Tag: Integrity

Storytelling

Something almost as old as mankind itself

We have returned from being in Tucson for a few days and while there we spent many hours one day at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.  But this is no dusty place with fossilised remains behind glass cabinets.  No, the Desert

A Bobcat at the Desert Museum
A Bobcat at the Desert Museum

Museum is an honest attempt to give visitors an insight into the complex and beautiful world of a desert. As the Musuem’s web site puts it,

The mission of the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is to inspire people to live in harmony with the natural world by fostering love, appreciation, and understanding of the Sonoran Desert.

That particular evening the programme mentioned an hour’s storytelling by the Native American Gerard Tsonakwa.

Tsonakwa is a member of the Abenaki tribe who live in the Algonquin area of Ontario, Canada.   Originally an active participant in Native American politics and a published author as well, Tsonakwa showed that evening the power and mystery of storytelling.

It’s only in recent times, relatively speaking, that books have been widely available (the book as we know it today dates from the fifteenth century) and in the last hundred years the art of passing information to others through storytelling has practically disappeared.

But listening to Gerard Tsonakwa speak to a packed auditorium in the Warden Oasis Theatre at the Desert Museum was compelling, to say the least.  Compelling because sitting in a group listening to an ‘elder’ tell the secrets of life and the universe seemed to resonate with very deep memories of long time ago.

By Paul Handover

This is a spoof, isn’t it?

Big brother may be watching

But in this case it is a mythical pizza house.  (Includes sound as well)

Anyway, watch this futuristic scene courtesy of the American Civil Liberties Union.

By Paul Handover

Integrity in photography

Integrity in photography is more complicated than one might expect.

Earlier in the week, there were a couple of Posts drawing attention to the outstanding quality and beauty of the land and seascapes from Patrick Smith Photography.  This time, the subject of this Post is about integrity in photography.

Read more of this Post

You attract what you think about!

It is my very great pleasure to introduce a new author to the Learning from Dogs Blog team.

I first met Dapinder Bains when he became a coaching client some 18 months ago.  Dapinder was seeking some guidance (not that coaching is guidance in the strict sense of the word) with regard to a new Internet business.  That Dapinder really required this coaching was, initially, a puzzle as he was already managing 500 web sites!  Clearly a fascinating person.

Anyway, over the months, we have got to know each other well.  So when Dapinder expressed an interest in contributing to the Blog there was no hesitation in me welcoming him to the team.  Over to him …

Read Dapinder’s first Post

Love lyrics

Our love for dogs!

One of my favourite Blogs is Baseline Scenario.  It is hugely popular especially since it was started only in September 2008.  The vision of the Blog is “The Baseline Scenario is dedicated to explaining some of the key issues in the global economy and developing concrete policy proposals.”

However, one of the founders of the Blog, James Kwak, recently had his dog, Dauber, pass away and published a Post in memory of the guy.

Read more of this Post

This is surely going to end in tears!

US and UK Stock markets continue to defy gravity and common sense.

Those of you regularly reading the Blog (and Thank You!) will notice that Karl Denninger of Market Ticker is frequently referred to by this author.

My own view is that the fundamentals do not support what is happening but that’s amateur talk compared to the research and detail that Denninger puts into his Blog.

So here’s another very rational view of why small investors could be heading for burnt fingers, yet again.  Private investors: always the last in and the last ones out!

UPDATE: And yet another convincing piece of information from Dave Rosenberg of Gluskin Sheff.

August 6, 2009

Some bad news for the long-range housing outlook
The home ownership rate surged to nearly 70% during the bubble and has since fallen back to 67.4%, but still well above pre-bubble norms. A just-released study by the University of Utah shows that the rate of home ownership in the U.S.A. is poised to decline to 63.5% by 2020 (where it was in 1985). At a time when there are still some 800,000 units in excess that are vacant AND for sale, this secular decline in demand spells one thing and one thing only, a secular deflation in residential real estate. The periodic months of “green shoot” stability will very likely prove to be little more than noise along a fundamental down-trend in pricing.

By Paul Handover

(Written on the 4th for publication at 9.00 am MT on the 6th.  Markets at the time of writing are: Dow Jones 9295, S&P 500 1,001, NASDAQ 2002, FTSE 100 (now closed) 4671.)

Disclosure:  No market investments, neither long or short on the indexes, heavily invested in US Treasuries.

Pattern matching.

How we attract ideas that support our behaviours

The problem in the way that some stories are selected for this Blog, mainly the financial and economic ones, is that one tends to be attracted to those news items that support one’s own hypothesis.  Anyone who has followed the Posts on this Blog will know that this author thinks that the recession is not over, that a sustainable recovery is a long way off and that anything other than extremely risk-averse investments is, well, risky!

Read more of this Post

Dogs – their deep ties to man

It’s impossible not to admire, respect and love a dog

An incident last night reminded me of the complexity of the dog’s mind.  It has not been the first time this has happened.

Our 6 year-old German Shepherd dog, Pharaoh, was given a bone as a treat during the previous day and, as sometimes happens, it was a bit tough on his stomach.  So at around 1.30 am, I was woken up.  Nothing so special about that.  But reflect on how this happened.

Read more of this Post

Financial integrity in the news

Applauding balanced arguments about the global economic crisis.

Unwittingly, when tripping across the web site of Gluskin Sheff, as reported on this Blog earlier the full extent of David Rosenburg’s background hadn’t been clear.  As well as being Gluskin’s Chief Economist & Strategist, David was previously Chief North American Economist for Merrill Lynch, so this guy is no slouch.  Here is DR’s short bio as it appears on the Gluskin web site.

Read more of this Post

Integrity starts in the soul

“Be master of mind rather than mastered by mind.”

This is one of, literally, hundreds of Zen quotes.  Of course Zen Buddhism does not have the exclusivity of quotes that stir the heart.  Every one of man’s great religions and followings is embroidered with beautiful quotations.  Here’s one, more or less at random, from Christianity.

‘Faith is to believe what we do not see;

and the reward of this faith

is to see what we believe.’

Whatever gives you solace, it is important to have something that allows you to be a little retrospective from time to time (and we are not talking alcohol or drugs here!).  Remember, you can’t give away what you don’t own!

So when this Blog, ZenHabits, caught my eye, it seemed worthy of mention and of adding to the Blog Roll.  We will see if this resonates with you, the reader.  Either way, do let me know via your comments.

By Paul Handover