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Six Feet Under – a series review
Jan24 by howardadelman
Six Feet Under, created and written by Alan Ball, is a TV series than ran for five seasons between 2001 and 2005 and is currently streaming on HBO. In its time, it won numerous awards: nine Emmies, three Screen Actor Guild Awards, three Golden Globes and a Peabody Award. It is reputedly one of the best and highest rated series to have ever been shown on television. People are not just buried six feet down but six feet under where the turmoil of primal emotions are also buried against a backdrop of psychoanalysts in the role of grave robbers of psychic souls.
We just watched the first two seasons and the beginning of the third season. In one sense, it is odd writing a review of a show broadcast two decades ago. But since the series is a rather macabre one that takes place in a funeral home in Los Angeles where death is set against the background of ocean, hills and magnificent weather of what was then regarded as paradise before the area was ravaged by fire and floods, a retrospective may be in order. Especially when the viewer only gets occasional glimpses of paradise and the foreground is filled with mundane ordinariness, dead bodies, and kinky sex before the episodes revert back to ordinary psychological and social catastrophic liaisons. In fact, it is the juxtaposition of the mundane and the mad, of ordinary life and dysfunctional relationships, of the secular and the sacred, that gives this series its power.
Each episode begins with another death, usually of a life terminated by sheer accident prematurely. In one funeral, a three-week-old baby expired from SIBS (sudden infant death syndrome) or crib death. The first death is that of old man Fisher (Richard Jenkins), the owner and director of the funeral home. He will haunt the rest of the series as a ghostly presence in the memory of his widow and three children and as a projection of their ruminations and worries about their current problems. The manner of the death initiating each episode and the persona of the individual who died set the theme and background for that show.
The oldest child, and the most normal individual in the series centred on the Fisher & Sons funeral home, is Nate Fisher played by Peter Krause. Though he had appeared in a plethora of shows and series in the nineties, I only saw him in one other black comedy, The Truman Show (1998), but he did not have a major role. Peter Krause received three Emmy nominations for his role as Nate Fisher in Six Feet Under. As well, he has been nominated for two Golden Globe Awards, and seven Screen Actors Guild Awards. I do not recall ever seeing one of the many series in which he subsequently starred.
In Six Foot Under, he plays the son of an uptight mother and widow, Ruth Fisher (Frances Conroy). He is also the older brother of David Fisher (Michael C. Hall) and a teenaged sister, Claire (Lauren Ambrose), who is full of the anxieties and uncertainties during that rite of passage in one's life. David Fisher, as the brother who stayed in the funeral business with his father, is as picture perfect and straight as his mother, except he turns out to be gay. The first several years of the show often deal with his struggles with that identity and his growing warm relationship with his brother, Nate, who reluctantly also became a funeral director following the death of their father.
Nate Fisher develops a deep love interest in Rachel Griffiths (Brenda Chenowith) who has a very high IQ, a troubled history as the child of two crazy psychoanalysts, including the mother, Joanna Cassidy who plays Margaret Chenowith. Brenda is also the heroine of a study by a different psychoanalyst and a best-selling book. Needless to say, her life unfolds in relationship to the ordinary Nate Fisher in extraordinary paths complicated by wayward experiments with kinky sex.
The juxtaposition of the mad and mundane are evident in two very contrasting side characters, Keith, a black cop who is a centre of solidity even as he increasingly shows signs of PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) after he inadvertently kills an armed man harassing and threatening that man's girlfriend and beats up a "wife' beater who, contrary to any impression (or credibility for that matter), is claimed to be an ecological genius. At the other end of the spectrum is Brenda's brother Billy who suffers from bipolar disorder. Other characters appear, such as Gabriel Dimas (Eric Balfour), another troubled teenager and friend of Claire who reveals himself to be a druggie and borderline sociopath. Madness, death and deep devotional love entail two rather than six degrees of separation.
The series is not "ha, ha" hilarious. The laughs are quiet but as disturbing as they are revealing. For the glaring sunlight of Los Angeles has some very dark moments that crash against the sublime Pacific shore. One is always on edge as the dangerous and hidden undercurrents reveal themselves in the different sub-cultures that characterize LA – whether of ancient and wild hippies, members of a relatively sane motorcycle gang, a bizarre sex club or of a Jewish community struck by an unintended suicide and then put to the acid test by an inappropriate stand-up comic at the shiva of his deceased entertainment lawyer.
Nothing will be as it seems, particularly the prettified corpses of the bodies being prepared for burial primarily by Federico Diaz (Freddy Rodriguez), the mortician artist charged with restoring the dead to look like the one who had just lived even as each one lies still in their very different coffins. This Puerto Rican and "artistic" live wire with a wife and two young children is the marker of everyday life in a churning sea of morbidity and mania, delirium and derangement.
The series bounces back between humour and compassion all underwritten by a very intelligent and perceptive script. But I doubt if that was sustained for the full five seasons, though it may have been. In any case, I may return to at least watch the last episode, reputedly the best finale of a television series ever, evidently a projection forward to the inevitable death of each character. However, I gave up at the beginning of the third season when the episodes appeared more and more contrived rather than compelling and the twists and turns seemed arbitrary rather than following the natural curves of Highway One running down the coast of California.
The setting and the events ensure that death always remained as the central theme and the foremost subject of consciousness of the ensemble cast. But it is not just death. The meditations are also macambre, for the fear of death haunts everyone in the series and their everyday efforts to escape its embrace. Each episode is a reminder of how transient our lives are, how subject they are to contingency and serendipity. As we meditate on the themes, we never lose sight of our mortality, though the series is suffused with morbidity even more than with our pursuit of self-destruction marked by an excessive deeply-rooted gloom and sense of our fragility as we all lead lives of disquieting desperation.
In the first two seasons, the episodes became deeper and darker at the same time as they became more droll. The self-mockery and dry humour provided the comic relief and the ghost of the Fisher father's wry sense of humour and commentary on the follies and foolishness of ordinary life lightened the dark clouds – death put in service of life. The series sprinkles the episodes of poignant drama with salt and pepper sardonic humor and heartrending sentiment.
Death is the subject matter, not dying. The series is NOT primarily about the suffering that very often precedes death, though a very few episodes have this as their focus. Pain is otherwise generally eschewed. Juxtaposed are not pleasure and pain but life and desire, the former imbued with the fear of mortality and the latter with the search for eternity and immortality. Desire mediates the two poles. But desire belongs to this world and is imbued with social assumptions and prejudices that throw the tension askew. Los Angeles seems to be characterized as a geo-political locale that has lost any magnetic compass let alone a moral one.
At one time in the series, I lost it – in the episode mentioned above that began with the baby who dies at three weeks from sids, sudden infant death syndrome. I burst into tears. The memory came back of myself in the delivery room in Mount Sinai Hospital when my son Gabriel emerged from the womb as a droopy white rag. I think I fainted, but I can no longer remember. It took an eternity that lasted at most a few minutes for the doctors to bring him back to life and I, never mind Gabriel, could breathe again.
Can you possibly imagine meeting with funeral directors to plan your infant son's internment? The series does so with sensitivity and nuance.
But none of the above is why I write about the series. Rather, my conviction is that Six Feet Under marked a turning point when America repeated the mistakes of Vietnam and went to war in Iraq under the pretense of finding weapons of mass destruction and, even worse, into Afghanistan which Barack Obama had labeled as the right war in contrast to Iraq. America would reveal itself as a unipolar power incapable of exercising that power to help nations rebuild. This was the period when the dream of America as leader of the free world began to sink into an abyss and that vision was buried under the preoccupation with personal and interpersonal psychological and social dramas as the collectivity began to fragment and implode.
America itself was being buried six feet under.
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Wiggle Walks are my version of adventure hiking / canyoneering in the Canyonlands area of southern Utah. They are more challenging than the usual well-traveled trails in nearby Arches and Canyonlands National Parks and range from easy hiking (Class I-III) to Class IV scrambling and sometimes easy Class V rock climbing and rappelling . Wiggle Walkers enjoy relative solitude, away from other hikers, mountain bikers, dirt bikers and ORVers. They include lots of scenic overviews, and may include petroglyphs (images chipped into rock faces), pictographs (painted images) and ruins from the ancient Anasazi & Fremont cultures of peoples who were residents of the area more than 500 years ago. They may also include dinosaur tracks and newly discovered sandstone arches. Wiggle Walks are normally half-day hikes and we're always back in time for afternoon Happy Hour.
of the Longbow Arch Wiggle Walk near Moab.


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VRC chairman clips Sydney over..
VRC chairman clips Sydney over bid to steal Spring Racing Carnival limelight
Victoria Racing Club chairman Amanda Elliott says Sydney's attack on Melbourne's time-honoured Spring Carnival is bad for horse racing.
Racing Victoria announced this week it was boosting the overall pool of prizemoney in the spring to $100 million – up $18 million on last year.
It comes on the back of NSW gimmicks such as The Everest and Golden Eagle – races flush with cash but no history.
Racing NSW's aggressive attempt to attract horses away from Melbourne during the most important time of the year for the sport "doesn't make any sense", according to Ms Elliott.
"Both states lose," she said on 3AW Drive.
Ms Elliott said both jurisdictions had a "responsibility" to Australia.
"These things aren't just built in a minute and money can't always buy you everything," she said.
Click PLAY below to hear more on 3AW Drive

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
No Naked Ads -> Here! $urlZ The rule of mirrors, p.21
The Rule of Mirrors, p.21
Burnham laughs briefly. "Tell me about it."
I move a few steps closer until I'm in the sunlight of the window with him. "I need to figure out some stuff. I have to go back to Forgetown to see Berg."
"And Linus."
I hesitate, but that's true. "Yes, if he's there. But mostly, I need my revenge."
He shifts his wrist in the ice water again. "I see. You won't kiss me, but you'd risk your life to kill someone."
"I never said I'd kill him, per se."
Burnham looks at me, deadpan. Okay, he knows it's what I want to do.
I slide my hands in my pockets. "I'm not expecting you to help me."
"No. But it might make you happier," he says. He considers me a long moment. "I've been thinking about it. If I give you a peg, and if you can stick it in a port of Berg's personal computer, I can hack it remotely."
I move a step nearer to him. "That would be totally illegal."
"Do you care?"
"I don't care if it's illegal, but you're different."
He pulls his wrist out of the bowl and dries it with the towel. "That's where you're wrong, just like you're wrong about us," he says. "I want revenge, too."
THE BOXCAR
I CAME DOWN THE NEXT MORNING and found Diego, Madeline, and Grampa around the big kitchen table. Sunlight slanted in and bounced off the wooden floor. On the stove, a black iron skillet held a couple of fried eggs, and the place smelled like bacon. Madeline had her briefcase open on a neighboring chair, and Grampa was working a crossword puzzle from the paper.
"I'm going to take a little road trip with Tom," I said. "We should be gone three or four days, I expect."
Diego set his coffee mug down with a thud. "Unbelievable."
"It's important," I said. "I need to go see my other family back in Arizona. I need to do it now, before I have the baby. Before things get more complicated."
"Did you talk to them?" Madeline asked.
"No. They won't listen to me. I have to see them face to face," I said. "I'm aware that's a problem, but I still have to go."
"Enough," Diego said. "As long as you live under my roof, you'll do as I say, and I say you're not going."
"Then I guess I'm moving out," I said.
Madeline broke into a laugh. "Would you listen to yourself? You can't move out. Don't be ridiculous."
Grampa wasn't laughing. I looked at him. "You understand, don't you?"
He sat back and set his pen down on the crossword. "No, I don't. You belong here with us."
"I'm supposed to have eighteen million dollars," I said. "Where's that?"
"In a trust fund," Madeline said. "You don't get a cent unless your trustees agree."
"And who are my trustees?" I asked.
"Your mother, Grampa, and me," Diego said.
I should have guessed. "So the money isn't really mine?"
"It is for anything reasonable," Madeline said.
Which a road trip was not. I got it. This actually made things simpler. Fortunately, I hadn't gotten used to having money, so giving it up wouldn't be hard. I might have to lean on Tom financially for a while, but I could pay him back eventually. Once I got to Doli, if I stayed there, my parents would help. I could probably work at McLellens' Pot Bar and Sundries for awhile. I would figure it out.
"Okay, then," I said. "I'll let you know how I'm doing."
Diego set both his hands on the table. "Get that smirk off your face. I said you're not leaving."
"I heard you just fine," I said. "I'm still going. I don't need your money. Tom's giving me a ride, and if my real parents won't help me out, I'll ask him to support me just until I'm on my feet."
"We're your real parents," Madeline said. "I know you're confused, but you're still our daughter."
"Then treat me with the respect I deserve," I said.
Diego rose to his feet and glared at me with barely checked fury. "I'd like to say something, and I'd like you to listen to me good and hard," he said.
I twisted my fingers together. "Go ahead."
"Your mother and I, we've been through hell for you," he said. "You can't imagine what it's like. You won't know until you have that baby of your own and you agonize over every breath it takes. Quit acting like a selfish, self-destructive idiot."
"Diego," Madeline said.
He held up a hand. "Cut him loose, Althea," he said. "Don't waste yourself on some Podunk slob who can't even tie his own shoes." He stood stiff with pride and anger. "Don't waste your second chance."
"This isn't about Tom," I said.
"Isn't it?" Diego asked. "Do you think I'm blind? We know he's constantly calling and texting you. It's only a matter of time before he sneaks in past security." His expression hardened. "He already did, didn't he?"
I cleared my throat. "Yes. But that isn't what matters," I said. "We can't keep pretending I'm just going to go on with Althea's life. I don't have her memories or her scars. I never knew Daniel or lost Gizmo. I never dreamed of being a psychiatrist. I have my own roots as Rosie Sinclair, and now's my chance to go home and face what that means."
Diego and Madeline stared at me.
"She's getting worse," Madeline said in a tight voice.
"No, I'm not," I said. "You're not listening. I'm just trying to be myself."
"By taking a road trip?" Diego asked, his voice contemptuous. He crossed his arms. "I'll tell you who you are. You're Althea Maria Flores, and you're not going anywhere."
"What are you going to do?" I asked. "Lock me up? Shoot me?"
Diego started yelling in earnest. Madeline wasn't much better. Grampa looked at me sadly, shaking his head, and of all of them, he was the one I was most sorry about. But I was done arguing and done trying to explain. I walked down the hall, picked up a bag I'd left by the stairs, and went out to the front porch, where Tom was just pulling up in his truck. I got in without a word and didn't look back.
We drove west. A slew of country songs, some heartsick, some peppy, made a soundtrack for the passing hills. I shucked off my shoes, tilted my seat back, and pushed my feet up on the dashboard. The sky was a huge pewter plate above us, and the road was as straight as murder between acres of grit and sage bush. The holomap on the windshield was an old one, with a faulty glitch of a blank on my side, and the voice had a British accent that reminded me of Linus.
My first false contraction came, tightening the outer surface of my basketball belly in a slow wave of tension. It held for a long moment, focusing me inward. I ran a hand slowly down my shirt and stared absently out the windshield until it passed, releasing me. The baby stretched inside me as if to say what on earth was that? My midwife had told me about Braxton-Hicks contractions. They didn't mean labor, but they were a kind of practice. I was excited. Nervous, too. It was March 26th. I still had four weeks to go, but that was shorter all the time.
"I'll have to stop for coffee soon," Tom said.
"I can drive some," I said.
"Have you driven since the accident?" he asked.
"I wasn't there, remember?"
"Do you have your license in your old life?"
"No, but I've been driving since I was fourteen."
"How old are you in your old life?" he asked.
"Sixteen."
His eyebrows shot up and he glanced over briefly. "Are you serious?" he said. "That explains a few things."
He waved a hand vaguely. "You're kind of nice. Sweet."
In my head, I wasn't sweet. "Wasn't Alt
hea?"
"She was nice, but in a different way. She was more wound up." He pulled his phone out of his pocket, glanced at it, and nudged it up on the dashboard. It had been making ding noises on and off all morning.
"Who's calling?" I asked.
"Bunch of journalists. Not Linus."
I hadn't talked to him in the last day or so. I wondered what he'd think of my road trip. "Let me drive," I said.
We changed it up. It felt good to be in charge. A vibration in the steering wheel registered in the bones of my fingers, and I smiled.
"This is a little freaky for me," he said. "I never expected to see you driving again."
"How'd my accident happen?"
"You were mad, that's for sure."
"At you?"
He laughed. "Of course. Your parents, too, I guess."
"Did we break up?" I asked.
"We didn't break up. You broke up with me," he said.
"Over the baby?" I asked.
I settled in the right lane and hit cruise control. The road was long and straight before us, and I kept my gaze toward the distance ahead. "I'm listening," I said.
Tom told me about the day Madeline found Althea's pregnancy test in her bathroom. When she asked Althea about it, Althea said she intended to get an abortion. Madeline was flatly against it. Diego was against it, too, but he said the choice was Althea's.
"Your parents started fighting. You knew they'd be upset," he continued. "That's why you didn't want to tell them. You were leaving the next day for college. You were packing and everything. It was all pretty emotional."
A small, tight ache started behind my eyes, and I touched a hand to my eyebrows. "How about you? What did you think about the abortion?" I asked.
He shifted in the passenger seat. "I was mad that you hadn't told me you were pregnant. Then I said I'd support whatever you decided."
I glanced over briefly at his calm features and then back to the road. "Why do I get the feeling there's more to it?"
He took his time answering. "It wasn't enough just to support you," he said. "You asked me what I really wanted. I said it didn't matter what I wanted because it was your body, and you said it did matter because I was the father. You wouldn't let me just be neutral."
He fiddled with the button of his window, pushing it down and up a couple of times so the sucking wind alternated with silence.
"So what did you say?" I asked.
He spoke loudly. "I said we should get married, okay? I said, either way, whether you had the baby or not, we should go through it together." He jabbed the window down and up once more. "And you know what you said? You said I was a coward."
I glanced over again to see that his gaze was narrowed toward the horizon. Every line of his face was taut.
"But I wasn't a coward," he said. "That was the one time I stood up to you. And that's when you left me. That's when you took my bike and practically killed yourself."
The road churned beneath our wheels, and I held tight to the steering wheel. He was talking to me like I was Althea again, and I didn't know what to do for him, so I just kept driving.
He wiped a hand against his eye. "I should have told you," he said. "I wanted you to keep our baby. I'm sorry. I did." His voice cracked but he kept on. "I left you to make the decision alone. I thought that was the right thing, but you needed me. I should have told you how I really felt."
"It's okay," I said softly.
"No, it's not. You were so upset." His voice dropped low. "Can you forgive me?"
I glanced over, startled. He was wincing, with his eyes closed.
"Of course," I said. "Tom, Althea's accident wasn't your fault. She made her own decision to go riding that night. I'm sure she knew how you really felt."
"You haven't been listening," he said, and his voice went dead. "Of course she knew how I really felt. She wanted me to man up and say it, and I wouldn't. That's what I can't forget."
Tom and I reached Doli at the end of the day, when the last sunlight was leaving the desert, and the sky was dimming to a grainy purple. We hadn't talked much more, but he seemed calmer, like maybe talking to me had helped after all. Stars appeared past the bug splats on the windshield. South of town, the boxcars stretched out in a long, weathered line, hunkered down, waiting for another earthquake like the one that had stranded them there.
As we came down the ridge and hit the turn at McLellens' Pot Bar and Sundries, I rolled my window down to stare at the new construction and garish lights. Crickets chirped from the sage.
"Slow down," I said to Tom.
The McLellens had expanded. A lighted billboard promised ATV rentals, tourist info, clean bathrooms, and cold drinks. A cartoon drawing of a girl with dark curls was holding a video camera and riding an ATV. She looked vaguely like the original me. A big sign said BRING ROSIE HOME!
The next boxcar, previously a massage parlor of ill repute, was now a bar/gift shop called The Sandman's, and a dozen tourists were out on the deck nursing drinks in fancy, sweaty glasses. Tinny reggae music topped off the ambiance. I instinctively slouched down in my seat out of view, even though no one could recognize me.
"Don't stop," I said.
"I thought we were here," Tom said.
"No. Our place is at the other end. Go."
As Tom drove down the dirt road beside the row of railroad cars, I had a bad premonition that Larry had similarly capitalized on my fame. A drooping string of bare light bulbs ran from one boxcar to the next, illuminating glimpses of new, garish paint. Oil drums lined the road like guideposts, with pails of plastic flowers on top. The Doli boxcars had always been poor, but now they were cheap, too.
Yet when our boxcar came into view, it was the same rusty, unpainted metal as before. The same threadbare curtains hung in the windows, and a defiant old pot of real petunias sat on the top step. It felt like years since I'd been home, but it looked miraculously the same.
"Is this it? You sure?" Tom asked.
"I know my own home," I said.
"I think this has gone far enough Thea," he said quietly. "You don't want to bother these people."
"You probably ought to decide once and for all whether you believe me or not."
I opened my door and got out on stiff legs, straightening my shirt over my belly. The night was soft and smelled of dusty eucalyptus. A flock of thrushes landed in my chest. Behind me, Tom got out and slammed his door.
I glanced under the boxcar to where I used to store my bike and found Dubbs's bike in the same shadow. I climbed the familiar, sagging wooden steps to find a little sign had been posted next to the door, under the sconce light.
PLEASE RESPECT OUR PRIVACY.
THIS MEANS YOU.
THE SINCLAIR/HOGARTH FAMILY
I tugged at the door. It didn't open. "Ma?" I called. "Dubbs?"
"Thea, what are you doing?" Tom said. "They don't want visitors."
I tried to peer in the gap of the kitchen curtains, past the old screen. The window was up and the sink was empty. That was all I could see, but it tugged at me.
"Ma!" I called in the window. "It's me! Rosie! Let me in."
A scrambling came from inside.
"Rosie?" said a bright young voice.
A clicking came from inside, and then the door rolled open sidewise on its wheels. My sister Dubbs stood in the opening. Her face was alight with anticipation.
"Hi, Dubbs," I whispered.
Her face fell. "Who are you?" she asked suspiciously.
She was taller by almost an inch, with a new fullness to her cheeks. Her blond, touchably soft hair fluffed to her shoulders, and she wore a new striped sweater of purple and re
d. Before I could drink in any more, she started to close the door.
"Wait!" I said, blocking the door with my foot. "I need to talk to you about Rosie. I have news about her. Is your ma home?"
"Dad!" Dubbs called.
"What did I tell you?" Larry called from inside. "Never answer the door."
Dubbs was staring at my belly now. When her gaze lifted to mine again, her eyes narrowed. "You said you were Rosie."
"It's complicated," I said. "Rosie's changed. She has a new body." I bent lower so my face was on a level with hers and smiled. "You wouldn't believe how happy I am to see you."
She ducked her head back on her neck and made a face as if I stank. Larry stepped behind her and set a heavy hand on the doorway. He was all stubby bulk and crew cut. He shot one look at my belly and another toward Tom, who stood behind me on the steps.
"Okay, that's enough," he said. "Move along. Can't you read?"
He smacked a hand on the sign. Dubbs withdrew behind him.
"I'm not a reporter," I said. "I'm a friend of Rosie's. She gave me a message for you."
"Did she now," he said. "Nobody's heard hide nor hair from her in months. What's the message?"
"Let me in and I'll explain," I said.
"She said she was Rosie," Dubbs said.
"Yeah, and I'm pregnant, too," Larry said. He regarded me skeptically and spat. "Move your foot or it'll get crushed." He began rolling the door shut.
"Wait! You read mysteries and you like to hunt," I said to Larry. "You had a pet parakeet that died a year ago."
Larry held the door at a gap and measured me. "What was its name?"
"You didn't give it a name," I said. "You just called it 'Bird.' I tell you: I know Rosie."
He picked at his neck. "What's your name?"
"Thea Flores, from Texas," I said. "We drove all day to talk to you."
"You called once before, didn't you? I don't forget a voice." Larry's gaze shifted from me to Tom again. "Who's this meathead?"
"He's my friend, Tom Barton," I said. "Can we please come in?"
Larry lifted his chin at me. "Are you mic-ed?"
"I'm not," I said. "Dubbs can pat me down. I don't have any cameras, either."
The Rule of Mirrors by Caragh M. O'Brien / Young Adult / Science Fiction have rating 4 out of 5 / Based on32 votes
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Japanese finance minister Akira Amari sounded warnings this week that the dramatic fall of JPY had gone far enough, yet the fundamentals of Japan's economy are so dire that further falls in the currency are highly likely.
The verbal intervention stabilised USD/JPY just above the psychologically key 100 level. However, it looks like 110 is still in the cross-hairs as the US Federal Reserves is stepping up the rhetoric on slowing and eventually ending its quantitative easing programme. But over the longer term, there is potential for USD/JPY to go a lot lower as Japan faces a looming fiscal crisis.
Japan's fiscal position is unsustainable with around 46% of government expenditure funded by borrowing adding to a debt to GDP ratio of some 240% against a backdrop of falling domestic savings rates. Around a quarter of government revenue goes on servicing interest on debt and that's despite extremely low interest rates.
The solution put forward by the new government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is a combination of aggressive quantitative easing and fiscal stimulus to spur growth and to end persistent deflation.
Just the beginning for USD/JPY?
But Japan has tried fiscal stimulus and quantitative easing before and it didn't reverse two lost decades of growth. Repeating the exercise on a grander scale is unlikely to create little more than a temporary up-tick in GDP growth, which is what is starting to happen.
Japan can't grow sustainably any more. The country's population isn't just ageing, but actually set to shrink dramatically and these two trends are well entrenched. Nearly a quarter of Japan's 128 million population is over the age of 65. By 2060 that is forecast to rise to 40% with the population declining to 87 million. Household consumption makes up around 60% of Japan's GDP and that key segment is shrinking and so therefore the economy will to.
A succession of weak governments looking to keep voters on side did not prepare the country for this outcome and an inevitable fiscal crisis looms as expenditure soars while tax revenues shrink. A financial crisis is almost certainly on the cards for Japan and it is just a question of timing and unfortunately the government may have fast forwarded that date.
The risk of actually stimulating inflation is that it will erode consumer spending power. That's certainly been the experience of the UK where GBP has been pushed lower on a tidal wave of QE leading to imported inflation. Higher inflation could lead to higher interest rates, not withstanding the concerted bond buying efforts by the Bank of Japan. A rise in interest rates would add to the government's burdens.
The other problem is that when it becomes apparent that these stimulus efforts haven't worked – that will probably take a few years – Japan's debt pile will be even bigger. What will follow is another round of credit downgrades from the main credit rating agencies, a crisis of confidence in Japan's financial position possibly leaving the Bank of Japan as the only buyer of JGBs.
The Japanese government will eventually default on its debts and many of its social obligations. It's just a case of whether it does it via inflation or by ceasing to pay interest and by not redeeming some of its paper. The long-term outlook for JPY is therefore extremely bearish.


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LAIKA's 'Missing Link' – What if David Lean directed 'Around the World in Eighty Days' starring Laurel and Hardy?
November 25, 2019 Erik Anderson
Writer/Director Chris Butler (Courtesy of LAIKA Studios and Annapurna Pictures)
Writer/director Chris Butler's vision for MISSING LINK challenged LAIKA's award-winning team of artists to produce the biggest and most complicated stop-motion animated film in history
Chris Butler wore multiple hats on Missing Link: writer, director, character designer and storyboard artist. "When I was really young, I didn't even know that it was possible to create things like films for a living. I was not surrounded by artists or creatives. To have had the incredibly good fortune to find myself at LAIKA, a place where a community of diverse but like-minded artists from all over the world comes together to make magic, is often unfathomable to me."
Butler's pitch for his next LAIKA movie after 2012's Oscar-nominated ParaNorman went something like this: "What if David Lean directed Around the World in Eighty Days starring Laurel and Hardy?" The idea appealed to LAIKA President & CEO Travis Knight on many levels. "Fundamentally, the film is about connectivity," he says. "It's about empathy and moving from isolation to connection. It has a really potent emotional story at the core, and yet on the top of it we put this beautiful veneer of an incredibly exciting swashbuckling adventure and comedy that harkens back to Jules Verne and Indiana Jones. It's a really cool turn-of-century tale with monsters. I thought that was a really exciting story to tell in animation."
Butler was clearly influenced by his favorite movie of all time, Raiders of the Lost Ark but also by a whole slew of other films and works of literature. "There's the whole Arthur Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes canon and everything that Jules Verne wrote had an enormous impact on me," he says. "The original 1956 film adaptation of Jules Verne's Around the World in Eighty Days resonated in my brain with its luscious, almost lurid, vibrant color palette, the scope of adventure and big comedy moments."
"I've always been interested in pushing the boundaries of the stop motion medium," Butler says. "Before LAIKA came along, the scope of a traditional stop motion movie was always quite small and there are plenty of practical reasons for that. There are physical puppets being moved on physical sets and that's incredibly hard and that often resulted in a rather small universe in which to tell stories."
In Butler's mind, there are indisputable elements in creating a crackling good comedic action/adventure yarn. A period setting; a bold and passionate hero; big adventure set pieces; and exotic locales.
"LAIKA doesn't recognize the normal boundaries that stop motion has been governed by for almost a century," he says. "So, we set out to do everything that could be done in a live action movie, but in miniature."
To achieve a solid foundation for his vision, Butler relied on all his department heads, including Annie Award-winning Production Designer Nelson Lowry and Costume Designer Deborah Cook, who was the first costume designer on an animated film ever nominated for the coveted Costume Designers Guild award.
Costume Designer Deborah Cook (Courtesy of LAIKA Studios and Annapurna Pictures)
Cook felt a keen mandate to enhance Chris Butler's vision through the film's costuming. "Looking at the characters, the dialogue, the heart and the comedy in Chris' story, my job was to find components in costume that would really support that vision and bring out our characters individual personalities. For example, Mr. Link steals a suit from someone in the Pacific Northwest logging town. Being wedged into that suit is going to contribute to the comedy factor given how it fits around those lovable curves. It's very pinched under the armpits and the front of the vest is extremely tight, fur tufts are poking through in areas and the legs and arms are too short. It grips around that wobbly belly. That provided a comedic aspect to this costume. Finding those elements of the silly factor and the essential nods that support the narrative was imperative and a very rewarding process."
Sir Lionel's suit is another example of how costume reveals character. "The shaping of the hounds tooth pattern in his suit is very sharp, very elegant," Cook says. "It's tailored and sleek. It's kind of pinched and pointed in its pattern and that supports Lionel's personality, but also gives a formality and a 'city gent' aspect to his clothing." Both suit fabrics were created at the studio from the ground up with LAIKA's own technique.
"Adelina's costumes reveal that she is a rebellious woman," Cook says. "When we first see her, she's wearing a mourning dress following her husband's death. But the color of the dress is vivid fuchsia. It's not the Victorian dusky gray, navy or black that would traditionally be used for a mourning dress. The audience registers there's something underlying in the choice of color in that dress that propels the story forward but also gives you a clue to her personality. And then there is Adelina's adventure suit. She's wearing a swan-bill corset which is super sucked in and tight, very curvaceous and a little racy and a very liberating progression from a Victorian corset or bustle which was very constricting, big and bulky, and hid the female form. She wanted to wear those pants. They're big, voluminous and agile.
"Not only is she a female," adds Butler. "She's a widow, and she's an immigrant. That was by no means an accident and Deborah's costumes reinforce that. I wanted her to be an outsider. When she talks to Lionel in the ice pit and he's sulking about wanting to be accepted by the snobby Optimates Club of adventurers, he tells her she could never understand what he feels. She rolls her eyes because she is an immigrant woman in Victorian times."
Production Designer Nelson Lowry (Courtesy of LAIKA Studios and Annapurna Pictures)
The production design on Missing Link can best be described as "epic", "colorful" and "highly stylized." Lowry found inspiration in Victorian patterning such as elaborate wallpapers and textiles. These patterns occur throughout the film, from the roof tiling to the leaves of trees. Another design influence was the photography of National Geographic magazine, which brought vibrancy, adventure and new cultures into homes. The film heightens this unique, almost exaggerated color (with the exception of the somewhat neutral Optimates Club, which is stuck in its very definitive 'black and white' world view).
"There's no resting on our laurels with this film," Lowry adds. "We created 110 sets and 65 unique locations. We go from one location to the other, an average of one new environment every 5 minutes. We never get to 'establish' a setting. We have to start from scratch on each and every location from a design perspective because we're traversing different countries, different cultures, and different geographic situations: from urban London to the Pacific Northwest to the ocean to the jungles of India and the snowy landscape of Shangri-La. Each moment of the film is completely unique and fresh. And the scale was an enormous challenge with big locations. We sometimes built a small section of location and then in order for the audience to infer what is outside of that, we leaned on the VFX Department.
Lowry sums it up this way: "When I think of all the parts that go into putting a film like this together, I think of seeing an oil painting in a museum. It's astounding. The light, the character, the story that it's telling, the contrast, the perspective. And at some point, I find myself thinking. 'This came from little dabs of paint on a brush. Someone actually took those dabs of color and created a whole world which is now giving me a profound experience. In a way, we do that same thing. We just use a lot of different materials and there are a lot of people doing it. But, essentially, we're creating a whole world, a whole story out of nothing. We take yards of fabric, plywood, paper, paint and we create a setting for great voice actors and animators to bring the story to life. It's what I love about our films."
Perhaps Hugh Jackman, who voiced Sir Lionel, sums up LAIKA's ambitious undertaking best. "When I toured the LAIKA studio I was just amazed," Jackman recalls. "First of all, the size of it, the number of artists involved, the amount of time it takes to make one frame: 24 frames a second! The years it takes and the level of artistry to make these films. It's a mixture of the size of the operation, the hours they put in, and the people! If you're going to spend that much time over the course of years, you have to love it… and they all love it."
Tags: animated feature, annapurna pictures, chris butler, costume design, deborah cook, laika, missing link, nelson lowry, oscars, production design
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The majority of FMAH members homeschool through joining a Third Option Homeschool Association. The Carolina Homeschooler website has posted the entire third option law with notes.
Homeschool Legal Defense Association also offers an easy to understand chart on the three legal options.
A complete listing of all laws regarding homeschooling can also be found on the SCHEA website.
More homeschool association information can be found on the SC Home Educators Association website.


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Flavius Honorius was born in 384 to Theodosius I and was the younger brother of Arcadius.
He was declared Augustus by his father in 393 and when Theodosius died two years later, the empire was split between both brothers leaving Honorius in control of the western roman empire at age 10.
Because of his youth, he was initially forced to rely on the leadership and advice of general Stilicho and in order to remain close to the young emperor, Stilicho insisted that his daughter Maria marry Honorius.
In 405 Stilicho was able to subdue a complete invasion by barbarians into Italy but by the time that was done much of Italy was devastated. In 408 following several more threats Honorius had Stilicho arrested and executed for reasons of plotting against Honorius.
In 421, Constantius III who at the time was a general, was elected by Honorius as co-emperor but he died in 422 leaving Honorius as sole emperor once again.
Honorius died in 423 leaving no heir.


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Home Uma Elements Anti Aging Essentials: Indian Gooseberry for Luscious Hair and Firm, Glowing Skin
Anti Aging Essentials: Indian Gooseberry for Luscious Hair and Firm, Glowing Skin
by Madeline Kim on Sep 27, 2021
When it comes to antioxidants, few ingredients pack a bigger punch than Indian gooseberry. As Samar Kullab tells Byrdie, Indian gooseberry is "probably one of the highest antioxidant-rich foods. It has 50 times more antioxidants than blueberries." Not only is Indian gooseberry full of antioxidants (particularly vitamin C)—it also has powerful anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, all of which enable it to deliver deeply clarifying and soothing nutrition to both the skin and hair. As a result, it can turn the skin firm, bright, and soft and can boost hair growth, luminosity, and more.
What exactly is Indian gooseberry? Also known as amla, this round, green fruit grows on small trees native to India, the Middle East, and parts of Southeast Asia. In part due to its extremely high concentration of antioxidants, it has been highly regarded in Ayurvedic tradition for its potent benefits for both health and beauty. Today, it can be used as an extract or integrated into one's diet, and we've incorporated it into products like our Intensely Nourishing Hair Oil for those who are seeking targeted beauty benefits. Here, we break down the numerous benefits of this Ayurvedic ingredient that make it a youth-bringing superstar for both skin and hair.
Benefits of Indian Gooseberry for Skin
It increases skin elasticity
As one study demonstrates, Indian gooseberry extract promotes the production of pro-collagen (a precursor to collagen) and also helps prevent the breakdown of collagen. As a key to maintaining skin elasticity, this collagen stimulation thus helps the skin remain firm and youthful. By forming the protein matrix in the skin, the presence of collagen also contributes to skin strength and brightness. Thus, in boosting collagen production, Indian gooseberry helps the skin become firm, bright, and healthy.
It reduces fine lines and wrinkles
As several studies show, another side effect of stimulated collagen production is the reduction of fine lines and wrinkles. As we age, we produce less collagen, which leads to the formation of wrinkles. By contributing to a boost in skin elasticity through collagen production, Indian gooseberry thus helps to reduce their appearance. Furthermore, its high levels of antioxidants like Vitamin C enable it to combat the free radical damage caused by factors like UV exposure and pollution that further contribute to wrinkle formation.
It lightens age spots and hyperpigmentation
According to dermatologist Ranella Hirsch, Indian gooseberry extract helps promote cell turnover. As a result, hyperpigmented skin may become brighter and more even. In addition, since oxidative stress also contributes to age spot formation, the antioxidants abundant in Indian gooseberry further help to combat unevenness in the skin for a radiant, brightened complexion.
It combats inflammation and promotes wound healing
As studies show, Indian gooseberry has the power to reduce inflammation and combat oxidative stress. The benefits of this anti-inflammatory property are wide-reaching, from protecting against liver damage to soothing red or inflamed skin. Furthermore, research shows that Indian gooseberry can also promote wound healing thanks to its potent antioxidants. For those experiencing inflamed or damaged skin, Indian gooseberry offers a potent natural healing and soothing solution.
Benefits of Indian Gooseberry for Hair
In addition to these healing and anti-aging benefits for the skin, Indian gooseberry also boasts a number of benefits for the hair, transforming dry or damaged hair into a luscious, glowing mane.
It strengthens and protects the hair
Thanks to its potent composition of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients, Indian gooseberry can strengthen and nourish hair, thus giving it greater radiance and luster. Rich in Vitamin E, Indian gooseberry may also contribute to cell regeneration and revitalization in the hair. What's more, Indian gooseberry's antioxidants also protect the hair from damage that can occur from factors like pollution, dust, and certain styling methods.
It prevents hair loss
Research indicates that Indian gooseberry may inhibit the growth of an enzyme that leads to hair loss, a problem that many people struggle with, whether as a result of stress or the natural processes of aging. Additionally, by strengthening and protecting the hair, it can also discourage hair breakage. Thus, Indian gooseberry not only provides radiance and nourishment to the hair, but it also helps the hair maintain these benefits by keeping it full and luscious.
It provides deep hydration
Thanks to its highly moisturizing properties, Indian gooseberry can provide potent hydration for dry, damaged, or dull hair. At the same time, according to Daboju Ogboru of NHCG Trichology, it also "helps with sebum regulation by soaking in all the excess oil present on scalp and conditioning [the scalp]." As a result, you don't have to worry about the hair looking oily or feeling heavy—Indian gooseberry provides as much balance as it does deep hydration.
UMA Recommends
It's no wonder Indian gooseberry has been revered in Ayurvedic tradition for centuries. We've harnessed the rejuvenating, revitalizing, antioxidant-rich properties of this super-ingredient in products like our Intensely Nourishing Hair Oil, which strengthens and brightens the hair, and our Intensely Nourishing Brow Oil, which stimulates the growth of full, youthful eyebrows.
A-Beauty, anti-aging, Anti-Aging Essentials, intensely nourishing brow oil, Intensely Nourishing Hair Oil
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Kuroko here! (not real name but I'm not gonna tell you my real name).
I'm 18 years old and working on my first semester of college. I'm going for graphic design.
I'm currently trying to learn Japanese and I use random Japanese in my stories a lot lol I'm an artist!
Don't bother with story request. I don't read stories on here and I'll probably just ignore your request. Though if you had an accound on wattpad.com with your stories on there then I would probably check it out.
Oh and btw, I also post my stories on wattpad.com and fictionpress.com :) If you see my stories anywhere else that means someone stole them unless I say otherwise.
If you wanna know more message me!
This page was created in 1.4184 seconds.


NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) - Caroline Wozniacki fought through an injury to her right knee to beat Dominika Cibulkova 6-2, 6-1 in the quarterfinals of the New Haven Open.
The third-seeded Dane improved Thursday to 20-0 at the Connecticut Tennis Center where she is the four-time defending champion.
Wozniacki says she felt a twinge in the knee that was serious enough to call for the trainer in the middle to the first game of the second set. She continued with the knee wrapped, and won easily.
She says she'll get the knee examined to determine the extent of the injury before deciding whether to play in the semifinals on Friday.


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Weaving on the Cricket Quartet
In my previous posts, I shared the unboxing and setup of the Cricket Quartet. Now I'm finally weaving on it, and I have a few thoughts to share!
Calculating Sett for Weaving Using the Spinner's Multitool
One of the things I love about the Spinner's Multitool is its versatility. Just because the name implies that it's for spinners, doesn't mean you can't use it to make your weaving weaving easier!
In weaving, the sett is how close together (or how far apart) the warp ends are. The sett is often expressed as a number, followed by the term "EPI," which stands for "ends per inch." Deciding on a sett is a skill that takes practice and plenty of sampling, but I like to use our Spinner's Multitool to get a ballpark idea of which sett to choose.
First, lay the warp yarn across the multitool until you find the closest match. This is your WPI, or wraps per inch measurement. In the first image, my measurement is 22.
For a balanced plain weave fabric, divide your measurement in half to get your sett. This gets us 11. While it's possible to warp most looms to 11 ends per inch using a reed substitution chart, you could also choose to round up to 12 ends per inch (for a firmer fabric) or down to 10 ends per inch (for a softer, drapier fabric). If you're using a rigid heddle loom, you'll want to choose the number that is closest to the reed you have.
For a twill fabric, you usually want the sett to be a little denser. A good rule of thumb is that the sett would be 2/3 of the wraps per inch. With the same 22 WPI measurement from above, that gets us 14.5 ends per inch - but let's round up to 15 for the sake of simplicity!
For a warp-faced fabric, you want the warp to be very closely spaced so that the weft doesn't show. A good rule of thumb is that the sett will between 75% and 100% of the wraps per inch measurement you take. In this example, that would between 16.5-22 ends per inch.
Remember: this is just a jumping-off point to get you started! It's always important to sample to make sure you're getting the cloth you want, especially when you're using your handspun yarns.
Techknitting on how to lengthen or shorten a knit garment
Estimating yardage for a sweater. Or, you could use Stashbot for a quick-and-dirty estimator.
Midnight Southdown Top
Joining strips of fabric for rag rugs
Weaving a Life: The Story of Mary Meigs Atwater
Weaving in Miniature
Finishing Touches for the Handweaver
Handbook of Timesaving Tables for Weavers, Spinners, and Dyers
Handwoven Magazine
Taos Wool Festival:
Mudita Camel Dairy
Camels and a Yurt
Dyer's Wool
Sundance Leather
Yampa ValleyFiberworks
Hummingbird Moon
2BEwe
The Natural Twist
Cactus Hill Farm


It's once again the time of year when US News & World Report releases their annual rankings of undergraduate engineering programs.
Congratulations Purdue ABE colleagues! For the 8th consecutive year, our program is ranked #1. This is certainly a reflection of everyone's (alumni, students, staff and faculty) commitment to excellence in our program. I greatly appreciate your support of our program, and especially for our undergraduate program with today's news. It's always great to see your dedication to our students and program recognized by peers as it is in the rankings released today.
Earlier in the year, our graduate program was also ranked #1 by US News & World Report and has been in that spot for 10 of the past 11 years.
A good colleague has often joked that we are fortunate that we haven't had to submit pictures of our building and facilities as part of the rankings process. We are making progress in providing a building and facilities of the quality and quantity that a program like ours needs to continue to thrive. Check out the most recent updates on our new building at https://engineering.purdue.edu/ABE/ABE/aboutus/newbuildingforABE/Building%20Progress and watch for weekly updates at our web page. In the coming weeks, the demolition phase of the building project will end, and a shift to the construction phase of the project will occur.
Purdue ABE has a bright future and thank you for being an important part of that future!


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Ella Zhang
Head at Binance Labs
#amazon.com #binance #binance labs #blockchain #blockchain technology #bn bees #centralized exchange #chain #content #content creators #content owes #crypto currency #digital content #ebay #exchange #financial services #full potential #google #htc #human nature #incubation #incubation program #internet #investment thesis #kleiner perkins #labs #market #market hype #mass adoption #nasdaq #portfolio overview #san francisco #sony #stable coin #task cr #technology #yahoo!
Good afternoon, everyone is actually afternoon, 00:05 thanks everyone be here be patient. 00:09 I hope you're not too hungry to hear my speech. 00:12 I will try to keep it short to introduce myself. 00:16 I'm Ella's on an now running finite slabs, 00:20 which is a venture on of by NYS one of the leading crypto currencies. 00:23 Crypto currency exchanges of the world. 00:29 So before joining by NYS I was engineer at Telecom Company and an operator at the Internet. 00:33
Giant 10 cent and Google and then join became a adventure couple of at the Kleiner Perkins for 5 years. 00:41 Before because of my career. 00:51 I witness the amazing power of Technology I'm always passionate about the impact of the technology to change and transfer peoples lives. 00:53 OK, as everyone knows blockchain tech knowledge is the backbone, 01:08 teknowledge behind Bitcoin and Crypto currencies. 01:13
So to realize the the block the potential of the blockchain technology, 01:20 even though there's some examples that where the blockchain technology. 01:26 The benefit of blockchain technology can be harnessed without employee implementing Crypto currencies. 01:32 I personally believe especially as a by nation. 01:41 I believe that to realize the potential of Crypto of. 01:45 Blocked in Teknowledge. 01:50
It's very unlikely to ignore the impact of the Crypto currencies bring to the The technology itself. 01:50 So because speculation is one of the human nature's and because of the human nature. 02:03 We brought in a lot of talents to the smart way brains to work in this industry. 02:10
That's how the blockchain technology can drive based on the impact of Crypto currency is so today in terms us to start to talk about the potential block block chain 02:16 Technology I will start you show you some interesting and very powerful trend. 02:29 Buy buy buy buy some data from actually Google finally the Yahoo fine eyes. 02:36 So this is the NASDAQ. 02:44
It started from 1995, where we called it the era of the the beginning of the Internet era where nest gate went to IPO into in a 1995 and then 02:46 it picked to 5000. 03:00 NASDAQ index pick 25000 in 2002 thousand as we all know there is a Internet bubble. 03:00 And after the bubble burst burst the the NASDAQ dropped back to 1000 inches. 03:11 On 2010 where 5,000,000,000 of their more more than 5,000,000,000,000 USD value you like lost in the global equity market. 03:19
Back then, Yahoo was there in search engine dominated on all the search engine market as the investor probably there's a lot of investors here if you realize that was 03:34 a bust. 03:47 You leave the market you lose your face. 03:47 Maybe you will miss you would have missed that then start up, 03:52 but picking a lot of Tractions. 03:58 Which is a Google went to IPO quickly in 2004 and since IP o'd Google has outperformed NASDAQ? 04:01 Adult. 1700 percent versus 300%. 04:11
So back then, NASDAQ use the 15 years to be back and then if you it's very to say Internet is not a bust. 04:19 It's built up the foundation of a lot of great companies like Amazon, 04:29 eBay by do Ali Baba is all changing people's life. 04:36 And this is just the where, 04:42 we are at now we're building up the infrastructure of blockchain technology. 04:44 The next week and see the big coin came out in 2009. 04:49 Where? 04:55 Since it's born in in the generators at night. 04:58
It outperformed the The the Google. 05:01 By night million percent versus 300%. 05:06 And this is so powerful charge to show the Google trend because become so flat. 05:11 And many media focus on criticize the Bitcoin price dropped from 20,000 to 2233 thousand in one year in 2018. 05:19 But if you look back. 05:30
There are 22 drops major drops at the big comprise in 2011 and 2002 thousand 14, 05:33 where the value of the big comprise eval like last if we're with a 90. 05:41 90% and then it picked it back. 05:49 This we have to realize this is just the cycle of the of Crypto currency of a new innovation that it development based on peoples believe, 05:51 and the real development and mass adoption. 06:02 Then lastly I really want to bring out the recent boom of BMV price. 06:06
So it's so in the last 2 months. 06:14 BMB was trying transacted at all times high against the BTC where we believe it's because the more the market start to recognize the utility of BNBS increasing utility of 06:17 VM bees and also the compute continuous effort an initiatives at by NYS contribute to the ecosystem. 06:33 I'll give you some more introduction of the initiatives later is visually labs at BI nice labs. 06:43
From this charge so BMP price started at the centralized exchange, 06:52 but nowfinance.com. 06:57 The centralized exchange is only one of the contributors of the utility of BN bees now, 06:57 you can see, there's so many options and so many utility use cases around. 07:06 BN bees and especially today. 07:12 We exactly today. 07:14 We are launching our binary chain, 07:14 which is the community driven open source project. 07:18
A chain to contributed by the developers all from all over the road on top of the finest chain. 07:22 We're migrating VMB 2 from Etherium to buy night chain and the first application is the decks, 07:31 decentralized exchange, which we believe. 07:39 Supported by the fundamental technology openness chain will handle the same volume same level volume of Watt. 07:43
Bynights.com can handle today because the chain itself because of the one the very instant confirmation time. 07:53 The one second block block time versus you theorems 22nd and big, 08:04 big coins 10 minutes confirmation time. 08:10 It will be extremely fast and it's only focus on transaction. 08:14 It not support is not going to support the fancy smart contract. 08:19
Those features so this changes self will focus on the features of the coins of the Crypto currencies to deliver the the feature of user payment transactions and fund raising. 08:24 So because it focuses become extremely easier to use and invest. 08:39 And today not not today, 08:46 but in the few days. 08:48 We are also launching our Singapore via exchange officially. 08:50
So other than the utility increasing utility of BMB by BMV prices also supported by the our ecosystem. 08:58 From this chart. 09:07 We can see this is our current initiatives bynights.com which is the exchange. 09:07 An Academy Research Launchpad Charity Foundation Trust Wallet Labs and X so to be worth it to be mentioned our charity foundation now is leveraging the. 09:15
Blockchain technology to bait to make all the donation to be transparent, 09:29 which is very, very significant impact in a charity in a charity space. 09:34 And since I'm running by night slabs. 09:39 I'll give you more the more color of what we're doing at Binas Labs. 09:42 So minus Labs is officially established in April last year exactly only one year here, 09:50 so our so it started. 09:57
This initiative because of the belief of the founder vision and believe the founder that by noises future success will based on the thrive of the whole industry so things 09:59 inception, the mission of by nights. 10:13 Labs is to realize the full potential blockchain to find out. 10:16 More mass adoptions to enlarge the ecosystem. 10:21 So we do 3 things at Barnard slabs, 10:25 we do. 10:28 Incubation Fellowship and direct investment. 10:28
We started to do direct investments from last April to August and for after few months. 10:33 That is a market with the market hype. 10:39 We did bunch of those but we realize that there are 2 critical problems. 10:42 In this industry won the market hype did distract the founders an entrepreneurs from focus on building things. 10:48
There's so easy to raise funding and at the same time, 10:58 the investors capital is very hard to realize the return to justify the investment. 11:02 This is the first problem second problem. 11:10 We see a lot of fancy technologies, 11:13 but those technologies. 11:16 Do lack of the product market fit and the real use cases so we are initiated this incubation program. 11:16 It's a 10 weeks. 11:27
On side program to in order to provide the founders initial funding and to help them focus on building in find out we emphasize a lot 11:27 of find out the real. 11:39 But product market debt and you use cases and then we're bringing the create critical resources to help them grow? 11:42 All the finest ecosystem are the potential resources that we can bring into those incubation project. 11:51
And then we still find something missing in our ecosystem because we see a lot of. 11:59 Critical problems to the block the The technology stack layers by solving those roadblocks of the technology itself for example, 12:06 scalability. 12:17 There's still some project it's very hard to find out the ink like instant business model. 12:17 So it's very hard to justify already investment that's why we initiated. 12:25
The Fellowship program, which is a pure grant program to support the open source developers focus on building. 12:31 We give out the small stipend to the very top open source developers to support them focus on building and solving those critical. 12:39 Problems, which are there Roblox to to block the mass adoption? 12:49 This is this are the 3 things we're doing at finite at Venice Labs. 12:54
So this is our incubation program, 13:00 we launched last quarter, the in the Court of 4 quarter last year, 13:03 an now we're running a second in second season incubation. 13:09 We started from San Francisco and and from the second season we expand to 3 locations. 13:14 Berlin in Europe and logos in Africa for berling. 13:22 We found out it's a most active and the most like native. 13:26
Open source developer community, which is very helpful to solve the critical technical problems and and for Lagos. 13:31 Our belief is that the most disruptive and Crypto native mass adoption and disruptions will probably not happen in the developed economies instead will coming from those developing economies. 13:39 That's why we started our incubation in different sites. 13:53 And this is the graph of our poor value. 13:58 Now we have more than 35. 14:02
We have about 35 per values. 14:04 Unfortunately, one of our output value basis just stopped. 14:07 We diploid about 50,000,000 USD to support the ecosystem to grow birthday to be mentioned this year still hour. 14:13 Incubation season 2. 14:24 We added 4 powerful use from Africa, 14:24 one from Ghana 13 from Nigeria. 14:30 So our investment thesis in in Africa is that we believe the. 14:33
Because of lack of the very sound and user friendly alternatives of the financial services and also lack of the trust to the authorities. 14:40 The individuals and small business actually have a lot of opportunities to build up the. 14:51 This disruptive and Crypto native applications to provide faster a secure more secure and easier for financial services and transactions. 14:59 But the first step is to provide the access ability of the for Africans to Crypto. 15:12
Now nowadays most of the transactions still happen in cash on the continent. 15:20 And most of the digital transactions still happen on the mobile money. 15:26 Beyond the USS D technology in Africa. 15:32 So the first step of our investment thesis is to help the African based project to build up the on ramp for Africans to access the Crypto economy. 15:36 Last year we launched our. 15:47 Uh first. 15:51 First, the field exchange in Africa and this year. 15:51
We target to lunch time of your exchanges in 10 countries. 15:56 If you you if you think you're the right partners. 16:00 Please come to talk to us. 16:04 We are very actively building up the on ramp channel for Crypto. 16:05 So I also want to give some examples because today, 16:13 we are talking about the blocked in life. 16:17 So there's the I'll give some examples. 16:20 They run the how to breaching the Crypto to our real life. 16:23
BDT most of you probably know BitTorrent is communicational proper protocol to enable the fire file sharing on the people P 2 P basis. 16:28 It's a protocol existing for more than 15 years. 16:39 And supported. 16:43 More than 100000000 mau and 25000000 da use. 16:43 It's very popular, especially in the North America market. 16:49 So BTT is is the token really stung. 16:56 Treng watching it'SATRC 20 token to provide the incentives to users for provide the seating so from this. 16:59
The use case you can see seating is a process to make the file available for downloaders. 17:10 But once the downloaders get the entire file. 17:19 They will have zero incentives to continue sitting so BDD token was designed to solve this problem, 17:23 by continuously keeping seating for the downloaders. 17:32 You can get the BTT token as the. 17:37 As a reward at the bonus. 17:40
So this actually will enlarge the pic the scalability as an speeding of the of the whole network bit bit torrent network and the product called bit torrent speed will 17:45 be fully launched within this quarter, 17:57 this year. 18:00 We're very excited to see the the impact of the product launch. 18:00 And. 18:06 Be beside In addition to providing the economic incentives to be torrent network. 18:06 PDT have some other use cases in the future. 18:14
For example, it can be used as the content distribution for it will enable the content creators to distribute the the creations of them self directly to the users. 18:18 Also other proposed the use cases like decentralized content delivery decentralized the storage and tips through rewarding or. 18:33 The current the payment currency is the medium of exchange all in the future of food future features in the PTT. 18:44
So this is a second use case, 18:58 Tera Tera is Papa is one of our portfolio company, 19:01 based in Korea. 19:06 It's a next generation. 19:06 Blockchain, based payment network, which adopted the the price stable cryptocurrency to complement the current shortage of the Fiat and other cryptocurrencies. 19:10 It's very ambitious and very know. 19:25 Innovative is see it has similar thesis an basis, 19:28 which Unfortunately shut down because of the regulator. 19:33
We can concern a few months ago but why we supported Terra. 19:38 It's because. 19:44 Of the it is potential to bring them out to breach. 19:44 The mass adoption, so they are based on the baby to deliver the Terra the stable coin they build up alliance of. 19:50 E Commerce website, you're in the Asian Southeast Asia area. 20:00 There's there's some a case like carousel is actually serving Singapore, 20:07 so their E Commerce Alliance. 20:14 Throughout the 10 countries. 20:16
An have accumulated GMV of 25,000,000,000 and serve 45000000 users. 20:16 It's a very powerful network. 20:25 I will show you how Terra is going to providing their payment. 20:29 So Terra use so. 20:36 For example, 20:36 if you're buying something from taking monster for example, 20:40 a pillow how will you active? 20:46 How are you use a payment? 20:48 Is active actually? 20:51 Play the video. 20:53 Works works. 20:55 Back or forward. 20:59 What do we need to play the video? 21:04 Uh we need to play the video. 21:07
We need to play the video and will it play that's the question. 21:10 OK. 21:16 Can I play the video explain why the words? 21:16 Can all cannot play the video OK? 21:23 Sorry it's just a very simple 3 steps that you have to choose the terror pay, 21:26 which is a stable coin and it's exactly same. 21:32 Simplice process you. 21:36 You're buying things are on the ecommerce. 21:36 If you can see the demo, 21:41 you can actually see how simple as it is. 21:43 But. 21:48 Terror just the one year project. 21:48
They deliver is actually their one year anniversary today and they are launching the mainnet to celebrate their birthday. 21:52 Congratulations to Terra if there's any Terrell folks here, 22:01 but I believe they are very busy. 22:05 But the immediate benefit to consumers is that because they they disrupted the middle. 22:09 Middle men of the payment. 22:16 The consumers can actually get the 5 to 10% 22:19 discount from adopting terror. 22:23
And the third use cases is Contento's content owes is biggest decentralized the global ecosystem for digital content. 22:27 So they this is the project incubated by Cheetah Mobile, 22:37 which is a China based company listed in NASDAQ by so they they are building a lot of software gathering billions of downloaders and this content can contain those will 22:42 be based on. 22:56 Make many 3 applications like me photo grid and chooses which accumulate Lee. 22:56
They have 3 be more than 3,000,000,000 in stores and the user spread out in 200 countries. 23:03 And also there's a video want to show you but couldn't this is the introduction of how content to scan the the filter grids. 23:10 Users can adopt contain those testnet. 23:20 They've already launched the testnet so it show you that by adopting. 23:23 Content owes the content creators can enjoy the fairly distribution and monetization in their entire network. 23:29
I'm very sorry that cannot show you. 23:41 Um. 23:44 So at finite slabs or mission vision mission or mission is to realize the full potential of blockchain technology and our our vision is to be the best blockchain 23:44 technology incubator. 23:58 I want to share lastly. 23:58 I want to share you with you. 24:02 Some of my personal experiences this transfer from a traditional VC investor to the Crypto to the Crypto World so. 24:05
Previously, at Kleiner Perkins I look at the consumer consumer product all the attractions. 24:15 I see is millions. 24:22 Tens of millions and hundreds of millions. 24:22 It's very excited every day and very rewarding. 24:27 Now the past, one year in the Crypto when you look at the D apps. 24:31 You really have like like very frustrated to see the user adoptions tens. 24:36 Hundreds and mostly thousands, but you have to. 24:42
Really because we are at the cutting edge of a new technology you have to be really, 24:46 really patient. 24:52 And believe that this is the right chained to gonna change peoples life in the future is Justin just. 24:52 Like at the stage we are Incubating, 25:02 a baby. 25:04 You don't expect it to grow 2 faster to be overweighted and you also don't expect it to come out to be born come out to Ernie. 25:04
So it just have the right timing, 25:15 we have to be patient step by step to make the trans disruption happen. 25:18 All of us here. 25:23 We are the early early adopters of Crypto and blockchain technology. 25:23 I appreciate all of you just focus on building and be patient in huddle, 25:30 and to support our ecosystem to grow. 25:37 Thank you all. 25:40
Access to the talk «Realizing the Potential of Blockchain Technology»
Ender Xu
Chaiman at Hong Kong BlockChain Association
Nizam Ismail
Partner and Head, Financial Services at RHTLaw Taylor Wessing
Arkin Lee
Founder of AKG Venture and Co-Founder at IvoryBay Capital
Jay Liang
Founder and Co-Chairman at Hong Kong Blockchain Association
Khalfan Mazrouei
Chief Secretary at Royal families of the United Arab Emirates
Access to the talk 'Realizing the Potential of Blockchain Technology'
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Event management: International challenge of organizing PowerUp!
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