Stuart Brown: Why play is vital -- no matter your age

I bet you're wondering why I posted this on the blog. About halfway through Stuart talks about an experiment with rats. If you don't have time to watch the entire video at least take 60 seconds to watch that part. It's yet another reason to play Cashflow.

Play has its biological place just like sleep & dreams do. It is hugely important in learning and crafting the brain. -Stuart Brown




0:00-1:20 – Have we lost ‘play’ in our culture? See a painting of a courtyard in the 15th century and compare.

1:21- 3:28 - Hungry polar bear has its sights on a husky for a meal, what happens when the husky displays play signals?

3:29 – 4:15 - How did Stuart Brown get interested in the field of ‘play’? Is there a correlation between the progressive suppression of developmentally normal play and the behavior of a serial killer?

4:16 – 9:52 - What is play? Some different kinds of play. Is there a practical application for play?

* 9:53 – 15:06 - What does play do for the brain? for survival? Rat example. Brain development with and without play. What is Neotony?

15:07- 18:00 - Play histories-> Examples, Kevin Carroll and Al Gore. How can we benefit from taking a look at out own play history?

18:01 – 22:26 - From play to innovation

22:27 – 26:42 - Brief Q & A.

email: phoenixhoward(at)gmail.com for more information on game date & times

Watch CBS Videos Online

(CBS) When it comes to bailouts of American business, Barney Frank and the Congress may be just getting started. Nearly two trillion tax dollars have been shoveled into the hole that Wall Street dug and people wonder where the bottom is.

As correspondent Scott Pelley reports, it turns out the abyss is deeper than most people think because there is a second mortgage shock heading for the economy. In the executive suites of Wall Street and Washington, you're beginning to hear alarm about a new wave of mortgages with strange names that are about to become all too familiar. If you thought sub-primes were insanely reckless wait until you hear what's coming.

----
Do you think it may be time to manage your cash flow? Find a CashFlow Club near you and learn from the game and the players. If your in the Ft. Hood/Killeen area go here. Connect with others who want to learn about investing, finance and money.
-T. Phoenix Howard

“Troubled Economic Times? Or The Chance For YOU To Cash In On The Opportunity Of A Lifetime?”

Your Financial Future Can Only Be Predicted By You!

Let Rich Dad’s Financial Mastery Team,
Blair Singer and Kelly Ritchie and
Featuring Robert Kiyosaki Teach You How…

…In this One Time Only, Hard Hitting, Fast-Paced, Distance Learning Teleseminar,
hosted by Jim Canale

Wednesday, October 1st 2008 at 7:00 PM Eastern Standard Time

Register here

Business Owners, Real Estate Investors, Stock Market Investors, the Self Employed, Employees and EVERYONE ELSE wants to know…How did Robert Kiyosaki – Author of the NY Times Best Selling book Rich Dad, Poor Dad know IT was coming?

• That the collapse of Goldman Sachs and Lehman Brothers and that the Federal Government would consider bailing them out (predicted by Robert in March 18, 2008 on CNN). On September 15, 2008 Lehman Brothers closed their doors forever leaving millions of 401(k)’s, IRA’s and Mutual Funds destroyed!

• That on September 18, 2008 the Feds would bail out AIG costing taxpayers (us) some 85 Billion dollars (predicted by Robert on March 18, 2008 on CNN) to stop the stock market’s decline!

• That the Housing Bubble – the biggest in US history – would occur (predicted by Robert back in 2005, long before ANYONE ELSE saw it coming!

And there are many other events to come, and many other opportunities to make it BIG…If only YOU had a Crystal Ball to see into the Future!

And still many other questions remain:

"What the heck is going on with 1.8 Trillion dollars worth of bailout money from the Federal Government?"

And...

"Is this another RTC style intervention - the kind that made tens of thousands of educated Real Estate investors RICH during the last bailout in 1986?"

And more…

"How long will the recession last?"

"Will my 401(k) continue to lose value?"

"Will a government bailout even work?"

"How much will my taxes go up because of this?"

And most importantly...

How will all of this impact ME and MY FAMILY?

Let Jim Canale, America’s Real Estate Cashflow Expert get all of these questions and MORE answered for you LIVE on a once in a lifetime FREE Teleseminar with Blair Singer, Kelly Ritchie and featuring Robert Kiyosaki to be held on:

Wednesday, October 1^st 2008 at 7:00 PM Eastern Standard Time

Register here and get 2 free gifts

I just read "Chain of Blame" and want to share it with the group. It was a very worthwhile read and provided some insight on what the heck going on right now. I'm giving away 2 brand new copies in a drawing (I'm keeping my copy, he he). All attendees of the September 20th game will have a shot. Anyone who brings a first time guest will get their name submitted twice.

"Chain of Blame: How Wall Street Caused the Mortgage and Credit Crisis"

by Paul Muolo and Mathew Padilla

Wiley, 338 pp., $27.95

From the Publisher

Americans are losing their homes at a rate not seen since the Great Depression. Prices continue to fall sharply despite the reassurances of just a few years ago that all was rosy on the housing front. Many factors have been blamed for this crisis, but who is really responsible? And perhaps more importantly, why was everyone so taken by surprise?

In Chain of Blame, acclaimed financial reporters Paul Muolo and Mathew Padilla go behind the headlines to tell the inside story of why Wall Street's established investment banks bear much of the blame for the events that have cost millions of Americans their homes. They show in detail how, from 2000 to 2007, executives from Merrill Lynch, Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers, and others financed non-bank mortgage lenders that eagerly sold their mortgages to consumers through loan brokers. Wall Street then sold bonds backed by subprime mortgages to overseas investors in Europe and Asia—which led to financial difficulties there as well.

The authors build their compelling story around the key players in this tragedy, first and foremost being Angelo Mozilo, founder and CEO of Countrywide Financial, America's largest home mortgage lender. From Mozilo's July 2007 conference call with a group of top Wall Street equities analysts—which marks the true beginning of this fiasco—to his congressional rebuke in 2008, Chain of Blame chronicles the crisis in detail, showingreaders what happened, who is responsible, and what lies ahead.

As the dust settles around these life-shattering events, the blame game has begun. But as Muolo and Padilla show with stunning clarity, there is really no single entity or individual to point the fingerat. It was a mix of factors and participants—the world's largest investment banks, homeowners, lenders, credit rating agencies and underwriters, and investors—that precipitated the current subprime mess.

Chain of Blame ultimately reveals how human behavior and greed drove the demand, supply, and the investor appetite for these types of loans—and how Wall Street was all too willing to satisfy the desires of those who should have known better.
What People Are Saying


"Two of the smartest, most entertaining investigative reporters alive, describe one of the most important financial stories of our time. If you had any skin at all in the housing boom, you've got to read the story of exactly how that boom went bust. As Paul Muolo did with the S&L crisis of the '80s, he and Mathew Padilla have now become the chief chroniclers of the subprime crisis."
—David Asman, Host of America's Nightly Scoreboard on Fox Business Network and Forbes on Fox on Fox News Channel, and former op-ed editor of the Wall Street Journal

"Paul Muolo and Mathew Padilla display their deep knowledge of the mortgage industry and all its players. Chain of Blame is a comprehensive examination of a crisis that affects us all."
—Scott Cohn, Senior Correspondent, CNBC

If you don't know why the Fannie Freddie debacle is such a big deal, it's time to raise your Financial IQ. Playing the Cashflow games is the easiest way I know to start learning about stocks, accounting, investing and more. The next game is scheduled for Septembet 20th. Visit http://cashflow.meetup.com/264/ for details and to RSVP. The atmosphere is laid back and casual, all are welcome.

Things happen, financing fails to come through, the buyer backs out, the seller wants more, tax liens, encroachments, easements, clients are a no-show...face it, things don't always go as planned. That's one of the biggest reasons to be a member of a group like the Cashflow Club. Hang out with the people who understand what your going through and encourage you through the not so great times. Our members include financial planners, business owners, investor friendly real estate agents, and everyday people who are working towards their fast track goals, all of whom can help you get to where you want to go.

"Life is 10% what you make it and 90% how you take it." - Irving Berlin

How do you react to the 90%? Do you resign and throw up your hands or do you finish strong?

Can you win GOLD after you fall on your butt?

Excerpted from Finish Strong by Dan Green

It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over

Going into the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, expectations were very high for Paul Hamm. He was the reigning world champion – the first U.S. man to ever win a world all-around title. No American had ever won the men’s all-around gold medal in gymnastics and Paul was expected to change that. The only U.S. gymnast to ever medal was Peter Vidmar in the 1984 Olympics. Paul Hamm seemed destined to at least join Vidmar by winning some sort of medal and the expectations were high that he may even win the all-around title.

Hamm started strong in the first three events and held a first place lead in the all-around by .038 points. Then, disaster struck. During his vault performance, he under-rotated and missed his landing, causing him to sit down and nearly fall off the platform.

His score reflected the “cardinal sin” of gymnastics and after the vault competition was over Hamm found himself in twelfth place. I remember watching the telecast and seeing him sitting on the sidelines with a pale look on his face. It was pretty clear by his reaction that at that point in time he believed he had blown his chance of making history.

But, this is where Paul Hamm demonstrated the difference between mediocrity and greatness. He decided at that point in time to put his fall behind him and move forward, giving his best effort to finish strong. His next event was coming up and he was first up. During the next rotation, a few of the competitors in the 6-11 places struggled. His great performance on the parallel bars coupled with the struggles of his competitors helped to move Hamm into fourth place in the all-around with his last and strongest event left to play out – the high bar.

Paul was determined to take advantage of this positive turn of events and make sure that he at least won the bronze medal. He was a master of the high bar and he scripted a highly technical routine in order to have a shot at earning the most points possible. The die was cast as the other competitors had finished their routines. Paul was the last to go. As I sat and watched the broadcast I could see Paul pour his heart into his routine – you could feel his energy, focus and determination. When he nailed his dismount it was electrifying and even before his score was revealed, you could see on Paul’s face that in his own mind he had won; regardless of the outcome. He came back from a crushing failure on the vault and proved to himself that he could execute beyond failure. And as it turns out, in one of the most dramatic comebacks in all of sports he won the gold medal in the men’s all-around by 0.012 points, becoming the first U.S. man to ever win the Olympic title. Talk about finishing strong.




There's still time to RSVP for the upcoming game on August 9th, 2008. Call 866-652-2044 for details, ask for Tina

July 21, 2008 Game Summary

We had 2 boards in play and 3 new players. We bought stocks, 3/2s, multi-family properties, Limited Partnerships, automated businesses, and more! We had kids, bought doodads, and were downsized all in a few hours. This game will teach you the basics of accounting (did I mention our audit?), finance, and investing in a fun and easy way. In attendance were RE investors, business owners, 2 very savvy 10 year olds, a financial planner/coach, and an investor friendly real estate agent . We learned a lot from the game as well as from each other. A detailed contact list was sent to attendees to promote networking. We're all about helping one another.

Who can benefit?

• Real estate Investor looking for investment property, credit/cash partners, or wants to network with other investors
• 1^st time homebuyer who may benefit from some general info on the buying process, financing tips, and negotiating strategies.
• Someone seeking assistance or advice on financial planning
• Someone looking for work at home information
• Someone new to the area looking to find other business minded individuals to meet in a casual fun atmosphere
• As we grow the list of who can benefit from the group will grow so invite someone for the next game

Member url’s

http://www.lesiafarrrealtor.com/

http://www.myspace.com/investhow

Note from Tina

I’ll admit I was a little apprehensive about what was in store for our group. Once the move to Alaska was confirmed I was unsure if the club would continue to meet. I should have known there would be nothing to fret about. I am so excited about the recent changes in the club. The group has four new organizers who have great attitudes, strong entrepreneurial mindsets, and each brings something unique to the table. You guys are in very capable hands. I will stay on and coordinate member correspondence, maintain the database, update the blog, & and any other support functions the new organizers may need. So what seemed like a negative has turned into an incredible opportunity to grow our group and help others increase their financial IQ. The Ft. Hood/Killeen Cashflow Club is still kickin’…tell a friend!