Bobby Gill's Blog

The GREEN Movement and the Good Old Days

2012-01-08T11:11:00.004Z

Here is an email/facebook status I found that rings true. Anyone around the age of 35 or older will remember the 'Good Old Days', when being 'Green' wasn't a movement but a way of life. Instead of today's society that generally doesn't care about where things come from or where they go - leading to the excesses, consumption and waste of modern life.

If you're old enough to remember life as it was described below, what changed for you?
Is it time to start caring again?

Bobby

Checking out at the store, the young cashier suggested I should bring my own grocery bags because plastic bags weren't good for the environment.

I apologised and explained, "We didn't have this green thing back in my earlier days."

The clerk responded, "That's our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment for future generations."

She was right - our generation didn't have the green thing in its day.

Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over. So, they really were recycled ... but we didn't have the green thing back in our day.

We walked up stairs, because we didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks. But she was right ...we didn't have the green thing in our day.

Back then, we washed the baby's diapers because we didn't have the throw-away kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy-gobbling machine burning up 220 volts - wind and solar power really did dry our clothes back in our early days. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. But that young lady is right ... we didn't have the green thing back in our day.

Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house - not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of the country of Wales. In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used wadded up old newspapers to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap. Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working, so we didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity. But she's right ... we didn't have the green thing back then.

We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull. But we didn't have the green thing back then.

Back then, people took the bus, and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their mums into a 24-hour taxi service. We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.

But isn't it sad that the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were, just because we didn't have the green thing back then?

Happy New Year - Your Time is what You Make It!

2012-01-01T11:00:00.003Z

As midnight struck last night, people rung in the New Year with hopes of a brighter future. Having waited for 2011 to pass and 2012 to finally arrive. The tribal partying and celebrating shows the roots of mankind.

Yet it is just another day. Not to make New Year mean any less but to allow you to understand that every single day that the sun rises is the start of a New Day for you. You didn't have to wait to make resolutions and changes in your life - but if you have chosen to do that for New Year, then stick with them , as you may not allow yourself the opportunity to change every day, which you can choose to do whenever you want.

Cultures used to thank the past day for what it had brought and celebrate the awakening of each day with the same optimism of a brighter future. It may not have been at midnight but more likely as the sun came up (they didn't even have backlit Casio watches back then to tell the exact time, how did they survive!?)

As the wave of the 'sun rise' travels around the world, as opposed to thinking of the world spinning on it's axis as it really does, a wave of people wake up to the start of the New Year based on The Gregorian Calendar (invented in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII). This Catholic Calendar was adopted by most of Europe that year and in 1752 by Great Britain and it's possessions.

As the whole World wakes up the New Year on Sunday 1st January 2012, the wave having passed all the way round by Sunday 11am, it is already Monday 2nd Jan 2012 in Samoa who chose to jump ahead a day because the Calendar didn't suit them. New Year’s Day came early in Samoa after the tiny South Pacific nation cut Friday, December 30, from its 2011 calendar so it can catch up with Asia, New Zealand and Australia instead of lagging behind with the USA.
http://www.timeanddate.com
http://www.firstpost.com

Our planet does not pay attention to the Calendar, it actually dictates it. Seasons drift, days change and it probably annoys those that like control (yes the whole World does not always revolve around you).
Although there are no loose or spare parts in any system, as Hugo Cabret said:
"I'd imagine the whole world was one big machine. Machines never come with any extra parts, you know. They always come with the exact amount they need. So I figured, if the entire world was one big machine, I couldn't be an extra part. I had to be here for some reason." Hugo

Days, weeks, months and years aren't lost - just added to your life and experience, then returned to the universal pot that everyone shares.
Your life, your calendar, starts the day that you are born and you can choose how long you measure your time periods in. Measure it the way that it suits you and do things in the time that is needed to accomplish your goals. The only 'race' is with yourself and it's not even a race, just the gentle passing of now, through change and to where you will be later.

Make the best of YOUR time and you can choose to do everything better this year, starting Today. Enjoy 2012 and make it what you want it to be… your new creation starts now!

All the Best and more for your present in the future.

"Remember time is finite when measured and infinite when it is not." - Bobby Gill

Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year

2011-12-24T01:11:00.002Z

“And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled ‘till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from the store. What if Christmas perhaps, means a little bit more…"

My gift to you this Christmas is to remind you that Christmas - and life, is not just about 'things' but 'people' and 'feelings'.
Open your hearts as well as the other gifts you receive this Christmas. Know that the good you do for others is good you do for yourself.

Remember that this is a time of year to remember your family and friends, to spend quality time with your loved ones.
Presents are nice but the best present you can give anyone is your presence.

Go visit someone you've not seen in a while or give them a call. Just to let them know you're thinking of them and care. It's a simple gesture but means so much to those who might not have family or friends around at this time of you.

You are the lucky ones, if you have shelter, light, heat, internet and food to eat, surrounded by those that might drive you nuts but you love all the same. Stop thinking about what you want to buy in the sales! Instead donate to charity or feed and clothe the homeless. Be grateful for what you DO have and make a difference to someone who isn't so fortunate.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and have a Wonderful New Year.

Wishing you more Love, Peace, Hope and Happiness for 2012!

Bobby :-)

P.S. I'd like to remind you about the film "Joyeux Noël". Watch it if you've not seen it before.
Peace and Goodwill to all mankind!

Joyeux Noël - Peace One Day

2011-12-22T19:04:00.001Z

On Christmas Eve in 1914 during the bloody World War I, the Germans, French, and Scottish soldiers on the front-line called an informal and unauthorised truce. With the other men, who they tried to kill every day because they were ordered and told to shoot at them.
They peacefully met each other in No Man's Land to share a moment to get to know the men who lived on the opposite side, even though they were aware that their superiors would not tolerate it, they did what they felt was right and acceptable.

It became a true lesson of humanity, a real and heartfelt message of brotherhood and goodwill to ALL mankind, that may have been forgotten by many.

Remember your fellow man today and every day as you go about your life and business and know that they are no different to you, with the same hopes and fears for a better life. Put down your weapons, do what is right and all will be well.

Joyeux Noël,
Bobby

http://www.youtube.com/embed/HkKkAg4Ew-s

Communication - Who's Responsible?

2011-11-22T19:38:00.005Z

'Communication' is derived from the Latin word 'communis', which means 'to make common' and thus 'to make known', the same thing. So the communication depends on our ability to understand the other person's point of view.
Good communication skills are necessary to creating and maintaining strong friendships, networks and contacts.

When you say something, it includes all your experience and filters. When the message is received, it is perceived through the experience/filters of the person listening (and through their thoughts and little voice) before it is decoded by them. You then get a response which shows if your message was received as it had been intended.
It helps if you speak in terms the other person will understand and you can elicit this by asking questions.

For good communication it requires both parties to actively listen, ask questions, answer them and respect the other person's model of the world.

With regards to the communication of the message, is it your responsibility or theirs?

Who is responsible for the perception and decoding?

What are the blocks to communication?
Not listening, not asking questions, not answering questions and forcing your model of the world on the other person.

Sometimes people say they want things but they really don't. Questions are the best way to find out information. Their responses to questions and actions give them away. If someone truly wanted something and was willing to accept your help, they'd listen to you and be prepared to give it a go - as it might get them the results they want. When they won't answer the questions, start making excuses (disguised as reasons), then they are more committed to the way things are than to change.

Also people always know better themselves, from experience and are happier to continue doing what they've always done. It does mean they'll always get what they've got but that doesn't matter as it is easier and right to be that way for them. They prefer their experience, model and what they 'know' to be true more than being open to any new information.

In practice coaching sessions with others, the instructor might have told you to be a good client - but what happens when someone chooses not to be a good client or prefers to make things hard - is the failing yours or theirs?

Have you ever noticed how family and loved ones and those close to you seem to ignore what you say?

Yet if a stranger comes up and says something you've already mentioned they are more likely to action or believe it. Of course this only applies once they've established 'some' basic trust with those strangers.

It's not that they don't care, they have just taken you for granted because it is 'you' and that's the way you always are. The other people and 'strangers' - who they don't know well enough to realise they are humans too and no better (or worse) than you or I.

On a sidenote: I realised a while ago there is no point in helping someone who does not want your help. This decision made life so much easier and should be something that everyone thinks about carefully.

In coaching they say you should 'sack' your clients that don't want to be held accountable and make things difficult. With family it's not so easy to 'sack' them.

The easier way to deal with these situations is to spend less time discussing matters with those that have taken you for granted. Then next time you communicate they may value what you have to say more, if they've missed you.
If they don't though, then no worries. They might eventually 'sack' you if you're lucky!

Do your best to communicate the best way you can and don't take the responsibility for the other people you talk to. Like dancing it takes two to tango and have a meaningful communication!

Want people to listen? From the example of my friend Silent Bob - it might be best to talk less and only speak when it's important. Then what you say will have a huge impact!
Jay of course disagrees but he's not a very good listener either.

(Here's a clip for Kevin Smith fans, expletives are for shock value only)

http://www.youtube.com/embed/PnGGD4VPvT8

11:11:11 for Change and The Age of Aquarius

2011-11-09T21:17:00.000Z

What is so special about 11th November 2011? Just because the numbers are all 1's based on a calendar invented around 2000 years ago? I'm not sure either but if some say it is auspicious, we should take all the good luck and positive vibes we can from it.

Looking at the Bigger picture, it is also the Age of Aquarius. Yes, when I'm not focusing on the little details I often float up and look at the bigger canvas.

Recently, for me at least, it has been a challenging time for being understood by others, even when I only state the obvious and truth. I've always been able to grasp new technology, systems and ideas easily, ahead of the curve. As time has speeded up, new trends come even faster as the latest, shiniest thing is obsolete, as soon as it is introduced. I thought I was born too early for my time due to not being able to show everyone the easier, simpler, truer way that things are. I knew the answer to many things without having to think about it too much or over-analyse. Thinking too much causes us to come unstuck and ego takes over, then the results are never pretty.

But as I'm discovering more and more every day, maybe I'm not too early, perhaps I'm just leading the way. Why do I say that? Because my beliefs echo those described in the article below and always have done.

Now in the Age of Aquarius (or changing times or modern times or whatever makes you comfortable talking about 'the present') things are rapidly in transition to my way of life from the stagnant way that many people have been stuck in.

Hierarchies of control will give way to flatter and fairer structure of networks and information. Just like the internet you're using, sharing information provided to you with friends and colleagues - to make things better for all. Everyone has a voice that should be heard, it is our own responsibility to speak up and out loud. It is up to us to shine brightly for others to see. New leaders will rise.

We all need to embrace the change and polarities of good and bad that we are seeing, the honest and the dishonest, the truth we all understand versus legal double speak. During these rapidly changing times you just need to be able to keep your own balance and focus, whilst everything appears to be falling apart, ready to rebuild itself better. Stay true to yourself and those around you, don't get sucked into the media pop-News of doom and Political promises. The leaders will rise from everyday people DOing what they know to be right and BEing the best they can be.

Is it time for a new calendar? Maybe or maybe not, although it is definitely a time to being and doing things the new way, a different way and a better way for everyone. Remember, a lot of spiritual people will agree everything was just preparation to kick it up a gear on 11th November 2011. And even if you're not spiritual, (unless you like the way things are), it is definitely as good a day as any to CHANGE!

Like my friend Gandhi said "BE the Change that you want to see in the World!"

http://www.youtube.com/embed/efRIdrl9YNA?rel=0

By Santokh Singh Khalsa, D.C.

What are these ages? Astronomers will tell you that the Earth rotates on an axis and that this line going through the center of the earth has a slight wobble to it. It goes through a little circular wobble about once every 24,000 years. This cycle has been broken into 12 parts associated with the 12 astrological signs, based on which constellation the axis is wobbling towards. From around 2000 B.C. to 0 A.D. we were in the Age of Taurus. From 0 A.D. to the present we have been in the Age of Pisces. For the next 2000 years we will be in the Aquarian Age. We have been in the transition from the Piscean Age to the Aquarian Age for the last 50 years. The official beginning of the Aquarian Age is November 11, 2011 or 11/11/11. Some people have set this date as December 21, 2012. Considering that this is a 2000 year cycle, no matter which date you accept, we are in for lots of change in the near future!

Why is this so important? Many people go their whole lives not caring or knowing if they are a Pisces, or a Gemini, or what their moon or rising sign is. This change to the Aquarian age is so important because it changes the astrological conditions for the entire planet. Every person on planet Earth has been and will be affected by this shift. Let’s investigate what will be changing.

The Piscean Age has been dominated by hierarchy, and power. The key phrase for this age was from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, “To be or not to be.” To make a successful and happy life, you needed to resolve this question. The key to the astrological sign Pisces is “I believe.” During this age, in order for you “to be,” you needed to find someone or something to believe in. When you found that thing, you attached yourself to that thing and were guided how to live. This could be a religion, a political ideology, a charismatic leader, work, etc. The keys to life were hidden and secret in the halls of power and in the monasteries and ashrams. But you didn’t need to know these secrets, only to follow leaders and guides who did. This created vertical hierarchies as a result, and it was essential to find your place in the pecking order.

This has been the foundation for human consciousness for the past 2000 years. Everything that you have learned from your parents, and they from their parents, going back 2000 years, has been colored by this Piscean frame of reference. And now that is all changing.

The Aquarian Age will be dominated by networks, and information. The key phrase for this age is “Be to be.” The key to the astrological sign Aquarius is “I know.” This is the age of information. Nothing is secret anymore. All information is available at your fingertips. Where the Piscean age was organized in a vertical, up and down structure of hierarchies, the Aquarian Age is organized in a horizontal network, opening the world up to true equality.During this age, the focus is no longer on your identity and existence (“to be or not to be”), but on accepting yourself as a whole person (“be to be”) who does not need to believe in something outside of yourself. You are ready to accept that you have the knowledge and wisdom within yourself. It is no longer necessary to attach to something outside yourself, but to become a leader of one: yourself. Instead of being a railroad car that is pulled by an engine, you become your own engine. It is your responsibility to stay on the tracks and to keep moving forward.

With this understanding, it is easier to comprehend what has been happening in the world over the last 50 years. On the inner level, since the 1960’s, there has been a huge movement towards personal transformation: self awareness, self improvement, yoga, meditation, tai chi, alternative healing, natural foods, etc. There has also been a major increase in depression, suicide, anxiety, stress, and drug use, both pharmaceutical and recreational.

In the outer world, we have seen amazing changes: civil rights, environmental consciousness, women’s rights, gay rights, global consciousness, etc. We have also seen the rise of fundamentalism, terrorism, partisan politics, racism, xenophobia (the fear of the “other”), and general fear mongering.

This shift is bringing out the best and the worst in mankind. Some people are preparing for this shift by opening their hearts and minds and embracing this new age, and some people are intimidated by the changes that they don’t understand and want to return to a “golden age” in the past, or to circle the wagons and trust only those who are like themselves.

Transformation is never a painless process. When you fast or cleanse to purify your body, at first you feel worse, because toxins get stirred up in order to be eliminated. Once these poisons have been cleared, you feel lighter and more energized. Now imagine that every person on planet Earth is going through this shift. We are heading into a time of radical change. It is a time of great potential growth and expansion, but it is also a time of great potential pain and suffering. The more that you understand what is happening, the more that you can go through all of the changes without losing your balance and stability.

What can you do to help make this transition into this new age of information and consciousness? Here are some suggestions:

1. Have a daily spiritual practice. Every spiritual tradition has one thing in common: a daily practice. This can be many different things: yoga, meditation, chanting, prayer, contemplation, exercise, journaling, etc. It is not important what you are doing, but that you do something almost every day, and do it with an intention to let go of your blocks and focus your consciousness. Kundalini yoga and meditation are the most powerful tools that I have found, but everyone must find their own pathway and collect the tools for their own toolbox.

2. Don’t give in to fear, despair, or anger. There is so much happening that can trigger these emotions: the media, the environment, politics, terrorism, etc. If you understand that these emotions are all symptoms of the Aquarian shift, then you can go through them without losing your center.

3. Don’t be a victim. You have the power to change your life. Don’t give that power away to anyone through blame or resentment. You are responsible for your happiness and grace. Don’t buy into any view of reality in which you are not 100% responsible for making your life work. The Aquarian Age is all about empowerment and consciousness.

4. Be a source of light. The more people who consciously choose to embrace the Aquarian shift, the easier this transformation will go for humanity. It is a spiritual truth that a small percentage of people who have shifted their consciousness can influence the rest of humanity. If you are reading this, then you are most likely one of these pioneers. Find a way to spread your light: teach, heal, create community networks, serve, sacrifice, love. Welcome to the Aquarian Age!

Article by Santokh Singh Khalsa - www.khalsachiropracticpasadena.com

Is Honesty Over-rated?

2011-09-16T09:59:00.001+01:00

Is honesty the best policy?

Do you tell people the truth in business, relationships and in what you do?

Do you offer guarantees you don't plan on providing or making promises you know you can't keep?

When you say you'll do something or won't do something - it is your actions that will speak louder than your words.

Fakes and liars usually get caught out eventually, so why start that way?
Do you have a hidden agenda when you start a communication or tell half-truths to get what you want?

Those that lie to get what they want… shame on you!

Is that the best way to start off in business or a relationship?

In a world that is short of honesty at the moment and full of fakes, you will stand out from the crowd and attract people, business and opportunities to yourself. I've always been pretty honest with everyone, now even more so and I find it works wonders. In relationships, job interviews, business meetings and friendship.

Tell business partners what you are able to offer with 100% certainty versus what you hope you might be able to do. It's OK to say you don't know as well and that you will find out, instead of B.S. your way through.

Tell your customers the truth about what you can and can't do. Maybe they will buy something else or come back again knowing you aren't going to try to sell them crap.

People find it refreshing and know you have integrity from what you say and how you say it.
For example with a job or relationship, can you guarantee how it will work out or how long it will last? Many will come up with all sorts of waffle, when in reality you can either refer to past experience (remember past performance is still not a guarantee of future performance) or just say that you will do your best and make sure if things change, you will be open and honest and make sure the issues are fixed before dumping the project.

When you tell the truth, you will feel better about yourself and allow others to feel better that they can be open too.

- Go on give it a try. Tell your partner something honest today that you've wanted to get off your chest and ask them if there is anything they'd like to say. Chances are the conversation won't go as badly as you imagined and if it does (I can't make any guarantees it won't) - you may feel bad in the moment but this is only temporary, as afterwards you will feel much lighter.

Having shared a secret that was burning you up inside, you will find the burden lifted when you don't have to protect it and hold it close any longer.

Sometimes more problems are caused by what remains unsaid versus what is said.

People lie to get a short term gain and do not want to feel any short term pain. The thing is when the lie catches up eventually, you are likely to feel more pain.

It may start with one small lie, then it grows and moves to other lies and eventually you will forget which 'story' you told. It is much easier to live one honest life than try to remember many fake stories.

Why would you want to keep the people that you know and care about guessing, when you can clear everything up for them with the truth.

- Are you able to be honest today with someone or does it scare you that much?

Guess what, if there is something that you can't tell someone else, then it is only yourself you're lying to and being dishonest with!

The biggest challenge people have is being honest with themselves about what they can or can't do and what is really true.

Never say never, as there may be things that you are selectively forgetting so you can be 'right' as opposed to 'honest'.

How many lies do you tell yourself everyday? You can change anytime.

When you lie to yourself and argue with others (or self) about how things are, you are creating a reality that may not serve you best and may not be true or honest.

"Argue for your limitations, and sure enough they're yours." - Richard Bach

When you start to tell the truth and people see, hear and feel it - you will be someone that they can trust more than all the other people they know. The bonus is that you will also start to trust yourself more too. If you are honest with yourself, you're less likely to make stupid ego-driven mistakes.

So take a stand for truth, honesty and integrity and watch your world change.

Please note honesty does not apply to lawyers, solicitors and career politicians as they are used to twisting the truth. So no matter how truthful you are, they will always bend it to what suits 'them' through legal double-talk. No offence intended if you fall into these categories - I just had to be honest about this too!

Repayment v Interest Only

2011-09-12T19:35:00.000+01:00

This has always been a popular topic for property investors.
Should they keep their payments low or high and build some more equity?
Should they pay off their debt as they go along or pay it off at the end with the sale of their property?

There are a few options to consider but what is best for you?
Well only you know the answer to that but let me first give you some facts (or things I believe are true from my experiential truth).

I know my opinions are not always popular but they are true. My ideas may not be mainstream (pop-News style) but why would you read what I wrote if they were ;-)

As you know I have nothing to sell so come from a place of honesty, integrity and truth.
I'm not suggesting those with things to sell aren't, just that occasionally they may mislead you just a little to get a sale. (I really should charge for my insights!)
My 'sale' does go directly into the Universal bank account, which you fund by reading, paying attention and taking Action if necessary.

Quick History lesson - Mortgage

Origin of the word Mortgage is from 1350–1400;
earlier morgage Middle English < Old French mortgage,
equivalent to mort: dead (< Latin mortuus ) + gage: pledge
= A pledge till death!

Repayment -v- Interest only?

Once you're involved with this pledge, which is the right payment to make?

Well it all depends, as always. What does it depend on you may ask, well on your cashflow and equity!

If you invested recently, have good equity and high cashflow, maybe from a HMO, then repayment may be a good option - but what if you didn't…

Banks and population control 'dogma' has taught us that is a good idea to pay a mortgage off using repayment over a long term - NO! This 'may' be true on your own home - but that thinking too has changed too now for some.

Firstly Cashflow

Consider the following:
How is your cashflow?
Can you afford your current interest payments at the moment?

Now consider risk planning.
Did the apartment you buy have 'hidden' (as in the small print) service charges?
Is the boiler regularly serviced and insured? What about the pipes and other appliances?
What if your tenants leave with arrears and damage?
As you know you may have big bills that occasionally turn up unexpectedly or tenants leave a property and you have damage and vacancies to deal with, so it is good to keep some money aside.

Also when interest rated go up how is this going to affect your payments?
Might it not be a good idea to put some money aside now to cover for this later?
Many landlords have been lucky and are still in business because of low tracker rates but it's not going to last forever.

Do you want your cashflow to be in or out?

Next Equity

Many investors I know bought properties pre-2007 before the crash and have lost their equity and more.

Now if you think the markets can't go lower, did you think prices would fall 10% from the peak or how about 20%? Well I think they fell around 25% and there is still plenty of downside.
So do you believe they could possibly fall another 25%? If not, why not… they already fell 25% and the USA has got some places where they fell 50% and more! It could happen here too!!

So how is your equity position?
If it's good you might consider repayments and get the mortgage paid off sooner (I never said it was a bad idea to pay the properties off)

BUT if you're in negative equity (along with cash-flow challenges) then why would you increase your payments to give the Bank more money, making your current position worse and cash-flow even tighter?

Consider what else you can do with the money like putting it aside for higher interest rates or contingencies. Maybe even investing it elsewhere.

If you are doing repayment and still paying off negative equity and the market gets worse, then you're more likely to go bust and have been worse off in the duration.
If you do get into positive equity, there is still the risk of going bust - so why not leave the risk with the fat cat bankers who can afford it?

Of course if the market improves and you ride the storm through, then the equity will return and you can either make repayments then or sell the properties.

Remember you have to make it to the finish line to Win - and right now companies, corporations, businesses and even Countries are failing to do that!

This informational/ rationale/ thinking doesn't only just apply to your investments.

I have an intelligent friend who is thinking the same about his house and believes there are signs that property might go down another 90% (as this will hurt your head we're not going to cover this figure or reasoning right now) - just know that some markets in the US are down over 50% and who thought that would happen!? He is happy to make interest only payments, invest the difference somewhere and let the properties go to the Banks if the situation gets worse.

If you get into financial difficulty later, they will try to take your house, even if you have plenty of equity in it! You're just a number to cross off, a liability and an annoyance if not paying them more and more every month.

- No payments is also an option but I won't be discussing that here.
Yes it really is, if you're struggling you can stop paying and default.
Better to do it now than fund a bad position.
If you have no access to Government funding and bailouts it is easily justifiable.

People have to start treating houses and investments like business decisions not emotional things they have to hang onto. When the business is failing get rid of it.
The Banks do NOT give a merde (excuse my French) about you, so why should you care about them?
They've already been paid because they failed! Don't let it cost you more if you have an option to give them less.

Want to hear the truth from the horse's mouth? Well your local branch of the Bank is a good place to start and you will be able to deduce the truth from what they won't say

Speak to your Bank Manager or Relationship Manager (aka. payment chasers with fancy titles) at your local Bank, as the call centres aren't paid to provide service and answer questions and Regional Managers and CEO's are too important to deal with you the lowly customer. Someone in your branch can't 'accidentally' hang up on you or keep transferring indefinitely.

Ask them what they recommend would be the best payment method for YOU. And wait for the answer…
You'll be surprised how they may start to waffle, start speaking legal or say they can't give advice.
If they do answer your question - (which was what is best for you) they will tell you to pay off your debt faster and give the Bank your money.

Really!?
Try it and see how much honesty you get with respect to you, as opposed to them looking after only the Bank's interests.

So which payment?

If you've thought it through, it has to be interest only in my opinion - saving the money for when rates go up and your payments increase or investing it somewhere else.

If the property market improves then great, the equity problem will fix itself.

If it doesn't improve, then at least you didn't feed the Banks from the bottom at the same time as the Government fed them from the top! Screwing you in the process if things don't work out.
Remember the house (bank) is always set up to Win (even if it means cheating) - so stop playing by their stacked rules!

Do what's RIGHT for YOU and your family!
Not what a Bank employee says because they want to keep their job or hit their bonuses.

Bonus legal stuff

If you have a bigger portfolio and money to spare, do what the corporations do and separate the assets into 'good' investments and 'bad' investments. This is all legal, though not very honest in my book - but it's OK as you would only be following the examples of our dishonest Government, untrustworthy leaders and the corrupt soul-less Corporate bankers.
Legal is a term used to turn dishonesty into 'acceptable' by lawyers and judges.

That way you can dump the bad assets or sell them on (sub-prime style) if they don't go well.
Please check the legalities of this with your accountant and solicitors - but note the answer may change the higher the fees you pay them (just how the system and lawyers work).
Find those lawyers (and judges) that re-represent councils, governments and Banks to find those with lower standards.

If you are having problems with your portfolio then give us a shout, I know we can help you turn it around or make it less painful making the changes you need to!

.

Flow of oil and petrodollars - where does it go?

2011-09-07T21:54:00.000+01:00

Access to cheap oil has been America's #1 gift of owning the world's reserve currency.

This has made gas cheaper in the U.S. than almost anywhere else in the developed world. I know you may think gas prices have skyrocketed in recent years... but look at how much less Americans pay than other developed nations...

* United States: $2.72 a gallon on average
* Oslo, Norway: $7.41........ (172% higher)
* Berlin, Germany: $6.82.... ( 151% higher)
* London: $6.60................(143% higher)
* Rome, Italy: $6.40............(135% higher)
* Paris, France: $6.04...........(122% higher)
* Tokyo, Japan: $5.40..........(98% higher)
* Toronto, Canada: $3.81......(40% higher)

And here's the thing...

If oil is no longer priced in dollars, the price of oil for Americans will skyrocket immediately. It will change everyones lives, overnight.

Airline travel will get much more expensive. The cost to ship goods by truck to grocery stores around the country will get much more expensive. Farming itself will get a lot more costly... so will commuting to work... taking a taxi... just about everything we do will suddenly get much more expensive.

And just remember: In order for prices to start skyrocketing, all that has to happen is that other countries start preferring payments in something besides U.S. dollars.

Do you know where the money that you pay for oil really goes?

The prices vary due to the taxation on oil in the countries shown, not just to the price of the crude oil itself.
Oil is fuel and essential for heating and transport, to name a couple of the main uses. Hence the importance of it worldwide to society and the economy.

The countries above can actually make MORE in taxes than OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries), the Oil producers Cartel,
The UK government made nearly twice as much in taxes, than OPEC for supplying it. The OPEC countries decide the price of oil and control the supply as well.

Currently in the UK:
Cost per litre of crude oil extraction: 8p
Cost per litre of refining: 2p
Cost per litre to transport to UK: 2p
Cost per litre to transport to pumps: 5p
UK Government: 80-90p

Allowing for oil company profits as well of around 20-30p

So on less than 20p of petrol to bring the price to £1.35 for 1 litre of Unleaded

the Goverment applies a Tax of over 400%

I wonder what good causes that money is spent on!?

The US seem to charge very little taxes but you have to remember that the majority of oil trades is in dollars, so the US can print more money to acquire more - and they also get the crumbs by supplying it to all the other countries. This transfer of money is often referred to as petrodollars - those that know the real reason for the Iraq war will be familiar with the term.

Petrodollars are when oil producing countries sell oil in dollars and then deposit those dollars back into Western Banks. These dollar reserves need to be invested in US assets - keeping the 'money' in American hands. Petrocurrency is a term to describe other currencies that trade oil as well - now available in Euros and Rubels. Now why would that be a problem?

Money Wars - USD -v- Euro

Where the real cost is lives!

As you can see the US is a BIG consumer of oil and needs it for the country to function.
A move away from the dollar towards the euro would have a disastrous effect on the US economy.

"At present, approximately two thirds of world trade is conducted in dollars and two thirds of central banks' currency reserves are held in the American currency which remains the sole currency used by international institutions such as the IMF. This confers on the US a major economic advantage: the ability to run a trade deficit year after year. It can do this because foreign countries need dollars to repay their debts to the IMF, to conduct international trade and to build up their currency reserves. The US provides the world with these dollars by buying goods and services produced by foreign countries, but since it does not have a corresponding need for foreign currency, it sells far fewer goods and services in return, i.e. the US always spends more than it earns, whereas the rest of the world always earns more than it spends." - 2004, Cóilín Nunan - www.feasta.org

1) January 1999: launch of the euro.
2) January 1999 Oct 2000: euro in bear market versus the dollar.
3) November 2000: Iraq switches oil sales to euro. Euro's fall versus the dollar is halted. (NAUGHTY SADDAM!!)
4) April 2002: senior OPEC representative gives speech in which he states that OPEC would consider possibility of selling oil in euros.
5) April 2002 to May 2003: euro in "bull market" versus the dollar.
6) June 2003: US switches Iraqi oil sales back to dollar.
7) June 2003 to September 2003: euro falls versus dollar.
8) October 2003 to early February 2004: statements by Russian and OPEC politicians/officials that switch to euro for oil sales is being considered. Euro's value versus the dollar increases.
9) 10 February 2004: OPEC meets and no decision to switch to euro is taken.
10) February 2004 to May 2004: euro falls versus the dollar.
11) June 2004: Iran announces intention to establish oil-trading market to rival those of London and New York.
12) June 2004: euro's value versus the dollar begins to increase again.

Since the agreements of 1971 and 1973, OPEC oil is exclusively quoted in US dollars. This created a permanent demand for dollars on the international exchange markets. As of 2005, OPEC continues to trade in US Dollars, but some OPEC members (such as Iran and Venezuela) have been pushing for a switch to the euro.

Since the beginning of 2003, Iran has required euro in payment of exports toward Asia and Europe, though prices are still expressed in US dollars. Iran is planning to open an International Oil Bourse (IOB, exchange), on the free trade zone on the island of Kish, for the express purpose of trading oil priced in other currencies, including euros.

On May 10, 2006 Russian president Vladimir Putin announced the project for the creation of an Oil Exchange denominated in rubles to trade oil and gas. The purpose of trading in rubles is to convert it into an international currency which would also be used to pay other commodities and goods. The Oil Exchange would operate from 2007 and will give rise to the petroruble as those countries that buy oil and gas from Russia will have to acquire them and use it as reserve.

When invading Iraq, the US were not looking for terrorists or fictional WMD's (weapons of mass destruction) but Oil Barrels!

What precipitated all of this was not September 11, nor a sudden realization that Saddam was still a nasty guy, nor just the change in leadership in the United States. What precipitated it was Iraq's November 6, 2000 switch to the euro as the currency for its oil transactions. At the time of the switch, it might have seemed daft that Iraq was giving up such a lot of oil revenue to make a political statement. But that political statement has been made and the steady depreciation of the dollar against the euro since then means that Iraq has derived good profits from switching its reserve and transaction currencies. The euro has gained about 17 percent against the dollar since that time, which also applies to the $10 billion held in Iraq's United Nations "oil for food" reserve fund.

Whilst the US have been wanting to invade Iran, Libya has just opened itself up for an invasion and re-structuring. The UK were hoping to doing it by releasing the Lockerbie bomber but the uprising has given the US a great excuse for a peace-keeping, oil-grabbing mission. Another war should keep the economy going a little longer and printing of more cash - making citizens worldwide even poorer, as money flows to the pockets of the rich in charge of corporations that are going to get some profitable war contracts!

"The U.S., the UK and NATO member States are calling for a No-Fly zone over Libya. This would be another case of unwanted intervention in the affairs of a sovereign state, not unlike the interventions that have occurred in Iraq and Afghanistan.
All too often, the United States sees itself as the World's Police. The fact is that while it may see itself as the police Department of the World, the only thing America has managed to become is a police state. We see ourselves as a great power with unlimited jurisdiction over any other nation in the world, not because we are a shining example of democracy, but because we are the last remaining military superpower left on the planet.
While we criticize Col. Kaddafi and present him as a dictator that abuses his people, we have allowed our oil companies to invest billions of dollars into the petro-state of Libya. I don't feel that I would be stretching the point if I surmised that America is more concerned with the possible loss of profits to American Oil companies than the loss of life to the Libyan people in this political battle between the present government in Tripoli and those who wish to replace it." -Timothy Gatto, http://www.opednews.com/author/author2586.html

It is interesting how the US does not do anything about corrupt governments and dictators in other African countries, is it naive to assume that is because they don't have Oil or other valuable assets to strip!?

Sources:
http://www.opec.org
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrocurrency
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petroleum
http://www.tacomapjh.org/petrodollartheories.htm
http://www.banthepumps.com/
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Another-Corporate-Inspired-by-Timothy-Gatto-110302-931.html
Images:
http://www.opec.org/opec_web/en/data_graphs/333.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:OilConsumptionpercapita.png

Planet and Principles for Sale?

2011-09-05T20:44:00.003+01:00

Having mentioned to a friend the other day that I was looking for work - but had decided it's important to work somewhere with ethics and morals, he asked for some examples of places where these are limited.

So I mentioned the Councils where they do everything they can to run as a 'business' whilst pretending to work for the people. The Civil servants actually act like your bosses and require many forms to be filled in, so they can pass paperwork around like trees are going out of fashion (which they are) and justify other jobs. Increasing Council Tax and providing no service, whilst outsourcing jobs and hiring people from overseas. Nothing says 'F*** You' to the people like a Council that takes money from people that live in it's Borough, doesn't provide service and then gives the money and jobs to those from outside.

I quoted people I know who had worked for Banks and earned in the region of up to £500 per day for Project management and IT work (yes Banks have more money than you think and when they need more they just tap up the tax-payers account through their own friendly bank, the Government). Where working in 'that environment' is almost soul destroying.
For Banks to be able to afford to pay people this kind of money whilst they continue questionable business practices, whilst charging interest on money they 'lend' but don't really have (yes it's true), harass people and force people out of homes by any means necessary. Just another day at your national bailed out Bank!

Oil companies are pumping more out of the ground, spilling it wherever and are only profit focused not planet focused. Yes we ALL live on this planet, not just CEO's and shareholders.

Do you know the majority of money you pay for your fuel at the Petrol stations goes to the Taxman and Government? What has your Government done for you recently, other than cut-backs and taken more?

Governments are taking part in Illegal Wars, spending tax-payers to bring 'Democracy' to countries which were probably doing OK without it. In the process murdering people, collateral damage is a nice desensitised word for the death of civilians and human beings. Incidentally many countries have lots of Oil, were debt free and one even wanted to use real money in the form of the Libyan Gold Dinar - so American and European paper currency would have been worthless and the world economy destabilised (even more than what the Bankers did to them). Yes I know what the pop-News says (BBC, CNN, Fox etc..) but I just wanted to share facts to balance the PR Media spin.

So the general population and people are being raped of their wealth as bills go up and incomes go down! Whilst the Govt and Banks printing presses devalue the little you may have had in your pocket.

Banks are providing loans to Bomb manufacturers. And what were once great Engineering companies to work for that the Nation grew on are now involved in Arms Manufacture too. Just because they make a component doesn't make it OK. I gun would be useless if the trigger maker or the bullet producer or barrel manufacturer just said "No, I don't want anyone to die today just so I can get paid".

Do you know what my friend said to me…
"If it was a choice between survival and money, I know which I'd choose."

Has the World gone mad but people refuse to see it - or is it just me?

So what am I ranting about today? CHOICES!

We all make choices everyday and every single choice has an effect on everyone else around us. Them changing things isn't going to happen because they're foolishly waiting for you to change first. So guess what…

That's right, when it dawned on me it became very clear. Regardless of everything that everyone else does - it is still up to ME (you?) to make different choices and better choices that affect everyone else. Why should anyone else think differently when you don't?

We all know the difference between right and wrong - but to know and not to do, is not to know at all!

What can you choose do do?

Get educated. Know what policies those companies around you subscribe to, through their actions not their political lip service.

Fill up your car less often and travel less. Turn off your lights and heating when you don't need it.
STOP buying crap that you don't need. It is the job of the PR companies and Advertising Executives to may you buy 'stuff' and make you think you need to be 'dependent' on it. Wake up!

Shop with local shops that care about your name and not just the number on your clubcard.

If you're doing business with a company that you know to be involved in crimes abroad or funding murder, with low ethical standards and morals - usually soul-less for profit only corporations (that throw a couple of pence to charity occasionally so you think they're nice). Just say no to dealing with them.

It's fine if you still use these companies at times, just be aware about it and your choices.

Find a company where you can speak to the owner and know there is someone that cares about your business and you. Where your custom really matters and you're not just another number. They do exist. Maybe your friends and family own such companies or work for them. Find out and ask them. Support them in a country full of corporations trying to sell you less for more.

People have forgotten that it is not a choice between survival and principles but how much you will sell your principles for! You will always survive.

I believe the choice my friend was referring to wasn't about 'survival' - but between 'enough money' and 'are your principles important to you'. Look around and see how people are voting with their actions. Have they let their principles sail down the river and waved goodbye? Do they look the other way at injustice? Do you?

There are many ethical, moral and conscientious people and companies out there; that you can work for and do business with - why would YOU choose one that wasn't?

Why expect anyone else to change when you won't.

Now that you're aware are you going to act differently? I do and hence why I'm sharing this with you as I care about a lot more than just myself and the 'principles for money' sale that is now on.

What do you still stand for?

Peace!

Bobby

Your family needs you, your friends need you, your community needs you, your country needs you, humanity needs you, OUR PLANET NEEDS YOU!

Experiencing Time is Speeding Up

2011-08-17T20:22:00.004+01:00

The Quickening - are you experiencing the sensation that 'Time is Speeding Up'?

It's OK - you're not the only one. If you are reading this and wondering WTF is going on, then hopefully the video below will answer some of your questions (as well as raise a few more).

Many of my Blog readers are property investors, business owners and I share this with them (and you) because I know they are also human beings with heart and souls. You don't have to admit you believe the same but I know you do ;-)
You will find your approach to do business constantly having to evolve and change to meet the needs of the changing environment and marketplace. It's not time to just upgrade but as one advert puts it, upgrade your upgrade!

All the current economic issues, government failures and corporate corruption is just going to get worse. They have gotten away with behaving badly and even been rewarded - so expect more of the same!
The riots are likely to continue as people emotions are heated and they don't know why. This month has already kicked off with a lot of strange energy.
As you're aware the Americans have magically printed a few trillion more of paper money to continue funding Wars overseas - and in the process devalued the dollar further. Don't worry it also devalues all the other currencies, bonds and countries linked to it (that means everyone). This does not make things better but worse for you financially - robbing you of equity and the value of your paper money. (Skip video to after 40mins for the big picture)
My advice would be Stop paying the thieving Banks - but that is another matter I will address later! (or send me an email/message)

There are currently a lot of learning experiences available to us all and the speed at which they are coming may seem overwhelming. Major worldwide events, local disturbances and personal challenges. If you can't keep up then that is fine. Just fail fast and learn the lessons you need. To get stuck will cause things to continue till you break free to a greater awareness.

Information is coming so fast that as soon as one thing is done, another comes out, needs to be learned and it's just faster, faster… Your processing speed is increasing but you still lag the change that is happening right now.

Consciousness needs to evolve and that is the reason all these things are happening. Are you comfortable continuing to be a sheep, following the lost flock - or sticking your head in the sand like an Ostrich? You will have to admit it is difficult to ignore everything going on - Awareness is increasing around the world. There is no bliss in ignorance any more.

What does this have to do with you? We are moving from a material based reality to a spiritual purpose.
Those who fear the loss of the material perspective and have a strong attachment, will keep getting harsher lessons until they learn. Those who allow faith and love to enter their lives will have a more spirit based existence.
If you have been challenged in these areas, it is time to open up to make things flow easier - unless you like to make things hard.

Whether you believe in Mayan Calendars, Astrology, meta-physics, Universal Laws or other things you can't see or explain - you should still watch this video and take from it what is important for you right now. There are some messages in it that will resonate with you and give you understanding and clarity.
Remember the world is not flat, sound and picture messages can instantly be received on other sides of the planet, the rock called the Moon affects the tides and yes, it is possible to fly! What else is possible that you don't know about yet?

Is it time to be at peace with the way things are and let go of how you want things to be?

Get ready for the birth of a new reality as it's coming anyway (look around and see the change as it's already manifesting). We still all have a lot to learn. Enjoy the ride!

"We are not human beings having a spiritual experience but spiritual beings having a human experience."

The Quickening from keith wyatt on Vimeo

The mystery of Comet Elenin News Update: 19 August, 2011, 22:42 RT

Follow Planets at NASA:
NASA Database

National Achievers Congress 2011 - #NAC2011

2011-07-12T07:30:00.003+01:00

Richard Branson is an amazing, shining soul - a true light worker.

To be at the National Achievers Congress 2011 in London Excel was a great experience and a privilege. Not having been to many events/seminars in the last few months, this was one that I did not want to miss. With such World Class speakers and entrepreneurs in one place, it was the MUST attend event of the year! With such 'Gurus' in Peak Performance to Billionaires and the Best of the Best entrepreneurs and wealth creators.

I was surprised to see that many of the London regulars (internet marketers, personal development, property investor crowd and seminar junkies) were not there. Were they busy that weekend? Did they not want to pay and see value in the tickets? Were they jaded by multi-speaker events? I think it is likely to have been a combination of all of the above.

All I can say is that they missed out. To be able to see/hear Tony Robbins, Alan Sugar, Kerwin Rae and Richard Branson live and in person is priceless, especially all on the same weekend. IF you weren't there, then I know you'll be regretting it now too, so I've got a gift for you. Would you like to see Richard Branson Live in 2012? Then read on….

Download my NAC seminar notes at: www.2012Interviews.com

Well done to the SR Team, Richard Tan and Veronica on pulling off another fantastic event. With around 8000 people in attendance, it requires some serious organisation and management. Of course Dinesh and Mala Shah are always a good choice for Crew Managers and know how to work with a team. This has set the bar for future events for themselves and other promoters in future. Where do you go from here? 10,000+ people next year but which speakers...

@SRseminars did have a Twitter contest with the hashtag #NAC2011 but failed to use or utilise the opportunity fully themselves. They should give me a call next year to make sure they do!!

The pros of the tweeting was that it got the message out and people got to share their thoughts on the event with others attending and friends that weren't present. The cons (for the organisers) was the comments about 'sales pitches', 'no women speakers', 'hard sell' etc… but it is good to get some balance so it worked for twitter followers to see these comments too. You can't censor the internet (yet!)

There was good use of QR codes over the weekend for you to get even more involved with the event and go online for videos and information.

It was mentioned that there were NO women speakers. It's not like there aren't any, as there were some in attendance. SR should have considered this and tried to balance the energy but we'll never know what the reason were. Next time they will need to invite at least a couple as it was commented on Twitter that "this is the 21st Century!"

Also, My friend Harriett won an iPad for just being there! Approximately 10 were given away during the weekend so it was worth it for that alone.
With 8000 tickets, about half of the people will have entered = 10/4000 or 1/400 chance of winning. Better than the odds of the lottery or staying at home doing nothing!

Tony Robbins was on first thing and over ran by an hour but the content was amazing and it was like a mini UPW (Unleash The Power Within). I had a sore throat by lunchtime due to just participating and shouting at him - if you've been to a Tony Seminar you'll know what I mean.

The energy of the weekend was much more than your average seminar - and many of the speakers knew it, referring to Energy being the main thing that is essential being successful!

It was interesting to note that many of the speakers were not fans of The Government or Banks, hinting at the fact but not outright saying it. Make a difference to the world yourself and raise money through smart thinking!

Here are my quick one line reviews of the speakers I heard - I wasn't in the room for all the presentations as I'd either heard them before, wasn't interested in the topic or was having fun catching up with friends :-)

Tony Robbins - A true master of modelling and Motivation (see notes)
Robert G Allen - Writing books and information products (see notes)
Greg Secker - Stock trading
Blair Singer - What kind of Sales Dog are you? (see notes)
Alan Sugar - Interview with Michael Burke (see notes)
T Harv Eker - What is your Money Blueprint? (see notes)
Andy Harrington - Presentation skills (see notes)
Simon Coulson - Internet marketing and information products
Mike Melio & Marty Sanders - Tony Robbins Business Guys
Adam Ginsberg - Domain name trading
Tom Hua - Internet marketing
Kevin Green - Secret millionaire shares his tips on property investing
Kerwin Rae - How JV's work (see notes)
John Lee - Lease options with the Wealth Dragons
Joseph McClendon III - Your health and energy is important (see notes)
Richard Branson - Interview (see notes)

Download my NAC seminar notes at: www.2012Interviews.com

The big message about money and achievement was about having the right energy and blueprint - not just the system to go out and earn it. The invisible (quantum soup) creates the visible results in your life, master that and everything else is easy.

Back to Sir Richard Branson. Well wow, what can I say?

He was interviewed by Michael Burke and shared the story and achievements of how he took his companies from strength to strength. Richard truly is a brilliant individual and as he speaks you can tell how humble he really is.

To be in the same room as him was Amazing. The opening we had with Tony Robbins was huge, the love and admiration for Richard Branson was just as Big if not BIGGER!

It's not that he is more capable than you or I - and it's not like he's super human and doesn't have challenges and fear. The difference is that he just keeps going because he knows his mission in life.
This mission is not for other's to intellectually understand and I believe it is outside the realms of thought, at the moment, for most people (Virgin Galactic to give average people trips into Space!?)

His aura filled the room easily as he spoke to us. He shared how you have to look after your team and work together, how he grew his company and had challenges with his Airline. The difference between Richard and many other business people is that Richard speaks from the heart and knows that this is where it all starts, not in the head as most intellectuals would want to believe. His company Virgin has been built on doing things better and providing the best possible 'service' to people, money is the by-product!

But the Amazing thing is that he is so REAL, genuine and you know that he cares. Then again I would value his attributes as they are in alignment with mine. The difference with Richard is that he just keeps having fun, growing and playing a bigger game.

When the crowd applauded him, you could see the emotion on his face - knowing in his soul that he is just doing what needs to be done.

As my friend Mindy Gibbins-Klein told me earlier that day - you don't tell people you're a thought leader but just go out and do it. This was so true when I saw Richard Branson and realised that he isn't busy telling people how great he is - he simply lets his actions do the talking and prove to the World what can be achieved.

When asked to finish with a single piece of advice for everyone present, he told us his secret:
"Screw it! Just get on and DO IT!"

Would you like to see Sir Richard Branson Live in London in 2012?
Download the NAC Notes by clicking below and enter your details on the page and you'll be sent information on how you can see Richard Branson for free and maybe even meet him. Sharing the love! ;-)

Download my NAC seminar notes here AND get the opportunity to see Richard Branson Live: www.2012Interviews.com

MY Top 11 Inspirational Speakers

2011-07-06T14:15:00.003+01:00

Who are my top speakers?

I get asked this a lot so decided to do a Top 10, which turned into 11.
(Then I remembered a couple more)

So here's the list... ranked by ENERGY and Emotion.

Richard Branson (definitely the Greatest shining Soul!)
Mark Victor Hansen
Tony Robbins
John Demartini
Kerwin Rae
Joseph McClendon III
Michael Bradford
Harry Singha
T. Harv Eker
Clinton Swaine
Blair Singer
Topher Morrison
Eric Edmeades
Bob Proctor
Clayton Ainger
Roger Hamilton

Note: These are speakers that I've heard live and/or met in person - and so must YOU!
There are many other wonderful souls out there and books that are also life changing.
You don't have to be on a list, a speaker or an author to be inspiration and make a difference!

I want to be able to add David Icke to this list within the next 12 months.

"Man's mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions." -Oliver Wendell Holmes
"Once you feel the energy, you know what is true!" - Bobby Gill

Website links:
Richard Branson - www.virginunite.com
Mark Victor Hansen - www.markvictorhansen.com
Tony Robbins - www.tonyrobbins.com
John Demartini - www.drdemartini.com
Kerwin Rae - www.kerwinrae.com
Joseph McClendon III - www.makeyourfate.com
Michael Bradford - www.theintuitiveadvantage.com
Harry Singha - www.youthcoachingacademy.com
T. Harv Eker - www.harveker.com
Clinton Swaine - www.frontiertrainings.com
Blair Singer - www.blairsinger.com
Topher Morrison - www.tophermorrison.com
Eric Edmeades - www.ericedmeades.com
Bob Proctor - www.bobproctor.com
Clayton Ainger - www.claytonainger.com
Roger Hamilton - www.rogerhamilton.com

Yes, I do know some female speakers and that there aren't any women on this top list - but I can assure you that all of these guys have mothers they love and that loved them - and partners that have supported them and helped them to shine. So they are not missing from the big picture.

====

Update: Actually after having another think and the fact there weren't any women at the NAC 2011 in London. Check these ladies out:
Lynne Twist - www.soulofmoney.org
Samantha Backman - www.samanthabackman.com
Joanna Martin - www.joannamartin.tv
Brigitte Sumner - www.brigittesumner.com
Mindy Gibbins-Klein - www.bookmidwife.com
Judy May Murphy - www.judymay.tv
Marie-Claire Carlyle - www.marieclairecarlyle.com
Getrude Matshe - www.getrudeinspires.com

This was supposed to be a list of my Top 11 Inspirational speakers but why hold back when you can find and give so much more? :-)

.

Monkeys Wake Up Call - See, Hear, Speak and DO!

2011-06-13T16:40:00.003+01:00

The 'Monkey Master' fable

A Fourteenth Century Chinese parable by Liu-Ji, for example, out-lines this neglected understanding of political power quite well:

In the feudal state of Chu an old man survived by keeping monkeys in his service. The people of Chu called him “jugong” (monkey master). Each morning, the old man would assemble the monkeys in his courtyard, and order the eldest one to lead the othersto the mountains to gather fruits from bushes and trees. It was the rule that each monkey had to give one-tenth of his collection to the old man. Those who failed to do so would be ruthlessly flogged. All the monkeys suffered bitterly, but dared not complain.

One day, a small monkey asked the other monkeys: “Did the old man plant all the fruit trees and bushes?” The others said: “No, they grew naturally.” The small monkey further asked: “Can’t we take the fruits without the old man’s permission?” The others replied: “Yes, we all can.” The small monkey continued: “Then, why should we depend on the old man; why must we all serve him?”

Before the small monkey was able to finish his statement, all the monkeys suddenly became enlightened and awakened. On the same night, watching that the old man had fallen asleep, the monkeys tore down all the barricades of the stockade in which they were confined, and destroyed the stockade entirely. They also took the fruits the old man had in storage, brought all with them to the woods, and never returned. The old man finally died of starvation.

Yu-li-zi says, “Some men in the world rule their people by tricks and not by righteous principles. Aren’t they just like the monkey master? They are not aware of their muddle-headedness. As soon as their people become enlightened, their tricks no longer work.”

Are there Monkey Masters in your world that use force to take from you that which is not theirs to ask for? Does your supposed democracy appear to resemble a dictatorship?

See, Hear and Speak the truth! Then DO what you think is necessary.

Read the book From Dictatorship to Democracy by Gene Sharp, which includes 198 Methods of non-violent protest and persuasion.

Gene Sharp is Professor Emeritus of political science at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. He is known for his extensive writings on nonviolent struggle, which have influenced numerous anti-government resistance movements around the world.

From Dictatorship to Democracy by Gene Sharp

Tax Freedom Day 2011

2011-05-28T13:10:00.002+01:00

When do you stop working for the Government and start to earn for yourself?

Tax Freedom Day is the first day of the year, when people in the country have finally earned enough income to pay for just their contribution of taxes. Remember taxation is involuntary and enforced with civil and criminal prosecution - so the average person just has to do as they're told and hand over the money over (under threat).

After all taxes are essential! Maybe less is going towards the healthcare system, already poor council services and education - including cutbacks for nurses, police officers and teachers BUT it appears that it is necessary to still fund illegal Wars, private corporation bailouts, Royal weddings and refurbs to Downing Street (that's right £680,000 of taxpayer money this year is being spent by the PM. Source: www.dailymail.co.uk)

Didn't you know - the austerity cuts only apply to you the taxpayer!? How ironic!

So when is Tax Freedom Day? 30th May 2011 (for Brits)

United Kingdom
Britons will stop working for the government and start working for themselves on 30th May 2011.
That means they will work for 149 days to pay their taxes in 2011 wit every penny earned taken by the taxman to support government expenditure (see above).

Apparently this is 3 days more than in 2010 due to the fact the government has raised VAT, in an attempt to help reduce the UK’s record budget deficit.

“The government is right to give priority to cutting spending and plugging the deficit. But as Tax Freedom Day shows, Britons are still desperately overtaxed. The fact that we spend almost five months working for the State – and only seven months working for ourselves and our families – is a shocking indictment of big, wasteful government.” - Tom Clougherty, executive director of the Adam Smith Institute

Find out more about how taxes work and how you can avoid working 5 months for the Government.
Every man has the right to manage his affairs in order to minimise and avoid tax, it is his duty to do so.

Note: Tax avoidance is legal, whereas tax evasion is illegal.

"Any one may so arrange his affairs that his taxes shall be as low as possible; he is not bound to choose that pattern which will best pay the Treasury; there is not even a patriotic duty to increase one's taxes." - Judge Learned Hand

At least Tax Freedom Day falls on a Bank Holiday, so enjoy it with a drink in your and know that the rest of the Year belongs to YOU! (Just don't wonder what the tax duty paid on the alcohol is funding)

----------------------------

United States of America

In the USA Tax Freedom Day for the country was 12th April 2011.

Tax Freedom Day varies among the 50 U.S. states, as incomes and state & local taxes differ from state to state so much that Mississippi was the first to celebrate its Tax Freedom Day on 26th March, just 85 days into 2011. Connecticut was the last, having to waiting till 2nd May, 122 days into 2011.

The Tax Foundation says this shift toward a lower tax burden since 2007 has been driven by three factors:
The recession has reduced tax collections even faster than it has reduced income.
The Bush-era tax cuts were extended in December 2010 for two additional years.
As part of the tax-cuts extension, the Making Work Pay tax credit was replaced with the 2 percent reduction in the payroll tax.
But even with today's tax reductions, the Tax Foundation says Americans will pay more in taxes in 2011 than they will spend on groceries, clothing and shelter combined.

"America is a land of taxation that was founded to avoid taxation." - Laurence J. Peter

----------------------------

Worldwide Tax Comparison

Many other organizations in countries throughout the world now produce their own "Tax Freedom Day" analysis. Due to the different ways that nations collect and categorize public finance data, however, Tax Freedom Days are not comparable from one country to another.

Tax Freedom Days for countries by date

Country	Day of year	% burden	Date of year
India	74	20.0%	14 Mar
United States	99	26.9%	9 Apr
Australia	112	30.7%	22 Apr
Estonia	114	31.1%	24 Apr
South Africa	132	36.0%	12 May
Uruguay	133	38.6%	13 May
Hungary	140	38.0%	20 May
New Zealand	141	39.0%	21 May
Spain	141	39.0%	21 May
Slovakia	142	38.8%	22 May
Lithuania	124	34.0%	5 May
Bulgaria	147	40.0%	27 May
Brazil	147	40.0%	27 May
United Kingdom	150	40.9%	30 May
Canada	157	42.6%	6 Jun
Belgium	159	43.3%	8 Jun
Croatia	161	43.7%	10 Jun
Czech Republic	161	44.1%	11 Jun
Israel	173	47.4%	22 Jun
Poland	174	47.7%	23 Jun
Slovenia	174	47.8%	24 Jun
Germany	190	51.7%	8 Jul
France	197	53.6%	16 Jul
Sweden	200	55.0%	20 Jul
Norway	210	56.7%	29 Jul

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tax_Freedom_Day for full details

Does shelter think all landlords are Rogues?

2011-05-23T12:49:00.004+01:00

Scams involving Landlords. Shelter really do a good job showing 'Rogue' landlords taking advantage of vulnerable (desperate) tenants. With PR like this though, no wonder people think landlords are out to take advantage of tenants and are all unscrupulous. What kind of person would want to rent a property like this anyway, someone vulnerable or someone who didn't care and found it acceptable?

Also, who would stay in one where jobs didn't get done and repairs made at all.

What would happen if this showed how tenants behaved?
Do you think Shelter would be happy with the honesty?

Bad landlords are put on lists at councils and I'm aware of a couple of new sites where you can upload information of bad tenants that could become popular in future, such as www.tenantID.co.uk and www.LandlordsBestFriend.co.uk. Rogue Tenants beware...

I've spoken to many professional and high profile landlords/presenters that don't think Shelter do a good PR job with respect to landlords. After all, who does Shelter think will house homeless people if the landlords don't?

Companies that help people get housing need to work WITH landlords to ensure problems like this don't occur - and they also need to make sure tenants aren't irresponsible either and not protect them when they are clearly abusing a property or the landlord.

Take a look at this facebook page NetRent to see pictures of what Rogue Tenants do to properties. Maybe landlords should make videos showing this!?

If you are a landlord then you can start by making sure you are a good landlord and that your property is fit to rent. Keep up with maintenance and repairs - because groups like Shelter do a lot of negative press for you, it means you have to deliver beyond what someone would expect. But hey, at least it gives you the opportunity to shine compared to those few landlords that may be featured in adverts like this.

It's the minority (on either side) that ruin it for everyone else!
Don't be in the minority and set a good example to other landlords and tenants on how a property business should be run and a home should be looked after.

Also check out the My Property Power Team Fanpage where my articles are featured regularly.

vv Share this article by using the links below vv
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Confused by Social Media?

2011-04-08T15:02:00.000+01:00

Want more leads for your business? Like to be able to stay in contact with your existing clients? Need to be easier to find online?

Have you taken the first steps to get yourself and your brand online yet?

If you're reading this blog and have been redirected here from a Facebook group or fanpage, Twitter, Ecademy, LinkedIn, forum, RSS Feed or a link shared on a friend's webpage - then you're already half way there.

Did you know that you can also publish content about yourself, your company, products and services just as easily? Yes, it's true! You don't need a corporate sized budget to be able to compete with the big guys any more. For individuals and entrepreneurs it is much easier to get presence and connect with your existing and potential customers.

Have you any idea what people are saying about your brand online? Check Google to see what it comes up with. The problem is that people are more likely to complain when they receive bad service than take the time to thank you - unless you actively engage with them and ask for testimonials and do your best to deal with the complaints.

Below is a presentation I did at the Northern Property Network during March 2009 to a group of property investors and business owners.

The scary thing is that some people still aren't using the tools that they have at their fingertips to grow their business and manage their online brand and reputation.

If you need help with your online social media and advertising.
Then contact me and see how I can help find a solution that's right for you.

Email:

Web 2.0 Social Media Presentation

Press Play on the bar at the bottom of the presentation to start the audio.

Click on the bottom right icon to make it full size so you can read the slides as well.

Government uses blackmail to lower LHA rents

2011-04-05T18:37:00.001+01:00

As well as lower DSS/LHA rents the Government is now using blackmail to get landlords to reduce their rents even further if they want to be paid direct. LHA was the way forward for landlords to get guaranteed rents but it seems as if the Government is putting the brakes on that too by making sure you are guaranteed much LESS!

LHA rents will now be capped lower for new tenants. Landlord groups have always campaigned against the draconian rules of local councils, making it difficult for landlords to collect rent from their tenants, even if the tenant chooses to have it that way as well.

When DSS to LHA changes originally came in, I was at a Council Landlord meeting and everyone was against the changes, whilst the LHA 'speakers' were there only to TELL people what they will be getting from the Government. Feedback? Well you can say what you want but the Govt / Council isn't listening.

For example, if a tenant tells (lies to) the landlord saying they are waiting for the council to pay them, whilst spending the money that they have received. Should the landlord ask to speak to someone at the council, they are told they can't because of privacy issues. If the tenant fails to pay or leaves without paying, the council tells the landlord that it is between them and the tenant and they can't help. An easy way for the council to simply get out of having to deal with landlord requests, hence lowering their council costs, as time is money. Surprised? Don't expect the council to provide you any service, it works well for them.

Now, yet another failed scheme for Government and a poor fix to what is a simple problem - pay landlords directly the market rents for properties that they rent to LHA tenants, otherwise house them yourself!

At least some bright sparks in Government are getting paid well to come up with such absurd initiatives.
Even Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Steve Martin and Michael Caine had higher morals! Thank you Cameron and Clegg! Who's looking after the people if it's not the Government's job to treat everyone fairly?

Unfortunately it becomes more difficult for landlords to rent their properties privately at a fair price if the house is in a 'deprived' area. So not only have house values come down due to the recent credit crunch, they are about to get lower as those that look at yield will now pay less for properties that now rent for less.

What would happen if Landlords told the council that they would only pay business rates and council tax to them if they reduced their payments? Oh that's right, enFORCEment to make them pay! Now let's not go there...

Bobby

BIG-CON: THANKS FOR VOTING!

'Del Boy' wheeling and dealing over benefit tenants - Tuesday 5th April 2011

"Councils will be able to protect private landlords who have tenants on housing benefit from the government’s new regime for two years, it has been announced.

It means that councils will be able to make direct payments of local housing allowance (LHA) to landlords in exchange for them agreeing to lower their rents, for this period.
After that, LHA will automatically be paid direct to the tenants.

The British Property Federation questioned the two-year deal.

It described it as a move that would see council staff having to wheel and deal with local landlords to reduce their rent in return for the comfort of getting paid direct.

Ian Fletcher, director policy at the British Property Federation, said: “This is ‘Del Boy’ benefit policy – seeking to trade a landlord’s right to be paid with the Government’s desire to reduce its expenditure.

“If this was really about protecting tenants, why limit it at two years, and not give an ongoing commitment to direct payment up until housing benefit is absorbed into Universal Credit?

“Landlords should expect to get paid for the housing they provide. That shouldn’t be contingent on lowering rents, or having to wait eight weeks under the current system.

“The Government would not dare treat other small businesses in such a way, but seems to think it is acceptable to allow people to rack up huge debts and treat landlords so badly.” "

Source: http://www.lettingagenttoday.co.uk/news_features/Del-Boy-wheeling-and-dealing-over-benefit-tenants

White collar crime - Banks steal houses!

2011-04-04T14:42:00.001+01:00

Coming to a home near you soon? Or actually ask your friends and family because the white-collar criminals are likely already operating in your street lurking in the shadows!

If you've got such stories about UK Banks, then write in and let us know - the last thing they want is people discussing their crimes in public even though they're spending the public's money and harassing those very same people!

"Robo-signed documents, false affidavits and failure to notify defendants are just a few of the ways banks and their lawyers are accused of mishandling foreclosures."

When these things are happening there would naturally be investigations into these crimes and corporate frauds - but the Police and justice departments are not interested in pursuing them.

Why would that be when the crimes are so public?

Why do criminal Bankers have no limits on what they will do and then seem to be exempt from investigation? Maybe it is because they think they are 'above the law' and have 'unlimited' government funding that they do what they want.

So what is white collar crime?

"Within the field of criminology, white-collar crime has been defined by Edwin Sutherland as "a crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation" (1939). Sutherland was a proponent of Symbolic Interactionism, and believed that criminal behavior was learned from interpersonal interaction with others. White-collar crime, therefore, overlaps with corporate crime because the opportunity for fraud, bribery, insider trading, embezzlement, computer crime, copyright infringement, money laundering, identity theft, and forgery are more available to white-collar employees."

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-collar_crime

It looks like Bankers are in the perfect place to be taking 'money' home with them.
They even have systems in place and what looks like 'agreements' with lawyers, courts and judges to allow their paperwork pass through the system whilst the little guy gets stomped on!

--
Here's just some of the things they are up to:-

Wall St Banks have been caught stealing homes through fraudulent foreclosures.
They are moving people out of their homes before foreclosure completes, even emptying homes of possessions.
Telling people they have to be in arrears before they will help under new anti-foreclosure laws, then foreclosing because they are in arrears.
When people call for help the people are given fake phone numbers to get help.

Using illegal document to get foreclosures.

Faking foreclosure documents.
Foreclosing on homes that have been paid off.
Even setting up boiler room courts to rush them through.

Get more info and read about the crimes at:

http://warintel.blogspot.com/2010/12/wall-st-banks-steal-homes-with-impunity.html
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/matt-taibbi-courts-helping-banks-screw-over-homeowners-20101110

--
In this story Bank of America 'steals ashes of dead husband and ransacks house' after foreclosure.

"A bank has been accused of unlawfully seizing the ashes of a dead husband from his grieving widow’s home. Bailiffs working for the Bank of America are said to have broken into the Mimi Ash’s house during a foreclosure before ransacking the place. And, according to a U.S. lawsuit, they helped themselves to family and childhood photographs along with her son’s ski medals while cleaning out the entire house.

Ira Rheingold, executive director of the National Association of Consumer Advocates, said that bank errors were happening all the time. She said: ‘Every day, smaller wrongs happen to people trying to save their homes: being charged the wrong amount of money, being wrongly denied a loan modification, being asked to hand over documents four or five times."

Read more at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1340863/Bank-America-steals-ashes-dead-husband-ransacks-house.html

These small wrongs compound to great injustices!

Yes, this what is really happening. It's not a perfect world out there and it is time for people to support each other, share the truth and fight back against the white collar crime that is increasing around you all the time.

Bobby

Watch this video below to see the deals that American banks are getting and would you be surprised if the same was happening in the UK and worldwide?
It may be a year old but it's still relevant today. Stay informed and share the information. Homes are for living in, humans for being treated respectfully and Bankers, well I'll let you figure out what they are good for...
See how they play the numbers game to show that profits are more important than people!

--
Those Indymac boys were given deal by the FDIC, and borrowers were strong-armed

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssl5yb7FewA

Transcript: "Does the Government REALLY want to fix this financial mess we're in?

Like many banks during the world financial meltdown in 2008, IndyMac closed it doors. Months later, its assets were seized by the FDIC and sold to OneWest Bank by the US Government.

Well, guess who owns OneWest Bank: That would be Goldman Sachs; with bigtime VP Stephen Munchen and bigtime investors, George Soros and John Paulson - of no blood relation to ex-CEO of Goldman Sachs, Hank Paulson - who would be the ex-Secretary of the Treasury.

All IndyMac's residential property mortgages were purchased by OneWest at 70% of their value; all HELOCs were purchased at 58% percent of the value.

But just in case the OneWest guys would feel cozy and warm, the FDIC stepped in and decided to cover 80% to 90% of the losses, due to short sale or foreclosures that they might incur from those naughty IndyMac-mortgaged homeowners...

The reason why we think you should know about this case is because the Loss Calculations are based on the ORIGINAL home mortgage and NOT the 70% of the ORIGINAL value at which it was purchased by OneWest.

This is an actual sample case fro one of our TBWS viewers…now, this is going to get your blood boiling!

Take an actual loan $478,000 + 6 months of missed payments for a grand total of $485,200. OneWest Bank paid 70% or $334,600 for that loan. ($485,200 X 70% = $334,600).

Then, that underwater homeowner got an all-cash short sale offer for his home that netted $241,000 to OneWest Bank.

Now, according to the FDIC formula, you take the actual amount that OneWest paid for the mortgage: $334,600 but instead they get to use the ORIGINAL amount of the mortgage of $485,200 MINUS the short sale offer of $241,000 and you have an "Adjusted Loss" of $244,200.

Next, according to the sweetheart deal, the FDIC writes a check to OneWest bank for 80% of the net loss ($244,200 X 80%), so the Taxpayer, courtesy of the FDIC pays OneWest $195,360.

Now, ADD the $195,360 paid by the Government to the short sale offer of $241,000 and One West Bank just made: $436,360 on a loan that they only bought for $334,600! And all they had to do was sell it for what they wanted to!

Guys! They can't lose money on this deal! OneWest Bank just profited on this short sale to the tune of $101,760 -- all because of the sweetheart deal they made with the FDIC.

So, if you ever ask yourself, "Why is it so hard to get a mortgage loan?" The answer is that *there's too much money to be made on short sales and foreclosures.*

Ready for an encore? The house still was sold for less than the original loan amount and the *borrower was forced to sign a promissory note for $75,000* to OneWest Bank!

So who really wins in the end? Well, just let you decide...

By the way, the FDIC just announced that they would start needing to borrow money from the Treasury -- the Treasury being the place where all those Goldman Sachs guys used to call home before they called OneWest Bank home.

If you're as mad about this as we are, share this with as many people as you can, so we can all understand more about this business that we care so deeply about..."

Banks Put Profits Before People

2011-04-04T12:19:00.003+01:00

If it's possible to make money out of gullible or unsuspecting customers, that's perfectly acceptable. The Banks pay huge bonuses because they know they can get away with being bailed out to the downside by the Government and taxpayer. They are not 'too big to fail' but think they are 'too important to fail' - where in reality, with the billion pound bail-outs we're about to find out that they will ultimately be 'too big to save'.

Of course Banks put profits before customers, how else does a business make decisions, especially when you are part-nationalised and insured against any risks?

The delusional Chief executive of the British Bankers' Association Angela Knight says “the industry had reformed radically" - which bank is she talking about in particular that would lead her to think this was true? The Banks believe they can fall back on the taxpayer because it has been proven to be so.

Nick Clegg says he's angry about the Banking industry and it's actions - well do something about it then!!! Otherwise scenes like those seen in London a week ago are likely to repeat themselves again and again...

"Just weeks after Chancellor George Osborne signed Project Merlin the Bank of England governor Mervyn King has questioned why banks are trying to maximise short-term profit at the expense of customers.

In a Daily Telegraph interview Mr King attacked the banking bonus system warning that failure to reform the sector could result in another financial crisis.

Mr King said that, over the past two decades, too many people in financial services had thought "if it's possible to make money out of gullible or unsuspecting customers, that's perfectly acceptable".

He said: "Why do banks in general want to pay bonuses? It's because they live in a 'too big to fail' world in which the state will bail them out on the downside."

The Project Merlin deal previously struck with the banks agreed that in return for the bank’s lending more money and showing restraint on bonuses, the UK Government would not take any further action on pay and profits.

"We've not yet solved the 'too big to fail' or, as I prefer to call it, the 'too important to fail' problem. The concept of being too important to fail should have no place in a market economy. There is too much weight put on the importance and value of takeovers and it doesn't make sense to destroy a company with a sound reputation in the hunt for short-term profits."

Mr King also drew a contrast between manufacturing companies, who largely care about their workforces, customers and products, and the banks. "There's a different attitude towards customers. Small and medium firms really notice this: they miss the people they know.”

Chief executive of the British Bankers' Association Angela Knight said “Some in the industry had got it badly wrong during the financial crisis but since then the industry had reformed radically. We entirely agree that no bank should believe it can fall back on the taxpayer. I sincerely hope Mr King is as committed as we are to forming a good relationship when the Bank of England takes over regulation".

Banking chiefs said they "respected" Mr King but disagreed with his comments..

The Con-Dem Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg told delegates at the Scottish Liberal Democrat spring conference in Perth:"I agree with Mervyn King, the job of making our banks safe and responsible is not yet complete, I understand why people are angry when they hear about the super-sized salaries and bumper bonuses awarded to top bankers. I am too”.

Read the full article by Mike Clarke at: www.mypropertypowerteam.co.uk

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Fill In Your Census Form without Lockheed Martin Profiting (includes landlord vacant properties)

2011-03-24T11:51:00.001Z

Not only do the taxes you pay fund illegal wars, murder and death - but so now do the contracts that the Government use for clerical work. Below is an article provided by a contributor at www.PeacNewsLog.info on how you can fill in the details and stop Lockheed Martin profiting from your particular form.

Remember to enclose the supplementary form that they may have forgotten to enclose with your Census data. Download it here from Indymedia

Also note that if you are a landlord and have an empty let then don’t forget you have a legal requirement to fill in the census form for that property on Sunday 27th March.

The property owner needs to fill in the form - ideally paper version or online - for any unoccupied rented property. The sections that need to be completed are:

H1 (tick the last box in the list)

H4 (tick the last box in the list)

H7 to H11

For further details go to www.census.gov.uk

Remember it is most likely important to complete the census with essential data only to provide local councils information on budgetting for local services – and not returning it at all of course also means Lockheed Martin will still get paid anyway for doing nothing and you may get a fine!

So make sure you send it back, taking note of the information below and with the supplementary form available here: Indymedia

May the Force and Peace be with you fellow Jedi.

Bobby

Stand side by side and peacefully say No to War! (aka. Government funded terrorism and murder, paid by taxes collected from the public/you). I am making a stand and welcome free and wise people to join the activism of being the change that they wish to see in the world! Have YOU had enough yet?

P.S. Not filled in your 2011 UK Census yet? Check out: http://www.nocensustakingpart.co.uk/whattodo.html

http://www.youtube.com/embed/Zkq9hdGSsXQ

How to Fill In Your Census Form without Lockheed Martin Profiting

By admin2, March 20th, 2011
Lots of people are angry that the UK Census has, once again, been awarded to blood-soaked arms dealer Lockheed Martin. The following anonymous article sent to PN explains how you can fill in your Census form without benefiting Lockheed Martin or creating funding problems for local authorities.

(Updated as at 18-03-2011)

US Arms Manufacturer Lockheed Martin has the contract for the 2011 UK Census in March this year.

The arms manufacturer Lockheed Martin US makes Trident nuclear missiles, cluster bombs and fighter jets and is involved in data processing for the CIA and FBI. It has provided private contract interrogators for the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and Guantanamo Bay. Lockheed Martin has the UK Government contract to collect the process the data for the 2011 census in March. (Observer, 20 February 2011)

If you do not complete the census form and answer all the questions (except “religion”), (or return this information on line) you could get fined £1000 and a get criminal record. The Green Party has, after some real soul searching, decided not to promote a boycott of the 2011 census after all because that could lead to further funding problems for local authorities. The census data are used to determine the financial needs of councils on the basis of the population data for their area.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Lockheed Martin is in it for the money. A principled stance by you to boycott the census will not hurt them, could provide the British Government with £1000 of your money and will make life harder for local authorities. The rational approach would be to take part in the census but make processing your return as expensive to process as possible for Lockheed Martin. Make sure that processing your return costs Lockheed Martin more that they allowed for in their tender. Don’t let them make a profit from your census return but do help to provide the data your council needs for its Government grants.

If you don’t send in your form, Lockheed Martin will still get its money and just make a higher profit for less work.

This year, for the first time, you can make your census return on line. Do not do this, for an on-line return is the cheapest and easiest option for Lockheed Martin to process.

The value of Lockheed Martin’s 2011 census contract seems to be about £150 million. See the ONS (Office for National Statistics) press release on web page:

https://2011mc.census.gov.uk/index.php?module=documents&action=view&id=14

The census form consists of 32 pages. The contract includes the processing of about 39 million census forms. This is approximately £4 per census return. This figure includes all overheads and Lockheed Martin’s profit margin, so that the company will have priced the direct processing cost per form at a lower figure. To make money out of such a contract, the handling and processing of the forms will have to be a high speed and highly automated operation. Every minute longer spent on a form than Lockheed Martin has budgeted for, will reduce their profit on the contract. It is realistic to assume that this extra cost to Lockheed Martin would be in the region of £1 per minute of extra time spent on your form if all the overheads are taken into account.

Let’s assume that they plan, using their high speed computerised scanning and data capture technology, to process a form in, say, 5 minutes from receipt at their processing centre up to finished data capture. If your form is going to take, say, at least 15 minutes because it is a little awkward to deal with (possibly longer if supervisory level staff has to resolve queries and problems), then you will have reduced Lockheed Martin’s profit by approximately £10, if not more. You can make it extremely time consuming by very simple means.

THE CENSUS PROCEDURE

Some time in March you will receive a census form in the post – probably addressed to “the householder” or “the occupier”, which someone in your household is obliged to complete. (Remember: Don’t do it on line). This must be done after the census day of 27 March. The “census day” is meant to be a snapshot of the entire population on that particular day. The form must be returned by post as “soon as possible” after 27 March. The Government website says “If you have not returned your questionnaire by 6 April, a census collector may call after that time (possibly around the end of April) to offer you any help”. There is no particular deadline line for returning the form.

Do not provide convenient contact details when filling in your census form or on any other piece of paper relating to the census. After all, nobody can force you to possess a telephone or email. Paper correspondence is much more expensive. Alternatively, accidentally change a digit of your telephone number and ditto for an email address. Everybody makes minor clerical errors, that’s just human nature.

It is obviously not helpful to make use of the “census helpline” phone number on the front page of the form (call centres are horrible to deal with) or the “Text relay”.

Any queries, requests for “Individual questionnaires” or additional household questionnaires, etc are best addressed in writing (but not including your phone number!) to”

FREEPOST 2011 Census, Processing Centre, UK (i.e. the Lockheed Martin processing centre)

And if they are too slow in replying, get the matter chased up by writing to:

Glen Watson
Census Director
2011 Census
Office for National Statistics ONS)
Government Buildings
Cardiff Road
Newport
South Wales

Inexplicably, the census form omitted to provide this address.

For other useful details, see the Government’s helpful Census 2011 Information website: www.2011.census.uk

The legislation which sets out the precise information requirements for England and Wales is found in “The Census (England and Wales) Order 2009” on:

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2009/3210/contents/maden

The primary legislation is the Census Act 1920 (can easily be found on line), which also contains the bit about penalties for not complying.

YOUR PERSONAL DETAILS

There is no which lists everybody alive and where he or she lives in the UK. The databases which exist (electoral roll, television licensing, Inland Revenue, National Insurance, DHSS, NHS, DVLA, etc.) are not comprehensive and are all in incompatible formats. There is a reasonably comprehensive database of all postal addresses, with post codes, but this data base contains no people information at all. To capture the whole country, the census will no doubt have to rely mainly on the postal addresses data base. Checking whether information people provide on their forms is accurate or true could be done on the basis of some small random samples. It would, however be extremely expensive and an administrative and logistical nightmare to carry out such checks on a big scale and such an enterprise would probably violate data protection legislation if various other data bases are used. It is a moving target for whilst you are collecting the information, it changes all the time through births and deaths, people moving house, and so on. Cross checking against these diverse other data bases is by no means easy for if there is a discrepancy, it may not be obvious which of the databases you are comparing contains the error.

This is why the Government is honest when it calls the census “a snapshot” taken on one particular day, 27th March. It is the best which can be done using the census method without a comprehensive and continuous updating structure. A census is, for example, in general not an effective procedure for a permanent people registration system such as identity cards. Its usefulness will only last for a few years as statistical survey of the country. A census of this type is not a “big brother” project.

DATA PROTECTION

It is reasonable to assume that your personal data on census forms will be safe. The Government would run into the most enormous problems if they were not. If you are not convinced, you could use the traditional method to track down misuse of your personal data by making a very small change to your name. E.g. (accidentally) change one letter, or add or delete one. If you make this particular change on no other document, you will know the source of the data protection failure and can take the necessary action.

Some people think that the data are not safe because Lockheed Martin is a US company and the “Patriot Act” applies. Whatever the UK Government assurances on this point, the practical fact is that this data base will be of limited interest to the US Government because a) it is guaranteed to be inaccurate for all sorts of reasons (hardly any checking will take place – that would be far too expensive and time consuming) b) the detailed people information will get out of date quickly and will not be updated and c) those people who are of real interest to state agencies will easily evade being recoded by the census anyway – this is a really easy thing to do, e.g. by making convincing looking fake entries which are 99.999% sure to remain unchecked.

MAILING THE CENSUS FORMS

The census form will arrive though the post and is to be returned through the post. A post-free return envelope will be enclosed. This envelope will have a window which is intended to match a large bar code printed on the form. The Royal Mail will scan these bar codes, without opening the envelopes and will then forward them to Lockheed Martin’s “Data Capture Centre” for processing. If, for whatever reason, a form’s bar code cannot be read by the Royal Mail, it will have no option but to forward that form also to the Data Capture Centre, for that will be the only place where the envelopes can be opened under proper data protection safeguards.

Each page of a census form also has have its own unique identifying bar code (on one side of each page) and a page-number barcode on every page.To avoid confusion, the term “outer bar code” will be used for the bar code to be scanned by the Royal Mail, and “inner bar codes” for the other ones.

This aspect of the operation is described in the downloadable newsletter “Census Talk no. 4” (with a good picture) on web page:

http://www.ons.gov.uk/census/2011-census/news-and-events/census-talk

Some interesting trial results of this system are found on “Census Talk – Special Issue” on the same web page.

CHECKING THE RETURN OF FORMS

The scanned returns by the Royal Mail will be forwarded to the QT (Questionnaire Response Tracking System) and matched to the mailing addresses list. This way, the census collectors’ management will know which forms have not (yet) been returned. (This information will be wrong for those forms of which the Royal Mail could not scan, of course, unless the Data Capture Centre acts promptly on those forms).

Non-returns (or assumed non-returns) will be followed up selectively by the census collectors, prioritising their efforts on geographical areas where the rates of return are low. This is done for socio-statistical reasons. Without such prioritization, they could obviously also waste a lot of time on scattered unoccupied houses and flats, which occur randomly in all areas.

This procedure is described in greater detail in “Census talk – Special Issue”, downloadable from the same:

http://www.ons.gov.uk/census/2011-census/news-and-events/census-talk

It could happen that the outer bar code cannot be scanned because:

- The form was wrongly inserted in the envelope;

- A different envelope has been used;

- The outer bar code has been covered before the form was put in the envelope;

- Some or all of the outer bar code’s white spaces were filled in with black pen or otherwise obliterate.;

HOW LOCKHEED MARTIN PROCESSES THE CENSUS FORMS

Lockheed Martin will rely as much as possible on computer software, called “Data Capture and Coding System” (DCCS) which will scan your form and automatically enter the data. At this stage the “inner barcodes” are vital. You can see a picture of one of the machines doing this in action on Google Images, (search for “2011 census form”). You can also see pictures of scanning at work on Lockheed Martin’s own web-page

http://www.lockheedmartin.com/products/DRIS/index.html

(Processing U.S. census form in this case. Note the bar code the bottom the of the census form!)

and also in “Census Talk no.5” downloadable from web-page:

http://www.ons.gov.uk/census/2011-census/news-and-events/census-talk

The sequence of operations in the Data Capture Centre is described in detail the following sources:

http://www.lockheedmartin.co.uk/news/archive/40.html

http://www.lockheedmartin.co.uk/news/archive/41.html

and in “Census Talk no. 5”, downloadable from

http://www.ons.gov.uk/census/2011-census/news-and-events/census-talk

I urge you to study these 3 sources carefully.

The Lockheed Martin data capture process will have the following stages, each of which has its own weak points.

(0. Scanning of “outer bar codes” or otherwise registering receipt of the form, when this has not been done by the Royal Mail)

1. Opening the envelope and preparing the form for scanning;

2. Scanning the form into the computer database; (The computer “reads” the form)

3. The computer software assigns meaning to the scanned information, i.e. it decides which of the information which it reads is acceptable as census data and which is to be rejected in the form of an error message.

Any information which, somehow has not been read or generates error messages on the computer is keyed in manually.

4. Dealing manually with queries arising form incomplete or ambiguous scanning information.

5. Downloading the information into databases for statistical and other reports. Recording the form on microfiche and/or filing the paper form for storage (for at least 100 years);

Stage 1: Physical preparation

The form is out of its envelope. The spine is sliced off (it is in booklet form. It is checked for anything which might obstruct scanning, in 2 respects: a) visual obstructions to the scanner and b) factors which might make the paper feed mechanisms go temperamental (like in normal photocopiers).

a) could be things like post-it notes, loose bits of paper and other detritus, stains, obviously unreadable barcodes, etc.

b) could be of the form of additional staples, tears, folds, creases, spots of stickiness such as a marmalade spillage or a fragment of bluetack, improvised repairs of torn sheets with sellotape, additional pieces of paper glued to the side, etc.

The forms have become a pile of loose sheets, ready for scanning, except those for which it is already obvious that scanning will be unsuccessful.

At this stage, scanning means only: passing though the scanner and some computer “reading” can take place. Whether or not meaningful information can actually be successfully transferred from the form to the computer depends also on several other factors.

Scanning will take place at a rate of 15,000 double sheets per hour. Manually keying of data is vastly slower and much more expensive.

Stage 2. Computer scanning of the information on the form.

The bold little inner bar codes on each page are page numbers to scan for the compute. The fainter “wavy” barcode on one side of each page is the form’s unique identifier. Through the combination of these two inner barcodes, the pages of the form can be read in complete random order, even if different forms are all mixed up. Without these inner barcodes scanning will, probably, be entirely impossible (unless there is a facility on the scanning machine to manually type in any un-obliterated number codes printed beneath the barcodes – as in a supermarket – but that would very be slow and cumbersome (An attempt could, conceivably also be made in such cases to make use of the “Personal Internet Access Code” printed on the front page. (better obliterate that too?)

Without form identification and page number identification, scanning makes no sense, for there would be nowhere for the information to go to.

(Look for such stuff on every page). Bar codes can be rendered ineffective by neatly filling in some or all of the white gaps between the bars of with a black pen or entirely covering with stickers – do not use post-it notes for they are easily removed. Do not allow any complete horizontal strip (however narrow) of the complete barcode to remain. (Many people “blacked in” or obliterated bar codes to great effect on Poll Tax forms in 1989-1991 and greatly increased their processing costs). Make sure you don’t miss any other codes and serial numbers. They, and other codes of symbols, numbers, etc, are best entirely obliterated with black pen or stickers. Don’t miss any!

You sometimes hear that barcodes can be made unreadable by rubbing a candle over them. I think that this is an urban myth (they can be read through transparent plastic!) I have been unable to find any technical reference to the candle wax method.

Lockheed Martin has software to scan handwritten entries and ticked boxes on you form (at very high speed. first extensively used in the US census of 2000 and then in the UK census of 2001). Anything which obstructs the automatic scanning of the information and involves the need for a human intervention obviously considerably increases Lockheed Martin’s processing costs. Luckily, Lockheed Martin and the Office for National Statistics (NOS) have provided some helpful descriptions of its computer scanning system of census forms in non-technical language on the internet links given above. I urge you to read these

Look again closely at Lockheed Martin’s own picture on web page:

http://www.lockheedmartin.com/products/DRIS/index.html

It would appear that what is actually shown on this picture is the “stage 2” process of form identification scanning, using a BAR CODE on the form

If form identification using scanning of bar codes or other codes fails at the processing centre, the form will have to be checked in manually on a computer screen against its ADDRESS entry of the mailing data base. This will makes the whole identification process of that form an order of magnitude more time consuming. The postcodes in the mailing addresses would be very important in such cases a) to speed up de address search and b) to decide which one is the correct address option if the street name occurs several times in a town or city – especially large places like London. (People who believe that a particular letter or digit of their post code printed on their form is not the right one, should obliterate it firmly and write the one they think it should be instead – don’t miss any such post codes; there could be more than one.)

Stage 2: computer scanning of information entered on the form.

Lockheed Martin’s software can read ticked boxes and both lower case and upper case letters where each letter is written in its own little box. It looks for writing in places on the forms where you are expected to write

The bits to be filled in by you will be white on the form and the bits which the computer is not meant to read are coloured. (Anything which you write or tick in the coloured part of the page cannot be read by the computer and will have to be keyed in by hand).

A few examples of the form’s pages can be found on Google “images”. Search e.g. “uk census 2011 form”

If (God forbid!) you wrote something down all wrong, you could either crossed it out firmly, and write the information somewhere else with a helpful arrow to the place where it should have been written, or you could glue, sellotape or staple another piece of paper in the approximate place on top of the erroneous entry and write the correct information on it. In either case, the computers scanner will not be able to read the information and will refer it back to a human being to deal with.

The same applies to box ticking. There will many of boxes to tick. It is so easy to tick the wrong boxes in all the excitement. It is best to firmly cross it all out and write in the margin, or wherever there is some space, something like: “Sorry, it should have been this one”, with an arrow pointing in the approximate direction.

The text, to be printed by you in little boxes, one for each character, will be read by so-called “Optical Character Recognition” software (you can look this up on Wikipedia and follow links). The software cannot read joined up writing. (Writing which ignores the boxes, and/or which is joined up, cannot be read by the software).

The software reads each written character – each one in its own little box – and will then decide, using a statistical analysis, which letter or numerical digit is the best fit to the handwritten shape. It will have a kind of “pictures dictionary” of all the various ways people hand-write characters and numbers and will compare what it sees on the form with the dictionary at various levels of confidence. Lockheed Martin is very proud of the sophistication of its “optical character recognition” software and the extremely wide diversity of people’s writing it can read, but that could also be its weakness. (If you draw little pictures, random shapes or fantasy symbols or characters from other scripts in various unused boxes, the software may well try to read them and try to guess which letters or numbers have the closest resemblance to your little scribbles. It might produce unpredictable and rather odd prose as a result).

The software will probably have an in-built spell check and correction facility to provide alternatives to misspelled words (like normal word processing software). (It is likely to have problems if you leave out the spaces between words, especially when combined with spelling mistakes).

The lack of vertical symmetry in both the census pages’ barcodes and in pictures seen of the reading machines suggest strongly that the software cannot read “upside down” and pages will have to be fed in all the same direction.

Writing text upside down (i.e. rotate the form upside down when you write entries) is likely to be extremely effective, with the added advantage that it would also substantially slow down subsequent manual keying in, for the operator would be confused and would have to work from “bottom to top” for text, but from top to bottom for ticked boxes.

The web-link below is rather technical but gives a good insight in the economics of scanning in paper census questionnaires, and the trade-off between speed and accuracy:

http://www.documentimagingreport.com/Forms_processing_mystery.1534.0.html

Stage 3: assigning meaning to the information

Everything which the scanning software cannot read will produce a “no data” or “error” message and will time consuming require manual attention.

The software will also detect a) “contradictions” and b) “uncodable text”. Uncodable text is text which does not match any pre-set words in a “coding dictionary”. The purpose of this software feature is to prevent logical nonsense to be downloaded into the census database. It will in the first case refuse to accept them and in the second case require a re-definition to be keyed in manually.

A “contradiction” occurs for example if 2 contradictory boxes are ticked, or 2 boxes are ticked when the form instructs you to tick only one box.

a) “Contradiction” examples are: Tick both boxes “Male” and Female” (adding, if you wish, words like “undecided” or “it all depends”, etc. wherever you find space to write, to show that you are taking the question seriously and don’t just tick any old boxes), interchanging day and month in the date of birth boxes (the 12th day of the 28th month) Similarly, tick contradictory boxes for religion, occupation, nationality, ethnic identity, etc. All such cases will generate an error message and will need to be examined by a human processor, who will have to decide what (if anything at all) can be keyed in manually to represent your answer to the question.

b) The case of “uncodable text”. There are two types of text in the software: “free text” and “coding text”. “Free text” would for example be the entries “first names” and “surname”. It is not possible to list in advance all the possible first names and surnames people could have in the UK. Just about every arbitrary piece of writing (i.e. every conceivable string of symbols, however random, but as long as the computer can read them) will therefore be accepted as a valid data in such a case.

“Coding text” is text for which the computer is programmed to assign every word it recognises as being in a pre-defined “dictionary”, to one particular choice of a limited number of categories. The census form will, as much as possible, encourage you to use words which occur in such pre-defined dictionaries. If the word(s) you use is/are not in the pre-set “dictionary”, a human operator will have to look at it and then have to decide, as a human decision, to which category your word(s) should be assigned. This “coding text” system will be used if you could not possibly have a ticking box for every option (such as occupation, nationality, etc), but the word(s) you write down as an answer to the question are expected to be meaningful to the type of question asked.

For example, in question 22 if you are German, and enter “German” as the answer to the question “nationality”, it will be scanned and coded to “Germany”. If you write instead “Bundesrepublik Deutschland” or ditto “Republica e Shqipërisë” if you are Albanian, or “The Realm of her Gracious Majesty Queen Elizabeth II” whilst ticking the “other nationality” box in question 15, such words and expressions will not be recognised as “coding text” and a human analyst will have to decide what they mean.

All this is best explained by quoting Lockheed Martin’s own description of the “Occupations” section of the census in its method description. Each census answer must in that case be coded to one of some 350 job codes in the “UK Standard Occupational Coding Index”:

“The system uses sophisticated software trained with thousands of examples of correctly coded responses to automatically recognise approximately 70% of the responses. Unrecognised responses are sent to highly trained operators to code. Coding is a difficult and expensive process (Emphasis added) but our automatic coding software combined with highly productive user tools makes it possible to code all of our data accurately with a small number of operators”.

For example, the words “doctor”, “general practitioner”, “surgeon”, “Dentist” etc, will all be assigned by the computer to a code which could perhaps be “medical/professional”. The software may well be sophisticated enough to recognise “tree surgeon” as belonging in a different occupational category, but what about the antiquated job title of “barber-surgeon”: would that be a hair dresser or medical practitioner?

In cases where the census form obviously wants to put you in some category or other by writing down one or more words instead of, or in addition to, box ticking, time consuming human decisions must be taken and manually keyed in whenever “coding text” is written in unusual or unexpected terminology. They are many way to do this. You could be an “oral surgeon” or write down “I repair people’s teeth”. Neither answer will be recognised by the software as “dentist”; or you could simply add random words: “(salad cream) office (snorkelling) manager”. Only a human processor can analyse responses of this kind and attempt to code them to an occupational category. This technique can be applied to all kinds of “coding” questions on the census form. Remember: “Coding is a difficult and expensive process”, says Lockheed Martin.

Religion: a mixed “box ticking” and”coding text” example:

This is optional (all other questions must be answered by law). Because of the computer scanning of text, it is not really helpful to decide that you are a Jedi Knight or that you worship the Flying Spaghetti Monster and nobody else is really bothered about it. Instead, tick for example a couple of contradictory religion boxes (e.g. “Jewish” and “Sikh”) and add something like “undecided” as coding text. The census designers will no doubt have forgotten to create a category for this eventuality but they will have to put down something. (Except, possibly, if you use additionally the “no religion” option in your selection of several boxes and the census has cleverly provided for the coding category “agnostic”). None of this matters in any way in real life, but it all takes time to process manually, costs Lockheed Martin money and provides paid employment. The same logic applies to other “category” questions. TIME = MONEY and EVERY LITTLE HELPS.

Questions which you find intrusive or which violate your privacy

It is not likely that people at the processing centre (who are only doing a job because they need the money) will be very interested in your principles of feelings about this (and if they are, they cannot do much about it). Refusing to answer such questions could, in principle, cost you £1000 and will make no difference whatsoever to Lockheed Martin. It will be more effective to tick a few random boxes and write some random stuff in the text sections, then cross it all out again, and write something like “I don’t understand this. Please explain” This will take up time to deal with in the processing centre. You cannot be fined for not understanding a question or for being confused by it and you have made the effort. It is hard to imaging that the Lockheed Martin processing centre would act on this, for it would be very expensive and an administrative nightmare to try to get back to people about such responses – especially if they did not provide convenient contact details (see above).

Stage 4: manually dealing with any answers which could not be read, or given meaning, by the computer.

It is likely that a a significant proportion of forms will in any case need some manual attention, because Optical Character Recognition is not 100% reliable, and there will be coding queries . At this manual stage 5, the “inner barcodes” are again vital to enable to manual data clerk to register the form quickly and link it to entries already made. Without those bar codes, a manual address search would first have to be made.

Stage 5: downloading the data, microfiching the forms and/or filing of the paper forms. This stage could, in principle, be influenced by Stage 5 below.

Possible Stage 6 Following up after you have sent the form.

It is easy to make a mistake or even to forget to answer a question – we are all human after all. No problem: just write to the processing centre (Addressed to “Census Processing Centre” in whatever place name you remember from the form) to tell them to put it right on your form. A considerable amount of clerical work could be involved.

It all depends at which of the above five stages your form is when your follow up letter arrives at the processing centre. If it is, for example, sent very soon after the form is sent off – if not at virtually the same time – the form could well be not even at stage 1 (the form is in stacks of mail not even opened) and it would be hard to find your form to add your letter to it. Someone would have to keep track of your letter and monitor when your form turns up to be processed. At each subsequent stage of the form your letter would have a different effect on the clerical work involved.

Since the information of the forms must be transferred to the computer with at least 98% accuracy, and Lockheed Martin must be able to demonstrate that they are achieving this accuracy, it is probably necessary for the processing centre to find you form to staple your letter to it, even if the information is already on the computer. If you supply a missing answer, keep a copy of your letter so that you can prove that you made a real effort to comply with your legal obligation to answer all questions.

NO NEED FOR OVERKILL

Life is short and there are more rewarding things to do with your time. You only need to choose a few of all those suggestions above to make your intervention an effective one.

No doubt, only a small minority of census forms will be “prepared” using the methods suggested above, but those forms will be randomly distributed amongst all the others (if the outer envelope carries no signs). Such randomness increases their effectiveness, for they unexpectedly interrupt the flow of the operation in its various stages.

Source: http://www.peacenewslog.info

Mirror: http://is.gd/XvsUXJ

Got milk?

2011-03-13T22:53:00.001Z

Companies (that also includes Governments, Police and the Courts) only want to do business with you if they can get money out of you - otherwise they are not interested in what you have to say or think. The bigger they get, the more control they have and the lower your chances of talking to a real human being.

Human beings are trying to communicate with one another - but are trying to be stopped by those in control. With Twitter and Google blocked in countries where there are protest against the Government, does that seem right?
Whereas the internet used to be like the Wild West and a new free frontier to be explored, they now want to control the information flow. Wikileaks, whether right or wrong in your opinion, tells the truth about what is going on. In return, instead of being honest and open, they are told there sharing of the documents is illegal? Yes, even sharing the truth is wrong if it affects big business (like the US Govt). They want to govern the internet, control the information flow and tax the money made on it, in as many new ways as possible. So much for "freedom of speech". Let's milk that too!

Who want's the control? Government, legal systems, courts, banks and other monstrous corporations all intent on making profit at whatever cost.
As these man made entities grow bigger and more powerful, they no longer represent or provide services to the human beings that created them. They now only exist to increase in size and number, even doing business with each other as long as they can make a profit.

If the computer says No then tough, you don't exist! If the computer pulls up your details for any reason, then expect a bill in the post or investigation. They are always looking to find new ways to charge you and take your money, which you worked damn hard for with your own body and sweat. With the stroke of a pen, they will try to steal it.

You are no longer treated as a human being but a number or a cow to be milked.

But imagine what would happen if you didn't feed the cow, milked it till it was dry and then continued to pull on it's udders? Well for the profits to continue for the farmers (or your owner that treats you as a slave) they have to continue milking the cow till it dies.

Now would it not make sense to stop killing the cow and give it a rest and something to eat or drink?
Of course it would - but these companies don't make sense, just money. The organic robots that work for them think it is their job to serve these companies and treat humans as numbers. The companies are not able to have a conscious, as they are fictious pieces of paper that require people to animate them. It is a shame that those that work for these systems forget who really pays their wages. These 'employees' function in a similar way to humans, as in they need to eat, sleep and shit - but they differ in the fact they are only able to 'calculate' as opposed to think or feel, like real beings.

When was the last time you were able to talk to your bank and be dealt with fairly as opposed to being just a customer to charge extortionate fees who is an annoyance so dealt with by a distant call centre and charged extortionate fees?
When was the last time a police officer cared about what you had to say and followed up on a report you made, instead of treating you like a criminal instead?
When was the last time you knew someone went to court and got justice instead of an automatic fine or steam-rolled by corporate lawyers?
When was the last time that an MP, government official or Prime Minister kept their promise?
When was the last time a company dealt with you, with respect and integrity, instead of passing you around an automated phone system, telling you to press various buttons before saying they are too busy?

Government bail-outs in your best interest to stop the economy collapsing? Well that will explain the Bank CEO bonuses then won't it!
Who's there to check on them? No-one but themselves, so it's a pretty easy job to get around anything you would probably be fined or go to prison for.
Students protest but that doesn't stop the government going back on their promises and increase student fees regardless.
More job cuts and increased unemployment, just what everyone needs, right?

Police cut-backs - now that can't be a bad thing. If you've not heard the ads "It's probably nothing but..." Yes, you are now being asked to Police your neighbours and family if they act suspiciously or do something strange. Not because they are terrorists - but they can be investigated and some revenue generated.

Inflation through the roof? There's lots of reasons for that but don't talk about all the money being printed and new ways to extract it from you.
Are you in business? Great, you'll be loving all the taxes and legislation you have to comply with then.
Pensioners going to get hit hard in retirement? Who cares about them... except the pensioners themselves - but have they got anything left to take...

What happens when they can't get enough money directly from us? They've milked the individuals, they've milked the economy, they've milked the resources of the Earth, so what next? Well the Banks and your Government collude to milk it's citizens for a few trillion more, from them and future generations. Yes, that's right - they want future income NOW! Who is there to stop them? Oh, they run the show and don't care what you think because they don't think or feel.

Looking at the bigger picture human picture...
North Africa and the middle east has erupted in violence because people can't afford to feed themselves and their families. Other countries have had enough of their dictators.

This is also a sign of how things are likely to be around the rest of the world. It's only a matter of time, as people can't keep up with their bills and afford to feed themselves. They are calling for change and it won't come by itself, it requires people taking decisive and organised action to assert their rights.

Did you know the UK froze Colonel Gaddafi's assets in the UK on Sunday Feb 27th 2011, having been doing business with happily till then, having stalled his request for his money back till the UN Resolution was passed?

"Officials were working hard to string out the Libyans until the order was in place," one source said. "It was worthy of Yes, Minister as officials did their best to hinder any efforts to move the banknotes."

So he was not a criminal (legally) till the guardians of international law, the UN said so. And now his assets have been frozen but the UK Government and UN Council have done nothing to actually help the Libyan people. This money is not the milk but the cream for the Govt., as they say actions speak louder than words. The money belongs to, not the UK or Gadaffi, but the Libyan people it was taken from!

Ever been messed around by your bank when you want to access your own money, just so they can check in case you're a criminal? Well that's a different matter - just be aware they will do what they want, whether it be against the law or not.

With man-made and natural disasters sweeping the planet, the Earth is calling out to stop the madness created by the governments and capitalist who only use their calculators but forget to make allowances for humanity.

We are all connected and the problem and therefore the solution is us. Yes, that means you! What can you do? If there is something you care about - take a stand and say enough is enough. People around the world are starting their personal lawful rebellion.

Find other people that are passionate about the same things that you are and get together. Talk to each other about how you can create change by standing for what you believe in together. Like-minded groups of individuals protesting together about local taxes and problems - and demanding change from their elected representatives.

Refuse to spend money with companies who's business practices they disagree with. Even the UK Government think it is OK to pay a Arms dealer and defence (attack) contractor like Lockheed Martin to do the UK census. Yes that's right, the taxpayer is paying for services from a company that will use the profits to KILL people. Right or wrong? If you're having difficulty answering that one then you probably already work for the government and are hoping they do not cut your job soon.

Then when it comes to bigger issues, such as student fees or job cuts, all these groups can come together if they believe in the same thing. Even if the Government makes promises and ignores you, it is not a reason to give up. Change is possible and happening. It requires organised effort and action.

Share information. If you read something that you believe someone else should know about, like this article, share the link on facebook, twitter via email and tell others in as many ways as possible.

Be it a Jedi on a Census form or refusing to pay an unjust bill or fine from the Government. They can't lock everyone up! Get to know your 'rights' because those that abuse them aren't really going to tell you what they are, else they wouldn't be able to screw you as easily.

You still have a chance whilst you are alive to make a difference, use that last bit of energy to kick back and say enough is enough. Get educated and read anything that opposes the mainstream media/noise/dogma to get a balanced view, from which you can then decide which is right for you.

Stop the milking NOW!

Bobby

Udders failed!?

Part 2

"Inner storms will continue growing, creating outer storms. Metaphysical teachings will continue to go mainstream. Government will get bigger before getting smaller. Stabilization and the rebound of financial markets will occur through private innovation; they're not going to heal themselves. This is the beginning of great change..."
2012 - A look at the possibilities beneath the prophecies - Mike Dooley, www.TUT.com

Have you got the message yet?

The planet is being milked of it's resources for profit as well...

The oil is being taken out of the veins, the air is being polluted so life can't breathe, the trees being cut down, all in the name of profit!

Remember those nut cases predicting the end of the world in 2012? With the Mayan Calendar ending in 2012, which is actually the end of an age and the start of a new one. How about those saying there is going to be a pole shift? With earthquakes and increasingly erratic weather and natural disasters don't you think it is possible. Alien contact? Let's not go there - but since your Government isn't going to save the world, who is? Are you now thinking maybe those nut cases weren't so crazy after all!?

Natural disaster are sweeping the world. Do you think there have been more or less than average? Even the planet is shouting for us to STOP! Cut back on consumerism. Don't agree with the politics of a business you deal with, then stop giving them money. It's in your hands.

The change is coming and actually here already! You may not be able to see the changed world yet - but just because you can't see it doesn't mean it's not going to happen.

Could your home be stolen?

2011-03-06T10:48:00.003Z

As reported in the Sunday Express on Sunday 6th March 2011.

Criminals are taking advantage of changes in the law to transfer the ownership of land and property to themselves. They are easily able to do this because land certificates have been abolished and all property titles in England and Wales are published online. It is believed the problem was “substantial” and growing.

By changing an owners’ address for official correspondence, a fraudster can take out a mortgage and even sell the property.

Anyone owning an interest in property can be the victim of property fraud. The most likely victims are the elderly, particularly those in care homes or hospital, homeowners who live abroad, absent landlords, where a relationship breaks down, people owning properties outright, where a property is empty or is bought to let.

"Fraudsters often target properties where there is no mortgage or the owner lives elsewhere. They may attempt to acquire the title by using a forged transfer or impersonating the owner."

Could it not also be possible for Banks/lenders/fraudsters to hire third parties to sell an investors property in the event of a dispute instead of resolving it and going through the courts?
This would be an example of a relationship that has broken down and we all know that banks are under pressure to get rid of debt and have more Cash on account, by whatever means necessary, due to their high leverage and insolvency (which required Government bailout with your money.)
Remember white collar criminals are on the rise in these challenging times and prepared to go to more extreme lengths to make a 'profit'.

You can search the internet and media for complaints against private banks, nationalised banks and part government owned banks - in the US, UK and worldwide.

"How can I prove ownership of my house if I don’t have a Land Certificate?
The register of your ownership is exactly the same, as are all the entries on your register. We will issue an official copy of your register and a Title Information Document instead of a certificate; this explains why we have issued it and how to get copies of your register in the future. All the information is held electronically. It is a safer way of holding the information and reduces the risk of fraud." - Land Registry

So as far as the Land Registry is concerned, there is less risk having got rid of Certificates! As usual, the Land Registry/Government are not there to help - so it is once again up to you to protect yourself.

Whereas many discuss the problems, I like to search out solutions to these problems as well, wherever I can find them.

Fortunately you can get your free guide on How to Safeguard against Property Fraud here. Download it now from the Land Registry site: www1.landregistry.gov.uk/propertyfraud

Here you will find suggestions to add more addresses for service, including a solicitor and putting a restriction on the title. And be careful what you sign - as mentioned white collar crime appears to be on the increase with more litigation, where the only winners seem to be lawyers and large corporations.

Read the full article from the Sunday Express below and on their site.

"CRIMINALS are taking advantage of changes in the law to transfer the ownership of land and property to themselves.

They are easily able to do this because land certificates have been abolished and all property titles in England and Wales are published online.

Many home owners may not even be aware that a fraudster who has impersonated them in a form of identity theft has stolen the rights to their property until it is too late.

Solicitor Patrick McCloy, said yesterday: "I have come across four cases of this in the last year alone.”

He added that he believed the problem was “substantial” and growing.

By changing an owners’ address for official correspondence, a fraudster can take out a mortgage and even sell the property.

The most likely victims are the elderly, particularly those in care homes or hospital, homeowners who live abroad, absent landlords and people owning properties outright.

Criminals are using changes in the law to transfer the ownership of property to themselves

People in these categories often own properties without a mortgage, making them easier targets.

In 2009-10, the Land Registry, the state body which holds all records of UK properties, paid £4.9million for 53 claims arising from fraud and forgery, a tenfold increase on the £491,656 for 15 claims in 2004-05.

The scam typically sees fraudsters take out a mortgage using someone else’s identity.

They put some of it into an account to make some repayments and pocket the rest.

The lender only finds out when the bank account runs dry, with the real property deed holder left liable for the debt.

In 2009 Simon and Christine Rowntree thought selling their large family home in Birmingham to move to a smaller property would be straightforward but to their amazement, the Land Registry told them they no longer owned their house.

Christine said: “We couldn’t believe it. We didn’t have a mortgage, we owned it outright. It was just unbelievable.” Trevor Guy, who owns land in Manchester, had his property stolen by fraudsters who took out a mortgage for more than £100million.

He took the case to court, but while the court did not dispute he was the rightful owner, he was deemed liable for the debt charge run up by the crooks. Mr Guy continues to fight his case.

Ben Francis, of estate agents Sullivan Thomas in Parsons Green, west London, recently foiled a fraud when a tenant warned him that the flat he was renting had been “sold” by a fraudster.

Wiltshire solicitor Mr McCloy has teamed up with other lawyers to launch Gatekeeper Protection, a service designed to guard against theft by placing restrictions against an owner’s title.

The Land Registry website offers guidance and reassurance that it will compensate victims, but there is no guaranteed entitlement.

The Land Registry has said that increased investment in counter-fraud has already prevented fraud attempts of an estimated £20million. A spokeswoman said: “Homeowners have to be on the ball all the time.”

Last night Jamey Johnson, head of watchdog Action Fraud, said: “Victims should report fraud by visiting our website actionfraud.org.uk or by phoning 0300 123 2040.”

Article By Tracey Boles on Sunday March 6,2011
Read more at: http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/232866/Your-home-could-be-stolen

Heard of Bruce Lee?

2011-03-04T18:21:00.001Z

"A friend of mine forwarded this article to me from The Onion (the satirical publication). I thought it was pretty funny, and also made me want to get Bruce’s message out to our youth more. In this article, it is the fictional writer, Sammy Potts, a fictional 14 year old boy, discovering Bruce Lee for the first time, but I think it is important to let the kids of today know about my father - not just his movies, but his philosophy and his influence. Enjoy the read."

Shannon

www.brucelee.com

Why Was I Not Informed About Bruce Lee?

By Sammy Potts

I am going to try to remain calm and keep in mind that you purport to be decent, rational people. As my parents and peers, you supposedly have my best interests at heart. But over the past 80 minutes, it has come to my attention that there exists a series of films featuring a man capable of the most unbridled and elegant awesomeness, a man capable of knocking a guy out with a punch started one inch away from his enemy’s chest. That I somehow reached my twelfth year of life without anyone alerting me to this fact is beyond my comprehension and, ultimately, inexcusable.

I have always tried to present myself as the type of person who enjoys watching dudes fight other dudes with iron claws. In the past, many of you have possessed the presence of mind and shown the consideration to inform me about firecrackers, battling robots, and guns that shoot paint—and I appreciate that. But in no way does that justify the fact that you have hidden from me the very information which may be most crucial to my existence: that a man named Bruce Lee can break a guy’s leg and arm in two punches and then snap his neck with one arm.

These past 12 years have been an utter waste.

Do I not look like a person who would benefit from the knowledge that Bruce Lee actually asks people to kick him in the face? How am I to believe anyone cares about me at all when it is the year 2007 and I have only just now, for the first time, watched this man clench his fists and crack all the bones in his body?

The matter of Bruce Lee and his incredible kick-assness should have been brought to my attention months—nay, years—ago. If by no one else, then at least by my parents, who have an obligation to provide me with food, water, and shelter, as well as to make sure I am kept fully abreast of any awesome guys who can punch so fast it’s like they have 40 fists. Is this not their responsibility as my guardians and role models? God only knows what long-term effects their negligence will have on me.

The tragedy is, it would have been such an easy thing to do. Someone could have simply sat me down and said to me in a calm, clear voice, “Sam, Bruce Lee can whip nunchucks around like a hundred times per second.” I could have taken it from there.

But for some reason that I cannot fathom, I was kept in the dark. I have been going to school and playing outside with my friends, and all the while I could have been sitting at home watching someone do a one-handed push-up using only two fingers. And he can. I’ve seen it, and it’s beyond awesome. But Bruce Lee’s unquestionable awesomeness is hardly the issue here. I have witnessed him taste his own blood from a wound and then go nuts on this one guy, so it’s not up for debate.

You say you love me, and yet there is a man who can jump like four feet into the air and kick a guy five times before landing—and you kept it from me. That can hardly be called love.

Perhaps you took some kind of sick joy in my ignorance. Maybe all of you have formed a regular gathering of some kind to share a hearty laugh at silly little 12-year-old Sammy Potts, who still thinks Chuck Norris is cool, when there exists in this world another, better guy who actually kills Chuck Norris in one of his movies. Oh, how you must have laughed.

Let me make one thing perfectly clear to avoid any misunderstandings like this in the future: If you know of any men who can casually stand on live cobras while sending a telegram, or scissor kick a dude who’s still hanging onto his foot, alert me immediately.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I must go repeatedly tell everyone I know.

From The Onion 1997

Murphy's Landlord Laws

2011-02-10T19:50:00.002Z

Have any of the following ever happened to you? This list could go on but I'm sure you get the idea... (Yes, most of them are true!) Who'd be crazy enough to want to be a Landlord?

Bobby

--------------

That quiet young single mother with the baby that you rented to, will start dating the mad motorcycle man from hell (and several of his friends) the very next week.
Tenants have at least one relative get sick or die per month, so they will just have to pay you later.
If a tenant attempts to replace the washer in a tap, plan on replacing the taps and perhaps all the plumbing in the building.
Prospective tenants who make an appointment to see your property across town, often get kidnapped on the way there, so there was just no way they could call you.
Tenants only lock themselves out in the middle of the night or when you're out of town.
When the heating breaks in mid-winter, it is always the boiler.
At least one tenant's cheque will be "lost in the mail" every month.
For some unknown reason, the bank won't pay their rent and the tenant will claim it is the bank's fault.
Their standing order will mysteriously get cancelled for no apparent reason.
Every lost pet will find its way to your empty property.
B&Q closes five minutes before you get there.
A tenant's ability to see dirt and damage is much greater when they move in than when they move out.
Your best tenants always get job transfers during the worst rental markets.
Everything in your rental property will break 10 times faster than in your own home.
Tenants always swear under oath that the window was broken when they moved in.
When a tenant calls and says, "Hi, how are you?" something is drastically wrong.
If it exists, your tenant will try to flush it down the toilet.
If you have any questions about anything, ask your tenants.
If it is pouring rain, you can be sure the windows are open at one or more at your units.
If it's a nice day, you can be sure the heating is on at one or more of your units.
Proper disposal of chewing gum is in the carpet.
If it isn't broke - it soon will be.
If your tenant is in doubt if they brought the TV stand with them, they will take it when leaving - just to be on the safe side.
When tenants leave you 'gifts' it is never anything you really wanted.
The landlord will be asked to replace the microwave that the previous tenant left, with a new one!
The tenant will ask you to replace the carpet because they've not had time to vacuum it or because it is your fault you didn't provide a vacuum cleaner.
In a HMO it is always the other tenant that did it.
Days after moving in, your tenant will no longer have a job and will now be on Government support DSS/LHA.
When rents are on time, your letting agent is available and happy that he is providing a good service. When rents are late, the letting agent is always busy and it is not his fault that the rents haven't been collected.
When you can't get through to your tenant on the phone, you can be assured that when you go round they won't be at home either.
Major leaks ONLY occur on bank holidays and during the Christmas period.
The plumber that is going to be on time is the third one you book, after waiting days for the other two not to show up.
The tenant is only cat-sitting the cat you see and it's not theirs.
When it's sunny your bank manager will give you an umbrella - but when it rains they will either try to take it away from you or shoot holes in it.
The job you hire a contractor to do will cost and take at least three times as long as it would for you to do it.
When your rents are late, the banks can be guaranteed to still take their money and make your tenant's problems, your problems!
When in court and a landlord and a tenant walk in, whoever is the landlord is automatically guilty even before the case is heard.

THINK... It's not illegal yet!

2011-01-09T16:56:00.003Z

Authority will have you think, what they want you to think - and that everything is OK.
You can trust your Government, Banks, Police and Courts as they are there for you - not themselves.
What a rude awakening everyone is in for (especially those of you who are already nodding and about to fall into a deeper sleep). WAKE UP!

So what happened? The Credit/Debt Bubble and Bust - that's what!
The Banks were lending money that didn't exist and now are printing even more to make matters worse.
The Government are doing there best to keep the economy going but it has to stop at some point and deflate the bubble.
Where does all this money go? Ask your Bank manager and local MP - as someone up the social and economical pecking order is getting it by the truck load.

Did you know that even McDonalds got a bail-out loan?
'Too big to fail' is what they call it whilst the average person is 'small enough to screw.'

Anyone that invested in property is going to be hit hardest, that includes home-owners.
Whilst property was booming everyone took their eye off the ball and started speculating.
They forgot about the fundamentals, which are to run a business and cash flow (or pay off their home's mortgage).
When the hard times came, many investors have been wiped out and others are having problems dealing with the aftermath of a Boom then Bust (myself included).
This isn't just investors either but included the average family that has any debt, falling house prices and the real risk of unemployment (so just about everyone then!)

The true colours of people and businesses will show in these challenging times, so be prepared!
Businesses will go bust owing you money, Banks will play dirty and Lawyers will make loads of money with legalese (making the simple complicated). Litigation appears to be on the rise whilst the conveyancing goes down - and bankruptcies up as loan approvals are reserved for the 'too big to fail'.
(Note: Those cash-flowing are unlikely to borrow from the Banks)

You have a choice... sink or swim. 'They' want you to believe the recession is over - but the reality is it's only just begun. The media is there to keep you dumb and consuming.
Some seminars will only share the upside of property investing but shouldn't you have some info about the downside to get a full picture as well?

It's time to go Back to Basics, Beware of the pitfalls and plan carefully for your future.

If you want to swim you need to start thinking differently NOW!

(Register your email in the box at the top of this page to get further updates)
You can also follow me on http://twitter.com/bobbygill
and http://www.facebook.com/TheBobbyGill

And remember to keep your sense of humour... check out this fun and real video ;-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAQrsA3m8Bg

Time for change or life as usual?

2010-12-30T11:11:00.002Z

Do you 'Do what you want' or 'Get what you want'?

The difference between the two is that If you do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got!

As Albert Einstein said: "Problems cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them."

If you continue to do it your way, you are likely to get a repeat of the result.

Sometimes you need help from an external source or listen to 'the voice inside' to tell you to do something different.You don't necessarily have to agree with the solution but if you just LISTEN without being judgmental or defensive, at least you'll have a different perspective.

Ask yourself better questions and you will get better answers. Listen and you will get more options. Then go get what you want!

Happy New Year,
Bobby

What is a Bank Holiday?

2010-12-26T16:04:00.001Z

A Holiday is by definition a Holy Day, the word originally referred only to special religious days - but the Bankers felt they deserved some time off too.

Historically this would be the day that Bankers went for Confession and then threw themselves out of windows to save the honour of their families and their karma. Black Mondays were around times when they'd caused a financial crisis - there were so many leaping from tall buildings, in a mass cleansing, that they blocked out the light from the sun.

Those were the good old days! Oh, how old traditions are forgotten. If only...

"Bank Holidays Act 1871

Prior to 1834, the Bank of England observed about thirty-three saints' days and religious festivals as holidays, but in 1834, this was reduced to just four: 1 May (May Day), 1 November (All Saints Day), Good Friday, and Christmas Day.
In 1871, the first legislation relating to bank holidays was passed when Liberal Politician and Banker, Sir John Lubbock introduced the Bank Holidays Act 1871 which specified the days [set out below in italics]. Sir John was an enthusiastic supporter of cricket and was firmly of the belief that bank employees should have the opportunity to participate in and attend matches when they were scheduled. Included in the dates of bank holidays are therefore dates when cricket games were traditionally played between the villages in the region where Sir John was raised.

The English people [bankers] were so thankful that they called the first Bank Holidays 'St. Lubbock's Days' for a while. Scotland was treated separately because of its separate traditions; for example, New Year is a more important holiday there.

Easter Monday
Whit Monday ( First Monday in May)
First Monday in August
Boxing Day/St. Stephen's Day

The act did not specify Good Friday and Christmas Day as bank holidays in England, Wales and Ireland because they were already recognised as common law holidays, and because of common observance, they became customary holidays since before records began.

Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971

Exactly a century after the 1871 Act, the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971, which currently regulates bank holidays in the UK, was passed. The majority of the current bank holidays were specified in the 1971 Act, but New Year's Day and May Day were introduced after 1971.

Royal proclamation

Under the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971, bank holidays are proclaimed each year by the legal device of a royal proclamation. Royal proclamation is also used to move bank holidays that would otherwise fall on a weekend. In this way, public holidays are not 'lost' in years when they coincide with weekends. These deferred bank holiday days are termed a 'bank holiday in lieu' of the typical anniversary date. In the legislation they are known as 'substitute days'. The movement of the St Andrew's Day Scottish holiday to the nearest Monday when 30 November is a weekend day is statutory and does not require a proclamation." -

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_holiday

That's right. Everyone else knows what a Holiday or holy day is but the Bankers have an Act for it and even the Queen gets involved. It's just not cricket!

Happy Bank Holiday and don't let the Bankers bite!

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Fiat Devaluation Dump

Story of the Nativity - online

2010-12-24T18:27:00.001Z

Whilst you check your Facebook, emails, shop on Amazon and bid on the bargains at Ebay - remember what Christmas is all about.

"Times change, Feelings remain the same."

Happy Holidays everyone, Bobby

The Miracle of the Tablecloth

2010-12-24T10:00:00.027Z

If you believe that all things happen for a reason and believe there is something more intelligent than you 'out there' (or inside), then this story is for you. Be it true or not does not matter, it is the hope it gives to those that have faith in a greater purpose and know there is a meaning to their life. Do things seem to go wrong but are really going right for a different reason that you do not know yet - and may never realise...

As you get ready for Christmas, to spend it with family, friends, strangers or alone - pass this seasonal story onto your loved ones to let them know you were thinking of them. Your connections and bonds are there to get stronger, not to be forgotten.
Remember, as you read this, someone somewhere is thinking of you too!

Merry Christmas, Bobby

A story about...THE TABLECLOTH

"The brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned to their first church needed much work. They set a ministry, to reopen a church in suburban Brooklyn, arrived in early October excited about their opportunities.
When they saw their church, it was very run down and their goal was to have everything done in time to have their first service on Christmas Eve.

They worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls, painting, etc., and on Dec 18 were ahead of schedule and just about finished. On Dec 19 a terrible tempest -- a driving rainstorm -- hit the area and lasted for two days.

On the 21st, the pastor went over to the church. His heart sank when he saw that the roof had leaked, causing a large area of plaster about 20 feet by 8 feet to fall off the front wall of the sanctuary just behind the pulpit, beginning about head high. The pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor, and not knowing what else to do but postpone the Christmas Eve service, headed home.

On the way he noticed that a local business was having a flea market type sale for charity so he stopped in. One of the items was a beautiful, handmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth with exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross embroidered right in the center. It was just the right size to cover up the hole in the front wall. He bought it and headed back to the church. By this time it had started to snow. An older woman running from the opposite direction was trying to catch the bus. She missed it.

The pastor invited her to wait in the warm church for the next bus 45 minutes later. She sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor while he got a ladder, hangers, etc., to put up the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. The pastor could hardly believe how beautiful it looked and it covered up the entire problem area.

Then he noticed the woman walking down the center aisle. Her face was like a sheet. "Pastor," she asked, "where did you get that tablecloth" The pastor explained. The woman asked him to check the lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted into it there. They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had made this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria.

The woman could hardly believe it as the pastor told how he had just gotten the Tablecloth. The woman explained that before the war she and her husband were well-to-do people in Austria. When the Nazis came, she was forced to leave. Her husband was going to follow her the next week. She was captured, sent to prison and never saw her husband or her home again. The pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth; but she made the pastor keep it for the church.

The pastor insisted on driving her home, that was the least he could do. She lived on the other side of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn for the day for a housecleaning job.

What a wonderful service they had on Christmas Eve. The church was almost full. The music and the spirit were great. At the end of the service, the pastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door and many said that they would return. One older man, whom the pastor recognized from the neighborhood, continued to sit in one of the pews and stare, and the pastor wondered why he wasn't leaving. The man asked him where he got the tablecloth on the front wall because it was identical to one that his wife had made years ago when they lived in Austria before the war and how could there be two tablecloths so much alike He told the pastor how the Nazis came, how he forced his wife to flee for her safety, and he was supposed to follow her, but he was arrested and put in a prison. He never saw his wife or his home again all the 35 years in between.

The pastor asked him if he would allow him to take him for a little ride. They drove to Staten Island and to the same house where the pastor had taken the woman three days earlier. He helped the man climb the three flights of stairs to the woman's apartment, knocked on the door and he saw the greatest Christmas reunion he could ever imagine."

True Story - submitted by Pastor Rob Reid

Who says God does not work in mysterious ways. I asked the Lord to bless you as I prayed for you today. To guide you and protect you as you go along your way.... His love is always with you, His promises are true, And when we give Him all our cares you know He will see us through. So when the road you're traveling on seems difficult at best, Just remember I'm here praying, and God will do the rest.

This story has been around for a long time, and the details have changed over time. The earliest reference I've found to it is in the December 1954 issue of Reader's Digest.
This was published as "The Gold and Ivory Tablecloth" in Christmas in My Heart: A timeless Treasury of Heartwarming Stories, the first in a best-selling series of inspirational books by Dr. Joe Wheeler. In Wheeler's book.

READERS DIGEST 1954:

"The Gold and Silver Tablecloth by Howard C. Schade

At Christmas time men and women everywhere gather in their churches to wonder anew at the greatest miracle the world has ever known. But the story I like best to recall was not a miracle — not exactly.

It happened to a pastor who was very young. His church was very old. Once, long ago, it had flourished. Famous men had preached from its pulpit, prayed before its altar. Rich and poor alike had worshipped there and built it beautifully. Now the good days had passed from the section of town where it stood. But the pastor and his young wife believed in their run-down church. They felt that with paint, hammer, and faith they could get it in shape. Together they went to work.

But late in December a severe storm whipped through the river valley, and the worst blow fell on the little church — a huge chunk of rain-soaked plaster fell out of the inside wall just behind the altar. Sorrowfully the pastor and his wife swept away the mess, but they couldn’t hide the ragged hole.

The pastor looked at it and had to remind himself quickly, “Thy will be done!” But his wife wept, “Christmas is only two days away!”

That afternoon the dispirited couple attended the auction held for the benefit of a youth group. The auctioneer opened a box and shook out of its folds a handsome gold and ivory lace tablecloth. It was a magnificent item, nearly 15 feet long. but it, too, dated from a long vanished era. Who, today, had any use for such a thing? There were a few halfhearted bids. Then the pastor was seized with what he thought was a great idea.

He bid it in for $6.50.

He carried the cloth back to the church and tacked it up on the wall behind the altar. It completely hid the hole! And the extraordinary beauty of its shimmering handwork cast a fine, holiday glow over the chancel. It was a great triumph. Happily he went back to preparing his Christmas sermon.

Just before noon on the day of Christmas Eve, as the pastor was opening the church, he noticed a woman standing in the cold at the bus stop. “The bus won’t be here for 40 minutes!” he called, and invited her into the church to get warm.

She told him that she had come from the city that morning to be interviewed for a job as governess to the children of one of the wealthy families in town but she had been turned down. A war refugee, her English was imperfect.

The woman sat down in a pew and chafed her hands and rested. After a while she dropped her head and prayed. She looked up as the pastor began to adjust the great gold and ivory cloth across the hole. She rose suddenly and walked up the steps of the chancel. She looked at the tablecloth. The pastor smiled and started to tell her about the storm damage, but she didn’t seem to listen. She took up a fold of the cloth and rubbed it between her fingers.

“It is mine!” she said. “It is my banquet cloth!” She lifted up a corner and showed the surprised pastor that there were initials monogrammed on it. “My husband had the cloth made especially for me in Brussels! There could not be another like it.”

For the next few minutes the woman and the pastor talked excitedly together. She explained that she was Viennese; that she and her husband had opposed the Nazis and decided to leave the country. They were advised to go separately. Her husband put her on a train for Switzerland. They planned that he would join her as soon as he could arrange to ship their household goods across the border. She never saw him again. Later she heard that he had died in a concentration camp.

“I have always felt that it was my fault — to leave without him,” she said. “Perhaps these years of wandering have been my punishment!” The pastor tried to comfort her and urged her to take the cloth with her. She refused. Then she went away.

As the church began to fill on Christmas Eve, it was clear that the cloth was going to be a great success. It had been skillfully designed to look its best by candlelight.

After the service, the pastor stood at the doorway. Many people told him that the church looked beautiful. One gentle-faced middle-aged man — he was the local clock-and-watch repairman — looked rather puzzled.

“It is strange,” he said in his soft accent. “Many years ago my wife – God rest her — and I owned such a cloth. In our home in Vienna, my wife put it on the table” — and here he smiled — “only when the bishop came to dinner.”

The pastor suddenly became very excited. He told the jeweler about the woman who had been in church earlier that day. The startled jeweler clutched the pastor’s arm. “Can it be? Does she live?”

Together the two got in touch with the family who had interviewed her. Then, in the pastor’s car they started for the city. And as Christmas Day was born, this man and his wife, who had been separated through so many saddened Yule tides, were reunited.

To all who hear this story, the joyful purpose of the storm that had knocked a hole in the wall of the church was now quite clear. Of course, people said it was a miracle, but I think you will agree it was the season for it!

True love seems to find a way."

Europe: Who let the PIGS Out?

2010-12-17T15:15:00.000Z

Not a very festive blog but read on if you want to know what the heck is happening in Europe and who's next... Who let the PIGS Out?

The Global economy is a mess right now, Governments want it one way, Banks another and the People... well you just watch the News right now - they have the final say! There's a lot of strange energy around right now, I'm sure you've noticed it even if you don't know what I mean - it appears negative but it's change for the best.

American and World Government and their Leaders have no need to manufacture Bad News anymore... it's really here! We won't discuss The illegal Wars, WikiLeaks Julian Assange or anything else - lets keep it European today!

Watch this great little video showing the background to The Crises of Capital then read on...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOP2V_np2c0

Never mind 'Who Let the Dogs Out', you should be asking 'Who Bailed the PIGS Out?'
They used to talk about investing in the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India & China) now it's all about the Bankrupt PIGS (Portugal, Italy, Greece and Spain) aka PIIGGS (to include Ireland and Great Britain). Luckily the EU are making plans to bail them all out... Who has the printing press for all these Dollars and Euros being flooded onto the market? Unfortunately the money is only making it as far as the Fat Cats in Governments and Banks!

Subscribe to this Blog, follow me on Twitter and Facebook and check the other posts if you want to know the truth about what is happening. Share the links and posts with your friends if you find them of value!

Banks, Governments and Corporations do NOT have a conscience or spirit - they require human beings to animate them. When you ask their employees to tell the truth, be honest and do the RIGHT thing - they will not speak up and represent themselves but go to a Lawyer (pronounced liar) to re-represent them (all paid for by the corporation with your money). As when given the option to be honest, they choose not to!
After all who would bite the hand that feeds them? Even if it was slapping the rest of their family and telling them to as well, before it put leftovers in their mouth - having had the main meal itself!?

You can't bury or hide the truth, as it always comes out.

The Real Pigs are in Government and Banking!

[My comments are in italic square brackets in the quotes below]

EU agrees on permanent eurozone rescue fund

"EU leaders have agreed to set up a permanent mechanism to bail out any member state whose debt problems threaten the 16-nation eurozone.

This year Greece and the Irish Republic have received emergency EU bail-outs.

The 27 leaders, meeting in Brussels on Thursday, agreed that in 2013 the permanent mechanism would succeed the eurozone's 750bn-euro (£637bn; $1tn) temporary bail-out fund [how temporary and where does it come from? ONLY $1 TRILLION!], the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF).

The summit comes amid continuing concern about stability in the eurozone, as national debts and deficits have soared above the EU's targets.

Portugal and Spain have been under financial market scrutiny since the Irish Republic was forced to take an aid package of 85bn euros (£72bn; $113bn) last month. [Do you need to be forced to something if it was in your best interests? Short answer - NO!]

The European Central Bank (ECB) has been buying billions of euros of sovereign debt to ease the pressure on the countries seen as most vulnerable in the eurozone. It is to double the reserves it holds - to 10.8bn euros, from 5.8bn euros at present. [Yes, the ECB will own you too if your country accepts any money - oh, actually don't worry, you should be more concerned about your country milking you before the ECB!]

PIIGGS
Portugal - Perception of corruption on the rise in Portugal: www.theportugalnews.com
Italy - Civil unrest & riots: Silvio Berlusconi vote win sparks Rome clashes http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11992034
Ireland - Ireland’s rating cut five levels by Moody’s www.independent.ie
Great Britain - UK Bank's rate rise alert for variable mortgages: www.thisismoney.co.uk/mortgages-and-homes/
(honorary #PIIGGS) and Civil Unrest starting with the students!
Greece - Civil unrest in Greece after the Bail-out! http://www.bbc.co.uk
Spain - Spain bad loan ratio rises to near 15-year high www.reuters.com

They used to write about 'Blood on the Streets' in the Great Depression - well it's back!

(UK) Bank's variable mortgage rate rise alert

"Two-thirds of the country's 12m outstanding mortgages - held by eight million borrowers - are now on floating deals.

This means they risk seeing their monthly repayments jump if there is any change in the Bank's base rate - which is currently held at 0.5%.

Combined with next month's VAT increase from 17.5% to 20%, deep cuts to public spending, rising unemployment, and the soaring cost of everyday goods, household finances are facing an unprecedented squeeze. [You thought it was bad already, prepare to be bent over a barrel!]

'A relatively small increase in interest rates could have a fairly sizeable impact on the housing market at a time when the market is already pretty weak,' said Jonathan Loynes, chief economist at Capital Economics.

The forecaster said house prices were 20% overvalued and could fall by that amount in the next two to three years.

Among the worst hit by a rate hike would be those who stretched themselves to get on the housing ladder in the past two years.

The average tracker mortgage charges interest of 3.51% while a typical two-year fix has a rate of 3.54%.

Although this is seven times the Bank's base rate, banks do not borrow the money they lend on to customers quite this cheaply. Typically they pay between 0.75% and 1.5%."
[That's right, nearly 500% mark-up (on your Govt. loaned money) - but only for those of you that can afford the large 25%+ deposits required to get on the housing ladder]

Find out more about protecting your Wealth, Money, Gold and Financial intelligence at: www.richdadstrategies.com

Irish Bail Out

2010-12-01T22:03:00.003Z

"It is a slow day in a damp little Irish town. The rain is beating down and the streets are deserted. Times are tough, everybody is in debt, and everybody lives on credit.

On this particular day a rich German tourist is driving through the town, stops at the local hotel and lays a €100 note on the desk, telling the hotel owner he wants to inspect the rooms upstairs in order to pick one to spend the night. The owner gives him some keys and, as soon as the visitor has walked upstairs, the hotelier grabs the €100 note and runs next door to pay his debt to the butcher. The butcher takes the €100 note and runs down the street to repay his debt to the pig farmer. The pig farmer takes the €100 note and heads off to pay his bill at the supplier of feed and fuel. The guy at the Farmers' Co-op takes the €100 note and runs to pay his drinks bill at the pub. The publican slips the money along to the local prostitute drinking at the bar, who has also been facing hard times and has had to offer him "services" on credit. The hooker then rushes to the hotel and pays off her room bill to the hotel owner with the €100 note. The hotel proprietor then places the €100 note back on the counter so the rich traveller will not suspect anything. At that moment the traveller comes down the stairs, picks up the €100 note, states that the rooms are not satisfactory, pockets the money, and leaves town.

No one produced anything. No one earned anything. However, the whole town is now out of debt and looking to the future with a lot more optimism...

and that, Ladies and Gentlemen, is how the bailout package works."

Also check out the other blog post here: The Great Rip-off: Tale of the Dead Donkey

Beware: The Second Real Estate/ Property Collapse is Coming

2010-11-30T15:16:00.001Z

The US and UK Banks have been illegally foreclosing / repossessing property, by not even checking paperwork and worse still, by forging it - whilst being bailed out by the Government with your future as collateral. Is that right or fair?

How come the overpaid Bankers and their pretentious solicitors fail to provide any copies of certified contracts or documents when requested? Maybe it's to hide fraud! And don't expect your MP or elected representatives to help - as the Government is busy enough trying to get money out of you for it's past mistakes and new ones as they work with the banks.

Watch this video for what's happening in the US - and then read on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOmjYYaudU8

First it was sub-prime, now it's moving to the average/middle-class home owners! The Bankers will do whatever it takes to screw the money out of you.

They have gone to existing businesses in the UK and told them to make up the 75% Loan To Value difference, on demand, even if their properties are cash-flowing. Else they will be taken off them and sold at auction - most likely for a loss. How does that work or help anyone?
Only got a small mortgage? Did you know that if you lose your job, you won't be able to re-finance the equity! Fail to meet your mortgage payments and they'll still repossess you. Aren't you glad you did business with that lovely mortgage broker!

It's not all depressing. You can contact your mortgage company and ask for a payment holiday, they shouldn't refuse. Or don't pay them for a month or even two, then start your repayments and ask them to add the missed amount to your loan. Handy for Christmas hey ;-)

It appears that common sense says if you can't afford to pay your mortgage and are in huge negative equity then the real option seems obvious!

How much financial pain can people take before they say, "Screw It" and stop paying the crooked Bankers?

It appears that the Government might actually want the repossessions and foreclosures to carry on as it provides an 'economical stimulus' as detailed below:

Estate agents get paid (as they're not selling any houses on the open market in this economy)
Estate Agent employees get paid
Buying broker gets paid
Selling Agent gets paid
Selling Broker gets paid
Brokers' employees get paid
Old lender gets paid off
Old lender employees get paid
New lender gets new loan
New lender employees get paid
New lender sells to another new lender and is paid
Solicitors get paid
Solicitors office gets paid
Loans get sliced and diced into credit default swaps and mortgage backed securities
Slicer and dicers get paid
Salesmen now sell this sliced and diced mortgage all over the world
Government gets paid off taxes and get money on every ounce of profit that is made in this never ending chain
New homeowner buys stuff at home depot / B&Q
Home Depot / B&Q now have to hire more employees to deal with the homeowner demand
And on and on....

So it's good for the economy if you look at it. After all, someone has to pay the Estate Agents, Solicitors, Mortgage Brokers, Bankers and Government employees, else they'd have to go and do something productive for the world instead.

Modified from info found at: http://surviveandthrivetv.com

Osho - Societies condition the mind against the heart to exploit you

2010-11-27T20:26:00.000Z

"Beloved Osho,

A question I have had since I was a kid and started seeing the ways of the world is: Why do people treat each other like they do? Where is the love, the compassion and the respect for each other? I think that everybody is longing to live in love and harmony with himself and all the human beings around. And I don't think there is any longing for hate, violence, and power over other people -- but this is what I see happening. WHAT IS IT THAT MAKES PEOPLE LIVE THIS UNNATURAL AND MISERABLE LIFE? Is it all conditioning, or is there something in man that makes him willing to go astray?

//Osho://

It is both. First, there is something in man that leads him astray. And secondly, THERE ARE PEOPLE WHOSE INTEREST IT IS TO LEAD HUMAN BEINGS ASTRAY. Both together create a false, fake human being. His heart longs for love, but his conditioned mind prevents him from love....

This is the problem. THE CHILD IS BORN WITH A HEART THAT LONGS FOR LOVE, but he is also born with a brain that can be conditioned.

SOCIETY HAS TO CONDITION IT AGAINST THE HEART -- because the heart will be always rebellious against the society, it will always follow its own way. It cannot be made into a soldier. It can become a poet, it can become a singer, it can become a dancer -- but it cannot become a soldier. IT CAN SUFFER FOR ITS INDIVIDUALITY, it can die for its individuality and freedom, but it cannot be enslaved. That is the state of the heart.

But the mind... THE CHILD COMES WITH AN EMPTY BRAIN, just a mechanism, which you can arrange the way you want. It will learn the language you teach, it will learn the religion you teach, it will learn the morality you teach. It is simply a computer; you just feed it with information.

AND EVERY SOCIETY TAKES CARE TO MAKE THE MIND STRONGER AND STRONGER so that if there is any conflict between heart and mind, the mind is going to win. But every victory of the mind over the heart is a misery. IT IS A VICTORY OVER YOUR NATURE, OVER YOUR BEING -- OVER YOU -- by others. And they have cultivated your mind to serve THEIR purposes....

SO THE MIND IS EMPTY, IT IS BRAIN -- you can put anything in it. And with twenty-five years of education, you can make it so strong that you forget your heart -- you will always remain miserable. The misery is that only your heart can give you joy, can give you happiness, can make you dance.

The mind can do arithmetic, but it cannot sing a song -- those are just not the capacities of the mind. SO YOU ARE TORN APART BETWEEN YOUR NATURE, which is your heart, and the society that is in your head. And certainly you are born -- everybody is born -- with these two centers. That is the difficulty.

And one center is empty. IN A BETTER SOCIETY, THE MIND WILL BE USED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE HEART, to serve the heart. Then it will be a great life, full of rejoicings. But up to now, we have lived in an ugly society with rotten ideas. The society has used the individual's mind. And that vulnerability is there -- MIND CAN BE USED.

Now communists are using it in one way, fascists used it in Germany in one way. All the other religions are using it in different ways. But that vulnerability is with every individual: that YOU HAVE A MIND WHICH YOU BRING EMPTY. In fact, it is a blessing of existence -- but misused, exploited. It is given to you empty, so that you can make it perfectly subservient to your heart, to your longings, to your potential. Nothing is wrong in it. BUT THE VESTED INTERESTS ALL OVER THE WORLD HAVE FOUND IT A BEAUTIFUL OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM -- to use the mind against the heart. So you remain miserable and they can exploit you in whatever ways they want.

THAT'S WHY THE WHOLE WORLD IS MISERABLE. Everybody wants to be loved, everybody wants to love; but the mind is such a barrier that it neither allows you to love, nor does it allow you to be loved. In both the cases, THE MIND COMES IN THE WAY and starts distorting everything.

And even if by chance you meet a person you feel love for and the person feels love for you, YOUR MINDS ARE NOT GOING TO SETTLE. They have been trained by different systems, different religions, different societies.... And I have not seen any marriage between foreigners succeeding. They always fail, for the simple reason that THE TWO MINDS ARE BROUGHT UP WITH DIFFERENT IDEAS, filled with different programs.

IT IS EVERYBODY'S BIRTHRIGHT TO BE HAPPY, but unfortunately the society, the people with whom we have been living, who have brought us into the world, have not thought anything about it. They have just been reproducing human beings like animals -- even worse because at least animals are not conditioned.

This conditioning process should be completely changed. THE MIND SHOULD BE TRAINED TO BE A SERVANT OF THE HEART. Logic should serve love. And then life can become a festival of lights.

OSHO
Beyond Psychology
Ch #43: Logic should serve love"

Source: http://www.o-lume-mai-buna.org

Midlands - Internet Marketing, Business, Personal Development and PIN Xmas Dinner

2010-11-11T20:52:00.000Z

If you live in the Midlands or the North, then you'll want to
know about these events and share them with your friends.

Also, when you get to the bottom - there's something in London
and an online opportunity so the rest of the country (and World)
don't feel left out.

These include learning and spending time with the BEST, including
Joseph McClendon, Simon Zutshi, Andy Phillips and Sohail Khan.

Stratford-upon-Avon, Saturday 13th November 2010
Internet Lead Generation Success with Andy Phillips
This is a 1-day workshop for Businesses and Property Investors
When it comes to Business on the Internet, Andy is the Man!
http://whizkidz.networkbillionaire.com

Burton upon Trent, Tuesday 16th November 2010
The Laws Of Attraction with Joseph McClendon
Head Trainer and Master Instructor for Tony Robbins. Joseph has
taught millions with his ‘Next Step’ event and has toured the
world with Tony Robbins on the ‘Unleash the Power Within’ seminars.
CALL 01889 881488 NOW for more information and to BOOK
Quote: "Bobby Gill" or "Diane Hughes" for best prices

Birmingham, Friday 19th November 2010
Join us for the Property Investors Network Xmas Dinner and Party
with Simon Zutshi and the top UK experts in property. Not to be
missed! Book NOW: http://pin.networkbillionaire.com

London, Friday 19th November 2010 - The JV Club Mastermind
Hosted by JV Expert Sohail Khan and Mark Nathwani
By invitation only - Limited Guest Places Available:
http://jv.networkbillionaire.com

Want to find out what is happening to the economy?
Learn how to BUY GOLD as a savings plan and protect your wealth
Check out this site: http://gold.networkbillionaire.com

I hope to catch up with you before Christmas.
All the best,
Bobby

How to Be a Real Life Superhero - Making a Difference!

2010-11-09T17:46:00.001Z

Random post for the day. Found a great site about Real Life Superheroes! www.reallifesuperheroes.org

As many feel that the Government, system and Police are letting them down and cannot be relied upon, individuals are doing that which the Police Force should be doing, standing up for Law and Order and Making A Difference.

This is not about vigilantes but doing what they believe to be the right thing and helping people whilst fighting crime.

Before you even say it - yes, some of these people may not act legally but are the majority of them doing anything fundamentally wrong? No! Compare that with how often you see a Police Officer abusing their uniform and powers - all legally of course whilst making a paycheck.

Look beyond the Mask and costumes and see the real people, like you and me, prepared to step up and make a difference - regardless of what others think and judgment. Power to the people - and power to YOU!

P.S. You have to watch V for Vendetta. At least the 'average person' has a costume recommended for them when it is their time to take back their power. Or of course, you can do it as you are, part-time, and no-one will be the wiser ;-)

"Beneath this mask there is more than flesh. Beneath this mask there is an idea... and ideas are bulletproof. " - V

Youtube - V for Vendetta

P.P.S. MUST SEE Superhero films are Mystery Men, Watchmen and Kick-Ass (to name a few) and also Special

How to Be a Real Life Superhero

I mean all those comic books, movies, tv shows, you’d think that one eccentric loner would have made himself a costume. Is everyday life really so exciting? Are schools and offices so thrilling that I’m the only one who ever fantasized about this? Come on, be honest with yourself. At some point in our lives we all wanted to be a superhero.

Steps
1. Be Realistic.While it’s great that you wanna become a superhero you should first be realistic, you obviously don’t have any superpowers so if you think you can just put on a costume and beat up some of the worst criminals your city has to offer then the only asshole who’s going to get hurt is you. Also remember that there is a thin line between superheroism and being a vigilante.

2. Choose what kind of Superhero you’ll be.I know it sounds weird but without superpowers or incredible gadgets and training (like Batman) its impossible to save everyone in need everywhere. You should decide early on whether you’ll be the kind of superhero who gives food to the homeless or the kind who goes around fighting crime.

3. Design a Costume.Make a costume that stands out and be original.If you go around dressed as Superman don’t be surprised if people think your going to a costume party.Remember you don’t need a costume made out of the best materials that money can buy, your costume can be made out of evrything from a wetsuit to bulletproof armor, be creative. Also you should carefully consider what kind of costume you will have, you can either have a costume that offers very little protection but is easy to put on and can be worn underneath normal clothes or you can make a costume that offers good protection but is hard to put on and can’t be worn under everyday clothes it’s your choice.

4. Think up a name.This is definitely the hardest step of all. Once you choose a name for your superhero you’re stuck with it for good (you’ve never heard of spiderman suddenly changing his name to arachnidman or whatever) so try to choose a name that’s cool (or you think it is anyway), original (for god’s sake don’t be a dick and call yourself superman or batman) and try to give yourself a name that holds meaning to you and don’t be afraid of being a superhero without a name, if anything the idea for your superhero name will come while your out being an awesome superhero.

5. Be confident.Not everyone can be a real life superhero. If anything the hardest part is people thinking your a joke. So always remind yourself of the good your doing for society and how you’ve made a difference. Also (and this is where everyone gets mixed up) you don’t need superpowers to be a superhero, famous superheros like Batman and Kick Ass <— My personal favorite, didn’t have superpowers and both were superheroes.

6. Train.Whether it’s exercising, practicing your street running or trying to jump from one building to another , it’s a good idea to train before you become a real life superhero.

7. Be well equipped.Buy pepper spray, a taser or even bulletproof armor. With being a superhero it’s much better to be safe than dead. If you want you can buy spy gadgets like tracking devises or secret recorders to catch a criminal. It really doesn’t matter as long as you have something to protect yourself with.

8. Watch Kick Ass or look at Superheroes Anonymous.Ever since it came into existence it has become a well known fact that Kick Ass (both the comic book and the movie) is the most kick ass badassdedness thing on the planet even more than Chuck Norris. But seriously Kick Ass is the best movie I have ever seen and it basically explains what being a real life superhero will be like (if you don’t prepare for it, in fact Kick Ass is what gave me the idea to write this article) although I wouldn’t do what Kick Ass does… that’d just be stupid. Also theres a bunch of people who have already made costumes for themselves and are real life superheros, they have even formed a website called superheroes anonymous if you can’t find it just google superheros anonymous, they all mean well but personally I think it’s almost as if it’s a religious order with them, they talk about the right path of a superhero and enlightenment (it’s pretty weird).

9. Don’t become a superhero for recognition or rewards. If you are becoming a superhero only because you want to be recognised or rewarded then don’t become one. A superhero does good because he knows it’s whats right not because he wants recognition or five minutes of fame. But if you do choose to become a superhero and you do become incredibly famous don’t forget to say how you were on the computer and you read my article and it inspired you to become a superhero. Now go and become the absolutely AWESOME superhero I know you can be. GOOD LUCK!

Source: Anonymous at How to Be a Real Life Superhero

Youtube - Real Life Super Heroes: In Their Own Words

Disclaimer: Please note that the linking of "V for Vendetta" to the concept of "Superheroes" does not imply that V was a hero! Killing (even in a film) is still murder, no matter who does it (as justified by individuals, serial killers, Police and Governments around the World).

This should sum it up better about V for Vendetta: "the film - on which Tony Blair's son Euan helped out during work experience - underlines the fact that one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter." - Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Northern Entrepreneurs Super Conference

2010-11-01T16:58:00.002Z

What can you get for £1.86 an hour?

A fantastic weekend at the Northern Entrepreneurs Super Conference, that’s what!

Motorway closures, poor weather conditions, train cancellations, clashing events, ill health and the Halloween weekend did not stop the gathered throng of entrepreneurs from learning from some of the top international speakers at this inaugural conference. The net worth of the guest speakers ran into hundreds of millions of pounds, all successful experts in their own fields and all willing to share their knowledge with the eager audience.

We may have been co-hosting the event but we have absorbed massive amounts of valuable hints, tips and ideas from our guest speakers and attendees. Each speaker had something different to offer and sparked a few ideas in many of the delegates, myself included.

It was an excellent event with the room full of like minded people and we were all treated to some fantastic presentations that were inspirational, motivating and packed full of useful insights into what people can actually achieve when they have the right mindset.

Allan Kleynhans opened the event at the Hilton hotel, Manchester airport and our first speaker was professional property investor Simon Zutshi from PIN (Property Investors Network). Simon really got the audience buzzing with excitement when he shared some of his closely guarded secrets with us. A remarkable man with the drive and determination to succeed who was willing to offer personal guidance and training to those who wanted to take their property investments to the next level.

Allan also showed us how a small free application is sweeping across the world, saving its users money and providing an impressive income for its distributors.

Marie Claire Carlyle – The money magnet was superb, she made the room analyse their own limiting beliefs and then set about dispelling the myths that stop us from achieving the success we all work for. A real eye opener and brilliant speaker, thanks for sharing with us all and I cant wait to get stuck into your great book.

Michael Bradford demonstrated the power within each of us and how we allow negative experiences to stop us from achieving success. His intuitive methods have aided well known multi Billion corporate companies and individuals to overcome these energy blockages and reach the goals they were aiming for. Very inspirational.

Glenn Armstrong shared his extensive property knowledge and gave an excellent presentation, the feedback I got from some delegates was excellent as he had challenged their way of thinking with some of the strategies he shared, and one person even remarked that Glenn was “thinking so far outside the box that he needed a new one”.

Zoe Cairns was a real trooper; even though she was feeling very ill she shared some useful knowledge on the advantages of social media and how it can be used efficiently and effectively. Even I had not realised that there were so many different tools available and social media channels to post to. Thanks Zoe, I learned lots from you.

Clive Arneil shared some stock market secrets and showed the room how to take advantage of various market scenarios. Fascinating presentation and some very clever speculation methods.

The Gold guys were also excellent, they gave a real insight into the global economy and just how unstable paper money could be. They made a great deal of sense and I have already asked them for more information, I will share it with you in due course.

Richard Shepherd brought the event to a close with a workshop on lease options and I actually understood how to make real money from control of property. That was something I have really struggled to get my head around previously but Richards approach was terrific. He showed us how to turn possibly problematic and unprofitable properties into profitable deals that were win/win for all concerned. That exercise really helped a few people and a huge thank you from me because I got it, finally!

There were a few joint venture deals going on between delegates and a few people will be doing increased business as a direct result of attending this first Northern Entrepreneurs Super Conference.

The whole weekend was superb, if a little tiring, but when you have so many like minded people together all getting a great deal out of something then it becomes an extremely positive atmosphere and we left the venue excited for the future, despite the continual media reports of doom, gloom and depression. As one of the organisers of the event I have learnt a few things and the lessons will go a long way to making sure the next event will be even better.

With each speaker revealing tips that were already tried, tested and proven to really work and earn, generate and release serious amounts of money, what did attendees get for their £1.86 an hour?

Unbelievable value for money!

2 Tickets for £67 / 18 hours content = £1.86 = Unbelievable value for money!

NEXT EVENT - Spring 2011

Write up by Mike Clarke at www.mypropertypowerteam.co.uk

Recommended Northern Events for Property, Personal Development & Business Growth

2010-10-25T18:36:00.000+01:00

Everything seems to happen in London but these local events bring
the best speakers TO YOU!

If you're based in the North of England, you must attend at least
one of these amazing networking events. Please share with your friends too!

- Tuesday 26th October 2010
North West Property Event with Dave Coughlin and Michael Bradford
http://www.wiganpropertyevent.co.uk/nextevent.html

- Wednesday 27th October 2010
YES Group North with Michael Bradford
http://yes-group-north.blogspot.com

- Saturday 30th-Sunday 31st October 2010
Northern Entrepreneurs Super Conference (speaker list below)
http://nesc.networkbillionaire.com

- Thursday 4th November 2010
Northern Property Network with Andy Phillips and Brian Richards
http://www.northernpropertynetwork.co.uk

Please support your local events - so they can continue to keep bringing you the top speakers.

See you there,

Bobby

=============================================
Northern Entrepreneurs Super Conference on 30th-31st October 2010
The list of speakers for the event are:
    * Simon Zutshi – property entrepreneur, speaker and author
    * Glenn Armstrong – serial entrepreneur with 300+ properties
    * Marie-Claire Carlyle – The Miracle Coach, Money Magnet
    * Phil Martin – Property expert and mentor
    * Michael Bradford – International Business Coach & Consultant
    * Richard Shepherd – Property expert and mentor
    * Zoe Cairns – Social media queen
    * Daniel Wagner – Internet Marketing Genius
    * Clive Arneil - Stock trading expert
    * Allan Kleynhans – Peak performance coach
    * Mr X - The Current Economy & Investing in Gold

BOOK NOW: http://www.northernentrepreneurssuperconference.com
=============================================

Lloyds (HBOS) Gambled and Lost - Next Centre Point London

2010-10-25T18:32:00.001+01:00

Find out where the Banks gambled your money and what they're doing to get some of it back at the cost to other businesses and people! Do you trust your countries Bankers to be HONEST?

11 October 2010: Trust me I'm a banker
By Mark Daly BBC Scotland Investigations Correspondent (Full story: http://www.bbc.co.uk)

Two years ago this week, Scotland's once-proud banking history was ripped to shreds.

Facing total ruin, Royal Bank of Scotland was rescued by the government. Halifax Bank of Scotland had to be sold off to Lloyds, which in turn had to be bailed out by the taxpayer.

In 2009, RBS paid £1.3bn in bonuses, while Lloyds paid a reported £200m. Both were in the red at the time

We wanted to know more. Remember, RBS is 83% owned by the taxpayer, Lloyds 41% - so it could be argued that we're entitled to know what they're up to.

"Bankers are paid much more than executives in any other walk of business life. The idea that you have to pay these people stratospheric sums of money...underwritten by the taxpayer is offensive." - Economist Will Hutton

"Just remember one thing, the City is full of greedy, ruthless, clever people and they will do what they can to line their pockets with no regard of the impact it has on society." - Former trader and best selling author of "Cityboy" Geraint Anderson

Mr Tate, who was the highest earning Lloyds director last year with £1.8m, said: "There are a whole lot of people, myself included, who would love to get the kind of return on their investment that the taxpayer has made into this bank. They've made an investment that is making money. If you could come up with me, with an investment in the infrastructure which would have returned more for the taxpayers, I'm all ears."

(What a Banker!)

Tuesday 12 October 2010: HBOS loses millions on Vegas casino
(Full Story: www.guardian.co.uk)

Value of state-owned Lloyds' overseas portfolio questioned after Penn National Gaming paid $230m for $860m debt

Penn National Gaming paid $230.5m for around $860m owed to HBOS, which included $700m the bank loaned to M Resort Photograph: Alise O'Brien

Lloyds Banking Group, the partially state-owned lender, has lost more than $500m (£317m) on loans to M Resort Spa Casino in Las Vegas – the second massive financial hit the bank has taken in America in as many months.

News of the deal has started attracting attention to the value of Lloyds's overseas portfolio, much of which it acquired during the unpopular takeover of HBOS is 2008. Market watchers had previously attributed most of the woe associated with that acquisition to lending within HBOS's UK corporate division, headed by Peter Cummings.

Penn National Gaming, a US gambling group, paid $230.5m for about $860m owed to HBOS International, which included $700m the bank loaned to M Resort plus another $160m loan that HBOS had acquired from MGM Resorts at an undisclosed price.

The debt sale comes two months after it emerged that HBOS International was set to lose "tens of millions of pounds" from dealings with another US client, Sea Island, the exclusive Georgia holiday retreat that filed for bankruptcy in August. In that case, court documents said Sea Island was unable to pay back close to $600m in debts owed to a consortium of banks that included HBOS, which were taken out to fund an ambitious expansion plan. The company said it planned to sell its coastal resorts to investment funds Oaktree Capital Management and Avenue Capital Group in a $197.5m.

The mounting US losses at HBOS are thought to have been incurred in the division previously run by Colin Matthew, a former HBOS board member whose responsibilities included the bank's international business. He retired from the newly formed group in January 2009 with a pension entitlement of £416,000 a year, having been paid £652,000 in 2008 and £905,000 in 2007.

Lloyds declined to comment on individual impairments, although the group is thought to have already written down the value of the M Resort loans. Following the sale of HBOS to Lloyds, the former HBOS international and UK corporate businesses have all been rolled into a single Lloyds division, making it difficult to analyse where the major losses have been incurred.

One analyst said: "There is an idea that much of the financial crisis was down to a few bad apples. That is a simplification. It has lots to do with the organisational structure of banks. People are not incentivised to sit back and call the cycle."

Lloyds has been winding down or selling HBOS-owned assets ever since acquiring Britain's largest mortgage lender. The acquisition, which was encouraged by the UK government, helped Lloyds book losses of £6.3bn last year and pushed the shares, which closed yesterday at 72.65p, down to 19p.

13th October 2010: High Court reprieve for Centre Point owner in survival battle with Lloyds banking
(Full Story: www.dailymail.co.uk)

The owner of the Centre Point tower in London won a reprieve in its battle for survival with Lloyds Banking Group. London's High Court granted Targetfollow two weeks to secure investment, despite efforts by Lloyds to force it into administration over £700million of debt. The property developer cannot meet repayments on the loan or repay it in full because the value of its estate tumbled in the financial crisis.

But the group claims it has come up with a number of viable ways to restructure the debt - only to see them rejected by Lloyds.

The part-nationalised bank, 41per cent owned by the taxpayer after a multi-billion pound bailout by the state, wants to seize and sell the properties to recoup some of its money.

It has raised fears within the commercial property industry of a fire-sale of assets and double-dip in prices as banks seeking to unwind toxic loans handed out during the boom years from undermining the recovery.

Lloyds and Royal Bank of Scotland, which is 84 per cent owned by the state, are sitting on more than a third of the £250billion of outstanding UK property debt.

Many of the rotten loans at Lloyds were approved by Peter Cummings, the former corporate chief of Bank of Scotland, which Lloyds acquired by it bought HBOS in 2008.

'Every week that passes is detrimental to the value of the assets,' he said. Lloyds values Targetfollow's estate at just £450million. The company claims it is worth nearer £680million.

The judge adjourned the case until October 25 at the earliest.

Naghshineh, an Iranian businessman, last month said: 'The whole UK property industry is watching the situation very closely.

'Any indication that [Lloyds] is starting a process of offloading [assets] at fire-sale prices will hit the property market very hard indeed, just as the recovery is underway.'

Friday 22 October 2010: Lloyds to go ahead with administration of Centre Point owner Targetfollow
(Full Story - http://uk.finance.yahoo.com)

Lloyds Banking Group is preparing to push ahead with administration proceedings against the owner of London landmark Centre Point despite the company claiming it has secured a £150m rescue cash investment.

Targetfollow, led by founder Ardeshir Naghshineh, issued a statement yesterday saying it had agreed terms with a "high-quality institutional consortium" to invest £150m in the business.

However, according to sources close to talks, Lloyds, which is owed more than £700m by Targetfollow, does not support the proposals and still plans to go ahead with a High Court hearing next week about whether the property company is placed into administration.

Targetfollow is breaching covenants on its debts and Lloyds must approve any capital injection, however it is understood that the bank believes the consortium's terms are "not feasible" and would require it to take writedowns. The offer is a "long way" from what the bank considers appropriate, sources said. Lloyds declined to comment.

Targetfollow is due in court next week after it was granted two weeks to find a rescue investor earlier this month.

The consortium's proposed £150m aid package would be used to acquire a portion of the debt from Lloyds and to provide working capital to Targetfollow. Mr Naghshineh said: "I believe that this consortium addresses the issues that the bank has raised with the company in the past 12 months, and will pave the way for the bank and the company to move on from what has been a very difficult time."

Lloyds is managing about £30bn of problem property debt. The downturn in the sector led to the bank making damaging writedowns during the financial crisis. Latest accounts from Uberior Ventures, HBOS's property joint venture arm, show its investments fell in value by £590m to £345m last year.

Where did the economy go... double-dip here?

2010-10-22T14:17:00.000+01:00

No bull! There's a double dip coming unless the Banks lend the Governement a few trillion more!

My thoughts on the Economy, now that I have a moment to sit down and flow... here are my answers to some of the questions that people are asking.

Below is a bunch of things I wanted to share. If I'm not specific on anything feel free to ask and leave a comment.

1. Current economy
The Depression, yes that's what it is economically regardless of the lies the politicians tell you and stats made up by economists, is affecting the majority of people right now.

People are losing their jobs, homes and there is no such thing as security. With big companies going bust (those not powerful enough for bailout money) there is no such thing as job security. Employee pensions being gambled away on the stock market and they will be lucky if they have much to live on - that's probably why they're pushing the retirement age back.

Almost every year the Government spends more than it raises in tax! It 'borrows' this money from the 'Bank of England' (so much for it being a Government owned body!)
Someone has to pay this back eventually and that means you! Find out about the UK National Debt.

2. Money is being devalued as more is printed, taxes will go up to cover the money being spent and given to the Banks. Quantitative Easing: "Instead of lowering Bank Rate to increase the amount of money in the economy, the Bank supplies extra money directly. This does not involve printing more banknotes. Instead the Bank pays for these assets by creating money electronically"

You need to be smart in how and where you invest your money right now. Gold has always been a viable option and the demand will always be there for it if you need to sell. Currently Gold has been trading at around £860 / $1380 per ounce and you can always easily get 90% of it's value from a jeweler or gold dealer.
Can you afford Not to invest in Gold?

3. It is also wise to keep some liquid cash on hand, for when you need it.

4. Commercial real estate!

I believe the worst is not yet over. This is the breathing space before the real storm. As people lost their jobs and homes, more mortgage resets are coming, increasing interest rates and fewer jobs. This has worked it's way through the residential property markets at the moment and the next one to be hit is the Commercial property (real estate) markets.
Don't think it will happen? Walk around your local town centre shops. How many 'To Let' signs do you see? More charity shops and pound shops than high street brands? Pubs and bars closing or changing hands more often?
Empty shops and cheap stores being the only ones in business are clear signs of the recession/depression.

Do you see more Cash Convertor stores and places offering to buy your gold in exchange for their cash? Do they know something you don't...

Only another World War could get everyone working again and making money... hmmm... any invasions on the agenda at the moment Mr. Obama?

I hope I'm wrong... but what what if this is how it happens?

I discussed many of these things with my friend Gerry P. and unfortunately the winds and tornadoes started before I actually implemented and acted on any of the facts.

Make sure you're not left behind by being forewarned. Get educated!

----------------

Government and Banks

The Banks and Governments monitor traffic on the internet now to spy on people, I have know of them doing it with BMV property investors and checking their profiles before processing applications.
As TRUST is the Bankers' issue, maybe they want to look in the mirror too!?

The world is waking up and the 'Federal Reserve' is now a household name, instead of a 'perceived' Government body - in reality it is a privately owned bank that masquerades as a Government body. People are against the War and attacks in foreign countries in the name of 'Oil'.
Enough of living in a Police state with everything being filmed and silly little 'civil laws' being invented so they can legally steal your money.

Have America not convinced enough people to support them in attacking Iran yet, to prevent Nuclear arms development? Hmmm... remember the WMD-Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq? Neither do the dead US soldiers and citizens of the country or their families and relatives. But it made a lot of US dollars and gave them control.

The fiat currencies are going to go pop and they need wars to keep their pockets lined and economies going. Read up on Buckminster Fuller's honest writings: Grunch of Giants and Critical Path.

The Amero (have you heard about it?) is as real as the European Union and I won't even start on the One World Government with the US President (and his puppeteers) in charge.

Remember this is a game being played by Governments, Banks and Corporation liars (lawyers) - to support their hidden agendas. I'm not sharing anything new - just repeating it so that you may hear the truth THIS TIME!

And if you don't want to believe it then that's cool too... just remember the choices you made when you're waiting for your pension to arrive.

Educate yourselves now! Learn the truth...

I don't know all the answers but I do know the difference between RIGHT and wrong.
Interestingly HONEST is a Powerful (positive) pattern -v- Legal which is a weak (negative) pattern.
Where would you rather be vibrating? (Source: Power Vs. Force by David R Hawkins)

============

Despite the doom and gloom - this is a great opportunity for change!

Take stock and learn from your mistakes. Accept the feedback.
Let the stresses and challenges be your friend and make you stronger.
Make plans and do things better this time.

The information is already out there and you just need to want to look for it. It requires change from YOU and people to come together and say enough is enough to this slavery.
We are all free people but forgot along the way... Freedom is More Than Just a Seven Letter Word

Now is a time that people will remember what really is of value, taking them away from greed and materialism and forcing them to appreciate the other things in life.

Remember: don't be a victim! You're going to have to let go of the old attachments first.
Then get back in charge, take control and be responsible for the life you live!
When would NOW be a good time to do that?

I wish you a happy life filled with fun, friends, family and laughter :-)

P.S. Double Dips are for caring and sharing together!

Northern Entrepreneurs Super Conference, 30th-31st October 2010 - Manchester

2010-10-15T20:50:00.002+01:00

Surely this will be The Biggest UK Entrepreneur's Event of the Year. It will be held at The Hilton Hotel, Manchester Airport, Outwood Lane, Manchester, United Kingdom M90 4WP on Saturday 30th & Sunday 31st October 2010

Hosted by Steven Aspinall, Bobby Gill and Mike Clarke PLUS 10 TOP UK Experts, this 2 day event has been setup for entrepreneurs based "Up North".

With high profile members and guest speakers, the Northern Entrepreneurs Super Conference is all about connecting with the right people. Creating connections with key players in the industry. It's about making yourself known in the marketplace as the best person to do business with.

The aim as is to help you make the right contacts in the marketplace. The event offers the most cost effective method of meeting the industry's decision makers.

Bringing together key players in the Market
Learning through shared knowledge and understanding
Listening to the highest profile speakers
Generating opportunities
Building relationships
And, creating a platform for highly effective networking and communication across various Industries

The list of speakers for the event are:

Simon Zutshi – property entrepreneur, speaker and author
Glenn Armstrong – serial entrepreneur now with over 300 properties
Marie-Claire Carlyle – The Miracle Coach, Money Magnet and Best Selling Author
Phil Martin – Property expert and mentor
Michael Bradford – Highly Intuitive International Healer, Business Coach, Consultant, Mentor and Professional speaker
Richard Shepherd – Property expert and mentor
Zoe Cairns – Social media queen
Daniel Wagner – Internet Marketing Genius
Clive Arneil - Stock trading expert
Allan Kleynhans – Peak performance coach

AND

Mr X - The Current Economy & Investing in Gold

There has never been a group of leaders like this assembled at the same event!

BOOK NOW: www.northernentrepreneurssuperconference.com
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Really. Your future is important and we encourage you to attend this event. But it still only offers one perspective.

At The Northern Entrepreneurs Superconference, you will hear the insights, case studies, and best practices of many of the Industry leaders.

It doesn't matter if you are into property, internet marketing, or Investing, we have put together what is arguably the strongest faculty of leadership talent that has ever been assembled under one roof!

You will hear how Average people have gone from zero to building a multi million pound property, how properties can be purchased without a mortgage, numerous ways to increase your cashflow, proven techniques to generate online traffic, and many more...........
With a little discernment and critical thinking, you can study all the options and leave Sunday night with the strategies that will work best for YOU.

Don't come to this event just because you want to take your picture with the speakers, feel all warm and fuzzy, or add to your seminar notes collection. Come because you want to:

• Get out of the rate race;
• Develop faster;
• Develop your leadership skills;
• Convert more leads;
• Learn from the best in the business;
• Develop passive residual income!

We didn't select these speakers because they have great books, give nice speeches, or and have strong credibility. (Even though they have great books, give nice speeches and have enough credibility to fill the MEN Arena!!)

They were selected because of their unique gifts for taking what they have learned, and teaching it in a way that you will hear it, understand it, and then be able to go back home and immediately implement it!

All of these key people have powerful information you need to know about.

============================================
Register here: www.northernentrepreneurssuperconference.com
============================================

Why up north...

We believe there is a shortage of similar events for people that live in the North. We want to show that people that live up North have got as big aspirations as the guys that live in the south. Wouldn't it be wonderful to get the money thing out of the way, and lead the lifestyle you dreamed about? You can.

The Northern Entrepreneurs Superconference can show you how to achieve it. Of course the event will be motivational, you'll feel good about attending, and you'll have a great time...

But more importantly, you will leave Sunday evening with a toolbox of techniques, strategies, and skills you can immediately put into practice to build a life beyond your wildest dreams !!!

If you are serious about building a massive, exponentially growing business - clear your calendar right now, and get yourself a ticket for this event !!

Be warned, however...

We're not bringing in the most successful people in the profession to teach you how to make a couple hundred pounds, we want you to walk away with a clear strategy on how best to create wealth !!

Any one of these speakers could do the entire weekend, and you'd still get the bargain of your career. Put them all together in one room as we are, and you have the largest and strongest collection of speakers ever assembled under one roof!

We're talking about people who have founded huge property business', developed legions of leaders, built networks in the thousands, conducted hundreds of opportunity presentations all around the world, discovered how to overcome fear and rejection, uncovered the secrets of the most compelling presentations, and made millions of pounds in their chosen career's !

This is not an event for the idle curious. It is for people who want to turn their business' into a multi-million-pound, income money machine!
We don't tell you that to impress you about how “big” they are. But to demonstrate how lucrative and valuable a weekend with people like this can be for you.

Many speakers will be revealing information they might not share if it was going to be offered for general public consumption…

This event is for people that really want to become top earners...

We've assembled the finest minds and put them at your disposal for an entire weekend.

• You'll hear them speak;
• Ask them questions one-on-one!

What's the investment?

If we charged £500 a seat for this event, it would be the bargain of the decade. But you won't have to pay even that...

Fortunately, we can keep the price below market. So the event is only £67.

And if you act before 10pm on Sunday 17th October 2010, you can sneak in with our 30% OFF Early Bird Special of only £47!

============================================
BUY NOW: www.northernentrepreneurssuperconference.com
============================================

Seats are limited, so BOOK NOW as this event will sell out !!!

For more information, click here http://www.northernentrepreneurssuperconference.com

Autumnal (Fall) Equinox 2010: Time for Change!

2010-09-23T03:09:00.004+01:00

Are you wondering what's going on with the World? Like why are all the systems collapsing? Is there any chance to save them? Governments and Banks filling their corrupt pockets?

AND Where did all the money go?

If you get your information from the Newspapers, TV and Politicians - then good luck expecting honest answers!

Maybe it is time to let go of the old and embrace the change... as CHANGE is going to happen anyway! Be part of the movement and not the resistance, make decisions and act instead of fighting the inevitable. Go with the flow...

If you know the truth comes from Nature and within YOU, then read on, here is some information from the Universe on the Autumnal Equinox: 23rd September 2010 (03:09am to be precise)

Bobby

P.S. Some people may think I'm nuts - but at least I'm not completely lost like some! Cracker anyone? ;-)

(Obligatory Bobby humour on a serious matter - Peace!)

"2010 Fall Equinox: September 22, 2010

The Fall Equinox has arrived, the time to see our endeavors as aspects of the collective mind. We begin by reviewing our 2010 Spring Equinox intentions: How are your creations coming along? Assess your progress by clearly identifying what you have attained and learned over the past six months, because your works become part of the larger whole during the fall. If you've already completed your intentions, then you are on your path! Congratulations for making progress. The Fall Equinox is when we get honest about what we are doing, and we will do so because this fall will be emotionally explosive. If you're still working on some of your intentions, be clear about what you've already accomplished; then you may find your creations complete as they weave into the collective mind. This is especially likely because the collective field is changing so rapidly. If something you intended to create just didn't happen, zippo!, out it goes, since it probably didn't really matter to you anyway.

We have just lived through an extraordinary summer of deep structural change that is starting to release great individual creative potential. Yet, the collective field is very confusing because people moving in new directions are tripping over old cluttered systems that keep on collapsing. As National and Planetary Underworld systems-wars, financial hierarchies, industrial systems, and medical programs-become untenable, people hold onto old ways like ratty little dogs biting pant legs. Stuck in old mindsets, angry and rude, they pollute the political climate and Nature. Meanwhile, if you can release the useless old ways, you can fly through the solid dimension. Wizards who fly around on magic carpets in the sixth dimension are moving the energy now, which will have a huge effect on the solid world this fall. [See Alchemy of Nine Dimensions.]

Creative energy has been withdrawn from collapsing systems at the grass roots level, since many people don't care about saving them. People are walking away from communities that have been reduced to abandoned roads, rotting bridges, and boarded-up houses. Many older people just throw away their prescription drugs and go out for a walk in the sun. Soldiers back from Iraq weigh their chances of getting called up to Afghanistan. They wonder if they should just quit and throw away their pensions, free housing on the base, and the slim chance for medical coverage. Prisons are closing because the profits aren't high enough and people are getting out of jail. This fall is the golden moment when you can take charge at the local level. Change happens at the local level, and this Fall Equinox and Libra New Moon predict the rise of grassroots movements. Possibly your 2010 Spring Equinox intentions are the seeds for new grassroots endeavors in your area?

Usually, the Sun moving into Libra just wants to have a nice party and experience la-la-la harmony. But not this year! The equinox Sun is approaching an exact square to Pluto in Capricorn and a conjunction to Saturn. A few hours after the equinox, the Moon goes into Aries and opposes the Sun-a tense early cardinal Full Moon that squares newly direct Pluto close to the Galactic Center. Simply put, this fall is the reckoning time for Earth's organizational systems, a time when you must evaluate your place in them. Systems don't function when people lose belief in them. The Fall Equinox chart predicts great change, and the worst thing you could do is resist or do nothing. This Sun in Libra shouts, "Make decisions and act!"

Mars and Venus very close together in Scorpio make us feel very creative and emotionally responsive as long as we don't get stuck. If you feel jammed in a corner, take a long walk and talk yourself out of it. People won't think you're crazy, since these days everybody talks out loud in the streets. The equinox chart suggests things are so difficult that many people are going to just get moving. You want to be part of the movement, not the resistance. Politicians will try to milk the public treasury far as long as possible, but the people demand new things that work. Like, where'd all the money go? On September 30, the Sun makes it to Saturn, when many people will make hard choices and stick with them. People will be moving out of houses they don't own, dead-end jobs, and lifeless relationships.

The Sun approaching Saturn is the grounder for this equinox; this aspect is very much needed as the Sun moves into Libra and opposes Moon, Jupiter, and Uranus clutched together in 27-28 Pisces. The Neptunian triple conjunction intensifies the summer's dream of compassionate transformation. Then the Moon moves quickly over Jupiter/Uranus, and demands action when it goes into Aries at the Full Moon. This Full Moon right after the equinox opens our hearts and feelings to the wild transformations that were inspired by the Jupiter/Uranus conjunctions during the summer. The first conjunction was in early June, and the second one right before this equinox on September 18.

The cardinal T-squares stretched each one of us out on the rack all summer, while Jupiter/Uranus opened new creative fields. Now as the Sun goes into Libra, Jupiter-exact-conjunct-Uranus will blast open more creative potential. When Jupiter conjuncts Uranus, irresistible new projects just appear. For example, during their first conjunction in early June, I noticed that our city council was suddenly pushing for big and unexpected reforms, which many people felt they couldn't stop. Then a nearby sleepy island suddenly decided it wanted to become a National Park! These crazy ideas made my head spin all summer, and maybe you noticed things like this in your hometown? Meanwhile, all this occurred amidst the unbearable personal tension of the cardinal squares, which now, thankfully, are pulling apart, allowing ideas to release.

The first exact conjunction of Jupiter and Uranus was June 8 in Aries. Now retrograde, they conjuncted in Pisces on September 18, when the big media news was "extensive poverty in the richest country in the world, the USA!" When planets transit Pisces, they complete agendas that started when they were previously in Aries-1999 for Jupiter, and 1928 for Uranus. Thus, until Jupiter goes back into Aries January 22, 2011, we will be completing and polishing our personal Galactic Underworld creations since 1999. [See Appendix C of The Mayan Code for some very important work on this issue.] In 1928, Uranus in Aries had a lot to do with crashing the stock market in 1929, which was also a time of widespread American poverty and a few wealthy people getting richer. Top-heavy societies crash. While Uranus is in Pisces until March 11, 2011, you still have time to make some financial changes before the coming depression. Since Jupiter is joining Uranus during the last transit in Pisces, there is a strong tendency to enact financial reforms, such as the banking and investment bill that was passed in July in the USA. Financial reforms were a big issue all over the globe during summer 2010, and this pressure will continue to January 2011 when the third and last conjunction occurs in Pisces. Then, when both planets go back into Aries, these changes will activate new paths and systems.

The fascinating thing about the triple conjunction is the Moon's involvement. With Moon/Jupiter/Uranus conjunct in Pisces exactly opposite the Sun moving into Libra, most people will be compelled to overreach themselves to help others out and to focus on their community this fall. If you resist compassionate responses to those in need, the opposing Sun/Saturn in Libra will just push you into it. But, what's the focus? The top of the T-square-Pluto-defines the focus: Pluto in Capricorn is cleaning out negative blocks and liberating the potential for deep revolution. With this potent opposition involving Uranus (change), Jupiter (well-being), Moon (feelings), Sun (self-knowledge), and Saturn (making forms), and with Pluto now direct since September 13, forget about staying out of the fray. We are moving closer to becoming a unified species during 2011. During the fall we will separate the healing elements from the bad energy by means of our personal healing.

Chiron and Neptune in 27 Aquarius are less than thirty seconds apart, so the pressure is off the scale to move through blocks and heal them, as I discussed in detail in my Virgo New Moon reading. Face your inner pain and clear the blockages, and bodywork is needed this fall. The Moon in the 1776 USA chart is 27 Aquarius, so the USA will be the focus for the collective planetary pain. Since the USA has arrogantly persisted in pursuing agendas that even the majority of its own citizens do not support, there may be a massive turning away from the USA agendas. Globally, people cringe in horror as they watch a great country throw itself away in questionable wars that impoverish its people.

Mars and Venus are still traveling together in the sky in Scorpio, so the pressure for male/female balance and harmony is Plutonic. People will demand what they want and need this fall regardless of the consequences. This will not be easy, but this balancing will encourage sharing and fairness. Mercury in exacting and clear Virgo sextiling Mars/Venus in Scorpio signifies an honoring of people's needs and emotions. This will be an emotional fall, a time of deep soul-searching for individuals and communities. New paths will open if you surrender and go with the flow. Stay the course!"

Full article and source: www.handclow2012.com

UK Banks causing a double dip?

2010-09-07T19:41:00.000+01:00

The Banks were technically bankrupt a couple of years ago but got bailed out by us. Now they want as much cash in as possible, despite the cost to businesses and the economy.

Unfortunately the Banks are not run by people but systems and organic robots – they are only interested in their bottom line and do not care about the economy, taxpayers, you or me.

The dip is coming, not good news for people with equity to lose or poor cash flow – but an opportunity for investors to stock up on houses!

See Simon Zutshi's article below and join his Mastermind Programme to stay ahead of the pack.

Bobby

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Check out Simon Zutshi's Property Mastermind Programme

Simon Zutshi is giving away a full scholarship on his next Property Mastermind Programme starting in October 2010.

This is an incredible 12 month Programme that will teach you how to be a professional investor with the objective of buying £1m in property and giving your £50k in the bank in 12 months.

For details of how you could be the lucky person to receive this incredible opportunity, you need to register your interest on the Property Mastermind Scholarship “Pre announcement list” by Clicking Here
Property Mastermind Programme

Note: This offer is for Serious UK investors Only!

Are the UK Banks causing a second dip?

by Simon Zutshi

"There is a lot of talk in the media at the moment of the possibility of a second dip in the UK housing market. There is a good chance that there could be a second dip particularly when the banks release all of the repossessed property that they are currently holding, into the market. When the supply increases then house prices could fall further, if the demand is not sufficient to soak up the extra supply.

However, I would argue that the demand is there. The two groups who stimulate the market are investors and first time buyers. Investors realise that properties stack up well at the moment, far better than they have for a few years. If you are investing for the long term it does not matter if prices fall in the short term, as long as you can afford to hold by ensuring you buy in an area with strong rental demand and positive cash flow each month after all the expenses. First time buyers are also keen to get on the ladder before prices go up although many of them are uncertain about what the future holds due to all the scare mongering in the press.

The main problem lies with the UK banks and their lending policy. Understandably they have learnt their lesson and I am sure will now lend more responsibly than in the past, which has got to be a good thing. However, for the UK market to recover the lending availability has to improve. The banks are already being cautious by restricting their lending on Buy to Lets to 75% Loan to Value so they have plenty of buffer in case prices fall.

They are also being careful of whom they lend to although I would question the logic behind some of their decisions. The Lloyds TSB banking group now owned by the government (or rather the tax payer) restrict the number of mortgage across its brands to a maximum of nine. Most experienced investors, with a reasonable sized portfolio, would exceed this limit and so would not be able to get further mortgages for any lender in the group including; Birmingham Midshires, Halifax, Lloyds and C&G. Ironically these banks seem to be happy to lend to a complete novice investor, with absolutely no experience and so someone far more likely to make mistakes than an experienced investor to whom they will not lend. It does not really make sense.

But the real problem is that the banks are instructing surveyors to down value properties in their surveys. Most surveyors would say that a property is worth what someone is prepared to pay for it. However, this wide spread policy of down valuing property ignores the fact that there are buyers prepared to pay the agreed price. When the property is down valued the mortgage offer is adjusted down and often not sufficient enough for the buyer to afford the property, so the sale falls through. The surveyors are under pressure from the banks and they don’t want to be sued for getting it wrong.

Willing buyers are not able to make the purchase they want and so the market stagnates as people get stuck in chains and the net effect is less sales. Less sales will lead to a fall in prices and a general down valuing of the market. Thus the second dip that the press seem determined to talk us into.

This is bad news for everyone, including the banks who will have even less security and equity on their existing lending. With many people potentially in negative equity unable to afford to move, the market will stagnate further and take even longer to recover. Again bad news for everyone.

If we are not careful we will get to the point where no one can sell or buy and the only solution will be to do every property transaction as an option. I am convinced purchase lease options will become far more common place over the next few years.

What we need is some positivity in the press to encourage first time buyers to stimulate the market and general easing of lending criteria so that more people can access the funds to buy the property they want to purchase. And ideally an end to this policy of Banks telling surveyors to down value property.

Come on UK Banks….sort it out. As owners of many of the banks, the new government should wake up, smell the coffee and realise what is going on. Unless something changes I predict that the UK Banks will cause a second dip in the UK house market."

Simon Zutshi, - Founder of Property Investors Network

Experience the Planetary Shift on an Uptilt - Heartmath

2010-07-07T16:50:00.000+01:00

Have you been feeling that you can't keep up and things are happening faster and faster and time seems to fly. Here are some reasons that help you realise and what you can do about it if you feel stressed.

Bobby

Source: www.heartmath.org

A planetary shift is under way. Many sense this shift internally and we perceive that time is accelerating. It’s hard to keep up. We’re constantly bombarded by an ever-increasing number of choices. Emotions peak and ebb to extremes in the span of hours, even minutes. Uncertainty seems to be on the rise about our personal direction and the world’s.

Amid the stress and chaos, concern mounts over climate change, rising oil prices, economic instability and global insecurity, but people are coming together. A momentum is building among those who want to give back to society and take care of each other and our planet. Social networking is bringing these people together and there is an energetic sparkle in the air and a sense of hope that something new will emerge.

Scientific research shows these flickers of hope are qualities of the heart and spirit. The heart feelings of happiness, care and compassion are enhanced by:

Spiritual practices like meditation and prayer that connect us to something greater than ourselves.
Heart connection with others, close friendships within and outside the family.
Gathering with others frequently for uplifting purposes: church, social causes, etc.

We call these actions that help nurture us emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually aspects of heart-based living. As the planetary shift continues and people experience greater stress, overstimulation, overload, stress-induced physical and mental health problems, the imperative to shift toward heart-based living increases.

As life’s pace continues to accelerate, we’ll be presented with even more choices and have less time to make them. The good news is that when we approach our choices with sincere heart intent it’s easier to access the energy required to shift quickly into the most beneficial mental and emotional states.

Incoherence – When a person feels stress, overwhelm, anxiety, uncertainty and fear, the heart is sending chaotic and incoherent signals to the brain/mind, triggering stressful responses. The higher cortical functions are inhibited, meaning the heart and brain are out of alignment, so solutions to personal or world problems elude us.

Collectively, these negative emotions are registered in the heart and brain’s electromagnetic fields, generating a global stress and incoherence wave that goes out to those around us and around the globe. Stress and incoherence are intensified by instant massmedia reports – the natural disasters, social upheaval, economic turmoil and more.

Coherence – When you feel genuine hope, care and compassion, your heart is sending harmonious and coherent signals to the brain/ mind, replacing feelings of separation with a sense of connection. The heart and brain are aligned and in sync. The higher cortical functions are enhanced, facilitating objective, sober assessment and intuitive perception. You perceive more wholeness, and solutions to problems are more apparent.

Collectively, positive emotions such as hope, care, compassion and appreciation generate a global coherence wave whose electromagnet field goes out to those around us and across the globe. Increasing heart alignment and focusing on heart-based living have the potential to create a global coherence wave to facilitate new solutions for the world’s problems.

More than ever people need to understand the physiology of coherence that underlies heart-based principles and the science behind global coherence. Click here to learn more about global coherence and the Global Coherence Initiative.

Tips for Heart-Based Living

Increasing the textures of your experience: Positive feelings such as genuine care and appreciation add greater texture and richness to our lives: Sunsets are more beautiful, spring days feel fresher, and even food seems to taste better.

Practice genuine appreciation for everything in your life, especially anything you may take for granted. Increasing heartfelt positive emotions like care and appreciation helps you move through difficult times with greater ease, security and grace. When you’re not aligned with your heart, the textures and richness of life can quickly diminish.
Practice care, not overcare, for yourself and others going through the shift: Ask yourself: Is my care producing or reducing stress? Be aware of how you feel about an issue at hand, place your focus in the heart area and breathe in a positive feeling or attitude. Be objective, as if the issue or problem is someone else’s. Relax in the heart area and become neutral about the issue, allowing your heart intelligence to offer new perspectives and possibilities.

You can increase the potency of your care and intentions and the effectiveness of your choices and actions. Listening to what your heart prompts you to do can make your caring more effective. Excessive care, or overcare related to an issue or situation can create stress and negative emotions, so it is important for your care to be balanced.
Watch out for negative projections – the down slant: Negative projections actually are negative thoughts and feelings about you, someone else or the future. Say you’re planning to meet someone with whom you have a hard time communicating. Instead of projecting judgment or anxiety, generate appreciation, care and calm. You’ll enter the meeting with a more balanced and intuitive perspective.

Source: www.heartmath.org

Grunch of Giants - by R. Buckminster Fuller (pdf)

2010-06-22T14:48:00.002+01:00

Grunch of Giants, written by R. Buckminster Fuller (as recommended by Robert T. Kiyosaki and other great students) It is a rare book and can be bought from Amazon if you can find it or scroll down and read it online below... I paid over $30 for my new copy from the US and it was worth every penny!

You will love Bucky's writing style as he using language in a unique way to describe things (although some of the sentences are a little long to read in one go)
He has a remarkable mind and is a genius if you take time to study the few artifacts he has left with us.
Have you ever been so excited of a possibility of change on a global scale that you have to tell everyone about it? Then read on...

I have been thinking about lots of things recently, watching the economy, weighing up the options and wondering where WE are all heading.
Luckily Fuller's book has given me some more insights and verification that I am pondering the right things.
Are we here to create wealth for ourselves, others or the planet?

In order to understand how the Grunch works, Fuller says you must first study their history and development. In beginning his explanation, Fuller quotes one of his friends, who he called a giant.

“Bucky, I’m very fond of you, so I am sorry to have to tell you that you will never be a success. You go around explaining in simple terms that which people have not been comprehending, when the first law of success is, ‘Never make things simple when you can make them complicated.’”

One of the first things Fuller had to do was make a decision: Did he want to try to make money, or make sense, as the two things are mutually exclusive. So Fuller decided to make sense and he used his books to explain how the world works.

The book is not what you think it's about but definitely an eye opener about the FACT that the basic cost of things is coming down due to manufacturing cost but prices continue to go up - through the artificially created 'inflation' designed to keep cash flowing from regular people to the Rich corporations! The only function of a corporation is to make money for it's shareholders - it is soul-less, so the greater good of changing human life for the better is not relevant.

“Gross Universe Cash Heist (Grunch)” is the theory that large corporations use the government to enforce their economic suppression of the rest of society and steal resources and assets from around the world whenever and wherever they want.

Have you ever considered if the resources of the planet and sun are becoming easier to harness? If technology is making it simpler and quicker to bring products to mass market? Are less humans required to operate said machinery to make the resources into products?
If you think about it and use your intuition you will realise that the answer is yes, yet prices seem to go up with inflation not down with economies of scale.
Why is this? Why does a pair of shoes, a house, a car or any other product now cost more than it did 10 years ago - should it not be less due to these economies?
No - because of price fixing by corporate giants to turn even bigger profits. Greed of the few is not good for the survival of everyone.

Today, one person can run an entire business by themselves on the internet from anywhere in the world. Limited resources can harness an infinite return - yet the corporates do not want to share the wealth. What choices would you make?

Congratulations to people like Bill Gates and Warren Buffet for giving so much money to charities. Yes they have it to give (on a bigger scale than you or I) but they also know what is important. As I say "It's the thought, followed by action, that counts!" - Bobby Gill

Whilst corporations spend trillions on weaponry and ways to kill people, if this money was employed to help people live and support one another - everyone's standard of living would increase! This book was written in the 1980's but it is as true today with the planet heading towards imminent disaster or survival... (your choice)

Countries are bankrupt and can't pay their debts, so are the banks. But they keep stealing from the public to keep themselves going. Making the mega-rich richer and everyone else poorer. What are you going to do about it? I'm starting by sharing this information with you.

When the on-foot people got pikes, they were able to knock off the bullies on horses. The Internet is your pike and the people on it your network. Start a movement - share the knowledge - change the world - before it's too late.
The once visible advantage is becoming invisible, more and more like the physical's true self in the metaphysical world.

As this book is not just about money, the time is coming to make a change - and the last chapter will show how you fit into cosmic picture...

Do you have time NOT to read these eye-opening 63 pages that I have found online and shared with you?
Here are the results of my information gathering for you to help with the problem solving.

Please leave your thoughts and/or review as a comment to help other people comprehend the truth.

(If pdf ebook does not show below, click on the Grunch of Giants link below this line)
Grunch of Giants

Disclaimer: This ebook is shared to preserve this hard to find title under the fair usage policy. It is not intended to infringe any copyright or create profit. I understand the cosmic laws ;-) and wish to share them with everyone. Bobby
If you find a physical copy of the book, you should buy it and also support the ongoing work of the Buckminster Fuller Institute: http://www.bfi.org/

Illegal Tender from the Bank of Scotland?

2010-06-15T16:01:00.001+01:00

Not only are all the Banks printing money and ripping off the people of the World, the Banks of Scotland have the audacity to go one further and keep printing and issuing illegal currency - that does not have to be accepted as payment for a debt! (you may if you choose but that is up to you). Does that not make it counterfeiting and worthless?

Read the info below sourced from Wikipedia and a big thanks to the Drummond's of Alloa (who I met at the Robert Kiyosaki Rich Dad weekend) confirming what I thought.

Bobby

So as a Bank, you're only allowed to steal if you're a thief and the government authorises it. If they don't? Then steal anyway as no-one expects any more from you!

UPDATE: Even though they say it is not Legal, the Bank and Lawyer spin doctors say it is 'not illegal' either!? Leave it to banks and lawyers to contradict themselves, then expect us to trust them {joke}

HM Treasury is responsible for defining which notes have ‘legal tender’ status within the United Kingdom and the following extract from Bank of England’s website may help to clarify what is meant by “legal tender” and how little practical meaning the phrase has in everyday transactions.

“The term legal tender does not in itself govern the acceptability of banknotes in transactions. Whether or not notes have legal tender status, their acceptability as a means of payment is essentially a matter for agreement between the parties involved. Legal tender has a very narrow technical meaning in relation to the settlement of debt. If a debtor pays in legal tender the exact amount he owes under the terms of a contract, he has good defence in law if he is subsequently sued for non-payment of the debt. In ordinary everyday transactions, the term ‘legal tender’ has very little practical application.”

Source: www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/about/faqs.htm

And for Legal Tender?

What is the Bank’s “Promise to Pay”?

"The words "I promise to pay the bearer on demand the sum of five [ten/twenty/fifty] pounds" date from long ago when our notes represented deposits of gold. At that time, a member of the public could exchange one of our banknotes for gold to the same value. For example, a £5 note could be exchanged for five gold coins, called sovereigns. But the value of the pound has not been linked to gold for many years, so the meaning of the promise to pay has changed. Exchange into gold is no longer possible and Bank of England notes can only be exchanged for other Bank of England notes of the same face value. Public trust in the pound is now maintained by the operation of monetary policy, the objective of which is price stability."

Yes that's right - all the banks do is offer to swap your worthless paper for even more paper as long as you continue to TRUST them!

It's a Mad, Mad World banking system! << an earlier post I wrote about the banks and trust.

The following is from Wikipedia:

Scottish and Northern Irish banknotes are unusual, firstly because they are issued by retail banks, not central banks, and secondly, as they are not legal tender anywhere in the UK – not even in Scotland or Northern Ireland – they are in fact promissory notes. Indeed, no banknotes (even Bank of England notes) are now legal tender in Scotland or Northern Ireland.

Seven retail banks have the authority of Parliament to issue sterling banknotes as currency. Despite this, the notes are sometimes refused in England and Wales, and are not always accepted by banks and exchange bureaus outside of the United Kingdom. This is particularly true in the case of the Royal Bank of Scotland £1 note, which is the only £1 note to remain in circulation within the UK.

In 2000, the European Central Bank indicated that, should the United Kingdom join the euro, Scottish banks (and, by extension, Northern Ireland banks) would have to cease banknote issue. During the Financial crisis of 2007–2008, the future of private banknotes in the United Kingdom was uncertain. It has been suggested that the Banking Act 2009 would restrict the issue of banknotes by commercial banks in Scotland and Northern Ireland by removing many of the provisions of the Acts quoted above. Banks would be forced to lodge sterling funds with the Bank of England to cover private note issue for a full week, rather than over a weekend, thereby losing four days' interest and making banknote production financially unviable. Following negotiations among the UK Treasury, the Bank of England and the Scottish banks, it was agreed that the funds would earn interest, allowing them to continue to issue their own notes.

Following the announcement that HBOS (Bank of Scotland's parent company) would be taken over by Lloyds TSB in September 2008, it was confirmed that the new banking company would continue to print bank notes under the Bank of Scotland name. According to the 1845 Bank Notes (Scotland) Act, the bank could have lost its note-issuing rights, but by retaining headquarters within Scotland, banknote issue will continue.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org

World Cup 2010 fixtures, teams and times

2010-06-11T10:00:00.005+01:00

World Cup 2010 - Let the games begin!

Fifa Official Calendar: http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/matches/calendar.html

Source: http://www.youtube.com/v/1FnVKFmDGJc

Fancy flash calendar from: http://www.marca.com

Source: World Cup Google Calendar

What you do to Others Will Be Done to You!

2010-06-11T09:00:00.001+01:00

Once upon a time in China , a girl named Li-Li got married & went to live with her husband and mother-in-law.

In a very short time, Li-Li found that she couldn't get along with her mother-in-law at all. Their personalities were very different, and Li-Li was angered by many of her mother-in-law's habits. In addition, she criticized Li-Li constantly.

Days passed, and weeks passed. Li-Li and her mother-in-law never stopped arguing and fighting. But what made the situation even worse was that, according to ancient Chinese tradition, Li-Li had to bow to her mother-in-law and obey her every wish. All the anger and unhappiness in the house was causing Li-Li's poor husband great distress.

Finally, Li-Li could not stand her mother-in-law's bad temper and dictatorship any longer, and she decided to do something about it. Li-Li went to see her father's good friend, Mr. Huang, who sold herbs. She told him the situation and asked if he would give her some poison so that she could solve the problem once and for all.

Mr. Huang thought for awhile, and finally said, "Li-iL, I will help you solve your problem, but you must listen to me and obey what I tell you."

Li-Li said,"Yes, Mr. Huang, I will do whatever you tell me to do. "Mr. Huang went into the back room, and returned in a few minutes with a package of herbs. He told Li-Li, "You can't use a quick-acting poison to get rid of your mother-in-law, because that would cause people to become suspicious. Therefore, I have given you a number of herbs that will slowly build up poison in her body. Every other day prepare some delicious meal and put a little of these herbs in her serving. Now, in order to make sure that nobody suspect you, when she dies, you must be very careful to act very friendly towards her. "Don't argue with her, obey her every wish, and treat her like a queen." Li-Li was so happy. She thanked Mr. Huang and hurried home to start her plot of murdering her mother-in-law.

Weeks went by, and months went by, and every other day, Li-Li served the specially treated food to her mother-in-law. She remembered what Mr. Huang had said about avoiding suspicion, so she controlled her temper, obeyed her mother-in-law, and treated her like her own mother.

After six months had passed, the whole household had changed. Li-Li had practiced controlling her temper so much that she found that she almost never got mad or upset. She hadn't had an argument with her mother-in-law in six months because she now seemed much kinder and easier to get along with.

The mother-in-law's attitude toward Li-Li changed, and she began to love Li-Li like her own daughter. She kept telling friends and relatives that Li-Li was the best daughter-in-law one could ever find. Li-Li and her mother-in-law were now treating each other like a real mother and daughter. Li-Li's husband was very happy to see what was happening.

One day, Li-Li came to see Mr. Huang and asked for his help again She said, "Dear Mr. Huang, please help me to keep off the poison from killing my mother-in-law. She's changed into such a nice woman, and I love her like my own mother. I do not want her to die because of the poison I gave her."

Mr. Huang smiled and nodded his head. "Li-Li, there's nothing to worry about. I never gave you any poison. The herbs I gave you were vitamins to improve her health. The only poison was in your mind and your attitude toward her, but that has been all washed away by the love which you gave to her."

HAVE YOU REALIZED that how you treat others is exactly how they will treat you? There is a wise Chinese saying: "The person who loves others will also be loved in return." God might be trying to work in another person's life through you.

A candle loses nothing if it is used to light another one...

FIFA World Cup 2010 - Getting the rules straight up front

2010-06-01T12:00:00.005+01:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FnVKFmDGJc

Dear Wife/Sweetheart/Girlfriend/Partner/Whoever it may concern,

1. Between 11th June and 11th of July 2010, you should read the sports section of the newspaper so that your aware of what is going on regarding the world of football and you will be able to join in conversations.
If you fail to do this then you may be ignored. DO NOT complain that your not receiving any attention.

2. During the World Cup, the TV is mine, at all times.

3. You can pass by the TV as long as your crawling on the floor and don’t distract me.

4. During the games I will be blind, deaf and mute unless I need a refill on my drink or need something to eat. So I wont be answering the phone or the door or look after the baby.

5. It would be a very good idea to have at least 2 six-packs in the fridge at all times and have plenty of food in. You may be allowed to use the TV during 12am and 6am unless their is a replay of a really good game.

6. Please! If you see me upset as one of my teams are losing DON’T say “get over it, it’s only a game” or “don’t worry they will win next time”. You will only make me love you less.

7. You may watch one game with me. But you can only talk during the half time commercials.

8. The replays of goals are very important if I have seen them or not, I will want to see them again many times!

9. Please tell your friends not to have any babies or any other child related parties or any gatherings that require my attendance as I will NOT BE GOING!

10. But if a friend of mine invites us to their house to watch a game then we will be there in a flash.

11. The highlights programme is just as important as the games themselves.

12. And finally, please save expressions such as “Thank god the World Cup is only on every 4 years”. Because after this I have the Premier League, Champions League, SPL, Serie A, La Liga, Bundesliga, FA Cup etc to look forward to.

P.S. if you get stuck on the road phone the Police or the AA.

Thank you for your co-operation.

------------------------

The offside rule explained for girls:

You're in a shoe shop, second in the queue for the till. Behind the shop assistant on the till is a pair of shoes which you have seen and which you must have.

The female shopper in front of you has seen them also and is eyeing them with desire. Both of you have forgotten your purses.

It would be rude to push in front of the first woman if you had no money to pay for the shoes.

The shop assistant remains at the till waiting.

Your friend is trying on another pair of shoes at the back of the shop and sees your dilemma.

She prepares to throw her purse to you.

If she does so, you can catch the purse, then walk round the other shopper and buy the shoes!

At a pinch she could throw the purse ahead of the other shopper and "whilst it is in flight" you could nip around the other shopper, catch the purse and buy the shoes!

BUT, you must always remember that until the purse has "actually been thrown", it would be plain wrong for you to be in front of the other shopper and you would be OFFSIDE!