allanos

"An old man comes across a small boy sitting on the ground, crying.

What are you crying for, asks the old man?

Because I can't do what the big boys do, was the reply.

Then, the old man sat down and cried too!"

This whole age "thing" is very much a psychological thing. I am well aware that, at 76, I cannot do the things I did when I was much younger. But that doesn't make me feel old. 

I have a few of the conditions related to advanced age, and take medication for them. It still doesn't make me feel old in any way.

Not many of the posters on here have talked about the importance of maintaining brain health, but that is probably key to it all. My suggestion would be to take a read of "The Edge Effect" , by Dr Eric Braverman.  He discusses the absolute importance of a healthy brain's effect on the body.

I believe my mental acuity is pretty sharp, at my age. To keep it that way, I start the day by taking "brain food" supplements with my breakfast; things like ashwaganda, siberian ginseng, coconut oil, and so on, for cognitive clarity. I do believe they have a positive effect. Despite being a party animal in my younger days, I have never smoked, and thank the Lord for that.

At age 73, I started writing my first novel. Hope to complete it before my next birthday. It is keeping my mind and brain active, no question!                   

Have I changed over my 76 years? For sure!

In my youth, I was carefree and likeable. This changed over time as I faced, and contended with, the realities of the outside world.

I was something of a "womaniser" for the better part of my adult life, but more of a "love 'em and leave 'em type". Through all of those relationships, I think I can truthfully say that none of the women "done me bad"; it was the other way around, and when I give thought to how I dumped many other them, now, I am sincerely remorseful. 

I once read a novel called "Harry, the rat with women".  I cannot remember anything about the story, at this stage, but the title seems to characterise me.

As I have got older, so I have become more thoughtful, self-critical and introspective. I don't like a lot of what I find inside, and mentally chastise myself. The only way to cope with these feelings is to push them to the back of my mind.

In the Autumn of my life, I live alone. It suits me and my particular brand of selfishness. I am not at all unhappy, and feel I am good enough company for myself, although I thank goodness for the internet, You Tube, Wikipedia, Google, et al. Where would I be without them?

I am close to achieving a decades-old goal of authoring a novel. I have been working on it for close to three years, but can see the end is in sight and  hope to complete before my next birthday.

"Elton" should also man up! Tesla is not making its money from manufacturing and selling motor cars (however they are paid for).

Other than the windfall from the Bitcoin Tesla bought for their Treasury, Tesla makes its money from selling carbon credits.

For this, they need to be plugged in to the US Government.

Someone must have given Elton a wake-up call, so he decided to do a bit of virtue-signalling, declaring that Bitcoin is an affront to ESG etc., even though the facts are that the majority of Bitcoin mining is green.  Has anyone taken a look at the mining industry for example, gold, and the energy it consumes compared with Bitcoin?

But note, Elton and Tesla are not selling any of their Bitcoin, so what does that tell you?

The recent incumbent as Chairman of the SEC is something of a crypto expert.  He teaches a course on crypto at MIT (I think it is). When he talks about crypto's place, and where he sees it, what sort of regulation it may need, and so on, he is quite matter-of-fact, and not dogmatic, unlike Janet Yellon or Christine Lagarde, for example.

I believe his input and response iro XRP may be more nuanced and that there will be some kind of settlement of the issue.

I believe there is still a good upside to XRP.

"There is a subtle hilarity to (figuratively) the career welder from Blackpool, the warehouse manager from Darwin, and the goat herder from Waikato coming onto Thai Visa, confidently airing their takes on the direction of financial innovation, and then congratulating each other for it"

The post above is very elitist, and is sure to ruffle a few feathers. If the cap fits, and all of that . . . 

But behind the sarcasm is a lot of truth. The majority of the members making ribald or facetious comments about Bitcoin do not have a jot of understanding about it.  But worse, they have little or no understanding of economics, and what makes the money world tick! 

On a good day, fiat money is losing value (purchasing power) at around 1% per month. For those poor at math, that is, give or take, 12% per year. Do not believe the inflation figures your government feeds you with. They are massaged!

If you don't believe this statement, look at the prices of your regularly-purchased items on the supermarket shelves, and compare them to a year ago. Better still, go online and check what USD $100 bought ten or twenty years ago, compared to today.  It is quite a shock!

What am I saying?  The Fed, because of fiscal and monetary policy of the US Government, is printing money like never before; a 26% increase in one year, over that printed for around the last 100 years.  It is eroding the value of your hard-earned money; in effect, it is a tax on you, but done silently, surreptitiously! US debt is around $28 trillion, and counting. Go online and check the debt clock if you don't believe me.

But you may say, "Ah! Hold on chum, I am from the UK, France, Japan etc.

what has it got to do with me"? The answer is lots, and none of us is immune.  All of the governments are also inflating money supply, for domestic reasons and to maintain currency parity with the US Dollar.

So, when the US, Europe, the UK, start to issue digital currency, which many on hear believe will be the death of Bitcoin and other crypto, it is still fiat, and will operate alongside paper notes and all other fiat-based assets, like bonds, property etc. So, no difference, then. Inflation will be no different than today, although, very likely, it will be higher due to monetary policy; running riot even!

Jerome Powell, Chairman of the Fed, has recently stated that Bitcoin is an asset and not currency. He is simply reinforcing what Bitcoin investors have believed all the while, that Bitcoin is digital gold.

Ponzi scheme? For those who call Bitcoin a Ponzi scheme, they neither know how a Ponzi scheme works, nor how Bitcoin works.  In fact, the Bitcoin code has a 4-yearly halving written into it, an inverse arrangement to how Ponzi's work, so I would say to these people, wake up!

When I was in high school, one teacher (who, at the time, was considered a bit of an old duffer), imbued us with the principles behind the following quotation: "It is better to say nothing, and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt".

I commend this adage to those bleating about Bitcoin and other crypto, who simply have no meaningful knowledge of it.

26 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

This is making no sense whatsoever and if you understood him correctly seems  an extraordinary thing to say.

 

See a urologist. A manual digital exam will be first step and very helpful in that it will indicate how large the prostate is and whether its shape is smooth and regular.

 

Trans rectal ultrasound might or might not then be recommended.  If this looks OK and the prostate manual exam feels consistent with BPH sometimes they will wait on that and just follow the PSA at say 6 monthly intervals  rather than proceeding to biopsy.

 

Majority of men with a PSA of 5.9 do not have cancer. Common causes are benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) and prostatitis.  Also if you had sexual activity or heavy exercise in the 48 hours before the test this could have givenan elevated reading.

 

I can't say you don't have cancer but I can say that unless there are findings not mentioned, it is far from sure or even probable.

 

See urologist. It soynds like you ate not in Thailand?

Thanks again, Sheryl, for your considered and expert response.  I shall act on your advice.

No sexual activity immediately prior (I wish), no heavy exercise nor bicycle riding.

Because of the call I received from my GP, and having no knowledge whatsoever of any immediate consequences of his diagnosis, I scheduled an appointment to see him on the Monday following his call to me on a Friday night.  I had a number of questions I needed answers to, and had, earlier that morning, taken a look at the American Cancer Society website for a bit of additional information.

I have certainly not misinterpreted what the doctor had to tell me.  He may have advanced his medical opinion based on a PSA test I had in 2014 or so, which was returned as normal.

One test he didn't perform, which is a PSA ratio test, I have asked him to test for me when I next visit him in around 7-10 days' time. He told me he didn't run this particular test because he was trying to keep my out of pocket costs down, which I accept.

I am not in Thailand currently.

5 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

You could not possibly have been diagnosed with cancer if you have not even had a biopsy yet. Are you sure this is what your doctor told you (as opposed to cancer being one of several possibilities)?

 

Where are you being treated? Was it a urologist who said this? Based on what besides PSA? (Majority of PSAs in that range are not due to cancer).

 

 

Thanks for the interest and for taking the time to reply, Sheryl.

It was told me by my GP, who made a point of a late evening cell call to give me the results of the PSA.  He has stated that I can see a urologist if I so wish, mentioning an ultrasound scan and an internal examination to confirm. However, I got the distinct impression that he was dissuading me from this course of action as perhaps being unnecessary, as he was quite firm in his opinion already. I may be wrong, of course.

1 hour ago, yuznmeez said:

oppps, forgot the link. 

Mish Cocktail.

https://mishtalk.com/economics/cancer-free-i-beat-prostate-cancer-mish-the-guinea-pig

Thank you for posting. I have copied and pasted the "cocktail" supplements, some of which I am already taking, but not all.

Would you mind sharing over what period you took yours, to achieve your lowered and normal PSA score?

Do you maintain the same dietary regimen?

Thank you.

Thank you for your kind reply, Sheryl, and no, I have not had a biopsy yet. I am trying to evaluate all of my options before an invasive approach. My diagnosis came just over 3 weeks ago.

For your information, I am 76 years old. It has been said to me that I am more likely to die of old age, or some other factor, than from the prostate cancer.

A recent PSA test came back with a level of 5.9. My doctor has diagnosed prostate cancer and feels it is at an early stage, with no particular planned treatment ahead.

I would be interested in comments from others who have had a similar diagnosis, and what steps they may have taken to contain it.

My thanks in advance.

5 minutes ago, yuznmeez said:

PSA went from 4, to 6 then to 10. I Pretty much ignored it. I started taking the "mish cocktail" and over

3 months, PSA went from 10 to 1.7.  

 

Please explain the meaning of a "mish cocktail".

There are, perhaps, hundreds of thousands of men who find blow-up dolls attractive, lol.

Beauty is most definitely in the eye of the beholder!

Ritz, glitz and tits!      ????

I found all of the girls striking, but many did not seem to be

representative of the ethnicity of their home country.

Perhaps this is not important in a beauty pageant, and it is just

my wishful thinking.

The Deer Hunter - De Niro, Streep, Walken

35 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

Telepathy requires no language but that of the recipient.

And of course, there is the "universal translator" you never seen Star Trek....lol

In fact, I have not even seen or viewed ONE episode of Star Trek.  I guess the Universal Translator might solve the problem, Lol!

Not too sure about the first part of your reply, though.  When transferring one's thoughts, they would surely need to be unscrambled by the recipient into something equally meaningful as the original transmission?

I don't believe you have satisfactorily solved my "puzzle". I could go on and ask the question, "how does a burning bush talk"? ????

Begs the question "in what language did the alien speak to you when he made you 'King of the World'"? How could you possibly understand him?

It's the same conundrum I have with Adam of the Old Testament, Moses of the burning bush fame, Mohammed and his visitations, and those of Joseph Smith of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and his golden tablets.

In what language did the unearthly beings involved in all of these instances communicate?

The Rolex movement is "perpetual", and not battery-driven. The "second" hand is a 360-degree sweep type. 

I did some business with a Londoner, many years ago, who told me he used to be a fake Rolex purveyor. Had the boxes, guarantee paper etc. made up in Spain, seemingly.

Caveat emptor (let the buyer beware)!

I have to ask myself the question, why, if Bitcoin is a scam or a ponzi scheme as many of the dilettantes on TVF and elsewhere claim, are major institutions, listed corporates, large banks and financial organisations, and high-profile investors taking positions in this crypto and others? Let me make a small list:

Massachusetts General (added $100m BTC to their treasury) 

Microstrategy (BTC holdings now somewhere in the region of $2bn)

Tesla (Elon Musk famously bought $1.5bn for the Tesla treasury)

Morgan Stanley

Citi Bank

Wells Fargo

Square

Grayscale

Pay Pal

Visa

Goldman Sacks

Mark Cuban (owner of the Dallas Mavericks)

Kevin O'Leary ("Mr Wonderful")

George Soros (recently, Bitcoin to be included in some of his funds)

There are also at least seven etf filings with the SEC waiting for approval.

There are a host of other actors in this space. And for people who claim Bitcoin is unregulated, they lack the understanding that Wall Street players, and others, are constrained about what they can do with shareholders' funds, and have to file with the SEC to obtain the necessary approvals to include Bitcoin in their operations.

I am a simple guy, but the endorsement of Bitcoin by such luminaries leaves me in no doubt that it is a part of the future of finance, in one form or another. I have no wish to die wondering, "what if" . . .

It is wise to remember that FB was founded and run by a lefty liberal, or what these days is called a "progressive". 

It seems that the unspoken rationale of FB is to make swathes of money through advertising, whilst promoting a distinct, biased agenda (under the guise of preventing "unthinking" others from being "exposed" to right-wing thought, misinformation or disinformation as decided by the "manipulators-behind-the-scenes).

In pursuit of vasts amount of advertising dollars, Face Book cleverly manipulates its readers/ users' demographics by employing directed algorithms created by psychologists. Our personal information, likes, dislikes and foibles, are all stored on its servers, and accessed according to particular marketing directions and endeavours.

It is possible that the US Congress has finally woken up to the "covert" operations of FB, Twitter, et al, and are undertaking an investigation with a view to curtailing some of the most egregious of these activities.

However, with the above caveats in mind, I personally do use Face Book, but am as judicious with it as far as I possibly can be.

So, like the other communications tools available to us in the modern era, sms, email, WhatsApp, and so on, it has a definite place in the panoply, but "handle with care"!

I am old enough to remember when sex was safe and cars were dangerous!

Born in 1945 in a British coastal city, my growing up followed a similar path to some of the posters of the same age here.

I left Britain when I was 20 years old, and have led a life rich in pleasures and experiences, whilst trying to improve my character and finances along the way (not always successful on both counts, though).

I am now in the Autumn of my years and still trying to improve myself. Fortunately, I am in (relatively) good health, never having smoked and always trying to eat reasonably well.

My four children have had good educations and are settled and established in their maturing years and I have little to worry about on that score, so there is some cause for satisfaction, despite two broken marriages. 

All in all, a great life, not always easy. I try to avoid thinking about the bad times and try to remember only the fun and the good.

I am thankful to have been born where and when I was, with the parents I had, with feet in both the camps of the analogue world and the technological era which followed on.  

Do I give thanks to a higher power each day, for the accident of birth which didn't consign me to the rubbish heap of humanity where billions of people scrabble to survive and eke out a living, each and every day? You betcha!