TED Community » Lindsay Newland Bowker

More About Me

I'm passionate about

unwinding the plutonomy web, restoring soundness and consumer protections to banking and financial markets, dignity and quality of life for the aging and for persons with cognitive disabliy

An idea worth spreading

"LegBook" a legislative version of facebook/skype combined requiring plain english on line access by suject to bills before a legislative body and enabling remote participation at hearings.http://lindsaynewlandbowker.posterous.com/legbook-keeping-citizens-in-the-deliberative

People don't know that I'm good at

singing,celestial navigation, bluewater sailing

My TED Story

Happened to see a telecast of a TED Conference and had been checking in from time to time to see what's new at TED. The new conversations section is a great way for people to rerally visit the ideas in presentations that stirred their hearts or imaginations and it seems already a place that may be an incubator for future TED talks.

Comments

• TEDCred score: +58.60 TEDCred reflects your contribution to the TED community.

• A comment on Conversation: What do you think of fear? Do we need? Can you take it out of your life?

  Mar 17 2013: Look up our last conversation on this here at Ted. A fascinating read and lead to such contention and anger that the TED censors were very very very busy. I won't try to summarize it or characterize it except to say there were two competing points of view..one that fear is egoic and disempowering..something too be overcome..the other that fear is somehow a valid and intrinsic part of identity.
• +1

  A comment on Conversation: What is the most important thing you've learned on your own?

  Mar 17 2013: that I possess ( we all do) an intrinsic and unique authenticity and that living from, speaking from that in a way that is turned outward to the world , to serving life, to serving humanity) is what brings me the best vibes

• A reply on Conversation: What would happen to an economy if physical precious metals were legal tender currency?

  Mar 17 2013: until our war debt got bigger than our gold reserves..that's when we shifted to silver certificates and then we needed to have a bigger money supply than we had silver to back it so we went fiat. The whole problem is that our economy is premised on a non viable growth rate that requires a non sustaianable expansion of our mney supply that can never attain balance or stability.

• A reply on Conversation: What would happen to an economy if physical precious metals were legal tender currency?

  Mar 17 2013: 100% correct Carolyn..and not just african nations ( which includes Libya by the way) but also Iraq wanted to do that. That in combination with demanding that their petroleum be settled in their gold back currency would instantly devalue the UK and US currencies to a level that would shift the balance of power.

• A reply on Conversation: What would happen to an economy if physical precious metals were legal tender currency?

  Mar 17 2013: that may well be so but shifting for the U.S., the UK and all other nations on fractional reserve would create a major shift in the balance of power globally towards those countries that both posses critical global resources ( like gold & oil) and who have sufficient gold reserves to have a strong and viable gold backed currency. ( see my earlier Ted discussion on this)

• A reply on Conversation: What would happen to an economy if physical precious metals were legal tender currency?

  Mar 17 2013: yes it would implode.

• A comment on Conversation: What would happen to an economy if physical precious metals were legal tender currency?

  Mar 17 2013: Well, the U.S.and U.K economy, among others would collapse and those who have a shot at a gold standard and are actually seeking one ( both Libya and Ira were moving towards that). We are locked into our shaky fiat system of "funny money" and we could easily be brought down if enough "players" change the game or insist that oil and other commodities be settled in their own gold backed currency..
  
  I actually think currency should have a measureable common global value.but the U.S,and the U.K. could not conceivably willingly choose that without risking a long time of economic collapse and uncertainty
  
  What we really need to do to stabilize our economy and make our currency "real" is figure out how to achieve sustainable balance..to get off needing to grow at 3% plus per year. Then we would be getting somewhere worth getting..

• A reply on Conversation: Are science & spirituality one and the same?

  Mar 16 2013: lovely and very much Einsteins own sense on this question
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  A comment on Conversation: Are science & spirituality one and the same?

  Mar 16 2013: Einstein spoke as powerfully and elqouently as anyone could to this in his famous lecture at the Princeton Theological seminary.
  
  I hesitate to summarize it without again first reading it myself but I love what he said so much I think I can do it some justice "off the top of my head"
  
  What he basically said is that they are two different vectors of humanity..two different expressions of humanity not meant to be reconciled and not necessarily reconcilable but both essential expressions of humanity. He characterized spiritulaity as that open yearning towards something beyond what we know and "possess"..sort of the universal wordless fire in the belly of humanity that keeps us asking questions and looking for answers and evolving towards something worhy. Spirituality he said is about our aspirations and dreams and inspirations.
  
  Please don't rely on my characterization..Please do read it. So beautiful.
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  A comment on Conversation: Is capitalism sustainable?

  Mar 16 2013: I like Iceland's answer to that question.because it actually visited that question as a nation and decided that sustainability, thrievability included so much more than capitalism and expressed that in a beuatiful, eloquent crowd sourced constituion.
  
  Our U.S. Constiutution is actually capitalist and colonilaist..it is a far cry from the eloquently humanitarian and egalitarian vision of the declaration of independence. Jefferson actually visited that when he became president and decided that the ship f state would eventually tack towards what was expressed in the dxelaration of independence and to some extent that has happened.
  
  By its very definition and workings capitalism eventually includes a 1% who have all the wealth and power and disenfranchised 99% . It is only that false hope that everyone has an equal shot at wealth and advancement that allows it to perpetuate. Now the 99% get that. With no riots upheaval or war the 99% are already leading us away from capitalism towards an economic and social vision that is not only sustainable but hopefully thriveable..