This is Herb Meyer:
He’s ex-CIA, now an author and lecturer. These are his books and one DVD.
His web site is StormKingPress.com
Yesterday he gave a three-hour presentation to a group of CEOs, organized by an excellent organization called Vistage, which brings CEOs together to discuss their problems and alert them to business opportunities.
It was the best presentation I’ve ever heard. I took 13 pages of notes and would have taken more had I been able to write faster. Herb told me the closest to yesterday’s presentation is DVD (shown above) called The Siege of Western Civilization, which I am buying today. You should too.
Here’s a little summary on what Herb said.
Business:
+ 50 to 100 million people are coming out of poverty each year. They will want the products and services you sell. It’s a huge opportunity. This is the “biggest undereported” story.
+ The world is getting older. They need products and services tailored to them. One reason eBooks are so popular: Older people can easily increase the type face. (Item: I constantly hit Ctrl-+ to increase the type in my browser.) They just installed wheelchair ramps in some Japanese prisons.One manufacturer in Japan is now selling more adult diapers than baby diapers.BMW has built a factory designed to be run by older workers. Bigger signs, easier controls, etc. Japan is selling service robots. They clean, vacuum and do other tasks which older people need done.
+ The goal is to bring the world out of poverty, but not trash the planet. Hence, we need stuff that is “clever, inexpensive and clean.” Ikea is making a 900 square foot house.
Political:
+ China, Best described as “A chamber of commerce with guns.” Sales pitch: “We get your factory built. We give you cheap labor to run it.” But there is resentment at the appropriation of property and the control. The level of political unrest is now greater than it was the year before Russia collapsed. People “like us” are not opening factories there today. We’re looking to Vietnam and Bangladesh. The population of China is about to shrink. It’s birth rate is a low 1.1 — replacement rate is 2.1. (Guess who’s got the highest birthrate of all the industrialized countries — Israel, with 3.0. Guess the highest state in the U.S. — Utah? And the lowest? Vermont.
+ The biggest threat — Iran and its nukes. What the 20th century taught us: 1. Crazy people sometimes get political power. 2. When crazy people with political power tell you they’re going to do something, believe them. The Iranians have said they’d swap New York for Tehran. That’s crazy.
+ Islam is a religion and a political state. The 1.5 billion people in the mid-east want we have — a job, a house, a car, a TV, a washer-dryer. To be middle class. Bringing Islam from the 7th century to the 21st century will take time.
+ What the people crossing out of poverty want their governments to provide:
– Property rights.
– The rule of law.
– A stable financial system.
– Decent infrastructure. (Roads, bridges, trains, etc.)
… and then for their government to get out of their way.
More tomorrow.
Harry Newton has a friend who bid out the painting on his house to five contractors. They came back with bids from $6,500 to $26,000. Go figure.
Wow, even the prison in Japan cares enough to install wheelchair ramps for their prisoners. Now I wouldn't be shocked to see if there are wheelchair lifts all over the city to help people who are confined to their electric wheelchairs. Keep up the good work, Japan!
I'm amazed Japan has the funding for installing handicapped aids. While I think this is great, I wonder why the United States cant afford these types of things.
You may also wish to read Abundance, by Peter Diamandis and Steven Cotler.
The forward motion on so many fronts make it silly to be too pessimistic.
A while back I had gotten bids on a new septic system. I remember some crazy bids. One guy came in at 3,500. Another at 12,500. I asked several of the competitors what is the difference between their job and the 12.5k job. All were local guys and knew of the 12.5k contractor, and they all said the same thing – he has been around a long time and doesnt work so hard anymore. He throws out these exhorbitant bids, and sometimes people just accept the bid. He doesnt get a lot of jobs, so isnt that busy, but when he gets a job, he can take a break before his next job.
Hey Harry, I guess Herb isn't an Obama supporter. It's entertaining listening to a liberal like Harry tell us he has found some truth told to him by some guy selling optimism. Harry votes for Obama and 4 years later he's paying someone for an optimistic speech. Harry you are the definition of a political fool.
Comment 1: You want to see crazy bids? Put out an RFQ for a Website. Nobody knows what a Website should cost. My latest venture returned bids from $2500 to $9500 for the identical specs.
Comment 2: I've had the same wide bid range for my around-the-house jobs. I attributed it to some people being a lot more hungry than others. Comment 3: The list of what people want government to provide them is very similar to what I described in my second novel, “A Twist in Time” (available on every type of Kindle, iPad, eReader). The lynch pin is the “Rule of Law”. When people feel, thanks to the actions of the DoJ, that they must take things into their own hands, it all goes down quickly. Rule of law is the cement holding it all together.
Now this is interesting and valuable information. Why don't you give up investment business, of which you are clueless, and focus on the publishing and information business, which you've forgotten more about than most people know.
Why would anyone read this column if they believe the author is “clueless?”
Pondering that leaves me genuinely clueless.
Because you are a legit contrarian – like Roubini. Do the opposite of what you perma bulls say.
I put our heavy-lift device fabrication out to bid. Had 3 quotes back: $450,000, $650,000 and $850,000
All bidders had the same capabilities, similar facilities and were all based in Texas. Strange. I never did figure out the difference between low and high bidder.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v… if anyone's interested. The photos are from the Astoria Energy II project in Queens.
Thanks for sharing Harry. You can buy the DVD new from 3rd parties on Amazon starting at $3.50
Thank you.