Share this ARTICLE with your colleagues on LinkedIn .
Dear Friends:
Please take every possible precaution against contracting or transmitting the deadly Swine Flu virus. Read about what you can do. Let others know -- by email, social media, a telephone call... in any way that you can. Following is an information link:
douglascastleSWINE FLU OUTBREAK ALERT - I just finished a post on http://lifelinksiep.blogspo... about measures we should take. Please forward to all!less than 5 seconds ago from web.
Stay healthy.
Faithfully,
Douglas Castle
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
HATRED LEAVES ITS TATTOO
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To Anyone Reading This:
There was a Holocaust. More than six million men, women and children were exterminated, their bodies carted off like so much garbage, their emaciated, mangled carcasses tossed into ditches and mass graves.
People deny that there was a Holocaust. Even today, as lesser-known, but equally reviling holocausts ("ethnic cleansing," "racial purification," "civilian massacres," "wholesale carnage," and a host of other terms are applied) take place throughout the world. As I sit here. As I write these words. Denial leads to recurrence, to a lack of vigilance, to a trivializing of the monstrous side of Human Nature. A monstrous element that remains unchanged and right beneath the surface of most smiles despite years of civilization and technological advancement. Despite all attempts at education.
Political correctness, semantics and hideous metaphors abound ("The Israelis are worse than the Nazis -- look at how they've slaughtered innocent Palestinians!") to twist the facts so far out of perspective, so inanely out of context, that the truth is trampled. One of my favorites is the now infamous declaration by the great minds of the United Nations that "Zionism is Racism." They might just as easily have declared "Survival is Sin." ...or "Questioning Authority is Terrorism." Hatred is always fashionable. Rationalization is the only thing which is even more fashionable.
It is like a children's game of "telephone"... atrocities are ignored or rationalized while self-preservation is decried as aggression.
I had an eighth-grade teacher with a number tattooed on his forearm. It was noticeable because he would roll up his sleeves when he wrote on the chalkboard. I was mesmerized by it.
He caught me staring once, at the end of class and whispered, devoid of expression, as if all emotion had been wrought from him like the last tears from a hankerchief, "Branded like cattle. They did this to me. People did this to other people. And much, much worse. Much worse." His eyes were focused on some distant point in the past, right through me. I had never seen a person travel back in time before -- I knew then, intuitively, that time travel has always existed.
Tattoos, like old stories, become distorted. But the distortion is only superficial. There are deep, permanent, but unseen burns, cuts and bruises on the inside. On the souls of so many people. They never are fully healed, and they never go away. They are incurable. These scars, like the truth, are forever.
Denial is simply dishonesty.
Faithfully,
Douglas Castle
p.s. Please forward this message to everyone you know. Keeping it to yourself is a small, but not inconsequential, act of irresponsibility and inhumanity. These can be habit-forming if permitted.
________________________x
THE NATIONAL NETWORKER
__________________________________________________________
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...
To Anyone Reading This:
There was a Holocaust. More than six million men, women and children were exterminated, their bodies carted off like so much garbage, their emaciated, mangled carcasses tossed into ditches and mass graves.
People deny that there was a Holocaust. Even today, as lesser-known, but equally reviling holocausts ("ethnic cleansing," "racial purification," "civilian massacres," "wholesale carnage," and a host of other terms are applied) take place throughout the world. As I sit here. As I write these words. Denial leads to recurrence, to a lack of vigilance, to a trivializing of the monstrous side of Human Nature. A monstrous element that remains unchanged and right beneath the surface of most smiles despite years of civilization and technological advancement. Despite all attempts at education.
Political correctness, semantics and hideous metaphors abound ("The Israelis are worse than the Nazis -- look at how they've slaughtered innocent Palestinians!") to twist the facts so far out of perspective, so inanely out of context, that the truth is trampled. One of my favorites is the now infamous declaration by the great minds of the United Nations that "Zionism is Racism." They might just as easily have declared "Survival is Sin." ...or "Questioning Authority is Terrorism." Hatred is always fashionable. Rationalization is the only thing which is even more fashionable.
It is like a children's game of "telephone"... atrocities are ignored or rationalized while self-preservation is decried as aggression.
I had an eighth-grade teacher with a number tattooed on his forearm. It was noticeable because he would roll up his sleeves when he wrote on the chalkboard. I was mesmerized by it.
He caught me staring once, at the end of class and whispered, devoid of expression, as if all emotion had been wrought from him like the last tears from a hankerchief, "Branded like cattle. They did this to me. People did this to other people. And much, much worse. Much worse." His eyes were focused on some distant point in the past, right through me. I had never seen a person travel back in time before -- I knew then, intuitively, that time travel has always existed.
Tattoos, like old stories, become distorted. But the distortion is only superficial. There are deep, permanent, but unseen burns, cuts and bruises on the inside. On the souls of so many people. They never are fully healed, and they never go away. They are incurable. These scars, like the truth, are forever.
Denial is simply dishonesty.
Faithfully,
Douglas Castle
p.s. Please forward this message to everyone you know. Keeping it to yourself is a small, but not inconsequential, act of irresponsibility and inhumanity. These can be habit-forming if permitted.
________________________x
THE NATIONAL NETWORKER
__________________________________________________________
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...
Saturday, April 18, 2009
"I WAS ONLY FOLLOWING MY ORDERS"
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Dear Friends:
Napoleon once said that, "God is on the side of the heaviest artillery." In his brief, somewhat atheistic (or at least cynical) bit of philosophy, he made it quite clear that "might is right." Conventional wisdom abounds: "History is written by the winners," "No person is above the law unless he can invoke executive privilege," "You've won a judgment, but it cannot be enforced," "To make an omelet, you've got to break some eggs," "A few must suffer for the many," "Someone's got to take the fall for this,"... I will spare you the litany.
One of my favorites has to do with the Nuremberg Defense. The Nuremburg Trials of various Nazi war criminals were conducted as a concilliatory gesture to show the citizens of the world that the oft-denied Holocaust was a criminal act -- a terrible chapter in Human affairs where people were reduced to their lowest common denominator -- that of our inherent animal nature, of our capacity to de-humanize other people, of our herd mentality, or our sadistic propensities, and mostly, of our "expedient ethics" when we are under pressure.
The Holocaust was not an exception -- it was merely a demonstration. Its clones, its offspring, its legacy still thrives every single day in other parts of the world.
What invariably follows these "minicausts" are inquests, investigations, some trials and some punishments. The same questions are asked; the same excuses and explanations are proffered; and the same cycle continues. You cannot break the cycle without changing basic Human Behavior.
The Nuremberg Defense for torture and genocide was simple: "I was only following my orders."
An abdication of personal responsibility, combined with the contextual suspension of ethics, make war (and genocide) possible. The greatest human tragedies occur when they are merely viewed as "bad policies". It takes strength to be an individual, and to adhere to your ethics when those around you are weak, and in the thrall of the biggest bully on the block.
Following is an article from the ASSOCIATED PRESS:
UN expert criticizes US torture decision
By VERONIKA OLEKSYN,
Associated Press Writer Veronika Oleksyn,35 mins ago.
VIENNA – President Barack Obama's decision not to prosecute CIA operatives who used questionable interrogation practices violates international law, the U.N.'s top torture investigator said Saturday. But he said Washington is unlikely to face any legal sanctions.
On Thursday, Obama absolved CIA officers from prosecution for harsh, painful interrogation of terror suspects under the former Bush administration. The announcement was met with disappointment from human rights groups and former detainees who condemned such methods as torture.
In a brief telephone interview with The Associated Press, Manfred Nowak, an Austrian law professor who serves as a special rapporteur for the Geneva-based U.N. Human Rights Council, said the United States had committed itself under the U.N. Convention against Torture to make torture a crime and to prosecute those suspected of engaging in it.
"They are party to the convention and the convention is very, very clear," Nowak said when asked to confirm comments contained in an interview he gave Austria's Der Standard newspaper. "The fact that you carried out an order doesn't relieve you of your responsibility," he said, adding it could be a mitigating factor.
Nowak, who said he would soon travel to Washington for meetings with officials, also called for a comprehensive independent investigation into the matter and added it was important to compensate the victims.
"Now we need to know all the facts — not just bits and pieces," Nowak said. "First you need the truth and then you need justice."
The Obama administration on Thursday also released secret CIA memos detailing interrogation tactics sanctioned under Bush.
The memos authorized keeping detainees naked, in painful standing positions and in cold cells for long periods of time. Other techniques included depriving them of solid food and slapping them. Sleep deprivation, prolonged shackling and threats to a detainee's family also were used.
Washington is unlikely to face any legal sanctions, but "naming and shaming has its impact, and usually governments try not to be criticized," Nowak said.
####
The question I have is this: When the government gives you a license to torture, to kill or to do something which violates your proclaimed code of ethics, does it also give you license to become a beast?
We are, each of us, responsible for our own choices and our own actions. We choose the masters we serve, and we choose whether or not to follow rules or orders given by any third party. People without personal principles, principles worth living or dying for, principles which are inviolate -- are just puppets.
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...
Dear Friends:Napoleon once said that, "God is on the side of the heaviest artillery." In his brief, somewhat atheistic (or at least cynical) bit of philosophy, he made it quite clear that "might is right." Conventional wisdom abounds: "History is written by the winners," "No person is above the law unless he can invoke executive privilege," "You've won a judgment, but it cannot be enforced," "To make an omelet, you've got to break some eggs," "A few must suffer for the many," "Someone's got to take the fall for this,"... I will spare you the litany.
One of my favorites has to do with the Nuremberg Defense. The Nuremburg Trials of various Nazi war criminals were conducted as a concilliatory gesture to show the citizens of the world that the oft-denied Holocaust was a criminal act -- a terrible chapter in Human affairs where people were reduced to their lowest common denominator -- that of our inherent animal nature, of our capacity to de-humanize other people, of our herd mentality, or our sadistic propensities, and mostly, of our "expedient ethics" when we are under pressure.
The Holocaust was not an exception -- it was merely a demonstration. Its clones, its offspring, its legacy still thrives every single day in other parts of the world.
What invariably follows these "minicausts" are inquests, investigations, some trials and some punishments. The same questions are asked; the same excuses and explanations are proffered; and the same cycle continues. You cannot break the cycle without changing basic Human Behavior.
The Nuremberg Defense for torture and genocide was simple: "I was only following my orders."
An abdication of personal responsibility, combined with the contextual suspension of ethics, make war (and genocide) possible. The greatest human tragedies occur when they are merely viewed as "bad policies". It takes strength to be an individual, and to adhere to your ethics when those around you are weak, and in the thrall of the biggest bully on the block.
Following is an article from the ASSOCIATED PRESS:
UN expert criticizes US torture decision
By VERONIKA OLEKSYN,
Associated Press Writer Veronika Oleksyn,35 mins ago.
VIENNA – President Barack Obama's decision not to prosecute CIA operatives who used questionable interrogation practices violates international law, the U.N.'s top torture investigator said Saturday. But he said Washington is unlikely to face any legal sanctions.
On Thursday, Obama absolved CIA officers from prosecution for harsh, painful interrogation of terror suspects under the former Bush administration. The announcement was met with disappointment from human rights groups and former detainees who condemned such methods as torture.
In a brief telephone interview with The Associated Press, Manfred Nowak, an Austrian law professor who serves as a special rapporteur for the Geneva-based U.N. Human Rights Council, said the United States had committed itself under the U.N. Convention against Torture to make torture a crime and to prosecute those suspected of engaging in it.
"They are party to the convention and the convention is very, very clear," Nowak said when asked to confirm comments contained in an interview he gave Austria's Der Standard newspaper. "The fact that you carried out an order doesn't relieve you of your responsibility," he said, adding it could be a mitigating factor.
Nowak, who said he would soon travel to Washington for meetings with officials, also called for a comprehensive independent investigation into the matter and added it was important to compensate the victims.
"Now we need to know all the facts — not just bits and pieces," Nowak said. "First you need the truth and then you need justice."
The Obama administration on Thursday also released secret CIA memos detailing interrogation tactics sanctioned under Bush.
The memos authorized keeping detainees naked, in painful standing positions and in cold cells for long periods of time. Other techniques included depriving them of solid food and slapping them. Sleep deprivation, prolonged shackling and threats to a detainee's family also were used.
Washington is unlikely to face any legal sanctions, but "naming and shaming has its impact, and usually governments try not to be criticized," Nowak said.
####
The question I have is this: When the government gives you a license to torture, to kill or to do something which violates your proclaimed code of ethics, does it also give you license to become a beast?
We are, each of us, responsible for our own choices and our own actions. We choose the masters we serve, and we choose whether or not to follow rules or orders given by any third party. People without personal principles, principles worth living or dying for, principles which are inviolate -- are just puppets.
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...
Friday, April 10, 2009
THE WORD FROM THE GLOBAL FUTURIST
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Dear Friends:
Please accept my humble apologies for not having written in a long while. I have spent a great deal of time discussing the global economy with too many people. Most of them want to place blame -- or to complain about the failure of national governments (and the loosely-bound "world government") to properly rescue a world which appears to be both economically and emotionally depressed -- or to ask me what I personally would offer by way of a suggestion to solve the problem. My response to this last question is always the same: "First, you have to give the resources to change Human Nature..." That usually earns its fair share of eye-rolling or the use of the once-popular expression, "Sheesh!" I am a sentimentalist lexicographer, and I enjoy the use of this exclamation. My British friends have a wonderful alternative, which is "No! Get off!"
Here are several things to ponder. They are a short list of observations, acknowledgements, trends and other items that I think are important.
BANKING AND CREDIT
A true credit "Catch 22" is helping to fuel economic contraction worldwide. Banks are taking their government bailout funds and...buying government securities, instead of providing business loans and consumer credit. Credit access is being cut, and credit standards are becoming increasingly stringent, except in cases where a business is self-financing just to liquidate its inventory or to put sales on its books.
Many years ago Seth Godin promoted the importance of blogs ... I thought he was out of his mind.
Well, Seth was right on that one - and I was totally wrong.
Yes, I have my share of accurate predictions, but that was one where I had it wrong ...
Seth was right on another one that I predictedwould fail: his own website "Squidoo."
In fact, I am so willing to admit I was wrong that we are offering a new Cashmap you can downloadright now that will show you how to use Squidoo to get obscene traffic to your site:
http://www.simpleology.com/courses/squidoo/
So, this is an e-tip-of-the-hat to Seth Godin.
Mark
Mark Joyner
In closing, I wanted to wish all of you a happy and healthy holiday season, and to visit with me at three locations. Click. Lurk. Favoritize. Subscribe. Enjoy...
__________________________________________________________
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...
Dear Friends:Please accept my humble apologies for not having written in a long while. I have spent a great deal of time discussing the global economy with too many people. Most of them want to place blame -- or to complain about the failure of national governments (and the loosely-bound "world government") to properly rescue a world which appears to be both economically and emotionally depressed -- or to ask me what I personally would offer by way of a suggestion to solve the problem. My response to this last question is always the same: "First, you have to give the resources to change Human Nature..." That usually earns its fair share of eye-rolling or the use of the once-popular expression, "Sheesh!" I am a sentimentalist lexicographer, and I enjoy the use of this exclamation. My British friends have a wonderful alternative, which is "No! Get off!"
Here are several things to ponder. They are a short list of observations, acknowledgements, trends and other items that I think are important.
BANKING AND CREDIT
A true credit "Catch 22" is helping to fuel economic contraction worldwide. Banks are taking their government bailout funds and...buying government securities, instead of providing business loans and consumer credit. Credit access is being cut, and credit standards are becoming increasingly stringent, except in cases where a business is self-financing just to liquidate its inventory or to put sales on its books.
Please take a quick glimpse at this article. Click on http://finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgeting/article/106716/How-to-Blow-Your-Credit-Limit-Without-Spending.
Synopsis:
The new credit card scheme
Credit card companies are cutting people's limits below their outstanding balances without notification. » Why?
Credit card companies are cutting people's limits below their outstanding balances without notification. » Why?
In a society where there is utter dependence upon credit for fuel, where savings are actually negative (e.g., where people have to pay for their ongoing expnses using borrowed funds), and immediate gratification is a consumption propellant, credit card companies have not only decided to drastically cut lines of credit (even for their very best customers), give belated (and embarrassing) notification of this bad news, and are almost universally charging over limit fees to customers who were not over their contractual limits. Without consumer credit, there can be no economic stimulus or recovery. Period. The credit card companies (affiliates of bailed-out and bloated banks) know this, of course, but it seems that they are not fully in accord to stimulate anyone's economy except that of their executives. If I were judgmental, I would call this type of action, immoral, illegal and treasonous....but, fortunately, I am not sitting in judgment.
If these institutions refuse to become reasonable, civilian credit facilities and a private lending and borrowing business will have to be cobbled together amongst entrepreneurs, vendors and suppliers to fund demand and growth. I would truly delight in seeing this type of a "grassroots" banking movement. Wouldn't you?
SOCIAL MEDIA
If Facebook were to become a nation, it would be the sixth most populous nation in the entire world. The trend toward social and business networking over the internet expands daily. The operators and hosts of these various media are very powerful indeed...we have entrusted them with virtually all of our personal and financial information, as well as with a large amount of our files and records. They offer us instant communication through cyberspace (Frank Herbert would have called it the "folding" of space in his celebrated DUNE series of science fiction books), which gives us a great deal of creative power -- but they hold the key to our destruction. How much do you trust these facilitators? What might make them turn into dominators or decimators? My career would evaporate in a millisecond if I were to be disengaged from social internet media. I sometimes worry about this.
Mark Joyner, a personal development consultant, prolific writer and powerful internet marketer (the inventor of Simpleology) recently sent out a mailing to subscribers to his courses which made the point about social media wonderfully. You have to respect Mark Joyner:
If Facebook were to become a nation, it would be the sixth most populous nation in the entire world. The trend toward social and business networking over the internet expands daily. The operators and hosts of these various media are very powerful indeed...we have entrusted them with virtually all of our personal and financial information, as well as with a large amount of our files and records. They offer us instant communication through cyberspace (Frank Herbert would have called it the "folding" of space in his celebrated DUNE series of science fiction books), which gives us a great deal of creative power -- but they hold the key to our destruction. How much do you trust these facilitators? What might make them turn into dominators or decimators? My career would evaporate in a millisecond if I were to be disengaged from social internet media. I sometimes worry about this.
Mark Joyner, a personal development consultant, prolific writer and powerful internet marketer (the inventor of Simpleology) recently sent out a mailing to subscribers to his courses which made the point about social media wonderfully. You have to respect Mark Joyner:
####
Douglas,
Douglas,
Many years ago Seth Godin promoted the importance of blogs ... I thought he was out of his mind.
Well, Seth was right on that one - and I was totally wrong.
Yes, I have my share of accurate predictions, but that was one where I had it wrong ...
Seth was right on another one that I predictedwould fail: his own website "Squidoo."
In fact, I am so willing to admit I was wrong that we are offering a new Cashmap you can downloadright now that will show you how to use Squidoo to get obscene traffic to your site:
http://www.simpleology.com/courses/squidoo/
So, this is an e-tip-of-the-hat to Seth Godin.
Mark
Mark Joyner
Founder of Simpleology
####
THE NEW WORLD ORDER (AGAIN)
Everyone (including Dan Brown, David Icke, Robert Ludlum) loves the notion of a conspiracy. Whether its government cover-ups, traitorous acts, or other manner of domination and puppeteering, it is always interesting to think about. A friend told me that it would not be surprising (Sheesh!) if certain world elitists had "planned" and orchestrated this global financial meltdown just to pave the way toward a New World Order. He mentioned the usual suspects...The Bilderbergers, Skull & Bones, The Trilateral Commission, The Council On Foreign Relations...he stopped short of naming the Illuminati, The Priory of Sion [Zion], and any former U.S. Presidents who had ever been peanut farmers.
Interestingly, the recent G20 Summit started stirring up ideas about neo-globalism and The New World Order. A wonderful article in the Financial Times weekly magazine brought this up for discussion. You'll find this article by going to http://pages.update.ft.com/us/newsletter/april-2009/us-default.htm, and you can download a .pdf of the whole edition of the magazine by clicking on http://www.mediafire.com/?ungcg2ozmjm. I believe that we will see a continuing trend toward globalism, a decreasing dominance by the United States, and an increasing firming up of the EU Members as a sub-alliance within this new G20 organization. Once an organization, subsidized by its constituent governments (and their respective ability to collect taxes), is created, it grows. G20 will grow into something bigger than the WTO or the UN, but these latter two will continue to exert their influence on world events.
INTERNET CONTROLS
Some years ago, there were pay toilets in the United States. There are still a number of gasoline stations who charge for air (the kind that surrounds us, but that we sometimes need to put into our tires). In Illinois (in the U.S.) there is serious talk about restricting internet access for young people -- someone always wants to contol access, tax or regulate anything that promises to permit the free flow of information. I believe this is because many of us believe that the people around us are as dangerous as we believe ourselves to be...and that we can even exploit them with punishment and payment. Censorship, like slavery, is about as likely to vanish from contemporary society as are toll booths on bridges.
You can download an article about this Illinois sensation at http://www.mediafire.com/?1oztyo00qzw. Parents want to protect their children from predators, obscenity, violence and bad influences. The easiest solution (since it is difficult to personally invest time in monitoring and mentoring children, and instilling values in them by virtue of example) is to keep them off of social media. This is rather like stopping terrorism by blocking overseas telephone calls. It is not likely to be successful.
What is likely to be successful is for governments worldwide to find innovative ways of taxing internet access -- right now we worry about cable, telephony and connection fees, but soon (within the next three years) internet access will be taxed; there are so many users, and so much dependence that governments will find this an irresistable solution for the repayment of all of the debt created by the global bailout of the failing private sector by the public sector.
LEADERSHIP AND GREATNESS
Intelligent leadership and intelligent writing are dying arts, and are subject to ever-diminishing standards and expectations. A new writer for THE NATIONAL NETWORKER (you can get a free subscription to this wonderful organization's newsletter by going to http://thetnnwomnigadget.blogspot.com/ , has written a passionate, plainly human essay on the topic of greatness. Yossi Feigenson, who will be a Featured Columnist with TNNW [A column titled, "REAL ESTATE - AND OTHER THINGS OF VALUE"] is a professional real estate broker -- but his also an apt student of Human behavior and a delightful conversationalist. Download Yossi's essay by clicking on http://www.mediafire.com/?2mgyiymynlw. He poses an interesting question: "When the opportunity to do something important arises, will you be ready?"
CAREER SURVIVAL SKILLS
The greatest civilizations in recorded history have been built on the efforts of the middle class, of middle management and middle children. The middle world has historically been a stabilizer and a buffer between the immoral robber barons and the indigent sucklings at the government's nipple (some of these latter people hate some of these former people, and vice versa).
The middle class, and middle management are fast disappearing. They are increasingly unemployed, without credit, without direction and without economic financial skills. The latchkey kids of the streets and the super-rich have wonderfully-honed survival skills, and cultivated resources. Unemployed middle management folks have very limited entrepreneurial and social skills. They are so used to conformism and dependencies that they have been rendered defenseless without a conventional career-to-retirement path to follow. These people have very limited alternatives; they can join the increasing ranks of the poor; they can become innovators and self-employed titans; or, they can cease to live. My bet is that many will join the ranks of the poor, and that many will come to hate the institutions that they once served and counted upon for protection from the realities of tight budgeting, salesmanship, fierce competition and cold fear. Expect a rise in violent crime, identity theft and pockets of anti-government groups forming their own hives and re-inventing their ideas about social structure.
The only portion of the middle class that will be given a pass from intolerable hardship and gut-tearing disillusionment will be those who go to work for the government in some form or fashion. As unemployment continues to rise, expect an increasing perecentage of the "middle" population to working for government agencies, government contractors and other public sector positions of bureaucratic creation and taxpayer funding. The ultimate tax base will be government employees simply tithing a portion of their paychecks back to the government -- this is reminiscent of waste recycling. We need private sector entrepreneurs, and we need them soon!
####
THE NEW WORLD ORDER (AGAIN)
Everyone (including Dan Brown, David Icke, Robert Ludlum) loves the notion of a conspiracy. Whether its government cover-ups, traitorous acts, or other manner of domination and puppeteering, it is always interesting to think about. A friend told me that it would not be surprising (Sheesh!) if certain world elitists had "planned" and orchestrated this global financial meltdown just to pave the way toward a New World Order. He mentioned the usual suspects...The Bilderbergers, Skull & Bones, The Trilateral Commission, The Council On Foreign Relations...he stopped short of naming the Illuminati, The Priory of Sion [Zion], and any former U.S. Presidents who had ever been peanut farmers.
Interestingly, the recent G20 Summit started stirring up ideas about neo-globalism and The New World Order. A wonderful article in the Financial Times weekly magazine brought this up for discussion. You'll find this article by going to http://pages.update.ft.com/us/newsletter/april-2009/us-default.htm, and you can download a .pdf of the whole edition of the magazine by clicking on http://www.mediafire.com/?ungcg2ozmjm. I believe that we will see a continuing trend toward globalism, a decreasing dominance by the United States, and an increasing firming up of the EU Members as a sub-alliance within this new G20 organization. Once an organization, subsidized by its constituent governments (and their respective ability to collect taxes), is created, it grows. G20 will grow into something bigger than the WTO or the UN, but these latter two will continue to exert their influence on world events.
INTERNET CONTROLS
Some years ago, there were pay toilets in the United States. There are still a number of gasoline stations who charge for air (the kind that surrounds us, but that we sometimes need to put into our tires). In Illinois (in the U.S.) there is serious talk about restricting internet access for young people -- someone always wants to contol access, tax or regulate anything that promises to permit the free flow of information. I believe this is because many of us believe that the people around us are as dangerous as we believe ourselves to be...and that we can even exploit them with punishment and payment. Censorship, like slavery, is about as likely to vanish from contemporary society as are toll booths on bridges.
You can download an article about this Illinois sensation at http://www.mediafire.com/?1oztyo00qzw. Parents want to protect their children from predators, obscenity, violence and bad influences. The easiest solution (since it is difficult to personally invest time in monitoring and mentoring children, and instilling values in them by virtue of example) is to keep them off of social media. This is rather like stopping terrorism by blocking overseas telephone calls. It is not likely to be successful.
What is likely to be successful is for governments worldwide to find innovative ways of taxing internet access -- right now we worry about cable, telephony and connection fees, but soon (within the next three years) internet access will be taxed; there are so many users, and so much dependence that governments will find this an irresistable solution for the repayment of all of the debt created by the global bailout of the failing private sector by the public sector.
LEADERSHIP AND GREATNESS
Intelligent leadership and intelligent writing are dying arts, and are subject to ever-diminishing standards and expectations. A new writer for THE NATIONAL NETWORKER (you can get a free subscription to this wonderful organization's newsletter by going to http://thetnnwomnigadget.blogspot.com/ , has written a passionate, plainly human essay on the topic of greatness. Yossi Feigenson, who will be a Featured Columnist with TNNW [A column titled, "REAL ESTATE - AND OTHER THINGS OF VALUE"] is a professional real estate broker -- but his also an apt student of Human behavior and a delightful conversationalist. Download Yossi's essay by clicking on http://www.mediafire.com/?2mgyiymynlw. He poses an interesting question: "When the opportunity to do something important arises, will you be ready?"
CAREER SURVIVAL SKILLS
The greatest civilizations in recorded history have been built on the efforts of the middle class, of middle management and middle children. The middle world has historically been a stabilizer and a buffer between the immoral robber barons and the indigent sucklings at the government's nipple (some of these latter people hate some of these former people, and vice versa).
The middle class, and middle management are fast disappearing. They are increasingly unemployed, without credit, without direction and without economic financial skills. The latchkey kids of the streets and the super-rich have wonderfully-honed survival skills, and cultivated resources. Unemployed middle management folks have very limited entrepreneurial and social skills. They are so used to conformism and dependencies that they have been rendered defenseless without a conventional career-to-retirement path to follow. These people have very limited alternatives; they can join the increasing ranks of the poor; they can become innovators and self-employed titans; or, they can cease to live. My bet is that many will join the ranks of the poor, and that many will come to hate the institutions that they once served and counted upon for protection from the realities of tight budgeting, salesmanship, fierce competition and cold fear. Expect a rise in violent crime, identity theft and pockets of anti-government groups forming their own hives and re-inventing their ideas about social structure.
The only portion of the middle class that will be given a pass from intolerable hardship and gut-tearing disillusionment will be those who go to work for the government in some form or fashion. As unemployment continues to rise, expect an increasing perecentage of the "middle" population to working for government agencies, government contractors and other public sector positions of bureaucratic creation and taxpayer funding. The ultimate tax base will be government employees simply tithing a portion of their paychecks back to the government -- this is reminiscent of waste recycling. We need private sector entrepreneurs, and we need them soon!
***
In closing, I wanted to wish all of you a happy and healthy holiday season, and to visit with me at three locations. Click. Lurk. Favoritize. Subscribe. Enjoy...
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...
__________________________________________________________
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...
Thursday, April 02, 2009
THE SHOES OF THE PHISHERMAN - And A Word About Integrity
Share this ARTICLE with your colleagues on LinkedIn .
Dear Friends:
We all need to be reasonably careful in all of our written and sound communications -- especially when we are working "over the wires" or "over the airwaves." (If you only work Under The Boardwalk, or Somewhere, Beyond The Sea [with apologies to the Drifters and to the Estate of Bobby Darren] thos shouldn't really concern you. But it concerns most of us who are subjected to all manner of computer fraud every single time that we log on.
Three suggestions are in order:
1. Beware any solicitation or notification which you receive, especially if it asks for perwsonal information, and even if it looks quite official. If it is from Nigeria and tells you a sob story about a corrupt bank manager who needs your help to dislodge a sum from a client who died in a terrible plane crash, just toss it. If it says "CONGRATULATIONS - LOTTERY WINNER" toss that one too. There are more legitimate ways for people to authenticate their correspondence and allow you to verify their legitimacy before giving any personal information at all.
Here's an example of a baloney-laden "PayPal" notification which I received earlier (click to download, and to enjoy a laugh at my expense): http://www.mediafire.com/?kz2vqoyvzgn
2. We live in a society where virtually every communication is recorded and analized (for our own protection, of course). whatever you say is on the record, so avoid tasteless terrorist jokes and threatening language, lest you be put in the position of serving coffee to two or more surprise early-morning visitors from some intimidating agency of the federal government. You are always on the record.
3. Something else -- When you write and when you speak to anyone, anywhere and at anytime, speak as if you were making a politically-sensitive statement to Congress or to the press. Avoid subterfuge, backbiting and being insincere. As I have found, anything that you say can be overheard or repeated to the wrong person. As a general policy, speak as if the subject person of your conversation where standing in front of you. Integrity is a rare, but powerful tool. It' worth cultivating.
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...
Dear Friends:
We all need to be reasonably careful in all of our written and sound communications -- especially when we are working "over the wires" or "over the airwaves." (If you only work Under The Boardwalk, or Somewhere, Beyond The Sea [with apologies to the Drifters and to the Estate of Bobby Darren] thos shouldn't really concern you. But it concerns most of us who are subjected to all manner of computer fraud every single time that we log on.
Three suggestions are in order:
1. Beware any solicitation or notification which you receive, especially if it asks for perwsonal information, and even if it looks quite official. If it is from Nigeria and tells you a sob story about a corrupt bank manager who needs your help to dislodge a sum from a client who died in a terrible plane crash, just toss it. If it says "CONGRATULATIONS - LOTTERY WINNER" toss that one too. There are more legitimate ways for people to authenticate their correspondence and allow you to verify their legitimacy before giving any personal information at all.
Here's an example of a baloney-laden "PayPal" notification which I received earlier (click to download, and to enjoy a laugh at my expense): http://www.mediafire.com/?kz2vqoyvzgn
2. We live in a society where virtually every communication is recorded and analized (for our own protection, of course). whatever you say is on the record, so avoid tasteless terrorist jokes and threatening language, lest you be put in the position of serving coffee to two or more surprise early-morning visitors from some intimidating agency of the federal government. You are always on the record.
3. Something else -- When you write and when you speak to anyone, anywhere and at anytime, speak as if you were making a politically-sensitive statement to Congress or to the press. Avoid subterfuge, backbiting and being insincere. As I have found, anything that you say can be overheard or repeated to the wrong person. As a general policy, speak as if the subject person of your conversation where standing in front of you. Integrity is a rare, but powerful tool. It' worth cultivating.
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...
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