Claims – Lunaduna

Posted on October 4, 2021 by Lunaduna

Brannan and Katie’s teacher have conferenced about Katie’s behavior many times. Brannan’s not surprised she’s picked up overreacting and yelling—you don’t have to be at the Vines residence for too long to hear Caleb hollering from his room, where he sometimes hides for 18, 20 hours at a time, and certainly not if you’re there during his nightmares, which Katie is.

Katie’s symptoms are a direct link to trauma caused by witnessing her father’s PTSD outbreaks, which the author explains as a causal claim.

“She mirrors…she just mirrors” her dad’s behavior, Brannan says.

The author explains that Katie is copying her father’s behavior unintentionally, which is an evaluative claim. (The behavior that Katie shows is from the PTSD.) 

She can’t get Katie to stop picking at the sores on her legs, sores she digs into her own skin with anxious little fingers.

The quote is an analogy claim/categorical claim; Katie is inflicting pain to herself caused by the PTSD. The mother mentions these similarities that people with PTSD cause to themselves.

Different studies of the children of American World War II, Korea, and Vietnam vets with PTSD have turned up different results: “45 percent” of kids in one small study “reported significant PTSD signs”; “83 percent reported elevated hostility scores.” Other studies have found a “higher rate of psychiatric treatment”; “more dysfunctional social and emotional behavior”; “difficulties in establishing and maintaining friendships.”

The text could be a factual claim, or comparative claim; the author explains that children have an increase in hostility due to the PTSD. 

The author is also comparing different studies to learn about the children’s mental health. (To find a treatment for the PTSD.)

But then in 2003, a team of Dutch and Israeli researchers meta-analyzed 31 of the papers on Holocaust survivors’ families, and concluded—to the fury of some clinicians—that when more rigorous controls were applied, there was no evidence for the intergenerational transmission of trauma.

The data concluded from a study in 2003, that show’s children suffering from PTSD, correlates to the condition of the parents. (The study shows how parents’ PTSD can affect their children’s behaviors.) The author explains the evidence as a factual claim.

I asked the lead scientist, Marinus van IJzendoorn of Leiden University, what might account for other studies’ finding of secondary trauma in vets’ spouses or kids. He said he’s never analyzed those studies, and wonders if the results would hold up to a meta-analysis. But: “Suppose that there is a second-generation effect in veterans, there are a few differences that are quite significant” from children of Holocaust survivors that “might account for difference in coping mechanisms and resources.”

The quote above is a proposal claim; Lead scientist, Marinus van IJzendoorn discusses a different outlook on children of veterans and Holocaust survivors. (However, there is no clear evidence of research on this topic.)

They were not, in other words, expected to man up and get over it.

The author believes that the war veterans were treated unfairly, which makes this quote an ethical claim.

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Claims – cfalover

Posted on October 3, 2021 by cfalover

 “Another woman’s husband had a service dog die in the night, and the death smell in the morning triggered an episode she worries will end in him hurting himself or someone else if she doesn’t get him into a VA hospital, and the closest major clinic is four hours away and she is eight and a half months pregnant and got three hours of sleep, and the clinic’s website says its case manager position for veterans of Iraq or Afghanistan is currently unstaffed, anyway.”

– This entire line can be considered a factual claim since it states that the clinic is actually four hours away and how it is majorly understaffed; no one can argue that since the information can be found on its own website. This is horrible for the woman’s husband though, and the author wants people to know that sometimes these clinics are not as good as they should be.

““But because of the feedback she got, I know that other people were going through the same shit I was. And she’s helping people.” His face softens.”

– These sentences from the article are a moral claim because Caleb believes that Brennan is really helping people by answering all of these phone calls and emails.

“If she’s not saving lives on the phone or blogging, she’s offering support via Facebook, where thousands of Family of a Vet users and nearly 500 FOV volunteers congregate and commiserate.”

-Since the author wants the readers to realize how many people Brennan is supporting and helping, this factual claim is thrown in the paragraph to prove how effective her work is.

“Just the general overwhelmingness of her distress, of that awful overstimulating hypervigilance, the sort of thing you develop sometimes when you live with someone who looks out the living room window for danger literally hundreds of times a day, or who goes from room to room, room to room, over and over to make sure everyone in each one is still alive. “

-These sentences contain ethical claims of believing that people that live with someone who suffers from PTSD can sometimes develop it as well. The author believes that its hard not to develop it when you see day-to-day.

“Breathe,” Brannan says to nearly every woman who calls, though when I ask her if she follows her own advice, she says no. “If I stopped, and started breathing,” she says, “I would be too sad.”

-Brennan’s words can be viewed as a recommendation claim, since she tells the women who call her for help to just simply breathe. Breathing and focusing on that breathing can center a lot of people and bring them back to reality, just like Brennan suggests.

“Kateri’s eight-year-old son now also counts the exits in new spaces he enters, points them out to his loved ones, keeps a mental map of them at the ready, until war or fire fails to break out, and everyone is safely back home.”

-This sentence is a causal claim because it suggest that Kateri’s son is starting to develop PTSD symptoms from Kateri, hence, being ready at all times in case something bad were to happen. Since Kateri’s son sees her doing similar tasks, he is subconsciously developing them as well.

“The phone never stops ringing. If it does for 14 seconds, Brannan writes an email to help get whatever someone needs, or publishes a blog post about her own struggles.”

-When reading this statement by Caleb, I see this as an evaluative claim because the way Caleb says this, makes the reader think that he is judging his wife, but in a good way. He says the phones never stop ringing, and Brennan is such a good person and hard worker that when they stop, she still does whatever she can to help. Even though he wasn’t fond of the idea at first, he’s really proud of her.

“Today she’s fielding phone calls from a woman whose veteran son was committed to a non-VA psychiatric facility, but he doesn’t want to be at the facility because he, a severe-PTSD sufferer, was already paranoid before one of the other resident loons threatened to kill him, and anyway he fought for his fucking country and they promised they wouldn’t abandon him and he swears to God he will have to kill himself if the VA doesn’t put him in with the other soldiers. “

The way the author words this excerpt makes it an ethical claim because the author is hinting that some of these veterans who are suffering really badly from PTSD aren’t getting the psychiatric help they deserve; suffering veterans need to be with other suffering veterans so that they can help each other. Putting this kid into a facility where another random resident tried to kill him only makes things worse.

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Claims- strawberryfields4

Posted on October 2, 2021 by strawberryfields4

Brannan and Katie’s teacher have conferenced about Katie’s behavior many times. Brannan’s not surprised she’s picked up overreacting and yelling—you don’t have to be at the Vines residence for too long to hear Caleb hollering from his room, where he sometimes hides for 18, 20 hours at a time, and certainly not if you’re there during his nightmares, which Katie is. 

This description of Katie’s behavior is a causal claim. The author describes the symptoms of Katie’s PTSD and explains that they are a direct result of the trauma of witnessing her father’s PTSD outbursts.

“She mirrors…she just mirrors” her dad’s behavior, Brannan says. 

Katie’s mother’s observation is an evaluative claim. After witnessing the similarities between her husband and her child’s behaviors she has concluded that Katie is unintentionally imitating her father.  

She can’t get Katie to stop picking at the sores on her legs, sores she digs into her own skin with anxious little fingers. 

Describing Katie’s “anxious little fingers” and her self-inflicted leg sores as a manifestation of her PTSD is a categorical claim. They are examples her mother uses to support the diagnosis of PTSD.

She is not, according to Brannan, “a normal, carefree six-year-old.”

By stating this judgement, Brannan is making an evaluative claim. She has observed the characteristics of her daughter and has concluded that her daughter’s behaviors are atypical of other six year olds, therefore further supporting the idea that her daughter suffers from PTSD.

Different studies of the children of American World War II, Korea, and Vietnam vets with PTSD have turned up different results: “45 percent” of kids in one small study “reported significant PTSD signs”; “83 percent reported elevated hostility scores.” Other studies have found a “higher rate of psychiatric treatment”; “more dysfunctional social and emotional behavior”; “difficulties in establishing and maintaining friendships.” 

The use of these statistics is a comparative claim. This is substantial evidence that a large population of war veterans’ children exhibited mental health issues or behaviors that quite possibly could stem from PTSD. The numerical data is used to create a clearer understanding of the necessity for treatment for these children.

The symptoms were similar to what those researchers had seen before, in perhaps the most analyzed and important population in the field of secondary traumatization: the children of Holocaust survivors. 

The comparison of the experiences of war veterans’ children to those of Holocaust survivors is an analogy claim. By making this connection, it clarifies the similarities in the experience that the children of these two demographics have. This, in turn, highlights the strong evidence supporting that individuals who suffer from PTSD often have children that do as well. 

But then in 2003, a team of Dutch and Israeli researchers meta-analyzed 31 of the papers on Holocaust survivors’ families, and concluded—to the fury of some clinicians—that when more rigorous controls were applied, there was no evidence for the intergenerational transmission of trauma.

The absolute certainty of these researcher’s conclusions is both an evaluative claim and a factual claim. While previous studies mentioned in the text did show a significant correlation between PTSD victims and the subsequent PTSD of their children, the more recent findings in 2003 determined that no substantial correlation exists. This newer research questions the validity of the previous findings and provides indisputable evidence to discredit it, thus making it both evaluative and factual.

I asked the lead scientist, Marinus van IJzendoorn of Leiden University, what might account for other studies’ finding of secondary trauma in vets’ spouses or kids. He said he’s never analyzed those studies, and wonders if the results would hold up to a meta-analysis. But: “Suppose that there is a second-generation effect in veterans, there are a few differences that are quite significant” from children of Holocaust survivors that “might account for difference in coping mechanisms and resources.” 

Lead scientist, Marinus van IJzendoorn, is making a proposal claim by presenting a different perspective than that of those who generalize children of veterans and Holocaust survivors together. Although he did not do the research to confirm his proposition, he suggests that the results of the Holocaust research should not be used, as the two groups have many different variables that could have affected the study.

Holocaust survivors “had more resources and networks, wider family members and community to support them to adapt to their new circumstances after a war.” They were not, in other words, expected to man up and get over it.

This statement, comparing the degree of support received by each group, is a comparative claim. It delineates the vast differences in the support systems for each group. Furthermore, the emotionally fueled statement from Marinus van IJzendoorn that war veterans were “…expected to man up and get over it” is an ethical or moral claim. It is abundantly clear that he passionately believes that war veterans are treated unjustly. 

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Claims – comatosefox

Posted on October 2, 2021 by comatosefox

This is a Factual Claim, it is true that this is one of the many things that can happen to a person that has or develops PTSD. It’s true there are multiple forms and patterns to PTSD, it is an ever changing disorder that is specific to each individual.

“Granted, diagnosing PTSD is a tricky thing. The result of a malfunctioning nervous system that fails to normalize after trauma and instead perpetrates memories and misfires life-or death stress for no practical reason, it comes in a couple of varieties, various complexities, has causes ranging from one lightning-fast event to drawn-out terrors or patterns of abuse —in soldiers… “

This could be a Causal Claim, it is true that more time in combat or touring could worsen the disorder but it is a case by case disorder. It may not affect everyone the same and more touring may not worsen one soldier’s PTSD.

“… the incidence of PTSD goes up with the number of tours and amount of combat experienced.”

This is an Evaluative claim, it is not fully passed on facts but emotions, it is very common for people that are never told what they have that is ruining their life to feel annoyed or “invalidating.” You are in a constant state of confusion not only because the doctors don’t know what you have , but they may not have an idea of what is even causing it. It is even worse when all tests and scans show nothing is wrong.

“Doctors have to go on hunches and symptomology rather than definitive evidence. And the fact that the science hasn’t fully caught up with the suffering, that Caleb can’t point to something provably, biologically ruining his life, just makes him feel worse. It’s invalidating.”

This is an Analogy Claim, I don’t really wanna explain this one, it explains itself. 

“Caleb knows that a person whose problem is essentially that he can’t adapt to peacetime Alabama sounds, to many, like a pussy.”

This is a Moral Claim, it is a statement by someone based on nothing but their own opinion that could be very controversial. Invalidating someone’s problems because they believe no one that is sent to those areas has a valid reason to come back with problems.

“‘Somebody at the VA told me, ‘Kids in Congo and Uganda don’t have PTSD,’ Caleb tells me angrily one day.”

This is a Factual Claim, it is a description of the cause of Caleb’s TBI, being exposed to explosions just once is enough to really hurt yourself, but Caleb was met with over twenty explosions in only two hours of combate.

“It’s called traumatic brain injury, or TBI, from multiple concussions. In two tours, he was in at least 20 explosions—IEDs, vehicle-borne IEDs, RPGs. In one of them, when a mortar or grenade hit just behind him, he was thrown headfirst through a metal gate and into a courtyard.”

This is a Factual Claim, there is evidence in the VA system to support that he has one of the worst scores out of the  fifty thousand veterans that were in the system when Caleb was entered into the system.

“When Caleb was finally screened for the severity of his TBI, Brannan says he got the second-worst score in the whole 18-county Gulf Coast VA system, which serves more than 50,000 veterans.”

This is a Moral and Analogy  Claim, telling someone that their problems are insignificant compared to others is very immoral. Although there is an unwritten tier of injuries and diseases that we as a society created, it should never be said to someone’s face that their problems are as big as others. Number one rule of suicide prevention is invalidating someones problems or comparing them to others.

“‘I guess we’re just used to dealing with people with more severe injuries,’ a VA nurse once told Brannan upon seeing Caleb.”

This could be a Definition and Analogy Claim, it explains that the system can sometimes have a hard time seeing secondary traumatic stress due to the fact that PTSD and secondary traumatic stress are similar.Showing what makes it different from PTSD, it gives an example as to why they are different.

“Unlike PTSD, secondary traumatic stress doesn’t have its own entry in the DSM, though the manual does take note of it, as do many peer-reviewed studies and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Symptoms start at depression and alienation, including the ‘compassion fatigue’ suffered by social workers and trauma counselors. But some spouses and loved ones suffer symptoms that are, as one medical journal puts it, ‘almost identical to PTSD except that indirect exposure to the traumatic event through close contact with the primary victim of trauma’ is the catalyst. ”

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Stone Money – Lily4Pres

Posted on October 1, 2021 by Lily4Pres

Pros and Cons to a Human Construct

According to vocabulary.com, abstract is defined as existing only in the mind; separated from embodiment. In a sense, money slots right into this category by definition. In “The Invention of Money” by This American Life, a very thought provoking claim is used directly from the get go: “When you understand the money is created out of nothing, you understand all kinds of things.” What do they mean by that? Money has no true value, as its just a measurement humans use to barter for better materials/living capacities in their lives. But just who, who determined what society uses for a standard unit of wealth?

If we take a trip down memory lane, back into the early 20th century. There was an island, a German colony, that used stone “coins” as currency to purchase items from other inhabitants. These islanders are known as Yap Islanders. Now, these stone “coins” that the Yap Islanders utilized in their financial system were valued at the magnitude of the stone. While this initially seems like a foreign notion, it’s eerily similar to our monetary system today. Instead of our linen-cotton blended money, digitalized credit cards, and online third party organizations such as PayPal. The islanders just chose to prioritize limestone spheres whose worth were determined by their size, seen in “The Island of Stone Money” by Milton Friedman. This brings up an interesting proposition; Were those Yap Islander’s poorer than the average person we see today? Or is it really an identical situation as today, with a substitution of our currency for limestone spheres? “The money of other countries often seems to us like paper or worthless metal, even when the purchasing power of individual units is high.” The concept of money and currency, is a human construct that gives items a value determined by society. No value of any piece of linen or coin made of zinc has any value set in stone, no pun intended.

The ability to find and create a standard unit to run what we see as an economy seems to be embedded our human nature. These human tendencies appear to convene over and over in history. Whether it is through the use of limestone by the Yap Islanders, the use of gold throughout the last millennia, the current banknote, or even the future of cryptocurrency. Humans always find themselves giving some inanimate (in the case of cryptocurrency, more of a trust) object a standard value to be used to gain resources in other aspects of their life. It solves a simple issue that people would find themselves in without the concept of worth. It gives people the means to get assets through the use of collective action in society. These currencies are the overall facilitator we see in each of these societies’ economies and also these currencies maintain a standard of value. A value that we follow to the tee, no matter the fluctuation of worth.

Everything gone over so far seems to be an overwhelming positive notion. Through a collective understanding of value, each society gets to run somewhat efficiently on their financial system. A solid structure that if followed, leaves us on a smooth path to attaining our human needs. However, we have not touched base with the negative effects of currency that do not even graze the cynical nature of humans. To breach these negatives, let us take a look at the current era of Zimbabwe. Through Zimbabwe’s financial structure, we can locate and analyze some negative aspects of the abstract of currency. Starting in the early 21st century, Zimbabwe’s financial system went through a period of what is known as hyperinflation. Hyperinflation describes the phenomena of when goods and services drastically rise in price, nearly 50% per month per standard. This 50% number is put to shame when looking into Zimbabwe’s situation. For example, Zimbabwe’s currency, the Zimbabwean dollar, had a denomination of $100 trillion during their last inflation period. This would correlate to a near 156% consistent rise in worth. During the infamous 2008 surge, a single USD would translate to a whopping 2.6 trillion Z$ according to the report of Aaron O’Neill from Statista.com. In current time, Zimbabwe finds themselves having to reset their financial system to create a new currency. This did not seem to work, the current highest denomination is a Z$50 – a 50 dollar banknote – which would rely to be tripled just to buy a beer at the supermarket. Zimbabwe is still seeing a near 550% inflation rate that somehow manages to put their 2008 numbers to shame. Some could believe that with the increasing worth of goods and services, Zimbabwean’s pockets would just rise in number to accommodate the issue. However, Zimbabwean’s pockets are not rising, what is rising is the poverty rate. Zimbabwe’s inability to maintain a financial structure to hold their economy has crippled their country. Alongside the massive jump from the 2019 to 2020 inflation rate of nearly 320%, there is a direct correlation to the poverty rate staying at a near 80%. A mind blowing statistic from macrotrends.net. The poverty connection is a clear issue that the abstract of money holds. While currency gives an economy a proper structure, if not performed to the perfect tee, there has to be those who struggle. Whether this be the homeless in the US, or just the average Zimbabwean, poverty is a consequence to the abstract of money.

The history of money is a roller coaster worth the investigation. Money is an abstract concept that humans naturally created to better their own lives through what they conceive as value. There is no embodiment of worth that currency truly holds. However, whether through the use of gold, the USD, or a limestone, humans have had some sort of item to guide their interests in modernity. But just who, who determined what society uses for a standard unit of wealth? The answer is simple, we did. With money not having true worth, we assign worth to our standard units as it enables us the ability to barter for a better living.

References

Abstract – dictionary definition. Vocabulary.com. from https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/abstract.

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

O’Neill, A. (2021, June 1). Zimbabwe – inflation rate 1986-2026. Statista. from https://www.statista.com/statistics/455290/inflation-rate-in-zimbabwe/.

“The Invention of Money.” This American Life, 19 Feb. 2018, https://www.thisamericanlife.org/423/the-invention-of-money. 

Zimbabwe poverty rate 2011-2021. MacroTrends. from https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/ZWE/zimbabwe/poverty-rate.

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Stone Money-RowanAnnouncer

Posted on September 30, 2021 by RowanAnnouncer

Money: The Most Enduring Lie

What if I told you there was a lie that every person endorses. A lie so deeply embedded into our society that it is no longer registered as a lie. A lie that consumes and motivates every person, every single day. The lie states that money is a real tangible thing. Money is not real… money is an illusion… money is the most enduring lie ever told. The adoption of that lie is what consumes our daily lives. In the most simplest terms, money is the middleman. When requesting goods or services, money can be used to even out the exchange. Money has no value if the buyer and seller don’t mutually agree on its suggested value. That’s precisely why money is a scam. The government issues billions of dollars worth of bills and coins and assigns values to them, and all we have to do is trust that value remains stable.

A very peculiar system of money was referenced by Milton Friedman in his essay called, The Island of Stone Money. In this essay he details the odd monetary system the Island of Yap adopted. Apart of the Caroline Islands, the Island of Uap or Yap, adopted a strange currency called Fei. The Fei was a large, solid, thick, stone wheel ranging from 1ft to 12ft in diameter. Since the island contained no metals, they had to alternate to limestone. Don’t fool yourself, they didn’t mine the limestone on the Island of Yap either. They traveled over 400 miles to mine the massive wheels of limestone, and transported the Fei back to the island. In William Henry Furness III book of the same name, The Island of Stone Money, it is detailed that, “a family whose wealth was unquestioned,—acknowledged by everyone—and yet no one, not even the family itself, had ever laid eye or hand on this wealth; it consisted of an enormous fei… and at that very time it was lying at the bottom of the sea!” This massive Fei was reported to be thrown overboard after a monstrous storm gave them no other choice. Once the party arrived back at the Island of Yap, they all attested to how utterly massive the Fei is. The family’s wealth was vouched for and stayed that way for generations. “A noteworthy feature of this stone currency is that it is not necessary for its owner to reduce it to possession.” The remarkable amount of faith the Yap put into themselves, and the value of their Fei is very similar to the United States. Without the undying mutual faith in the value of the dollar, none of it would be possible. 

From 1899-1999, the Germans owned the Island of Yap following a purchase from Spain in 1898. Among the Germans traversal through their land, they noticed the Yap’s roads weren’t sufficient enough to advance through. The chiefs of the concerning districts were notified that these roads must be put into good order or their will be fines for their disobedience. “The fine was exacted by sending a man to every… disobedient districts, where he simply marked a certain number of the most valuable fei with a cross in black paint to show that the stones were claimed by the government.” Furness continues to say, “This instantly worked like a charm; the people… repaired the highways to such good effect… that they are now like park drives.” This exchange of funds for services definitely seems a bit rudimentary and barbaric, but it is the backbone of what our society was built on. 

In the modern day we have banks, and numbers on a computer screen, even more solidifying the illusion of money. Another brilliant illusion came from the Brizilian Government tricking 150,000,000 people into believing their money was worth something without there being any evidence to support that claim. Detailed in NPRs podcast The Invention of Money, the narrator Chana Joffe-Walt takes the listener on a journey through the triumfant rise of the Brizilians. Its 1993, President Collor has just been impeached for digging the Brazilians into more and more crippling inflation. President Franco has hired a finance minster whom knew nothing about economics. This would seemingly be a terrible start to a Presidency if it werent for the heroes of Brazil. Four economist drinking buddies proposed a brilliant plan to save Brazil’s economy. This plan revolved around the URV (Unit of Real Value), a stable, dependable, trustworthy, but also fake. This currency would be entirely fake. Citizens would be paid in URVs but would still have the native currency (Cruzeiro) in their pocket. The plan would be to make people think URVs instead of Criuzeiros. Each day there would be a chart to convert URVs to Cruzeiros. After a long enough time “…when we were satisfied that prices were relatively in good synchrony we declare, well, from this day the virtual currency becomes a real currency. The crusero real is going to disappear,” said Mr.Bacha, one of the Brazilian economists saving the country. Inflation started rapidly decreasing and the country was in a good standing. 

Continuing with the digital currencies, the world is full of currencies such as Bitcoin. Michael Crider, author behind the article What is Bitcoin, and how does it work, explains that Digital currencies such as Bitcoin have “no corresponding physical element, like coins or paper bills. The value and verification of individual Bitcoins are provided by a global peer-to-peer network.” The price of Bitcoins fluctuate more than any regular stable currency or even most stocks. Crider continues to divulge that “The ups and downs of the Bitcoin market appear to be coming much faster and more frequently …the entire Bitcoin market could implode tomorrow… There’s no way to know.” The magnitude of fake digital currencies that have flooded the market, leaves people to wonder where its headed and where it stops.

Whether it’d be digital currencies such as the CRVs or Bitcoin, or materialized Fei or US minted bills, money is an illusion. A scam endorsed by the mutual agreement to uphold its suggested value. Money will continue to be the most enduring lie ever told. 

References 

Friedman, Milton. “The Island of Stone Money.” Diss. Hoover Institution, Stanford University, 1991. https://miltonfriedman.hoover.org/internal/media/dispatcher/215061/full 

The Invention of Money – This American Life. (2018, February 19). This American Life. https://www.thisamericanlife.org/423/the-invention-of-money 

Crider, M. (2020, April 24). What is bitcoin, and how does it work? How. Retrieved September 30, 2021, from https://www.howtogeek.com/141374/htg-explains-what-is-bitcoin-and-how-does-it-work/

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My Hypothesis – nugget114

Posted on September 30, 2021 by nugget114

1. Rebelliousness in adolescents

2. Parental effect on rebelliousness in adolescents

3. The stricter the parent the more rebellious the child

4. Parental rule and lack of trust directly correlates to misbehaving children

5. If parental figures show their child that they don’t trust them for no reason, they will rebel

6. The more restriction and lack of trust a parent has in a child, the more likely it is for the child to act out, sneak around, or rebel against their wishes

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Stone Money—nugget

Posted on September 30, 2021 by nugget114

Needs a Title

After reading over all of the different sources and now being knowledgeable about different forms of currency and how they came to be I feel confident I am able to understand the concept of money better as well as how it came to be in the first place. The story of the island of Yap and their monetary system is truly intriguing to me, they use stone money which are literal massive stones that hold a currency in their society. It is explained that no physical ownership needs to be carried out and that the physical stone itself can sit miles away but still be understood that it is owned by someone. Even more so when it comes to using these stones individuals made a verbal pact that they were transferring ownership and the stone stayed as is in place. While I can understand how some could be taken aback by this system it would be ignorant to say it is not loosely how our system of currency in modern day America works as well.  

The island of Yap calls their stone money fei and the rocks tower twelve feet high with a hole in the center. Obviously something so big can not be moved as you please, especially not in this time where no machinery was in place to move it either. Our currency is similar because our paper money is connected to gold that we do not have access to and the paper money we see and use day to day are simply symbols of that which are easier to carry around. So it is not too far-fetched of an idea that the Yap’s followed because we started at the same place as them but they did not upgrade their system and honestly I do not see it necessary considering how well this was able to work for them. “​​ In the village near-by a family whose wealth was unquestioned,—acknowledged by everyone—and yet no one, not even the family itself, had ever laid eye or hand on this wealth; it consisted of an enormous fei, whereof the size is known only by tradition; for the past two or three generations it had been, and at that very time it was lying at the bottom of the sea”,( Friedman 91). Showing how the Yap system of currency was not as flawed as it seems because they were able to stay on top of who owns what throughout the entire time this was used. They go less abstract with their organization and are able to be content with and do not need to have the physical currency like we do in America. Friedman explains how German soldiers came in and took over the island subsequently claiming fei as theirs by marking specific stones with black paint and the islanders complied as they were now broke. My initial reaction was taken aback. I could not understand how they could so easily follow these rules but it was what they were used to and they followed the rules of their currency when someone claimed it. As he continues he explains how in the USA we have seen an issue similar when France wanted to take back gold we had. The French government and United States Federal Reserve spoke and decided France wanted America to turn its dollar currency to gold and return it, but to save the trouble of shipping all of that across the ocean France simply suggested that they label the boxes in a way that would be understood that they belonged to France. Now this is the same scenario as the Yaps and Germans, American tabloids explained the loss we experienced and France celebrated its riches all the while the physical gold was still in the basement in America’s reserve. So how can one system be regarded as barbaric while another is essentially the same but seen as completely different.

Moving on to the NPR Broadcast I truly felt a part that stood out to me and goes well with the theme of this paper already. Goldstein explains that the current transferring of money is still an updated version of the exact system of the inhabitants of Yap island, he stresses how even now when we are paid or paying someone it is not often that the physical dollars are being transferred. “ I get paid. That is just a direct deposit from NPR, from my employer, to my checking account. It’s not like they give me a bunch of hundred dollar bills every week. And then, I pay my bills online”, (Goldstein 2011). Showing how in modern day we still only transfer the idea of money that we have agreed on and not giving briefcases of large sums of cash, especially online transferring because that is simply clicking buttons and all is said and done but no physical transfer was made. I believe that this proves how important it is for a society to have faith in the value of currency because if it was not believed and agreed upon by all then the luxury of not having physical money is taken away, we believe in the idea of money when we do not see it. If the Yap’s did not take their system seriously then chaos would ensue and no one would definitively know who owned what. If we did not believe in our currency in the USA then we would not be able to agree on countless things and nothing would be completed. The broadcast then went on to talk about Brazil and the issues with inflation they have had, in the 50s the government wanted to build a new capital but did not have the funds. They printed more money out but this caused inflation to dramatically increase, and for Brazilians this was difficult because the moment they were paid their money was at risk for being worthless as any amount of time passed. This caused chaos in Brazil and citizens quickly distrusted the government, they were impeached and replaced but inflation was still a huge problem. Four economists came in and fixed the issue by introducing a virtual currency that could help the people of Brazil believe in the value of money again. Online currency is something that we see a lot of today in the form of bitcoin, the WInklevoss brothers known for their lawsuit with Mark Zuckerberg think of it this way,” they had bought $11 million worth of Bitcoins — that value assessed before the crash — praising it as a mathematical system “free of politics and human error”,(Renaut 2013). Showing how credible trust is being put into this new form of currency and how that is a huge part of what a monetary system needs to be followed. 

Overall the idea of currency is not going to be nationally agreed on within what each individual in every country does and calls correct. It does not matter what example you look to in order to gather the conclusion that the most important part in a system of currency is the belief that the people using that system have in it. The Yaps were able to be successful with theirs because they agreed the stone money belonged to someone even though they could not see it. America’s issue with France mirrors that of the Yaps and German government when it comes to belief in the currency behind the physical dollar. Moving onto online banking connected to the emergence of Bitcoin, it shows even more how you do not need to see or hold a symbol that stands for whatever amount of money is simply not a necessity. Showing overall how money is less of the main idea but instead the belief in what it stands for is of utmost importance.

References

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

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

“The Bubble Bursts on e-Currency Bitcoin.” Yahoo! News, Yahoo!, 2013, https://sg.news.yahoo.com/bubble-bursts-e-currency-bitcoin-064913387–finance.html?guccounter=1.

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Beware of IT and THIS

Posted on September 30, 2021 by davidbdale

A student last semester wrote this Purposeful Summary. His name was Wazoo. As you read Wazoo’s comment, see if you can answer this essential question:

What’s He Talking About?

facepalm-captain-picard-300x201

It seems counterintuitive that we buy iphones and use them knowing that there are bugs out there, in which they allow people to spy on you. We do not know how long apple has known about this but we do know they were warned and still decided to not do anything.

Personal Privacy plays a big party in everyone’s life, as well as their cell phones. The majority of cell phones are iphones and to have bugs in which people can spy on you is not acceptable. There is no way a little kid was the first to find this. Apple has known about this and they just have kept it a secret. They hire some of the best hackers in the world to work for them to find bugs. So why did they take so long to react?

Apple is one of the largest companies in the world. so some people might think theres a chance they didnt see the complaint right away or they kept it on to gain information about all of its users. After 2 weeks they finally sent a fix but this took so long because they werent done spying on the innocent people in this world. Apple is all about making profit and this move was one for them to get a better understanding on how to advertise to the world.

In addition to some punctuation errors, Wazoo here is neglecting an ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL aspect of Purposeful Summary: to summarize.

Very likely, because it was resolved more than a year ago, you don’t remember much about Apple’s FaceTime bug. If you happened to read Wazoo’s comment on a website about Apple products, would you have any idea what the article he was summarizing said about these questions?

—Would you know how the “spying” occurs?
—Would you know what program or app was compromised?
—Would you understand that it activated the recipient’s camera and microphone before he answered a FaceTime call?
—Would you understand what Wazoo meant about a kid being the first to “find this”?
—Would you understand the context of the “2 week” delay?

What Wazoo DOES do well here is to shape the news to his own agenda. It’s clear he’s suspicious of Apple’s motives and dubious that their slowness in responding to the crisis was innocent. In other words, his language is Purposeful, but he’s neglected the Summary, largely by using “it” and “this” to stand for material he left out.

Here’s the same summary with SPECIFIC DETAILS to replace IT and THIS.

It seems counterintuitive that we buy iphones and use them knowing that there are bugs in the product that allow people to spy on US. We do not know how long Apple has known about THE FLAW IN FACETIME THAT ACTIVATES THE RECIPIENT’S CAMERA AND MICROPHONE BEFORE SHE ACCEPTS THE CALL, but we do know they were warned and still decided NOT TO FIX THE BUG.

Personal Privacy—ESPECIALLY REGARDING OUR CELL PHONES—plays a big part in ALL OUR LIVES. The majority of cell phones are iPhones, and to have bugs THAT ALLOW CALLERS TO spy on US is not acceptable. IT’S NOT CREDIBLE THAT a little kid was the first to find THIS FLAW IN THE FACETIME APP. Apple has known about THIS THREAT TO OUR PRIVACY and they just kept it a secret. They hire some of the best hackers in the world to work for them to find bugs. So why did they take so long to react?

Apple is one of the largest companies in the world, so some people might think THERE’S a chance they DIDN’T see the TEENAGER’S REPORT THAT HIS PHONE WAS EAVESDROPPING ON HIS FRIEND’S CAMERA AND MICROPHONE right away, or they DELIBERATELY DELAYED FIXING THE BUG to gain information about all of THEIR users. After 2 weeks THE COMPANY finally sent a fix, but THE DELAY DEMONSTRATES they WEREN’T done spying on THEIR INNOCENT AND UNSUSPECTING CUSTOMERS. Apple is all about making PROFITS, and this CALLOUS INVASION OF THEIR USER BASE was A DELIBERATE ATTEMPT TO GAIN INTELLIGENCE THAT WOULD HELP THEM FURTHER VICTIMIZE THEIR CUSTOMERS WITH TARGETED ADVERTISING.

All right, so I did a little more than just replace IT and THIS. 🙂

But what the ALL CAPS material has in common is that it ADDS SPECIFIC DETAILS that provide readers with the background information they need.

In-Class Task

Leave a brief comment in the Reply field below to let me know if this is an effective demonstration of the value of specific details (or the danger of IT and THIS).

Also, Reply whether this demonstration will prompt you to revisit your own Purposeful Summaries with a better idea how to achieve a Regrade.

Posted in You Forgot to Categorize! | Leave a comment

Stone Money—eagles

Posted on September 30, 2021 by eagles21

stone money limitations

sensible act ofmoney and allegations of whether money is valued enough is a general proposition. Grievances allocate a systematic approach theorically , preassuming a recognizable approach. Nevertheless, causing a guided strategic basis for molding a platform reliable enough to distress unfavorable tensions. Clearly stating how differences bridge a gap between phases. Overtime underwhelm society from manipulative oligarchy of fear. Propoganda many times can cause corruption and make peoplec conformed to unhealthy approaches. A common fix would be big businesses and balanced out by small businesses. Money can longitudinally affect horizons of fate throughout branches . stemming out from yap and fei. These approaches grow many times also in a financial outburst. Money value has to grow whether inflated or deflated . concentration throughout controversy purely exists to solve common issues . Wealth approaches prevail to grow as we teach witty growth in financial institutions . Merely representing a favorable pictogran or personification for morales. Notations grammatically fix spending that has had a fiscal fall. The relief which (jeff reeves bitcoin) states that pressure ongoing needs change. Money system breathlessly examines whether fortune can understand concepts quite that far. All different standpoints corrected how to run such a great approach. Impoverished can only mean fix has to be done. Nevertheless leaving questions on to hoq important it is to run-a marathon.

This life lesson prepares you for understanding true happiness . which will not always be run throigh comparison. Many years willingly has and had to be fixed time again. Expressingly we handle many our problems , issues , beliefs with money. The approach nevertheless would be of whereabouts . cant stress enough how a symbol could briefly express such a claim. Recognizable patterns change the approach as to how to handle beginnings and fixing a declining system. The process of bitcoin buying money has to improvise on an entendre.

A stronger build back from years of challenges just scratching the surface . Germans painting xs on fei will automatically clear thoughts about how or when .

A meltdown of such can be renewing. But to an extent has to be fixed faster and faster. For systems to work that way they have to of failed. Love can be built through constant retaliation of how important causations will make a well suitable system that helps poor richer and richer more wealthy. We fail to comprehend an omniscient view. where should forever be governed from better customs . These standards work through a veey well suitable environment that is constantly improving. Luckily times change and the better will is always done.

For such change to have arisen there had to be error. These errors were fixed through time and time again manipulation . Not that it should be manipulation but in order to run the system right you have to be proactove in beliefs, customs and ideals.

Bravery comes from the ill person minded who is capable of ongoing complexities and breaking them down to be a better place for people to live. This growth has been passed down from french, german and formed all around the world. Thankfully the tendencies of individuals keep it together to show the approach and how its fixed to understanding the true meaning of money. Should be proven right when well treated. Other than that it fails whenever such is given up upon.

More going paper being paper never changed. just like bit by bit a coin will innately be understood and processed for creativity.

Great thinkers and genuises all around the world figure out how to manipulate this in a strong positive course this world gets more beautiful everyday. Well understood essentials meaningfully represent how well we can do together to be stronger society. Never undermining how important it is to keep the dollar bill in top condition. These satirical solutions can always be rhthmically build. Form good groups and build a strong course of action with your only as strong as your weakest link.

parallels of these customs can work great. The greatness comes from the people. How they handle it and where it goes after that. The weakness not really feared because whatever is broken can be fixed. The differences in money is quite bizarre but never mishandled. Organizers will always plan to grow this kind of matter to help. As people we just do our thing to be happy. Neverending cycle is why we know money itself doesnt create happiness . we create the happiness the money and system is there to help.

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