Toronto Dollar: President Glen Alan is implementing an alternative currency for Toronto

Via: TorontoDollar.com



I frequent a particular bookstore downtown and while I was in there I overheard a conversation taking place between one particular gentlemen and the store owner; and they were talking about an alternative form of currency (another form of money used outside of the Canadian National Dollar known to us as the Loonie lol and it surely is crazy). This particular man was Toronto Dollar president Glen Alan; shown here in the video above; speaking about how we can make Toronto a more sustainable city; this interview also includes author and monetary theorist Thomas H. Greco (via: Skype) who talks about "reinventing money" and the solution to the current economic situation worldwide. It was an honor to meet such a man who is pioneering a grass-roots movement that can help insulate Torontonians from a potential financial crisis and the dependency it can create.



My thoughts: One of the biggest problems with the current economy is the inherent inequity built into the system. We can all create value, but a privileged few can create money, literally from nothing. They use that privilege to control the monetary system and they take value from those who create it. We are moving out of an industrial age economy and into an information age economy. Yet our information technology carries those same inherent power imbalances. Many believe this is necessary, just as they believe it is necessary for a privileged few to control our monetary system. But what if something very different is possible?

We will not have an equitable nor a healthy economy in an information age, until we have information technology which empowers us equitably -- that is decentralized, peer-to-peer and operates by mutual agreement. I couldn't believe it when I heard that someone was doing just that within my own community/city of Toronto, and that the network has grown to a number of 150 cooperating businesses, all of them using an alternative currency, accepted and recognized as valid by all mutual participants. I was amazed that such a program exists here in Canada and that it was already being popularly implemented.



The Toronto Dollar is a local currency that brings businesses, community groups and individuals together by encouraging people to shop locally and reinvest in their community. 10% of every Toronto Dollar purchased goes directly to support local community groups and causes. The Toronto Dollar has generated over $110,000 which have been distributed in over 40 different grants to community groups and charities since it began in 1998.



“Paper money as such is alright, provided that our authorities are perfect and the kings are of divine intelligence“
- Aristotle

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Busta Rhymes talks music industry economics

Busta:

The desire to want things doesn't stop, whether your broke or whether your caked up.

Swine-Flu Economics: Disease affects economic recovery

Click to Enlarge...


Here is a simple theory most of us can relate to these days: fear of a recession, feeds a recession. Now, let us modify this equation slightly: Fear of a Sars-like outbreak + fear of the current recession = more recession. Darn it, Mother Nature and the ghost of capitalism have teamed up to play a cruel joke; and no one’s laughing.

Fresh fears of a potential swine flu pandemic have put nations across the world on edge. Separate from the human toll, this disease seriously works to cripple any momentum towards economic recovery so desperately needed. On Monday, the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) raised the level of its influenza pandemic alert from phase 3 to Phase 4. Explaining the definition of the phase on its website:

Phase 4: is characterized by verified human-to-human transmission of an animal or human-animal influenza reassortant virus able to cause “community-level outbreaks.” The ability to cause sustained disease outbreaks in a community marks a significant upwards shift in the risk for a pandemic…[this phase] indicates a significant increase in risk of a pandemic but does not necessarily mean that a pandemic is a forgone conclusion.

READ MORE HERE: Via - TORONTO REAL ESTATE TRENDS.COM

The Recession for some people is just a matter of the Mind!

Some people hear the word "recession" and it's not really registering to them because they're really not bound by what the markets say is happening. It might affect them where gas prices are concerned, groceries and daily needs, but for the most part these people consider themselves creative enough. They even genuinely believe that they can stave off any recession or depression with just good business ideas that cater directly to what's more economically in tune with the times we're living in now. This is what I hope to try and do in the coming months ahead. I've been blessed with certain opportunities, nothing I'd wanna get into just yet because their's still some finalizing that needs to happen. But if everything goes through the way I'd like to see it happen...then me and my team of intelligent marketers are going to make history (quite literally).

I'm very certain that the recession is going to get worse...because there's alot of money laundering mess in the Corporate world that hasn't yet been revealed. But I'm confident that the science behind how you make money grow and saving on costs is still an essential mindset to have no matter what the economy is doing. I wish all of you luck out there...and may the smartest survive the curve that's ahead.

Sign of the Times: Ailing company AIG 80% federally owned

American International Group is dying a slow death


For years, the firm (AIG) carved out a reputation as an innovative force envied and emulated on Wall Street. It made billions of dollars in the complex world of financial derivatives. But in 1998, executives approved a break from the firm's cautious past. So far, the government has poured more than $60 billion into the effort of trying to save the company. AIG staffing numbers have fallen to 370 from 450, and the firm plans to close its Tokyo and Hong Kong operations this year. If their are any more downgrades in AIG's credit rating, a slip of that magnitude could trigger a new round of collateral calls from counterparties and sink the parent company (AIG) deeper into debt. In situations like these the employees who remain at the helm are literally working themselves out of a job. As each set of business falls away due to losses, so do the people working on the problems.

Still, employees who stick around are eligible for hundreds of millions of dollars in retention payments -- half next month and the rest in March 2010 -- a practice that has enraged some members of Congress and further stoked public anger. Executives say the payments are justified because few people possess the expertise to handle the mind-bending transactions at AIG.

QUOTE:
"I'm saying that the moral climate within the ruling class in this country is not that different from the moral climate within the ruling class of Hitler's Germany." - David Clennon, star of the CBS series "The Agency"

Who will be the first to drop out of the Euro?

I smell something coming...


The Group of Seven leading industrialized nations, worried that protectionism is on the rise as the recession worsens, promised to do all they can to stop the downturn and avoid erecting new trade barriers. As the G7 gathered in Rome recently, data showed the euro zone economy as a whole and those of its three biggest members -- Germany, France and Italy -- all contracted more sharply than expected in the final quarter of 2008.

German GDP fell 2.1 percent quarter-on-quarter, the worst decline since the country's unification in 1990. Germany's Bundestag, the lower house of parliament, approved a 50 billion euro ($65 billion) stimulus package.

French gross domestic product fell 1.2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008. Economy Minister Christine Lagarde predicted a contraction of more than 1 percent in 2009.

Italy's economy shrank by 1.8 percent in the last three months of 2008, the steepest drop since 1980.

Vibe Magazine decides not to cut jobs...

Via: Advertising Age


Vibe magazine recently announced a restructuring in response to two years of nearly 20% drops in advertised pages. Vibe made all of the right moves to preserve the print publication, including reducing circulation from 800,000 to 600,000. Printing more copies than can be supported by ad dollars, newsstand purchases, and subscriptions would only lead to hemmorhaging money and cutting corners elsewhere. Vibe also deserves kudos for taking creative measures to retain its staff. Rather than simply reducing headcount and crushing morale and productivity in the process, Vibe reduced the work week to four days and lowered salary by 10% - 15%. Staff gets to keep their jobs and Vibe still can produce the same quality content its readers love the magazine for.

Ailing Banks May Require More Aid to Keep Solvent

Via: NY Times


Two smart and meticulous financial analysts - Reggie Middleton and Mish - argue that Wells Fargo is insolvent. In yesterday's update to his June 11, 2008 analysis, Reggie shows that the lion's share of Wells Fargo's assets are in mortgages in the California, Florida and Arizona markets, which are all tanking. Mish, who has also been covering Wells for a long time, wrote on February 2nd that Wells is drowning in loan defaults, and has hidden staggering amounts of toxic losses off of its balance sheets, just like Citigroup: [Despite its claim that it is saving mortgages by reworking their terms,] 30% of Wells Fargo's reworked mortgage loans are 90 days past due or longer, one year after loan modification.

Barack says: "It's only government" that can help you...

I say: do for self...



President Obama's first prime time presidential press conference...

We'll see how this stimulus plan "jolts" the economy, and the only thing I'll be watching for is more "transparency" - how accountable will these banks be for this second wave of money?

U.S. Civilian Unemployment Rate

Past Trend, Present Value & Future Projection


This graph would have you believe that unemployment is at around 8% tops with a forecast indicating that it will be 9% by May. These U.S unemployment numbers are analyzed on a seasonal basis, and yet economists all across the board are yelling LIAR at the top of their lungs, and that's because many of them know that the real unemployment rate is anywhere between 9 and 12 percent atleast. Fortune 500's and companies even smaller are laying off people in the hoards of thousands. Every month it seems, another truck load of wage earners get dumped, left to fend for themselves in a market that isn't hiring as much anymore.

Once a upon a time you'd see this from employers...

"Whether you have worked for a large corporation or a small start-up, have years of experience, or just starting your career, we can provide you with challenging work experiences and an opportunity to be part of an exciting team. We are currently seeking progressive team members with instrument panel experience in the following disciplines...blah blah blah, blah blah blah"

Now you just see this...

"There are currently no career opportunities posted at this time".

The economy needs to generate about 130,000 new jobs per month to keep up with population growth. With well over 100 million jobs in the US economy, the confidence has always been there that America will be just fine, but the tragic trend in job losses month after month has surfaced caution and even despair in the hearts of many.

Don't fall for the lie...

Sony - Music Sales, Gaming Sales suffer

And I was just bigging up the Sony Playstation2 over the old Xbox yesterday, for not needing an additional DVD controller like the Xbox did to operate its DVD feature for movie viewing...lol

Sony posted a whopping 95% decrease in profits last quarter compared to the same quarter last year. Gaming was the biggest disappointment down 97%, but music did its part to contribute to the downward spiral. Even when factoring out the expensive purchase of BMG's half of the former Sony BMG, music profits still declined 41%, driven by a 22% decrease in sales.

Ouch...I guess the layoffs are coming soon.

The Wall Street Journal fires Teri Agins

Pictured here to the far (right) Teri Agins


New York Magazine reports that industry veteran Teri Agins was recently fired from her post as fashion editor for the Wall Street Journal. It seems the Journal was forced to significantly downsize its fashion department due to sluggish ad sales.

Teri Agins has been in the fashion business for over ten years, authored a great book called The End of Fashion, and was one of only a handful of women of color who reported on fashion for major newspapers. The fashion industry like every other industry is in crisis, and judging by the recent firing of Teri Agins it would seem as if no one is safe in this recession. Teri's contemporary's were people like Robin Givhan and Andre Leon Talley.



If your into marketing related literature...

PURCHASE The End of Fashion
How Marketing Changed the Clothing Business Forever

A depression or not a depression?

Resume's on their chest lol


Read a comparative view from a variety of sources on the subject,
HERE is a very well laid out panaramic view of the recession/depression.

Recessions can inspire great entrepreneurial achievement

People think I'm too grim, too negative with the forecasts


So here's a word of encouragement for all the entrepreneurs (and every other working stiff, for that matter) scrapping it out in the latest downturn: Recessions--for all the havoc they wreak--can also sow the seeds of serious fortunes; for the entrepreneurs and financiers with enough foresight, conviction and capital to nab them. I am one such person, defying the meager existence of a 9 to 5 job, and realizing that the only way out of social and economic bondage is for you to take matters into your own hands. I'm always caught reading about the people who are really transforming the landscape of business. Those who think outside of the box are the one's who will endure during the impending fall of the United States dollar.

PREPARE FOR...


Innovate...become different, think differently.

Worldwide Economic Protests and Riots - I guess 2009 isn't joking this year

US Marines in Riot-Gear...hmm I wonder why?


The Credit Crunch and Recession is sparking protests and riots all over the world - from Iceland to China, and I guess you can say I've been waiting for this to happen; because when you think about it, how could it be staved off in the wake of economic melt-down. The mainstream media in the U.S. gives relatively little or no coverage to these events. For example: On January 23, 2009, the Prime Minister of Iceland, Geir Haarde resigned from office following several months of protests over the banking collapse and credit squeeze. You can see more about Iceland's economic fallout HERE Economic related rioting is also increasing in Eastern Europe. In particular, Latvia has seen some extremely violent rioting. Rioting has also been seen in Greece, Bulgaria and Lithuania.




There is a great deal of unrest in China, as the recession in the United States and Europe is drastically reducing demand for factory produced goods made there. In particular, the city of Guangdong, has seen large scale rioting by recently unemployed factory workers who were left desperate and destitute after factory closures. Most economists agree that China requires a minimum of 8% economic growth just to provide enough jobs to keep pace with the huge numbers of new people entering the workforce due to population growth. Recently, the growth rate dipped to 6.8% and projections indicate that it may decline to 5% which indicates severe economic problems and increased social upheaval. What will 2009 look like as the effects of the banking collapse, credit crunch and ensuing recession (or economic depression) propagate throughout communities in the world?

Sometimes I have a feeling...that America is next.

Inflation, Recession, Depression - you'll be hearing alot more about it

1) American Jobless Rate at a 5 year high of 6.1% - if their employment percentage mechanics are anything like those in Canada, this number does not account for the homeless sector now currently in shelters nationwide since those people are on government subsistance and don't fall into the unemployed bracket.

2) The stock decline in recent weeks wiped out 216 trillion in investor wealth.

3) Average American household holds more than $110K in debt including mortgage debt.

4) American consumers collectively owe 2.5 trillion on credit cards & loans.

5) American debt is up 150% since the year 1994

And on and on and on...

What's really puzzling is the American Government is not advising on a national level that people should start saving their money to pay back debt...instead their encouraging people to borrow and spend even more, and while in theory consumerism does stimulate the economy, it cannot stimulate the economy when the government has to go back to their printing press to create money it doesnt really have.

WATCH THE DISCUSSION...with Europac's President


A New Global Financial Order with Europe's help at Camp David


Obama sells the idea of a "Global Citizenship" for our security of course lol