offshore gold

http://www.bullionvault.com/from/johnjensen

this is the place where I have bought gold in Zürich (Switzerland). They also have some interesting articles and analysis. The advantages to an offshore gold holding place like this is that, the last time the US was in severe economic crisis, Uncle Sam seized all the gold (it became illegal to own it), bought it at the going rate, then sold it back to the public at a higher price (thereby deflating the currency). Switzerland is considerably less likely to do that than say the US or UK. While the central banks of both countries are no longer constrained by a currency-gold peg, offshore gold offers secure insured offsite storage. Plus making a market.

Do your own due diligence before investing anywhere.
And I reccommend BullionVault.

finding peace with money

http://www.goodradioshows.org/peaceTalksL58.htm

This is a radio show that talks about finding peace with money where you're at. Great break from the high-pressure must-make-more scene.

Michael Greenberger on the Subprime Mortgage Crisis

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89338743
This is a very good article about the subprime crisis

http://www.npr.org/search.php?text=Michael+Greenberger+
other NPR pieces where the same guest appears. I was very impressed by this man's experience, knowledge and what I perceive to be his motivation, that is, creating a system that serves everyone, not just the folks at the top.

wiki surf money

Wikipedia is a great source of exploration adventure. I highly recommend starting with http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Money and following as many of the branches as far as you can. The associations are fascinating! I'll post a "spoilers" page somewhere that lists links I still remember from four years ago.

what got me started

The book that really got me thinking was Money and the Meaning of Life because a) I was ready to contemplate the questions and b) this book asked good questions. This book also is a chronicle of the author's exploration in his own life and in teaching a college class, and suggests that awareness, observation and honest searching are the highlights of the journey.

Welcome to Souting the Economic Landscape

I really got started in the summer of 2004, when I started asking questions like, "what am I doing with my career?" and "what does success mean to me?" and "what is this thing we call money anyway?" and "what do I choose to do in work?"

It started a journey that has spanned the entire emotional scale and often hit chords. This blog is one way of sharing my insights, experiences and clues that I've picked up along the way, which I feel are particularly relevant given the current financial crisis. Naturally, this is a work in progress.

enjoy!
John