immigrant inventors

What will happen when Indian and Chinese immigrants decide to stay home and stop inventing for America?

Perhaps corporations will still be fine...they will have to separate themselves from America so as to not we weighed down by American politics.

human desire

I heard of this site, What a Way to Go, through Ran. Which hits on the conflict between our basic human desire to survive, which has been based on consumption and desire, and that desire destroying us. As individuals through obesity and over financial debt and as a society through socieital excess, enter the ARMs run amok. I haven't had time to see it or review it thoroughly, but I plan too... Check it out...

A Busted Best Man

I am 'co' best man (full disclosure...if you read the wikipedia link...i did zero of the duties so far...is that bad?) tonight for a wedding.

So I am going to give a toast that highlights three funny stories of my friends life up to the time when the other co best man entered the picture, at which point I will pass the 'mic' and he can continue with the saga.

The three funny stories are going to highlight three values i admire in the guy...intelligence....ability to entertain and put on a show...stand up for what you believe, even when it seems crazy...

how do you feel about weddings? does the modern wedding reflect values you have or are you just jumping through hoops prearranged by somebody else?

Sometimes it's hard to go with your values and still keep friends and a network of people. That I think is one of the challenges presented to all of us...hold onto your values...not get too bent out of shape trying to conform to others values, but still keep and grow your friendships and relations with others...

undefined values

Do you know what your values are? What exactly are values?

Are they what is important to you as a person? How do you determine them and where do they come from?

I have wondered about this for a long time. I grew up in the suburbs of Florida, where the values are different from what I value...how does that happen?

You would think my values would stem from where i grew up. Not so. I was always conflicted with the value system in suburban florida...

then I went to Malaysia with a science program as an undergrad and that solidified my differing world view and value system. I found a perspective that I connected with. A perspective that was greater than the suburban view of the world.

I am not exactly sure how to define what Florida suburban values are... I can't put my finger on it...

It's definitely not money per say, because everybody, everywhere values money...it's not that...it's something else...

It's not home prices, because those are talked about in San Francisco too...

I once heard that people from the East and West Coasts had more differences in common than Americans and Non-Americans...i wonder if that's what I'm detecting...

One thing for sure...A love of good pizza is one East vs. West value i'm not going to redefine any time soon...

ground zero

i'm in tampa florida for a wedding for a friend for high school....and I have family here...and this is where the real estate market correction is experiencing some of its greatest pains...

looking around at ground zero, there are a lot of 'for sale' signs...other wise people seem healthy and there is no large exodus of refugess. they seem okay. that's the big picture...I am waiting to hear more one on one stories...

outsourcing chinese manufacturing

Parents want to be able to buy, 'NOT made in china' toys and i think this is a start of a return to local manufacturing...local manufacturing movement will increase overtime especially when carbon credits and the cost of moving those good across the globe catch up with production costs...

Some indian call center companies are offering an option to have call centers based in low cost centers in the us. it cost a bit more, but you get 'that cultural connection' with the caller...

inside boys

We may yet avert disaster. It seems warren buffet was given 'an inside word' that a rate cut could be expected. Minutes ago a cut to the discount rate, or the rate banks get charged by the central bank to get money, was cut by 50 basis points...that's a half of a percent to me and you...that dramatically turned around stocks in europe and what wall st is going to open at. the reaction is akin to giving candy to a child...the child get wound up with energy and enthusiasm...or promising a fix to an addict...

how can changing one number affect so much money? can something so manipulated survive in the long run? or does the manipulation ensure it's survival?

rest easy folks, it seems the perfect storm just petered out...

The thing that confuses me...if the fed can't increase rates now...if we are so dependent upon low interest rates to finance our debt...how does the fed have any control? It seems they will never be able to increase interest rates again...

how long can that last?

not making sense...

this is scary...from cnbc.com:
"No one thing explains such dislocations, except that there is a flight to liquidity and a lot of things that used to make sense, don't make sense anymore."

weather report....

things are looking sketchy for...well...everything...real estate...stocks...currencies...i'm getting concerned about things...very concerned...it seems a perfect economic storm is coming ashore...i hope i'm like most weather men...

DT on the economy

Many people are crying "Uncle Bernanke" to cut rates....James Cramer...Donald Trump...

What is their motivation? the good of the American home buyer? Or their own greed...

Listen to Mr. Trump, the 'deal junkie'...you decide...I think these guys identities and purpose are tied up with cheap and free money. High rates are the equivalent of taking the 'junkies' fix away.

We've gotten used to and gotten addicted to easy money.

I don't think Mr. Bernanke should cut rates, and he knows this, but he may crumble to popular opinion and cut...and run...

a listed nation

We, dear Americans, are a nation of lists. Ever notice how everybody has a 'To Do:' list?

"okay, I gotta become a better climber by practicing on the 5.9 climbs..."

"okay, I gotta go do this....do that...and then make another list..."

I don't think other nations are as obsessed with productivity as we are. Where does this come from? the top? or do we send it up?

one this for sure...I gotta write more blog posts...if only i had more time and more space on my damn, stupid-ever-growing list...

PS I added a new book to the book list...

An idea crazy enough to work...

Have you heard the expression, “That idea is crazy enough it might just work?”

Well an idea that isn't all that crazy is working in: Paris, Barcelona, Stockholm, Oslo, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Lyon and Pamplona. The 'not-so-crazy' idea is Bike Sharing.

The concept is simple and summed up by “The New York Bike Share Project”:

“Imagine walking to a sidewalk corner and finding a public bicycle. With a cellphone call or swipe of a card, you unlock it from its bike rack and ride it across town. Once at your destination, you steer to the closest bike rack and, with one more call or card swipe, return the bike to the public network. You pay less than $.50 for the trip, and the bike is once again available for the taking.”

The NY version of the concept was inspired from a trip to Paris by David Haskell, executive director of the Forum for Urban Design. The Forum is an organization of architects and planners that is testing the Bike-Share concept in New York.

Indeed the timing for the project may be fortuitous, since New York City's mayor, Mr. Bloomberg, London's inspired congestion-tax for a less car-crazed Manhattan recently ground to a halt. So the New Yorker City business-minded billionaire boss may want too look to his fellow New Yorkers, and the Parisians, for ideas. The progressive French city launched an ambitious 10,000 bike strong program enabling people to get out of their cars and start sharing bikes.

Next time you are in Paris, be sure to take a tour starting at one of the 750 “docking stations” scattered throughout the city every 1000 feet. All you will need is your credit card, enough room on the card for a modest fee and where to pick up your next croissant. Since the stations are conveniently located....well...everywhere, including popular tourist destinations, locating a return station next to that favorite cafe will be no trouble at all.

The program is slated by Parisian City Hall officials to generate €30 million for the municipality, as identified by International Tribune writer, Katrin Bennhold.. The city swapped use of about 1,600 billboards throughout the city for the costs of the program including the docking stations, the bikes and bicycle upkeep.

The Parisian model is just one version of a system for Bicycle Sharing. In Frankfurt you can pay with a cell phone. And in Copenhagen you can just grab a bike and go, no fee.

Many versions are possible. In San Francisco? Who knows. But, once you get people to step outside of a car, anything is possible.

Home Mortgage Applicants

Wamu is now forgoing applications for a mortgage. Their new policy is "Sleep right here!"

But seriously, I am interested in the homeless, how they got to be homeless and how unbelievably close we are all to homelessness, especially with foreclosure rates skyrocketing.

I do not yet know how to get involved in working with homeless people, or what I could even do to help, but I would like to do something...to me it strikes at the core of a society with a lack of community with a lack of priorities...

so right now I will just put up some pictures and thoughts...evaluate what my options to help are and go from there....

doing the right things...doing them right...

I think i got that slogan wrong...

that slogan was for a company i interacted with some years ago...it always annoyed me...

i think it's horrible to try and live life 'the right way'...what is the right way?