2011...
A new decade in a new economic, social and geopolitical world.
The year 2010 turned a page into a new chapter of my life in momentous ways that I did not expect but could not have hoped for a better outcome. Life is much better now. I clearly remember New Year's Eve and Day 2010 because it was a long and difficult weekend with a pending decision weighing heavily on my mind. On Monday, January 4th, I went into work for a few hours and then confirmed my instincts by resigning from my job. It was the right choice but difficult in these economic times and seemingly unwise from a personal financial standpoint. I had to do it to be free to move on in a new year, the last in a Biblically epic long decade in my life, that began in 2000 when my life was radically altered also by a work decision, one I did not choose. Like hundreds of thousands of others I was "separated" from the company I worked for almost 30 years.
The Economic Crisis started early for me, in hindsight I am very glad, it gave me a long running head start on what was to follow in this country and is not over yet.
This past year has been extremes of highs and lows, ups and downs and everything in between. At times I was in complete control of my situation and in others I was not. In the dead heat of summer I was struck by a virus that kept me bed-ridden for two weeks and during that same month I serendipitously found a job that suits me perfectly. It was a classic time that epitomized the characteristics of the entire year, simultaneously flowing triumph and disaster.
In the end it has been a richly rewarding and fulfilling year furnishing me with optimism, positive thinking and confidence. Regardless of what 2011 and the next decade brings I have at last returned to the summer roots of my inner self and in harmony with my true nature, after a decade of a mostly estranged winter. I say that with an assurance, that I did not have but was yearning for, this time last year. I knew then where I had been for a decade and did not want to continue but rather move on to another journey and I can say that I have.
One of the best decisions I made at the end of 2009 was to set a goal to begin posting to this website blog daily and start creating and uploading videos on YouTube again. It was part of documenting my life that served as a release valve, a steadying constant, as well as a confidence builder and confirming my ability to be original and self-reliant. Through expressing myself it reminded me I am a unique individual in my own right.
Another good determination made this past spring was to get off most of the social web, especially Twitter and Facebook. I never cared for Facebook and was reluctantly coaxed into it and Twitter became a time-killer, full of unwashed masses bubbling out a constant stream of babbling junk. That is not a judgment on other people who choose to be on those sites, those sites just weren't right for me at the time or even now. That choice, by it's very nature, also meant limiting my interaction online but I've found the remaining interaction to be of better quality.
The time I had spent online and with other things I chose to stop doing was spent reading good books in a self-designed "Great Books" list. What a wonderful determination that has turned out to be. My mind has not only been enriched but it has had an unexpected but welcome calming of my soul.
"He not busy being born is busy dying"
How very fortuitous it has turned out to be that on that day, Friday the 13th in October 2000, I was surplussed and laid off from the company I had worked for since high school, through my college degrees and experienced my thirties and forties. My involuntary "separation" (their term) actually was not accompanied with anxiety but rather rejoicing at being freed from the institutional madness of the only place I had really ever worked. That does not mean there was not angst of learning as I traversed down the road in the decade ahead. It prepared me in too many ways to enumerate to cope with the new world of 21st century economic, social and geopolitical circumstances.
Although this year and this decade has ended with a finality specific to me, it does not mean an end to always learning and facing new challenges moving forward. Now I look ahead to them with a renewed freedom I once had and have revived. It is certain that the Great Disruption that became obvious to the world in mid-2007 will continue and perpetuate the economic distress that challenges us all and disturbs other social institutions. We live in an exciting time as our universe is reborn anew once again, following in the footprints of world history. That does not bother me since I know that as an individual I have the determination, will and ability to overthrow adversity. Also I have a perception of others difficulties and an ability to understand what some may need help in learning to cope for themselves.
If there is anything I am able to impart to others, it is that we all have something within us that allows us to rise above and overcome. My hope is that in my own small way I can do that.
"He not being busy born is busy dying" quote from "It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" [Dylan]
1/1/11
12/31/10
12/30/10
Economic, Social and Geopolitical
Mortgage Foreclosure Tsunami...
Delayed and forestalled Double Dip will occur in 2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ze9MyGB2tBc
Reference:
"Home Prices Are Still Too High" by Peter D. Schiff WSJ (subscription required) http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304173704575578190261574342.html
"Dr. Doom Predicts Another $1 Trillion In Housing Losses" [Nouriel Roubini] NYT
http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2010/12/06/dr-doom-predicts-another-1-trillion-in-housing-losses/?ref=foreclosures
"US mortgage foreclosures rise sharply" FT.com (subscription required)
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3825f4b8-1387-11e0-a367-00144feabdc0.html#axzz19iRnoxL6
Delayed and forestalled Double Dip will occur in 2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ze9MyGB2tBc
Reference:
"Home Prices Are Still Too High" by Peter D. Schiff WSJ (subscription required) http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304173704575578190261574342.html
"Dr. Doom Predicts Another $1 Trillion In Housing Losses" [Nouriel Roubini] NYT
http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2010/12/06/dr-doom-predicts-another-1-trillion-in-housing-losses/?ref=foreclosures
"US mortgage foreclosures rise sharply" FT.com (subscription required)
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3825f4b8-1387-11e0-a367-00144feabdc0.html#axzz19iRnoxL6
12/29/10
Geography of the Mind
Your Choice: In the mirror darkly or with clarity...
Paul's New Testament Biblical scripture 1 Corinthians 13:12 refers to the present and the future:
"For now we see in a mirror, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then I shall know fully as even I am fully known."
It alludes to the veil that is placed over us as we see ourselves and this world as opposed to the lifting of that veil to see ourselves and the world in full light in the afterlife. How you interpret that or make use of it depends on your religious beliefs. My thought is that it worth it's original face value as intended but also, interpreted slightly differently, in another more practical daily perspective.
We all view ourselves as in a mirror and the way in which we view ourselves in light of the present world, religious decisions aside, is also how we react to the world and in return how it reacts to us. Lifting the veil to view ourselves practically and pragmatically helps us understand ourselves better for self-improvement. It is not a new concept and accepted in contemporary society as psychologically sound. Should we see ourselves darkly, we will view and be viewed in our interactions with the world accordingly. The same is true if we see ourselves with as much clarity as possible and view ourselves more assuredly, in turn our interactions will reflect that.
What I see in this difficult era is how people view themselves very much determines the course they will take during a turbulent, uncertain period of their lives and the ongoing outcome. You can view yourself as a casualty and injured party in this economic downturn, which may be true if you've lost a job, income, home, family...most especially if it's been uneven and unfair. The difficulty is getting beyond the point of feeling like an underdog and getting to a place in your mind that rises above that thought in order to move on. Otherwise your reflection of yourself will only mire you even more into a downward spiral.
This requires taking possession of the dominion of yourself and claiming control over your emotions and thoughts, never an easy task but required to get a better impression of yourself to project to others. It requires the tough actions of claiming and occupying your own decisions, taking charge of your attitudes and actions by creating original thoughts or borrowing some and adapting them to your situation, regardless of external circumstances. If you are prepared for challenge, change and adversity, the more often it occurs and you cope with them, then it becomes more natural to you and subsequently less difficult.
It's building character, which is never easy but always rewarding in the long term.
Paul's New Testament Biblical scripture 1 Corinthians 13:12 refers to the present and the future:
"For now we see in a mirror, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then I shall know fully as even I am fully known."
It alludes to the veil that is placed over us as we see ourselves and this world as opposed to the lifting of that veil to see ourselves and the world in full light in the afterlife. How you interpret that or make use of it depends on your religious beliefs. My thought is that it worth it's original face value as intended but also, interpreted slightly differently, in another more practical daily perspective.
We all view ourselves as in a mirror and the way in which we view ourselves in light of the present world, religious decisions aside, is also how we react to the world and in return how it reacts to us. Lifting the veil to view ourselves practically and pragmatically helps us understand ourselves better for self-improvement. It is not a new concept and accepted in contemporary society as psychologically sound. Should we see ourselves darkly, we will view and be viewed in our interactions with the world accordingly. The same is true if we see ourselves with as much clarity as possible and view ourselves more assuredly, in turn our interactions will reflect that.
What I see in this difficult era is how people view themselves very much determines the course they will take during a turbulent, uncertain period of their lives and the ongoing outcome. You can view yourself as a casualty and injured party in this economic downturn, which may be true if you've lost a job, income, home, family...most especially if it's been uneven and unfair. The difficulty is getting beyond the point of feeling like an underdog and getting to a place in your mind that rises above that thought in order to move on. Otherwise your reflection of yourself will only mire you even more into a downward spiral.
This requires taking possession of the dominion of yourself and claiming control over your emotions and thoughts, never an easy task but required to get a better impression of yourself to project to others. It requires the tough actions of claiming and occupying your own decisions, taking charge of your attitudes and actions by creating original thoughts or borrowing some and adapting them to your situation, regardless of external circumstances. If you are prepared for challenge, change and adversity, the more often it occurs and you cope with them, then it becomes more natural to you and subsequently less difficult.
It's building character, which is never easy but always rewarding in the long term.
12/28/10
Only In America
On the onset of 2011...
Many Americans have lost their confidence, one of the traits we are most known for. Our moxie has lost it's nerve and it's easy to understand why with the economic, social and political problems we are facing that, alas, are intertwined. Then again, many other Americans are in a happy recovery mode, which somehow seems surreal and more like denial.
I think I know why there are these two juxtaposing viewpoints.
Read or watch any media outlet and you can find both good news and bad news about the economy, social problems and political issues. Take your pick which you want to believe. My favorite example is the seemingly opposing stories, very often on the same page, headlined something like "Unemployment is down and job outlook improving" and another story with the seeming flip side headline "Personal income is down."
Well, yes...both are true because some people are getting jobs but they are lower paying. It's good news that is not coupled with the countering bad news in the same story. The media outlets spit the news in half chunks. Some people read the chunk they want to and others read both and either make connections between the two or they don't, for a variety of reasons.
The actuality is that we face significant social, economic and political problems in the coming year. The sovereign debt crisis in other countries will affect us, unemployment is still high and stagnant, the mortgage/foreclosure crisis is unresolved, debt overhang threatens financial institutions, we're at peak oil, there are global currency problems and the stock market is flirting with highs far too dangerous for the underlying fundamentals of the economy are among the major ones. The biggest problem is that postponing the inevitable by "Quantitative Easing" and keeping the money printing presses rolling, isn't working quite as hoped, preventing us from getting on with clearing up the certain aftermath that is coming after it all inevitably falls apart, which is likely to occur in 2011.
Which leads back to confidence, which I think we can regain. My belief is Americans are struggling with confidence because they feel a sense of pending doom and rightfully want to get it over with. The American way is to face a challenge head on and overcome it, not dilly dally with it like some European diplomat. The dominoes are lined up and with one slip they all fall. Let it happen so we may commence with picking up the pieces and rebuilding a real and sustainable recovery.
That's the kind of confidence and determination that Americans are best at. The malaise is caused by the political and business classes stretching out to maintain the old while the new is overdue waiting to be born.
Many Americans have lost their confidence, one of the traits we are most known for. Our moxie has lost it's nerve and it's easy to understand why with the economic, social and political problems we are facing that, alas, are intertwined. Then again, many other Americans are in a happy recovery mode, which somehow seems surreal and more like denial.
I think I know why there are these two juxtaposing viewpoints.
Read or watch any media outlet and you can find both good news and bad news about the economy, social problems and political issues. Take your pick which you want to believe. My favorite example is the seemingly opposing stories, very often on the same page, headlined something like "Unemployment is down and job outlook improving" and another story with the seeming flip side headline "Personal income is down."
Well, yes...both are true because some people are getting jobs but they are lower paying. It's good news that is not coupled with the countering bad news in the same story. The media outlets spit the news in half chunks. Some people read the chunk they want to and others read both and either make connections between the two or they don't, for a variety of reasons.
The actuality is that we face significant social, economic and political problems in the coming year. The sovereign debt crisis in other countries will affect us, unemployment is still high and stagnant, the mortgage/foreclosure crisis is unresolved, debt overhang threatens financial institutions, we're at peak oil, there are global currency problems and the stock market is flirting with highs far too dangerous for the underlying fundamentals of the economy are among the major ones. The biggest problem is that postponing the inevitable by "Quantitative Easing" and keeping the money printing presses rolling, isn't working quite as hoped, preventing us from getting on with clearing up the certain aftermath that is coming after it all inevitably falls apart, which is likely to occur in 2011.
Which leads back to confidence, which I think we can regain. My belief is Americans are struggling with confidence because they feel a sense of pending doom and rightfully want to get it over with. The American way is to face a challenge head on and overcome it, not dilly dally with it like some European diplomat. The dominoes are lined up and with one slip they all fall. Let it happen so we may commence with picking up the pieces and rebuilding a real and sustainable recovery.
That's the kind of confidence and determination that Americans are best at. The malaise is caused by the political and business classes stretching out to maintain the old while the new is overdue waiting to be born.
12/27/10
Arizona Landscape
A Year of Equinox and Solstice Sun and Moon...
Winter Solstice 12/21/09
New Years Day 2010 Blue Moon
Vernal Equinox Sunset 03/20/10
Summer Solstice 06/21/10
Autumnal Equinox Sunset 18:15 09/22/10
Autumnal Full Moon Sunrise 06:45 MST 09/23/10
Umber Moon before Eclipse 20:20 MST 12/20/10
Winter Solstice Sunrise 12/21/10
Winter Solstice Moon 12/21/10
Winter Solstice 12/21/09
New Years Day 2010 Blue Moon
Vernal Equinox Sunset 03/20/10
Summer Solstice 06/21/10
Autumnal Equinox Sunset 18:15 09/22/10
Autumnal Full Moon Sunrise 06:45 MST 09/23/10
Umber Moon before Eclipse 20:20 MST 12/20/10
Winter Solstice Sunrise 12/21/10
Winter Solstice Moon 12/21/10
12/25/10
12/23/10
Thinking Out Loud
Fast Food Head vs Good Food Mind...
You Are What You Eat
A diet of fast food and prepared chow is basically junk and nutritionally vacant, full of clogging fats, salts, starches, phosphates, dyes, colorings, hydrologized compounds and unpronounceable chemicals, to mention a few. Not only does it lack much nutritive value but it also has a lot of harmful constituents that are bad for your body and overall health. It stands to reason that an intake of this as food is not only bad for the body but cannot feed the brain what it needs to reckon even ordinary stuff out.
My conclusion, completely unscientific and from mere observation, is most people who survive on fast food and junk live their daily lives the same way they consume food, in an inert head that lacks control. Fast and full of junk time, wasting energy on trivial pursuits and not really thinking about what they are doing, how they live their lives and thinking ahead. This is a generalization but it seems to me, that if you don't think about what you are putting in your body, not considering how you eat, it's an indication of a general lack of concern about personal well-being. It's difficult to tell which comes first, a lack of ability to have a strategy and a purpose or the lack of good nutrition that creates a toxic body and dull head that can't think well because it's undernourished.
On the other hand, eating healthy food, basic unadulterated stuff that provides protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients in proportional balance, is good for you. It doesn't have to be organic, vegetarian or vegan, sparse or dull and can be obtained in a regular grocery store for reasonable cost. It requires thoughtful shopping and most prepared freezer, prepackaged box and canned foods should be counted out. A lot of basic good food doesn't require much preparation and can be fixed relatively simply for a wholesome meal or "grazing" during the day. It provides the building blocks for a healthy body and simultaneously nourishes the mind.
Thinking about how you treat your body by considering what you eat with a modicum of exercise, is a sign of having control over your life and how you live it. It's an indication that you plan ahead, consider the consequences of bad choices, deliberate on important decisions and overall think relatively clearly. There's also a high probability that your moods are better or if you have mood problems you are better able to deal with them. My completely unscientific conclusion is that because you eat better, you also have a better mind.
You Are What You Eat
A diet of fast food and prepared chow is basically junk and nutritionally vacant, full of clogging fats, salts, starches, phosphates, dyes, colorings, hydrologized compounds and unpronounceable chemicals, to mention a few. Not only does it lack much nutritive value but it also has a lot of harmful constituents that are bad for your body and overall health. It stands to reason that an intake of this as food is not only bad for the body but cannot feed the brain what it needs to reckon even ordinary stuff out.
My conclusion, completely unscientific and from mere observation, is most people who survive on fast food and junk live their daily lives the same way they consume food, in an inert head that lacks control. Fast and full of junk time, wasting energy on trivial pursuits and not really thinking about what they are doing, how they live their lives and thinking ahead. This is a generalization but it seems to me, that if you don't think about what you are putting in your body, not considering how you eat, it's an indication of a general lack of concern about personal well-being. It's difficult to tell which comes first, a lack of ability to have a strategy and a purpose or the lack of good nutrition that creates a toxic body and dull head that can't think well because it's undernourished.
On the other hand, eating healthy food, basic unadulterated stuff that provides protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients in proportional balance, is good for you. It doesn't have to be organic, vegetarian or vegan, sparse or dull and can be obtained in a regular grocery store for reasonable cost. It requires thoughtful shopping and most prepared freezer, prepackaged box and canned foods should be counted out. A lot of basic good food doesn't require much preparation and can be fixed relatively simply for a wholesome meal or "grazing" during the day. It provides the building blocks for a healthy body and simultaneously nourishes the mind.
Thinking about how you treat your body by considering what you eat with a modicum of exercise, is a sign of having control over your life and how you live it. It's an indication that you plan ahead, consider the consequences of bad choices, deliberate on important decisions and overall think relatively clearly. There's also a high probability that your moods are better or if you have mood problems you are better able to deal with them. My completely unscientific conclusion is that because you eat better, you also have a better mind.
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