Did Christianity Foster the Jewish Banker Stereotype?

               It's all in The Numbers

The Jewish Banker stereotype myth, and the perceived link between money lenders and changers and Judaism is as pervasive as it is seemingly unquestioned.  Of course being religiously linked, you do not have look beyond religious traditions, and dogma to notice where and why.  For right or wrong, and with great misunderstanding of traditions, the very foundations of Christianity paint the Jewish faith as having been corrupted by the money lenders.  Jesus as acknowledged by many works was a rebel, a reformer, or a conservative.  He was devout in his faith, and from his perspective felt the Temple had strayed from the true teachings, and his mission was to restore it.  This is poignantly shown in the money lenders in the Temple story.  In order to paint the picture we need to understand this is not a secular community.  Faith does not just guide what most modern western culture would label as "spiritual" aspects of life.  This is a state based on a Faith, which of course means, the faith governs all aspects, from the most mundane to the most exalted.  That is where the Shemitah needs to be understood.  This essentially governs economic, and production, but it also covers debt remittance between the people.  This idea of economic reset, would have been quite important to member of the house David.  Recorded are many ways in antiquity and modern times of man using clever wording to work around the Shemitah. An example of this would be the creation of a trust to transfer ownership of land to a non-jew for the year, so it can continue to be worked.  Also the use hydroponic greenhouses as they are not in the soil.  The cycles outlined, are in no way random, they show an understanding of compounding interest most lack today.

               Usury The Golden Ticket

 In the pre christian cradle of modern western civilization had it's own ideas on interest. Ranging from an outright condemnation as being against nature by Plato, and Aristotle. To the Greek and Roman laws regulating interest rates on loans.  The early Christian church in the 3rd and 4th centuries already banned interest on loans made by clerics, with some speculation it was already condemned if not banned for laypersons.  By the 11th and 12th centuries charging interest at all was considered a sin.  For those of Jewish faith the church had made different rules, which even by the 1100's allowed for reasonable interest to be charged.  A ban does not eliminate the desire, or need, we have been shown this in modern times with prohibition.  For Jews in the Christian controlled west, The position of money lender, or changer become inadvertently one they could uniquely fill.  This was at a time when Jews in the west were subject to much discrimination, and barred from practicing many professions.  Not until the 1800's does the Holy See acknowledge it as legitimate to charge interest on loans, as well as exact penalties for the failure to live up to the obligations of a loan. As I have discussed often one of the prime motivations for the American Revolution as stated by Franklin was interest on currency creation being charged by the Bank of England.  So for hundreds of years those of Jewish faith were not just allowed, but encouraged to take up a profession regarded as a sin. By the middle 1500's the portrayal of the greedy Jew demanding unreasonable terms is clearly in evidence in works such as The Merchant of Venice.  What had been set up was an exclusive right to the financial services sector of much of early Christian europe. While it being transactions between Jew and Gentile exempted it from the restrictions that apply to transactions between Jew's.

               Distorted into the Modern ERA

Most of this historical basis is before the advent of modern systemically problematic practices such as fiat currency, and fractional reserve banking.  That the modern opposition to world financial structures condem.  Could it be this distortion of history is in part to blame for one of the modern worlds worst crimes against humanity?  If I am honest, these is great discomfort in presenting these links of history, but feel it would be remiss to not at least raise the question.  When WWII is discussed and the how the nazi's came to power the changes in economic policy are largely glossed over or ignored completely. Being rightly overshadowed by horror felt at the depth of the atrocities committed.  Others have done much research into how Hitler came to power, and turned the german economy around through privatization, and banking reform along with clever financing.  This brilliance though belonged not to Hitler, but to Hjalmar Schacht who was forced out of the government before the war began due to opposition to rearmament. Jewish influences were used as a scapegoat for the surrender in WWI.  For a disillusioned profoundly disturbed Hitler returning from the front this was just the outlet needed to serve as a focus.  As we still struggle with ideas of stereotyping in the modern world, it might be worth while to be aware a label sticks long after it's reason for being is forgotten.

As always make up your own mind

Jack

aka

PanseyBard

Selection vrs Election

       The Democracy Hype

Much has been made of the potential spread of democracy around the world.  The words Pax Americana, can be heard, and might not be far off.  Democracy has become a catch all media buzz word, generally used to justify some manor of intervention. Which likely looks anything but democratic in nature.  As an American I can not deny the obviously selective nature of our desire for other nations to experience the blessings of democratic rule. The examples of support for "friendly" dictatorships by the United States would be laughable if it weren't so hypocritical.  While media outlets tout the overthrow of one regime as a victory for the people, and blow for democracy. Movements in nations with western friendly dictatorships are in large part ignored, and often these governments are receiving aid, or military backing from the US.  Leaving it painfully obvious, that as a nation we are far more concerned with our perceived national self interest than any notions of self determination, or democracy.  In the US we pride ourself on our right to vote, yet how many feel represented? How many even know how our electoral system works?  Democracy is great, one of the most amazing innovations, but like so many things context plays it's role.

     The Choice We Can't See

To serve as an elected public official can be viewed in many ways, an honor, an act of duty, maybe even a burden. The one thing for the public well-being it would best left not thought of is as a career. By the time a candidate is offered for your consideration, they have already been approved by their party, and in the days of money equals speech, the contributors.  It's not really a surprise than to see that often organizations fund both parties equally.  Call it strategic planning, or corporate governance, the effect is undue influence to put it nicely.  If you did notice, there were many on that list that did not fund both sides, which is just as telling.  When you have only two main political parties as entrenched as and pervasive as in the US, they can not be opposites, they can only be opposames. The parties never leave power, they share power, just changing the distribution. We find ourselves in a the role of child being offered choice as a balm for all the no's in our daily existence.

    Factions

 In an absolute government there can be no... equiponderant parties. The despot is the government. His power suppressing all opposition, maintains his ministers firm in their places. What he has contracted, therefore, through them, he has the power to observe with good faith; and he identifies his own honor and faith with that of his nation." --Thomas Jefferson to John Langdon, 1810. ME 12:377

"Warring against [the principles] of the people,... there is no length to which [the delusion of the people] may not be pushed by a party in possession of the revenues and the legal authorities of the United States, for a short time indeed, but yet long enough to admit much particular mischief. There is no event, therefore, however atrocious which may not be expected." --Thomas Jefferson to Samuel Smith, 1798. (*) ME 10:56   

Now revisit the idea that our parties never leave power, are backed pretty equally by most major corporate entities, in a nation who's currency is owned/controlled by a what amounts to a private bank.  Our two party system with elections, is seeming to offer less and less of real choice.


As always, make up your own mind
Jack
aka
PansyBard

B Movie Plot? or Hidden History?

          That is Just Ridiculous!

     From nazi's on the moon, zombie nazi's, alien nazi's, one might argue nazi's are more popular now than ever. Who can argue, they do make a bad guy not many would be willing to defend.  In the world of political correctness casting hero's and villains can be a minefield.  Enter the nazi's, a group so heinous, and dripping with the style of threat, and menace, and little to no current public representation.  For most the nazi threat disappeared with the conclusion of WWII, or shortly after, the known truth is much more complicated, and uncomfortable.  One that may not yet have been fully written, let alone fully told.  So what might my personal nazi b movie plot look like?

          Jumping the Shark

     Since I'm going for camp, I figure why hold back, something along the lines of  "Rise of the Alien Nazi's", or "White House Nazi", maybe even "Nazi, Slavers, from Outer Space".  The plethora of conspiracy theories combined with the sad twisted history, are so ripe with possibility.  Why not go for the grand overarching take over the world. It can't be true anyway, right?  Not so fast, some of the most outlandish do have at least partial basis in fact.  While it is true there was a public push, and show trial hanging some high ranking nazi's,  many more nazi's simplely reinvented themselves, with the help of various intelligence agencies.  The US had operation paperclip, operation alsos, and project ticom to grab as many nazi assets as possible. ostensibly to  keep them from the soviets. What of the people that were nazi supporters, or sympathizers that were in the US.  As laid out in much research american supporters of fascism, or Fascism Support Hitler US.  Backed up by a historically forgotten coup attempt, involving names almost everyone would recognize today.  Sprinkle with a dash of Tall White's control America, and we really got a fun story of historical intrigue.

        Tall Tale

     How might a rough outline of this fantastical alternate history farce look?  Well how about we take a look.  Likely we'd flash through some real history leading up to and through the war, slowing briefly to highlight some prominent figures.  Leading to a slow revelation of the alien backing of the nazi's, leading the US not to recruit the nazi's to counter the soviets, but initially to oppose the aliens. Cut to the Byrd mission operation highjump played out as a loss, and agreement to work with the Tall Whites.  This new shadow organization initially made up of portions of the intelligence community, and the military industrial complex, guided by the Tall Whites.  This group has no moral guiding compass easily shown through US foreign assassinations, 1960s era of assassination, or CIA drug involvement.  Of course we have to highlight some of our key players, tying our supposed villains to the cause.  A few well placed dramatically sinister scenes with loads of creative license, linking the Bush family as central players, in not just JFK, but all of the 60's removal of opposition, and various nefarious doings.  Being certain to add in social engineering, hippy movement, and ultimate takeover of media ala operation mockingbird. As if this were not enough, we'd also need to breeze through the economic changes.  So now that America has been taken over by alien nazi's, who is our hero?  Well why not just go all the way with our farce, and make The Bush family also be the hero's, protecting the human race from outright enslavement, or elimination at the hands of the Tall Whites.  Perhaps we make a story where the truth is so bad, that even an ugly lie is preferred.

as ever, make up your own damn mind
Jack
aka
PanseyBard

Fiat Currency, and Greece's EU Exit

           There is much ballyhoo made about the US dollar being backed by nothing but faith.  While it is true there is no material resource, gold, silver or the like acting as backing.  This does not mean it has no backing at all, only that it not resource based.  The truth as is so often the case is stranger than the fiction.  Fiat currencies in general are backed by the governments ability to tax it's citizenry in the future.  This is partially true for the US dollar, but the dollar has another backing, oil.  As I said a resource does not directly back it. Meaning you can not go to your local bank and trade your dollars directly for oil.  What we did was much more insidious, and far less noticeable to the everyday person.  The US made deals with the opec nations to only sell oil in dollars, ensuring the dollar would be in high demand.  Fiat currency is not the real issue at hand, as I've stated many times, if your going to use a currency system fiat is the only way to go.  Resource backed currencies always run the risk of the resource being cornered, altering the value of the currency.  Our problems with the global financial system are more foundational.  Currency creation being held not by the collective, but by private organizations, who than attach interest onto the creation of said currency.  This starts the cycle of fiat currency being treated as a commodity.  This speculation on what is essentially an accounting tool, distorts the real world purchasing power of the currency.  These combine quite nicely with fractional reserve banking, an other distorting effect.  Fiat currencies may be many things, legal tender, banknotes, and the like, one thing it is not is money.
          There is no way for Greece or any other nation within the EU to fix their economic woes while remaining in the union.  What we see taking place across the EU is a direct result of the structural issues of a currency union without a political, and/or a fiscal union accompanying it.  The rise of debt amongst the EU nations being shifted to the troika(EU, ECB, IMF) is about centralization of power. Greece was saddled not with economic relief, but loans, and policies that would ensure the loans could never be repaid. All Greece need do is exit the EU, bring back their own currency being printed by the government, not the privately controlled central bank.  This would allow them to internally jump start the flagging production, as well as lower the prices on Greek exports.  For a real recovery, look to Iceland.  For those saying the Greek's entered the debt, and must pay it, is just propaganda silliness.  We live within a debt based system, and most of these debts never have any reality other than on paper.  Add to that ideas of compounding interest, and debt transfer from private to public, and suddenly they look less and less legitimate.

Jack
aka
PanseyBard

Living in the Current Sea

         

Toes in the Water

         Once again I'm going to talk about money, and currency, things I find fascinating, frustrating, and generally misunderstood.  Money is anything that stores value, and is widely expungeable, meaning it's easy to trade.  This makes almost any object money of a sort. Currency on the other hand is often not money, Fiat currency is never money, yes I'm saying those pieces of paper people seem so enamoured with are not money, though they are currency. So what does this mean on a practical level?   For many nothing, they will not make the distinction, and will have a confusing relationship

with what has become an essential tool in an increasingly complex global civilization.  Others will quickly grasp the concepts and see myriad ways to apply that understanding for individual advantage. Still others, myself among them come to a rather uncomfortable realization, at the core of many "conspiracy" tale.  Private central banks of issuance in a fiat system have come to own the world.  Crazier still, with how the systems have been set up, future generations taxes have been promised to pay for "borrowing" of the present (I used the quotes there due to borrowing requires something to be transferred).  So the productivity of future generations has been promised as collateral for infinite "borrowing" power in the present.  We hear screams of out of control debt in a system where no currency is ever created except through debt.  There is a valid reason for this, we are in many ways a bipolar system.  On the one hand coldly rational, on the other fluidly emotional.  In pure fiat systems, being backed up by nothing other that acts of faith (laws, continuity of government, that the sun will come up...tomorrow), perception is often more important than the hard figures.  When fiat currency systems reach numbers people start to view as unrealistic, it triggers a cascade collapse. This of course is an emotional event, not a mathematical event. In a purely math sense a fiat system can expand infinitely.  So if debt is the basis of the system, yet to much debt crashes the system, what we have is cleaver tight rope act, of keeping enough debt being retired, or payed off, with a constant supply of new debt being created,  Issues begin when you start to add in ideas of fractional reserves, leverage, interest, and speculation. Before I get on with a visualization of these concepts, lets take a quick stab at some of those issues.

The Waves

          Fractional reserves, and leverage have much in common. Each act as force multipliers to steal a term from military strategy.  In fractional reserve it allows for the lending of thing that do not exist. In simple terms, it lets a bank hold 1 dollar, and lend out 10. In a similar fashion leverage allows 1 dollar to pretend to be 10.  These both create distortions in the Current Sea(more on this later), or economy,  With the bank there is never any risk when using a fractional reserve system.  Banks do not lend any money out, when a loan is created new currency is created, supposedly fractionally backed by bank money.  This newly created currency has a life span of the loan, and it's value is in it's tie to house, or car, business it was originated for.  Leverage distorts the current sea is similar ways by creating an artificial increase in total number of units making up the complete current sea.
Though it does so in a different manor. Using leverage you can take 1 dollar, put it up as your risk, while you use 10 dollars to speculate in some market, or venture.  Leverage is generally a short term loan so to speak. often lasting only the day.  This is tied in to the ideas of margin,  Margin calls have, or the act of calling in all loans due, is how our system has repeatedly transferred real wealth to the banking interests.
         Interest, or usury, especially compounding interest might be the single biggest factor in turning currency from a tool to support the development of humanity, into a tool to enslave it.  As already pointed out if a fiat system our currency has nothing physical backing it, and is only brought into being through creation of debt. This sets up the need for what has become known as the infinite growth paradigm.  Essentially, if you borrow 10 dollars today cuz you need to eat, and promise to pay it back in a week with interest here is a simplified version of what takes place.  You go to a bank, and ask to borrow 10 dollars cuz your hungry, you say you will have more currency in one week, and pay it back in full at that time.  The bank says sure, but, you have to pay us 11 dollars.  The bank than types 10 dollars into a computer letting the current sea know you now have access to this newly created energy.  Ok so at the end of the week you have used the 10 dollars, and go into the bank and hand over 11 dollars just as promised, sounds ok right?  On a closer look this presents many problems.  As soon as those 10 dollars are created, the value, or purchasing power of each existing dollar is reduced. The 1 dollar of interest was never created, so must be taken from somewhere else. This where the enslavement comes in. where that effort it takes you to generate that dollar  is taken from you. In basic theory the interest is the banks "profit", in reality it's much different.  As the dollars did not exist until you asked for them, and you "paid" the loan of those phantom dollars with dollars obtained from another source, be it your work, or a loan from another source, or whatever, the whole 11 dollars is pure "profit" with zero risk, all at the stroke of a few keys.  This also creates a system where all currency is not created equally.  Currency created at lower interest rates becomes much more powerful, and desirable, as it can be used to for speculative purposes with a higher rate of return.  That might seem complex, but really it's fairly simple, if a dollar is created with .10 cents of interest attached to it, or a simple flat 10% interest rate, that dollar starts out with a value of 90 cents. Where a dollar created with .20 cents of interest attached with start out with a true value of .80 cents. Not to tough to see, how these hidden differences in the values of the same currency can  be exploited by those with access and understanding.  Another distortion occurs when the interest rates are manipulated, causing misallocation of currency, along with a changes in the currency velocity. When interest rates are held artificially low, currency pools as the perceived risks of "lending" it outweigh the potential returns, as well as higher returns are easier to find in speculation of growing pools of currency that new real world productive endeavors.  When interest rates are artificially high than the speculative investment moves into making loans. Causing the currency velocity to soar, but increased risk in the nature of the loans made. Many other issues exist in interest being attached to currency creation, just look into the history of usury.
      Lastly, before we take a look at the idea of the "Current Sea"  lets look at at how speculation warps, and distorts our whole economic system.  First off there is a difference between speculative, and productive investment.   Productive investment has real world attachment, and purpose, for example a community coming together to be sure the farmers have enough seed to provide for food needs, or even providing the currency for research and development of new technology, or advancement of medical understanding.  Productive investment carries a risk to the currency invested, but the pay off is not in a return of currency, but produced item, or resource.  The flip to this, speculative investing is purely done with the intent to generate more currency for the investor.
 Productive investment adds to the well being of the whole, multiplying the beneficial effects of new development by pooling the resources of a group, and directing the flow of the "Current Sea".  On the other hand speculative investing is purely done for the purpose of generating more currency for the speculator.  Now it still sometimes provides currency used for productive means, and many productive investments are speculative. The real problems arise when the investing drifts into the purely speculative.  In commodities when there is no actual transfer of possession, and the speculation is purely on paper, it creates distortions in value of products people rely on for daily survival such as food, and water.  When currency itself is allowed to become a speculative commodity, the potential distortion to the purchasing power of the individual units of currency can be catastrophic.  Basically each dollar used to bet on the future value of the dollar distorts the current, and future purchasing power the everyday person uses to sustain their daily lives.  Pure speculative investment is a tax, plain and simple it creates no value, instead stealing value from whatever it infects, kind of a parasite, on the productivity of the whole. So how can these be avoid, while still allowing for the benefits or fiat currency? Just change how currency is viewed and hopefully it becomes evident.

Smooth Sailing

       I've repeatedly used the term "Current Sea" throughout this meandering, but what is meant by it? Our economic system taken in it's entirety is the "Current Sea", with the people, and corporations being the entities, and the currency being the water all depend on and exist in.  Like any body of water it has currents, eddy's, shallows, and hidden depths.  It can be likened to a living sea with all different types of entities all connected and sustained by the sea.  So pretty easy analogy, currency is the water, the life blood, or energy flowing through our "Current Sea" driving the living system that sustains us all. With this depiction in mind, apply some of the distorting ideas, suddenly some of the entities find themselves as fish out of water.  The distorting effects of our current economic systems could be likened to whirlpools, drawing in more and more currency, sucking it away from entities on the edges of the "Current Sea".  In a healthy "Current Sea" the currency flows bringing along with it all each entity needs to thrive.  This relates to the ideas of money, and currency in profound ways, true money becomes a store for currency, but not currency itself.  Currency stays in it's proper place as the life blood of productive endeavor, while money acts as a store house for the future use of

productivity.  Under the rules of the game as we now play, a central bank of issue, combined with a cartel of private banks run the "Current Sea" for the benefit of themselves.  In an ideal system the currency would be managed from the perspective of keeping the "Current Sea" healthy.  In other words keeping the currency as a tool of the people. In this type of system, the entities living in the "Current Sea" naturally direct the flow of the currency, ebbs and flows of industry come back to demand based. The rise and fall of the so called business cycle ceases, to shamelessly steal from those much more perceptive than I, the spice flows.
      I have no degrees in economics, and might be inclined to debate if any such thing is reasonable in relation to what is an admitted pseudoscience.  Our systems have been increasingly complexified in order to obfuscate it's true predatory nature.  If I need more qualification aside from having been a participant for my entire life and being capable of observation, it has yet to been brought to my attention.  I could go on and on, but I think that will have to wait for future posts.


Jack
aka
PanseyBard 

Once there was a Country

          All through my childhood I learned about a country.  The most amazing nation ever conceived, founded on principals of individual liberty.  Where justice was blind, and color was known properly as fiction having no foundation in reality.  A land where accidents of birth did not define a life, with people being judged on their own merits.  Where self claims of exceptionalism are met with the proper disdain, and understanding of immaturity such exclamations warrant.  A country that protected the rights of those living within it's shores, not because the country had granted any rights, but precisely due to knowing they were always present.  Where people were free, leaders were servants, and we did things not because they were easy, only that they were right.  A nation that understood unrestrained democracy was tantamount to might makes right, with a people firm in their understanding that selecting leaders is as important as electing them.
         A painful glimpse of the America that lives in my heart, and mind.  There is no self deception, if my vision of the land of my birth ever existed, it's name is long lost to the mists of time.  The United States corporate entity, and subsidiaries who control the world I find myself experiencing are another matter entirely.  No longer a nation of people occupying a land mass, but a slick pr machine to backed the might an empire the likes scarcely dreamed of.  Hundreds of bases, millions of assets, every corner of the globe in short reach.  Rome reborn, Alexander's dream come true?  It's plain to see America was slaughtered, or subjected, when The United States were born. The stamp of D.C, clearly lays out the pattern.  Ask yourself a question, If your a free person, and this is a land of freedom, than why are you policed? why are streets patrol'd?  These are words of prison and war, they have no place among the free.  Don't fret, I am not an advocate of anarchy, it is a revolution of mind, a blossoming of understanding gnawing in these guts.  Strip away the legal fictions, that have enslaved the mind and spirit, and is quickly claiming the body.  Peace is not enforced, it is disturbed, and than restored.  Officers upholding the peace respond to complaints and disturbances, not enforce statutes, codes, and regulations.  A government derives it's authority from the consent of the governed, it can hold no powers not granted by the people.  Now our politicians ask not what is right, but what is legal,   Where hatred is protected, yet openness is shunned.  Artificial shared experience engendered through the superficial connection of technology.   Trauma based mass mind manipulation, sorcery of the highest order, turned to mathematical certainty.
         Many will dismiss these words as paranoid delusional, or misguided. Perhaps they even deserve such a label, though there no sense of being personally persecuted.  Only a profound sense of a sadness as perception replaces projection.


Jack
aka
PanseyBard
         

What The F@#$ People, Are You Kidding Me!!

            As you might have gathered, today is just pure exasperation.  In the US we have been warned of growing threat to our liberty for decades. It's even quite simple to follow the warnings back to before the founding of this nation.  While I might be a charter member of the tin foil hat wearing club by many peoples standards.  I am not talking about any grand over arching conspiracy, though there are many to go around.  Our current scandal over torture is another slide toward the ideals of collective self interest.  In almost all of the warnings our leaders have given us, they seem to have this common thread,  The instances of, as well as the broad scope lead most to see disparate unrelated causation. Is this really the case or are we looking at a more fundamental challenge to individual expression?  To answer this we might need to take a step back at the principals the US government were founded on.
          The most basic idea drilled into school children has been the separation of powers, or checks and balances.  Three branches, with the press being the public check on the system as a whole.  No one branch being afforded a dominate position. Extend this idea to a nation, or the planet, and suddenly a new picture emerges.  Oppression, exploitation, and genocide, repeated through history. One groups collective self interest being used to justify all manor of horrors, perpetrated on those perceived as other.  Even taken to the scale of humanity as a whole, the dangers of unrestrained collective self interest are apparent.  This is something that was well understood by the founders of the US, corporate charters were for short duration, and to be renewed the public benefit had to be shown.  The alteration of these ideals was not done in your interest, or mine.  Now we have gotten to where corporate entities have become almost super beings.  Wielding influence over aspects of everyday life most can scarcely imagine.  Enacting policies even to the detriment of those employed by the corporate entity.
         A bunch of gobbledygook to get to, the purpose of any governing body is not to govern it's people, It's to protect them from being governed by anyone, or thing aside from their own conscience. To ensure the liberties we all see as our birthright are not infringed.

Is that the government we have?


Jack
aka
PanseyBard

$15/hr Minimum Wage, and Automation

          So many of you may have heard, or read about the fast food workers push for higher minimum wages, and unionization.  Many reports have come out showing this movement as being pushed from unions, not by the workers themselves.  If your not up on these connections here are a few links to get you up to speed.

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20140514/OPINION01/305140001

http://laborpains.org/2014/04/09/worker-committees-a-15-million-seiu-project/

        This as I stated when the push began, raising the minimum wage would lead to adoption of automation for many low wage service positions.  I envisioned fully automated fast food joints, with an AI tied into huge data bases allowing for greatly increased efficiency, and profit margins.  I could never have realized how fast this innovation would progress, so fast it's left me wondering.  Could it be that this is a push instigated by the fast food companies themselves, to lend legitimacy to automation of public sector service jobs.  When I look at the idea of greater automation one of the sticking points is the majority still believe people need jobs, while I agree people need to be productive, and contribute, that isn't the same as jobs.  This belief will lead people to protest more machines taking more jobs, unless their is a situation that can be used to justify the automation.  So what makes me see these connections, a few related articles.

http://www.cnet.com/news/mcdonalds-hires-7000-touch-screen-cashiers/

As you can see, cashiers are already obsolete, what has been keeping the change over at bay has been the cost benefit,  potential doubling of the cost of each cashier has for sure altered that equation.

So how about the back end? they will still need people to cook the food right?

Well, not so much

check out http://momentummachines.com/, if you are honest with yourself you can more then likely already see a fast food place with no visible employees.

while innovation and automation have been shown to create more jobs then they replace, these jobs are of a different skill set, with few if any of the current employees having the education to fill these positions.

I called this year to be when smart machines would make their presence known, this is a step in that direction


Jack
aka
PanseyBard

    

Who Owns your Phone?

         I've posted a few times my thoughts on how silly the notion of privacy is. There are ways to make things hidden, but nothing is private.  In a creation based on fundamental unity what can be private, and just who is there to keep it private from?  How many people actually do anything that anyone else really cares to look at.  Though even as I have little concern for privacy for myself, I do understand others are keenly intent on maintaining at least the illusion of individual security.
         Obviously with the news that the NSA has backdoors into so many devices, this becomes a valid question.  So Just who owns that phone in your pocket?  For me the answer is sadly Motorola, and Verizon. Why do I say that?  Like so many people I got a discount, and got my phone for free by signing a contract with Verizon for service.  So my phone which I pay for is not actually mine till the contract is complete.  If I violate the terms of the contract I can lose service, and suffer fees for early termination which make that unattractive. Now it's an android but does that really matter?  Not really as I am stuck using the provided OS, and a bunch of bloatware that locks up much of my phones resources.  There are even questions about if gaining root access will void my warranty, let alone using custom roms.  I've already lost most end users of these devices, that is biggest problem in taking control of your device.  We don't as a norm understand what we are using.  The idea that your phone should be treated more like your desktop PC is a novel concept for most people.  Honestly that is my point, most of us walk around with a device we don't actually understand, even if we are able to use many features.  They are generally top level functions, with most of the control of the device being transparent to the user, and for most people this is fine.  How many people need to know how the video they just took ends up posted to their favorite site.
         We walk around with a computer in our pocket, or purse or whatever. It has an always on connection, that we will complain about if we lose signal strength. This computer has audio, and video, and most of us have no clue about the device beyond a few apps they use on a regular basis. Then we scream bloody murder when we find out the cloak and dagger world has been using our ignorance against us.  Seriously as a famous genie once said "wake up and smell the humus".  If you are unwilling or unable to control your energies what ever form they might take someone else will control them for you, and usually to their benefit not yours.  This is a truth of the model we have set up, is it the only model we are capable of following? of course not.  We live in a world where we spend more money to be able to "defend our interests" then anything else.  As I've repeatedly said, when you do not own a thing like your phone, or the internet, or the frequency your data travels through the air on, you have no right to privacy.  All you can do is make it tougher for those trying to watch you to do their job.  Learn about encryption, understand how your device works, and if it's actually yours or not.

Jack
aka
PanseyBard 

Last Call Has Sounded

I've been staying away from economics, so many people think it's so dull, and frankly I have never cared all that much for money as an abstraction.  My heart does have large tracts of space for all sorts of creatures who still believe in the dollar, or piles of gold. What ever make you feel secure I suppose.  The U.S. has been belly up to the bar of cheap cash for so long now, that people don't even know what sound fiscal policy is.  This is likely to change, and in the short term as opposed to the long haul.  Take a look at this article, and then lets take another look at the financial house of cards has been built.  http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-20/pboc-says-no-longer-in-china-s-favor-to-boost-record-reserves.html  not enough, then maybe this one will get ya over the hump
http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/china-announces-that-it-is-going-to-stop-stockpiling-u-s-dollars

I was so not paying attention to it anymore, and it was so under the boards that I almost missed it.  Think of this now, we are printing 85 billion a month, someone needs to buy that debt, or we are going to swallow it.

Bottom line, we stop printing and our interest rates must rise, we've been trading long term debt for short term debt. Meaning we have to cycle through it ever faster. If that new debt has no place to go, and the interest rates are forced to rise then we as a nation will not be able to fund our obligations due to the interest payments rising out of control.

Again, for me, this is not a bad thing, it's just a thing. If your counting on dollars for your security, then buckle up it's gonna get bumpy.

Jack

America, Portrait of a Failed Nation

         As an American I feel it's not just my right, but my responsibility to point out just how massive, and all encompassing our failure is.   Many still cry out that we are the best nation in the world, all while the statistics, and experience is otherwise.  Some my rail against what they see as me being anti-america. They would be correct, I am against the America I see out my window, on my TV screen, and in cyber space. I have trouble understanding how your not as disappointed as I am.  If there is a way for a nation to fail that America has not already failed in I'd be shocked.
        If we had problems in just one area you might be able to say it was the exception, but on the whole America is solid.  Our economy is touted as being the #1 in the world based on gdp. All well and good if we lived in fantasy land, but where I live when your top export to one of your biggest trade partners is trash. Your in trouble. You did read that right, America's biggest export to China is returning the packaging for all the goodies they make us.  We act like it's Christmas everyday, and as long as we send the wrapping and boxes back Santa will refill them.
      The ACA or Obamacare as it's widely know is a 10k+ page monstrosity.  Seemingly designed to force people that don't use a system to pay for those that do.  This debacle at health care reform is just another example of political theater designed to confuse, and bewilder.  Mean while back in reality the rest of the world divests itself of the dollar.
       So no economy, no health care, how about education?  Well no again we are failing. According to the latest data America isn't even in the top 10.  We don't even make the playoffs.  No wonder the hi-tech jobs are leaving, we increasingly are unable to fill them.  You can find a more detailed account of just how badly we are failing in this regard here.
       There was for years the expectation in America that children would be better off then their parents.  This is no longer the case, and unless fundamental changes are made we won't even recognize the country we wake up in. I have come to the painful realization that the country I was taught about was only a story.

Jack
aka
PanseyBard

Pirates and the New World Order

      Americans seem to have a love affair with idea of a pirate.  We romanticize them like we do the cowboys, creating a picture of a world that never existed.  They have come to represent a sense of freedom we seem to have lost in our constricted civilized world.   This got me thinking what place does the pirate have in our modern world.  When I started to look around I noticed many of our most famed or infamous have much in common with the beloved pirate.

Pirate defined

      What we get is a picture of a person that holds no loyalty to any nation. A pirate is beyond such considerations, not out of a sense of duty to something bigger then a nation. The pirate is out for the pirate. Many of our top level corporate officers, bankers, and the like are modern pirates.  They profit from off shore, paying no heed to national loyalties.

         So when I was watching the popular modern pirate epics Pirates of the Caribbean. I started noticing  there seemed to be an odd theme to the first movie.
I then watched the 3rd, looking to see if this one also had an odd overall teaching.
Not surprisingly it was easily found.  By the time I watched the middle film I was sure it would be easy to spot. Surprisingly it completely escaped me, this may have been due to being distracted.  Taken in whole these are basic guidelines for how to live a pirates life.

Curse of the Black Pearl: "what a man can do, and what a man can't do"  that is a very profound lesson for a would be pirate.  Laws do not apply to a pirate, so there is only what you are able and willing to do, and what you are unable, or unwilling to do.

 Dead Man's Chest: there is no quote from this movie that I found that aptly spells out the lesson. Instead the lesson is shown by every character in their actions. That message being every man for himself, or self interest governs all.
This is clearly shown as every character lies, cheats, and steals for their own perceived well being.

 At Worlds End: "take what you can, give nothing back" This is pretty self explanatory, and quite evident.

So there it is, if you want to know how to become pirate, live by those guidelines.

Oh and for a bit of fun, look at how our international corporations have been acting.

Jack
aka
PanseyBard

The Jobs Aren't Coming Back

            For years the back bone of the middle class has been whats called "low skill" "low wage" manufacturing jobs.  With the onslaught of freetrade agreements these jobs fled the wealthier nations, and took up residence in the undeveloped or poorer nations.  This has led toward more global equilibrium of wealth, and power. Simultaneously leading to greater income inequalities within each respective nation.  Many have noticed the jobs created are lower paying then the jobs lost. Even the jobs that currently available may not be for much longer, automation, and technology advancement may make them obsolete.
            I'm not trying to be an alarmist, or chicken little.  This could be an end of the world as they know it for some people.  Though they would of had to have been playing ostrich for quite sometime now.  Most have seen this coming for decades, if not since Mr. Ford invented the factory.  For those forward thinking people this amazing transitional period can offer opportunities unheard of even ten years ago.
          The very concepts of work, and money are changing before your eyes.

          How you react is up to you


Jack
aka
PanseyBard

Obamacare The Greatest Magic Trick Ever

While Rome burned Nero fiddled.
When historians write of the fall of the dollar will the caption go something like this?

                               Obamacare The Greatest Magic Trick Ever

For years it's been one distraction after another. I always wonder when I'm learning about the newest scandal, if the media is completely controlled, what is so big they need to hide it with this?  With the "shutdown" if you can call it that pushed back past the holiday season.  Obamacare will and has been continually used as a means to hold peoples attention while the rest of the world divests itself of as many of it's Dollar reserves as they can manage.   This isn't even a new trend. While all time stock highs can be tied to the largest supply of dollars at the cheapest price ever.  So if you haven't started learning Chinese you might want to consider it.  The smart ones have all started spending the dollars we intended to be held to ensure some return on investment.

Don't be fooled while Americans watch a drama crafted just for them, the rest of the world is finalizing their plans for the end of the sole reserve status of the dollar.

for a bit more info look into
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-10-13/chinas-official-press-agency-calls-new-reserve-currency

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/us-politics/10376017/World-should-de-Americanise-says-China-following-default-fears.html

http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/25/business/universal-credit-rating-group/index.html

Fall of America!!! Would You Save it?

There is an almost universal awareness of the slide from power of America. Look no farther then our net import/export.  The Deficit spending, free trade agreements world wide changing to cut out the dollar.  Some of the problems we find ourselves in now have their roots 100 years ago.  These things are fairly easy to see for most people. The real question is would you make the changes needed to fix it?  I mean really would you have the will it takes to make the changes needed to save America as a nation.
It's really not that tough here are a few well known fixes. Please note these are fixes for the current system, and do not fix the basic problem of interest on currency creation.  Just take a look at this How to fix America. Everyone seems to know exactly what the problems are, and how to fix them.

I think the question I don't see being asked might be more important. Should it be saved?
As America was on the rise it created global cooperation never before seen. You can argue how beneficial America's involvement has been for any given region or country, but the overall global inter connectivity is undeniable.  So have we as human beings matured past the point of nations to the point where we need something new?

Jack
aka
PanseyBard  

The Fall of America, Are You to Blame?

It's all over the news, and obvious to anyone willing to take an unbiased look would say America is in decline.  I hear the calls from concerned citizens, buy american, bring our jobs home.  Try to buy a tv made in america, how many electronic devices are even made here anymore.  How about cars, how many of the parts in your car were manufactured here?  Look, I'm not trying to point fingers at any one individual or group. I'm saying we all are culpable.

      Want to know if your country is on the rise or in decline.  Look for the international trade balances. If your country is negative, wealth is leaving.

This isn't rocket science, things for sure can get confusing, but the major trends are generally pretty easy to spot. When you have a country that is the worlds trade currency your going to add value. This will increase the value of the currency, though it does nothing to add value to the real economy of the country.  The effect of this means the goods produced will reflect this artificially inflated money.

Combine this with a rise of international conglomerate to whom borders are to be exploited in the quest for profits and it's a nice recipe.  

        The writing has been on the wall for years, it's been a slow motion decent from dizzying heights.  Look around the net you'll see so many warning of the collapse of  America.  The warning is to late, it would of needed to be heeded decades ago to halt the natural transition of power.

Could we reverse the damage?

of course we can

Should we?

Jack

aka

PanseyBard  

Is America the Evil Empire?

With all the hype about American exceptional-ism being tossed around I couldn't help myself but entertain a few thoughts on the matter.

              Is  American the defender of freedom, and virtue?

 Highly unlikely, the wars for profit, oil, and currency interests would pretty much rule that out.  America has been driven by self interest from the founding fathers on.

But if America isn't the worlds defender of all that is good, then are they the evil empire?

This again isn't very likely. Think of the Star Wars movies episodes 1-3.
While so many people see it as a war between light, and dark. Taking place between the republic, and the separatists.  As well as being reflected in the journey of Anakin from "light" to "dark".  Once you look a bit closer you notice that Palpatine was controlling both sides, as well as pushing Anakin down a path to becoming Vader.  What we are left with is a very powerful psychopath working to solidify his own grip on power.  Seeing things simply as "good" versus "evil" actually plays into the hands of Palpatine.

So how does this relate to the concept of American exceptional-ism?

The Jedi thought of themselves as exceptional, guardians of the republic.  This served them well right up till they became an institution of the republic.
Ensuring they would no long act exceptionally, and would then on enforce a set of rules.

America was exceptional, at the end of WWII our infrastructure was intact. Manufacturing was booming, and we held the lions share of the worlds gold.
The Dollar then became exceptional when it was made the worlds reserve currency. This made the Dollar, and America the exception globally. This incredible boon, and responsibility for sure made America the exception globally.
How long can you really oppose a nation that can effectively lock your nation out of global trade. You have to also ask, how has America used it's position of power, and privilege?  It's used it in every way possible. I feel plunder, rape, and pillage could easily be applied. Of course right next door to those are bastions of wonder and beauty.  I read an article where it was referred to as the pax-Americana by the Chinese state media. While obviously biased, it's not an unfair characterization.  My real question isn't is exceptional-ism dangerous, of course it is. Any time someone or thing sets itself outside the rules everyone else follows the likely hood of abuse is very high.  My question is this. Are we following this script a little closer then we care to admit?  There is a scene where Padme poses a question that boils down to asking if they are fighting for the right side.  This is a very interesting question, and not one with an easy answer. At the time it is posed there is no side that has the interests of the people. The Emperor controls both sides of the conflict.  Like that conflict the sides we are presented with here are not what they seem to be.

Obvious solution?

Choose a new game.

Jack
aka
PanseyBard

Global Government: Conspiracy or Reality

Remember that guy. You know the one. Tin foil hat, questionable personal hygiene. The one that told you corporations ruled the world? Or that global government was coming?

Well it turns out the super entity has been around awhile!!!
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0025995

Many will see this as horrific, and I'm sure there are many examples that can be used to document just how bad an idea this is. Like most things, it is more likely closer to the middle ground for positive, and negative effects. I can see how it will make the inevitable transition to a formalized global government a bit smoother.
It would also explain the care the brics nations are taking with the transition away from the dollar to a new global currency. Some say it could be 10 years before the rnb is fully convertible.  I'm not so sure stringing out the correction of the US economy is going to work out so great for america.  As the rest of the world stops being able to sell their dollar reserves, and starts spending them.

        I'm seeing the controlling interests quite adroitly handle what has in the past led to heads rolling in baskets.

Jack
aka
PanseyBard

The Layman's Guide to whats Happening.

To get a clear picture we have to start at least as far back as 1913. The Federal Reserve Act is signed into law.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Reserve_Act

What this did was allow for a private group to skim off every dollar created.

After WWII the Bretton Woods agreement was signed in 1944 to rebuild world trade.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bretton_Woods_system
http://www.polsci.ucsb.edu/faculty/cohen/inpress/bretton.html

This had the effect of allowing the The Fed to now skim off all international trade.

Forward to 1971 and Nixon removes the dollar from the gold standard.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nixon_Shock
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_standard

When this was done the petrodollar took over.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrocurrency

Jumping ahead to more current events.

Afghan war is more about a pipeline and who will control it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Afghanistan_Pipeline

check out where U.S. bases are.

Iraq war more about oil for euros

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrodollar_warfare

Libya was the gold dinar

http://rt.com/news/economy-oil-gold-libya/

http://www.thenewamerican.com/economy/markets/item/4630-gadhafi-s-gold-money-plan-would-have-devastated-dollar

Syria is about a pipeline

http://www.wnd.com/2013/09/is-this-what-syria-war-really-about/

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/earth-insight/2013/aug/30/syria-chemical-attack-war-intervention-oil-gas-energy-pipelines

Currently Russia supplies most of the natural gas to Europe, it also has a navel base in Syria.

The world has been making new trade agreements cutting the dollar out of the loop. For 50 plus years we have been exporting our inflation, and importing the wealth of the world. It seems the world has had enough, the brics nations have already formed a bloc that signaled the end of the dollar as the world reserve currency. In 2008 we entered the end of the dollar, QE infinity, and interest rates kept artificially low. I can only see this as buying time to allow for the new system to be introduced, and the impact of the transition to be lessened. The desire for war by the U.S. is due to it being the last tool of what has become an empire.
Lucky for the world it seems other leaders are aware of this. Avoiding the all out conflict, and allowing the U.S. to die of it's own devices.

We as citizens should be paying attention.

Jack
aka
PanseyBard

Disappointment

          Disappointment is the word that most accurately describes my feeling toward humanity.  When I look at where we are developmentally, I can't help but feeling saddened.   With all the advancements made across the board we are still like children.  Our drive for illusionary security, and control have led to a world most of us would be ashamed of.  We lie, cheat, steal, and kill indiscriminately.

          I see us at a crossroads, we have made the world a very small place. Now we have to learn to live together.  Remembering the words of Ronnie Raygun, how quickly would we put aside our petty differences to face an non terrestrial threat.  Are we like the frog with the water temp being slowly increased?  Are we approaching a tower of babel event? Where we either make the leap to a new understanding of ourselves and our place in creation, or we will need to be slapped back a few developmental steps so we don't have the ability to destroy ourselves.

         We've studied our drive for continuation of species, why has this drive stalled?  Wouldn't our next goal be multiple planets settled?  Wouldn't this be the next logical step to ensure our version of humanity survives?  How many times will be at this point before we learn?

Jack

aka

PanseyBard