My $700 Billion Dollar Blog

Believe You Can Succeed And You Will

kevinpurfield@gmail.com (Kevin Purfield) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 10:55:03 PDT

Believe, really believe you can move mountains, and you can. Not many people believe that they can move mountains. So, as a result, not many people do. But you can move a mountain with belief. You can win success by believing you can succeed.

Learn how successful people approach problems and make decisions. Observe the attitudes of successful people. Belief, strong belief, triggers the mind to figure ways and means and how-to. Believing you can succeed makes other people place confidence in you.

Belief is the thermostat that regulates what we accomplish in life.

8 Tips for Financial Success

kevinpurfield@gmail.com (Kevin Purfield) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 10:20:38 PDT

A solid grounding in fiscal responsibility is basic self-defense. Taking the time to learn and practice saving and budgeting, managing credit — controlling our personal finances rather than vice versa — will pay off in the long term. The following tips
are reminders of how we can control our finances and improve our financial success.

Choose Carefully

1. Every decision has a cost, so be sure to consider your options.
Too often, people make decisions without thinking through the consequences. For example, a consumer buys something they feel they must have using a credit card, but doesn’t consider what it will take to pay off the debt. Or, as has happened often lately, a consumer buys a house without fully understanding the terms of the mortgage loan. When you choose between two things, you automatically give something up. A decision to buy an expensive car is a decision NOT to buy everything else that the money could have purchased. Too often, that only becomes clear when the car payments
are due and many other things have to be sacrificed to make them. Before making that impulse purchase, be sure to think about the cost of your choices.

Invest In Yourself

2. Education and training is your investment in you. Education and training is an important investment in you and your family. Investing wisely in higher education is one of the best financial decisions you can make. More education means higher earnings -- for life. Studies show that more education leads to bigger paychecks. So, the more you learn, the more you earn. Over a forty year career, these additional earnings really add up. Just by staying in school and graduating, workers earn an average of $6,000 more per year, or $240,000 more in their lifetimes. That’s a quarter-million dollars just for finishing high school. Add a two-year Associate Degree and the lifetime earnings jump to $480,000 more than the high school dropout will earn. Think about it - that’s a cool half-million dollars for finishing high school and going to college for just two years. Four-year degree stats?

Plan Your Spending

3. Know the difference between net and gross.
First-time workers often experience shock after receiving their first check. Income taxes, social security, and Medicare are just some of the deductions to which most workers contribute. When joining the work force, make sure to develop a spending plan
that takes into account the fact that approximately one-third of your earnings will be deducted from your paycheck.

Save, Save More, and Keep Saving

4. Practice saving, not spending.

Many people consider themselves to be spenders, not savers. “I’ll start that savings account soon” or “I like to spend money” are common excuses. We all know there are more ways than ever to spend your money. Look at saving as spending—on yourself.
Everyone needs a nest egg or rainy day fund, and the easiest way to start is to start small. Save $100 or even just $50 per month by having funds automatically deducted from your paycheck and placed in a separate, interest-bearing savings account. Soon
you’ll have a special savings fund that can help you absorb unanticipated expenses.

Put Yourself on a Budget

5. Budget earnings to better plan for spending.
Financial success refers not so much to earning money as it does to making wise choices about how to use the money you earn. A budget is important for you and for your family. Budgeting helps you to better plan and control your family’s spending.
Planning enables you to extend your buying power. A budget doesn’t have to be complicated. All it takes is writing down how much comes in every month and how much must go out for rent, bills and food. What’s left goes into discretionary spending
and savings; gaining awareness of where your money goes is key to exercising control over your spending.

Learn to Invest

6. Investing is critical.
Many people feel “investor” is not a word that applies to them. Instead, images of Wall Street suits and wealthy celebrities like Donald Trump, Oprah or Warren Buffet spring to mind. In reality, anyone with a retirement account is an investor, which
means most Americans are investors. That’s important to understand because many people working today will not receive a defined-benefit pension, which means they need to save significant sums of money to finance their retirement. For most of us, just putting money in a savings account won’t be enough. Investing is an essential tool for growing your money faster than the rate of inflation. Diversified instruments like target date retirement funds, index and mutual funds make investing
easier than ever. To learn more, start at the SEC’s investor education website at: http://www.sec.gov/investor.shtml

Credit can be Your Friend or Enemy

7. Credit can work for you and against you.
Without credit, most families would not have homes or cars. If used properly, credit can be a powerful tool to help obtain the things you want. Unfortunately, credit can sometimes be too easy to get. As a result, on average, Americans hold 4.3 credit cards and the percentage of people delinquent on their credit cards is rising steadily. Another fact is that many people are not aware of the exact credit terms of their mortgage loan. While credit can be a great friend, it is very important to know the terms before you borrow and to be sure that credit is the best way to purchase a particular item. Don’t become a credit junkie. If you are in serious credit difficulties, seek help from any of the qualified and accredited
credit counseling services.

Nothing is Ever Free

8. If it’s too good to be true, it’s too good to be true.
It’s best to assume that an offer or advertisement that “sounds too good to be true” – especially one from a stranger or an unfamiliar company – is probably a fraud. To find out if a company is legitimate, look it up using a reliable source such as
the phone book, directory assistance, a California government agency such as the Department of Financial Institutions or the Department of Corporations, or the Better Business Bureau. Do not rely on the contact information in unsolicited emails or letters. Even if the organization is legitimate, most “free” offers are really enticements to buy something. When an ad says, “Buy two, get one free,” realize that you are paying more than you probably would; the third item is NOT free.
Any sales pitch that uses word “Free” is a red flag.

How to Attract the Positive and Repel the Negative

kevinpurfield@gmail.com (Kevin Purfield) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 04:29:41 PDT

One of the greatest lessons I learned from my mother was that my attitude was my choice. This lesson has provided me a magic carpet that has taken me everywhere in the world, and it has made available to me vast opportunities to help many others use more of their God-given potential. It is a part of the abundant fortune I want to share with you!

Attitude is a choice, and a positive attitude attracts positive results. The law of attraction is simply that you attract to yourself exactly what your thoughts attract. It is one of the most positive success principles that we can apply to our lives on a daily basis. But for the law of attraction to work most powerfully in our lives, we must believe in it. When you set goals, you must believe that you can reach those goals and then take action on that belief.

You must not fear taking action or a chance. You have power. Put that power to use! Unless you use the power within you, you will forever feel unfulfilled. But when you use that power, the world had better watch out!

The climate you create through your thoughts and attitudes is the only environment you will ever live in. According to the law of attraction, you actually bring favorable circumstances and conditions into being by thinking about and concentrating on the positives in your life. Life continues, blessings increase, well-being flourishes, and circumstances prosper above and beyond, exceeding your greatest expectations.

To attract success, you must never give in to the possibility of defeat in any area of your life. It’s essential to have negative capability, which is the ability to bounce back from failure by overcoming obstacles. Achieving success is influenced largely by the ability to ignore the negative forces in the environment and to refuse to allow them to control today’s and tomorrow’s actions.

Negative capability enables you to assume a genuine sense of positive expectancy. When you remain calm and in control in the midst of negative circumstances, it is possible to believe in a bright future — to expect success in reaching challenging goals. Negative capability and positive expectancy make it possible to dream even larger dreams, to attempt greater projects, and to enjoy enhanced success. And they work together to make the law of attraction work to your benefit!

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A millionaire by age 27, Paul J. Meyer, New York Times best-selling author and one of the founders of the self-improvement industry, has dedicated his life to sharing his fortune by motivating people to their full potential ®. To learn more about how to claim and share your own fortune, order A Fortune to Share today, available at www.pauljmeyer.com.

It Pays In Every Way To Think Big

kevinpurfield@gmail.com (Kevin Purfield) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 11:21:00 PDT

1. Don't sell yourself short. Conquer the crime of self-deprecation. Concentrate on your assets. You're better than you think you are.

2. Use the big thinker's vocabulary. Use big, bright, cheerful words. Use words that promise victory, hope, happiness, pleasure, avoid words that create unpleasant images of failure, defeat, grief.

3. Stretch your vision. See what can be, not just what is. Practice adding value to things, to people, and to yourself.

4. Get the big view of your job. Think, really think your present job is important. That next promotion depends mostly on how you think toward your present job.

5. Think above trivial things. Focus your attention on big objectives. Before gettig involved in a petty matter, ask yourself, "Is it really important?"

Grow big by thinking big!

from David J. Schwartz Ph.D - The Magic of Thinking BIG

10 Things Aspiring Entrepreneurs Should Do

kevinpurfield@gmail.com (Kevin Purfield) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 15:13:47 PDT

Look for problems. “Just pick up any
newspaper or watch any news program and you
will see how many problems need to be solved.
Finding problems to solve are the business
opportunities for entrepreneurs. Our past and
future success lies in human ingenuity.”

Become a leader in your field. “Accumulate
knowledge. Pick an industry, focus on it and
master it.”

Build your network. “Become recognized in
your industry as someone who is good at what they
do. Build a solid reputation for expertise.”

Schedule your time. “Don’t waste your 168
hours in a week, schedule them. I schedule my
time intensely.”

Notice what could be improved. “Businesses
become rich because they find a way to serve
others better.”

Stay wide open in your thinking. “When
you’re 18, your world is wide open. But as each
year passes, one more nail goes into the coffin,
killing your dreams and inspirations. And by the
time you reach 25, you’ve been beaten down and
become a realist. And my advice is you can’t let
these things get you down.”

Hone your entrepreneurial instincts to
make the world better. “We have to take
responsibility for making the world a better place,
and when we do, we’ll create our own
opportunities. All my businesses started the same
way: I got rich by improving the world and making a
lot of people happier in the process.”

Deal with the slaps. “Rebel against rejection.
You can go out into the world and do anything
you want.”

Exhaust your existing skills. “Utilize all of
your existing skills—what you know and who
you know.”

Communicate well . “Becoming a successful
entrepreneur starts with accumulating knowledge
about many topics. First you have to work on your
generic skills: reading, writing and basic math. If
you cannot communicate effectively with people,
you are in trouble.”

Dr. W. Edwards Demings 14 Points as applied to lowing the cost of and improving the quality of U.S. Health Care

kevinpurfield@gmail.com (Kevin Purfield) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:16:11 PDT

1. Constancy of purpose

Create constancy of purpose for continual improvement of products and service to society, allocating resources to provide for long range needs rather than only short term profitability, with a plan to become competitive, to stay in business, and to provide jobs.

2. The new philosophy

Adopt the new philosophy. We are in a new economic age. We can no longer live with commonly accepted levels of delays, mistakes, defective materials, and defective workmanship. Transformation of Western management style is necessary to halt the continued decline of business and industry.

3. Cease dependence on mass inspection

Eliminate the need for mass inspection as the way of life to achieve quality by building quality into the product in the first place. Require statistical evidence of built in quality in both manufacturing and purchasing functions.

4. End lowest tender contracts

End the practice of awarding business solely on the basis of price tag. Instead require meaningful measures of quality along with price. Reduce the number of suppliers for the same item by eliminating those that do not qualify with statistical and other evidence of quality. The aim is to minimize total cost, not merely initial cost, by minimizing variation. This may be achieved by moving toward a single supplier for any one item, on a long term relationship of loyalty and trust. Purchasing managers have a new job, and must learn it.

5. Improve every process

Improve constantly and forever every process for planning, production, and service. Search continually for problems in order to improve every activity in the company, to improve quality and productivity, and thus to constantly decrease costs. Institute innovation and constant improvement of product, service, and process. It is management's job to work continually on the system (design, incoming materials, maintenance, improvement of machines, supervision, training, retraining).

6. Institute training on the job

Institute modern methods of training on the job for all, including management, to make better use of every employee. New skills are required to keep up with changes in materials, methods, product and service design, machinery, techniques, and service.

7. Institute leadership

Adopt and institute leadership aimed at helping people do a better job. The responsibility of managers and supervisors must be changed from sheer numbers to quality. Improvement of quality will automatically improve productivity. Management must ensure that immediate action is taken on reports of inherited defects, maintenance requirements, poor tools, fuzzy operational definitions, and all conditions detrimental to quality.

8. Drive out fear

Encourage effective two way communication and other means to drive out fear throughout the organization so that everybody may work effectively and more productively for the company.

9. Break down barriers

Break down barriers between departments and staff areas. People in different areas, such as Leasing, Maintenance, Administration, must work in teams to tackle problems that may be encountered with products or service.

10. Eliminate exhortations

Eliminate the use of slogans, posters and exhortations for the work force, demanding Zero Defects and new levels of productivity, without providing methods. Such exhortations only create adversarial relationships; the bulk of the causes of low quality and low productivity belong to the system, and thus lie beyond the power of the work force.

11. Eliminate arbitrary numerical targets

Eliminate work standards that prescribe quotas for the work force and numerical goals for people in management. Substitute aids and helpful leadership in order to achieve continual improvement of quality and productivity.

12. Permit pride of workmanship

Remove the barriers that rob hourly workers, and people in management, of their right to pride of workmanship. This implies, among other things, abolition of the annual merit rating (appraisal of performance) and of Management by Objective. Again, the responsibility of managers, supervisors, foremen must be changed from sheer numbers to quality.

13. Encourage education

Institute a vigorous program of education, and encourage self improvement for everyone. What an organization needs is not just good people; it needs people that are improving with education. Advances in competitive position will have their roots in knowledge.

14. Top management commitment and action

Clearly define top management's permanent commitment to ever improving quality and productivity, and their obligation to implement all of these principles. Indeed, it is not enough that top management commit themselves for life to quality and productivity. They must know what it is that they are committed to—that is, what they must do. Create a structure in top management that will push every day on the preceding 13 Points, and take action in order to accomplish the transformation. Support is not enough: action is required!

Berkshire Hathaway Top Institutional Share Holder of Coke Cola

kevinpurfield@gmail.com (Kevin Purfield) — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 18:05:15 PST

If aspartame is making people sick, Berkshire Hathaway I am sure
would like to know about it. They have high ethical standards.

I found I can contact Global Compliance and tell them my concerns 24 hrs per day.

Berkshire Hathaway is the TOP INSTITUTIONAL SHARE HOLDER of Coca Cola (NYSE: KO) 200,000,000 shares

I can call and voice my concerns - Violations of Ethical Standards
Reporting Known or Suspected Violations

Global Compliance at 1-800-261-8651

The Deming System of Profound Knowledge

kevinpurfield@gmail.com (Kevin Purfield) — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 11:39:35 PST

W. Edwards Deming

Born October 14, 1900
Sioux City, Iowa, USA
Died December 20, 1993 (aged 93)
Washington DC, USA
Occupation Statistician

William Edwards Deming (October 14, 1900 – December 20, 1993) was an American statistician, professor, author, lecturer, and consultant. Deming is widely credited with improving production in the United States during World War II, although he is perhaps best known for his work in Japan. There, from 1950 onward he taught top management how to improve design (and thus service), product quality, testing and sales (the last through global markets)[1] through various methods, including the application of statistical methods. W. Edwards Deming

The Deming System of Profound Knowledge

The following is an excerpt from Chapter 4 of The New Economics, second edition by W. Edwards Deming:

The prevailing style of management must undergo transformation. A system can not understand itself. The transformation requires a view from outside. The aim of this chapter is to provide an outside view-a lens-that I call a system of profound knowledge. It provides a map of theory by which to understand the organizations that we work in. The Deming System of Profound Knowledge

SnagFilms Film Widget

kevinpurfield@gmail.com (Kevin Purfield) — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 13:55:57 PST

Spiritual Reality - Journey Within is the Ultimate Meditation Video

kevinpurfield@gmail.com (Kevin Purfield) — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 22:35:56 PST

10 Core Beliefs About Success

kevinpurfield@gmail.com (Kevin Purfield) — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 21:42:36 PST

1. Winners are not born…they are made.
2. The dominant force in your existence is the way you think.
3. You can create your own reality.
4. There is some benefit to be had from every adversity.
5. Each one of your beliefs is a choice.
6. You are never defeated until you accept defeat as a reality and stop trying.
7. The only real limitations on what you can accomplish are those that you impose on yourself.
8. You already possess the ability to excel in at least one key area of your life.
9. There can be no great success without great commitment.
10. You need the support and cooperation of other people to achieve any worthwhile goal.

To have success, you must choose to have focus. Focus stimulates your desire to be a winner. It’s important to remember that focus is an attitude before it becomes an action, and it’s a journey more than a destination. Focus demands your discipline to become a winner, and discipline begins with a definite decision by you. Focus also strengthens your determination to become a winner. You have to believe and consciously decide to become determined, and then you have to act on that belief and decision.

To have success, you must choose to avoid negativity in your life. Negativity is the major stumbling block when it comes to change. The following are some tips to help assess the negative influences in your life:

1. Reassess all your long-standing beliefs.
2. Monitor your self-talk for one full day.
3. Examine negativity.
4. Make a list of all your assets and liabilities.
5. Accept that some failure is a part of the achievement process.
6. Re-program your subconscious.
7.Set positive-belief goals.
8.Associate only with positive-belief winners.

To have success, you must choose to keep your word. It is essential to be a man or woman of your word, regardless of what it might cost you, because your word is your bond. This includes being dependable, accountable, reliable, and credible. People will believe and trust you when they see that you keep your word. To accomplish anything in life, you need other people. People are vital to every goal, and keeping your word to them is of paramount importance.

Finally, to have success, you must choose where you want to go. Your attitude is 99% of any equation. Whatever it is that you are pursuing, know that with the right attitude, you have most of the problem already figured out. Your attitude is your choice. Choose where you want to go. Choose success!

Story About Two Wolves

kevinpurfield@gmail.com (Kevin Purfield) — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 07:20:34 PST

I read a story about two wolves in a couple of places recently..... The story goes like this: "An old Cherokee said to his grandson, 'Son, on the inside of every person a battle is raging between two wolves. One wolf is evil. It's angry, jealous, unforgiving, proud, and lazy. The other wolf is good. It's filled with love, kindness, humility, and self-control. These wolves are constantly fighting.' The little boy thought about it, and said, 'Grandfather, which wolf is going to win?' The grandfather smiled and said, 'Whichever one you feed.'"

Fed Defies Transparency Aim in Refusal to Disclose

kevinpurfield@gmail.com (Kevin Purfield) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 09:39:08 PST

Nov. 10 (Bloomberg) -- The Federal Reserve is refusing to identify the recipients of almost $2 trillion of emergency loans from American taxpayers or the troubled assets the central bank is accepting as collateral. Continued...

Exercise: 7 benefits of regular physical activity

kevinpurfield@gmail.com (Kevin Purfield) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 05:51:42 PST

by MayoClinic.com

Want to feel better, have more energy and perhaps even live longer? Look no further than old-fashioned exercise.

The merits of exercise - from preventing chronic health conditions to boosting confidence and self-esteem - are hard to ignore. And the benefits are yours for the taking, regardless of age, sex or physical ability. Need more convincing? Check out seven specific ways exercise can improve your life.

1. Exercise improves your mood.
Need to blow off some steam after a stressful day? A workout at the gym or a brisk 30-minute walk can help you calm down.

Exercise stimulates various brain chemicals, which may leave you feeling happier and more relaxed than you were before you worked out. You'll also look better and feel better when you exercise regularly, which can boost your confidence and improve your self-esteem. Exercise even reduces feelings of depression and anxiety.

2. Exercise combats chronic diseases.
Worried about heart disease? Hoping to prevent osteoporosis? Regular exercise might be the ticket.

Regular exercise can help you prevent - or manage - high blood pressure. Your cholesterol will benefit, too. Regular exercise boosts high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or "good," cholesterol while decreasing low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or "bad," cholesterol. This one-two punch keeps your blood flowing smoothly by lowering the buildup of plaques in your arteries.

And there's more. Regular exercise can help you prevent type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and certain types of cancer.

3. Exercise helps you manage your weight.
Want to drop those excess pounds? Trade some couch time for walking or other physical activities.

This one's a no-brainer. When you exercise, you burn calories. The more intensely you exercise, the more calories you burn - and the easier it is to keep your weight under control. You don't even need to set aside major chunks of time for working out. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Walk during your lunch break. Do jumping jacks during commercials. Better yet, turn off the TV and take a brisk walk. Dedicated workouts are great, but activity you accumulate throughout the day helps you burn calories, too.

4. Exercise strengthens your heart and lungs.
Winded by grocery shopping or household chores? Don't throw in the towel. Regular exercise can leave you breathing easier.

Exercise delivers oxygen and nutrients to your tissues. In fact, regular exercise helps your entire cardiovascular system - the circulation of blood through your heart and blood vessels - work more efficiently. Big deal? You bet! When your heart and lungs work more efficiently, you'll have more energy to do the things you enjoy.

5. Exercise promotes better sleep.
Struggling to fall asleep? Or stay asleep? It might help to boost your physical activity during the day.

A good night's sleep can improve your concentration, productivity and mood. And, you guessed it, exercise is sometimes the key to better sleep. Regular exercise can help you fall asleep faster and deepen your sleep. The timing is up to you - but if you're having trouble sleeping, you might want to try late afternoon workouts. The natural dip in body temperature five to six hours after you exercise might help you fall asleep.

6. Exercise can put the spark back into your sex life.
Are you too tired to have sex? Or feeling too out of shape to enjoy physical intimacy? Exercise to the rescue.

Regular exercise can leave you feeling energized and looking better, which may have a positive effect on your sex life. But there's more to it than that. Exercise improves your circulation, which can lead to more satisfying sex. And men who exercise regularly are less likely to have problems with erectile dysfunction than are men who don't exercise, especially as they get older.

7. Exercise can be - gasp - fun!
Wondering what to do on a Saturday afternoon? Looking for an activity that suits the entire family? Get physical!

Exercise doesn't have to be drudgery. Take a ballroom dancing class. Check out a local climbing wall or hiking trail. Push your kids on the swings or climb with them on the jungle gym. Plan a neighborhood kickball or touch football game. Find an activity you enjoy, and go for it. If you get bored, try something new. If you're moving, it counts!

Are you convinced? Good. Start reaping the benefits of physical activity today!

Muriel Siebert

kevinpurfield@gmail.com (Kevin Purfield) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 08:08:13 PST

Muriel “Mickie” Siebert is the chairwoman
and CEO of Siebert Financial, a brokerage
firm listed on the New York Stock
Exchange.
In 1967, Siebert became the first female
seat owner of NYSE and is often called
“The First Woman of Finance” in honor of
that achievement.
Siebert Financial was among the first firms
to become a discount commission house
after fixed commissions for brokers were
eliminated in 1975. More....

I.O.U.S.A.: Byte-Sized - a real-life horror flick

kevinpurfield@gmail.com (Kevin Purfield) — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 06:54:44 PDT

Americans are being treated to a real scare. We've watched some financial institutions collapse and our investment and retirement portfolios shrink.

Unfortunately, even as the federal government bails out Wall Street, the government's own finances are heading south. And $700 billion is a drop in the bucket compared to the $53 trillion in financial obligations that the government currently owes.

Memiary Reminds You What You’re Doing With Your Life

kevinpurfield@gmail.com (Kevin Purfield) — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 05:30:34 PDT

From Techcrunch.com
For all the complexity of the human mind, when it comes down to remembering what we’ve been up to for the last few weeks our memories are pretty pitiful - you might remember a few notable events, but your day-to-day activities barely make a dent. And while some of us are not prone to such bouts of mental inadequacy, the vast majority of the population probably can’t remember what they were up to last weekend, much less a month ago.

Memiary, a site built by developer Sid Yadav over the course of a weekend, is looking to help you remember what you’ve been doing with your life. The site is a micro-diary, offering a private place to fill in your thoughts and takes only a minute or so to fill out every day. Blogging fills this role well enough for many people, but most of us aren’t comfortable with sharing the most personal details of our day-to-day lives with anyone who stumbles across our webpage. And most of us simply don’t have time to fill out longform diary entries, so the short text snippets work well.

Getting started is simple: enter an email address and password, and you’re presented with five text fields asking what you’ve done today. Fill those in, click the checkbox next to each one, and you’re done. Each of those daily activities is saved in a log, which can be browsed through later. At this point the site is very barebones (understandable because of its short development time), but I’d like to see more ways to input my daily activities, such as through a SMS message.

It’s a fun little site and will probably be pretty handy for users that consistently keep it updated. It could even drive a few people to rethink their lives - I can’t help but envision users suffering mid- or quarter-life crises as they realize their days almost invariably consist of the same five activities.

You can check out Yadav’s blog post on creating the site here.

Pickens Plan

kevinpurfield@gmail.com (Kevin Purfield) — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 10:41:14 PDT

Every year we send $700 billion out of the United States to pay for imported oil. Now foreign oil is at the core of the three most critical issues America is facing today: the economy, our environment and our national security.

kevinpurfield@gmail.com (Kevin Purfield) — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 10:04:11 PDT

From bloggingstocks.com

If you're an economist, like David H. Wang, you wake up some days muttering, "What has happened to the industrial base in the U.S. economy?"

The auto companies are practically on life support, and other sectors are paring-back operations, even as international competition mounts. Hundreds of thousands of jobs have been lost. How did this happen? Eight more years of industrial base decline without a viable plan to counteract it? And now, as a result of the financial crisis and de-leveraging, the prospect of a period of less-available credit threatens to delay economic recovery.

Well one remedy for the above, Wang argues, is to invest in the industrial sector via investing in the United States' infrastructure. And what's one project worthy of consideration? Investor T. Boone Pickens' plan to substantially increase domestic wind power via his Pickens Plan, Wang argued.

Pickens' investment fund has fallen on tough times, as of late. His BP Capital investment fund has shrunk by 60%, due to energy sector losses, and will drop to about $500 million after redemptions, by week's end, Pickens told CNBC Thursday. Pickens, who sees oil sector consolidation, expects the price of oil to recover to $100 per barrel in 2009. Oil Thursday closed down $1.81 to $65.69 per barrel.

Pickens Plan: a better investment than AIG?

Wang is less certain about a $100 oil price in 2009, but he is certain about the merit and benefits from investing in Pickens' project, and his argument is compelling. (Wang added that he does not have an investment stake in any power/energy company.)

"On the one hand, we, as U.S. taxpayers have invested more than $122 billion in American International Group (NYSE: AIG), a necessary investment to stabilize the global financial system," Wang said. "However, it remains to be seen if we taxpayers will receive most of our money back from AIG, let alone earn a return." (Our own BloggingStocks Peter Cohan concurs with Wang regarding AIG.)

"On the other hand, the Pickens' Plan would create tens of thousands of good-paying jobs based in the United States, which will boost the economies of local communities and towns, not the bank accounts of oil producing nations, even as it increases our electric power generating capacity," Wang said. "That sounds like a bigger bang for the U.S. Government's buck than AIG."

Further, Wang says Pickens' wind technology could then be leased / sold to other countries, creating another revenue stream and source of export growth.

Energy Policy / Economic Analysis: An investment in Pickens' Plan has merit for a multitude of reasons. The plan would not only increase U.S. energy independence, it would serve as a growth engine for a U.S. economy that sorely needs all of the domestic growth engines, and good-paying domestic jobs, it can get.

Follow the national debt on Twitter

kevinpurfield@gmail.com (Kevin Purfield) — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 09:58:16 PDT

Want to stay up-to-date on the national debt?

You may have heard a few weeks ago that the National Debt Clock in New York City ran out of digits to show the debt, which has broken the $10 trillion mark. Now you can follow the debt on Twitter at http://twitter.com/nationaldebt. Every day, the size of the debt will be updated according to the latest data from the U.S. Treasury.

Please check out http://twitter.com/nationaldebt now to see what today’s total is, stick with Twitter to follow the changes, and then tell your friends.

Australian shines in 'solar explosion'

kevinpurfield@gmail.com (Kevin Purfield) — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 05:44:40 PDT

The Canberra Times

New-generation solar technology created in Australia will drive ''a solar explosion'' across California, the state's Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, says.

''Today, we celebrate clean energy and new jobs,'' Mr Schwarzenegger told a crowd at this week's launch of the biggest solar thermal energy plant built in the United States.

The 5-megawatt plant, which will power more than 3500 homes, was built by Ausra, a company established last year by former University of Sydney solar research pioneer Professor David Mills.

''I love days like this because we are celebrating something great. I love to see good up-beat stories,'' Mr Schwarzenegger said, before officially launching the solar power station by flicking a switch to turn a row of mirrors towards the sun.

The launch has been a vindication of optimism and innovation for Professor Mills, who left Australia in February last year after failing to attract support from the Howard government for his world-first solar thermal technology.

Californian venture capitalist Vinod Khosla who made his fortune in the IT industry saw the tech-nology's potential to provide low-cost green energy and provided backing to commercialise it.

The Kimberlina solar thermal energy plant, built in Bakersfield California's third-largest inland city uses 300-metre rows of mirrors to track the sun, reflecting solar heat on to boiler tubes to produce steam which powers a turbine.

Mr Schwarzenegger wants solar energy to provide at least 20 per cent of the state's power by 2010 and has created a $US2.9billion incentive plan for homes and business to go solar.

''Solar, solar, solar that's my goal,'' he said, adding Ausra's new power plant was further evidence that reliable, renewable and pollution-free technology is here to stay.

The Kimberlina power plant was built in only seven months, with the steel-backed mirrors mass-produced by a factory in Las Vegas. Ausra has also signed a purchase deal with power utility Pacific Gas and Electric Company for a 177 megawatt solar thermal power plant that will generate enough electricity to power more than 120,000 homes.

''Our technology is real, it works, and it's ready to power businesses,'' Ausra's chief executive and chairman Bob Fishman said.

''There is a reason why people across the energy industry are talking about what we're doing here today ... We're proving that solar thermal power at utility scale is cost-effective. It works.''

Professor Mills spent 30 years trying to establish a solar energy industry in Australia. During a visit to Australia in August, he said Australia should begin replacing older cold-fired power stations with solar thermal technology. He urged the Rudd Government to commit to big, inspirational renewable energy projects that would make Australia a global centre of clean energy expertise.

''Solar thermal can provide electricity on a large scale. It can carry the power needs of our entire society, and once the investment is there, we have the resources and expertise to build solar power plants within months.''

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd recently announced plans for a $100million clean coal research institute aimed at making Australia a world hub for carbon capture and storage technology.

In a research paper published this year, Professor Mills argued solar thermal could supply more than 90per cent of power for the US electricity grid, and also meet a 70per cent growth in national demand as plug-in electric hybrid vehicles came on to the market.

''The US could nearly eliminate our dependence on coal, oil and gas for electricity and transportation, drastically slashing global warming pollution without increasing costs for energy,'' he said.

''Solar thermal's been proved for many years, but nobody has successfully proven a coal sequestration plant.''

T. Boone Pickens with Steve Forbes

kevinpurfield@gmail.com (Kevin Purfield) — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 10:11:50 PDT

Steve Forbes, the editor-in-chief of Forbes magazine, has a taped interview with T. Boone Pickens on Boone’s plans for wind power in Pampa, Texas.

Boone tells Steve that he has ordered $2 billion worth of turbines from General Electric, which will begin to be delivered in the second quarter of 2010.

He also points out that at full capacity, Pampa will be the equivilent of two nuclear power plants.

You can look at various chapters of the interview by clicking on the appropriate topic to the left of the video block.

The interview is available on the Forbes.com website by clicking HERE

Pickens Plan Special Town Hall Broadcast

kevinpurfield@gmail.com (Kevin Purfield) — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 09:04:34 PDT

T. Boone Pickens will bring his message addressing the energy crisis to farmers, ranchers, and rural landowners with a special edition RFD-TV “LIVE” television broadcast, which will originate from RFD-TV’s Nashville studios on Wednesday evening, October 29th, beginning at 8pm ET/7P CT.

National and local media are invited to attend, as Mr. Pickens will also hold a press conference at the NorthStar/RFD-TV studios beginning at 6:45P ET/5:45 pm CT.
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The AWESOME POWER of Negative Thinking and How It Affects Your Life

kevinpurfield@gmail.com (Kevin Purfield) — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 08:40:48 PDT

Let's face it - the easiest thing in life is to be a critic. You don't have to attempt anything, learn something new, or even leave the comfort of your own lounge chair. You just have to lean back and become an authority on what's wrong with the world.

You can be a member of the glass-is-half-empty club, concentrate on people's weaknesses instead of their strengths, and never miss a chance to speak a discouraging word to anyone who is doing their best to succeed.

If that's you (heaven forbid!) or someone you know; it's not surprising. About 80% of the human race is walking around with a negative thinking pattern. In fact, anyone with a negative attitude is not an exception; they're the rule.

Are there any advantages to negative thinking?

Since I've trained myself over the years to be an incredibly positive person I had to think long and hard to see if I could come up with any advantages to negative thinking. And believe it or not, I've come up with a few.

1. You'll never have to feel bad about missed opportunities. When you have a negative attitude you become blind to great opportunities. You'll simply fail to recognize them. You'll be spared any sadness over missing out.

2. You can procrastinate about most anything. You'll always be able to justify not "taking the bull by the horns" and getting on with it because you're waiting for "the perfect timing." You can criticize positive, pro-active people, saying they are out of touch with reality or infected with a "Pollyanna Complex."

3. You can concentrate on obstacles and roadblocks. You can stay busy experiencing all manner of negative outcomes in your mind before any of them could ever happen. By rehearsing your weaknesses, you'll be unable to acknowledge your strengths. You never have to take any action because all the problems in the world will convince you that it is hopeless to try.

4. You can avoid relationships with other people. Negative thinking opens your eyes to other people's motives, ill will, and craftiness. You'll develop a spirit of suspicion that will encourage you to build emotional walls. You'll be free of any close associations that might hurt you in any way.

Although I've had a little fun with this, you can see there really are NO benefits to negative thinking! A negative attitude will impact your personality, your surroundings, your business, and your family life in very destructive ways. You'll walk around in a cloud of gloom and doom. You'll be void of purpose and joy; defeated before you begin. Not a way to live!

Whether you have a negative or positive attitude will be conveyed by your body language, the way you listen or don't listen, the way you speak, the way you physically present yourself. It's a composite. If the majority of your composite is negative, that doom and gloom persona is going to show. People will back away. They'll be repelled.

On the other hand, positive thinkers magnetize rather than repel. They're independent, creative, self-directed, confident, and pro-active about life. They see obstacles as opportunities, respond with trust rather than suspicion, and are willing to take risks. In fact, the whole world steps aside for a person who knows where they are going!

No other habit you can adopt has greater potential for affecting your life than positive thinking NONE!

A Self-Made Billionaire

kevinpurfield@gmail.com (Kevin Purfield) — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 07:35:20 PDT

Just five years ago, Zhang Yin and her husband were driving around the United States in a used Dodge minivan begging garbage dumps to give them their scrap paper.

She and her husband, who was trained as a dentist, had formed a company in the 1990s to collect paper for recycling and ship it to China. It was a step up from life back in Hong Kong, where she had opened a paper trading company with $3,800 to cash in on China's chronic paper shortages.

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