Economic Crisis

According to the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), the U.S. has been in a recession since late 2007. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines a recession as a general slowdown in economic activity over a long period of time. There are many indicators used by economist to indicate an economic recession, the key indicator the NBER uses is to watch for two cycles of decline in the Gross Domestic Product. In 2008, three out of the four economic quarters displayed a downward trend within the GDP that has continued into 2009 (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis).
Economist have continued to debate over the exact causes of the recession but they all seem to point to the sub prime mortgage crisis as a key contributor.
Alan Greenspan, former chairman of the Federal Reserve, dropped interest rates to an all time low during his tenure. Incredibly low interest rates a boom in the housing market and increased consumerism throughout the early 2000’s(http://www.economicshelp.org/2008/10/mistakes-of-alan-greenspan.html).Greenspan finally increased the interest rates in 2005 in an attempt to adjust the market and as a result he created a crash in the market that left many families with negative equity in there homes and increasing mortgage payments for those with adjustable mortgages. Many homes went into foreclosures, leaving banks and government run companies, such as Freddie and Fannie Mack with a plethora of defaulted mortgages. The deregulated mortgage industry had been backed by securities that were sold on the open market by banks to private companies under the premise of being relatively safe investments. Investors, seeing there investments decline, began to pull money out of banks and sell back securities which drove many banks such as Lehman Brothers into bankruptcy , and caused others such as Merrill Lynch to be acquired by other companies or banks like Citigroup to seek financial bailouts from the government. The defaulting mortgages created a ripple effect throughout the economy resulting in the bankruptcy of several companies, such as Lehman Brothers, personal bankruptcy of families and unemployment.

30-Second Commercial

Interviewer: "Tell me a little about yourself"

Interviewee: "uh...uhmm...uhmm..."

Interviewer: "Thank you, for coming...we'll be in touch. NEXT!!!!!"

That, would be my absolute worse nightmare, failing an interview before it even begins. Questions that ask a person to tell something about themselves provide a great opportunity to make a strong and hopefully lasting impression. One tool that business professionals use in order to be prepared for these situations is the development of a "30-second commercial." The idea is to develop a pitch,a script of sorts that provides an outline for answering such questions and allows you to sell yourself. A basic outline to develop one goes as follows:

1. name
2. major
3. work and extra
4. volunteer work
5. skills knowledge
6. personal traits qualities

One month down

It’s been about a month since the start of school, and so far I am loving it. The first week I was so intimidated, I mean it’s been 7yrs since I’ve been in a non-military school. I was terrified that my age would be a roadblock both socially and academically, which has proven not to be the case.
Academically it seems as though my willingness to treat my school as my job, has provided me the discipline required to do well in my classes, and is allowing me to overcome the fact that I am reintroducing myself to many of the concepts being used and introduced. I am applying the studying techniques that have been introduced and are taking full advantage of the resources the school has made available.
The obstacle I find myself faced with now, is trying to focus on my time in college as a time to discover my interest, and develop a passion as I learn. I have guided my life solely based one practicality, considering what moves will be most advantageous or lucrative, not what will be most fulfilling or rewarding. The problem with that is that I have often found myself on paths that I ended up loathing.
My goals now, are to maintain a high work ethic and also to appreciate each and every class for what is available for me to learn and to use my classes as guides towards figuring out what subjects actually peak my interest.

27 Aug- Who Moved my Cheese?

I don't know how many people have watched the video "Who Moved My Cheese", but I think it's a cute 12 minute video that most all people could benefit from watching. The animation is a little corny (think Tom and Jerry, circa 1960) but the message is quite useful.

The video allegorically describes change and people's reaction to change. It features four characters (two mice and two tiny humans) who live in a maze and go through that maze in search of cheese. The maze represents life, cheese represents happiness or success, and the characters represent four different responses to change. Throughout the video, the human character, Haw, writes messages along the walls that communicate his thoughts in regard to change.

By the end of the video, you find yourself asking, what character you identify with and how you respond to life's changes. Do you adapt quickly, or resist? The messages provide little seeds of thought that leads to the closing message:

Change Happens
Anticipate Change
Monitor Change
Adapt To Change Quickly
Change
Enjoy Change!

Great final thought, I don't think their is anyone who would be unable find an area in their life where this message can be applied to any personal experience, work or relationships.