OT: Ray, how's your Bitcoin investment going?

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by Mr. Pink

It's bizarre. There's billions of people thousands of miles away saying, how awesome that hundreds of thousands of young men and millions of refugees are sacrificing their lives and futures for, I really don't know what. It's like everyone is watching a movie or even playing a video game, with zero threat to the comfort of their lives, except the price of petroleum products at times. The Blob has invented the perfect war. No body bags, no incoming missles here. And massive weapon sales. It's kind of gross. Orwellian, for sure, especially when you follow the media coverage. It's sad. A country is being destroyed, and, it's very possible it will become a huge DMZ with bots attacking each other, for a long time. Sad.

For what? Fighting so as to not be subjugated under the violent thumb of Putin, is what for. They are fighting for a free Ukraine, just like millions have fought for freedom in their country for hundreds of years..Not sure why you don't get that.. Gee, happened once around 1776 right here in these colonies..

A country is being destroyed by a tyrant named putin who chose to attack a neighboring, sovereign country. You make it sound like the US encouraged putin to start this war for 'war profits'...strange.

And it sounds like you think Zelensky should just roll over, give up and surrender..Would you do that in his shoes, would you fight, and maybe die for a free Ukraine or choose to live on your knees? Yup, real war is an ugly thing...Nobody knows that more than those who choose to fight it.

Would you fight, and maybe die, for your freedom, here?

[HenryA]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

For what? Fighting so as to not be subjugated under the violent thumb of Putin, is what for. They are fighting for a free Ukraine, just like millions have fought for freedom in their country for hundreds of years..Not sure why you don't get that.. Gee, happened once around 1776 right here in these colonies..

A country is being destroyed by a tyrant named putin who chose to attack a neighboring, sovereign country. You make it sound like the US encouraged putin to start this war for 'war profits'...strange.

And it sounds like you think Zelensky should just roll over, give up and surrender..Would you do that in his shoes, would you fight, and maybe die for a free Ukraine or choose to live on your knees? Yup, real war is an ugly thing...Nobody knows that more than those who choose to fight it.

Would you fight for your freedom, here?

This ^^^^^^^^^^^^

And then there’s the part where its our treasure and (unfortunately) Ukraine’s blood. Ultimately it is very much in our and the world’s favor that Putin and his dream of Russian ascendance and conquest of other countries and people fail.

[goonster]

Originally Posted by verticaldoug

All the money may be newer, but there is definitely a hierarchy of the money.

The old money has had so much, for so long, that it can pretend not to care about money.

[Mr. Pink]

That money gets diluted by future generations and unwise investments a lot. The Kennedy's high production of kids is proof of that, although old money probably cringes when the Kennedys are considered to be in the same club.
The new inheritance tax laws have helped protect those fortunes, for sure.

If you're ever near Hyde Park and have a day to kill, go visit FDR's home and then the Vanderbilt "cottage" up the road, both national park managed. Great physical representation of old money vs. new money in the 20s and 30s.

[fellowpicker]

I'm not so sure Ukraine was a banner of democracy under Zelinsky. Seems like he silenced all of his political opposition once in power.

Our own government seems to have given Putin every incentive to invade Ukraine with our crazy energy policies and general display of incompetence.

[Davist]

Originally Posted by fellowpicker

I'm not so sure Ukraine was a banner of democracy under Zelinsky. Seems like he silenced all of his political opposition once in power.

Our own government seems to have given Putin every incentive to invade Ukraine with our crazy energy policies and general display of incompetence.

Agreed. Although technically the US hasn't had a consolidated energy policy since when? Nixon? Certainly not since Carter at the latest, but that may be your point.

There's no real strategy in Ukraine for US dollars either, and certainly no defined exit. WWII showed the "Russians" (ie their leadership) are willing to bleed white in these circumstances (Stalingrad?)

[redir]

Originally Posted by fellowpicker

I'm not so sure Ukraine was a banner of democracy under Zelinsky. Seems like he silenced all of his political opposition once in power.

Our own government seems to have given Putin every incentive to invade Ukraine with our crazy energy policies and general display of incompetence.

Right out of the Rus propaganda factory.

Originally Posted by Mr. Pink

Good lord, the world is mad.

No the world is moving into a future that you might not understand.

Originally Posted by Mr. Pink

It's bizarre. There's billions of people thousands of miles away saying, how awesome that hundreds of thousands of young men and millions of refugees are sacrificing their lives and futures for, I really don't know what. It's like everyone is watching a movie or even playing a video game, with zero threat to the comfort of their lives, except the price of petroleum products at times. The Blob has invented the perfect war. No body bags, no incoming missles here. And massive weapon sales. It's kind of gross. Orwellian, for sure, especially when you follow the media coverage. It's sad. A country is being destroyed, and, it's very possible it will become a huge DMZ with bots attacking each other, for a long time. Sad.

Perhaps it's different when you know people, like I do, from Mariupol who literally had to step over burning bodies to escape walking hundreds of miles to relative safety who swear that under no circumstances will ever give up the fight for their homeland.

Again, I will make this comparison, I don't think the average American would be submissive to an invader either. If Canada invaded and occupied the state of Maine do you thing the rest of America would make concessions and just say, well okay you can have Maine as long as you don't take anything else and no one gets hurt. ?

I can't imagine that happening.


---


As for cryto having real world value? You coulda just bought the latest NFT trading cards from the Big Announcement in cryto ... LOOL

[Mr. Pink]

Originally Posted by Davist

Agreed. Although technically the US hasn't had a consolidated energy policy since when? Nixon? Certainly not since Carter at the latest, but that may be your point.

There's no real strategy in Ukraine for US dollars either, and certainly no defined exit. WWII showed the "Russians" (ie their leadership) are willing to bleed white in these circumstances (Stalingrad?)

The great hidden fact in history that has been obscured and severely distorted by our own Cold War propaganda and intense hate of the Soviet Union is that the Russians sacrificed so much more in WWII than the "west", and they were the army that essentially defeated Hitler and first entered Berlin, victorious. We focus on Normandy and D-Day, which was, yes, brutal, but nothing like what the Russians endured. And, they have a long history of fighting off invaders well. Like, Napoleon.
Hitler committed suicide and burned himself because he knew what was in store if the Red Army got to him. Pretty sure he would not have done that if the allies were first to Berlin.

[verticaldoug]

Originally Posted by Mr. Pink

That money gets diluted by future generations and unwise investments a lot. The Kennedy's high production of kids is proof of that, although old money probably cringes when the Kennedys are considered to be in the same club.
The new inheritance tax laws have helped protect those fortunes, for sure.

If you're ever near Hyde Park and have a day to kill, go visit FDR's home and then the Vanderbilt "cottage" up the road, both national park managed. Great physical representation of old money vs. new money in the 20s and 30s.

I prefer the display of fiscal might by the purchase of Cliveden by William Waldorf Astor who gave the property to his son, Waldorf when he married Nancy Langhome. Buy yourself a english title. The ultimate of old money needed to let in new to stay afloat.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliveden#Astor_era

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clived...r_Sargent.jpeg

As for the Vanderbilts, I prefer their cottages in Newport , RI

[Mr. Pink]

Originally Posted by redir

No the world is moving into a future that you might not understand.

Nope. No way. I know this is a defense, but, I read history. Reading a history of the finance world during the time of the Medeci's right now, as a matter of fact. The constant is greed and deceit and the conflicts that arise from them. And, of course, scamming and fraud. This is just another in the long line of "it's different today" three card monte dealers who talk fast and make it all sound complex, but, it really isn't. It's all a game with somebody trying to play you for your assets and money. Which is cool, I accept that, and the financial world is one big field of thieves and scoundrels, always was, always will be, but just don't try to tell me this is any different.

Originally Posted by redir

Perhaps it's different when you know people, like I do, from Mariupol who literally had to step over burning bodies to escape walking hundreds of miles to relative safety who swear that under no circumstances will ever give up the fight for their homeland.

Again, I will make this comparison, I don't think the average American would be submissive to an invader either. If Canada invaded and occupied the state of Maine do you thing the rest of America would make concessions and just say, well okay you can have Maine as long as you don't take anything else and no one gets hurt. ?

I can't imagine that happening.

Again, how so easily we forget history, if we even pay attention at all. Remember the Cuban missile crisis? Yeah, that was when Russia attempted to place missiles 60 miles from our border. How did that work out? Did we feel unprovoked? No. We reacted with the threat of nuclear war. Fortunately, it didn't come to that. But, the Cuban economy has been in tatters since. At least we didn't invade.
Btw, now that we are far away enough to that incident, we have learned that Kennedy was secretly negotiating with Khrushchev, and agreed to pull missiles from Turkey to calm things down. I hope we are talking like that now, but, doesn't seem like that's happening in public.

[prototoast]

So I guess, like, now we are debating whether or not to put national sovereignty on the blockchain. Maybe then Russia could just hack Ukraine's digital wallet, instead of killing so many people? Lord knows they love hacking.


Anyway, it's interesting to me that following ftx's collapse, I have read very little about FTX customers who lost money. Most of the stories I've read about people losing money in FTX were equity investors in the company, not customers. Is this just because they are all foreign and no one cares about them, or because there was never any actual currency involved, it was all just digital assets that were never really worth what they were estimated to be on paper?

[Mr. Pink]

Originally Posted by verticaldoug

As for the Vanderbilts, I prefer their cottages in Newport , RI

That was for the summer season. The cottage in Hyde Park was for visits in Spring and Fall. Then the home base in Manhattan for the winter.

[goonster]

Originally Posted by Mr. Pink

The great hidden fact in history

None of this is "hidden," it just reveals a very limited perspective in those who adopt that view.

BTW, when the U.S. sent aid to the Soviet Union, before being dragged into the war themselves, a non-interventionist cynic could have said they were willing to fight Germany "to the last Russian."

Originally Posted by Mr. Pink

Hitler committed suicide and burned himself because he knew what was in store if the Red Army got to him. Pretty sure he would not have done that if the allies were first to Berlin.

There is no evidence for that.

[Mr. Pink]

The tin foil hat crowd think he never killed himself.

I'm a child of the fifties and sixties, and my education was that the good old USA won that war. I went into near adulthood to learn that it wasn't so.

[rallizes]

so this thread is like whatever you want to talk about now?