Well, as most of you have heard by now there is big talk on our government Nationalizing banks. This is just the beginning folks! Ok let's talk a little about why this can be good and why this can be bad. Regardless of whether it is a good decision or not, right now it's the only choice that we have.

There is a lot of debate on this issue, most say this will ultimately lead to Socialism. To be quite honest I don't care what our government is doing as long as it is helping the people it's supposed to. There is a fine line between socialism and welfare, and we must be prudent with these decisions.

Right now the biggest problem is the banking sector, most do not agree with the government taking over. The current administration has said it will do its best to keep the banking sector private. Now let me explain how they intend to keep the banks private.

First let's address the money that was just loaned to them. 700 billion from the TARP fund, these are just loans. If you have noticed they didn't do much. Billions of dollars have already been wasted. Now there is no other option, other then the government stepping in. Mostly because it's our money.

Now before I proceed, let me mention that I have a huge problem with most people that still say this isn't my problem. Let me remind you, to take a look at your pay stub and look at your "federal withholding". It is everyones problem that is working, so we must open our eyes and get involved because its your hard earned money that may eventually end up as welfare!

Ok, back to the banks. So we loaned them all this money, and now the government is left with no choice but to step in and take control. The biggest reason why they haven't done it is because of Nationalization. It carries a very bad stigma and most tax payers are against it. So they are organizing a plan that will keep them private but with public funds.

The way they intend on doing this is basically buying up stock, in most cases being the majority stock holder allowing them full control of procedures and policies. So with our tax dollars, they will in essence own stock and allow the banks to continue to be "private". This allows them the ability to nationalize the banks without really nationalizing the banks. Ladies and gents, there is no other alternative. The banks are completely insolvent!

Let me give you an example, I worked for BOA back in 2001 through 2003. Mr. Ken Lewis was the shining star that had just taken the helm and was making BOA the bank of the Americas. Stock at the time was trading around 45. or so, after a recent split. Mr. Lewis was able to bring the bank to its most profitable years and with the extra cash he was able to start gobbling up other banks for market share. Allowing BOA to become the largest US deposit bank in the nation. Stock made it up to the 80's, times were good.

Mr. Lewis has recently been subpoenaed because of his knowledge of bonuses that were paid by Merrill Lynch to its executives. Mr. Lewis denied knowing of the bonuses. He has recently back peddled and now claimed that he had no control over Merrill's CEO Mr. John Thain. (BS) Well, needless to say BOA isn't doing to well and it is currently trading at around 3 or 4 dollars.

Let's do the math 80.00 down to 4.00 is a total loss of 95 percent of its value. That's billions in losses, on top of the billions in losses for purchasing Country wide last summer, who is now debunked and purchasing Merrill who is now debunked. How many billions can you lose and still be solvent. Not much people, open your eyes the reason why there is no lending, is mostly due in part that the money they received from the TARP is only enough to secure the deposits so there is no mass pandemonium or mass exodus further crippling the already critically ill bank.

Ladies and gents I have said it before and I will say it again, when banks fail it is no longer a recession it is a depression. There are statistical formulations that must be followed in order to officially be in a depression. It will take a few more months of contraction. Coupled with the fact that the credit market is basically frozen for there to be more of a reason to be in a depression. Even then we are still months away from officially being in a depression.

Read this
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Credit-crunch-may-only-have/story.aspx?guid=%7B4F0DA616%2DA789%2D49A7%2D9EFE%2DA65C5A0986F9%7D

There is a global movement right now, a New World Order. If you pay attention to the news, most countries are having to bailout their banks and are now bailing out their top industries. The ultimate effect this crisis will have on all of us, is complete government intervention. Everything will be owned by the government. Most will not believe we have been Nationalized, because of technicalities but, ladies and gents we will be!

It is here, and it has happened with our help. We are the guilty ones, we contributed to these delinquencies, we signed on these ARMS, we borrowed the money, we spent the money, we bought the big trucks, we bought the overpriced homes. We are the guilty ones, so now we must all pay for our mistakes. Open your eyes people!

So will this Nationalization be good for us, only time will tell!

Wake up people, more to come!
Clos

Well, once again it's been a while since my last entry. Life is beyond busy right now, next week I start my first boot camp. For what is to be one of my first of several certifications, I plan on obtaining this year. I am doing this mostly for myself and my beloved children and no one else. I have an insatiable thirst for knowledge right now.

The certs, will bring some sense of accomplishment for me. I say some because, satisfaction is measured in so many different aspects that I can not tell you that I will be satisfied for quite a while. I am currently juggling a night job, and a new job that is in the works that will test my skills and knowledge to the utmost potential.

I have been extremely lucky to join the workforce again. Success is right around the corner. My first thoughts are my children. I have affected them severely with my failure so it is my number one priority to succeed for them and only them. I can not think of anything but them, I am grateful that I have them for they are my sole purpose in life right now.

People are starting to panic as the economy worsens. Why am I so positive, well the one good thing about losing everything is that you don't have much to worry about. I have had to start from scratch, but that's exactly it. I am at scratch right now, middle America is about to start to lose more then they ever imagined. So I am ahead of the game!

Yesterday I picked up my grant money, the very first step towards my new life. While I was there, the counselor had asked me if I was an "existentialist". It took me some time to think and say I guess I am. She asked me that because of my signature on my email:

"I chose nothing, I was born this is what I am"
-Achilles
“Because I am whatever you say I am, if I wasn't then why would I say I am”
-Eminem
"To live fully in soul, man must have love; and love is denied expression by poverty"
- Wallace Wattles

I feel this way because there has to be a reason for everything. And is there really a reason for everything? Of course there is. The questions lies why? And I don't feel that us humans can ever answer that. There has to be greater purpose in life, then what we all have come to believe, and for that there has to be some divine intervention. (you are what you are)

Now before I get flamed, divine intervention is just that divine. GOD is many different things to many different people, the one thing all gods have in common is that they are the reason as to why things happen. When there is no other explanation as to why they happened. (get it why this happened)

I have suffered great material and personal losses. In most cases people had no idea, that I was in the top three percent of earners in this country. My success was measured by my wealth. So because I am material poor I am basically worthless to some. This is my biggest reason for my insatiable thirst, people think that because I failed I don't know what I am talking about. Contrary to popular belief, I do know a lot and do consider myself an intelligent human being.

I have always been destined for greatness regardless of my material possessions. I have always had dreams and visions, and it is through these dreams and visions that I have been able to stay in the game (never stop dreaming). I lost focus and I was headed down a path, that truly didn't serve me any purpose. So it was taken from me, I was stripped of everything only to make me realize that I am greater and beyond the wealth that I had. I am DESTINED FOR GREATNESS, success is just a few steps away. I have realized that now. So I have educated myself some more, and have become an "existentialist". I will l achieve success and riches beyond my wildest dreams. I am DESTINED FOR GREATNESS. (METAPHYSICS)!

The moral of this entry, is that one must stop listening to the drama and must concentrate on the positive. We must question everything and everyone around us. We must do this to truly see if they are positive parts in our lives, we must live in a positive mindset and we must preach positive outcomes(metaphysics). It is the only true path towards success, there is a reason why the secret works, and the Science of Getting rich works. Most won't believe that failure is a secret to success! But you must not ever stop believing in yourself. Out of the ashes the Phoenix rises!

All these self help books have one thing in common. NO DRAMA, get it out of your life and start living positively and it is only then that you will succeed.

Wake up people, more to come!
Closb

Well, as I take a deep and close look at myself due to failure. I have been able to come up with several different reasons as to why I did fail.

One of those reasons is what Myspace and Facebook have created. Drama and voyeurism are words that belong together. This is affecting our social environments, at lengths that we still don’t know or understand. It will take some time to really understand the ramifications these sites have had on us and our generation that follows. 

A long time ago I learned of Child Munchausen Proxy Syndrome;

Defining The Syndrome
“Munchausen's Syndrome by Proxy is a form of child abuse in which the abuser fabricates an illness in a child. When the child is taken for medical care, the parent tells physicians that there is no apparent cause for the illness, knowing that this will most likely result in the hospitalization of the victim for tests or observation. It is during this period of hospitalization that the actual abuse usually occurs. In one known case of MSBP, a mother injected fecal material into the victim; in another case, a mother suffocated and then revived her child on several occasions during the hospitalization period.”
What is interesting about this syndrome is that isn’t specific to children.

Defining The Syndrome 
“Münchausen syndrome is a psychiatric disorder in which those affected fake disease, illness, or psychological trauma in order to draw attention or sympathy to themselves. It is in a class of disorders known as factitious disorders which involve "illnesses" whose symptoms are either self-induced or falsified by the patient. It is also sometimes known as hospital addiction syndrome.”

So how does this relate to my title and Myspace and Facebook? Well as I have stated before, these sites have created an addiction to voyeurism. People love to “draw attention or sympathy to themselves”. All addictions are either physical or psychological. An addiction to information or a “factitious disorder”, like any addiction is a bad thing. As I try to find the reasons on how this affected my life. I have become fascinated with the addiction, and what about it truly fascinates me? I keep returning to what we Hispanics, most of us at least were raised with in our own homes because of our mothers.

A TV Novela, or a really pathetic and over zealous Spanish soap opera is the culprit. TV Novela’s are full of drama. They predicate, cheating, stealing, drug dealing, murder, crime, and self pity. They are loved because they tend to “draw attention or sympathy to themselves”. Most Latino homes are glued to the TV in the evening to sit and watch their novelas. It is only now that I have steered clear of the drama and in doing so. I have realized this is what is wrong with today’s society, at least here in South Florida.

We have officially become a TV novela, full of crime, deceit, murder, drug deals, Health Care Fraud, Mortgage Fraud, Appraisal Fraud, Tittle Fraud, and Billing Fraud. We have glorified crime and crimes of passion. We have made heroes of men that have cheated the very system built to protect us. We have become a horrible Spanish soap opera that “draws attention or sympathy to ourselves”, that continues to return every season with no end in sight!

So as I look to the future. I ask myself when the day will be among us. The day the general population realizes these sites are just the very poison of our moral fiber. A poison, that is infecting society as we know it. There will be dire consequences on moral ground if left untreated. For those that think that this isn’t a cancer, then think again.

Mr. Obama is known as no drama Obama, and I commend him on his stand to keep away from it. His ticket was run on change, but we can not and will not ever change the world if we don’t start changing ourselves first. Stop trying to figure out what it is people are doing, keep your life private and for once in your life take a good look at yourself and the drama you surround yourself with. I have been guilty of this myself, so in my path of righteousness I have made it a point to walk away from the drama and not look back for one second. it is forward looking, that breeds success!

Ladies and gents there is a reason why this old cliché has tested time;
 “Misery Loves Company”

Wake up people, more to come!
Closb

Our new President, Mr. Obama, says he is an avid fan of Mr. Abe Lincoln. He has followed Mr. Lincoln's policies closely and admired his passion. The only problem I ever had with Mr. Obama running for president was the fact that he in essence would end up creating bigger government then we already have. I have always said that the end result would be private companies funded with public money. 

Take a look at this excerpt from the www.theglobeandmail.com ;

Honest Abe's spending legacy is a cautionary tale
“The essential nature of the internal improvement system was a neo-mercantilism – an alliance of government and industry in which government dispenses public money to private companies, imposes high tariffs to protect them from competition and regards central banks as an indispensable mechanism to ensure never-ending growth through continuous inflation”

 We have to keep an eye on our tax dollars, as it seems Mr. Obama may very well follow Mr. Abe Lincoln’s policies a bit to closely in my opinion.

 I haven’t written in a while because I have been too busy, but it is time I start again.

 Wake up people, more to come

Closb

I have heard this expression several times as people look towards the new year and try to figure out how they are going to tackle the year. For me this year is all about me, and my kids. It is time to educate myself more, so it's back to school for several reasons. I am in the process of renewing all my systems engineer certs and when its all said and done. I will have 5 different certifications with over 7 years of experience. Solidifying my knowledge and expertise in the field.

I have also decided to take a paralegal course at UM for several reasons. First is the fact that, unfortunately I have had too many legal problems that have left me with no choice but to educate myself on the matter. Second is that fact, that because I have educated myself on the matter people still don't believe that I know what I am talking about. Third and final reason is as I look at the year and try to figure out what will come out of it the one thing that sticks out is consulting and compliance.

I have tried, consulting on several different occasions and I find it to be my true calling. I have been in the health care industry for over 5 years. I founded a billing company and then opened a health care clinic. Although there were failures and mistakes were made, I can not discount the wealth of knowledge I retained out of pure necessity. Necessity is the mother of all invention!

So I have developed a short term goal, that I believe is extremely reasonable. It will test me at the most difficult stage in my life and will press me hard for sacrifice. I have never been afraid of change and if you know me, I am a big advocate of it. Change is something that should be welcomed by all. The biggest change we must always continue to make is Education. We can never be too educated in my opinion. Tonight I sit here and write while I prepare myself to work the grave yard shift. I was able to find some temp work through the grace of god and luck. Of all things to do, I am teaching people how to use software, I am teaching Nurses and other essential staff the importance of technology and the importance of change. Which leads to my calling of consulting and compliance, coincidence?

The biggest sacrifice that I will make is time from my children. They deserve better then what they have now so I am left with no choice. I accept full responsibility for their current environment. So it is up to me to make sure that I can give them the best opportunities, and that comes through great schools and a great education. My ex-wife has fought me hard with the help of her attorney and have taken the position that private school is a luxury. So because I can not count on her for my children's education it is up to me to make sure that they get the best. So I will loose sleep and I will try to juggle my job all while attending school at UM every Saturday for the next six months and juggling night school and work for the next three months for my Microsoft Certs. I did it before and have no doubt I will succeed again.

I will use this blog as my form of expression and as a journal. It is now during my  trials and tribulations that I must take note so I can always have something to reflect back on, whether I made good or bad decisions. Regardless it will be an account of my new life that I will be able to share with my beloved children. The hope is that this will serve as an inspiration for them. Where they get to see that it was never too late for their old man to rise out of the ashes. This will teach my kids to take risk, and it will teach them that you must sacrifice for what you love.

I have finally come to grips with what happened and now I fully understand. That part of the reason why I failed was because I didn't believe where I was. I now believe I have finally cleared myself of all the riff-raff and I will succeed. I am only left out of my past life with the clothe on my back and my beloved children. It's always about the kids!

So as we look at this year and try to find out which road we should travel by. Remember that there are always two paths you can go by but in the long run there is always time to change the road your on. One of my favorite verses from one of my favorite bands. Led Zeppelin.

So educate yourself and Wake up People, with Education comes great empowerment and with great power comes great success and responsibility.

Good Night!
Closb

Today's topic pretty much sums up the past three years of my life. What the Fuck, what is fuck and where did it derive? I have heard so many different things. The one that has always stood out is Fornicating Under Consent of King. It sounded very reasonable but that is a myth.

Take a look at what Wikipedia has to say about the word. Fuck Definition

I just recently wrote an email to my ex-wife that needless to say contained the word FUCK. I mentioned it about 10 times. Now most will say that was completely vulgar. But the word has lost some of its vulgarity. It has become an everyday word for some. Most will say that it belongs to uneducated people with no etiquette.

Well, I fucking beg to differ. You see fuck has some power to it, the greatest power. Is that it makes you feel better, after you tell someone to fuck off. No pun intended, fuck is just another way to say what the heck, what the damn, and oh gee. Now I don't ever see myself using some of those words because that's just not who I am. Most will know when I have no regard and my wires have been crossed I will use the word repeatedly.

There is some profound meaning to the word that is yet so simple. It can mean so much, I guess the best way to look at is. If someone tells you to fuck off, probably means you pissed them off and you should fuck off.

So the question lies, who is to blame for the use of the word? Well my 2 cents are as follows, my grandmother would always say it take two to tango. If you provoked the use of the word, then you carry as much guilt as the person who used it. Why should the person using it have to carry the complete burden. If you were told to fuck off it was for a good reason. I don't think anyone has ever used it in a nice way when talking about someone. I may be wrong, but I really don't give a fuck!

Todays excerpt brought to you by the letter F and the number Four. Wait no pun intended, a four letter word that starts with F?

FUCK!
Closb

Ok, I am using this blog as a way to explore something that I have always wanted to do. That is tell my story, in wanting to tell my story I always come across the same question. Will anyone read it, will they find it interesting, and who really fucking cares?

I really don't care who reads it, and I don't care if you don't find it interesting. If you are here then I have peeked your curiosity, and I have done my job.

I have gone through some major changes in my life with the business and with my marriage. I have been involved in a heated and lengthy divorce. I always had these delusions, that when the day finally arrived I would be able to end it amicably. Boy did I have delusions of grandeur.

In the last sentence, the one thing that sticks out is that I new the day would come. I have always read and tried to read any and all autobiographies of people that have succeeded in life. Success is measured in so many different spectrum's that I chose people like Micheal Dell, Richard Bronson, Donald Trump. I think you get the picture, SELF MADE!

The one thing that stuck out in these great accomplishments these men had achieved were pretty similar.

1-divorce
2-failure
3-bankrupt
4-depression
5-success

It was amazing, how I seemed to be experiencing the exact same things that these great men experienced. The biggest thing that they all had in common. Was, no matter how hard they fell and lost, they always got back up. Now with that said, they all didn't get up with the first wife. Why is that?

I will be the first to tell you that I thought my ex-wife was supportive. But I realized early on, that I never heard her say anything positive about me. It was always, that's how he is, you can't change him. You are either with him or against him, don't stand in his way. I can go on and on about all the negative things she said. She was only positive when the money was flowing and even then she never agreed with what I was doing.  I was always second guessed, and I was always questioned. Mostly I was never trusted.

If you ask her, I dragged her kicking and screaming and I dissipated assets. In all fairness, I never really blamed her. I finally realized after making some major mistakes in my marriage and almost having an affair. That, it wasn't her fault, it was my fault for even thinking that she had what it took to stand by me.

The moral of the story is, that we always end up going through the same things as everyone else. Just with slight variations. What makes some couples more successful the others is the fact that they believe in each other. My ex-wife never believed in me, this created an animosity towards me and the business. This created huge problems in the marriage, it is only now that I have realized that if you are going to find success then your partner should be your number one fan and vice versa.

All the great men that I read about, experienced the same things with the first wife. It was in their pursuit of happiness were their marriages failed. I have always said that you can't dwell on today and you always have to think about tomorrow. Three years of struggling is a drop in a bucket for a lifetime together. Or as we both had agreed to death do as part.

I have a group of friends from High School that we all got married around the same time. Guess what we all got divorced at the same time. If you were to ask our ex-wifes they will be quick to blame us for the failed marriage.

Was it Freud who said it best, when he described that we all were programmed to fail because of our love affair with our parents? Boys always looked for someone like their mom, and girls looked for someone like their dads. We men have created and bred a generation of women that are just too dam demanding. If you don't give them what they want, the minute they have to sacrifice they are out the door. I accept full responsibility for making this mistake, and many more men will agree!

Now I am not saying that you shouldn't give your spouse everything they deserve. What I am saying is that love was never built on materialistic things. In our quest for happiness we have been convoluted in purchasing our love! No one wins in this situation.
When you get married, there are several people that tell you not to do it. Several will tell you it will never work and several will tell you that your crazy.

Marriages have a fifty percent chance of survival. Half of all divorces are caused by financial problems. That's a 100 percent chance of failure. So as we look to tomorrow and we take from yesterday. What we need to do is to take a good look at ourself and make sure that the person next to us, can and will help us succeed. Remember success is measured in several different ways. I think a simple conversation were you both write out what your goals and ambitions are. And how you will attain it may make you realize if that person is the right fit.

Love is blind, but divorce opens your eyes. It is out of ashes that the phoenix rises, it takes failure to bring success. This is why people re-marry. Funny I thought I would never re-marry, but I have always and will continue to be a family man. Family is important, in my delusions of grandeur I always saw myself married with children. That to me is success, a happy family that can stay together no matter what the problems are till death do them part.

My 2 cents,
Closb

Well, it is finally here 2009. If you follow prophecies and predictions there are only 3 years left for our world as we know it to end.

Here is a link
Interesting Stuff

I always seem to do better on odd number years, so I am hoping that all the stars, planets and moon have finally reached the right alignment for my success. What is success and how is success measured? Just like beauty is in the eye of the beholder so is success. I will be the first to admit that I thought success was mostly measured by finance. Having lost it all, I can tell you that I was wrong. It is only when I hit rock bottom that I realized that success had everything to do with the choices I made and with the people around me.

(Sublime had a hit song, Santeria. In the song there is a verse, "well I had a million dollars but I spent it all". Most will never get the opportunity to lose a million dollars. Take a risk, grow some balls, don't fall in to a monotonous life!)

The choices we make and the people around us determines a lot more then we think. I have always thought that part of being successful was due to the people around you. Boy did I learn a valuable lesson. It's really easy when you loose everything, to get rid of the riffraff.

Definition of RIFFRAFF

1. People regarded as disreputable or worthless.
2. Rubbish; trash.

Riffraff the people that you can't count on. The people that are only around for parties. People that came to you for advice, because they measured your success strictly by the monetary wealth you have or had. They no longer ask for advice, when you are broke! What is really being broke, I may have lost a lot of money but I gained a lot of wealth. That wealth is KNOWLEDGE, therefore I am rich!

I read a book a few years ago that explained one of the reasons why the poor will be poor and the rich will be rich. In Rich Dad Poor Dad, the author explained that the biggest reason why most can't change social status is because of how they were raised. Poor dad, taught his kids that an education was the most important thing in life. Work hard for someone and collect a steady check. If you are well educated and have a good job then you will be successful, NOT. Rich dad taught how to manage money and how to invest, didn't matter how educated you were or what mundane job you had. It was what you did, and how you did it that dictates success. Doing things in a certain way, makes you attain success. Now the author reached success by listening to both of his dads. He took a little from both and implemented his own strategy for success he did things a certain way.

I am now reading the Science of Getting Rich, and guess what? The basic foundation on this theory, is to do things in a certain way. How we do, when we do, and with whom we do dictates the outcome. So in this New Year let's not only reflect on what we need to change for ourselves but who we need to change that is around us. Remember birds of a feather flock together, you want to be successful, then change your environment. More then anything else change the way you do things, and for the rest of the year take responsibility for not only your actions but for the actions of the people you surround yourself with.

Ask yourself is this person really good for me, and how can that person help me succeed? Always remember that success is measured in several ways, and never forget to accept responsibility for your actions. Success is a direct result of the decisions that we make. So let's do things in a certain way, so we can be successful.

More to come, WAKE UP PEOPLE!    
Closb

Well, it is finally among us 2009. This year will go down in history as one of the worst, personally, financially, emotionally and spiritually. It wasn't entirely a disaster, there where good things that did happen!

As we look towards the new year many of us will all try new and different things and approaches towards life. It is in that approach that we must look at the most important factor.

Our own selves, it is us and only us that determines where we end up in life. I always tell people that one of my favorites songs is by Led Zeppelin. The name of the song is "Nobody's Fault but Mine", there are several verses but the chorus sums it up. No matter where we are, how we got there is always because of our decisions. There are two paths you can go by, that comes from another one of their songs.

Let's take a good look at ourselves and really make an effort to better ourselves. Let's not always be easily influenced by others and let's always question the people around us. Why are they with us, birds of a feather flock together, tell me who your friends are and I will tell you who you are. Guilty by association, sums it up. There is a huge reason why these clichés have tested time, for the most part they always seem to be correct. Let's accept responsibility for our own actions.

I will be the first to admit my faults, it is only when you have hit rock bottom that you realize who your true friends are and how few of them you really have. I feel strongly that one of our major problems with society today is voyeurism. We are obsessed in finding out what others are up to, we have cultivated a generation of drama seekers. We have Facebook and Myspace to blame for that. So as we look at the new year and we try to better ourselves I will leave you with this article on why I feel this is what is wrong with todays society.

Evolution demands more Facebook drunkfail

Just remember, there is always someone watching, and can you really tell out of your 200 or so friends who will betray you? I think not, last I checked High School ends and we are supposed to grow up, and exhibit some restraint when it comes to our personal live's. It's embarrassing to be 40 years old and be at work on Facebook. Thats my 2 cents and my 2 cents are free, two cents who cent for me?

Have a safe night and may the new year bring much success in all parts of life!
Closb

Today is a big day, will there be winners or losers. Of course there always is, chances are the only losers here will be the children. We will see what the courts have to say about behavior and actions. I will begin to post again, regardless of what others think or say.

This is my life as I see it! More to come!
Clos