Woman From Liberia...
Live TV 1965 Shindig
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJJ-mNSRfww&feature=related
3/25/11
Thinking Out Loud
There is no going back in time...
Life is not going back in America to the way it was pre-2007 no matter how much the Federal Government, The Federal Reserve and US Treasury, Congress and their lackeys on Wall Street and friends along the Boston to DC corridor pretend nothing has changed. The financial world has it backwards, their ego is not allowing them to recognize a very clear simple fact, that can easily be figured out by watching the Stock Market and their flunkies at the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and on CNBC. The Federal Government, the Fed, Treasury and FDIC are propping them up and Wall Street financiers and bankers are castrated servants.
The actual working real private sector and American people know this. It is only a matter of time before the facade crumbles and the Northeastern so-called elites Masquerade Ball will be over. The show will go on for the rest of the country but without them. How and when this will happen is not yet determined but that it will, much sooner than many realize, is just as certain as a Ponzi scheme eventually reveals itself. Politically and socially two seemingly opposing sides are signalling the same message. Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich may differ politically on fundamental responses but both agree on the inappropriate actions of the Federal Reserve and the banking system. The Tea Party coalition and unionists heartily disagree over basic policies, but are in the same league in believing that the current two political parties are engaging in business as usual, being unresponsive to constituent demands.
What will spur the fall? Anything can happen but three things stand out as the source of a breakdown of the system as we know it. Money cannot continue to be printed without having any intrinsic value and the debt crisis of governments all around the world will eventually reach a stalemate exacerbating a currency crisis. The chain of supply for essential parts and goods has been disrupted by the tragedy in Japan and will worsen with the war on Libya. Also, the war on Libya is only the outward manifestation of festering full blown disputes and conflicts in the entire Middle East, that will not be resolved diplomatically or easily and not without further battles.
3/23/11
3/22/11
Geography of the Mind
Seedlings of thought...
In nonconcrete life, one attribute of lasting value we have to offer others is planting seedlings of thought that grow to become thriving shoots. Usually we are unaware that we are doing so. When seedlings mature to cross-pollinate more thought, they become implanted in ways we didn't conceive of in our first abstraction. Whether planted in neatly irrigated rows or willy nilly in the wild, ideas start as ephemeral wisps that advance into concepts to become full blown ideas. Although some ideas do wither and die while others fertilize and grow, the real importance is thinking, journeying through the mind to uncover what has potential for harvesting.
Thoughts and ideas are to be shared, in the raw and fully formed. A good conversation is an exchange that generates growth in us and others. The medium doesn't necessarily matter. Whether it is face-to-face, verbal or in writing, occurs over a long period of time or in a matter of minutes, is usually irrelevant. It might arise in something seemingly obscure as a random exchange or an email on another subject but during that discourse one little line, perhaps only an aside to the originator, may create a small kernel that grows into a full grown vision for the recipient. It's significance is in reciprocation, since what others offer us, tills a rotation of crops of intellect.
Our only true legacy is how we influence others and how we use that capability and in turn how we are influenced by the ideas of others. Most often we're unaware of the sway we have with individuals or groups, we tend to minimize it, since we're looking from the inside out. Our connections do not have to be far and wide, well known or important people. Rather the opposite is true, it's the soil that keeps everyday life and people going. If it were not for exchanges I have with others, who spark ideas in me, life would lack the creativity that keeps it from being boring. They become roads in my head that draw maps to traverse terrain I might not have. They nourish me more than material gifts and my hopeful ambition is to return them.
In nonconcrete life, one attribute of lasting value we have to offer others is planting seedlings of thought that grow to become thriving shoots. Usually we are unaware that we are doing so. When seedlings mature to cross-pollinate more thought, they become implanted in ways we didn't conceive of in our first abstraction. Whether planted in neatly irrigated rows or willy nilly in the wild, ideas start as ephemeral wisps that advance into concepts to become full blown ideas. Although some ideas do wither and die while others fertilize and grow, the real importance is thinking, journeying through the mind to uncover what has potential for harvesting.
Thoughts and ideas are to be shared, in the raw and fully formed. A good conversation is an exchange that generates growth in us and others. The medium doesn't necessarily matter. Whether it is face-to-face, verbal or in writing, occurs over a long period of time or in a matter of minutes, is usually irrelevant. It might arise in something seemingly obscure as a random exchange or an email on another subject but during that discourse one little line, perhaps only an aside to the originator, may create a small kernel that grows into a full grown vision for the recipient. It's significance is in reciprocation, since what others offer us, tills a rotation of crops of intellect.
Our only true legacy is how we influence others and how we use that capability and in turn how we are influenced by the ideas of others. Most often we're unaware of the sway we have with individuals or groups, we tend to minimize it, since we're looking from the inside out. Our connections do not have to be far and wide, well known or important people. Rather the opposite is true, it's the soil that keeps everyday life and people going. If it were not for exchanges I have with others, who spark ideas in me, life would lack the creativity that keeps it from being boring. They become roads in my head that draw maps to traverse terrain I might not have. They nourish me more than material gifts and my hopeful ambition is to return them.
3/21/11
Economic, Social and Geopolitical
The Great Disruption is here for real...
The supply lines of essential goods and services being disrupted calls for building to return vital work to the United States.
The current economic crisis that technically began in 2007 is referred by many as the Great Disruption. The original assumption was underlying the obvious economic problems of real estate, highly leveraged debt coupled with unemployment, that technology and the internet fundamentally changed communications and the channels that business was conducted. It seems that definition of disruption was too limiting, we now have far larger disruptions as examples, although the underlying one facilitated the current disintegrations.
This weekend GM announced that they were suspending all "nonessential" spending and "unnecessary travel" while they assess the impact of the crisis in Japan. In doing that they were telegraphing more than just their company's reaction to what is a world crisis, which is greater than the powerful impact of Japan's earthquakes, tsunami and nuclear problems. It actually signals a very real parts supply problem that this crisis portends. GM is merely the speaker that blasts the sirens for the difficulties other companies face and amplifies the fundamental flaw in the "just in time" supply model lauded by the MBA Business Culture.
It isn't limited to automobile manufacturing, just as importantly it impacts our technology dependent economy in entirety. Much of what we need to keep our internet based technology and telecommunications systems infrastructure going relies on Japanese manufacturing and shipments in one way or another. In a terrible event that is a classic example of the "broken window fallacy," it is very likely it will be a number of years before Japan is fully back up to speed. There is every reason to think the resolute Japanese people will successfully rebuild, but what they have is mostly gone, rebuilding destruction is not a path to building an economy.
We ought to be considering now in the US gearing up our own manufacturing abilities in order to keep what we have going. At least we should be doing that and learning a valuable lesson from outsourcing and offshoring the manufacturing of necessary products. It is an opportunity to build on what we have. At this moment I know of two specific examples of major facilities that have computer server problems they are working around, since the parts they need are not available and can't be shipped from Japan. For the time being they are able to operate with a "jerry-rigged" resolution and manual intervention. That can only last so long and it seems obvious those local examples are not unusual and going to repeat in other situations.
Another weekend event that is just as serious, if not more so since resolution is not imminent, is the bombing of Libya by Britain, France and the US. The Libyan oil fields have been destroyed and the economic disruption, besides the turmoil and human toll, cannot be underestimated. Essentially this action cuts off the main oil supplies to Europe, which in turns put the squeeze on the rest of the world's demand for oil. Not the least of which is Japan, which will need more oil now due to neutered nuclear production of energy.
While that story holds the attention of the front pages, there are still problems in the Arab world that are unsettling and irresolute. The Jasmine Revolution continues. Yemen and Syria are in turmoil and the people of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia are not appeased by the offers of their governments. Additionally Iran has cracked down on "web revolutionaries" and Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq are still open questions. India has problems the western media doesn't seem to want to report on but ultimately their ability to provide services is threatened by social class and business-political quandaries. Who knows what China and Russia will do in this mix?
If there is anything I have learned from studying history, I do not believe it is a stretch to state that the destructive bombing of Libya won't stop the contagion of unrest in the Middle East. There is simple truth in Santayana's oft misquoted "Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it." Alongside that is another simple axiomatic truth, it takes three overlapping generations to relearn the lessons of history. It appears we are not paying much attention to learning the history of long standing troubles throughout time in the Middle East.
Regardless of how the bombing of Libya turns out, by the end of the week it should be clear that vital supply lines of essential goods and commodities have been severely disrupted for a lengthy time. Just as we thought 2010 was a respite and that some underlying fundamentals of the economy were making slow improvements, we now have distinct manifestations of disruption with deep economic impact. That is a call for action; now is the time to build in the US to avert future dependence. Although the elemental foundations of commercial and financial spheres have been rocked further, times of difficulty usually bring out the best ability of Americans to rise above and overcome adversity. Actually, we have a long history of it.
The supply lines of essential goods and services being disrupted calls for building to return vital work to the United States.
The current economic crisis that technically began in 2007 is referred by many as the Great Disruption. The original assumption was underlying the obvious economic problems of real estate, highly leveraged debt coupled with unemployment, that technology and the internet fundamentally changed communications and the channels that business was conducted. It seems that definition of disruption was too limiting, we now have far larger disruptions as examples, although the underlying one facilitated the current disintegrations.
This weekend GM announced that they were suspending all "nonessential" spending and "unnecessary travel" while they assess the impact of the crisis in Japan. In doing that they were telegraphing more than just their company's reaction to what is a world crisis, which is greater than the powerful impact of Japan's earthquakes, tsunami and nuclear problems. It actually signals a very real parts supply problem that this crisis portends. GM is merely the speaker that blasts the sirens for the difficulties other companies face and amplifies the fundamental flaw in the "just in time" supply model lauded by the MBA Business Culture.
It isn't limited to automobile manufacturing, just as importantly it impacts our technology dependent economy in entirety. Much of what we need to keep our internet based technology and telecommunications systems infrastructure going relies on Japanese manufacturing and shipments in one way or another. In a terrible event that is a classic example of the "broken window fallacy," it is very likely it will be a number of years before Japan is fully back up to speed. There is every reason to think the resolute Japanese people will successfully rebuild, but what they have is mostly gone, rebuilding destruction is not a path to building an economy.
We ought to be considering now in the US gearing up our own manufacturing abilities in order to keep what we have going. At least we should be doing that and learning a valuable lesson from outsourcing and offshoring the manufacturing of necessary products. It is an opportunity to build on what we have. At this moment I know of two specific examples of major facilities that have computer server problems they are working around, since the parts they need are not available and can't be shipped from Japan. For the time being they are able to operate with a "jerry-rigged" resolution and manual intervention. That can only last so long and it seems obvious those local examples are not unusual and going to repeat in other situations.
Another weekend event that is just as serious, if not more so since resolution is not imminent, is the bombing of Libya by Britain, France and the US. The Libyan oil fields have been destroyed and the economic disruption, besides the turmoil and human toll, cannot be underestimated. Essentially this action cuts off the main oil supplies to Europe, which in turns put the squeeze on the rest of the world's demand for oil. Not the least of which is Japan, which will need more oil now due to neutered nuclear production of energy.
While that story holds the attention of the front pages, there are still problems in the Arab world that are unsettling and irresolute. The Jasmine Revolution continues. Yemen and Syria are in turmoil and the people of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia are not appeased by the offers of their governments. Additionally Iran has cracked down on "web revolutionaries" and Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq are still open questions. India has problems the western media doesn't seem to want to report on but ultimately their ability to provide services is threatened by social class and business-political quandaries. Who knows what China and Russia will do in this mix?
If there is anything I have learned from studying history, I do not believe it is a stretch to state that the destructive bombing of Libya won't stop the contagion of unrest in the Middle East. There is simple truth in Santayana's oft misquoted "Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it." Alongside that is another simple axiomatic truth, it takes three overlapping generations to relearn the lessons of history. It appears we are not paying much attention to learning the history of long standing troubles throughout time in the Middle East.
Regardless of how the bombing of Libya turns out, by the end of the week it should be clear that vital supply lines of essential goods and commodities have been severely disrupted for a lengthy time. Just as we thought 2010 was a respite and that some underlying fundamentals of the economy were making slow improvements, we now have distinct manifestations of disruption with deep economic impact. That is a call for action; now is the time to build in the US to avert future dependence. Although the elemental foundations of commercial and financial spheres have been rocked further, times of difficulty usually bring out the best ability of Americans to rise above and overcome adversity. Actually, we have a long history of it.
3/19/11
3/18/11
Quality
Give a little extra...
Use building blocks to become a cornerstone at work.
It's called "value added" in the marketing world but in the working world it is being the "valuable additive." What that means is no matter what job you have, do a little extra, more than what is required, grease the wheel to make it stop squeaking without being asked. Even more importantly don't be the squeaky wheel that always needs to be oiled to get you to do the basic job. Do quality work. Be friendly and amiable to everyone, which doesn't mean you have to like them or be overly nice, people see right through that. Sometimes you won't feel like it and have bad days. If you are consistently congenial, then when occasionally grumpy or not having a good day, it is the exception and not the rule. When you make a mistake, own up to it, fix it and learn from it, apologizing goes a long way.
There is nothing wrong with being helpful to your supervisor, if they want it or you see they need someone to lend a hand. Be respectful to them, even if sometimes they don't always return the favor, you might be surprised to find that one day they will in an unexpected way. It's not being a bootlicker but common decency, at the same time don't be an apple-polisher either. It's not hard to be a regular person who offers an element of value without working too hard at it. When you offer something additional to what is required you're becoming a cornerstone of the place where you work. A cornerstone is part of the foundation that makes you vital to the operation of your workplace and difficult to replace in tangible and intangible ways.
The reasons are twofold. The first is it will improve your job satisfaction, no matter how ordinary that job might seem to the larger world, work will be a challenge not a chore. The second is it will also make you more beneficial to your boss and employer in a way they may not quite fully understand until something happens you can resolve. They're likely to realize that you're offering something that others don't and that alone is enough to keep you. If the time should come when choices have to be made regarding who stays and who goes, you will be one of those that stay and the person who does the minimum required, squeaks a lot and when given an inch takes a mile, will be gone.
In this world of high unemployment, companies need people who not only can do the work but also add to that work. There are two skills involved in any type of employment: the skills of doing the actual work itself and more, plus the skills of getting along with other people. In that sense, no matter your line of work, everyone is in customer service.
"No employer ever wants to see an employee with his hands in his pockets." Mike's father.
Mike, who blogs at rock and confusion and video blogs on his YouTube 7anby channel, in this video offers a great perspective on this topic. His thoughts were inspiration for this blog.
Hassle-Free Work
Use building blocks to become a cornerstone at work.
It's called "value added" in the marketing world but in the working world it is being the "valuable additive." What that means is no matter what job you have, do a little extra, more than what is required, grease the wheel to make it stop squeaking without being asked. Even more importantly don't be the squeaky wheel that always needs to be oiled to get you to do the basic job. Do quality work. Be friendly and amiable to everyone, which doesn't mean you have to like them or be overly nice, people see right through that. Sometimes you won't feel like it and have bad days. If you are consistently congenial, then when occasionally grumpy or not having a good day, it is the exception and not the rule. When you make a mistake, own up to it, fix it and learn from it, apologizing goes a long way.
There is nothing wrong with being helpful to your supervisor, if they want it or you see they need someone to lend a hand. Be respectful to them, even if sometimes they don't always return the favor, you might be surprised to find that one day they will in an unexpected way. It's not being a bootlicker but common decency, at the same time don't be an apple-polisher either. It's not hard to be a regular person who offers an element of value without working too hard at it. When you offer something additional to what is required you're becoming a cornerstone of the place where you work. A cornerstone is part of the foundation that makes you vital to the operation of your workplace and difficult to replace in tangible and intangible ways.
The reasons are twofold. The first is it will improve your job satisfaction, no matter how ordinary that job might seem to the larger world, work will be a challenge not a chore. The second is it will also make you more beneficial to your boss and employer in a way they may not quite fully understand until something happens you can resolve. They're likely to realize that you're offering something that others don't and that alone is enough to keep you. If the time should come when choices have to be made regarding who stays and who goes, you will be one of those that stay and the person who does the minimum required, squeaks a lot and when given an inch takes a mile, will be gone.
In this world of high unemployment, companies need people who not only can do the work but also add to that work. There are two skills involved in any type of employment: the skills of doing the actual work itself and more, plus the skills of getting along with other people. In that sense, no matter your line of work, everyone is in customer service.
"No employer ever wants to see an employee with his hands in his pockets." Mike's father.
Mike, who blogs at rock and confusion and video blogs on his YouTube 7anby channel, in this video offers a great perspective on this topic. His thoughts were inspiration for this blog.
Hassle-Free Work
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