Category: xx Archive FA16

Stone Money Rewrite – anonymous

Money at its Roots

To me the idea of stone money is strange but curiosity provoking at the least. These huge stones hold value but cannot be moved, transferred, or even hold a practical value. I cannot feed my family with the stone or use it for shelter but to some they were valuable. The same system used by a group of un-civilized tribesman over a hundred years ago bares a striking resemblance to what we use today in modern society; is it not? We walk around exchanging pieces of paper that can easily be ripped or destroyed for goods of value and necessity. It is true that the monetary system we use today is working and has worked for a period of time, but is it really the best way to sustain an economically diverse and often times unpredictable society? After reading the article by Milton Friedman, “The Island of Stone Money”, and listening to the in class lecture I have a new perspective on money and am starting to ask myself these kinds of questions.

Our belief in money is slowly turning into, in a sense, the same sort of values and beliefs religion is based upon. Being that money in today’s society is basically as abstract and meaningless as trading goods in a video game, it is taken on faith that transactions online that produce X amount of zeros come with equal value in reality. For fear of losing the value of their “money” the French asked the federal reserve to convert the dollar value of their assets into gold. Once the U.S. had done this the French were content with leaving those same assets in a foreign territory. Who really keeps track of all this virtual money today? How is the U.S. over 13 trillion dollars in debt if that amount of actual currency doesn’t even exist? We determine the value of labor and distribution of products by dollar signs but the government can’t guarantee that the money you hold today will posses any value tomorrow. As we create more and more physical currency to match the demands of the public the value the world perceives our money at and the value the government says its worth is ever-changing. Decreasing actually. This is the basic premise behind inflation; price of goods increasing and value of the dollar decreasing. How can we hope that this system will continue to work when inflation cannot be stopped? It was surprising to me to find out that the same item you bought in 1913 for 20 dollars now today would cost over 480 dollars. Everything back in those days was so cheap because there was so much less currency in circulation.

In conclusion, I believe there is a serious problem with not only the concept of our monetary system but also the ethics behind it. Government spending needs to be critically monitored for multiple reasons. The first reason, the government is its own entity and has an enormous amount of power at its disposal. The second reason that our system is flawed is that there are not nearly enough organizations that monitor the governments decisions. Behind all the smoke and mirrors our government puts up for us I believe there is a direct answer as to what the permanence of our current monetary system is. At the rate we are currently traveling now there is no way any rational person could say that the system we have can be sustained. In our lifetimes and for a couple of generations maybe, but every great empire in history has shown us prosprerity doesn’t last forever. We need to be thinking about the future, if we don’t who will?

Works Cited

Friedman, Milton. “The Island of Stone Money.” Diss. Hoover Institution, Stanford University , 1991.

Joffe-Walt, Chana . “How Fake Money Saved Brazil.” NPR.org. 4 Oct. 2010. 30 Jan. 2015. <http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2010/10/04/130329523/how-fake-money-saved-brazil&gt;.

“The Invention of Stone Money.” 423: The Invention of Stone Money. This Is American Life, WBEZ. Chicago . 7 Jan. 2011.

Morley, By Robert. “Why the U.S. Dollar Constantly Loses Value.” – TheTrumpet.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Sept. 2016.

Stone Money Rewrite-Juniorgirlblog

                                                         The value of money 

Money today seems to be what is most important to people. In this generation “Money is power”. Once before I believed that money was everything. I use to think that all I needed was money to make it in this world and that my happiness would fall into place as long as I had money in my pocket. As I get older I have come to realize that money is  not everything. There is a lot of things in this world that money can not buy but will still make you happy.Think about how people spend their money on things that they don’t need instead of things that they do need in order to make it in life. When thinking about money people don’t think  about when that day comes money is going to disappear. Just like a cow can’t live without their food we can’t live without money. We never question ourselves about how much is money really worth ?or When money disappear how will we live with out ?

After reading “Stone Money ” by David Kestenbaum, my thoughts on money have not changed. Based on the article came to conclusion that money is not all that important. It is important for certain things that we need to survive and keep us on grid with technology, food, and clothing however there are people who live their lives using as little money as possible. The text states,”….. as soon as money fails, papers means  nothing anymore.” I agree with this quote because money is not everything that we think it is. If money lost its value then there would be no need for paper especially with the way technology is advancing.

In “Stone-Money Essay” by Milton Friedmen, he illustrates the myth and belief of the concept of money. In the article it states,”Our own money, the money we have grown up with, the system under which it is controlled, these appear real and rational to us”. In other words Friedmen agrees with the thought of money . Being that we know how money works and being raised with money compared to someone with no money , you will think differently then them. Everyone is raised with a different knowledge about money. Some people may have been raised in an environment where money could have been tight so they grew up thinking money should be budgeted and spent accordingly. Other people may have grown up where money wasn’t a problem in their environment and they were use to just buying whatever they wanted without thinking about a prices. Someone who grew up like that may be more relaxed with the way money works and the way they use it. This quote really means that people have their knowledge on money based on how they were taught and what they know to be real.

The way the world works today money is the center of it all. Our environment has programmed us to think that we need a lot of money to live a good life or if you don’t have a certain amount of money then you are not going to be successful or obtain true happiness and that is not true. If money was to vanish from this world tomorrow I believe people would go absolutely crazy and wouldn’t know what to do. I am happy that I changed my views on money early on in life and didn’t let money control me.

Friedman,Milton. “The Island of Stone Money.” Diss.Hoover Institution , Stanford University,Feb.1991.Web.13.Sept,2016.

“The Island Of Stone Money.” NPR. NPR, n.d. Web. 25 Sept. 2016.

Summaries – anonymous

1.) https://mic.com/articles/110344/14-years-after-portugal-decriminalized-all-drugs-here-s-what-s-happening#.7tNnX4b2w

It seems counterintuitive that a government would decriminalize drugs to put a stop to the pain and suffering drug use, addiction, and distribution causes. Although that is precisely what has taken place in Portugal’s poverty-stricken country since 2001.

Since drugs are so prevalent in Portugal’s society and it was becoming more and more futile to try to stop the trafficking of drugs the bright idea of decriminalizing came about. As ill-fated as this plan seems to be the war on drugs through means of force and harsh prison sentences was just not cutting it. This plan although outside the box was proactive as they come and well thought out.

The view has also shifted from treating drugs as less of a health problem to more of a moral issue. While many critics may take this idea as being too laid back to many others it’s a refreshing and compassionate view on a subject that has effected virtually everyone in some way shape or form. The overall effect of this new ideology has been a positive one, with less expenditures on locking people up there has been a larger budget to get addicts the help they need. There will always be critics and supporters and rightfully so, ideas no matter how thought out are just ideas, they will always be unpredictable and some may end up making things worse. Humanity as whole, I believe, has a responsibility to make advances and this can only be done through trial a tribulation; we owe that to ourselves.

2.) http://www.npr.org/2016/09/21/494749929/player-protests-when-athletes-stand-up-or-kneel-for-social-justice-issues

It seems counterintuitive that a platform like professional sports that shows the prosperity that our nation has acquired, and has fought for, is now being used as a means to exploit our nation. Players like Colin Kaepernick believe they are standing/kneeling for social justice when in fact they are just dividing a country further than what it already is. There are ways to promote a cause as noble as social equality and this is not it. Kneeling for the national anthem is a disgrace to the good men and women out there that are fighting everyday to keep our country safe; foreign or domestic. Negativity is only going to be followed by more negativity, and yes kneeling for a song that has become intrinsically linked to promoting the sacrifices that countless individuals have made for your freedom to play football and all the other amenities this land has to offer is negative. The media is directly contributing to this fire everyday by following only the stories that insight anger and hate. It is difficult to reach out to people who have already decided that the majority is tainted and not fit to protect our freedoms. Should we give up on our justice system that has stood for over 200 years? Why are problems only just now being identified?

3.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUA8i5S0YMU

It seems counterintuitive that trophy hunting for animals like lion, rhino, and elephants could potentially help these animals from going extinct. Trophy hunters although generally looked at as being a threat to an endangered species are linked only to a small percentage of the total death toll of said species. The real threat is the one that cannot be tracked or recorded accurately, they are poachers and loss of habitat.

Poachers are attributed to killing thousands of indigenous animals in Africa every year and with out our protection how can we hope they survive? This is where trophy hunting can actually help. While it is true one of the animals dies in this scenario it is also true that both the animals of that species and the natives of the land have something to gain. For every animal that is being hunted the hunter is charged a fee, often times a very pricey one. With the help of this money organizations have come together to buy private land and protect these lands so the animals can live in peace. With out the money there is no reason for the locals to care about the animals, but if they know for every animal they protect a cash reward could be gained they will be much more inclined to help. As bleak as this sounds it is the truth, no one will help save these animals unless there is money involved and at the end of the day that is what makes the world go round.

Summaries- Juniorgirlblog

1.) Child Euthanasia NY Times

It seems counterintuitive that people will have a debate over weather or not they will allow euthanasia for ill children. How would you feel if your child was euthanasia if they was really ill without your say so? Belgium became the first country to allow this. According to the amended law, euthanasia would only become legal for children who are only afflicted with “constant and unbearable physical suffering”.

Based on the heated argument, a Socialist Party senator Philippe Mahoux  had agree with the decision that Belgium made. He believes that children will die in dignity, but the religious leaders who were at the debate disagree with the decision that they made.  They had also came to conclusion that they will allow young people or adults who are sick to determine weather or not they will allow the doctors to pull the plug.

Europe is basically the only country who is allowing this to happen other then the United States. Many of the countries had legalized medicine to cause death. Based on statics adult cases had already been 1,000 a year, but they are the first country who has restriction on age. Unfortunately, adults don’t have the same rights as the children. The adults are not allowed to choose death unless it wasn’t any hope for their illness and pain.

2) Showers Can Be a Killer

It seems counterintuitive that showers can be a killer because showers are used for an everyday purpose like people washing their bodies. Unfortunately showers can be a killer to old people. 1 out of 1,000 people who are over the age of 70 years old are likely to fall in the shower. The author Jared Diamond is a 75 year old man who is trying to decrease his chances of falling in the shower.

He use to work on a island called New Guineans. On this island he saw a lot of hazards. He had an experience where there was a hazard sign by a tree. When putting his tent down a man on the island informed him that the tree is weak and might fall down. Diamond thought that they were over exaggerating until he researched the amount of trees that fall down on that island .

People living on an island have a better understanding about danger than the average American does. That is because Americans have access to a lot of resources that people on the island do not so their judgement on danger is off. Americans basically take things for granted because we have doctors and other people to help us when something is wrong. By them taken this trip made them more aware of risks that can happen meaning that they are older.

3) Counterintuitive Life lesson

It seems counterintuitive that people take life for granted instead of actually valuing it while they are alive. In today’s society many people believe that money can buy you happiness. People tend to use money to buy them things that they worry about instead of spending money on things they don’t have to worry about.But this article shows that money can buy you happiness because when you spend money on things that you want it can reduce your stress level.  People need to spend money when they need to. For example people might not think living close to where they work will make them happy money wise. Living close to work might cause people to pay higher rent depending on where they work but it saves them from paying tolls and traffic.

 

Stone Money—anonymous

To me the idea of stone money is strange but curiosity provoking at the least. These huge stones hold value but cannot be moved, transferred, or even hold a practical value. I cannot feed my family with the stone or use it for shelter but to some they were valuable. The same system used by a group of un-civilized tribesman over a hundred years ago bares a striking resemblance to what we use today in modern society; is it not? We walk around exchanging pieces of paper that can easily be ripped or destroyed for goods of value and necessity. It is true that the monetary system we use today is working and has worked for a period of time, but is it really the best way to sustain a economically diverse and often times unpredictable society? After reading the article by Milton Friedman “The Island of Stone Money” and listening to the in class lecture I have a new perspective on money and am starting to ask myself these kinds of questions.

Our belief in money is slowly turning into, in a sense, the same sort of values and beliefs religion is based upon. Being that money in today’s society is basically as abstract and meaningless as trading goods in a video game it is taken on faith that transactions online that produce X amount of zeros come with equal value in reality. For fear of losing the value of their “money” the French asked the federal reserve to convert the dollar value of their assets into gold. Once the U.S. had done this the French were content with leaving those same assets in a foreign territory. Who really keeps track of all this virtual money today? How is the U.S. over 13 trillion dollars in debt if that amount of actual currency doesn’t even exist? We determine the value of labor and distribution of products by dollar signs but the government cant guarantee that the money you hold today will posses any value tomorrow. As we create more and more physical currency to match the demands of the public the value the world perceives our money at and the value the government says its worth is ever changing. Decreasing actually. This is the basic premise behind inflation; price of goods increasing and value of the dollar decreasing.
Behind all the smoke and mirrors our government puts up for us I believe there is a direct answer as to what the permanence of our current monetary system is. At the rate we a currently traveling now there is no way any rational person could say that the current system we have can be sustained. In our lifetimes and for a couple generations maybe but every great empire history has shown us has its fall. We need to be thinking about the future, if we don’t who will?
Works Cited

Friedman, Milton. “The Island of Stone Money.” Diss. Hoover Institution, Stanford University , 1991.

Joffe-Walt, Chana . “How Fake Money Saved Brazil.” NPR.org. 4 Oct. 2010. 30 Jan. 2015. <http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2010/10/04/130329523/how-fake-money-saved-brazil&gt;.

“The Invention of Stone Money.” 423: The Invention of Stone Money. This Is American Life, WBEZ. Chicago . 7 Jan. 2011.

Morley, By Robert. “Why the U.S. Dollar Constantly Loses Value.” – TheTrumpet.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Sept. 2016.

Moving Image—anonymous

Think Twice

0:01 The advertisement opens with a group of three men in the woods, one is standing still looking up with a perplexed look on his face. The other two are seen walking out from a path carrying some wood presumably to start a fire. As the two men approach their friend they stop close to him, with a proud/accomplished expression on their face they drop the sticks in a pile where some had already been placed. At this point the two seem to be done with their task and look ready to start the fire.

0:02-0:03 The camera angle then changes to beneath the mans shoulders who was staring upwards. The view is of his head and of the multiple branches that are seen swaying in the breeze above.

0:04-0:07 The camera then goes back to the man’s face who was seen staring up. He is looking at his friends and can be seen saying something to them as his head nods in one direction perhaps signaling them to move to a different location. Camera then pans out onto all of them and the two who got the wood seem to have a disgruntled look on their face.

0:08-0:10 The agitated looks of the two men quickly turn to a face of apprehension. Their vision shifts away from their friend to something behind him not seen on camera. Noticing his friends gaze the man turns around slowly and is met by an imposing figure. A huge creature with brown fur is standing within inches of the man.

0:11-0:16 The next shot is of Smokey the bear towering over the man looking down on him. There is a brief pause making the moment even more dramatic. Smokey then closes his eyes and leans in to hug the man who is in complete shock. The camera angles to just the mans face pressed against the bears furry body. His nervous expression then slowly turns into relief as he puts his arms around Smokey.

0:17-0:30 Smokey then turns and slowly walks back into the forrest, with the camera behind the men watching him walk away. It then returns to a full body shot of all of the men. Their body language seems to still be in awe as they are all very still. After a brief moment one man says something short probably to break the silence and put what just happened into perspective. Just as Smokey is seen leaving the view of the camera the one man in the middle awkwardly waves bye.

Moving Image: Juniorgirlblog

0:00-0:004- The ad begins in the mall with the camera angle focusing on a kid teddy bear lying on the floor.  Then the angle shifts so I can see the view surrounding the bear ; which shows that people keep walking pass the bear and not paying it attention. It seems like it’s a young child who is between the ages of three and five has lost their bear when their parents were rushing to get somewhere.

0:07- The camera focuses a older man who came towards the teddy bear and picked it up. While he is picking it up; the camera then changes to a wider view where he is looking around suspiciously to see if there’s any kids around who he can ask if it’s their teddy bear.

0:16- A older lady is entering the mall, but the camera focus on her with the baby stroller and her struggling to get pass the first step.

0:15-0:20- The camera comes far out to show that a younger man came over to the lady with the stroller to help her get upstairs. They each are holding one end of the stroller so its equal weight.

0:21-0:23- The camera switches positions quickly with the old men and two young girls who is trying to find a parent who has a child that lost their bear. The camera also zooms in to see their face expression as they look around confused.

0:24-0:27-The camera switched back to the old men while he walks up to a mother and her young child. The camera zoom in on the family while the old man is talking to the family. It seem like he is trying to figure out if its the little girl teddy bear. The little girl nodded her head yes and took the bear from the old men. The camera shifted from the family to just focus on the little girl while she hug the bear.

0:28-0:33 – The camera focus on a baby bottle that was rolling around on the floor while everyone was looking.  A young teen founded a bottle, that a man with a baby stroller had dropped.

0:34- Camera switches back to the lady with the stroller. This time it’s three men that’s her with the stroller .Then the camera zoom outs to focus on them helping the lady.

0:35-0:40- The camera focus on the girl who give the bottle to the guy who dropped the baby bottle.  Then the camera zoom in on the young girl and the guy smiling at each other saying thank you.

0:41-0:45- The camera zoomed in on the parents as they smile ,kneeling down smiling to their kids.