But what about receiving money instead of spending it? Is money a big motivator for performance at the work place? Alas, again no. Time and again research has shown that for most people money is not the most important matter in their working life. Basically, the feel-good factor is the biggest motivator. Thus, again, status, albeit perceived status. That great feeling of contributing and appreciation… which money cannot buy from the best of people.

Marilyn Monroe put it perfectly: “I don’t want to make money. I just want to be wonderful.” And Coco Chanel summed it up well: “There are people who have money and people who are rich.”

So, what motivates us to do better? Dan Pink explains the surprising truth about what motivates us best.

The Fed, as it is known, is often the subject of conspiracy theories and much derided because of the secrecy of operation of the organization. Some believe the management of the organization to be responsible for the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963 because of his Executive Order 111110, designed to curb the power of the Fed executives or even break up the bank.

Albeit a  product of conspiracy or not, the history of the Federal Reserve bank is well studied and the debate for its purpose and role in society is well debated.

The documentary “Money, Banking and the Federal Reserve” offers an indepth look at the history of the Fed and addresses many questions surrounding the Fed’s real strategy. As the producers mention, “Alan Greenspan is not, we’re told, happy about this 42-minute blockbuster. Watch it, and you’ll understand why.”

James Burke, the brilliant historian TV presenter, produced a series of videos to remind us of the memorable days in history that changed, well, just about everything for everyone. It is called The Day The Universe Changed.

Early on Burke suggested that “a forthcoming revolution in communication and computer technology would allow people all over the world to exchange ideas and opinions instantaneously.”

And so right he was. Burke is an expert at looking back to make some sense of looking forward. Because just as line is the basis of all art, history always repeats itself.

“The Day The Universe Changed” is an astounding series, absolutely worth watching. When you do watch it you might discover anew that the beginning of every new day is the first day of the rest of your life.

The featured video is the first in the series of James Burke’s “The Day The Universe Changed.” Make sure to watch the whole series – you’ll be amazed.

Also see James Burke’s Knowledge Web

There have been hundreds of recessions and a number of depressions throughout history. In the United States, there have been 47 recessions since 1790.

The causes for recession are war or greed or both. The biggest culprits are private bankers speculating irresponsibly with other people’s money, as can be seen in the list of recessions. Economists Hyman Minsky and Richard Koo point the finger to debt accumulation by the non-government sector. Minsky put these culprits into three types: hedge borrowers, speculative borrowers, and Ponzi borrowers.

John Cassidy of The New Yorker describes the five basic stages in Minsky’s model of the credit cycle: displacement, boom, euphoria, profit taking, and panic. In short, a bubble. And when it bursts it is a mess. Here is a short list of economic bubbles:

Tulip crash – 1673
Mississippi bubble – 1720
South Sea bubble – 1721
Railway mania – 1840
Black October – 1929 (led to depression)
Dot com bubble – 2000
Housing bubble – 2007
Commodity bubble – 2008

Can an economic bubble be prevented? Can the carbon trading bubble be prevented? Of course it can. If you can eliminate greed.

Video: Jonathan Jarvis explains the 2007 housing bubble

Google “monsanto” and the first million or so results mostly are negative reports. Monsanto’s list of current and previous products include Saccharin, Astroturf, Agent Orange, dioxin, sulphuric acid, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), plastics and synthetic fabrics, research on uranium for the Manhattan Project, styrene monomer, pesticides, herbicides (Roundup), rBGH (recombinant bovine growth hormone – banned in 160 countries), and genetically engineered crops (corn, potatoes, tomatoes, soy beans, cotton), as per Mindfully. Add to it “corruption”, “bribery”, and “revolving doors” and it’s easy to understand why Monsanto is said to be the most hated corporation in the world.

But there’s more! One of Monsanto’s biggest investors is Goldman Sachs, whose chairman Lloyd Blankfein has been compared to Hitler and Pol Pot. If Monsanto is going to the dogs it probably feels perfectly in place.

In 2008, French documentary maker Marie-Monique Robin released The World According to Monsanto. It barks for itself.

More Monsanto material:

Codes, Fluoride, Auschwitz, Monsanto Connection

Milk Documentary

Network of Concerned Farmers

PureFood’s Millions Against Monsanto

Monsanto Movie Channel

Monsanto Stock Investment News

Source Watch on Monsanto

The Dark Side of Happy Cows

Unfortunately, most predictions are about damnation, destruction and downfall. Thus, when recently made predictions became true within a very short while – a year or two – even the naysayer had to sit up and listen. Of course, as with prophets of old the modern predictors are also mocked at first. Such was the case with those who predicted the economic downturns of 2009 onward before it happened. Peter Schiff was heckled on television for his negative outlook on the economy, Nouriel Roubini was labeled as “Dr Doom” and Marc Faber was called a skeptic.

Gereld Celente was also not taken seriously when he predicted – as Faber also did – the 1987 stock market crash. But, since, Celente predicted “the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the 1997 Asian currency crash” and “the 2007 subprime mortgage scandal.” In 2007, Celente wrote, “Failing banks, busted brokerages, toppled corporate giants, bankrupt cities, states in default, foreign creditors cashing out of US securities … whatever the spark, the stage is set for panic in the streets.”

Hyman Minsky was almost unheard of until long after his death in 1996 when economist started realizing that his warnings of speculative bubbles ring true. That light at the end of the tunnel is a speeding train. Minsky saw the trouble coming.

The word prophet derives from the Latin and Greek words meaning “to speak.” Perhaps the world should listen more carefully when these modern prophets speak.