By Gary Scott

Native food and spice smells ride a chilled dusk air. Bold colors and warm join us in a flurry of enterprise. “There is something waiting” these senses call. “They are waiting for you!”

Here's a weaver we visited at Peguchi Market on our last Import Export Tour.

Merri and I love shopping in native markets. They are such ancient rites of human endeavor, filled with energy and deep, inner excitement. Such wonderful agitation! Men and women, different religions, cultures and ages all coming together. People from near and far. Explosions of color. Mutterings and hawkings in Quechua, Spanish, and occasional English working their babbles of exchange. Babies bobbing on mother’s backs, children working, playing and racing among the stalls. Adults serious in their cares. Explosions of sights, smells and sounds create this purposeful cacophony true to only one mission, to trade and sell!

We love the markets for this excitement but also because this sacred rite of commerce eliminates differences. In the market little matters, except the deal. Age, race, religion and culture are forgotten. We are buyers and sellers. That’s all.

Here is one of the sweaters and some of the carpets she has weaved.

The petty differences that so often dominate life are dulled by the provocative wine fermented from one of humanity’s most primitive, rawest forms. Seduced by commerce. Drunken in the beauty of man’s nature to serve others, we live life to the fullest and ignore the unimportant minutiae that too often clogs our visions. What a place for inspiration! We may have moved the hawking our goods from dirt, town squares, to globally formatted home pages, yet the fundamentals have not really changed. By returning to these primitive roots, there is much to be gained and learned.

This is why yesterday’s message looked at entropy. Systems change but the underlying rules never alter!

I was reminded of this fact when an alert reader sent me this note.

“Dear Gary,

“What you wrote about too much anger in America's system really resonates with me.

“May I ask your opinion? Does it seem that it is getting harder to conduct your business life (when you are in America) without being personally impacted by situations where people are throwing anger around (and on a 'hair trigger')?

“Do you see this "society-anger" as one of the symptoms of a society about to go through a major economic upheaval - or as something else? Sincerely, DB, California.”

This is a good question. I think many in America have this problem. It is more difficult to do business. The run away tort system is created by increased anger. Stress release is big business in much of America now.

The high cost of health and shortened life span in the US is another sign of anger.

The USA Patriot act is a sign of rage.

All of these signs are signals that systems in America (and other parts of the Western world – such as France (where riots are about to restart as I write) are deteriorating.

This is one reason we recommend Small Town USA (where living is relaxed) and Ecuador where the people are really kind and gentle.

Western society has moved down the wrong road.

This does mean that economic upheaval will come because anger that keeps building cannot be sustained. Change has to take place. The change may reduce or may increase economic activity. Whatever happens those who are watching for the shift and spotting trends can alter their financial stance to reflect the change. These people will do very well.

One way to spot these trends is to keep the fundamentals in mind. Let's look at some fundamentals, forces that will not easily change.

One fundamental is that the industrial revolution is driven on a false hope.

The reality is that our environment cannot stand everyone living in the wasteful way that the US and much of Europe does. Everyone is reaching for the brass ring. We cannot all have it!

This is why I have been recommending investing in water companies.

One of these companies I wrote about is Suez Lyonnaise des Eaux.

Suez, trades on the Paris Bourse under the ticker symbol LY and several years ago adopted American business management methods, sharpening its focus and aiming to benefit shareholders, not just employees and managers.

Suez Environment supplies sustainable solutions for essential environmental services (water, sanitation and waste services) to industrial and individual customers around the world.

Now Suez has announced a strong increase in 2005 results and a 25% increase in ordinary dividend. Organic growth was 9.0%, while total EBITDA grew 9.7% in the year 2005. Full-year operating income reached EUR 3.9 billion, up 4.4% from EUR 3.74 billion a year earlier. Looking ahead to fiscal 2006, Suez expects operating performances to stand in the upper range of the Group’s medium-term target objectives. The company sees organic revenue growth of 4 to 7%. The Group aims to meet essential needs in electricity, natural gas, energy services, water and waste management.

SUEZ is listed on the Brussels, Luxembourg, Paris, New York and Zurich stock exchanges and is represented in the major international indices. The Group employs 157,650 people worldwide and achieved revenues of EUR41.5 billion in 2005, 89% of which were generated in Europe and in North America.

The share price of Suez has jumped 10% since the beginning of the year.

Learn more!

Learn more about how to develop investing philosophies and investing in water. Join Merri, Thomas Fischer of Jyske Bank and me at our next International Business and Investing Made EZ course in North Carolina.

There is an even worse fact. The system is based on an even deeper false hope that greater material wealth brings greater health and happiness. Money does help us be happy, but this is true only to a point. Then the law of diminishing returns takes over. Americans and other Western Europeans are not happier, do not live longer, have less suicides, etc. than many poor people.

So everyone has jumped on the global economy hoping to have something they cannot and even if they could it would not give them what they hoped for in the first place.

This does not mean that materialism is wrong. I am still a long term emerging market optimist. The world has too much invested in the global economy to allow emerging industrialization to fail. But growth will not be straight up. I explain why investing in emerging markets can help you richen your life in tomorrow’s message.

This is why our courses look at the deeper fundamentals in life beyond just our endeavors to enrichen ourselves. Here is our last import export group enjoying a ceremony at an ancient Inca Ruin with our friend, Taita Yatchak, Don Carlos.

Another way to make sure you become and remain rich is to be able to earn anywhere. You can see a few of the products you can import globally. Learn about them at our upcoming Import Export course.

Here is what a few delegates have written about our last course.

“Merri, It was a real and fruitful delight to participate in your import export conference, learned a lot new things and made a lot of contacts. I am going back to the states this week on April 6, but I will be back in May to work in Quito. Thank you so much for everything. Besos y abrazos.” Patricia

“Gary and Merri, It was nice to meet you and take part in the tour. I will have more to say later but I especially wanted to say how nice it was to meet both of you. You are both, interesting, educated, driven, wonderful people. My life will be enriched more.... by knowing you both! ....Gary....please go to this website, ....I think this is the beginning of the "Greening of America"....a new real estate trend that is developing here in Estatos Unitos. Gracious para su trabajo mi amigos, Kindest regards,” Russ

Learn how to earn anywhere you travel. See beautiful sights. Learn how to have everlasting wealth. Join Merri and me and our Ecuador Import-Export Expedition.

Until next message, may all your travels and systems be good!

Gary

P.S. Here is a health tip. Do not eat a low fat diet! Balance your carbohydrate, protein, fat intake three (carbs) to two (protein) to one (fat). We are adding an organic protein balanced Quinoa menu here at El Meson de las Flores for our R&R program.

We wanted to test and teach the Quinoa recipes so recently we had a reverse day. We invited our staff here and some friends who have moved to Cotacachi. Merri and I did the cooking and serving. The staff got to watch and eat. We even helped do the dishes. Here we are with the food. Quinoa Tabuli, Quinoa Coconut, Quinoa Curry and Quinoa Paella.

Everyone sat and just as we began to eat we heard a tapping at the front door. Lucia our hotel manager started to rise. "No," we said. "This is our job today." When we had taken over the hotel and had our first management meeting, one of Lucia's first questions was, "May I continue to provide the soup?" We had observed her feeding poor, homeless people at lunch time every day, but were still surprised by the question. "No", was our reply. "You must give them soup, cheese and bread". No one who arrives with their bowl or bucket goes away without food. We have created Quinoa cookies to help boost the protein balance of these friends who are less fortunate than we are as well.

Here are the two smiling faces we shared our meal with that day. So Merri and I had the joy of sharing our food with more than our staff and friends.

When you join us for our courses or R&R programs you help feed these wonderful people as well.