If I Were a Rich Man By Vern Gowdie in Gold Coast, Australia With Christmas approaching, it’s time to step back from the market action and take stock of what’s really important in life. Fiddler on the Roof was released in 1971. The movie won three Academy Awards. Tevye, the main character, is a poor dairyman in 20th century Russia. He is the father of five daughters. Tevye talks to God a lot about the difficulties of raising family, religion, traditions and being poor. In one scene he sings about what it’d be like… ‘If I were a rich man, Ya ha deedle deedle, bubba bubba deedle deedle dum ..read more

What If Everything You Believed in Was False? By Vern Gowdie in Gold Coast, Australia There are very few absolute certainties in life. Sunrise in the east, sunset in the west. Even those old chestnuts, death and taxes, are not absolute certainties. Biotechnology is looking to unlock the code to immortality. Who knows what scientific advancements await future generations. And, there are some countries — called tax havens — were governments don’t put their hand in your pocket/s. Centuries ago, the mere thought of being a non-believer would have seen you burnt at the stake. These days, according ..read more

“On an episode of 60 Minutes, Tristan Harris, former Google product manager, admitted our smartphones and social media platforms are intentionally designed to make us addicted. The greatest challenge we face, says author Dan Schawbel, is not terrorism, student loan debt, or political polarization… It’s isolation. Problem is, technology is isolation’s greatest incentivizer. “Every time we pick up our phones,” Schawbel says in his book Back to Human, “we’re pulling a lever in the hope of winning an exciting reward, much like using a slot machine. “Our devices offer many incredible bene ..read more

How the Centralized Media Lost Its Power over the People By Max Borders   In 1977, reporter Carl Bernstein, of Watergate fame, wrote an exposé on his fellow journalists. More than 400 of them, he revealed in Rolling Stone, had done the business of the CIA.  Members of the press had “provided a full range of clandestine services — from simple intelligence gathering to serving as go-betweens with spies in Communist countries.”  And in some cases, leaders of top American news organizations had been in on it. Bernstein’s exposé was just the start of what would become ..read more

‘[Business] is a bit like swimming in the ocean. It can be exhilarating, refreshing and fun. However, the ocean you swam in yesterday; the one that provided you with an uplifting experience may not be the same as the one you swim in today. ‘The conditions may have changed and there could be a strong undertow, dumping waves or even sharks in the water. ‘The world of investing must be treated with the same respect you give the ocean. ’Investment markets are powerful forces and they can create and destroy personal fortunes. Investment conditions are constantly changing: markets (property an ..read more

Long gone are the days of sweltering hot classrooms, droning old teachers and those big, boxy television screens that would be wheeled in on a stand. The evolution of classrooms was gradual. The first to go were the chalk boards. Their screeching, dusty faces were replaced with the smooth, unassuming whiteboard — able to be decorated with colourful felt-tip markers that didn’t make a sound. Then came the projectors and Smart Boards. Forget about inanimate drawing boards, this state of the art technology was interactive and could be connected to the internet. Putting the World Wide Web at the f ..read more

The Gowdie Letter Friday, 21 September 2018 Gold Coast, Australia Vern Gowdie, Editor Are the [economic growth/productivity] numbers real? Is the news genuine or fake? Can you believe anything we’re told by corporate bosses? It’s tempting to write that ‘honesty is a commodity in short supply’, but that would not be accurate. We may honestly believe what we think or feel, but is that belief based on truth, half-truths or downright lies? Have we been manipulated into thinking and acting by a carefully co-ordinated campaign of misinformation? Our belief systems could be based on a body of lies th ..read more

Article from Lassez Faire Magazine Author – Chris Campbell “You’re sitting at a Chinese restaurant and the waiter brings your fortune cookie. You crack it open and pull out the little slip of paper. There’s a picture of a little red dragon with menacing eyes. You flip it over. It reads: “Change is coming.” How do you feel? If you’re one to believe in fortune cookie messages (and even if you’re not), it might feel a little ominous. Especially with that little dragon… with its flaming eyes… staring you down. However much you want change to come, if you’re honest with yourself, there’s a spu ..read more

Why Retail Is Not Dead By Matt Hibbard in Albert Park Barely a day goes by, or so it seems, without another retail chain hitting the wall. Yesterday it was upmarket chocolatier, Max Brenner. Though to be clear, it has gone into voluntary administration. Its stores will continue to trade while the administrator tries to re-finance it, or sell it as a going concern. Its 600 staff, though, must be nervous about what comes next. The Max Brenner collapse adds to a growing list…a list that includes some high profile names. Last year, it was high profile leather good retailer, Oroton Group. Meantime ..read more

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