The growth of an elite By Joost van Steenis

Bangkok March 28 2007

Dear reader, this is the 84th letter of an Autonomous Thinker

The Netherlands are a small and rich country. In the seventeenth century it was even a superpower.

The development of its elite is an example for the development of elites elsewhere.

Our research shows that in the course of time the Dutch elite increased its power and its sphere of influence.

This growth is mainly achieved on three ways.

1. Merger.

Two independent elites join forces by establishing Family-ties. This is a long process that can take centuries.

2. Renovation.

New people who became rich and who live in the mother country of the old elite are accepted in the top. This is a short process that is later confirmed by an increasing amount of Family-ties.

3. Empire-building.

An elite imposes its power over other independent elites without establishing Family-ties. This is also a short-term process.

A rough sketch of the history of the Dutch elite shows that all three processes contributed to the power of the present elite.

- 1400-1600 A.C.

The merger of the elites from different Dutch provinces (Holland, Zeeland, Friesland and Gelderland) was the predecessor to the coming into being of one country (The Netherlands) under one top-elite.

- 1600-1700

Renovation. People who acquired a lot of capital from the Indies (VOC) were accepted in the top-elite.

- 1600-1950

Empire-building. The Dutch elite imposed its will over local elites in the Dutch colonies.

- 1850-1950

Renovation. People who became rich during the Industrial Revolution were accepted in the top-elite.

- 1925-1975

Merger. The catholic elite from the two southern Dutch provinces established Family-ties with the protestant Northern elite and The Netherlands got one unified top-elite.

- 1850- .....

Merger. Many Family-ties are being established between the elites of The Netherlands, England, France, Belgium and Germany. It is an ongoing process that will result in the coming into being of a unified elite over an important part of Europe.

Our political system is based on power. All attention should be given to the elitist centre of power and not to democratic institutions and elections. Democracy has only influence on a small part of society, often it only implements rules that affirm the leading position of the elite. So the elite can continue to live on a separate, safe and prosperous eliteworld.

All political activity of masspeople should be directed in acquiring a world without any elite, a New World on which all people have equal status.

- Hide quoted text -

Yours truly, Joost van Steenis

http://members.chello.nl/jsteenis

New ways to increase masspower

I’ve been thinking about pets By Fred Cederholm

Column for on/after Mar. 25th

I’ve been thinking about pets. Actually I’ve been thinking about Menu Foods, branding, “caveat emptor,” outsourcing, symptoms, and unanswered questions. A majority of US households have at least one pet. These loveable fuzzies are more than some “animal” who happened to share our residence, they are literally esteemed and much loved members of the family! Pets, pet food, pet accessories and paraphernalia, and veterinary care are big business – pets, in many cases, are like having another child.

You see, in the past week we have witnessed the slow, unfolding drama involving the safety of the nation’s food supply for pets. Thus far, over 60 MILLION units of moist pet food products for cats and dogs have been recalled - and there may be more coming. This was already the largest such recall in US history. There appears to have been some type of “contamination” of several production batches which are causing pets to get very sick - and even die. There also appears to have been a multiple week lag between the company’s awareness of “the problem,” the publicizing of it, and the subsequent recall.

Menu Foods was a name unknown to almost all of us. We each have our own food-brand/ product preferences for our resident loveable fuzzies for any number of reasons. This Canadian-owned company had, for the most part, never surfaced on our radar. However… we have since now learned from this developing story that Menu Foods is perhaps the largest contractor/ outsourcer/ manufacturer of certain pet foods on the planet. The story of the contaminated products and their mass recall was a scary revelation in and of itself, but then we learned there are no government mandated standards for quality/ inspection/ testing of pet foods. The “industry” is basically self-regulating and self-policing. As the drama continues to unfold, we find ourselves learning a lot of things that we never expected.

One sub-story became a real eye-opener because the recall involved moist pet food products which are sold under almost thirty different brand names. These covered the full spectrum of the market. They included upscale boutique brands, major national private label brands, store (or house) brands for the largest national big-box stores (and pet food chains), and a slew of generic products to boot. These were manufactured at basically two Menu Foods facilities for all of their “contract” customers. The retail unit prices for the products covered the full range from the pricy boutique units at one end, to the economical generics at the other. Now … if these are all made/ prepared by the same company, using the same facilities and ingredients, and the recall covered the gamut of them all with no exceptions; just what, if anything, “distinguished” these products besides the packaging/ container/ (brand) name – and of course the ultimate cost to the buyer. It looks like a case of “Caveat Emptor” - let the buyer beware.

Outsourcing/ anonymous-fabrication has become much more of a fact of life in this so-called global economy – although the trend has been developing for some time now in individual countries across the world. This is true whether you are talking about pet food, clothing, consumer durables/ electronics, convenience products, customer service, appliances, what-ever. My best advice to my readers is to take nothing for granted, and do your homework regarding what you buy – and particularly what you (or your pets) consume. Despite the “brand” or any past reputation of a premium product/ company, do you know “who” is really making it now? It’s something we all need to TH*NK about.

A detail of the “brands” under contract to Menu Foods and impacted by the recall is available on-line at http://www.menufoods.com/recall/ or by calling 1-866-895-2708. If your pet is experiencing muscle tremors (including uncontrollable shivering) or seizures, vomiting and or diarrhea (sometimes with blood), excessive salivation - drooling or foaming, redness of skin, ears, eyes, mental depression or excitement, bleeding ulceration or blisters of the mouth or skin, excessive pawing at the mouth, excessive licking, abnormal swelling, and/ or elevated or depressed body temperature, PLEASE contact your veterinarian immediately. Your furry little friend needs you to do this for them.

This story/ drama is far from over. There have been no confirmed (or validated) explanations of the real cause or reasons behind the “problem.” There has been only conjecture and speculation to date. The loveable fuzzies which are part of our households - and our families - deserve far better than this. I’m Fred Cederholm and I’ve been thinking. You should be thinking, too.

Copyright 2007 Questions, Inc. All rights reserved.

asklet@rochelle.net

I’ve been thinking about allegories By Fred Cederholm

Column for on/after Mar. 18th

I’ve been thinking about allegories. Actually I’ve been thinking metaphorically about college, recruitment, education/learning, graduation, costs, trustees, tenure, and “Animal House” – all in the context of the ongoing “war” in Iraq. An allegory is a narrative where similarities in the narrative story are used symbolically to make a point (or points) about something else. The allegory is longer in length and describes more fully in detail than the metaphor - or the direct comparison. It appeals to the critical TH*NK*NG and imagination of the reader. The fable or parable is a short allegory with one definite moral, or lesson. It is way beyond time for US/us to look “outside the box” in our analysis, evaluation, and critiquing of where we’ve been, where we are, and where we are headed in the Middle East.

You see, this past Sunday marked the passing of the fourth full year of the Administration’s invasion, occupation, and policing in Iraq. The action commenced on March 19, 2002 and has already dragged on far longer than anyone expected – at least that’s what they keep telling us. While this four year phyrric epic doesn’t correspond with an academic calendar, it has already lasted the equivalent of eight full semesters and four full summer sessions. A war-college allegory seems more than appropriate.

The soldiers – make that the students – were recruited with promises of an education, benefits accruing down the road, foreign land experience, etc., all within the context of helping them “be all that they can be.” The curriculum of this so-called “Iraq University” was somewhat limited to studies in political science, democracy building, law enforcement, and (by default) medical triage. The studies and field trips follow no clock as the participants are immersed in the experience there 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. Stresses and strains placed upon the men and women far exceed any academic burn-out.

It may be true that all are learning lessons which will remain with them all the days of their lives, but is the curriculum proving to be really what they (or their families) had expected when they enrolled? Likewise, what progress is really being made toward any form of graduation, or exit? After eight full semesters plus four summer sessions, have they not the right to expect some form of diploma, and the chance to begin a new life elsewhere? The students at Uncle $ugar’s University in Iraq, do not have the option to accept their sheepskin, and depart. There have been no bachelor’s degrees awarded to anyone. So… does that mean that all the students have “elected” to stay on, pursuing some form of master’s degree, or doctorate? Trust me, the choice of any transfer/exit is not the option of any soldier/ student involved - despite the temptation to call it a wrap (and depart) by parties there, or on the home-front.

The costs of “tuition, fees, housing, and supplies” are/ were running amok and have been financed 100% by evergreen debt. Plus… over 3,200 students have died during this learning experience, and over 24,000 more have been severely injured. Last November, the public - having had more than their fill of the academic progress being made and the escalating costs of this education - spoke loudly. A number of the members of Congress (make that the watchdog trustees) were replaced. Despite the promises made at the homecoming rallies, it doesn’t look like any progress is being made on a timetable for graduation.

“College” President George, Chancellor Dick, and Provost Condi are still at the helm, and their tenure (of sorts) will run to January of 2009. Dean Donald Rumsfeld has only just been replaced by new Dean Gates. Virtually all of the full professors – make that the US military commanders – have been replaced at least once since this school for scandal commenced on March 19, 2002. Now… we’ve heard that enrollment needs to be increased by 21,600 - only to learn within weeks that the “surge” of students would really be upped to over 30,000 - ultimately on the way to a total population of 200,000 (?) Is there any unpublicized plan to expand this Iraqi school onto “satellite campuses” in Jordan? Syria? Iran?

What have we learned from this seemingly endless educational experience at the “Iraqi School of Hard Knocks” thus far? Will the painful (and costly) lessons go on and on mindlessly with no foreseen graduation in sight? What will we have to show for the efforts, the time, the money, and the lives? Down the road in March of 2009, will we all find ourselves only parroting the “Animal House” (Belushi/Bluto) character’s sorry lament: “Seven years of college down the drain!” I’m Fred Cederholm and I’ve been thinking. You should be thinking, too.

Copyright 2007 Questions, Inc. All rights reserved.

asklet@rochelle.net

Open letter to Pfizer's CEO By Peter Rost

Dear Jeff,

You made $11 million last year, you just fired 10,000 employees, and you got a 36% raise this year.

And that's the problem.

You can't cut back and fire ten thousand hardworking people, ask the remaining employees for sacrifices, and then accept a 36% raise in base pay.

That makes you lose credibility. (And I'm not even taking into account how you fell flat on your face, trying to hype torcetrapib.)

Your predecessor, Dr. Hank McKinnell, was shipped out of Pfizer dressed in tar and feathers, holding his $200 million grab bag, to the sound of employees and shareholders chanting "Give it back, Hank." The WSJ even wrote an article with the headline "Off with their heads," based on Pfizer's executive pay for non-performance.

If you read what your employees are saying, such as this, you will realize you just lost their respect; they've stopped calling you Kindler and replaced that with Swindler.

And without those employees and their support, you are just one man, putting his legs into his pants, one at a time, like the rest of us.

Without the support of your employees, you will fail, just like your predecessor.

Jeff, please act like a leader: Don't accept the raise.

You already made $11.4 million in 2006. You can afford to do the right thing.

Best regards,

Peter Rost

I’ve been thinking about wine By Fred Cederholm

Column for on/after Mar. 11th

I’ve been thinking about wine. Actually I’ve been thinking about Rouge Cellar and Gifts, Creston, uniqueness, Kishwaukee College, and the importance of continuing education. Learning is an ongoing process. There are so many opportunities in our area to expand our horizons by taking advantage of the knowledge and expertise of those from within our communities. While the choice is clearly up to us to make, so often we look elsewhere even when there are excellent options open to us closer to home - literally in our own backyard.

You see, Rouge Wine Cellar and Gifts has been one of Creston’s retailing establishments since Labor Day Weekend of 2005. If you haven’t experienced it thus far, you have really missed out on something special - and a real treat. Once you enter the location at 105B South Main Street in Creston you are literally taken aback. The “custom-made” island wine racks, the black granite-topped wine tasting bar, the arched brick wine niches along the north wall, and the displays of unique gifts and wine accessories throughout the shop would be equally impressive if found on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, on Beverly Hill’s Rodeo Drive, and yes, even on Paris’s Champs-Elysées.

Rouge owner Eric Da Costa is very knowledgeable (and ever-so-helpful) about suggesting the perfect wine for that special occasion, or to complement the great steaks, chops, and other “incredible edibles” available next door at Headon’s Fine Meats and Catering. Rouge features over 250 wines from 15 different countries – a majority of which are priced between $ 8 and $ 14.

Anyone familiar with my weekly columns either in print (or on-line) knows that I am both a Creston fixture and a BIG Creston Booster. We have a very special community here – of which we are justly proud. Creston may be a little town of approximately 600 people (for now), but we have a lot of uniqueness to offer customers and visitors to our business district. In addition to Rouge and Headon’s, we have Reba D’s (Unique Gifts and Stuff), Anna Walters’ Leaded Glass Studio, Ollie’s Parrot Perch, and Roadhouse Antiques to offer as well. Those will more than likely be subjects of future columns.

Since its opening, Rouge has held numerous special wine tastings/ promotions, as well as a very special Bastille Day observance. These were so much fun, and if you haven’t participated in any of them, you really missed out. (This now brings me to the real point of this column.) Eric is going to be teaching a three-session wine appreciation class at Rouge through Kishwaukee College starting on March 22^nd, 2007 from 7:00 PM to 9:00PM. The first session, Wine 101, will cover the basics of wine and provide an essential foundation for understanding and appreciating it. Session two will focus on the Old World with a sampling of wines from France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. Session three will focus on the New World - sampling some wines from the USA, Australia, New Zealand, and South America.

Kishwaukee College in Malta has offered an exceptional (and diverse) collection of classes since it registered its first student (Heather Marks of Rochelle) in1968. This is a new offering in the “personal enrichment” category. While I have known numerous family members, friends, and neighbors who have taken advantage of various “Kish” classes over the years (and thoroughly enjoying every one of them), this will be the first for me, and I am really looking forward to it. The registration deadline for Eric’s Wine Appreciation classes at Rouge in Creston (ref # 9486) is Monday, March 19^th. The registration fee is $ 69, and this covers the costs of the “samplings” as well. Participants MUST be 21 years of age.

If you would like to reserve a space for what should be a thoroughly enjoyable learning experience; contact Kishwaukee College at 1-815-825-2306 ext. 204 from 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM. If you have any questions about this particular Community Education offering or would like more information about it, you are free to contact Eric Da Costa at Rouge 1-815-384-3403. Director(s) of Community Education - Lisa March and Kris Stefani - or their staff would also be more than happy to field your questions regarding this, or any of the Community Education classes offered by Kishwaukee College at various locations in our area – again, just call 1-815-825-2306 ext. 204.

Learning is an ongoing process. It is a part of our growth as human beings. The knowledge and learning experiences which we share with others help to define us in so many ways and also serve to make us more interesting to those around us. I hope you choose to join me/ us in this truly unique educational opportunity right here in Creston. Learning can not only be fun, it can also prove mighty tasty. Bon Apertif! I’m Fred Cederholm and I’ve been thinking. You should be thinking, too.

Copyright 2007 Questions, Inc. All rights reserved.

asklet@rochelle.net

Media's focus narrowing, report warns

Splintering audiences in the online age are driving risky trends like 'hyper-local ism,' the Project for Excellence in Journalism says. James Rainey, Times Staff Writer

March 12, 2007

News organizations confronted with declining revenue and increased competition are entering an era of more limited ambition in which they will drop a broad worldview for more narrowly focused reporting, according to an annual review of the news business being released today by a watchdog group....

The growth rate in online advertising is projected to slow and could drop into the single digits before the decade ends, according to the online research firm EMarketer. The report says growth online is therefore "not enough to clarify the future."

The economic challenges facing news outlets have prompted debate about the most effective modes of ownership, particularly in newspaper companies. That discussion came to a head in 2006 at the Los Angeles Times, after the paper's publisher and editor were forced out after protesting staff reductions by the paper's parent, Tribune Co.

Today's report says that the loss of about 4,000 newspaper journalists since 2000, combined with the smaller number of pages devoted to news, "suggest that American newspapers have reduced their ambitions."

Newspapers have traditionally served a "complete diet" of news to the public and alerted television, radio and other media to stories, the report found, suggesting that more study is needed to determine "what is lost and what is left uncovered."...
MORE

I've been thinking about volatility By Fred Cederholm

Column for on/after Mar. 4th

     
I've been thinking about volatility. Actually I've been thinking 
about the stock markets, the global economy, technology, efficiency, speed, 
and glitches. Last week we experienced something new, something scary, and 
something very costly. We - of the investing public - were taken on quite a 
ride!

        
You see, the global stock markets experienced one of their highest 
trading volume weeks ever. Pricing of equity securities on the world's stock 
exchanges for the most part headed south - way south. In the cases of many 
of the planet's financial trading bourses, the declines for a week period 
set records. In even more cases, a record volume of shares changed hands. At 
the New York Stock Exchange last Tuesday, overall declines had not seen such 
a one day drop since the declines when the markets  re-opened in the 
aftermath of the attacks of 9-11 for the week beginning September 17, 2001.

        
On Tuesday, February 28 alone, 2.25 Billion NYSE shares and 2.70 
Billion NASDAQ shares traded. The Dow industrials were down 4.3% for the 
week, the Standard and Poor 500 were down 4.4% for the week, and the NASDAQ 
composites were down 5.8% for the week - closing at 12,114.10, 1,387.17, and 
2,368.00 respectively. While the declines - both in terms of points and 
percentages of the market - were not as severe/ extreme as those of Black 
Monday week in 1987, or those of Black Friday week in 1929, literally 
TRILLIONS of "paper" wealth evaporated in less than five trading days. True, 
there was much intra-period ratcheting experienced with some companies 
regaining lost valuations; but for the most part, it was a week investors 
and brokers want to forget and wished had never happened.

        

What made the events of this past week so noteworthy was literally 
the complete absence of a "noteworthy triggering event." There was no earth 
shaking terrorist event. There was no catastrophic occurrence of nature. 
There was no sudden change of a nation's governing leadership. There were no 
energy production/ distribution cut backs. There were no new wars declared, 
or enacted. In fact, overall things (and market motivating factors) were 
pretty much as they have been for some time now - not any better, but 
certainly no worse. Still. there was more than some undercurrent of 
instinctual edginess, or an overriding "malaise of paranoia," on the part of 
investors - both individual and institutional - at work here. It wasn't even 
the sound of a "pop" that sent investors to the bunkers, it was the 
perception of one.

        
Anyone familiar with my weekly columns - either in print or  on-line - knows how
I've been harping about the escalation/ development of a global economy and a
global society; and particularly about our own dependencies on this developing
"unitary planet" system.


Whether we as a nation-state like it or not, US/us can no longer function very nicely, thank 
you, as some island blessed by the warm fuzzies of splendid isolation. The 
US economy (hence, our very way of life) depends on a constant influx of 
foreign energy, of foreign capital investment, of foreign credit, and of 
foreign goods, materials, and services. There is no hope that that sorry 
situation of vulnerabilities will change any time soon.

        

The technological revolutions of computer hardware (and software) 
and the information highway capabilities of the internet have connected the 
world. News is instantaneous. There are efficiencies for thousands of 
transactions to occur AND BE PROCESSED in a second - even in a thousandth of 
a second. Never before in the history of our planet can so much transpire so 
fast and be known worldwide so quickly. Enter, click, send. has become a 
mantra of society. This really scares me and with good reason.

        

Click (action), click (reaction), click (response) happens so fast 
that there little (if any) time to TH*NK and let true reason and wisdom 
prevail. As we have just seen, enter, click, send. can literally set in 
motion a financial panic. Or worse. enter, click, send. can launch a 
military attack. Enter, click, send can even initiate a totally new war. We 
have become so fast - make that efficient in our enter, click, send world- 
that the so-called checks and stop gaps of our "programmed" system 
protections may not work/ function as we expect, want, or need them to 
perform. Unfortunately, so often we don't know that is the case until after 
an "event" - when it is too late to undo (or stop) what has been set in 
motion.

        

The systemic glitches of a technologically connected world, our 
planetary interdependencies, and an underlying overriding contemporary 
uneasiness of fear; all contributed to the declines of past week. The unreal 
(or at least unsubstantiated) perceptions behind the drop of the markets in 
Shanghai, China triggered a financial tsunami rippling around the Earth. 
What would be the case if a truly identifiable catastrophic event were to 
occur? We can only hope and pray that we won't find out. I'm Fred Cederholm 
and I've been thinking. You should be thinking, too.

Copyright 2007 Questions, Inc. All rights reserved.
asklet@rochelle.net


To "audit this column and to learn more about the subjects discussed, please
check out:



The week that was.
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/us-stocks-end-lower-dow/story.aspx?guid=%7B1A91DF39%
2DB3CF%2D4E12%2D9F5F%2D7BB842812676%7D&dist=TQP_Mod_mktwN

Investors on edge after week of turmoil
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/63744814-c8e9-11db-9f7b-000b5df10621.html 

Will the Singularity Destroy Capitalism? By James Jaeger

> The Singularity is characterized by the emergence of "Strong" artificial intelligence that massively supercedes ordinary humans.

And makes it, by definition, impossible to predict anything.



> But before that, we will see the development of machines that have - at the very least - the intelligence and problem-solving ability of an average human.

True.



>Given that such a machine may control, remotely or directly, another machine with which to manipulate the environment (a humanoid robot is the classic example) the following scenario presents itself: The first batch of such general problem-solving robots with average human intelligence are purchased by companies with mining interests for example, and put to work in the mines for many reasons:

1. Most of the company's work force can be replaced with what are essentially capital investments: overhead is massively reduced and stock performance / profitability can more accurately be forecast.

2. Safety efforts can be relaxed and with no compensation to pay to injured humans, insurance premiums drop significantly.

3. Loss of production caused by the work force changes to a maintenance issue (robots fixing robots) instead of a strike / HR issue where negotiations / bribing of unions is required.

4. I'm sure you can think of others.

True. 1 - 4 will all probably happen given the robots can do the work the human did.



>This phenomenon then spreads with robots replacing other labour intensive jobs such as construction worker, check-out operator, bus driver, council worker (actually, the robots we have today can probably replace most council workers!), factory line worker, etc., etc. Issues concerning the desirability of humans to interact with robots are not relevant to this discussion; neither is the fact that many of these jobs wouldn't require a robot, just a "black box".

And as humans are not needed, the population of the planet will decline from 6 - 12 billion (what ever it is at the time) to probably 1 - 2 billion or less.



>The point is, of course, that pretty soon, driven by the obligation to maximise profits, 97% of the work force loses their jobs and are replaced.

In the short-term. But in the longer-term they simply won't be born. Thus all the "profits" will accrue to a smaller number of people. Eventually there be no "poor" or "middle class." Everyone will be "rich." Remember, you can theoretically cut the planet's population down to zero in just 80 years. No one gives birth.



>Exporting jobs to cheap overseas labour markets becomes the least of our worries. The other 3% is replaced the following year with a smarter version 2 that possesses greater than human level creativity, longterm strategic planning, empathy, and other attributes that enabled these other workers to keep their jobs.

When cheap labor can be performed by robots, there is no out-sourcing of labor problem.



>However, money - or currency -

Money is only gold and silver. Currency is NOT money. Currency is only paper that REPRESENTS money, i.e., gold OR silver. These are the traditional definitions.



>is to our Capitalist society what red blood cells are to our bodies, and so too the network of exchange and trade to our body's circulatory network. But when people lose their jobs and are no longer paid, they cannot buy "stuff" - the money stops circulating. Much like our body, their is a limit to how many circulatory nodes you can cut-off from receiving any red blood cells / energy / money before the whole system rapidly collapses. This limit is of course reached long before the 97% loss presented above. Money becomes worthless.


Money and currency in and of themselves have no value. It's the PRODUCTS (and services) created by humans (or robots) that have value. Thus the blood of society is products and services. Money only represents these products and services and there should be a DIRECT ratio between the creation of money and the creation of products/services. The agencies that insert themselves into the equation, the banks, do so ostensibly to facilitate the exchange of products/services but they have discovered over the decades/centuries that they are also in a position to SIPHON off some of the productivity of society if they create excess currency. This is currency that's not represented by products and services. This is known as FIAT CURRENCY. See http://www.FiatEmpire.com




>So former workers have no money to purchase products from the companies that formerly employed them, these companies don't make any money, and are forced to commit the cardinal Capitalist sin: they halt production. Standards of living plumet.

One of the liabilities of a complex civilization that depends on paper currency or money to facilitate transactions is that people loose site of the fact that a JOB is not money or based on money. A job is DOING something. A job is MAKING something. A job has to do with ACTION. People get together and MAKE things. To make things, one does not need to have a middle man, i.e., a central bank. Of course you and I have been brainwashed by the "money-cult" to feel that this is not possible when the fact is that money is only a medium of exchange, one medium of exchange.





>So does the singularity destroy Capitalism?

Capitalism is NOT concerned with money. Capital is NOT money. It's the means of PRODUCTION. Only one school of thought considers MONEY to be capital. Capital is actually: LABOR, RAW MATERIALS, MACHINERY and KNOW-HOW. MONEY is thus not a part of capitalism. So-called MONEY only REPRESENTS elements of capitalism. Thus money is derivative. It is not that important. Money has been made overly-important by those who seek to manipulate it.

A bank and its urination of money are little more than a parasite on the productivity of humans.



>Am I stating the bleedingly obvious? Or am I displaying economic sensibilities of a similar calibre to Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe who has his country's inflation churning away at 1600%? If you DO think that the singularity will destroy capitalism: is this a good thing and what will it be replaced with, a form of democratic socialism*?

SOCIALism is when the government attempts to take care of all SOCIAL needs and wants. To the degree a government prints up currency, and declares it valid (fiat money), it is able to PAY for more and more. As this happens the PEOPLE become OWNED by the government rather than OWNING the government, as stipulated in the Constitution. Because you are allowing the government to steal a sliver of all your products and services through the fiat money they create, you are empowering socialism. When the guns come out, then that socialism has turned into communism.



>Are economic concerns somewhat trivial in the face of the lead-up to a genuine singularity? Given Ray's timelines, should I ditch my 401K / Superannuation plan if I'm under 40?

As we approach the Singularity it will mean that CAPITALISM will intensify. Since the Singularity is the ultimate INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION, a revolution so intense even humans can't comprehend it, all that will happen is the elements of CAPITALISM will radically intensify. These elements will continue to be: LABOR, RAW MATERIALS, MACHINERY and KNOW-HOW. The only difference will be, LABOR and MACHINES will probably merge into "robots," MATERIALS will be recycled, invented, and mined off-planet; and KNOW-HOW will be increasingly provided by AI and enhanced humans.

There is nothing fundamentally wrong or scary about any of this.

Where the problem comes in is: with greater productivity comes the possibility of greater abuse of currency. If currency can be printed up out of thin air on the grounds that it needs to represent a greater number of products, it may be increasingly tempting to print up way too much. But prior to that, money will probably end up being represented by electrons because, with the Singularity, products will be produced so quickly no bank will be able to print up enough money to keep up. And don't look now, there is now underway a movement to get rid of currency and to hide its amount. The Fed as of around March 2006, no longer reports M3 or refinance agreements.

But this is what may eventually happen: MONEY will reach an end game whereby it is no longer useful to "keep score" with. All material items on the planet in a post-Singularity world will instantly be available and all totally "free" (meaning it takes me less effort to do my part in the manufacturing of your wanted product than it does for me to send you a bill). Thus the idea of using a MEDIUM to "facilitate" the "exchange" of matter (products) and actions (services) may not be necessary. Further, we will have the computing power to create products on-demand with virtually no energy limitation. As the population decreases towards say 1 billion, it will be increasingly easy to create a "living complement" for every human. A living complement is the list of material necessities a human needs to exist on a planet with a reasonably high standard of living. A compliment with include things like:

1. 12 pairs of underpants.
2. 6 shirts.
3. 2 cars.
4. 1 5,000 SF house.
5. 2 tooth brushes.
6. 1 short-range jet.
7. 10 trash cans.
8. 3 pairs of shoes.
9. 1 hose.
10. etc...

Being "rich" will thus transition into being something else. Hopefully the psychological problems pertaining to wealth will be handled soon, for one of the major reasons people seek to become wealth is because they are dysfunctional in the area of ego. Stupid people are often rich because, not having mental ability, or being too lazy to put in the study-time, they seek to compensate by ownership. The subtext of a stupid rich person is always: I will own so I can control and dominate you. The fundamental reason for this is they are scared of intelligence. Thus, you can look to this mentality to fill the ranks of the Ludite opposing the Singularity. Smart machines? Very scary to them. As scary as smart humans.

It's been said that the super-rich foster wars so that the proceeds of civilization can be wasted thus abetting the stratification of society. I will bet this is not entirely untrue. After all if society were able to become so productive that everyone could have a Mercedes and a Gulfstream, how could the rich man differentiate himself? The answer, of course, is: After cherrying out this planet, they can colonize new planets and start over. Every new planet will go through a period of time whereby there is a social stratification, thus, this mentality can get it's enjoyment of domination while doing something productive for the universe.

Why do Empires fail By Joost van Steenis

Bangkok, March 6 2007

Dear reader, this is the 83rd Letter of an Autonomous Thinker

China under Genghis Khan, the Ottoman Empire, Alexander the Great, the Roman Empire, European Empires under Charles the Great, Charles the Fifth and Napoleon, the Soviet Union and of course the Western colonial Empires.

Most Empires existed less than a century.

But some big countries like China, Russia or the United States exist already for centuries.

Why?

Everywhere in the world most power is in the hands of a small elite. The role of the top-elite is of the utmost importance in considering the problem of crumbling Empires, see also Letter 63, The Empire starts to crumble (http://members.chello.nl/jsteenis/letter63.htm).

The three aforementioned big countries have a unified elite that has strong family-ties even with lower elites in the remotest corners of the country. The top-elite is dynamic, new members (also from local elites) are accepted and some old members have to descend to lower echelons.

Through trusted channels the top-elite has direct knowledge of what happens in the whole country. Different parts of the elite can call upon the central power to stop any danger to the country. (for the importance of Family-ties see also Letter 57, Who belongs to the elite http://members.chello.nl/jsteenis/letter57.htm )

In the case of Empires the situation is different.

The top-elite has imposed its power over other parts of the world but is not firmly rooted there. The relation with local elites is businesslike and not built on trusted Family-ties. When necessary for its own profit the top-elite uses violence against lower elites to impose its will.

The crumbling of the Soviet Union is a splendid example. Around 1990 the power of the (Russian) top-elite was so much weakened that local elites could grab power in their homelands. Many new countries came into being. These local elites were not integrated but only tolerated and used by the top-elite.

The US-elite imposes its will on many local elites in the world but there are no trusted bonds. So when American troops cannot anymore be used at liberty by the US top-elite local elites will seek more independence.

In the case of Iraq, the local Iraqi elites are waiting for the American troops to withdraw to get their peace of the cake.

In the case of India it can be expected that the country will fall apart when the power of the top-elite (that is not unified by Family-ties) diminishes f.e. because of an economic crisis.

Also the European Union has a long way to go. It is now dominated by elites from Northwestern Europe - England, Germany, France, the Benelux. These elites have already some trusted Family-ties. That was confirmed by the first results of our study of West-European elites (see also the next Letter and Letter 58, The elite is very old (http://members.chello.nl/jsteenis/letter58.htm)

The European Family-ties are still too weak to avoid that the European Union will fall apart in the case of an economic crisis. Most individual countries however will continue to exist as entities though for example the top-elites of Spain or Italy are not as unified as it seems.

I think that our elitist democracy is not yet ripe for an European Union that comprises all European states (and Turkey is still farther away).

Once again our studies prove that elites - and thus inequality - determine the fate of humanity. Alas, because elites cannot even solve the problem of the 18.000 children that every day die because they cannot get the necessary food that is elsewhere abundantly available.

To get a New World where masspeople and elitepeople have equal opportunities it is needed to develop tactics to prevent that any elite will ever usurp most power.

To this process my site gives a small contribution.

Yours truly

http://members.chello.nl/jsteenis

Ways to increase masspower

Beyond Hysteria:The Final Squeeze By SB Kyaser

Humanity is on the brink. While a large majority is convinced that the end of times nears, gambling on the return the "Four Horsemen" is not a safe bet either. Are you sure to know enough about the global warming?

http://www.moneyfiles.org/sbk01.html