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Saturday, May 7, 2011
Weekend Open Thread...
Friday, May 6, 2011
Morning Update/ Market Thread 5/6 - Would you Like Fries with That(?) Edition…
Equity futures are zooming higher on the Nonfarm Payrolls report despite the Unemployment Rate rising from 8.8% to 9.0%. The dollar had a huge move higher yesterday but is only slightly lower this morning. Bonds, which have gone straight up since the wide held belief that Bill Gross had sold everything, finally did make a move lower on this report. Oil, which crashed yesterday is bouncing slightly today. Silver, which has crashed over the past four days is bouncing. Gold is retesting $1,500 from below, and food commodities are mixed.
My perspective on the commodities crash yesterday is that is what happens when you produce false fluff markets and then throw in more manipulation. But make no mistake – the trend is clear, and the trend is money printing to accommodate the impossible math – base money just updated yesterday:
Not that base money is everything, it most definitely is not. Remember, there are THREE kinds of money; credit money, sovereign money, and other money such as margin and derivatives. That category of other money is by far the largest, HUGE, and it is not tracked and not reported. Silver is just one tiny example where margin allows people to leverage small amounts of money into larger plays – make no mistake, that is money creation, but it is TEMPORARY, and can easily go away. And so we ride the waves of insane and out-of-control "moneyness" at the whim of those who are in control of the production. And note that the banks own the exchanges and they ultimately set the rules on how much other money is allowed – they create the vast majority of derivatives, they control the whole shebang, lock, stock, and politician.
And here's were PERFECT comes in. This morning JPMorgan joined Bank of America in reporting PERFECT trading days for Quarter 1. Again, not one day of losses. And yet no one stands up and shouts about what that means. It means complete and total capture, that's what it means. It means that for all their wins, someone else lost. Who is that someone else? Well, that would be you if you are trying to beat their HFT machines, money creation, after hours low volume moves, and rule manipulations. So, let's be clear: THEY WIN, YOU LOSE. What do you lose? Your money… How did you get that money? You, unlike them, earned it with your life's energy. So, their exchanges and HFT machines are actually PERFECT AT STEALING YOUR LIFE'S ENERGY.
No, that's not hyperbole, that's just FACT.
Oh boy, let me spend my life energy deciphering a phony Employment report for you – I mean if we TRUSTED our government, then I wouldn't need to, but yet here we are. Below is the entire report from the BLS:
Employment April
Here is Econospin's summary:
Job growth surprised on the high side but there are still soft spots. Nonfarm payroll employment in April expanded a healthy 244,000, following a revised 221,000 advance in March and a 235,000 rise in February. The April gain topped analysts' estimate for a 185,000 advance. Also, the February and March revisions were up net 46,000. Private nonfarm payrolls were even stronger, growing 268,000 in April, following a 231,000 rise in March. The consensus forecast called for a 200,000 increase in April.
Gains were seen in goods-producing and service-providing sectors. Goods-producing jobs posted a 44,000 boost, following a 37,000 rise in March. For the latest month, manufacturing jobs increased 29,000 after a 22,000 gain in March. Even construction expanded though with a modest 5,000, following a 2,000 uptick the prior month. Mining jumped 11,000 in April.
Private service-providing jobs increased 244,000 after a 194,000 rise in March. Trade & transportation was up 71,000 in April with 57,000 coming from retail trade. Other notable gains included professional & business services, up 51,000; health care, up 37,000; and leisure & hospitality, up 46,000.
Government jobs fell 24,000, following a 10,000 dip in February.
Wages were sluggish in April as average hourly earnings rose 0.1 percent, following a 0.2 percent gain in March. The latest figure came in lower than the median forecast for a 0.2 percent improvement. The average workweek for all workers posted at 34.3 hours, the same as in March and the consensus estimate.
On a year-ago basis, overall payroll job growth in April was up 1.0 percent, matching the prior month's pace.
Turning to the household survey, the unemployment rate rose to 9.0 percent from 8.8 percent in March.
Today's report is notably positive on balance. Equity futures rose on the news.
Now, let's dig in.
First some math. The population of the United States is growing at about 1% per year. There are 310 million people, that means the population will grow by 3.1 million this year, or about 258,000 per month! About 60% of the population works, so that means that we need to create about 155,000 jobs per month just to accommodate that growth in the population. So, if we take the BLS at face value then we are net positive for April by about 89,000 jobs.
So, why did the rate from the Employment Survey go up?
Because in fact the number of people in the Household Survey who are UNemployed ROSE by 205,000. Yet they spin that from there magically into a jobs created number with the Establishment Survey manipulations.
The truth is that in the past year the labor force has shrunk by about a million and the participation rate has shrunk by about 3 million.
Below are charts showing the precipitous decline in both the Participation Rate, and in the Employment Population Ratio:
And if we're truly adding jobs, then how come the Average Duration of those unemployed is still climbing straight up into absurd levels never before seen?
It's because we aren't really adding ANY jobs, that's why.
The now famous "Birth/Death" model was used to add 175,000 phantom jobs in April – many of which likely do not exist in reality. And the trend on the part of the BLS is clear – bigger numbers month after month which means more and more phony jobs added:
When you look at the year over year change, the BLS has created 173,000 more jobs this year with that model than they did last year for just the first four months. These distortions really add up over time, and while we don't know how many actually were created, you only have to subtract out about half of this number before we're back into real negative job creation territory.
And of the jobs "created," we know that 62,000 of them were created at McDonalds. Would you like fries with that? Of course this is nothing but a publicity stunt on their part, this is typical of their spring hiring pattern. All corporate spin, all the time – and yes, they got a mention on my site, way to go marketing department! Is it just me or are you craving a greasy cheeseburger?
Turning to the Alternate table, we see that indeed they are counting more people as looking for work and that is a large part of why the Rate moved from 8.8% to 9.0%. Whether that's reality or not is another matter entirely, but that's part of what's happening. You can see that unadjusted U-6 fell from 16.2 to 15.5%, but that with seasonal adjusting it ROSE from 15.7 to 15.9%:
My take is that overall we are still not even close to producing a single job – we are in fact still losing jobs – still. And the jobs we're losing are the good jobs, while the jobs being created lack living wages, benefits, and real retirements.
And the BLS got to steal about two more hours of my life's energy force, and distracted all of us from the point which is that debt saturation caused by the central banks has turned us all into debt money slaves.
As frequent commenter Fred importantly pointed out, for every winning trade they produce, someone is on the losing end. Don't let it be you. In fact, these perfect trading quarters alone should be enough to convince you that what the people should really do is simply withdraw all funding and refuse to participate in these "markets" until the HFT trading nonsense is gone. Heck 10% moves on the open should also convince you that it's no place for those without insider information to be playing – playing in the middle of the freeway is safer.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Morning Update/ Market Thread 5/5 - Storylines & Swindlers Edition…
Boy, do I have a storyline for you!
Equity futures are diving this morning on more bad data, the dollar is strengthening, the Yen is strengthening into the tsunami territory before the massive manipulation, bonds are higher, oil is significantly lower, gold is working its way back towards $1,500 an ounce, silver is still under attack now with a historic 5 margin increases in the past 8 days, and most food commodities are correcting as well.
With commodities sky high and the cost of living soaring, we knew that it was only a matter of time before that pressure took its toll on America's citizens. Yet the economic disinformation flow is still conflicting itself, just like the zombie who stumbles around not really realizing that he's already soulless.
For example, we have the idiotic "Monster" report rising from 136 to 145. As if their index numbers have any tie to reality... here's Econoshill pretending that they do, only to contradict their spin in the very next release of pretend economic data:
In what the report says is evidence that the labor market is improving, Monster's measurement of online-recruiting volume jumped 12 points in April to 145. Gains are wide including strong acceleration in labor demand from the mining, retail and construction industries.
But like a White House Osama Bin Laden Press Conference, the storyline is changing far more often than you change underwear.
Next comes the Weekly Jobless Claims where we see a sharp rise from the already stratospheric 429,000, all the way up to 474,000! And here I didn't think there were still that many people employed? To call this a miss on expectations would be the understatement of the year so far. So, let's explain away this 4th weekly report that's well above the 400k mark, here's Econoexplainaway:
The government cites special factors behind a 43,000 surge in initial jobless claims. The biggest factor is an adjustment timing for a spring break in New York state followed by a new emergency benefit plan in Oregon. The third factor is the auto sector where claims related to retooling increased. Note that possible layoffs tied to Japanese supply disruptions remain an uncertainty for the outlook.
Initial claims came in at 474,000 in the April 30 week for an astounding contrast with expectations of 410,000 (prior week revised slightly upward to 431,000). The four-week average jumped 22,250 to 431,250 which shows a nearly 40,000 increase from a month ago.
Special factors or not, headline levels are startling especially ahead of tomorrow's monthly employment report where expectations were already weakening. Stocks are on the decline in reaction to the data.
Yep, amazing how different this storyline is.
And speaking of fantastical storylines, let's take a look at just released Productivity and Costs. Productivity increased by a supposed 1.6% in Q1, this is down from the supposed 2.6% jump calculated in Q4 of last year. Meanwhile Unit Labor Costs increased by a supposed 1.0% which respectively follows a .6% reduction the quarter prior. Here's Econospin trying to wrap its arms around decelerating numbers:
The sluggish first quarter is showing up not just in soft GDP but also slower productivity and higher unit labor costs. Nonfarm business productivity rose an annualized 1.6 percent in the first quarter after advancing 2.9 percent in the previous quarter. Analysts had forecast a 1.5 percent rise for the latest quarter. The growth in productivity reflected an output gain of 3.1 percent in the nonfarm business sector, down from a 4.4 percent boost in the prior quarter. Hours worked increased an annualized 1.4 percent after a 1.5 percent rise in the fourth quarter. Unit labor costs worsened to a 1.0 percent increase from a 1.0 percent decline in the fourth quarter. The market median forecast was for a 0.8 percent rise.
A positive for the consumer, earnings are starting to improve although adding to businesses' labor costs. Compensation advanced an annualized 2.6 percent, following a 1.9 percent rise in the fourth quarter.
Year-on-year, productivity was up 1.3 percent in the first quarter-down from 2.0 percent in the fourth quarter. Year-ago unit labor costs posted at up 1.2 percent in the first quarter, compared to a decline of 0.2 percent in the previous quarter.
With demand, output, and productivity soft in the first quarter, firms have less incentive to hire until demand strengthens. And it is showing up in today's surge in initial unemployment claims. While the productivity report was about as expected, markets are negatively reacting to the jump in claims. However, the BLS indicates special factors came into play.
Clear as mud? Let me help… Productivity numbers are calculated from the rise in GDP. Since GDP is measured in devaluing dollars, the more money that's printed, the more "Productive" America appears. Get it? If not, let me show you a chart of your "Productivity:"
Yep, that's the monetary base, aka "hot money" supply. Yes, America is productive all right… we produce copious amounts of money, financial engineering, and storylines. Real products and services? Not so much.
And just look at the wonderful effect all that money creation has on the multiplier:
So, we have debt saturation. We have a financial crisis that is met with lower rates and more debt creation. Then, when that doesn't work, it is met with massive (and I do mean massive) money printing. And now, obviously that's not working either. So obviously the solution to our still debt saturated economy, debt saturated government, and still insolvent banking system is QE3, right?
Hey, I know, let's raise margin requirements on silver, that'll fix everything.
Look – I know this is hard to swallow for most people in America, but you are being conditioned with completely FALSE information. The paradigm that you think is real in your mind, isn't really real – it's a storyline that's been planted there all your life. The truth is that this "economic data" isn't real. The markets are not real.
"Economists" don't know anything. The knowledge that economists have comes from a false storyline that is perpetuated in the schools that are financed by the central banks. These schools now have literally billions of funny money dollars inside their endowments, yet they do not use that money to promote real education – they use it to create still more funny money and to generate fees for the fund managers, and for the banks that own the exchanges, create the money from nothing, and then create leveraged derivatives from nothing. All the while collecting and generating more funny money that is siphoned off every step of the way.
And these huge endowments, derivatives, fees, and financial engineering benefit society how?
Get this – the average college student now spends more than $900 per year just on books. Books that cost like $120 each.
Why do college books cost that much? I say because they have a monopoly and because they are greedy and because their institutions are not really about learning, they are about promoting the storyline. Got it?
So, back in March the Universities got together and decided to sue Amazon.com for selling the same books at discounts to their rip off prices – you know, as if $78 for a book is a good deal.
It's hard, because when you start to see the storyline for what it is, then your perspective on the world changes. Get too far outside of the established storyline, and heaven forbid that you point out the storyline to others, then you are labeled a "whack job," a word that I heard on the television from the media at least ten times yesterday.
This is very troubling for a society. There is this happy façade on the outside, but as the storyline diverges further and further from reality there is underlying tension that builds. I'm sorry, but I can't help but think the way I'm currently feeling must be similar to how aware Germans felt in the early 1930's. Does saying that make me a whack job? If so, then I think we all need to examine the storylines running around in our noggins.
And since we're crossing the Rubicon of storylines and whack jobs, I might as well wade into alternative storylines (aka the truth) a little bit further for those who are capable of making storyline adjustments along the path of their lives… Just remember, once you swallow the red pill, you cannot unswallow it.
Again – let me state this clearly. The President of the United States last week presented a highly manipulated document for his birth certificate. It was manipulated in so many ways that it's not even funny. Since these manipulations have been brought up, those who simply cannot fathom that their storyline is not real have attacked those who point it out as whack jobs. They have tried to "debunk" the manipulations and to explain them away. Yet each time they do, their "debunking" gets debunked by someone who knows better (here's just one example, I'll call it Debunking the debunking).
Now, regardless of the technical details, what cannot be argued is that this document was manipulated by a computer in many different ways. Can we agree on that? I think that is an established fact, and I think stating it that way is being KIND to those who did the manipulation. In my storyline, I call it a fake, but then I can accept facts for what they are. If, however, in your mind your storyline cannot accept that fact, then I think you may be able to help yourself edge closer to reality by asking WHY this document was manipulated? Even if it was manipulated with the very best of intentions why did it require so much manipulation? And since it is so obvious that it was manipulated, why would the President of the United States present it in the manner that it was?
Next question – is manipulating that document legal? Next question – are we even going to officially look into it, or is the given storyline good enough for you?
Sorry, but I prefer to operate in reality, and not in some fantasy.
Let me ask everyone this: If you knew someone who you KNEW was a liar and a known cheat… someone who you KNEW disseminated FALSE INFORMATION, and who you KNOW manipulates and controls the flow of information around them, WOULD YOU give them your life's savings to invest for your retirement?
Do you know where I'm heading with this? Does it make you uncomfortable that I'm heading in that direction? Where is your retirement money right now?
Do you want me to spell out the lies, the disinformation, the manipulation to you? Do I have to? Or, do you know what I'm talking about? If you follow my blog regularly then you do, I'm sure. But if you follow my blog and you still have money in these markets, then I'm going to refer you back to the question above – Would you give your life's savings to a known SWINDLER to manage for your retirement?
Why are we even discussing these "markets?"
Yep, that's where my storyline has taken me. But I'm a naturally inquisitive type, I'm not happy just letting others feed me their storyline.
So, next I want to go way off the deep end… waaaayyyy down the rabbit hole… and I want to question the storyline coming from the White House regarding Osama Bin Laden.
What are the FACTS as we know them? Hmmm… well, I'm having a difficult time with that because what I see are not facts, but instead a storyline. Just yesterday in the White House Press conference the spokesman had to read from a printed script and then when asked about "the changing storyline," was forced to admit that he's "having trouble keeping it straight himself!"
Folks, because there is a giant void of facts, this subject has now become an emotional subject that is very similar to RELIGION! Either you believe the storyline or you don't. Because there are very few facts, it is now a storyline based upon FAITH.
What I want to do is point out all the pieces of the storyline that have changed. But I don't want to spend two days writing that article! So, instead, let's talk about the parts of the storyline that HASN'T changed…
Okay, well, that was fun.
Here's the thing. When I tell you a story about something that happened to me – I mean something that REALLY happened – then the story flows out uninterrupted and each time I tell it it's the same. Oh, and if something seems too unbelievable to be true, then I'm going to absolutely present facts to back it up least you think I'm a nut job.
So, when I hear that a body was dumped in the ocean, I get suspicious. When I'm told there are pictures, but then they are not presented, I get suspicious. When I'm told that Senators have seen those pictures, but then that is retracted when in fact no Senator has seen them, then I get even more suspicious. When I'm told that there were helmet cameras on the Navy Seals that document the whole thing, only to learn later that THE prime 25 minutes doesn't exist, then my mind flashes to the Watergate tapes and the gaps that just happened to appear at critical times there. Remember that?
I can go on and on about the changing story line, but I refuse to spend my life's energy refuting the true nut jobs who call into question those with unanswered questions.
To me, very little of this storyline has what I'd call "the ring of truth" to it. If you have an open mind, the following two articles have something that I'd call a storyline that does have more of the ring of truth to it – not that I believe all or even any of it – I don't know what to believe because I have been presented with no tangible facts: First - Did Senior Military/Intelligence Officials Overrule President Obama Regarding Mission to Kill Osama Bin Laden?: Second - White House Insider: Obama Hesitated – Panetta Issued Order to Kill Osama Bin Laden
Even that storyline makes a lot of assumption that I don't know for a fact are real – that's what a lack of true transparency creates.
So, if your storyline conflicts with mine, then all I can say is "I'm Okay, You're Okay," now go and take another Prozac, you've got financial engineering to do – I'm going to go do something real with my life's energy.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Morning Update/ Market Thread 5/4 - Dollar Approaching All-Time Lows Edition…
Hey, when you can't be good, at least look good, right? That would be the theme for the United States as the only way to add still more fluff into the markets is to just keep adding more fluff and to never stop.
Equities were lower overnight, that is until the dollar fell out of bed once again and now equities are up slightly. The dollar now back into the 72.7ish range is in the area of support where it's all time lows are located:
Oil is slightly higher on this action, gold is higher, but the silver take down continues for now. Importantly, food commodities remain extremely elevated in mixed action today.
The rise in the cost of living is becoming glaringly apparent to almost everyone. Here in Washington State the State Ferry System just raised rates 35%. Talking to my son last night he was telling me that the cost of driver's education for beginning drivers has doubled from the $250 we paid about 6 years ago to now $500 for the beginning driver course! This was free and taught in school when I learned to drive.
Are incomes keeping up with the dollar devaluation? Absolutely not. And that's why the fantasy of inflating away debt will remain a fantasy forever. That's because the system created by the narcissistic bankers benefits only them and not everyone else. That's exactly why you saw the focus of the bailout attention on them and not on your family. And it's why you see margin hikes on silver, but not on oil or food. It has everything to do with WHO controls the production of your money… A broken record, I know.
Of course stocks can't go down while there is literally billions being poured into the banks… right? That is definitely the consensus as this chart of Rydex Bull/Bear sentiment shows an extreme in bullish sentiment never before seen:
Historic bullishness should be screaming at you… but then again I can hear the whir (roar) of Bernanke's computer cooling fans.
The conflicted and hypocritical Mortgage Banker's Association Purchase Index rose in the past week by .3% compared to a 13.6% plunge the week before. It's spring and sales are expected to increase, but numbers like this certainly don't point to any recovering for housing. Here's Econopray:
After four very volatile up-and-down weeks, the Mortgage Bankers Association's purchase index was steady in the April 29 week with a 0.3 percent gain. This index has been too wild to offer much of a handle on April, an important month for housing. Rates are an increasing plus, reflected in a 6.0 percent rise for the refinancing index. Thirty-year fixed loans averaged 4.76 percent in the week, down four basis points.
This index is volatile and "too wild" because the MBA intentionally broke it. They are nothing but narcissistic shills attempting to warp your perception of reality – now go and take another Prozac.
The Challenger Job-Cut Report is indicating fewer mass layoffs for April, falling from March's 41,528 to 36,490. Keep in mind that this report only tracks announced corporate layoffs and does not include layoffs in the governmental sector which is exactly where the latest rounds of layoffs are occurring.
The mostly worthless ADP Employment Report came in much lower than expected at their guess of 179,000 jobs created. Of course this report is notorious for being wrong or at least out of synch with the BLS. Still, knuckleheads in the fantasy fluff world of trumped up markets use this data point to "set expectations," which is code for "manipulate the market and set you up to take your money with our HFT machines and insider information later down the road."
Yep, I'm just a little bit skeptical of the whole charade, and I am finding it harder and harder to take the markets or world events at face value. Let's face it… you can't unswallow the red pill.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Morning Update/ Market Thread 5/3 – It's Still a Matter of TRUST Edition…
Equity futures are lower this morning as prices appear to be etching out a mild retracement, possibly a flat wave 4 movement. The dollar is slightly higher, while bonds continue to rise, oil slumps a little, gold rises after falling yesterday, silver gets attacked some more, and most food commodities are slightly lower.
Yeah, despite all the feel good wonderful feelings of getting Osama, it's still a matter of trust. Actually watching the media go way over the top, many pieces I saw were bordering on plain old fashioned sick. So, we haul his corpse over a thousand miles and dump his body at sea? Sorry, that does not ring true to me. And it's amazing watching the story line develop and then change. Now his wife wasn't killed, it was somebody else (what did they do with the other bodies?). Osama wasn't even armed. Was he shot once or twice? Now there were a ton of computers in the place conflicting with earlier information of no telephone or internet. Why is the storyline so difficult? Yes, I want to believe we got him, but I also want to trust my own government – and when I am presented with obviously manipulated documents that trust is seriously in question.
I read a story in the mainstream by a "journalist" suggesting that getting Osama removes any doubt about Obama's loyalties. That suggestion is simply sick in my mind – you cannot ignore the breakdown in the rule of law, getting Osama doesn't make that fake document legal, it doesn't reel in the banksters who are robbing and starving the world blind, and it doesn't stop the radiation from spilling out of Fukushima which is poisoning the globe and YOUR food supply.
The inconsistencies destroy TRUST. We throw Osama's body into the ocean – yet we didn't throw the other bodies into the ocean, and have never just tossed a body into the ocean (sorry, don't buy the excuses). Yesterday margin requirements for silver were raised for the third time in just 5 days – why are we raising margin requirements for silver but not for oil or food commodities? Where is the justice in that manipulation, and WHO do they benefit?
I've said it repeatedly, our markets are not serving the purpose for which they were originally intended. HFT trading needs to go away, as do the majority of derivatives. What does Charlie Munger, Vice-Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, have to say on the subject? He says that we should, "Cut the Banking Sector by 80%," and that, "The rest of us don't have anything to gain from trading between computers…"
Truer words are seldom heard.
While the big banks are stealing from everyone they can (including Berkshire's WFC), we learn that the number of people on food stamps set yet another record by rising to 44.2 million – that's 14.25% of our entire population:
Along with this report we also learn that of the $907 billion in capital gains paid in 2007, only 400 taxpayers accounted for $91 billion – that is 10% of the capital gains in this country went to 400 people (0.000009049%) while 44.2 million collect food stamps. Think about that chasm and the implications – again, I think it describes total capture.
Meanwhile, as a result of corporate capture and inappropriate closeness of nuclear regulators and industry in Japan, officials there are just now admitting that they knew the scale of this disaster very early on. The radiation, get this, is now being detected in cars manufactured in Korea that have been imported to Chile.
Fairwinds makes an attempt to discuss the nuclear effects on our food chain in the video below… they do a good job of distinguishing ingested particles from background radiation, but fall short in offering good advice on how to avoid those particulates, which can be very difficult to say the least:
Where is all that Fukushima radiation going, and why does it matter?
How about containing them properly in the first place? How about separating industry from government? How about separating special interest money from government? Yes, definitely test and gather data! And now that it's out uncontrollably in our environment, how about eating foods that are lower in the food chain because it concentrates as it goes up the food chain? This means avoiding dairy products and predator types of fish like tuna. How about filtering your water supply, especially if it comes from an above ground source like a river? There are a lot of things that you can do – just remember that it is silent and invisible, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist or that it can't become a health problem for you or your family. Personally, I think our lack of reaction and downplaying of this event is disgraceful on a national level.
Where would you bury him?
Monday, May 2, 2011
Morning Update/ Market Thread 5/2 – It's a Matter of TRUST Edition…
Equities are higher, the dollar is flat, bonds are slightly lower, oil is down, gold is down, silver is down, and food commodities are mixed with the price of rice soaring.
Today we will see the Manufacturing ISM and Construction Spending at 10 Eastern. The data highlight of the week comes Friday with the April Employment Report.
It's a matter of TRUST, of CONfidence. I don't have it, and am losing faith with each BIZARRE episode.
MESSAGE TO THOSE WHO CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH (this would include almost all who participate in the mainstream media, and those who cannot digest and handle the facts). My CON Game radar has been going full scale tilt lately – and there are enough data points of fact to confirm without any doubt that my Con Game Radar has good reason to lack trust. I am going to stay focused and on point – the subjects I am about to cover are absolutely on point and have vast implications for our economy. Do not shoot the messenger, and process the facts!
Taboo subject #1 – Obama's Recently released long form Birth Certificate: This is now CONFIRMED to be a manipulated FAKE. Many people have now analyzed it, and it was pieced together on a computer – you now cannot dispute that FACT. There are so many manipulations that it is crazy and makes you wonder why such a glaring forgery was presented to the public? There are at least two smoking guns in all the manipulations, the latest is the fact that Adobe's software tracks how a picture is assembled. As you can see in this video, this "certificate" was assembled and manipulated together from pieces found on the internet:
Can you process that?
It is a fake. Forging official birth certificates is against the law. Having the President of the United States present a fake certificate is something entirely different altogether. It represents the height of the breakdown of the rule of law.
Now, who produced it and why is one question that must be answered. You cannot laugh this away or claim "nutjob" over this fact. The fact that Obama and the media is making jokes and painting those looking into it as nutjobs is a sick and twisted form of manipulation. Even if Obama was set up with this obvious fake, he is guilty of not doing his own due diligence and of not appointing a competent team to surround him. This is absolutely worthy of removing him from office – process the facts. The real question in my mind is why is he so obviously being set up, and by whom?
Process it – deal with it.
Bizarre Subject #2: Osama Bin Laden's Death. Here I do not have smoking gun facts, but my manipulation radar is going off like mad, and it did so from the instant this was announced – here's why…
Well BEFORE this was announced publically, oil, silver, and gold in the futures market began to tank. In fact, silver gapped down 10%.
Now, this is evidence of nothing more than the usual insider information flow, insider trading, and insider manipulation. But again, it's about TRUST. You want to invest in markets where insiders move your positions 10%+ on the open based on information that had to come from the inside of the Administration? Information you don't possess at the same time? Not me, no thanks… no trust.
Now, overnight pictures of a dead Osama were published by some mainstream media. Those pictures, it turns out, were also fake – pulled straight off the internet and have been around for years. Oops – now retracted, great reporting.
Then this morning it was announced that Osama's dead corpse was buried at sea!!! Now my manipulation radar is SCREAMING at me! Nice justification to hide evidence – oh yeah, DNA samples are being processed… but we had to bury him at sea to satisfy Muslim beliefs!
Tell me one time in history – just one time – that anything like that has ever been done in such a hasty manner? Sorry, but if you are buying all of this, I have some swamp land in Florida for you. Again, I don't have any smoking gun facts here, but let me just say that the way this was handled does anything but build trust.
Process it – and ask yourself why did this happen now?
From my perspective the forged Birth Certificate is a show stopper – if the media fails to pick up on it, and if the President is not held accountable for its presentation, then there's really no need to even go on discussing "markets." There will be no rule of law, and those who participate in these "markets," or who fail to acknowledge this CRIME will be complicit in allowing the breakdown of the rule of law, and in the accompanying lack of trust, and destruction of confidence.
Oh, and don't forget about the bizarre handling of the still raging nuclear accident still in progress – the breakdown of the rule of law, the corporate capture, the GREED, has caused and is still causing massive quantities of radiation to pour into the environment – it is BIZARRE that this is being ignored and improperly handled. We are discussing the widespread cast of radiation worldwide and there is a plethora of information that the media is ignoring and that we are discussing inside of our daily thread – come join the discussion, join reality.
And equally BIZARRE is the complete and total CAPTURE that has occurred with corporations and their "regulators." Here are two MORE glaring examples:
Monsanto Will Soon Be Allowed To Police Itself
… The pilot program will allow these companies to conduct their own environmental assessments of crops or outsource the work to contractors. The USDA will still get the final say in determining the safety of crops.
Here the corporation is being allowed to be the regulator. Hey, might as well call a spade a spade, that's what was effectively happening anyway. Corporate capture to the extreme.
Then there's this:
There Goes the Data: Major Cuts at EIA Washington
One of my greatest concerns coming out of the financial crisis of 2008 was that, eventually, free services like government data would be reduced or lost altogether. This afternoon I learned from EIA Washington that one of the cornerstones of my own work, and also the work of others globally, is about to be suspended: the gathering of International Energy Statistics. For me professionally, this is among the most important gateways to monthly data on global oil production. As I said, after 2008 I came to recognize my own professional dependency on this free data. But, I never actually expected to lose my access. Well, that's always the way, isn't it? Below is a portion of today's EIA Press Release:
You can follow the link to the Press Release. The bottom line is that the data is being cut off in the same manner that M3 is no longer reported. When you can't stand the heat, cut off the data.
I'm going to say this exactly one last time today, and I'm going to turn the tables on the mainstream – those who fail to acknowledge and act upon the facts are complicit in the breakdown of the rule of law. You cannot laugh this off or joke about the "nutjobs" any longer.
I think that anyone who participates in these manipulated markets is both a fool and is also complicit in feeding the blatant manipulation. The markets are not only not free, they are not even real – what they are is insider manipulated to the max – again complete corporate capture, no regulators.
I sadly note that today the media and a great percentage of our population is celebrating like we're the great slayer of evil – how removed from reality can we get? Body dumped in the ocean? Come on. The breakdown of the rule of law is so in your face that you simply cannot ignore it any longer – and if our collective conscious doesn't act to remove this Administration then I'm going write off my efforts to present reality and move on.
No music today – each individual needs to think hard about meaning and consequence. Process this information and then analyze your role in the collective consciousness. It's a matter of TRUST.


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Candice Crawford Enjoys Her First Night Out After Baby
"It's my first time away from the baby!" said an impossibly skinny Candice Crawford at the Google/Hollywood Reporter party Friday night in Washington, D.C.
"It's my first time away from the baby!" an excited Candice Crawford was overheard saying at the Google/Hollywood Reporter party Friday night in Washington, D.C.
The former broadcaster, in town for the White House Correspondents' Dinner, gave birth to son Hawkins just three weeks ago, and looked just as svelte as she did pre-baby.
She was accompanied by her husband, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, and her big brother, Chace Crawford, who stayed close to the new mom as she enjoyed her adults-only night.
"I am the best uncle," Crawford told PEOPLE, confirming his own prediction from before the baby's arrival. "I'm like Christmas vacation. I'm the best."
Though he called his "uncledom" a limited experience at best, Crawford seemed moved by his proximity to childbirth.
"It's an extremely bizarre, beautiful process," he said. "I'm not going to give you all the intimate details of my sister having a baby, but it was absolutely incredible."
The good news was that while he's usually the one making eyes at the camera, for once, he could turn the tables when his nephew arrived. Said Crawford, "There were a lot of pictures flying around, that's for sure."
— Helin Jung

subset: commoncrawl


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'American Idol' returns! The premiere recap
If Mariah Carey was concerned that Nicki Minaj might show her up, she was right.
Minaj — one of three new judges on American Idol this season, along with Carey and Keith Urban — grabs attention the moment the camera lights come on. She'll be the most polarizing part of the show's 12th season, which premiered Wednesday. The show's long-suffering, more conservative audience may hate her, even to the point of tuning out the show, but the viewers who can see past her outrageous outfits and mood-ring hair color will find a woman who has a very clear vision of what she wants to find in a contestant — as well as a heart full of compassion for the socially awkward people the show attracts. She may take some getting used to, but Minaj has the potential to be the best judge Idol has seen since about two years before Simon Cowell jumped ship.
There were singers, too — 41 made it from the New York auditions to the Hollywood round. But it's hard to say if any of them had the chops to make the final round. The Idol producers found some good stories, though: a one-legged tap dancer, a subway singer with the same name as a '50s star, a young woman with four adopted siblings with significant medical issues, a farm girl who wants to be a country singer but raps a mean Superbass.
If you're looking for someone to root for, pay special attention to Angela Milller (40% deaf in one ear, 20% in the other); Tenna Torres (who went to Camp Mariah as a youth) and Gurpreet Singh Sarin (trained in Indian classical music and with a matching turban for every outfit).
Throughout the New York auditions, Carey and Minaj kept their bickering mostly lighthearted, but the claws occasionally came out (and the eyes rolled even more).
"I loved being in between Mariah and Nicki," Keith Urban said at the end of Wednesday's show. He may not say that after Thursday's Chicago auditions. If the previews are any indication, he's about to get caught in even more serious crossfire.


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French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts Summer Camp
Performing Arts & Fine Arts Camp: Circus Arts, Dance, Music, Performing Arts
Co-ed - Overnight Camp
Religious Affiliation: None
Camp Address
199 Bouchoux Brook Rd
Hancock, New York 13783, USA
Phone: (607) 637-8400
Off-Season Address
PO Box 770100
Coral Springs, Florida 33077, USA
Phone: (954) 346-7455
French Woods offers summer camp programs in dance, theater, music, circus, magic, visual arts, sports, and horseback riding. Each child, works with our staff to design his or her own unique summer experience. French Woods is located on a private lake in the Catskill mountains of upstate New York.


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One week ago I started asking Twitter whenever I needed to make a decision. My post from last week explains why I did it and what it entailed. Also, to read about how it happened, lookup the Twitter hashtag #asktwitter and you'll see a lot of the conversations.
[a grocery trip when Twitter is in charge]
Now that the seven days are up, I thought I would post some observations and highlights:
- People on Twitter decided how I travelled, what went in the shopping trolley, what and when I drank, read, ate, wore, how I listened to music, and what I bought.
- I now ride a bike. On day one, I asked how I should travel into work. Twitter consensus said I should start riding the bike. Specifically, the Barclays Cycle Hire scheme that started in London a week ago. So I spent the week cycling into work. I'm now properly addicted to exercise and will be biking into work for the foreseeable future.
- I have some great new recommendations for beers and coffees to try
- Instead of just buying some trainers, I am going to get my 'gait' analysed (?)
- Twitter is REALLY good when you want a recommendation for a lunch venue. That got by far the most useful responses
- Strangely, I seem to make fewer decisions than I thought on a day to day basis. Someone thought that was a sign of a good manager. Whilst flattered, I disagree. It's just the way life seems to be. I would recommend this to anyone though. It won't ruin your life at all, but you will find out a heap of interesting stuff in the process.


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The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung is convinced that social justice is a cornerstone of social democracy. Trade unions are key actors in promoting democracy and social justice. Cooperation with trade unions is therefore a cross-cutting task in all areas for both the EU Office of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung in Brussels and the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung as a whole.
The EU Office plays a role in promoting trade union activities, social dialogue and social partnership in labour relations in the EU and worldwide. It also supports trade unions in joint projects and is involved in mutual consultation and exchange.
Apart from the cross-cutting nature of trade union cooperation, the individual topics range from strengthening the social dimension of European integration and the issues of anti-discrimination, working time, temporary work or European Works Councils to the social face of globalisation including European trade and economic policy, via development policy, equality and migration.
Within the EU Office's areas of discussion and work, Brussels-based representatives of national, European and international trade union organisations consult on the political process with EU decision-makers and other experts.
Furthermore, the EU Office facilitates exchanges between numerous trade unions from Europe and the rest of the world and Brussels-based trade union representatives, for example. Topics include capacity-building when establishing trade unions in the EU Member States and third countries throughout the world, and the consolidation of trade union-related knowledge with regard to the EU.
The EU Office also acts as a conduit through which the 100 or so country specific and regional trade union projects of the FES in its global network can contact the Brussels-based representations of European and international trade union organisations.
Rue du Taciturne 38
BE-1000 Brussels


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Resident Evil 7 appears on designer's resumé – report
Resident Evil 7 is no secret, seeing as Capcom has promised to use the game to return to the series' roots, but it has just appeared on a designer's resumé. Finish your Jill sandwich then read on.
Gematsu reports – via NeoGAF – that Los Angeles-based costume designer Karen Brakenridge has listed Resident Evil 7 on her LinkedIn profile.
Would you like to see Resident Evil 7 capture those glory days? I wrote a blog about the death of survival horror on consoles here, not long after The Evil Within was announced. Since then games like Outlast, Daylight, Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs and Routine – to name a few – have restored this critic's faith in the genre.
What about you?


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Interior Least Tern
The interior population of least tern was listed as endangered in 1985. Populations along the East and West coasts are not endangered. The interior population, which once inhabited all the major river systems in the middle of the country, evolved to take advantage of constantly changing rivers and fish concentrated in pools by retreating summer flows. When river impoundment, channelization, and levee construction altered natural flow regimes and prevented flow into oxbows and backwaters, least terns rapidly declined.
Following their listing as endangered, least terns were first documented in Montana at Fort Peck Reservoir in 1987. To date, almost all the least terns in Montana have been found in three areas: the eastern end of Fort Peck Reservoir above Fort Peck Dam along the Big Dry Arm; the Missouri River below Fort Peck Dam; and the Yellowstone River below Miles City.
In 1994, eight nests were found at Fort Peck Reservoir, all on a small island within sight of Fort Peck Dam. The eight nests were initiated by six pairs of least terns and were near the nests of some common terns. Only three nests were successful and, of six young produced, only two birds fledged. Nest and chick loss was probably due to gull predation. This was the third year least tern production was observed at Fort Peck Reservoir, and the most nests seen since surveys began in 1987.
In the Missouri River below Fort Peck Dam, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is trying to minimize impacts on least terns by reducing flows during the May-through-August nesting period. In 1994, biologists surveying a 126-mile stretch of the Missouri below Fort Peck Dam found 23 least tern nests in five locations, all in one 31-mile reach. Fourteen of the nests were successful; of 28 young produced, at least 19 fledged. This is the largest number of least terns produced in the lower Missouri since surveys began in 1988.
In 1994 a study of least tern and piping plover reproduction was begun on the Yellowstone River between Miles City and Crane, Montana (143 miles). That year, 17 tern nests on nine islands in a 98-mile stretch produced 45 young. In all, 40 adults were observed.
Delisting the least tern can be considered when the interior population reaches 7,000 and is stable for 10 years, as verified by four censuses. The goal for the Missouri River system is 2,100 birds. Montana, which is at the western edge of the range, has a recovery goal of 50 birds. This was exceeded in 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, and again in 1994, when a record 51 pairs produced 81 young.


text:
Uncyclopedia:Anniversaries/September 22
Jump to navigation Jump to search
September 22: Autumnal Unquinox, Annual 'Shout At the Elderly Day'
- 66 - Emperor Nero creates the Legion Italica, who wrote in all italics.
- 1465 - Aztec tourists discover autumn in the resort town of Equinox, Vermont, a town named for an Aroostook chief who tended to fall off his horse. The first day of autumn was named after the town.
- 1742 - Instead of the sun rising this day a giant inflatable Wario head rose in the East followed by an encore of 'bowsers castle' music for the entire morning. This could be heard and seen all over the globe.
- 1785 - Britain fails to recognise this day any longer, after realising that "the weather's always crap, every bloody day!"
- 1816 - Autumn was cancelled after the Year Without A Summer.
- 1827 Some guy invents Mormonism
- 1867 - New England businessmen and scientists announce they genetically modified trees to change colors in autumn, as part of a plan to lure Southern tourists back North after the Civil War. The plan fails when the first Southern tourists complain about the integration of colored trees with non-colored trees.
- 1868 - Unquinox missing in France. Rioting strangely absent.
- 1898 - Toast was invented by Cthulu
- 1939 - America yet to join World War II, Roosevelt requires more persuasion.
- 1960 - Dr. Seuss' Green Eggs and Ham is first published, provoking the law that Best Before Date stickers are to be put on all eggs and ham. This law was later extended to include all perishable food items and Michael Jackson's career.
- 1998 - Porky Pig dies of heart attack at the Scrappy Doo Medical Center and Cancer Department.
- 2001 - The Federal Communications Commission places largely ignored ban on the use of Fall as a synonym for Autumn, citing complaints by family members of September 11 victims.
- 2003 - Plans to change Winter to "Gets-back-up-again" were shelved, because it was "stupid".
- 2004 - The countdown timer in LOST secretly goes below zero and counts down to minus 108, before displaying a picture of the Rosetta Stone and then a large Wikipedia logo. On a completely unrelated note, a plane crashed on the island and the first series of LOST began.
- 2009 - The reknowned special forces operative, marine and space cosmonaut, Master Chief, was found dead with his life partner Arby laying over him weeping. When consoled he gave an account of their first sexual encounter since their relationship began. Arby stated that his species has to wipe out the lint in their bladder everyday or it is projected out at near FTL speeds from one of their sexual organs, usually the phalus. Arby forgot.


text:
"You gotta remember, establishment, it's just a name for evil. The monster doesn't care whether it kills all the students or whether there's a revolution. It's not thinking logically, it's out of control."—John Lennon (1969).
This is where the Globalist Oligarchs
are directing human evolution to:
R.B.Ross defines Predatory Gang-Stalking as: "A criminal phenomena referring to a group of loosely affiliated people who, in an organised and systematic manner, relentlessly invade an individuals life on a continuous basis, to an extreme degree, as part of their lifestyle".
The surveillance state is a government's surveillance of large numbers of citizens. The growth of state surveillance has led to concerns about the erosion of privacy and civil liberties. The United Kingdom is seen as a pioneer of mass surveillance. At the end of 2006 it was described by the Surveillance Studies Network as being 'the most surveilled country' among the industrialized Western states.
The Targeted Individuals website provides detailed information on the parallel judicial system that targets activists, whistleblowers and unwitting members of the public. It also includes insights on the covert policies, methods, tactics and techniques of Government and non-government organisations.
Insert body text here ...
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text: Korean Job Discussion Forums :: View topic - making a cell phone Speak Korean Now! Korean Job Discussion Forums"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Teachers from Around the World!" FAQ Search Memberlist Usergroups Register Profile Log in to check your private messages Log in making a cell phone Korean Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> General Discussion Forum View previous topic :: View next topic Author Message gyopoboyJoined: 02 Feb 2003 Posted: Tue Feb 18, 2003 8:37 pm Post subject: making a cell phone hey guys..... i'm into my 4th week in Korea and it's a blast... also, I've realised the need for a cell phone post stat..... so I was wondering what I'm supposed to do... i've picked out a model i want... but instead of paying off the whole phone at once, is it possible for me to pay it off in monthly installments like the koreans do? also, do i have to make a pre-paid phone account or can i just pay for what i use... having the amount used deducted automatically from my bank account... please~ need INFO~! uggghhh... Back to top DerrekJoined: 15 Jan 2003 Posted: Tue Feb 18, 2003 8:42 pm Post subject: If you want... Your are stuck with a pre-paid phone unless you get a Korean to sign up with you in their name. Not sure if you can pay monthly payments on a pre-paid (card) phone. You will likely have to buy it up front. I was happy with the the new phone prices at Lotte Mart at Jamsil. Lotte is an importer of cellphone technology for Korea. Back to top gyopoboyJoined: 02 Feb 2003 Posted: Tue Feb 18, 2003 9:23 pm Post subject: so pre-paid phones are the only option for me? if i was to get a korean friend to sign up in her name, how would that work? would i be just using her name and her residency number... while all the other details like address, bank account would be mine? also, i read here somewhere that there is a certain place somewhere that lets foreigners sign up a pay for what you use, monthly type phone account.... maybe it's an urban myth... dunno.. Back to top DerrekJoined: 15 Jan 2003 Posted: Tue Feb 18, 2003 9:56 pm Post subject: Hand Phones My friend agreed to my new phone in his name (a joint sort of thing) and all they needed from him was to talk to him on the phone and get a fax of his residency card (or whatever they call it). They sort of fudged it though, because my other korean friend (a female) was with me and "signed" his name on the dotted line... faking his signature. So I'd guess you're best off having the person there with you. So much for security!!!! They also gave me some paperwork to pass on to him for his records, which I did. Anyway, I don't think such a place exists as the "urban myth" you've spoke of, but I may be wrong. I just think the news of such a place would have come out earlier and foreigners would know about it. If you sign with a friend, you will have to choose from several different "plans". They seem to do them differently than at my home (USA). Most plans seemed to have a base monthly cost of 15,000 won a month and no minutes. Options differ if you want to join one of the "clubs" like TTL, which allows you free PC Bang use at TTL locations, such as in Kangnam. There is even a special account just for women. You'll need to know korean or have an english-speaking korean explain them for you. You have to pay between 18 and 20 won every 10 seconds for calls (card phones are 60 won/10 seconds, by the way!) depending on if you call a handphone, homephone, or whatever. 011 is SK Telecom... that's what I have. The quality seems better than the 018 number (KTF) that i had before. I wanted to get 016, which is one of the newer networks, and owned by KTF, but I was worried I'd end up with the same poor coverage. KTF is a big less... maybe 2 won every 10 seconds. You'll notice that the better -- or more feature-filled phones -- are on 011. Depending on the phone you want, you may not have a choice. If you like all of the crazy sounds they make, you will see that phones are sold with reference to "Poly". "Poly" is sort of like the number of "voices" a sound card has. It is a measure of sound quality. My old phone is a 1 Poly (just beep-type rings). The best phones are 40 Poly, I think. My current phone is 16 Poly, I think. I thought I was buying 40, but got confused and was getting late for work. Oh well -- big deal. There isn't a huge difference between 16 and 40 Poly, but with 40 Poly, you have more capability to have "Voice" type rings and much better song playing capability for rings. I bought the newer model Motorola V730 for about 290,000 won plus an activation fee of maybe 60,000 won. I am not particularly thrilled with my choice of phones, basically because i can't see the darn screen when I'm outside. The Korean phones are soooo much brighter. Also, there are some stupid little quirks with the menu I don't like. It's not laid out in the most thoughtful manner. Features I do like are the English, of course, the time/message window on the front of the phone (I look at it all the time, as well as to check Caller ID) and that it is a color phone. I wanted to buy a Samsung phone like the snazzy little UTO, but only the more expensive color ones (400,000 and up) are in English. The monochome version, which I could have lived with, didn't have it. I also wanted a message window on the front, and only the color UTO had it. If i had to do it all over again, I'd buy the Curitel model which has the same features, has a much brighter, and is also 40 Poly for about the same price. I THINK it is English capable -- that's what my student told me. Curitel is cheaper quality than Samsung, but my Korean friends/students who have them are very happy. By the way, with a card phone, you don't get Caller ID. I don't think it's possible anyway. I never had it. Caller ID becomes very important once you learn to juggle different relationships like the Koreans do. Back to top gyopoboyJoined: 02 Feb 2003 Posted: Wed Feb 19, 2003 1:01 am Post subject: first of all, thanks for your advice so there's no way of paying off a phone in monthly installments? (that's how my korean friends are paying off their phones) so i'd have to purchase a phone straight up? Back to top DerrekJoined: 15 Jan 2003 Posted: Wed Feb 19, 2003 2:37 am Post subject: Cardphone Anyo I was referring to buying a Card Phone.... I don't think you can do that on monthly payments. I believe you must pay for it all up front, but I could be wrong. You can probably do the monthly payment thing on a regular account though. Might need a credit card? Back to top Crazy OzJoined: 10 Jan 2003Location: Ilsan, Korea Posted: Wed Feb 19, 2003 6:20 am Post subject: If you have picked out the phone then unless it is a card phone (pre-paid call credits) then you will need a Korean to do the purchasing and paperwork for you. If they are willing to pay the phone off over the period, plus have the calls deducted from an account (usually Credit Card) and for you to pay them back, then no problems. I would suggest that you just go for the cheapest phone your ego can handle and be done with it. A card phone is easy as pie to get, reasonably cheap to buy (max out at about 100,000....mine was 2mths old cost me 60,000), you can budget your calls better, and if you lose it or it gets stolen...no tears. 011 service seems to be the best for the "card phone" . Remember, all the fancy text, image and other bits ARE extras that can cost a packet when you start adding on costs to a normal handphone here. Your service costs alone could almost cover your prepaid on a "cardie". Besides, the chances of your new phone working back home are less than good due to telco certification, bandwidth etc. Buy a cheapie, and sell it when you go home...get your money back (almost). Still crazy, still here. Back to top DerrekJoined: 15 Jan 2003 Posted: Wed Feb 19, 2003 7:05 am Post subject: Crazy gives Crazy gives good advice. But this guy sounds like he has the bug to play with some technology... kind of the boat I was in. If you are going to buy a used phone, I would suggest a Motorola (English menus) with CDMA 2000 technology. There is a monochrome version which is still sold as new (and you can find em used for 120,000 or so) -- you can pick them up used in Techno-Mart. Rings and that sort of stuff aren't overly exciting, and it's monochrome, but the quality of calls is excellent. There are some crappy older Motorolas with battery issues (the battery comes off) but this model is newer looking, has a very flat face, and has a logo that flashes on the front. Something else you might want to look into -- my old phone was KTF on 018. I didn't like the quality of it (was not CDMA 2000 phone if that matters) and I didn't know if it was due to the 018 network or the phone. I was, however, able to receive calls for at least a few days even if I didn't have money charged on the account. Other friends on 019 (SK Telecom, I think) had similar problems. I think these are older networks with older technology that isn't as good -- hence why many of the latest and greatest phones won't work on it. The newer numbers are 011 (SK), 016 (KTF) and 017 (not sure, maybe LG?). I have a feeling that the quality on these is better, and I know they offer more for upgradeability to a better phone in the future. A guy told me, however, that on his 011 cardphone, he was not able to receive incoming calls if he didn't have money on it. That is different than my KTF phone on 018. I could. I don't know what reasoning is behind this: Maybe KTF vs. SK. Or maybe it's 018 vs. 011 -- I don't know. These are just some things to ask about if you are buying a card phone. Back to top william beckersonGuest Posted: Thu Feb 20, 2003 3:39 am Post subject: My Korean friend got my cell phone for me the second week I was here. Aside from having to work the time every month to get the money to him, it's been a pretty good deal for me. Back to top Display posts from previous: All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First Korean Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> General Discussion Forum All times are GMT - 8 Hours Page 1 of 1 Jump to: Select a forum Forums:----------------FAQJob-related Discussion ForumGeneral Discussion ForumOff-Topic ForumTravel ForumCurrent Events ForumTechnology ForumBuy/Sell/Trade Forum You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot vote in polls in this forum This page is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling. Contact Dave's ESL Cafe Copyright © 2018 Dave Sperling. 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Since the orchard now has ground cherries, I wanted to share this easy jam recipe. Ground cherries are delicious as a raw fruit, but they ma...
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Saucesational: An Experiment in Applesauce - Akane
We were able to have a few of yet another new variety of apples to this orchard this season. Hopefully next season we'll have even more so more folks can get a bag (or two). The Akane is one of the parents of the popular Sansa. It's a nice, crisp early apple with a sweet, tart flavor. The feedback from our customers/apple eaters was this is definitely going to be a good apple.
Diane saved a few of the more damaged ones and I was able to make it into some sauce for my Saucesational Experiment.
I peeled, cored and sliced the akane's up and piled them full into my mini crock pot. They kept their shape for quite awhile in the heat but all of a sudden I came to stir them and they were done! The cooked down pretty smooth but I almost felt the texture was slightly flaky.
Jared really liked this tart flavorful sauce, but for me it was a bit too tart. I tried it right after the sansa sauce and it felt sour to me. But, since the Sansa's made such a sweet sauce, I waited, and tried it again later with a fresh pallet. Still tart but no longer sour.
Definitely a different flavor and texture but if you're into tart applesauce this may be the apple for you in 2014.


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I love spring time for many, many reasons. But since I've become a mom I've added a whole new reason to my list. I love the bright cute dresses that start to appear during this time.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Spring Time
Posted by The Cowart Family at 6:41 PM 0 comments
Watch out WNBA
Saturday afternoon we went to our little neighborhood park to play. Somebody left their basketball there, so Daddy decided he would try to relive his high school basketball days. Little did he know that his little girl would be so interested in playing too. Here are some pictures from their one-on-one game time.
Posted by The Cowart Family at 5:46 PM 0 comments
Easter at the Cowarts
Since we went to my Granny's on Easter, we had Easter at the Cowart house the next weekend.
M.C. trying to sneak in a little nap before we get to Mimi and Poppa Mike's house.
Posted by The Cowart Family at 5:29 PM 0 comments
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Micah Claire's Easter Dress
On Easter we went to church with my mom. Our church starts at 10:15 but Nana's doesn't start till 11; so that time difference coupled with a child who had a super busy weekend lead to my child having a big time melt down as we were trying to head out the door to mass.
And then half a second later came the whining and crocodile tears.
She didn't even want her daddy to hold her; it was one of those times when only mommy will do!
Posted by The Cowart Family at 7:01 PM 0 comments
The Easter Bunny came to see Micah Claire
Micah Claire was so excited to see that Easter Bunny didn't forget about her! She got a basket full of goodies!What a full Easter Basket!
Here she is eating her first ever candy bracelet; it was love at first bite!
Posted by The Cowart Family at 6:38 PM 0 comments
More Easter Pictures from Granny's house
Micah Claire truly had a blast at Granny Stoner's house. When we got there on Friday night she immediately took a liking to the water fountain in Granny's mud room. At first she wanted to put the water in a cup and then drink it.
Here she is showing off her new Easter Bunny outfit. Any time someone would ask her if the Easter Bunny was coming to see her she would point to the bunny on her top!
We only had to have one time session. And as you can see, she really put on a water work show for Granny. Of course it made me feel like a terrible mom; but sometimes you have to do what you have to do.
Here is Mac showing M.C. how to throw a basketball! I am not sure she caught on as well as Mac wanted her to.
Posted by The Cowart Family at 6:25 PM 0 comments


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Hmm...I've actually worked pretty hard to lean up my budget since moving to Boston. The city's expensive and I haven't earned my first pay raise yet. There are still a few things I indulge in, though - I always tend to buy organic fruits and veggies, despite the relative expense. Does that count? =)
Ask the Readers: Is There Anything in Your Budget You Could Live Without?
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Almost everyone knows the difference between needs and wants. Needs are things you absolutely must have in order to get by while wants are more luxury items you might not need. Everyone knows one of the best ways to save money is to reduce spending money on wants. But when it comes down to it, what wants would you really be able to let go of if you needed to make cutbacks?
Is there anything in your budget you could live without? Cable? Coffee? Dining out? Facials? Pedicures? Or...?
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I could deal with eating out less. That would be the first thing I cut. Most of my expenses included the following things: food (not eating out), gas, rent, and utilities. I have a very small entertainment budget, but I am living fairly bare bones to pay off student loans.
There are a lot of things in my budget I could live without - but hubby's not willing to give them up...The biggest would be be satellite I think.
I could very well manage with fewer clothes and shoes. I am buying only things that I need and that work with what I have. Also trying to wear them for several seasons so have to avoid the trendy fashions.
I had a hard time getting my husband on board but we finally compromised. Instead of getting rid of cable TV altogether, we would go to basic. We did it and are now loving the extra money in our pocket and not missing all those channels we never watched to begin with. Now I'm working on my next project to save money. To be continued.
Dish. My wife reminds me on a regular basis how much I pay to get the NFL channel. She's right. I know they rip off the cable companies and thereby the user, and I know it is a gross misuse of their monopoly position, and an equally gross travesty of the law that separates content programming and delivery. But, at least for the time being, they got me. I'm thankful I can afford it. I know I CAN quit anytime... :)
To make up for it, I can go without clothes. I have more than my wife, and to just wear up what I have will probably take the rest of my life. I may look like a dork at times doing that. Wait, I look like one anyway, so I'm good! :)
Junk food. We don't spend a lot on snacks, but if I were to pare down unhealthy items from my grocery cart it would be a win-win. Good for health and pocketbook. It would be the first thing to address if money became tighter.
I can't live without the internet. My work requires it and I also use it a lot for entertainment and information. I could live without cable if need be.
I already save a huge amount of money by not buying drinks out. By that I mean on the few rare occasions that I eat out I always order water with lemon which is far more healthy also! By using my blender at home I have blended up some amazing alcoholic beverages at a fraction of the price and once again, more healthy because I know and am responsible for what is in it.
My favorite drink this summer is... buy ripe bananas on sale, peel, slice them length wise in half and freeze on a cookie sheet. I then turn the frozen bananas into the most amazing wannabe ice cream drink by blending the frozen bananas with a little milk, coconut rum and chocolate syrup if you like.YUM! You would swear this is a expensive, high calorie ice cream drink...but it is not!
I also have a homemade recipe for Irish Cream Liqueor, fruit infused voldka, etc. so I may enjoy a cocktail all at a fraction of the cost of store bought and pennies on the dollar compared to ordering the same drink out at a resturant plus paying a tip on top of the overpriced drink.
We have decided to axe the cable. It's just not worth all that money. We are still going to watch shows and movies, but it won't cost us a crazy amount of money to do so.
I could cut my entertainment budget almost entirely there are tons of free/cheap things to do that I love especially in the city, where I can see movies (at the library or the mall once a week), volunteer with friends, go site seeing, or just wander around all for free!
Yes. Cable. Its been a couple of months and we thought it would kill us. Then we saw our cable bill minus $100 and I think we'll be ok.
For me, it's dining out. I do it more often than I like and it's showing an effect on my budget.
We have done a serious scrub of our budget and eliminated or reduced many expenses, ranging from moving to a new location (eliminating mortgage and reducing property tax), to eliminating beauty salon expenses, to line-drying clothes. Nevertheless, we have kept many luxuries. These things are on our Plan Z for cutting under dire circumstances. Some remaining unnecessary-but-lifestyle expenses include: cable TV and Netflix (because we go out much less); a modest supply of wine, gin, and bourbon for the occasional home cocktail and hospitality (purchased at a warehouse store for lowest price); and a lawn-mowing service (though we pay less in our new home). The first item we will cut on Plan Z is our second car. It's a great convenience due to where we live and our work and family demands but we could do with out it if we had to.
I could live without my soda, it is an addiction and bad for me. I have been without cable and only have basic cell service.
Let's see....if we're really being honest, I have quite a list. Cable TV, internet, cell phones, half price drinks at Sonic, sugar free drink mix, boxed cereal, tortilla chips, ice cream, buying books, impulse clothing buys, scrapbook supplies, art supplies, and the list could go on from there. However, my quality of life would be greatly diminished without most of these things. Let's face it....who wants to live without ice cream?
Our budget can do without internet-- we have gone on sprees where we go without before to help us out money wise. We can also squeeze down our food budget a bit too.
We already have a barebones budget, with me as a SAHM, our 3rd child on the way and living a debt-free life. However, I could do without my husband buying new board games. He's bought about 20 this year out of his blow money yet hasn't gotten rid of the ones he doesn't play with *sigh*.
New clothes are one expense that I could definitely cut. I recently lost a lot of weight and have been slowly replacing my wardrobe, but I could/should find ways to do it more frugally!
I don't feel like I need to cutback on my wants, because they're limited, but if I did it would be Netflix, eating out, going to bars, traveling and switching from owning a car to using public transportation. I track all my income and expenses (http://mreverydaydollar.com/tracking-finances/) so I know where my money goes.
My day to day life is pretty basic and there really isn't anything that I can live without. However, the cable tv bill is getting very close to being cut, only reason I have it still is for sports.
I'm pretty good when it comes to cutting "premium" TV, entertainment, mani/pedi's, and alcohol when dining out. However, I do eat out a lot (even when there's food at home) and I also have a nasty shopping addiction (trying really hard to work on it!). Even though I watch my finances on Mint, somehow, I'm still not saving as much as I would like... :/
Yes, I could live without cable, but in my defense LOL, the library is too far across town along with all the video rental places and kiosks. And with my work schedule the way it is its so hard to make it to the library or video stores before they close
Personally I could do without my cell phone...somedays I wish we could go back to landlines only, LOL!
I feel I could live without satellite tv (going to online shows, movies, etc). But I can't convince my husband to go that route yet. He's softening a little bit, so I'm hoping we can drop it soon.
We could definitely live without our monthly movie rental budget but at only $18 and our way of living without cable it's worth it to us ;)
I could live without getting my hair professionally colored for $100+ and just spend $5.99 and do it myself. Am trying to do just this very thing this month. Waaahhh!!!
Gym memberships are a big waste of money, especially for cardiovascular workouts. There are just so many easy, effective, and more fun alternatives. And then, of course, most people sign up for their gym memberships and then they rarely or never go to the gym.
Try some of these alternatives instead. http://extrememoneysaving.com/2012/08/07/how-to-be-physically-fit-withou...
Diapers! Unfortunately my son isn't ready for that yet. I think eating out (but not all of it - date nights are important to my husband and me!) and clothes. I don't go shopping for clothing often, but it is still a part of the budget that could be cut out to save money.
I could DEFINITELY do without cable! My wonderful husband likes it for the races and he really requests SO little.....i think it's a small thing to keep a happy husband in the house!!!
The only remaining extravagance in my budget is cable. Other than that, I've cut it down to the bare bones.
I've given up manicures and pedicures. It makes me more conscious of my hands since I'm the one having to maintain them!
Sadly there is probably a lot of things I could live without but choose not to at this point. Eating/drinking out, pedicures (although infrequently), shopping, cable, and I could go on but I'll leave it at that :)
I dont eat out alot, but could defintely save money if we stopped. Even grabbing something quick costs an arm and a leg these days...
Yes, there's lots in our budget we can live without! We save monthly for some yearly entertainment expenses - season tickets to the Broadway shows at our local theater and season tickets to the men's basketball games at our university. We also save $300 every month for travel (about 7.5% of our net income), which is obviously optional.
Also I'm a FB fan.
Just today we dropped more than $50/month from our family cell phone plan. First we studied how many voice minutes we actually used, and found that we did not use most of those minutes. Then my 17yo showed me that I could use my old smartphone to access my apps with wifi. Both my 17yo son and I decided that using free wifi gives us what we need without an expensive data plan. I took this information to the retention specialist at our current carrier and asked how much we can save. Suddenly some unpublished promotional became available to us. My older son in college has his new Galaxy III with a data plan, and my other son and I are happy with our feature-rich voice & text phone. I'm the most happy with saving more than $600/year with our current carrier...without any contracts!
We could live without eating out at McDonald's the two times a week we go. Other then that there isn't much else that we could cut in our budget. Maybe our netflix streaming if we absolutely had to, but that is the only money we spend on entertainment.
I could live without dunkin donuts iced coffee daily. I love it but I would save more if I made my own coffee
There is not a lot of fat in my budget. Don't we all say that? But if a crisis came, I could give up most vacation trips. Airports are so dreadful anyway :-)
Satellite radio. I'm so over it. Can't convince my husband to dump it on all of the cars yet, though.
I could live without the saving ahead for an emergency fund, but I'd rather not. :) Otherwise, we're trying to be wise about how we spend every penny.
Buying certain groceries, like ice cream....but it is summer and I should use up everything in my pantry.
I gave up my cable; make my own homemade food cravings, make my own household cleaners and personal items such as toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo etc.
I could cut some of the junk food purchases out of the food budget. I pretty much have the cable, the cell phone and the internet down to basic only. Frankly, I don't want to give up the cable or the internet. But if push came to shove, those two would go.
I can live without manicures and pedicures, but it's so nice to get it once in a good while! One simply needs to be pampered sometimes!
Stop buying lunch at the work cafeteria and start bringing my own lunch instead. It would most likely be healthier as well.
I can live without Facebook and Twitter! More time reading Wisebread and figuring out how to budget more for my Coffee Addiction that I can not give up.
I need to get a storage unit we are storing stuff in cleaned out. Time to part with the extra email@example.com
Definitely! I could live without cable (but not internet because we work from home); eating out could be cut back, as well as clothes purchases. I'm sure there are other more minor things, but those would be the major ones.
Well, I scraped by in grad school making about half of what I'm making now (and lived on even less while unemployed), so I know I could do it again if I had to. The most flexible parts of my budget are food and entertainment. I could spend less going out with friends and on dates, and I could stop buying the better quality produce, beer, and ice cream at the grocery store. Those are things that I really enjoy and value, though, so I would be sad to give them up. One area I'm really working on is buying lunch less often at the cafeteria next door. The food is quite affordable, convenient, and healthy, but it would probably still be cheaper to make lunch at home more often. I do get a lot of vegetables from my own garden and at cheap farm stands, so at least I'm saving some money there. I could probably also save some money on car insurance if I dug into the policy or called them. I'm commuting by bike now, so maybe I need less coverage.
In the last year I've given up pedicures, all magazine subscriptions except 'O' and getting my hair dyed professionally. I also let my hair grow longer so I can go longer in between haircuts. Oh, and Netflix dvd's by mail. Don't even miss 'em!
Fun. You have to add that in. From treating yourself to a manicure or a movie it's got to be there it can't all be denial. For me it's a movie once a month or so, I grab a great deal on groupon when I can and then off to the movies I go.
Definitely eating out! I've placed a huge budget on my eating (because I love to eat!), but I've started to focus more on cooking at home and playing with new food creations. It's delicious, healthier, and such a great stress reliever!
I have given up cable and Netflix to save money on entertainment. I would also be willing to give up manicures and pedicures.