BRAINTENANCE: Train, Strain And Improve Your Brain. Expand Your Mind.

Sunday, February 28, 2010

MERELY AN OVERSIGHT.

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MERELY AN OVERSIGHT

Dear Friends:

Years ago, people would reprimand each other for neglecting to look at, or to “factor into” their analyses or activities, certain things. We (the guilty culprits who had been careless) would say, “Sorry, sir. It must have been an oversight on my part. I’ll be more careful next time. I promise.”

Oversight was [etymologically speaking] a first cousin to the term “Overlook.” I remember saying things like, “Damn. We must have overlooked something. It’s got to be somewhere. We’d better find it before your dad comes home.”

Under any circumstances, the terms oversight and overlook were generally used in the negative. Ironically, in government and big business, we find a proliferation of Oversight Committees. I think these committees, or subcommittees or other groups are actually intended to oversee matters – to watch over them diligently. But perhaps what they do is more overlooking than overseeing. The sad reality of this is that whether these oversight groups overlook or oversee, they generally take no corrective action.

These groups are merely public relations ploys to appease disgruntled citizens that something is “being done.” Oversight committees are generally impotent, compromised (conflicts of interest sometimes tempt people to simply let evil things go on – especially if they are paid well), confused (i.e., “This is a swell job. Thanks Mr. President. Umm…. Whatta we supposed to do again?”), experimenting with astral projection (where their physical bodies remain in their leather seats, but their minds are travelling to vast reaches of space) or making paper planes.

I hope that you enjoy this biodegradable piece plucked from the recent annals of The New York Times.

Obama to Urge Oversight of Insurers' Rate Increases

Breaking News Alert
The New York Times
Sun, February 21, 2010 -- 9:13 PM ET
-----

Obama to Urge Oversight of Insurers' Rate Increases

President Obama will propose on Monday giving the federal
government new power to block excessive rate increases by
health insurance companies, as he rolls out comprehensive
legislation to revamp the nation's health care system, White House officials said.

Read More:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/22/health/policy/22health.html?emc=na

-----
Now get New York Times breaking news alerts sent to your mobile phone.
Sign up by texting NEWSALERTS to 698698 (NYTNYT).
-----

My questions: What does “oversight” mean? What’s the point? Why have an attack dog without any teeth and a lame leg? Why spend money on an investment that is certain to lose?

My Observation: Oversight is not a substitute for constructive, decisive action. It is means of deferring or avoiding a commitment to responsibility.

Thank you all for letting me rant.

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle

About Douglas Castle
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Thursday, February 25, 2010

There's No "F" in Broccoli, and other tales involving intellectually challenged persons.

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IRRELEVANT COMMENTS ON MY POSTS…

They’re Always Entertaining.

Dear Friends:

I am a staunch proponent of free speech as it was, some time ago, actually protected by the United States Constitution. It’s a delightful irony when some spammer or misguided soul posts an irrelevant or downright indecipherable comment on one of my blog posts for my consideration – it is at those times when I realize that the right to exercise “free speech” is sometimes actually interpreted by some to be synonymous with the right to promote “valueless speech,” which is something slightly different.

Here’s a great one that appeared in my inbox today regarding a post which I made on one of my old, inactive blogs. Before you read it, open a window, get a box of tissues and sit down in a comfortable chair.

_____________

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Public Service Announcement: HEALTHCARE-ASSOCIATED...":

“good morning dudes. I'm honestly into shoes and I had been digging as far as something that meticulous brand. The prices seeking the boots were approximately 320 pounds everwhere. But finally I bring about this locate selling them someone is concerned half price. I really love those [url=http://www.shoesempire.com]prada sneakers[/url]. I will absolutely purchase those. what can you tell me about these?” Publish this comment. Reject this comment. Moderate comments for this blog.

____________

If I were a mean-spirited fellow, which I am not, I would probably say something like, “The person who left that comment would probably sit down in a hardware store and order a corned beef sandwich.” But I won’t.

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle

Braintenance: Sand Sifting and Cypherin'

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Braintenance: Sand Sifting and Cypherin’

Here's a Braintenance question from over a week ago, with the answer posted right underneath it. I’ll bet you’d thought that I’d forgotten about it. Well…I never forget; I just get distracted.

Since we've become much more knowledgeable about cylinders and cones, this question has two parts:

If we wanted to divide a truckload of 100 cubic feet of sand (note that we're working on sand, because it's easier to part the sand than to part the sea, generally speaking) equally into two containers, and one of them is a cylinder with a base (radius) of three feet, and the other is a cone with a radius of nine feet, how tall must the cone be? How tall must the cylinder be?

As we recall:

The Formula for the Volume of a Cylinder = Pi x radius^2 x height [or Pi, times the radius squared, times the height]

The Formula for the Volume of a Cone = 1/3 x Pi x radius^2 x height [or one-third of Pi, times the radius squared, times the height]

Pi is the Greek letter representing the constant ratio between the circumference of a circle and its diameter, which is often expressed as either 22/7, or as 3.14.

To get the answers, we just substitute the radius measurements and the amount of square footage of sand (both of which we’ve been given, thank goodness) into the formulas:

For the cylinder, it will be –
Pi x 3 feet^2 x height = 50 cubic feet, or
3.14 x 9 x height = 50, or
28.26 x height = 50, or
Height = 50/ 28.26 = 1.769 feet in height. (a short, squat cylinder…kind of stumpy, in fact)

For the cone, it will be –
1/3 x Pi x 9 feet^2 x height = 50 cubic feet, or
1/3 x 3.14 x 81 x height = 50, or
84.78 x height = 50, or
Height = 50/ 84.78 = 0.589 feet in height (a short, squat cone…even stumpier than the cylinder)

Observation = The height of the cone is one-third the height of the cylinder when the radius of the cone is three times that of the cylinder. Is this reciprocal relationship always true? Yes it is. In every case where the relationship between the cone's radius and the cylinder's radius is 1 to 3 (or 1:3), the ratio of the heights (assuming that they each contain the same volume of sand, or something more interesting) will be the inverse, or 3 to 1 (or 3:1).

My, but this gets me tired. I'm leaving. See you soon.
Faithfully,

Douglas Castle

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Two Paths for the US Economy: Extinction or Revolution. - [Next Post We'll Have the Answer to Your Last Solid Geometry Question]

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Two Paths for the US Economy: Extinction or Revolution.

Dear Friends:

I do not believe that an economic recovery is truly in store for the United States, and I am extremely frightened by the two glaring alternate possibilities that lie ahead in the American Futurescape. Deeper indebtedness without a means of repayment never, ever works. Unemployment (and underemployment) is growing. Consumer and business credit markets are tightening… I see an endless chain of band-aids over a gangrenous body. Are we a terminally-diagnosed patient? Are we, the patient, a sovereign nation lying in a hospital bed whose life is being artificially, scientifically prolonged through illusions, rhetoric and deferred consequences (stall tactics).

The innovators and entrepreneurs, our most productive and prolific business population segment, are not being fed much more than lip service. Collectively and collaboratively, we are called upon to take our future into our own hands. We can only do this by uniting and cooperating. Through my work with The National Networker Companies, I was led to the notion of the GICBC – the Global Interworked Cooperative Business Community. I now see this new entity as an ark to transport the willing seedlings of a new socio-economic system to a safe landing place while the flood waters rise.

Look up the GICBC in a Google search. If you feel yourself compelled to help with the groundwork required to build a future that does not have to result in extinction or revolution, please click on http://bit.ly/contactTNNW , and reach out to us. Just be certain to put “GICBC” in the subject line.

àOne of the best treatments for emotional or economic depression is to take action. Isn’t it time we, as entrepreneurs, emerging business leaders, aggressive networkers and innovators, stopped standing idly by, hands at our sides, and watching a parade of blunders, gaffes, lies and post- mortem disclosures?

The excerpted and edited information which follows begs several questions:

1. Who is making economic policy and is the ultimate controlling force in the

economy? Is it Congress, the Treasury or the Federal Reserve Board? Has the White House any real power to intercede or control – or is it merely a symbolic institution that routinely leaks or announces “news” that is actually palliative rhetoric? Who is in charge? Who (name them!) has the power?

2. Do the country’s citizens and taxpayers have any say whatsoever in this process?

3. What will be the ultimate implications and costs of this currency and bond printfest?

4. When will the inevitable aftershocks be felt?

5. Who will be impacted and how? Who will pay this incredible, unprecedented, chasm of unsupported and ever-growing debt? Can it ever be repaid?

àThe average US citizen has come to distrust the government, large corporations, and even the notion of “honest business.” The middle-class is fast evaporating. There are more “working poor” than ever before in US history, both in absolute numbers and in percentage of the total population. A smaller percentage of US citizens (and other parties) owns and controls more of the entire nation’s wealth than ever before. We are becoming very like a creature with a tiny brain and a giant body which is unfed. Don’t creatures like that tend to become extinct?

Please read the brief excerpt which follows…

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle
_______________________________________

Dirty Government Tricks... Heartbreaking Tales of Corporate Chicanery... and the Biggest Investor Myth of a Generation...

February 23, 2010

NOTE: This material was excerpted from a direct email investment solicitation sent to me by THE MOTLEY FOOL. I have edited some of the content. I do not endorse their publication, its point of view, or any of its investment recommendations. I do not offer financial, investment, tax, legal, accounting, health or medical advice. I merely offer my opinion in a non-professional capacity for the purposes of illustration, edification and entertainment. Really.

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle http://aboutDouglasCastle.blogspot.com

p.s. I occasionally quote other writers because I enjoy their style of writing, or because I believe that they might have something valid to express. I share these materials with my readers as I deem appropriate.

Dear Fellow American,

Talk about a low-down, bag-over-the-head, kick-to-the-groin tactic...

On Christmas Eve 2009, while Americans were smack in the middle of holiday festivities... wrapping presents, spending time with family and friends, and toasting the season...

The U.S. Treasury quietly issued a press release. In hopes nobody would notice. And few did at that moment.

Here's the story. In September 2008, when the government first stepped in and bailed out America's two largest mortgage companies, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Congress put a $200 billion limit on federal assistance...

Last year, the Treasury doubled the amount to $400 billion. And then on Christmas Eve 2009 -- they lifted the limit altogether!

The Wall Street Journal dubbed it "the Christmas Eve taxpayer massacre."

Of course, "bailout" and "federal assistance" are just government-speak for reaching into taxpayers' wallets and giving our money to failing and flawed companies.

You see, we're being forced to buy senior preferred stock from Fannie and Freddie to cover their exponentially mounting losses. And while the government would have us believe these firms are being nursed back to health, the truth, as you'll discover in a second, is more insidious than anyone could've imagined.

The government would have you believe the mortgage companies you're being forced to invest in (bail out) are being nursed back to health...
But would you believe these companies are actually being directed by the government to lose money? It's true.

According to The Wall Street Journal, "The loss cap is being lifted because the government has directed both companies to pursue money-losing strategies by modifying mortgages to prevent foreclosures."
In other words, Fannie and Freddie are now being permitted and directed to lose even more money, transferring wealth from taxpayers to overextended borrowers and flawed businesses.

In other words still -- we're being forced (by the government) to invest in companies directed (by the government) to lose money. Can there be anything worse?
####

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Braintenance: Sorting Sand Into Two Containers, Continued! (02.16.2010)

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Dear Friends:

Here is the question (if you have a negative outlook, you might call it a "problem" instead of a question) which I had posed to you last week:

The mission is to find the heights of each two containers, one which is cylindrical and one of which is conical such that each one can hold the same exact amount (volume) of sand. Each of the containers must have a floor area (which is a circular base, naturally) of three square feet.

Here are the formulas required to either a) answer the question, or b) solve the problem. These formulas are part of the study of solid geometry:

Quick Note: In the formulas that follow, instead of using superscript ("powers") to show exponents, I have used the ^ sign. For example, 5^2 is "five to the second power" or "five squared".

The Formula for the Area of a Circle = Pi x radius^2 [or Pi times the radius squared]

The Formula for the Volume of a Cylinder = Pi x radius^2 x height [or Pi, times the radius squared, times the height]

The Formula for the Volume of a Cone = 1/3 x Pi x radius^2 x height [or one-third of Pi, times the radius squared, times the height]

Pi is the Greek letter representing the constant ratio between the circumference of a circle and its diameter, which is often expressed as either 22/7, or as 3.14.

ANSWER (SOLUTION)

The first thing we know is that both containers have the same sized base (a circle, or more properly, a disc) and therefore have the same radius.

Just by observation, it is apparent that a cone having the same radius as a cylinder, would only hold (or contain) one third the amount of anything (such as sand) that it was filled with as would the cyclinder. Put another way, the cylinder can hold three times as much sand as the cone (assuming that they both have the same radius, which also means that they would have the same base size, or footprint). Seen from yet another perspective, the cone would have to be three times the height of the cylinder in order to hold (or contain) the same amount of a substance; in this case, to hold the same amount of sand.

The answer (or the solution) is that the height of the cone must be three times the height of the cylinder. For example, if the cylinder were three feet in height, the cone would have to be nine feet in height; if the cylinder were five feet in height, the cone would have to be fifteen feet in height. There is an infinite number of possible correct numerical answers, providing that the cone is always three times as tall as the cylinder.
--------------

Here's a question for next time. Since we've become much more knowledgeable about cylinders and cones, this questions has two parts:

If we wanted to divide a truckload of 100 cubic feet of sand (note that we're working on sand, because it's easier to part the sand than to part the sea, generally speaking) equally into two containers, and one of them is a cylinder with a base (radius) of three feet, and the other is a cone with a radius of nine feet, how tall must the cone be? How tall must the cylinder be?

Take good care of your brain. Remember, your brain is like a muscle -- it grows stronger with exercise. Give it a workout. Take it out for a spin. Your mind can expand to meet most any challenge. Ironically, most of us are far more intelligent than we think we are.

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Urgent - New Addresses For THE NATIONAL NETWORKER COMPANIES

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Urgent - New Addresses For THE NATIONAL NETWORKER COMPANIES

Dear Friends, Readers and Colleagues:

Recently, one of our url-shortening services, twitlik.com, ceased its business, relegating many of our links to "dead - end" status. We have replaced the service and are trying to repair (by some sort of reverse engineering) so of the links embedded into our archived articles for The National Networker Newsletter and The Blue Tuesday Report.

We do not want to lose touch with anyone, and we do not want to deprive new visitors of their chance to join TNNW's GICBC (Global Interworked Cooperative Business Community) as members, free of charge.

Here are some of the urls to our key pages and functions, both direct (i.e., long, but always working) and shortened through bit.ly, which is one of the more reliable services. Please keep these addresses handy, and consider this our invitation to communicate and collaborate with us.

Should you have any questions, please feel at liberty to email Adam J. Kovitz directly at Adam@TheNationalNetworker.com, or to simply click on http://bit.ly/ContactTNNW .

It promises to be a very busy week -- we are actively consolidating and re-designing our website, commencing on Friday (aaaaaah...) and I am going in for some minor surgery (a cranial expansion to accommodate my ego) tomorrow.

Here are the key addresses. Please use them with our compliments:

1. The TNNWC and the publications: http://www.TheNationalNetworker.com

2. The RSS and Daily Email Feed:

http://TheNationalNetworkerWeblog.blogspot,com

3. To subscribe to TNNW and Blue Tuesday, and to join us (free):

http://www.mailermailer.com/x?oid=22760i or

http://bit.ly/JoinTNNW

4. To receive the free RSS feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheNationalNetworkerWeblog or

http://bit.ly/rssTNNW

5. To receive the free Daily Email:

http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=TheNationalNetworkerWeblog or

http://bit.ly/emailTNNW

6. TNNW News Release and PR Services: http://tnnwcservices1.blogspot.com/ or

http://bit.ly/ReleasesTNNW

7. TNNW Buzzworks Services: http://tnnwc-tnnwbuzzworks.blogspot.com or

http://bit.ly/Buzzworks (learn about Buzzology)

8. TNNW Blogworks Services: http://tnnwc-tnnwblogworks.blogspot.com or

http://bit.ly/Blogworks

9. The National Newspicker: http://thenationalnewspickerpage.blogspot.com (20 minutes per day to be up-to-date on virtually everything in the news that matters

10.Comment On This Article (From Readers): https://ciof.wufoo.com/forms/comment-on-this-article/ or

http://bit.ly/commentsTNNW

11.Contact Us (for people who want to just communicate with us, co-venture with us or wish to write for us): https://ciof.wufoo.com/forms/contact-the-national-networker-companies/ or http://bit.ly/contactTNNW .

As always, thank you for fueling our growth, and for being a part of something wonderful -- a sea change in the quality of life for society, and a pradigm shift for the structure of a new form of business entity.

Welcome aboard.

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle

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*Published by THE NATIONAL NETWORKER Newsletter. All rights reserved. Join our GICBC and receive Your TNNW Newsletter and THE BLUE MONDAY REPORT! - Click HERE.
The National Networker Companies

Monday, February 8, 2010

"A nation that produces nothing but advice and advisors will ultimately find itself without clients or an economy." - Douglas Castle

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"A nation that produces nothing but advice and advisors will ultimately find itself without clients or an economy."- Douglas Castle

Twitter Destination Tags: #GICBC #TNNW_BUZZWORKS #IEP_VOICE #BRAINTENANCE #GETGLOBALEDGE #douglascastle

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Braintenance: Sorting Sand Into Two Containers (02.08.2010)

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Dear Fellow Frenetic Self-Growth Enthusiasts:

The mission is to find the heights of each two containers, one which is cylindrical and one of which is conical such that each one can hold the same exact amount (volume) of sand. Each of the containers must have a floor area (which is a circular base, naturally) of three square feet.

Using some simple solid geometry and some simple algebra, this mission should be easy to accomplish. Good luck.

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle

About Douglas Castle

Douglas Castle - LinkedIn Profile

The National Networker Companies

Braintenance - Stay razor sharp.

The Internationalist Page - A world without barriers.

The Global Futurist - Revealing trends.

Taking Command! - Mastering your fate.

Follow Castle on Twitter

Follow TNNW on Twitter

*Follow Braintenance on Twitter

*Subscribe (free!) for The National Networker Newsletter and the BLUE TUESDAY REPORT at Join Us!

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Braintenance - At Last! Some Answers to the post of 1/25/2010.

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Dear Friends – Here are some answers to the problems posed in the BRAINTENANCE posting of January 25, 2010.

These problems are ridiculously simple. Or maybe not....
1) If you have started a savings account with $100,000.00 which accumulates interest at 4% compounded annually, after 10 years, what will be the accumulated sum in the account?

Solution: Using the Compound Interest Calculator, the answer turns out to be $148,024.43. The principal amount was $100,000, the annual addition was $0.00, the years to grow were 10, the interest rate was 4%, and interest was compounded once annually.

2) Applying the same facts as in question #1, above, and assuming that inflation accumulates at a rate of 3% compounded per annum, how much would the accumulated sum in the account be worth (in the equivalent buying power of today's dollars) at the end of the ten-year period?

Solution: The simplest way to do it would be to use the same calculator as in the problem above, and find the total amount of “compounded inflation” which would occur on the same principal amount at 3% annually over the 10 – year period.

Doing this gives us a compounded value of $134,391.64…this means that the amount of compounded inflation on the account is $34,391.64. If we subtract $34,391.64 (the loss due to inflation) from the compounded total in the account of $148,024.43, we are left with $113,632.79. Inflation has taken its toll on our purchasing power!

3) Will the sum of an odd and an even number always turn out to be even or odd? (The smart answer "yes" is unacceptable).

Solution: Odd. Here’s the rule: The sum of an odd and an even number will always be odd; the sum of two even numbers will always be even; and the sum of two odd numbers will always be even, as well.

4) Will the product obtained by multiplying an odd and an even number always turn out to be even or odd? (Again, the smart answer "yes" is unacceptable).

Solution: Even. Here’s the rule: When an even and an odd number are multiplied together, the product will always be even; when two even numbers are multiplied, the product will always be even; and when two odd numbers are multiplied, the product will always be odd.

5) When people work together and combine their mental capabilities, the resulting "mind power" will be increased. If five collaborators are working together on the same project, what will the total mind power (expressed as a number) be if: a) the power is an arithmetic sum; b) the power is a geometric product; c) if the power is an exponential product???

Solution:

a) the power of five minds.
b) the power of 25 minds (5 x 5) or perhaps the power of 32 minds (2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2).
c) the power of 3,125 minds (5 x 5 x 5 x 5 x 5 x 5).

If you believe that this is the potential power which could be generated by a mere five people working together (with 100% efficiency/ telepathy and 100% cooperation/ active thought), and others feel similarly, why do you suppose that that potential (assuming that it could be accurately measured) would very seldom, if ever, be reached? This is an open question that leads us into areas of behavioral psychology and group dynamics, but it’s very worthwhile to ponder.

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle

*Follow BRAINTENANCE on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Braintenance .
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*Also: Take a look at the following sites ---HUMANITAS MAXIMUS, TAKING COMMAND!, INTERNAL ENERGY PLUS BLOG, INTERNAL ENERGY PLUS WEBSITE, THE NATIONAL NETWORKER, THE GLOBAL FUTURIST, THE INTERNATIONALIST PAGE.

*Contact the author at douglas.castle@yahoo.com .
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BRAINTENANCE: Train, Strain And Improve Your Brain. Expand Your Mind.

Pages

Sunday, February 28, 2010

MERELY AN OVERSIGHT.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

There's No "F" in Broccoli, and other tales involving intellectually challenged persons.

Braintenance: Sand Sifting and Cypherin'

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Two Paths for the US Economy: Extinction or Revolution. - [Next Post We'll Have the Answer to Your Last Solid Geometry Question]

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Braintenance: Sorting Sand Into Two Containers, Continued! (02.16.2010)

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Urgent - New Addresses For THE NATIONAL NETWORKER COMPANIES

Monday, February 8, 2010

"A nation that produces nothing but advice and advisors will ultimately find itself without clients or an economy." - Douglas Castle

Braintenance: Sorting Sand Into Two Containers (02.08.2010)

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Braintenance - At Last! Some Answers to the post of 1/25/2010.

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