Share this ARTICLE with your colleagues on LinkedIn .
Dear Friends:
EXIM Bank is promoting many incentives, as well as promising pledges of support, to exporters, and to U.S. companies which want to become participants in outbound international trade. Please read about these incentives and pledges in today's article in THE INTERNATIONALIST PAGE.
Also, THE INTERNATIONALIST PAGE has added several new resource links which should be of interest ot any company engaged in, or contemplating exportation. These include the following:
FOREIGN EMBASSIES AND CONSULATES IN THE U.S.
FEDERAL BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES
U.S. TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT AGENCY
EXPORT.GOV - TRADE ASSISTANCE
U.S. COMMERCIAL SERVICE - EXPORT LEADS
Visit THE INTERNATIONALIST, and make sure to subscribe to THE NATIONAL NETWORKER at http://thetnnwomnigadget.blogspot.com/.
Networking is a global pursuit -- more today, than ever before.
Faithfully,
Douglas Castle
KEYWORDS, TERMS AND ORGANIZATIONS:
globalism, CFR, NGO, UN, 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, CIOF, the next generation, amnesty, humanitarianism, foreign aid, philanthropy, charity, LinkedIn, singularity, transportation, IT, intelligence, complexity theory, energy sources, shortages, climatic change, pop-culture, survivalism, mergers and acquisitions...
Showing posts with label Douglas Castle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Douglas Castle. Show all posts
Friday, March 27, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
WHAT WILL YOU DO ABOUT IT?
Share this ARTICLE with your colleagues on LinkedIn .
Dear Friends:
A future (and the good news is that there will be one!) fraught with some very interesting, but frightful possibilities lies before us. If we fail to think about these possibilities, we are abdicating our "say" in our future. Put in more offensive terms, if we fail to act, we will invariably become the victims of someone else's actions.
In a recent post in TAKING COMMAND!, I briefly discussed some of these "unthinkable" possibilities. The article, in ful, follows.
The real issue facing every interactive Global Futurist is what can be done to a) stop some of these things from actually occurring? (i.e., a pre-emptive intervention), or, b) what can be done in the event that these things do come to pass, and we wish to navigate around them successfully.
THE FUTURE DOES NOT JUST HAPPEN - IT IS CREATED OUT OF THE PRESENT.
This premise imposes a greater responsibility upon any Global Futurist than mere prognostication. It imposes a burden of strategic intervention. This begs the question,"Do we predict the future, or do we make it?" My answer is frightful but honest: We do some of each.
Enjoy the article...
Dear Friends:
One can and does, paradoxically, think about the "unthinkable". You have to visualize, at minimum, the terrors which you dare not venture to think about, and in so doing, you have given them the keys to the darkest corridors of your imagination. We often term things"unthinkable" simple because they are unconscionable, terrifying or of consquences that we are unprepared to contend with. Everything, de facto, is thinkable.
Let's exercise our ability to anticipate that which we should not dare to anticipate, discuss it (hypothetically, of course), and address it (either standing upright, or from under the bed).
Join me:
1. Giant computer service providers like Google and Yahoo (to name only two) have access to as much information about every individual computer user, credit card user, property owner, bank account holder, taxpayer, scofflaw, outlaw, porno-downloader, consumer and other person who has transacted something as seemingly inconsequential as filling up his or her gas tank or walking into a 7-11 for a Slurpee than the NSA does. And these companies not only have all of our identity information, but they have all of our passcodes. If they chose to, they could literally take over our identities and our entire lives -- we are at their mercy, and we trust them. The government relies upon them, utilizes their systems, and by simple logic, cannot police them -- nor would they be inclined to. We are in a naked society. We are, by a lack of vision and vigilance, targets. As with Samson and Delilah, persons or organizations comprised of persons will always use the power that they are given...it is Human Nature. It is only a matter of time.
2. Your credit rating, long regarded as so precious, so sacred and so crucial to a respectable existence, is a nostalgic farce. Credit card companies are aggressively cutting credit lines without adequate cause or notice, and leaving their cardholders with miniscule credit lines, sudden "overdrafts" and "over limit drafts," and are actually charging them fees, as they deprive them of credit and irreparably blemish the credit reports issued to the three major credit bureaus with unexplained reductions in credit lines, overdrafts and all other manner of default. Your credit rating, if you are like most people in the United states, will be destroyed. But take heart -- the financial institutions are not interested in extending credit to consumers anymore. You credit rating may well become as meaningless and as vestigial as the batting average of a pet shop owner. Remember Mr. Peebles? Magilla Gorilla has been repossessed.
3. The IRS, which is a contractor and not even a righteous government agency, is hell-bent on collecting money from an all-but-destitute society. They are, practically speaking, immune to due process, and charged with the responsiblity of feeding the government so that it may be fruitful and multiply (in size and deficit). They can assess you any tax which they feel "may be due," levy and lien any of your assets without contest, charge you usurious interest and fees on spuriously determined delinquent amounts. In fact, in a soon-to-be cashless society, they will be undoubtedly given the power to directly debit sums, as they judge appropriate, directly from your bank accounts (and the banks are actually an extension of the Executive Branch of government) -- if they are wrong (and they are wrong most of the time), you'll have to retain counsel to fight back...ironically, as your funds have already been depleted, you won't have the money required to retain a lawyer. Talk about irony! Going further, be advised that your cash will all have to be declared and banked before a critical date when paper currency is rendered illegal. This will make things easier for the DEA, the FBI, The Treasury Department, The Secret Service and all of the other agencies that are chartered to investigate, confiscate, eviscerate and incarcerate. We will be afforded the opportunity to commiserate. That will be our only "-ate".
4. Private enterprise will cease to exist as it becomes fused with the government. Any conventional employment will, in effect, be government work. Think of Huricane Katrina on a national level. The only "free enterprise" will be small and entrepreneurial. Genius and spontaneity will become increasingly persecuted, and often forced into hiding by a government and a social establishment in fear of being posed with "dangerous" questions which might lead to "revolutionary" actions.
5. That last sanctuary and sanctum of privacy, your cranial vault, will remain the last repository of original, "unthinkable" thought. The trouble which I foresee, is the most frightening thing that I have ever envisioned -- it may reach a point, within your own mind, when you have become so indoctrinated with "groupthink" and assumption that you are no longer able to determine which thoughts are genuinely your own, and which are deeply implanted through pervasive, invasive external influence.
Have a wonderful day.
Faithfully,
Douglas Castle
P.S. Subscribe to THE NATIONAL NETWORKER (TNNW). Click *HERE*
Miasma: Grouply, Yahoo, Google, MSN, command, control, leadership, decisionmaking, The National Networker, Internal Energy Plus, Humanitas Maximus, The Internal Energy Plus Forum, control, public service, inspiration, survival, uniting, dividing, conquest, growth, personal growth, self-improvement, personal development, networking, Mixx, Zimbio, Digg, Delicious, Technorati, Associated Press, LA Times, Fox News, Reuters, alpha, beta, theta, education, leadership crisis, personal power, humanitarianism, The Global Futurist, The Internationalist Page, Braintenance, Current Events, blogs, bloggers, news, news releases, Douglas Castle, intelligence, cognitive enhancement, advice, help, psychology, focus, technology, seduction, manipulation, debate, education, hypnosis, NLP, RET, articles, Linked In, Microsoft, SEO, fitness, longevity, creativity, meditation, media, YouTube, organizational engineering, winning, success, telepathy, trends, predictions, commentary, blogosphere, relationships, torture, victory, health, fitness, independence, mind, brain, thought, entrainment, Facebook, Naymz, downloads, CDs, tapes, instruction, competition, martial arts, politics, management, widget, blidget, social networking, nanotechnology, fitness, social Darwinism, humor, alternative energy, philanthropy, not-for-profit organizations, volunteering, interrogation, trade, commerce, personal dynamics, personal coaching, networking, leadership training, mind-body connection, nootropics, longevity, social groups, business groups, marketing, ecommerce, Feedburner, RSS, newsletters, writers, co-operative advertising, leverage, survivalism, viral marketing, public relations, advertising, promotion, image-development, videos, gaming, AI, social awareness, persuasion, theology, logic, alliances, reputation, ratings, polls, standing, positioning, self-help, metrics, design, interactivity, campaign, Wikis, chat rooms, interactive forums, mentoring, modeling, mind expansion, brainwaves, motivation, current events, press releases, keywords, adwords, economics, Wikipedia, Widgetbox, geopolitical economics, conflict resolution, activism, achievement, subconscious, collective mind, webinars, business services, self-growth, control, winning, fail-safe strategies, combat, strength, Internal Energy Plus, self-defense, winning strategies and tactics, improvisation, anti-terrorism, courage, victory, fear, psychological programming,...
Dear Friends:
A future (and the good news is that there will be one!) fraught with some very interesting, but frightful possibilities lies before us. If we fail to think about these possibilities, we are abdicating our "say" in our future. Put in more offensive terms, if we fail to act, we will invariably become the victims of someone else's actions.
In a recent post in TAKING COMMAND!, I briefly discussed some of these "unthinkable" possibilities. The article, in ful, follows.
The real issue facing every interactive Global Futurist is what can be done to a) stop some of these things from actually occurring? (i.e., a pre-emptive intervention), or, b) what can be done in the event that these things do come to pass, and we wish to navigate around them successfully.
THE FUTURE DOES NOT JUST HAPPEN - IT IS CREATED OUT OF THE PRESENT.
This premise imposes a greater responsibility upon any Global Futurist than mere prognostication. It imposes a burden of strategic intervention. This begs the question,"Do we predict the future, or do we make it?" My answer is frightful but honest: We do some of each.
Enjoy the article...
Dear Friends:One can and does, paradoxically, think about the "unthinkable". You have to visualize, at minimum, the terrors which you dare not venture to think about, and in so doing, you have given them the keys to the darkest corridors of your imagination. We often term things"unthinkable" simple because they are unconscionable, terrifying or of consquences that we are unprepared to contend with. Everything, de facto, is thinkable.
Let's exercise our ability to anticipate that which we should not dare to anticipate, discuss it (hypothetically, of course), and address it (either standing upright, or from under the bed).
Join me:
1. Giant computer service providers like Google and Yahoo (to name only two) have access to as much information about every individual computer user, credit card user, property owner, bank account holder, taxpayer, scofflaw, outlaw, porno-downloader, consumer and other person who has transacted something as seemingly inconsequential as filling up his or her gas tank or walking into a 7-11 for a Slurpee than the NSA does. And these companies not only have all of our identity information, but they have all of our passcodes. If they chose to, they could literally take over our identities and our entire lives -- we are at their mercy, and we trust them. The government relies upon them, utilizes their systems, and by simple logic, cannot police them -- nor would they be inclined to. We are in a naked society. We are, by a lack of vision and vigilance, targets. As with Samson and Delilah, persons or organizations comprised of persons will always use the power that they are given...it is Human Nature. It is only a matter of time.
2. Your credit rating, long regarded as so precious, so sacred and so crucial to a respectable existence, is a nostalgic farce. Credit card companies are aggressively cutting credit lines without adequate cause or notice, and leaving their cardholders with miniscule credit lines, sudden "overdrafts" and "over limit drafts," and are actually charging them fees, as they deprive them of credit and irreparably blemish the credit reports issued to the three major credit bureaus with unexplained reductions in credit lines, overdrafts and all other manner of default. Your credit rating, if you are like most people in the United states, will be destroyed. But take heart -- the financial institutions are not interested in extending credit to consumers anymore. You credit rating may well become as meaningless and as vestigial as the batting average of a pet shop owner. Remember Mr. Peebles? Magilla Gorilla has been repossessed.
3. The IRS, which is a contractor and not even a righteous government agency, is hell-bent on collecting money from an all-but-destitute society. They are, practically speaking, immune to due process, and charged with the responsiblity of feeding the government so that it may be fruitful and multiply (in size and deficit). They can assess you any tax which they feel "may be due," levy and lien any of your assets without contest, charge you usurious interest and fees on spuriously determined delinquent amounts. In fact, in a soon-to-be cashless society, they will be undoubtedly given the power to directly debit sums, as they judge appropriate, directly from your bank accounts (and the banks are actually an extension of the Executive Branch of government) -- if they are wrong (and they are wrong most of the time), you'll have to retain counsel to fight back...ironically, as your funds have already been depleted, you won't have the money required to retain a lawyer. Talk about irony! Going further, be advised that your cash will all have to be declared and banked before a critical date when paper currency is rendered illegal. This will make things easier for the DEA, the FBI, The Treasury Department, The Secret Service and all of the other agencies that are chartered to investigate, confiscate, eviscerate and incarcerate. We will be afforded the opportunity to commiserate. That will be our only "-ate".
4. Private enterprise will cease to exist as it becomes fused with the government. Any conventional employment will, in effect, be government work. Think of Huricane Katrina on a national level. The only "free enterprise" will be small and entrepreneurial. Genius and spontaneity will become increasingly persecuted, and often forced into hiding by a government and a social establishment in fear of being posed with "dangerous" questions which might lead to "revolutionary" actions.
5. That last sanctuary and sanctum of privacy, your cranial vault, will remain the last repository of original, "unthinkable" thought. The trouble which I foresee, is the most frightening thing that I have ever envisioned -- it may reach a point, within your own mind, when you have become so indoctrinated with "groupthink" and assumption that you are no longer able to determine which thoughts are genuinely your own, and which are deeply implanted through pervasive, invasive external influence.
Have a wonderful day.
Faithfully,
Douglas Castle
P.S. Subscribe to THE NATIONAL NETWORKER (TNNW). Click *HERE*
Miasma: Grouply, Yahoo, Google, MSN, command, control, leadership, decisionmaking, The National Networker, Internal Energy Plus, Humanitas Maximus, The Internal Energy Plus Forum, control, public service, inspiration, survival, uniting, dividing, conquest, growth, personal growth, self-improvement, personal development, networking, Mixx, Zimbio, Digg, Delicious, Technorati, Associated Press, LA Times, Fox News, Reuters, alpha, beta, theta, education, leadership crisis, personal power, humanitarianism, The Global Futurist, The Internationalist Page, Braintenance, Current Events, blogs, bloggers, news, news releases, Douglas Castle, intelligence, cognitive enhancement, advice, help, psychology, focus, technology, seduction, manipulation, debate, education, hypnosis, NLP, RET, articles, Linked In, Microsoft, SEO, fitness, longevity, creativity, meditation, media, YouTube, organizational engineering, winning, success, telepathy, trends, predictions, commentary, blogosphere, relationships, torture, victory, health, fitness, independence, mind, brain, thought, entrainment, Facebook, Naymz, downloads, CDs, tapes, instruction, competition, martial arts, politics, management, widget, blidget, social networking, nanotechnology, fitness, social Darwinism, humor, alternative energy, philanthropy, not-for-profit organizations, volunteering, interrogation, trade, commerce, personal dynamics, personal coaching, networking, leadership training, mind-body connection, nootropics, longevity, social groups, business groups, marketing, ecommerce, Feedburner, RSS, newsletters, writers, co-operative advertising, leverage, survivalism, viral marketing, public relations, advertising, promotion, image-development, videos, gaming, AI, social awareness, persuasion, theology, logic, alliances, reputation, ratings, polls, standing, positioning, self-help, metrics, design, interactivity, campaign, Wikis, chat rooms, interactive forums, mentoring, modeling, mind expansion, brainwaves, motivation, current events, press releases, keywords, adwords, economics, Wikipedia, Widgetbox, geopolitical economics, conflict resolution, activism, achievement, subconscious, collective mind, webinars, business services, self-growth, control, winning, fail-safe strategies, combat, strength, Internal Energy Plus, self-defense, winning strategies and tactics, improvisation, anti-terrorism, courage, victory, fear, psychological programming,...
Monday, March 9, 2009
THE NEW AGE OF THE ENTREPRENEUR/ NETWORKER
Share this ARTICLE with your colleagues on LinkedIn .
THE NEW AGE OF THE ENTREPRENEUR/ NETWORKER
Originally published by Douglas Castle in THE GLOBAL FUTURIST (3/09/09)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Friends:
There is no avoiding the cloud that hangs over us.
We are in a deepening global economic recession -- a condition that touches all of us financially and emotionally. It forces us to change our plans, to conserve limited resources, to become increasingly introspective...to feel the twinge of our own smallness in the confines of a giant universe, and to re-examine our values and our very mortality. We become more internalized, less robotic and more frantic, if paralysis doesn't seize us first.
The bulk of the world's non-agricultural workforce is dependent upon either conventional private sector (corporate, institutional or professional) employment, or government work. During the course of the last ten years, an increasing percentage of the G-8 workforce has been absorbed into the conventional or governmental works. This is not surprising, as healthcare and other costs continue to rise, retirement becomes an increasingly expensive proposition and the economies associated with larger employers make it possible for them to cover the needs of these individuals far more economically than through individual arrangements. Employee benefits constitute an increasing percentage of employee compensation, as well as motivation. It is increasingly the perception of the masses that entrepreneurship is too fraught with uncertainty, long hours, and very hard work to be a sensible calling. As commoners, we flock to the time-honored protection of the "conventional career path."
The conventional career path, by definition, creates apathy in the crucial areas of entrepreneurial skills and disciplines. As I write these words, an indolent, dependent, uncultivated layer of "middle management" and labor is being displaced as their former protectors scramble for the protections afforded them by bankruptcy or government aid (I think that this is a swell euphemism for other terms such as "bailout," "welfare," "subsidy," or "bridge loan," which last term has actually come to mean a unilateral capital infusion without requirement of guarantees, collateral, constraints on application of proceeds, accountability, a plan for repayment, or an incentive for change in the status quo."). When I recently discussed the notions of "companies that are too big to fail," and "the government's systematic and expected rewarding of poor corporate conduct with 'free' money," with a friend, she explained to me (in a kind, but slightly condescending matter), "but Douglas, we have no options!" I disagree.
I believe that as long as we are alive we have options. The very perception of "no options" is either paralytic, or is apt to cause very poor, short-term decisionmaking.
A word of displaced, emotionally devasted and fiscally insolvent "worker bees" have been let down by a system that had to fail. They do not know how to promote, to build, to innovate, to re-invent themselves, to run businesses and to network beyond their cronies at the office. These brothers and sisters are in deep trouble -- and no one can just bail them out. They must be re-tooled to be entrepreneurial, networking vital people. As entrepreneurs and networkers, as globalists and futurists, we must help them to find new ways to survive...to restore their finances, to develop a sense of purpose and a successful attitude, and to resdiscover and activate their skills.
This is now the AGE OF THE ENTREPRENEUR/NETWORKER. We need to re-dedicate ouselves to be more entrepreneurial, more imaginitive, more innovative and more efficient networkers and socializers than ever before. Now is our time. And if we are kind, we are ethically obligated to help create hopes and opportunities for those less fortunate persons who fell under the thrall of the conventional career path.
I am recommending (strongly), that we, each of us, forward this article to everyone whom we know, and insist that they join:
1. THE NATIONAL NETWORKER (free subscription, awe-inspiring services and connection opportunities), and
2) INTERNAL ENERGY PLUS (with its online interactive support group at http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/INTERNAL_ENERGY_PLUS/ or visit our blogs at http://DouglasCastleIEP.blogspot.com and http://TheInternalEnergyPlusForum.blogspot.com.
Now is the time to spread the word, build membership, circle our wagons, and to come out fighting!
As stated previously: THE FUTURE WILL NOT MAKE US -- WE WILL MAKE THE FUTURE.
Respectfully,
Douglas Castle
My Blogs:
http://Braintenance.blogspot.com
http://TheInternationalistPage.blogspot.com
http://TheGlobalFuturist.blogspot.com
http://AboutDouglasCastle.blogspot.com
http://TheInternalEnergyPlusForum.com
THE NEW AGE OF THE ENTREPRENEUR/ NETWORKER
Originally published by Douglas Castle in THE GLOBAL FUTURIST (3/09/09)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Friends:
There is no avoiding the cloud that hangs over us.
We are in a deepening global economic recession -- a condition that touches all of us financially and emotionally. It forces us to change our plans, to conserve limited resources, to become increasingly introspective...to feel the twinge of our own smallness in the confines of a giant universe, and to re-examine our values and our very mortality. We become more internalized, less robotic and more frantic, if paralysis doesn't seize us first.
The bulk of the world's non-agricultural workforce is dependent upon either conventional private sector (corporate, institutional or professional) employment, or government work. During the course of the last ten years, an increasing percentage of the G-8 workforce has been absorbed into the conventional or governmental works. This is not surprising, as healthcare and other costs continue to rise, retirement becomes an increasingly expensive proposition and the economies associated with larger employers make it possible for them to cover the needs of these individuals far more economically than through individual arrangements. Employee benefits constitute an increasing percentage of employee compensation, as well as motivation. It is increasingly the perception of the masses that entrepreneurship is too fraught with uncertainty, long hours, and very hard work to be a sensible calling. As commoners, we flock to the time-honored protection of the "conventional career path."
The conventional career path, by definition, creates apathy in the crucial areas of entrepreneurial skills and disciplines. As I write these words, an indolent, dependent, uncultivated layer of "middle management" and labor is being displaced as their former protectors scramble for the protections afforded them by bankruptcy or government aid (I think that this is a swell euphemism for other terms such as "bailout," "welfare," "subsidy," or "bridge loan," which last term has actually come to mean a unilateral capital infusion without requirement of guarantees, collateral, constraints on application of proceeds, accountability, a plan for repayment, or an incentive for change in the status quo."). When I recently discussed the notions of "companies that are too big to fail," and "the government's systematic and expected rewarding of poor corporate conduct with 'free' money," with a friend, she explained to me (in a kind, but slightly condescending matter), "but Douglas, we have no options!" I disagree.
I believe that as long as we are alive we have options. The very perception of "no options" is either paralytic, or is apt to cause very poor, short-term decisionmaking.
A word of displaced, emotionally devasted and fiscally insolvent "worker bees" have been let down by a system that had to fail. They do not know how to promote, to build, to innovate, to re-invent themselves, to run businesses and to network beyond their cronies at the office. These brothers and sisters are in deep trouble -- and no one can just bail them out. They must be re-tooled to be entrepreneurial, networking vital people. As entrepreneurs and networkers, as globalists and futurists, we must help them to find new ways to survive...to restore their finances, to develop a sense of purpose and a successful attitude, and to resdiscover and activate their skills.
This is now the AGE OF THE ENTREPRENEUR/NETWORKER. We need to re-dedicate ouselves to be more entrepreneurial, more imaginitive, more innovative and more efficient networkers and socializers than ever before. Now is our time. And if we are kind, we are ethically obligated to help create hopes and opportunities for those less fortunate persons who fell under the thrall of the conventional career path.
I am recommending (strongly), that we, each of us, forward this article to everyone whom we know, and insist that they join:
1. THE NATIONAL NETWORKER (free subscription, awe-inspiring services and connection opportunities), and
2) INTERNAL ENERGY PLUS (with its online interactive support group at http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/INTERNAL_ENERGY_PLUS/ or visit our blogs at http://DouglasCastleIEP.blogspot.com and http://TheInternalEnergyPlusForum.blogspot.com.
Now is the time to spread the word, build membership, circle our wagons, and to come out fighting!
As stated previously: THE FUTURE WILL NOT MAKE US -- WE WILL MAKE THE FUTURE.
Respectfully,
Douglas Castle
My Blogs:
http://Braintenance.blogspot.com
http://TheInternationalistPage.blogspot.com
http://TheGlobalFuturist.blogspot.com
http://AboutDouglasCastle.blogspot.com
http://TheInternalEnergyPlusForum.com
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
A NEW RESOURCE: WIPO
Share this ARTICLE with your colleagues on LinkedIn .
Dear Friends:
Dear Friends:A new resource has been added to our collection of links at THE GLOBAL FUTURIST. It is the website for the World Intellectual Property Organization.
The website is located at http://www.wipo.int/portal/index.html.en. It is a fascinating resource to keep you up to date with the amazing strides being made in the cerebrotonic and vastly mysterious world of Intellectual Property.
Please click on the link and let me know what you think (a trite rhyme, which I assure you was accidental).
Faithfully,
Douglas Castle
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
A NEW RESOURCE: MONEY MORNING
Share this ARTICLE with your colleagues on LinkedIn .
Dear Friends:
Dear Friends:THE GLOBAL FUTURIST has now added a daily RSS feed from MONEY MORNING.
They feature some excellent up-to-the-minute articles concerning domestic and international governmental economic policies, future implications for various business sectors, investment strategies and a wealth of additional valuable information. I have found the articles to be of excellent quality and high utility. Their website is at http://www.moneymorning.com/.
You can save some time and simply scroll down to the bottom of this page (the footer section) to view their live RSS feed, right here on this site.
Enjoy the feed, the articles and the insights. Please be at liberty to let me know what you think.
Faithfully,
Douglas Castle
KEYWORDS, TERMS AND ORGANIZATIONS:
globalism, CFR, NGO, UN, 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, CIOF, the next generation, amnesty, humanitarianism, foreign aid, philanthropy, charity, LinkedIn, singularity, transportation, IT, intelligence, complexity theory, energy sources, shortages, climatic change, pop-culture, survivalism, mergers and acquisitions...
globalism, CFR, NGO, UN, 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, CIOF, the next generation, amnesty, humanitarianism, foreign aid, philanthropy, charity, LinkedIn, singularity, transportation, IT, intelligence, complexity theory, energy sources, shortages, climatic change, pop-culture, survivalism, mergers and acquisitions...
Friday, December 26, 2008
IMITATE, INNOVATE OR PERISH
Share this ARTICLE with your colleagues on LinkedIn .
Dear Friends:
Dear Friends:Here is a brief statement about the economy at present which I feel needs not only to be said, but repeated. This is a re-post of a brief which I published today at DOUGLAS CASTLE, my eponymous (I love this word, and almost never get to use it) blog.
In this difficult economy, survivalists must either imitate the resilience and success of others, or they must innovate and find new ways to either package or bundle existing things. Where there is no new production, and where there are no incentives to research, develop, or build, the entrepreneurs among us must pursue inventive marketing of what is already in the technological inventory.
Packaging, positioning and differentiation through servicing are the new keys to prospering through the worldwide economic depression.
Sadly, or happily, these are things that money cannot readily buy.
Faithfully,
Douglas Castle
Packaging, positioning and differentiation through servicing are the new keys to prospering through the worldwide economic depression.
Sadly, or happily, these are things that money cannot readily buy.
Faithfully,
Douglas Castle
Monday, December 8, 2008
A MESSAGE OF HOPE AND OPPORTUNITY
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Dear Friends:
Please take a moment to read an important message of hope and opportunity by clicking on http://humanitasmaximus.blogspot.com/2008/12/doors-close-but-new-ones-open.html .
I promise that you will not be disappointed.
Faithfully,
Douglas Castle
KEYWORDS, TERMS AND ORGANIZATIONS:
globalism, CFR, NGO, UN, 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, CIOF, the next generation, amnesty, humanitarianism, foreign aid, philanthropy, charity, LinkedIn, singularity, transportation, IT, intelligence, complexity theory, energy sources, shortages, climatic change, pop-culture, survivalism, mergers and acquisitions...
Dear Friends:
Please take a moment to read an important message of hope and opportunity by clicking on http://humanitasmaximus.blogspot.com/2008/12/doors-close-but-new-ones-open.html .
I promise that you will not be disappointed.
Faithfully,
Douglas Castle
KEYWORDS, TERMS AND ORGANIZATIONS:
globalism, CFR, NGO, UN, 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, CIOF, the next generation, amnesty, humanitarianism, foreign aid, philanthropy, charity, LinkedIn, singularity, transportation, IT, intelligence, complexity theory, energy sources, shortages, climatic change, pop-culture, survivalism, mergers and acquisitions...
Friday, November 28, 2008
AN EXCELLENT ANALOGY ABOUT THE ECONOMIC CRISIS
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Dear Friends:
A very intelligent and insightful individual recently responded to a brief article which I posted on THE NATIONAL NETWORKER - THE RELATIONSHIP CAPITAL TOOLKIT. I have reposted this comment here, with my response. David makes an excellent observation regarding Human behavior...particularly in Americans.
The global economy has been dependent upon the human nature of the American consumer. When the American consumer goes on a spending diet it not only impacts the Dow Jones, it sends the economies of Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the Americas into cardiac arrest.If you understand dieting and human nature, you know that this spending fast will be broken. The pent up spending urge will break loose, especially as the credit markets are freed up. Look for a spending take-off in late 1Q or early 2Q 2009.You heard it here...David Burnett, CEcD
November 27, 2008 9:13 PM
David:
Dear Friends:A very intelligent and insightful individual recently responded to a brief article which I posted on THE NATIONAL NETWORKER - THE RELATIONSHIP CAPITAL TOOLKIT. I have reposted this comment here, with my response. David makes an excellent observation regarding Human behavior...particularly in Americans.
The global economy has been dependent upon the human nature of the American consumer. When the American consumer goes on a spending diet it not only impacts the Dow Jones, it sends the economies of Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the Americas into cardiac arrest.If you understand dieting and human nature, you know that this spending fast will be broken. The pent up spending urge will break loose, especially as the credit markets are freed up. Look for a spending take-off in late 1Q or early 2Q 2009.You heard it here...David Burnett, CEcD
November 27, 2008 9:13 PM
David:
Thank you for your comment.
While I fully agree with your superb analogy, I disagree with the optimism of your timing.In certain cases, dieting is within the realm of the individual's control (endogenous and voluntary), and sometimes it is more harshly constrained by the tightened parameters of the individual's income (exogenous and involuntary).There is indeed a powerful element of pent-up and unfulfilled demand...but there are the harsh realities of 1) rising domestic unemployment and job losses; 2) the steepening increase during the last ten years in consumption of U.S. products (by percentage) by the foreign sector; 3) the reluctance of banks ("bailed out" or not) to extend the credit to consumers that has fueled domestic consumption more than earnings during the past six years, and 4) the inability of the investment banking firms to raise the sums necessary to infuse capital into businesses which create jobs, wages and consumption.
My compliments on your excellent analogy, and on your optimism, which I hope will become contagious.I am taking the liberty of reposting your comment on THE GLOBAL FUTURIST at http://theglobalfuturist.blogspot.com/ - Douglas Castle
p.s. I hope that your predicted timing becomes reality. I am personally looking for a turnaround in the economy (domestically and internationally) in 2011-2012.
November 28, 2008 11:50 AM
November 28, 2008 11:50 AM
THE ORIGINAL POST to THE NATIONAL NETWORKER - THE RELATIONSHIP CAPITAL TOOLKIT [edited repost] :
Dear Readers:
The study and proper acknowledgement of Human Nature is an integral part of accomplishing anything in this world. All of what we perceive as reality, with the exception of certain natural phenomena, is borne of the Human mind and its imaginings. Take a few moments and examine the notion of the SELF-FULFILLING PROPHESY and what its implications are. You may find this very interesting. Better -- you might be able to put it to practical use in the process of conducting your social and business affairs in your path toward success. Please view THE GLOBAL FUTURIST to confirm and solidify your thoughts about something which you have probably always suspected.
Faithfully,
Douglas Castle
http://aboutdouglascastle.blogspot.com/
KEYWORDS, TERMS AND ORGANIZATIONS:
globalism, CFR, NGO, UN, 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, CIOF, the next generation, amnesty, humanitarianism, foreign aid, philanthropy, charity, LinkedIn, singularity, transportation, IT, intelligence, complexity theory, energy sources, shortages, climatic change, pop-culture, survivalism, mergers and acquisitions...
KEYWORDS, TERMS AND ORGANIZATIONS:
globalism, CFR, NGO, UN, 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, CIOF, the next generation, amnesty, humanitarianism, foreign aid, philanthropy, charity, LinkedIn, singularity, transportation, IT, intelligence, complexity theory, energy sources, shortages, climatic change, pop-culture, survivalism, mergers and acquisitions...
Friday, July 4, 2008
PLEASE, SIR....I MUST INSIST ON ANOTHER (OR THREE)
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(LOOK AT THE EXCITING MONTAGES. THEY ARE COMPLETELY IRRELEVANT.)
Dear Readers:
This post is merely a re-referencing of three other posts, which I would like for you to read immediately, or at least after you've had your second cup of coffee. I am taking a leap here, because I am only too keenly aware that many of my brightest and most faithful readers actually prefer prune juice as their accelerant of choice. Incidentally, you might be interested in this tidbit of factual information: Did you know that Dr. Pepper soda is simply Coca-Cola with prune juice added to it? .
Here are the references:
THE CHILDREN'S INTERNATIONAL OBESITY FOUNDATION BLOG (most recent posting)
THE INTERNATIONALIST PAGE BLOG (most recent article)
I believe that you will find these articles to be of great interest, as well as a helpful planning tool, with just a small bit of arm-twisting for charity. I make no apologies.
Faithfully,
Douglas Castle
Sunday, June 29, 2008
THE KING IS DEAD- LONG LIVE THE KING
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There is a great deal of apocalyptic writing, speaking and thinking. Read the most recent novels by Stephen King, Dean Koontz and others. The motion picture industry is turning out more films about the end of the world than ever before. It is a popular theme, but the crowds do not leave the theatres smiling. The population is squaring off, albeit meekly and slowly, against the government and large institutions. "Big government" and "big business" are being demonized.
During these next five years, watch for the following trends and tendencies, bearing in mind that preparation can be the difference between being hit by a car or getting a lift in one:
WE MUST EITHER ANTICIPATE THE FUTURE OR CREATE IT OURSELVES
Dear Friends:
The title of this post should bring a smile to the wrinkled face of every Egyptologist or student of secret societies. Throughout the world, and principally in the United States, we are experiencing a radical shakeup in the Citizenry's faith and trust in the Government, and its duly-chartered and licensed institutions.
The scenario is disillusioning enough to bring even some of the most narcoleptic proponents of begrudging apathy to a state of alarm, consternation and re-evaluation. When you wake up to discover that your paradise is actually a prison, and that your protectors are truly your captors, the psychological ramifications are frightening.
The administration in power in The United States, accompanied by a dwindling number of disenheartened allies, is fighting an endless "war" against terrorism, which has greatly increased instability in the Middle east; alienated many western allies and trading partners; put the country into massive debt, much of which is held by other nations (e.g., as creditors); caused a precipitous decline in the value of the U.S. Dollar and massive inflation, principally driven by unprecedented oil-price increases and resultant cost-push increases in all transportation-dependent services and products; precipitated steepening unemployment and declining output (largely due to outsourcing, offshoring and a decline in domestic initiative and entrepreneurship), and the virtual elimination of the "checks and balances" prescribed by the U.S. Constitution (as well as the concept of "due process under the law," which no court has the testicular fortitude to opine upon, let alone rule upon), which is largely disregarded by the occupants of the White House for cited reasons of "executive privilege," "secrecy in the interests of National Security," and "special wartime powers," none of which are apparently subject to any domestic or international laws or codes of justice, ethics, honor or even tradition... and ---
- The fall of many big-name investment banking firms and commercial banks due to their overextension of readily-available credit, their propensity to gamble for short-term gain, a lack of impartial oversight and accountability, and an incredible failure to prudently diversify investments and avoid large concentrations in any one customer or investment product -- this is Finance 101...Mr. Lehmann is crying out from the grave. As for Keynes, he stopped talking long ago (as some dead people tend to do);
- Growing concerns about climatic change (whether real or imagined), and its ramifications;
- Shocking declines in the quality of life, availability of affordable healthcare (and medical insurance), and fitness of the population (I could point to the obesity statistics);
- Radically changing demographics, and the non-integration and assimilation of most newer immigrants into what used to be "mainsteam American culture." There is an increase in the Tower Of Babel Effect -- the formation of cultural enclaves, barrios, ghettos and other inwardly-oriented protective cultural preservation configurations. We are not a melting pot...we are a camprground for disparate groups who are more co-inhabitants than neighbors. While this effect seems most pronounced in the United States, it is proliferating throughout Europe, as well.
There is a great deal of apocalyptic writing, speaking and thinking. Read the most recent novels by Stephen King, Dean Koontz and others. The motion picture industry is turning out more films about the end of the world than ever before. It is a popular theme, but the crowds do not leave the theatres smiling. The population is squaring off, albeit meekly and slowly, against the government and large institutions. "Big government" and "big business" are being demonized.
During these next five years, watch for the following trends and tendencies, bearing in mind that preparation can be the difference between being hit by a car or getting a lift in one:
- Acceleration in the proliferation of ecommerce, and a reduction in the prevalence of paper media. As security measures improve on e-commerce websites, and as transportation becomes increasingly expensive, a greater percentage of the world's population will conduct a greater percentage of their purchases online;
- Personal service, and even telephonic helpdesk services will become increasingly scarce, minimizing the interpersonal contact between consumers and service providers. The availability and quality of all services will continue to decline. Those exceptional sellers and providers of services to the wealthiest minority of consumers will provide interpersonal service, but only at a tremendous price premium;
- Wires will rapidly begin to disappear as all communications equipment becomes wireless. Newer homes will be built with fewer electric outlets;
- In several of the G-8 Nations (including the United States), paper currency and coin will vanish, as all payment and transfers will be done by institutional wire or by credit or debit card. Taxes will be estimated and extracted directly by governments from bank accounts, and the burden will be entirely on the individual to contest and disprove the government's "tax estimates" -- this process will be as discouraging as it is difficult;
- Most of the United States' wealthiest and brightest individuals will live abroad as expatriates, or will apply for alternative citizenship;
- Fossil fuels will give way to nuclear energy, most likely provided by thorium-based reactors, the first of which will be built in the G-8 nations within the next three years;
- Executives will opt for private jet charter or lease services as commercial airlines in the G-8 nations continue to decline in their ability to service demand;
- In the United States, immigrants (both legal and illegal) who are not fluent in English will outnumber English-speaking residents and citizens;
- Communication media will be more efficient than ever before, but the willingness to take maximum advantage by speaking the same language will continue to steeply decline;
- There will be a virtual elimination of the middle class throughout virtually every industrialized nation. The bluebloods will continue onward in indifference, some entrepreneurs and professionals will remain at the lower strata of the wealthy class, but the balance of the populace (probably more than 75% by census) will be desperately struggling to survive.
Students of history, as well as some uniquely visionary thinkers will see that we are approaching the end of an era. This invariably means confusion, violence, rampant distrust, re-grouping (as in medieval fiefdoms), and survival of only the extremely wealthy or the very, very enterprising.
If you are reading this (which you are), devise your plans based upon the assumption that you have between three to five years at maximum to become very rich or very clever. I would recommend both. And while you are in the process of building these fiscal and intellectual munitions, try to maintain a low profile so you don't get sidetracked by government investigations or an indeterminate prison sentence. Any actions taken in disagreement with the persons in power are not protected by either civil rights, constitutionally protected rights, or human rights.
Faithfully,
Douglas Castle
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
A RADICAL SHIFT IN THE GLOBAL BALANCE
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Dear Friends:
History, like a poorly-prepared meal, tends to repeat itself. The only non-technological factors within the context of history that change are 1) the length of the socioeconomic cycle, and 2) the amplitude (e.g., the magnitude) of the highs and the lows. I have heard no end of metaphors for history... a sine wave; a pendulum; a coiled spring... just to name several.
This systematic repetition will likely be the case until such time as the deeply ingrained nature of the Human psyche actually evolves.
We tend, as a group, to have a short span of memory, a limited temporal focus, and an "all or nothing" response pattern to things happening around us. We have lived through numerous holocausts, bouts of xenophobia, periods of induced paranoia, civil wars that turn into protracted zero-sum games, lies (and careers) that have come unravelled, and economic depressions. We have a foolish proclivity to think that whatever social or economic circumstances we find ourselves in have never occurred before.
Our persistent failure to analogize (have I invented a word?) keeps us running into to same tree, over and over again. Nobody ever moves the tree -- we just keep forgetting that it's there.
Before I continue this post, I bring you a timely advertisement from Ex-Im Bank regarding an upcoming International Trade Conference in California. After this brief commercial, we can discuss the Future.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
"This conference will bring together small to mid-sized enterprises and trade promotion service organizations in both the public and private sectors with experts from across the state to dialog on the current issues, challenges and opportunities facing California's global trade and investment community. This year's conference will feature panels and presentations on using web based solutions for qualified information, marketing, trade finance, interpretation/translation, collaboration and security.
AgendaOnline RegistrationMail-in RegistrationSponsors-ExhibitorsConference History
Event Info
April 25, 20088:00a.m.-4:00 p.m.California Chamber of Commerce1215 K STREET, 14TH FLOOR (At the corner of 13th and K Street ESQUIRE BUILDING)SACRAMENTO, CA 95814
More Info
Monterey Bay International Trade Association (MBITA)P.O. Box 523Santa Cruz, CA 95061 Tel. 831-335-4780Fax 831-335-4822http://www.mbita.org/ http://us.f559.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=tlivoti@mbita.org
SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS...."
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
It is a comfort to know that Ex-Im is still in the business of fostering and assisting in solidifying trade opportunities for the benefit of U.S. exporters, for the Balance Of Payments, for the Balance Of Trade and for other things patriotic and fiscally salubrious.
The sad irony is that the U.S. does not have many things that it can export. Most every manufactured item is outsourced to enterprises in foreign nations. Most U.S. consumers purchase durable goods that were either imported, produced by multinationals, or which are merely packaged in the United States, but with the bulk of the value being added overseas.
The U.S. has several things that it can and does export:
Dear Friends:
History, like a poorly-prepared meal, tends to repeat itself. The only non-technological factors within the context of history that change are 1) the length of the socioeconomic cycle, and 2) the amplitude (e.g., the magnitude) of the highs and the lows. I have heard no end of metaphors for history... a sine wave; a pendulum; a coiled spring... just to name several.
This systematic repetition will likely be the case until such time as the deeply ingrained nature of the Human psyche actually evolves.
We tend, as a group, to have a short span of memory, a limited temporal focus, and an "all or nothing" response pattern to things happening around us. We have lived through numerous holocausts, bouts of xenophobia, periods of induced paranoia, civil wars that turn into protracted zero-sum games, lies (and careers) that have come unravelled, and economic depressions. We have a foolish proclivity to think that whatever social or economic circumstances we find ourselves in have never occurred before.
Our persistent failure to analogize (have I invented a word?) keeps us running into to same tree, over and over again. Nobody ever moves the tree -- we just keep forgetting that it's there.
Before I continue this post, I bring you a timely advertisement from Ex-Im Bank regarding an upcoming International Trade Conference in California. After this brief commercial, we can discuss the Future.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
"This conference will bring together small to mid-sized enterprises and trade promotion service organizations in both the public and private sectors with experts from across the state to dialog on the current issues, challenges and opportunities facing California's global trade and investment community. This year's conference will feature panels and presentations on using web based solutions for qualified information, marketing, trade finance, interpretation/translation, collaboration and security.
AgendaOnline RegistrationMail-in RegistrationSponsors-ExhibitorsConference History
Event Info
April 25, 20088:00a.m.-4:00 p.m.California Chamber of Commerce1215 K STREET, 14TH FLOOR (At the corner of 13th and K Street ESQUIRE BUILDING)SACRAMENTO, CA 95814
More Info
Monterey Bay International Trade Association (MBITA)P.O. Box 523Santa Cruz, CA 95061 Tel. 831-335-4780Fax 831-335-4822http://www.mbita.org/ http://us.f559.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=tlivoti@mbita.org
SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS...."
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
It is a comfort to know that Ex-Im is still in the business of fostering and assisting in solidifying trade opportunities for the benefit of U.S. exporters, for the Balance Of Payments, for the Balance Of Trade and for other things patriotic and fiscally salubrious.
The sad irony is that the U.S. does not have many things that it can export. Most every manufactured item is outsourced to enterprises in foreign nations. Most U.S. consumers purchase durable goods that were either imported, produced by multinationals, or which are merely packaged in the United States, but with the bulk of the value being added overseas.
The U.S. has several things that it can and does export:
- Jobs and employment opportunities;
- Dollars (in the purchase of goods and services provided by other countries);
- Agricultural commodities;
- Weaponry;
- Natural resources (metals, minerals, and mined commodities).
Let's take a quick look at each of these, and the associated benefits and costs:
JOBS AND EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Domestic companies can increase their profit margins in the shorter-term by outsourcing and offshoring. But the aggregate costs include rising permanent unemployment; loss of the value-added components of profits, and increased dependence upon foreign labor. The longer-run costs include the loss of management skills and the exodus or loss of technical talent; the loss of entire businesses and industries; the loss of income and wealth to the extent that we become weaker consumers, as well as weakened producers...
DOLLARS
The U.S. spends dollars on foreign goods and labor...they seem less expensive. But in the longer-run, this causes a devaluation of the dollar, and an exodus of dollar-denominated wealth from the United States. In addition, a great deal of the instruments representing the National Debt are in the hands of non-U.S. holders. As the U.S. borrows increasing sums from outside of its own citizenry and domestic institutions, the U.S. becomes enslaved by its indebtedness owed to parties offshore, and becomes perceived as a poorer international credit risk; this further devalues the U.S. dollar, and all instruments denominated in U.S. dollars. This effect is rapidly being heightened by the rise in the value of the Euro versus the U.S. dollar. The U.S.' most fundamental weakness -- we are utterly dependent on OPEC nations to give us the bulk of our fuel. As oil prices rise (as of the day of this writing oil was selling at an average of $105.32 per barrel!), the U.S. dollar declines, as well as virtually all of the other indices of prosperity.
Nightmare: The OPEC nations (and other nations in the course of ordinary commerce) insist on payment in Euros instead of U.S. dollars for virtually everything that they supply. Dollars become useless scrip. The wealth of a nation is wiped out immediately. The U.S. is vulnerable, and doesn't hold much leverage (as a non-supplier of too many things made and obtainable elsewhere) except in terms of its formidable military. But a military needs funds to pay for manpower and materiel.
AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES
The U.S. is blessed with fertile soil and sophisticated agricultural technologies. It is one of the few arrows left in the national quiver. The U.S. has the capacity to feed many of the world's hungry. It is also unlikely that we'll experience any serious blowback from this: if I were a betting type of fellow, I would bet that there are very few emerging nations who are turning our carrots into dangerous projectiles, or weaponizing wheat for the launch of a stealthy moonlight Triscuit attack on the United States, its territories or possessions. I am only slightly concerned about brussells sprouts being used as warheads aimed toward key cities and national monuments.
WEAPONRY
Someone famous once said "If you give a person power, he will be compelled to use it." I tend to agree. The reality of U.S. troops being killed by U.S.-made weapons has already arrived. This blowback continues, and dates back to the arming, by the United States, of Afghanistan in the latter's conflict with the former Soviet Union. Combine this with the problem that much U.S. weapons production and actual soldiering has been, well, outsourced. Hmmm.
There is also that quirky aspect of Humanity that somehow compels friends of convenience (individuals, as well as nations) to become enemies.
NATURAL RESOURCES
The United States is rich in metals and minerals. These metals and minerals, mostly considered industrial or "non-precious" are becoming increasingly important. Thorium will likely come into common use as a fuel for atomic reactors as many non oil-producing nations accept a safer variation on atomic power theme. And the United States has quite a bit of thorium, as well as Rare Earth Elements (reference, THORIUM ENERGY, INC., which can be located at: http://thoriumenergyinc.blogspot.com ), which are absolutely essential to virtually all modern technology, and which are continually finding increased applicability. Thinking about it, having valuable natural resources and reserves in the U.S., coupled with a steadily-increasing demand for the these materials in all of the technology-producing nations should give the U.S. a big stick with which to negotiate. Right? Maybe not.
With a declining dollar and little else to sell to other nations, the United States' exporting of these increasing precious non-precious resources and reserves is similar to tearing down the walls of your home and throwing them into the fireplace to heat the living room. This is the economic version of a Black Hole.
Yes, there will be a radical shift in the world's balance of power, and it has already begun, with momentum increasing daily. But the media and other forces within the United States are trying to defer admitting the inevitable.
The United States should be careful that it doesn't sell itself completely into slavery.
Faithfully,
Douglas Castle
Monday, February 4, 2008
YOU HAVE BEEN SERVED.
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Dear Friends:
YOU HAVE BEEN SERVED.
...an ominous title for a post about what we can expect during these next five years. I see that it has caught your attention. That is a positive occurrence for both of us.
There will be some tremendous and traumatic changes in the world during the course of only a few years, and savvy individuals will incorporate these anticipated changes into their plans and thrive, while others will merely suffer the consequences. By crude analogy, it is a matter of "surf, or be crushed by the tidal wave."
NOTICE: The article which follows is not intended to be treated as tax, financial, investment or legal advice.The reader is advised to seek the assistance of legal and investment counsel, and other experts and advisors as may be necessary, prior to embarking upon any investment strategy and before making any investment. Investment feasibility varies from individual to individual, depending upon personal economic circumstances, expectations and objectives.
1) The United States will be embroiled in economic warfare with the EU, the oil-producing countries and with China, as: the US dollar declines against the Euro and other currencies; as more jobs are exported from the US through increased outsourcing and offshoring; as the US domestic economy declines steeply (in terms of falling employment, decreasing real personal income, increasing price levels, increasing imports, decreasing imports, forced consolidations of numerous financial institutions, increasing outbound investment by US enterprises and funds in foreign economies) and as China becomes an increasingly powerful exporter and consumer. This trend will continue, without reversal, for more than ten years, and US dollars (as well as many US dollar-based investments) will lose tremendous value. The threat of a "cold war" with China, and perhaps even Russia will replace terrorism as the principal national security concern.
2) The US and other G-8 Nations will move in the direction of a cashless society as the counterfeiting of currency becomes increasingly easy due to improved computer scanning technologies.
3) Despite existing fears about identity theft, Internet-based commerce will boom as fuel prices continue to rise (or remain uncertain), consumers become more computer-oriented and educated in facilitating transactions online, and computer security technology is significantly improved.
4) Investments in all aspects of alternatives to fossil fuels will do increasingly well, especially those involving clean nuclear power. Holdings in thorium properties and thorium mining rights will dramatically increase in value internationally, as thorium becomes acknowledged as one of the safest and "cleanest" nuclear fuel sources. Hybrid automobiles will increase in popularity and proliferation, and electricity will be revisited as a transportation power source.
5) Religious fundamentalism, principally Christian, will find an increasing number of adherents in the G-8 Nations, and particularly in the US. There will be a growing preoccupation with The Book Of Revelations, and the notion of The Apocalypse. Religion will become an increasingly profitable enterprise worldwide.
6) Astrology, mysticism and spiritualism, as well as various occult practices, ideas and beliefs will become increasingly accepted, popular and integrated into mainstream G-8 culture. There will be a growing interest in the study of ancient societies, primitive religions, magic and alchemy.
7) A steeply greater percentage of all social and business interaction will be conducted between persons via web-based teleconferencing and communications than during the past five years. The facilitating technology will continue to improve and decrease in actual cost. In-person meetings will cease to be the norm for smaller, entrepreneurial businesses and many international enterprises. By 2012, most educational programs and business meetings will be conducted in cyberspace.
In closing, I will state that the future cannot be predicted so much as reasonably anticipated through a combination of three evaluative elements:
- THE STUDY OF TECHNOLOGY;
- THE STUDY OF HISTORY;
- THE STUDY OF PSYCHOLOGY.
Thank you for being here with me. Good joss!
Faithfully,
Douglas Castle
p.s. The photograph above was taken at Winter Solstice. There is relevance here if you look for it purposefully.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
OIL - THE NEW CURRENCY OF CHOICE?
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Dear Friends:
As of the date of this post, oil prices are hovering at close to $100 per barrel. All products and services which require transportation as part of the delivery process are being forced to endure higher transportation costs, which are, as is customary, being passed along to the consumer. The world economy is still quite oil dependent. The capital markets, the securities exchanges, and many other indicators of economic stability and strength are showing the strain.
With the Chinese and numerous other oil-producing nations loudly rattling their sabers about the prospect of accepting other currencies (and perhaps even excluding the U.S. Dollar) in exchange for their oil, this bodes poorly for the value of the U.S. Dollar. While it bodes somewhat better in the shorter term for the Euro and some other currencies which compete with the U.S. Dollar, the ultimate effect will be the creation of uncertainty at the capriciousness of the oil-producing and exporting countries, and a net devaluation of all currencies in a rush for currency diversification among oil purchasers eager to hedge their bets.
Anticipate the rise to prominence of several types of products during the course of these next 24 months:
1. A spate of oil hedge contracts and other pre-emptive cost insurances;
2. A spate of currency de-valuation insurance products;
3. An upsurge in the type, number and volume of diversified currency funds and fund products available in the U.S. and elsewhere;
4. An upsurge in the prices of shares in publicly-traded "alternative energy" stocks worldwide;
5. Some token tax and other economic incentives to be promulgated by the US Government to encourage the development of alternatives to fossil fuels;
6. An increasing number of exporters (into the U.S.) unwilling to accept the U.S. Dollar as a preferred form of payment;
7. A number of innovative financial instruments which are not only backed by, but which are denominated in gallons or barrels of oil;
8. A worldwide revisitation of the notion of barter.
9. Escalating hostilities between nations which are net producers of oil and those nations which are net consumers of oil. Veiled threats couched in overtures at compromise. Ironically, this exercise will be noisy but relatively ineffective for several simple reasons, including the facts that: A) Too many unholy alliances exist between multinational companies in both camps; B) Too many net consumers of oil are also heavily invested in oil as an asset and a store of value; C) The wide-scale use of any viable, and useable substitute for fossil fuels is likely quite far off in the future (due to the preceding conflicts, and many other reasons, as is so often the case when so many parties are more deeply invested in the problem than any true solution).
Faithfully,
Douglas Castle
p.s. Should I fill my gas tank or pay my mortgage? Perhaps I should simply consolidate, and live in my car.
Dear Friends:As of the date of this post, oil prices are hovering at close to $100 per barrel. All products and services which require transportation as part of the delivery process are being forced to endure higher transportation costs, which are, as is customary, being passed along to the consumer. The world economy is still quite oil dependent. The capital markets, the securities exchanges, and many other indicators of economic stability and strength are showing the strain.
With the Chinese and numerous other oil-producing nations loudly rattling their sabers about the prospect of accepting other currencies (and perhaps even excluding the U.S. Dollar) in exchange for their oil, this bodes poorly for the value of the U.S. Dollar. While it bodes somewhat better in the shorter term for the Euro and some other currencies which compete with the U.S. Dollar, the ultimate effect will be the creation of uncertainty at the capriciousness of the oil-producing and exporting countries, and a net devaluation of all currencies in a rush for currency diversification among oil purchasers eager to hedge their bets.
Anticipate the rise to prominence of several types of products during the course of these next 24 months:
1. A spate of oil hedge contracts and other pre-emptive cost insurances;
2. A spate of currency de-valuation insurance products;
3. An upsurge in the type, number and volume of diversified currency funds and fund products available in the U.S. and elsewhere;
4. An upsurge in the prices of shares in publicly-traded "alternative energy" stocks worldwide;
5. Some token tax and other economic incentives to be promulgated by the US Government to encourage the development of alternatives to fossil fuels;
6. An increasing number of exporters (into the U.S.) unwilling to accept the U.S. Dollar as a preferred form of payment;
7. A number of innovative financial instruments which are not only backed by, but which are denominated in gallons or barrels of oil;
8. A worldwide revisitation of the notion of barter.
9. Escalating hostilities between nations which are net producers of oil and those nations which are net consumers of oil. Veiled threats couched in overtures at compromise. Ironically, this exercise will be noisy but relatively ineffective for several simple reasons, including the facts that: A) Too many unholy alliances exist between multinational companies in both camps; B) Too many net consumers of oil are also heavily invested in oil as an asset and a store of value; C) The wide-scale use of any viable, and useable substitute for fossil fuels is likely quite far off in the future (due to the preceding conflicts, and many other reasons, as is so often the case when so many parties are more deeply invested in the problem than any true solution).
BLACK GOLD? I THINK SO.
Faithfully,
Douglas Castle
p.s. Should I fill my gas tank or pay my mortgage? Perhaps I should simply consolidate, and live in my car.
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