Hello to the most amazing Wolfpack!!!
Thanks for being amazing JCI Michigan!
We have some great things happening all over the state! From cool statewide events like Rock the Boat, to fun socials all across the state, to district events. I am amazed by the dedication the members from this awesome state have shown. Keep it up! Chapters are crushing their membership goals and this makes me so proud!
Crush our 2nd Quarter growth goal and get the job done!
If you need help we will all be working together to get there just let us know what you need! Watch for posts from the Membership team on JCIMI Post it Here!
Membership Tips for new members!
The passport to leadership program available on Jaycee Member is one of the best ways to get new members on the right track initially. It is a pathway to continually activate new members and lead them on a path towards leadership.
The NMO is a great idea for new members. Especially if new members and existing members are attending. Get them to share (survey/ introduction question) what they would like to participate in while at the NMO. Have current members pair up with new members.
Ask new members for their ideas at the NMO. See if your chapter is running any of those types of events and personally promote them to the new member.
See if new members will join an experienced member on a committee. (Think easier projects or social/networking events) tell them their skills would be valuable on a specific upcoming project.
If they are young professionals think of fun ways to promote their business. Maybe showcase one each month for free on your website of Facebook page or even do a cash mob at their business.
Let one new member a month promote their business for 5 minutes at each GMM.
Buddy system. Pair new recruits with seasoned Jaycees. The seasoned member should reach out to their buddy or buddies once a week/month or before key events.
Try to have a presenter or presentation at your NMO/GMM. Showcase the value of the organization. Share your upcoming events, share committee opportunities. Share social events. Have a speaker share how the Jaycees impacted them. Share community involvement events.
At the end of the day if you have your members personally inviting new members out and really trying to get to know people you will have success keeping active members in your chapter!
Shout out to the Ann Arbor Jaycees and Lisa Bradley for straight up Rockin it with Membership!
Shout out to Emily Nock and Jessica Kling for coming to hang out with JCI Michigan at WEB!
Shout out to John Badeen for busting his balls and putting on some top notch hospitality for WEB volunteers!


The maker of expensive printer ink, HP, has written a $1.05 billion cheque for Samsung's printer business.
Fruity tax dodger Apple's moves to replace the headphone jack on the iPhone 7 were nothing about users and everything about its Beats racket.
Samsung has told Galaxy Note7 users to turn off their phones and go back to their old ones until the replacements show up.
Owners of a Seagate NAS might like to check to see if it is not infected with Mal/Miner-C, also known as PhotoMiner, which is infecting the devices and using them to mine for the Monero cryptocurrency.
The fruity tax dodger Apple has pulled out of the race to build self-driving cars because the industry was not doing what it was told.
While many people refuse to believe me when I complain about the Tame Apple Press which publishes stories as free PR for the fruity cargo cult, they might want to look at the news this week.
VR headset maker Oculus has won its first Emmy Award for a movie about a porcupine who is too prickly.
Samsung has indicated it will from now on use all batteries for its device from China's ATL after its own SDI subsidiary embarrassed it.
Nvidia is claiming that the supply for its Pascal-based GeForce GTX 1080, 1070 and 1060 graphics cardsis a little too tight to mention.
Boffins have been shuffling their electronic tarot cards and reached the conclusion that by 2040 the people committing the most crimes will be robots.


When photographing a landscape, you will come across a river sooner or later. As nice as rivers are to experience in person, with the sounds of the water rushing by and the coolness of the air that surrounds them, they are just as nice to include in your landscape photos. Rivers are an ideal leading line to draw people's eye further into the shot. There are gentle curves too, as well as a host of opportunities for blurring the movement of the water with a long exposure.
Indeed, rivers are valuable to landscape compositions. Let's see what you can do to make rivers, creeks, and streams really stand out.
More often than not, if you include the sky in your river photograph, the sky will probably be blown out. This isn't always the case, but it happens often enough that it's a good rule of thumb to frame it out of your composition. There are always exceptions, however, so use your best judgment when out in the field. If there is interesting subject matter in the distance - a mountain, for example - then it will be impossible not to have some sky in the shot. Otherwise, do away with the sky and you'll have an image that is much better exposed.
Bring a polarizing filter, which will darken the sky and prevent it from being blown out. An added benefit of using a polarizing filter is that it cuts down on glare, meaning, all those bright spots in the river that are reflecting the sun will be subdued as well. The problem, of course, is that if you're shooting a calm pool that acts like a mirror, a polarizer will all but negate the reflection. Be aware of this so you can add or remove the filter as your shooting needs change.
As with many other types of photography, photographing rivers benefits from overcast days when the clouds diffuse the sun's light evenly over the landscape. With less worry about blown out skies and harsh reflections off of the surface of the water, cloudy days give you a little more flexibility in terms of when and how you shoot. Patchy clouds can be a blessing and a curse - the variable levels of light can wreak havoc on your camera's meter, but sunbeams coming through the holes in the clouds can add a lot to your composition as well.
When photographing rivers, our natural inclination is likely to slow the shutter down to get some nice, blurry movement of the water. While blurring movement can certainly create a gorgeous image, so too can freezing the movement of the water. Consider finding a spot where the water is splashing about and framing a shot to highlight those splashes. Catching water droplets in mid-air by using a fast shutter speed could make for a very visually interesting composition.
Do not wade into a fast-flowing river. You risk losing your gear, or worse, your life, if you're swept away.
Wear appropriate shoes. Something with a grippy, rubber sole is best as it gives you the best traction. Things like flip flops should be avoided at all costs.
Use a tripod, even in the middle of the river. Position one leg upstream and two legs downstream preferably behind rocks, a downed tree, or something of the sort to mitigate the impact of the water rushing by. Don't leave your tripod alone, either. Stabilize it by holding onto it.
If shooting in an alpine river, beware of rising water levels in the afternoon as the sun rapidly melts the snow. River levels can increase quickly and might take you by surprise.
Just like a dry landscape, a river landscape affords you ample opportunities to compose dynamic and engaging images. The key is to put yourself in the best position to get the best shot. Watch the sky and reflections to prevent overexposure, and if you can, shoot on an overcast day. Equip yourself with a polarizing filter as well to cut down on glare and to darken the sky. Work with your shutter speed to see how different speeds impact your image, and, if you can do it safely, get into the river for the best perspective. Follow the guidelines listed here, and you'll maximize your ability to create stunning river landscape photos.


Time value of Money and Loan calculation tool allows to quickly solve problems involving loans, mortgages, leases, savings and annuities.
The QM Momentum Expectation Value program displays the time evolution of the position-space wave function and the associated momentum expectation value. The default wave function is a Gaussian wave packet in a harmonic oscillator.
The QM Position Expectation Value program displays the time evolution of the position-space wave function and the associated position expectation value. The default wave function is a two-state superposition of infinite square well states.
FastPval is a two stage p-value computation software which compute the empirical p-value by two stage ranking strategy, it can produce very low P-value based on huge dataset.
Diet Sleuth allows you to keep track of what foods you eat each day, and their nutritional value. For each day, you select the foods you have eaten, and the number of servings of each.
In each square put numbers until the total for the row is equal to the value next to the row. Make sure you get the right values in each column and in the diagonal direction too! To see what it looks like, look below.
MetadataMagic reads the metadata (all of the information about the layouts, fields, scripts, value lists, relationships, etc.) directly out of your FileMaker files and populates it into an easy to use FileMaker database.
myCoins is a program that allows you to break down a figure of dollar value into different combinations of coins.
Convert a color to web-safe HTML value. Web Colors allows you topick a color the familiar, Mac OS X way (simply click on the color box) and will display the color in the Hex you need to put it right into your html code.
Teach kids about the value of money. FRS Money Math is a fun and easy to use tool to aid students in learning to identify, total, add, and subtract money.
Auctioneer is an interface addon to the World of Warcraft (TM) game. Auctioneer enhances the WoW interface by adding additional information to the tooltips in the game that allow you to see additional information on the value of items in the game.
This Java program calculates the SPBRG value for a given baud rate (Baudrate) and clock frequency. It comes with a graphical interface and a simple value interpretation guide. A Java Webstart file (.jnlp) is provided.
BitSet is a plugin which extends the Eclipse IDE through a dialog which provides register definitions sorted by architecture. The value of the register is automatically calculated while the user is selecting register options.
A graphing calculator implementation of the Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model, with extensions for both American Style Options and Extreme Value Theory.
Code to allow you to use the "comment" in NSLocalizedString to contain the value and to have a separate comments file.
Ideal for writing data import programs and conversion programs.
DicomReader is a simple Java Dicom files decipher. It handles headers and images within as well; data (headers and pixel-value images) will be saved into ascii clear text files. A pgm version of the image files is also provided.
DQuery is a Dynamic Simple Query tool used to retrieve data as matching record(s) for a field value input by user with redirecting the output option also. It is developed using Tcl/TK.
Elektra provides a universal and secure framework to store configuration parameters in a hierarchical key-value pair mechanism, instead of each program using its own text configuration files.
GlobalEnvironment provides globally shared key-value pairs for different Java threads, JVMs, J2EE (EJB and JSP), Java and non-java applications. See other J2EE tools other information.


text:
Chapter 557: The Mechfolk
Thus Yang Qi became Titan Dragonguard, imperial clansman. He went from being a wanted criminal from the lower world to someone of incredible importance in the Titan Emperor Heaven.
And it was all thanks to Titan Duelbringer.
The entire process revealed to Yang Qi just how corrupt this immortal world was. With enough immortal stones to pave the way, anything was possible. It was even possible to purchase new identities.
Of course, this level of corruption was a big indication that the imperial dynasty was on its last legs. Otherwise, how could a fugitive like him so easily infiltrate the imperial ranks?
Official documents were generated, as well as an identity medallion. They also received new sets of clothing. The story was that Titan Dragonguard was the descendant of a brave hero who died in battle. That hero's descendants eventually fell from grace, mixed with the common people, and were forgotten. Years later, the Department of the Imperial Clan revisited the matter and tracked down the hero's final descendant, who was none other than 'Titan Dragonguard'.
As for Titan Duelbringer, it was a much simpler task to simply wipe his record clean based on 'meritorious service' in the lower world. Once again, Titan Duelbringer was now an official son of the imperial clan.
"Milord, you have a new identity, but unfortunately you're somewhat lacking in cash. You see, here in the Titan Emperor Heaven, we don't just use immortal stones for currency. Because we're a member of the Thirty-Six Thousand Immortal Worlds Coalition, we use an immortal currency called brahmanints. Like this."
With that, he pulled out a metallic coin. It looked exactly like coins from the mortal world, with a round outer shape and a square center hole. [1]
However, the coin had been sealed with an immortal skill, transforming it into a magical treasure.
"Milord, you have a lot of power stones, but considering they're all formed from the power of the Tusita Heaven, they're too eye-catching. If we can convert them into hard currency, it will make things a lot easier, whether we're here in the Titan Emperor Heaven or in other immortal worlds." He thought for a moment. "Our next step is to infiltrate the mansion of Princess Jadefall and try to get information about Proud Heaven. So we definitely need to make sure we've thought everything through beforehand. Princess Jadefall is not one to take lightly. She's immensely ambitious and commands entire armies of elite soldiers. Her forces have kept enemy invaders at bay for years and years. Once we're in her mansion you absolutely, positively must not reveal any of those power stones. It would be far too suspicious."
"Thirty-Six Thousand Immortal Worlds Coalition, huh?" Yang Qi murmured. The mere name was somewhat frightening. Considering that he couldn't perform a thorough search of the mere Titan Emperor Heaven in even a hundred years, how could he possibly handle a coalition of thirty-six thousand immortal worlds? All of a sudden, he was struck with awe at how large the universe was. No matter how powerful one's divine abilities and magical powers, they were still a drop of water in the ocean at best.
Taking the brahmanint, he sent some divine will into it and found the immortal skill that had sealed it. Because of it, the coin emanated immortal might, and he could tell that if enough were gathered together, millions upon millions, it would be enough to release power fatal to immortals.
That said, releasing that power as a weapon would destroy the brahmanint.
Seeing how Yang Qi was studying the coin, Titan Duelbringer continued to explain, "Milord, brahmanints are miraculous things. They're actually a core element of the Thirty-Six Thousand Immortal Worlds Coalition and are distributed by the Brahman Society. The seal inside the coin is actually a brahman skill. One of the key functions is how the coins can be pooled together to unleash explosive power. That said, they're precious, and therefore most people would never use them as a weapon unless absolutely necessary. It would be too much of a waste."
"Yes, I can see that," Yang Qi said. "These brahmanints contain incredible power. It seems to me they were created by a godly-class energy art from the ancient legion of gods, the type that could be the foundation of a major sect or organization. My guess is that the Brahman Society must have something to do with the ancient buddhist schools. If I have a chance, I should go look into them." [2]
"We're a long way off from becoming members of the Brahman Society," Titan Duelbringer said. "Even the lowest member of that society outranks the emperor of heaven here in the Titan Emperor Heaven, and he's the lord of an entire immortal world!
"Milord, let's go exchange your power stones for brahmanints. The imperial city is a major center of commerce, and there are plenty of shops to be found that specialize in currency exchange. And truth be told, the chaos in the Titan Emperor Heaven means that business is booming. That's what often happens when war strikes immortal worlds. Goods exchange hands on a daily basis, especially imported goods. Actually, Milord, if you want your lower world to transform into an immortal world, you might as well start sending down building materials now."
"Not a bad idea," Yang Qi said, turning his eyes up in thought.
Although he had a mystical network of laws in place below, he wasn't particularly rich in resources. The treasures he had couldn't even match up to the mere soil of the immortal world around him.
And his kingdom in the Hell of Mahānata was by no means perfectly complete. Sending down building materials from the immortal worlds would definitely be a big help.
With the power of faith, combined with building materials from an immortal world, perhaps he could build an Altar of Faith for cultivation purposes.
Furthermore, immortal materials could probably help his immortal clone to further perfect his five godly-class energy arts.
"Alright, let's get going," he said, tucking away his identity medallion. As Titan Dragonguard, imperial clansman, he now had nothing to fear and could freely move about the imperial city. Getting information would be a lot easier.
Soon, he and Titan Duelbringer arrived at a plane specifically set aside for business purposes.
Troops were on patrol everywhere, but considering the two of them now wore the clothing of imperial clansmen, complete with identity medallions, no one stopped them.
Even down-and-out members of the imperial clan were still considered wealthy experts who ordinary soldiers wouldn't dare cause problems for.
The streets and shops in the business plane seemed endless. Just about everything was available, shipped in through space-time wormholes from places near and far.
On one occasion, Yang Qi saw a procession of chariots emerging from a certain wormhole. The chariots themselves were crystalline and dazzling in nature, and they were each pulled by eight horses. The horses were marvelous; they glowed with bright white light and had horns on their heads, as well as halos.
"Milord, look!" Titan Duelbringer said. "Those are ultra-radiance godhorses! They have particularly noble blood and are rare mounts even here in the immortal world. They're incredibly fast and strong, and can absorb spatial power via breathing. They can even create natural greyspaces, and their passage will create deadly tempests. The nobility in many immortal worlds prefer them as mounts, although they're very rare. Here in the Titan Emperor Heaven, you have to reach the immortal officer level to even have a chance at getting one. And the only place to purchase them is the Heaven Spring Consortium."
They watched as the chariot procession went along through the business plane until it reached a particularly large mansion. Obviously, they were delivering goods, although it was hard to say exactly what.
A moment later, more rumbling sounds could be heard as another wormhole opened up.
This time, a host of vessels appeared that resembled snakes.
Each one was fully five hundred kilometers long and wreathed in crackling lightning that formed wings on either side.
"Those ships belong to the Mechfolk. They're called Lightning Snake Battlecruisers. The Mechfolk don't belong to any particular immortal world, but you'll find them just about everywhere. They're very skilled at equipment forging, the creation of machinery, and the assembly of magical treasures. Normally speaking, it takes a lot of work for immortals to make magical treasures. But the Mechfolk can make them in batches of thousands, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands. Then they'll use ancient spell formation charts to piece them together into larger machines. The result is a power that could never be unleashed by a single magical treasure. See, the Lightning Snake Battlecruisers are actually made from over a million different immortal items. Even just one of those battlecruisers could cause big problems for an army from an immortal world. The Titan Emperor Heaven isn't powerful enough to create such battlecruisers, so you can imagine what would happen if they crossed the Mechfolk. They would get destroyed. The imperial court has purchased a few, but they're so expensive that the fleet is almost nonexistent."
"Nothing short of miraculous," Yang Qi said, his eyes glittering. The workmanship that went into the Lightning Snake Battlecruisers was incredible, and almost seemed like something from a different, more fascinating civilization.
And with his Lord's Eye, Yang Qi could see that the ship had enormous cannons on it that could surely unleash devastating power. The entire ship looked like something from a lost civilization.
Truth be told, legends spoke of an ancient mechanical civilization whose people were physically weak, and rarely lived more than a hundred years. However, they were particularly intelligent, creating machines so powerful they could kill immortals and even threaten the legion of gods.
The Mechfolk actually inherited the legacy of that ancient mechanical civilization.
One could imagine what would happen if two immortal worlds clashed, and one brought a disorganized fiendslave battalion while the other brought immense warships. Obviously, the disorganized army would be ripped to pieces.
Flesh and blood couldn't possibly be a match for advanced machinery.
'I think I need to pay a visit to these Mechfolk,' Yang Qi thought. 'I wonder if I can buy some of their battlecruisers and send them to the lower world….'
1. Throughout history, the round coin with a square hole was the common currency in China. The hole in the center made it easy for them to be strung together into "strings" of cash of larger denominations, from 10, to 100, to 1000. Here's an image.
2. The real-life connections between Brahmanism and Buddhism are far too complex to get into here. And as I always say, the real-life details are usually not relevant in fantasy novels like this. That said, if it interests you, check out these articles about Brahma and Vedic religions.
Chronicles of Baby Deathblade: It's been a while since I mentioned BDB in any of my updates. A few minutes after uploading this chapter, we're heading off for his first official day of preschool. And we're only a few weeks away from his fourth birthday. It's hard to believe it's been nearly four years from the day I blearily posted ISSTH chapters from the hospital the day he was born. After moving from China to America, he went through a few months in which he refused to speak Chinese. However, when his grandmother visited from China (she can't speak more than a few words of English), he finally gave up and went back to speaking Chinese as well. Now he can switch back and forth between both languages easily, and even interpret. One funny thing is that considering I work from home, he's very familiar with my own 'workplace' terminology. He will say things like 'dad, did you launch your chapter yet?' He's terrifyingly clever and logical, and extremely cute. For example, he'll oftentimes ask us complicated questions that he already knows the answer to, just to see if we will respond correctly. Oh, and he likes knock-knock jokes, especially the one about the interrupting cow. Lol. Alright, enough for that update. I occasionally provide minor updates or funny stories about him on my Twitter, so check the sidebar or follow me on Twitter if you haven't already.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


I was wondering about this the other day, the BoE lends at 0.5% to the banks who add a hefty premium before lending to me.
Now, I was under the impression that that premium was justified because the banks that lend to me take on the risk, have to deal with the administration of my mortgage and make some profit to pay for the outrageous bonuses.
Since the first argument has been entirely removed from the equation, the banks no longer take on any risk since in essence they get bailed out, the risk is passed on to the government or the BoE, I am not sure the premium they are asking is really justified.
Hell, if they're just keeping tabs on my repayments, surely 0.1% should be more than enough to pay for the associated costs and still make a decent enough profit.
I'm going to be paying off the banks debts through all these rises in tax, yet I'm still not allowed to go and get a mortgage directly from the bank (BoE) I'm financing, I'm certainly not getting any interest back on the money I'm being forced to hand out to help those very institutions who are making massive profits by lending me my own money at a massive premium. Because this is what is really happening isn't it? The banks are lending you your own money you are being forced to hand out, and taking a pretty decent chunk out of it on the way so they can buy themselves all the latest luxuries that are way out of reach to the rest of us.
Congratulations that is almost perfectly expressed.
This is the reason we should have all got the pitchforks out when they bailed out the banks.
'pissed up our banks and told us it's raining' ?
I would encourage you to research the underlying structure of our debt-based, commercially issued money supply to see how our means of exchange, our broad money supply, is quite literally on loan to us.
We appear to be paying the banks for their intermediation services between depositors and borrowers of that money supply.
We are in fact paying them mainly (and unnecessarily) for its very existence.
Unless collectively we borrow it at interest from the banks, it doesn't exist.
Yeah places where you can't get an affordable loan or a savings account interest rate that keeps pace with inflation. Capital is free to move though. The cgt lot won't sell until some unspecified date at a set price to equal their required pension, and new demand is weak. No need for banks or money with this velocity ?
Well said, what surprises me is that even on this forum most people don't wanna listen when I point this out in other threads.
Our debt-based, commercially issued money supply is the elephant in the room, without removing it nothing will ever really improve.
By "improve", I take it you are referring to an improvement that will be of benefit to the majority instead of a minority.
Which is why, without the use of force, nothing will improve.
As you can see from my signature, I don't like that method. Violence only leads to more violence.
A better way would be to reduce the importance of the debt-based, commercially issued money supply by using it less and less.
The WIR bank (even though it's little known outside Switzerland) is a strong pillar of the Swiss economy, a lot of inland transactions between businesses are made at least partially with WIR money rather than CHFs. Since WIR money supply is not debt-based this has a stabilising effect on the economy during times where credit from traditional banks is hard to come by.
The WIR bank (even though it's little known outside Switzerland) is a strong pillar of the Swiss economy, a lot of inland transactions between businesses are made at least partially with WIR money rather than CHFs.
Why do you suppose that system of money issuance is used in Switzerland? Could it be because the Swiss state allows it to be so? However, if that state did not allow it to be so, it would not exist would it.
What do you do, wise eagle, if your state does not allow such forms of money to exist? Take a look at the history of attempts to introduce local forms of money in this country, wise eagle, and see what the state has done in response.
The question that pacifists such as yourself must ultimately face is what are you prepared to in the face of an intransigent ruling elite who set the system up such that you have no choice but to use their debt based money system as long as they call the shots.
If, from the outset, you rule out in principle even the possibility of enforcing change, you are condemend to the potential for permanent servitude.
I think everyone's overlooking the valuable service the banks provide in the intelligent allocation of capital. Without their wisdom and insight the economy might be in a right mess today.
I don't think Switzerland explicitly allows it, rather it's not forbidden, so it's allowed.
Take a look at the history of attempts to introduce local forms of money in this country, wise eagle, and see what the state has done in response.
TBH, I don't know what the legal situation with regards to an exchange system in the UK is (I know there are LETS in the UK which are essentially the same thing but at a much smaller local level), remember the WIR bank doesn't issue any paper money, all WIR money only exists on the accounts of the members and is only transferred among them.
I would be interested in knowing if such a system would be legal or not in the UK.
The relationship between LETS and the inland revenue can be summed up in the following way.
If the LETS system in operation does not confer any kind of profit to the individuals using it (in other words, if you are not using such a monetary system to actually conduct real world economic transactions), then the inland revenue is not interested. If on the other hand, the individuals using the LETS system use it in any way that does represent a real world economic activity, then they are not allowed to use it and are instructed to use sterling instead.
Re LETS, mutual credit is a fine idea and concept, but when you're competing against banks with access to central bank money, government deposit guarantees and 'too big to fail' government bailout guarantees, how can you compete?
It's not that there aren't good and worthy alternatives, it's the fact that the competition has such an unfair advantage.
LETS systems have also attracted the 'funding vultues' to pretend to regen. areas, damaging its credibility further. The deepening crisis may force barter economy on us, so make it work.
LETS in general are examples of debt-free, collectively issued, persistently circulating currencies. As such they have almost zero existential cost to their community of users.
As far as I know none of them is lent exclusively and at interest to its community of users by a commercial issuer.
After all, who in their right mind would organize such an obviously exploitative means of exchange?
I agree - the fundamental problem is that without debt we would have no money supply, since every penny has to be borrowed into existence by someone, somewhere from the commercial banking system. If everyone were suddenly to have the means and desire to pay back their debts, we would have no purchasing power whatsoever. It's our abject dependence upon the banks for our money supply, not their size, which makes them "too big to fail".
There is currently a Bill being circulated to MPs which shows how we could escape from the stranglehold of the banks.
Only the Bank of England would be exempt from this Universal Principle, giving it a monopoly over the creation of new non-cash money. This would nationalise the UK's money supply without nationalising the banks, which would continue to be private businesses, competing in the market place for lending and borrowing already existing money.
Enactment of the Bill would complete the process begun by the Bank Charter Act of 1844. Recognising that notes of credit from private banks had effectively become money, this conferred upon the Bank of England the exclusive right to issue banknotes. From that time on, it was as illegal for commercial banks to print notes as it was for them to forge coins.
The clear intention of the Bank Charter Act was to stabilise the money supply by nationalising it. However, those good intentions have long been overtaken by the proliferation of non-cash money, which now accounts for 97% of the total money stock, and which, at present, can only come into existence in the form of loans from the banks to their preferred customers - ie, those whose purposes (frequently speculative, rather than productive) offer the best prospect of financial return to the lenders.
By recognising that the nation's means of exchange is a public utility, which should rightly be administered by a publicly-accountable body, the Bill proposes a way out of the present impasse. With a stable money supply, immune from the fluctuation of interest rates, it would be possible to focus on the real purpose of an economy, which is not to multiply financial units at the expense of real wealth creation, but to produce and distribute life-sustaining and life-enhancing goods and services.
The new, nationalised money supply, created without debt at source by a non-political public authority with a specific mandate (along the lines of the MPC), would be spent into circulation as decided by the elected government. Once in the market place, it would circulate in the normal way, offering an improved source of independent capital formation without the need to go into the red.
The Bank of England (Creation of Currency) Bill 2010 is online at http://www.bankofenglandact.co.uk/, together with an explanatory section and FAQs.
No thanks - massively inflationary. Expensive money. Massive transfer of wealth to the State.
I'll take my chances with gold specie over this.
Could you please justify your three criticisms above?
The State gets to introduce all new money into the economy. They and their service providers get all the benefit. If an elected democratic government - they will promise the moon. If they promise the moon they will introduce a lot of money. The third, fourth, fifth etc etc recipients of this money are merely being robbed. With the amounts of money government will need to pump into the economy - the holders of existing money will demand higher payment to lend for investment. Once capacity is reached everything else is inflationary.
One thing for say for bonded spending is that it takes an equal amount of money out of circulation.
This system does nothing to balance default and bad investment.
It will be repudiated in short order.
3) Massive transfer of wealth to the State.
The proposal is that the Monetary Authority is a-political. The politicians will give it inflationary targets but thereafter have no control over money issuance.
Assuming reasonable economic growth of no more than a few percent per annum, core uncontroversial State spending will easily outweigh the balancing (price inflation neutral) new money to be spent into circulation. Taxation will bridge the gap. All else equal less taxation, so if anything less State wealth, the opposite of what you suggest.
Generally, whoever gets first use of new money has the advantage of pre-inflationary purchasing. Better that this (limited) advantage is shared implicitly by everyone through State spending rather than through whatever particular spending a commercial issuer chooses.
Defaults will be defaults and bad investors and lenders will take the hit from their bad own decisions.
As for bonded spending this is demonstrably an ever-inflating process, quite the opposite of what you imply.


An empty inbox: feasible or fantasy?
If your inbox could talk, would it say you're going crazy?
Seattle technologist Buster Benson publishes the number of unread emails in his inbox on his personal website and on the home page of one of his many lifestyle side projects — howsmyemail.com. When those emails top 100, he says, there's a good chance something's stressing him out.
But everyone's panic button is different.
If the number of unread emails is on any level an indicator of how in or out of control things are, I'm in trouble. I have 1,080 unread emails in my inbox as I write. More, probably, as you read. I wouldn't say I'm losing it. But every time that number goes up, a muscle in my shoulders pulls a little tighter. Something's broke and I've got to fix it.
You might say that's true of email itself. It's been 41 years since MIT graduate Ray Tomlinson sent the first electronic message, but a decade into the rise of social communications technologies, email has lost its monopoly on one-to-one digital communication.
But not its place as a barometer of stress.
Unlike friends lists and smartphone home screens, email is the one tech house we're expected to keep tidy, or else. But it remains our central communication hub, and it's by far the hardest to clean.
A 2011 Pew Internet survey affirmed that email is still the most popular online activity, along with searching the Web. Yet all day, every day, tasks from our personal, social and workplace lives vie for our attention. Subscriptions and updates blab on as if we have time to listen. And spam attacks from hidden outposts, often infiltrating our best defenses.
We try to be vigilant, but even acts of everyday online citizenry invite fresh assaults. The website where I bought my dad's birthday present this week demanded an email address as well as the standard payment information. Did I sign on to some once and future email list? Who knows? I can delete, unsubscribe or archive, but there's no escaping it: Every new email is work.
And don't we know it. Go to your email and notice your reaction: Did you hold your breath? Seattle's Linda Stone coined the term "email apnea" to describe that effect.
It's no wonder, then, that keeping your inbox in order takes on the feel of a spiritual journey, and reaching that high holy place — inbox 0 — requires ninja-like qualities of strength, cunning and a little hi-ya.
Not to mention a triumph of mental health. A whole industry of third-party tools assists basic inbox management with folders, labels, filters and other features to help the organized (or desperate) tame the chaos. One I've heard more than a few savvy Seattleites recommend — including some pretty overworked startup CEOs — is aptly called Sane Box. It does well what third-party email tools do best: sort out the least important stuff so you don't have to.
It's one thing to clean your inbox once and another thing to maintain it. On that front, I've learned the hard way that rules are much more important than tools. The four d's of email get a lot of traction — with every email, either Do it, Delegate it, Defer it, or Dump it. Combined with another email rule to live by, "touch it once," that's enough to keep a healthy rhythm. In theory.
My husband likes to say that if self-help books worked, they wouldn't still be writing them. Using tools and adopting rules take effort, not just once, but all the time. That's where our best intentions break down.
Why is it so hard to stay disciplined? A 2010 study by Stanford University's Stephen Barley gives a clue. In the course of observing how workers at a tech company managed and talked about their email, researchers recommended that they answer messages in batches and use filters to keep things organized. The subjects ignored them.
"We suspect that our informants did not filter or batch because such tactics were of little use for relieving the stress they felt," the researchers concluded.
The subjects had various technologies that contribute to our workload — personal or professional. But email, the researchers discovered, was the one they complained about most. It's not just a source, but a symbol of stress.
At a time when we can communicate with anyone, anywhere, at any time, email has become not just the nerve center of our productivity, but of our state of mind.
"I see 'inbox 0' as a proxy for being one-up on everything going on in my life," Benson wrote.
Thanks to University of Washington professor David Levy and everyone who chatted about this on Facebook for the insights!


Preparation This antibody was produced from a sheep immunized with purified human Gastrokine 1 protein.
Specificity Detects endogenous human Gastrokine 1 in direct ELISAs and Western blots. Less than 1% cross-reactivity. cross-reactivity to other species has not been tested!


Cut bottom 1" off of lettuce to easily separate leafs. Rinse and let dry.
Slice celery into thirds lengthwise then chop into tiny pieces. In a large bowl mix celery with 2 cans of drained tuna, mayo, dill and a dash of sea salt. Mix and adjust mayo to desired consistency.
Fill lettuce leafs with tuna and serve with chips to scoop up whatever falls.


The shooting took place on Friday evening.
Detectives in Northern Ireland are appealing for witnesses following a paramilitary-style shooting that occurred on Friday night (8 February) in the Creggan area of County Derry.
A 35-year-old man has been left with "a serious and potentially life-changing injury" after being shot in the lower leg shortly after 6pm in the area of Central Drive.
He has since been admitted to hospital.
It was reported that three masked men were involved in what PSNI Detective Inspector Michael Winters described as a "sickening and vicious" assault.
"There is absolutely no justification for this attack," said Winters.
"We must all work together to bring those responsible to justice and to stop this from happening to anyone else.
"The people behind this attack should be seen for what they are, hypocritical thugs trying to exert coercive control over communities by creating a climate of fear."
The PSNI has appealed for witnesses following the shooting.
Anyone with any information that could assist with the investigation is asked to make contact with detectives at Strand Road police station quoting reference 1110 08/02/19.


The ultimate info-source linking you to the very best of all things regarding Mickey Rourke which are valid, respectful, honest and sincere found on the world wide web. The home/main page doubles as a webring providing other URLs linking to other great Mickey Rourke websites.
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2005 ..WAS THE Year of the Mickey!!!
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"9 and 1/2 weeks: part 3"


text:
Rui Pedro Fonseca Nogueira da Fonseca e Castro, né le 23 avril 1974, est un ancien juge portugais.

Biographie
Il s'est fait connaître pour ses déclarations s'inscrivant dans les mouvements d'opposition au port du masque et aux mesures de confinement ou de restrictions des libertés durant la pandémie de Covid-19 et les déclarations diffamatoires faites publiquement contre diverses autorités et dirigeants politiques. Dans ce contexte, Fonseca e Castro a été soumis à une procédure disciplinaire par le Conseil supérieur de la magistrature qui a abouti à la décision unanime de son expulsion de la magistrature le 8 octobre 2021.

Rui Fonseca e Castro a été magistrat pendant quatre ans, sans aucun problème disciplinaire. Il a pris dix ans de congé sans solde pour pratiquer le droit ; il a repris ses fonctions de juge en mars 2021, siégeant au Tribunal de Odemira.

Rui Fonseca e Castro est devenu un éminent coronasceptique de la pandémie de COVID-19, ayant créé le mouvement  Jurists for the Truth (plus tard abandonné et remplacé par la page Facebook Habeas Corpus), où il conteste les mesures pour contenir la pandémie. Entre autres initiatives, le magistrat a publié un Cahier des procès-verbaux afin que les citoyens puissent . Parmi les diverses déclarations controversées faites publiquement, une attaque contre le Président de la République Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa et sur le Président de l'Assemblée de la République Eduardo Ferro Rodrigues (où il l'a qualifié de « pédophile » et où il a suggéré, pour rire, qu'il s'est suicidé, entraînant l'ouverture d'une affaire pénale) un défi au Directeur National de la Police de sécurité publique, Manuel Magina da Silva, pour un combat de MMA et des insultes aux agents de la PSP qui contrôlaient une manifestation de soutien au magistrat. Plus tard, il désignera l'ancien ministre et ancien vice-premier ministre Paulo Portas comme le « Catherine Deneuve du Parque Eduardo VII , une personne qui met une perruque blonde pour aller pratiquer des actes sexuels avec des enfants ».

Source de traduction

Notes et références

Naissance en avril 1974
Juge du XXIe siècle
Personnalité portugaise du XXIe siècle
Personnalité liée à la pandémie de Covid-19

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Libertarians Against Sprawl. ... (and its chief landmark, the Bobby Hopper tunnel, honors a former highway commissioner–and before that a Ford dealer–of that name).
ASP release name of 57yo victim in I-49 fatal crash. Arkansas; I-49; source: ... Major wreck just south of Bobby Hopper tunnel. Get off in Mountain berg and take old 71.
Feb 14, 2009 · How did "Bobby Pins" get their name? 2 following . ... Bobby Jindal isn't trying to "hide" his birth name. ... I bet the guy who made its name was Bobby.
Motorcycling through Arkansas's Boston ... via massive high-span bridges and featuring the state's only highway tunnel, the Bobby Hopper ... to name a few.
Jan 12, 2015 · Springdale Considers Bobby Hopper Park Improvement. By Erin Spandorf. Posted: January 13, ... The Bobby Hopper Tunnel on Interstate 49 is also named for him.
Gilbert named for Bobby Gilbert, who sold right-of-way to bring railroad, civilization. Gilbert named for Bobby Gilbert, ... How did the town of Gilbert get its name?
NARRATIVE REPORT FROM CAPTAIN LANCE KING RELEASED ... (unknown name). ... Bobby Hopper Tunnel on I-540 and had been in Fort Smith at a little league game.
Kum & Go - 816 West Monroe Ave, Lowell, AR. This 4,765 SF Retail is for sale on LoopNet.com. ... Please enter your first name. Please enter your last name.
You can find its answer on Wikipedia History The bobby pin was invented by Luis Marcus, ... How did the bobby pin get its name? ... Where did Airbnb get its name?
How Did the Mountains Get Their Names? ... Mount Collins was named for Bobby Collins, ... How Did 'The Spur' Get Its Name?
Bobby Hoppe, the team's star running back, ... He did not come from a wealthy family, and in those days you wore jeans because you didn't have anything else."
The Bobby Hopper Tunnel is located on I-49 in Washington County just north of the Crawford County line with its closest exit at Winslow. History U.S. Route 71 (US 71) once classified as "one of the most dangerous highways in America," includes a perilous stretch between Alma and Fayetteville through the Ozark Plateau.


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text:
Crypt of the Wizard hosts Ester Segarra
in Other Horrors
London's heaviest metal record shop Crypt of the Wizard will be hosting fellow Spaniard and friend of MSUO, acclaimed metal photographer Ester Segarra at the store on Thursday 28th February. Ester will be in conversation with Dayal Patterson of Cult Never Dies and signing copies of her book Ars Umbra.
Through her lens, Ester has lifted the veil on extreme music's most notorious players and in turn become one of the most prolific and significant metal music photographers.
Having captured images of the likes of GHOST, WATAIN, ELECTRIC WIZARD, CATHEDRAL, MAYHEM, KATATONIA, PARADISE LOST, AT THE GATES, CARCASS, DARKTHRONE, ROTTING CHRIST, VENOM, ABBATH, TRIPTYKON, SHINING, BEHEMOTH and others, Ester has been granted unprecedented access to many of the bands she has worked with, allowing her a unique insight that is evident in the images she creates. Those photographs are now preserved in a book that is as much a historical document of a specific period in extreme music, as it is a piece of art in itself.
Ars Umbra is as essential a part of a music collection as the albums it sits alongside. Containing over 150 photographs, spanning over 100 bands – with accompanying texts written by the featured musicians, detailing the stories behind many of the pictures – Ars Umbra beautifully captures the energy of an important part of heavy metal history.
For more info head over to the Facebook event.
crypt of the wizardester segarraheavy metal record shop
Torso demo release and MSUO update
Live: Extremely Rotten Death Metal Vol. 1


text:
Local time: 20:45 PALAIS DES SPORTS DE BEAUBLANC
Maccabi backcourt paves way to tough win at Limoges
Reigning Turkish Airlines Euroleague champion Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv edged feisty Limoges CSP for a 73-79 road win in the Game of the Week on Thursday night. Maccabi led by 18 points in the third quarter behind great scoring from Sylven Landesberg as well as the perimeter defense and steals from Yogev Ohayon that led to many fast breaks. Limoges rallied and took over the lead in the fourth quarter, however Jeremy Pargo scored key baskets down the stretch to win it for Maccabi. Pargo had 9 of his 13 points in the final minute, while Landesberg led the way with career-highs of 22 points plus 9 rebounds for Maccabi to improve to 4-2 and at least a share of second place of Group B. Ohayon, who played a career-high 33 minutes, had 11 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds and 8 steals, which is a club record and the most steals in a single Euroleague game in more than six years. For the hosts, Leo Westerman scored 13 of his 16 points in the second half, Nobel Boungou-Colo added 13, Adrien Moerman amassed 11 points plus 13 rebounds, while Jamar Smith scored 10 for Limoges, which dropped to 1-5.
First quarter: Maccabi strikes first, Limoges quickly rallies
Leo Westermann opened the game with a basket-plus-foul, before Yogev Ohayon got Maccabi going with a three-pointer. Nobel Boungou-Colo nailed a corner triple to make it 6-3, but Sofoklis Schortsanitis muscled his way inside, and Ohayon drove for a layup and a 6-9 lead. Great ball movement by Maccabi led to a layup from Jake Cohen before a timeout, and Tyus scored a pair of layups after a timeout to open a 6-15 advantage. Adrien Moerman nailed a triple to snap a five-minute Limoges drought and a 0-12 run. After Tyus and Boungou-Colo traded layups, a wide open three-pointer from Ramel Curry made it 14-17. Curry followed with a driving layup that got Limoges within a single point, forcing the visitors to call a timeout. J.P. Batista put Limoges back in front with an open jumper, and after Schortsanitis fed Landesberg for an easy two, Boungou-Colo buried a three in the in the closing seconds of the quarter for a 21-19 edge.
Second quarter: Landesberg leads the champs to a halftime lead
Fastbreak points from Landesberg and MarQuez Haynes got Maccabi back into the lead, and Landesberg drove baseline for a sweet finger roll. Another fastbreak finish from Haynes gave Maccabi a 21-27 lead. Batista snapped a 0-8 run with free throws, and Curry had two quick and uncontested fastbreak layups. A fastbreak finish from Jamar Smith put Limoges in front 29-27, before Landesberg from the right side, and Devin Smith from the left, each hit a baseline jumper. It snapped an 8-0 run, and started another 0-8 run. Tyus and Devin Smith finished fast breaks with dunks, and after a basket from Batista, Maccabi opened a 31-38 lead with a three-pointer from Landesberg. In the final two minutes of the quarter, Jamar Smith nailed a baseline jumper, but Landesberg put back his own miss and Devin Smith finished a fastbreak to give Maccabi a 35-42 halftime lead.
Third quarter: Ohayon's steals lead fast breaks and Maccabi control
Maccabi used fast breaks to open a double-digit lead at the start of the third quarter. Ohayon made a steal and raced for a layup, then threw a length-of-the-court pass for an easy layup for Cohen and a 35-46 advantage. Pargo finished another breakaway with a layup, and Tyus drew an unsportsmanlike foul on the fourth consecutive counter attack. Meanwhile, the visitors kept Limoges scoreless for more than six minutes, while Cohen's layup on a feed from Pargo, and another Ohayon steal and fastbreak bucket made it 35-53. Trent Plaisted snapped a 0-11 run by splitting free throws, then scoring from close range, but Maccabi remained in complete control as Landesberg nailed a triple from the corner to make it 38-56. However, Plaisted scored a basket in heavy traffic, before Westermann buried a triple and then banked in a buzzer-beating three-quarter-court shot to cut the deficit to 48-57 at the end of the quarter.
Fourth quarter: Limoges rallies back, but Pargo and Maccabi prevail
Devin Smith and Jamar Smith traded shots at the start of the quarter, before Pargo drove for a layup to make it 50-61. But Jamar Smith banked in a shot the lane, then Moerman had a pair of second chance buckets to get within 5. After a Maccabi timeout, Limoges continued on defense with its half-court press, and 2-3 zone defense. Westerman and Haynes traded triples, before Moerman drove the baseline for a layup that made it 61-64. The run from Limoges continued with Boungou-Colo finishing a fast break with a slam, then knocking down a triple on the next trip down the floor to give Limoges a 66-64 edge. Landesberg snapped a 16-3 run with a triple, and then nailed another one from downtown - his fifth - to make it 68-70. Limoges regained the lead with a layup from Jamar Smith after an inbound pass, but Pargo buried a tough triple and a fastbreak layup for 71-75 advantage with 39 seconds to go. On the ensuing possession, Jamar Smith forced, and missed, a tough triple, and Pargo made it a 6-point game from the free throw line. Westermann drove for a layup, but Pargo made 2 more free throws, and Ohayon made his eighth steal, to seal the deal.
Referees: PEREZ, MIGUEL ANGEL; KOROMILAS, ELIAS; HORDOV, TOMISLAV
Limoges CSP 21 14 13 25
Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv 19 23 15 22
Limoges CSP
5 SMITH, JAMAR 30:03 10 5/6 0/3 2 2 5 2 2 1 10
9 WESTERMANN, LEO 33:54 16 2/3 3/5 3/3 3 2 5 8 2 3 1 4 2 22
12 CAMARA, OUSMANE 6:26 1 1
13 BATISTA, J.P. 19:31 9 2/7 5/6 1 2 3 1 1 1 1 3 5 8
18 MOERMAN, ADRIEN 32:00 11 3/5 1/6 2/2 1 12 13 2 2 1 2 3 19
24 ESTIENNE, VALENTIN DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
25 CURRY, RAMEL 20:47 9 3/4 1/5 1 1 2 3 3 1 3 9
31 SOUTHERLAND, JAMES 3:15 1 1 1 2
41 BOUNGOU-COLO, NOBEL 32:35 13 2/3 3/9 0/2 2 1 3 3 1 4 3 5 9
44 PLAISTED, TRENT 10:09 5 2/4 1/3 1 1 1 1 1 2 1
50 KANTE, LAMINE DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
55 ZERBO, FREJUS 11:20 0/2 1 1 1 1 1 -4
Head coach: DUPRAZ, JEAN-MARC
Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv
4 PARGO, JEREMY 28:58 13 3/6 1/5 4/4 3 3 6 2 3 2 12
5 HAYNES, MARQUEZ 17:57 7 2/2 1/3 1 1 1 3 2 4
6 SMITH, DEVIN 27:08 8 4/5 0/7 4 4 7 1 4 1 3 6
7 RANDLE, BRIAN DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
8 LINHART, NATE DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
9 TYUS, ALEX 20:58 9 4/6 1/2 1 1 2 2 1 2 1 6
11 COHEN, JAKE 23:16 7 3/3 0/1 1/2 3 2 5 1 2 1 1 3 3 13
12 OHAYON, YOGEV 33:39 11 3/5 1/3 2/4 4 4 6 8 3 2 3 21
15 LANDESBERG, SYLVEN 29:02 22 5/8 4/7 3 6 9 1 1 1 4 28
21 SCHORTSANITIS, SOFOKLIS 13:37 2 1/2 2 2 1 2 1 4 2 1
23 MARIC, ALEKS 5:25 1 1 1 1 3
Totals 200:00 79 25/37 7/26 8/12 8 26 34 22 13 16 4 1 21 17 96
Head coach: GOODES, GUY
DUPRAZ, JEAN-MARC
"It was an important game for showing team improvement. We made some progress, but we need to improve again. "
GOODES, GUY
"The shot of Leo Westermann from half court at the end of the third quarter changed the momentum of the game and we started a little bit to take bad decisions. We went a little bit back and the Limoges players could feel it and they made their run. We make good baskets, especially Jeremy Pargo with his three-points shot and we had a great defensive deflection and a steal for a layup that won the game. "
WESTERMANN, LEO
"We speak every time about the third quarter. For five or seven minutes, we have another game and we go from minus-18 points to plus-3 points. The Euroleague is the best level in Europe, Maccabi Tel Aviv is the champion. We lost some balls, it's difficult for us to win at a level where every ball is important. "
LANDESBERG, SYLVEN
" It was a tough environment to play in. Any time you play on the road is hard. They are a talented team that can score the ball. So, we did a good job defensively; we were able to hold them to what we wanted to, and convert on offense. In an arena like this, you definitely have to concentrate more on the shots, and be ready to shoot."
Dinamo Sassari 82
Nizhny Novgorod 89
PGE Turow Zgorzelec 69
Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul 80
Neptunas Klaipeda 80
Laboral Kutxa Vitoria 79
Valencia Basket 76
Galatasaray Liv Hospital Istanbul 110
Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade 103


We relate to language quite differently, and that relationship is what gives poetry its urgency and tenderness. I often think of poetry through active verbs: to witness, to resist, to persist, to renounce, to relate, to embrace, to acknowledge, to activate, to excavate, to elevate. Some theorists claim that dancing is the quintessential form of human expression; in my view—and as a dancer myself—poetry is what lends human experience its roaring impetus.
Elizabeth Bishop's work speaks to me on an aesthetic and queer level. Her poems are quietly intense, and when they're not observing and digesting the outside world, they are emphasizing its beauty and vicissitudes.
"Mexicans Begin Jogging" is heartbreaking, relevant to major discussions on immigration, citizenship, ethnicity, class, and power, and serves as a reminder of how poetry can function as a tool for social justice.


An apple a day doesn't necessarily keep the doctor away — but it may help cut your pharmacy bill. That's according to new research that turned an analytical eye on the old wives' tale and found daily apple eaters had just as many doctor visits as those who ate fewer or no apples.
The findings don't mean apples aren't good for you but they do underscore that it takes more than just one kind of food to make a healthy diet and avoid illness.
About one-third of the adults studied said they had no more than one doctor visit in the previous year; the remainder reported at least two visits. A preliminary analysis found people who eat apples regularly had slightly fewer doctor's visits than people who don't. But that difference disappeared when the researchers considered weight, race, education, health insurance and other factors that can influence frequency of medical visits.
Eating apples did not reduce the number of overnight hospital stays or mental health visits.
However, apple eaters were slightly less likely to use prescription drugs, the researchers found. The study lacks information on use of over-the-counter drugs and alternative medicine.


text:
Case Study: Charlotte Works Website Design
By: Diona Kidd
Website Design, Case Studies
Charlotte Works is a nonprofit organization that serves as the workforce development board for the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, N.C. We recently helped them redesign their website as they re-envisioned their role in the community.
There were rave reviews once the website was launched. It was attractive, innovative and useful for those who were just learning about Charlotte Works. It was such an awesome experience working with the Knowmad team! We continue to keep them in mind as a great partner for ongoing projects!
- Katrina, Charlotte Works Communications Manager
In the past, Charlotte Works served primarily as a career center; however, today Charlotte Works is an organization that advances policy relating to the workforce system while providing guidance and oversight for workforce development programs. Staff needed the organization's online presence to support its revised organizational role, new mission and various unique target audiences.
During our discovery meetings, we learned Charlotte Works faced a variety of different challenges with its current website. Here were four key areas that drove the website redesign:
1. Improving the User Experience - The overall user experience was not intuitive; the site wasn't remotely mobile-friendly, either.
2. Filling the Content Gaps - The content didn't accurately reflect the shift in Charlotte Works' mission and vision, or support marketing efforts.
3. Streamlining Website Management - The existing site was difficult to manage because it consisted of two parts: marketing pages (the website) and a blog. Moreover, these areas were controlled by different parties, which made website management difficult and time-consuming.
4. Organizing Industry Data - Site visitors relied on the website for important industry data, but Charlotte Works, along with its partners, needed an easier and more organized way to complete monthly reports.
As the communications manager, I had a really good idea of the type of partner we needed to help with our website redesign.After meeting with the Knowmad team, I was excited that they understood how important it was for us all to be on the same page.
Concept & Planning
The first step was one of the most important ones: a client-facilitated brainstorming session with the entire Charlotte Works team, with teammates from each respective department, allowed us to understand the different roles within the organization, and how that needed to translate to the revamped website experience. This forced Charlotte Works to hone in on their overall messaging, setting the stage for the new website's look and feel.
During this time, the idea of Charlotte Works as a workforce aligner and convener was stressed as a key message, which also led to the use of bridge imagery to reinforce this important idea. We later replaced this with an image of Charlotte but it was helpful imagery for the project.
Once the look and feel took shape, we also spent time discussing how to improve overall site function.
Getting answers to these technical questions allowed us to make significant functional changes. For example, for years Charlotte Works' CARE3 partners had been emailing or faxing their reports; now we knew they needed their own portal so they could simply upload those reports.
Capturing the Voice
As usual, keyword research was completed so it could be incorporated into the content and the webpages. Then, once the tagline, mission and vision statements were set, we moved into content development. While Charlotte Works wanted to keep its professional voice, the staff also wanted to move toward more accessible language.
Overall, they wanted to tip the scales toward having a friendlier ("more inviting") tone—but without being too casual since their audience consists of a wide-ranging group of workforce, economic development, educational, and industry partners. An initial content draft was submitted, and after digesting feedback from different subject matter experts within the organization, the voice was set, and utilized cohesively throughout the site.
The use of Styles Tiles was beneficial to the design process. It allowed us to determine what would work best for the font, the headers, and the colors—and where the different colors would be used (each department was assigned its own color). Throughout the site there is an "overlapping" effect, and this idea came about early in the process, as it was first introduced in the Style Tiles.
Tableau, a business intelligence and data visualization software, was integrated to address the need to display market data in an easy-to-use format.
Prototyping Interactive Elements
Prototyping is always helpful since it can save time, especially on projects with tight timelines like this one. We prototyped two elements for the Charlotte Works website.
Prototype #1:
The slide-up panel element on the homepage; we wanted to ensure that it performed in a way that was easy-to-use. We showed it to key decision-makers before we actually proceeded with the idea. This was helpful to the client since they could see how it would work—and it prevented any surprise changes later on.
Prototyping a custom animation led to us scrapping the idea before it made it to production. Making the decision early on saved time and effort.
UX / Navigation
With the user experience being one of the major challenges for the project, a lot of energy was invested in the navigation. On the redesigned site, the navigation is larger when the user is at the top of the page; now, with a quick glance, the user can find a specific page with ease. Then, as the user scrolls down the page, the navigation becomes smaller. Because the user is focused on this page, more screen real estate is given to what the user is actually looking for.
Hiding unnecessary elements on certain pages had an important result: it prioritized content based on user needs. Visitors are able to find what they are looking for with ease—and when they do, they are funneled to the information most important to them with minimal distraction.
Mobile Experience & Responsive Design
Responsive website design is included with all of our website projects. With 40% of Charlotte Works' traffic coming via mobile, we needed to ensure that the user experience translated to tablets and smartphones, too. While the site uses a lot of overlapping sections as part of its unique style, orchestrating how these sections look and react at different screen sizes created some challenges. This was overcome with thoughtful testing and debugging.
As mentioned previously, streamlining the mobile experience presented some challenges. The user testing definitely uncovered some bugs here, and on the desktop version of the site, too. It really upped the quality of the site before launch by allowing us to correct some of the biggest user annoyances.
Ultimately, all of the challenges we started with were addressed:
Management of the website was simplified
Messaging aligned with the mission and vision
Budget and timeline were delivered as promised
Monthly reporting process was streamlined
Usability and engagement improved
In addition, Charlotte Works gained over 30 new positions in search as a result of our built-in SEO optimization processes. And, we received a 2017 Platinum Marcom Award for Nonprofit Website Design.
We're looking forward to working with them on future projects! Great clients and relationships like Charlotte Works are what gets us excited.
Talk to us about your project!
Diona Kidd
Diona is a managing partner at Knowmad. Her areas of expertise include digital marketing strategy, project management, brand management, search engine optimization (SEO), pay per click advertising, inbound marketing, content marketing, conversion rate optimization, social media marketing and website design.


Released a year after their bizarre "Rastakrautpasta" collaboration, "Material" was the second album from the duo comprised of half of Cluster in the form of Dieter Moebius and the brilliantly accomplished West German producer, Conny Plank. Like their previous effort, "Material" was diverse and eccentrically built around various approaches and styles that collected together into five extended and synthetically-treated instrumentals. Joined by Plank and without the pastoral influences of the absent Cluster twin, Roedelius to offset Moebius' eccentricities here, his tight and weird rhythmic repetitions were open for full fledged development into five extended instrumentals that bore no resemblance even to the previous Moebius & Plank outing and it could be added that with scant exception, like very little else that preceded it.
The album opens with the nearly nine minute long NEU!-driven "Conditionierer," although here in purely manual shift mode and NEU! always strike me as being exclusively stick shift in nature. At its onset "Conditionierer" appears to be the album's sole weak moment with distinctly and cringingly transparent new wave moves ala "Turning Japanese" albeit with the very same spindly and dry guitar tones that graced "Missi Cacadou" on their previous LP. But the longer it drives forwards, the more it mutates into a light-hearted and layered movement that far surpasses its initial riff as instruments keep layering upon that most barebones of beat as Hawaiian slide guitar, shakers, and squawking saxophones appear and pass the Teutonic duo's drunken roadtrip to Hawaii. Nobody's told them about that slight stretch of water they'll have to negotiate. Like they care, for they're soon both sleeping it off in a roadside rest area underneath a pine tree where after a makeshift game of conkers with pine cones, they're soon laughing in their sleep and dreaming their way there as they pass under endless rows of palm trees in Conny's fully equipped Volkswagen microbus, sinking another round of coconut cocktails and toasting each others health every ten minutes. When "Rastakrautpasta" was issued as a twofer on CD with "Material" tacked on the end, I always caught myself remote-controlling over this track, but in its true context as the opening cut on "Material" it's far more successful a placement.
"Infiltration" is weightlessly weird and giddily half asleep/half-zonked while walking a crooked, drunken flight of fancy during a gravity-free zone game of ping-pong. Weaved together with snatches of vocals and hoisted upwards with variable bass notes, it is thick with near-random clusters of sound as live bass guitar, scant electronic motifs, edited taped voices and even shards of Middle Eastern/hurdy-gurdy tones wheeze away but still the rhythmic form remains. Even as more sound fragments emerge only to be gently swept off into distant corners, new ones return to intriguingly dot the soundscape with suggestive connotations and emotional colourations.
Side two switches gears into the terrain of manifold-beats-per-minute with "Tollkühn." A synthesizer-dominated piece whose constant, rapid-fire sequencings are interrupted only by the occasional filtered and hollowed crashing of electric cymbals as two high speed synthesizer lines orbit at breathtaking velocity to construct a white water rapids of racing electronics operating at the lowest possible centre of gravity. And the already trance-inducing paces of the synthesizers are tweaked even more so with a series of vertiginous pitch-shifting and phasing effects applied to the signal's progression that tilt and scale it wildly beyond the gamut of its original form and into rollercoastering sensations. Both this (and "Pitch Control" off Moebius/Plank/Neumeier's 1984 "Zero Set" album) would plot the course for Harthouse-styled techno as much as the glossy, metallic sheen of Kraftwerk's "Computer World" -- Which is way beyond the curve as both "Computer World" and "Material" were both bestowed upon the world in the year 1981. Amazingly, "Tollkühn" was just one track by Moebius & Plank while for others it became the root textbook study for an entire subgenre. If I was Maurice, I'd say "This is acid" but since I'm not I can't, dammit.
The quiet menace of "Osmo-Fantor" slowly nudges itself across the plain and towards the horizon with small but steadfast steps of the rhythm box's "Fat Lady Of Limbourg"/tortoise-like paces, slowly generating underneath the reoccurrence of jagged guitar repetitions. Consequently, it is joined by many other shifting sounds that come and go, increase and dissipate but always contribute and feed directly into the otherwise stripped down rhythm.
The seven-minute "Nordöstliches Gefühl" ("Northeast Feeling") gradually shifts with chilling permafrost qualities as though the soundtrack for water dripping slowly but surely from icicles in the path of direct sunlight on a freezing cold day. The rhythm box slowly but steadily sizzles and ticks out an unchanging metronome dipped in treacle rhythm for shifting layers and colourations to alight and quietly position upon. Spartan bass notes clutch together as wave after wave of undulating synthesizer overlays come and go like passing clouds over a bare, windswept horizon. Had Ian Curtis survived and Joy Division continued in ever-dominating electronic forays, it probably would have sounded a lot like this for "Nordöstliches Gefühl" is very contemplative as it edges patiently along at the achingly remorseful pace of three-steps-forward/one-back. So layered is this track (as well as the rest of the album and arguably, most of the records Plank had a hand in creating) that its secondary melodies rise and fall almost unnoticeably along with the rhythm, for everything here is applied so subtly it passes by nearly unseen or rather, unheard. It was only recently I was able to pay attention to the rhythm box's eccentric, gradually-changing programming and that is at the heart of this album's success: the details and the detailing applied to them are assembled not only by the hands, but by the brains and hearts of truly accomplished sonic architects and with all the delicate shadings and controlled gradations of master musicians.


text:
Child and Maternity Hospital Hit by Airstrikes Three Times
Washington DC- A Syria Relief child and maternity hospital in Idlib was targeted yesterday at 1:05 p.m. Damascus time, by three airstrikes causing extensive damage to the facility. No fatalities or serious injuries were reported. At least five medical staff were wounded including a gynecologist and an anesthesiologist who were in the middle of an operation when the hospital was attacked. The doctor was able to quickly sew the mother up, and the patient and baby were not harmed in the attack. The hospital suffered extensive damage to operating rooms and lab facilities and was put out of service. Syria Relief is a member of the Union of Medical Care and Relief Organizations (UOSSM).
Another hospital was attacked yesterday in the suburbs of Damascus, killing one paramedic, causing damage to the facility, and putting it out of service. One ambulance was partially damaged as well.
Dr. Mounir Hakimi, Chairman of Syria Relief said, "It is truly sickening that pediatric and maternity hospitals are being targeted by airstrikes. We were very lucky that there were no mothers or children killed, but there very well could have been. What if these were our hospitals and our children? Attacks against hospitals are war crimes and we urge the international community to act and prosecute perpetrators."
Dr. Khaula Sawah, Board Member of UOSSM USA said, "We have repeatedly condemned attacks against hospitals and medical facilities. It is so upsetting to hear that a hospital that specifically provides care for women and children was attacked three times. This is a blatant defiance of International Humanitarian Law; we call on the international community to demand an immediate stop to the targeting of hospitals and medical facilities and to bring the perpetrators to justice."


The sacking of acting US attorney general Sally Yates could further delay Royal Bank of Scotland's efforts to agree a fine for its sales of toxic mortgage debt.
President Donald Trump fired Yates, 56, when she refused to defend his travel ban on citizens of seven Muslim countries.
Her dismissal could further delay RBS's efforts to reach a settlement with the Department of Justice – which Yates led – over its behaviour in the run-up to the financial crisis.
The bank has set aside an extra £3.1bn to pay for its part in inflating the colossal American housing bubble that triggered the financial crisis – bringing total provisions for US penalties to £6.6bn.
RBS cannot be sure of the final bill until the DoJ finally takes action. However, a series of political appointments by Trump, coupled with Yates's chaotic departure, are likely to further slow the process down.


text:
A Young Readers' Edition
Laura Schroff & Alex Tresniowski
From New York Times bestselling authors Laura Schroff and Alex Tresniowski comes the young readers edition of an unbelievable memoir about an unlikely friendship that forever changed the lives of a busy sales executive and a hungry eleven-year-old boy.
On one rainy afternoon, on a crowded New York City street corner, eleven-year-old Maurice met Laura. Maurice asked Laura for spare change because he was hungry, and something made Laura stop and ask Maurice if she could take him to lunch.
Maurice and Laura went to lunch together, and also bought ice cream cones and played video games. It was the beginning of an unlikely and magical friendship that changed both of their lives forever.
An Invisible Thread is the true story of the bond between an eleven-year-old boy and a busy sales executive; a heartwarming journey of hope, kindness, adventure, and love—and the power of fate to help us find our way.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 31 OKT 2011
According to an old Chinese proverb, there's an invisible thread that connects two people who are destined to meet and influence each other's lives. With Tresniowski (The Vendetta), Schroff tells how, as a busy advertising sales executive in New York, she easily passed panhandlers every day. One day, 11-year-old Maurice's plea for spare change caused Schroff to turn around and offer to buy him lunch. Thereafter, Schroff and Maurice met for dinner each week and slowly shared their life stories. Maurice's tales about his crack addict mother, absent father, and array of drug-dealing uncles were only part of his desperate longing for a life in a safe neighborhood in an apartment with more than one room. As they grow to depend on each other, Maurice asks Schroff to attend his school's parents' night, where his teacher asks Schroff not to abandon the boy. In some weeks, the meals they share become some of the few he has, because any money his mother might "earn" goes to her habit. As Schroff relates Maurice's story, she tells of her own father's alcoholism and abuse, and readers see how desperately these two need each other in this feel-good story about the far-reaching benefits of kindness.
Fler böcker av Laura Schroff & Alex Tresniowski
Bevor du weitergehst
Angels on Earth
Immer montags beste Freunde
An Invisible Thread Christmas Story
L'amore è un filo invisibile


This workshop requires an application. Please see directions below.
In order to celebrate Alain Badiou's major new work The Immanence of Truths, two graduate student workshops will be organized at Princeton and Columbia Universities. The workshops will introduce students to the basic concepts of Badiou's ontological system, addressing sequentially his key works Being and Event and Logics of World. The workshops will be capped by Badiou's public lecture introducing his forthcoming book The Immanence of Truths.
The lecture on the 18th of October is open to the public.
The applications can be sent to badiouworkshops@gmail.com by October 1st.
Selected participants will be notified by October 12th, 2017.
Readings will be sent to selected participants via e-mail.
Kenneth Reinhard is Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Comparative Literature, UCLA. He is the author, with Slavoj Žižek and Eric Santner of The Neighbor: Three Inquiries in Political Theology (U. of Chicago Press, 2005), and with Julia Reinhard Lupton, of After Oedipus: Shakespeare in Psychoanalysis (Cornell UP, 1993), as well as articles on Freud, Lacan, Levinas, Henry James, Jewish Studies, and the Bible. In 2004 he founded the University of California Seminar in Experimental Critical Theory. Together with Susan Spitzer, he is currently working on the translation of Alain Badiou's seminars and his forthcoming book Immanence of Truths.