‘Migration Resource Centre’ set up for the benefit of migrant workers IN SRILANKA..!!!

‘Migration Resource Centre’ set up for the benefit of migrant workers
August 24, 2011, 10:48 pm


By Jayantha de Silva


All foreign employment agencies would come under a rating system similar to the prevalent system for luxury star class hotels, Minister of Foreign Employment Dilan Perera said on Tuesday.


He was speaking at the launch of the Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau’s newest facility named ‘Migration Resource Centre’ at the SLFEB where a 24-hour hot line enables all migrant workers to contact resource personnel for any purpose or access any information they may require.


The occasion was attended by a large gathering of foreign employment agents.


During a recent tour to Malaysia he found that certain employment agencies were resorting to unethical practices. Steps would be taken to suspend the license of those unscrupulous agencies after giving them a time frame to rectify their short comings, he said.


A fourth of the employment agencies were found to be corrupt, the Minister said.


He said that the current emphasis is on training trainees for the Malaysian job market.


He described the newly inaugurated facility as the ‘e ombudsman’ which empowers those Sri Lankans who had gone to the desert (Velikathara) to share their grievances with those from their motherland.


He expressed optimism that the facility would surpass the government information centre which acts in a similar capacity.


Secretary to the President, Lalith Weeratunge said that the remittance earned last year from migrant workers amounted to US$ 4.1 Billion.


Outlining the importance of migrant workers for the country’s coffers, he said, that they toiled under difficult conditions and the launch of the facility was in line with the Mahinda Chintana concept for the development of the worker.


He urged that the issues of these workers accessed via this facility be speedily redressed.


Chairman of the SLFEB Kingsley Ranawaka said that the 7,000 complaints received per year had been reduced to 3,000.


He said that welfare centres for the benefit of migrant families would also be set up.


The Resource Centre became a reality as a result of SLFEB’s endeavour to reach the people. It will be functioning 24 hours all 7 days a week.


Richard Danziger Chief de Mission International Organisation for Migrants said that Sri Lanka was the 5th country to have established a Migration Resource Centre. The European Union had financially assisted the venture which is a great benefit to people of Sri Lanka.


www island.lk

SEE! HOW SINHALA REGIME/ADMN DISCRIMINATE TAMIL MUSLIMS IN NW-SRILANKA! IC/UN INTERVENTION TO SAVE TAMIL SPEAKING PEOPLE NOW...!!!

Parents say they were chased away when requested the examination officials to provide teachers who spoke and understood Tamil

A group of students who sat for the year-five scholarship exam in north western Sri Lanka complain of serious difficulties to answer exam papers due to lack of Tamil language supervisors.
65 Tamil-medium school children have sat for the exam in Monnekulama Maha Vidayalaya in the Kurunegala district.

The children are students from Abukkagama Muslim Maha Vidyalaya and Galpanawa Muslim Vidayalaya.



Sinhala medium teachers could not answer when they raised queries, say children who sat for the exam
Their parents have requested the examination officials on Sunday to provide teachers who spoke and understood Tamil.

Instead of meeting with their request, the officials chased them away, parents told journalist Prasad Purnimal Jaymanne who visited Monnekulama Maha Vidayalaya.

When the parents raised the issue after the exam, officials have called the police in.

Muslim children who sat for the exam told BBC Sandeshaya that the Sinhala medium teachers could not answer when they raised queries with regard to the Tamil-medium question papers.

A discrimination that has carried on for ages against a minority in Sri Lanka, the parents said, has now reached school level exams.

Creativity........!!! ...Rosaine Cooray

When I prepare for lectures I try to remember a line from the movie 'A Beautiful Mind' in which John Nash mentions to his students how 'classes will dull your mind and destroy the potential for authentic creativity.' Hence, I include as many activities, discussions, role plays as possible that enable students to think on their feet, to demonstrate their contribution to the lectures and finally to have fun when learning.

A couple of weeks ago, I had to assess students in groups of three on their presentations, where they had to showcase their knowledge in their chosen area, along with a video clip for three minutes, which they had produced as support material. Many strategies where used to drive the message home; enacting the beggar culture ruled by beggar masters to show the leader-follower relationships, storytelling about real life, humble transformational leaders who make a difference in everyday life, videos that clearly portrayed the stereotypes and discrimination at work or team dynamics using analogies from the natural world of ant trails and bee hives. They were all good particularly for an undergraduate, almost reaching the bar of excellence. However, the last presentation for the day, made me re-evaluate my assessment criteria altogether.

This last team proposed a novel and ground breaking idea to leadership that challenged parenting and the education system. The video was created with interviews of people from different ages and socio economic backgrounds. What they proposed was to identify and select street-smart children from all strata, who show tremendous amount of will in their childhood.

They would then be groomed with moral guidance and exposed to new experiences, thereby encouraging them to embrace growth in all areas, with a structured support system. How unethical? How can you select only a few so called 'promising' children? They all change as they grow up, don't they? And why do you have to put them into a box from the very beginning? How about the other children? Children are children; are they not entitled to the same privileges of support and guidance? My initial reaction was 'have I not taught them ethics?' I could see even other students in the audience becoming uneasy, like I felt at that moment. Of course the Q&A was a heated debate.

It took me a couple of minutes of silence after the class to truly appreciate that last presentation. It was not about 'how' I felt; it was about getting me to feel something in the first place. Only true creativity can do that. Regardless of its outcome or its viability, the courage in approaching this controversial idea was commendable. The greatest forte of this team was that they got the audience to think differently, as they stretched the boundaries of our philosophy. It was a compelling idea that paved the way to more divergent thinking about how we rear, nurture, educate, expose, morally help and mould the young generation to become future leaders who make a positive difference in the society. And, this is a very timely topic that is both local and universal.

It is not leadership that I focus on today; it is creativity that is both original and adaptive, in that they make a meaningful contribution. We require creativity in everything from mathematics, social sciences and performing arts, to planning a trip, dressing up to work and preparing a meal. 'Big C' creativity is typified by extreme originality and inventiveness like in the case of an artist or a poet. The 'little c' creativity refers to everyday creativity and ingenuity in which people come up with creative solutions for daily problems.
Many managers complain how their teams have to be told, how they don't take initiative or think outside the box. We all know that the future requires more than followers of Arthur C. Clark or Geoffrey Bawa or Carl Muller. The future needs people who believe that they are crazy enough to go against the herd to bring about innovation and change.

Even though some are inherently more creative than others, almost all of us have the capacity to rise up to the occasion when required. In fact, research reveals that the lack of creativity is a habit acquired through conformity and rigid systems. Apart from the passive and hard-grounded circuits of thinking resulting from our spoon-feeding education and tuition cultures, creativity at work does not take place due to lack of freedom given, discouragement of calculated risk taking, fear of being judged and evaluated or a few dominant personalities who always think that only they are right.

We cannot be creative, not because we can't think but because we can't stop thinking. Normally, it strikes you when your mind is quiet. Being creative requires love for learning, curiosity, engagement, open-mindedness, breaking mental sets, reframing familiar problems in unique ways, understanding complexities, keeping all options open, avoiding premature judgements and 'productive forgetting' of ideas that stubbornly repress all other novel thoughts. One has got to be prepared to be creative; it has to be invited and welcomed, so you could also allow ideas to incubate.

However, in an organization, after one puts it all together, the ideas have to be verified by others for feasibility and further fine-tuning. How can you promote creativity in organisations? You can train people to be creative, make jobs intrinsically interesting, encourage openness to new experiences and take them on thinking expeditions. You can also give your people the time to question the same problem from different angles and solutions to cross-pollinate, have realistic deadlines for creative projects, promote diversity, provide support from the top and reward and recognise people for creativity.

What if you are an individual wanting to be creative and innovative? We all have a great need to belong, to be a part of the wave, but you must trust that your personality is unique, hence your contribution to whatever you do. Even at first when nothing is favouring you and when others may think that your ideas are odd and unpopular, you must strive to find your own voice. Because the longer you wait to begin, the less likely you are to find it at all. And of course I am proud of my students!

(The writer is a Business Psychologist working in Colombo and can be reached at rozaine@forte.lk).

Island.lk

Did youknow by the time you finish reading this you will have travelled 1000s of kilometres without any bumps.!!!

IRAIWA உண்டென்று சொல்வதுன்த​ன் படைப்பல்லவா​!


Rajes Yasmin William

ARE YOU GOING FASTER THAN A SPEEDING BULLET?


Did youknow by the time you finish reading this you will have travelled thousands of kilometres without any bumps!


Considerthe following:
The earthis 40,000 kilometres incircumference and rotates once every 24 hours.
Thus,points near the equator move atabout 1,600 kilometres an hour. (The poles ofcourse just spin on the spot)
Again theEarth itself orbits the Sun at 30 kilometres a second,
while thesolar system as a wholetravels around the hub of the Milky Way at an astonishing249 kilometres a second!


Bullets, bycomparison, travel at less than 1.2 kilometres a second.


Our planetearth is truly a wonder- a rare, beautiful, blue and white jewel in space in asuperbly organised Solar system.


The sunwhich is a medium sized star is the ‘nucleus’ around which the earth and the otherplanets with their moons
move inPRECISE orbits.Year after year they revolve with such mathematical certaintythat astronomers can
accuratelypredict where they will beat any future time.


As the earthorbits the sun once a year the earth travels at a speed of about 108,000 km anhour.
That speedis JUST RIGHT to offset the gravitational pull of the sun and keep the earth atthe proper distance.
If thatspeed were decreased the earth would be pulled toward the sun and become ascorched wasteland like Mercury.
However, ifEarth’s orbital speed wereincreased, it would move farther away from the sunand could become an icywaste like Pluto.


Inaddition, the earth consistently makes a complete rotation on its axis every 24hours.
Thisprovides regular periods of light and darkness. IF the earth rotated on its axisjust once a year
it wouldmean the same side of the earth would be facing the sun all year long and
that sidewould become a furnace likedesert, while the side away would become a sub zerowasteland
where fewor no living things could exist.


WE LIVE INA VERY FINELY TUNED UNIVERSE. (And get a free trip around the sun every year!!!!!!!!!)


Could this really have come about by chance? Take the back cover of your watch and lookingat the precise timing mechanism,

simply askyourself ‘was this designed by an intelligent person or is it a resolve ofan explosion in a metal factory?


CREATION ISTHE PROOF OF OUR CREATOR

AND WE HAVE NO EXCUSE NOT TO BELIEVE. Romans 1:20









ஒருங்கிணைந்த புலம்பெயர்ந்த தமிழ்நெஞ்சங்களே!
Let us recognize
we are praying to the King of the universe

Creator of the world

who made the mountains
and who can move them
From இமயம் to இலங்கை
I-F NECESSARY!! Matthew 17:20


PLEASE DEDICATE
THE FIRST SUNDAY OF THE MONTH
TO ALMIGHTY GOD
WITH ALL DAY PRAYERS AND FASTING
FOR THE DELIVERANCE OF OUR OPPRESSED PEOPLE IN CEYLON

This Sunday 7th August 2011

CAN WE UNITE, PLEASE..!!!

CAN WE UNITE, PLEASE

“Is it the community isunited and the leaders are divided”



When I work ONLY for money and my own selfish purpose, sometimes, I getdiscouraged and sometimes disappointed. But when I do work to improve the livesof all of us I find myself enthused and exhilarated, I feel a sense ofrelaxation and satisfaction.



If every Tamil brother and sister, put aside our personal differencesand selfish motives, at least for a while unite in the name of our community wecan achieve a lot.

Rest assured that if you want to make a big slash in life, you have tobecome community oriented. The people who got rich from the Diaspora Tamil willwitness to it. When you meet a man, who is lonely and emaciated inquire abouthim and you will find that he lost his community, family and friends.



When I read the news about TGTE invited to the South Sudan freedom day celebrations, I wondered whythe other Tamils were not invited or correctly put why the other Tamils werenot incorporated.



The problem Tamil people face is not from outside, it is the lack ofcommunity coherence and adherence. Or is it the community is united and the leaders are divided?



worldclasstamil.com Moderator

info@worldclasstamil.com

-------------------------

Massey Subra

massey@tidolcorp.com

The realization of a free & just society & a govt that speaks for all & is responsive to the voice of the people is the ideal we all seek...!!!

Information & ideas flow, innovative thinking key to good governance
June 4, 2011, 4:35 pm

Gnana Moonesinghe


Well entrenched dictators with seemingly endless life spans have suddenly been shaken to the roots of their 30/ 40 years of authoritarian rule. Many of them have planned dynastic longevity by grooming their offspring to succeed them. Secure with a loyal, well equipped military no threat was envisaged. The people even in oil rich countries in the Middle- East remained in poverty sheltered through religious fervour for solace of which the authorities made sure there was no short supply. This could have gone on but for the action of one man who having found no way of having his complaint registered in the police station decided to demonstrate his frustration by dousing himself with petrol and burning himself to death; he used the only option left to him, to commit suicide.


He lost his life but he achieved the attention of his countrymen. Tunisia where this happened erupted, followed by Egypt, Lybia, Syria and Lebanon. The spontaneous uprisings in such large numbers have shaken the governments; some have already been thrown out some are in the process of being removed. That it was an impressive shake up, among otherwise politically ‘silent’ people impressed the world to the possible potential of the surge. As time passes what seems to come as the awakening moment is that the unplanned protests had no quick fix plans for the future. If opportunists get control of the transition governments it can put to rest the hopes of the people who spearheaded the protests for change.


This brings us to a significant moment for our times - the absolute imperative to encourage the flow of new information from independent international sources for alternative systems of effective governance. All countries must recognize the power of ideas and the urgency to foster the culture of ideas; this type of intellectual activity remains the focus of think tanks that employ its energy and resources to work on selected subjects in order to generate ‘social capital’, discourage elitist group power and demonstrate ways and means of scrutinising government performance that would empower people to work towards good governance. Such resource centers have become vital at a time when retention of political power has become the end of political ambition and the growing trend of suspicion of intellectualism becomes the lingua franca of most administrations. Intellectualism is increasingly viewed as a contradiction to ‘simple’ thinking, opposing viewpoints have no place in the policy making dialogue.


Home grown ideas


In Sri Lanka home grown ideas and home grown systems and systems management are welcomed, the claim being that in the final analysis the people, and policy makers, and all others familiar with home grown ‘wisdom’ will find it easy to disseminate such ideas because such thought processes have the ‘localness’ that is considered feasible for adaptability. Home grown is equated to the inspiration provided from the collective wisdom of the indigenous people. This was one of the reasons for several politicians to raise opposition to the 1948 constitution as an imposition by the British and wanted it replaced with an autochthonous constitution, a Sri Lankan product as in the 1972 Constitution. The subsequent remedies by way of new constitutions and constitutional amendments have not provided the solutions on the expected scale to the politicians, bureaucrats or the civil society.


It is essential to emphasise to the politicians, the bureaucrats and the civil society, that in the modern world, ideas and exchange of ideas, has become the umbilical cord that creates the intellectual stimulus for linking the world of humanity to the world of innovative thinking. Interactions with such independent movements engaged in intellectual activity and absorption of what is essential for one’s personal, group or national requirements, helps humanity to forge ahead making gainful use of new ideas that is made available to them. Overdependence on home grown ideas, in sterile conditions without the injection of new thought waves from external sources, pigmy the growth of intellectualism in any country.


Sri Lanka, a developing country suffers from a patent shortfall in scholarship among the political leaders as well as among the bureaucrats and civil society largely due to the consequences of the language policy of 1956. Education in the vernacular was introduced without providing facilities for translations of available literature as well as of the new addition to the later publications that would have helped the students keep abreast with developments in the international knowledge systems. The students who came through with lean access to research guidance are those who are now in charge of positions of influence in the public sector. It is therefore imperative that responsible and competent Think Tanks make available for the policy makers and to the public, research focussed on subjects required by the government and the bureaucracy. Factual information based on acknowledged methods of scientific research and analysis will come in handy for policy making, to the day to day movements in administration and to the general public. This will increase the information flow in such short supply in the country. Options for choice based on academic research and the experience in other countries in similar situations will inflate the ‘knowledge fund’.


Think Tanks – source of dissemination of ideas for informed policy making.


It is in this context that this contribution attempts to assess the significance of organizations such as Think Tanks that can fill the vacuum in independent scholarly research. Think Tanks are usually organizations which engage in academic research that address public concerns in any area that is of interest to the public. There are different types of Think Tanks but what would be greatly appreciated in Sri Lanka would be those that can provide ‘policy relevant’ research that will benefit needs of the policy makers, bureaucrats, civil rights activists. True that the purely academic research oriented Think Tanks are capable of producing scholarly, objective research on matters selected by them and their publications are valuable to all because of their credibility as non partisan, independent, ‘cerebral’ organizations. However too often such research is accessed largely by the intellectual elite who are not always able to influence decision makers nor are they interested to ‘walk the talk’ down the corridors of the powerful in the country. On the other hand the think tanks engaged in research focussed on the immediate needs of the country can make their research available to politicians and policy makers. Such focussed information will be invaluable to civil rights organizations that are engaged in empowering the people. Information will be available on critical issues that will facilitate people to take knowledgeable and balanced decisions without being influenced by the rhetoric of the politician, or in default by the lack of information flow from the bureaucracy or the biased reporting in the media.


The role of Think Tanks will be to provide research that reflects divergent opinions and view points to the policy makers and to the public. This will show that there is just not one way but several others to reach the same goal. Braced with such information political leaders can weigh the value of different options and make their decisions. It will also show the leaders that it is not necessary to hold rigid view points and that one can on the basis of information at their command change one’s earlier held positions. Back tracking in view of weightier counsel is a sign of maturity and not weakness.


To be able to win the confidence of recipients the Think Tanks must have demonstrable strengths on their staff that should consist of men and women of academic excellence with practical experience. Of the notable Think Tanks we have in this country, many of them are independent institutions working in one or more chosen agendas. Sometimes some are viewed as being partial in their research because of their enthusiastic support of particular causes or policy line. This makes it difficult to give credibility to their findings, and ‘truth’ as presented by them becomes questionable. Under such circumstances governments select personnel to advice them from among trusted officials, friends and relations to ensure ‘loyalty’. With no time lost these positions become coveted powerful situations to be secured at all cost. Soon objectivity becomes the casualty and advice rendered is what is perceived to be acceptable to the powers rather than what is relevant and good for the country. In UK too, not long ago ‘special advisors" were appointed who were rather derogatorily referred to as ‘mere gatekeepers’. Of late it has been commented that there is recognition that ‘there is political utility in thinking, for few things are politically toxic than a lack of ideas’. This can apply to any country. (Thinking Capital)


It is therefore timely that we in Sri Lanka too open ourselves to fresh thought waves and encourage the establishment of Think Tanks manned by academia, members of the private sector and retired public servants recognised for their contributions to pubic policy and well known for their non partisanship and integrity. As in other places it will be useful to encourage visiting scholars as well as journalists, lawyers, private sector personnel, and members from the military to participate for specified periods. The hoped for end result will be to draw new thinking and high quality research material from the mix of diverse specialization, such a mix of scholarship and experience can produce.


The agenda for Sri Lanka will always cover the following:


* Tstrengthen democratic structures that will recognize the principle of equity for all and the establishment of a reasonably acceptable quality of life for its citizens from all walks of life.


* Independent bureaucracy subject to the rules of a public service commission and open to public scrutiny for the maintenance of efficiency and integrity free from temptations of corruption.


* MMore participatory governance responsive to people’s needs, where dissent is possible and citizens are equipped to assert their freedoms constitutionally, administratively and by public assertion.


* IIndependence of the judiciary and the aggressive imposition of the rule of law - protected from invasive intrusions through executive or administrative fiats.


* RResolve the twin challenge to Sri Lanka- the limited space available for equal access to economic opportunities and the absence of a concerted attempt to resolve the ethnic differences as priority number one.


* PPower sharing mechanisms aimed to unify the multi ethnic multi cultural communities into the national mould of inclusivity and ownership.


* SStructures and roles of institutions to work the democratic framework be clearly defined and insulated from political interference.


* EEncourage independence of the media where ‘facts are sacred and comment free’.


Think tanks should provide various policy lines available to the public and make choices open to both the government and policy makers. It is important to have leaders and the public responsive to research findings. "The political tsunami in Singapore ….. serves as a sounding board for the future political landscape in Southeast Asia. . … Economic performance that has led to double -digit development is no longer sufficient criteria to sustain power holding without democracy and acceptable governance." (Financial Review 24.5.2011 –The Island) The Singaporean predicament is not for want of information flow but a classic example of a failure by the political leaders to hear people’s voices as well as to a lack of political will to respond to ‘information flow.’


It is necessary that contributions to fresh ‘thinking’ be taken in the spirit it is given and be viewed without distrust. The realization of a free and just society and a government that speaks for all and is responsive to the voice of the people is the ideal we all seek and which the research programs of the Think Tanks should deliver.



www island.lk

Whirlwind Tour of the Forces shaping the World in which we Live.!!

Bas Baskaran


We are all affected by socio-economic trends in our careers and personal lives. At the recent annual meeting in Savannah, GA, of the International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA), a group composed of major U.S. manufacturers of industrial safety products, economist Brian Beaulieu presented a 2.5-hour whirlwind tour of the forces shaping the world in which we live.

Beaulieu's views have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Barron's, Reuters and Forbes, among other outlets. He is chief economist for Vistage International, a global organization comprised of 14,000+ CEOs. He and his twin brother Alan currently have a show, "Make Your Move," on Voice America Business Channel.

The summary of highlights that follows does not specifically focus on workplace safety. But in Beaulieu's big picture blend of research-based facts and trends, plus predictions and opinions, you will see forces affecting professional health and safety careers, as well as current and emerging issues in the profession.

You won't agree with every opinion and prediction here - the old saying, "You can put economist end-to-end around the world and they'll never reach an agreement" - but Beaulieu's breadth of trends reporting is worth considering.



Predictions and Recommendations


1 - Buy agriculture commodity stocks.

2 - Our earth has a billion more people to feed.

3 - Be prepared for weather disruptions in the next 10-15 years worse than anything in the past 20 years.

4 - Long-term: look for a Great Depression between 2030-2040. You'll likely be on the sidelines, but your kids...

5 - Short-term: Not another recession until 2013-14, and it won't be nearly as bad as the last one.

6 - President Obama will be re-elected in 2012, due to good, positive economic conditions and weak GOP opposition.

7 - Japan's industrial production is dying.

8 - Who's afraid of China? The U.S. out-manufactures China on an everyday basis. Outsourced manufacturing is returning to the U.S. Strengthening the U.S. manufacturing base is a question of will, not ability.

9 - Pay no mind to Chinese economic data. No one does. It has no credibility.

10 - China faces a looming demographic crisis. China and the U.S. have roughly the same land mass. But China has four times the population of the U.S. China will not overtake the U.S. as the world's number one economic power. It lacks mineral wealth. China will be a consistent number two. We should stop looking over our shoulder for China coming up from behind. It ain't going to happen.

11 - Waiting on India: Conditions are ripe for India to become a stronger world economic power. Infrastructure is the number one problem facing the country. India has been poised to break out for 20 years.

12 - A lack of mobility exists in the U.S. workforce. There are 13 million unemployed, with three million job openings that can't be filled. People cannot up and move to where the jobs are due in part to the lousy housing market. They can't sell their homes.

13 - Mining is and will be one of the U.S. economy's stronger sectors.

14 - U.S. manufacturing produces only moderate job increases. A lack of skilled workers exists. Also, there exists a preference to employ machines over people.

15 - Unemployment will remain high. In 2014, look for the unemployment rate to be at 7.4 percent. Barriers to lowering unemployment: lack of workforce mobility; lack of workforce skills; the U.S. government has incentivized people not to work. It pays people not to work.

16 - Federal budget cuts will not be draconian. Any cut is met with the question: What is this going to do to jobs? Cuts hurt jobs. Politicians need to stay in office. They will not inflict severe budget cuts.

17 - Both Democrat and GOP deficit reduction plans are based on the assumption that the U.S. economy will grow at a 5.0 percent clip from 2010-2019. Since World War 2, average Gross Domestic Policy (GDP) has been 3.3 percent. Current deficit reduction plans on both sides of the aisle ain't gonna happen.

18 - Current U.S. federal government spending outlays: #1 Social Security; #2 Non-discretionary spending; #3 Defense; #4 Medicare; #5 Net interest; #6 All other entitlements; #7 Medicaid; #8 Obamacare subsidies; #9 Iraq and Afghanistan.

19 - Healthcare in the scheme of overall federal spending is not a big number.

20 - 80 percent of healthcare costs are incurred in the last two years of life.

21 - The definition of "fair" in U.S. healthcare spending is not equal opportunity but equal outcomes.

22 - It's not about politics, about Dems or the GOP. The biggest factor influencing economic policy today is the times we live in.

23 - There is no credit crunch in 2011. Cash is sloshing all around. Main Street bankers (not Wall Street) want to loan money, but regulators sitting in their lobby restrain them. Need a loan? Be persistent. Ask 21 times for a loan. Shop around. The average is to ask for a loan only four times, and then give up.

24 - Corporate balance sheets look good. They are very clean.

25 - An economically realistic price for a barrel of oil is $97. The price could reach $140-$150 in 2013. Any price north of $130 will make consumer consumption difficult. At that price point consumers must make choices about how to consume oil.

26 - Natural gas is the best bet for U.S. energy independence. Natural gas = electricity generation. If one-third of the U.S. population drove hybrid autos or diesel-powered vehicles, we wouldn't need Saudi oil. We wouldn't need the Middle East. Energy independence is within our grasp. But independence comes at a premium price most of us cannot afford.

27 - Look outside of the U.S. for your stock choices. Foreign firms or global U.S. firms with more than 50 percent of their revenue coming from sales outside of the U.S. Bonds will be going down in value.

28 - It will be an inflationary world in the next 20 years. Winners will be those countries wealthy in natural resources. Canada and Brazil, for instance. Australia and New Zealand.

29 - The U.S. economy is currently running on six of eight cylinders. Residential and non-residential construction is still down and out. But the recovery is better than the last one in 2004. Businesses are investing. The restaurant business is coming back. Hotel, motels and lodging business is rebounding. Consumers are spending again.

30 - Invest in eye care and bladder care healthcare companies. Demographics favor these kinds of healthcare businesses.

31 - We possess three-year memories. After a three-year period we tend to forget experiences. The Great Recession ended in 2009. By mid-2012 it will be out of mind. It will no longer be a behavioral determinant.

32 - Invest in residential real estate. New housing starts are as dead as a doornail. Existing homes and apartments are where 130 million new Americans by 2050 will live.

33 - Population winners and losers at the state level: Biggest gains - Texas, North Carolina, Arizona, Georgia, and Florida; Biggest losses - Michigan, New York, Ohio, Idaho, and New Jersey.

34 - The low-cost global labor pool will move to Africa from Asia.

35 - Pot shops are making a comeback, have you noticed? So, too, record album turntables and long-playing (LP) vinyl records. Life, like the economy and the seasons, is cyclical, not a non-stop linear progression. Currently, Baby Boomers are nostalgic for the 1960s, and their kids are curious about the decade's zeitgeist.


--------------------------------
Bas Baskaran

Quality Manager

e-mail: bbaskaran@rocknel.com

Ph: 815.873.4042