text:
Swiss Parliament to discuss Gold Franc
Right-wing party seeks way back to Gold Standard
July 8, 2011, 4:12 a.m. EDT
By Agnese Smith, Market Watch
ZURICH (MarketWatch) — The Swiss Parliament is expected later this year to discuss the creation of a gold franc — a parallel currency to the official Swiss franc, with the fringe initiative likely triggering a broader debate about the role of the precious metal in the Alpine nation.
The initiative is part of "Healthy Currency," a campaign sponsored by politicians from the right-wing Swiss People's Party (SVP) — the country's biggest — that is seeking to capitalize on popular fears about global financial turmoil and inflation to reverse the government's current policy on gold.
"I can imagine that this will spark some sort of debate about gold and there may be some pressure to accept the parallel currency," said Dr. Gebhard Kirchgaessner, an economics professor at St. Gallen University. "But it won't have any real effect on the economy. It seems incredible to imagine that there are people out there willing to buy millions of these things."
Switzerland, which in 2000 became one of the last countries to decouple its currency from gold, is not the only place to contemplate a change in the precious metal's role amid controversy over government involvement in the economy. In March, Utah became the first state in the U.S. to legalize gold and silver coins as currency, while similar legislation was considered in Montana, Missouri, Colorado, Idaho and Indiana.
"I want Swiss people to have the freedom to choose a completely different currency," said Thomas Jacob, the man behind the gold franc concept. "Today's monetary system is all backed by debt — all backed by nothing — and I want people to realize this."
A good part of the enthusiasm for gold, which provokes strong emotion among many who invest in it, has to do with its price: the yellow metal has more than quadrupled during the last decade and now stands at more than $1,500 per ounce.
In the U.S., legislation to allow a gold currency is largely symbolic — a protest against what many consider irresponsible spending by central governments to recharge economies. But according to Jacob, the gold franc has a more practical goal: giving small investors the opportunity to safeguard their investments against global uncertainty.
Modest investors face several hurdles to investing in the precious metal, said the 50 year-old Jacob, a former pilot and currently a sales coach at Zurich Financial Services Group. Collecting coins, bullion and gold certificates typically requires professional advice and even the smallest coin costs around 100 francs. One of the new gold francs, on the other hand, with a gold content of 0.1 grams, could be purchased for just 5 francs (at current prices).
While there is evidence that investing in gold is increasingly popular in Switzerland and other countries, the idea of establishing a gold franc is not foremost on the minds most ordinary Swiss, some of whom still find the subject of gold uncomfortable given the country's association with precious metals looted in World War II.
"I got rid of my coins a while ago," said Esther Heusser, a social worker in Jona, Switzerland. "I just didn't want to think about where they came from."
The real problem
Very few have even heard of the initiative. The rising Swiss franc, which has jumped 16 percent in two years against the euro and the dollar thanks to its safe haven status, is a much wider concern.
This "is the real problem and it is clear that neither the [Swiss National Bank] nor the government have anything really meaningful against it," St. Gallen's Kirchgaessner said. "We might have a real crisis in a couple of years."
Indeed, the strong franc has clipped corporate earnings of many exporters and has lead to some painful restructuring. Because of the ongoing global financial crisis, investors here and abroad are seeking a safe haven from economic uncertainty and inflation, which Switzerland's low debt and firm economic footing provides. High gold reserves have also helped.
Jacob doesn't think the adoption of the gold franc would increase the value of the official currency. "In fact, it would take pressure off," he speculates.
Like the Swiss franc, gold has jumped for many of the same reasons, even though the Swiss National Bank and other central banks decided to dump the metal after two decades of underperformance against other financial instruments.
Strong demand from China has also helped push gold prices to records. Gold enthusiasts — so-called gold bugs — many of whom see stock markets as no better than gambling casinos and central banks as money printing machines — are rejoicing.
"Buying gold has been the best method for shorting the government," wrote Shayne McGuire late last year. McGuire, who has predicted that gold could soar to $10,000 an ounce, manages the $500 million GBO Gold Fund for Teacher Retirement System of Texas.
"I strongly believe that present financial conditions are about to transform the investment strategies of the world's largest investment funds in a way that will cause gold to surge substantially higher," McGuire wrote in an essay on the metal.
Large reserves
Switzerland still holds a large amount of the precious metal. The alpine country of 7.7 million residents holds 1,040 tons worth about $46 billion, almost as much as China, according to World Gold Council figures. It ranks seventh in its league table, with the US at the top.
In terms of gold reserves per person, it stands at just over $6,000, number one by nearly twice the amount of the next largest hoarder, Lebanon (over $3,000) and nearly six times as much as the US ($1,000), according to The Economist newspaper.
But this is not enough according to the "Healthy Currency" movement.
The SVP, which also wants to limit the autonomy of the Swiss National Bank after it posted big losses trying to tamp down the franc, plans to start collecting signatures for a ballot initiative in mid August, according to Jacob. The party is demanding that the central bank stop any further bank sales, repatriate Swiss gold reserves held abroad, and not allow the proportion of its gold to fall below 20% of its total assets. The campaign is also calling for the country's withdrawal from the IMF.
Jacob, who claims to have no affiliation with the SVP other than the currency initiative, admits that the success of his gold franc campaign is linked to the amount of publicity the Healthy Currency initiative manages to muster at the end of the summer. "It would definitely put the parallel currency on the agenda," he said.
And it will be no easy feat. The passage of the legislation will require an amendment to the Swiss constitution and the country is not particularly well known for a reckless pace of change. If rejected, a popular vote — where ordinary Swiss people have their say — is planned, probably in mid 2012, according to Jacob.
If approved, licensed financial institutions can then issue the coins, using their official logo on one side with the other, an easily recognizable Swiss gold franc emblem, Jacob said. The initiative foresees strict regulation by the government to ensure gold content and authenticity.
Even if popularized, the gold coins are unlikely to be in use for commercial reasons as the volatility of gold prices make this unpractical.
» » » » [Market Watch, via Max Keizer]
What is the Mandrake Mechanism?:
It's the most important financial lesson of your life!!
The Creature from Jekyll Island (Excerpt)
THE MANDRAKE MECHANISM . . . What is it?
It is the method by which the Federal Reserve creates money out of nothing; the concept of usury as the payment of interest on pretended loans; the true cause of the hidden tax called inflation; the way in which the Fed creates boom-bust cycles.
In the 1940s, there was a comic strip character called Mandrake the Magician. His specialty was creating things out of nothing and, when appropriate, to make them disappear back into that same void. It is fitting, therefore, that the process to be described in this section should be named in his honor.
In the previous chapters, we examined the technique developed by the political and monetary scientists to create money out of nothing for the purpose of lending. This is not an entirely accurate description because it implies that money is created first and then waits for someone to borrow it.
On the other hand, textbooks on banking often state that money is created out of debt. This also is misleading because it implies that debt exists first and then is converted into money. In truth, money is not created until the instant it is borrowed. It is the act of borrowing which causes it to spring into existence. And, incidentally, it is the act of paying off the debt that causes it to vanish. There is no short phrase that perfectly describes that process. So, until one is invented along the way, we shall continue using the phrase "create money out of nothing" and occasionally add "for the purpose of lending" where necessary to further clarify the meaning.
So, let us now . . . see just how far this money/debt-creation process has been carried -- and how it works.
The first fact that needs to be considered is that our money today has no gold or silver behind it whatsoever. The fraction is not 54% nor 15%. It is 0%. It has traveled the path of all previous fractional money in history and already has degenerated into pure fiat money. The fact that most of it is in the form of checkbook balances rather than paper currency is a mere technicality; and the fact that bankers speak about "reserve ratios" is eyewash. The so-called reserves to which they refer are, in fact, Treasury bonds and other certificates of debt.
The Creature From Jekyll Island: A Second Look at the Federal Reserve, by G. Edward Griffin (01:47:20)
Our money is "pure fiat" through and through.
The second fact that needs to be clearly understood is that, in spite of the technical jargon and seemingly complicated procedures, the actual mechanism by which the Federal Reserve creates money is quite simple. They do it exactly the same way the goldsmiths of old did except, of course, the goldsmiths were limited by the need to hold some precious metals in reserve, whereas the Fed has no such restriction.
The Federal Reserve is candid.
The Federal Reserve itself is amazingly frank about this process.
A booklet published by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York tells us:"Currency cannot be redeemed, or exchanged, for Treasury gold or any other asset used as backing. The question of just what assets 'back' Federal Reserve notes has little but bookkeeping significance."
Elsewhere in the same publication we are told: "Banks are creating money based on a borrower's promise to pay (the IOU) . . . Banks create money by 'monetizing' the private debts of businesses and individuals."
In a booklet entitled Modern Money Mechanics, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago says:In the United States neither paper currency nor deposits have value as commodities. Intrinsically, a dollar bill is just a piece of paper. Deposits are merely book entries. Coins do have some intrinsic value as metal, but generally far less than their face amount.
What, then, makes these instruments -- checks, paper money, and coins -- acceptable at face value in payment of all debts and for other monetary uses? Mainly, it is the confidence people have that they will be able to exchange such money for other financial assets and real goods and services whenever they choose to do so. This partly is a matter of law; currency has been designated "legal tender" by the government -- that is, it must be accepted.
In the fine print of a footnote in a bulletin of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, we find this surprisingly candid explanation:
Modern monetary systems have a fiat base -- literally money by decree -- with depository institutions, acting as fiduciaries, creating obligations against themselves with the fiat base acting in part as reserves. The decree appears on the currency notes: "This note is legal tender for all debts, public and private."
While no individual could refuse to accept such money for debt repayment, exchange contracts could easily be composed to thwart its use in everyday commerce. However, a forceful explanation as to why money is accepted is that the federal government requires it as payment for tax liabilities. Anticipation of the need to clear this debt creates a demand for the pure fiat dollars.
Money would vanish without debt.
It is difficult for Americans to come to grips with the fact that their total money-supply is backed by nothing but debt, and it is even more mind boggling to visualize that, if everyone paid back all that was borrowed, there would be no money left in existence.
That's right, there would not be one penny in circulation -- all coins and all paper currency would be returned to bank vaults -- and there would be not one dollar in any one's checking account. In short, all money would disappear.
Marriner Eccles was the Governor of the Federal Reserve System in 1941. On September 30 of that year, Eccles was asked to give testimony before the House Committee on Banking and Currency. The purpose of the hearing was to obtain information regarding the role of the Federal Reserve in creating conditions that led to the depression of the 1930s.
The Creature from Jekyll Island; by G. Edward Griffin [*Amazon*]
Congressman Wright Patman, who was Chairman of that committee, asked how the Fed got the money to purchase two billion dollars worth of government bonds in 1933.
This is the exchange that followed.Eccles: We created it.
Patman: Out of what?
Eccles: Out of the right to issue credit money.
Patman: And there is nothing behind it, is there, except our government's credit?
Eccles: That is what our money system is. If there were no debts in our money system, there wouldn't be any money.
It must be realized that, while money may represent an asset to selected individuals, when it is considered as an aggregate of the total money supply, it is not an asset at all. A man who borrows $1,000 may think that he has increased his financial position by that amount but he has not. His $1,000 cash asset is offset by his $1,000 loan liability, and his net position is zero. Bank accounts are exactly the same on a larger scale. Add up all the bank accounts in the nation, and it would be easy to assume that all that money represents a gigantic pool of assets which support the economy. Yet, every bit of this money is owed by someone. Some will owe nothing. Others will owe many times what they possess. All added together, the national balance is zero. What we think is money is but a grand illusion. The reality is debt.
Robert Hemphill was the Credit Manager of the Federal Reserve Bank in Atlanta. In the foreword to a book by Irving Fisher, entitled 100% Money, Hemphill said this:If all the bank loans were paid, no one could have a bank deposit, and there would not be a dollar of coin or currency in circulation. This is a staggering thought. We are completely dependent on the commercial banks. Someone has to borrow every dollar we have in circulation, cash, or credit. If the banks create ample synthetic money we are prosperous; if not, we starve. We are absolutely without a permanent money system. When one gets a complete grasp of the picture, the tragic absurdity of our hopeless situation is almost incredible -- but there it is.
With the knowledge that money in America is based on debt, it should not come as a surprise to learn that the Federal Reserve System is not the least interested in seeing a reduction in debt in this country, regardless of public utterances to the contrary.
Here is the bottom line from the System's own publications. The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia says:"A large and growing number of analysts, on the other hand, now regard the national debt as something useful, if not an actual blessing . . . [They believe] the national debt need not be reduced at all."
The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago adds:"Debt -- public and private -- is here to stay. It plays an essential role in economic processes . . . What is required is not the abolition of debt, but its prudent use and intelligent management."
What's wrong with a little debt?
The Secrets of the Federal Reserve; by Eustace Mullins [*Amazon*]
There is a kind of fascinating appeal to this theory. It gives those who expound it an aura of intellectualism, the appearance of being able to grasp a complex economic principle that is beyond the comprehension of mere mortals. And, for the less academically minded, it offers the comfort of at least sounding moderate. After all, what's wrong with a little debt, prudently used and intelligently managed? The answer is nothing, provided the debt is based on an honest transaction. There is plenty wrong with it if it is "based upon fraud".
An honest transaction is one in which a borrower pays an agreed upon sum in return for the temporary use of a lender's asset. That asset could be anything of tangible value. If it were an automobile, for example, then the borrower would pay "rent." If it is money, then the rent is called "interest." Either way, the concept is the same.
When we go to a lender -- either a bank or a private party -- and receive a loan of money, we are willing to pay interest on the loan in recognition of the fact that the money we are borrowing is an asset which we want to use. It seems only fair to pay a rental fee for that asset to the person who owns it. It is not easy to acquire an automobile, and it is not easy to acquire money -- real money, that is. If the money we are borrowing was earned by someone's labor and talent, they are fully entitled to receive interest on it. But what are we to think of money that is created by the mere stroke of a pen or the click of a computer key? Why should anyone collect a rental fee on that?
When banks place credits into your checking account, they are merely pretending to lend you money. In reality, they have nothing to lend. Even the money that non-indebted depositors have placed with them was originally created out of nothing in response to someone else's loan. So what entitles the banks to collect rent on nothing? It is immaterial that men everywhere are forced by law to accept these nothing certificates in exchange for real goods and services. We are talking here, not about what is legal, but what is moral. As Thomas Jefferson observed at the time of his protracted battle against central banking in the United States, "No one has a natural right to the trade of money lender, but he who has money to lend."
Third reason to abolish the system.
Centuries ago, usury was defined as any interest charged for a loan. Modern usage has redefined it as excessive interest. Certainly, any amount of interest charged for a pretended loan is excessive. The dictionary, therefore, needs a new definition.Usury: The charging of any interest on a loan of fiat money.
Let us, therefore, look at debt and interest in this light. Thomas Edison summed up the immorality of the system when he said:People who will not turn a shovel of dirt on the project [Muscle Shoals] nor contribute a pound of materials will collect more money . . . than will the people who will supply all the materials and do all the work.
Is that an exaggeration? Let us consider the purchase of a $100,000 home in which $30,000 represents the cost of the land, architect's fee, sales commissions, building permits, and that sort of thing and $70,000 is the cost of labor and building materials. If the home buyer puts up $30,000 as a down payment, then $70,000 must be borrowed. If the loan is issued at 11% over a 30-year period, the amount of interest paid will be $167,806. That means the amount paid to those who loan the money is about 2 1/2 times greater than paid to those who provide all the labor and all the materials. It is true that this figure represents the time-value of that money over thirty years and easily could be justified on the basis that a lender deserves to be compensated for surrendering the use of his capital for half a lifetime. But that assumes the lender actually had something to surrender, that he had earned the capital, saved it, and then loaned it for construction of someone else's house. What are we to think, however, about a lender who did nothing to earn the money, had not saved it, and, in fact, simply created it out of thin air?
What is the time-value of nothing?
End the Fed
By Ron Paul [*Amazon*]
As we have already shown, every dollar that exists today, either in the form of currency, checkbook money, or even credit card money -- in other words, our entire money supply -- exists only because it was borrowed by someone; perhaps not you, but someone.
That means all the American dollars in the entire world are earning daily and compounding interest for the banks which created them. A portion of every business venture, every investment, every profit, every transaction which involves money -- and that even includes losses and the payment of taxes -- a portion of all that is earmarked as payment to a bank.
And what did the banks do to earn this perpetually flowing river of wealth? Did they lend out their own capital obtained through investment of stockholders? Did they lend out the hard-earned savings of their depositors? No, neither of these were their major source of income. They simply waved the magic wand called fiat money.
The flow of such unearned wealth under the guise of interest can only be viewed as usury of the highest magnitude. Even if there were no other reasons to abolish the Fed, the fact that it is the supreme instrument of usury would be more than sufficient by itself.
Who creates the money to pay the interest?
Secrets of the Temple: How the Federal Reserve Runs the Country; by William Greider [*Amazon*]
One of the most perplexing questions associated with this process is "Where does the money come from to pay the interest?" If you borrow $10,000 from a bank at 9%, you owe $10,900. But the bank only manufactures $10,000 for the loan. It would seem, therefore, that there is no way that you -- and all others with similar loans -- can possibly pay off your indebtedness. The amount of money put into circulation just isn't enough to cover the total debt, including interest. This has led some to the conclusion that it is necessary for you to borrow the $900 for interest, and that, in turn, leads to still more interest. The assumption is that, the more we borrow, the more we have to borrow, and that debt based on fiat money is a never ending spiral leading inexorably to more and more debt.
This is a partial truth. It is true that there is not enough money created to include the interest, but it is a fallacy that the only way to pay it back is to borrow still more. The assumption fails to take into account the exchange value of labor. Let us assume that you pay back your $10,000 loan at the rate of approximately $900 per month and that about $80 of that represents interest. You realize you are hard pressed to make your payments so you decide to take on a part-time job.
The bank, on the other hand, is now making $80 profit each month on your loan. Since this amount is classified as "interest," it is not extinguished as is the larger portion which is a return of the loan itself. So this remains as spendable money in the account of the bank. The decision then is made to have the bank's floors waxed once a week. You respond to the ad in the paper and are hired at $80 per month to do the job. The result is that you earn the money to pay the interest on your loan, and -- this is the point -- the money you receive is the same money which you previously had paid. As long as you perform labor for the bank each month, the same dollars go into the bank as interest, then out of the revolving door as your wages, and then back into the bank as loan repayment.
It is not necessary that you work directly for the bank. No matter where you earn the money, its origin was a bank and its ultimate destination is a bank. The loop through which it travels can be large or small, but the fact remains all interest is paid eventually by human effort. And the significance of that fact is even more startling than the assumption that not enough money is created to pay back the interest. It is that the total of this human effort ultimately is for the benefit of those who create fiat money.
It is a form of modern serfdom in which the great mass of society works as indentured servants to a ruling class of financial nobility.
Understanding the Illusion . . .
That's really all one needs to know about the operation of the banking cartel under the protection of the Federal Reserve. But it would be a shame to stop here without taking a look at the actual cogs, mirrors, and pulleys that make the magical mechanism work. It is a truly fascinating engine of mystery and deception.
Let us, therefore, turn our attention to the actual process by which the magicians create the illusion of modern money. First we shall stand back for a general view to see the overall action.
Then we shall move in closer and examine each component in detail.
The Mandrake Mechanism: An Overview
Money: Understanding and Creating Alternatives to Legal Tender; by Thomas Greco
The entire function of this machine is to convert debt into money. It's just that simple. First, the Fed takes all the government bonds which the public does not buy and writes a check to Congress in exchange for them. (It acquires other debt obligations as well, but government bonds comprise most of its inventory.) There is no money to back up this check. These fiat dollars are created on the spot for that purpose. By calling those bonds "reserves," the Fed then uses them as the base for creating nine (9) additional dollars for every dollar created for the bonds themselves. The money created for the bonds is spent by the government, whereas the money created on top of those bonds is the source of all the bank loans made to the nation's businesses and individuals. The result of this process is the same as creating money on a printing press, but the illusion is based on an accounting trick rather than a printing trick.
The bottom line is that Congress and the banking cartel have entered into a partnership in which the cartel has the privilege of collecting interest on money which it creates out of nothing, a perpetual override on every American dollar that exists in the world.
Congress, on the other hand, has access to unlimited funding without having to tell the voters their taxes are being raised through the process of inflation. If you understand this paragraph, you understand the Federal Reserve System.
Now for a more detailed view. There are three general ways in which the Federal Reserve creates fiat money out of debt.
One is by making loans to the member banks through what is called the Discount Window.
The second is by purchasing Treasury bonds and other certificates of debt through what is called the Open Market Committee.
The third is by changing the so-called reserve ratio that member banks are required to hold. Each method is merely a different path to the same objective: taking IOUs and converting them into spendable money.
Endless Money: The Moral Hazards of Socialism; by William Baker [*Amazon*]
The Discount Window is merely bankers' language for the loan window. When banks run short of money, the Federal Reserve stands ready as the "bankers' bank" to lend it. There are many reasons for them to need loans. Since they hold "reserves" of only about one or two per cent of their deposits in vault cash and eight or nine per cent in securities, their operating margin is extremely thin. It is common for them to experience temporary negative balances caused by unusual customer demand for cash or unusually large clusters of checks all clearing through other banks at the same time. Sometimes they make bad loans and, when these former "assets" are removed from their books, their "reserves" are also decreased and may, in fact, become negative. Finally, there is the profit motive. When banks borrow from the Federal Reserve at one interest rate and lend it out at a higher rate, there is an obvious advantage. But that is merely the beginning.
When a bank borrows a dollar from the Fed, it becomes a one-dollar reserve.
Since the banks are required to keep reserves of only about ten per cent, they actually can loan up to nine dollars for each dollar borrowed.
Let's take a look at the math. Assume the bank receives $1 million from the Fed at a rate of 8%. The total annual cost, therefore, is $80,000 (.08 X $1,000,000). The bank treats the loan as a cash deposit, which means it becomes the basis for manufacturing an additional $9 million to be lent to its customers. If we assume that it lends that money at 11% interest, its gross return would be $990,000 (.11 X $9,000,000). Subtract from this the bank's cost of $80,000 plus an appropriate share of its overhead, and we have a net return of about $900,000. In other words, the bank borrows a million and can almost double it in one year. That's leverage! But don't forget the source of that leverage: the manufacture of another $9 million which is added to the nation's money supply.
The most important method used by the Federal Reserve for the creation of fiat money is the purchase and sale of securities on the open market. But, before jumping into this, a word of warning. Don't expect what follows to make any sense. Just be prepared to know that this is how they do it.
The trick lies in the use of words and phrases which have technical meanings quite different from what they imply to the average citizen. So keep your eye on the words. They are not meant to explain but to deceive. In spite of first appearances, the process is not complicated. It is just absurd.
Start with . . .
Economics of a Pure Gold Standard; by Mark Skousen [*Amazon*]
The federal government adds ink to a piece of paper, creates impressive designs around the edges, and calls it a bond or Treasury note. It is merely a promise to pay a specified sum at a specified interest on a specified date. As we shall see in the following steps, this debt eventually becomes the foundation for almost the entire nation's money supply. In reality, the government has created cash, but it doesn't yet look like cash. To convert these IOUs into paper bills and checkbook money is the function of the Federal Reserve System. To bring about that transformation, the bond is given to the Fed where it is then classified as a . . .
An instrument of government debt is considered an asset because it is assumed the government will keep its promise to pay. This is based upon its ability to obtain whatever money it needs through taxation. Thus, the strength of this asset is the power to take back that which it gives. So the Federal Reserve now has an "asset" which can be used to offset a liability. It then creates this liability by adding ink to yet another piece of paper and exchanging that with the government in return for the asset. That second piece of paper is a . . .
There is no money in any account to cover this check. Anyone else doing that would be sent to prison. It is legal for the Fed, however, because Congress wants the money, and this is the easiest way to get it. (To raise taxes would be political suicide; to depend on the public to buy all the bonds would not be realistic, especially if interest rates are set artificially low; and to print very large quantities of currency would be obvious and controversial.) This way, the process is mysteriously wrapped up in the banking system. The end result, however, is the same as turning on government printing presses and simply manufacturing fiat money (money created by the order of government with nothing of tangible value backing it) to pay government expenses. Yet, in accounting terms, the books are said to be "balanced" because the liability of the money is offset by the "asset" of the IOU. The Federal Reserve check received by the government then is endorsed and sent back to one of the Federal Reserve banks where it now becomes a . . .
Once the Federal Reserve check has been deposited into the government's account, it is used to pay government expenses and, thus, is transformed into many . . .
These checks become the means by which the first wave of fiat money floods into the economy. Recipients now deposit them into their own bank accounts where they become . . .
Commercial bank deposits immediately take on a split personality.
On the one hand, they are liabilities to the bank because they are owed back to the depositors. But, as long as they remain in the bank, they also are considered as assets because they are on hand. Once again, the books are balanced: the assets offset the liabilities. But the process does not stop there. Through the magic of fractional-reserve banking, the deposits are made to serve an additional and more lucrative purpose. To accomplish this, the on-hand deposits now become reclassified in the books and called . . .
Reserves for what? Are these for paying off depositors should they want to close out of their accounts? No. That's the lowly function they served when they were classified as mere assets. Now that they have been given the name of "reserves," they become the magic wand to materialize even larger amounts of fiat money. This is where the real action is: at the level of the commercial banks. Here's how it works. The banks are permitted by the Fed to hold as little as 10% of their deposits in "reserve." That means, if they receive deposits of $1 million from the first wave of fiat money created by the Fed, they have $900,000 more than they are required to keep on hand ($1 million less 10% reserve). In bankers' language, that $900,000 is called . . .
The word "excess" is a tip off that these so-called reserves have a special destiny. Now that they have been transmuted into an excess, they are considered as available for lending. And so in due course these excess reserves are converted into . . .
But wait a minute. How can this money be loaned out when it is owned by the original depositors who are still free to write checks and spend it any time they wish? The answer is that, when the new loans are made, they are not made with the same money at all. They are made with brand new money created out of thin air for that purpose. The nation's money supply simply increases by ninety per cent of the bank's deposits. Furthermore, this new money is far more interesting to the banks than the old. The old money, which they received from depositors, requires them to pay out interest or perform services for the privilege of using it. But, with the new money, the banks collect interest, instead, which is not too bad considering it cost them nothing to make. Nor is that the end of the process. When this second wave of fiat money moves into the economy, it comes right back into the banking system, just as the first wave did, in the form of . . .
The process now repeats but with slightly smaller numbers each time around. What was a "loan" on Friday comes back into the bank as a "deposit" on Monday. The deposit then is reclassified as a "reserve" and ninety per cent of that becomes an "excess" reserve which, once again, is available for a new "loan." Thus, the $1 million of first wave fiat money gives birth to $900,000 in the second wave, and that gives birth to $810,000 in the third wave ($900,000 less 10% reserve). It takes about twenty-eight times through the revolving door of deposits becoming loans becoming deposits becoming more loans until the process plays itself out to the maximum effect, which is . . .
The amount of fiat money created by the banking cartel is approximately nine times the amount of the original government debt which made the entire process possible. When the original debt itself is added to that figure, we finally have . . .
The total amount of fiat money created by the Federal Reserve and the commercial banks together is approximately ten times the amount of the underlying government debt. To the degree that this newly created money floods into the economy in excess of goods and services, it causes the purchasing power of all money, both old and new, to decline. Prices go up because the relative value of the money has gone down. The result is the same as if that purchasing power had been taken from us in taxes. The reality of this process, therefore, is that it is a . . .
Without realizing it, Americans have paid over the years, in addition to their federal income taxes and excise taxes, a completely hidden tax equal to many times the national debt! And that still is not the end of the process. Since our money supply is purely an arbitrary entity with nothing behind it except debt, its quantity can go down as well as up. When people are going deeper into debt, the nation's money supply expands and prices go up, but when they pay off their debts and refuse to renew, the money supply contracts and prices tumble. That is exactly what happens in times of economic or political uncertainty. This alternation between period of expansion and contraction of the money supply is the underlying cause of . . .
Who benefits from all of this? Certainly not the average citizen.
The only beneficiaries are the political scientists in Congress who enjoy the effect of unlimited revenue to perpetuate their power, and the monetary scientists within the banking cartel called the Federal Reserve System who have been able to harness the American people, without their knowing it, to the yoke of modern feudalism.
The previous figures are based on a "reserve" ratio of 10% (a money-expansion ratio of 10-to-1). It must be remembered, however, that this is purely arbitrary. Since the money is fiat with no previous-metal backing, there is no real limitation except what the politicians and money managers decide is expedient for the moment. Altering this ratio is the third way in which the Federal Reserve can influence the nation's supply of money. The numbers, therefore, must be considered as transient.
At any time there is a "need" for more money, the ratio can be increased to 20-to-1 or 50-to-1, or the pretense of a reserve can be dropped altogether. There is virtually no limit to the amount of fiat money that can be manufactured under the present system.
Wall Street and the Rise of Hitler, by Antony C. Sutton [Reformation]
Because the Federal Reserve can be counted on to "monetize" (convert into money) virtually any amount of government debt, and because this process of expanding the money supply is the primary cause of inflation, it is tempting to jump to the conclusion that federal debt and inflation are but two aspects of the same phenomenon. This, however, is not necessarily true. It is quite possible to have either one without the other.
The banking cartel holds a monopoly in the manufacture of money. Consequently, money is created only when IOUs are "monetized" by the Fed or by commercial banks. When private individuals, corporations, or institutions purchase government bonds, they must use money they have previously earned and saved. In other words, no new money is created, because they are using funds that are already in existence. Therefore, the sale of government bonds to the banking system is inflationary, but when sold to the private sector, it is not. That is the primary reason the United States avoided massive inflation during the 1980s when the federal government was going into debt at a greater rate than ever before in its history. By keeping interest rates high, these bonds became attractive to private investors, including those in other countries. Very little new money was created, because most of the bonds were purchased with American dollars already in existence. This, of course, was a temporary fix at best.
Today, those bonds are continually maturing and are being replaced by still more bonds to include the original debt plus accumulated interest. Eventually this process must come to an end and, when it does, the Fed will have no choice but to literally buy back all the debt of the '80s -- that is, to replace all of the formerly invested private money with newly manufactured fiat money -- plus a great deal more to cover the interest. Then we will understand the meaning of inflation.
On the other side of the coin, the Federal Reserve has the option of manufacturing money even if the federal government does not go deeper into debt. For example, the huge expansion of the money supply leading up to the stock market crash in 1929 occurred at a time when the national debt was being paid off. In every year from 1920 through 1930, federal revenue exceeded expenses, and there were relatively few government bonds being offered. The massive inflation of the money supply was made possible by converting commercial bank loans into "reserves" at the Fed's discount window and by the Fed's purchase of banker's acceptances, which are commercial contracts for the purchase of goods.
Now the options are even greater. The Monetary Control Act of 1980 has made it possible for the Creature to monetize virtually any debt instrument, including IOUs from foreign governments. The apparent purpose of this legislation is to make it possible to bail out those governments which are having trouble paying the interest on their loans from American banks. When the Fed creates fiat American dollars to give foreign governments in exchange for their worthless bonds, the money path is slightly longer and more twisted, but the effect is similar to the purchase of U.S. Treasury Bonds. The newly created dollars go to the foreign governments, then to the American banks where they become cash reserves. Finally, they flow back into the U.S money pool (multiplied by nine) in the form of additional loans. The cost of the operation once again is born by the American citizen through the loss of purchasing power. Expansion of the money supply, therefore, and the inflation that follows, no longer even require federal deficits. As long as someone is willing to borrow American dollars, the cartel will have the option of creating those dollars specifically to purchase their bonds and, by so doing, continue to expand the money supply.
We must not forget, however, that one of the reasons the Fed was created in the first place was to make it possible for Congress to spend without the public knowing it was being taxed. Americans have shown an amazing indifference to this fleecing, explained undoubtedly by their lack of understanding of how the Mandrake Mechanism works. Consequently, at the present time, this cozy contract between the banking cartel and the politicians is in little danger of being altered. As a practical matter, therefore, even though the Fed may also create fiat money in exchange for commercial debt and for bonds of foreign governments, its major concern likely will be to continue supplying Congress.
The implications of this fact are mind boggling. Since our money supply, at present at least, is tied to the national debt, to pay off that debt would cause money to disappear. Even to seriously reduce it would cripple the economy. Therefore, as long as the Federal Reserve exists, America will be, must be, in debt.
The purchase of bonds from other governments is accelerating in the present political climate of internationalism. Our own money supply increasingly is based upon their debt as well as ours, and they, too, will not be allowed to pay it off even if they are able.
While it is true that the Mandrake Mechanism is responsible for the expansion of the money supply, the process also works in reverse. Just as money is created when the Federal Reserve purchases bonds or other debt instruments, it is extinguished by the sale of those same items. When they are sold, the money is given back to the System and disappears into the inkwell or computer chip from which it came. Then, the same secondary ripple effect that created money through the commercial banking system causes it to be withdrawn from the economy. Furthermore, even if the Federal Reserve does not deliberately contract the money supply, the same result can and often does occur when the public decides to resist the availability of credit and reduce its debt. A man can only be tempted to borrow, he cannot be forced to do so.
There are many psychological factors involved in a decision to go into debt that can offset the easy availability of money and a low interest rate: A downturn in the economy, the threat of civil disorder, the fear of pending war, an uncertain political climate, to name just a few. Even though the Fed may try to pump money into the economy by making it abundantly available, the public can thwart that move simply by saying no, thank you. When this happens, the old debts that are being paid off are not replaced by new ones to take their place, and the entire amount of consumer and business debt will shrink. That means the money supply also will shrink, because, in modern America, debt is money. And it is this very expansion and contraction of the monetary pool -- a phenomenon that could not occur if based upon the laws of supply and demand -- that is at the very core of practically every boom and bust that has plagued mankind throughout history.
In conclusion, it can be said that modern money is a grand illusion conjured by the magicians of finance in politics. We are living in an age of fiat money, and it is sobering to realize that every previous nation in history that has adopted such money eventually was economically destroyed by it. Furthermore, there is nothing in our present monetary structure that offers any assurances that we may be exempted from that morbid roll call.
Correction. There is one. It is still within the power of Congress to abolish the Federal Reserve System.
The American dollar has no intrinsic value. It is a classic example of fiat money with no limit to the quantity that can be produced. Its primary value lies in the willingness of people to accept it and, to that end, legal tender laws require them to do so.
It is true that our money is created out of nothing, but it is more accurate to say that it is based upon debt. In one sense, therefore, our money is created out of less than nothing. The entire money supply would vanish into the bank vaults and computer chips if all debts were repaid.
Under the present System, therefore, our leaders cannot allow a serious reduction in either the national or consumer debt. Charging interest on pretended loans is usury, and that has become institutionalized under the Federal Reserve System.
The Mandrake Mechanism by which the Fed converts debt into money may seem complicated at first, but it is simple if one remembers that the process is not intended to be logical but to confuse and deceive. The end product of the Mechanism is artificial expansion of the money supply, which is the root cause of the hidden tax called inflation.
This expansion then leads to contraction and, together, they produce the destructive boom-bust cycle that has plagued mankind throughout history wherever fiat money has existed.
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Forecasters predict cold temperatures will keep Wayne County shivering
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Both fountains at Mount Olive College tell the story of just how cold it has been for the past several days. Area forecasters said the chilly temperatures will linger through the week, with a slight chance of snow later this week.
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Enid police look for man who tried to scare employees
Incident happened at Patriot Solution
UPDATED 1:23 PM CDT Apr 29, 2013
Enid police are looking for a man who may have been attempting to scare employees of a construction equipment rental company on Monday, officers said.
Police said the incident happened at Patriot Solution, located near 54th Street and Highway 412. Employees told investigators that a man wearing all black and a mask jumped out at employees at the business.
The employees told police they believe the man was armed. He was spotted running into a nearby field, police said.
Enid police set up a perimeter and are trying to find him. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol is helping with an aerial search.
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12 posts tagged with Democrat and america.
Displaying 1 through 12 of 12. Subscribe:
Think you can tell a Democrat from a Republican?
Think you can tell a Democrat from a Republican? You are presented with a bill from 2005-2014, and have to decide if that bill was sponsored by a Democrat or a Republican. Some are obvious, some are tricky, and some are really surprising! [via mefi projects]
"Stopping bad things is a significant public service."
...never believing the people who think they have you figured out.
"It's his charm. It's his gift. It's his political liability, and it's part of an American conundrum. We beg for authenticity, and then when we get it, oh man, it's hilarious. [Vice President Joe] Biden can be fantastic when he's on his game. At the 2012 Democratic National Convention, his speech got higher Nielsen ratings than either Bill Clinton's or Obama's. He killed the debate against Ryan, pumped air back into a campaign deflated after Obama's miserable first performance against Romney. Watching those performances, it's almost impossible to see him as a person once crippled by speech."
The Conservative Teen
Presenting for your perusal: "The Conservative Teen", a new magazine designed to instill the right values in today's youth.
The Republican "brand" is collapsing
According to a report by Democracy Corps, the Republican "brand" in US politics is collapsing.
The End of the Christian Right?
Historian Michael Kazin says that we are witnessing the end of the Religious Right's influence in American politics. Peter Montgomery of Alternet says not to declare the Christian Right dead quite yet.
Send Congress To Boot Camp
Lt. Gen. Russell Honore has a solution to the increasing splintering and radicalization of Congress: send all the members of Congress to boot camp and keep them there until they recognize their duty to America.
The pulsing popularity of political parties in America over the previous passage of years
"Isarithmic maps are essentially topographic or contour maps, wherein a third variable is represented in two dimensions by color, or by contour lines, indicating gradations. I had never seen such a map depicting political data — certainly not election returns, and thus sought to create them".
Tea Party and Me
Former president Jimmy Carter speaks about the similarities and differences between the political climate in the mid 1970's and the present rise of the Tea Party.
A rational conservative solution for health care reform
America the Polarized
America the Polarized NYT's Paul Krugman says that Congress is polarized because Republicans have moved to the right, while Democrats have remained fairly constant. He (and a political scientist) attribute the change to economic polarization, the sharply widening inequality of income and wealth.
how to buy the new republican party
how to buy the new republican party "The tax cuts will make the economy grow. As people do better, they start voting like Republicans--unless they have too much education and vote Democratic"
[this is the recently launched newyorker online]
[this is the recently launched newyorker online]
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good things come in small packages
Like the latest from Nike and their new Free 5.0 shoes. They are the most flexible shoes ever and fit in this new tiny box. Great idea for lots of reasons, too bad the packaging is for a limited time only.
Labels: packaging, product innovation, shoes
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Special guest K9 Andy and lots of activities for kids and dogs are to be featured at this year's Bark For Life 9-11 a.m. Sept. 14 at Hedges-Boyer Park.
Registration is requested by Sept. 6.
Andy and his partner Tiffin Police Officer Jake DeMonte are planning to demonstrate Andy's skills and be on hand to mingle with participants.
In other years, Bark For Life has taken place on the Saturday morning after Relay For Life, but Team Forever Friends decided to try a different day this year.
"The reason we separated it is twofold," said organizer Marilyn Stiltner. "Everyone is so tired the morning of Relay after we go all night, and we're kind of limited to what we can do because of Relay stuff set up."
Plans include a concession stand, children's activities, games for dogs, dog nail trimming, raffles and 50/50 drawings.
"These will all be for a donation," she said.
Dogs must be kept on a leash at all times, and owners should be prepared to clean up after them.
"We're going to have wooden doggie bones for kids to decorate," Stiltner said. She also is hoping to have face painting, and a few other activities are planned but unconfirmed.
"September is such a nice time," she said. "It's not really a time we have to worry about weather so much. Bring out your dogs and children and spend a couple hours on fun activities on a Saturday morning."
While they're having fun, she said participants will be supporting the American Cancer Society and Tiffin Relay For Life.
"We all have a relative or friend who has been lost to cancer or who has gone through the fight," she said. "For me it's my sister and an aunt who died of breast cancer a long time ago. It's a way to support the cause and fight the big C."
Fee is $10 for participants registered by Sept. 6, and $15 for walk-ins on the day of the event.
To receive a registration form, call Stiltner at (419) 306-3457 or email her at firstname.lastname@example.com.
"Email is preferred so we save money on postage," she said.


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From the Division of Neurology, the Department of Medicine (Drs Spacey and Feldman), and the Department of Psychiatry (Dr Fleming), The University of British Columbia, Vancouver; National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, Institute of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio (Drs Pastore and Gambetti); and the Department of Medical Genetics, B. C. Children's Hospital, Vancouver (Dr McGillivray).
Fatal familial insomnia (FFI) is an autosomal dominant disease linked to a mutation in the prion protein gene. Fatal familial insomnia is characterized by sleep disturbance and loss of neurons, with gliosis in the thalamic nuclei.
To describe the clinical, neurophysiological, radiological, and neuropathological data in a Chinese family with FFI.
Tertiary referral university hospital setting.
Patient 1 was a 36-year-old man who presented with insomnia and myoclonus. In the subsequent 9 months, he developed ataxia and dementia, followed by death. Patient 2 was the aunt of patient 1, and presented at the age of 47 years with insomnia, myoclonus, and dementia; her condition declined during a 12-month period. Genetic analysis was performed, followed by neuropathological and biochemical analysis of the disease-associated form of the prion protein PrPSc on the postmortem brain specimen.
Molecular analysis demonstrated an aspartic acid to asparagine mutation at codon 178 and homozygosity for methionine at codon 129. Both patients showed severe neuronal loss and prominent gliosis in the thalamus and brainstem involvement, with evidence of astrogliosis in the inferior olivary nucleus. Patient 1 also had neuronal loss and astrogliosis in the region of the superior colliculus and in the periaqueductal region. PrPSc was detected on Western blot analysis, and had a wide distribution. The strongest signals were present in the amygdala, hypothalamus, caudate, parahippocampal gyrus, periaqueductal gray matter, and mediodorsal thalamus.
To our knowledge, this is the first report of FFI in a family of Chinese descent. This supports the worldwide distribution of FFI, and despite differences in genetic background, the clinical and pathological findings are similar to those found in white patients with FFI.
Fatal familial insomnia (FFI) is a prion disease characterized by progressive sleep impairment, dysautonomia, and motor dysfunction, with onset in adulthood.1 The pathological abnormalities are primarily in the thalamus, with relative sparing of the cerebellum and brainstem.2 Fatal familial insomnia has an autosomal dominant mode of inheritance, with unknown penetrance.3
Fatal familial insomnia and familial Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) result from a substitution of asparagine for aspartic acid at codon 178 of the prion protein gene (PRNP).4 The methionine or valine polymorphism at codon 129 of the mutated allele determines whether the phenotype is FFI (methionine) or CJD (valine).4
We present clinical, neurophysiological, radiological, and neuropathological data observed in the first description of FFI, to our knowledge, in a 4-generation family of Chinese descent.
DNA was extracted from frozen organ tissue, and the PRNP open reading frame was amplified by a polymerase chain reaction using primers and conditions described previously.5 The coding region of PRNP was studied by direct sequencing.
Tissue samples from the neocortex, caudate nucleus, putamen, thalami, mesencephalon, pons, medulla, and cerebellum were fixed and stained, as previously described.5
Biochemical analysis of the disease-associated form of the prion protein PrPSc was performed by Western blot analysis of protein extracted from homogenized brain tissue, as previously described.6
The family is of Chinese descent. Family members IV:12 and III:11 (Figure 1) emigrated from Hong Kong to Canada, where they came to neurological attention.
Pedigree of a Chinese family with fatal familial insomnia. The circles indicate females; squares, males; shaded symbols, affected individuals; small circle within a symbol, carrier status; diagonal bar, deceased members; cross, death in infancy; arrow, the proband; and parallel diagonal bars between II:1 and II:2, termination of the marriage. The paternal great-grandfather (I:1) of the proband died in Hong Kong of a progressive dementing neurodegenerative disease at the age of 49. Subjects I:2, II:2, and II:3 all died in later life of an unknown cause. II:1, the paternal grandmother of the proband, died at the age of 79, with no history of dementia or neurodegenerative decline. Of the 11 children of II:2, 3 (III:6, III:8, and III:11) developed a rapidly dementing illness associated with myoclonus, weight loss, and insomnia, and died 1 year after the onset of the illness at the ages of 38, 51, and 47, respectively. Subject IV:12 died at the age of 37, with insomnia and dementia.
The proband was a 36-year-old previously healthy man who presented with myoclonus and insomnia refractory to traditional hypnotic agents. He experienced witnessed apneic spells, somniloquism, and dream enactment.
In the first 6 months of his illness, he developed intermittent horizontal diplopia and progressive dysphagia. His speech was initially hypophonic and became progressively dysarthric. He developed progressive ataxia and moderate to severe dementia over 9 months. He lost 9 kg, and developed dysautonomic features, including constipation, urinary retention, and profuse sweating. His insomnia evolved into a state of hypersomnia, and he slept up to 18 h/d in the last 3 months of the disease. He died of pneumonia after a 12-month course.
Magnetic resonance imaging performed at 8 months revealed mild cerebral cortical atrophy. Serial electroencephalograms demonstrated a diffuse excess of θ and δ frequencies; there was no electrographic correlation with myoclonic activity and there were no periodic sharp waves. Polysomnography at 6 months demonstrated marked insomnia, atypical periodic limb movements, apneic periods, dream enactment, and whole body myoclonic jerking. The cerebrospinal fluid at 9 months was normal, and the opening pressure was unremarkable.
Molecular analysis demonstrated an aspartic acid to asparagine mutation at codon 178. The patient was homozygous for methionine at codon 129.
Severe neuronal loss and prominent gliosis occurred in the thalamus, chiefly in the ventral anterior, medial dorsal, lateral dorsal, and pulvinar nuclei; the lateral anterior and lateral posterior nuclei were relatively preserved. There was astrogliosis in the region of the superior colliculus, the periaqueductal region, and the inferior olivary nucleus. In the cerebellum, there was mild Purkinje cell loss with a moderate number of axonal "torpedoes" (Figure 2).
Neuropathological studies of subject IV:12. A, Dorsomedial nucleus of the thalamus, showing neuronal loss and reactive gliosis (hematoxylin-eosin, original magnification ×200). B, Cerebellar cortex, showing "torpedoes" in the Purkinje cell axons (Bielschowsky silver, original magnification ×200).
PrPSc from subject IV:12 includes 2 major fragments (28 and 26 kDa) and a minor fragment (19 kDa). The 3 fragments have been shown to correspond to different glycosylated prion protein isoforms or glycoforms, the 19-kDa fragment being unglycosylated.6 The relative percentage of the 3 isoforms was calculated on Western blot analyses from 11 brain areas. The mean ± SD distribution of the high, middle, and low molecular weight was as follows: 63.0% ± 4.0%, 31.5% ± 6.0%, and 5.0% ± 2.0%, respectively (Figure 3). Within the mediodorsal area from the thalamus, the calculated percentages for the 3 forms of PrPSc (diglycosylated, monoglycosylated, and unglycosylated) were as follows: 63.5% ± 7.0%, 29.3% ± 4.0%, and 7.1% ± 5.0%, respectively.
Immunoblot analysis with the 3F4 antibody of the protease resistant prion protein extracted from the parahippocampal gyrus of the proband and 2 subjects with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). Lane 1 indicates a subject with sporadic CJD, a codon 129 methionine/methionine polymorphism, and proteinase K resistance (PK-res) type 1; lane 2, a subject with sporadic CJD, a codon 129 valine/valine polymorphism, and PK-res type 2; and lane P, the proband with fatal familial insomnia (FFI), a substitution of asparagine for aspartic acid at codon 178, a codon 129 methionine/methionine polymorphism, and PK-res type 2. The band with the highest molecular weight is the most represented in FFI subjects, whereas in patients with sporadic CJD, the middle molecular weight is most common.5
PrPSc was widely distributed. The strongest signals were present in the amygdala, hypothalamus, caudate, parahippocampal gyrus, periaqueductal gray matter, and mediodorsal thalamus. A milder signal was present in the ventrolateral thalamus and the cortices (frontal, temporal, cingulate, and occipital); there was no signal in the cerebellum.
The paternal aunt of patient 1 was previously well and presented at the age of 47 years with insomnia, rapid weight loss, nervousness, and a generalized headache. She developed diplopia and a rapidly progressive dementia. She had myoclonic jerks in all of her limbs, mixed flaccid and spastic tone, and extensor plantar responses. She had experienced progressive dysphagia and weight loss. She died 12 months after the onset of disease.
The results of cerebrospinal fluid tests and repeat computed tomographic scans were normal. An electroencephalogram demonstrated diffuse slowing without evidence of epileptiform activity. There were no periodic complexes.
There was mild, diffuse, cerebral cortical atrophy, sparing the occipital and temporal regions. There was some spongiform degeneration in the superficial frontal and temporal cortices, particularly in the second cortical layer. The thalamus revealed severe neuronal loss and gliosis in the medial dorsal nucleus. Focal mild or minimal spongiform degeneration was seen in the cingulated gyrus, entorhinal cortex, and putamen, while the oliva showed severe neuronal loss and astrogliosis. Scattered torpedoes were seen in the cerebellum (Figure 2B).
Fatal familial insomnia was first described in the European population and was subsequently described in families in the United States, Australia, and Japan.7 To our knowledge, FFI has not previously been described in the Chinese population, which is genetically distinct from the Japanese population.8,9 Fatal familial insomnia is molecularly distinguished from CJD because of a polymorphism at codon 129 on the mutated allele; a methionine polymorphism predicts an FFI phenotype and a valine polymorphism predicts a CJD phenotype. A Chinese study10 found the distribution of the polymorphism at PRNP codon 129 in the Han Chinese population to be as follows: 97% methionine/methionine, 3% methionine/valine, and 0% valine/valine (methionine is 0.985, and valine is 0.015). According to these data, the finding of a valine haplotype in patients with prion disease seems improbable and the occurrence of the FFI phenotype seems forcedly favored compared with the CJD phenotype once the mutation at codon 178 occurs.10
The Japanese report11 of FFI documented the absence of clinical insomnia. Insomnia was observed in this Chinese family, and the clinical features seen in the 2 Chinese patients described herein are similar to those seen in white patients with FFI.
The primary site of pathological abnormalities in white patients with FFI is the thalamus.2 This was observed in both of the Chinese patients; however, brainstem involvement was also documented. Both patients described herein have features compatible with brainstem involvement. Patient 1 experienced apnea, diplopia, dysarthria, and dysphagia, and pathological studies demonstrated astrogliosis in the superior colliculus, periaqueductal gray area, and olivary nucleus. PrPSc was also present in the periaqueductal gray matter. Patient 2 experienced diplopia, dysarthria, and dysphagia, and postmortem studies showed severe neuronal loss and astrogliosis of the oliva and degeneration of the vagal nuclei. Neuronal loss and gliosis have been reported in the brainstem in the olivary nuclei in white FFI patients.1 Significant amounts of PrPSc have been demonstrated in several brainstem regions, including the locus coeruleus, periaqueductal gray matter, and olivary nuclei.6 It has been speculated that apnea, observed in several FFI patients, may be due to the pathological features of the brainstem.12 All patients previously described as having respiratory dysfunction who underwent genotyping were homozygous for methionine in the 129 codon. This was also observed in patient 1.
Western blot analysis demonstrated that the calculated percentages of the 3 isoforms of PrPSc (diglycosylated, monoglycosylated, and unglycosylated) from the medial dorsal thalamus and from 11 areas of the brain were comparable to those found in similar brain regions in white FFI patients.6
In summary, to our knowledge, this is the first description of a Chinese family with FFI. This supports the worldwide distribution of FFI, and despite differences in genetic background, the clinical and pathological findings were similar to those found in white FFI patients.
Corresponding author and reprints: Howard Feldman, MD, Division of Neurology, The University of British Columbia, S192-2211 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6L 1P8 (e-mail: email@example.com.
Accepted for publication September 16, 2003.
Author contributions: Study concept and design (Drs Spacey, Pastore, Gambetti, and Feldman); acquisition of data (Drs Spacey, Pastore, McGillivray, Fleming, Gambetti, and Feldman); analysis and interpretation of data (Drs Spacey, Pastore, McGillivray, Fleming, Gambetti, and Feldman); drafting of the manuscript (Drs Spacey and Feldman); critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content (Drs Pastore, McGillivray, Fleming, Gambetti, and Feldman); administrative, technical, and material support (Drs Spacey, Pastore, Fleming, Gambetti, and Feldman); study supervision (Drs Gambetti and Feldman).
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Arctic and Alpine Biomes (Greenwood Guides to Biomes of the World)by Joyce A. Quinn
The latest entry in the Guides to Biomes of the World series from Greenwood Press focuses on arctic and alpine climate zones, also known as the tundra, and provides a detailed study of the hardiest flora and fauna on the planet. Quinn (California State U., Fresno) offers straightforward descriptions of each of these biomes, dividing the information between arctic, Antarctic, alpine and even tropical alpine biomes such as the Andes and the highest zones of Hawaiian volcanoes. Written primarily as a textbook for geography students, this book also features vivid color photographs from these regions.
Desert Biomes (Greenwood Guides to Biomes of the World)by Joyce A. Quinn
Physical geographer and cartographer Quinn (retired, California State U.-Fresno) begins by explaining features common to the living systems in deserts, among them the physical environment and plant and animal adaptations. Then she focuses in turn on warm, cold, and west-coast fog desert biomes, beginning again with global features of the type, then surveying examples in regions on various continents. Readers can learn about a particular desert or desert type that interests them, she says, but will miss much nuance without the larger picture. She uses common names of species, but appends Latin binomial at the end of each chapter. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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A fictional character in the tv show "My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic" she is a filly who has yet to get her cutie mark, is in the club "The Cutie Mark Crusaders", is friends with scootaloo and sweetie belle
Guy 1"have you seen mlp?"
Guy 2" yea apple bloom is best pony!"
Guy 1" ... "
Guy 2" yea apple bloom is best pony!"
Guy 1" ... "
by Super-Brony April 06, 2012
Trending Now
Can you define these popular missing words?
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most awesome cutest little pony on the T.V show My little pony: friendship is magic. she is one of the cutie mark crusaders and is BFF's with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle! plus, she's apple jack's little sis
"apple bloom is soooooo cute!"
by PiNkAmEnA pIe June 14, 2012


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~Tabby~Max I'll ALWAYS love you!~
Active within 2277 Days
Hi! My name is ~Tabby~Max I'll ALWAYS love you!~
I am Domestic Shorthair from Bedford, TX
Nicknames: Tab, Tabs; also I am a virtual kitty.
Age: 8 years old
Gender: F
Coat: short haired
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My favorite tricks and treats are: N/A and Milk!
Where I hang out: On the couch
My favorite grubs: Milk!
My pet peeves: Bigger dogs.
What I love about my owners: She adopted me!
My cat hobbies: Hang out on CC! My best friend is Crybaby!
Pet motto: I LOVE YOU MAX! NO MATTER WHAT!
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Single Article Purchase:
The Need for Improving Information Systems on Drug Interactions in Japan
Harada K, Fujimura A.
Arch Intern Med. 2000;160(13):2061-2067.
Published online July 10, 2000
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A month before the tsunami hit Japan, Social Work Professor Sharon Pittman, Ph.D., was in Tokyo teaching a one-week intensive class that helped prepare students at Aoyama Gakuin University for disaster response.
For practice, the students responded to a scenario of a volcano eruption that displaced 10,000 individuals. Different groups had to run an assessment of the situation, choose how to respond within the first 24 hours, and develop strategies for ongoing assistance.
Little did Pittman's 21 students know how valuable the training they received would become.
In the wake of the March 11 tsunami, most of the students from the class are actively volunteering their counseling, organizational, and needs assessment skills in northern Japan.
"I've gotten emails from the students going, 'Wow! What you taught us, we never knew how timely it was going to be,'" says Pittman. "They actually got to practice the stuff that we were teaching them."
An international social worker, Pittman has done similar training for the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) in Kenya, Peru, Costa Rica, and Thailand. She has instructed more than 400 relief workers, and helped build ADRA's original disaster response training program 15 years ago.
In May, Pittman will start an emergency training program at Southern. The 9-hour intensive course will require students to do 100 hours of simulated emergency response practice. She is also coordinating a multi-county disaster response simulation on Southern's campus in June.
"It's so much fun for me to teach things that are relevant to real life—" says Pittman, "something that students use to serve others."


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Well, I'm in Illinois. It seems to be a weekend of doing nothing which, right now, I truly appreciate right now! I don't know why but some days I just do not feel like doing ANYTHING. Very blah.
So we're going to do a thing that maybe some people don't agree with. And honestly, if there was any other way we wouldn't do it. But there isn't. We're declawing the cats. I know, I know, it's a horrible procedure. But the cats have become destructive. And I worry about any new furniture we buy, about having kids, etc. I just think in the long run it's the only thing that makes sense. And as much as I don't want to hurt the cats I think it's necessary.
We finally got our marriage license!! I STILL can't change my name because I want to get my taxes done first but then AFTERWARDS I'll finally do it. Yay to that!
Anyway, that's about all. Survey time =-)
This is a survey for all of you married folk. Fill it out & don't forget to tag other married couples on your friend list. Don't forget to tag back the person that sent it to you.
1) When was your wedding day? September 27th, 2008
2) What day of the week was it? Saturday
3) Did you get married in a church? Nope, in my parents' backyard in Hayward, WI
4) How many in your wedding party? Including us, 8 – 3 bridesmaids (Amber, Jill and Taryn), 3 groomsmen (Bruggie, Shawn and Ryan) and Dustin and me
5) Where was your reception? The Ramada Inn in Hayward, WI
6) How many guests were invited to your wedding? 130 invited, 100 attended
7) How long did you wait to Tie The Knot after your proposal? Hm um, just a smidge over a year
8) Who did you hire as your photographer & videographer? A photographer – Sara Thiry is AWESOME
9) Did you have a DJ or a band? DJ – Sounds Unlimited
10) Did your father walk you down the aisle? Of course, despite what some brides say, I like the tradition
11) What color were the bridesmaid dresses & groomsmen vests? Bridesmaids wore tea length black dresses with red shoes and the groomsmen wore red vests
12) Who was your Maid Of Honor/Best Man? My matron of honor was a friend from junior high, Amber. We didn't have a best man
13) Did you have a Bridal Shower? Yes, two
14) What type of limo did you get? No limo
15) Where did you go for your Bachelorette/Bachelor Party? Mine was in St. Paul and Minneapolis. We went to dinner at Chino Latino's, saw a show at Comedy Sportz and then had margarita and played games at my matron of honor's house. Dustin spent the day on a pontoon with his friends and then went bar hopping
16) What type of wedding gown/tux did you two wear? I wore an A-line ivory strapless gown with lace bottom and lace accents. And red shoes, of course. Dustin wore a black tux with an ivory vest
17) How was the weather? A little rainy in the morning and overcast – but honestly, I hardly noticed
18) Where did you go on your Honeymoon? A Carnival cruise to Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel
19) What was your favorite part of your wedding day? Having everyone I love together at the same place to celebrate how much Dustin and I love each other
20) How long have you been married? Hmm… almost 5 months


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text: Most Denver lodging is found in the greater downtown area. Downtown also has all the major international chains, including a top-notch Ritz (www.ritzcarlton.com/denver) and Grand Hyatt (www.granddenver.hyatt.com). There are also a number of large chain hotels located 15 miles south of downtown in the Denver Tech Center – book online to save big. Denver is downright brutal on budget-conscious backpackers; consider one of the (fairly dreary) single-story motels on E or W Colfax Ave or searching out a homestay with www.couchsurfing.org or www.craigslist.org.


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Cophenetic Correlation Coefficient
Click here to purchase the complete E-book of this tutorial
How good is the clustering that we just performed? There is an index called Cross Correlation Coefficient or Cophenetic Correlation Coefficient (CP) that shows the goodness of fit of our clustering similar to the Correlation Coefficient of regression.
To compute the Cophenetic Correlation Coefficient of hierarchical clustering, we need two informations:
We have distance as the input for Hierarchical clustering computation. Because distance matrix is symmetric, for our purpose, we need only the lower triangular values
To obtain Cophenetic matrix, we need to fill the lower triangular distance matrix with the minimum merging distance that we obtain in the previous section. Remember in our summary of last section,
Using this information, we can fill the Cophenetic Matrix into
Now we got the two required information and we can put them together into a single matrix.
Cophenetic Correlation Coefficient is simply correlation coefficient between distance matrix and Cophenetic matrix =Correl (Dist, CP) = 86.399%. As the value of the Cophenetic Correlation Coefficient is quite close to 100%, we can say that the clustering is quite fit.
See Also: Correlation Coefficient
Click here to purchase the complete E-book of this tutorial
Do you have question regarding this Clustering tutorial? Ask your question here
Preferable reference for this tutorial is
Teknomo, Kardi. (2009) Hierarchical Clustering Tutorial.


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Cleanup continues at Blessed Savior's south campus in Milwaukee after a broken water pipe flooded the school Thursday.
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A view from the top
by Rene Corton
1995 Reds from the Southern Rhone Valley
The 1995 vintage wines are uniformly excellent throughout France. Bordeaux had the first really good year since 1990 and the red burgundies and rhones are excellent. Bordeaux prices will be high due to the hype, while the always expensive burgundies will be even more so in 95. Wines from the southern Rhone Valley, where 93 and 94 were also good years, will be more moderately priced, and this is where to look for high quality at reasonable prices. Wines from the Northern Rhone (Cote Rotie, Hermitage, St-Joseph, etc.) are also excellent in 1995 and will be covered in a future article.
The southern Rhone wine region is centered around Orange and Avignon in southeastern France and is typically referred to as Provence.
The climate there is hot, dry, and windy, and the scent of Provencal herbs and vines growing in the stony soil is pervasive. The four major food groups here are olive oil, garlic, rosemary-thyme, and lamb cooked in a bold fashion with strong dominant flavors which call for big robust, usually red, wines. And big robust wines they are with loads of fruit and often substantial tannin. Most of the wines are blends made from several grape varieties; predominately grenache with moderate amount of syrah, mourvedre, and cinsault and minor amounts of other obscure grapes. In terms of quality, Chateauneuf-du-Pape sits at the top followed by Gigondas, Vacqueyras, Lirac, the Cotes-du-Rhone-Villages (CDRV), and the Cotes-du-Rhone (CDR). Prices range from $7 to $12 for Cotes-du-Rhone to $20 to $35 for Chateauneut-du-Pape.
In a great year like 1995, generic CDR can be of excellent quality and value for consumption now or laying down for several years. Some producers making consistently good wines are: Coudelet de Beaucastel. Dom. Gramenon, Dom. Andre Brunel, Guigal, Rabasse-Charavin, Dom. St.-Gayan, Dom. Santa-Duc, and Chateau des Tours. The last domaine, owned by Bernard Reynaud and run by his son Emmanuel, make a CDR and an even lower priced Vin-du-Pays of amazing quality; clearly two of the best 1994s I tasted in my June visit. The 95s, still in cask, promise to be even better. They also make one of the best and most ageworthy Vacqueyras wines which is usually released late; the 94 had not been bottled at the time of our June visit.
Next on the quality scale come the CDRV, the best of which have the village attached to the name. Very few of these wines are known outside the region, and quality is high relative to the price. Wines available in the Northwest include the Cairanne from Brusset, de l'Oratoire St.-Martin, Rabasse-Charavin, and Marcel Richaud. I was also very impressed with Richaud's white Cairanne which became our house white on our June vacation in Vaison-la-Romaine. I will always remember the lovely afternoon tasting with Marie Richaud. In CDRV of Rasteau, the father and son team of Andre and Frederic Romero at Domaine De la Soumade make blockbuster red wines which excelled in 1995. Domaine Ste.-Anne in St.-Gervais and Domaine De Piauger in Sablet round out the cadre of high class CDRV producers available in this market.
Two Cotes-du-Rhone villages, Gigondas and Vacqueyras were elevated to full appellation controlee status in 1971 and 1990 respectively and produce big robust and sometimes rustic red wines of very high quality which compare very favorably with the much more famous reds of Chateauneuf-du-Pape. In Vacqueyras, Chateau des Tours, Domaine le Sang des Cailloux, Charbonniere, and Domaine des Amouriers make top rate wines which are usually available in the Seattle area.
Sadly the proprietor of des Amouriers, Jocelyn Chudzikiewicz, was killed in a motor accident shortly before our June 97 visit. His dedication and enthusiasm will be missed. Finally we come to Gigondas, my favorite village in the Rhone with its picturesque square, four tasting caves, and lovely restaurant, L'Oustalet, all nestled up against the base of the limestone mountains called the Dentelles de Montmirail. Gigondas has a number of excellent producers available in the Northwest market. I particularly like Domaines de Cayron, Daniel Brusset, Santa Duc, Raspail-Ay, St.-Gayan, and les Goubert. In a great vintage, like 1995, these are wines you buy by the case for drinking in 5 to 10 years.
Next time I will review the wines of Chateauneuf-du-Pape; the greatest of the southern Rhones. In the mean time, for anyone wishing to lean more about these wines, the recently published "WINES OF THE RHONE VALLEY" by Robert Parker (Simon and Schuster, 1997) is a must read.


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GRAND RAPIDS, MI – It's beginning to look a lot like ArtPrize.
ArtPrize 2012, the world's largest art prize, opens one week from today.
Plenty of the 1,517 entries in the $560,000 competition are arriving and being installed this week to be ready for next week's opening of the fourth exhibition created by Rick DeVos.
Artists and teams of artists from 56 countries and 45 U.S. states are preparing to show work in 161 shops, stores, restaurants, pubs and museums that will display work Oct. 7.
ArtPrize 2012's Exhibition Centers officially open at noon Sept. 19 followed by the rest of the venues later in the afternoon.
ArtPrize 2012
When: Sept. 19-Oct. 7
Where: 161 venues within a 3-square mile district downtown between Leonard Street and Wealthy Street, north to south; and between Straight/Alpine Avenue and College Avenue, west to east; and Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, 1000 East Beltline Ave. NE.
Venue Hours: Minimum hours for all venues are 5-8 p.m. opening day Wednesday. Afterward, 5-8 p.m. Mon.-Thurs., noon-10 p.m. Fri. and Sat., noon-6 p.m. Sun., through Oct. 7. Venues may be open additional hours.
Exhibition Centers and Showcase Venue hours: Noon-8 p.m. opening day Wednesday. Afterward, noon-8 p.m. Mon.-Thurs., noon-10 p.m. Fri. and Sat., noon-6 p.m. Sun., through Oct. 6.
Admission: Free admission to all ArtPrize venues during ArtPrize hours.
More info: ArtPrize's headquarters at The HUB, 41 Sheldon Blvd.
The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum and Kendall College of Art & Design join the ranks of the seven centers serving as starting points to explore the rest of the show during the 19-day exhibition.
Some are getting a head start.
The Grand Rapids Art Museum opens its show on Friday, and several artists were at work this week, including Chris LaPorte, the grand prize winner of ArtPrize 2010, who's returning to the museum with a new large-scale drawing.
DeVos Place, which displayed ArtPrize 2011's grand prize winning "Crucifixion" by Mia Tavonatti, has many works already installed in the city-owned convention center.
Tavonatti's stained-glass art mosaic has been moved to Cornerstone University, for long-term loan at the Grand Rapids Theological Seminary on the campus of the Evangelical Christian college.
But there's plenty to see at DeVos Place, which welcomes the Midwest Arts Conference, a gathering of arts leaders from across United States, opening today in the convention center.
The craziness that first captivated Grand Rapids three years ago, turning downtown into a strolling art gallery for tens of thousands of viewers as amateur art critics, soon returns to West Michigan.
Follow ArtPrize 2012 on its Facebook page.
E-mail Jeffrey Kaczmarczyk: firstname.lastname@example.com
Subscribe to his Facebook page or follow him on Twitter @ArtsWriter


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Clackamas Alternative LANning. It's a new gaming clan/LANning group. They like to call this new fusion "cLANning" and call themselves "the next generation in cLANning."
You hear about that new group, cLAN? Yeah... we're really watching out for them.
od uživatele digital_heretic 23. prosinec 2004
A group of gamers who work together to bring down their online foes. For example, in Battlefield Vietnam, my clan usually picks USA and we all work together to kill Commie Vietcong morons.
CDC kicks some ass! HOO-YA!!!
od uživatele Shax 06. červen 2004
When fucked up people do fucked up things... thats a fucking clan
Ku Klux Klan or CLAN!!!!
od uživatele Sean 12. říjen 2004


text: Join the Conversation, Ohio! by Cresha A. on Friday, December 20, 2013 Have you visited our You're the Cure Facebook page yet? Our Facebook page is a great way to keep up with the latest heart-health tips, recipes and local and state public policies that can improve health in your community. Check it out and join the conversation! « Now share your story Share This


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Information about the torrent Swingers orgies #2. Seeders, leechers and torrent status is updated several times per day.
If you want to download the video torrent Swingers orgies #2 you will need a torrent client.
Sample info: Duration: 01:37:11.87, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 1188 kb/s Stream #0.0(eng): Audio: wmav2, 48000 Hz, 2 channels, s16, 64 kb/s Stream #0.1(eng): Video: wmv3 (Main), yuv420p, 852x480, 1177 kb/s, 29.97 tbr, 1k tbn, 1k tbc


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When I started blogging I used to post the content without interlinking to my older blog posts and I didn't notice its importance until I moved to use Blogging as a source of income. Earlier in those days when I simply do blog post and promote it on forums, Facebook etc I get visitors for that blog post only. Most of the time my visitors take a look at 3-4 posts and then leave my blog.
After analyzing my blog visitors entrance and leaving path from my stats software, I found out that most of my visitor enter my blog at most recent blog post and leave it after visiting 1 -2 older blog post. But now when I see my stats I can see that my visitors are spending longer time at my blog reading my older blogs too and this is all because of interlinking.
How Interlinking Helps in user experience and SEO?
1. Further Reading:
It was not my primary motive to publicize my older posts by interlinking it to my new blog posts, but to provide user further reading options and suggestions on where they can explore related topics at my blog. Though there is a Related Posts section at the end of my blog posts but the success rate that a user click on those link in comparison to the link in the main article is very low.
2. Increased Visitor Length & PageView:
Slowly it become my habit to interlink my older post to new one and this really helps in keeping visitors for a longer time and this may be the reason why I have average visitor length of 6 min and 47 sec (Google Analytics). And yeah, when you use this kind of strategy your page views also increases.
Interlinking you old articles will help you in broader sense by increase page rank of your internal pages it also helps in building the relevancy of a page to a keyword phrase by which you are linking your article to.
Once you have started linking your article be patient page views and visitor length won't increase overnight but you will see substantial increase within a week. Also try to update in the same manner your old articles too, because the visitor that go from you main article to your older linked article may leave your blog there but if you provide interlinking at your older pages too than again the chain continues.
Some Tips:
- While interlinking make use of good relevant keywords to the article you're linking to.
- Don't start linking every other post to your recent post it will irritate users try to link only relevant posts and only if its necessary don't try to overload your post.
- Try to add link to 2 old post in first 2 paragraph of your post and 1 link to the last concluding para of your post.
- And yeah don't think visitors are stupid if you try to act over-smart than be ready to lose your loyal visitors which really matters.
- You can make use of WordPress Plugin InSight to quickly interlink your older posts based on keywords.
And if you have noticed, than in this post I have used interlinks to my older posts, so you might get an idea how to use it isn't it?