I say yes, you say no, OR People are Strange

covertanjou

Bren, I told you it is Martians!

I am going out for dinner with 2 of my sisters tonight, so I am looking forward to a great supper and great company.   

R-R, It is IMO both the French and British influence.  The French-speaking people here are very laid back, and  English-speaking Canadians have a dry sense of humor.  We have a comedy fest every summer here, and it is such a blast.  It is about a week of comedy shows with some of the best comedians in the world coming here and performing.  The shows are often thematic: the nasty show (not for the easily offended), the relationship show, the British show, etc. 

River_Rat

Mary, yeah I meant both influences.  It's just that the British influence is the most immediately noticeable.  I had to think about the French and I do think it's the melding of those influences.

Where is the comedy fest held? 

Lindasa, wow Ryan Reynolds too? 

covertanjou

R-R, it is held in Montreal every July.  The shows are held in various venues in downtown Montreal. The shows are not that expensive, and some of them are just fantastic.  You can watch many of last summer's shows on Comedy Net (if you have that station).  Look for Just for Laughs, and you can watch some of the shows. If you like jazz music, Montreal also has a Jazz fest every summer. There are many outdoor concerts (that are free).

I sound like a  tourist guide for Montreal!  LOL>

  

208sandy

And they left out the "other Ryan" Gosling too.

208sandy

Medigal:

The Federal Reserve is NOT private owned by banks - it was formed by an Act of Congress and Congress oversees its operation - yes, there are private bankers involved they sit on the Board of Governors - the Fed Chairman (presently Ben Benanke previously Allan Greenspan) can be replaced I believe by the President - you may not believe in Wikipedia (lots of people don't) but they have quite a complete description of the whole process if you google it.

Sandy

River_Rat

Mary, go ahead and act as a tour guide all you'd like.  Montreal is on my list of places I've never been but would like to see.  I am somewhat intimidated by the language as my two years of French was over 40 years ago but with a little translator I think I can stumble through - and possibly provide some comedy myself.

Ryan Gosling too?  Maybe we should start a list of who isn't Canadian. 

bluedahlia

and Rachel McAdams. She graduated from the same acting conservatory as my daughter, only a few years earlier.

Maria, I visited your beautiful City 5 years ago. Only one problem, the traffic overwhelmed Ray and he wouldn't drive anywhere (and he's French)...we took the subway.

Ray picked up some Bourbon Chicken for dinner...yum!

1Athena1

Shaking my head!

Medigal, I just ask one favor: Please don't keep saying that the rest of us don't seem to care or that we don't want to question or see what is going on. I think everyone here cares very deeply and most have pretty well developed and oft used critical thinking skills.  I also suggest that you check your sources regarding the Fed, a public entity supervised directly by congress and operationally funded by taxpayers. 

1Athena1

Only one of the current members of the Fed board is a former banker. Besides Bernanke, the board includes two university professors and most are former high ranking government officials.

Here are some excerpts from the "kidspage" of the Fed web site: (http://www.federalreserve.gov/kids/#system)

 Congress created the Federal Reserve System on December 23, 1913, with the signing of the Federal Reserve Act by President Woodrow Wilson. The Federal Reserve System includes the Board of Governors and the twelve regional Reserve Banks. It took nearly a year from the time President Wilson signed the Act to determine the boundaries of the twelve Federal Reserve Districts and to establish the twelve regional Reserve Banks.

-----

The Board of Governors oversees the Federal Reserve System. It is made up of seven members who are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. The full term of a Board member is 14 years, and the appointments are staggered so that one term expires on each even-numbered year. After serving a full term, a Board member may not be reappointed. If a member leaves the Board before his or her term expires, however, the person appointed and confirmed to serve the remainder of the term may be later reappointed to a full term.

The Chairman and Vice Chairman lead the Board. They are also appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate.

 

Is this what Beck meant by banks "owning" the Fed? If so, he can't tell the difference between a voting shareholder and a paying stakeholder:

Member Banks
Approximately 38 percent of the 8,039 commercial banks in the United States are members of the Federal Reserve System. National banks must be members; state-chartered banks may join if they meet certain requirements. The member banks are stockholders of the Reserve Bank in their District and as such, are required to hold 3 percent of their capital as stock in their Reserve Banks. [I should add that you cannot sell this stock.]

Other Depository Institutions/American People
In addition to the approximately 3,000 member banks, about 17,000 other depository institutions provide the American people checkable deposits and other banking services. These depository institutions include nonmember commercial banks, savings banks, savings and loan associations, and credit unions. Although not formally part of the Federal Reserve System, these institutions are subject to System regulations, including reserve requirements, and have access to System payments services.

 

Now, the 12 reserve banks DO have a lot of private/public about them. But the main Fed is entirely controlled by the government and decisions are made by the government. It may be fair to say that some of the branches are too cozy with industry - it was said, with plenty of justification,  of the Fed bank in New York under Geithner's tenure, which included the period of the 2008 crash. So it may be legitimate to make the claim that the fed was beholden to private interests in the political sense. But if Beck said that the fed is owned by a group of private banks and not controlled by the government, that is not true. The fed is the "government" for monetary policy. It just isn't controlled by the executive branch. However, congressional oversight prevails.

It gets so tedious to have to spend so much time undoing Beck's messes. Honesty, if he just vomited, the clean-up operation would be infinitely simpler. Sigh!! 

See: http://www.federalreserveeducation.org/about-the-fed/structure-and-functions/ 

I'm sick of sweeping up after Beck and the like. First, abortion causes breast cancer, then something else, now this....

By the way, ladies and gentlemen, I tested positive for Martian bacteria. I also tested triple positive for caring deeply about my country and worrying about the misinformation that is allowed to spread. I tested quadruply positive for having a tendency to use humor to ease tension, express outrage and pass the time.  

208sandy

Covertangou:

I was born and grew up in Montreal (left in 1970) but wasn't there when the Montreal Comedy Festival began but understand from family that still lives there that it's a terrific time.  I don't get back to Montreal nearly so much since my sister passed away (8 years ago) but it is still my "home" and I miss it so much.  I worked and went to school downtown and eventually lived downtown as well - what a fun time it was I had to go out West to rest and never returned alas.

Sandy

River_Rat

Nice post, Athena.

I just wanted to include a site that I check every week for those who like to keep a check on bank financials.

http://www.fdic.gov/bank/individual/failed/banklist.html 

I keep check on things like that because I just don't care so much.  <end sarcasm>

rosemary-b

Excellent Athena. Posts like your last one are why I hang around here.

Medigal

Athena:  When did I say again that the rest of you don't care?  My recent post was just about what I heard on Beck's show.  He had men on it who seemed to verify what I posted and I was so astounded because it was not anything I ever learned about the Federal Reserve!  But when I googled up info to find out what was going on, the info came up basically agreeing with what Beck reported and named all these banks who were basically our Federal Reserve!  It was a shock to me to see this.  What I think happened was that Beck takes pieces of info and puts it together to misinform his audience for the "shock" value.  I am furious with him for this and I deeply regret falling into his trap again and giving misinformation to this group.   When I googled "Who controls the Federal Reserve?" on google, all I got was the names of well-known banks and the members on them who do the controlling. So I believed Beck was correct.

I am as sick of this now as you are and will not share anything having to do with Beck or politics or our country in any future posts while I stay a part of this group.  I can see how this can anger those of you especially when the info is incorrect.  It is not like me to give incorrect information out.  It's not who I am and I do not want to cause any more strife on this board.  "I" am more angry at myself right now than you can be at me.    Thank you so much for clarifying things for me about the Federal Reserve.   What you posted was more in store with what I always understood.  Sorry I have put you through this additional stress but I assure you it is the last time.  

kad2kar

MEDIGAL....dont leave this thread please!!! You are one of the main reasons I listen in on this thread. It's joyful,thoughtful,delightful,scary,funny and all kinds of other descriptive words. I dont join in on most everything as Im not a fast typist and I dont know the meaning of Conservative,Liberal, Left or Right(except where to place hand for the Pledge of Allegiance) I love the heated, warm and cool discussions here and learn so much. So PLEASE stay here and keep me informed as you and all the girls are doing!!!  kad

1Athena1

Medi-pal, don't be so hard on yourself. I am not angry at you. Give yourself a break. We have all been misled and fallen into traps. 

bluedahlia

(((((Medipal))))

konakat

Medigal -- you should cook brussel sprouts in your new cookware.  There sure are a lot of recipes to try from this thread!

Medigal

kad2kar:  Dear one, thank you so much for your kind words but it seems I am not informed enough to stay a part of this group.  I am tired of falling "into traps". 

River-rat:  Your sarcasm is not well-taken at this time.  It just so happens every Saturday morning the first thing I do is check the "Failed Banks" list to make sure those I am interested in are still sound.  That also informs me as to the shape the banking system is in.  I have numerous sites on finances I check and have done so for over 40 years.  Politics is not my only interest.  Finances and Medicine are also important to me.  It just seems like I do much better with the Finances and Medical than with Politics these days.   BTW, how long does one have to "pay" for irritating certain members of this group?  At least when one goes to jail, you know what your term is.  

Athena:  I will give myself a break.  From this group.  You are beginning to remind me of another group and that means I have overspent my time here.  Enjoy yourselves and find another patsy. It won't be "me" any longer.   Blue:  I will miss your avatar so I guess I must get myself a photo of Jim.   Adieu ladies!

bluedahlia

Well I'm off to watch Fringe.  Medigal, you are being way too sensitive, but I still love ya!

1Athena1

I'm off to see if there is anything worth watching on cable TV these days, after Oprah hijacked my favorite channel (Discovery Health) and Court TV became "Tru TV."

River_Rat

Medigal, I was simply trying to point out that I do care.  Sorry you took it the wrong way, but it seemed that you thought that everyone that wasn't as worried as you about certain things either didn't care or had their head in the sand or some such.  Maybe you didn't realize that your remarks seemed an insult.  I would grant that you probably didn't mean it that way.  I don't mean to be insulting in return I was just trying to point out that just because somebody doesn't agree doesn't mean they don't care or whatever.

I think that everybody here cares.  I think that's why we're here.  I would never say you don't care.  I don't think you're stupid.  I don't think you don't research things.  I've never said any of that and I don't think anybody else has either.  We simply disagree, and geez why would you think that everybody should agree?  We all have different life experiences and come to the table with different viewpoints.

I hope everybody stays.  The more the merrier! 

otter

Well, since I am presently sitting in a motel room in south-central Kentucky, I guess I'm obliged to watch the Kentucky-Ohio State basketball game.  Dinner was an all-you-can-eat buffet at a nearby "Ryan's".  (I thought Ryan's was a steak house -- that's why I wanted to go there.)  I had a tasty (and fresh!) salad, a half-dozen popcorn shrimp, and a large pile of steamed baby carrots.  I wasn't very hungry because I'd been munching snack foods and drinking black coffee all afternoon in an attempt to stay awake and alert.  I am driving our car, and dh is driving the car we inherited earlier this month.  I've never driven the whole distance (1,200 miles) myself before. 

Hugs to all of you, including those who think I've insulted them by sidestepping their comments about U.S. politics and choosing to discuss my dinner menu and evening entertainment instead. [Edited to remove sort-of-snarky comment about 9th-grade civics class.]

otter

annettek

Just popping in to say I disagree. Or agree. Depends.

revkat

Hey Otter, good to see you again. I was so sorry to hear about your mother's death. I hope you are headed home or out for a much deserved rest with your DH.

I would love your opinion on Dr. Weiss's new publication

http://community.breastcancer.org/livegreen/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/TPLG-Booklet1.pdf 

There's a thread about it.

No brussel sprouts here, but lots of sugar snap peas from the garden,  

covertanjou

Sandy, I had no idea you were from Montreal.  You must come back and enjoy the festivals here.  Summer in Montreal is like no other place in the world.

For all of you thinking of visiting Montreal, you can get around without speaking French well (or at all).  Most of us will be more than happy to help tourists who need help.  

I just came back from supper.  I had a great salad with lots of veggies and grilled chicken.   YUM

crazy4carrots

(((Otter))) -- so good to see you again.  Safe trip home!

Annette --  Cute post!  I was going to say Depends.  Or Poise.  (sorry, first thing that came to my mind!)  And what would be the point of conversation if we all agreed with each other all the time?  A yawn fest, for sure!

Covert -- A trip to beautiful Montreal sounds like a great idea.  We used to go frequently but haven't been for years.

pickle

I love Montreal but haven't been there in years. I am originally from Nova Scotia before venturing west but visited Montreal a few times and and fell in love with it. My oldest broher was a DJ at a radio station in Montreal back in the 70's. It used to be CFOX radio but later became a CHUM radion station. I spenT a month there with him when I was 14. I stayed in Dorval and Dollard des Ormeaux. Plenty of spoken English in Montreal. My son was just in Quebec city and Montreal on business and loved it too. He doesn't speak french and never had a problem conversing with anyone there. He loved the Architecture and history in Quebec city. Montreal has a very Europen flair to it and the dining and nightlife is terrific.

Cheers

Beth

Alpal

Otter - are you in Bowling Green? If so, that's my home town. Hope you're cheering for the CATS since you're in Kentucky! Drive safely tomorrow.

BarbaraA

Kudos to Kentucky and GO GATORS!

1Athena1

I will have to guess that you are talking about basketball? (Ignorance present for all to see )