15% of American families, 17 Millions, struggle to put food on the table

According to a new USDA study, 85 percent of American households are considered "food secure," meaning that they don't need to regularly worry about putting meals on the dinner table. Unfortunately, that leaves fifteen percent—about 17 million families—who struggle to find enough money to pay for their food. This number of "insecure" households has tripled since 2006 and the number of citizens enrolled in government food programs is now at 25 percent of all Americans. The study, which attributes some of these disconcerting statistics to unemployment due to the lingering recession, was released as the "lame duck" session of Congress begins.

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/opinions/view/opinion/17-Million-American-Families-Struggle-to-Put-Food-on-the-Table-5830

This is only get worse and the mighty Federal Reserve is imposing a invisible inflationary tax on all citizen with $100 billion is being printed every month.

Our Secret Past

How come I didn't learn about this in the history book? did you? May be we will witness a few in our lifetime....

Happy Father's Day

4 years: My Dad can do anything!
7 years: My Dad knows a lot…a whole lot.
15 years: My father does not know quite everything.
18 years: Father is so old-fashioned.
21 years: Oh, that man - he thinks he knows but he doesn't.
25 years: He knows a bit about it, but not much.
30 years: I might find out what Dad thinks about it.
35 years: Before we decide, we will get Dad's idea first.
50 years: What would Dad have thought about that?
60 years: My Dad knew literally everything!
65 years: I wish I could talk it over with Dad.

Credit to Jesse's Cafe Aemricain

Where is the world currency going?

How come i don't see this being in the headline much. Gold reached all time high today breaking its previous resistance back in Nov 09. With the Euro falling in respect to USD. People are glad to see USD gaining ground against what? against junk. Fiat vs fiat currency, all lost to gold! So what's next?

Genius Crow: learning and culture

Learning and culture are something we often only associate with human. If we only observe a bit more, many other mammals also exibit these traits. On top of that, scientists have even documented such behavior in crows.

Through observations, crows have learned to acquire new skills. These new skills are only found in a small community of crows in Tokyo; hence defining a distinct culture within that community. Crows in Japan learned and shared how to utilize traffic patterns to crack nuts and ensure their safety from being run over. Crow in this video figure out a particular skill set to get food through logical reasoning.

Other example of mammal learning and culture includes: Dogs in Moscow learned how to use the subways to find food. A small community of dolphins learned how to clouded water to trap fishes.

Government Ponzi scheme and currency manipulation

The massive Ponzi scheme of all time recorded in human history shall be realized sooner or later. They are these colossal social security guarantee and the federal and state pensions funds.

Definition of Ponzi scheme: A Ponzi scheme is a fraudulent investment operation that pays returns to separate investors from their own money or money paid by subsequent investors, rather than from any actual profit earned.

The people of our generation are obligated to pay into this massive poorly manage funds while having no chance of reaping any return from it. These subsequent investors like us are those will take the 100% lost.

On top of that, the top currency manipulator can be portrait here right on this chart below. The greatest expansion of U.S. dollar has literally skyrocketed from $800B to $2.2T and counting. Almost tripling the monetary based. From a simple economic equation

GDP = V * M where V is velocity of money, and M is monetary based.

V decrease in the recession, but with this massive increase in M, we kept seen a stable grow in GDP. This is a fake, drugged up, steroid-ed injected grow which look great on paper but rotten inside.

how to know .....

It is interesting see what google suggest gives you as you are typing your search. It is reflecting the most common searches used by people.

Ranking number one are for those confused ladies trying to figure out what is in the boys' head.

Genius Crow: learning and culture

Crows have been known for their ingenuity for thousands of year. Recorded in folk tales and fables. It is amazing to witness their quick adaptation to the urban environment as the force of evolution propels changes and creativity.

Which element are YOU? (Part4 - Earth)

Earth Dominant Person

Visualize soil, rock, dam, mountain, earth

Properties - Characteristic

• Solid strong person. Nurturing nature, having the characteristic of supporting.
• Enrich personality, with optimistic look at the world. Always positive, carrying yang energy.
• Full of wisdom, idea, and energy. Imagine how the earth is rich with minerals, abundant of nutrients and carbon energy.
• A source of strong support, counseling. People tent to come to an earth person for advices and guidance.
• Earth person is strong, maintaining ground, earn people respect quickly.
• Motivating to be around with.
• Earth person represent balance in both yin and yang, the feminine and masculine. Be able to have friends, conversations in both gender type.
• Earth person is associated with the qualities of patience as earth takes epochs for transformation.
• Thoughtfulness is in the nature of an earth person, this person seeks to draw all things together with itself, in order to bring harmony, rootedness and stability.
• Pay good deal of attention into tastes and food. Enjoy making food or eating out.

Behavior - Personality

• Earth person takes leadership role through uniting everyone by gaining their respect quickly.
• Earth person can be a great follower with strong integrity, who leaders can truly rely on this person to get the job well done.
• People come to earth person, rather than earth seeking friends.
• Earth person is often cheery and calm, but when angry everybody would know.
• As in team work, earth person draw everyone ideas, inputs and compile in to a suitable solution for all.
• Earth person represents practicality, hard work and stability. Sometimes vocal about obstacle but, steady moving to tackle it. A steady unstoppable force.
• Earth person is ambition, stubbornness at time. As earth person hold their ground and maintain a solid strong opinion. They take responsibility early on, and maintain long term planning.
• Earth person has a craving for sweet, or have no sweet tooth at all.
• A good listener and a conversationalist. Able to absorb and discuss pretty much any subjects, but will have a strong opinion about it.

Interaction

Destructive Cycle:

• Earth is said to be controlled by Wood. A better way to put it is earth is defenseless against wood. Wood can parse earth, break up rocks, and hold on to earth as it digs its root deep.
• An earth person often come to a wood person for second opinion, analyze or parsing a situation.

Controlling Cycle:

• Earth controls water as mountain rises above sea, dam hold back water and control its flow. Water flow in channels and river designated by earth.
• An earth person often has the authority over water, water might often not like it but still listen to earth. Water often won't be able to rise above or over come earth.

Generative Cycle:

• Fire generate earth. As fire burn anything into ashes.
• Earth person is further enriched by having fire around. It is cleansing and and important process to keep earth at a balance.

Overacting Cycle:

• Too much fire on earth can have destructive power as in volcanic eruption and forest fire.
• As being with fire person too much can irritate earth, as earth is responsible, balance and thoughtful. Fire is more childish, wild and spontaneous. These conflicting characteristic can spark arguments.

Part 5 - Fire - To be continue...

Which element are YOU? (Part 3 - Water)

Water Dominant Person

Visualize river, lake, vapor, liquid.

Properties - Characteristic

• Freestyle type of person.
• Always in transformation, person keep on adapting to any environment.
• Take shape and side of containing object. Not often hold a strong opinion on any thing. Debate isn't this person strength. Rather prefer discussion.
• Person can be influenced, persuaded much easier than others.
• Allow environment around to shape them, do not like exert force to shape the environment.
• Easy going, calm person, transmit a peaceful feeling, cooling affect. A supportive individual.
• Calmness, conserving and stillness are the positive emotion.
• Water is representative of intelligence, wisdom, flexibility, softness and pliancy.
• Have a great sense of hearing. Enjoy music, and often have musical talent. Use music to express self.

Behavior - Personality

• Spontaneous person, if mood feels like it, then do it rather than thinking about it. But if not in a mood, doesn't matter what people tell you. You would stay put.
• Less competitive person, will try your best but not devastated over defeats as compare to a metal person.
• A care free person, not so worry about what others think, be yourself and feel free.
• Either like salty food or eat very lightly salted.
• Prefer to take role as a great follower, not comfortable in leading position in group environment.
• If in leadership role, lead by group consent, taking everybody inputs.
• Going along with the group. "Doesn't matter" or "whatever" are often the responses. Can fit in quickly also help everyone to get along.
• Be able to maintain a vast network of friends, even weak links and always leave a friendly impression on others.
• Always look happy when active with others. But deep inside, when by themselves, they can either be solitude or tranquil. Imagine a very calm still pond of water.

Weakness

• Often a rather passive person, waiting for things to happen.
• Over-abundance of water element in a person can cause indecisiveness or the inability to stick with a decision.
• Fear is the feeling that always hold water person back from taking a step. Fear of failure, fear of rejection. A more conservative person.
• Water person if left too long by themselves or raise in a less loving family often becoming an introvert, very cold personality, not so approachable. Like ice.

Interaction

Destructive Cycle:

• Water is controlled by earth. Earth is used to build dam, wall that block water.

Controlling Cycle:

• Water controls fire. A water person doesn't get the hot negative energy emit from a fire person. Water can remain calm and counsel a fire person.

Generative Cycle:

• Water condensed on metal. Metal traps or hold water or can be melted into liquid. Water person doesn't mind hanging around metal person. Metal person get along with water, in which metal most of the time make the decision and water is happy with it. Mutual benefits, one is firm while one is soft. One is decisive, the other glad to have decision to be made for.
• Water nurture wood and allow it to grow. Wood retain water and moisture.

Overacting Cycle:

• Too much water on metal induce rust and discolor the glamorous quality of metal. Having a strong water person can irritate metal person. When metal feels less significant because water now taking charge or getting too much attention away from metal. Metal could easily become jealous.
• Too much metal on little water cause water to lose it purity. As rust is formed, water turn brown, losing it clarity and calmness. A strong metal person can be too commanding and demanding to water, holding water in a container for too long rather than letting it flow. This causes water to stagnate, water person to become dull and lose it good qualities.
• Too much wood with little water suck water dry. A water person feel insignificant, as if nothing can please wood. Water loses it calmness, small body of water can't buffer as much as large body of water. Water person become angry more easily, losing confidence and spontaneity.

Part 4 - Earth - To be continue...

Is Congress gridlocked and broken?

Article on CNN

"Two months into the new year, Congress is at a standstill, stuck in party-line votes, heated debates and electoral politics."

One joke to sum it all up:

Question: What's the difference between the government and the Mafia?

Answer: One of them is organized.

Five Element in YOU (Part 2 - Metal)

Metal Dominant Person

Visualize gold, jewelry, a sword, a shield.

Properties - Characteristic

• Stylish, have a good sense of fashion.
• Conscious about self appearance how others perceive you
• Catchy, get people attention easily, turn heads
• Cannot retain feelings, easily getting emotional. Not hard to know this person moods.
• Cannot hold secret. A bad liar. Honest person. (metal is very hard to fake)
• Pay attention to details, could be picky due to the details
• Good sense of smell. Pick up aroma quickly. Remember things by smell.
• Proper, classy, carry self elegantly.
• Either prefer or hate spicy food.
• Stick to what's prefer, not very adventurous. Not a risk taker.
• Metal person is require a bit more attention. High maintenance, require to be pampered as a metal need to be polished to shine.
• Act as a conductor bring changes and transformation with strong impulses and powers.

Behavior - Personality

• Prefer to be solo, not as much a social person, but could pretend.
• Hardheaded, stubborn, not very flexible or breakable. My way or the highway. Picky requires everything to be properly.
• Like to standout in a crowed, the center of attention.
• Just black or white are the color of choice.
• Competitive in every nature, could stress the person out.
• Determine, firm and persistence.
• Decisive person, know exactly what he/she wants.
• Prefer to take charge and be leader rather an follower.
• Great leadership qualities, forceful, controlling and rigidity.
• Self-reliant and prefer to handle their problems alone.
• A mental person is also materialistic, business oriented and good at organization and stability.

Weakness

• Tent to be more jealous, to make sure he/she is better than other, especially other metals.
• Could have low self esteem. Problem with confidence
• Constantly need reassurance and attention.
• A bit more self center, concern more on material side.
• Have few friends. Does not mix well with everyone.

Interaction

Destructive Cycle:

• Metal suffocates wood, controlling and restraining wood growth. Metal person often pushes wood person away over time. As wood can't growth, it tents to grow away from metal.

Controlling Cycle:

• Metal is defenseless against fire. Completely melted under fire. Becoming soft, unable to fight back. In a mother child relationship, with mother as fire, child as metal, the child often grow up with a lack of confidence, not having any form or shape, and very hot temper.

Generative Cycle:

• Metal is found in the earth's crust. A metal person is always supportive by earth, while metal help maintain earth balance by Overacting Cycle
• Metal produces water. Water condense on metal, carry by metal, contain and trapped by metal. Or metal can be melted into liquid.

Overacting Cycle:

• Metal mixed up earth, cause it to loosen up.
• Some water cause metal to shine. But dampness over time cause metal to lose it glamor. Water rust metal. Often metal and water person have a more distance relationship to remain healthy. Couple are more independence of each other. Friendship able to maintain long distance but remain close. Having too much of each other only bring negative energy.

Part 3 - Water - To be continue...

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wu_Xing

Happy Lunar New Year

Happy year of the Tiger!

Chúc Mừng Năm Mới. An khang thịnh vượng. Vạn sự như ý. Sức khỏe dòi dào. Phát tài an lạc.

新年快乐。住大家万事如意。

Happy Valentine Day!

Vietnam devalued its currency

From: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/26/business/global/26devalue.html"The central bank on Wednesday re-set the mid-point of the band to around 17,961 per U.S. dollar, effectively devaluing the currency by 5.44 percent."" the black market, where the dong has been much weaker, trading at 19,700 per U.S. dollar."
http://truthingold.blogspot.com/2010/02/more-bs-in-press-about-gold.html" Viet Nam devalued its currency yesterday, and based on the premium of $54 over the spot price of gold being paid in Viet Nam, it would appear that the population there is scrambling to buy physical gold. Viet Nam is quietly one of the largest buyers of gold in the world."

Which element are YOU? (Part1 - Wood)

On my first post: Why Wu Xing, I talked about the Wu Xing Concept (The Five element theory). On the later post I talked about the Five element theory in our food. Now, I would like to extend my observation of this Five Element theory on how it can be applied to YOU.

As each person can be characterized by one dominant element and one recessive element, it is the properties of the dominant element that reflected upon your personality, your taste, your preferences and especially your interaction with other people, who are also characterized as another element.

By reflecting upon those attributes of a person and more importantly their specific interaction with other people, I can formula a classification for which element best fits them.

Once a person is being classified as an element, further personality traits and behavior can be interpolated and predicted. Using the element properties, I can use it to understand and reason certain behaviors of a person or predict a most likely response to a situation that person is facing.

Wood Dominant Person

Visualize a tree, cluster of tree, or a forest

Properties - Characteristics

• Enjoy the outdoor, active, more athletic.
• Like to try new things, exploratory. (Tree growth)
• Person is pretty in a natural way without much artificial material
• Either like sour food or hate it.
• Green or blue, or a mixture of those: purple, cyan, yellow are color of choice.
• Strong solid person, develop confident and becoming stronger overtime.
• Can store a large amount of information, secret and retain feelings. But absorb it over time (Tree sucks up nutrient, and water from earth)
• However, retaining too much feelings without proper way of channeling, can be poisoning to self. This could cause emotional instability and break down (Over watering plan, or too much sun/heat)
• Loyal and plan ahead. (Tree sticks to its solid and always plan ahead for where the next leaf will be at)
• Carefully weight each decision. Often try to use too many outside variables in calculating making decision. Perfectionist. (As a tree growth is driven by many environment variables)
• Stay firm to beliefs and sometimes could be stubborn.
• Sight is the strongest sense, quick with the eyes, able to recognize and identify things quickly.

Behavioral - Personality

• Like company, constantly seeking people and event. Hate to be alone, enjoy team work and group activities. (Tree often never grow alone)
• Like to be near other wood, water or earth person.
• Out going person, introvert by nature but extrovert around people.
• Sensitive person, who does more listening than talking. (Sensitive to the environment)
• Observant to everything going on around. Like a guard, sentry, observation post.
• Wood is sentimental person, always dig its root deep and hold on to memories.
• Remember things for a long time, including the details. (hold on to ground)
• Prefer to stay put, doesn't like to move around a lot.
• Family oriented, close niche of friends.
• High integrity, keep your word.

Weakness

• Lack of mobility, difficulty of maintaining relationship with many people at once but only keeping a selective close group.
• Prefer gradual change but not sudden.
• Seek growth from outside sources. Dependent stable environment to grow. Require a strong family and friendship foundation.

Interaction

Destructive Cycle:

• Wood is destroyed by metal. Chopped up, restraint from growth. Metal tents to have bent, and shape wood (Think of bonsai tree).
• A wood person is not compatible with metal, since a wood person will be constrained and shaped by metal. However, sometime these constrains can be beneficial as a guide for a tree to grow.
• Earth is parted by wood, broken up by roots. But also prevent corrosion.
• Wood digs into the earth, parting it apart. A wood person cause an earth person to loose it richness. Sucking away nutrient and cause earth's mood to be dampen. However wood help earth to maintain its integrity. Prevent corrosion and keep earth together. Keep earth person from being arrogant and boasting.

Insulting Cycle:

• Wood person often upset a metal person. Wood person always push the metal out of comfort zone. Not paying attention as much to metal, ticking metal off.
• Earth cause wood to feel unaccomplished. An earth person always a source of motivation for wood, a role model. Wood looks up to earth, but always feel like earth person is always ahead, achieve more and better than wood.

Generative Cycle:

• Wood feeds on and consumed by fire. Fire is generate only from wood. Fire person is inspired and motivated by wood.
• Water nurture and create wood. Wood person flourish with abundant of water friends.

Overacting Cycle:

• Too much wood, generate uncontrollable fire
• Too much water, rotten wood.

Part 2 - Metal - To be continue....

Nouriel Roubini on the 2010 Economy

Gold Price