Business Today International Conference
"Charting the Course: Navigating the 21st Century Economy"
November 18-20 2012
Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City




Open Notes:

Dr. Steven Bloom: Senior VP of NASDAQ
Mega Trends
1. A Sluggish US economic recovery. GDP growth at 4% is ideal but it’s currently 2%. Unemployment is too high, but inflation is under control at 2 percent though health care and food are high.
2. US has $16 trillion in debt, the highest in relation to GDP since WW2 in 1945. It took 20 years to return to a normal rate. (The fiscal cliff is coming up with solutions so we don’t have to simultaneously raise taxes and reduce expenditures)
3. Anemic outlook by consumers, leaders and investors.
4. Growing U.S income equality and poverty (1/6 of Americans are considered impoverished)
5. Globalization of world economics
6. Euro zone in crisis (Weak countries are PIGS, Portugal Italy Greece Spain) Germany may be softening.
7. Middle East oil and other economic shock (oil is king in powering economies) The big question is ”Is there an alternative to middle eastern oil?”
8. Rise of China (low labor cost: rural, back office of the world), not just for unskilled labor. However, China may be experiencing its own real estate bubble.
9. Rise of emerging markets generally BRICS (for you South Africans)
10. Power of business innovation and entrepreneurship

Back: Rohan Manchanda, Marcello Schermer, Aazar Ali, Dianna Yau, Kyle Brandon
Front: Daniel Israel, Yohan Atlan, me, and Hannah Kate

Ms. Barbara Byrne: Barclay’s Capital Vice Chairman
Life Lessons
1. Get to know the client, provide quality service, and think what they need.
2. No is just another answer to yes.
3. Be unbelievably optimistic.
4. You cannot celebrate other people's failures
5. You should build for the future
6. Be kind to everyone
7. Set goals, mistakes happen
8. Stakeholders: community to be involved. Citizenship is core to who we are.
9. The investment banking business continues to evolve: Increased regulation is fine as long as the rules are clear "Work and Passion"
10. What makes is stand out is having an opinion and taking a stand. You can be quiet... But say something. When you take a stand, you think about issues.
11. When you are working on something but time flies, that's your passion. You are in the zone. You are energized.

Mr. Michael Novogratz: President of Fortress Investment Group

Mr. Michael Novogratz: President of Fortress Investment Group
Life Comments
1. Spend 5 or 10 percent of your day trying to make the world better, to solve complex, difficult problems.
2. Who talks to their parents daily? If so, cut your parents off... You are supposed to figure out who you are and who you are supposed to be. Give yourself some space
3. Statistically, people will live to 80s or 90s. Chill out. The single best thing to do for oneself is to take a year off between college and work to see the world. 50 percent of growth is overseas. Grow empathy, opportunity. Business opportunity, cultural opportunity. Get off the fast track and travel.
4. Don't chase the new great idea. Stumble around things and figure what you love.
5. Steal mentors, you are not going to do it alone. If you don't ask, they can't say no. Be confident enough and sneak up to them. People love to talk about themselves. Learn and your success will be built on the shoulders of others.
6. Have fun. What makes you feel that joy? If you don't like your job, quit. Having fun and finding joy is your life’s mission.
7. Invest in all sides of yourself. How do we educate and nourish the soul? Find some time to meditate, pray or some sort of spirituality. Read biographies of people.
8. Health: Be wary of your diet and exercise. Educate oneself on exercise.




End Notes.

Once again, I’m still alive!

Thursday October 11th 2012.

The reason I’m writing this article in English is because I want you to show what’s going on in Venezuela Internationally.

This year we built at my house in Caracas a Suca for the Jewish holiday (Google it). After 10 days we had to take it down. I called my uncle and asked if I can borrow his pick up truck for a couple of hours, so I could load the bamboos and palm tree leaves. My uncle sent me the 1998 Ford 150 truck with the driver Eduardo.

Both of us loaded up all the materials of the Suca to put it in the garbage. Once we reached the dump  we began  taking off all the cargo. It was at 3:30pm in front of a school called “Colegio Patria” and next to an

eldership. Two normal, average looking guys walked up the street where we were offloading the stuff. They saw us and kept walking  towards us. Once we finished our work they came at us aiming two very

powerful  guns at us. When they reached us, both pointed at me even though I wasn’t the driver. I gave them my wallet, watch, and my the phone.  My partner  Eduardo did the same. They took the SUV keys and left.

We hid ourselves behind the school’s door in case the robbers were going to start shooting. Then, a guy that saw everything, offered to take me home. Thankfully my home was only a couple blocks away.

Eduardo was shocked, and I had  to act and think quickly. I called 911 which didn’t work. Then I called my uncle to tell him that I lost his car. I took my other car which was parked at my house and drove to the Police Municipals. From a previous experience I had, I had became  friends with the Police Director. Once in his office he used the  police radio to notify the police in Caracas about the car. After all of this  Eduardo and I drove to other police and army departments. After eight hours, we finally found the car!

Today, Friday October 12th at 4:30pm I am sitting at my computer, reflecting and analyzing what happen. I can say one more time that God wants me here and isn't ready for me yet. But, I'm confused. It  is very sad that what I experienced yesterday thousands of Venezuelans experienced every day. In most of the cases the robbers kill the victims, or kidnap them. I was lucky.

I have met people around the world that says that Chavez, the Venezuela President, is a very good leader. If he is a great president why are there people robbing others to bring food to their house?  Somehow you have to feed your family I guess. Why is Chavez giving to other countries the money our country makes from the oil instead battling the delinquency and creating jobs?

If you know someone that works in your country’s International Relations Department, or in the UN, or in any International Court. Please help! Venezuela is falling down. This country needs international pressure on the government.

Whats going on in Venezuela?

Venezuelan Politics:

As the all-important month of October draws ever closer, many Venezuelans are questioning their fate should Chavez claim victory at the upcoming presidential elections. Hugely popular at his inauguration in 1999 and capturing the world’s attention with his neoliberalism and leftist speeches, Chavez has retained his seat of power for 13 years. After a rollercoaster ride of constitutional referendums, the emergence of an explicitly socialist party and a downturn in national economic viability, many Venezuelans are asking the same question;  
Why should Hugo Chavez be given another term?  This voice does not simply come from the right-wing either. Many leftists are concerned that their once-beloved Chavez, who may or may not lose his fight with cancer is no longer the optimal choice of candidate. Food is a basic necessity- so much more than a ‘right’, for without it the body perishes. Supplying low-cost food to the poor seemed like a good idea to Chavez and it certainly won him the support of the people at one point. But after 13 years of implementing strategies such as increasing domestic production through nationalizing large parts of the food industry to increase food supplies, food shortages are now higher than ever. It turns out that Chavez was wrong- the government cannot feed people more efficiently than the private sector an. Thus if people vote with even just their belly, Chavez is not the candidate of choice. How can he be?
In what seems to be a last-ditch attempt to sway the doubts of many, Hugo Chavez's latest appearance with former Brazilian President and man-with-the-golden-touch Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was observed by the world. The hungry eyes of Venezuela will tend to overestimate the importance of Lula’s support for Chavez in the hope that the magic Lula worked for Brazil (making it the five largest global economy) might rub off onto their president should he hold office into yet another term.
Or is it time for a change?
Closing in on Chavez is Henrique Capriles Radonski, a 39-year-old Venezuelan state governor, a lawyer by profession, who was in fact imprisoned in 2004 by Chavez (but later acquitted) on charges of trespass, intimidation and "violating international principles". The reason that Radonski is the one to beat is simple: his campaign offers a calm solution to the economic crisis that Venezuela suffers beside its booming, thriving neighbour Brazil. This is slowly but steadily earning the trust of the people who really do want to see a change and hey, they having nothing to lose.
Chavez’s popularity on the other hand tends to plummet and skyrocket as he manipulates the voters with emotive leftist speeches and then disappoints them by sending their oil to Cuba and damaging their food supply. How can voters think straight in conditions such as these?
As Radonski continues to offer a more practical approach that focuses on the preparation of strategies to piece the economy and democratic institutions of Venezuela back together, this is one presidential election trail to watch.

If you are Venezuelan, please vote this October 7th. Make the effort, the country needs you.