Regard the lilies of the field... In fairness, the US has its share/history of ex-pats.
Debt has a greater earning potential than savings for financial instiutions. Living beyond one's means is promoted in various ways. America is the land of re-invention (social and geographic mobility). Am partial to savory myself but my grand-daughters requested pies so pies they had. I do like something sweet maybe once a day.//My habits were influenced by my early years at boarding school- Sacred Heart Convent. Home was rather dramatic and chaotic while school and camp developed other rhythms. Am quite different from my mother or daughter in many ways but like many people I have tried out various "poses". Am only human, afterall. On Jan 12, 7:54 am, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > When I think about a technology solution I'm not much concerned with > the hardware and software. Most people who drive have very little > clue how vehicles work and even less about how they are made. What > I've been pondering for a long time is whether we can do something > similar for argument and fashion something we can 'drive'. The > spreadsheet is a bit of an example, along with databases. People get > fixated on numbers and techie stuff - and probably with the cruelty of > potential and real uses. There is an emancipatory potential. In > essence this is as simple as, say, me wanting to make a blueberry pie, > not knowing and being able to whistle-up help from rigs or the > 'cloud' (actually I don't like fruit pies). > Ancient Greeks (the Pyrrhonists) knew very different and almost > equally compelling argument could be made about almost anything. > Their 'solution' was a special state of mind involving suspended > judgement - but this relies on 'being clever' enough to achieve the > state of mind. In fact, argument is not of one form but several - > nine are usually considered and have rather different rules.Most > philosophic consideration assumes we argue fairly and politics makes > this a farce before we start. If we are serious about democracy we > have to consider ignorance and means round this other than our failed > educational systems. When I first taught finance a lot of the work > was in calculation and one mistake meant going through everything in > that bit of the system again. Such work is now done by the technology > and indeed the technology has enabled new work to be done - mostly > through its vast iterative speed. The big snags remain garbage in > garbage out, cheating and focus on deriving competitive advantage only > in the financial bottom line. What we need is technology that will > deliver access to embodied knowledge for us all - enabling very clever > solutions for generally not very clever people. This would involve a > transparency we have not previously achieved since we lived in small > groups and probably beyond this. At the moment we have financial > accounting no one can see through - try reading Wells Fargo's 2011 > annual report. I couldn't make sense of most bank reports without a > team of dozens and carte blanche investigation authority. > > I like the idea of 'sending brains' back to countries of origin rigs - > but can we really assume our establishment is really interested in > fixing the problems in any of them - much argument points to the > opposite including such as McJihad in which the US Empire uses Islam > to divide and rule - the literature here is vast. I agree the old > muscle man is mostly long gone (though around the world women do much > of the hard slog anyway - the insect worker gender is generally female > too) - indeed farming once made living conditions worse for the people > who had to do the work. > > We lack answers to incredibly simple questions such as how much work > it is reasonable to expect of an individual, what we can reasonably > allow in safeguarding the planet, how we might reasonably police the > world and so on. Pretty much every economist (Adam Smith, Richardo, > Marx, Ely, Veblen, Keynes) has questioned why we allow a rentier class > and suggested an extirpation of such. Why do we still have a very old > work ethic with all the helping technology around? How have massive > productivity gains 'led' to lower ages, more debt and so on? > > My guess is argument is a roadblock to changes we desperately need, > including the establishment of world peace - here who would develop > another country with a power elite of male zombies who need to black- > bag women and who would come looking to extend their libidinal empire > once our steel was beaten into plough-shares? What would motivation > to work be in a world without want? > > I have a feeling we'd have to develop knowledge technology through > practical projects - converting communities green, more sociable, self- > sustaining - and this would require changes in attitudes to what > investment is. > > On Jan 12, 12:28 pm, rigs <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > Why don't some of the brains that the USA has drained move back to > > their home countries and fix them? I am thinking of those who withdrew > > all their money and live like fat cats while their country collapses. > > > On Jan 11, 3:27 pm, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > I may have to move back to Scotland to stay in the EU. Sad stuff, > > > showing only we haven't moved on here. I see the French now have > > > boots on the ground in Mali. > > > > On Jan 11, 8:26 pm, gabbydott <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > You see, you shouldn't have changed your proxy settings from Scottish to > > > > English! > > > > > Ah well, the American Empire is helping us out again, here it is in the > > > > French language version:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqSgIhU28B8. > > > > Foreign affairs are being discussed after 46 minutes. > > > > > 2013/1/11 archytas <[email protected]> > > > > > > They won't let me watch your video in England Gabby. > > > > > > On Jan 10, 2:04 am, rigs <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > Life has already been a game of Monopoly! That's a major part of the > > > > > > problem(s). > > > > > > > I would implant the chip in another spot. > > > > > > > You will have to address religious and cultural systems that promote > > > > > > sexism, racism and ageism. > > > > > > > On Jan 9, 2:36 pm, andrew vecsey <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > > In my science fiction novel "A Short History of a Long Future - A > > > > > Guide for > > > > > > > New-man", I wrote a scenario that applies to this discussion. > > > > > > > Before > > > > > Allan > > > > > > > starts to let off his gas, the "I" is not "me" and it IS a science > > > > > > > fiction. Below is the relevant excerpt from my novel. > > > > > > > > "One unexpected day the centralized data banks were infected with > > > > > computer > > > > > > > viruses that erased their entire data banks. The multiple backups > > > > > > > of > > > > > the > > > > > > > last 10 years were also suddenly discovered to have been > > > > > > > compromised. > > > > > > > Overnight electronic data of all money was irretrievably wiped > > > > > > > out. > > > > > Money > > > > > > > in all of its form and all its trace disappeared. The banks and > > > > > > > their > > > > > > > services shut down immediately and all flow of money seized. > > > > > > > > I developed a device that measured mental and physical exertion > > > > > > > done > > > > > for > > > > > > > doing a series of tasks. I developed a financial system that did > > > > > > > not > > > > > > > include banks. It was a decentralized system where everyone was > > > > > > > his own > > > > > > > bank. It was based on my device. This measurement device allowed > > > > > > > money > > > > > to > > > > > > > be based not on gold, oil, or promises, but on human exertion. The > > > > > amount > > > > > > > of this new money was to be based on the number of users. There > > > > > > > was to > > > > > be > > > > > > > no central governing point and the only regulation were in the > > > > > algorithms > > > > > > > governing the issuance of money and in the initial registration. > > > > > > > It > > > > > was a > > > > > > > just-in-time system that issued just enough money at just the > > > > > > > right > > > > > time > > > > > > > and place to just the right person to ensure educational and > > > > > > > health > > > > > well > > > > > > > being. The system was to be open and algorithms were to be > > > > > > > proposed > > > > > and > > > > > > > written by users themselves. > > > > > > > > I also developed a workable replacement for the once existing > > > > > centralized > > > > > > > banks. It was a peer to peer networked system that allowed > > > > > > > everyone to > > > > > be > > > > > > > his own bank. It was free to join with only one requirement. - > > > > > > > you had > > > > > to > > > > > > > have a chip inserted into the forehead under the skin. The chip > > > > > > > came > > > > > with > > > > > > > an account containing 1 million dollars to last you a lifetime > > > > > > > and pay > > > > > for > > > > > > > your basic living needs. > > > > > > > > All countries adopted the implantation of the chip as a basic > > > > > > > human > > > > > > > right. My system provided all the requirements that make money > > > > > workable. > > > > > > > It could not be counterfeited and could not be stolen or lost. It > > > > > > > was > > > > > based > > > > > > > on a unique code signed with each person's unique biometric > > > > > > > signature. > > > > > It > > > > > > > could be saved and it was always redeemable anywhere anytime > > > > > automatically. > > > > > > > > Everyone who wanted to work and get paid had to use his system > > > > > > > which > > > > > was > > > > > > > implanted into the forehead. Everyone who wanted to buy anything > > > > > > > had to > > > > > > > have this implant as well. It acted as a electronic money bank > > > > > account. To > > > > > > > fill it you had to work as usual. You could invest your capital by > > > > > buying > > > > > > > company stocks. You gambled your investment betting to profit by > > > > > > > buying > > > > > > > into a hopefully successful venture but risking to lose it should > > > > > > > the > > > > > > > ventures fail. > > > > > > > > Your inheritance was limited to family heirlooms and houses. Your > > > > > > > total > > > > > > > accumulated wealth was also limited to a certain amount > > > > > > > guaranteeing a > > > > > very > > > > > > > high standard of living. Anything over this was redistributed > > > > > > > back to > > > > > the > > > > > > > people who you got it from. You were rewarded for this > > > > > > > contribution in > > > > > the > > > > > > > form of highly valued merit awards that came with valued > > > > > prestige.There was > > > > > > > no income tax but you paid a sales tax on all items you bought. > > > > > > > Food, > > > > > > > clothing and other living necessities were exempt from tax. Sales > > > > > > > tax > > > > > paid > > > > > > > for all public facilities and services like government, roads, > > > > > hospitals, > > > > > > > schools, fire department and police. > > > > > > > > Within a few months of offering the accounts, everyone wanted an > > > > > implant. > > > > > > > It was free, came with a start-up > > ... > > read more »- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - --
