Josh C

So I understand that the federal reserve is a for profit bank that is the head bank of the United States. I also understand that it has the ability to create money out of thin air so to speak. So in essence it can lend out money that it has in reserves at a fixed ratio, say 9:1. In other words, for every dollar it has in reserve, it can lend out another 9.

So my questions are these:

1. Can all banks lend out at this type of ratio, and who controls the ratio? Can Credit Unions lend out at this type of ratio?

2. Wheres does the fed get its reserves from?

3. If they are for-profit, I assume their profit comes from interest. If so, shouldn't they give a cut to the federal government since this is basically who oversees them?

4. I always hear about the fed choosing interest rates so as to control the market. But these interest rates are no where near what you see at you local bank. Who is it exactly that gets these type of interest rates and who are the clients of the federal reserve?

So I understand that the federal reserve is a for profit bank that is the head bank of the United States. I also understand that it has the ability to create money out of thin air so to speak. So in essence it can lend out money that it has in reserves at a fixed ratio, say 9:1. In other words, for every dollar it has in reserve, it can lend out another 9.

So my questions are these:

1. Can all banks lend out at this type of ratio, and who controls the ratio? Can Credit Unions lend out at this type of ratio?

2. Wheres does the fed get its reserves from?

3. If they are for-profit, I assume their profit comes from interest. If so, shouldn't they give a cut to the federal government since this is basically who oversees them?

4. I always hear about the fed choosing interest rates so as to control the market. But these interest rates are no where near what you see at you local bank. Who is it exactly that gets these type of interest rates and who are the clients of the federal reserve?

This question is about wages and how they pertain to the very rich... i.e. ceo's, movie and sports stars, doctors, lawyers, some business owners. Some of these people can make upwards to 1 million dollars/year or more. Some people that are college educated and hard working struggle to earn $50,000/year. 1 million dollars is 20 times the amount of $50,000, and some people that make 5 million dollars/year amount to 100 times $50,000/year. Anyways, how do some people justify these kind of wages- are we saying they are that many times more valuable than the other person? Are they that many more times talented, capable, or hard-working? Since these people can be paid so high, should we tax them more? Just wondering thoughts, maybe if any Republicans or Tea Partiers can answer since they seem to believe more in the free market. Oh, and I'm not saying that some people don't deserve higher wages than others. I'm more so wondering if they deserve AS much.

Does anyone in the banking industry know why such transactions can't be real time? Why does it sometimes take up to a few days to process a transaction? I mean we live in the electronic age- it doesn't seem like this should be a problem. The reason I ask is because a few times I have been charged a ridiculous overdraw fee for making a transaction that I supposedly didn't have the money for because one day the money is there, but when the transaction is run a few days later, the money may not be there anymore because of other banking transactions. This problem would be solved if transactions could be done real time, because then the bank would not allow the transaction if I didn't have the money for it. You may say write down your expenses so you know exactly how much money you have in your accounts, but I don't know one person that does that. Most people just have an idea of how much money is in their account- they don't know the dollar and penny amount. If anyone knows what I'm talking about and has an answer, I'd appreciate your input. I've also noticed that Debit transactions seem to go through a lot quicker than Credit Card transactions, but Debits can still take a good day or two.

My question is in regards to the high fuel prices. As far as I understand, the high prices are in response to more demand and a limited short term supply. So in essence, aren't the oil companies that are making huge profits pretty much utilizing price gouging? In fairness, do you think the oil companies should turn over these profits to the consumer in the form of gas taxes on the companies themselves? I think that Obama is supporting something like this on his campaign, and although I'm not sure which candidate I'm supporting, this sounds like a good idea. What are your opinions on this matter? Would this be beneficial and what would be the possible drawbacks?

I measured my waist with a tape measure and came up with a waist of 38 inches, but I can easily fit into most 34 inch waist size pants. Now the 38 is a relaxed waist measurement, but most of the time my waist is relaxed when I have my pants on, so what's the deal? Do pants makers have some agenda to make us seem skinnier than we actually are?

I can sometimes be shy around girls at first and have trouble initiating a conversation, but after that I usually have no problems around girls. I guess I have more of a problem telling which girls might be interested in me. If you smile at a guy, is it more often than not to show that you like a guy? Also what about casual glances at a guy maybe as he is walking by? I've noticed that some women will not even look at you at all, and others will just kind of glance at your face. How would women interpret some things like these? Are these the type of women I should strike up a conversation with, or not necessarily?

If you are friends with a guy, does it ever blossom into a romantic relationship or can you picture such a thing happening? I usually get the impression that once a friend with a girl, always a friend. Do any of you know of personal experiences where two friends have ended up seeking a relationship? A lot of times when a girl says "let's just be friends" it seems like she is saying "I like you, but not in that kind of way". Whereas, men that are friends with women more likely than not want to have something more with the girl.

Why does it seem that all the atheists/non-believers come to the religion and spirituality forum and input their ideas, usually negative in nature towards the believers. And then on top of that, it seems like people that put forth an idea relating to God in an answer always get more thumbs down than thumbs up. Shouldn't there be more believers in this area of yahoo? Do non-believers have some sort of vendetta against the believers? Can't we all just respect each other for their beliefs, believer or not? I would like to know your thoughts on this matter....

I know that a consequence of relativity is time dilation. I can understand how this works with events and such, since most events relate to light or some process such as electricity. I've heard of experiments where planes have traveled really fast and recorded time dilations with atomic clocks. This makes sense. But I also read that it works with biological processes too. Can someone explain how this works. I don't understand how the biology of the human body is related to light, electromagnetism, gravity, or the physics of special relativity.

I haven't studied this theory in depth, but was curious about some of the things it suggests. The theory states that no one has a special reference point, that all inertial frames of reference obey the same laws of physics, that the speed of light is c. But the theory also states that no matter can travel faster than the speed of light. So for example, if a spaceship leaves earth at .75c with another spaceship inside, then the new speed of light will still be c in their reference point. So technically couldn't the encapsulated spaceship then leave that spaceship at .75 c, and then we would have a spaceship traveling at 1.5c relative to earth, but this violates the theory that no matter can travel faster than c, but it also obeys it in a sense because the spaceship is only traveling at .75c relative the other spaceship and space/time reference point. For that matter, how fast can you really determine how fast something is traveling since there is no special reference point?

I know that they say you should get so many grains, vegetables, fruits, and such in your diet in one day, but I was wondering if it is possible with all the synthetic stuff made nowadays, if it possible to live healthy off just the main components like say all protein shakes and just meats, bread for carbs and fiber, a few fats, and a multivitamin. Isn't that pretty much all we need to survive? I mean I'm not planning on switching my diet, but it's just a hypothetical curious question I've wondered since nutritionists place so much emphasis on that food chart.

I was working out the other day and noticed that on the machine I was using, according to my weight and age, my fat burning zone should be around 130 bpm for my heart rate. The machine automatically pushes you to keep your heart rate around that level if you choose the fat burning workout. When I was doing the workout though, I felt more like I was doing a cool down, it just felt really easy! Is this really the optimal zone to be losing weight? Seems to me like the harder you work, the more calories you burn, and the more weight you lose.Also, sometimes when I do my cardio workouts, my heart rate will shoot up to 170-180. Is this dangerous at all? I feel normal when I push myself that hard, but again I think my target for cardio is supposed to be about 165 bpm. I'm a healthy guy, mid 20's, 5'10, medium build, and about 200 lbs if that information helps at all.

I'm curious what people think about the type of fuel vehicles will use say 10, 20, 50 years down the road. It just seems like right now there are so many possibilities, from electric, hydrogen, solar, biofuel, etc...

I'm just curious how women react when a guy might ask them out after only knowing each other for a short time, like say you just met at a party. Would the safer approach be to ask a lady for her number. I don't have a lady in mind, I'm just curious how women would respond. It just seems that the courting process can sometimes be rather slow and laborious, so I guess I'm trying to find what works for women. And if anyone else has ideas on how to speed up the process, please give me input. Thanks!

Ok, I've read in some of the posts on here about hairy men and the opposite sex... I'm naturally hairy, so I'm obviously curious about such a subject. My general impression is that women don't mind too much hair, but all seem to draw the line at the hairy back. I was kind of taken back by how vitriolic some women can seem to be by the thought of a hairy back. I mean, I understand that a hairy back is not appealing by any means (I happen to have one, of which I don't like 100%), but it seems like some women would not even consider dating a guy with a hairy back. Correct me if I'm wrong, but couldn't an analogy to a hairy back be cellulite for women(since some women have cellulite, and most men don't, and vice versa for men and women with hairy backs- I don't think most women have hairy backs) I don't hear men going around saying how they wouldn't date a girl for her cellulite. So why do women see a hairy back like a serious flaw, when it seems to be just nature gone bad?

Has anyone noticed if drivers seem to be less alert in the morning and a LOT slower than in the afternoon? I'm always trying to get to work really fast, and it seems like everyone else is taking their sweet time.