Why Historians and Americans Are So Worried About Socialism - Read This Book!

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There is a lot to be said about the economics of socialism, and how the ramp up of converting a capitalist society into a socialist one can bring good times temporarily, as a socialist leader can seize a nation by becoming a populist and wreak havoc on a nation. We've seen this in recent periods in Argentina, Venezuela, Bolivia, and Ecuador. Many in the United States warn we are indeed, headed in the wrong direction with our current leadership, in fact I am one of those who don't like the direction we are headed.

But rather than me get into a long debate on the subject, why not do yourself a favor and read a little history on the topic. Here is a good book to read, I highly recommend it to you:

"Lords of Finance," by Liaquat Ahmed, Penguin Press, New York, NY, (2009), 536 pp, ISBN: 978-15942-01-820.

The book discusses the end of WWI and the demented inspiration of Hitler, and how the NAZIs came into power quickly from a very small group to one of the major parties in only a year and a half. Also discussed are the chaos of war, appeasement, gold Standard, Banks of England, and New York at the time and of course the Great Depression.

The Author suggests we are in the same place today, and he's got a great argument in that the charts sure look a lot the same. Another good book review on this very excellent book can be found online. It was in the New York Times, the title of the article is;

"A Monetary Horror Story that Looks Like Today's," by Janet Maslin on January 14, 2009.

Indeed, I recommend reading both, because I don't want to burst your next bubble, but socialism does not work, read for yourself. Please consider all this.

Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank. Lance Winslow believes it's hard to write 20,000 articles; http://www.bloggingcontent.net/

Note: All of Lance Winslow's articles are written by him, not by Automated Software, any Computer Program, or Artificially Intelligent Software. None of his articles are outsourced, PLR Content or written by ghost writers.

Book Review - Flat World, Big Gaps - Economic Liberalization, Globalization, Poverty and Inequality

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The position advanced by the authors of this book represent a shift from the dominant view in neo-liberal economic circles that economic liberalization and globalization are good for economic growth, poverty alleviation and reducing inequality in society. The authors argue that instead of closing the gaps created by poverty and inequality between countries and within societies, economic liberalization and globalization have made the situation worse. To substantiate their arguments, the authors draw richly from various case studies ranging from Eastern Europe, Latin America, Middle East, East Asia to Africa. The plethora of case studies presented makes this book unique, and exciting to read as it offers the reader the opportunity to search for the evidence themselves to test the validity of the arguments posited. Furthermore, the inclusion of a useful list of tables and figures in the beginning of the book makes it easy to find information that the reader may be urgently looking for a specific use without having to browse through the pages e.g. rates of poverty per region, global Gini coefficients and other useful information.

The book shows that contrary to conventional neo-liberal wisdom that globalization creates opportunities and opens market for countries; it aggravates inequality which the authors attribute to inter-national (globalization) rather than intra-national disparities. The book further shows that the advent of globalization has not brought any improvement in terms of addressing inequality and poverty rates, instead the conditions appear to have worsened. Countries' commitment to social spending has been negatively affected as a result of slow economic growth associated with globalization.

Avoiding being trapped in theoretical deliberations, this book presents a realistic picture of a world which is supported by hard facts on the impact of economic liberalization and globalization. Worth noting is that the issues that the books raise are not necessarily new as other authors have raised them before. However, this book goes a step further to present comprehensive evidence from a myriad of authors. The book therefore gives the reader a sanctuary from which he/she can critical reflect on the developments in the world today without being clouded by neo-liberal propaganda which blindly accepts that economic liberalization and globalization are good for development and creating an equal world. The recent anti-globalization movements throughout the world symbolizes a rise of a giant wave of dissatisfaction among the economical marginalized.

Finally, it is clear that although globalization may have created a world with integrated systems which makes it easier for people to interact and conduct business, it has however created gaps in terms of poverty and inequality. In other words, economic liberalization and globalization has done nothing to close the gaps but instead they have 'globalize inequality'. It is a source worth reading, especially for those who want to understand the impact of globalization and economic liberalization on poverty and inequality.

Review on Freakonomics and How it Makes Anyone Suddenly Interested in Economics!

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So at my local library I saw a copy of Freakonomics in the "best seller" area. After a bit of a internal debate I decided to pick it up and boy was I surprised. This book was really good! While economics can often be told as a boring subject with graphs and numbers decorating a big board the book mainly emphasizes the motivation behind human action. Many people enjoy saying that humans are only motivated by greed and selfishness and Freakonomics does a good job of showing how this motivation might affect us in our day to day lives. Without spoiling some results the book describes and proves with a lot of detail certain interesting questions such as what do school teachers and sumo wrestlers have in common?

The presentation of the data and results is one of the major selling points of this book because it is laid out in an enjoyable way while constantly making you want to turn the page and see more mind blowing and humorous details. One of the most interesting topics in the book was how abortion might be a great tool to stop the growth of crime. Once again I don't want to spoil the reasons the author gives to defend his point but a lot of it is definitely based on solid fact. Another topic that many people will most likely deal in their lives presented in the book is how real estate agents might not necessarily be doing the best job possible selling your house even If they earn a % commission to do so. This topic can be applied to many other jobs where people earn commissions and it is quite interesting to see the author's opinion, accompanied by a lot of data, on how some things might not be as we believe they are.

As a final note, this is one of the first book that deals with economics that I completely enjoyed. Not only is it informative but it has great humor and subject matters that can be relevant to our lives instead of only the broad economy of x country. This is a must read, even if you think economy is boring you will probably find some of the subjects presented in the book to be of interest to you

I'm currently interested in health, finance & video gaming/entertainment. If you ever need information on waterproof cast covers or how to select the best fish oil supplement feel free to contact me:).

Economic Development in Singapore

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Singapore's history is one of riches and romance spice trading and piracy, colonialism and growth. In the 7th century, she was the Temasek, the trading center of Sumatra's ancient Srivijaya empire.

In 1963, Singapore was part of a political and economic alliance formed between the Federation of Malaya, Sarawak and North Borneo which is now Sabah under the nation of Malaysia. This alliance, proposed by the Malayan Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman, was called Malaysia, and proved to be short-lived.

In 1965, Singapore separated from the Malaysian Federation to become an independent republic. Over 45 years, Singapore has relentlessly pursued the goal of becoming Asia's Pre-eminent center for tourism, trade and finance, by developing education and technical training programs, investment strategies, aviation and environmental policies.

Now the small island republic of only 633 square kilometers, boasts the world's busiest port and an airport served by over 70 of the world's major airlines, serving more than 21 million airline passengers year. This diamond-shaped island is only 224 square miles with the population of 6 million.

As a major tourist destination, Singapore welcomes an average of 12,000 visitors each day.

Singapore has a highly developed market-based economy that depends heavily on exports and refining imported goods, especially in manufacturing, electronics, petroleum refining, mechanical engineering and biomedical science sectors which could in the website in Wikipedia.

This nation is a good example of model urban planning and a former colony of Great Britain, it is a tiny city state. It is a member of Association of Southeast Asian Nation or known as ASEAN. Singapore is a major international hub in whole Asia, it is positioned on many sea and air trade routes.

Slum areas were eliminated and the urban planners have been knowledgeable about the planning experiences in other parts of the world especially in Western Cities.

It is hoped that major cities in the Philippines such as Manila, Cebu, and Davao can learn a lesson from Singapore.

Why Not Learn About the Business Cycle and Policy Making Manipulation in Economics

Most people do not really understand the economy, business cycles, how the Federal Reserve works or how on Earth this terrible crisis occurred that ended up taking down the whole world, causing the global crisis we are now in. But in case you are one of them, and if you care to learn a little, might I be so bold as to recommend a very good book to you?

"Meltdown - A Free Market Look at Why the Stock Market Collapsed, the Economy Tanked, and Government Bailouts Will Make Things Worse" by Thomas Woods; Regnery Publishing (2009)

Woods is very critical of politicians that tell us that it is the "Free Market that failed" as he says; NO, that's just not so. So what was the government's role in this, well consider the Community Re-investment Act, Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, and the Federal Reserve System and their manipulations and intervention of the moving market to achieve the desired results.

This book boasts that it answers the following very important questions: (1) Which brave few economists predicted the economic fallout--and why nobody listened; (2) What really caused the collapse; (3) Why the Fed--not taxpayers--should have to answer for the current economic crisis; (3) Why bailouts are band-aids that will only provide temporary relief and ultimately make things worse; and (4) What we should do instead, to put our economy on a healthy path to recovery.

And I would submit to you that he's done a very good job of showing how our manipulation of the business cycles is nothing more than a scam at times. The author says that the people that believe in Freedom are the smartest people in the world. And you may recognize his name, as he also wrote the bestselling book; "The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History."

He is a free-market guy, and rightfully so, best of all he writes with conviction in an easy to understand format that even a novice can comprehend. I very much recommend this book to you. Think on This.

Lance Winslow enjoys community philanthropy - Lance Winslow likes small business. Lance Winslow has also been involved in the Oil Industry; http://www.oilchangeguys.com/aboutus.shtml.

Suze Orman Shares Investing Common Sense With Women & Money

Women & Money ~ Owning the Power to Control Your Destiny

Money is a topic you either embrace or avoid. Orman's book delivers straight talk on investing for women and building individual wealth.

Personally I've always known just enough about investing to put some money away each month and I rely on financial advisers to steer me in the right direction.

Suze shares a candid look at her life and how she got to where she is now. Plus she offers a no nonsense approach to making sure women begin to really think about taking care of their own business.

With an uplifting vein of optimism about what is possible throughout the book, Orman successfully illustrates traits and tactics to help women thoughtfully approach investing.

Orman's 8 qualities of wealthy women have been shared on national talk shows and cannot be stressed enough.

Qualities 1 and 2 are harmony and balance. These are said to be the most important qualities because they are the foundation for all other qualities.

Quality 3 is courage. Orman writes that "Courage gives harmony expression. When your thoughts and feelings are one, courage helps you manifest them in the form of words and actions."

Quality 4 is generosity. Orman points out that women tap into this almost too quickly. We tend to be overly generous with our time, support, love and money. The true measure of generosity, according to Orman, is being able to allow money to come into your hands and out through your heart.

This was a concept I can relate to. Orman challenges women to look at why and what they give and how it makes them feel. She also offers six rules for giving (but, you'll have to grab a copy of the book to find out what these are).

Quality number 5 is happiness. According to Orman when you find the courage to live your life in harmony and balance, you understand and practice generosity, happiness will spontaneously appear.

And perhaps the most important point she shares about happiness is this; "Happiness is not a luxury. It is a necessity for true wealth."

Quality number 6 comes in the form of wisdom. Who doesn't want to be wiser?

According to Orman, wisdom is more than intellectual and not directly related to education. Wisdom is an express result of tapping into your core beliefs to make the right decisions for yourself.

The 7th quality is cleanliness and is all about the importance of order and organization. A laundry list of situations that subtract from your wealth status include;

- Not knowing where your money is
- Not having a systematized filing system for important documents
- Pulling crumpled bills and receipts out of your purse
- Maintaining a vehicle that looks like a garbage can
- Having closets that are filled with junk and clutter.

I am sure most of us can relate to at least one area we need to work on. I have to admit, as organized as I am, I could relate to a couple of those scenarios. Orman's philosophy really makes sense and I've corrected my personal problem areas. My first order of business was donating clothing I had not used or worn in the past year to charity.

The final quality is beauty. Orman ties all the qualities together by noting beauty is what you achieve when all the qualities are combined.

To some it may seem strange that the qualities of wealthy women are included in a book on investing. However, if you personally don't possess the qualities it will not be as easy for you to achieve your wealth potential.

In addition to the foundational building blocks Orman shares solid advice on choosing the right investor, the importance of having one personal savings account in your name only and discusses investment options in layman's terms so anyone can get started right way.

This article may be reproduced in its entirety with the following inclusion: Lisa Manyon specializes in POWERFULLY communicating your marketing messages to increase results. She's a Professional copywriter and Marketing strategist. Her work has been featured by the National Association of Women Writers, Absolute Write, Copywriting TNT, Lewiston Tribune and more. Manyon works directly with Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero as the Red Hot Communications GOLD Copywriting Mentorship Managing Director, is the first professional copywriter in Idaho to earn Glazer -Kennedy's Creating Copy That Sells certification and the Copywriting Expert for the Association of Web Entrepreneurs. Manyon specializes in making life easier for business owners and entrepreneurs by knocking one more thing off their "to do "list. She accomplishes this with her copywriting expertise and commitment to long-term business relationships. Get a Free Copywriting Action Plan & discover 7 Power-packed Insider Tricks of the Copywriting Trade to Dramatically Increase Sales of your Products & Services http://www.lisamanyon.com/

70 Million Baby Boomers, Eh? Sounds Like Opportunity to Me!

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Folks have been talking about the paradigm shift coming to the United States as the Baby Boomers grow older and retire. Social Security will soon collapse, it was scheduled for 2042, but it will occur a decade sooner. When social security was really working well, 17 people were working for every 1 person in retirement, good stuff, no problems. But in a less than a decade there will be one retired person and only 1.9 people for each still working. Obviously, that is not going to work out mathematically.

Many have talked about what is to come, and it has already happened in Japan with their post economic boom. With an aging population, the workforce is having trouble holding up the economic expansion and with zero growth, it is tough to supply the needs of the civilization. Europe is next and then the US after that. Brilliant minds like Ken Dychwald have been discussing this for years.

There is also an interesting book out now called; Futurecast" by Robert Shapiro, which is a remake of all the previous studies, research and works on this subject. Having read all the data on demographics and this coming shift, I do recommend the folks above, but would also like to recommend another economic book on this topic:

"Boom, Bust & Echo; How to Profit from the Coming Demographic Shift" By David K. Foot with Daniel Stoffman; Macfarlane, Walter & Ross, Toronto, Canada; 1996.

He discusses real estate crisis, investing issues, social security problems, retail sales, manufacturing problems, retirees younger longer and how our retirement cities will grow and be so much different than the past. He discusses the crisis in Health Care, which we are now seeing over a decade later, all great predictions, he did not miss any and there are a few more to come too.

He speaks to the Canadian problems that mimic the US population and what it means to our Northern neighbors. The appendix is a lot of data that will scare the bejesus out of any leader or economists trying to figure out how to fix the problem. You need to read this book, it's a quick one, only 210 pages, but it will blow you away.

"Lance Winslow" - Lance Winslow's Bio. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/.