Price Elasticity & The Cost of Emotional Investments?

By Matti Freeman and Katie Conklin

Matti: so what is an 'elastic' - what is an 'elastic product', or whatever?
Katie: 'Price elasticity', when it's 'elastic' it's something where if the price changes, consumption changes. So if the price goes up of something, then people buy less of it. But if it's 'inelastic' then that means that it doesn't really matter what happens in the price changes, consumption will remain the same. So like for example…
Matti: so we're looking at the example of alcohol as an…
Katie: as an 'inelastic' product.
Matti: 'inelastic product', meaning - it doesn't matter how much the price goes up, the consumption Katie: will stay the same
Matti will stay the same, people - people's buying will not change.
Katie: so it's considered an 'economic necessity', because basically it's something that people require and will 'get' no matter what it costs.
Matti: Okay so we're looking at now why is it that something like alcohol - despite the price going up, your 'buying pattern' doesn't change, you still buy it. When I look at when I used to buy cigarettes it didn't matter if the price was - if it was eight dollars a pack, I didn't 'think about' how much it costs, and I didn't 'feel bad' about buying it because, once I bought it - I mean 'cause I 'needed' those cigarettes, I was addicted to them. Whereas, what's fascinating is that, I take that very same eight dollars and I go and I'm considering buying a box of cereal, and the box of cereal that's six dollars - I will be more reluctant to buy that than the box of cereal that's three dollars. I will have a conflict within myself of 'which one to buy', and I'll feel bad - I'll wanna save that money, I won't wanna spend the six dollars on the cereal, I'll rather spend three dollars on the cereal. But…
Darryl: Cause you value the tobacco more.
Matti: I value the tobacco more, because it gives me a specific experience, and the cereal doesn't give me that experience, so with the cigarettes I wouldn't blink an eye paying - just dropping - even if that's the last money I had I would just buy the cigarettes, because I'm addicted to it. So obviously it's the same with alcohol.
Then we were looking at this in relation to religion and seeing that, really religion is exactly the same. And also when you look at politics. Because it's a matter of a 'personal emotional investment' in something like - with religion it doesn't matter how…because it's 'your faith', your whole like and universe revolves around your religion so it doesn't matter how many people die, it doesn't matter how many children are abused and molested, it doesn't matter how many obvious lies and how much obvious deception is presented by the religion - your faith never worries - er, wavers, you never worry, you…
Katie: you still pay.
Matti: Your faith, your 'power of faith' does not waver, you still, you know - you keep 'buying into' the religion, and 'buying into' god, and 'buying into' the church, and 'buying into' the politician, and 'buying into' the priest - no matter what the cost, because 'you must have' that faith, you 'must have' that experience of 'everything's fine' because 'god is looking out for me', 'everything's fine' because 'president obama is looking out for the nation and solving the world's problems', whether it's a politician or a priest it's the same thing - or whether it's alcohol or cigarettes. It's like, you don't - it doesn't matter what happens, you keep buying into it because you have an emotional investment in it.
And again, obviously it's exactly the same when we look at the larger picture of how the world exists. It's like, we have such an investment in 'who we are' as our minds, as a personality, as beliefs, that we don't take the responsibility we aren't taking the responsibility to consider at a practical level, is the current way that we're living and participating here as human beings, within the economic system, within the political system, within our daily experience, actually supportive of of us and supportive of everyone. I mean, obviously the way we're living is not supportive of everyone because there's so much conflict and abuse that exists.
Katie: Well it costs the life of someone else to continue your own life.
Matti: Yes, and yet we don't, like the eight dollars - we don't question that cost because…
Katie: We need our life.
Matti: We 'need' our life - I 'need' my experience of being drunk, or having faith in god, believing everything's gonna be okay, or my experience of having my cigarette as my coping mechanism. It's like, it's the same pattern on the small scale and the large scale. So it's just really fascinating to see that in a practical..the example of, what was it? Inelastic and elastic…
Katie: Inelastic and elastic prices.
Matti: Prices, where the price of the experience we get from religion, or cigarettes or alcohol is 'inelastic' meaning, it doesn't matter what the cost is, how much shit ends up existing - our investment and involvement in 'buying into' that experience that we 'need', never wavers and we never question and look at ourselves, maybe this experience I want, is actually…not valid…
Katie: Not valuable.
Matti: And not valuable, the 'value' is made up. Because obviously if it comes at such a great cost to everyone else, and other beings, then we're compromising that which has real value which is All Life, in favor of a make believe value -- which is self interest.

Man investigates the ethical implications of charitable giving

Man investigates the ethical implications of charitable giving

Leaders only care about themselves and their private zoo's

http://www.hln.be/hln/nl/2661/Bedreigde-Dieren/article/detail/1161815/2010/09/25/Opnieuw-reservaat-voor-wilde-dieren-leeggestroopt.dhtml

Here we have an article about a reservoir for wild animals in Zimbabwe , that has been ravaged and the animals killed. Since Robert Mugabe in 2000, created his re-arrangement of land in Zimbabwe, 90 % of the animals have been slaughtered or sold illegally. More than half a million threatened animals, some of them the most threatened of our entire planet, have disappeared. This also cause Mugabe to “shoot” his own peoples future, since no more animals means no more tourists.

about 300 zebra’s , 560 antelopes have been killed for their skin. Also gnoes have been killed.

In total much more have been killed, like about 300 rhino’s 20.000 zebras and more then 6000 elephants. Also Kim Jong-Il from North Korea wanted to build his own private zoo, and decided he wanted a couple of all animals. So Mugabe arranged that for him, caging the animals and flying them to north Korea.  Several animals have died during that procedure.

The ones that done that, are supporters of the Mugabe government.

So basically what we have here is an extremely incapable leader of a country. Same with that Kim Jong-Il dude. Jezus Christ, as long as people who are so dishonest and abusive are in charge, this world is totally fucked. He doesn’t care about life one single bit. He just wants his own little private zoo. Who cares that animals are living beings, as long as he has his entertainment. *sigh*

And of course there is money money money behind this. As always. And the abuse through money. Because those leaders use that money to get luxuries such as private zoos and all involved with bringing animals to it for example. While they could use that money to build a good sustainable society where all can live a decent life. Yet they don’t, they care more about their self interest then about the good of all. They don’t give a shit about the people or animals or plants. Raised in this system of abuse, they have been mind controlled to become such abusers. This system has to go , asap, and equal money system will make sure all this abuse is stopped, and that no child can be raised to become as fucked up as that.

European Cultural Elite - Are we Masters or Morons?

European Cultural Elite - Are we Masters or Morons?

By Anna Brix Thomsen 

In Europe we have traditionally seen and defined ourselves as The Cultural Elite of World – tracing back to the age known in Europe as ‘The enlightenment’, the age of apparent ‘reason’ and ‘logic’, where science (as a new religion none the less) was taking over from the ‘dark ages’, where ‘God’ ruled the Earth, bringing ‘sanity’ and ‘sanitation’ to a dirty and unsorted world. But even prior to this, in various times of colonization, religious reformations and general ‘imperialism’, the Europeans considered themselves intellectual and moral superiors,  high above the ‘savages’ of the world - as overlords and rightful conquers of land, people and resources. As far back as Plato, ancient Greece and Rome, Europe was the center of the development of the systems of the world, in philosophy as well as technology and business – At least, that is the history we learn in European and probably also American and Australian schools, as those countries along with us are the proud decedents and living proof of the prosperous evolution of the European people – Essentially and more precisely known as ‘The White Man’. This is the basic mentality that lays the ground for all people born in these parts of the world – and is what we take for granted as universal truths of the development of the world through history, as well as the current situation on Earth. In this article, we will disprove this position of ‘The white man’ as the ‘overlords’ and intellectual and cultural superiors of the world – we will even claim that we have failed grimly at the task of evolving and developing the world, to a higher state of life and suggest that a final score is settled between the white man and himself.

As those born in industrialized, developed countries having the luxuries of taking welfare for granted, we tend to view those in ‘undeveloped’ countries as unintelligent, lazy and largely that their misfortune and suffering is self-inflicted and thus can be written off as people who have yet to be ‘enlightened’ with the wonders of our cultural heritage and rise above their primitive lives. There are variables of this opinion, ranging from spiritual perspectives involving karma and the soul’s journey towards enlightenment (borrowed to pop-culture from the East), to rationalized evolution theories claiming that those who have worked hard and studied, thus have the fortune of living in functional societies that prosper and grow exponentially accordingly. For those of us who are born, especially after 1960 in Western Europe, Australia and the United states, our very existence is founded upon this immanent or inherent belief – and we are thus the proud heritage of the overlords, the conquers of the past, and can therefore rightfully take our position of wealth, knowledge and might in the world. There are several aspects of why this is taken for granted. Depending on the level of welfare and economic infrastructure in the specific country, one does not even have to be born into a household of wealth to be granted with the luxuries of welfare and money – simply being born with the nationality, having the right to a passport and a identity as such, gives you the right to study, live and to be supported financially. Thus we do not have to physically be with money, to be apart of the riches it provides. Therefore it is often not even seen in these countries, how ‘fortunate’ we actually are, and can thus easily be taken for granted or dismissed as a ‘perk’ of living in a developed society.  Another aspect of this, is that the intellectual heritage provides us with a view of the world, where we see ourselves as the cultural elite, meaning that we better than anyone else, understands the world, thus having the overview and the mental capacity to analyze other countries and cultures from above – This is apparent in the European culture as well as in the American, which both are products of the same world view, although taking different shapes, where the Americans tend to see America as the navel of the world, while the Europeans tend to claim to have the intellectual and civilized upper hand, thus the right to judge other cultures as barbaric and uncivilized, based on long traditions of philosophy, science and art. Long forgotten is that the numeric system was developed by the Arabs, that the Aborigines had mapped the stars with their eyes long before the astronomers build telescopes, or that the Chinese were far more developed than the Europeans a thousand years ago. Not taken into account is how African or Amazonian tribes view the world entirely different and often see the world as a whole –and not as segmented parts in war with each other over lines on a map. All of this is our heritage that we, knowingly or unknowingly take for granted as universal laws of the world. Obviously there is the dark side of history where we through colonization, extermination and exploitation of the rest of the world, gained access to the natural resources that placed us in the abundant position we are in now - but that is seldom taken into account, as it is seen as a natural consequence of the development of the world, where some were simply stronger and more intelligent than others and thereby rightfully claimed ownership of land, crops, minerals, oil, wood and people, along side shoving our culture down the throat of those ‘uncivilized’ and ‘barbaric’ nations. Seldom is it taken into account that those areas of the world that has been exploited the most, are also the areas of most natural resources, and how the situation of the world would look, had we not colonized and murdered our way to wealth and power.

From this history and development, we live our separate lives, taking part in the comforts,  pleasures and entertainment that is provided by our rich and civilized societies. The rest of the world, those born in misfortune and poverty are left to rot as they apparently brought it on themselves and what we seek to do, is instead assist them to develop themselves to get to the level of comfort that we are at, by implementing the capitalistic structure of free markets and trade (that which we call democracy) and providing ‘development aid’. We go to war in the name of freedom of speech and build oil rigs and factories in those countries, under the guise of aiding them to prosper. But we do not see ourselves in any way Responsible for their misfortune and seek thus not to share our wealth. Thus being born in a western country, you learn in school that you are lucky to be born where you are – in ‘The free world’. You learn that this is a result of a proud and glorious history, where your ancestors provided you with the land that you can now rightfully call your own. You do not learn that the welfare and comfort that you take for granted, is riding on the backs of those that suffer. This is not only true seen in the light of the historic development from the imperialistic era, but also down to the pair of sneakers on your feet or the chicken that you stuff your belly with. Suffering and poverty in undeveloped countries exists directly and solely because of how we live our lives in the west. It exists because of the lives that we take for granted as our rightful heritage.

The following story, taken from an article in the Danish newspaper Politikken (Sun Sep. 12) is an example of how much we take our position for granted and how devastating this attitude is, not only for those countries that are being exploited, but for all of us. In Malaysia a Danish company called united plantations was created in 1985. The company has been awarded and appraised as a company that provided healthcare and education for it’s Malaysian workers and that has thus supported the social and economic development of a poor and ‘savage’ country in a ‘team-spirit’ seldom seen in the corporate world. Last year they had a profit of almost 90 million dollars. The company has 5000 workers and besides growing bananas and coconuts, uses most of the land to grow palm fruits that are used to make palm oil. By pressing the fruits, oil is extracted and the oil is used in many foods and in cosmetics. (So when you bite into a mars bar or rub lotion on your skin, remember to send a thought of gratitude to the Malaysian workers, who have risked their lives working for your comfort and satisfaction.) The company has recently been exposed and criticized for providing poor and dangerous work conditions for the workers who work every day harvesting the fruits.  United plantations uses pesticides called paraquat and monocrotoophos, both extremely dangerous, causing respiratory problems, damage to the lungs, cause nausea and severe skin rashes. The workers explain that they suffer with rashes on their hands, feet, and chests and even on their genitals. The consequences of working with the palm fruits sprayed with these pesticides are, besides back pain, nails falling off and pain when peeing or having sex. The normal work day is eight hours, but often the workers are forced to work longer to ensure a stable income as the wages are extremely low. They also only get the full pay if they collect a minimum of 16 bags of fruits, of 50 kg. Each. The work starts at 6.30 where it is already getting excruciatingly hot in the Malaysian jungle. The workers bring food and water, but have to leave it where they start harvesting fruits and only after four hours are they allowed going back to where they started and thus they go without water for up to four hours in the boiling heat. One worker has explained that she is forced to sit down and pee, where she works to not have to walk too far away and that she can smell the metallic smell of pesticides dripping from the plants. She explains that this has caused the skin on her vaginal area to tear and bleed. When the workers go the health Clinique, they are told that this is normal and sometimes given pills that has no effect. Working with these pesticides requires equipment such as gumboots, gloves and masks, but the heat is too unbearable for the workers, so they take it off. They are also not able to works as fast as they have to, if they wear the equipment. This is but one example out of thousands, even millions, where the glorious heritage of colonization and intellectual superiority shows its true face. The suffering of the Malaysian workers is not caused by their country being undeveloped or the people being savage or unintelligent  - It is caused by a country and people being exploited brutally by western companies, all justified in the name of free will and market forces. ‘We are stronger, so we can do as we please’ – seems to be the mantra. The Malaysians are placed in a position where they have No choice but to obey. The worst part of it is that we can go on living as though this was not happening. We have pushed the world far enough from us, so that we are out of its reach and it is out of ours. But the food we eat, the shoes we wear, the lotion we put on our skin, is all coming from this world. One thing is that it is justified by our deliberate ignorance and unwillingness to see that we are Responsible, but what is even worse is when we justify the abuse by claiming our superiority as a natural birth-given right. This clearly shows that we are not intelligent or developed or in any other way above anyone else. With our apparent superior intellectual and technological skills, we could have solved this in a way, where these workers did not have to Suffer. But we didn’t – because it would have been bad for business and it would have send a signal to the slave workers of the world, that they are worth something, and we didn’t because we did not have to do it – because ‘the folks at home’ didn’t care – they didn’t see it either, because it was strategically placed out of their sight – serving only one purpose: to make the rich even richer. We are all caught in the same mess – and thus a Solution is required that first of all takes these people into consideration and account as Equals on this Earth. This Solution is an Equal Money System – not as an ideological utopian dream, but as a Practical, Livable Principled Solution, where we each and All take a Stand, deciding to Stop the atrocities and Change this world, so that we can Live together and Breathe together and share Everything that is Here. The European Cultural Elite is a figment of imagination, but it is also who we have tacitly accepted ourselves as, often in taking our position for granted, forgetting the process with which our riches is provided, how it is provided and who has suffered to provide it. The final proof is the condition of the Earth at large – and who each of us Accept ourselves to be.

http://equalmoney.org/

Everything for entertainment - millions for a journey into space

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/8008178/Skylon-commercial-space-aircraft-available-in-Britain-within-10-years.html

Engineers have developed the new £700 million “Skylon spaceplane”, which can travel at more than five times the speed of sound.

Costing about £6.3 million per flight the 270 foot-long craft can carry up to 24 passengers into space. It could be available for commercial use within a decade.

We live in a reality where we spend millions on commercial travel into space, developping spacecrafts to take passangers into space who pay millions for a ticket - while our own planet is being destroyed, while they say they have no money to sort things out and people starve. This is pretty unbelievable, yet it is the reality of our existence.
This is the again a direct outflow of our money system, where money again, is placed above life itself.
We cannot wait to fuck up space, even before we fucked up our own planet. If I was an alien I surely wouldnt want a human on my planet, thats for sure.

We can spend money on luxuries and entertainment, but when it comes to putting our money into what will matter for the benefit of all beings on this planet , when we are suddenly "lacking".

In an equal money system we would not allow this. The priority is here on earth, this situation has to be sorted out before we even think about having some tourists flying into space for millions. Those tourists have made millions within this money system, thus they made millions by supporting abuse. Since this money system is the cause of the abuse itself. No one is innocent.

There is this documentary called "enjoy poverty", and it is another clear example of how everything revolvs around money and people are pure slaves to it, abusing themselves and each other.
http://humanrights.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2009/05/11/enjoy-poverty/
It attempts to symbolize the perversity of our own societies, the dramas and the obscure fascination we have with death.  So long as it happens far away, we can remain comforted, but only just.

Dutch artist Renzo Martens, who spent two years filming the documentary in the Democratic Republic of Congo, calls it a work of art where he  instructs the people he meets to see their poverty as a natural resource like gold or copper.  His interaction with them is detached, his voice monotone, a white man strolling through a landscape and in an environment he could not possibly ever understand and nor does he pretend to.

But unlike some documentaries about poverty and war, Enjoy Poverty presents an even  stronger commentary about the western narrative on Africa’s suffering.   The starving child, the uprooted families, the war, the famine, all these conditions that we associate with Africa come to fore - and are bought and sold for our consumption.

A photo of starving child can net 50 USD.  A photo of a wedding is worth nothing.  As such, the economy of poverty and war is a reflection of not only how we view the world but also mirrors a disturbing trend in our own societies - at least that is what this film wants us to believe.

Taken as a whole, the film works to make us (the west) acknowledge the exploitation of poverty and in a sense, it delivers that message.  However, isolated in its individual parts, the message begins to unravel by making some unsubstantiated claims on donors.

It implies that Medicines Sans Frontieres is both there to help but also to exploit.  At one point, we see MSF leaving an area that still requires aid. On shore, the camera lens follows the MSF crew as it slowly drifts away on a barge.   Left behind are the women and children. But this scene, while shocking, is not really contextualized. An MSF official offers a court response; but with no follow-up and no investigation we are forced to view the departure as an injustice. For the committed individuals at MSF, the decontextualization will surely offend.

Lets stop this abusive system, and create a new system of dignity and equality.
Join http://www.equalmoney.org/

Botox the people - Make them numb!

Today I read an article in the newspaper that more and more people are turning to botox to stop the aging process. Even teenagers are now starting to use the muscle relaxing substance, long before they start getting wrinkles. Its getting so popular that now the sellers let the product be injected by non-professionals, this increases the risk for complications. People are obsessed with looking and staying young, and you know what the sad thing is? All of that is created by money.
You may say : no, people just want to look good, it makes them feel confident, its natural look at animals etc...
Now using the animal kingdom as an excuse is pretty stupid. You can decide what you do and not have to blindly follow what you see happening in nature, if you know it is abusive and dishonest to do so. You know who you are, you see your thuoghts and feel your emotions. Either you follow it, or you direct yourself.
2nd of all, people only feel good because in the particular culture they are judged as pretty by others, and they use others judgements to feel good about themselves. Maintaining a very superficial society that does not value life, but values pictures and abuse instead.
This "beauty" is also not something universal and standard. If you look at our own cultural history - you can see that in every time period there was another form of fashion, or what was considered beautyfull. In some countries in this world, tiny crippled feet are considered beauty, or long necks, or disks in your under lip, or having wrinkles. In Mauritania for example, the fatter the more attractive. And if your divorced a few times then thats a bonus because it means your desireable. Even in our own culture there are different styles of what is considered to be beautyfull, although we always have 1 bigger mainstream style that most follow.

I am going to take our culture as an example, because I have direct experience with it. From when we are children we get bombarded with images on tv and newspapers about how we should look like. We see titles like "Get Summer-hot with your new beach body!" or "Become a guy-magnet with these killers shoes". The amount of commercials and advertisement is huge. From teeth, to hair, to clothing.... I mean your never good enough, 1 day your in and the next your out. There is always something to apparantly fix about you because, god forbid that you might suddenly be fine with the way you look and stop buying things and trying to be part of a picture of desire. God no, we cant have that now can we!
Because thats exactly whats behind it - MONEY. Beauty sells and thats why it is advertised without the consideration of all the beings that buy into it, without taking in consideration the children that are being brainwashed to be pre-occupied with their looks and forget about life itself.
And the adults reinforce this in their own children which is basicly abusing them. By treating them as less then who they are as life - and having them obey to the picture world, creating desires into them to constantly look for outside approval.

People who create these commercials, who create the adds and magazines and fashion industry, do it to SELL and make money. Because they know that people will buy into it. They make the commercials as appealing as possible, photoshopping and airbrushing, to have woman want to look like that, and write these trigger sentences to make them think they HAVE to get that. Many of the products advertised are also tested on animals and created by sweatshop workers. But thats ofcourse never shown to the consumer. Imagine seeing an add about make-up mixed with clips of animal experimentation. Man that sales would go down! See how images manipulate you? How you will only care when seeing certain things. Please dont let your desires direct you as a slave. Do your own thinking, investigate for yourself, find out what really drives you and if you really want to allow this in this world.

When I was a child my family constantly showed me off to others because I was "pretty" and had this big curly hair and everyone was like "oooooooo what a beautyfull child". What do you think that does to a child? What kind of message does it give a child to be constantly judged on the way he/she looked. It seriously fucked me up, thats what I can say. Because during my growing up, starting at a very very young age, I kept thinking about how others would see me. At 9 I remember in summer I was wearing short shorts and a tank top and I was thinking if the popular boys would notice me and that I looked pretty. WTF. I didnt even want to be with the boys I just wanted to be found pretty and seen. It got more extensive the more I participated in it and walked in this world. I was jealous about girls that looked more pretty then me and tried to fit in with the way I looked, my clothing, my hair, my face etc... At around age 14 I started to wear make-up to hide my so called "imperfections". The blue under my eyes, the pimples on my skin. I had a ritual were each day I would bring on brown foundation on my face, then blush on my cheeks, then eyeliner and mascara. I also dyed my hair and tried out different hairstyles that I knew would be seen as pretty. I were tight pants and most of my shirts showed a little bit of my belly. At age 17 I slowly started to stop that shit, I stopped wearing all make up and at that time I was a vegetarian so my family was like: you look pale, you look this and that etc... comparing it to my past, and also assuming it was because I was a vegetarian. But they never considered the fact that I simply wasnt wearing tons of make up to cover myself up. DUH! that I look more pale then. I always looked pale, from when I was a child. But now suddenly they have somethingto blame it all, and have this false image about me because I had worn make up for so long, presenting a fake image to them. I recently shaved off my hair to break through my fear of that, and to stand as a symbol against our superficial system, that places money and profit above life. It is unnacceptable to say the least. For that visit http://www.faceworldfaceoff.com/ . So as effect of that some family members freaked out, saying that I am the picture I am, not who I am inside and basicly that they dont like who I am inside.
See what a fake world we have created and what we do to our children? This is what we allow people to become, this is what we allow ourselves to become.

In an equal money system this would simply not be allowed. This is extensive abuse. The value of life would not be denounced to a superficial marketing scam. We want to do whats best for all - and this is clearly NOT what is best for all. It has to stop and the sooner the better. We will create an Equality system that places LIFE as the ultimate value and not profit and money. Profit above life will be elliminated.

So please join us in working on the solution at http://www.equalmoney.org/

Here is a cool article I found about this topic:

http://www.cleancutmedia.com/advertising/unnaturally-beautiful-children-image-beauty

Influence of Media on Children & Beauty

There’s a scene in “Toddlers & Tiaras,” the TLC reality series, where 2-year-old Marleigh is perched in front of a mirror, smothering her face with blush and lipstick. She giggles as her mother attempts to hold the squealing toddler still, lathering her legs with self-tanner. “Marleigh loves to get tan,” her mom says, as the girl presses her face against the mirror.

Children’s Perception of Beauty (Newsweek)

The quote above is about Marleigh, one of the pageant girls on the show. Does anyone find something disturbing about this picture? She is two years old. Unfortunately the ridiculousness of this scene doesn’t end on screen, it is a depiction of our current generation.
What do these shows have in common? “Extreme makeover”, “I Want a Famous Face” “Little Miss Perfect” “Toddlers & Tiaras”. These are shows centered around raising the bar of what is considered the norm when it comes to beautifying our children.

With reality TV shows, thousands of beauty product commercials, air-brushed magazine ads, and beautiful celebrities adorning every movies we watch, the norm of the importance of beauty has changed dramatically. In 2004, a survey by NPD Group showed that on average, girls started to use beauty products at the age of 17. Today that average is 13.

But even that figure could be an overstatement. According to a market research firm Experian,

• 43 percent of 6 to 9 year olds are already using lipstick or lip gloss
• 38 percent are using hairstyling products
• 12 percent use other other cosmetic products

By the time they are 50 years old, an average women would have spent nearly $300,000 on just their hair and face according to Newsweek’s research on beauty trends (noted below). But is this surprising considering girls ages 11 to 14 are exposed to 500+ advertisements per day? 8 to 12 years old already spend $40+ million a month on beauty products according to NPD Group. Teenagers? $100 Million.

More Statistics on Beauty

• Cosmetic Surgery Procedures for Under 18 – Doubled last 10 years
• 14% of Botox injections given to 19-34 age group, seeking “preventative treatments”
• [American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery]
• 42% of 1st to 3rd Graders want to be thinner
• 81% of 10 years olds fear getting fat

“When you have tweens putting on firming cream… it’s clear they’re looking for imaginary flaws,” – Harvard psychologist Nancy Etcoff

Full Article on Beauty

True Cost of Lifetime Beauty

Economy got you down? Trying to pinch a few pennies here and there? How about cutting out on some beauty products and enhancements! See the chart below.

	Tweens	Teen/20s	30-40s	50s	Lifetime
Hair	$1,260	$15,761	$23,640	$169,274	$209,935
Face	$3,900	$32,684	$108,660	$21,840	$167,084
Body	$0	$10,586	$17,820	$16,366	$44,772
Hands/Feet	$2,010	$6,834	$8,040	$10,452	$27,336
Totals	$7,170	$65,865	$158,160	$217,932	$449,127

	Tweens	Teen/20s	30-40s	50s	Lifetime
Hair	$1,260	$15,761	$23,640	$169,274	$209,935
Face	$3,900	$32,684	$108,660	$21,840	$167,084
Body	$0	$10,586	$17,820	$16,366	$44,772
Hands/Feet	$2,010	$6,834	$8,040	$10,452	$27,336
Totals	$7,170	$65,865	$158,160	$217,932	$449,127

World's biggest chocolate bar - while people starve

http://www.armradio.am/news/?part=soc&id=18205

Armenia produces world's biggest chocolate bar. The world's largest chocolate bar will be up for grabs in Yerevan's main square. The Guinness Book of World Records certified the 9,702-pound (4,410-kilogram) chocolate bar at a ceremony today.

It was made by Grand Candy factory and contains all natural ingredients, including 70 percent cocoa mass. The chocolate bar is 560 centimeters long, 275 centimeters wide and 25 centimeters thick.

The factory owner, Karen Vardanyan, said that the chocolate bar was produced to mark the 10th anniversary of the company. He said it will be divided up and handed out Oct. 16.
 
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A company celebrates its 10th anniversary by creating a huge chocolat bar. They are a candy factory so its no suprise they have created this for their celebration. However, lets consider the symbol this represents.

Creating such a thing while millions live in poverty and beings are starving to death. Not because there isnt enough food, but simply because they have no money and because the resources are not devided over the population in equality and doing whats best for all.
If I look around me in my own country, I see hundreds of stores and big supermarkets. Inside I see iles and iles of food. Not just the necessary food needed to maintain your body, but foods of pure indulgence. Hundreds of different candy bars, bags of chips, soda's etc... An abundance of consumption goods.
We live in a world where we are so selfish that we make huge amounts of food for ourselves, and to use it to so called "celebrate", by making a giant candy bar out ofit, while not even realising the symbol we present with that. That this is here because millions starve.
The system we live  in directly exploits poorer countries to maintain its standards. Just for a moment imagine a world, where ALL countries are like America for example. With lots of cars, giant shops, flashy streetsigns to sell sell sell, garbagepiles upon garbagepiles etc... it is very obvious that our world could not bare such a thing, such huge consumption and waste.

The question is, are you willing to let go of some things, if this is needed for all beings to have an equal opportunity to live a dignified life  - without starving to death?
Are you willing to give up 80 of the 100 candybars, so that people can at least have food every day to sustain their physical body? Because we will need to stop the indulgence and consumerism. The only reason why it is here is because the system cannot function another way.
The system needs to keep selling, thus it needs to create desires into you, fake desires. It needs you to be dependent, it needs you to want want want and buy buy buy to keep the economy going. It needs you to work very much, it needs total dependence and slavery. Do you really think this system is the best we can do? Common.
I am mor ethen willing to give up some of those "luxury goods" if that means the people in sweatshops can have a dignified life and dont have to slave away anymore. I am more then willing to give up the overconsumption so that all people on earth can eat.

There is enough resources to feed the entire earth population and even more then that. But we created such a pervert system that WE, HUMANS make it so that some starve.
We then like to blame this on the poor people themselves, as if they are the ones to blame.
Realise that people are born within a culture, and thus under a certain form of programming. Wether you have access to resources and education, hugely determins how effective yo uwill be in the system. Since many of those people dont even have access to that, they will thus be KEPT artificially into their position of inferiority. If you do not have an education like we have, it is much less likely that you can break out of your position + realise that you are ABLE to break from it. Also if you have to survive 24/7, food is the first thing on your mind.

So its important to realise and admit that we are products of our culture and the system we grow up into. Within realising that you will also see why people are the way they are, and that no one is born as "less" then another and destined to be an abuser. Our system creates abusers. Criminality is highest in areas of poverties, is that a suprise to you? It isnt to me. Because poverty creates that, its a survival world. And our system creates poverty. and since we are shaped by the system, we thus become as where we are born. So our system creates the criminals, and it punishes them as well.
Can you see how sick this is?

Do your own math, see how it links. But for that you will need to recognize your own brainwashing, and unfortunatly many ego's are to big for that. They like to think they are independent thinkers not brainwashed, strong, secure and great.
As long as we keep that attitude, nothing will change because then you cant even face yourself and the reality we have allowed.

If I was born in a poor country where my family everyday has to struggle to survive. I would also do that, and with my lack of education would not know about many things that I know about right now.
And yet many of the richer people are so stuck up to say "its their fault".
Wake up, please.

What comes forth out of com-fort ?

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=10085
A new report (9/2/08) from The World Bank admits that in 2005 three billion one hundred and forty million people live on less that $2.50 a day and about 44% of these people survive on less than $1.25. Complete and total wretchedness can be the only description for the circumstances faced by so many, especially those in urban areas. Simple items like phone calls, nutritious food, vacations, television, dental care, and inoculations are beyond the possible for billions of people.

http://www.starvation.net/  logs the increasing impacts of world hunger and starvation. Over 30,000 people a day (85% children under 5) die of malnutrition, curable diseases, and starvation. The numbers of unnecessary deaths has exceeded three hundred million people over the past forty years.

These are the people who David Rothkopf in his book Superclass calls the unlucky. “If you happen to be born in the wrong place, like sub-Saharan Africa, …that is bad luck,” Rothkopf writes. Rothkopf goes on to describe how the top 10% of the adults worldwide own 84% of the wealth and the bottom half owns barely 1%. Included in the top 10% of wealth holders are the one thousand global billionaires. But is such a contrast of wealth inequality really the result of luck, or are there policies, supported by political elites, that protect the few at the expense of the many?

Farmers around the world grow more than enough food to feed the entire world adequately. Global grain production yielded a record 2.3 billion tons in 2007, up 4% from the year before, yet, billions of people go hungry every day. Grain.org describes the core reasons for continuing hunger in a recent article “Making a Killing from Hunger.” It turns out that while farmers grow enough food to feed the world, commodity speculators and huge grain traders like Cargill control the global food prices and distribution. Starvation is profitable for corporations when demands for food push the prices up. Cargill announced that profits for commodity trading for the first quarter of 2008 were 86% above 2007. World food prices grew 22% from June 2007 to June 2008 and a significant portion of the increase was propelled by the $175 billion invested in commodity futures that speculate on price instead of seeking to feed the hungry. The result is wild food price spirals, both up and down, with food insecurity remaining widespread.


For a family on the bottom rung of poverty a small price increase is the difference between life and death, yet neither US presidential candidate has declared a war on starvation. Instead both candidates talk about national security and the continuation of the war on terror as if this were the primary election issue. Where is the Manhattan project for global hunger? Where is the commitment to national security though unilateral starvation relief? Where is the outrage in the corporate media with pictures of dying children and an analysis of who benefits from hunger?

American people cringe at the though of starving children, often thinking that there is little they can do about it, save sending in a donation to their favorite charity for a little guilt relief. Yet giving is not enough, we must demand hunger relief as a national policy inside the next presidency. It is a moral imperative for us as the richest nation in the world nation to prioritize a political movement of human betterment and starvation relief for the billions in need. Global hunger and massive wealth inequality is based on political policies that can be changed. There will be no national security in the US without the basic food needs of the world being realized.
Peter Phillips is a professor of sociology at Sonoma State University and director of Project Censored a media research group. His new book Censored 2009 is now available from by Seven Stories Press.

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An equal money system would ensure that this situation can never occur. It is outrages to see how unequal the resources get devided amongst the nations, and how others starve whole elites bath in luxury.

Here specificly I want to share the trap of comfort. People who live in a rich country and are reasonably (or VERY) comfortable, have a house, car, equipments, entertainment, lots of food etc... are the ones least likely to go for and want a change. They are kept blind and dump by the system to maintain the current status quo. Their feelings are directly played upon through the comfort that is offered, and the so called "possebilities" that are given to them : such as education, entertainments, holidays, carreers etc... And as we have seen in history, people often do not change unless THEY are the ones that are affected, unless THEY themselves are the ones abused and suffering. This is a clear example of how we are slaves of our feelings, how we do not direct ourselves, but let our feelings be the director.
Those feelings are programmed for you to respond upon, to keep you trapped. Because you will go to what feels good and will flee from what feels bad. While turning a blind eye to the abuse and true reality of this world, when everything is good for you.

When faced with the many antrocities in this world, many people with money feel guilty/bad/sadned.Deep down they know they are not doing anything to stop this, and make themselves believe that they cant. Our entire media is fixed to keep the population a bunch of desire following brainless monkeys who love to shop and entertain themselves at the cost of life. This may sound rude, but this is what we have become, can we be something else then that? YES! If you direct yourself, in self honest, to change. So I am merely pointing at the programs we have become, which are fake and I do not consider to be real. Its time to face ourselves with what we have become.

The old saying "bread and games" (panem et circenses) is a metaphor for a superficial means of appeasement. In the case of politics, the phrase is used to describe the creation of public approval, not through exemplary or excellent public service or public policy, but through the mere satisfaction of the immediate, shallow requirements of a populace.
It happens every day, we fall for it and often dont even see it ourselves. Alcohol is the populations opium and sports the substitute of gladiator and arena fights. Keep the population entertaint and fed and they wont complain. And these days we have the entire media scene to make it appear like everything is to big for us to change. The media has massive power in this people, dont let yourself get trapped by a 1 sided story or so called "facts". Check everything in yourself in self-honesty. If you dont know about it, then also do not just believe what is presented.

A new world is possible. People are selfish and cruel because of the way they were raised. People accept this system simply because they are born in it and never knew anything else. If you would be born in an Equal money system where education is focussed on awareness, real practical skills and with cooperation instead of competition, where quality goes above quantity, then the children would not be like the children are today: which grow up into the adults we have right now. We are not raising children, we are raising ourselves! we are raising the future of our planet.

Little children are pushed into stereotypes and into behavior that is not best for all. Take for example boys that are told that crying is for sissies and they have to be "like a man" and play with cars and fight. Without given insight in why they are the way they are, where feelings come from etc... then you raise competitive egocentric males. its a very simple example, but I will adress this in another topic.

This one is abuot comfort, and how comfort is the trap of the elite.
And as long as the elite raise their children to be slaves of comfort while ignoring the world and where that comfort comes from in the first place  - those children will become as egocentric as the parents. Who place profit above life. Who care more about vanity and status, then about the value of life and the truth behind each product that they buy. Do you know that many of the popular brands are designed by sweatshop workers who have to work more then 10 hours a day? Journalists are often denied to inspect those places, and when they get in, they see and hear very stressed and suffering humans. Who have to work more then they can bare - just so they can survive.
Do you know how many of the products you buy to look more beautyfull and attractive - come at the cost of many innocent animals? Many of those products are tested on animals to see if the product will cause infection if it comes into a wound or in the eye. It is cruel and unescessary to say the least!

If you live in comfort, and you use the excuse that you cant do anything about it, or justify the abuse of others because of your self-intrest. Then dont complain about anything, if you dont want to do anything about it then no need to complain either. When you are the one suffering, or dying from it, you are basicly faced with your own ignorance. Because this is what people go through every single day while we stand here blind and deaf.

Investigate the system, see how it needs abuse to function, see how it does not do whats best for all and how it keeps the population dumb. You will find out that you can change, and that you dont have to remain a slave to it.

Equal money would makes sure that each being is given a monthly amount of money required to live a dignified life without for example starving or freezing to death. No more beings can be exploited because of poverty, no more children will prostitute themselves to be able to feed themselves. No slaves, no masters.
if you have a problem with that, please check your ego.

9 million avoidable deaths‏ - equal money the solution

Millions of pregnant women and children die every year because of malnutrition or inadequate health services.


Ten years ago world leaders committed to drastically reduce the disgraceful number of maternal deaths by 2015, but in fact aid levels remain shamefully low. Now, some governments could be prepared to boost aid for mothers and babies, but they need massive public support to get all governments to step up.

In days our leaders meet in New York. Let's build a global outcry against needless deaths.

In the last 10 years, since the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) were set, significant advances have been made to tackle poverty -- one-third fewer mothers have died during childbirth due to increased aid and investment in maternal health care. But millions of pregnant mothers are still dying needlessly and every year 9 million children die before their 5th birthday.

There is already a specific mechanism to deliver aid for HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis, but no similar system exists to support health for mothers and children. Experts feel one of the best ways to have an immediate impact is to ensure that aid is doubled and coordinated to effectively bring health care to the mothers and children who need it the most.

But with only 5 years left to meet MDG targets, there’s a danger that our leaders use the recession to shirk responsibilities to help the world’s poorest. It has always been the world's citizens that have led the fight against poverty and pushed our leaders to take critical action, and now it is up to us again.

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This is part of an email I received from avaaz. They send around petitions, and petitions on all forms of social injustice and abuse have been going around since a very long time.
Is this the ultimate solution? No.
This system as it exists right now, that is focussed on profit and money above life - will create these scenario's over and over again. If a system does not do whats best for ALL, it will thus do things that are not best for all and that will compromise the existence of certain beings. It will shape the world in seperation and dishonesty, and create a world of abuse and superficialism. It creates humans that are not well educated and responsible. We might think we are, but our knowledge is very superficial and egocentric. We often hide in entertainment and because of the way we feel, which has all been programmed into us. Repeating knowledge does not equal insight and self-honesty.

The solution to problems such as these is an equal money system. (http://www.equalmoney.org/) It is a step towards a world where we can live together without abusing one another. Is there enough aid in this world that CAN be used? Yes. Is there enough resources we can use to meet the BASIC requirements for a being to live? yes. There is enough food, there is enough resources, so why dont we provide this as equal opportunity to all the worlds beings?
Money. thats why. Not just money, but what people have done with that money - because some desire more money then another, because others feel more special then another. Because we love to indulge in our pleasures that speak to our feelings , while blinding ourselves from what we are really supporting.
We love pointing the finger to all the "wrong" and "bad" things in this world, without realising we are contributing to these things every single day. All the money we spend in this system, directly supports it. There is no way out. Even if you would move to the bush you would still be supporting it through allowing it to exist and exploit those without a voice. We, the richer people, CAN be a voice for the voiceless and stand up. Especially when you have money, you can bring forth change. And yes we are rich. If you have a clauset full of clothing, a fridge full of food, warm streaming water 24 hours 7 days a week, electrical equipment and entertainment... Place this in contrast against those who dont even have food every day, or a warm place to sleep.

Please dont wait on your feelings to move you. You dont need to feel something before you act and change. True change comes from your self-direction because then you know its real and it can stand the test of time. If you depend on your feelings, its not trustworthy because feelings come and go. You are then moved by the energetics.

Within an equal money system,  all people would each month receive an amount of money by which they can survive. So that no being can starve , no one can be exploited because he/she does not have money. Because in a world of friction and seperation, no one can ever be trully happy and satisfied. If you are then you are living within an illusion of your mind, used to safekeep yourself with feelings of bliss, so you are deceived in not facing reality - while remaining ignorant in your own little world.
Its time to stop people - the change is here!
Are you?

Poverty and slaughterhouse workers - recipe for abuse?

http://www.foodispower.org/slaughterhouse_workers.htm
Slaughtering animals and processing their flesh is an inherently dangerous industry where company profits consistently take priority over workers' most basic rights. Today, U.S. slaughterhouses and "meat"-processing facilities employ over 500,000 workers. In their endless goal of higher volume and greater efficiency, these corporations knowingly jeopardize workers' safety every day. For decades, the state and federal agencies responsible for ensuring a safe and healthy work environment have thoroughly failed to institute and enforce basic labor laws to protect these workers. The result is an industry where corporations set the rules and government agencies follow. Consequently, workers' most basic rights and interests are compromised and the animals suffer greatly.

Long Hours & Repetitive Stress


The combination of long hours and repetitive motion directly leads to increased risk of injury. In large facilities, it is not uncommon for a line worker to make up to 40,000 repetitive cuts in a single shift. The workers suffer chronic pains in their hands, wrists, arms, shoulders and back. Repetitive stress injuries are unavoidable under the frantic pace that most facilities choose to operate.

Working an 8-hour shift in this type of environment is physically and mentally exhausting. The situation gets far more dangerous when workers are required to work mandatory overtime. According to one employee: "The last hour of a regular shift is hard. You're tired and it's hard to concentrate. Then they tell you to work two hours overtime. That's when it gets downright dangerous

A former kill floor manager gave the following account: "The worst thing, worse than the physical danger, is the emotional toll. . . . Pigs down on the kill floor have come up and nuzzled me like a puppy. Two minutes later I had to kill them-beat them to death with a pipe. I can't care.

The current state of the "meat"-processing industry is the direct result of corporate greed combined with the thorough failure of state and federal regulatory agencies in protecting these workers.

This is one of the many examples where money drives human beings (directly or indirectly) to abuse not only themselves, but other beings aswell. Chronic stress in humans promotes immoral behavior, it increases frustration and drops caring. The current money system in this world creates situations like this all over the world because profit is placed above life. Life is not valued at all.
We want it fast, we want it cheap, we want it now. And most preferably we want lots of it!
There is no way possible with the current system, to have a safe and harmonious existence where we can live together without abuse. Human beings are shaped to harm themselves and each other. Schools create you to fit in this particular system, tv manipulates you with various desires, and the uprising of commercial medicine is another truly sad example of what we have become.

If you have a little bit of life left inside of you, these things will not leave you untouched. You will probably want to do something about it but you feel to small. Like what can you do as 1 small human against this big system. It has always been this way, so it feels to big of a task and unrealistic.
And that is exactly what the system wants. Do you think a system would create and promote awareness in people, when that system wants to profit on the people and places profit above life? Hell no, that would be suicide. You have to keep the population dumb, have them thinking they are to stupid and cant do anything, they are to small, its "nature", its always been this way etc... How many times did you hear this? How many times during your life did these words be droned into you?

We promote "happyness", but at what cost? How much amount of ignorance does that "happyness" require?
If you are starving and you dont have a house when it is freezing cold outside or money to buy decent clothing, your happyness wont be the same. It is common sense that we need certain basic requirements to have a comfortable life without suffering, to be able to enjoy ourselves. Does it look like starving or deadly ill children are enjoying themselves? The man freezing to death on the streets? the animals being abused and hit? People having to resort to jobs which are extremely streneous and compromises their entire well being?

No matter how we twist or turn it, the very fact that we participate and survive in this system, makes us into an agreement with it. We thus support the creations of this system, thus we support the antrocities that it manifests.

And more and more people are saying: No! This has to stop! I will do what I can even when others do not follow. I stand as my own self-direction and stop the brainwashing within me. Life is who I am, and all is part of life. We are equal in worth and no one deserves to be raised to become an abuser or to become an abused. This system has to change, and we cannot wait for another to do it for us.

Thats why we are working on an equal money system at http://www.equalmoney.org/ . We are setting the foundation in place to make this work over time and to become more specific in our knowledge of this system and our integretation within it. Because realise, we will have to use the system to change it. Because you cant run away, its everywhere and in everyone, and its not just going to hand itself over and magicly transform. If it is clever enough to con everyone, then its certainly clever enough for other things.

The Equal money system is the first step towards a new world. It is necessary to do this in steps as you know this is what works best in this world. it gives people the time to adjust so their wont be any unescessary suffering. To read more into the specifics I suggest to visit the website itself and join the forum to discuss and help. Because everyone can help. If you want to, you can become part of our group.
Dont wait until your the one that is abused to change things, stand up for yourself, and be a voice for the voiceless.

Introducing Equal Life Movement - Equal Money to stop abuse!

http://equalmoney.org/

Why an Equal Money System?


It is our understanding that most of the suffering that is currently being experienced on earth is caused by human beings denying other human beings equal access to living resources. This has probably been going on since the very beginning. Though over the ages the system in which we exist has specialized in becoming ever more ruthless. The inequality and the absolute disregard for life that we’ve come to embody as a specie, is now placing us at a crossroads: will we stop and start honoring each other as equals or will we close the cycle and put an end to the human journey?



What we suggest is to have a platform established that will allow for human beings to take a break from the madness. This can be done through establishing an equal money-system, whereby every human being on earth will have a right to an equal unconditional income – from birth to death. The equal money-system would be aimed at removing fear and survival from the equation called ‘life’. This will establish a level of equality in which we can start to learn what it means to live together and how to trust each other.



Simplistically, money is the tool the system is using to perpetuate its control over human beings.



We say money can be used for good – if we understand how it works and then change the rules. Then we can come to a new agreement about how we want to live, where everyone is equally taken into consideration.



Why using Money as a solution – will money not lead to corruption again?

Money is not intrinsically Evil or does not by itself promulgate greed. In the current system it is the way money is used and defined, that is promulgating greed – those are rules that are agreed upon. The rules of what money is based on can thus be changed. An example of such a rule, is that: no one has right to any money unless someone has worked for it. This rule dictates that children will receive no support in this world unless directly by Parents that work to earn money to sustain the child or indirectly through redirected taxes. (A third way can be through charity but that is not consistent enough to be of any significance in the bigger picture.) A consequence of this rule is that children born on earth in the current system have no right to exist – because the fact that this child exists does not grant it the right to actually have the means to live, which is money. Rights only come with labor – And if you are unable to buy yourself the right to exist through labor, someone else must be found that can buy that right for you.



This rule creates a situation of fear. Because under such conditions no-one’s existence is ever secure – as your ability to live is permanently dependent on your ability to get money from the system.



Here we can easily see that it is the rules of the money-system that are creating a struggle for survival.



It is important to see that such a struggle is a result of the rules of society – which are man-made – and not a condition of life per say.



Many use the argument that ‘the struggle for life’ can be found in the Animal Kingdom as well – which is then brought forth as the reason why such a struggle is inevitable in general. Though when placed in the proper perspective, this is invalid: because there is at this stage no reason for starvation to exist or for anyone to exist in any form of deprivation. There is actually enough for everyone today – this fact is well known, and the reason why no change has thus far come forth is due to lack of political will.



One has to understand greed. Greed is created out of fear there will at some point not be enough. So therefore one will grab as much as possible, disregarding anyone and everyone else – because in fear one is only able to act in self-interest, especially when it comes to fear of death.



Though when a provision exists whereupon everyone can trust, that no matter what, I will have access to anything I require to sustain myself in this world and lead a life in dignity, fear is immediately out of the picture, and so is greed.



Therefore one can see that such forms of greed will disappear as trust gets established and people realize there is no more need for such behavior.



So, money can actually be used as a key to change the human experience on earth, were one can walk the streets without fear of being robbed and where one can actually start trusting each other.



Wouldn’t it be better to have no money at all?

No. For this simple reason: the goal is to establish equality on a basic physical level – equal housing and electricity, equal food and water, equal health care and equal education. This means one will work with an economy of goods and services. Now, practically speaking it will be far more effective to distribute one single resource to all – being Money – than to distribute all the different goods and services continuously to everyone. Because when each one has their own money that gives them access to what they require, each one can then go and get what they need, for instance in central stores and shops. To go to a situation of no money at this stage would lead to chaos and anarchy – because there would be no measure for anything – while equal money is a very specific measure, that will make sure each one has their necessary resources. So money is also a tool that allows for managing distribution in an orderly way.



Furthermore the only alternative to money is Barter, though to use barter at a world-wide scale as a replacement for money – is quite impractical. One merely need to consider that barter led to the creation of money in the first place, as human populations grew larger, because it is easier to express the value of all goods and services in one commodity – being money – that is most accessible to everyone. Thus if the money is sound, the principle of barter is actually contained within the use of money and there is no loss of value. Obviously this is not the case in the current system, where the value of money is based on debt.



But if everyone has equal money, who will do the work that is required to sustain society?

Here I suggest we be very specific. Currently we have a system that consists out of uncountable jobs and tasks that need to be performed. This number of jobs and tasks is based in the starting point of the current money-system. Which is that everyone has to do a task of some sort to gain access to money, without which one cannot exist in this world. Thus if we go and look what is the nature of many of those tasks and jobs, we will see that they don’t necessarily exist to support human beings physical existence and the quality of life on earth. Instead, we will see that for instance a corporation is formed to sell a certain product that – if one is self-honest – it can easily be seen there exists no need for the product they are selling. Though the existence of such products and services is justified through the need for employment – where it becomes quite irrelevant if the product or service provided has actually any relevance to the quality of life on earth, as long as there is a market for such products and services that allow the corporation to make money and be a source of income for its employees, without which they would be unable to survive in this reality.



Take a call center job for instance: many companies employ call centers to increase their sales. But if we now look at those companies: they are merely trying to sell a product because they need to survive as a company to generate income. Many companies are actually quite deliberate in this, where they will emphasize the need and the importance of their product, knowing full well what they’re saying is not true. So the employees of such a company together with the employees of the call center are performing a task that is not actually contributing in any way to the quality of life on earth – or at least where the quality of life on earth is not seen as having any priority.



In an equal money-system such jobs will no longer be necessary to be done. Because the only reason why they exist is to generate income. We’re not even talking about those jobs, tasks and professions in the current system that are harming and destroying life on earth. Of those jobs and tasks that currently generate an income that allow people to survive in this reality, there are many. (e.g. cutting rain forests, hunting for animal fur or ivory, weapons development and trade – one merely need to consider America’s military spending to understand the vastness of this arena – ; soldiers to be trained for war and killing – would anyone join the army if they had no need for the income? – ; alcohol trade, etc.)



Now, let’s look at the kind of arena’s, tasks, jobs and professions where it can easily be seen that they are critical to the quality of life on earth.



■The manufacturing of clothing

■The building and maintaining of housing & living infrastructure

■Energy production, such as electricity

■Providing clean drinking water

■Sewage system building and maintenance

■Agriculture/Food production and distribution

■Education and schooling

■Health care

■Organization/Administration

■Computer and software

■Research

■Etc…

So what many argue is: who will do those necessary tasks? why would anyone be motivated to do anything? Let’s look at it this way: do people require to be payed to have the motivation to wash themselves? No, because most understand it is necessary to be done as a matter of hygiene and also because they enjoy doing it! So here we have an example of an action that is based on understanding and that is not done out of profit, because it’s part of ‘taking care of oneself’. Though, to wash yourself, you would actually require water that comes out of your tap. And because you live in a community and you understand that everyone would benefit from having water, you understand that it would be far more effective to have one coordinated system of providing water for everyone, instead of each individually having to sort out their water-issues by themselves. So within the community you come to an agreement as to who will take responsibility for making sure there is water. This is basic common sense. It has nothing to so with profit-calculations, but with looking after oneself in the understanding that ‘what is best for all, is best for me’. The same procedure can be applied to any requirement that would then form a public service.



With the current technology that is available – it would not even be necessary that everyone does a job. Because the jobs that exist would not be based on the need for income but on the understanding of what is best for all.



To practically arrange this, would require a ‘Dual-Money-system’ – because the first step is to have the basics of society organized, which would result in a Labor-system. This would then be the physical support for the entire society. To manage the access to the basic goods and services the Equal money system would be introduced: simply, everyone receiving the same amount of money unconditionally – that would allow for a regulation of the distribution of basic goods and services. Meaning, this money one would only be able to spend on what is agreed to be the necessary requirements to live a dignified life, such as: proper housing and electricity, water, food, clothing, education and health care. Those that are actively involved in the labor-system would receive an extra income. This income would be the same for every participant according to the time-units they have worked, regardless of the nature of the activity.



Note that with what we’ve established thus far – everyone is already taken care of.



Now the labor-income will be a different type of money, that has no restrictions with regards to what it can be used for. Thus a space is created for anyone wanting to engage in providing certain goods and services, that are not strictly necessary – but that many would regard as desirable in some way. This space will function as a free market within the equal money-system. People performing a job will have access to a greater variety of goods and services according to their preference. Note that, even though there will be a difference in private wealth resulting from this arrangement, actual poverty will not be able to exist, as each one has a dignified minimum, which is according to each one’s equal right to live a decent life.



But how can you make sure the basic facilities are actually provided for everyone?

This will be done through a system of conscription – where everyone who finishes school will do 4 years of mandatory labor, in any one of the area’s that are required to support the basic support system of the world. This will make sure the basics can constantly be provided for everyone, and look – it will only cost you 4 years of labor and you get labor-money !



The basic support system includes food production and all the public services, such as mentioned in the list above.



Can one just create money out of nothing – isn’t that what is causing the current money-crisis?

Indeed. What we’re proposing is a fiat money-system. Meaning: money that is created and issued by a central institution directly and declared as Legal.



With regards to the current money-crisis, one must understand: it is not due to money being created ‘out of nothing’ – but solely due to the procedure according to which all money being issued has the nature of a loan with interest.



This is completely against what we’re suggesting: because the point of having money is not to use it to exploit people for power and control, but to make life easier -which is by the way what children in schools are being taught about why money exists. Unfortunately they’re not being told the whole story.



As explained above – money will be a tool at your disposal that gives you access to living-recourse. It will not be a ‘loan’ – because you have a right to it: it is your money.



What will the Equal Money look like – how will it work?

Most practical would be to have all the money be digital – because then it can simply be send from one (or many) central point(s) to all the individual accounts. Which would then require digital payment technology at every shop/store/warehouse and chip-technology. So it will be very similar to the payment systems that are already in place. As to what kind of chips, we could either go for a chip on a credit-card or an implanted micro-chip in the skin – whichever works best. A micro-chip has the advantage one will not lose it – which is preferable as without it you’d have problems with your ability to pay for your goods, where you’d lose time with getting a new chip. Though remember, the point here is to have a digital system – which can be done by using bankcards or microchips.



Another reason why digital money is preferable – is that just as easy as the money is created, it must be able to be deleted. This would happen as soon as the money is used at the first payment. When I for instance buy myself a pair of shoes, that amount of money that I’ve just spend will not be ‘transferred’ from my account to the account of the store, it will instead be deleted from my account. Because remember: the purpose of the money is to make sure there is equal access for all to basic living-resources. Therefore once the money has served its purpose, there is no reason anymore for it to exist.



Within this, the money could be distributed either as a monthly or as an annual income.



So, yes – the entire experience of what money is and how we use it, will certainly change.



How will the Money-system be managed – who can be trusted?

The best solution that we’re seeing here is to have an administration – not a government – to oversee the working of the system. Yes, we’re expressly suggesting the system should be largely automated, so as to diminish any opportunities for abuse. The administration will be replaced with an entirely new administration yearly – based on majority vote from the people, whereby one can ‘be in office’ only once and then never again.



Specific training programs will be set up to learn people the nessecary skills to perform such a task – where the test will be if the person develops the skill on the one hand, but more importantly: if the person can be trusted with such a responsibility – to allways act in a way that is best for all.



Note that our current leaders don’t require to be tested on their integrity to be able to go for office – the one who is able to best deceive everyone will generally win an election, which is why this world has never changed. In an Equal money-system such forms of abuse will no longer be possible.