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Wednesday 29 April 2015

About Iran’s Most Lethal Weapon

If one had to define Iran’s most lethal weapon today, I would say it’s not a piece of machinery but the “mastermind” behind it all. An operative by the name of Qassem Suleimani; the commander of Iran’s Quds Force — the foreign branch of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.

Due to the nature of his position, Suleimani’s operations have been of course clandestine; so it’s often impossible to know for sure whether he and his Quds Force have been involved. But after one look at the circumstantial evidence, patterns begin to emerge.

For More:  About Iran’s Most Lethal Weapon

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Tuesday 28 April 2015

Turning Stupid Start Up Founders into Real Players

I think most start up founders are a bunch of stupid people, inexperienced, arrogant and for the most part terrible at making money.

They have such a high esteem of themselves and their shitty little product that they make me puke. No wonder why most of them never get funded.

My 10 basic tips for all those delusional entrepreneurs if you want to get somewhere in life:

1. Stop believing all the stories you tell.

If you are not brutally honest with yourself, you can’t make informed decisions that will truly improve your company. You need a healthy dose of skepticism to make real forward progress. Founders often highlight what looks good and hide what looks bad. This is fake traction. Try to avoid it at all cost.


For More: Turning Stupid Start Up Founders into Real Players

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Monday 27 April 2015

Hillary for President?

Why?

Well I am afraid she has absolutely no clue of how our economy functions and I blame her too for backing the disastrous monetary policy which has wound up being the greatest redistribution of wealth in human history. On all counts, Clinton’s generation of politicians – Democrat and “Republican” alike – have taken the greatest country in the history of human civilization and, in the space of less than a quarter century, set it down the path toward an inevitable, inexorable collapse.


Hillary apparently believes Obama’s delusions, too. In fact, Obama lives in his own little world of denial, saying the economy is better than ever, and apparently Clinton thinks so, too.

For More:  Hillary for President?

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Thursday 23 April 2015

Hillary and the Diplomatic Security Corps

While official news releases say State was hacked in the last year, other reports say Hillary set up her private server just about the time the Russians got into the State Department system – quite a bit more than a year ago. Apparently, the servers were hacked for the entire duration of her rein as Secretary of State. If one is a bit paranoid, or one does not believe in coincidences, the timing would then suggest she knew State was hacked and set up a private server to protect herself.

The registration information for shows that the domain was first created on Jan. 13, 2009 — one week before President Obama was sworn into office, and the same day that Clinton’s confirmation hearings began. She didn’t use government servers one day of her tenure in office

For More: Hillary and the Diplomatic Security

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Wednesday 22 April 2015

Can we separate Economics from the Politics

Some people criticize the injection of politics into economic discussions.

But economic historians tell us that economists used to understand and accept that economics is wholly interrelated with politics, and that politics affects our economy.

They note that modern economists have artificially tried to somehow separate the two, like Descartes tried to separate the mind from the body.

Indeed, the father of modern economics – Adam Smith – talked a lot about politics in relation to economics.

For More: Politics in Relation to Economics

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Tuesday 21 April 2015

Best Business Reading Books for 2015

Whether you’re looking for the perfect gift or to catch up on your reading, there are plenty of blockbuster business books I strongly recommend for 2015.

I have collected my favorites of the year which I all read and are guaranteed to not only educate but entertain.

They are:

‘Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future’ by Peter Thiel

Billionaire Peter Thiel is as well known for being the cofounder of PayPal and first investor in Facebook as he is for being one of Silicon Valley’s prominent freethinkers. “Zero to One” is a concise, fluff-free treatise on the business philosophy he first taught in a Stanford University class, as collected by his former student Blake Masters.

For More: Business Reading Books

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Friday 17 April 2015

Rising above the Pack

I am a serial entrepreneur, investor and financier. I have been practicing my craft for around three decades now. I backed many businesses and learned a heck of a lot in that time period.

At the end of the day, it is all about the “brand” you build. This is how you attract the right associates, partners and clients to transact business with you wherever you are. So equal to knowing how to generate, market and execute on ideas is your ability to push content, educate and empower people and challenge their minds. This is the optimal way you build your brand. Not only taking but giving as well.

To summarize it all in one simple sentence: Fight not for your own abundance, but for the abundance of others and you will see how your life will turn around.

For More: Rising above the Pack

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Thursday 16 April 2015

My 2 Cents on Creating Wealth

One of the rules of the rich is that if you want to be rich and wealthy you need to either buy or create assets.

Assets are things that generate you income without you needing to work for it. If you were to stop work then your assets would continue to put food on the table and pay for your mortgage.

So if you want to make real money then the first thing I suggest is that you get educated.

Money is Easy. Creating more income or abundance in our lives is really simple, but most of the people out there try to make it harder or more complicated than it is.

For More:  My 2 Cents on Creating Wealth

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Wednesday 15 April 2015

My 6 Top Geopolitical Predictions for 2015

If 2014 proved anything, it’s that guessing at the state of the world a year down the line is a vain or even slightly embarrassing endeavor.

Indeed, who could have expected a year ago that Russia would take over Crimea, ISIS would break out of Al Qaeda and declare a caliphate, the US would start bombing Syria and Iraq while approaching a nuclear deal with Iran, or that Ebola would ravaged three west African countries and scare the world?

Nevertheless and being a physical commodities trader deeply involved in and abreast of world affairs I thought I’d share with you my 6 top geopolitical predictions for 2015

For More:  Top Geopolitical Predictions

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Tuesday 14 April 2015

Shaping The US Global Geopolitical Future

Well this encapsulates the American psyche to the letter for people who are still trying to figure out what American Power really means.

While I don’t approve of the American Global Empire, I respect the intelligence and drive of those tasked with maintaining and expanding it–and they number in the millions.

Bottom Line: There is only one nation-state which can project hard power today and it is the U.S.  A missile is not power-projection, because it exerts control over nothing; it is deterrence or threat, but not power that can be projected. Only aircraft carrier groups and the ability to transport an army by sea and air to any locale in the world is power projection.

For More: Shaping The US Global Geopolitical Future

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Monday 13 April 2015

When power goes to people's heads

I often wondered why some people go truly out of control when success, money, and power go to their heads until one day I read this: “Money doesn’t make you an asshole. Money just makes you care less if people know you’re an asshole”… How true.

So why does this happen?

Is it because the feeling of power has been found to have a similar effect on the brain to cocaine by increasing the levels of testosterone and its by-product 3-androstanediol which in turn leads to raised levels of dopamine, the brain’s reward system, which is very addictive?

For More: Power goes to people's heads

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Friday 10 April 2015

About VC Money and Startups

Having been in the VC/Private Equity business for three decades now I am often asked if VC money can make a startup successful on its own and if not what really does it.

So I thought I’d share with you in here my 2 cents in the hope of further educating entrepreneurs as to the process.

First off, let me state that VC money is a first step but it is never enough on its own. Judging from how most VCs and angels fund more losers than winners, there are plenty of examples that will attest to that.

Now if you want to go to the root of it I really believe it all depends on the type of business you are in.

For More: About VC Money and Startups

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Thursday 9 April 2015

Picking my SWAT Team

If you get the right mix of partners assisting you building your company, you have a far greater chance of building a real “powerhouse”.
 
So how do you find those people?

The first thing to look for is somebody with a personality that fits with your company culture. Most skills can be learned, but it is difficult to train people on their personality. If you can find people who are smart, ambitious, fun, friendly, caring and love helping others, you are on to a winner. In my experience, the best way to find those players is to work with them on live transactions first. Everyone looks good on paper; you need to see though what’s in your potential partners’ belly behind the “mask” and most importantly how they operate in the trenches before putting them on the front line waging war with you. Remember Lincoln? “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power”.


Thank You

Wednesday 8 April 2015

5 Business Lessons Learned in 2014

I learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow. I’ve learned that making a “living” is not the same thing as making a “life.” I’ve learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance. I’ve learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision. I’ve learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. I’ve learned that I still have a lot to learn. I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

Going into specifics, some other key business lessons I learned:

For More : Business Lessons Learned

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Tuesday 7 April 2015

Most Important Lessons I have Learned in my Business Career

Over the years, one of the questions I’ve been asked most frequently is “What are the most important lessons I have learned in my business career?”

Well here are the 10 basic ones which I still apply in my everyday life.

1. Take care of your health, your relationships, your career, your (ongoing) education, and your integrity. They are hard to recover when lost. When a manager or company tells you that the project in front of you is more important than any of these, it’s almost certainly not the case, and you are a fool for making these kinds of sacrifices to support someone else’s vision or career.

For More: Most Important Lessons in my Business Career

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Monday 6 April 2015

Living the Good Life

I have been extremely lucky in this life. I have been all over the world, I have lived some great tragedies, loved some amazing people, and had some amazing adventures..

I hope the next chapter of my life provides the meaning I have sought out for so long….. I am determined to make sure it does.

My basic tips to you:

1. Know Yourself – Forget what your friends, family, neighbors, etc like – Don’t follow them or try to impress them – realize what interests you. What are you fascinated by? Whatever it is, just do it.

For More:  Living the Good Life

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Friday 3 April 2015

Finding the Right Mentor

My goal was to help the entrepreneurs develop the mental habits that would allow them to do that. Judging by what some of them have accomplished, I have to believe that my efforts were not entirely in vain — which is not to take anything away from the people themselves. Building their businesses has been their doing, not mine.

I should note, moreover, that you don’t have to have a mentor like me, or a father like mine, to acquire the mental habits needed to “handle whatever comes up.” Many of my own habits I’ve developed the old- fashioned way — by making mistakes, falling on my face, picking myself up, and figuring out how not to do it again. But you know what they say: A smart person learns from his or her mistakes. A wise person learns from other people’s mistakes. I guess that makes me smart. I hope that, through my experience, I can help you to be wise.

For More: Finding the Right Mentor

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Thursday 2 April 2015

Trap Obamacare subsidy for the poor

Subsidy seekers should heed the old warning to retail customers: caveat emptor, or buyer beware! Here, it should remind that there is no free lunch. While subsidies are built into Obamacare in a deceptive show of compassion, in reality, these subsidies are anything but free and the hidden cost can easily be your freedom. Anyone wanting the subsidy is required to go through the Health Insurance Marketplace -- that is, the notorious website HealthCare.gov. Using the subsidies as bait.

The website operates as a trap for subsidy seekers, so its catch (the victims) will almost always be the poor and more often than not, those of lesser educational achievement and presumably less apt to assert their rights, raise questions or sniff out illicit procedures or promises. Such are the characteristics of a class ripe for exploitation.

Take the aforementioned financial pressures, the rising costs on people of already limited means and little to no discretionary income, the legal requirement of the mandate, the seductive allure of subsidies and the availability of "navigators" to assist people who predictably can be bewildered and stressed out by the entire process.  The combined pressures are meant to induce worried, vulnerable applicants to go to HealthCare.gov.  Such is the path for the lambs being led to slaughter. 


Thank You

Wednesday 1 April 2015

Long Trend Shows Zombie Jobs Data recovery for Professionals

The Bureau of Labor Standards (BLS) employs definitions which make it very easy to be counted as employed, and conversely equally hard to be counted as unemployed.  The cynic can point to the definitions as an attempt to overstate employment and understate unemployment. Look at the broad categories that get you counted as “employed”:
  • Anyone who did any work at all as paid employees during the week covered by the survey questions – that includes part-time, which is anything from one to 34 hours;
  • Anyone who runs their own business, profession, or on their own farm – whether or not you had income; and
  • Anyone who worked without pay at least 15 hours in a family business or farm.  You can easily see that the definition is designed to capture in its ambit as many people as possible.
The definition of “unemployed” is the precise opposite. It is pretty hard to be considered “unemployed” because you must meet all of the following criteria:

For MoreLong Trend Shows Zombie Jobs Data recovery

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