In Capitalist America, owning a business is the main ingredient in the recipe for creating wealth. Although the number of self-employed Black Americans doubled from 1984 to 2003, the Black American self-employment rate is less than half the national average and still lags behind Latino, Asian and White Americans.
According to the Small Business Administration, only 4.5 percent of blacks own their own business, compared with 7 percent of Latinos and 11 percent of white and Asian Americans. Black-owned businesses generate dramatically lower annual sales than firms owned by white and Asian Americans, and they are more likely to fail.
For years, University of California Santa Cruz (UC Santa Cruz) Economist Robert Fairlie, has analyzed data to understand these disparities and along with Alicia Robb of the Foundation for Sustainable Development, has uncovered the main factors that account for the lack of black owned businesses compared to other races:
• Insufficient amounts of startup capital
• Lack of self-employed work experience
• Lack of educational attainment
"Half of all Asian Americans in the labor market have a college education or higher," said Fairlie, emphasizing the importance of education.
"Business ownership is an alternative to unemployment and discrimination in the labor market, and political influence comes with success in small business," he said. "Historically in this country, we've seen rapid growth of business ownership among immigrants, including Chinese, Japanese, Jews, Italians, Greeks, and, most recently, Koreans."
Yet business ownership rates have been stagnant among Black Americans, said Fairlie, who presented his research during a conference titled "Race, Families, and Business Success: A Comparison of African American-, Asian- and White-Owned Businesses." His presentation was sponsored by the UCSC Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Office as part of its diversity lecture series.
In his analysis, Black-owned businesses average annual sales of about $60,000, compared with $167,000 for Latino-owned businesses, $219,000 for white-owned businesses, and $245,000 for Asian-owned businesses.
Only 14 percent of black-owned businesses generated annual profits of $10,000 or more, compared with 30 percent of white-owned businesses. Business failure rates during the first four years are 27 percent for black-owned businesses compared with 22.5 percent for white-owned businesses.
Sufficient startup capital, prior work experience in a family-owned business, and education emerged as the biggest differences in the success and survival of black, white and Asian-owned businesses. Having sufficient start-up capital accounted for 43 percent, self-employed work experience - 11 percent, and educational level about 6 percent of the difference in business ownership success.
Businesses launched with $100,000 or more of startup capital were twice as likely to prosper, but only 1.7 percent of black-owned businesses start out with more than $100,000, compared with 4.9 percent of white-owned firms, said Fairlie. Furthermore, only 6.5 percent of black-owned businesses start a business with more than $25,000 in capital, compared with 11.1 percent of white-owned firms and 12 percent of business owned by Asian Americans.
Why the large differences in start-up capital? Not surprisingly: Wealth! The net worth of blacks and whites accounts for the disparity in startup capital, said Fairlie. Defined as total assets, including home equity, automobiles, and savings, net worth for average Black Americans is about $6,000; Latino net worth averages $7,000; and White and Asian Americans net worth is about $70,000.
"Wealth inequality leads to these low levels of capital, which is a huge factor in determining the outcome of a business," said Fairlie, adding that, "Economists tend to focus on wage and income inequality, but there really needs to be more attention paid to wealth inequality in this country."
The alternative source for start-up capital are Bank and Government (SBA) loans. Not surprisingly, Asian Americans have been the leaders in snagging SBA business loans. Over the past ten years, Asians obtained 12.2% of the $85 billion in loans guaranteed by the SBA, while Latinos received 5.6% and Blacks 2.8%.
The USA Today also reported earlier this year how self-employed Asian Americans assist each other in business with alternative financing:
"Many Asian immigrants finance start-ups through informal loan associations. How they work: Twelve established Asian U.S. business owners will contribute $1,000 each to a fund. That $12,000 is loaned to a new immigrant entrepreneur. Loans are often interest-free, and agreements are sealed with a handshake," says Greg Fairchild, a professor at the University of Virginia. "It's a new version of what people have negatively called the good old boys' network," he says."
These types of business associations are dated back to the early 20th century in the United States when Asians were the primary foreign immigrant group. Unfortunately, there are no direct equivalents in other minority communities. Harry Alford, president of the National Black Chamber of Commerce, hopes one day there will be. Asians don't form loan pools "because they love each other," he says. "They see it as a necessity for business growth. We African-Americans have a natural dependency on waiting for the government to do something."
After reflecting on their discoveries, Fairlie and Robb point out several issues for government review, including improving bank lending laws to further protect Black Americans from financial discrimination, addressing wealth inequality, and developing internships that would help narrow the gap for the lack of work experience in family-owned businesses available to Black Americans.
Create Wealth, Enjoy Life!
Written by James Bird Guess
President & Founder The Black Economy.com
James "Bird" Guess graduated college with dreams of climbing the corporate ladder and becoming a prominent financial executive. But after only working a year in "Corporate America", James grew bitter of the politics and bureaucracy associated and decided to venture out on his own to become a full-time entrepreneur.
With a repossession and other unpaid debts on his credit, James had a negative net worth. Starting with only $1,000 saved from college, he single-handedly built a quarter million dollar apparel business from the trunk of his car. Shortly thereafter, his business model would transition from retailer to wholesaler of apparel, which generated $750,000 dollars in revenue.
James could now take one step closer toward financial freedom. As an entrepreneur, he has bought and sold over $1.5 million of apparel. He now uses his financial acumen to help individuals, entrepreneurs, businesses and investors create wealth in their lives! James is now the President & Founder of BlacBird Investments LLC. http://www.BlacBirds.com & http://www.theblackeconomy.com, Create Wealth! & Enjoy Life!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
The Illuminati
At the heart of practically every conspiracy theory which involves the New World Order, there is the shadowy group known only as the Illuminati. Today, there is no one group that claims this title, so it is assumed that everything they do is done in secret so it is impossible to know the identity of any of the members.
However, certain international think tanks such as the Council on Foreign Relations, the Bilderberg Group, and the Trilateral Commission are often seen as branch organizations of the group. This article will cover a brief history of the group and a few of the plans they have in store for the world's population.
In 1776, a Bavarian Jesuit Adam Weishaupt created the original Illuminati organization which consisted of major freethinkers of the Enlightenment era. The group had very close ties with another secret society, namely the Freemasons. During their time they were accused of planning to overthrow the government and some believe they were even involved with bringing about the French Revolution. Their organization was deeply at odds with the Catholic Church which condemned them wholeheartedly. Their short lived group was eventually banned in 1784 when Karl Theodor, the ruler of Bavaria, made all secret societies illegal.
There are many conspiracy theorists today which believe that the Illuminati survived, most likely by hiding itself in the Freemasons. Proponents of these theories believe that major world events are being caused or exploited by this group with the end goal of creating a New World Order. This plan entails a one world, government, currency, religion, and language in many cases. These ideals will be shared with the public as a good thing and a final solution to all the wars, famine, bigotry, and other problems in the world, but the true plan involves a small ruling elite with complete control over large number of serfs.
Some of the better known proponents of these conspiracy theories include radio host Alex Jones, author David Icke, and political activist Mark Dice. While each of these persons expresses belief in the New World Order and the secret societies that are out to bring it about, they all have fundamental differences when it comes to the details. Major world figures who these theorists claim to be in the Illuminati include Winston Churchill, David Rockefeller and Zbigniew Brzezinski, among many others. Likewise, there are many different groups accused with being affiliated with the group besides the Freemasons including Skull and Bones, The Bohemian Society, and the Ordo Templi Orientis.
Written by Reece Woodstock
The Antichrist Identity is an international group of political researchers, analysts and media group with a predominant focus on the formation of the coming new world order and its impact on a political, economic and social level. Visit http://theantichristidentity.com to learn more.
However, certain international think tanks such as the Council on Foreign Relations, the Bilderberg Group, and the Trilateral Commission are often seen as branch organizations of the group. This article will cover a brief history of the group and a few of the plans they have in store for the world's population.
In 1776, a Bavarian Jesuit Adam Weishaupt created the original Illuminati organization which consisted of major freethinkers of the Enlightenment era. The group had very close ties with another secret society, namely the Freemasons. During their time they were accused of planning to overthrow the government and some believe they were even involved with bringing about the French Revolution. Their organization was deeply at odds with the Catholic Church which condemned them wholeheartedly. Their short lived group was eventually banned in 1784 when Karl Theodor, the ruler of Bavaria, made all secret societies illegal.
There are many conspiracy theorists today which believe that the Illuminati survived, most likely by hiding itself in the Freemasons. Proponents of these theories believe that major world events are being caused or exploited by this group with the end goal of creating a New World Order. This plan entails a one world, government, currency, religion, and language in many cases. These ideals will be shared with the public as a good thing and a final solution to all the wars, famine, bigotry, and other problems in the world, but the true plan involves a small ruling elite with complete control over large number of serfs.
Some of the better known proponents of these conspiracy theories include radio host Alex Jones, author David Icke, and political activist Mark Dice. While each of these persons expresses belief in the New World Order and the secret societies that are out to bring it about, they all have fundamental differences when it comes to the details. Major world figures who these theorists claim to be in the Illuminati include Winston Churchill, David Rockefeller and Zbigniew Brzezinski, among many others. Likewise, there are many different groups accused with being affiliated with the group besides the Freemasons including Skull and Bones, The Bohemian Society, and the Ordo Templi Orientis.
Written by Reece Woodstock
The Antichrist Identity is an international group of political researchers, analysts and media group with a predominant focus on the formation of the coming new world order and its impact on a political, economic and social level. Visit http://theantichristidentity.com to learn more.
Illuminati - Fact Or Fiction?
The concept of the Illuminati and the New World Order is nothing new. The fact that believers claim these secret elites have been around since Ancient Babylon goes to show how long people have worried about secret societies and corrupt governments. However with the rise of the internet, increase of terrorism and economic meltdown, many people are doing away with traditional political ideologies in return for the idea that all Governments are corrupt and part of the same secret order .
The basic concept is that throughout the ages 13 or more secret families have held the reigns over society by controlling the banking system, media empires, word government, sciences and health industry, as well as hording ancient information and religions. It is claimed that these elites were the inventors of modern religion as a means to close their victims minds to other possibilities, to the hidden truth.
When somebody is offered such information it's a lot to digest and a hell of a lot to prove, but this mysterious idea has taken on a new life of its own ad re-established itself as a fact based political ideology against the current left/right regime. Instead of getting in to ancient orders, and occult undertones, today's activists focus on what they can prove. Leading the way in the "info war" are the likes of Austin radio host Alex Jones that is anti-corporate media, and all out anti-establishment.
It is a fact that all the major news channels are owned by corporate interests, it is fact that most president's have more "wall street" staff than true politicians, it is a fact that major currencies are printed and issued by private banks and not the governments, and it is fact that certain interests get profits from war. Dig a little deeper and the wealthiest and most powerful families in the world just happen to have interests in all these things and are interconnected in some fashion. Some find it humorous, but it is also a fact that 25 US Presidents are related to each other and can be traced back to various royal families and aristocracy.
When you get past the more accepted "here and now" political debate of a corrupt New World Order, it takes you back to this ancient bloodline Illuminati dynasty and is extremely interesting, whether fact or fiction.
It is alleged that in Ancient Babylon the rulers at the time (who claimed they descended from Gods) sent offspring to all corners of the globe to set up the royal families and religious figures. These then controlled their given society under strict regimes and under false religion. Secret societies were then created to hide true information about the origins of man and the elites, and here citizens that would carry out the ruler's agenda were groomed and pushed in to positions of power, so any freedom fighter would never make it to the top of the power structure. They created the money system that enslaves humanity today, and have had there hands in both sides of every major war.
It's an astounding concept that has led rise to many movies, music albums, TV shows and video games. Whether fact or fiction, and interesting guide to New World Order Fiction, can be found on Alternative News website, WideShut.co.uk. But as they say, the truth is stranger than fiction.
By Andrew Cuningham
The basic concept is that throughout the ages 13 or more secret families have held the reigns over society by controlling the banking system, media empires, word government, sciences and health industry, as well as hording ancient information and religions. It is claimed that these elites were the inventors of modern religion as a means to close their victims minds to other possibilities, to the hidden truth.
When somebody is offered such information it's a lot to digest and a hell of a lot to prove, but this mysterious idea has taken on a new life of its own ad re-established itself as a fact based political ideology against the current left/right regime. Instead of getting in to ancient orders, and occult undertones, today's activists focus on what they can prove. Leading the way in the "info war" are the likes of Austin radio host Alex Jones that is anti-corporate media, and all out anti-establishment.
It is a fact that all the major news channels are owned by corporate interests, it is fact that most president's have more "wall street" staff than true politicians, it is a fact that major currencies are printed and issued by private banks and not the governments, and it is fact that certain interests get profits from war. Dig a little deeper and the wealthiest and most powerful families in the world just happen to have interests in all these things and are interconnected in some fashion. Some find it humorous, but it is also a fact that 25 US Presidents are related to each other and can be traced back to various royal families and aristocracy.
When you get past the more accepted "here and now" political debate of a corrupt New World Order, it takes you back to this ancient bloodline Illuminati dynasty and is extremely interesting, whether fact or fiction.
It is alleged that in Ancient Babylon the rulers at the time (who claimed they descended from Gods) sent offspring to all corners of the globe to set up the royal families and religious figures. These then controlled their given society under strict regimes and under false religion. Secret societies were then created to hide true information about the origins of man and the elites, and here citizens that would carry out the ruler's agenda were groomed and pushed in to positions of power, so any freedom fighter would never make it to the top of the power structure. They created the money system that enslaves humanity today, and have had there hands in both sides of every major war.
It's an astounding concept that has led rise to many movies, music albums, TV shows and video games. Whether fact or fiction, and interesting guide to New World Order Fiction, can be found on Alternative News website, WideShut.co.uk. But as they say, the truth is stranger than fiction.
By Andrew Cuningham
Freemasonry Secrets - Are Freemasons Part of a Sinister Cult?
Often when the topic of Freemasons comes up some people are under the impression that they are some type of religious cult. This perhaps has become a way of thinking because of the reputation they have of being a secret fraternity. Some would say they almost seem to have mysticism about them.
When confronted about their being a cult most of the Freemasons will take offense to this and feel they are being treated unjustly. So what is it that is leading some to believe that this organization is a cover-up for some evasive cult?
To begin with, they refer to the craft of masonry. Individuals are wary of the word craft. This word is used constantly to describe some types of works of art, so it would seem unfair to attach it as a label of being a cult because it is being used by an organization such as the Freemasons. It is being perceived by anti Freemasons as referring to witchcraft.
Then the next argument raised is why they perform rituals and what are they and for what purpose? The general response from those who are members give the explanation that these rituals are a way of telling a story. They are done to get a meaning across such as love and goodness overpowering evil for example. These rituals play a vital role in the Freemasonry and specific ones are only carried out by those that have attained specific degrees. Degrees in the Freemasonry are like promotion up the ranks.
Then there comes the concerns that they are a highly secretive organization. The Freemasons promote that their records are open to the public. They do however admit that their rituals are a secret meant only for the members.
So when you look at the words craft, rituals and secrecy all on their own accord they really are innocent sounding words and one would question as to why they would be linked to the thought of a cult. It's when you put all these words together as a whole entity that disturbs people because this link is often the foundation for many cults.
Another argument raised by pro Freemasons is the good they do in their community, but in many cases even, that seems somewhat secret. The ideals that they speak of and what they say their fraternity is based on would make them a quite noble organization if they are to be taken at their word.
Much of the anti Freemason arguments could quite easily be put to rest by removing some of the secrecy shrouding the Freemasonry. This could be done by way of opening up the ritual to a public audience. It would stand to reason that if these rituals were for the betterment of all humanity, then shouldn't the story they say it portrays be shared with all. If humanity were, the key issue one would think they would want to spread the word. Why should the high morals that the Freemasons stand on be restricted to their organization only.
Written by Simon L. Gray
Now, you can discover the ancient secrets of freemasonry
Visit http://www.SecretsofMasons.com now.
SecretsofMasons is a rare collection of 120 masonic rituals books, secrets and lost ancient texts.
Be among the rare few to own this highly-exclusive forbidden collection of rare journals, manuscripts and texts now.
When confronted about their being a cult most of the Freemasons will take offense to this and feel they are being treated unjustly. So what is it that is leading some to believe that this organization is a cover-up for some evasive cult?
To begin with, they refer to the craft of masonry. Individuals are wary of the word craft. This word is used constantly to describe some types of works of art, so it would seem unfair to attach it as a label of being a cult because it is being used by an organization such as the Freemasons. It is being perceived by anti Freemasons as referring to witchcraft.
Then the next argument raised is why they perform rituals and what are they and for what purpose? The general response from those who are members give the explanation that these rituals are a way of telling a story. They are done to get a meaning across such as love and goodness overpowering evil for example. These rituals play a vital role in the Freemasonry and specific ones are only carried out by those that have attained specific degrees. Degrees in the Freemasonry are like promotion up the ranks.
Then there comes the concerns that they are a highly secretive organization. The Freemasons promote that their records are open to the public. They do however admit that their rituals are a secret meant only for the members.
So when you look at the words craft, rituals and secrecy all on their own accord they really are innocent sounding words and one would question as to why they would be linked to the thought of a cult. It's when you put all these words together as a whole entity that disturbs people because this link is often the foundation for many cults.
Another argument raised by pro Freemasons is the good they do in their community, but in many cases even, that seems somewhat secret. The ideals that they speak of and what they say their fraternity is based on would make them a quite noble organization if they are to be taken at their word.
Much of the anti Freemason arguments could quite easily be put to rest by removing some of the secrecy shrouding the Freemasonry. This could be done by way of opening up the ritual to a public audience. It would stand to reason that if these rituals were for the betterment of all humanity, then shouldn't the story they say it portrays be shared with all. If humanity were, the key issue one would think they would want to spread the word. Why should the high morals that the Freemasons stand on be restricted to their organization only.
Written by Simon L. Gray
Now, you can discover the ancient secrets of freemasonry
Visit http://www.SecretsofMasons.com now.
SecretsofMasons is a rare collection of 120 masonic rituals books, secrets and lost ancient texts.
Be among the rare few to own this highly-exclusive forbidden collection of rare journals, manuscripts and texts now.
Who Are the Freemasons and the Knights Templar? Secrets of Masons Exposed
The Freemasons will often boast of past historic members such as George Washington and Paul Revere just to name a few, that they were proud Freemasons. This boasting is as if because prominent men of society were members then the entire organization should be above question.
Some Freemasons will tell you in simplified terms that they are a group of closely-knit men that get together for fellowship both spiritually and intellectually. Now the real anti Freemasons view them in a much more devious light determined that they are out to take over the world.
It would seem that their beginnings are somewhat of a mystery in itself. Even the members themselves are often unclear as to the beginning, some will tell you different stories. Here are some of the explanations as to their roots that you may hear…
- they descended from the Druids of ancient times.
- they are affiliated with the Isis-Osiris cult that prevailed in ancient Egypt
- they were the Essenes, which was a group of Jewish Monks who bonded together around the 2nd century.
- then there are those that believe they go back as far as King Solomon’s temple built in Jerusalem 967BC. This is based on the Bible’s account of the temple being built by the stonemasons whose bond has carried on through the years to the now Freemasons.
This latter belief has a legend. It is said that an individual by the name of Hiram Abiff who had worked on King Solomon’s temple knew of the secret of the temple but refused to tell others. When he refused to disclose this secret, three other co-workers murdered him. It is said that King Solomon ordered his men to find Hiram’s body so the secret of the temple would be brought back. They were unable to find the body so the King established a new Masonic secret. It is believed that this secret was “Mahabone” meaning the Grand Lodge door opened. Now this is the password that those members of the third degree Masonry must use to gain entrance to the Lodge.
There have been factors to show that the Freemason have some type of connection with another group called the Knights Templar. Their history purports they armed themselves in 1118 Ad to protect Christians than were leaving Jaffa enroute to Jerusalem. As legend as it this Knights Templar discovered the most precious treasure ever know to humanity amongst the ruins of King Solomon’s temple. The Knights were now one very rich entity. King Philip IV of France in 1307 have all the Knights Templar arrested so he could take their treasure. Or so rumor has it.
No one knows for sure what happened to the Knights after this but some said they went into hiding and continued their meetings in secret. Eventually they came out of hiding with a new name reportedly to be the Freemasons. There is some speculation that this group had a hand in instigating the French Revolution as a means of revenge for what the French King did to them. This is a most intriguing story but there are other Masons who will paint a much more subtle picture concerning the rough masons of the 1700’s.
As the story goes, there were two types of mason the rough masons who did average work on ordinary stone, then the free masons who did intricate works of art on the softer stone. The Freemasons wanted to keep themselves segregated as an elite group from the rough masons so they devised a code amongst themselves using code words, handshakes and other secret forms of addressing one another.
The Freemasons have not always been a membership of all men. Actually, there were women members back in the 1700’s but they were tossed out because the men feared the women would take their attention. In addition, they didn’t think the women could keep their secrets.
Written by Simon Gray
Discover the *ancient secrets* of freemasonry at: SecretsofMasons.com - knights templar and freemasons SecretsofMasons has over 120 rare freemasonry books with over 25,000 pages of illustrations, symbols and manuscripts from the masonic templar. Be among the rare few to own this highly-exclusive ancient secrets book collection today!
Some Freemasons will tell you in simplified terms that they are a group of closely-knit men that get together for fellowship both spiritually and intellectually. Now the real anti Freemasons view them in a much more devious light determined that they are out to take over the world.
It would seem that their beginnings are somewhat of a mystery in itself. Even the members themselves are often unclear as to the beginning, some will tell you different stories. Here are some of the explanations as to their roots that you may hear…
- they descended from the Druids of ancient times.
- they are affiliated with the Isis-Osiris cult that prevailed in ancient Egypt
- they were the Essenes, which was a group of Jewish Monks who bonded together around the 2nd century.
- then there are those that believe they go back as far as King Solomon’s temple built in Jerusalem 967BC. This is based on the Bible’s account of the temple being built by the stonemasons whose bond has carried on through the years to the now Freemasons.
This latter belief has a legend. It is said that an individual by the name of Hiram Abiff who had worked on King Solomon’s temple knew of the secret of the temple but refused to tell others. When he refused to disclose this secret, three other co-workers murdered him. It is said that King Solomon ordered his men to find Hiram’s body so the secret of the temple would be brought back. They were unable to find the body so the King established a new Masonic secret. It is believed that this secret was “Mahabone” meaning the Grand Lodge door opened. Now this is the password that those members of the third degree Masonry must use to gain entrance to the Lodge.
There have been factors to show that the Freemason have some type of connection with another group called the Knights Templar. Their history purports they armed themselves in 1118 Ad to protect Christians than were leaving Jaffa enroute to Jerusalem. As legend as it this Knights Templar discovered the most precious treasure ever know to humanity amongst the ruins of King Solomon’s temple. The Knights were now one very rich entity. King Philip IV of France in 1307 have all the Knights Templar arrested so he could take their treasure. Or so rumor has it.
No one knows for sure what happened to the Knights after this but some said they went into hiding and continued their meetings in secret. Eventually they came out of hiding with a new name reportedly to be the Freemasons. There is some speculation that this group had a hand in instigating the French Revolution as a means of revenge for what the French King did to them. This is a most intriguing story but there are other Masons who will paint a much more subtle picture concerning the rough masons of the 1700’s.
As the story goes, there were two types of mason the rough masons who did average work on ordinary stone, then the free masons who did intricate works of art on the softer stone. The Freemasons wanted to keep themselves segregated as an elite group from the rough masons so they devised a code amongst themselves using code words, handshakes and other secret forms of addressing one another.
The Freemasons have not always been a membership of all men. Actually, there were women members back in the 1700’s but they were tossed out because the men feared the women would take their attention. In addition, they didn’t think the women could keep their secrets.
Written by Simon Gray
Discover the *ancient secrets* of freemasonry at: SecretsofMasons.com - knights templar and freemasons SecretsofMasons has over 120 rare freemasonry books with over 25,000 pages of illustrations, symbols and manuscripts from the masonic templar. Be among the rare few to own this highly-exclusive ancient secrets book collection today!
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