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Was Bastiat an Economic Theorist?
Was Bastiat an Economic Theorist?
Most economists, while recognizing the great 19th-century French liberal Frédéric Bastiat as an outstanding economic journalist and a master polemicist for free trade and other liberal economic policies, have summarily dismissed him as an economic theorist. These include economists from Mises and Hayek to Schumpeter and Marx. Lately some economists have begun taking a second look at Bastiat's work in economic theory.
Right now there is a stimulating online conversation going on about Bastiat's contributions to economic theory in his treatise Economic Harmonies. The conversation marks the completion of a draft of Liberty Fund's new translation of Economic Harmonies and is led by Dr. David Hart, the Academic Editor of Liberty Fund's Bastiat translation project and the leading authority on Bastiat and his work. It is part of the series "Liberty Matters: A Forum for the Discussion of Matters pertaining to Liberty." Besides David and me, the participants include two prominent academic experts on Bastiat, Professors Don Boudreaux of George Mason University, and Guido Hülsmann of the University of Angers.
The contributions to the discussion are lively, concise, accessible to Bastiat fans of all ages and backgrounds, and well worth reading.
Why Attacking Big Business Is Back In Vogue
"Progressive" politicians like Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Elizabeth Warren are becoming more fashionable, and it follows that attacking big business is back in vogue. "Political and academic progressives expand their frenzied attacks on 'wealth' and on the alleged transgressions of 'big business,'" writes Dominick Armentano, Professor Emeritus in Economics at the University of Hartford.
What is it about human nature that drives these attacks? Perhaps we must look to Ludwig Von Mises for an answer. But first, we can get a general idea of how the anti-big-business impulse remains so popular by looking at the work of economist Tyler Cowen.
In April, Cowen published his latest book, Big Business: A Love Letter to an American Anti-Hero, documenting how "Most young Americans hold highly critical perspectives on capitalism." Indeed, the Harvard Kennedy School produced a report on young adults, revealing 51 percent did not support capitalism. Furthermore, 33 percent endorsed socialism as an alternative.
Clearly, that 33 percent is ignorant to the Two Reasons Why Socialism Repeatedly Fails;
1) the impossibility of economic calculation without true market prices, and
2) the lack of an incentive to produce only what consumers actually want.
Nevertheless, support for socialism endures, and we don't have to look further than our TV screens and Twitter to observe what may be the one of the key points of origin of this critical narrative against big business. Yet this negativity is driven by more than radical rhetoric from the left-wing media. The very nature of media coverage has an effect.
Cowen adds, "Virtually all media outlets have a significant bias toward negative news of all kinds, including news about business. So scandals, corruption, and abuse of workers all receive much more publicity than the normal, everyday massive successes of America's major corporations. "Corporations had another stellar day producing things and keeping people employed," just isn't a great news headline."
Furthermore, big business is blamed for the failings of big government. We need look no further than the Occupy Wall Street movement. As the angry masses protested on Wall Street, a more appropriate place to fight for freedom was a short walk away: three blocks north of Wall Street at 33 Liberty Street sits a brownstone building — the home of the Federal Reserve.
Yet, there was little interest in addressing the outsized role of the Federal Reserve in manipulating the global economy. This blind spot for the role of the central bank illustrates just how wrongheaded are many leftwing approaches to diagnosing the source of our economic problems.
Protestors would do well to consult Austrian Business Cycle Theory which helps explain how the stock market crash and economic downturn were attributable not to "big business," but largely to a prior bank credit expansion by the Federal Reserve and the Fed-regulated banking sector.
Yet, anti-capitalist agitprop spreads through social-media like typhus through the Gulags, even though it is private capital and private business which has made social media possible.
This sort of thing is nothing new. As Ludwig Von Mises wrote, "All people, however fanatical they may be in their zeal to disparage and to fight capitalism, implicitly pay homage to it by passionately clamoring for the products it turns out."
The War Crimes That Don't Get Punished
Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) found himself in hot water recently over comments he made in defense of Navy SEAL Edward Gallagher, who faces war crimes charges over his alleged conduct while serving in combat overseas. Gallagher is charged with stabbing a 15 year old ISIS member while in custody, of taking photos posing with the corpse of the teen, and with killing several civilians.
Defending Gallagher recently, Hunter put his own record up next to the SEAL to suggest that he's an elected Congressman who has done worse things in battle than Gallagher.
That's where Hunter's defense earned him some perhaps unwanted attention. While participating in the first "Battle of Fallujah" in early 2007, by Hunter's own account he and his fellow soldiers killed hundreds of innocent civilians, including women and children. They fired mortars into the city and killed at random.
In the sanitized world of US mainstream media reporting on US wars overseas, we do not hear about non-combatants being killed by Americans. How many times has there been any reporting on the birth defects that Iraqis continue to suffer in the aftermath of US attacks with horrific weapons like depleted uranium and white phosphorus?
Rep. Hunter described his philosophy when fighting in Iraq:
"You go in fast and hard, you kill people, you hit them in the face and then you get out…We're going to hurt you and then we're going to leave. And if you want to be nice to America, we'll be nice to you. If you don't want to be nice to us, we're going to slap you again."
This shows how much Duncan Hunter does not understand about war. When he speaks of hitting people in the face until they are nice to America, he doesn't seem to realize that the people of Fallujah – and all of Iraq – never did a thing to the US to deserve that hit in the face. The war was launched on the basis of lies and cooked-up intelligence by many of the people who are serving in the current Administration.
And that brings us to the real war criminals. Rep. Duncan Hunter and his fellow soldiers may have killed hundreds of innocent civilians and even felt justified. Their superior officers, after all, established the rules of engagement. Above those superior officers, going up and beyond to the policymakers, the lie was sold to the American people to justify a war of choice against a country that could not have threatened us if it wanted to.
Vice President Dick Cheney knew what he was doing when he kept returning to the CIA headquarters, strong-arming analysts to make the intelligence fit the chosen policy. John Bolton and the other neocons knew what they were doing when they made claims about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction they knew were false. The Pentagon's Office of Special Plans played its role in selling the lie. So did the media.
Edward Gallagher will face trial and possibly jail for his actions. Rep. Duncan Hunter may even face punishment – though perhaps only at the ballot box – for his admitted crimes. But until those at the top who continue to lie and manipulate us into war for their own gain face justice, the real criminals will continue to go free and we will continue pursuing a suicidal neocon foreign policy.
Judy Shelton's Remarkable Attack on the Fed
Judy Shelton's recent interview with the Financial Times is nothing short of remarkable. Her comments represent the most substantive attack on the Fed, and central banking generally, by any potential nominee to the Fed board in recent history. She not only challenges how Jerome Powell and Fed officials conduct monetary policy, but whether they can conduct it competently at all.
Consider this salvo against the Fed's inescapable role as central planner:
How can a dozen, slightly less than a dozen, people meeting eight times a year, decide what the cost of capital should be versus some kind of organically, market supply determined rate? The Fed is not omniscient. They don't know what the right rate should be. How could anyone?" Ms Shelton said. "If the success of capitalism depends on someone being smart enough to know what the rate should be on everything . . . we're doomed. We might as well resurrect Gosplan," she said, referring to the state committee that ran the Soviet Union's planned economy.
And her attack on the Fed's outsized role in the economy:
She also said that the Fed should continue to reduce its balance sheet below the $3.5tn target set by Jay Powell, the chairman. "I would rather the Fed be less of an entity. When a central bank buys up government debt, that's the beginning of compromised finances."
She also recognizes malinvestment:
"It's the distorting aspect of the Fed that is the worst aspect — it's a wag-the-dog situation. People are fixated on the Fed and are making money by arbitraging, trillions of a second after the latest FOMC announcement," she added.
And she isn't afraid to support a role for gold in monetary policy:
Ms Shelton has long been sympathetic to the gold standard, which the US fully abandoned in the early 1970s in favour of a flexible exchange rate for the dollar. "People call me a goldbug, and I think, well, what does that make them? A Fed bug," she says.
"Fed Bugs"! Why didn't we think of this?
Shelton, who works as an economic adviser to Trump, is not an economist by training. Her PhD in business administration, from Utah State no less, is sure to draw jeers from the Ivy League central bank crowd. But it's Ivy League economists, after all, who created the last crisis in 2008. And needless to say they're sounding alarm bells about Mrs. Shelton. The worst offender is former Treasury official Larry Summers, who shamelessly calls Shelton "dangerous."
Sorry, but a financial terrorist and chief architect of the weaponized derivatives market in the 2000s should have the simple decency to keep quiet and thank his lucky stars he's not in jail.
Judy Shelton is not an Austrian. She appears mostly aligned with the supply-side camp of her longtime friend and mentor Larry Kudlow, who heads the Trump administration's (useless) National Economic Council. And her support for a modified gold standard rests on shaky ground, as she unfortunately favors a rules-based approach under which the Fed would target a dollar price for gold—what Joe Salerno refers to as "price-rule monetarism."
So Shelton doesn't want to End the Fed. But in the parlance of woke America, she's an "ally." Recognizing the limits of central bank omniscience, and challenging its benevolence, are important first steps on the road to redeeming our money and our economy.
The Fed Has Lost Control
The gold price shot up $50 in the last 30 days during a time of the year when the yellow metal typically lays down to begin its summer nap. At the same time, Bitcoin's price has rose from its slumber. What's up? Luke Gromen, founder of Forest for the Trees LLC , a macro/thematic research firm catering to institutions and individuals may have put his finger on it during his interview with Ed Harrison on Real Vision .
Gromen points out that something happened in the 4th quarter of last year and on March 20th of this year. Alarm bells have gone off at the Fed because for the first time in 70 years, government deficits matter. According to Gromen,
With Fed Funds went over interest on excess reserves, that was a sign that the United States government's deficits were getting so big and foreigners' interest in treasury bonds, because FX had yields, were so negative, though the interest from foreign private sector investors was so low, that we are crowding out our own banking system. And so, if the Fed does not inject a significant amount of dollar liquidity soon- be that via repo, be that via rate cuts, and I think you're going to be seeing QE probably in six to nine months at the latest.
From October through April , Uncle Sam's outflow exceeded his inflow by $531 billion or 38% more than a year ago. Foreign central banks used to buy up US Treasuries like there is no tomorrow, but now, not so much. Late last year,
the hedging costs for foreign investors to buy US Treasuries went negative. In other words, for a Japanese or German private sector investor- and again, the US government's now critically reliant on foreign private sector investors to buy Treasuries, the yield FX hedged turn negative.
Last year the U.S. government issued $10 trillion worth of Treasuries, 70 percent of which have less than one-year maturities. This year it'll be $11.5 trillion, again with 70 per cent maturing in less than 12 months.
The upshot of all this is
the Fed is losing control of [the] Fed Funds Rate at the short end because US deficits are growing as fast as they are. And because foreign official sector is not buying really at all on net. The foreign private sector is not buying enough, they are buying some unhedged but not nearly enough relative to the size of the deficits we're running.
The price of money is the Fed's business and the gang at the Eccles Building has lost its grip according to Gromen, who believes, Powell has no choice but "to cede control over the quantity of money in order to control the price of money."
A year ago, it was tighten, tighten, tighten, now three rate cuts are expected by the market by year-end. Gromen told Harrison that Trump's tariffs matter some, but, it's the deficits that really matter and are forcing the Fed's hand.
And so, ultimately, what that suggests is that any rate cut you have because, again, the reason why all this is happening is US deficits are big and growing and structural. And they're crowding out the US private sector. And so, basically, the primary dealer of last resort, I think I saw someone say, or call it, the Fed is going to have to start bidding for these bonds again. So, I think it depends a lot on messaging on July- we were talking before, if they don't do what's expected, it's not going to be good for risk. But ultimately, they're going to have to unless they don't want to exist anymore.
We can be sure Chairman Powell will not want the Fed to vanish under his watch. He'll be printing and bidding (for Treasuries). QE will return, along with a growing Fed balance sheet.
So what's a person to do? Gromen sees more asset price inflation on the way and it will accelerate. In particular, he likes gold, both the barbaric version, and the electronic version, Bitcoin.
Prices and Entrepreneurial Decision Making
Value is subjective. Prices are objective. Subjective value comes from the mind of the consumer, and influences market prices. When an actor chooses, he must forgo other choices, and he is demonstrating a preference for something, revealing part of the rankings of his values. Since perceived value relative to the actor's value scale influences prices, then all prices are a result of human actions and choices on the market, caused by the actors' values. Tracing back price changes to human actions on the market is part of what an entrepreneur must do in order to understand the market better. Value travels up the structure of production, from the consumer goods to the producer goods. Tracing the implications of prices changes is part of what an entrepreneur does to understand his market.
Hayek calls prices signals. They are signals that are generated by the market through the market process, which is the interaction between buyers and sellers through their transactions with each other (supply and demand). These signals, in the form of prices and their changes, inform entrepreneurs about what's going on, and guide their actions, and this coordination mechanism is scalable and connects everyone. The market and its prices are all that are needed to coordinate a vast number of people's actions with precision. The entrepreneur doesn't need statistics to make a decision on what to invest in. An entrepreneur that doesn't understand this system is missing out on what's really going on and would be at a disadvantage. Austrian Economics with its deductive method, reveals to us the workings of this price mechanism through its theories and its methodology.
Rothbard said in a lecture (paraphrasing), "An entrepreneur knows more about his specific market than any economist or expert. The reason is that he has skin in the game. A lousy entrepreneur would quickly be eliminated from the market. There is a self-selecting process. The economist or expert has no skin in the game and isn't risking anything when he's wrong about the market." The key insight here is that the entrepreneur knows more than any expert about his specific market and its actors. The entrepreneur gets his information from multiple sources, and forms an outlook on what will happen. The entrepreneur may talk to suppliers, customers, friends, he may hear rumors, read news, from these he would construct a narrative, on top of this can use prices, changes in prices and check it against economic theory to see what's true. From all of this the entrepreneur forms his understanding. This understanding plus other things like intuition, gut feeling, that help the entrepreneur form judgments about the future and judge the best course of action in the present. The entrepreneur has to filter out of the noise what information is the most significant, the factors that will influence the future the most.
In understanding prices and tracing the causes of their changes, an entrepreneur can understand his market better. Prices can inform an entrepreneur about what's happening before journalists and news outlets catch on to it. Prices contain within them information, they are the final outcome of a process of buying and selling by many actors, prices are a kind of average of what all the actors think the price should be. Each good has its own price behavior, which is influenced by the good's physical properties, and other properties such as scarcity, it's perceived value, and finally fluctuations in supply and demand, and the behavior of buyers and sellers. Austrian Economics gives the entrepreneur a correct theory that can help the entrepreneur narrow down on what's happening in the market and gain superior understanding of his market. Knowledge of economics can't guarantee success, but it can bring increased awareness of what's going on underneath the numbers and prices. Eventually helping the entrepreneur gain a better understanding of the market, which means the values of the consumers and the actions of the other actors in the market.
Mises says, "The only source from which an entrepreneur's profits stem is his ability to anticipate better than other people the future demand of the consumers." Correctly anticipating the actions of market actors and anticipating future prices and preparing for that future state is what generates entrepreneurial profit.
Mises says, "Monetary calculation is the guiding star of action under the social system of division of labor. It is the compass of the man embarking upon production." Prices determine costs, and not the other way around. Prices are determined in the market. All internal costs should be benchmarked to the market prices in order to have the most accurate cost calculation. Monetary calculation includes retrospective accounting of profit and loss, and prospective accounting with its anticipated costs and anticipated profits. If prices change in the market then not only do the present and future look different, but also the past accounts of profit and loss look different. What worked at one time in the past under the cost structure of that time may not work again with current prices. Accounts give a feeling of certainty in their numbers, but they are static. They are an oversimplified static representation of an inherently dynamic phenomenon.
Austrian Economics can help an entrepreneur have a deeper understanding of his market and of accounting. This can help the entrepreneur in making better decisions out of this better understanding. Here we narrowly focus on prices and costs, but there are many other areas of Austrian Economics that are applicable and will be covered in future articles.
Blue Laws Won't Fill America's Churches Again
In the age of Trump, many American conservatives are adopting populist positions. Policies that were once considered the right-wing status quo are being questioned and assailed, particularly when it comes to capitalism and markets.
Fox News personality Tucker Carlson is often on the front lines of this iconoclasm, with his regular diatribes against unfettered capitalism and financial elites. His voice is that of a growing traditionalist movement that has begun to vocalize their idealistic challenges to basic capitalist principles. These traditionalists want a larger role for religion in the public square. Unfortunately, they want the state to help facilitate this, and in seeking government's help, they're shooting themselves in the foot.
Recently, a great many traditionalists were up in arms over North Dakota's repeal of its blue laws, which prohibited retail businesses from operating before noon on Sundays. Blue laws were once in place across the country and increasingly have been rolled back. Usually they take the form of bans on alcohol and retail sales, hunting, and certain other recreations.
In response to North Dakota's repeal, Father Dominic Bouck, a Catholic priest in Bismarck, argued in First Things that the move will hurt the poor and even make the siren song of socialism more palatable to the tired and restless masses.
Without blue laws, Bouck contends that many workers "conscripted into hourly wage jobs" will be denied the ability to attend mass and enjoy holidays with their families. In Bouck's words, "the legal protection of Sunday rest helps the individual worker and preserves the family from the arms race that is our consumer society." He also cautions that the decline of blue laws has helped facilitate the rise of our hyper-consumerist culture and the tendency to view man as "the sum of his production and consumption."
Bouck is onto something here. However, blue laws aren't going to address his concerns.
Rest from work is crucial, and a person's worth doesn't stem from his ability to be a cog in the retail machine. This lack of regularized rest has doubtless contributed to the current increases in anxiety and depression. In 1843 Magazine, psychoanalyst Josh Cohen notes that "anxieties about burnout seem to be everywhere these days." Coupled with this problem is a lack of togetherness and fellowship. Whereas Sundays have traditionally provided opportunities for families and friends to spend time together, Cigna reports that there's currently an epidemic of loneliness in the United States.
There can be no doubt that most people would benefit from taking Sundays slowly and spending time with their friends, family, and God. However, reinstating blue laws won't solve the problem. It's completely off-base to attribute the dramatic decline in American churchgoing to the lack of legal prohibitions on Sunday work. According to Gallup, weekly religious attendance has been going down since the 1950s.
Ask a young person why he didn't go to church last Sunday, and I doubt he'll offer a work shift as the reason. More likely, you'll hear that church isn't relevant to his life.
As sociologist Robert Nisbet noted in his classic work The Quest for Community, the relevance of a social institution depends on its maintaining a function and fulfilling the needs of its members. As the centralized state has usurped more and more of the traditional functions of important mediating institutions such as the church and family, the relevance of those institutions has waned. Relying on the same state to rejuvenate church attendance would only further religion down the path of irrelevance and decay.
In his essay "The Balance of Power in Society," sociologist Frank Tannenbaum discussed the importance of maintaining a balance in society between the various institutions that comprise it: the family, the church, the state, and the market. According to Tannenbaum, these institutions are frequently in conflict and constantly trying to encroach upon the territory of the others. This push and pull is natural, Tannenbaum says, and even healthy when it results in societal balance. Unfortunately, when one institution gains too much power, the result is usually chaos and disorder.
There's no doubt that our society is woefully out of balance. Family and church are deprioritized in favor of the market and job concerns, and all three are dominated by the powerful centralized state. Many in our Western world see their primary value in their jobs to the neglect of other aspects of their lives. It's this imbalance that traditionalists are getting at with their call for more blue laws. But legislation is a poor method of restoring balance and order to society because it fails to address the underlying issue: the values that motivate people's actions.
In the long run, consumers determine the shape of the market, a concept known as consumer-sovereignty. As I've argued previously, it's inaccurate to say that markets are responsible for the decay of community and family. Markets are merely a mirror of people's values. Employers can't actually force or "conscript" others into working for them, Father Bouck's hyperbole notwithstanding. Although man must eat "by the sweat of his brow," that does not mean he must let the world determine in what manner he will sweat. Employers only have as much power as their employees give them. It may be uncomfortable and inconvenient to resist, but no one is forced to worship mammon.
Blue laws are merely an attempt to make the already very low barriers to church attendance even lower—to match the low value people ascribe to it. That isn't going to fix anything. Early Christians were martyred and fed to the Roman lions because they valued their beliefs even more than their lives, much like the merchant seeking the pearl of great price. Have contemporary Christians really fallen so far that they're unable to organize their economic lives so they too can worship?
Republished with permission of the author
Economics 101: More Wealth Means Less Poverty
Tweeting about poverty and wealth1 is quite instructive. It's obvious that many feel very strongly about it yet know so little.
Consider what wealth is: it is to have the means to satisfy wants. Those means can be anything, including berries or fruits growing in the wild. But the vast majority of means are created. There are no hamburgers, iPhones, or houses growing on trees.
In other words, most means to satisfy wants were created. So wealth, generally speaking, is created.
Many appear confused by this rather obvious fact, or take offense by it being stated.
That is not only ignorant, but counter-productive: whoever does not believe that the means to satisfy wants (wealth) are created surely is not acting to create them. So we are missing out on a lot of wealth because of this ignorant view; our standard of living could be higher.
It should also be obvious that the creation of one means does not makes anyone poorer or, as some claim, that the creation of any means to satisfy a want "creates poverty."
Imagine two people living without any created means to satisfy wants: they are naked and without any wealth other than the occasional berry or fruit provided by nature. If Person One spends her day creating a shelter, this provides a means to satisfy a want. She is thus richer. Does that make Person Two poorer? No. That person's situation has not changed. If anything, there is now a shelter that could potentially be shared, and the knowledge of how to create one is now available. So if anything, Person Two is (slightly) richer too.
Sure, there is now inequality because person one has a shelter and person two does not. You may have the opinion that Person One must share this wealth or think it is okay for Person Two to use force to take that shelter away from Person One. But neither changes the fact that this wealth – the shelter – was created and that, as a result, there is now more wealth in the world.
More wealth means less poverty.
The distribution of wealth is an important issue that needs to be properly discussed, but it is separate from the fact that wealth is created. And it must be created before it can be "distributed." Anything else is nonsense.
Sure, critics may claim shelters are different from the things people want today. That, for example, iPhones etc. do not satisfy "real" wants. But that's also an issue that is separate from the creation of wealth, and it is not really for them to make such judgments. The only thing that matters is that people who use – and choose to use – those means do so because their use satisfy some want that they have. It thus creates value in their lives. Your opinion does change this fact; it does not decide the wealth or standard of living of someone else.
It's actually beautiful that we do want different things and have different skills, which means we can cooperate through specializing and exchanging and help everyone satisfy more wants than we would be able to on our own. So we're richer as a result (perhaps despite your opinion of people's choices).
Formatted from Twitter: @PerBylund.
- 1. Link added by the editor.
Tucker Carlson's Broadside Against Austrian Economics
Listen to the Audio Mises Wire version of this article.
Fox News host Tucker Carlson took to the airwaves of this popular show last night to lambaste Austrian economics and libertarianism, which he views as twin pillars of a failed ideology that doesn't protect American workers and their interests.
The GOP, he argues, is in thrall to free-market corporate interests and esoteric economic theories from dusty textbooks. Republicans remain wedded to unbridled libertarian political philosophy, tax cuts, deregulation, and unilateral free trade, all of which enrich elites but hurt average people. Meanwhile, presidential aspirants like Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders offer the American electorate real-world solutions to economic insecurity, jobs, and healthcare.
It's a compelling story, but untrue. Does Carlson honestly think Republican members of Congress are overly theoretical and ideological? And here we thought they were a bunch of unprincipled and poorly-read hacks!1
Does he honestly think the budget-busting GOP of recent political memory, from Bush II (Iraq War, Medicare Part D, Department of Homeland Security, Patriot Act), John McCain, Mitt Romney are ideological libertarians? Why did Ron Paul and Rand Paul fare poorly among Republican primary voters, if in fact free-market ideology and its donor class dominate the party? And hasn't the party been overtaken by Trumpist protectionists?
Of course we're pleased when Right populists recognize the influence of the Austrian school, just as we're pleased when Left-liberals at the New Republic convince themselves that Misesean "neoliberalism" has taken over the world. We note that Mises and Rothbard continue to receive criticism decades after their respective deaths, a testament to their deep (and apparently nefarious!) influence and an honor given to few economists.
Carlson, a onetime Cato Institute staffer and Weekly Standard writer, understands both Republican politics and the DC world of think tanks and punditry. When he references the Austrian school or libertarianism, it's shorthand for "Koch money and influence" rather than any real ideology. It's his shorthand for the "self-interests of rich guys," interests given an intellectual veneer by academics and writers who are happy to accept billionaire crumbs in exchange for cozy non-profit sinecures. "Conservatism, Inc." (or "Libertarianism, Inc.") has become an self-serving industry unto itself, sclerotic and ripe for criticism.
There is truth to this. But it's not an ideological truth. Tucker Carlson knows better. He knows full well how tariffs make society overall worse off, how markets make poor Americans far better off than the poor in many countries, why government medicine doesn't work, and how minimum wage laws hurt the least-skilled workers. His argument is about priorities and strategy (and TV ratings), not ideology. And it accepts a fundamental tenet of the Left: self-interest for me is noble and warranted, self-interest for others (especially the rich) is suspicious if not sinister.
In other words, Carlson presents a fundamentally zero-sum perspective, which is to say a fundamentally political perspective.
That said, his populism—particularly his antiwar stance—should not be dismissed. Populism per se is not an ideology, but rather a strategy. It can be imbued with any political philosophy, and thus can be equally dangerous or beneficial. At its core populism questions not only the competence of elites, but also their worthiness. It asks whether elite interests comport with those of average people, and in most cases correctly concludes that political elites have interests at odds with those people.
When elites are state-connected or state-protected, i.e., when they maintain or even derive their wealth and influence through their relationship with the state, libertarians have every obligation to object. Elites in the West—from politicians and bureaucrats to central bankers and media figures to defense contractors and patent-coddled pharmaceutical execs—richly deserve our ire. They screwed things up, and ought to be held accountable.
Tucker Carlson is right about that.
Read more: Rothbard on Libertarian Populism
- 1. As I write this, I'm privileged to sit in a conference room at the epicenter of Austrian economics. A group of graduate students from around the world is in residence at the Mises Institute this summer, and this week they're discussing (chapter by chapter) Rothbard's Man, Economy, and State.Apparently the GOP forgot to send its congressional delegation to attend.
Trump's Cuba Travel Ban Is A Wall Against Americans
Governments have too much power over people. But most of us can't truly grasp how deep this power goes until our lives are completely changed by a new policy.
Three years after President Obama lessened travel restraints to Cuba, the Trump administration imposed new restrictions for American tourists. This new policy impacts private and corporate planes and boats, cruise ship tours, and other group trips to the island nation.
In a statement to the press, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that the travel ban was reinstated because of the "destabilizing role in the Western Hemisphere, providing a communist foothold in the region and propping up U.S. adversaries in places like Venezuela and Nicaragua by fomenting instability, undermining the rule of law, and suppressing democratic processes."
With the new restrictions, Mnuchin said, the administration hopes "to keep U.S. dollars out of the hands of Cuban military, intelligence, and security services."
On Twitter, Cuba's Minister of Foreign Affairs Bruno Eduardo Rodríguez Parrilla said the U.S. wants to "[suffocate] the economy & [harm] the living standards of Cubans in order to forcefully obtain political concessions."
Bruno Eduardo Rodríguez Parrilla, Cuba's Minister of Foreign Affairs, strongly criticized the new travel sanctions.
"I strongly reject new sanctions announced by #US vs. #Cuba which further restrict #US citizens' travels to Cuba, aimed at suffocating the economy & harming the living standards of Cubans in order to forcefully obtain political concessions," Parrilla wrote on Twitter. "Once again they will fail."
Regardless of how he feels, the conflict between the U.S. government and the Cuban regime shouldn't impact people who have nothing to do with it. Whether officials of both countries recognize this or not, they have no legitimate authority over people's lives.
Government Shouldn't Dictate Travel Policy
This new attack on Cuba, Mnuchin himself admitted in his statement, is due to Cuba's close association with Venezuela. But because these restrictions impact Cuban citizens directly, as many are only able to make a living thanks to U.S. tourists , Trump's move might as well be seen as an act of war.
Whether you support the oppressive regimes in both Venezuela and Cuba or not, the nature of the current administration's policy can't be ignored, as it puts America, once again, in the role of the world's police. And as we've seen in the past, to play this role means to put innocent people's lives in jeopardy.
While to some, it might seem OK to punish the entire country for its corrupt government, the reality is that Cubans aren't in love with communism . Quite the contrary, many agree that their government doesn't represent them. But when the United States imposes sanctions or travel bans, it ends up fueling Cuban state propaganda while restricting the individual's right to do what he or she pleases with their own money. In the end, those who hurt the most are the Cuban people, many whose livelihood depend on exchange with foreigners.
Bylund: How to Prioritize When Making Decisions as an Entrepreneur
Life in a startup is fast paced, varied and fun. But it is also a constant and chaotic struggle, a juggling of disparate issues that need attention and decisions to be made at a moment's notice. There are employees who need directions, tensions that threaten to erupt into personal conflicts, the bank that keeps calling about refinancing the loan, the supplier who suddenly needs the blueprints earlier to be able to deliver on time, and, at the same time, an endless stream of prioritizations that need to be right.
How are entrepreneurs to make order of this chaos? They face a seemingly endless stream of decisions that need to be made.
There is, of course, no simple solution. But there is a way of thinking about all decisions in a startup that can help entrepreneurs quickly figure out what matters more and what matters less: focus on the forest, not the trees.
What I mean by that is not simply to take a holistic approach to decision-making, but to consider the startup's position in the economy overall. In other words, what a business actually does in the market economy and what function entrepreneurs serve. Sound cryptic? It really isn't.
Read the full article at Entrepreneur.


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Legendary Wu-Tang Clan swordsman U-God has seen it all during his crews twenty year run in the rap game. Theyve been around the world and back, shackling the masses with drastic rap tactics. And hes played an integral role in their success, spitting vicious darts on countless classics while throwing up the W and representing Shaolin from country to country.
As he preps the release of his new solo LP The Keynote Speaker (due out July 23rd on Soul Temple Records), and also readies himself for a summer filled with festival performances and tour dates alongside his Wu brethren celebrating the 20th anniversary of Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), we caught up with Golden Arms to talk about life on the road with raps sharpest crew, past and present. From backstage to the telly to the tour bus, this is The Green Room with Wu-Tangs witty wordsmith, U-God.
First Wu-Tang Clan Tour
U-God: The first [Wu-Tang Clan] show, probably about ten people [were] in there. And the microphone was hooked up to a stereo. [Laughs.] This was down South, in North Carolina, when we started doing a promo tour [for the first album.] We had to perform in front of ten people like they were 10,000 people.
We didnt want to do it at first. When youre first starting out, you feel like, Nah, we should be in front of [more people]. But we did what he had to do, and then we went to the next spot. We did Method Man, Protect Ya Neck, and Chessboxin.
The first traveling days [were] crazy. All I had was a duffle bag, and one pair of drawers. [Laughs.] And that was that. You had two pairs of socks, and you [were] out there. I used to have to wash one pair of drawers, then I after I washed them, Id dry them on the blower, then Id put the other ones on. One come off, one come on.
There [were] eight of us in the back of a van, sharing hotel rooms, going all up and down the East Coast. We had eight people in three hotel rooms. Now we all got our own room. [Laughs.] But in the beginning, it wasnt like that. We had to work our way there.
Wed get our little per diems, and we were just promoting. We mustve went to every college on the East Coast. At first, it was [fun]. The first time out is an adventure. Im on my hundred and twentieth time, and its not fun [anymore].
Back then, we were young. We still drinky-drink, but we aint as wild as we once was. We aint running out trying to chase girls like we used to. Dudes is laid-back. Some dudes is married. Some dudes got girlfriends, and theyre loyal to their girls and shit. But back then, we [were] wild. Trying to get everything moving. When youre young, you dont care. But as you get older, youre like, You know what? Im wasting a lot of energy on some bullshit.
At one point, Meth was real shy. Then he came into his own. I was always outgoing. I traveled before I was with Wu-Tang, to Sacramento, and Jacksonville, so I already knew how to live off the land. But probably me, Rae, Meth, and Dirty, we were probably the wildest, most outgoing niggas in the group. We were trying to bag what we could bag. Stickin and movin. There were no rules. Like, if you leave your bitch with Dirty, you were not coming back to nothing. He was not letting go. [Laughs.] Those were the good times.
Japan Tour Filmed During The Show
Russell Simmons came at us, and got all the rap groups that were successful at the time, and put them in one [movie]. And that shit was hot. That was my first time in Japan. It was another world. Wed come to the shows, and we had silk Samurai robes on. Were rocking the shows, and we had all types of Japanese broads. These bitches [were] bad. We had an awesome fucking time out there. We shut that shit down. We went all over Japan, and tore down Tokyo. The experience was crazy.
We were just coming out of the hood, and just becoming successful. Meth was about to drop his album on Def Jam, and he was hogging up all the press, and not letting anyone else get any shine. Thats the only reason I [confronted him in the scene from the movie]. They made it seem like [it was beef, but it wasnt like that]. He was on his A-game. I cant get mad at the nigga now, because Im on my A-game now, and Im the man.
Traveling the World
Anytime you go somewhere for the first time, its awesome. Like when I went to Italy for the first time, it blew my fucking mind. Thats my favorite spot. Im getting ready to go back. Italy, L.A., Arizona, Canada, Amsterdam, and Australia. Those are the nicest spots in the world.
We were in Ireland, and [there were] a bunch of Lucky Charms motherfuckers, talking like Lucky Charms niggas. You know how the Lucky Charms commercial pop off, right? And theyre black! These niggas [were] black talking like Lucky Charms dudes. And Im talking to them like, Wow, this shit is crazy. We [were] all the way up in Ireland, and these motherfuckers [were] singing our record. It was weird to me.
You know where I like to go, though? Sweden. Sweden is poppin. They got some beautiful women, and theyre friendly. I like to go to spots where the women are beautiful, and friendly. You never forget that. Not just the women, the people [in general] are friendly. Giving you cheeba, giving you drinks, and youre just doing your thug thizill. It aint like New York, where a bitch got an attitude. Everybody over there is riding bikes, theyre all chipper. They say hello, and start conversations with you. Its a different mentality.
A Day in the Life On Tour in Hawaii (1997)
When we did the Its Yourz video, that was the wildest fucking time. We had so much fun [on tour] in Hawaii. It was insanity. I would get up. Chop a coconut, get the coconut juice. Boom. Have breakfast, like a fruit salad or some crazy shit, with egg whites, whatever whatever whatever. Then Id go out, hit the jet ski for about two hours. Come back in. Take a shower. Get on the moped. Ride around the whole fuckin island. Errrrrrrrrrrr. Go crazy on that. Come back. Get some more drinky-drinks in the system. Go out and do the show. Rock the motherfuckin show. Grab up a nice little thing-thing. Bring her back to the spot. Di-da-di-da-di-da-di-da. Hop back on the moped. Errrrrrrrrrr. You got the hotel suite, with the motherfuckin jacuzzi in it. Laid up with candles, and little fly shit going, with incense in the air. Blowin green. The wine, the women. Everything was flowing like water.
Memories of Touring with Ol Dirty Bastard
One night, [Dirty] got this girl, and he comes knockin on my door. Hes like, Yo U-God, I need a condom. I said, Nigga, I aint got no motherfuckin condom. But what I got for you is some motherfuckin plastic wrap. How about you use that fly shit? He takes the plastic, and comes back, like, Yo, thats some new shit. I put that shit on my dick, and still fucked the bitch. [Laughs.] Hes kind of the inventor of plastic wrap on your cock when you cant find a condom and shit.
Award Shows
The American Music Awards [back in the day] was awesome. We [were] backstage, and I got to shake a lot of peoples hands. Garth Brooks, Celine Dion, Britney Spears. I saw Left Eye. [Our big hit was] Triumph at the time, and thats when we were around Aaliyah. And she was with Quincy Jones, and his daughter Rashida, and the whole family. It was good times. I like to meet new people, and get to know them, and stuff like that. Its always love.
Ive met so many people. I cant remember the particular time, but I met Isaac Hayes, Barry White, all these motherfuckers. I even met Little Richard. Weve been in the game for twenty years. Weve been to ceremonies, been nominated for Grammys. Weve won Grammys. Theres been too many good times.
Bus Life
My team, were on the bus at six in the morning. Niggas be out, twenty-four hours on the bus. Niggas be on the bus, gambling, drinking, rhyming, talking, playing all the oldies and the classics. I be in my little cube or whatever you wanna call it, watching movies, or on the satellite dish trying to call somebody on the motherfuckin jack. You know, Skyping with your girlfriend, she naked on the other line. She naked, Skyping and shit.
The kung fu flicks, that aint my thing. Whoever got the hotness, Ill watch. But the kung fu flicks are kind of played out. I watch everything. Anything that got flyness to it, Ill watch it. But Im a wordsmith. I like to listen to people talk. When you talk, I listen. We talk about issues, worldly events. We talk about taxes, money, babies. We used to talk about a lot of Illuminati shit, but now, that shit has already happened. Its taken place already. You gotta get in where you fit in.
Writing On The Road
I get in my zone, and write on the road sometimes. But I write my best rhymes when Im at home. I dont really like writing on the road, because so much shit happens. But I get my little notes here and there. When Im home, I do my [writing]. But when Im out in the world, Im in sponge mode, soaking up everything. Im basically in a soaking mode.
We are grown ass men. I [never ask] anyone to get food for me. I go see whats on the menu [myself]. If they got croissants, Im eating motherfuckin croissants. If they got lobster and shrimp raviolis, and that fly, exotic shit, lambs and whatever theyre making, Im eating that. Sometimes I eat the most expensive meals, and sometimes I eat the most rinky dinky shit. It depends how Im feeling. My mood changes like my gear and my clothes.
Sometimes when Im on the road, I dont even eat. I might just eat a lot of fruit, and try to slim down. You want to come home slim, you dont want to come home fat. You want to be nice and trim, with your stomach gone, and your muscles a little tighter because you went to the gym every night in the hotel. Your skin is moist, because you went and got a facial. Or you got your feet done. Your feet are like your pride and joy though. If you dont take care of your feet on the road, youre gonna be fucked up. Standing on them shits, working on them.
Me and Ghost, we like to eat exotic fly dishes, on some new shit. But a lot of people in my crew are vegans, so they cant really eat the stuff that I eat. Like RZA, Masta Killa, and GZA, them niggas is hardcore vegan. I gotta tell them, Go out to the backyard and eat some leaves from the goddamn backyard, nigga. [Laughs.]
But nah, we know how to rock on the road. If we know were gonna be on the road hardcore, we get the pots out for the stove, and start throwing down. My spaghetti and fried chicken is world renowned. I gets it in, right on the damn bus. Hot pots, hot pans. Ill pop a tent up in the middle of your crib, nigga! [Laughs.] The tent gonna go up. We gonna eat. If I gotta go out in the water to kill fish, we gonna eat. Trust me.
Rehearsal/Set List/Pre-Show Rituals
Weve been doing this for so long that weve got [our live performance] down to a science. Its like waking up in the morning. Once you know how to tie your shoes, it comes naturally. We already know the songs, so all we might do is change the order, or how they drop.
[Before I go on stage], I smoke some weed, drink a little Henny, or a little liquor, get my jaw loose. Sit back, relax. Thats about it. I aint into crystal balls or voodoo dolls or none of that shit. [Laughs.] Its all natural. Some nights you got it, some nights you dont. Some nights youre a hundred percent on, some nights you might be seventy percent. Some nights you might be fifty percent. Trying to keep the same energy every night is kind of hard. But we try our best.
Hot 97 Summer Jam 2013
Summer Jam is always awesome. Its more awesome now, because we had some bad times with Hot 97. But its come to a complete circle, and theyre showing us love again. You know, we were the epitome of New York, then we were like the bottom of the fuckin barrel. So [this years Summer Jam] was like the relieving of a bad nightmare. I got to meet Ebro, the dude that runs the spot. And I got to see my peoples [Peter] Rosenberg. Lil Kim was there, Fab, Pusha T, Chris Brown, and all them.
Certain dudes showed love. Little man Kendrick Lamar, thats a cool little nigga. I love that little nigga. Hes a good dude. I just hope his character doesnt change with time. Right now, his character is awesome. His rhymes are dope, and hes a humble kid. Not everyone is like that. Some dudes are super-gassed. They got helium in their head.
Tennessee was fuckin poppin. We [were] out where the real redneck niggas [were] at, but they [were] partying like a motherfucker. I got open. I felt so much love from the crowd, I went down into the crowd after and was chillin. Its funny how music brings people together. We had good food, drinkity-drinking, laughing. I did mad interviews out there for the new record. I got a chance to see Paul McCartney. He was lighting off big fireworks. I was like, Damn!
I was kind of mad, because I didnt get to bring anybody with me [to Coachella]. We stayed at the fly hotel. On some real shit, half the time when Im on the road right now, I be bored out my ass. I be with my brothers, but it just is so quiet. Ill be in a nice luxury suite, by myself. Like, well go to Berlin or something, and Ill be laid up in a fly hotel, and nothing really is poppin. As you get older, you get tired of that shit. Its a different era. Its a different time right now.
Current Tour Vibe
We talk. Sometimes I dont wanna talk to niggas. Sometimes niggas dont wanna talk to me. Sometimes we dont even wanna talk, period. Sometimes were smoking, and we aint even talking. Were just listening to music. We just started getting back together, so [rhyming with each other on tour] is about to start happening again. Gotta replenish the blood. We had a little cypher the other day, we were spitting rhymes.
Coming Home
I like to sleep in my bed. When I first get up, I like to have a spliff at the counter. Second, I gotta clean up my motherfuckin house, because I usually leave my house in shambles. Gotta look for clothes and shit like that. Then I catch up on my bills, see my babies, and thats about it. Then Im back on my grind again.
Right now, Im single, so got no worries when I come home. Im not worrying about my girl, and what shes been doing. I dont want anyone messing up my head right now. Im really focused on what I do. She dont have to worry about if I was out there fornicating with other broads. I dont have those problems. Im good. Thats why my rhymes are sharp as hell right now. I dont have no stresses.
Advice to Young Rappers Going Out On Tour for the First Time
Dont let it get to your head. Dont be having a whole bunch of women, because it spreads you thin. You wont be as sharp as you need to be. Just get you one girl, and just master your craft. Focus on your music. None of that other shit even even matters. Girls come and go. They fuck other niggas that come from the next town. They fuck the next nigga and the next nigga.
Just master your craft. This shit can go. You can be hot, and then two years later, they wont even know you. But I aint gonna say that about us. Weve been around since Biggie, Tupac, and all them, and seen the game flip over. Weve seen dudes come, and seen dudes go. And were still here. So get your wordplay up, keep dropping music, stay humble, and stay grounded, and youll be around for a long time.

subset: commoncrawl


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2x BMW MPower Decals (White) 15"
Product Details :2x BMW MPower Decals (White) 15" Size : 384mm x 55mm (15.13 inches x 2.17 inches)
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I just registered to the rally and would like to know if there is a forum. group or else than plan to ride from east to west for the Rally.
Ideally some or all of the ride in off-road would be ideal!
I will leave from Montreal and could join a group.
Have a good one.


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please inform us with the email firstname.lastname@example.com
or letter, we will immediately under the aircraft.
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People who Use Drugs Forum
The 9th ICAAP is hosting a pre congress forum for People who Use Drugs (PUD) on 8 August 2009 at Sanur Beach Hotel in Sanur, Bali. The PUD Forum is one of the eight pre-congress community forums hosted during the congress. With a main theme on "Reforming International Drug Policy into Human Rights Basis," the forum will discuss three key issues:
For pre congress shuttle schedule from 7-8 August 2009, download here!
For the congress shuttle schedule from 9 - 13 August 2009, download here!
For map of pick-up and drop-off points, download here!


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BT's Twitter competition plays cupid and encourages romantics to tweet their messages of love to the top of London's BT Tower.
But an ad for Ikea in Australia has become a social media hit, offering free cots to babies born nine months after Valentine's Day.
Supermarkets and retailers, including Tesco and John Lewis, have also taken the opportunity to promote flowers and gifts to last-minute shoppers.
Cadbury has a Promoted Trend on Twitter and other brands offering 140 character love notes include Citizen Watches, Royal Mail and Now TV.
— Cadbury Creme Egg (@CadburyUK) February 14, 2013
Tweet #HaveAFling and your best chat up lines for a chance to win a romantic portrait of you and your Creme Egg. twitter.com/CadburyUK/stat…


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Possible Manslaughter Charges for BP Managers
Bloomberg reports today that the Justice Department is exploring manslaughter charges against BP managers over the deaths of 11 workers on the Deepwater Horizon offshore oil rig last year. According to the report, invesitgators want "to determine whether [BP managers'] testimony was at odds with what they knew." In other words, they want to know if Tony Hayward and his pals were lying through their teeth to congress during testimony last summer.
[Image via Getty]


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Emily and Enron love each other and want to be together. But Enron is hiding a terrible secret – he is the son of Dracula.
And just as Enron wants to tell Emily,his mortal lover, the whole truth about himself, she is kidnapped. No one knows where she is.
Unravel a dreadful tale of love and deceit. Can a vampire overcome the horrors of his relations, turn everything around and gain the hand of his true love? Only you can free Dracula's son and his new-found lover, Emily, from the deadly wrath of evil.
- Pick your mode of play as Emily or Enron or even both
- Re-playable hidden scenes and mini-games
- Soundtracks, wallpapers, and concept art


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Bosch - Cordless tools
Cordless tools
Cordless tools with Bosch lithium-ion technology offer strong power and light weight. They serve you with unlimited freedom of movement and high performance in every voltage class. Thanks to the Flexible Power System you can mix and match any 12V battery and charger with any 12V tool.
12 Volt system
Small in size but powerful and with cordless flexibility.12 Volt system
36 Volt system
Highest power and cordless flexibility.36 Volt system
Batteries & chargers
Our batteries: impressing with their compact size, low weight, long battery runtime and robustness.Batteries & chargers
Cordless drills/drivers
Small in size. Great in power.Cordless drills/drivers
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The fast and handy professional tool for drywall construction.Cordless drywall screwdrivers
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For toughest screwdriving and drilling applications in wood and metal, and for impact drilling applications in masonry.Cordless impact drills
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Fast drilling rate even in the toughest concrete.Cordless rotary hammers
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Compact yet very powerful – the Bosch cordless impact driver/wrench is the best choice for users who need to drive big screws or tighten/loosen bolts with high speed.Cordless impact drivers/wrenches
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The cordless reciprocating saws from Bosch are truly multi-talented tools.Cordless reciprocating saws
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The cordless multi-cutter offers a wide range of applications due to its extensive accessories.Cordless multi-cutters
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As a sheet metal or universal shear, they guarantee optimum handling in every job due to their small grip circumference.Cordless shears
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The powerful cordless dust extractors from Bosch are excellent for vacuuming various materials.Cordless dust extractors
Measuring technology
Our innovations that open up a completely new range of applications for the building trade.Measuring technology


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Facing Charges for Simple Possession?
Our Drug Offense Law Firm Will Work Hard To Protect Your Legal Interests
At the Modesto law office of Arata Swingle & Van Egmond, we represent good people who have been wrongfully accused of a crime or who have made a mistake in judgment and need a second chance. Whether you are facing charges of simple possession or felony possession of a prescription drug, you can rely on our ability to get you through this difficult time. Exercise your rights to qualified defense now.
Call (209) 522-2211 or e-mail us. Our goal in all criminal matters and drug offense matters is to aggressively fight against serious negative consequences such as jail, fines, loss of your job and other substantial penalties. We our a skilled drug offense law firm with a former prosecutor on our team and a depth of experience stretching back to 1977. We know how to build strong defense strategies.
Drug Cases
Recent clients include:
- Young people, including juveniles accused of possession of a small amount of marijuana
- People unlawfully possessing a prescription drug such as Xanax
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- Doctors who prescribed painkillers unlawfully
- People who have more than the legal amount of medical marijuana in their possession accused of manufacturing, distribution and transportation
Help When You Need It Most
Our clients do not belong in jail. They need help. We seek to get them the help that they need. We review all aspects of your arrest, looking for mistakes:
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Skilled in Prop. 36 Matters
Many clients obtain substance abuse treatment rather than receiving a jail sentence. We are knowledgeable in Proposition 36, the Substance Abuse and Crime Prevention Act. Prop. 36 allows for first- or second-time offenders of simple possession to obtain treatment and get a second chance. To discuss your possession, trafficking or other drug offense concern with an experienced drug offense law firm, at (209) 522-2211.


text: Designed to last for generations, New York-based fine jewellery brand Anna Sheffield produces timeless pieces with modern details. Crafted with evident attention to detail, each meticulous creation is made with rare, precious and antique gemstones, as well as conflict-free diamonds. Earrings make up part of the collections with stud, drop, hoop and claw pairs taking centre stage. Adorned with pavéÌ stones and solitaires in a range of eye-catching hues, you'll find earrings for casual days and formal evenings.


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9 Nights | Asia
About Kagoshima, Japan
You will visit the following 5 places:
Fukuoka is the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture and is situated on the northern shore of the island of Kyūshū in Japan. Voted number 14 in 2010's poll of the World's Most Livable Cities, Fukuoka is praised for its green spaces in a metropolitan setting. It is the most populous city in Kyūshū, followed by Kitakyūshū. It is the largest city and metropolitan area west of Keihanshin. It's known for ancient temples, beaches and modern shopping malls, including Canal City. Maizuru Park contains ruins of 17th-century Fukuoka Castle.
Okinawa Prefecture
Kagoshima, a seaside city on Japan's Kyushu Island, is the capital of Kagoshima Prefecture. It has been nicknamed the "Naples of the Eastern world" for its bay location (Aira Caldera), hot climate and impressive stratovolcano, Sakurajima. It is a historical city watched over by the looming bulk of Sakurajima (桜島), an active volcano that regularly dumps ash over the city and erupts a bit every now and then to remind people it's still there. The home of near-mythical samurai hero Saigo Takamori, it's full of sites related to the Satsuma Rebellion.
Nagasaki Prefecture
Nagasaki Prefecture (長崎県 Nagasaki-ken) is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. The prefectural capital is Nagasaki City. Nagasaki has become synonymous with the atomic bomb that levelled the city in August 1945, but this fascinating city offers wonderful temples, great food, top museums and a fascinating, if at times tragic, history.


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- About Us
- Programs
- Membership
- Events
- News
- Resources
- Support Sustainable Works
The White House is expected to take new steps on Friday to help society adapt to global warming, an acknowledgment that worldwide efforts to control emissions will be inadequate to head off big climatic shifts.
White House aides said President Obama would sign an executive order on Friday morning directing federal agencies to make it easier for states and communities to build resilience against storms, droughts and other weather extremes. For instance, when federal money is being spent on projects like roads, bridges, flood control and many others, the plan would encourage greater attention to the likely climate conditions of the future, which might require making the structures stronger or larger.
"All of that is now going to be shaped by the awareness of climate change, and the things that can be done to make those investments produce a much more resilient society," said John P. Holdren, the president's science adviser.


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It is the intent of the Virginia Commonwealth University Athletics to maintain its position as one of the nation's premier collegiate athletics programs. Although on-the-field success is an important component of this goal , Virginia Commonwealth University's status as a premier collegiate athletics program depends on its ability to find continued success on the field while maintaining an environment that promotes the highest levels of intergrity. For this reason, the Virginia Commonwealth University Athletics Compliance Office is charged with the duty of maintaining institutional control over its athletics programs in order to ensure its athletics programs are opertaing in a manner that is consistent with NCAA, Atlantic 10, and Virginia Commonwealth University rules and regulations.
|Mailing Address
VCU Compliance Office
1300 West Broad St.
Richmond, Virginia 23284
Phone: 804-828-7618
Fax: 804-827-6215
- Provide instruction regarding NCAA and Atlantic 10 Conference rules and regulations to Virginia Commonwealth University coaches, administrators, student-athletes, prospective student-athletes, and boosters and to ensure these groups are aware of Virginia Commonwealth University's expectations in terms of remaining compliant with these various rules and regulations.
- Provide guidance to Virginia Commonwealth University coaches, administrators, student-athletes, prospective student athletes, and boosters by providing accurate interpretations of NCAA and Atlantic 10 Conference rules and assisting these groups in remaining compliant.
- Monitor activities such as recruiting, eligibility certification, financial aid, amateurism, benefits, playing and practice season limitations, etc. to ensure compliance with all relevant rules and regulations.
- Investigate and report any major or secondary NCAA or Atlantic 10 Conference rules violations in a timely manner.
Assistant A.D. for Compliance & Student Services
Director of Compliance
Theresa Barsanti
Compliance Coordinator
|Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
|Email: email@example.com
|Email: email@example.com
|Phone: 804-827-1003
|Phone: 804-828-7618
|Phone: 804-828-4819


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WindowSlider is a haxie that adds a sliding and fading effect when opening or closing any window of a cocoa application. It adds a nice touch to the "feel" of MacOS X and it's totally unobtrusive!Using this preference pane you can:
- Select which applications are going to be enhanced with Slider, or apply the haxie globally.
- Choose between an Up->Down or Left->Right sliding effect.
- Enable or disable the opening and closing animations independently.
- Adjust the effect duration and sliding width.
What's New in WindowSlider
- Universal binary
Requirements for WindowSliderMac OS X 10.4 or later
*Previously available here


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Federal judge throws out Haith petition over alleged checking account breach
MIAMI – A federal judge has denied a petition by Missouri basketball coach Frank Haith, who wanted to subpoena Bank of America employees to determine if his financial records were illegally accessed during the NCAA's investigation of Miami athletics.
Haith was Miami's basketball coach from 2004-2011.
U.S. District Judge Robin Rosenbaum says "no basis for holding a hearing exists" and ordered the case closed. Haith filed his petition Monday.
Haith's attorney, Michael Buckner, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The NCAA wanted to know if three checks Haith wrote to former assistants for $3,200 each were used to repay former booster Nevin Shapiro, who says he paid $10,000 to recruit former Miami player DeQuan Jones. Haith alleged an unauthorized person got access to those check records last October.


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Behind the scenes of The Cancer Genome Atlas: part 1
In this two-part series, we'll give you a look at some of the tools, teams, and resources built by Broad Institute scientists to support the large-scale cancer sequencing project known as The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA).
Two years ago, members of the TCGA team faced a daunting, yet exciting, challenge. The team, led in part by Broad Institute scientists, had recently completed the first project of the TCGA's pilot phase, in which they sequenced 600 genes in 200 samples of glioblastoma, a deadly brain cancer, and revealed new mutations and core pathways involved in the disease. While planning the project's second pilot phase, aimed at ovarian cancer, the team realized that simply scaling up that approach, even ten-fold, would fall short of the project's ambitious goals.
"TCGA had this mission to create the most comprehensive dataset of cancer samples, and it was recognized at that point that six hundred genes wasn't enough to really say we've sampled the genomic landscape of ovarian cancer," says Carrie Sougnez, project manager for cancer genome projects at the Broad and a coordinator of the TCGA. Fortunately, "next-generation" sequencing technology was advancing quickly and made it possible to rapidly and cheaply generate greater volumes of data. These new capabilities allowed the researchers to broaden their scope and sequence not just a few hundred genes, but thousands of genes or even all the protein-coding segments of the ovarian cancer genome, known as the exome, in hundreds of tumor samples.
The opportunity to study the entire exome in so many cancer samples was unprecedented and presented the team with plenty of challenges, from laboratory techniques to analytical methods. "It was one of my favorite projects I've worked on," Carrie says. "We didn't know how to do something, and it was a high priority to make it work while at the same time processing real samples. We were very invested in it, with a lot of resources and a lot of smart people working on it."
To get exome sequencing off the ground, scientists at the Broad assembled an interdisciplinary "exome taskforce" of experts in analysis, informatics, sequencing technology, and molecular biology. The taskforce met every two weeks to review recent data and improve the technique.
To sequence only the exome of a genome, scientists must first capture the exons with a technique called hybrid selection. Initially, the Broad Illumina sequencing team, led by Sheila Fisher, assistant director of Illumina technology development for the institute's Genome Sequencing Platform, was tasked with scaling up the approach and making exome sequencing a robust and reliable production activity. "The process is complicated and involved and at the time no other center was trying to do this at the same scale we were. Initially the technology was inefficient at targeting the genes and we got too much of the 'background' genome we didn't want," says Carrie, "but the exome taskforce and the lab teams backing it up got that under control by carefully reviewing the ongoing development exome data and together deciding what process improvements might help."
The team also made measurements that helped them assess and improve quality in the samples or the methods – even the temperature of water baths in the laboratory influenced the sequencing efficiency. "That was really a testament to the troubleshooting ability of [Sheila's sequencing team] to figure that out," says Carrie. "It's much more robust now – thousands of samples have been and are continuing to be processed with amazingly consistent results."
Project managers Lauren Ambrogio and Sara Chauvin coordinated the moving of samples from the Biological Samples Platform to the sequencing platform and ensured that the samples were properly sequenced. During the ovarian cancer project, software engineer Tim Fennell developed the Picard pipeline, a software tool that helps align reads from the sequencing machines to the reference genome and turn them into standard files that can be shared with the TCGA community, a network of one program office and 19 research centers including the Broad. Carrie says Tim's work was extremely valuable, in part, because it included several quality checks that helped the team identify and address problems in the data.
The Broad also contributed data on copy number changes and expression levels in the cancer samples, an effort led by Rob Onofrio, a project manager in the Broad's Genetic Analysis Platform.
The ovarian cancer project was one of the Broad's first large-scale next-generation sequencing efforts in cancer. Analyzing this new resource of data became a huge task for the Broad's computational biologists, led by Gaddy Getz, director of Cancer Genome Computational Analysis. To identify mutations in the sequencing data, computational scientists developed new analytical tools including MuTect, which identifies somatic mutations, written by Kris Cibulskis; MutSig, a tool written by Mike Lawrence that identifies significantly mutated genes; dRanger, a rearrangement detector, also written by Mike; and Indelocator, a tool that looks for somatic insertions or deletions, written by Andrey Sivachenko.
Tomorrow we'll give you part two of this series: an inside look at the analysis management system, Firehose, built by Broad scientists to handle the flood of data and analytical code from the TCGA.
Other members of the Broad community contributing to the work include Julie Ann, Kristin Ardlie, Will Armstead, Jennifer Baldwin, Toby Bloom, Peter Carr, Scott Carter, Andrew Cherniack, Lynda Chin, Cassandra Crawford, Andrew Crenshaw, Daniel DiCara, Sheli Dookran, Nils Gehlenborg, Stephanie Grandbois, Supriya Gupta, D. Hubbard, Marcin Imielinski, Rui Jing, Sharon Kim, Zach Leber, Semin Lee, Pei Lin, Spring Liu, Yingchun Liu, Susan McDonough, Aaron McKenna, Craig Mermel, Jill Mesirov, Paula Morais, Marc-Danie Nazaire, Huy Nguyen, Michael Noble, Nathaniel Novod, Peter Park, Richard Park, Mark Puppo, Alexis Ramos, Michael Reich, Jim Robinson, Keenan Ross, Gordon Saksena, Erica Shefler, Sachet Shukla, Raktim Sinha, Peter Stojanov, Alvin Tam, Kristin Thompson, Helga Thorvaldsdottir, Roel Verhaak, Douglas Voet, Cherelle Walls, John Walsh, Jane Wilkinson, Wendy Winckler, CJ Wu, Terrance Wu, YongHong Xiao, Hailei Zhang, Jianhua Zhang, Juinhua Zhang, Lihua Zhou, Andrew Zimmer, and Robert Zupko. In addition to the Cancer Program, members of the Biological Samples Platform, Genome Sequencing Platform, and Genetic Analysis Platform contributed greatly to the success of this work.
Read more about the discoveries made in the TCGA's pilot project on ovarian cancer.


text: After reading the mattycollector description for Bow, in which they mention that he is the lone male character to be released in the MOTUC, I got bummed because I am still hoping for a new conceptualized heroic warrior or prince named Josh. Since the character already exists in the available cannon, why can't they do something cool with him? POP needs another Etherian man!


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wu-tang clan
Exclusive News From The RZA
- 2005-09-03 16:14:28
© The Wu-Tang Corp.
- 2005-09-03
First of all, on behalf of all the fans and Wu-Tang Corp, we would like to congratulate The RZA on his new born baby son who was brought into the world at 8.3 pounds yesterday.
RZA, who has been living in LA for a while since he departed New York last year, has been busy in the studio working on various Wu-Tang projects.
First of all, there's good news about Cuban Linx [Part II]. While various producers, including Dr.Dre and Nottz have laced Raekwon with beats for the highly anticipated album, it is The RZA who will now be responsible for 90% of the production. Other good news is that all of the Wu-Tang Clan members have returned to their infamous Wu-Gambinos characters for the album including GZA/Genius as Maximillion who has been recording many songs with Raekwon lately. Busta Rhymes is still involved as an executive producer.
Another special appearance on Cuban Linx [Part II] comes from Red Hot Chilli Pepper guitarist John Frusciante who has been camping in RZA's studio for a few days. RZA and John reportedly recorded five beats together but where they will end up remains uncertain. Daron Malakian, guitarist of System Of A Down has also been in RZA's studio for a few days recording up to 10 songs with RZA.
Method Man is back in the lab writing after recording 8 tracks with RZA. There's no word on his release yet. On a brighter side, Inspectah Deck has been in LA recording with RZA after a 3 year break from working with eachother. Masta Killa is finishing up his second album with at least 5 beats produced by Bronze Nazareth.
On the movie side of things we can report that RZA will defenitly start shooting his movie 'The Man With The Iron Fist' in October. The movie will be a tribute to the old school Shaw Brothers movies that inspired the Wu-Tang Clan in their early days. One of the 'Five Deadly Venoms' actors is scheduled to make an appearance in the movie. More information is to follow...
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RZA announces new album 'Wu-Tang: The Saga Continues'
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Boombotix Speaker Comes With Unreleased ODB Track
GZA Earns The 1st Platinum Album For The Clan In 20 Years
Proof, that the Wu-Tang Clan ain't nothing to mess with
Unpublished 'Ya'll be warned' video unearthed after 13 years
Wu-Tang Brand Unveils Winter 'Iron Flag' Collection
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|Biosequences .. Software .. Molbio soft .. Network News .. FTP
Rimantas has suggested that there may be actual data relevant to "finger RNAses". Can anyone point out any such references? Apparently, my own assay, which consited of tipping a microcentrifuge tube against my finger tip and shaking it -removing 10ul to a tube containing 2 ug of RNA markers and incubating 30 min at 37C (which was negative for me and a collegue) may not have been sensitive enough to detect the proposed low levesl of RNAse acrtivity. Any one else care to try? Rimanats suggest putting 20ul water on a fingertip directly and testing that for RNAse action on an RNA standard. (I'll do it shortly too). Jim J. Graham PhD Biology Department Washington University of St. Louis