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When More Is Less

By Joel Bowman
More isn’t always better. Sometimes, in fact, more yields less…less of what you want, that is.The end of “more is better” is a theme we’ve been exploring, in various ways, in these pages for a while now. More Mendozan Malbec, for example, yields a decidedly less productive morning after (though it sure tastes good at the time). Similarly, more energy input doesn’t always yield more output. Corn-based ethanol — with a net negative ERoEI (energy returned on energy invested) — comes to mind. And where politics meets economics, more is almost always so much less it’s a complete disaster. More intervention. More regulation. More scheming, fixing and, now, twisting…and always the market poorer for it.Here’s a paragraph that caught our eye earlier this week, one that makes the point with regards to Fed-sponsored fixing and twisting:“During the 1980s,” observed Mr. Frederick Sheehan, “the change (rise) in non-financial domestic debt divided by the change (rise) in nominal Gross Domestic Product was 2.2. That is, for every $2.20 borrowed, the United States produced $1.00 of additional goods and services (nominal). In the 1990s, debt was less efficient. The US borrowed $2.70 for every $1.00 of growth. More recently, between 2001 and 2008, this ratio soared all the way to $4.20 for every $1.00 of growth.

“In other words,” continued Mr. Sheehan, “every incremental unit of credit has been less and less productive.”

What, exactly, does this mean in the context of the Fed’s latest “more” program?

An Absolute Zero –

 
Travel  –  summer travel
A Classroom Without Walls
by Alexander Green
Charlottesville, Virginia A trip – even if it’s only to the local fair or the town next door – is a far better gift. For kids, every outing is an adventure. Why not spend your time and money collecting memories instead of more stuff?Not all travel is a success. With expectations high, things can go awry, especially in a foreign land. But even the occasional bad incident makes a good story. (And, perversely, the worst trips make the best ones.)Most of my travel abroad, however, has not only been great fun but the best part of my education. This idea was once widely accepted.In his Essay Concerning Human Understanding, John Locke argued that we absorb knowledge from our immediate environment. If you spend too much time in one place, you can “use up” its educational value. In order to grow, you must change locales.

In Victorian England, for example, travel abroad was more than just a mark of privilege. A “change of scenery” was a mandatory part of an upper-class education. The Grand Tour was the capstone of scholarship.

It was a rite of passage that marked a superior understanding of the world. Young aristocratic gentlemen (and later young ladies) set out from the white cliffs of Dover for the Continent with their personal tutors in tow to gain knowledge from the worlds of classical antiquity and the Renaissance, to understand the cultures and ideas that underpin Western Civilization.

Of course, the urge to travel – to open our minds and move beyond the familiar – is as old as mankind itself. It drove our ancestors out of Africa and around the globe. It motivated the ancient Romans to visit Verona’s amphitheater and Athens’ Acropolis. Philo of Byzantium was already listing his Seven Wonders of the Ancient World in the third century B.C. The spirit of adventure, the quest for understanding, and, of course, the dream of great riches pulled Marco Polo to the East and men like Columbus and de Soto to the West.

Travel broadens the mind, increases tolerance, and connects you with your fellow human beings. The more we understand others, the better we understand ourselves.

There are good people and unusual sights everywhere you go. Venture widely enough and you’ll enjoy exotic foods, extraordinary architecture, and jaw-dropping landscapes.

Exploring the world is like attending a classroom without walls. It enriches and changes you. The only requirements are patience, curiosity and a bit of money. (A traveler’s tip: Pack half the clothes you think you’ll need and twice the cash.)

Travel abroad fills in the gaps in our knowledge, dispels our preconceptions and offers endless surprises. Those who forego the opportunity truly don’t know what they’re missing.

It’s sad to go through life thinking foreigners are just strangers who dress oddly, eat bizarre foods, speak in incomprehensible tongues and drive on the wrong side of the road. As Mark Twain observed, “travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness.” A voyage abroad teaches acceptance and humility. When you travel, you are the stranger. You are the foreigner.

Your kids and grandkids should discover this too, beginning with travel closer to home. Years ago, I became mildly nauseated by all the toys and games my son and daughter were receiving on their birthdays and at Christmas.

A trip – even if it’s only to the local fair or the town next door – is a far better gift. For kids, every outing is an adventure. Why not spend your time and money collecting memories instead of more stuff?

It doesn’t need to be some place exotic, especially when they’re young. Just make for the horizon and see what’s out there. Traveling without knowing where you are going, without having any particular destination in mind, is one of life’s great pleasures.

Of course, there are plenty of resources to get your mind working on places you’ve never considered. One of my favorites is Journeys of a Lifetime: 500 of the World’s Greatest Trips, a lavish volume put together by National Geographic.

Another handy guide is the bestseller 1,000 Places to See Before You Die by Patricia Schultz. It’s is a fine way to investigate destinations both on and off the beaten track. I’ve gotten in the habit of taking it with me on business trips to make sure I don’t miss the local sights and events. (If you’re on a tight budget – or unable to travel overseas – there’s even a version dedicated solely to the U.S. and Canada.)

In short, travel broadens our perspective and sharpens our view of the world. Rather than imagining how things may be, we see them as they truly are.

Your mind becomes more tolerant, your heart more magnanimous, your opinions better informed. And once your perspective is enlarged, it never shrinks back to its original state.

Some people make a pledge to visit all 50 states, or all seven continents, or fulfill some other checklist. And that’s fine.

But your ultimate goal is not a place, but a new way of seeing things.

Carpe Diem……………………………………..

 
We Need More ‘Free Range Children’

Help your kids spend a more leisurely youth this Slow Sunday

By Matt McDermott | Wed Jul 21, 2010 12:55

The latest installment in Resurgence Magazine‘sSlow Sunday program focuses on ensuring our children have a more leisurely youth and not one where they are just frantically rushed from event to event, because that’s the pace their parent’s have chosen for themselves.

Increasing expectations for youngsters to achieve more at school, be the best at popular sports and hobbies or fit the latest media-moulded fashions can leave no space for expression of their true identity. So, this Slow Sunday take time to purposefully clear a path, rather than forge a route for their life.

Not having children myself, and not growing up in this sort of environment I have to say I find it all foreign to me. Growing up in the country, my youth was spent more climbing to the tops of trees than trying to climb to the top of any kiddy social ladder. This stayed with me through my teen years and into my 20s, as I admittedly took a leisurely and winding route through that part of life. But I (fittingly) digress…

Recommendations from Resurgence to help your kids slow down include:

Spreading it out rather than cramming it in — “Ask yourself whether they need to do so many out of school activities, family visits, trips to the shops, or sightseeing trips at weekends. Giving youngsters time to set their own agenda allows them to express their own interests.”

Letting them go wild — Perhaps the hardest, considering our safety obsessed culture (be careful, make sure to wear your helmet, don’t play too roughly, etc). But nevertheless kids need time outdoors and room to take risks during play. Allow your kids to become ‘Free Range Children’. I know it did me a world of good.

Resurgence cites the disturbing stat that today only 10% of 7-11 year olds in England spend time in natural settings, compared to over 40% of their parents’ generation.

Slow yourself down — Since kids do such a good job in picking up the habits of those adults around them, slow yourself down to set a good example. “If brought up surrounded by family, teachers or other adult role models that constantly dash around frantically, it can give the impression that the grown-up world is a world of stress and anxiety with never enough time to keep ahead of the game. Instead, make sure that children know that work can be enjoyable and satisfying and possibly even easy!”

From preformed to preferred — The final recommendation in helping ensure a more leisurely youth is making sure your kids have time away from “off-the-shelf, ready-made electronic entertainment”, instead encouraging them to spend time in more homemade entertainment like music, songs, and story-telling. This one may be the most uphill slog of the bunch, but encouraging at least some time when the fun is self-generated and not pre-packaged and presented has decided benefits.

Want more info on slow parenting? Read more: Sun 25 July 2010 – Leisurely Youth

 

 

July, 2010

My Life Was Full

By Sol Birulin

Have you ever looked up to see the azure skies?

And touched its blue, warm, heavenly color with your eyes?

Have you ever looked up to see the sun aglow,

in brilliant brightness – a masterpiece of a show?

Have you breathed in deep fresh air we breath,

and calmly said, with your eyes shut,” I loved it so”?

Have you ever looked at the moon at night,

and felt romanticism, and loved its yellow-colored hallo?

I have!

Have you let the breezes blow into your face,

and touched the grass, the flowers, the trees,

the cold, soft, fluffy snow flakes or waters of the rain,

and climbed the mountains and the hills?

Or, touched our gifts of nature in their natural habitat,

and ran, ran wild, bewildered by the colorful show?

Have you ever seen stars shimmering in the dark of night

and sighed with relief in gaiety and delight?

I have!

Is it not time to say,”I have been blessed!  I’ve been alive!

I lived a good life. I was alive, ALIVE!

I lived! I saw! I felt! I touched the world of LIFE itself!

My life was full! Full in ecstacy, happiness and joy!”

So many of us miss the boat. We rush around from post to post,

Blinders blinding us from seeing, hearing, touching life.

We think we smell the air, hear birds, see everything,

But, do we really enjoy G-d’s treasured fruits?

I have!

—————————————————————————————————————————-

State of Affairs  – reflection 2010

The Process –

Democracy countdown..
 
How Long Do We Have?
 
About the time our original thirteen states adopted their new constitution in 1787, Alexander Tyler,   a Scottish history professor at the  University of Edinburgh ,
had this to say about the fall of the Athenian Republic some 2,000 years earlier:
 
‘A democracy is always temporary in nature;
it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government.’
‘A democracy will continue to exist up until the time
that voters discover they can vote themselves
generous gifts from the public treasury.’
‘ From that moment on, the majority always vote for the candidates
who promise the most benefits from the public treasury,
with the result that every democracy will finally collapse
due to loose fiscal policy,
which is always followed by a dictatorship.’
‘The average age of the world’s greatest civilizations
from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years.
‘During those 200 years, those nations always progressed
through the following sequence:
1.
from bondage to spiritual faith;
2.
from spiritual faith to great courage;
3.
from courage to liberty;
4.
from liberty to abundance;
5.
from abundance to complacency;
6.
from complacency to apathy;
7.
from apathy to dependence;
8.
from dependence back into bondage’

——————————————————————————————————————

May 1, 2010

Global Sustaining Equity Management, LLC

presents

2010 Folio

emerging economic opportunities

Live WiselyTM

economic system that accentuates stewardship

Our Glōbo

  • In light of the worldwide economic paradigm adjustments that are developing rapidly in business relationships and practices; a circular, self sustaining and equitable business system is a wise and profitable model to pursue.
  • The U.S. has been leading the world in consumption, and its lifestyle standard is still the role model for many, however, the economic reality is fast repositioning the dynamics of growth and prosperity for the benefits of those who live wisely.
  • To Live Wisely is to renovate and innovate the practices in stewardship of resources and utilization. The thrust is to spearhead and harvest the fruits through renewable base material and fresh design of products that can satisfy the genuine demands of the mass and the affluent alike.
  • Globalization of the “one size fits all” model has proven to be illusive. An economic system that empowers local growth through cross border cooperation with a platform that maintains diversity and reconciles differences, is the future of business.
  • Our Glōbo was launched by Global Sustaining Equity Management, LLC (GSEM) to capitalize on the concept of “Live Wisely” and currently maintains key investment in the growing market for the toddlers, our future generation. The introduction of the ECO ~ Go Jackets to the U.S. market has been well received, and momentum for expansion to the next phase of development is assured.
  • GSEM is committed to and has invested in the stewardship theme, which is the future of our world’s economy. Key ingredients include: renewable resources, optimal labor utilization, local facilities, functional designs, distinct diversity, as well as close interactions with end users through the harnessing of the communication technology, just to name a few.
  • On the launching pad of Our Glōbo are the full lines of the ECO ~ GO brand multifunctional gear for toddlers, the offering of the full spectrum of Live Wisely theme products to include the adult and corporate markets, and the commencement of the Live Wisely Cycle material system with locally empowered cutting edge technology.

Live WiselyTM Coalition

Positioning for Tomorrow

Collaborative Model:

In light of the current economic development, Global Sustaining Equity Management, LLC (GSEM) plans to assemble a business system that would allow maximum collaboration of economic stakeholders that center on reutilization of resources and smart lifestyle.

New Business Direction:

Global Sustaining Equity Management, LLC intends to procure and create lines of basic fabric materials that can be reprocessed in endless cycles. This business builds upon the experience of GSEM‘s Our GloboTM apparel venture, which utilized recycled polyester. This new business will feature the Live Wisely brand with the inaugural fabric being recyclable polyester. After the successful launch of this recyclable polyester enterprise, other market-driven applications will be developed. Recycling the polyester apparel brings the supply chain full circle. Furthermore, the increased consumer participation in the supply chain builds brand commitment and environmental stewardship.

The Facets of Live WiselyTM

(1) Live WiselyTM Products

  • Market demand-driven, niche consumer goods with a regional approach
  • Differentiated characteristics (e.g., multifunctional, technological balance)
  • Resource stewardship features

(2) Live WiselyTM Cycle

  • Enormous potential for recyclable and regeneration of base polyester material
  • Superior, inclusive technology vis-à-vis Teijin/Eco Circle
  • Significant progress in technology development through business/academic pact

~ IBM/Stanford Univ.

~ GSEM/Georgia Tech.

(3) Live WiselyTM System

  • Diversified income streams
  • Global business alliances
  • Integrated supply chain
  • Fluid response to global economic changes