Posts by TerryWalstrom

6580001 · 2017-12-20T12:02:17Z

Every nation is a kind of weird intellectual construct.
When we say: China--all of us get some kind of fictional mental snapshot in our head. Sure, there IS a country called "China".
We just don't really know a soul living there. Our ignorance is rather profound.
The idea of "recognizing" a certain country is also weird.
It's like deciding whether or not you'll snub one of your neighbors.
"Are you worthy of my attention?" That sort of thing.
Countries which are persona non grata may NOT be recognized as legitimate players--and yet--we talk about them non-stop. Sort of like gossiping about that neighbor you've decided to snub.
All in all, it says a lot about a person and a nation when it comes to snubbing.
Our character really comes down to how we treat other human beings, doesn't it?
Who the "good guys" and the "bad guys" are is a function of how far they're willing to go in helping and hurting ordinary people.
WAR, for instance. Do "good" guys blow people up for a good cause?
Uh-oh, our clean, clear, crisp image of "good" starts to blur suddenly.
Thou Shall Not Kill is always gleaming brightly like the star of Bethlehem until it comes into conflict with survival instincts, political positioning postures, and money.
No matter what we say we "believe," it's what we DO unto OTHERS which tells the true story.
Actions speak louder than words.
The United States is a lot of things to a lot of people. Half of us don't at all agree with the other half. Many of us will punch you in the nose if you disagree, in fact. So? So what?
So this...
Israel has an opinion of what its capital should be.
Right now, our President agrees with that opinion.
His opinion makes it official. But--it won't change hearts and minds.
What it will change is the balance of emotion in the hearts and minds of people who are in a position to react.
What that reaction finally comes down to will tell the tale of how great an idea it is to express such an opinion.

6580001 · 2017-12-16T03:20:01Z

Regardless of your political affiliation, the fact that BitCoin is Technocratic, scientific, predictable mathematic currency, it's not up to the whims of any government--but also--, it's not up to the control of any corporation; it's not up to the control of any individual; not up to the control of any "Hippie" coders...it's not up to the control of anyone.

It IS and always WILL BE controlled by the consensus of everyone who is participating in this P2P paradigm. That's what makes it different, special, untampered; not relying on Trust, Faith, or Luck.
If for no other reason, because you can count on BitCoin surviving fear of manipulation.

Since the advent of BitCoin, more than 100 ALTERNATIVE cryptocurrencies have emerged. These "Alt-Coins" are interesting because they represent the evolutionary environment surrounding BitCoin. The Other Species. Each judged by its 'fitness function'.
1. Useful for everyday transactions?
2. Useful for a store of wealth?
3. Predictable as to volatility?
4. Is it useful for Capital investments?
5. Does it have large economies backing it? (Gross domestic product.)
So each of the emerging Alt-Cons is judged by the above as to fitness to survive.

FIAT CURRENCIES (we print as much as we want without regard to inflation) bypass the above tests of fitness. Government interposes itself as sole arbiter, levying taxes and demanding payments be made in said fiat currency. A government, in effect, manipulates value as a quality untested by the utility in real-world terms of fitness or competition.

Cryptocurrencies are different. Individuals pick the ones which meet their standards and needs. The cost of converting from one currency to another is set by valuation (gaining or losing in the changeover.)
The costs of crypto-currency changeover are very low due to fungibility.
(Generally, half a percent.) Ease of exchange is a hallmark of this ethos.
What Saves Bitcoin from the Bubble is that due to the 100's of competing Alt-Coins, as BitCoin gains or dies itself--customers quickly change to a more competitive market version of crypto-currency.
Crypto-currency itself survives as a superior evolution of the need for a private, unregulated method of money transfer person to person, entity to entity without interference or tampering.

6580001 · 2017-12-16T02:27:11Z

I have no money to invest. I am, however, a curious person by nature.
With nothing to risk--yet curious--I set about watching PRO and CON videos over a period of one month.
It took me quite awhile to adjust.
Explanations which are glib and off-the-cuff aren't informative; mostly dismissive.
But the deeper I got and more familiar I became with the TOTAL story, purpose, and function of BitCoin--the more convinced I am we are on the threshold of a Singularity--A BLACK SWAN event--a new paradigm which has become a NECESSITY because of corruption in our Banking System and unenforced laws and few (if any) prosecutions in High Finance.
Our monetary system is broken and it cannot be fixed. Those who could do some good cannot budge the corruption.
Having said all that...
The best tutor to watch and listen to is a fellow who lets you know who is opposing BitCoin while he's laying it all out for even a newbie to understand. I've chosen this video among all the ones I've watched.
(Incidentally, my son put 100$ into BitCoin a few months into 2017.
He quickly became a True Believer.
Prudently, he removed his hundred and let his profit ride (now that he won't lose it).
As of this moment, he is "wealthy" beyond any previous standard of reckoning.
Your mileage may vary, certainly.
__________
Watch start to finish. It rewards your attention.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JP9-lAYngi4

6580001 · 2017-12-15T15:51:52Z

I see what 'strongly suggests' (to my mind familiar with the history of Russell) a pyramid, with the indicated 'air vents' as a subliminal echo of their origins.

Surely THEY see it too.

6580001 · 2017-12-15T15:50:09Z

6580001 · 2017-12-10T21:24:51Z

MissFit, thank you. I write because I must.
Getting people to read what I write is more difficult :)

6580001 · 2017-12-10T01:15:17Z

“MY FIGHTIN” NAME…”

A huge man to my right leans in close.
I catch the scent of stale menthol cigarette smoke.
He’s he speaking to....(I look around)...to me?
There is nobody else. I snap to attention, listening.

“My fightin’ name was Spyder.”

Strangers talk to me. It’s a thing. I’m that guy.
As the fellow commences his sprawling narrative I squint hard and appraise who I see.

Spyder is an enormous man--a man of color.
Lines in his face are crinkled paperback novels. He spins tales of punishment.
Puffy eyelids and yellowing sockets blink at bright sunshine outside.
His age?
I’m clueless.
My guess? At least a hard millennium. Jurassic era.
LIke me, an old dinosaur. THAT is why he’s telling me.
Telling me what?

Spyder gazes down at his fists like a jeweler admiring a diamond setting.
His voice is the bottom of a deep pit--the tolling bell at judgment day.

“These my bodyguards.” He clenches and unclenches his hands.

He torques his left wrist. There’s quick movement, a flash of the sleeve.
The meaty bulk snaps short a half inch from my chin!
I’ve flinched before I know what happened.

“This one I calls ‘Oh Lord.”

It floats in front of a me-a glint of light on a dark river.

His other meat-piston whistles at a blur in place of the first.

“And this is ‘Have Mercy.’

He laughs at his joke, then, turns back to the table and sips coffee.
The slurp rattles a bit.

All is silent. For awhile.

Spyder turns again. He’s facing me. I steel myself.

(Here we go…)

"You alright--ya know."

(Is he asking me or telling me?)

“You too.” (What else should I say?)

His body laughs. The face is sad.
The old man turns away and sips.

Finally, he rises on staunch limbs and exhales a long slow moan.
Not a weary sound.
Heavy construction equipment moving tons of stone. His machine is engaged.

“That’s what I’m talkin’ about!” He puts music into the words.

He shambles to a vehicle, disappearing like a magic trick.
Dead solid perfect. The image of his presence shimmers inside my head.

“What just happened?” I ask myself aloud.

All I’ve got from "Spyder" is what I’ve told you.
And there it is.

_______________

6580001 · 2017-12-08T16:08:41Z

Eventually, all of us (regardless of the religion of origin) walk the same path--but only if--we're willing to be wrong when facts and evidence do not support our beloved views.

6580001 · 2017-12-07T12:44:54Z

Here is an otherwise honest and intelligent fellow (former Mormon) who 'woke up' and realized all his previous efforts at providing apologist material needs to be refuted--by HIMSELF!
The parallel to JW thinking and our Old Life VS New Life approach to debunking former sincerely held beliefs finds quite an amusing mirror, IMHO.
Check it out. I think you'll see your time repaid handsomely.

http://mormondiscussions.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=45012

6580001 · 2017-12-04T04:54:53Z

Here is how I see it; no sentence is inevitable.
The author decides.
If I'm writing a difficult thing, one engendering a struggle, I simply rethink the sentence and rewrite it.
Problem solved.

TerryWalstrom

Posts by TerryWalstrom

Israel (Is Real?)

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Bitcoins: A new world without green backs.

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Bitcoins: A new world without green backs.

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Inside Story Logo

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Inside Story Logo

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Oh Lord. Have Mercy. "His Fightin' Name was..."

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Oh Lord. Have Mercy. "His Fightin' Name was..."

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Mormon Apostate discovers he must now refute his former apologist stance

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Mormon Apostate discovers he must now refute his former apologist stance

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Punctuation within and without quotation marks

TerryWalstrom