Working in a Bureaucracy

My job sucks. I guess that puts me in good company these days. Being an employee of a large corporation requires a certain emotional makeup which I lack.

Truth be told, working for a small company is even worse.

Those of you who enjoy being part of a bureaucracy, who thrive at being an "organization man", have an easier time succeeding in our economic system than those of us who rebel against such nonsense. The big question is what are the rest of us supposed to do?

If you listen to Dan Miller over at 48 Days, he is a big advocate of sales and marketing. Yes, it is true that if you are great at sales you can strike out on your own and do very well.

But what about those of us who would rather not go out an talk to people? What if we would prefer to do a quiet activity where we hone our craftsmanship, or perhaps help a little imaginary talking fish establish an internet presence?

I don't have any answers, yet. But I am working on a way to eventually replace my stinkin' job with something I enjoy more. Stay tuned!

I don't know about your particular spot on the planet, but where we live today was a beautiful day.  And we spent the better part of the day working on some raised bed gardens.

Gardening in a fantastic way to help alleviate this "serfdom system" we becoming trapped in.  Besides the good exercise, growing your own food has spiritual rewards over and above the benefits of eating fresh, chemical free, (IF you don't go crazy on the weed and/or bug spray!), produce.

Now before you go crazy ordering plants and seeds, I'd highly recommend you check out the Garden Watchdog, which is a review of the various nurseries you're likely to encounter.  Some of the ones that fill your mailbox with catalogs are miserable rip-offs.  Wouldn't it be nice to know which ones people trust BEFORE you place your order?

Finally, here is a guide for all of you who are trying to grow citrus: Citrus Growing Guide .  We live too far north to grow all but the most bitter varieties of citrus outdoors, but we have had some success growing lemonsito in a pot.  (Citrofortunella microcarpa.  Called "calamondin" in English.)

Survival in changing times

A two-parter today.

1. One of the better "survivalist" guys out there is Jack Spirko.  He has a nice webpage with a free podcast: www.thesurvivalpodcast.com .  Jack can be a bit of a redneck at times, but his heart seems to be in the right place, and he approaches this topic with rationality instead of hype and sensationalism.  (Did you know that one of the most likely "survival" challenges you will face is the loss of employment?)

2. "37 foods to store for a disaster" is an ebook on clickbank.   We don't know how good it is; the sales pitch is well put together.  He offers a money-back guarantee, so if you're willing to give it a go, and be one of the first three folks to send us back a review, (good or bad), we'll send $3.00 to your paypal account.

A very good finance podcast

Here is a tip for some free financial advice and information.

Head on over to Financial Sense , http://www.financialsense.com/ , and click on the Newshour button right under the title.  The weekend podcasts are FREE, and IMHO the best financial podcasts you can find.  They are professionally produced, and the hosts make an effort to present ALL viewpoints on the show.  (For example, although they admit being biased towards inflation in our future, due to governmental money printing, they frequently allow deflationists to express their views.)

Silver and Gold!

Have you started to invest in silver and gold yet?

Maybe "invest" is the wrong word, because from my viewpoint I see silver and gold as almost a form of financial insurance. You know that money printing is accelerating in ALL currencies right now, and that history shows that all fiat currencies, (i.e., money backed by nothing but the "faith and goodwill" of those who print it), eventually fail.

So what are you waiting for?

A good site for us Americans to invest in, (remember that, as citizens of the "land of the free", it is much harder for us to open an account than most non-Americans), is Silver Saver

There are others, such as Gold Money and Bullion Vault, but these are harder to invest in.  (Thank your stupid government!!)

One final note: I don't recommend putting more than 20% of your total assets in precious metals, because you never know what stupid tricks the government will do in the future. (How about a windfall profits tax on all holders of gold?)  But treated as an insurance against uncertain economic times, silver and gold are most certainly worth their weight in ....... well, silver and gold!

The World's best Elephant Joke!

This is a three part joke.

Part 1.
Q: What is the similarity between an elephant and a plum?
A: They are both purple, except for the elephant.

Part 2.
Q: What did Tarzan say when the elephants came rumbling down the jungle path?
A: Here come the elephants.

Part 3.
Q: What did Jane say when the elephants came rumbling down the jungle path?
A. Here come the plums.  (Jane was colorblind!)