Desire:

Here is more info from The Science of Getting Rich. When I clicked on Find “Desire”, it came up a lot. It must be important. Here is a summary:

• To realize innate possibilities is inherent in human nature. We can’t help but be all we can be (sounds like an Army commercial, oh no….)
• Is possibility seeking expression or function seeking performance.
• Wherever there is unexpressed possibility, or function not performed, there is unsatisfied desire. (This reminds me of Johnson O’Connor Research Foundation www.jocrf.org telling me people who have lots of high aptitudes often get frustrated since they don’t have an outlet to express them all)
• It is perfectly normal that you should desire to be rich
• It must have the nature and inherent desire of every living intelligence for increase in life.
• The desire for riches is simply the capacity for larger life seeking fulfillment.
• Every talent we cultivate brings to the mind the desire to cultivate another talent.
• It is Power seeking to manifest which causes desire; like a plant wants to grow more, so it is with us wanting to get richer. (interesting power is used with desire; from Create Your Desires course, it sais desire is created by the contrast of the universe and to go against it is to go against the power of the Universe)
• Your part is to focalize and express the desire to God (Infinite Spirit)
• Substance (thought) >>> Substance gives you Desire >>> Gratitude (Another one that is finally starting to sink it with me.
• It is not enough to have general desire for wealth “to do good with”. Everybody has that – to get specific about your desires – go over them. (writing helps me with this)
• The more clear and definite you make your picture, and the more you dwell upon it bringing out all the delightful details (remembering to keep the observer on hand, at least I think this is the healthiest way to do it from a Buddhist perspective), the stronger your desires will be. And the easier it will be to hold your mind fixed to it. It reminds me of Dr. John Diamond in Life Energy who talked about The Homing Thought, encouraging his patients to only focus one thought about getting better and keep thinking about it. He saw incredible results of healing, evidently.
• Intelligently formulate your desire for the things which make for a larger life and get these desires arranged into a coherent story.
• Then impress this Whole Desire upon the Formless Substance (lies within the Universe), which has the Power and the will to bring you what you want.
• Formless permeates the Desire (with Faith and Purpose) to great distances throughout the Universe (he said for all he knew, hehe)
• The minds of people everywhere are influenced toward doing the things necessary to the fulfilling of your desires, and they work for you unconsciously. ( I would have a hard to disagreeing with him; sometimes I do things for people and am not sure why I do them, such as making introductions when there is no apparent gain; at least I am aware I am doing it, just think what is unconscious. I hear this comment said a lot: “People want to help other people out”
• The best you can do for the poor is arouse their desires by showing them the happiness that comes from being rightly rich. (Again, I have had this thought- that people would worry about me less if I was successful).
• Not only strength and persistence of desires but also provide the reception of the thing they want when it comes.
• By thought, the thing you want is brought to you; by action, you receive it.
• Since the desire for more life is inherent in all things, when a man begins to move toward larger life, more things attach themselves to him, and the influence of his desire is multiplied. (I remember this multiplying technique at PTI in marketing oneself but forgot it)
• And it is certain that you can do what you want to do; the desire to do it is proof that you have within you the power which can do it (the Buddhist concept of no identity is important here since people try to cast themselves as certain types when in fact we aren’t anything at all; we can be whatever it is we want to be; I have a habit of typecasting myself: I am patient or I don’t see visually too well.)
• Desire is a manifestation of Power (this makes sense and is a Powerful statement, no pun intended)
• The desire to play music is the power which can play music seeking expression and development; the desire to invent mechanical devices is the mechanical talent seeking expression and development. (see Purpose blog )
• Where there is no power, either developed or undeveloped, to do a thing, there is never any desire to do that thing, and where there is strong desire to do a thing, it is certain proof that the power to do it is strong.
• All things else being equal, it is best to select the business for which you have the best developed talent, but if you have a strong desire to engage in any particular line of work, you should select that work as the ultimate end at which you aim.
• The desire for increase is inherent in all nature; it is the fundamental impulse of the universe. All human activities are based on the desire for increase; people are seeking more food, more clothes, better shelter, more knowledge, more pleasure - increase in something, more life.
• The desire to rule for selfish gratification has been the curse of the world.
• Desires are granted to you

I have been reading The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D. Wattles. Very interesting. I first found it on the Secret website: thesecret.tv . When I was reading The Game of Life by Florence Scovel Shinn which was published in 1921, it reminded me of Mr. Wattles book, which was published in 1910 or so.

I have been doing some of the things mentioned in this book while doing Create Your Desires, the exercise I learned from Process Therapy Institute: www.processes.org. It has clarified some of the things I was confused about, including form is created by formlessness and that you are the creator in that process. Thoughts put into Substance is the first step in getting what you desire. Now, I understand a bit about Substance, Formlessness and so on.

One of the questions I worked on after reading The Science of Getting Rich is Purpose. The author keeps mentioning it is important to have faith and Purpose. So I began to think about Purpose. I looked at how many times he mentioned Purpose. It is a lot. Purpose is motivation, intention, etc. I recall that I have heard motivational speakers talk about what your purpose is.

Here are a few things mentioned in the book about purpose:

• Purpose of Nature is the advancement and unfoldment of life
• Your Purpose should harmonize with the purpose that is in All
• Life is the performance of function and the individual only lives when he performs every function: physical, mental and spiritual, of which he is capable, without excess in any.

Purpose: to bring out your vision in tangible expression (tangible form)

What I liked about this was his apparent reference to aptitudes.  Although he said it wasn't necessary for you to be innately good at something (he said desire is the most important thing), it helps to be naturally good at something.  It helps me rationalize the time I have spent trying to figure out my aptitudes. 

He also appears to be saying we all have a built-in purpose for our life: to express ourselves creatively/: performing every function.  Thus, I live to express my patience, communicative skills, planning, mediating, producing, etc.  Pretty simple.

Just posted on a hollywood blog: http://womenandhollywood.com/2010/03/01/kathryn-bigelow-on-60-minutes/#comments

Here are my comments:

I liked this interview. She talked about being an artist and seeing a film that was a “shoot-m-up” type of film that mesmerized. She said before that, as an artist, she felt like it was a drought, but then after seeing the film, there was this huge ocean of water. She couldn’t get enough.

She mentioned something that her professor talked about in film school: scopophilia : the desire to watch and identify with what you are watching. It is why so many people watch sports and idolize people, to imagine what it is like to be a star, I would imagine. Voyeurism is similar, I believe. Fascinating.

Although I never quite understood Obsessive Compulsive Bx (OCD) from a clinical point of view or personal one, an exercise I learned while listening to Zen Golf may help with it. One of my habits is itching my face. Lately, meditation and yoga has been shedding some light on my itchy face. When I think a lot, my face tends to itch. I have some theories about this. In Create your Desires, it sais that Vibration manifests things, not the thoughts that make up the vibration. Is this itchiness some vibration?

Anyway, the exercise that helps with eliminating certain behavior is a buddhist one although it is also cognitive based. Here it is:

1. Positive Intention (hope to achieve something and be clear and committed to it)
2. Non-judgmental awareness ( Be honest when you notice yourself not doing it and make a check in your notes)

1. Knowledge (about your issue)
2. Determination (commitment)
3. Action ( Do it)

1. Seemed to show how the mind is tied to the body and breath
2. How the body is tied to mind and breath
3. How breathing in and out is closest thing to the outside world (first read about meditation from Steve Hagen in Buddhism Plain and Simple: www.DharmaField.org.

Charlie: Tonite, I have the pleasure of talking with owner of WeBridge.org Director and newly formed WeHarmonize.com Doug Hall. As I mentioned in an earlier show, it has come to be I enjoy doing the research of my guests as much as doing the show. What I have learned about Mr. Hall is showing an entrepreneurial influence early in his childhood, being influenced by his mother Kathy Hall who is quite resourceful and his father James Hall who specialized in estate planning, the emphasis on helping people plan.

While at the age of 12, he went to visit his grandmother Ann Powers on her vacation home in Cape Cod, where he worked through homesickness (barely) in a way that gives him strength to this day. When he went away to college, he studied Economics but went to Hong Kong, China and Japan with his family just before his Junior year and was so excited about Hong Kong, that he came back and added International Relations - Chinese to his major (luckily using the education his father feared he wasted until he began to understand Economics after reading Freakonomics). After finishing college at UCLA, he went to Taiwan since his classmate said it was a blast. It was there his Mandarin, what he calls functional and a master at thinking in English and translating it literally into Chinese so that the locals laugh inside and have to guess the meaning) blossomed.

After returning from Taiwan and Hong Kong and not doing so well in the business world, he came back and was faced with a rude awakening of culture shock. It was then he began a long process that continues to this day of getting clear about his identity. Thanks to many mentors along the way, working in the family business, receiving a Masters in Psychology, jumping around in many sales jobs, aptitude testing, finding spirituality in amongst other things Zen Buddhism and Meditation, living in China to teach and develop resources and now yoga, Doug is getting clear about how he can help small businesses achieve their goals.

I am pleased to have him at this table. Welcome!

Doug: Thanks Charlie. I can't tell you what a pleasure it is to be here. It has been a dream to be interviewed by a major show host, first growing up playing Baseball and hoping I would be interviewed after hitting a home run (the homerun never came but I once hit the top of the fence out in right field which was probably 345 feet). Later, since I watched 60 minutes growing up, hoping I would be interviewed by them. Even James Lipton on the Actors Studio, daydreaming of being an actor. Since returning from China, I have stayed with my parents and my dad is a huge fan of yours. Even my childhood piano teacher who is now 85+ years is a huge fan of yours. (Laughter between us) My dad marvels at the number of guests you have day after day after day, and your ability to get them to open up. While sitting there, I have learned a thing or two about interviewing, not to mention knowledge. What amazes me is your ability to talk about so many different subjects, your ability to be patient to get the right word, and so on. Probably the funniest came on Dec. 4th 2009 when you interviewed Robin Williams and the "whatever" piece. Hilarious! (Charlie laughs and thinks back with nostalgia and pride). I mean, that whatever is basically what I do: whatever you want me to do for your business. Whatever.com is owned by someone and for sale at the right price, I believe. So, thanks for having me. And thanks for doing the research on what has influenced me to get me where I am today.

Charlie: Tell me why you are hear (head rising slowly, nose up a tad)

Doug: I think I have something to add to the discussions going on today. There is huge underground of people out there that have some very good opinions. Most of the ideas that make up what I call "my system" haven't come from me. What I do is harmonize them together (hence the name www.WeHarmonize.com). It is exciting to see how things are changing. This has been predicted for some time, but sometimes people have to hit me over the head with things. This is because I have a tremendous amount of patience, Charlie, something I learned in aptitude testing at the Johnson O'Connor Research Foundation: www.jocrf.org. It allows me to handle rejection, and we all know freelancers like myself have to handle lots of no's until the yes they want arrives.

So anyway, there are some exciting things that are happening that can have a major impact on the economy, the budget, international relations, politics, healthcare, etc.

Charlie: Speak to that. (Hand reaches out towards Doug excitedly on the oak table) Tell me what is unique about what you see as the solution to many of our problems in the areas you mentioned.

Doug: We are stuck Charlie. Wouldn't you say that? I have been stuck. In fact, I am stuck. Ironically, being stuck is not a bad thing, as I learned from Robert Pirsig's book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Being stuck is what zen Buddhists hope to achieve through meditation. Stuckness is the predecessor to lasting change. There are a number of things Mr. Pirsig recommends to get un-stuck, but one of the things that exacerbates stuckness is running from the stuckness. The thing to do is be patient, which is hard but doable. Although we all have the ability to be patient, we may have to develop that muscle so to speak. Anyway, we have to sit in our stuckness. The answers won't come to us logically, but more from a creative point of view. That is where many people whose voices are getting stronger have the solutions. It is a wonderful thing.

Charlie: How can these people make changes to things that have been going on since the beginning of our country? How can a few people make changes when a small % of the people own most of the country's wealth, and it is getting worse?

Doug: I don't know. It just feels like that is what is going to happen. More and more people are starting their own business, some out of necessity. In fact, I am a bit surprised more interviews and job offers don't come my way. Many would be employers appear to be scared off by the fact I have my own website, can't decide whether to live in China or Silicon Valley and want to find and fix their problems. Would that scare you off?

Charlie: Well, yes... Should it?

Doug: Maybe not. I wonder if business owners are afraid of hiring consultants. Consultants have a bad wrap. Some worry they will create a competitor. But no one can create the excitement one feels for their business. Others haven't experienced the results they thought they paid for. What I say is my clients are responsible for their change. I can help them get their faster.

Charlie: Ok. I want to get onto other things, but tell me how you can get them their faster. (obvious excitement and nervous he'll forget to get to th other things or run out of time)

Doug: In my training at the Process Therapy Institute (www.Processes.org), I learned about how people who have issues (BTW, all of us have issues and that goes for businesses and governments, etc too)are stuck. Their energy isn't flowing because of living in the past or worrying about the future. They aren't in the present moment or flow. What the therapists job is to understand their own process and literally get out of the way of the client' work. Much like a good salesperson gets out of the way of a sale. It happens naturally. So, when working with businesses, there is healing that can take place. In fact, that is always the case, throughout the life of the business. As a consultant, I focus much of my time on my own process while working with them. Doing tasks that the client asks me to do. Re-doing their website. Developing a brochure. Finding a distributor. It is often a long process, although it doesn't have to be.

Charlie: How does this speed up the process?

Doug: If a consultant is good, they have a system. There are different systems out there and no one way to do it. People who are business owners usually know the answers to their problems, but have often forgotten. My job is to remind them, often through mirroring, talking shop with them, giving them a chance to gain some distance and perspective. In fact, one of Robert Pirsig's ways of getting unstuck is to relax since the answer to our problems is usually already presenting itself and the more relaxed we are, the more chance we will give the answer the due it deserves. And the answer is usually simple, once we realize what it is. I hope this isn't sounding too patronizing.

Charlie: It does sound simple.

Doug: The answer is not logical. We spend so much time racking our brain trying to figure out the problem. This doesn't mean we don't try, but often the answer will come when we least expect. Like when I got the idea to do this mock interview with you. It is true I have always wanted to be interviewed by someone like you. Maybe not Barbara Walters but somebody famous, to pick my brain and hopefully sound articulate enough to where people get what I am hoping to convey. The idea came to me this morning while simmering. Simmering is a technique I do and naturally have done most of my life, although I thought it was a waste of time. Growing up, I often didn't have the time do it. The technique was described by Reverend >>>>>> who taught at Harvard and was highlighted in Fire in the Belly by Same Keen. He said to not wake up or fall asleep right away but to simmer: let the mind wonder a bit, calm oneself down, etc. I do much of my best thinking during simmering.

So I thought I would do this interview, put it on the web and maybe you would spot me. Worst case is I could use it as a marketing tool and possibly help others to market themselves. My concern is that you would think we are violating your copyrights, but maybe you won't mind. Maybe you will think it is quite clever. I mean, you ask some very good questions. I think it can be translated into the job interview process.

Charlie: I agree.

Doug: I see a lot of businesses hiring for jobs they don't necessarily need to hire for. For example salespeople. I learned that business owners should sell 25% of their time. But, instead, they hire a salesperson to do it and it is too expensive for them. But I digress.

Charlie: So how again do you help people reach their goals faster? I mean, you mentioned you have a system, that systems are good, people know the answers themselves and just need reminding, that you do this through a number of ways such as mirroring and doing tasks for them. That they need to relax to see the answers. But many businesses hire employees to do that and sometimes consultants and they "blow" their socks off with the results. It doesn't sound like that is what you do or are suggesting.

Doug: The Process Model is about being with the client. There is some doing but like technology, we fall in love with the doing aspects. Doing is 10% of the equation. 90% is being. That is why I focus on the being aspects while with clients. I figure this isn't therapy I am doing and if I can help them with 90%, that sure is better than 10%. Dr. Joe Parent of Zen Golf (you'll like this Charlie, since he has worked with Vijay Singh who sais he is the best head doctor when it comes to golf, sais that technology has improved greatly in golf the past 10-20 years but scores haven't. Why? Because the emotional part hasn't improved. You still have to perform. You just had the Brain Series part IV and it sais when the brain is under stress, it performs worse. So, I focus on the being aspect, trying to manage my emotions while with my clients. (Laugh, I don't always do this, just ask my clients. I have lost my cool a few times, haha) (Doug and Charlie share a laugh)

Charlie: So how does this relate to what our problems are right now or even in the business world?

Doug: I am glad you asked that Charlie. Although I am not a politician and it probably more complicated, what I think that needs to happen is harmonization. This is mentioned in Escaping the Matrix by Richard Moore. We are such a win-lose society. Wouldn't it be great to be a win-win. Yes, our society and system is the best in the world, but it is still win-lose and not only many of the losers here in this country but around the world.

Charlie: You really seem to use a lot of people as references. Do you have any of your own ideas?

Doug: (laughing) That is always a debate within me to promote my own thinking or others. Maybe as Forest Gump said (there I go again) "maybe it is a little of both". I synthesize what many great people have said and apply to situations that peak my interest. I mean another thing I am getting into is Mediation. This just happened after continuing to work on my Zen and the Art of Making a Living workbook by ??? Boyle. I just found out about a numerology expert to the stars who explains how to get the love of your life. Two of the numbers: life path said I should be a mediator (which fits in since my background and love of talking business, psychology and meditation) and attitude said I should be a producer or director. My dad said I know so much about films, "why don't you go into the film industry". Am I too old to become a producer or director in the entertainment industry Charlie?

Charlie: I don't know. (pause as he thinks about it) Okay, so I am beginning to understand how it is you help people achieve their goals faster than they normally do. It sounds like you hope for lasting effects for your clients. That they do as much on their own as possible. I am guessing it may take longer in the short term as well as more expensive. But in the longterm, they may be saving money.

Doug: Right.

Charlie: And you think it is gaining steam.

Doug: It seems more and more people are getting it. They are hoping for equal distributions of wealth. It will take some willpower and changing one's ways, reminding oneself to look to oneself for their answers (as Buddha said). And look to alternative methods of solving their problems. You know one of the habits I have is going to Google everytime when I do a search. Although my dad always said why care what the other is making (in this case the execs of Google) if I am making what I want to make. Well I am not making what I want to make. Charlie I hope to make money doing what I love to do. There are plenty of other good search engines, such as www.Yebol.com which my brother Greg Hall turned me onto.

Slowly weaning ourselves off of the big boys products. Promoting businesses who pay their executives no more than 10 X's the amount of the lowest paid employees. Re-evaluating outsourcing and automization. Even I use my own form of outsourcing. I have a team in China I use that set up this online learning system, has helped me develop an online learning class and is helping me with a local website re-design. Yes, I could a local person, but price is an issue for this local company. China is part of my business model, and I am continually assessing whether that is still the case for the long term.

Charlie: China. Tell me about that.

Doug: When I think of China, I think of Tibet. Before, that wasn't always the case. It would be great to being a small part in helping the two work things out. You know, I went to see the Dalai Lama speak in 2009 in Berkeley and it was a great experience. Sometimes I forget I went.

Anyway, you know as much about China as I do, probably a lot more. What I have is going there in 1986. Then studying the language. Learning more and more about the Taiwan and China relationship. Picking the Chinese takeover of Hong Kong as my final research paper. Living there 2 of the past 4 years has been a great experience. It always takes me time away from something like that to see how difficult the experience was, much like living in Taiwan.

Living in Guangzhou was wild. The identity changes they are facing are enormous. The resourcefulness it is taking for the people is incredible. The cuisine is incredible and I thank my client for taking me out every week to eat with them to experience the dumplings and bread from North East Dong Bei China, the hot pots of Szechuan, the sweeter food of of the old Canton and southern China and the Western muslim cuisine which has great noodles and meat.

Figuring out how to make money in China is still a challenge. I have one client where I have evaluated manufacturing plants to re-launch her doll product. I look at it from a long term approach first but also trying to make money through my contacts now, including doing website stuff.

Charlie: What does this all mean, ...., in terms of Doug Hall, WeBridge, WeHarmonize, "whatever" you want to call your business< (both Charlie and I have a chuckle), what does this all mean in terms of you, looking for projects, helping businesses, (and even larger issues)? What do you know now that you didn't know then? What do you want your clients, prospects and future clients to know about you that they don't already know?

Doug: See Charlie, that is why I hoped I would get on your show. In a normal interview, these topics don't come up so easily. So thank you.

While watching Charlie Rose the past month, there were a couple of guests that peaked my interest when it comes to my work. One is an editor for a major magazine or newspaper. The other was James Cameron, the director of Avatar and Titanic.

Briefly, the editor wrote a book about cooking. He said as a child he would be at his grandparents and everyone would be huddled around the kitchen while she cooked. He said it was extremely comforting and has always remembered that feeling. He said that cooking and writing are similar. They are both about storytelling. I never thought about cooking as storytelling. He said his style is simple. Simple flavors, simple recipes, simple storytelling. My cooking is similar. Last night, I went a bit nuts and cooked a leek soup, something I wondered about with leek, but normally I cook the same stuff over and over. Very utilitarian. What does that say about my storytelling? Not sure.

Next was James Cameron. Charlie Rose asked him if he could pick one thing about storytelling, what would it be. Fortunately, he picked many but the most important was finding the key to the “Heart lock” of the viewer. Interesting.

He went on to say many things about his story in Titanic and Avatar and how the story is basically the same. Here are a few points:

• The outcome is usually known. (We knew the ship was going to sink. We knew people were going to die, the main characters all died eventually, including Kate Winslets character who was very old)
• It has to be excruciating to watch. Even still, people sit through this pain. Interesting. I have heard when a viewer cries, it is not so much that the scene is tough but the process leading up to it was so painful.
• There is a transfer of energy. In Titanic, the energy from Leonardo Decaprio’s character transferred to Kate’s character. Maybe her energy went to the Titanic search crew. I am not sure if he said male to female or female to male, but …Etc

Anyway, these are what I remember from the interviews. I bring them up since I can use these in my work and my cooking for that matter. It makes me think differently about my cooking. I am telling a story about my cooking. It gives it character.

Found an article on Yahoo http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20100222/sc_livescience/5thingsthatwillmakeyouhappier. Talks about how we can boost are happiness, which includes a 5 step process:

Lyubomirsky spoke here Saturday at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She and colleagues last year reviewed 51 studies that tested attempts to increase happiness through different types of positive thinking, and found that these practices can significantly enhance well-being. The results were published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology.

Here are five things that research has shown can improve happiness:

1. Be grateful - Some study participants were asked to write letters of gratitude to people who had helped them in some way. The study found that these people reported a lasting increase in happiness - over weeks and even months - after implementing the habit. What's even more surprising: Sending the letter is not necessary. Even when people wrote letters but never delivered them to the addressee, they still reported feeling better afterwards.

2. Be optimistic - Another practice that seems to help is optimistic thinking. Study participants were asked to visualize an ideal future - for example, living with a loving and supportive partner, or finding a job that was fulfilling - and describe the image in a journal entry. After doing this for a few weeks, these people too reported increased feelings of well-being.

3. Count your blessings - People who practice writing down three good things that have happened to them every week show significant boosts in happiness, studies have found. It seems the act of focusing on the positive helps people remember reasons to be glad.

4. Use your strengths - Another study asked people to identify their greatest strengths, and then to try to use these strengths in new ways. For example, someone who says they have a good sense of humor could try telling jokes to lighten up business meetings or cheer up sad friends. This habit, too, seems to heighten happiness.

5. Commit acts of kindness - It turns out helping others also helps ourselves. People who donate time or money to charity, or who altruistically assist people in need, report improvements in their own happiness.
Lyubomirsky has also created an iPhone application, called Live Happy, to help people boost their well-being.

Here is an excerpt from the Dalai Lama's comments made at Whole Child International.

The Dalai Lama said Saturday it is crucial for the U.S. to develop an economic relationship with China without forgoing America's founding principles.

"You should develop cordial, close relations, mainly in the economic field at the same time (as) your principles, these universal values of democracy and rule of law," he said, as he sat in an armchair in his hotel suite, with his bare feet tucked under him. "In these principles, you should stand firm."

Business with Heart.

Just posted this comment in response to an article (http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2010/0301/opinions-cabral-jewish-health-system-lij-heads-up.html#readerComments) in Forbes about Talent Search:

Interesting article. I briefly worked with a talent management software company Plateau and ended up managing a project to develop a course that ran on the Plateau LMS for a multi-national in Hong Kong. A successful project. During that time, there was a major Human Resource company that started in India and was opening an office in Hong Kong. The founder said the same thing was happening in China and Hong Kong: shortage of talent.

But the same thing is said that we have a shortage of CEO talent and that is why they make so much money, the argument goes. Maybe structuring companies to be less reliant on typical CEO's. To realize they are just one cog in the system. Maybe the talent is right under our noses and that company structures require a shift to get un-stuck.

Just posted a comment on Forbes Magazine about a review by Steve Forbes on a book by Michael Medved: The 5 Big Lies about American Business. Although I didn't write this, capitalism is the best system we have but it is only as good as the people who run it. I have benefited in some ways with the excess of cash generated by the late 1990's and early 2000 years. Maybe in other ways, I haven't. Business with Heart. That is what I am hoping for. Here is the link and my comments: http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2010/0301/opinions-fact-comment-steve-forbes-truth-teller.html.
Capitalism is not dead. The author is right. I didn't read this book. I majored in Economics but don't specialize in it. I have a few questions: 1. When you say we run into difficulties when the govt puts in regulation, should there be regulations on the derivatives market or are you saying if we truly have de-regulation, these types of products will never see the light of day? 2. Comparing entertainment to business is interesting: unfortunately there is a shortage of settings like hollywood and sports so only a few can play in that game. Big Business is getting that way too, so there is a "shortage" of talent. Thus the high fees. When the public wakes up and stops paying for such "entertainment", the market will adjust.

What do you think of the argument that the founding father of Economics Adam Smith that competition and capitalism talked about fairness at getting to the best possible price in the market. Is that is what is happening in Hollywood, Sports and now big Business? Do we have to have such huge bonuses not only on Wall Street but also in Silicon Valley and the Sports world?