New post (15) : BRIC : Must admit South Africa to the club.
As economic weaknesses in both the United Sates and the European Union…continue.
Emerging markets continue to feature prominently in global economic deliberations.
The most prominent partnering of emerging markets as we know is that of : Brazil, Russia, India, and China - BRIC.
South Africa has long been wooing the four BRIC partners to be admitted to this very promising grouping of emerging economies. Rightly so.
((( South Africa has "applied" to join the four-member "BRIC" grouping of fast-growing emerging markets. South Africa is the world's 31st-largest economy, according to World Bank data for 2009 and is less than a quarter the size of the smallest "BRIC" economy, Russia, in the informal grouping that also numbers Brazil, India and China. )))
A BRIC+SA partnering will add strength & stature to the BRIC formation. Besides ……making it more representative.
The world may well have to be re-built “BRIC-by-brick”.
Charlie Brown
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Monday, October 18, 2010
What ever happened to "Gross National Happiness" ???
New post (14) : What ever happened to "Gross National Happiness" ???
The "learned" obsession with GDP (Gross Domestic Product) and growth rates in GDP, whilst containing inflation within reasonable levels---has been the driving vision of economist/s and Governments ...alike.
The "trickle down" economic theorists were convinced and convincing. That prosperity would trickle down to the lowest strata of the pyramid...if only we stayed the course...long enough.
Worse happened. What we now have is that the middle class has all but disappeared. In country after country.
The trickle down "con" artists have done a vanishing act. No book launches. No lecture circuits. No media interviews. No spotlights.
One certainly wonders---Is the time right to evolve planing based on a Gross National Happiness "index" ???
No. No. No. The 2 concepts are NOT correlated.
Charlie Brown
The "learned" obsession with GDP (Gross Domestic Product) and growth rates in GDP, whilst containing inflation within reasonable levels---has been the driving vision of economist/s and Governments ...alike.
The "trickle down" economic theorists were convinced and convincing. That prosperity would trickle down to the lowest strata of the pyramid...if only we stayed the course...long enough.
Worse happened. What we now have is that the middle class has all but disappeared. In country after country.
The trickle down "con" artists have done a vanishing act. No book launches. No lecture circuits. No media interviews. No spotlights.
One certainly wonders---Is the time right to evolve planing based on a Gross National Happiness "index" ???
No. No. No. The 2 concepts are NOT correlated.
Charlie Brown
A prescription for Russia’s foreign capital challenge.
New post (13) : A prescription for Russia’s foreign capital challenge.
I say this as a long standing friend of Russia and its people.
“If you build it right, (then) they will come” !
Highly qualified specialists are ready to come to Russia.
Not just for the big bucks.
Most expatriates who choose to come to Russia are there --- for the love of the country. (Many “intellectually” drawn by an “ideology” that Russia (itself) seems in too much of a haste to abandon).
Additionally, a professional PLUS, for these professionals, where else, in the world, can they achieve such steep growths in/for the business/es they work for.
Besides, taxes are some of the (most sensibly) lowest in the world.
For starters, EASING THE VISA REGIME will be a major positive step forward.
((( And the ill bred relic of the past---the militia need to be trained in better road side manners ))).
Then “hi-Quality” professionals “who matter” and “can make a difference”---will surely come. Once again.
If the professionals feel welcomed they will come …and then THE CAPITAL INFLOW WILL FOLLOW. That’s how it works. (&…not the other way around).
I say this as a long standing friend of Russia and its people.
Charlie Brown
I say this as a long standing friend of Russia and its people.
“If you build it right, (then) they will come” !
Highly qualified specialists are ready to come to Russia.
Not just for the big bucks.
Most expatriates who choose to come to Russia are there --- for the love of the country. (Many “intellectually” drawn by an “ideology” that Russia (itself) seems in too much of a haste to abandon).
Additionally, a professional PLUS, for these professionals, where else, in the world, can they achieve such steep growths in/for the business/es they work for.
Besides, taxes are some of the (most sensibly) lowest in the world.
For starters, EASING THE VISA REGIME will be a major positive step forward.
((( And the ill bred relic of the past---the militia need to be trained in better road side manners ))).
Then “hi-Quality” professionals “who matter” and “can make a difference”---will surely come. Once again.
If the professionals feel welcomed they will come …and then THE CAPITAL INFLOW WILL FOLLOW. That’s how it works. (&…not the other way around).
I say this as a long standing friend of Russia and its people.
Charlie Brown
The 4 principal phases in life.
New post (12) : The 4 principal phases in life.
Life = doing. (Karma !)
A seeking of INTENSITY in what (ever) you choose to do.
"Shiddat", (total-)immersion, ........(the drenched-in the-WATER phase)
A broadening of the SCOPE of what you have chosen to do.
Is there a larger canvas to all of this.........(the expansive AIR phase)
A search for MEANING in what you do.
What's the larger purpose of all of this.......(the burning all consuming FIRE phase)
A proactive & timely DIS-ENGAGEMENT from what you do.
Calm, dis-passion.......ACCEPTANCE........(the humbling EARTH or soil-2-soil / dust-2-dust phase)
Charlie Brown
Life = doing. (Karma !)
A seeking of INTENSITY in what (ever) you choose to do.
"Shiddat", (total-)immersion, ........(the drenched-in the-WATER phase)
A broadening of the SCOPE of what you have chosen to do.
Is there a larger canvas to all of this.........(the expansive AIR phase)
A search for MEANING in what you do.
What's the larger purpose of all of this.......(the burning all consuming FIRE phase)
A proactive & timely DIS-ENGAGEMENT from what you do.
Calm, dis-passion.......ACCEPTANCE........(the humbling EARTH or soil-2-soil / dust-2-dust phase)
Charlie Brown
Why do we have so many places of worship !!!
New post (11) : Why do we have so many places of worship ?
A question worth pondering.
((( Especially so when more schools and hospitals is what might serve us better ))).
A related question: What does or might GOD look like ?
Combine the 2 thoughts...(seemingly unrelated)...
The reason we have so many places of worship is that...
"Man has lost the ability to recognize GOD ...even if he came home and knocked at the door". WE would not know it.
We have far too may places of worship. Born out of the fallacy that---"my GOD is superior to your GOD".
We are in a race to build these place of worship. Competing to do so.
Evoking Godliness in man---is GOD's very purpose.
Failing which all places of worship, of all faiths, are pointless and are failing humankind.
Charlie Brown
A question worth pondering.
((( Especially so when more schools and hospitals is what might serve us better ))).
A related question: What does or might GOD look like ?
Combine the 2 thoughts...(seemingly unrelated)...
The reason we have so many places of worship is that...
"Man has lost the ability to recognize GOD ...even if he came home and knocked at the door". WE would not know it.
We have far too may places of worship. Born out of the fallacy that---"my GOD is superior to your GOD".
We are in a race to build these place of worship. Competing to do so.
Evoking Godliness in man---is GOD's very purpose.
Failing which all places of worship, of all faiths, are pointless and are failing humankind.
Charlie Brown
A return to the gold value system ???
New post (10) : A return to the gold value system !!!
The US bankers are resorting to every effort to make money out of thin air.
They are blamed for manipulating interest rates so they would pocket the highest amount of money from the market.
Reports indicate that more than 70 percent of the US wealth is in control of merely one percent of that society.
It is interesting that people are (still) so upbeat about the system that they do not believe such schemes are ...ongoing.
Filthy politics has also a key role in deteriorating economy. They refuse to revalue their currency in order to wage wars and keep their economy up, at least in appearance.
The best solution is ---said to be--- a return to the gold value system.
Charlie Brown
The US bankers are resorting to every effort to make money out of thin air.
They are blamed for manipulating interest rates so they would pocket the highest amount of money from the market.
Reports indicate that more than 70 percent of the US wealth is in control of merely one percent of that society.
It is interesting that people are (still) so upbeat about the system that they do not believe such schemes are ...ongoing.
Filthy politics has also a key role in deteriorating economy. They refuse to revalue their currency in order to wage wars and keep their economy up, at least in appearance.
The best solution is ---said to be--- a return to the gold value system.
Charlie Brown
Friday, October 15, 2010
United States of America : United for what ?
New post (9) : United States of America : United for what ?
Begs the question. What are they united for or united against. Unity is good and laudable. But for what larger purpose and wider good ?
The economy is war dependent.
Routinely stoking conflict and unilaterally striking militarily at will without wider peer mandate.
One must however make a clear distinction between the hard working common people of the country and the governing “establishment”.
Try explaining that (however) to the folks in the war zones who live and die through curtailed liberties and drone attacks.
Only the American people can stop the American war machine.
By returning politics to the politicians and de-linking politics from the interests of --- Big business.
Charlie Brown
Begs the question. What are they united for or united against. Unity is good and laudable. But for what larger purpose and wider good ?
The economy is war dependent.
Routinely stoking conflict and unilaterally striking militarily at will without wider peer mandate.
One must however make a clear distinction between the hard working common people of the country and the governing “establishment”.
Try explaining that (however) to the folks in the war zones who live and die through curtailed liberties and drone attacks.
Only the American people can stop the American war machine.
By returning politics to the politicians and de-linking politics from the interests of --- Big business.
Charlie Brown
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