More Liquidity

I was surfing for something funny and I found myself on The Atlantic Magazine's website searching 'cartoons' and I thought this was worthy of a reference posting.

There are so many financial terms that are used to obfuscate the state of an investment, business transaction, true worth, etc. Liquidity is one of those words as, quite often, liquidity comes with a price (i.e., a fee). This time the price is actually fuel to a fire storm.

Enjoy ... I hope it gets a chuckle at least.

Off-topic ... Tara and Bella's friendship

I received this video on FB from my childhood friend. It really speaks mountains about the character of animals. I can say no more ... but, "you have to watch this short video."

Tara and Bella :)

Buy Handmade -- Great Idea!

Now this is exactly what I was talking about in a previous post ... build locally with local resources and you really are rebuilding the economy!

I found this site http://www.buyhandmade.org ...

... while visiting this blog http://jenvecc.blogspot.com/?expref=next-blog

Good work by both and I hope it is inspiration for others to follow a similar path.

Massive oil shortages by 2015?

US military warns oil output may dip causing massive shortages by 2015

• Shortfall could reach 10m barrels a day, report says
• Cost of crude oil is predicted to top $100 a barrel

Not to be an alarmist, but this news item has raised a few eyelids from a drowsy nap.

The US has to adopt new policies and lifestyles to reduce oil consumption. My suggestion is to take advantage of all the dark bandwidth, light-it-up and go to a four day work schedule. The business can still be 7x24, but the employees would work overlapping shifts on-site and one day remote. This reduces 1:5 of commute energy. For example, a manager would allow half of ones employees to work Monday to Thursday and the other half Tuesday to Friday. You can imagine rotating the schedule.

Schools are considering this across the nation and health services have always operated in this long-shift approach with longer recovery gaps. There are potentially some very real upside consequences.

First, if this can be coordinated with the whole family, there could be increased family contact ... some employees could put their forty hours in during the four days and have more restful recovery time ... happier, less-stressed (therefore) healthier, more productive workforce ... higher employment by hiring one new employee for every five currently ...

Obviously, there are some jobs where that does not work -- oh well, not everything is a 100% solution, but if we achieve 60% that would be a measurable success.

Personally, I work better with more front-loaded, overtime working and thrive on three-day weekends. The technology is here to support a secure, supervised, remote workforce. Does anyone know the origin of a 5-day on 2-day off schedule? Maybe for historic reasons it made sense, but now, is the time to change.

This is only one idea ... what is your idea? More ideas are needed. Comment and leave your mark.

Understanding Supply Side Capitalism

This reading is a bit daunting, but it is worth reading. This was authored by a former colleague, Jack Menendez, who put this commentary out on the web and it has received at least one significant re-post.

Jack is a very pragmatic individual with a love of outdoors and healthy life styles for both body and soul. So when Jack comments on something like economics, he is likely concerned with the impact it can have on individual's lives and lifestyles. Enjoy life as Jack does by fighting back social injustice.

Good work Jack! I salute you and your efforts to share your experience and knowledge.

The latests trend for startup business

Here is a good industry strategy to participate in ... you don't have to be the technologist or the business manager; you can also be part of the infrastructure. Recall that companies like Delco and Goodyear were successful because of Ford and Chevrolet without being an auto manufacturer.

Tablet computing. Smart phones. Real-time conversations. The geo-stream. The evolution of advertising. Rich media platforms. Software in the cloud. And social media. All of these things are connected, and are converging in different ways.

I also read a report (from Jan 2009, but still relevant) about the success of making money with "Free" applications. This makes sense to me ... join me as I embark on a free mobile application for iPhone and Android.

Just How Much Money Can Free iPhone Apps Make? Quite A Bit

... applications that crack the top 100 in the Free Apps list make $400-$5000 a day – a wide range to be sure ...

Two jobs are better than one

Back when I was a young child, my dad might work a second job to try to get ahead of his bills. It was a hard choice, but at least there was an opportunity to do so when necessary - a buffer zone. My mom put her career on hold to be at home with the kids, but she might work an occasional night shift. Today, it is expected that the family will be funded by dual-income. However, there are consequences to having both parents work. First off, the buffer zone is gone. What do you do when a child has to stay home from school? Also, society (not just the markets) raise prices knowing that the cost of the product or service can be afforded. It sounds absurd, but it is true and is reflected in the supply and demand of capitalism.

Our family has a stay-at-home mom and as such we are struggling to pay the bills. There aren't many 'extra jobs' out there with so many unemployed and there is fear of losing ones primary job.

Arguably, I have two jobs -- at night, I am trying to start a business to increase my income. Since I don't have any product in the market, it does not generate any income. My 'day job' has demanded "voluntary overtime" of the salaried employees and I am afraid that if I do not participate in the overtime, that I will lose my job. This means longer hours, no more income and less time to generate more income in the long run.

The point of my sharing is that I have some questions ... is this just an anecdotal situation or is this the social economic experience of everyone at large? Is it the definition of middle-class? How do we make a change and turn this around? I have some ideas ... but let me hear yours first.