Isolationism - A Dangerous Response to Economic and Emotional Depression.

Note: This article was written by Douglas Castle for THE INTERNATIONALIST PAGE (http://TheInternationalistPage). The author is a Featured Columnist for THE NATIONAL NETWORKER Newsletter (a free subscription can be obtained at http://twitlik.com/IN). This article may not be reprinted, reproduced, republished or otherwise transmitted unless it appears in its entirety, with all attribution intact, and all hyperlinks live.

Dear Friends:

The article cited below this brief commentary appeared c/o Yahoo News! and was carried by Associated Press (AP). It is a sad treatise in predictable human behavior. Isolationism breeds incestuous reaffirmation of ill-conceived and inbred ideas; increasing fear of change; decreasing flexibility and adaptability; reduced trading opportunities for economic stimulus; reduced opportunities to find new friends and allies for personal and professional growth in the individuals;  suspicion and resentment amongst those who surround us in the Global Community but whom we cease to associate with or be concerned about; a culture of conformity, defensiveness and stagnation; and, a prolonged and deepened sense of loss in all quarters.

The isolationist road is a dangerous one for governments to take. Increased insularity amongst the population of a hurting nation, an apathy when it comes to affairs that are not in the immediate geographical locus and occuring only in the present moment (or in the anticipated tragedies of the near-term), and a dissociation from the greater world and potential future is tantamount to a return to feudalism. It is anti-evoluationry from the standpoint of beneficial individual and societal advancement.

Philosophically, the seeds of great change lie within us, to be found introspectively...but there exists an undeniable universe of greater possibilities in external exploration. We must employ both processes, and ignore neither.

As an Internationalist, as a Global Futurist, and as an ardent advocate of unlimited human potential, I am very fearful of the retreat and regression that invariably follows disappointment, or a loss of faith.

The channels of communication must be kept open. Curiosity and conversation must be encouraged. Sharing of greater amounts of information amongst a greater number of receptive minds (as in the collaborative aspect of the GICBC - The Global Interworked Cooperative Business Community) brings us closer to the "cerebral critical mass" needed to achieve breakthroughs for the improvement of the quality of life throughout all peoples of this world.

Let's not isolate. We must collaborate.

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle [ http://aboutDouglasCastle.blogspot.com ]
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Poll: Isolationism soars among Americans

By BARRY SCHWEID, AP Diplomatic Writer

WASHINGTON – Americans are turning away from the world, showing a tendency toward isolationism in foreign affairs that has risen to the highest level in four decades, a poll out Thursday found.
Almost half, 49 percent, told the polling organization that the United States should "mind its own business" internationally and let other countries get along the best they can on their own, the Pew Research Center survey found. That's up from 30 percent who said that in December 2002.
Results of the survey appear to conflict with President Barack Obama's activist foreign policy, including a newly announced buildup of 30,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan to fight Taliban and al-Qaida extremists.
"Isolationist Sentiment Surges to Four-Decade High," the nonpartisan research center headlined its report on the poll about America's role in the world.
Only 32 percent of the poll respondents favored increasing U.S. troops in Afghanistan, while 40 percent favored decreasing them. And fewer than half, or 46 percent, of those polled said it was somewhat or very likely that Afghanistan would be able to withstand the radicals' threat.
Forty-one percent of those surveyed said the United States plays a less important and powerful role as a world leader than it did a decade ago, up from 25 percent who said that just before the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the report said.
Pew Research Center President Andrew Kohut said in an interview that the "very bad economy" appeared most responsible for the growth of isolationist sentiment. He said the public was also "displeased with the two wars we are waging, in Iraq and Afghanistan."
While isolationism and unilateralism reached four-decade highs among the public, the stature of China increased.
Among Americans polled, 44 percent said China was the world's leading economic power compared with 27 percent who named the United States. In February 2008, 41 percent said the U.S. was the leading economic power, while 30 percent said China.
A majority of Americans surveyed, or 53 percent, see China's emerging power as a threat to the United States.
The United States is seen by a comfortable majority, 63 percent, as the world's leading military power.
Concerning the Middle East, about half, or 51 percent, of respondents said they were more sympathetic toward Israel than to the Palestinians, who drew 12 percent. Fourteen percent supported neither side, while 19 percent offered no opinion.
The findings come from two surveys. The first poll, of 2,000 adults, was conducted by telephone Oct. 28 to Nov. 8 and had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. A subsequent poll of 1,003 people conducted from Nov. 12-15 had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
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On the Net:
The Pew Research Center for the People & the Press: http://people-press.org

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THE ROOT CAUSE OF THE "CREDIT CRISIS"

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

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






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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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The Gravity and Magnetism of INTERNATIONALISM

The Gravity and Magnetism of INTERNATIONALISM

Note: This article was written by Douglas Castle for THE INTERNATIONALIST PAGE (http://TheInternationalistPage.blogspot.com), where it was first published. This article may not be reproduced or re-published except in its entirety, with full attribution and all hyperlinks left intact and alive. The author is a Featured Columnist for THE NATIONAL NETWORKER Newsletter. Please join the TNNWC Community (free) by going to http://twitlik.com/IN

 Dear Friends:

Internationalism is an idea which clashes with the encultured status and belief systems deeply ingrained in much of the World's leadership. Any change is frightening to the Human psyche, and the acceptance of the idea of "A World Without Walls," while poetically appealing, meets the natural resistance elements of inertia, indolence, ignorance and greed. Protectionism and xenophobia certainly play their own special roles.

It is difficult to go from a lifetime of perceiving others as enemies to recognizing them as prospective allies. A quantum change in broad perception takes time. Internationalism moves forward in small steps, despite major advances in information and communications technology, which are pushing Internationalism forward. Sadly, too many persons, industries and organizations have become invested in building fortresses instead of bridges.

Even in the European Union, there is an awkwardness and a wariness about their tenuously-bound microcosm of Internationalism. But it represents an honest, albeit cautious start.

The following article was excerpted from THE NEW YORK TIMES:

November 20, 2009

Low Profile Leaders Chosen for Top European Posts

By STEPHEN CASTLE and STEVEN ERLANGER

BRUSSELS — Leaders of the 27 countries of the European Union on Thursday night chose Herman Van Rompuy, the Belgian prime minister, as the European Union’s first president, and Catherine Ashton of Britain, currently the bloc’s trade commissioner, as its high representative for foreign policy. The vote was unanimous.

Both officials are highly respected but little known outside their own countries. After the European Union’s eight-year battle to rewrite its internal rules and to pass the Lisbon Treaty that created these two new jobs, the selection of such low-profile figures seemed to highlight Europe’s problems instead of its readiness to take a more united and forceful place in world affairs.

In a sense, Europe seemed to be living down to expectations. Earlier, the foreign minister of Sweden, Carl Bildt, warned against a “minimalist solution” that would reduce the union’s “opportunity to have a clear voice in the world.”

“It is quite astounding,” said Olivier Ferrand, president of Terra Nova, a center-left research institute in France. “It is jaw-dropping. It is the end of ambition for the E.U. — really disappointing.”

The deal that produced the two choices emerged as a result of backroom negotiations among leaders jockeying for future and more important economic portfolios that could be more powerful in the enlarged European Union, which is still more of an economic union than a political one and looks to remain so.

Mr. Van Rompuy (pronounced ROM-pow), 62, an economist, has been Belgium’s prime minister for less than a year. Ms. Ashton, 53, has next to no foreign policy experience and has never been elected to anything.

They are expected to take up their jobs on Jan. 1. Ms. Ashton still needs the endorsement of the European Parliament.

Both emerged when Britain’s choice for president, Tony Blair, met with overwhelming opposition, stemming from his past pro-American policies, support for the Iraq war and star qualities.

The British prime minister, Gordon Brown, finally bowed to the inevitable late Thursday afternoon and dropped his backing for his predecessor. By supporting Mr. Van Rompuy — a Roman Catholic and a Christian Democrat from the center-right, who supported the positioning of American nuclear weapons in Belgium — Mr. Brown opened up the foreign policy job to the center-left. With support from fellow center-left leaders, he pitched Ms. Ashton for the job.

A fresh opportunity for European leadership appeared to be the great promise of the Lisbon Treaty, which created the jobs of president and foreign policy chief and was approved earlier this month after years of political struggle. The idea had been to simplify the management of an enlarged European Union and to appoint senior European figures who could speak for the group.
But the leaders of Europe’s most powerful countries, France and Germany, did not want to be overshadowed. Nor apparently did their foreign ministers.

Thursday night, Mr. Van Rompuy told reporters, mixing English, French and Dutch, that “I did not seek this job.”

“But from tonight,” he added, “I will do it with conviction and enthusiasm.”

He said that he was reluctant to abandon the stewardship of Belgium, but that “Europe is a union of values and has the responsibility of playing an important role in the world.”

The selection of Ms. Ashton — formally Baroness Ashton of Upholland — was particularly striking given the deep foreign policy experience of both officials whom she will succeed in the European Union: Javier Solana, who had been Spain’s foreign minister and then secretary general of NATO, and Benita Ferrero-Waldner, who had been Austria’s foreign minister.

By contrast, Ms. Ashton has had jobs in domestic policy and was appointed to the House of Lords in 1999. She was named leader of the House of Lords, in charge of steering government legislation through the chamber, in 2007. She was then appointed to the European Commission in October 2008. As European commissioner for trade, she has negotiated with foreigners and impressed her colleagues.

Ms. Ashton told reporters that “it is a measure of my surprise that I have not prepared a speech.” She said that she was Britain’s first female European Union commissioner and the first woman to be trade commissioner, and was proud to be the first high representative. “Am I an ego on legs? I am not,” she said. “Judge me on what I do, and I think you will be proud of me.”

If the point of the Lisbon Treaty was to create a more prominent face for Europe, the result on Thursday was the opposite. It appeared to be a political deal that would do little to reduce the power, stature and influence of big nations or their foreign ministers.

“It’s going to be difficult to explain to the public why there was so much fuss about the Lisbon Treaty if all we get is someone no one has heard of,” said one European Union official, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Mr. Van Rompuy, who likes bowling duckpins and writing haiku, has earned respect for calming ethnic tensions in Belgium in his 11 months as prime minister. Someone who met him recently described him as intelligent and humorous, but “timid.” He only reluctantly took on the job of prime minister, and did not push himself forward for this one.

One recent Van Rompuy haiku went this way: “A fly zooms, buzzes; Spins and is lost in the room; He does no one harm.”

In a sign of how little respect the foreign policy job appeared to attract, the most prominent person mentioned previously to fill it, David Miliband, the British foreign secretary, chose instead to work domestically to revive the fortunes of the Labour Party, widely expected to lose the next election to the Conservatives. His decision not to pursue a lucrative job in Brussels has only helped him in Britain.

Stephen Castle reported from Brussels, and Steven Erlanger from Paris.
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The good news is that progress is being made. It is my hope, and the hope of many other Internationalists, that this progress picks up speed and momentum.

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle

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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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POLITICAL CORRECTNESS AND THE PRICE OF FREEDOM

POLITICAL CORRECTNESS AND THE PRICE OF FREEDOM

Dear Friends:

I am not a conservative, nor a liberal, nor a democrat, nor a republican, nor a categorical "joiner," nor a flag-waver, nor an anarcist, nor a terrorist, nor a reformer. I am a student of all aspects of life, and a writer who works at inducing thought and decisiveness in my readers, all of whom I am privileged to have. I am a Global Futurist and an Internationalist. Principally, and in principle I am an advocate for the respect and evolution of Humanity and Human Thought.

I believe that debate, questions, occasional acts of inappropriate conduct, provocative speech, teamwork, trust and bursts of breakthrough brilliance are all healthy, wonderful stimuli. While we all belong to the same species (even my neighbor, Ralphie), we are each individuals, and the sanctity of the individual and freedom of thought are precious to me.

Arch-Conservative Bob Livingston is someone with whom I am frequently in disagreement. But he makes some very good points from time to time, albeit in a heavy-handed manner. In reading the following from Bob's PERSONAL LIBERTY DIGEST, I would ask that you ignore his style and get to his substance -- and its implications.

If you choose, put his quotations from biblical scripture aside. Regardless of your religious convictions (or driving infractions), his substance is the key. It's not about God, or the bible, or anything else. It's about People v. Government.

Let's never give up our right to think, to speak and to share. Work with me to protect them. In fact, let us work together to protect them. Open Human interaction in interworked cooperation fosters amazing synergy. [reference the Interworked Cooperative Business Community, or "ICBC" as promulgated and currently under construction at THE NATIONAL NETWORKER COMPANIES. Join them at http://twitlik.com/IN.

And now, to Bob Livingston...

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle

http://aboutdouglascastle.blogspot.com/

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Who Among Us Doesn’t Want Law and Order?

November 19, 2009 by Bob Livingston

How have we evolved into a faceless people? How did we become politically correct?
Sometimes, when I get galled and tired from the tasks of the day, I watch the national news. What do the newscasters really say? What news do they really tell us in America?
I am duly impressed by how articulate they are and how they never say anything. They are trained icons at having NO OPINION.
It’s my conclusion that to be politically correct and socially acceptable in America is to be a faceless people. Just have no opinion.
Oh yes, we can master the King’s English as long as we don’t say anything. Does this remind us of the three monkeys who “See no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil?”
This is modern America, faceless and soulless. Scripture suggests that we are neither hot nor cold and that God spews us out. (Rev. 3:15-19) So how do we learn? How do we approach reality?
I have my own rules. My rule—and I have taught this to my children—is to believe just the opposite of government and political pronouncements. This is the most direct route to sobriety and a peek at the real world.
The system can thrive with no opinion. With this syndrome, “they” can milk us and shear us and keep us on the animal farm. We are as docile and obedient as cattle.  We can be intellectual giants and, as far as practical reality, be complete idiots.
But what if our inner soul begins to suspect disharmony of and disgust with the monotony of the system and the sickening conformity of the masses? The people can have literally the firepower of armies and still be under disciplined control, just so long as they believe the lies of the system.
How else can countries field multi-million-man armies that really don’t know who their enemies are, but are willing to fight to the death for some nebulous propaganda? Ignorance is not bliss. It is sorrow and death.
If we do not know reality we cannot know right from wrong. We have no moral ethic or restraints.
There is a system. Outwardly and ideally it is the rule of law and a moral order. Inwardly and secretly it has an unannounced agenda of human and population control, regardless of the name of the system or the form of government. The same secret elite rules. They have the power of life and death through and with thought control.
There can be no secret elite without thought control. Man must not be allowed to think his own thoughts, but must think the thoughts of the system. And he must not know the difference.
Mind control is used to extract wealth and human freedom without consent. The most perfect crime is when the people who carry out the will and purpose of the system do not suspect the complete shroud of thought control. They suspect nothing.
There are those who see and there are the many that are blinded. What gives us perception and vision? Knowledge is the mechanical attribute of the brain.
The world is floating in knowledge. There are thousands of universities and colleges. This is the black and white world, the rote and the mundane.
But wisdom only filters through to a very few. They are the ones who see with their souls and with their spirits. Their vision is as the colors of the rainbow. Spiritual vision cannot be known or communicated to the vain.
Words carry knowledge but words cannot carry wisdom. Wisdom is perception and spiritual discernment. It is to know God and reality.
It is the evolution of consciousness. It is the fullness of life on earth that God intended. Blessed are those who have it!
It is beautifully described in Madame Ghis’ book “Madame Ghis: Escape In Prison.” In it she wrote:

“My soul showed me that the world in which I live is made up of lies and illusions. Reality can only be perceived with the soul’s eyes. With her (my soul) help, I learned that behind the tax system and all other systems, we find slaves without chains, human beings who are ignorant and unconscious of being the property of the State.
They trust their government enough to entrust it with their children, their health, their property and their entire lives. Citizens cannot guess that the State is a mere legislator and tax collector working for the bank of Canada, and a cartel of private bankers.
When I became aware of this situation, I decided to put an end to my life as the subject of a ‘higher’ authority. How could I do this?
By doing the exact opposite of what I had been doing before. How does a slave behave? Like a domestic dog. He submits to the will of his master who uses it as he wishes. In return, the master feeds it and brings it security. The more docile is the dog, the better he gets treated.”

Madame Ghis is a prison name given by inmates to Dr. Marie Eva Sophie Ghislain Lanctot, a medical doctor who speent a few months in prison for refusing to conform to the income tax system in Canada. She has written several revealing books, “The Medical Mafia,” “The Trial of the Medical Mafia,” “What the Hell am I Doing Here Anyway,” and “Madame Ghis: Escape in Prison.” They can be bought at  www.personocratia.com.
How do we become aware of the illusory world in which we live? How do we come to understand that law, finance, politics and religion are all interconnected?
Everything turns on the individual imperative to inquire. Do you know that most people do not inquire? They ask no questions. They seek no information.
We who inquire are few. We speak of the battle for our minds. We seek freedom from lies and deception which saturates our lives. Self change and release from deception is not easy, nor is it comfortable.
It is very difficult for the ego to let go of old habits of thought and lifelong, cherished attachments. The inquiring person reaches reality according to his own level of consciousness.
What then does the fascist state not tell us? What does the state not want us to know?
They do not want us to know that we do not think our own thoughts, but those of the system. They do not want us to know that we do not have human freedom, that democracy is a myth.
They do not want us to know that we have imaginary money that transfers wealth and savings to the state.
They do not want us to know that public schools and universities are government schools. They indoctrinate us with the system so that we cannot evaluate reality.
They do not want us to know that the medical system is a front for pharmaceuticals and a marketing vehicle for their drugs.
They promote a sickness system to sell drugs. The American people are fast discovering that sea salt and water are more medicinal than all the drugs.
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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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Public Service Announcement: HEALTHCARE-ASSOCIATED INFECTIONS

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

####

 

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
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.

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
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Douglas Castle's Secret Blog Links!
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TAKING COMMAND!
THE NATIONAL NETWORKER Newsletter

Subscribe to The NATIONAL NETWORKER Newsletter and the BLUE TUESDAY REPORT free.








__________________________________________________________
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, the next generation, amnesty, humanitarianism, foreign aid, philanthropy, charity, cooperation, peaceful cooexistence, a world without walls...

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First Question the Source and the Influences. Then, View the Result.

Statistics:
It Could be the Heisenberg Principle -- Yet, I'm Uncertain...

Dear Readers:

Firstly, note that the reference above has nothing to do with a trophy or with any organized sport involving a puck or any other projectile. It involves the notion of observation bias and the inherent uncertainty which surrounds it.

In basic terms, Heisenberg stated (probably in German), the act of our observing events actually influences them. While he was likely applying this to the notion of locating any particular electron orbiting an atom at any given moment, it metaphorically extrapololates itself to the notion of "before you judge the data, judge the source." In reviewing the results of surveys, polls, studies and the like, the first job is to investigate the influences (financial, industrial, personal, temporal, etc.) that "motivated" [either consciously or subconsciously] the researchers to do the research -- and often the priority of "selling a point of view" over merely "objectively discovering the truth" without any preconceived notion or extraneous pressures or influences.

Poll readers beware! The information which you are receiving may be marketing or publicity thinly-veiled as "objective reporting." Need an example? FOX NEWS: FAIR AND BALANCED REPORTING. (chuckle). Need another: The US Labor Department Statistics about unemployment and jobs lost. Tell Americans who cannot find employment anywhere, or who have just given up trying, or who have just reached the end of their unemployment benefits that we are "coming out of the recession," or that we've "turned the corner."

Caveat emptor.

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle

p.s. It is altogether too easy to fall prey to propaganda. Even your own deeply-ingrained but submerged bias can cause you to misinterpret people, events and words.


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Douglas Castle's Secret Blog Links!
DOUGLAS CASTLE
BRAINTENANCE
HUMANITAS MAXIMUS
DOUGLAS CASTLE'S INTERNAL ENERGY PLUS
THE INTERNATIONALIST PAGE
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TAKING COMMAND!
THE NATIONAL NETWORKER Newsletter

Labels and Terms: polls, surveys, bias, hidden influences, the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, judging the source, judging the reasons, asking questions about credibility and objectivity, TNNW, Douglas Castle




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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, the next generation, amnesty, humanitarianism, foreign aid, philanthropy, charity, cooperation, peaceful cooexistence, a world without walls... Sphere: Related Content

Commerce Versus Combat - Part 2

Commerce versus Combat - Part 2


Dear Friends:

Though global commerce, each of us has the opportunity to act as a defacto ambassador, without the complications, conflicts and compromises of being a large governmental or international agency. In conducting international commerce, there is an economic reward to good international citizenship: Profit. Peace is a natural by-product if profits are generated in this multi-microcosmic entrepreneurial model. As an international businessperson, I hurt myself if I wage war against my customers, suppliers, contractors and co-venturers. -- http://theinternationalistpage.blogspot.com/ .

Douglas Castle. Why even bother? http://twitlik.com/SpeedlightProKitInnovations

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, the next generation, amnesty, humanitarianism, foreign aid, philanthropy, charity, cooperation, peaceful cooexistence, a world without walls... Sphere: Related Content

A Re-Distribution of Wealth and Some Possible Reasons

A RE-DISTRIBUTION OF WEALTH - AND SOME POSSIBLE REASONS

by Douglas Castle for Humanitas Maximus (http://HumanitasMaximus.blogspot.com), for republication to The Global Futurist, The Internationalist Page, and The National Networker RSS and Daily Email feed.

 

Dear Readers:

 

TIME Magazine is forecasting that the number of millionaires (as well as their respective individual and aggregate net worth) will surpass that of the United States as well as that of perhaps any other nation by the year 2013. I believe this to be true, at least to the extent that a large amount of wealth obtained by certain US parties during the course of the last ten years and secreted away is not factored into the analysis. Wealth obtained by criminal means is generally neither reported nor incorporated in the creation of these statistics -- it tends to remain "off the books." For the purposes of this article, we will define "millionaires" as individuals who reportedly have net worths in excess of $1.0 million United States Dollars.

 

First, take a few moments to review the article, which originally appeared in TIME, but appears here through the courtesy of Yahoo! News:

 

Asia's Millionaires Could Be Richer Than America's By 2013

 

AP – FILE - In this Sept. 29, 2008, file photo Wang Chuanfu, founder of BYD Co., attends a joint press conference …

By ADAM ROSE / HONG KONG Adam Rose / Hong Kong – Thu Oct 15, 11:10 am ET

As Asia's economic growth races ahead of that of the U.S., the investment portfolios of Asia's wealthiest people are picking up enough momentum to slingshot them past their North American counterparts.

A report released Oct. 13 by Merrill Lynch and consulting firm Capgemini Financial Services projects that with the global recession easing, the total net worth of Asia-Pacific's wealthy - those with at least $1 million in investable assets - is set to grow at a faster pace than the holdings of rich people in other parts of the world. If this trend takes hold, the total value of assets held by Asia's rich could surpass the combined assets of North America's wealthy by 2013. All the world's millionaires will have a combined net worth of $48.5 trillion in four years, according to Merrill Lynch/Capgemini. Of that, $13.5 trillion will be held by Asia's Élite, compared with $12.7 for all of North America. Arvind Sundaresan, Asia Pacific sales chief for Capgemini, says the projection is based on economic data and growth rates as well as interviews with wealth managers. He adds that his company's estimate "is very much on the conservative side." (See pictures of Shanghai today.)

This doesn't necessarily mean Bill Gates (net worth: $40 billion) will lose his place in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's richest man any time soon. But as Eastern economies, powered by a resurgent China, bounce back, the ranks of the planet's wealthiest are becoming increasingly populated by Asians. China in particular is minting nouveaux riches at a remarkable rate. Five years ago, the country had just three billionaires, according to the Hurun Rich List, which annually ranks the country's 1,000 wealthiest individuals. Today, China has 130 billionaires, according to Hurun's latest ranking released Oct. 13. That's up from 101 in 2008 (the U.S. has 359 billionaires, according to Forbes magazine).

Topping China's rich list is Wang Chuanfu, founder of BYD, a Chinese car manufacturer making hybrid electric cars. Wang, who's worth an estimated $5.1 billion, wasn't even on the list last year. But BYD's stock price has been soaring since Warren Buffett - who is ranked by Forbes as the world's second richest man with a $37 billion fortune - invested in the company in September 2008. Fast-growing BYD is also getting help from China's buoyant car market, which despite the sluggish global economy is expected to grow 5% in 2009.

Wong Kwong Yu, named by Hurun last year as China's richest person with $6.3 billion, fell off the list this year after the tycoon was convicted and sent to jail for manipulating share prices of a medical company controlled by his brother. This year's second-richest Chinese is so-called "paper queen" Zhang Yin, who has accumulated $4.9 billion by buying recycled paper from the U.S. and turning it into cardboard boxes.

Although Asians have been getting rich quicker than most, this doesn't mean the region's millionaires were unscathed by the financial crisis. In fact, during the depths of the market meltdown, they fared more poorly than the average Daddy Warbucks. According to the Merrill Lynch/Capgemini survey, wealthy Asians in 2008 lost 35% of their net worth, compared to a global average loss of 24%. But Asian stock and property markets - and the investments of wealthy Asians - have rebounded sharply since March as regional economies shrugged off recession. China's GDP is projected to expand 8.5% this year, compared with 1.5% growth in the U.S.

Wang of BYD may have a ways to go before he challenges Gates for the title of world's wealthiest. But Rupert Hoogewerf, founder and compiler of the Hurun Rich List, says that given current trends, "there's a very strong possibility that in 15 years time you'll see somebody in China being number one in the world."

China Casts an Acquisitive Eye on U.S. Assets

####

COMMENTARY:

Cutting through some of the sensationalism and statistics, the underlying causality of this forecast is allocable, first and foremost, to the growing divergence between the level of prosperity in China and the level in the United States. Our real GDP shrinks, as does our real Balance of Trade and Balance of Payments, while the corresponding statistics for China are actually rising, albeit a bit more slowly than would otherwise be taking place due to the friction of the global recession. Breaking this down further, where China excels in certain crucial entrepreneurial areas, the United States has fallen far behind. These factors are culturally-influenced and reflect the differing values of our respective societies.

1. Chinese tend to save and to believe in savings, often banking up to 30% of their available income. In the United States, our rate of savings is actually slightly negative;

2. Chinese tend to purchase with equity. In the US, we have hyperleveraged everything;

3. The Chinese enjoy gambling, but not with savings, equity or investments. They do research, and tend to avoid volatile and speculative markets; In the US, we frequently bet the proverbial ranch -- even if we are supposedly conservative institutions like union pension funds, and banks;

4. The Chinese act insular, but they are excellent students, and watch and learn from everything. In the US, we have breathed a bit too much of our own ether;

5. The Chinese negotiate what they believe to be bargain purchases. In the US, if money is available from investment firms or banks, we no longer seek value -- we merely acquire;

6. The Chinese produce more efficiently than the United States, and their long-maligned quality controls are improving with the influx of expatriates from other countries going to China to seek better opportunities;

7. The Chinese do not like to be debtors - they prefer to be collateralized lenders, ready to call a loan and acquire a valuable asset. In the US, we lend as long as the money is available, and we do not generally follow good credit analysis protocol in terms of our loan-to-value critieria, our debt-servicing criteria, or our knowledge of the borrower. It is sad to think that a US bank would make a loan predicated on the assumption that a property would appreciate in value and be either refinanced or sold as a means of recovering the loaned principal;

8. The Chinese are entrepreneurs. In the US, we have become career-path planners and middle level managers. We, in the US, have lost the cause and effect relationship of production/ contribution and profit/ reward. We have lost our laser focus on being better, and more competitive, and settled for promotions, bonuses and the expectation that the environment and economy would remain static -- that we could lead by standing still.

9. Most frighteningly (for any patriotic US citizen, whether an Internationalist, or an isolationist!), the Chinese people are obsessed with efficiency and productivity (at least at the moment), and the United States has become obseesed with government rescue, and a restoration of the status quo that has helped to precipitate our decline.

The whole world can learn a lesson by observing and analyzing this dynamic.

Look for more and more Chinese ownership of controlling stakes in US businesses, assets, and large blocks of debt instruments.

As the Chinese plan for the longer term, and think dynastically (multi-generationally), prudent seekers of co-venture partners and investment capital will turn away from US investment banks, hedge funds and wealth managers and begin to look to China for entrepreneurial fuel.

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle

 

 

 

 

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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, the next generation, amnesty, humanitarianism, foreign aid, philanthropy, charity, cooperation, peaceful cooexistence, a world without walls... Sphere: Related Content

Disproportionate Force - A More "Politically Correct" Distortion of Reality?

Dear Readers

Are our international institutions providing a forum (or perhaps a "bully pulpit") for impractical determinations, unrealistic  declarations and an acceptance of  out-of-context proclamations? At times, the "politically correct" and increasing subjectivist inclination of many international institutions has me very concerned.

As a condition precedent to World Peace, we cannot deny the relevance of historical perspective, of extenuating or mitigating circumstances, or of Humankind's partially animalistic nature.

Remember the Security Council's resolution that related Zionism to racism. The case could easily be made (if one had a great deal of time to waste) that patriotism is a form of racism as well.

Subscribe Free to THE NATIONAL NETWORKER Newsletter. Go to http://twitlik.com/OK .

As an aside, I must confess that this is a very artsy font. I'm going to use it when composing condolence cards!

--Douglas Castle
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DISPROPORTIONATE FORCE

This article was written for TAKING COMMAND! (http://takingcommand.blogspot.com/) by TNNW Featured Author Douglas Castle.

The term "civil war," not unlike "dry water," is a very literal oxymoron which has taken on a distinct meaning with repeated usage over a long period of time. There is obviously no civility involved in war. Going a step further, if you choose to menace me (with repeated threats, or through increasingly encroaching upon my rights or freedoms), my first moral obligation is to warn you -- to insist that you stop. But if you persist, then I must assume that you intend to endanger me, and that you are prepared to do so even at your own peril. If you choose to hold me hostage --  whether by continued intimidation, or by menacing me at knifepoint or gunpoint, or even by an established pattern of escalating abuses, you have given me license to take whatever steps I deem necessary in my own defense.

While I might have a higher moral imperative to conduct a "surgical strike" or to measure my action against you to be merely sufficient to eliminate the threat, I cannot know exactly what measure of force is "proportionate." That depends upon my perception, my relative strength and a number of other variables. In real-time, I cannot make this computation when I am threatened. I am not responsible for your safety if you have demonstrated you intention to compromise mine.

In brief, if you insist on threatening to kill me, you might have to suffer the consequences of my failure to determine what constitutes "adequate force." I may well use what will be referred to in retrospect as "disproportionate force."

I would not entrust my life to someone who was hell-bent on exterminating me. I cannot be relied upon to be fully rational when I am under siege or attack by an irrational attacker. I must defend myself. I cannot calculate the "appropriate measure of force" in the heat of life-threatening danger, and I most certainly can't do any calculations posthumously.

"Disproportionate force" has applications in physics, in non-life-threatening situations, and in the manipulative banter of politics.

If you don't attack me, I am a reasonable fellow...I will not commit atrocities or war crimes. But if you make that death threat, you have assumed complete responsibility for your own fate, whatever that fate may be.

As my dear friend Gabriel would say, "C'mon. Let's get real."

The following Associated Press article (transmitted via Yahoo! re-broadcast) caught my attention. It's worth reading, and examining very carefully.

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle

http://aboutdouglascastle.blogspot.com/

####

Netanyahu: No war crimes trials for Israelis 

AP – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks, during the opening of the winter session at the Knesset, …

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By JOSEF FEDERMAN, Associated Press Writer Josef Federman, Associated Press Writer – 42 mins ago

JERUSALEM – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday vowed never to allow Israeli leaders or soldiers to stand trial on war crimes charges over their actions during last winter's military offensive in the Gaza Strip, furiously denouncing a U.N. report in a keynote address to parliament.

Netanyahu's fiery rhetoric — and his decision to open the high-profile speech with remarks on the report — reflected the deep distress felt among Israeli leaders after a U.N. commission accused Israel of intentionally harming civilians when it launched a massive attack in Gaza to stop years of rocket fire.

"This distorted report, written by this distorted committee, undermines Israel's right to defend itself. This report encourages terrorism and threatens peace," Netanyahu said in his address at the opening of parliament's winter session. "Israel will not take risks for peace if it can't defend itself."

The U.N. report, compiled by a team led by former war crimes prosecutor Richard Goldstone, accused Israel of using disproportionate force, deliberately targeting civilians and destroying civilian infrastructure during a three-week offensive against Hamas militants last winter. The report also accused Hamas of war crimes by deliberately targeting civilians and trying to spread terror with rocket attacks.

Israeli officials across the board have condemned the report, saying their country had little choice but to take harsh action against militants who were terrorizing southern Israel. They also blame Hamas for civilian casualties, saying the Islamic militant group took cover in residential areas during the fighting. However, Goldstone's strong credentials as a respected South African jurist, his Jewish faith and past support for Israeli causes have made it hard for Israel to dismiss the claims.

Netanyahu angrily noted the report's portrayal of Israeli leaders as war criminals. "The truth is exactly the opposite. Israel's leaders and its army are those who defended the citizens of Israel from war criminals," he said, before vowing to defend the country's wartime leaders.

"We will not allow Ehud Olmert, Tzipi Livni and Ehud Barak, who sent our sons to war, to arrive at the international court in the Hague," he said.

While Netanyahu has repeatedly lashed out at the U.N. report, Monday's comments appeared to be a direct response to a new Palestinian push for a vote on the report in the U.N.'s Human Rights Commission. If the vote takes place, the matter could be referred to higher U.N. bodies that could theoretically push for war-crimes prosecution.

Earlier this month, Abbas' government had agreed to delay the vote for six months. That decision, which came under heavy U.S. pressure, sparked sharp criticism and protests across Palestinian society, particularly from the rival Hamas government in the Gaza Strip.

In contrast to predecessors who have used parliamentary addresses to speak of bold visions of peace, Netanyahu spoke in far bleaker terms. He focused on past Jewish suffering and criticized the futility of previous peace efforts, blaming Arab adversaries for their failure.

"The right to a Jewish state and the right to self-defense are two of the existential rights of our people," he said. "These basic rights of the Jewish people have been under greatly increasing attack. ... Our prime mission is to stave off this attack."

President Barack Obama has been trying to persuade the Israelis and Palestinians to restart peace talks, which broke down late last year. Even after receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, he faces a daunting challenge in just getting the sides to talk, let alone in solving one of the world's longest lasting and most intractable conflicts.

The Palestinians say they will not resume negotiations until Israel freezes all construction in Jewish settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem — areas they claim as parts of a future independent state.

Netanyahu says some settlement construction must continue to accommodate growth in the Jewish populations. He also says all of Jerusalem will remain in Israeli hands, although Israel's annexation of the eastern part of the city and its sensitive holy sites has never been internationally recognized.

Netanyahu, for his part, has demanded the Palestinians recognize Israel as a Jewish state — a demand the Palestinians criticize as upping the ante from previous negotiations. The Palestinians say it would discriminate against Israel's Arab minority and deprive Palestinian refugees of their rights to lost properties in what is now Israel.

"For 62 years, the Palestinians have been saying 'No' to the Jewish state. I am once again calling upon our Palestinian neighbors; say 'Yes' to the Jewish state." he said. "Without recognition of Israel as the state of the Jews we shall not be able to attain peace."

####

Mercy, like charity, begins in the home. --DC

By the way, wasn't there a large outcry against former U.S. President George W. Bush for his pre-emptive and unprovoked attack against Iraq? Heck...aren't you curious to know why that who move to bring him to the World Court for War Crimes (or at least, according to Vincent Bugliosi, indicting him for murder in his ordering U.S. troops to live-threatening peril based upon his own "intelligence," "agenda" or "vendetta."

One of the finer points of prosecution has to do with your:

• Being acknowledged as a legitimate judge with proper jurisdiction;
• Being able to bring the the accused to a trial or investigative forum;
• Being able to pass sentence and actually carry out that sentence, whatever it may be.

Disproportionate force? How about a world where the judgments of the powerful can be enforced, but where the judgments of the weaker have no force? I find this a bit ironic, too.

Cuter still is the notion of "liberating a people from oppression." I would think that a pickpocket could craft a defense around the same concept: "Your Honor, I appropriated this man's wallet to liberate him from his propensities for greed and gluttony." Bet it wouldn't work. :)

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Commerce Versus Combat

Commerce Versus Combat
This article originally published in THE INTERNATIONALIST PAGE (http://theinternationalistpage.blogspot.com/)  and written by Douglas Castle (http://aboutdouglascastle.blogspot.com/).

Dear Friends:

I know, I know. I keep on harping on the same theme. But please understand my reasoning:

As a member of the Human Family, I am invested in the future of the entire world, as are we all. It is too often an understood but unassigned responsibility that causes the weeds to flourish and the flowers to die. I will not leave an important message to chance -- if I do that, then I am being irresponsible. Here it is:

Business does not have to be a divisive, evil creature. In fact, commerce between entrepreneurs worldwide affords each of us an opportunity to be an ambassador...with geographical barriers being vaulted over by the internet, international business is more efficiently conducted than ever before. Imagine a strategically interdependent world: as an entrepreneur, I would not want to attack my customers, my vendors, my partners or my service providers. Strategic Interdependence might be a means through which Commerce becomes an impediment or an alternative to Combat. http://theinternationalistpage.blogspot.com/  http://www.thenationalnetworker.com/

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle



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