Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Depression

You know you are living during depression times, when you read about "banksters" jumping off the windows, aeh, in front of trains, and when you have sites like these:

dabagirls.com (Dating A Banker Anonymous):
Thanks to the recession, I now have a completely devoted BF, which is exactly what I wanted. So I should be happy, right? Wrong. I’m bored and can’t stop thinking about my perpetually unattainable Euro ex-boyfriend who is recession proof courtesy of an offshore trust account. To be honest, I’m only with my BF because I just don’t have the heart to change my facebook status from “in a relationship” to “I ain’t saying I’m a gold digger, but I ain’t messin’ with no broke banker.”

Monday, January 26, 2009

cluE NO

one or Honey Money...

Jesse's Café Américain: Is Money Supply a Relative Absolute?
If you have one thousand dollars in cash, in your pocket, is it completely equivalent to one thousand dollars worth of honey which you have at home in your pantry, in terms of its affect on inflation or deflation?

Forgiving the pun, the honey is decidedly less liquid than the cash.

Does it matter who is holding the money? What if the bulk of the money being added to to the economy is being given to gamblers in Las Vegas, rather than lets say farmers in Pennsylvania. Is there a difference in that money's effect on inflation or deflation?

The point is not to provide answer to these questions at this time, since this is basis for a new perspective in economics which is still in its early states.

Rather, it is to cast doubt on the certainty that what we call money is always and everywhere equivalent in force and power and influence as an economic actor no matter where and how it is held.
Some observations:

a) Money is an approximation of value at best, because we also don't know what the value of honey is either, and not all honey will be put to good use. Same as with money.

b) Money and honey, both have to flow, or they are not of much use.

c) Nevertheless money and honey function as value stores.

d) Did you know that wild honey comes from lice shit?!

Flickr impressions:





Sunday, January 04, 2009

Money Supply

A good explanation of money supply (a.k.a. M0, M1, M2, and M3):

Jesse's Café Américain: Money Supply: A Primer

Money and Value

If you have a few spare hours (like five), here is a buddhist perspective on money by Ken McLeod:

MAV01: Money and Value (workshop)
MAV02: Money and Value (workshop)
MAV03: Money and Value (workshop)
MAV04: Money and Value (workshop)

Part 1 of 4
The problem: money drives the way we understand ourselves. Aim of financial model is to see experience through projection of money; aim of Buddhism is to experience what arises without projection; three bases of relationship: mutual benefit, shared aim, emotional connection; all forms of idealism involve avoidance of some form of suffering; when money is regarded as the problem, something else is being ignored; Questions: What are you asking for? What do you want? What does money symbolize to you?
Duration 00:43:53

Part 2 of 4
What generates the problem? Confusion about money points to confusion about what we value in our lives; when you see things in terms of money, you are inevitably in one of the six realms; guided meditations: survival, getting emotional needs met, and self-image; intention versus self-image; valuing what can be taken away places life in other people's hands.
Duration 01:27:31

Part 3 of 4
Possible directions towards a solution. The world of shared experience and the world we actually experience; money exists in the world of shared experience and of materialism; definition of materialism; comparison of the bases of life in world of materialism and world of well-being; comparison of spiritual ideal and being fully alive; Questions: What would you do with your life if you knew you would die in one year? If you were free from trying to get your emotional needs met? If you weren't concerned with being somebody?
Duration 01:21:17

Part 4 of 4
Theoretical and practical concepts of what might be done. Traditional Buddhist method of The Noble Eightfold Path; footnote on the word "right"; four bases of success – curiosity, persistence or enthusiasm, understanding of genesis and conditions, creativity in framing questions; seven steps of manifestation; Questions: What am I going to do next week? Next month? Next year?
Duration 01:14:17

Books recommend in these podcasts:
  1. Buddhist Economics: A Middle Way for the market place by Ven. P. A. Payutto (follow the previous link and you get the online version)
  2. Money and the Meaning of Life by Jacob Needleman
  3. How to Cook Your Life: From the Zen Kitchen to Enlightenment by Kosho Uchiyama Roshi