Victims have rights too! LINKS 4 LIFE Public Service Announcement. http://bit.ly/9Zw7Iy Sponsor: http://www.TNNWCGroup.com #douglascastle

Victims have rights too! LINKS 4 LIFE Public Service Announcement. http://bit.ly/9Zw7Iy  Sponsor: http://www.tnnwcgroup.com/  #douglascastle

Douglas Castle

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Are You a Missionary or a Mercenary? - Douglas Castle

Are You a Missionary or a Mercenary?

Dear Friends:

It is a question of motive. Its answer requires some serious introspection. Which of these two that you choose to be may affect your future -- reaching a bit further, it might have to do with the future off all of Humankind.

If you believe in the notion of a soul (yours) and a guiding spirit; if you believe in the notion of a "higher mind," "cosmic consciousness," or of a "Greater Purpose,"; if you genuinely believe in any version of the Law Of Attraction (and don't just preach it to others, or use it to camouflage your own agenda); if you feel a sense of darkness or darker emotion encircling your life and the entirety of society; well then, you have to make a choice.

The choice is whether to work to shine a light in this world and to rise above your baser, weaker, more insecure emotional component -- or to allow yourself to succumb to the growing darkness...to think short-term...to look for a "score" at every opportunity. In brief, this "darkness of intent" is wrought of desperation and fear, and it multiplies itself, like a virus, among the world's population. Dark deeds lead to more, darker deeds -- to to growth of the collective grief.

A mercenary does things exclusively, or primarily for personal gain. A missionary, in the broadest sense, does things either exclusively, or primarily to serve others. I never understood this distinction as clearly as do today. This day. This morning.

A mercenary is a contributor to the darkness. It is the route of choice for those who are either amoral (and who will do anything for material gain or a sense of security), or who, by default and their own passivity in witnessing injustice and evil and simply accepting it as "the way of the world," allow it to propagate itself like a giant cancer.

A missionary does not have to be selfless, or to swear an oath of poverty. He (or she) must choose to add value to the world through his or her acts and deeds, and to refuse to do things that either a) contribute to the fruits of those "baser" forces, or to b) deny to call wrong by its name and to attempt, with whatever limited resources either he or she may possess, to fight it - not to succumb to it. A missionary brings greater light into the world.

In life, and in business, the mercenary ultimate experiences a short-term gain which is overshadowed by a constant general fear, or feeling of uneasiness. The missionary, on the other hand, has a longer, rougher road, but will be aligned with what is best for Humankind and the Universe -- and the ultimate rewards will be greater, more satisfying and longer-lasting. They will bring you peace as well as prosperity.

My mother used to talk to me about doing things with a "clear conscience." She used to trot out such aphorisms as "sometimes it's a matter of principle," or (my favorite, which, by the way, was also immortalized in an episode of THE ODD COUPLE in the 1970's), "Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive." Mom was right.

Before you take your next action; indeed, perhaps before you take your next breath, examine your motives, and then make your choice. Constantly keep in mind the ramifications of what you choose to do.

Each of us, individually, has a stake and a vote in the future of Humankind. We may envision ourselves as being independent, but we are each part of a far greater organism...each of us feeling the effects of others, and each of affecting the others. We're all on the same ride.

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle

p.s. Visit http://www.tnnwcgroup.com/ and play around a bit.

Douglas Castle

Career Profile: http://bit.ly/DouglasCastleResume

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LINKS 4 LIFE - A "MUST HAVE"

If you haven't already done so, either make LINKS 4 LIFE a favorite, bookmark it, get email updates, or subscribe to the RSS Feed -- You can even get a free widget to put on your website or blog. It's a great resource. Go to http://bit.ly/LINKS4LIFE  . We are a Public Information Service, sponsored largely by TNNWC Group, LLC (http://www.thenationanetworker.com/)  and The Castle Consultancy.



Thank you, and please pay it forward.

*By the way, to become a member (free) of TNNWC Group (the best resource for information, publications and critical services for empowering small businesses, entrepreneurs and emerging enterprises), just click on http://bit.ly/JoinTNNWC

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“Empowering Emerging Enterprises”

Douglas Castle

Career Profile: http://bit.ly/DouglasCastleResume

Linked In: http://www.LinkedIn.com/in/douglascastle

Professional Blog: http://aboutDouglasCastle.blogspot.com

Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/douglascastle and http://twitter.com/TNNW_BUZZWORKS

Join my TNNWC Group, LLC collaborative business community (GICBC) at no cost by clicking on http://bit.ly/JoinTNNWC.

 

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Supplements, Alternatives Or Replacements for Endangered U.S. Social Security and Vaporizing Pension and Retirement Plans - Possibilities worth exploring NOW - REVISED.

Article Title: 

Supplements, Alternatives Or Replacements for Endangered U.S. SOCIAL SECURITY and vaporizing PENSION AND RETIREMENT PLANS - Possibilities Worth Exploring Now  ...Unless you have a great deal of faith in government and your company's money managers to secure your future...
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Note: This article was written by Douglas Castle (http://aboutDouglasCastle.blogspot.com), author of THE GLOBAL FUTURIST, THE INTERNATIONALIST PAGE, and BRAINTENANCE. My Castle is also Co-Chairman and CEO of TNNWC Group, LLC, a firm which provides publications, intelligence and uniquely powerful services to entrepreneurs and emerging enterprises. Visit http://www.TNNWCgroup.com and become a Member for free today.

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Article Type:

Open Discussion Forum.

Dear Friends, Colleagues and Fellow Futurists: 

There is great concern amongst the aging U.S. population that they will not be receiving their full share (which they have worked hard for, and which has been in the "financial management" of the United States Government and its agencies.




This fund has been raided and is rapidly vaporizing. The Government and legislators are dropping hints (the size of bombs), that they want to raise the Social Security eligibility (i.e., so you run a higher chance of either dying "on the job" before you can collect, or you'll collect less over your "remaining lifetime."




This, of course, will be funded by increased taxes on the U.S. labor force -- but then, that requires employment and wages to tax -- in combination with massive cutbacks in government services.

Corporate pension and other retirement benefits plans are either devalued because of the generalized recession (investments gone sour or south), or because the companies responsible for handling them are changing the rules of the funding vesting and collectibility game -- they are leaving plans unfunded (they have used the capital to sustain operations or to increase senior executive salaries) and going out of business; they are extending the age at which benefits can be accessed or paid out; or they are simply firing people and coming up with a myriad of creative excuses not to pay them any pension beyond a "departure package payment."




Those remaining employed have little or no real security. Don't expect the law to protect you. A legislative or judicial victory to coerce some bureaucrat or administrator to pay you your hard-earned, rightfully-vested, guaranteed retirement funds would, if even possible, be: 1) merely symbolic, if, in fact the funds had already been pilfered, diverted or whittled down to nothing at the time of your "win," and 2) post-mortem, if you are past retirement (i.e., deceased). 

My sense of the future is that the federal government in collusion with the Treasury and Congress, can and may dissolve the Social Security Administration's obligation to make payments at will. The same could happen to employers' obligations to segregate and responsibly manage funds and issue payments to retirees.

I don't offer investment, financial, accounting or legal advice...but I can say that we must all look at securing our futures with alternatives, and new approaches.  I am merely a Global Futurist with a responsibility to report or foresee emerging trends and advocating reasonable, timely and effective preparedness. 

The things that we all (especially U.S. - based Futurists) should all be thinking intensely about follow. And after thinking about them, I would like to ask all of you, my friends and readers, to come up with you strategic ideas and share them with other readers, by posting them to the Comment Box at the end of this Article:

1.  How can we gain investment authority over our own funds which are being managed by third-party administrators in 403B, 401K, IRA, and other tax-deferred plans? Alternatively, can we borrow against them, or shut them down (an the minimal possible withdrawal penalty) so that we may gain use of the proceeds? The ultimate effect is to make this money available to us so that we can "self-direct" it.

2.  How can we gain investment authority over pension plans, stock option plans, and retirement funds being managed by trustees and administrators chosen by our employers?

3.  How can we either tap into or otherwise gain use of Social Security proceeds (even if these are paid out to us early, and in installments) accrued and owing to us?

In summary, the unifed and consolidated question is this: How do we gain access to our money now (why there is still some left) in order to take charge of it ourselves based upon our own investment strategies?

Your participation and your comments are welcome indeed. If you are not reading this on my blog at http://TheGlobalFuturist.blogspot.com, or on the TNNWC Group website (http://www.TNNWCgroup.com), then please post your comments directly to this discussion group as part of an ongoing discussion thread.




I will provide bi-weekly updates on all of the information gathered from all of the respondents to each and every participating group through a downlink. Your responses may remain anonymous if you wish.




The subject heading of your response in any posting thread to any group should be: "THE GLOBAL FUTURIST: Funding Our Futures."

With Great Appreciation,

Douglas Castle

See Comment Box Below:
Note: If you do not see a comment box below (if you have received this via email or RSS, the box may not appear), just click on the title hyperlinked title of this article (above, at the very top), to be directed to the actual post. The box will appear on the original article.
  

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Douglas Castle

Career Profile: http://bit.ly/DouglasCastleResume

Linked In: http://www.LinkedIn.com/in/douglascastle

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Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/douglascastle and http://twitter.com/TNNW_BUZZWORKS

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Social Security and Pension Funds On Empty? Take Action. Comment. Open Forum http://bit.ly/OpenForum1 - Join Us Free at http://bit.ly/JoinTNNWC

Social Security and Pensions On Empty? Take Action. Comment. Open Forum http://bit.ly/OpenForum1  Join us free: http://bit.ly/JoinTNNWC

Douglas Castle

Career Profile: http://bit.ly/DouglasCastleResume

Linked In: http://www.LinkedIn.com/in/douglascastle

Professional Blog: http://aboutDouglasCastle.blogspot.com

Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/douglascastle and http://twitter.com/TNNW_BUZZWORKS

Join my TNNWC Group, LLC collaborative business community (GICBC) at no cost by clicking on http://bit.ly/JoinTNNWC.

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Keep Your Human Default Settings In Check -

"The forces that unite us strengthen us. When we give in to those ill-intended few who seek to divide us, we give them the power to enslave us and to destroy our ideals, passions and ambitions." - Douglas Castle

Douglas Castle

Career Profile: http://bit.ly/DouglasCastleResume

Linked In: http://www.LinkedIn.com/in/douglascastle

Professional Blog: http://aboutDouglasCastle.blogspot.com

Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/douglascastle and http://twitter.com/TNNW_BUZZWORKS

Join my TNNWC Group, LLC collaborative business community (GICBC) at no cost by clicking on http://bit.ly/JoinTNNWC.

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The Best Investment You Can Make - A Phone Call

The Best Investment You Can Make - A Phone Call.

Please see this priceless video about our parents and their children - a circle which must never be broken. http://bit.ly/PCfromDC . If you cannot hyperlink directly to it, then copy and paste it into your browser.  After you've seen the video (if you can access it, as I hope that you can) come back to this blog. Better yet, view the video after you have taken a moment to read this brief article.


You will be taken aback by the video. It is, in large part, about how we tend to lose our perspective and or innermost sense of our place in the greater order of things, and when we then set about to mentor or manage others. Or, even more dangerously, to judge others. Managing and mentoring occasionally require some very tough love -- but when we manage, and when we mentor, we must remember who we are, who taught us, and how (and why) they did it. When we occasionally stop to examine what we are doing, we regain not only our sense of purpose in our mission of shaping the lives of others...we regain our Humanity and our Humility. It reminds of what true connecting is all about.

We are all students, even when we think we are teachers. I dedicate this posting, and the link to which it relates, to Soke Joseph Droual - my martial arts teacher, my friend, and my brother who phones me endlessly (as busy as he may be) just to say "hello." This is the way a man of great accomplishment (Joseph was inducted into the US Martial Arts Hall of Fame several years ago) shows how deeply he cares. Just "checking up" on me? I have come to know better.

In fact, I should pull myself away from this keyboard and call more than ten people who have been trying to reach me, but whom I've been too "busy" to keep in touch with. Maybe you should do the same.

Calling people you love on the telephone, as a key to inner peace, a richer life and a more successful career. In this era of mass emails, media bombardment and quick texting, the sound of your voice, and the time it takes to simply make a telephone call may just make someone's day.

Some expert "coaches" will tell you about time management...but I am not a coach, nor do I provide financial advice to individuals, but I am telling you about the best investment that you can make -- a telephone call to a friend, a family member or a colleague.

By the way, for some more information on Soke Joseph Droual, or "Soke Joe," as his students and friends lovingly call him, visit: http://www.newyorkmartialartshombu.com/headmaster.html

I am proud to call Joe my friend, Now, I'll pick up the telephone and call him.

Thank you.

-Douglas Castle

TNNWC Group, LLC - Join us now, and for free, at http://www.thenationalnetworker.com/ . Explore our Suite of Services, our Coperative Business Coommunity, and other offerings to improve every aspect of your professional success and your personal growth.

Some tags and key terms: full circle, our parents, our children, Articles by Douglas Castle, TNNWC Group LLC, role reversal, mentoring, being Human, Soke Joe, management, the power of your voice, making contact, getting connected, TNNWC website, the telephone, the best investment of your personal time, getting personal, The Joy of Connecting, The Connectrix (Ann Barczay Sloan), small business growing larger, getting in touch, humility, perspective, parenting, teaching, self-growth.


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Braintenance: The Paradox Of Introspection

Braintenance: The Paradox Of Introspection

Dear Fellow Brain-Trainers:

We are constantly being taught to "be careful about what we think," and to "control our thoughts." We are also told (usually in the depths of our depression, despair and loss) that "You must think POSITIVELY, or you'll continue to attract negative things into your life!"

This whole idea of detaching ourselves from our thoughts and objectively thinking about what and how we are thinking is a logical and psychological challenge.  If it were easy, we could be like self-programming, self-correcting computers.

Try it. Try to think about what you are thinking. It's an amazing (and potentially productive exercise). At any rate, it i easier that watching yourself sleep without the use of some arcane astral projection technique.

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle
BRAINTENANCE! http://Braintenance.blogspot.com


Douglas Castle

Career Profile: http://bit.ly/DouglasCastleResume

Linked In: http://www.LinkedIn.com/in/douglascastle

Professional Blog: http://aboutDouglasCastle.blogspot.com

Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/douglascastle and http://twitter.com/TNNW_BUZZWORKS

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The "Economic Recovery," Although Slow and Possibly Fictitious, Has Changed My Standard Of Living!

The "Economic Recovery," Although Slow (and Possibly Fictitious), Has Changed My Standard Of Living!

-- Douglas Castle

Dear Readers, Friends and That Small Group of Folks Who Fall Into Both Categories Together:

Here's the picture:

The headline underneath this picture (a photo of a sign in front of a condominium in Delray Beach Florida), proclaimed "PLACES WHERE CONDOS ARE CHEAPER THAN CARS."

I was intrigued. Have cars gotten that expensive? Perhaps this is because you can finance them. Have condos gotten that cheap? Perhaps this is because you have to jump through flaming hoops, run a gauntlet of sadists, have a FICO score in excess of what yours actually is at any given time (Heisenberg's Principle meets Murphy's Law), and be completely without sin in order to get a bank (especially the ones which Ben Bernanke proclaimed "too big to fail!") to actually give you a mortage loan to "buy" one. 

MY NEWS STORY

I interviewed an anonymous stranger (a tall, bearded fellow) who was purchasing several bags of freshly-packaged fertilizer at a "going out of business SALE!" nursery where I happened to be shopping for a Catcher Plant (disappointed to find out that there were only Pitcher Plants - the nice lady cashier smiled at me and said, "hey, don't ask, don't tell," with a New England accent), and this is what the fellow said:

"I love your country! I was once so poor that I lived in my car. But I've sold it, and I bought a beautiful condominium with the proceeds! Praise be to Allah!"

Yes indeed, friends. There's something for everyone here. You just have to know where to look. Knowing where to look...hmmmm....now there's an idea to start promoting to everyone.

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle

p.s. This story is partly fictional, partly whimsical and partially farsical. Is farsicality a word? Have I coined a new Lingovation? FARSICALITY.

p.p.s. I still can't help but laugh every time I hear the word "infarction."


Douglas Castle

Career Profile: http://bit.ly/DouglasCastleResume

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Professional Blog: http://aboutDouglasCastle.blogspot.com

Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/douglascastle and http://twitter.com/TNNW_BUZZWORKS

Join my TNNWC Group, LLC collaborative business community (GICBC) at no cost by clicking on http://bit.ly/JoinTNNWC.

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TNNWC Publicly Opens its Cooperative Business Community to all Entrepreneurial Companies

This is a news release about TNNWC's Cooperative Business Community (CBC) and its enormous potential for uniting smaller businesses into a more collaborative and powerful force to support each other's success and profitability. See http://www.thenationalnetworker.com/cbcommittee.shtml . 

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Contact: TNNWC NEWS SERVICE

Contact Person: Adam J. Kovitz
Company Name: TNNWC Group, LLC / The National Networker Companies™
Telephone Number: 888.317.6495 (Extension 2)
Fax Number: 914.517.5944
Email Address: adam@TheNationalNetworker.com
Web site address: http://www.thenationalnetworker.com/



TNNWC Publicly Opens its Cooperative Business Community and Committee to All Entrepreneurial Companies


Philadelphia, PA – August 2, 2010 — In a news conference earlier today, Bonnie Ross-Parker and Adam J. Kovitz of TNNWC announced that the fast-growing business services, publishing and social media conglomerate was opening its Cooperative Business Community membership ("CBC") to all entrepreneurial companies and emerging enterprises internationally.


Ms. Ross-Parker, the Chairperson of the CBC, stated, “The economic environment has become increasingly difficult for smaller, and growing enterprises. If we form a cooperative, collaborative alliance, we can use the power of our combined talents, resources and sheer numbers to aid each other’s growth. As a united group, we have the lobbying and negotiating power needed to help each and every member exponentialize its growth possibilities. Working together, we are a force to be reckoned with.”

Ms. Ross-Parker is well-known as the Founder and CEO of The Joy Of Connecting, LLC (http://www.thejoyofconnecting.com/), notably one of the most effective means through which women in business can rapidly build powerful, profitable relationships through in-touch, in-person meetings. Ms. Ross-Parker's Licensees rave about the success that they are having utilizing the specialized JOC methodology and systems. The return on investment (minimal) associated with the Program is enormous.

The CBC, less than two months old, already boasts more than ten active company Members whose combined client, reader and opt-in email lists number in the hundreds of thousands. One of the group’s stated objectives is to represent a combined list of in excess of one million subscribers by September 1st. At its current rate of growth, this will likely happen.

CBC solves many of the problems commonly faced by leaders of emerging enterprises or growing businesses with products or services to sell, or which are publishers, producers or owners of e-zines, newsletters, newsgroups, forums or special membership organizations. These problems have included:

• Marketing memberships, services and products to a larger audience;

• Building a subscriber list or client base rapidly;

• Attracting media buyers’ and advertisers’ attention and dollars – admittedly a wonderful source of ancillary income – to a subscribership list which may otherwise be too small;

• Finding other like-minded organizations which will cross-sell products or services to their clients and increase your distribution and revenues;

• Finding other like-minded organizations which have exceptional products or services of their own which a newer company can market to its clients to generate additional diversified sources of revenue;

• Getting the company brand, site location and value proposition properly buzzed through the social media channels – the ever-increasing noise-to-signal ratio makes it hard for small companies on limited budgets to stand out;

• Saving money by getting the best terms from service providers, vendors, and contractors by acting as part of a large, powerful, organized group… think of the example set by collective bargaining organizations, purchasing cooperatives, political action committees or by organizations such as AARP – they are negotiating powerhouses because they are LARGE.

Said TNNWC’s Chairman, Adam J. Kovitz, “Going it alone is not the answer. Competition is fierce, and resources are scarce for smaller businesses. You need help. We offer it through providing you with the opportunity to become a Member of our CB Community™. It may sound trite, but it is unquestionably true: ‘In Unity There Is Strength.’ Our Members don’t compete – we profit and grow together using the cooperative and coordinated leverage of large numbers and a unified focus.

"We are a growing powerhouse of product and service providers, member-based organizations, publications, special opt-in email networks and other concerns who have agreed to combine, cooperate, collaborate and join forces in order to accomplish amazing things. Just watch us.”


For more information about the Cooperative Business Community, simply click on
http://www.thenationalnetworker.com/cbcommittee.shtml
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Key terms, tags and labels: angel investors, Bonnie Ross-Parker, business networking groups, business plans, CBC, inverstors, small business loans, TNNWC Group LLC, womens business, cooperatives, collaboratives, business growth, business strategies.

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Capital, Traffic Building, International Customers and unique SERVICES.
The National Networker Publications™ produced by TNNWC Group, LLC
“Empowering Emerging Enterprises”

Douglas Castle

Career Profile: http://bit.ly/DouglasCastleResume

Linked In: http://www.LinkedIn.com/in/douglascastle

Professional Blog: http://aboutDouglasCastle.blogspot.com

Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/douglascastle and http://twitter.com/TNNW_BUZZWORKS

Join my TNNWC Group, LLC collaborative business community (GICBC) at no cost by clicking on http://bit.ly/JoinTNNWC.

 

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