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President Obama, Address 'The FINRA Fiasco'
Posted by Larry Doyle on April 22, 2010 7:36 AM |
President Obama is coming to Wall Street today to 'talk tough' and show America who's the boss. If our President wants to truly gain any sort of credibility with the American public, he should immediately address the points I raised in a recent interview with Ilene from Phil's Stock World.
Regular readers of Sense on Cents will be familiar with these topics. I have recently provided all of this information and more to the appropriate senior level people within the SEC. Will it be fully and properly addressed? America wants answers.
This interview is rather extensive, but let's make sure President Obama knows some of the questions Americans really want answered. Mr. President, you have the bully pulpit. Will you demand that FINRA open its books and records so that America can learn if the Wall Street self-regulator did in fact front-run the auction-rate securities market in 2007? Will you demand that FINRA open its books and records so that America can truly learn the nature of FINRA's relationship with Bernie Madoff? Mr. President, you play hoop right? Ball in, game on. Let's go!! The American public deserves nothing less than full and total transparency.
I thank Ilene for her time and effort expended in this interview, which ran yesterday at Phil's Stock World:
The FINRA Fiasco
FINRA may have potential massive conflicts of interests in its dealing with its internal investment portfolio. A clear example is FINRA's behavior with its Auction Rate Securities. Evidence suggests FINRA sold its Auction Rate Securities months before the market collapsed. Insider information or really good luck?
By Ilene
Interview with Larry Doyle at Sense on Cents
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc., or FINRA is a private corporation which functions as a self-regulatory organization (SRO, an organization that exercises regulatory authority over an industry or profession). It is not a government agency. FINRA was formed by the merger of the enforcement arm of the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE Regulation, Inc., and the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. (NASD). The merger was approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in July, 2007.
FINRA performs market regulation under contract with brokerage firms and trading markets. It focuses on regulatory oversight of all securities firms that do business with the public. FINRA regulates by adopting and enforcing rules and regulations governing its members' business activities. It often provides advice to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. (FINRA's website is at http://www.finra.org/; see also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FINRA.)
Auction Rate Securities (ARS)
An auction rate security (ARS) refers to a debt instrument (corporate or municipal bonds) with a long-term nominal maturity for which the interest rate is regularly reset through a dutch auction.
The auction failures in February 2008 led to widespread freezing of the ARS assets in clients' accounts. Currently, the instruments trade in a secondary market but at a significant discount to par. A renewed investigation of the ARS industry was led by Andrew Cuomo, the Attorney General of New York, and William Galvin, Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. These investigations found industry-wide violations of law. Investors in ARSs maintain these instruments were misrepresented as liquid cash alternatives and allege that broker dealers failed to disclose the liquidity and credit risks involved. (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auction_rate_security.)
Ilene: Larry, I read your recent article, "FINRA Fraud Team Must Look in the Mirror" (April 16, 2010), in which you discuss FINRA's "new initiative to target fraud within its purview of the financial industry." You seem skeptical. Can you explain?
Larry: FINRA and SEC are agencies charged with protecting investors and these organizations have failed to perform for years, leading up to the financial crisis. In addition, FINRA has displayed a potential massive conflict of interest in its dealing with its internal investment portfolio. A clear example is FINRA's behavior with its Auction Rate Securities (ARSs).
FINRA acquired its ARSs through the NASD and NYSE Regulation Inc. merger. I believe ARSs were the greatest Ponzi scheme perpetrated by Wall Street on investors, and FINRA was in the position to oversee this market. FINRA not only failed, but may have acted on material, nonpublic information as it liquidated its ARS bonds in 2007–possibly at the expense of the investors it was supposed to protect.
Ilene: Can you quickly review what ARSs are?
Larry: Auction Rate Securities are financial instruments which were largely marketed and distributed as "cash equivalents" by Wall Street. The securities were a means by which long-term financings were funded via the short-term market. Almost every ARS investor has indicated that the risks embedded in these ARS securities were not fully disclosed. Buyers have repeated that dealers represented ARS as cash-surrogates, when in reality they were not.
While money was flowing in during the regular auctions, the ARS market remained viable. The scheme worked like a charm. New money would come in allowing old money to cash out. However, as in typical Ponzi schemes, liquidity depended on continued sales to new buyers. It depended on new money coming in.
The ARS market operated smoothly until the credit markets seized up. First signs of trouble emerged in 2007 when the spreads started to blow out (widen significantly). Spreads widened because dealers realized the true nature of the risks and backed away from supporting the market. Selling intensified as investors were trying to get out in the late spring and summer of 2007. Investors stopped buying, though the dealers maintained an intermediary market for a while. Finally, sellers so overwhelmed buyers that Wall Street had to stop serving as an intermediary. This developed over a period of months, but was not shared with the clients. Wall Street was trying to lay these ARSs out on investors. When the market collapsed in February 2008, the "cash equivalency" disappeared.
ARSs made Bernie Madoff's Ponzi scheme look small. Money managers involved in the ARS market have largely not been held accountable. The theme emerging from court cases addressing ARSs has been "buyer beware." Investors who still own ARSs may very well not get their money back for 20 to 30 years.
Ilene: Are the ARSs are currently trading?
Larry: Yes, there's a secondary market. If investors try to sell their ARS positions, they could get some of their money out, but they would have to take a substantial discount.
Ilene: And FINRA owned many ARSs in its investment portfolio and sold them in 2007?
Larry: Yes. The regulator, FINRA, sold its ARS bonds in 2007.
Going into 2007, FINRA had $647 million dollars of ARSs. It was holding ARSs as the credit markets started to freeze in mid 2007. FINRA says it did nothing nefarious when it sold its ARSs. But that fails the smell test. It sold its ARS holdings before the markets collapsed. Meanwhile, investors got stuck with approximately $150 billion of ARSs.
One would have to be exceptionally naïve to think FINRA officials did not have material, nonpublic information on the ARS market before it decided to sell its holdings. ARS investors are screaming for FINRA's ARS liquidation to be explored. Having information about the securities and acting on it without that information being available to the public would potentially qualify as front-running and insider trading.
Ilene: As the regulator of the markets, how could FINRA not have information?
Larry: It's not a credible story. While FINRA sold its ARS in mid 2007, the fact that it cautioned investors on these instruments was not displayed on its website until March 2008. I ask–when did the concerns arise? Did FINRA sell its own position while having "concerns" months earlier?
The officials were either incompetent or, in my opinion, they acted on insider information. It's hard to conclude otherwise given what we do know. We do know the sales were made in the middle of 2007, and we do know the market collapsed months later. I believe FINRA was protecting the industry and protecting itself, to the detriment of investors. Where did FINRA's ARS bonds end up? They went somewhere. Which investors own the ARS bonds previously owned by FINRA? How might these investors feel if they knew their ARS bonds were owned by the regulator FINRA?
Ilene: in "FINRA Fraud Team Must Look in the Mirror," you wrote:
From the MarketWatch report entitled, Wall Street Watchdog Promises to Show More Teeth:
"Wall Street's self-regulatory body that self-admittedly failed to detect 2008s major financial scandals has a plan to not miss the next one. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority is touting its new fraud team as the key to spotting another Bernard Madoff.
"'I've been encouraged to pursue anybody who's engaged in fraud, with unfettered access to sources with industry connections,' Funkhouser said."
Would Mr.Funkhouser agree to inspect and pursue potential fraud within his own organization's portfolio management group? I am referring specifically to FINRA's 'timely' liquidation of its $647 million auction-rate securities position in 2007. Will Funkhouser agree to release all pertinent details of that liquidation so the public can determine if FINRA used material, nonpublic information for its own benefit and at the expense of the thousands of ARS investors who continue to be unable to access their $150 billion?
In the spirit of full disclosure, the reporter of the MarketWatch story contacted me for information while he was writing the article. I spoke to him for an hour, highlighting a number of issues within FINRA. I am extremely disappointed the reporter and/or the editors of MarketWatch chose not to highlight FINRA's ARS liquidation. In my opinion, whoever decided to hold that topic out of this article did ARS investors and all investors an enormous disservice."….
In regard to the proposed financial regulatory reform in front of Congress currently, I highlighted for this reporter the fact that FINRA barely receives mention in the comprehensive legislation. The fact that Congress can propose Financial Regulatory Reform without serious attention paid to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority is a virtual fraud unto itself. In my opinion, that reality is hard evidence of the power of the Wall Street lobby….
Ilene: Is FINRA then refusing to open up its books and records to show when it sold its ARSs and to reveal what it knew or didn't know at the time? Do you think Congress is looking the other way?
Larry: Yes, FINRA never responded to my inquiries about the sales of its ARSs, and if the SEC or Congress requested information on FINRA's sales, it has never been made public.
Thousands of investors cannot get their money now. Bloomberg reported that the state of Hawaii, for example, invested over a billion dollars in ARSs, with much of that in 2007. Chances are not zero that the state of Hawaii even bought securities previously owned by FINRA. FINRA's ARSs ended up somewhere. There's a pending case in which executives from Lehman Brothers are being investigated for dumping ARSs in 2007. (I believe it is pending. I have not seen nor heard information indicating the case has been dismissed or resolved.) A sales manger from UBS was fined approximately $2.7 million for dumping his personal ARS position in late 2007. The SEC should be reviewing FINRA's sale of its ARS as well. The public deserves to know what happened. This is a regulatory system that failed, yet no one's looking into what appears like conflict of interests, self-dealing, and front-running by the very regulator charged with protecting investors.
Ilene: It's amazing that the system is set up so a regulatory body owns the instruments it is supposed to be regulating.
Larry: Yes, it defies logic. FINRA is a self regulatory agency which is supposed to oversee the broker dealer community. It invested in sectors of the market it was charged with regulating. It invested in risky instruments including hedge funds, funds of funds, ARSs, etc. It has one foot on Wall Street and one in Washington. While FINRA's supposed to regulate, overwhelming evidence indicates that it served more at the behest of the industry. Even though it is a nonprofit, non-government agency, FINRA paid its executives extremely well with a number of executives making million dollar, if not multi-million dollar, compensation. Additionally, FINRA is anything but transparent.
There is an outstanding lawsuit by Amerivet Securities requesting the release of all the details around the liquidation of FINRA's ARSs. This lawsuit alleges that FINRA also had money invested with Bernie Madoff. It's hard to believe FINRA didn't have information on Bernie Madoff. FINRA's head at the time, Mary Schapiro, was called a 'dear friend' by Mr. Madoff.
Now Ms. Schapiro is the head of the SEC. What chance do you think that the SEC will investigate FINRA's activities under Ms. Shapiro's oversight?
Ilene: None?
Larry: Well, we will see. I'm not optimistic. Governmental and non-governmental regulatory bodies are granted absolute immunity under banking rules from the 1930s. Although in my opinion the management of FINRA's financial assets is not a regulatory activity. Is the cop on the financial beat above the law?
Ilene: What are your thoughts on FINRA's or the SEC's involvement in the Bernie Madoff scandal?
Larry: I view Bernie Madoff's Ponzi scheme as the ultimate insider job. Whether the Madoff family knew everything or not, they curried favor with the regulatory community for a long time. They were above reproach. The financial cops were literally asleep at the wheel. Other parties who knew were silent. JP Morgan was probably aware, perhaps late in the game, but other traders also likely knew something untoward was going on. Harry Markopolos spoke with a number of traders at different firms who realized Bernie's operation was some sort of fraud, but no one said anything. Harry deserves a great deal of credit. That no one listened to him says a lot about the Wall St.-Washington incestuous relationship, and the so-called-regulators. Maybe FINRA was de-fanged by Washington and the SEC. If so, they should tell the American people that these markets are NOT truly regulated.
Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) was set up by Wall Street to protect investors when broker dealers failed. Until the last year or so, the annual SIPC premium paid by Bear Stearns, Lehman, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, and others for more than the past decade was only $150. SIPC and the Wall Street dealers felt that SIPC had enough money already, at the time about $1 Billion.
Gives a sense of comfort to investors, right? It took only one failure to use up the money. This was effectively another fraud perpetrated by Wall Street on investors. The Madoff scam devastated the SIPC fund. Money went to some of the Madoff investors. There are ongoing legal battles about who should get paid. The SIPC fund is another example of systemic fraud. Broker dealers benefitted by having the appearance of protection. In reality, the protection was not nearly extensive enough. I mean, a $150 premium paid by Goldman Sachs et. al. to be able to put the SIPC stamp of protection on their client statements. That's a joke, but the joke is on investors.
The broker dealers should be accountable for their misrepresentations, frauds and criminal activities. They talk about moving forward, but not about paying back losses. Trillions of dollars in losses and very few people have been indicted. Why haven't there been more indictments? Perhaps there will be, but America has little confidence in the legislature and regulators who have been either negligent or complicit or both. Evidence suggests that those who should be conducting investigations, FINRA, SEC, Congress, should themselves be investigated.
Regarding FINRA's liquidation of its ARS bonds, this stuff deserves a public investigation. Books were cooked, regulators didn't do their jobs, significant money spent lobbying… It all looks corrupt. ARS investors can't get their money out, but FINRA liquidated months before the market collapsed. This lack of transparency is why people don't have confidence in the markets.
Ilene: Do you think FINRA will be investigated?
Larry: I interviewed and discussed this FINRA situation at length with the Project On Government Oversight (POGO), an organization established 30 years ago to oversee wasteful military spending. It is a watchdog for government activities. About a month ago, POGO sent a letter to four Congressional subcommittees in which it recommended investigating FINRA. Ultimately POGO questioned the very validity of a self-regulatory model for our financial industry. Will Congress act? Great question.
Will anyone in Washington do anything about it? We have Chris Dodd's regulation reform bill that barely mentions FINRA. Minor reform changes nothing by leaving FINRA in place.
This is the power of Wall Street lobbying, it's business as usual. They want the regulatory model exactly where it is right now, and the American public is not going to know. The SEC gets all the attention. America hardly knows what FINRA is. A private agency funded by the industry. How did that work? To a very large extent, it didn't.
Wall Street has turned into a massive oligopoly. Washington strikes me as a massive oligarchy. There's limited transparency. Regulators know the firms are undercapitalized. There's a rush to help banks replenish their capital base, keep rates at zero so they can borrow at next to nothing. The focus is on healing the banking system through a transfer of wealth to banks from consumers. While banks pay close to zero interest, credit card rates are 15%-30%. People can't roll their debts easily anymore and are not putting money into the markets. This won't change with the lack of transparency and loss of trust.
I'm not railing against the majority of people working on Wall Street who are good people. But the power structure corrupted the system, with blessings from the Washington crowd. I worked in this industry for 23 years. The lesson is like in Animal House: "you screwed up, you trusted us."
Congress and Mary Schapiro should be telling FINRA to provide transparency, but they're not. This has to get into the court of public opinion. The public needs to pressure Congress to act. People in Congress want to be reelected. This is not about parties, many politicians get their campaign donations from the banks. It's on both sides. But as long as politicians are bankrolled by the banks, we're all hurt. Without public outcry, nothing will change.
Who's the regulator closest to the problems? FINRA. The timing of its ARSs sales was such that it's hard to believe there was no front-running and insider trading. Maybe it didn't do anything wrong, but then why aren't the records made public?
In 2009, Wall Street gave it's executives $140 B in bonuses. There's $150 B in ARSs that are not getting repaid. Regulators are standing up for the industry, but not for the investors. I think people realize there's not much true reform happening.
Ilene: Do you believe the average investor is disillusioned with the markets, as reflected, for example, in the low volume on the exchanges?
Larry: Volume on the NYSE is dropping like a rock. That's the American investors saying they don't want to play the game any more. Wall Street risks losing investors and they deserve to. The banks can't keep marking up their own investments (stocks). Ultimately, Wall Street needs customers.
Ilene: But, at least in the short-term, they're making money.
Larry: Yes, but this is not self-sustaining. The banks are getting a benefit from borrowing money at about zero rates, and playing the market. We'll see a flight of capital from Americans and see foreign money disappear. This is inevitable unless we get our house in order.
We can start by introducing FINRA to the American public and show how it operated in the ARS market. If FINRA front ran the ARS market, and I believe it did, the sun will still come out tomorrow and our nation will move on. It won't be the first time an illegal activity occurred in a government or quasi-government agency. It's all about confidence. Americans may not know about FINRA, but they do know the financial system is plagued with corruption.
Ilene: How long do you think the market will keep trending up?
Larry: Until the Federal Reserve starts saying they have to turn off the spigot, ending the zero funds rate. About six weeks ago, the Fed said we would have unemployment for an extended period. This is a telltale sign that the funds rate isn't going up any time soon. Words of wisdom: "don't fight the Fed." Markets correct by price and by time, I can see us just sitting here as we grind along on low volume. On the other hand, there could be an unforeseen event that drives the market down, I can see that happening. Will this Goldman Sachs charge of fraud mushroom? Perhaps.
These zero percent loans to the banks are a huge transfer of wealth from people having money sitting on the side lines, earning nothing, to the banks with their high frequency trading activities. The banks run up the markets and collect their bonuses. $140 B went right out the front door–from the taxpayers to the banks. These banks were saved by the taxpayers and now use to the money to further enrich themselves.
The Wall Street banks have leverage over the government. This system is not capitalism, it's a heavily manipulated oligarchy in which the few benefit at the expense of the many. People at both ends of the spectrum–the ultra-rich and the ultra-poor–benefit at the expense of the middle and upper middle classes. The tea party crowd, part of the middle class, is saying no one's looking out for us, and of course, no one is. The establishment wants to marginalize these people. The tea parties are going to gain more momentum if the system does not get fixed. While I don't agree with everything they have to say, they do elevate topics and expose issues. For that, they provide a public service by calling our attention to our broken and corrupted political system.
Ilene: Do you think the fraud charges brought by the SEC against Goldman Sachs will be a start to reforming the financial system?
Larry: I am not too optimistic that these charges will bring real change within Goldman Sachs or the industry, but what I do believe may happen is that the public's case against the Wall Street-Washington incest will gain further momentum and I have a strong opinion what the verdict will be.
Ilene: Thank you, Larry, for doing this interview with me and sharing your perspective on FINRA, financial regulation, the banks, the stock market, and the (hopeful) path to reforming our financial system.
Top picture by Elaine Supkis at Culture of Life News.
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This entry was posted on Thursday, April 22nd, 2010 at 7:36 AM	and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.


It's getting cold over here. Yesterday when we were out shopping at the Christmas Tree Shops on the cape, we bought this little bird house for the birds to hide from the cold. It only cost us less than USD4! We hung it up on the tree in our front yard where it's clearly visible from our dining room.
We also bought some Christmas lightings this year....we are thinking of putting the lights on the shrubs which line our deck. It should be quite a pretty sight. Will set it up once we've gotten the extension wires. Look out for the photos.


Why do I have to use social media ? There are many companies that are asking this question everyday , the answer is simple: to make your brand well known .
All Marketers and companies in general have seen how traditional models of advertising little by little have started to be replaced by the most powerful social networks such as Twitter, Facebook, Google + , Pinterest and more social media sites made by the same consumers .
Today we are in a world where consumers have seen the collapse of biggest brands in the world . Those days in which companies do not pay attention to their consumers are over . The connection between you and your consumers is essential for the success or total failure of your brand. The new rules that have been made by consumers are authenticity and transparency for any brand.
76% of consumers do not trust traditional advertising .
56% of SMEs are turning to social networking as part of their strategies .
60% use Facebook as a tool for building brand image .
27% companies have a blog .
50% companies use Twitter .
33% companies uses Flickr for photo service .
34% companies have a YouTube channel .
Learn and see your competition .- go to their facebook wall and see ow they treat their consumers and try to do it better .
Listen to your customer .- Check everyday your facebook wall and see what people are saying about your products , very important answer them .
See how many shares your posts have and think of ways to increase the number of shares and likes .
Create your youtube channel and get more exposure.
Deal with crisis .- Internet and social media can give us many benefits but it is also a place where you can get a bad reputation , it always happens and alll business should be ready to deal with this problems.


2013 has just begun, and we've already got word that some great comebacks are on their way!
To start, David Bowie just released a music video for his new single titled, "Where Are We Now?" His new album "The Next Day" will be released on March 12 in the US. His new single has stirred up some mixed reviews. Some absolutely love it, while others question his upcoming album. Neil McCormick of Telegraph described it as a typical Bowie track that is "beautifully strange," which is definitely displayed in Bowie's music video especially. If you haven't seen it, check it out below and tell us what you think.
"Wow" is all I could say after stumbling upon Pomplamoose (thanks Taylor). Not only is the band's sound appealing to my ears, but the band's video editing works seamlessly alongside my brain's interpretation of each layer of sound. I've included three of their videos for you to check out, but of course you can see them all on the Pomplamoose YouTube Channel.
The band's sense of marketing is spot on with today's new media / self-promotion techniques. They cover two popular songs but with their very unique style—Lady Gaga's "Telephhone" and Beyonce's "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)" (both embedded in this post if you click "Read More"). Of course covers of current pop songs help an emerging (super talented) artist spread virally/quickly (anyone up for a Susan Boyle cover?).
And for their holiday track "Always in the Season," Pomplamoose offers a cool direct-to-fan trade at the end of the video: donate an animal to a friend through World Vision and get 2 free mp3 downloads in return. Fans mail their proof of purchase to the band, and in turn get their download links.


The last ornament hiding on a lower branch of our Christmas tree had the biggest story to tell and made the melancholy task of its removal all the more so.
Our friend Trina gave us our "hope" ornament and I spotted it stubbornly clinging to the tree well after I thought I had taken down all of the ornaments. I even chuckled a little because it was so appropriate that my Trina's ornament would outlast all the rest.
Trina, who rose to the challenge of a stage four breast cancer diagnosis with tremendous grace and strength, died on October 2 this year. The terrible irony of Trina's death is that the cancer did not kill her. She wouldn't let it.
Handed a death sentence, Trina fought back. She traveled back and forth across the country for weekly treatments at MD Anderson in Houston, Texas. She took advantage of holistic techniques and made dramatic changes to her eating habits. And when the breast cancer invaded her brain, she battled that back too.
During this extraordinarily difficult period in her life, Trina became a local celebrity. She launched the Trina Fund to help women defray the cost of cancer treatments. She organized her hundreds of followers into a group called Trina's Warriors and urged them to pray for other cancer victims. She chatted companionably with all kinds of people, both in person and via the Internet.
Trina triumphed over her cancer and, for a short while, she enjoyed a relatively carefree life again. Little by little, though, death launched a second front and Trina began to slur her words and have trouble with her balance. Necrosis of the brain stem, a chance reaction to radiation, did what the cancer could not. Eventually, it killed her.
Sometimes we have to plow through a tremendous mound of sorrow to uncover hope. Thanks to Trina, I think I found it on my Christmas tree.
I hope we'll all continue to support cancer research so heartbreaking battles like Trina's will not be in vain. I hope we all find a tiny measure of the fierce determination to live Trina displayed, and that we use it to appreciate our own opportunities here on earth. And, finally, I hope we can keep our minds open to the possibilities that transcend us.
but eventually we found the hope.
daughter Hillary, right, came to see Katherine in Madison .
Trina fought her cancer with a sassy attitude and a twinkle in her eyes.
Trina was a beautiful woman who raised two beautiful children.
extra poignancy, depth and beauty. Enjoy.
Nice post Laura! I have a scarf that Trina gave me for Christmas the year before last and it's displayed on the chair in our bedroom so I can see it every day and think of her. Quite a remarkable woman. I'm sure she's watching over all of us. I'll never be able to hear the word groovy without thinking of her! Take care!
Trina was definitely groovy and, Carla, how wonderful that you are adding Trina and her daughter to your prayer list. Good luck on your cancer walk!


Unicorns are people, too...: Ladies and Gentlemen, Let the Freebies Begin!
Here we have a set of 5 matchbook notebooks with 15 pages of recycled newsprint paper in them. We've got some cycling elephants, some circus poster taglines and the beautiful trapeze artist alongside her elephant pals (her elephant pals are on the reverse side :)). This one has rules just like the last one did so keep on reading!
Also, by becoming a fan on facebook, that's another way to keep up with the doings of ECS like sales, new products and shows!
Let me know which act it is that brings or would bring you to the circus. I'll start. I love the animals. The boring ones are okay, but mostly I like the dangerous ones. The elephants with their sharp tusks, the lions and tigers with their man-flesh-eating-ness and the alligators who also eat fleshy men. I love the danger in it. :) Now you. What is your favorite act at the circus?
So leave a comment on this blog post telling me all about your circus habits, and I can't wait to read them! Plus you'll be entered in the drawing. :) Also, if you join the Ehle Custom Stationery Ehlebots, there are discussion boards and other ways to get savings and new product reveals. We've just got all sorts of stuff going on!
The giveaway starts as soon as this is posted (if you're reading it now, that's now!) and ends Sunday night. Joey and I will be picking a winner Monday morning sometime so tune in then to see the winner! Just remember: elephants are our friends, R-Pat and Rees are tremendous actors and unfortunately good-looking people, and, hence, you should go see Water for Elephants. :) Ciao, bellas!
I liked watching the elephants march around the ring. Epsecially when there's a little elephant marching behind an adult elephant while holding the adults tail. My circus habits include gorging myself on cotton candy and singing the national anthem.
Last time I was at the circus it was sometime before I was four but my Mom says I liked it. I was pretty dissapointed when I was informed that there are no longer side shows... I suppose i would attend the circus for the monkeys dressed up like people =) Not sure what my circus habits are because I have not been, but I would like to find out.
I love the circus!! My favorite act would most definately have to be the elephants and their super fun tricks. It is so cool to see giant elephants do dainty tricks. The elephant rides during intermission are fun too!


text:
Q: Expected decay time with uniformly distribution
A strange radioactive sample initially contains $N>1$ atoms. Each day, if the sample contains $m$ atoms, then it decays in such a way that at the end of the day, the number of atoms remaining is uniformly distributed over $\{1,\dots,m-1\}$. Let $X_k$ be the number of atoms left at the end of day $k$ (with $X_0=N$). Define $T=\min\{k\geq0\mid X_k=1\}$. What is $\mathbb E[T]$?

Clearly the $X_k$ form a Markov Chain. I can write down the transition probabilities as $p_{ij}=\frac{1}{i-1}$ if $1\leq j\leq i-1$, else $p_{ij}=0$. However, I'm not sure how to find $\mathbb E[T]$. Certainly, $T<N$. Further, since in expectation the number of atoms halves each day, we might expect intuitively that $\mathbb E[T]$ will be $O(\log N)$, but this of course is not at all a rigorous argument.

A: Let $k_i=\mathbb E[T\mid X_0=i]$. Then for $n>2$, we have
\begin{align}
k_n &= 1+\frac{1}{n-1}(k_2+\dots+k_{n-1}) \\
k_{n-1} &= 1+\frac{1}{n-2}(k_2+\dots+k_{n-2}).
\end{align}
So from the second equation, $k_2+\dots+k_{n-2}=(n-2)(k_{n-1}-1)$. Sticking this into the first,
$$k_n=1+\frac{1}{n-1}[(n-1)k_{n-1}-(n-2)]=k_{n-1}+\frac{1}{n-1}.$$
Now with $k_2=1$ and $k_3=1+\frac{1}{2}$, it follows inductively that
$$\mathbb E[T]=k_N=\sum_{i=1}^{N-1}\frac{1}{i}.$$
As you suspected, this is indeed $O(\log N)$.

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Temi Oh's space colonisation debut was billed as The 100 meets The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, which was always going to take an awful lot of living up to (ahem, even for someone who has never seen The 100). So let's get that comparison out of the way early: the only similarity to Small Angry Planet is that Do You Dream of Terra-Two? is a character study of a motley crew on a spaceship.
The difficulty with poorly-chosen publisher blurbs is that they get you off on the wrong foot. The Wayfarer flies on pure, untarnished charm; Temi Oh's Damocles flies on ambition. I found it hard to warm to its crew, and tricky to particularly care about their goals and setbacks, although I soon found myself immersed in their conflicts.
The Beta have competed since they hit puberty for the honour to be the first to fly to Terra-Two, the Earth-like planet that a failing world has fixed on as their best bet for a new planet to destroy home. Chosen for their intelligence and aptitude, tested for psychological stability and compatibility, each is a specialist uniquely suited for the twenty-year journey. With them go legends: the Russian engineer whose revolutionary drive will get them there; a botanist who helped bring life back to Mars; a hero pilot and a empathetic doctor.
Given the hothouse pressure, it's more of a shock than perhaps it should be when OPENING CHAPTER SPOILER one of the Beta commits suicide the day before launch. Ara's death is freighted with unexplored implications: the brightest, the happiest, the best beloved who nonetheless chose to jump into the filthy Thames. The narrative focuses on those she leaves behind as the rest of the Beta are torn between their shock and their fear that they'll be taken off the mission.
When they go – rushed off-planet with no time to grieve – her ghost travels with them. Her last-minute replacement Jesse has no chemistry with the tight-knit Beta, and is too excited to stop himself saying exactly the wrong things. He too is haunted – by a prophecy that makes him certain he'll die if he doesn't make the Beta. Not good enough to a be pilot, he switched to botany – only to be beaten to second place by poor Ara. Terra-Two is Jesse's destiny; and his self-absorbed joy is hard for his new shipmates to swallow.
Jesse may be a misfit, but it sometimes seems a miracle that any of the Beta passed the tests that confirmed they were stable enough for a twenty-year deep-space mission. Poppy suffers from chronic depression. Juno is anorexic and short-tempered. Her twin Astrid has swapped the Christianity of her childhood for the fervent faith of the New Creationists. Harry is cruel, unfamiliar with failure or even sickness. And Eliot, engineering genius, has just lost the love of his life.
As the breakdown of onboard relationships outstripped the pace of the journey, I started wondering how they'd survive twenty years trapped in a small tin can together. Would Harry push Jesse out the airlock before Juno smothered Poppy? Would anyone be able to put up with Astrid's evangelism? How would they cope once the adults aboard began to age and die?
These turned out to be the wrong questions, as the second half of the novel takes a left turn from space exploration to space disaster. The crew must learn to overcome their weaknesses and rivalries if they are to survive, much less reach Terra-Two. Everything will depend on their confidence and training. And, perhaps, on how far they are prepared to go for their dream.
The sudden uptick in pace and drama was a shock (as disaster in deep space should be I suppose), if welcome after all the navel-gazing and conflict. But while I enjoy disaster novels, I found the second half of the novel almost mechanical in the way it used the unfolding drama to resolve the arcs of the Beta. The character development at the climax fell flat for me after the intricate set-up.
There were other issues too. Do You Dream of Terra-Two? is set in a parallel timeline – while the novel (eventually) gives you just enough context for the purposes of the plot, I had lots of unaddressed questions (such as wondering how the UK was funding a national space program on an equal footing with the US, China and Russia). The narrative sometimes lacked clarity or seemed to contradict itself (note: I read a very early ARC). For example: I was never clear when and where Eliot and Ara met. Cai appeared on-board before the Damocles passed Mars (where he was based). When Astrid reflected that they'd be the first out of the solar system it took me a while to click that the Chinese generation ship years ahead of them was so slow they would overtake it that soon.
These are all minor asides for the most part, but the immediate effect of thinking 'wait, what?' regularly threw me out of the narrative, as did an unfortunate formatting error that meant my copy had no capital Es available (it took me a long time to realise that Eliot didn't insist on being called eliot). It's a shame, as Temi Oh writes lovely prose, with an almost poetic turn of phrase at times, and her characters were interesting even if I didn't like them much.
In the end, I found Do You Dream of Terra-Two unsatisfying. I think this was partly those expectations: I was more interested in the challenges of colonisation and terraforming than in the characters, and that turned out not to be what the book was about. I wanted to get to Terra-Two and know if Astrid's visions were true; but the book never reaches the promised planet.
However, I was sufficiently engaged that I would consider re-reading it at some point (although I'll wait for the final edition to see if it addresses any of the hiccups) – as I think it will reread well with my expectations set more appropriately.
I received an early ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Posted in Reviews, SciFiMonth 2018 and tagged 3 stars, books, debut novel, free review copy, scifi, SciFiMonth, sf, sff, Simon & Schuster, temi oh, what can possibly go wrong. Bookmark the permalink.
Maybe because I haven't read Becky Chambers' book I didn't have any expectations when I read it, so I enjoyed it a lot more than you. The thing that I kept thinking was "this book isn't going to be long enough for them to get to Terra-Two" and I was surprised by the turn of events.
That hit me about halfway through when i realised they hadn't even left the Solar System or rendezvoused with the American station. I still didn't anticipate what happened, but it made a lot more sense (which is why I think I'll enjoy it more on a reread. My expectations were set wrong on a number of levels this first time around).
I was eyeing this up, but i don't think i'd like it too much.
Usually i enjoy character driven stories, but the plot should not suffer 😀 Like, not getting to where they are going… mm, yea that would annoy me.
An excellent in depth review. And you highlight one of the biggest reasons I don't bother with eArcs, all the errors and omissions. Talk about getting Beta readers to do your editing for you!
To be fair to the selection team, some of those flaws weren't obvious before they hit deep space – and in some cases, the teenagers gamed the system. They do all have good points to offset those flaws.
However, (minor spoiler) – some do also come to question whether they were selected against the criteria they were told about!
Ah… well if that is being raised within the book, then I'm guessing this is an issue that will be addressed in the second book in the series. Will you read the second book?
Oh gosh yes 🙂 I have shamelessly read Wikipedia recaps to finish some series 😉 …and for others, not even bothered with those.
hmmm… maybe this book is more akin to the tv miniseries "Ascension" than it is to Small Angry Planet? The miniseries Ascension was people chosen for certain abilities & genetics and it's like a 80 year journey to their new home, so it will be the 3rd-4th generation who actually gets to colonize the planet. Personalities clash, space disaster, super fun drama. if i remember correctly, it was 5 or 6 hour long episodes.
This book sounds like it has an excellent concept (or at least concepts I'm really into!) and not such great execution. Like the author wanted to touch on way too much stuff in too few pages.
Oooh that sounds like a great series! I'd never heard of it, but I shall scout it out.
…although I'll be watching out for other reviews to see whether it was just me who found parts of it muddled / undertold. It's a debut, so I'm prepared to be fairly forgiving (and hopeful it may get a final polish before it hits the shelves).


text:
Combitech's half-year report for January-June 2020
Stable earnings for Combitech
Increased order intake and stable profitability reported when the Nordic solution and consulting partner Combitech released its half-year report for January-June 2020.
"We have had good development during the second quarter with stable sales and increased order intake," says Hans Torin, CEO for Combitech. "Compared to the corresponding period last year, orders received increased by 30 percent. We are pleased to note that although Covid-19 has had a significant impact on parts of our business, the impact on earnings has been small. We took action early and have adapted continuously to the changing situation.".
There has been continued substantial interest from industry and the public sector in taking advantage of digitalisation and collaboration for increased sustainability and competitiveness.
During the second quarter, for example, Combitech entered into a new collaborative agreement with Växjö Municipality, Skanska and Södra regarding the digital city through the project Crossways Växjö. During the same period, Navelink has begun operations, an inter-branch collaboration in which the industry interacts with authorities and together contributes to the development and digitisation of the maritime sector with increased efficiency, safety and sustainability of objectives.
"It is a strength for us to have such a wide range of customers and assignments, which entails that not all are affected in the same way," says Hans Torin. "Many of our business in areas such as medical technology, telecom, defence and large parts of the public sector segment have had extremely limited impact."
For Combitech, it is primarily assignments in the automotive industry that have been affected by Covid-19, with paused or stopped assignments. For those consultants who have lost assignments as a result of Covid-19's impact on customers, Combitech has invested in skills development in the form of online training.
During the period, the effects of Covid-19 in the form of travel restrictions, for example, have changed ways of working, which has brought several positive effects for Combitech. Declining travel and increased use of digital meetings, workshops and webinars have helped to streamline operations and reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
"We are now looking at which positive lessons we should apply in the future, in order to maintain the good effects that have arisen in spite of the current hardships," says Hans Torin. "There will be a time after Covid-19and when it comes, we will stand stronger."
KEY EVENTS APRIL-JUNE 2020
Combitech has initiated collaboration with Växjö Municipality, Skanska and Södra to jointly develop a new district in Växjö. The project, Crossways Växjö, will through sustainability, cooperation and digitalization, create a climate-neutral and innovation-promoting meeting place.
Navelink, the new information platform for sustainable and efficient shipping, has been available to users since 1 April 2020. Combitech is supplying the infrastructure service on behalf of the newly formed industrial consortium Navelink, which consists of Kongsberg, Saab and Wärtsilä.
In June, Combitech signed a collaborative agreement with Siemens Energy regarding 3D printing for the manufacturing industries. Working together, the companies can assist with the entire chain, from design to development expertise for mass production.
During the second quarter of 2020, Combitech signed several new agreements in public sector operations, primarily in IT services and information security.
During the period, Combitech's commitments in national defence, both civilian and military, have increased. Combitech already supports a larger number of agencies in the reconstruction of the national defence.
Key figures, January-June 2020
Order intake
Order intake during the first half of the year was SEK 1493 million, an increase of 30 percent compared to the first half of 2019 (SEK 1.151 billion).
Sales revenues amounted to SEK 1329 million, an increase of 2.4 percent compared to the same period in 2019 (SEK 1297 million).
Earnings and margin
Operating profit (EBIT) was SEK 101 million, which is in line with the previous year (SEK 101 million). The operating margin was 7.6 percent, compared to 7.8 percent in 2019.
Operating cash flow
Operating cash flow was SEK 482 million, compared to SEK 33 million in the first half of 2019. SEK 230 million of cash flow is attributable to temporary deferral of payment from the state due to Covid-19.
Åsa Scherling, Head of Communication, Combitech
Tel.: +46 734-18 77 98, E-mail: asa.scherling@combitech.se
Merton Kaplan, IR Manager, Saab AB
Tel.: +46 734-18 20 71, E-mail: merton.kaplan@saabgroup.com
About Combitech
Combitech is a Nordic solution and consulting partner with services in areas such as digital transformation, cybersecurity and national defence. We have 1900 employees, helping companies, industries and the public sector to benefit from technology and digitalization for a sustainable and secure society. To put it simply, technology with a purpose!
Read more at www.combitech.se
Combitech is an independent company in the defence and security group Saab AB.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


As our economies and markets become more global, even local businesses are faced with an international influence. Employers need people with the skills, resources, and the cultural perspective to build effective, successful global business networks.
The Bill and Vieve Gore School of Business is nationally accredited by the Association of College Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP).
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Recognize the fundamental economic forces that shape a country's stake in the global economic order, and establish the implications for national and business policy of the international economy.
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Ask for new game releases here!
Pixel Games will announce new releases here!
[PiXEL Games support] Duplication of PiXEL games.
Black ops 2 does not start up!!!
Is MOH Warfighter available right now in PCL multimedia?
how much time will it take for you to download a 15GB game?


text:
Skynets
Sandham Karts
Sandham Karts in Pole Position!
A new £60,000 go-karting attraction is open at Sandham Gardens.
Sandham Karts is a 150m track on the seafront next to the boating lake and has 6 battery powered, electric karts to race at once, suitable for children aged 4-12.
It marks the latest phase of development at Sandham Gardens by Heritage Attractions Ltd, who also operate The Needles Landmark Attraction on the Island.
Christian Zanti operations manager, Sandham Gardens, said:
"Our first week has been a great success, and there have been plenty of happy faces leaving the track.
"Many visitors have already expressed an interest in coming back again, so it is certainly proving a big hit with kids.
"We're thrilled to see that the latest addition to Sandham Gardens is proving so popular and we hope it will boost to the number of visitors coming to the area."
Last month, the Isle of Wight Council backed plans for a new high-ropes course in Sandown scheduled to open next year.
Sandham Gardens,
Sandown Bay,
Culver Parade, Sandown,
PO36 8AT
hello@sandhamgardens.com
Error: Error validating access token: Session has expired on Tuesday, 15-Sep-20 03:42:22 PDT. The current time is Monday, 18-Jan-21 07:53:01 PST.


Read reviews about Burgers & Beers Grillhouse here! All reviews have been written by Quandoo users that have already booked and eaten at Burgers & Beers Grillhouse. We try to be as transparent as possible by providing you with real guest experiences. Find out what other diners are saying about Burgers & Beers Grillhouse.
Very nice. Well cooked and plenty of burger choice. If it's jut burger and sides you want I would definitely recommend. Located old town .
Great food, great service, great place! I thougt I was man enough to take on their challenge "deathwish 666", but I'm obviously not ;-) /The swedish guy that tasted the sauce!
Excellent service and food, it's second to none in all the burger or grill places to eat in the whole of Edinburgh. My wife and Son also loved there food and my son also loved the music, he is 7.
Hipster-style restaurant- very neat decor and the staff are very friendly and attentive. Food was greasier than expected, especially for the half chicken we got. Burger was wonderful, as expected from a burger bar! The place was jam-packed and the atmosphere was great, however the music was a little loud. Not a good place for small children.
Excellent food and excellent service. Very friendly and chatty staff. Some my find it expensive but it is located on the royal mile in the middle of Edinburgh so I think it's pretty good price. Would highly recommend.
We had a delicious meal with great burgers, loved the fancy ambience, had friendly staff, enjoyed the music which was is mixture of punk, grunge, rock - but not too loud. Second time I've been there and would do a third time any time.
Excellent burgers and service! We tried o ring and Mac burger and they were amazing. The price was normal and the design of the space is really cozy and inspiring.


Home » GIBO News & Updates » We have launched!
Finally, Getting Irish Business Online has launched. Its been a hectic time these last few weeks but now we're out of the starting blocks and rearing to go.
We think you'll agree our initial offering is a pretty attractive package of services for new start-up businesses. We've a free domain name (including .ie), free hosting with online website builder, cloud email. Our friends at Blueface have come on board to offer a VOIP line with geographic number that means your customers will be able to reach you no matter where you are.
Everything is free for at least a year, with no provider lock-in or contract periods. We hope you like all the free services, but if not you can choose to use as many or as few of the services as you want, you can take your domain and move elsewhere, its up to you.
The only real restrictions we place is that the services must be used for genuine business purposes and each business can only sign up once. Much and all as we'd love to be able to offer free services to everyone and his dog, times are hard and right now we think resources are best spent giving fledgling Irish businesses the best chance they can get. Every cent they don't have to spend on internet, web & communications is a cent they can put towards growing the business instead.
We'll be augmenting the offering as we go along so please check back regularly. We are actively seeking partners to offer genuinely useful free internet and ICT products to start-up and developing businesses.
So … we've done our bit, now its up to you!


Bread pots are wheel-thrown, high fired works of art that are glazed in our custom glazes. Useful pottery is a great gift idea.
They are a convenient size so that the uses are practically endless. Oven, microwave, and dishwasher safe.
As with all handmade pottery, the size, color and shape may vary slightly.
Find the full collection of this pottery HERE.


Paul Lowe, editor-in-chief at Sweet Paul Magazine, needed a new website. In early 2012, he and Paul Vitale came to us with the idea of creating an extensive site. Working in tandem with designer Travis Ward, we used his designs as a jumping off point and created a new website to showcase the stunning work that Paul Lowe and his team produce on a weekly basis.
Located on a unique garden plaza overlooking the East River, Riverpark represents a dynamic new culinary destination and reflects Tom Colicchio's overall vision as restaurateur, showcasing his thoughtful approach to dining.
Reddymade Design is an award-winning boutique style design firm founded by Suchi Reddy and is based in New York City. The studio's signature is its ability to create luxurious and beautiful modern spaces.
Global Health Frontline News is an independent nonprofit video news organization. Pioneering a new model of reporting in the public interest, they provide distinctive global health news stories to broadcasters and Internet platforms.
Judd Foundation's mission is to maintain and preserve Donald Judd's permanently installed living and working spaces, libraries, and archives in New York and Marfa, Texas. The Foundation aims to promote a wider understanding of and appreciation for Judd's artistic legacy by facilitating public access to these spaces and resources and by developing scholarly and educational programs.
Cielo Productions is a nonprofit video production company based in the United States who creates quality high-definition news segments and feature documentaries from the worlds of science and public health to entertain, inform and educate viewers globally.
The Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine was formed to catalyze collaboration by building and operating a new stem cell research facility specifically designed for productive, multi-disciplinary scientific collaborations.
Visit Brooklyn highlights attractions, events, lodging and dining options for tourists and residents and is an initiative of Brooklyn mayor Marty Markowitz (includes the site for the Brooklyn Book Festival).
Yuken Teruya has shown in several solo exhibitions at spaces including Josee Bienvenu Gallery, New York; Shoshana Wayne Gallery, Santa Monica; Murata and Friends Gallery, Berlin; Basel, Switzerland and The Ueno Royal Art Museum, Tokyo.
Gather Here is a fabric, yarn, and fibers store offering classes, an inspirational work space, and knowledgeable instructors. They aim to provide a creative, fun, inspiring environment for the maker in everyone.
Inara was founded on the belief that human beings have a limitless capacity for success. The objective is to harvest that very potential in people and organizations, resulting in exponential growth in the quality of service for organizations and an enduring sense of purpose for the people who make it all happen.
This website is still under development. Stroll gathers NYC boutiques in one place online.
We designed the identity and website for a new night in London's nightlife.
Foul Water Fiery Serpent is a new documentary feature film that follows the stories of health workers engaged in a final battle to eradicate a horrific disease in Africa.
Oceanic Preservation Society creates film, photography and media, inspiring people to save the oceans. OPS's first film, The Cove, has won dozens of awards around the world, including the Oscar® for Best Documentary in 2009.
Please check back soon for an exhaustive look at Brandon's graphic design work on this film.


text:
The MENDOZA Order
Thread: The MENDOZA Order
2018 was even more interesting with John SCHLABACH filing a civil suit. When it came up on my radar I prompted John to acquire Mr. Salvador MENDOZA's oath of office.
As expected the oath is deviant, the office is vacant and Mr. MENDOZA is not a real judge. He is another criminal in syndicalism, with an intentionally altered oath of office racketeering for monetary gain. I warned John that if he waited until after a decision, recusing MENDOZA would come off disingenuous - like if MENDOZA ruled for John, then John would accept him as a real judge. I warned him because it is truly a big temptation.
Also, if you review some of the Docs on the attached docket report you can tell that John actually won the cause by default except that he failed to serve the State (federal) Attorney General a Summons and Complaint. So the IRS attorneys had plenty of time for planning strategy, probably even in ex parte hearings with MENDOZA considering he is not bound to law and constitution like a real judge.
Not only that, because of John's order for the MENDOZA oath they were likely onto John's being disingenuous and were justified in returning the favor in kind. Dishonor follows dishonor.
So there it is attached for you to read. I see three flaws from the get-go! One, the Discussion begins with MENDOZA saying he has no jurisdiction to be making the opinion, integrated into the Dismissal Order. Therefore MENDOZA is pretending that the case is dismissed because John's arguments are indeed frivolous, for the reasons cited. But if you are careful about reading the case is dismissed for lack of jurisdiction and MENDOZA is using some kind of fringe boil over precedent "threshold issue" that allegedly permits him to talk like he has jurisdiction and standing to opine about lawful money.
While reading the MENDOZA Order however, it is very important to understand he can use smoke and mirrors because he is not a real judge, after all. For example, this is only about tax year 2013 according to MENDOZA - during which time John was not making any demand for lawful money on his paychecks.
Doc 14 MENDOZA Orders case closed.pdf (116.1 KB, 265 views)
docket report 1 5 19 SCHLABACH E WA.docx (17.6 KB, 301 views)
Last edited by David Merrill; 01-06-19 at 06:41 PM.
I want to make the arguments Mr. MENDOZA presents clear to the reader here before we begin picking them apart. My presumption is the IRS strategy is to integrate quotes from the MENDOZA Order into internal memorandum for the IRS agents to summarily disqualify lawful money returns and send Frivolous Penalty warnings and billings.
When and if that starts happening then I will address these memorandums through the redeemed suitors affected by the Order. Meanwhile if John wants his name on the corrections he can joinder into the Albany Remand today should he like. For now, the objective is to embarrass Mr. MENDOZA for acting like a judge, and for juxtaposition of the Legal Tender Cases misinterpretation carefully onto only one tax year, 2013 where he only had a questionable right to comment, even if he were a real judge. Hopefully this will keep any real attorneys at the IRS from issuing instructions that might interfere with people's right to remedy in private administrative process - Lawful Money Returns and Refusal for Cause when not recognized.
There in the last paragraph of the images we find why I am concerned. The IRS attorneys might instruct IRS agents about issuing FrivPen threats and billing through the memorandum process. They might quote Mr. MENDOZA, thinking that he is a real federal judge.
There are three or four fatal flaws in the Order, that I have already spotted. Some of them require reading the entire case. Primarily though, if MENDOZA was indeed a judge he has misconstrued Juliard at the heart of his argument/discussion and relies upon American ignorance for us to value currency that cannot be used for fractional lending and reserve banking the same as Federal Reserve notes.
US notes cannot be used as a reserve by law. But the value of any currency, especially matching US notes up with Fed notes is something executed between the ears of people passing the notes in exchange for value. I know the fellow who invented computer linguistics for Texas Instruments. It went directly into a toy called the Speak & Spell and he sold it for $1. Of course he was an engineer on salary. But you get my point. So long as people accept that US notes equal Fed notes, in general and common law, they do.
MENDOZA cleverly crafts a revision of the Legal Tender Cases upon general layman ignorance.
Otherwise, the key is knowing the NEPHALIM through the Dragon Court.
I also just spotted that THOMAS is cited but not McCULLOCH. Very clever commercial priestcraft!
I am not getting any comments so I will make the first move. It is not on the pages I showed above but it is the most important point going, in my opinion. It is about Jubilee. I acquired the Castle Church lien through my Bill of Exchange in 2001. I am sure you have all seen it by now. So I intervened and prevented the State of Colorado from seizing Bishop Castle in 2002 through a libel of review. Then 2015 rolled around and Jim had gotten into some more legal trouble and the solution was an irrevocable trust:
You might have to be me to get this, and of course you don't have to believe it. The War and Emergency began April 15, 1861 and 153 years markes 2014. A jubilee is actually the 49th year, and the 50th year together - a two year event every 50 years. The 2016 Yom Kippur marked the 3500 year mark since the Invasion of Canaan and so it was the 70th Jubilee; a very special event of forgiveness.
Now look what MENDOZA says about the Trading with the Enemy Act:
This ended the war! He admits that the war is no longer written into the Bankers' CODE. That misuse of the 1917 statute was the only thing securing good people into a position of compelled endorsement and was used for a gold seizure in 1933.
I have mentioned in the Albany Remand that there is no statute of limitations on murder.
My point being that the Trading with the Enemy Act never existed in law. So it is now "Omitted" and no longer exists. Therefore one is not compelled and never was compelled to endorse private credit. So the remedy is still there.
Wait a minute. SCHLABACH began redeeming lawful money after 2013?
To say you were converting your pay into U.S. notes at that time without any evidence would make your self-assessment "substantially incorrect" and thus frivolous. Am I missing something.
You got it right. As I understand from John, he paid the 15% liability on the appeal right to jurisdiction in alleged "lawful money". Any money that you have in hand to "pay" anybody is lawful money. The question remains, did you make your demand for lawful money when you acquired the funds? Just the same, if he was endorsing private credit in 2013 he accrued a proper income tax liability. It is like the tag-team of IRS, DoJ and MENDOZA attorneys orchestrated the focus on all his learned arguments being upon one tax year, 2013.
Nice Catch. Good Eye.
I am about to take you down a wonderful bunnyhole with the Albany Remand. If you get to it, download it because I may delete the link. I might update it with Doc 40 or not. My gut is a brain and I follow it. So more so lately I have been doing things without explaining why because the thought system down there is completely quantum/parallel processing and there are more bacterium thinking on a whole different plane that there are humans on the surface of Earth.
Doc 38 is a garnishment against Steven Terner MNUCHIN with the only properly bonded justice Brett Michael KAVANAUGH notified to preside limited. MNUCHIN is served however as US Governor for the International Monetary Fund. TRUMP's response to this would of course be bankruptcy (craven) and so without the Trading with the Enemy Act in banking warfare, he simply declared a personal holiday on Christmas Eve with the intent to squabble with the Dems until 1/23 for the restructure (31 Day Government Shutdown).
Doc 38 Mexican Wall Shutdown EO #13854.pdf (171.9 KB, 234 views)
Well you mailed Doc 38 on December 20th so it's possible there's a connection to the Govt shutdown.
It's curious that John speaks in third person. Quoting from the first page of his complaint ...
Plaintiff Schlabach has converted all his received paychecks into lawful money of the United States ("U.S. Notes"), ...
Did someone write this for him? He does not indicate when he began redeeming lawful money, other than "all his received paychecks." Since his first job, ever? And with no exhibit or copy of a single demand paycheck? Hard to believe he was demanding lawful money on "all" paychecks.
Makes you wonder about the purpose of the case. If I were a conspiracy theorist I'd say it was intention to create some case law for the IRS to say: "See, this redeeming lawful money theory doesn't hold any water."
Originally Posted by lorne
It's curious that John speaks in third person. Quoting from the first page of his complaint ... Did someone write this for him? He does not indicate when he began redeeming lawful money, other than "all his received paychecks." Since his first job, ever? And with no exhibit or copy of a single demand paycheck? Hard to believe he was demanding lawful money on "all" paychecks.
Thank you especially for the reality check.
My ACIM training (A Course in Miracles) recalls how Effect and Cause are flip-flopped throughout the delivery. With the time collapse there must be a new mindset about remote viewing. So I am not bothering with the date on the Executive Order (12/18/18). After all it was simply to give federal employees two days off - starting Christmas Eve. My guess is on a whim Donald John felt as though the anti-Christ has been diminishing the Christmas story - like keeping prayer out of the schools. Like that.
Then as the businessman CEO he is turning it into a 31-Day Government Shutdown. But he no longer has the power of Executive Order, according to me. It is based on a war that ended in 1865. This is the "Omission" status. If you can find what that means?
According to MENDOZA the War does not exist, not in the realm of banking anyway. So it is a lot of smoke and mirrors around the Mexican Wall but if you know any federal employees then you have intelligence. There is restructure going on alright. The Department Heads are gearing up to resume operations and I suspect there will be a major culling considering the CEO is famous for, "You're Fired!!"
Then as CEO he saw an opportunity that he might disguise as a debate about the Mexican Wall. Within the Albany Remand Mr. TRUMP is recused as President. But herein I am broaching the End of War with the "Omission" of the Trading with the Enemy Act. This is the primary exigent circumstance and treachery by murder. Abraham LINCOLN was shot under strange circumstances but it is difficult to avoid that it didn't happen at a critical cusp in American history when the next logical Executive Order would have been to end the "extraordinary occasion" of April 15, 1861. This is the beginning of the tax year.
Being there is no statute of limitations on murder, this continues to indict. FDR has no right imposing the Trading with the Enemy Act upon a bogus war against the Great Depression. It was over in 1865, but that fact has been obscured by murder too. We rally behind Moses' execution of 150 families for questioning his agency to Enlil on the mountain too (Korah Rebellion).
Fantasy world or not, I find it quite fetching. The rabbis know, because I found the reference in the Tenach. People think the Flood killed everybody off but we find them ruling Canaan at Numbers 13:33. Eli raised Samuel for the murder of the Amalakites, among others. This El Shaddai has a lot of blood on his hands, alright.
"Dismissal is appropriate under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(1) when the Court lacks subject matter jurisdiction over the claim." Schlabach v. United States, No. CV-12-0618-JLQ, 2013 WL 1619829, at *1 (E.D. Wash. Apr. 15, 2013). "This is a threshold issue which goes to the power of the court to even hear the case." Id. "Because this basic foundation is at stake, the court is not limited to the allegations in the Complaint but may also consider extrinsic evidence and, if facts are in dispute, may weigh the evidence in order to satisfy itself that jurisdiction exists." Id. (citing Roberts v. Corrothers, 812 F.2d 1173, 1177 (9th Cir. 1987)). "Although lack of subject matter jurisdiction is an affirmative defense, the burden of proof to show jurisdiction in a [Rule] 12(b)(1) motion is on the Plaintiff." Id. (citing Stock W., Inc. v. Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, 873 F.2d 1221, 1225 (9th Cir. 1989)).
"A motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim pursuant to [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure] 12(b)(6) tests the legal sufficiency of the claims in the Complaint." Id. at *2. "A complaint must be dismissed if it does not contain `enough facts to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.'" Id. (quoting Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570 (2007)). "A claim has facial plausibility when the plaintiff pleads factual content that allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged."1 Id. (quoting Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009)). "The Court must accept as true all material allegations in the complaint, as well as reasonable inferences to be drawn from them, and must construe the complaint in the light most favorable to the plaintiff."2 Id. (citing Cholla Ready Mix, Inc. v. Civish, 382 F.3d 969, 973 (9th Cir. 2004)). "In addition, where a plaintiff appears pro se, the court must construe the pleadings liberally and afford the Plaintiff any benefit of the doubt." Id. (citing Karim-Panahi v. L.A. Police Dep't, 839 F.2d 621, 623 (9th Cir. 1988)). "A pro se litigant is entitled to notice of the deficiencies in the complaint and an opportunity to amend, unless the Complaint's deficiencies cannot be cured by amendment." Id. (citing Noll v. Carlson, 809 F.2d 1446, 1448 (9th Cir. 1987)). "Nevertheless, a pro se plaintiff's claims must be dismissed where it appears beyond doubt that the Plaintiff can prove no set of facts in support of his claims that would entitle him to relief." Id. (citing Barrett v. Belleque, 554 F.3d 1060, 1061 (9th Cir. 2008)).
"And if I could I surely would Stand on the rock that Moses stood"
The foregoing pictures are code. The one on the cube is an enlightened Light worker who has raised the serpent on the brass staff [ref Holy Bible]. Notice he sits on the cube. He has received New Jerusalem [a new Heaven and a new Earth]. The ones standing before him are initiates in the great work. He offers the Lunar aspect because they must work with their lower waters in sexual sacred union to raise the serpent. Eve is the sexual organs - Adam is the brain and the Arc of the Covenant is carried by TWO staves [spines].
The second picture shows an enlightened one sitting on the cube [see foregoing] but now the solar Christic forces are being utilized to transform the Lunar [Soul] He [Sun or Christ] makes union with the regenerate She [Moon or Soul]. I wish to present you as a chaste virgin. In other words, these pictures relate a process of transformation.
For initially the serpent must be raised so that consciousness is awakened. This means that the Adam man is formed in the male or female. And the soul begins to Live. Other transformation [initiations if you will] must also occur. Such as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, etc. When Moses comes then comes a sustained Will power to perform the Work. But Moses cannot get the being into the Promised Lands. Said Promised Lands have nothing to do with physical Earth.
First one works with the Lunar forces, then later the Solar forces clean all aspects of the house. For He said what is thy name and they said Legion. And it was He [Sun of Righteousness] who threw the strong men out of the boys house.
By the way this has nothing to do with the personal Ego. And I am sure I am missing much more that is being said silently in symbolic form.
Said Promised Lands have nothing to do with physical Earth.
Yet the physical earth descends from the Promised Lands.
There are two predominant parables describing the ego's role. Enlil and Enki were half brothers. Enlil is EL SHADDAI of the Bible or LORD in the KJV. Enki is ADONAI or nearly consistently ADONAI (Enki ATEN). Enlil retained more of the gigantism and elongated skull features claiming his mother was older, and that he should rule alone; the "jealous God" of the Bible. Enke was the older brother and so he ruled Babylon.
Both the Flood, and the Tower being destroyed by foreigners invading are parables of how Enlil, the jealous and angry god invited the surrounding nations into Mesopotamia, diversity destroying the Hanging Gardens of Babylon (Garden of Eden) forever. Look at Numbers 13:33 for a proof that the Flood left the NEPHALIM in fact alive.
Doc 30 of the Albany Remand reveals:
Draco will one day again be the Center of the Universe - stationary in the Northern Sky:
The Dragon, or Serpent is the beginning of the Bible Story... but I guess we already knew that.
Please define and describe your wonderful interpretation of the two brothers. I am putting it to memory; believe me. It is worth the effort!
I appreciate you Michael Joseph!
That is what I always noticed about ACIM. Predominantly women reading study groups, it becomes therapy where they war against the ego. They ignore Page 53, (58 in the new edition). "I will never attack your ego but I am trying to teach you about the thought system from which the ego arises." As best I can tell, none of the ladies are really getting any satisfaction.
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text:
being denied the right to 'self-association'
August 24th, 2010 § 0 comments § permalink
Dear Fellow Patriot,
Uh-oh. Here we go.
Imagine a country where high-handed police chiefs abuse their powers to stop the native people celebrating their own culture and traditions.
OK. I'm imagining, but it's quite hard to imagine that when the last time I went morris dancing, in the street no less, the police rather enjoyed the show. It's quite hard to imagine when up and down the country there are folk events going on all over the place, with the police not even bothering to turn up. I wonder what traditions and what part of our culture Fat Nick thinks he can't do that anybody else can?
Imagine a country where busybody local council bureaucrats use petty regulations to harass campaigners for the rights of the indigenous people and prevent them holding perfectly peaceful festivals at which the older generation seek to transmit knowledge of their culture and heritage to youngsters.
Those petty regulations aren't used because of the festival per se, but because of the crowds of demonstrators that turn up as well. Creating chaos in the local area and annoying the local population even more than having wankers get lagered up in a field.
Imagine a country where it is 'illegal' for a band to perform a live song
Have they never talked to a landlord of a pub in a residential area that's tried to get a live music licence? Obviously not.
or for a Punch and Judy Man to put on a show without a licence – a licence that is refused to opponents of the ruling regime.
Why would the Punch & Judy man be granted a license to perform, and that is what it is and not specific a Punch & Judy license, at an event that hasn't been granted a license itself?
Imagine a country where the ruling elite uses taxpayers' money to try to force a political party that stands for the survival of the native people to change its rules and policies with the intention of swamping it with hostile members of ethnic minorities who boast of their intentions to destroy that party and to deny its members the right to self-association.
Oh dear. Poor little racists. Having to change their rules to comply with the law. Boo-fucking-hoo.
And "self-association"? Surely they mean free association? 'Self association' sounds like a rather grubby thing to do at a supposedly family event. No wonder the BNP weren't granted a license for their Red White & Blue festival of hate.
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The only reason I can think of is many people have tried in the past but the present owners of the HP Lovecraft copyrights squashed it.
Maybe no one bothered to release any until now?
There is a Cthulhu wad out there somewhere.
I'll dive into my wad-collection and see if I can get you a name or two.
A Cthulhu Half-Life mod was released recently. It's not that good, though.
I found it! I knew I had played something like that before.
ATTENTION: I did not make this wad.
The site that it originally came frome doesn't seem to have it anymore, so I put it up on my file-page.
The readme file gives me permission to distribute this wad in whatever way I want if I keep the zipfile intact with both the wad and the textfile.
I will only have this wad on my file page for a short period of time.
I am not allowd to store as much as I like on the university server.
So be quick to download it.
Awesome! I'll have to play it when I get home.
what does Cthulhu stand for?
The sprite substitutions in the deh script was all messed up. I couldn't read what those notes said either.
It still needs work, but not a bad idea.
Cthulu is this squid-like supposed elder-god. Read a bunch of pagan mythology and more modern H.P. Lovecraft and Alister Crowley type stuff and you'll catch right up. Possibly even the "Necronomicon."
Maybe it's for an earlier version of ZDooM or DooM Legacy or something.
I know I have played it without deh-errors before.
It's not THAT entertaining, but the level was somewhat well designed.
Same reason there've been very few attempts to film Lovecraft's stories.