Posts by Steve Barnes

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  • Island Life: Tune in, turn on, score…,

    she is gluten intolerant

    Or just plain intolerant?

    Peria • Since Dec 2006 • 5521 posts Report

  • Speaker: The End of Consumerism,

    I have yet to find libertarian concepts useful or popular beyond the privileged, but who knows.

    Yeah, 'cause libertarians claim to champion freedom and then go all Lily Alan on yer ass.

    Peria • Since Dec 2006 • 5521 posts Report

  • Speaker: The End of Consumerism,

    I particularly liked this comment,

    The moral of Rand books should be, appreciate intelligent people because that's what keeps this country going. Not going all John Galt because humanity hasn't built you a gold statue and given you a pony.

    Peria • Since Dec 2006 • 5521 posts Report

  • Speaker: The End of Consumerism,

    From the article linked to above.

    With its utter failure to see this crisis coming, why does anyone still take the OECD seriously? Probably for the same reason that people still generally obeyed the Captain of the Titanic after it had struck the iceberg: authority counts for a lot in a crisis, even if the person in authority actually caused it.

    In my informal studies of economic theories I have, more often than not, been stuck by the notion that what we are dealing with is more of an ideology than something actually related to the real world, more of a religion than a science.
    The amount of "cash" in any economy is never as much as the total amount of funds available, the fractional reserve system is the basis of this fact.
    All the while commercial banks are allowed to "print money" the growth of the economy can be totally illusory. Instead, it has been suggested, central banks should create the funds it deems necessary to maintain the economy and "gift" it to the Government to spend into the economy.
    Creating New Money: A monetary reform for the information age, by Joseph Huber and James Robertson
    Has this to say.

    It should become infeasible and be made illegal for anyone else to
    create new money denominated in an official currency. Commercial
    banks will thus be excluded from creating new credit as they do now,
    and be limited to credit-broking as financial intermediaries.
    We refer to this as “seigniorage reform”. While adapting to the new
    conditions of the Information Age, it will also restore the prerogative of
    the state to issue legal tender, and to capture as public revenue the
    seigniorage income that arises from issuing it. Originally, seigniorage
    arose from the minting and issuing of coins by monarchs and local
    rulers. Extending it to the creation of all official money will correct the
    anomaly that has grown up over the years, resulting today in 95% of
    new money being issued, not by governments as cash (coins and
    banknotes), but by commercial banks printing credit entries into the
    bank accounts of their customers in the form of interest-bearing loans.
    This costs the public large sums of money in seigniorage revenue
    foregone, in the UK, for example, of the order of £47bn a year
    . It gives the commercial banks a hidden subsidy
    in the shape of special, supernormal profits of the order of £21bn a year
    in the UK . We estimate that, in total, the resulting
    cost burden for the UK economy is about £66bn a year.

    That was written back in 2001 which makes this a little gem.

    However, we both agree that the question whether the money supply will
    continue to grow indefinitely raises a relevant point. It is sometimes
    suggested that, in an environmentally sustainable economy, growth of
    the money supply may have to slow down, then stop, and eventually
    perhaps go into reverse.

    Peria • Since Dec 2006 • 5521 posts Report

  • Hard News: Chocolate elitism,

    Some of those Shoc dark ones look interesting too.

    I had a look at that site. All the products are $10.90 but how much do they weigh? it doesn't seem to say that anywhere.

    Peria • Since Dec 2006 • 5521 posts Report

  • Island Life: Tune in, turn on, score…,

    I grew up with Vegemite, but now buy Marmite as it is more patriotic (NZ made).

    Pah. REAL Marmite is British I tell you, British. (isert "Land of Hope and Glory here) The Cacky stuff those Seventh Day Adventurers make is just not the same (as either Vegemite or REAL Marmite)
    Away with you, heretic.

    Peria • Since Dec 2006 • 5521 posts Report

  • Island Life: Tune in, turn on, score…,

    Steve- Marmite is the same as vegemite.

    No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No.
    Tizn't

    Peria • Since Dec 2006 • 5521 posts Report

  • Quake,

    LOL. Man's a forecasting genius.

    One Ring to fool them all.

    Peria • Since Dec 2006 • 5521 posts Report

  • Island Life: Tune in, turn on, score…,

    (Quietly) How much, Steve?

    100μg per serving based on a 5g serving equivelent to 2000μg per 100 gms.
    Or so it says, in really really tiny tiny print on the jar.
    (had to get a magnifying glass 'cos my glasses just ain't that strong.)

    Peria • Since Dec 2006 • 5521 posts Report

  • Island Life: Tune in, turn on, score…,

    Marmite?

    Haven't checked Marmite but Vegemite contains 50% of your daily needs of vit B9 per serving.
    Apparently.
    ;-)

    Peria • Since Dec 2006 • 5521 posts Report

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