Where did all the money go?
12 Apr 2012 1 Comment
in Money Tags: Economy, financial crisis, humanity, News, observations
It looks like everyone is really feeling it now.
Knowledge
07 Apr 2012 6 Comments
in OBSERVATIONS Tags: all, ctwfrank, culture, economics, family, humanity, Life, linguistics, News, people, politics, random, society, technonology, thoughts
Understanding is the human mechanism that transforms information into knowledge.
A metaphorical message (wink)
06 Apr 2012 4 Comments
in OBSERVATIONS Tags: all, articles, business, ctwfrank, culture, economics, financial crisis, future, humanity, News, people, society, thoughts, writing
I just realized that I’m the only person that I know (and I know enough people to be able to do the math on this), who has not stopped paying their monthly housing payment since money and wealth died some six years ago. In fact, once the math was done, it is astounding to see how people continue to live in the same house since it began even though they stopped making their monthly housing payment at the point when it hit them. There’s no official count (nor would I expect there to be) but the math says is somewhere between “a lot” and “most”.
Given that the economic problem, specifically the fact that we are all broke (because there is no money left), has affected everyone equally, I still can’t help but to feel like I missed something, even though I know that I didn’t. I think we all feel like that, in one way or another.
I wonder if any of them actually think they can bully their way out of this one, or even if they know that the wall behind which they have always hidden has been transparent for some time now.
We can do better.
Where did all the money go? – (preview)
06 Apr 2012 9 Comments
in OBSERVATIONS Tags: all, business, ctwfrank, culture, economics, financial crisis, history, humanity, News, people, psychology, thoughts
A small excerpt of the Introduction of the book “Where did all the money go?“
For just a moment, consider the board game called Monopoly. If it isn’t the most popular board game in the world it’s not far away and because of that, virtually everyone knows what the game is or has played it. Now, try and remember any of the times that you played Monopoly; if you have never played Monopoly, and then try to visualize this. Do you remember when the game became, a game? Well after everyone has been around the board at least 3 times and two of you have a matched set of properties. That’s when the game got intense. That’s also when it started to get a little boring: everyone had some money and some properties and a get out of jail free card. It went from being intense to being “live and let live” and then… remember how all of a sudden you started making up new rules? One of you would grant “immunity”, partnerships were formed, joint ventures founded, promises were made and broken and when that wasn’t enough, someone would take half of the orange-is $500 bills and say: “Okay, these are now $5000.00 bills.” Then it might be $10,000.00 bills. Sometimes, you might just take the play money from someone else’s Monopoly and mix it with yours and if all else failed, you could cut little squares of paper and make more money.
Do you remember?
When we “grew up”, we pretty much did the same thing, but with “real” money and properties. Whatever there was simply wasn’t enough, and suddenly it’s now and the very rules that keep our fragile civilization together have fractured and crumbled into dust, before our very eyes. The straightforward and simple answer to the question asked by the title is that “money” didn’t go anywhere. There simply isn’t any money, period. We spent all the money that there was, is and will be for the next 500 years. There hasn’t been any actual “money” by definition for over 35 years now. We may call what we use as currency these days “money”, but it’s most definitely not money, it’s an aberration created by us which attempts to change and manipulate the rules of value and the laws of physics and which results in a self-defeating calculation with a systemic defect – kind of like what would happen if we“made” a bunch of additional $500 monopoly bills out of paper and crayons: and inserted them into circulation, immdiately folowed by believing any of it was real.
Behold….again!
03 Apr 2012 3 Comments
in Humanity Tags: all, ctwfrank, culture, future, history, humanity, humor, Life, News, philosophy, politics, random, society, technonology, thoughts, writing
Behold; man…again!
The dominant life form on Earth, the top of the food chain; capable of so much. Here are some more things that only a human being is capable of:
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Selling bottled water by charging money for it.
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Buying bottled water by paying money for it.
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Looking at the label on the bottle after giving someone money for the water in the bottle and then going back to the person they bought it from and demand proof and evidence that the water in the bottle is actually wet, otherwise they deserve a refund.
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Actually getting a refund because the vendor could not provide the requested proof.
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Going next door and buying a bottle of water there instead, because the cashier has a kind face.
We can do better
Behold!
02 Apr 2012 3 Comments
in OBSERVATIONS Tags: blog, ctwfrank, culture, dailies, design, economics, family, future, history, humanity, humor, inspiration, Life, linguistics, News, philosophy, psychology, random, society, thoughts, writing
(Preamble: I’m still here!)“Behold: man. Poor, foolish creature. We humans are the only living organism (that we know of), able to gather up all of the information in the world and put it in a box. Then, after finishing, we sat in front of the box and looked at it – and got information confused with knowledge. On a planet where ignorance has been the status quo, such a thing could happen. So now, instead of a planet populated with uneducated poor people serving the handful who got a clue first, we are a planet of idiots with boxes full of information who think that this makes them educated and knowledgeable. I am a human, these are my people. Humanity has come full circle, from being jesters to graduating as full-fledged clowns.”
We can do better.
I Beg to Defer
11 Feb 2012 Leave a Comment
in Humanity Tags: ctwfrank, culture, future, history, humanity, humor, inspiration, Life, linguistics, News, philosophy, reviews, society, technonology, writing
I’m not supposed to write while I’m writing, but this was irresistible. Today, my five-year old daughter asked me a very interesting question after her daily communication session with me. Most people would probably laugh if they were to actually observe any one of these sessions and attempt to correct my perceived misspeak by saying; “Communication what? You’re just teaching her English!” English? Now that’s funny! What’s English? I’m not sure that I would recognize actual English if I heard it, in fact it’s hard to pinpoint exactly when we warped and twisted what used to be referred to as ”The King’s English” into the absurd jargon that we call English today. I most definitely am not teaching my daughter English, to me that would be like teaching one’s own child where to stab a person so that it kills or where it only causes trauma: it would be perverse. I’m teaching my daughter how to communicate with other people; one certainly can’t communicate with another person by using English! Everyone knows that you only use English to confuse or antagonize others but never to communicate; that’s what money is for. Do you see? You’re already paying more attention at its mere mention.
Apologies, I digress; back to the point, namely my daughter’s question, which was: “Dad; if the prefix in- means “not”, then why does the dictionary say that the word “indifference” means to not care or to consider something unimportant? That’s not what “not-difference, or not-different” means. According to the rules, indifference should mean that there is no difference in something – like when making a comparison, even though it’s easier to just say that one thing is the same as another instead of saying that it’s indifferent from another –that sounds like too much work! So what’s the word that should be used to mean that someone doesn’t care? There’s got to be a word, Dad! This doesn’t make any sense!”
A few minutes later; after the pride, amazement and wonder subsided a bit, I contemplated the question and replied;
“You’re right, honey; it doesn’t make any sense. That’s because it is the wrong word, just as you figured. The word that should appear in the dictionary in the same place where you now see “indifference” is “indeference”. The problem is that if you try to look up the word “indeference”, you won’t find it because it is a ‘forgotten word’; we simply forgot, for some reason, and replaced it with “indifference”, maybe because they sound sort of the same, who knows? In this case the formative prefix in- is added to a noun to form another noun representing the effect of a negative force on the original word. The word “deference” means ‘to show respectful courtesy” as to character or to be ‘respectfully submissive” as to a point of conversation or debate. When the prefix in- is added, the result should be “indeference”, but that word doesn’t exist in the dictionary; instead the definition of “indeference” is what appears as the definition of “indifference”; which means some else entirely. Do you understand now, sweetie?”
She looked at me with eyes that would make Puss-n-Boots envious and then she asked me:
“Buy why, Dad? Why would we do something like that?”
I sighed, and with compassion and clarity, I answered my daughter’s question:
“Because in the end, sweetie, we are nothing more than a bunch of punk-assed sissy bitches and straight-out pussies who would gladly admit that shit and shinola are the same, as long as they didn’t have to get up or do any thinking. The human race has become but a sad whimper when compared to our potential and we forget words just like we forget to care or to participate. It’s possible that humanity has forgotten so many things that no one believes that they can make a difference anymore.”
My daughter looked me straight in the eyes and lit up with awe and understanding. She jumped up and down and with jubilation and excitement shouted:
“Of course! That’s it, Dad! Now I understand! We just got the words mixed up! “Indifference” should mean ‘to not be able to make a difference’ and perhaps everyone feels that way because they forgot that feeling that way IS indifference and what they thought was indifference is actually indeference! Right, Dad?”
It was my turn to be awe-struck. I couldn’t decide if it was just the innocence of a child or flawless logic that inspired my little girl and it really didn’t matter, she blew me away. All I could do was to look at her and say: “Maybe, sweetie; it just might be exactly that.”
She served up that look again; its power is irresistible and with every ounce of strength she could muster, she made the “please” gesture with her hands and said:
“So why don’t’ you just explain that to everyone, Dad? You’re the best explainer in the whole world! Every time you explain something to me, I understand it right away! Please, Daddy, everything will be okay if you just explain this to everyone!”
So I am.
Thank you, honey, for helping me to remember what it means to be human. I love you.
ctwfrank
A must read…
04 Feb 2012 Leave a Comment
in Important Tags: all, ctwfrank, culture, economics, future, humanity, Life, money, News, people, society, technonology
This is very important, it’s an absolute must read!
Change
29 Dec 2011 1 Comment
in Humanity Tags: all, blog, ctwfrank, culture, economics, education, family, Life, linguistics, miscellaneous, money, News, people, philosophy, psychology, random, reviews, society, thoughts, writing
Change [cheynj]
Source: Dictionary.com Unabridged
verb (used with object)
- to make the form, nature, content, future course, etc., of (something) different from what it is or from what it would be if left alone: to change one’s name; to change one’s opinion; to change the course of history.
- to transform or convert (usually followed by into ): The witch changed the prince into a toad.
- to substitute another or others for; exchange for something else, usually of the same kind: She changed her shoes when she got home from the office.
- to give and take reciprocally; interchange: to change places with someone.
- to transfer from one (conveyance) to another: You’ll have to change planes in Chicago.
- to give or get smaller money in exchange for: to change a five-dollar bill.
- to give or get foreign money in exchange for: to change dollars into francs.
- to remove and replace the covering or coverings of: to change a bed; to change a baby.
verb (used without object)
- to become different: Overnight the nation’s mood changed.
- to become altered or modified: Colors change if they are exposed to the sun.
- to become transformed or converted (usually followed by into ): The toad changed into a prince again.
- to pass gradually into (usually followed by to or into ): Summer changed to autumn.
- to make a change or an exchange: If you want to sit next to the window, I’ll change with you.
- to transfer between trains or other conveyances: We can take the local and change to an express at the next stop.
- to change one’s clothes: She changed into jeans.
- (of the moon) to pass from one phase to another.
- (of the voice) to become deeper in tone; come to have a lower register: The boy’s voice began to change when he was thirteen.
- the act or fact of changing; fact of being changed.
- a transformation or modification; alteration: They noticed the change in his facial expression.
- a variation or deviation: a change in the daily routine.
- the substitution of one thing for another: We finally made the change to an oil-burning furnace.
- variety or novelty: Let’s try a new restaurant for a change.
- the passing from one place, state, form, or phase to another: a change of seasons; social change.
- Jazz . harmonic progression from one tonality to another; modulation.
- the supplanting of one thing by another.
- anything that is or may be substituted for another.
- a fresh set of clothing.
- money given in exchange for an equivalent of higher denomination.
- a balance of money that is returned when the sum tendered in payment is larger than the sum due.
- coins of low denomination.
- any of the various sequences in which a peal of bells may be rung.
- Also, ‘change. British . exchange ( def. 10 ) .
- Obsolete . changefulness; caprice.
Verb phrase
- change off,
- to take turns with another, as at doing a task.
- to alternate between two tasks or between a task and a rest break.
Idioms
- change front, Military . to shift a military force in another direction.
- change hands. hand ( def. 47 ) .
- change one’s mind, to change one’s opinions or intentions.
- ring the changes,
- to perform all permutations possible in ringing a set of tuned bells, as in a bell tower of a church. T
- o vary the manner of performing an action or of discussing a subject; repeat with variations.
Origin:
1175–1225; (v.) Middle English cha ( u ) ngen < Anglo-French, Old French changer < Late Latin cambiāre, Latin cambīre to exchange; (noun) Middle English cha ( u ) nge < Anglo-French, Old French, noun derivative of the v.
Synonyms
1. transmute, transform; vary, mutate; amend, modify. Change, alter both mean to make a difference in the state or condition of a thing or to substitute another state or condition. To change is to make a material difference so that the thing is distinctly different from what it was: to change one’s opinion. To alter is to make some partial change, as in appearance, but usually to preserve the identity: to alter a dress ( to change a dress would mean to put on a different one).
3. replace, trade.
4. trade.
7. convert.
10. vary, mutate, amend.
18. transmutation, mutation, conversion, vicissitude.
21. exchange.
25, 26. replacement.
Antonyms
10. remain. 18. permanence.
change (tʃeɪndʒ)
Source: Collins World English Dictionary
— vb (sometimes foll by to or into ) (when intr, may be foll by into or out of )
- to make or become different; alter
- ( tr ) to replace with or exchange for another: to change one’s name
- to transform or convert or be transformed or converted
- to give and receive (something) in return; interchange: to change places with someone
- ( tr ) to give or receive (money) in exchange for the equivalent sum in a smaller denomination or different currency
- ( tr ) to remove or replace the coverings of: to change a baby
- to put on other clothes
- ( intr ) (of the moon) to pass from one phase to the following one
- to operate (the gear lever of a motor vehicle) in order to alter the gear ratio: to change gear
- to alight from (one bus, train, etc) and board another
- change face to rotate the telescope of a surveying instrument through 180° horizontally and vertically, taking a second sighting of the same object in order to reduce error
- informal change feet to put on different shoes, boots, etc
- change front
- military to redeploy (a force in the field) so that its main weight of weapons points in another direction
- to alter one’s attitude, opinion, etc
- change hands to pass from one owner to another
- change one’s mind to alter one’s decision or opinion
- change one’s tune to alter one’s attitude or tone of speech
-n - the act or fact of changing or being changed
- a variation, deviation, or modification
- the substitution of one thing for another; exchange
- anything that is or may be substituted for something else
- variety or novelty (esp in the phrase for a change ): I want to go to France for a change
- a different or fresh set, esp of clothes
- money given or received in return for its equivalent in a larger denomination or in a different currency
- the balance of money given or received when the amount tendered is larger than the amount due
- coins of a small denomination regarded collectively
- archaic ( often capital ) a place where merchants meet to transact business; an exchange
- the act of passing from one state or phase to another
- the transition from one phase of the moon to the next
- the order in which a peal of bells may be rung
- sport short for changeover
- slang desirable or useful information
- obsolete fickleness or caprice
- change of heart a profound change of outlook, opinion, etc
- slang get no change out of someone not to be successful in attempts to exploit or extract information from someone
- ring the changes to vary the manner or performance of an action that is often repeated
[C13: from Old French changier, from Latin cambīre to exchange, barter]
Word Origin & History
change
early 13c., from O.Fr. changier, from L.L. cambiare, from L. cambire “to exchange, barter,” of Celtic origin, from PIE base *kamb- “to bend, crook.” The financial sense of “balance returned when something is paid for” is first recorded 1620s. Phrase change of heart is from 1828.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Slang Dictionary
change definition
n.
money. (See also and change.) : It takes a lot of change to buy a car like that.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Notes:
Dictionaries are so cool; they’re keepers. Look at the slang definition!
Now, you know what it is, there’s no need to be afraid of it.
ctwfrank
Understanding what we say.
28 Dec 2011 Leave a Comment
in Wordplay Tags: all, ctwfrank, culture, design, economics, financial crisis, future, humanity, Life, linguistics, News, reviews, society, thoughts, writing
Several times a day, sometimes more, I’ll read somewhere or hear from someone that “the real estate market is bouncing back” or that “home prices are stabilizing” or some other similarly sounding statement. Interestingly, it’s always accompanied by a burst of emotion that I can only compare to lust. This is, as I understand, what many of us want, I guess it’s supposed to make us feel safe in the face of the change we are experiencing – something that can only be called “self-genocide” (sic) and that “things will return to normal”, where “normal” is that little tiny corner of a closet somewhere in this world where most of us allow ourselves to be kept against our will, fed a diet of bullshit and sugar and given 20 lashes whenever any one of us generates an original thought.
I wonder if any of the people who make statements like this have any idea of what they are actually saying. It’s no different than having someone – anyone – walk up to you and proclaim with excitement and glee: “Hey! Did you hear? Slavery is becoming popular again, it just might make a comeback!” Yes, slavery is what I compared this to.
…What was that?
…Am I a communist?
LOL. Of course I’m not a communist, silly; there’s no such thing, besides, none of the “isms” work, remember?
…Why do I write this, you ask?
I write this because it’s simply the truth. Of all of shit that we’ve done to ourselves in the last 12,000 years of “civilization”, the only thing shittier than giving someone a “mortgage” would be to sell them as a slave. Nothing else that we’ve done comes even close to being as unacceptably fucked up than to sell people, against their will, as property. The mortgage, however, is a real contender for the title; it forces someone who may want a home of their own to buy the money required to pay for it at $10.00-$20.00 for every $1.00, (i.e.: Hi! I’ll sell you a dollar for ten dollars) over the average 30 year term. This, of course, is crowned with the “cherry” of letting mortgage-holders speed up time and sell a mortgage, at maturity value, within 24 hours of issuing it. This is one of the things that got us here.
Imaginary omnipotence is incredible, isn’t it?
Think about it, it’s about time we did, wouldn’t you say?
We can do better.
ctwfrank
