers of work clothes need to keep female workers' needs in mind,   
according to Jan Peters, president of the Women's Engineering Society   
(WES) in Britain. Fashioning better-fitting garments will not only keep   
workers safer, but also make the careers requiring them more   
attractive.

"There are over 65,000 women working in engineering, technology, and   
construction. That's around 10% of the workforce," says Peters. "But   
women are built differently from men and find that work-wear is not   
satisfactory. Inappropriate and ill-fitting clothing can put them off   
from pursuing careers in these sectors."

Safety clothing and boots that are too big are also unsafe, so   
Britain's female engineers are urging women working in science,   
engineering, technological, and construction industries to share their   
complaints with clothing manufacturers.

In the future, female construction workers won't have to pack extra   
socks so their work boots will fit. And perhaps the idea of wearing   
ill-fitting work clothes will no longer keep young girls from pursuing   
careers in engineering, construction, and other trades.

SOURCE: Women's Engineering Society http://www.wes.org.uk


****************advertisement************************ 

DISCOVER STRATEGIES AND TECHNOLOGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE FUTURES!

Join a thousand forward-thinking men and women from around the world at   
WorldFuture 2010: Sustainable Futures, Strategies, and Technologies, to   
be held in Boston, July 8-10, at the Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel.

You'll hear inventors Ray Kurzweil and Stephen Thaler, health futurists   
Kevin Fickenscher and Jay Herson, and media experts Michael Rogers, Lee   
Rainie, and Michael R. Nelson. Also among recently confirmed speakers   
is education futurist Gary Marx, president of the Center for Public   
Outreach.

Panel sessions, workshops, and stimulating keynote presentations will   
focus on what we mean by "sustainable futures," what paths may lead us   
there, and what strategies and technologies we may be able to use to   
create the futures we aspire to achieve.

LEARN MORE: http://www.wfs.org/2010main.htm

RESERVE YOUR HOTEL ROOM AT SPECIAL CONFERENCE RATE:
http://www.wfs.org/2010hotel.htm

SAVE $200! REGISTER FOR WorldFuture 2010 BY DECEMBER 31:
http://www.wfs.org/2010regform.htm


=======================================   
WOMEN REACH PARITY—AS HIV/AIDS VICTIMS
=======================================   

Women now make up half of the 33 million people around the world who   
are living with HIV/AIDS, reports the Johns Hopkins University School   
of Nursing.   

Young women in sub-Saharan Africa are dying of AIDS at three times the   
rate of males, and in the United States, young African American women   
are contracting HIV at higher rates than all other groups, according to   
researchers Jacquelyn Campbell and Nancy E. Glass.

One key factor in the increased vulnerability of these women is   
intimate-partner violence, which increases the risk of HIV transmission   
in rich and poor countries alike. "If you're being beaten up and raped,   
it's hard to negotiate for condom use by an HIV-infected partner,"   
Campbell observes.

SOURCE: Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing
http://www.nursing.jhu.edu/


====================================   
CLICK OF THE MONTH: TRENDS IN JAPAN
http://web-japan.org/trends/
====================================   

What's cool in Japan right now? Well, maybe "cool" is no longer the   
correct word. Warm, cute, and cuddly things seem to be what's captured   
the imaginations of Japanese consumers.

In addition to fashion, food, and travel articles, "Trends in Japan"   
features stories showing some general directions in technology, the   
environment, and society. Recent items include:

- A robot in the form of a cute plush-toy baby seal provides comfort   
for the elderly. The therapeutic robot, called Paro, includes a suite   
of sensors enabling it to respond to touch and to simple spoken   
greetings.

- A team of three young ladies were named "Ambassadors of Cuteness" to   
represent Japan's vibrant pop culture abroad, promoting a move away   
from traditional imagery and toward that popularized by anime and manga   
art forms.

- A new online game called "Ichige" (Location Games) for smart-phone   
users; winners earn virtual currency based on how far they travel. The   
game has become popular among young workers and students with long   
daily commutes.

- A mobile water desalination unit called Courier Water to help   
alleviate growing water shortages in developing countries. The system   
also promises to help in areas struck by natural disasters.


=================================   
NEWS FOR THE FUTURIST COMMUNITY   
=================================   

* THE BIOPOLITICS OF POPULAR CULTURE: The Institute for Ethics and   
Emerging Technology is sponsoring a one-day seminar on December 4 to   
explore the impacts of science fiction film, TV, and other popular   
media on shaping our perception of new technologies and our images of   
the future. Among the participants are futurist Jamais Cascio, author   
David Brin, science-fiction critic Annalee Newitz, and filmmakers   
Richard Kroehling, Michael Masucci, and Matthew Patrick. The seminar   
will be held at EON Reality in Irvine, California. DETAILS AND   
REGISTRATION: http://ieet.org/bpcs09

* PATHWAYS TO A NEW FUTURE: An "intense, hands-on" workshop led by Don   
Beck and John Petersen will explore large-scale change and map the   
pathways to a future new world. Be prepared to "tackle some of the   
biggest questions related to transitioning to a new world." The   
workshop, "Designing the Architecture of a Global Transition," will be   
held December 11 and 12 at The Country Inn in Berkeley Springs, West   
Virginia. DETAILS: http://esensemarketing.com/arlinst/JPBECK.html

* DIRTY ROTTEN STRATEGIES, a new book by Ian I. Mitroff and Abraham   
Silvers, shows you how to avoid solving the wrong problems and to   
detect when others, either organizations or individuals, may be leading   
you astray. Former U.S. Secretary of Labor Robert B. Reich describes   
the book as "a lucid and thoughtful account of why we fail to be   
adequately lucid and thoughtful—and what we can do about it." ORDER:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0804759960/thefuturistbooks


====================
WHAT'S HOT @WFS.ORG
====================

* 2020 VISIONARIES: The January-February 2010 issue of THE FUTURIST   
launches a special series of articles on "2020 Visionaries," offering   
profiles and interviews of some of the world's cutting-edge thinkers in   
a wide range of influential fields. First up are education and health   
care. The issue will be mailed to WFS members on November 30. JOIN or   
RENEW now to be sure you'll receive your copy!
http://www.wfs.org/forecasts/#memberapp

* PRIVACY VS. PERFECTIBILITY: The latest video on the WFS YouTube   
channel is an excerpt from bioethicist Arthur L. Caplan's presentation   
at WorldFuture 2009. In this clip, Caplan explains that eliminating the   
right to privacy carried in Roe v. Wade could potentially allow   
government to mandate the use "designer baby" technologies. WATCH:   
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcTEN5zRxkg

* FUTURIST OF THE YEAR AWARDS: The World Future Society is now   
accepting nominations for outstanding futurist of the year. The Society   
is seeking candidates at both the professional and "young futurist"   
levels, whose work in the past year has advanced the understanding of   
foresight principles and techniques or demonstrated the successful   
application of foresight. The deadline for nominations is December 31.   
The awards will be presented at WorldFuture 2010, the Society's annual   
meeting in Boston. For details or to submit a nomination, visit   
http://www.wfs.org/FOY09.htm


*************************************************** 
   
FUTURIST UPDATE: News & Previews from the World Future Society is an e-
mail newsletter published monthly as a supplement to THE FUTURIST   
magazine. Copyright © 2009, World Future Society, 7910 Woodmont Avenue,   
Suite 450, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA. Telephone 1-301-656-8274; e-mail   
mailto:info@wfs.org Web site http://www.wfs.org   
   
Editor: Cindy Wagner, mailto:cwagner@wfs.org   
   
Senior Editor: Patrick Tucker, mailto:ptucker@wfs.org   
   
Network Administrator: Jeff Cornish, mailto:jcornish@wfs.org   
   
Vice President, Membership/Conference Operations: Susan Echard, 
mailto:sechard@wfs.org   
   
To subscribe, enter your e-mail at   
http://www.wfs.org/futuristupdate.htm   
   
To unsubscribe or change your e-mail address, send an e-mail to   
mailto:jcornish@wfs.org with "unsubscribe" or "change address" in the   
subject line.   
   
Submit feedback: mailto:cwagner@wfs.org   
   
The WORLD FUTURE SOCIETY is a nonprofit, nonpartisan scientific and   
educational association with a global membership. Regular membership in   
the Society, including a subscription to THE FUTURIST, is $59 per year,   
or $20 for full-time students under age 25. Professional and   
Institutional membership programs are also offered; contact Society   
headquarters for details: http://www.wfs.org

Networking with WFS:

* Facebook:   
http://www.facebook.com/pages/World-Future-Society/19655051088
* LinkedIn (WFS Membership required):
http://www.linkedin.com/groups?about=&gid=77204&trk=anet_ug_grppro
* MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/thefuturistmagazine
* Twitter (THE FUTURIST): http://twitter.com/Theyear2030
* Twitter (WFS): http://twitter.com/WorldFutureSoc
* YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/WorldFutureSociety
* Local futurist groups: http://www.wfs.org/chapnew.htm

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________________________________________________________
KEYWORDS, TERMS, LABELS AND ORGANIZATIONS:

globalism, internationalism, cartels, CFR, NGO, UN, EU, WTO, IMF, central bank, outsourcing, offshoring, capital markets, import, export, international trade, strategic alliances, e-commerce, entrepreneurship, social networking, banking, finance, trade, ventures, business, securities, stock exchanges, indexes, futurism, trends, citizen ambassadorship, enterprise, capitalism, international politics, commodities, prime rate, LIBOR, foreign currencies, foreign exchange, blogs, blogging, bloggers, aol, google, yahoo, msn, AP, news, media alerts, world government, world governments, international affairs, treaties, tariffs, trade restrictions, marketing, advertising, business development, arbitrage, obtaining capital, promotion, publicity, EU, NATO, military affairs, government regulation, trade restrictions, liquidity crisis, business opportunities, web-based businesses, communication, communications, technology, intelligence, embassies, consulates, business resources, Douglas Castle,The Internationalist Page, The Global Futurist, international politics, elections, time management, cyberspace, AI, energy, industry, productivity, Mixx, Digg, Technorati, Sphere, Facebook, YouTube, MySpace, LinkedIn, advertising, economics, strategy, management, cooperation, widgets, blidgets, links, incoterms, CCH, UCC, freight forwarding, custom house brokers, diversity, employment, culture, micro-loans, technological convergence, trends, financial planning, FOREX, futures, stock index, inflation, recession, sub-contracting, Department of Commerce, the next generation, amnesty, humanitarianism, foreign aid, philanthropy, charity, cooperation, peaceful cooexistence, a world without walls, The National Networker, Artificial Intelligence, AI, symbiosis, Interworked Cooperative Business Communities, ICBC, Lingovations, commerce versus combat, trends, analysis, imagination, innovation, introspection, exponentialism and the mastermind, exponentiality, predicting the future, shaping the future, adaptation, evolution, twitter, google, social media, networking groups, tendencies, statistics, joint venturing metrics, prediction, strategic interdependence, communications technologies, skype, New World Order, The 1% Rule, Mutually Assured Destruction, imperialism, fuedalism, freedom, peace, prosperity, demography, allocation of wealth, Digg, Zimbio, TNNW BUZZWORKS, Articles by Douglas Castle, search engines, entreprenership, business tools, networking, relationships, convincing, negotiating, energy, parapsychology, systems, chaos, complexity, perspective, entropy, behavioral psychology, systems of government, sovereignty, ethics, objectivisim, subjectivism, relativism, multidimensionalism, perspective, inflation, recession, valuations, intellectual property, trust, balance of power, balance of trade, balance of trade, gross domestic foreign investment, indexing, growth industries, commodities, options, exhanges, control strategies, risk evaluation, survivalism...

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REALITY CHECK: Wading Through A "Propaganda Swamp" to get at the Truth

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REALITY CHECK: Wading Through A "Propaganda Swamp" to get at the Truth.

This article was originally written by Douglas Castle for publication in THE GLOBAL FUTURIST (http://TheGlobalFuturist.blogspot.com), with all right reserved. This article may be reprinted or re-published provided that it is reproduced in whole, and that this portion regarding attribution is set forth immediately beneath the title heading.
______________

Dear Readers:

There is the truth (which is not relative -- it is actual and factual), and there is misinformation or misinterpretation, either of which lead us to mistaken beliefs and wrongful actions. Some of this un-truth springs from the instruments of the self-appointed guardians of the public safety (who will spread any story in order to avoid a panic); some of it through poor information-gathering and flawed analysis; and some of it through wishful thinking. In this last case (which is very Human and is typically well-intended) we subjectively engage in "whistling past the graveyard," or in "faking it until we've made it." There is a pact we make with ourselves about self-fulfilling prophesies and that is to avoid them if they are potentially negative and to believe them if they are possibly positive.

Some of it is a function of our inherent biases (things which we are either invested in or attached to), and some of it is fed to us by others who would like to impose their system of thinking upon us in order to get us to react in a certain way.

A classic example is in the case of some MENSA-mentat spin doctor saying "If we can get some top-ranked economists and public thought leaders to say that 'the recession is over,' people will go out and start buying things, and factories will start making things, and yada ad infinitum. This is not completely untrue, but there are some serious limiting factors:

• Rising Unemployment - As unemployment continues to rise (and the degree of joblessness is significantly underreported based upon the way in which governmental agencies gather these statistics), people have no money for discretionary consumption. If I have exactly three hundred dollars in my wallet (i.e., right after payday from my barnacle-scraping job), and I also have a letter from my employer (Bill) saying that I am to receive my last check next week, I cannot buy your $450,000.00 foreclosed home even if it is on sale at the bargain price of $45,000.00. A bargain price is irrelevant if you have no expendable income;

• Banks Are Not Lending - In the preceding example, had I been able to get the money for a mortgage to purchase the "bargain home," I might have done it, and just quickly resold the property for a fast gain. But most banks (especially in the U.S.) are not really lending, except to the federal government, with purchases of treasury instruments. Schucks...if the government 1) yelled at me for making bad loans and taking foolish risks, 2) bailed me out with freshly-printed money to ultimately be paid for by the taxpaying public, and 3) permitted me to purchase government bonds at a theoretically risk-free yield, I would 4) stop making credit decisions, stop making loans, reduce lines of credit, raise fees for every imaginable service and raise salaries for the cowboys (and cowgals!) in the C-Suite.

The above two conditions, both of which appear to be worsening, are not of particularly good omen. The Dow can rise, the NASDAQ and NYSE can soar to new heights based upon large institutional trading activity (either manipulative or speculative), but if the common work-a-day  barnacle-scrapin' man is out of work and can't even get a loan to cover his necessities, the hint of a genuine depression (with some deferred inflation) still sours the heady cocktail of "Hey! Waddya know? The worst is over, let's get on with it, kids! Everything's for sale!!!"

Finding the truth in any situation is not unlike panning for gold.

When the US media goes into a wild frenzy about how the Chinese are exporting all manner of dangerous, poisonous, potentially baby-killing consumer products, one has to wonder how much is factual, and how much is manipulative protectionism sponsored by an administration outmaneuvered by a political foe and commercial rival.

But enough about that...

Here are a few things to look at dduring the next three years:

1. The US will emerge from its recession slower than any other industrialized nation, with permanent losses. I believe that a genuine recovery will begin in 2012, and that the US will no longer be a world leader from the standpoint of productivity or popularity;

2. The best students and baby-boomer professionals in the United States will become expatriates, while the new inhabitants of the US will be less-educated, less-motivated and painfully reliant upon the government to attend to their needs;

3. China will become the most influential nation in the world, and will be buying many "bargains" from fallen giants;

4. Most employment opportunities will be in the Middle East and in Asia;

5. Commercial real estate worldwide will suffer devaluation as more and more business becomes cyberspace-based, and more consumers get into the habit of purchasing products and services online. Residential, industrial and resort real estate will stabilize and begin a slow trend toward appreciation.

6. The US and its allies will waffle and waver over Afghanistan, troops will continue to occupy the region, and the dealth tolls for all parties will mount.

7. The "Green Lobby" will continue to grow stronger and more politically significant in all quarters. Environmental protectionism, will become social mantra and corporate dogma. The one anomalous area within the "clean energy" sector that will gain surprising acceptance will be atomic reactors. Of course, there will still be hybrid cars, windmills and solar panels to reduce the worldwide dependence on fossil fuels -- but these will be dwarfed in visibility and significance by the re-emergence of nuclear power.

And now, a gift from the NEW YORK TIMES, Orient Express Edition*

		Tuesday, November 17, 2009   Compiled 4 PM E.T.   TOP STORIES Advertisement: Douglas Castle- While Supplies Last! Obama Trip Shows Gaps on Issues as Role of China Grows By EDWARD WONG and HELENE COOPER A meeting on Tuesday between President Obama and President Hu Jintao highlighted the nations’ different approaches to problems as China assumes a bigger global role. During Visit, Obama Skirts Chinese Political Sensitivities By MICHAEL WINES and SHARON LAFRANIERE President Obama has avoided public meetings with liberals, free press advocates and even ordinary Chinese. That's all for now, folks! Faithfully, Douglas Castle

* C'mon...there's no such thing as The Orient Express Edition. It was just a play on words.


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KEYWORDS, TERMS, LABELS AND ORGANIZATIONS:

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Public Service Announcement: HEALTHCARE-ASSOCIATED INFECTIONS

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Public Service Announcement: HEALTHCARE-ASSOCIATED INFECTIONS ["HAI"]

Dear Friends:

I recently received the email which follows from Ms. Barbara Dunn, of HAI Watch News, an affiliate of Kimberly-Clark Health Care. It deals with some of the real-life infection hazards, some of which can be debilitating or fatal, which are all-too-often caused during the course of a routine healthcare visit, medical procedure or treatment. Simply stated...you can check into the hospital for a minor procedure and wind up with a life-threatening infection. The better-informed you are about the nature of this danger, the more proactive that you can be in minimizing your own risks, and those of the ones whom you love.

Some years back, school teachers would quote Poor Richard's and chant, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

While I heartily agree with that sentiment, I would also suggest that you remember the old Internal Energy Plus/ TNNW equation: KNOWLEDGE + APPLICATION = POWER. Educate yourself and stay healthy!

I found the hyperlink in Barbara's letter to be of great interest. Please read on, and click on the link in the letter.

Faithfully, and wishing you the best of health,

Douglas Castle

http://aboutDouglasCastle.blogspot.com

http://www.TheNationalNetworker.com

p.s. Please join our Interworked Cooperative Business Community ("ICBC") at THE NATIONAL NETWORKER COMPANIES. Just click here for our your free weekly TNNW Newsletter and BLUE TUESDAY Report. http://twitlik.com/IN

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Douglas:

One thing everyone can agree on, no matter where they come down on the current health care debates, is that no one should get sick as a result of visiting the doctor.

Hospitals are rightfully expected to get you better but that's not always the case.  Sometimes people are picking up infections, from pneumonia to antibiotic-resistant staph (MRSA), while under treatment for other health problems, or even while just in the hospital having a baby.  That's a situation that could, and should, be completely avoidable.

Kimberly-Clark Health Care is on the forefront of protecting patients from Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) and has put together a site dedicated to that prevention called HAI Watch: Not on My Watch.  The site has information for both healthcare professionals and healthcare consumers.

I would like to ask for your help getting the word out on The National Networker.   Here's a microsite which explains everything.  Please use any of the images, logos, videos, etc, on your site:

http://www.haiwatchnews.com/

Please let me know if you have any questions and if you are able to post, I'd really appreciated it if you'd send me the link.

Thank you,


Barbara
--
Barbara Dunn
barbara@haiwatchnews.com
http://www.haiwatch.com/

Labels and Tags:  accredited education, acinetobacter, aids, bloodborne pathogens, burkholderia cepacia, cdc, ce, centers for disease control, chickenpox, cjd, clinical research, clostridium difficile, clostridium sordellii, continuing education, creutzfeldt jakob disease, cross contamination, digestive health, drug resistant, ebola, gastrointestinal infections, gi infections, global crisis, hai, hai education bus, hai education program, hais, hand hygiene, healthcare associated, healthcare associated infection, healthcare associated infections, healthcare facilities, healthcare professionals, healthcare settings, healthcare workers, hepatitis a, hepatitis b, hepatitis c, hiv, hospital acquired, hospital acquired infection, hospital infection, in service training, infection awareness campaign, infection control, infection management, infection prevention, infectious diseases, influenza, kimberly clark, kimberly clark corporation, kimberly clark health care, lengthening hospitalization, methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus, mrsa, mumps, nationwide doctors, norovirus, nosocomial infections, not on my watch, pain management, parvovirus, patients, pneumonia, poliovirus, post operative normothermia, rubella, s. pneumoniae, sars, ssis, surgical site infections, tuberculosis, vancomycin intermediate staphylococcus aureus, vancomycin resistant enterococci, vap, varicella, ventilator associated pneumonia, ventilator associated pneumonia and surgical site infections, viral hemorrhagic fever, visa, vre, who, world health organization, The National Networker, Articles by Douglas Castle, Blue Tuesday, Braintenance, Taking Command, The Global Futurist, Global Edge Technologies Group LLC, Speedlight ProKit, Lightshop Design, TNNW Buzzworks, Public Service Announcements, Canon EOS, SpeedlightProKitUSA, ICBC, Interworked Cooperative Business Communities, health hazards, Google, Facebook, Twitter, Social Media, education, US Healthcare System, The Internationalist Page, Blogging for Humanity.





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KEYWORDS, TERMS, LABELS AND ORGANIZATIONS:

globalism, internationalism, cartels, CFR, NGO, UN, EU, WTO, IMF, central bank, outsourcing, offshoring, capital markets, import, export, international trade, strategic alliances, e-commerce, entrepreneurship, social networking, banking, finance, trade, ventures, business, securities, stock exchanges, indexes, futurism, trends, citizen ambassadorship, enterprise, capitalism, international politics, commodities, prime rate, LIBOR, foreign currencies, foreign exchange, blogs, blogging, bloggers, aol, google, yahoo, msn, AP, news, media alerts, world government, world governments, international affairs, treaties, tariffs, trade restrictions, marketing, advertising, business development, arbitrage, obtaining capital, promotion, publicity, EU, NATO, military affairs, government regulation, trade restrictions, liquidity crisis, business opportunities, web-based businesses, communication, communications, technology, intelligence, embassies, consulates, business resources, Douglas Castle,The Internationalist Page, The Global Futurist, international politics, elections, time management, cyberspace, AI, energy, industry, productivity, Mixx, Digg, Technorati, Sphere, Facebook, YouTube, MySpace, LinkedIn, advertising, economics, strategy, management, cooperation, widgets, blidgets, links, incoterms, CCH, UCC, freight forwarding, custom house brokers, diversity, employment, culture, micro-loans, technological convergence, trends, financial planning, FOREX, futures, stock index, inflation, recession, sub-contracting, Department of Commerce, the next generation, amnesty, humanitarianism, foreign aid, philanthropy, charity, cooperation, peaceful cooexistence, a world without walls, The National Networker, Artificial Intelligence, AI, symbiosis, Interworked Cooperative Business Communities, ICBC, Lingovations, commerce versus combat, trends, analysis, imagination, innovation, introspection, exponentialism and the mastermind, exponentiality, predicting the future, shaping the future, adaptation, evolution, twitter, google, social media, networking groups, tendencies, statistics, joint venturing metrics, prediction, strategic interdependence, communications technologies, skype, New World Order, The 1% Rule, Mutually Assured Destruction, imperialism, fuedalism, freedom, peace, prosperity, demography, allocation of wealth, Digg, Zimbio, TNNW BUZZWORKS, Articles by Douglas Castle, search engines, entreprenership, business tools, networking, relationships, convincing, negotiating, energy, parapsychology, systems, chaos, complexity, perspective, entropy, behavioral psychology, systems of government, sovereignty, ethics, objectivisim, subjectivism, relativism, multidimensionalism, perspective, inflation, recession, valuations, intellectual property, trust, balance of power, balance of trade, balance of trade, gross domestic foreign investment, indexing, growth industries, commodities, options, exhanges, control strategies, risk evaluation, survivalism...

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COMMENTS FROM OUR READERS.

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COMMENTS FROM OUR READERS.

I was delighted to receive a comment from Mike on my recent post on http://aboutDouglasCastle.blogspot.com , titled, "OBAMA SAID WHAT?"

Here it is, for all to enjoy --

Mike has left a new comment on your post "OBAMA SAID WHAT?":

It took me 10 minutes to find the comment button.* My favorite is, "President Obama orders banks to loan to those who are qualified" Really? Is he also ordering pizza delivery people to deliver to those who ordered pizza? Who the hell falls for this?

Publish this comment. (I'll publish this one)

Reject this comment.

Moderate comments for this blog.

Posted by Mike to DOUGLAS CASTLE at November 14, 2009 1:05 PM

*NOTE TO ALL READERS: In the future, each of the articles posted on evey one of my blogs, as well as on all of THE NATIONAL NETWORKER Newsletter articles, TNNW UPDATES!, BLUE TUESDAY Reports and other items of interest and industry intelligence will have an embedded pop-form  (right at the end of each article) for you to write comments of any length -- deluxe with pictures reverse hyperlinks, and other fancy stuff. No longer will you have to struggle to find a place to put your comment. If you have comments, we should at least make it obvious where you should put them.

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle

*Follow DOUGLAS CASTLE on TWITTER - http://twitter.com/douglascastle
*Follow DOUGLAS CASTLE on THE NATIONAL NETWORKER - http://twitter.com/TNNW_BUZZWORKS

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