A resident of Shanghai, author Richard Turrin previously headed fintech teams at IBM, following a twenty-year career at global investment banks. In the first half, he discussed what it's like living in China, his first-hand experience of witnessing China going cashless, and how digital currency will change the world. Turrin said that as an American, he is treated well in China and has found people to be friendly. Many citizens there, including himself, use digital apps to conduct their transactions, rather than paying with cash. Regarding the BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and additional countries) changing from the dollar as their global currency reserve, it's not because they dislike America; it's because when they trade with each other, they don't want to pay fees to convert dollars to their local currency, he explained. The BRICS nations plan to move to a digital currency, but it's not a form of cryptocurrency like Bitcion, it will be backed by their central banks, he specified.
This currency change could be disruptive to the dollar, he conceded, but it will be transitioned over a period of up to 20 years, so he doesn't expect any kind of economic crash in America. Moving to a digital cash system in the US, Turrin believes, will actually be financially advantageous. In the future, "we will have the digital means of payments that are free or near free. And that will make it very hard for Visa, MasterCard, and other digital payment schemes to charge two or 3% for their use." He also argued that the system will have greater privacy and security than credit cards. It's important to understand that cash will still be available for those who want to use it, he added. Regarding fears of the "mark of the beast" – some kind of microchip implanted in people to make transactions, Turrin finds this unlikely and said that technology currently exists for people to be recognized by their face or palm to serve as their personal ID.
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Consulting hypnotist, psychic and medium, Pat O'Keefe, along with psychic medium, Misty Connor, specialize in Appalachian Conjuring and Granny Witch Magick. In the latter half, they spoke about their folk magic practices, the power of herbs, and the wisdom of their mountain ancestors. O'Keefe cited how many "Granny" or witch remedies going back to the late 1700s, like the knowledge of which herbs to treat congestive heart failure, were verified by doctors, and today pharmaceutical companies have commercialized herbal remedies, some of which date back to this era. She noted that many granny women in the Appalachian Conjuring tradition believed in God and the Bible and, for instance, recited the Lord's Prayer or different proverbs when someone had an illness. In the pagan tradition, these might be considered spells, but for them it was prayer, she explained.
O'Keefe characterized magic as a special ability to use energy. "That energy... is God's energy--to be able to pull that energy and create a reality if you will" of one that did not exist before. Conner talked about how folk practitioners such as herself use the term conjurer rather than witch to describe what they do. She said she incorporates a lot of protection magic into her practice, with such items as railroad stakes and salt. A variety of tools, like a pendulum, board, or dowsing rod can allow for your magic or intuition to come through it, but it is essential to to be appropriately trained to use these objects, Conner cautioned. For more on O'Keefe and Conner, watch them in the documentary "Season of the Witch," streaming for free on Tubi.
News segment guests: Christian Wilde, Kevin Randle