Imogen Heap - Hide And Seek

Economic Woes

Oct 25, 10.....I was speaking to a neighbour yesterday. This young couple is in their 20's and they're now going to be moving out of the North East of Calgary to a more desirable neighbourhood in search of better schooling for their gifted child. They bought their place here at the top of the market and have seen a 28 per cent drop in the value of their property. They'll be staying at the in-laws until their new house in their new community is built but they don't want to take the loss on their old place so they'll rent it out. The gentleman of the household has been in his new high paying job in the oil patch for less than a year but the bank has qualified him to take on the new house. This couple is going to be looking at two mortgages in excess of half a million dollars with the prospect of collecting rent from the old place. I suspect that a few underwater mortgagees in Nevada, California, Florida, and the Carolinas would have some advice for this young couple.

So many folks are beholden to their employer because of size of their mortgage. With property valuations on the decline, employers increase their stranglehold on the employee whom lacks any entrerpeneurial capacity to escape the rigors of punching a time clock. Canada is blessed with natural resources but lacks the entrepreneurial resolve to fund large scale projects without foreign help. The Canadian culture has become conservative to the point of stagnation. Certainly a conservative posture by the Canadian banking system has served us well in the context of this financial crisis of 2008. However; the young couple aforementioned is potentially stymied from aspiring independently within the capitalist system when hogtied by the need to service gigantic debt.

I suggest that the creative economic decision making powers of our youth are being compromised by a short sighted compulsion to have now and pay later. The bondage of debt is having the effect of tempering the fluidity of commerce.

The Kondratieff Wave was presented to me by Ian Gordon at a conference a few years back. It's a worthy supplment to my post.

http://kondratieffwinter.com/blog/

Wrestling with Consciousness

I had the occasion to sit in on an informative seminar dealing with the topic of social media and its potential for facilitating the marketing of books and business. Debbie Elicksen did a great job of delivering the material in her down to earth style. While settling into the material, in walks Razor Rick Titan (Rick Bognar) to sit down beside me. Perhaps; if I was a fan of professional wrestling I would have recognized the fellow. While chatting briefly at the end of the session, Rick identified himself as a wrestler and given his polished style as exemplified in the cover of his book I immediately associated the Greco-Roman style of wrestling in which he must of partaken and shared that my brother had wrestled varsity at the University of Saskatchewan. Nope. Wrong. Well, this gentleman stood in the ring of WWE and entertained audiences in North America, Europe and Japan with a colorful career which Rick tempts us with in his dramatic portrayal of this fringe lifestyle in the book "Wrestling with Consciousness."

I was struck by rawness of this book. While exhibiting successes and disappointments during his time as a wrestler, Rick doesn't hold back in drawing inferences to human frailty as we all have come to know during our experiences through life. I was particularly drawn by an episode that describes a time of being in that athletic zone and I sense that Rick's new affinity toward meditation may partly stem from times where he found peace while amidst the theatre of barbarism. Indeed, he had much time for reflection on Japanese tour buses yet experiences were shaped by relationships formed, disbanded and renewed all the while executing a carefully choreographed depiction of violence with the aim of satisfying salivating audiences. Rick concludes his work with an eloquent outline of our society today in the context of someone who has moved radically in consciousness and spirit.

You too can pick up a copy of this riveting book.

Thinking of writing your own book - then talk to Debbie first.

A U.S. Political Vacuum

David Gregory from Meet The Press is really hitting his stride as the program's host. He had Republican leader John Boehner on the air this morning and in my humble opinion, David did another admirable job in highlighting why the American people have lost faith in the ways of Washington and the politicians that are sent there to serve. Gregory asked repeatedly for Boehner to support the Republican party's position for not allowing the expiration of tax cuts to those with incomes over $250,000 in the face of debillitating debt and assertions made by former Chairman of the Fed Greenspan that it's ill advised to finance tax cuts on borrowed money. Boehner's only retort was that raising taxes on those with incomes of over $250,000 would further stymy job growth. Indeed, quite the argumentative leap with respect to a correlation. He wasn't even prepared to cite the theory of trickle down economics while making such a wild assertion. There is a serious credibility gap among law makers and those aspiring to achieve the American dream.....and it puts the country in jeopardy of a much decreased standard of living.

When asked about his position on amending the 14th amendment of the Constitution that would prevent citizenship to babies born in the U.S of parents whom are illegal aliens, Boehner replied that a "conversation" should take place. This guy simply doesn't want to go on the record for a position even if that's what Americans pay him to do. The evasiveness of this guy throughout the interview was colored by opening responses to questions with words like "look" and "listen". This patronizing posture is surely something that the electorate must heed with exception when heading to the mid term polls.

Not a Repulican and not a Democrat - simply someone in awe of stunning intransigence and partisanship at a tipping point time in history.

Deserving To Win

Sure signs that mediocrity awaits if it's a week day and:

• You have taken direction from someone else without proactively creating for yourself
  
• Your day timer is empty
• You've celebrated the success of another without risking a win of your own
• You've neglected to pay a compliment to someone that is close
• You have failed to draw close to someone that you know that you should
• You have judged someone inwardly or outwardly in your efforts to cast down
• You have read nothing but the news in all its negativity
  
• You have used language that is foul believing that it boosts your standing amongst men
• Your beliefs are affixed without temperament for possibility
• You believe that you "can't" and you're right
• You have put off something that you know should be done
  
• In any effort you are afraid of what somebody else will think
• You have barred a spiritual ominpresence
  

Are You a Runner?

If so - I must share tid bits of an article dealing with running technique that I read today from some source that I can't re-locate to cite. I actually just got back from testing out the tips. When I recollect my track class in first year university taught by an old Hungarian guy named Gabor Simonyi, the lesson from then and today seem to equate. In other words, I once knew these things but upon analyzing my technique recently, I have obviously forgotten.

Most folks land on their heel and this is wrong. By landing on our heel we are landing with our center of mass behind the accelerating position. This landing creates stress upwardly in our joints. Instead, land on the center of of your foot keeping your weight forward. Pull your shoulders back creating a flat back. Now you will obviously need to have some hip flexion to get the weight forward. A flat back with hip flexion landing toward the center-front of the foot and pushing off with ease. You will find that this takes less energy. Flex forward at the hips more going up a hill to get the necessary thrust. In time, you may require less hip flexion upon trusting your center of mass to simply fall forward. With practice, you'll develop a kinesthetic (I can use this word as a Physical Education major :)) sense about using gravity to your advantage.

I just got home from using the improved technique for the first time and sense that I ran much more efficiently. It seemed like I glided along with less up and down. Try it!

Freedom Isn't Free

Reasons To Be Concerned:

• Consumer debt is through the roof
• Government debt is now difficult to service. Europe on brink of going off side
• Propensity to avoid risk associated with capital growth
• Arrogance and elitism among international power brokers
• Corruption now considered a way of life in too many developing countries
• Promises to provide crisis relief (Haiti) at risk of default
• Stifling tax burden squelching creators of commerce
• Personal intransigence toward change

What can you do about it? Commit to a purpose and see it through! Seek absolute personal autonomy for you and your family. One person at a time we win through the execution of strong ethics and a zeal for contribution. Your successes will arise from your failures while you give and you give and you give some more.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wi_zErADO8k

Women's French Final Entertains

Woke early, grabbed some breakfast and flipped on TSN. To my delight, the French Open women's final was about to start. McEnroe and Robinson teed up the coverage but Carillo was away at daughter Rachel's high school graduation. Unfortunately for Mary (Carillo) this match had stellar moments that beckoned the kind of vocabulary that only she can deliver. Johnny Mac threw in his best effort with a "discombobulated".

Okay, it was athleticism and power (Samantha Stosur) up against heart and shot selection (Francesca Schiavone). Aptly, Mac mentioned that the game strategy of Schiavone was perfectly selected for this heavy hitting opponent. Smartly, Francesca stepped forward and took the heavy spin serves on the rise throughout the match. At 5'5" it's no fun hitting one handed drives from the shoulder. Hence; she adjusted by taking the ball early. In fact, it was the stellar backhand returns in the second set tie break that sent her to the pinnacle of the podium. Too many times I've witnessed athletes fail to make the necessary adjustments. It can be particularly painfull to watch if the color man has also picked it up. Certainly, coaching gets some credit here.

At 30 and without a sniff of a Grand Slam title, this match had the makings for some drama. None better than the Italian group hug at match's end.

Shock Events

Shock Events & Gold Breakout

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Excerpt from 7 Habits (Covey)

"I remember a mini-paradigm shift I experienced one Sunday morning on a subway in New York. People were sitting quietly - some reading newspapers, some lost in thought, some resting with their eyes closed. It was a calm, peaceful scene.

Then suddenly, a man and his children entered the subway car. The children were so loud and rambunctious that instantly the whole climate changed.

The man sat down next to me and closed his eyes, apparently oblivious to the situation. The children were yelling back and forth, throwing things, even grabbing people's papers. It was very disturbing. And yet, the man sitting next to me did nothing.

It was difficult not to feel irritated. I could not believe that he could be so insensitive as to let his children run wild like that and do nothing about it, taking no responsibility at all. It was easy to see that everyone else on the subway felt irritated, too. So finally, with what I felt was unusual patience and restraint, I turned to him and said "Sir, your children are really disturbing a lot of people. I wonder if you couldn't control them a little more?

The man lifted his gaze as if to come to a consciousness of the situation for the first time and said softly, "Oh, you're right. I guess I should do something about it. We just came from the hospital where their mother died about an hour ago. I don't know what to think, and I guess they don't know how to handle it either.".....Stephen Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

What Folks Won't Do For Money

A dynamic company that I have the privilege of being associated with was established in January of 2001. The founder took some time last week to describe what had happened on the evening of the company's launch when hundreds had gathered to learn of the future plans. Apparently 100 $100 bills were taped to the bottom of 100 chairs. During the proceedings, the host had non-chalantly made mention of this fact by simply slipping in the information along with the scripted message.

Well, the event wound up and all 100 bills were in fact collected. However; the final 16 were collected by two boys 10 and 11 years old who hung around to do a final collection long after most adults had left the building. In glee, the boys approached the speaker afterward and asked if they could keep the money. Of course, replied the speaker. Little did the boys know the difficulty they'd have in explaining their new found riches to their mothers.

An Olympic Ovation

If you feel like you've lived a little harder over these past seventeen days while sharing in the joy, heartache, disappointment and excitement of athletes acrosss the globe then you're not unlike myself. The cynics were out in full force during week one but have undoubtedly been muted by triumphant successes not only by athletes at the venues but in the spirit of patrons on the streets of Vancouver and in the hearts of exuberant specatators and families of athletes. In a world where pundits are primed to pounce at the nearest misstep, purposefully driven athletes accustomed to injury and defeat proved during these Games that the spirit is mightier than rational thought. I'm grateful that we have the capacity to renew our own hopes, dreams and desires through the metaphor of sport and in spite of past incidents I'm relieved that the consumers of Olympic events are open to the ideology and execution of fairly contested international competition.

I was privileged to have lived in Vancouver from 1990 to 1996. The kindred affinity amongst athletes and attendees during the opening and closing ceremonies is reminiscent of a feel for the place that I sometimes experienced while living there. Certainly, my visit to the city during Expo 86 partly motivated a desire to inhabit the centre. Undoubtedly, there will be locals that have drawn comparisons between Expo and the Olympiad.

Elaborate Olympic Opening

One could sense, even from television, the pure joy and kindred spirit illicited by athletes, dignitaries, audience, and artists. The music and dancing was outstanding and it's only after retiring to read reviews that we're reminded that lyp syncing is now standard protocol for vast venues where acoustics are poor. Tragedy brings people together for a renewal of strength as witnessed by the acknowledgment of Nodar's passing. Imperfection in people and their pursuits was in some peculiar way symbolized by a glitch in the cauldron's indoor ignition. Let the games begin and may each athlete be at their best!

Harvard MBA Gets Radical

Mark Shields and David Brooks over at PBS tonight were more than just inquisitive over proceedings down at the White House and Capitol Hill. Brooks claims that the hefty health reform bill is down to a mere 20 per cent chance of passage and he believes that Obama needs to lose the populist image and get back to being the real Ivy League scholar that he is. The banter hosted by Jim Lehrer reminded me of the deep disaffection between political power brokers and mainstream America. The outright disillusioned like Stewart Dougherty who believes that the financial problems now facing the U.S are too great to overcome will unlikely ever be awarded with a PBS appearance - yet must be heard from in the interest of balance. Mr. Stewart, also educated at Harvard, has done an admirable job at breaking down the numbers with a shock and awe approach to opening the eyes of those awake at the wheel. Everywhere I turn when reading analysts of alternative economics, John Williams from shadowstats.com is complimented for his credibility in exposing actual economic data versus government sponsored delirium. Mr. Stewart's work make reference to Williams.

The Stewart Article