Don’t ever give away anything that belongs to you. It only weakens you. If you must, take from one party and give it generously to another.
Rule 16: GENEROSITY
Author: Bill Kandiliotis
Corporaterrorism
“The counterterrorism measures of the past were set up in a vain attempt to thwart a phantom or at best, a scattered enemy. The proverbial terrorist threat that was supposed to threaten our way of life dissipated as the global economic downturn let loose a different breed of bedlam and carnage.
Political terrorism never works; it only serves to galvanize your opponents to behave even worse.
Economical terrorism has proved different. It actually works. It has rendered anti-terrorism laws ineffectual and has frightened off even the most unscrupulous of media moguls. No one talks about it. No one dares do anything about it.”
Trixani
Rule 15: REPUTATION
Reputation is everything.
A good reputation is to be nurtured and milked when necessary. Avoid being saddled with a bad reputation. Avoid it like one would the plague because a bad reputation is just that.
Bad.
Rule 14: MONEY vs. LOYALTY
Power based on money is very easy to achieve. But once you have it, it can easily fall apart. Anyone can be bribed. Mistrust, greed sets in, bang, you’ve lost your power.
Power based on loyalty is very difficult to achieve. Nobody ever trusts anybody or even really understands what the term loyalty actually means. But on the other hand, once you do establish your power based on loyalty, you can become… invincible.
Meganat
‘At which point will Meganat declare itself a sovereign state?’ – Goonsville
‘At a point when international competition laws make it impossible for Meganat to operate, the company will ultimately declare itself a sovereign state.’ – CYFERON
‘How would they claim legitimacy?’ – Goonsville
‘They’ll start by lobbying as many nations as they can. Small ones at first, the ones that would benefit from such a deal, get them to recognize them as an autonomous nation.’ – CYFERON
Shadowbark
“Who came up with this system?” – Bubblehead43
“Which system? Legal slavery? The Government!” – Diktator_J
“There is no such thing. International law is clear, No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.” – Shadowbark
“Dude, human trafficking is the largest industry in the world today. Figures vary, but around 620 million people worldwide are officially classed as economic slaves.” Diktator_J
“It is still outlawed by every single government in the international community.” Shadowbark
“In Arctica, debt bondage is legal. A person becomes a slave to work off a debt, in which the length and nature of work is never defined, so it becomes a never-ending cycle with the debt being passed down to the children thereby enslaving offspring. That’s 80% of the world’s population.” – Diktator_J
“That does not define slavery. Free will is at play here.” – Shadowbark
“Contract slavery! A homeless, starving person these days can sell themselves into slavery. You work for some bastard corporation without pay, and in return, you get food and shelter. Where is the choice in that?” – Diktator_J
“Having one human being working for another in order to live is slavery. Shouldn’t basic necessities in life be free?” – Bubblehead43
“We have to work in order to get money in order to buy shelter and food to live. If we don’t work, we don’t get any money to buy food and we die.” Shadowbark
“We have the technology, if we really wanted to.” – Bubblehead43
“Bubblehead, you’re a fucking idiot.” Shadowbark
WAVE://2T33:ENG7:55Y1:O009:11QW:TOST/shadowbark.vox
Economic Slavery
~shadowbark
As we envision the future of our society, it is crucial to recognize and address the potential challenges that lie ahead. One concerning aspect is the emergence and perpetuation of economic slavery. This essay delves into the concept of economic slavery in the future and highlights the profound impact it could have on individuals and society as a whole.
Economic slavery refers to a state in which individuals are trapped in oppressive economic systems that exploit their labor and limit their freedom. While not a traditional form of slavery, it shares similarities, as individuals find themselves trapped in cycles of poverty, dependence, and limited upward mobility.
In a future marked by economic slavery, structural inequalities become deeply entrenched. A small elite class controls and monopolizes resources, capital, and means of production, while the majority struggles to access basic necessities and economic opportunities. Exploitative labor practices, such as long hours, low wages, and limited workers’ rights, become normalized, perpetuating a system of economic subjugation.
As technology continues to advance, automation and artificial intelligence may replace a significant portion of the workforce, leading to widespread job displacement. In this scenario, economic slavery could arise when individuals are forced into exploitative labor arrangements due to limited employment options. They may find themselves trapped in precarious, low-paying jobs, lacking autonomy and the ability to improve their circumstances.
Another manifestation of economic slavery in the future could be through debt bondage and financial manipulation. Individuals burdened with crippling debt are beholden to lenders, perpetually trapped in a cycle of repayment, unable to escape their economic obligations. This form of modern-day indentured servitude restricts personal freedom and perpetuates economic inequality.
The consequences of economic slavery extend beyond the individual. A society plagued by widespread economic subjugation experiences a range of adverse effects. Social mobility stagnates, perpetuating generational poverty and limited opportunities for upward advancement. Economic disparities deepen, leading to social unrest, increased crime rates, and a loss of social cohesion. The overall well-being of society suffers as a result.
This Universe Wants To Kill You
Why are punters so afraid of nuclear technology? Is it the technology? Is it the word nuclear? This is as puzzling to me as modern politics and economics.
It makes no sense. This fear.
We exist in a universe that is constantly creating and destroying. Life is spawned from all this violence, and threatened by it. Life has to combat disease, superstorms, earthquakes, meteor impacts, supernovas, and gamma-ray bursts and that is just the natural world. The human world is even deadlier.
Continue reading “This Universe Wants To Kill You”Rule 13: AUXILIARIES
Avoid outsourcing! Dependency on such auxiliaries compromises security and your control over your acquisition.
The City State
“The modern trend towards city states during the past fifty years is mostly due to the demand for a simpler and broader trading system. It originated with the formation of an economic model that bypassed the hindrances of a myriad free trade agreements.”
Frank Tucker – CEO of MercurEx
The_City_State ^3xtract0r^TopFeeder^^CORE
Mars! One Way
It’s really hard not to facepalm when confronted by headlines stating that 100,000 have signed up for a one-way trip to Mars. A Dutch, non-profit (yes, that’s right, non-profit) company called Mars One is collecting human specimens, and raising six billion dollars, to send these people some 225 million kilometres, one way, to the planet Mars.
They call it colonization. They market it as a “stepping stone in human galactic expansion.”
Yes, that’s right, Galactic.
Continue reading “Mars! One Way”