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Andy Warhol predicted that in the future everyone would be famous for 15 minutes. We are now at the threshold of that future. But are we making a mistake? In an age where our most intimate secrets are publicly revealed via social media have we consented irreversibly to the loss of our privacy? Are we hurtling toward a dangerous state of affairs? If so is there anything we can do? [node:read-more:link]

The highest possible goal for humankind would be a world where we were all artists. Art is the byproduct of someone who creates for no reason other than a deep love for the creation itself. They do not act for external reward, status, money, attention or recognition. Nor do they act out of duty, fear or guilt.

In this pure loving state they develop a zen-like relationship to their art and are thus able to perform to such a high level that it almost seems to transcend earthly existence. [node:read-more:link]

Feminism has so far failed. Were it to truly succeed, war would be a thing of the past.

As a child I remember teenage boys coming to our door with flowers and chocolates for my older sisters. My sisters were whisked away on "dates" to the movies, the beach and fun fairs. They were wined, dined and treated like princesses. But when it came to careers, they did not get the same opportunities as men. [node:read-more:link]

In order for large scale hoaxes to succeed, what's required is a systemic structure already in place.

One such structure is the media industrial complex. With a few hands controlling the main channels of communications, the "news" has become merely press releases from the head office upstairs.

Another is our educational institutions. These have become ideological indoctrination camps on behalf of their corporate donors.

Then there are the sciences. With funding directed toward research which supports desired outcomes, it's become harder to rely on the data. [node:read-more:link]

Let's get rid of taxes. We can simply take money printing powers away from central banks and allow governments to directly print the cost of running the country. The budget could be capped to a percentage of GDP.

This would do away with the need for tax avoidance, evasion, and sneaky offshore schemes. There'd be less need for accountants and lawyers. The cost of running the country would be borne fairly by everyone who would bear the exact same effects of inflation. [node:read-more:link]

Dear Donald Trump,

Make everybody love you by building a BIG BEAUTIFUL new health care system. This is real, real easy to do for a GENIUS like you.

Instead of offering indiscriminate tax breaks to all the useless money morons on Wall Street, give a targeted tax break to real smart people who want to start any healthcare business such as;

Clinics, hospitals, medical schools, biology labs, medical technology, alternative therapy, nutrition, health clubs, counselling, psychology, pharmacies, etc.

While you're at it, give them zero interest loans too. [node:read-more:link]

There is much talk about lack of jobs. But has anyone considered that we might be running out of things to do? First we had automation and now we've got robots. But we are still prodding each other to work harder. Will there ever be a point in history when we've got enough stuff?

Dolphins are big brained mammals who do very little work and play all day long. Unlike humans they did not bite the apple in the Garden of Eden. Instead they remained in paradise swimming around naked and having a good time. [node:read-more:link]

Albert Einstein tells us “Energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be changed from one form to another.”

Money is merely a symbol for stored energy as goods and dynamic energy as services. So when politicans tell us there is not enough money they are either lying or stupid. Because all that energy still exists as goods, services, labor, resources, factories, roads, infrastructure etc. None of it has disappeared. It's merely changing hands. [node:read-more:link]

Einstein taught us that the laws of this Universe are governed by relativity. But few realize that relativity governs not only space and time but is at the core of our relationships and everyday life. [node:read-more:link]

The biggest threat to modern civilization is not from terrorists, Global Warming or nuclear bombs. The biggest threat to modern civilization is OBFUSCATION:

ob·fus·cate (bf-skt, b-fskt)
tr.v. ob·fus·cat·ed, ob·fus·cat·ing, ob·fus·cates
1. To make so confused or opaque as to be difficult to perceive or understand: "A great effort was made . . . to obscure or obfuscate the truth" (Robert Conquest).
2. To render indistinct or dim; darken: The fog obfuscated the shore. [node:read-more:link]

If there are lessons to be learned from Covid19, it's that we need more transparency when it comes to public health.

One way to tackle this would be a worldwide public blockchain database where qualified medical professionals could input anonymized data about patients and their treatments.

Patients would contribute information about the outcomes of their treatments such as side effects, whether they got better, etc.

This database could also include detailed information from drugs and other trials. [node:read-more:link]

Some look toward one world governance as the only way to tackle global problems. But I reckon it's the opposite. Salvation lies with the ingenuity and creativity of the sovereign individual. For it only takes one person with one great idea to change the tide of history. [node:read-more:link]

Though Zuckerberg has only just recently announced his intention to radically tweak Facebook algorithms, I have noticed a drastic drop in views for some time now. This suggests that these algorithms have already been at play, as neither the style nor content of my posts have wavered throughout.

Meanwhile, those who post the most arse licking-est of politically correct views seems to have been spared from the cull. [node:read-more:link]

Imagine a society where everyone was driven to produce more and consume less?

Our current monetary system relies upon inflation and increased consumption. As governments pump more currency into the money supply, the value of existing currency is depreciated. This steers people toward buying income-producing assets in order to preserve their wealth. They make money simply by owning things such as real estate. But this focus on acquisition contributes little productivity to the real economy. [node:read-more:link]

Imagine a society where everyone was driven to produce more and consume less?

Our current monetary system relies upon inflation and increased consumption. As governments pump more currency into the money supply, the value of existing currency is depreciated. This steers people toward buying income-producing assets in order to preserve their wealth. They make money simply by owning things such as real estate. But this focus on acquisition contributes little productivity to the real economy. [node:read-more:link]

Our leaders believe nuclear weapons will keep the peace through a principle known as Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) The theory is that nobody will launch the first strike because to do so would mean suicide. This prevents direct wars between superpowers.

Instead tensions are relieved by proxy wars. This is where conventional wars are fought using smaller countries, but with nuclear powers behind the scenes, pulling the strings. [node:read-more:link]

As a teenager I worked at Burger King. On slow days I was given random stuff to clean. Once cleaned, the manager would make me clean everything again...and again...and again. So I sprayed and scrubbed stuff that was already spotless and clean. This was utterly unneccessary toil. But Burger King wanted to get their moneys worth. Hence they made me do pointless things which made my life feel cheap, meaningless and worthless. [node:read-more:link]

There is talk about replacing Obamacare. Some believe there isn't enough money to provide healthcare to all.

But "money" is merely a symbol for energy which is either stored (property, goods) or dynamic (services).So instead of asking whether we have enough "money" the better question is "Have we got enough energy?" [node:read-more:link]

To a socialist, capitalism is the root of all evil. Likewise capitalists believe socialists eat babies for lunch. But what each group is demonizing is merely the extreme version of the other. In reality socialism and capitalism are merely the opposite points along a continuum. This type of black and white thinking is an error in logic which polarizes the population into opposing groups. Psychologists call this type of black and white thinking "splitting". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Splitting_(psychology). [node:read-more:link]

The concept of punishment is philosophically immoral and should be replaced with a more pragmatic philosophy of protection and prevention. We are endlessly complex creatures. We live endlessly complex lives. No two of us share the exact same experiences. This unique set of circumstances makes us unfathomable to each other. We are not Gods. We are only human and limited in our scope. As such no human being is qualified to pass moral judgement upon another. Therefore moral judgments should be replaced with pragmatic judgments. [node:read-more:link]

I signed a NDE (non-disclosure agreement) with my former record company and regretted it. At the time I was pressured into it by my lawyer who told me it was normal procedure and I had to do it if I wanted to settle. But I regret being unable to warn young musicans of the pitfalls of signing with a record label. I vowed never to sign another one.

Years later after winning my Gearslutz lawsuit, I was presented with another one. This time I refused. The refusal cost me about 10 grand. But I do not regret it. It's a matter of principle. [node:read-more:link]

As a kid the rules of war made no sense to me. If countries can get together and agree upon rules of which bullets to use, or how to treat your prisoners why not just agree to ban war altogether?

Imagine how bizarre to be a fly on the wall during the negotiations for the Hague or Geneva Conventions... Someone must have been in favor of war because otherwise banning it altogether would have been a no brainer. [node:read-more:link]

Our current system of voting is archaic and needs an overhaul. This change should be imposed from the top down but should instead evolve virally through technology.

We currently have a system where citizens vote for politicians who in turn vote on the issues. This is due to the impracticality of each citizen voting on every little issue. But technology and the internet could change that. Through the use of encryption, a public vote on each issue may now be feasible. [node:read-more:link]

Imagine being the citizen of a country which you do not live in but which you chose to be an online member of. Each individual would get the choice of which government to pay taxes to. This would create competition and put pressure on governments to offer a decent level of service with regard schools, police, health,etc. Call it "Opt-in Citizenship". Is this possible? Can anybody see this working? [node:read-more:link]

Is corporate media destroying the USA? If so, how did it happen?

Though Ronald Reagan is generally seen as one of America's most successful and popular presidents, he has however left a rather questionable legacy. In fact one could argue that many of our current problems are as a result of his policies. [node:read-more:link]

We usually think of the world in the "olden days" as being something quite distinct and alien from the one we live in today. We see ourselves as modern and sophisticated. But if you think about it, NO one sees themselves as living in the "olden days". ALL people think of themselves as "modern". The Black and White aspect of "old time" photos adds to this sense of otherworldliness. [node:read-more:link]

We are a pivotal point in history with a war taking place on the internet. There is on one side a race toward centralized control where the majority of traffic goes to just a small handful of sites owned by the 1%. On the other hand we have a window of opportunity to move away from centralized control and more into peer to peer ownership. [node:read-more:link]

We are a pivotal point in history with a war taking place on the internet. There is on one side a race toward centralized control where the majority of traffic goes to just a small handful of sites owned by the 1%. On the other hand we have a window of opportunity to move away from centralized control and more into peer to peer ownership. [node:read-more:link]

Modern life is characterized by an ever growing body of work left behind by the human beings who came before us. Man has displayed creativity, inventiveness, inspiration and achievement in his never ending quest for improvement over the human condition. As such everyone alive today is by rights the natural beneficiary to the collective achievements of our forebears. Everybody has ancestors who contributed to this collective body of work. Why did our predecessors bother to create, build and invent? [node:read-more:link]

Modern life is characterized by an ever growing body of work left behind by the human beings who came before us. Man has displayed creativity, inventiveness, inspiration and achievement in his never ending quest for improvement over the human condition. As such everyone alive today is by rights the natural beneficiary to the collective achievements of our forebears. Everybody has ancestors who contributed to this collective body of work. Why did our predecessors bother to create, build and invent? [node:read-more:link]

There is no doubt that there is a frenzied movement on planet Earth toward the centralization of power and control by those at the top of the human hierarchy. The most recent example of a move toward this totalitarianism is the SOPA bill which will result in the abolition of internet free speech. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhwuXNv8fJM [node:read-more:link]