text:
By now the masses have virtually abandoned economists. Few any longer believe that practitioners of the dismal science, even equipped with today's advanced mathematical models and powerful computers, can calculate the prospects for unemployment or inflation #this year, let alone next. Economists have fallen in public estimation to the level of weather forecasters - both have been wrong just once too often.
If economists show little skill predicting events 12 months out, their luck in predicting long-term prospects - over decades, even centuries - hasn't fared much better. During the early 1800s, stockbroker-turned-economist David Ricardo propounded the dark view that scarce land and diminishing returns would inevitably undermine the future. More than a century later, John Maynard Keynes continued the doomsday march with his 1930 essay "Economic Possibilities for Our Grandchildren," which set out the thesis that wealth creation was bound to taper off. Market economies, thought Keynes, had seen their best days. The great man of 20th-century economics predicted that capitalism would slowly disappear, to be replaced by community and egalitarianism.
Tell that to Bill Gates.
But after a legacy of failure, an explanation of why economies expand and a set of coherent policies to promote growth may be at hand. And for that, the economics world can thank a rather unlikely hero, Paul Romer. The lively, bespectacled economist from the University of California at Berkeley is almost completely unknown outside the academic community. You won't find the 40-year-old self-proclaimed Deadhead sounding off about economic prospects on Sunday-morning news shows, or advising politicians - except his father, Roy, the Democratic governor of Colorado. Instead, the man superstar economist Paul Krugman says "busted the study of economic growth wide open" labors in near obscurity, shuttling between his office at Cal and another at Stanford's Hoover Institution.
There's an obvious explanation for Romer's lack of exposure: his work is highly theoretical, and his papers are peppered with dense algebraic equations and arguments that turn on something called the mathematics of convex sets. None of this detracts from the power of his central claim - that new ideas, embedded in technological change, drive economic growth and allow us to escape the gaunt future economists have so often imagined.
Call Romer an economist for the technological age. The world, in Romer's view, isn't defined by scarcity and limits on growth. Instead, it's a playground of nearly unbounded opportunity, where new ideas beget new products, new markets, and new possibilities to create wealth. "Old growth theory says we have to decide how to allocate scarce resources among alternative uses," says Romer. "New growth theory says, 'Bullshit!' We're in this world, it's got some objects, sure, but it's got these ideas, too, and all that stuff about scarcity and price systems is just wrong.'"
Romer burst onto the economics scene in 1986, with the first in a series of path-finding papers that revived the study of economic growth, which had been moribund for a generation. "Paul single-handedly turned it into a hot subject," says MIT economist and Nobel laureate Robert Solow. During the 1950s, economists, led by Solow, had fashioned some bare-bones models and concluded that technological change accounted for about 80 percent of economic growth. But they failed to specify what technology meant, and the model they devised gave no hint of how to figure it out or encourage its development.
This wasn't necessarily the result of stupidity. Economists in the postwar years "were mainly concerned about preventing another depression. That was on everyone's mind," says University of Chicago economist Robert Lucas, one of Romer's mentors. Economists pretty much aimed to prevent inflation and unemployment from running amok. But as the Great Depression receded into memory, economics students began to seek other challenges. And Romer, who studied physics in college but passed up law school to tackle economics, became captivated by the question of what drives economic growth.
It was a fertile field. For generations, mainstream economists had expected growth in the industrialized countries to taper off. Expecting diminishing returns - the idea that the punch provided by adding yet another farm, factory, or worker declines over time - economists, like cultists awaiting the apocalypse, had long looked to the day growth would end. But decade after decade, the economy defied their expectations. And by the time Romer arrived on the scene, new economies to the East, led by Japan, were exploding forth. Says Romer: "I looked at the problem and said, 'This theory doesn't have any clothes on,' and proceeded to start work on it."
Romer's central contribution is the construction of a model that lays bare the crucial role ideas play in driving growth. Like most economists, Romer begins his project by splitting the world into two parts - physical objects and ideas. (Traditional economists divide the world into wants and physical objects, such as corn or automobiles. And because physical objects are subject to scarcity, economists conclude that the only real decision left for people is how to allocate scarce resources to maximize wealth.) To Romer, objects include everything around us, from huge steel mills to carbon and oxygen atoms. Taken as they are, objects are scarce and subject to the law of diminishing returns. Alone, they cannot drive economic growth. But ideas can. Human beings, Romer says, possess a nearly infinite capacity to reconfigure physical objects by creating new recipes for their use. By coming up with new ideas on how to increase, say, the power of a microprocessor, humans can boost productivity, spawn new opportunities for profit, and ultimately drive economic growth.
And the great thing about ideas, says Romer, is that they are nearly limitless. "On the ideas side you have combinatorial explosion," he says. "There's essentially no scarcity to deal with." Take, for instance, all the possible bitstreams you can turn into a CD-ROM. The number, he notes, comes to something in the range of 10 to the power of 1 billion, virtually ensuring that we'll never run out of software to discover. "There isn't enough mass in the universe to make that number of CDs," he says. Romer argues that because the number of ways to rearrange an object and to create something of greater value is so vast, the prospects for economic growth are far greater than economists would normally have us believe.
His favorite illustration of what is possible is a brainteaser. Using chemical reactions, he observes, we can reorder carbon and hydrogen into structures like new polymers and proteins. To see how far this process can go, he asks us to imagine the chemical refinery of the future. It would be small and mobile enough to search out its own inputs, capable of maintaining a constant temperature, self-healing, and able to replace itself - and do all this without human intervention. But, Romer notes, this refinery already exists - the milk cow. His point? If hundreds of millions of years of evolution can produce the cow, there must be a huge number of recipes for combining atoms that we haven't even discovered. Indeed, he points out, scientists are already changing the DNA of cattle, attempting to produce cows that secrete lactoserrin (a protein in breast milk that helps to protect babies against infection) into their milk.
Despite the bovine metaphor, Romer draws most of his examples from the world of emerging technologies. It's not just that his hobbies include devouring books about biology (his current favorite is Darwin's Dangerous Idea by Daniel Dennett) and tinkering with a three-computer network - complete with coaxial cable - he installed at home. It's that biotechnology and computers point to one of his central lessons: human's constantly underestimate how many ideas remain to be discovered.
But more important for the economic world, Romer says, new technologies like biotech help demolish the old specter of diminishing returns, which led economic thinkers such as Ricardo and Keynes to suppose that growth had its limits. Instead, these new technologies create increasing returns, because new knowledge, which begets new products, is generated through research. There's a second benefit from increasing returns - falling costs. With a technology product, say, a new program like Windows NT, it becomes cheaper and cheaper to produce each new unit. Factoring in research costs, the first copy of Windows NT may have run Microsoft US$150 million. But each copy produced after that was essentially free.
Early software pirates understood this property of software intuitively when they passed copies of WordPerfect or Lotus among friends. The reasoning was, why pay for something when it cost the company barely anything to produce? Here's where Romer ultimately runs afoul of classical theory. Old-school economics assumes that companies charge for a product exactly what it cost to manufacture or harvest the last unit. If that were the case, software firms would hand out their goods on every street corner.
But when industries have huge research costs and low production costs, they tend to evolve toward what economists call a monopoly - a situation where companies charge more for their goods than what it cost to produce the last unit. "If you forced anyone in the world of ideas to sell their product at the cost of producing the last unit, they'd go bankrupt," says Romer. His appreciation of the role monopolies plays in the economy lands Romer in the neo-Schumpeterian camp - named after Joseph Schumpeter, who almost 50 years ago recognized the importance of monopolies in capitalist societies.
Problem is, a monopoly isn't supposed to happen according to classical economics. In Ricardo's insular world, competition is perfect: many small firms compete against each other, but none is able to set prices; the cost of entry into the market is nil; and prices reflect the cost of production. But the economics of high technology shatter this convenient scheme. Because the cost of research is so steep, the price of market entry is often enormously high. As a result, big firms often slug it out, and by simultaneously trying to fund new discoveries while paying for old ones, they charge far more than the cost of production. The economics of monopolistic competition, as it has been branded, is the economics of the technology age.
But there's a big conundrum for monopolies and monopolistic societies. What price is the right price to charge for a new idea, for a new software tool? The classical notion of price-setting worked well. More often than not, demand equaled supply; and competition kept suppliers from charging more than consumers would pay. This classical understanding of pricing provided the ideological cover for market economies to flourish. For more than 200 years, laissez-faire economists have admonished kings and presidents - often bent on controlling the economy's mood swings - to simply set property rights and let the market determine prices. In effect, capitalism will take care of itself. But everyone assumed that monopolies would rarely arise. And if they did, most agreed, the government should step in. So now what?
If our goal is simply to encourage the production of new bitstreams, Romer says, prices must be set very high. But, he asks, what's the right price to make sure a new bitstream is used efficiently? "You can't overuse an idea. Anybody in the world who can benefit should be free to use it," he says. "So the right price is zero." To promote eco-nomic growth, policymakers want to encourage the development and diffusion of new ideas - what economists call "nonrival goods." They're nonrival because they can be used by everyone at the same time. Software is a nonrival good because it can be copied endlessly - at essentially no cost - and be used by many people at once. So there's a deep economic problem to solve - setting a high price to encourage research but a low price to encourage use.
"The economic problem," Romer says, "is really about configuring all our institutions so that we search efficiently through this space of possible ideas, finding better and better ones." Here Romer's technological economics turns into a set of policies for the technological age. He believes that companies must derive some monopoly profits for taking the risk to develop new ideas. In fact, without the incentive of capturing such profits, he concludes, companies would not engage in research. But Romer also supports government funding for basic research and advocates revamping patent and copyright laws to limit the control companies can exe#rt over new technologies. The balance, he hopes, will provide enough incentive for companies to pursue new technologies and, at the same time, allow other individuals and companies access to the ideas that flow from research.
Romer aligns himself with Clinton administration antitrust advocates who have sought to limit the scope of some patents on the grounds that they impede innovation. He buys Borland International Inc.'s argument, for instance, that Lotus's copyright on menu commands was too broad, preventing rivals from inventing Lotus-compatible programs (see Updata, page 92). But he isn't so sure that Microsoft should be hammered by trust busters yet. "The crucial question with Microsoft," he adds, "is whether it has reached the point of stifling creativity and slowing the discovery of new ideas. I don't think that has been demonstrated yet."
More important, though, Romer warns that governments must pursue intelligent technology policies. Given his doctorate from the University of Chicago, home to Milton Friedman and free market economics, it's no surprise Romer's still a free-marketer. He opposes the kinds of handouts to industry the federal government's Advanced Technology Program has spearheaded. "You don't want pork barrel programs to get in the way of effective economic outcomes," he warns. At the same time, he believes it's vital that government supports basic research, the birthplace of ideas.
Romer suggests concentrating funds on universities, both to stimulate basic research and to create cadres of highly educated people who will fan out into the economy and generate new technologies. He is particularly disposed to the idea of bankrolling graduate students with free-floating fellowships - rather than research assistant positions - that would allow them to follow market signals and study areas where demand for their skills set is likely to be greatest. With such fellowships in place, Romer argues, we could avoid problems such as the current glut of physicists. (Federal funding has poured into physics departments to attract students, but there are precious few jobs for physicists once they graduate.) Far better, Romer says, to let students backed by fellowships choose to study something like electronic engineering, where industry demand is high.
While Romer's recommendations about technology policy remain open to stiff debate, his ideas about how economies grow have been so powerfully argued that there are few detractors. These days, the arguments are on the margins. Some economists, for instance, dispute the importance of Romer's thesis when it comes to developing countries. They hold that if poorer nations such as India manage to educate their populations and accumulate more capital, then growth will automatically follow.
Not so, Romer argues. To develop successfully, countries must be open to new ideas and capture the benefits of the latest technologies. The only logical path, he suggests, is to embrace free trade and encourage investment by large corporations. These companies will th#en bring the necessary knowledge of industrial organization, international markets, and product differentiation to allow developing nations to become truly global players. Romer's theory hints at an unexpected benefit of free trade: access to new ideas.
However this argument shakes out, Romer's place in economic thought is secure. Some even say a Nobel Prize is within reach. "He must be on many people's short list," says Solow. Romer, meanwhile, would rather that people measure his work this way: "I hope my contribution is to change the world a little bit," he says. "To help people understand the way it works." What attracted him to physics - that search for "small-t truth," as he puts it - motivates his ongoing work in economics. "There is a real world out there, and I want to get the right answers."
Equally, Romer wants the world to know that economics isn't necessarily a dismal science. Despite all the discouraging facts economists routinely dredge up, he wants people to realize "there's a little corner of economics where a sense of wonder about what is possible still exists." And the man sitting in that corner is Paul Romer.


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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Dallas Wayne hopes you are his biggest fan
By Dan MacIntosh, May 2005
Unfortunately (or perhaps, fortunately), Wayne's slender fame quotient doesn't require him to deal with such awkward encounters personally.
Nevertheless, unlike the Ashlee Simpsons and Paris Hiltons of this planet, Wayne is a natural born musical talent, which in a just world would make him enormously famous. Equipped with songwriting skills inspired by masters like Harlan Howard and a big and bold country voice, Wayne's world is the real deal, country music-wise.
And since he isn't exactly the pop culture flavor of the week, with the benefit of multiple producers and handlers at his disposal, he must consistently put a blue-collar work effort into each and every musical project.
It might then be assumed that Wayne is one of those self-reliant kinds of guys.
"Nah, not really," he admits. "It was just a matter of economics. I played very little electric guitar on there. Most of it was done by Donny Thompson of The Skeletons. But as a producer, I'm a pretty hands-on guy, and I've got all the arrangements and stuff in my head, so it's usually easier to do as much of it as possible. And Lou Whitney is a wonderful bass player and played quite a bit on the 'Big Thinkin'' record. But I wanted Lou behind the board, just mainly for expedience, just to get it done quickly."
It's obvious, after even a cursory listen to Wayne's recordings, that this man deeply loves his country music. Not surprisingly, the guy is none too thrilled with today's country music, however.
"The direction of country music in the last five or six years, probably, has really kind of...disappointed me, I guess is the best word for it," says the Springfield, Mo. native. "But if you look back through the history in country music, you'll find that it has always gone through cycles. The stuff that I'm writing and playing now sounds like stuff that I probably - looking back - might not have been too keen on 15, 20 years ago."
"At the time, I might have said, 'I prefer a little more roots-oriented things.' So the cycles are always there. Robbie Fulks and I were talking the other day - we did some gigs together. We were laughing about how songs that we heard back in the mid to late Eighties, how they sounded just a little too pop at that point. But listening to them now, they sound great. He brought up 'Lonely Women Make Good Lovers,' the old Bob Luman song that Steve Wariner had covered back in the late Eighties. And 'Pure Love' by Ronnie Milsap. Things like these songs just sounded a little too saccharine for me."
" But you listen to it now, and it's like, boy, those were good records! They were written the way a good country song should be written."
Just as time heals all wounds, one supposes that accumulated years can also heal perceptions (especially misperceptions) of songs.
"Everything falls victim to the 'flavor of the month' production values," Wayne explains. "There were DX7s, the Yamaha string/synth keyboard that was so prevalent, say, back in the late-Eighties. Because it was a new instrument, and it did a lot of things that were neat. But it wasn't hardcore enough. But before that, it was things like the Wurlitzer piano."
"Back in the Sixties, they brought in that Wurlitzer and it was, like, man, I could imagine traditionalists saying, 'That thing doesn't have any part at all in country music!' But if you listen to it today, it's like that was perfect for that tune. I think it's because we're all a product of what we grow up with, as well as what comes into vogue and is hot. I just hope that Syndrums don't come back any time soon," he concludes, only half-joking.
Even particular production values, which are judged as blasphemous upon first introduction, can eventually become like articles of the faith over time.
For instance, when strings were first used to supplement George Jones/Tammy Wynette records, as well as seminal Glen Campbell projects in the Seventies, this foreign element was scornfully viewed as nothing less than sinful sweetening.
But these days, modern outfits like Hem are calling those distinctive Campbell hits, for instance, some of their primary artistic inspirations.
"With some artists in some areas of the country, that's like the new oldies," Wayne muses. "It's like the new roots music. Where 10 years ago, people were digging into the Forties and Fifties, then it became the Fifties and Sixties, and it's become the Seventies and Eighties now. Everybody's looking for something that'll make them feel centered to what they used to listen to. In a lot of cases, if it's younger artists, it's something that their parents listened to, and they heard it at that time."
Wayne is a wonderful singer, as well as a multifaceted artist that has also dabbled in acting now and again. But songwriting will always be his primary vocation. And writing is a skill he is constantly learning and improving upon.
©Country Standard Time • Jeffrey B. Remz, editor & publisher • email@example.com
About • Copyright • Newsletter • Our sister publication Standard Time


text: I just got off the phone with the Eastern Reps of G Loomis. They have confirmed that G Loomis will be present and accounted for at Spey Nation V on July 14, 2012. They also hinted at new product and that there may be something with that famous fish logo on the raffle table. Can't wait to see what they have in store for us!


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Postgraduate study at Portsmouth - committed to transforming your future
We are one of the top ten modern universities in the UK, according to The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2015. You'll join a postgraduate community of over 3,000 UK, EU and international students, have access to outstanding facilities and learn with the best.
Industry relevant degrees are central to our curriculum with a significant number of our Master's courses accredited or validated by professional organisations. Most of our Master's courses and research programmes are available both full and part-time to provide flexible delivery to meet the demands of busy lifestyles.
Our aim is to provide you with the knowledge and skills essential for the global workplace.
Highlights include:
• The prestigious University Library, including a dedicated postgraduate study area, to facilitate your studies and research, open 8am until midnight every day during term time.
• The Graduate School – a first port of call for all postgraduate research students and supervisors.
• Dedicated in-house careers and recruitment teams ready to advise you on career planning, as well as offer guidance online.
• Partnerships with local, national and international organisations.
We offer superb facilities in a vibrant waterfront location – a university by the sea but in the heart of one of Britain's most historic cities.
Student satisfaction
We value our reputation for teaching and support. In the last Higher Education Academy Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey, an average of 90 per cent of respondents said that their course at the University of Portsmouth had met or exceeded expectations. An average of 91 per cent of respondents reported that the learning resources on their course had met or exceeded expectations and an average of 78 per cent believed their Master's course had improved their employment prospects.
Our support services provide advice and guidance to all students for the duration of their time at University. They include the Academic Skills Unit (ASK), English for Academic Purposes (EAP), Additional Support and Disability Advice Centre (ASDAC) and our Counselling and Chaplaincy service.
Our active Students' Union and Sport and Recreation Department offer membership to sports societies and interest clubs, as well as three sports centres, housing two sports halls, squash courts, two dance/martial arts studios, a synthetic turf pitch, netball courts and grass pitches for football, rugby and lacrosse. We have a 100-station gym with a CV room, resistance zone and free weights room.
Our International Office takes great care to help you settle into your new way of life within the University and the local community. International Office staff travel extensively overseas and would be delighted to meet you and answer your questions. Once you arrive in Portsmouth, they provide extensive support to make your time here as stress free and enjoyable as possible, enabling you to focus on your studies.
The University has ten halls of residence to choose from and most are within walking distance of the University's teaching buildings. Most rooms are en-suite. As well as being a wireless campus, all rooms have free broadband internet, internet telephony and digital television services, including international channels at no additional charge. Accommodation for postgraduate students and female only flats is also available.
All international (non-EU) students are guaranteed a room in University accommodation for the first year of study, provided they return the accommodation booking form and pay an advance rent deposit by the deadline.
Postgraduate research opportunities
Research degree programmes provide opportunities to undertake extensive and original research into a specific chosen field. We have a thriving research community of more than 800 research students across five faculties who are supported by over 500 highly trained research supervisors.
In the most recent Research Excellence Framework in 2014, over 60 per cent of research submitted by the University was rated as world leading and internationally excellent. Our Graduate School provides excellent support and guidance for the university-wide community of research students. Our comprehensive research degree training and development programme offers over 150 workshops on a wide range of topics to help you develop your research, professional and transferable skills.
We have a wide selection of research degrees including:
• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
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Our research areas are varied, please visit our prospective student pages for full details.
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If you opt to pay your tuition fees direct to the University and pay in full before registration, a two per cent discount applies. Alternatively, the University offers the flexibility of paying your fees in five monthly instalments.
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For those interested in our science and engineering courses the Lloyd's Register Foundation (LRF) is delighted to offer three full fee competition-funded scholarships for eligible Master's courses starting in September 2016.
Please see our website for the full details of the eligible courses and qualifying criteria.
Business Scholarships for Master's courses
For those interested in business courses, Portsmouth Business School offers a number of scholarships providing an additional 40 per cent discount off tuition fees to self-funding home and EU Master's students. Additional scholarships are also available for MBA programmes.
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Self-funding applicants for full or part-time postgraduate taught or research degrees, who have obtained a University of Portsmouth degree, qualify for a 20 per cent Alumni Scholarship. Conditions apply.
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Funding for research degrees
Visit our website to find out about current funded research opportunities at the University, including postgraduate research scholarships and studentships as well as external funding sources.
Portsmouth is a lively and cosmopolitan city on the south coast of England and it enjoys some of the best weather in the UK. It is an interesting and attractive place where the historic sits comfortably with the modern. The city is compact - everything you could possibly need is within easy reach.
Just 90 minutes by direct train from the centre of London, Portsmouth is also within easy reach of Heathrow, Gatwick and Southampton airports. As a busy ferry port, it is a gateway to the continent with regular sailings to France and Spain.
Visit us
Postgraduate Information Days are held twice a year and give you the opportunity to visit the University, meet with subject tutors and obtain the detailed information you need to consider when studying at postgraduate level with us.
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Book your place from January 2016 onwards.
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For those interested in Business courses, I addition to the Postgraduate Information Days, our Portsmouth Business School Postgraduate and Part-time Open Evenings are held regularly.
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U.K residents are invited to request a printed or electronic (pdf) version of the prospectus for your chosen area of study. Prospective students outside of the U.K can request an electronic (pdf) version of their chosen prospectus which will be available for immediate download.
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text:
Plagues have been important – and often deadly – aspect of long distance trade and travel for millennia. As we enter into the 21st century plague that is now gripping West Africa, what can be learned from reports of 'the plague' in these past times?
To address this question I am extracting relevant portions of a manuscript on 'the plague' as experienced in 1799 in northwest Africa. The manuscript is by James G. Jackson, whom we have met before.
I will be posting Part II of this blog tomorrow, and addressing several key issues thereafter.
That ravaged Barbary in 1799;
EPIDEMY [sic].
When the Emperor's army proceeded from Fas [Fez] to Marocco [Morocco] in the summer of 1799, a detachment of which passed by Mogodor [Mogador/Essaouira]*, consisting of 20,000 horse and 10,000 foot, it had the plague with it; so that, wherever it passed, the plague uniformly appeared three days after its arrival at the respective douars near which it encamped; those who died were buried in the tents, and the people of the provinces knew little about it.
* Mogodor/Mogador/Essaouira – the city in which the author was residing; an important caravan depot as well as a harbour linked to international trade, see below two pictures:
A large akkaba*, consisting of upwards of 1700 camels, arrived 23d August, 1799, at Akka from Timbuctoo, laden with gumsudan, ostrichfeathers, and gold dust, which had brought also many slaves; this akkaba had deposited its merchandize at Akka** , till the plague should disappear and the country become healthy; as the people of that territory, unlike Muhamedans in general, will hold no communication with the infected, nor will they admit any one from these parts.
* An akkaba is an accumulated caravan as pictured below; merchants and others wishing to travel in the same direction could join or disband from an akkaba:
** Akka in southern Morocco was an important stop-over for caravans travelling through the long north-south caravan routes :
A violent fever now rages at Fas [Fez]: some assert it to be the plague, but that is [a] Moorish report, and little to be depended on; the European consuls at Tangier [northern Morocco], and the Spanish ambassador, who, having terminated his embassy, has lately left Mequinas, mention it as an epidemical disorder.
May 20. The smallpox rages violently throughout this country, and is of a most virulent kind: its origin is ascribed to the famine that has of late pervaded this country, and which was produced by the incredible devastation of the devouring locusts; the dregs of olives, after the oil had been extracted, has been the only food that could be procured by many thousands.
July 25. We are so much engaged in making arrangements against the epidemy [sic], which is now confidently reported to us to be the plague, of a most deadly species, that we have only time to refer you to the captain of the Aurora, to whom we have communicated every particular, and who is extremely anxious to be off for England. The deaths in this town, which contained a population of 10,000, according to the imperial register, are from forty to fifty each day.
Aug. 1. As the plague now rages violently here, no one thinks of business or the affairs of this world; but each individual anticipates that he will be next called away. I send the inclosed, to be forwarded to Mr. Andrea de Christo, at Amsterdam, to announce to him the sudden death of his partner, Mr. J. Pacifico, who is lately dead of the plague. I paid him a visit a few hours before his death;
I met there Don Pedro de Victoria, who was smoking a segar [cigar]; he offered me one, and urged me to smoke it. I believe that the smoke of tobacco is antipestilential; this, added to the precaution of avoiding contact, and inhalation of the breath of the person infected, appears to be quite sufficient to secure a person from infection.
August 23. The best gum is selling at Akka for six dollars a quintal*: they will not bring
it here, fearing the infection. … The plague is rapidly diminishing from 100 deaths to 20 or 30 per day. Meeman Corcoes is dead, as well as most of the principal tradesmen of Marocco and Fas; whole families have been swept off, and there is none left to inherit their property.
Immense droves of horses, mules, and cattle of every description stray in the plains without owners. September 5.
* The quintal or centner, from Latin centenarius ("hundredlike"), is a historical unit of mass in many countries, which is usually defined as 100 base units of either pounds or kilograms.
The plague continues to decrease; and in another month we expect to be quite free from it. Signor Conton died this morning of the epidemy; yesterday afternoon he was apparently quite well, and paid me a visit. He wished me to shake hands with him, which I declined, alleging as an excuse, that I would dispense with that custom till the plague should pass over. He drank a glass of wine, and appeared cheerful and in good health.
I have had fixed in my dining room, a table that extends from one end to the other. I walk or sit on one side of the table, my visitors on the other. I am only cautious to avoid personal contact. All the houses of the other merchants are closely barricaded or bolted. A fumigating pot of gum sandrac* stands at the entrance of my house, continually burning, which diffuses an agreeable perfume, but is not, as I apprehend, an antidote to the epidemy.
* Gum sandrac – Although it is not very strongly aromatic, sandarac resin was and is also used as an incense. The aroma has been compared to balsam.
October 1. We have to apprise you of the decease of L'Hage Abdallah El Hareishy, most of whose relations are dead. His brother is the only one of the family besides himself that remains: he has inherited considerable property, and thence will be enabled to pay your bill on him in our favour.
October 29. The plague appears to have ceased in this town. All the merchants have opened their houses; but the disorder continues in the provinces, from whence there is little or no communication with the town. The kabyls seem to be wholly engaged in burying their dead, in arranging the affairs of their respective families, in dividing the property inherited by them, and in administering consolation to the sick.
Nov. 11. The plague having committed incalculable ravages throughout this country, had put a stop to all commerce, which now begins to revive, in proportion as that calamity subsides. Linens are selling to great advantage, a cargo would now render 60 per cent. profit, clear of all charges.
Nov. 29. The deadly epidemy that has lately visited us, and which at one period carried off above 100 each day, has now confined its daily mortality to two or three; some days none. When, however, the Arabs of Shedma, and the Shelluhs of Haha come to town, and bring the clothes of their deceased relations for sale, the epidemy increases to three, four, and five a day; then, in three or four days, it declines again to its former number, one, two, or three. We have reason to expect, that, before the vessels which we expect from London shall arrive, the plague will have subsided entirely
Letter from His Excellency James M. Matra to Mr. Jackson
Gibraltar, 28th Oct. 1799.
I never could understand the drift of the people either at Tangier or Mogodor, in asserting that my report of the plague was political.
God knows, that our politics in Barbary are never remarkable for refinement: they are, if any thing, rather too much in the John Bull style; and the finesse they gave me such credit for, was absolutely beyond my comprehension, as I never could discover what advantage a genuine well-established plague in Barbary could be to our country.
Of its existence I had not the shadow of doubt, for more than eight months before it was talked of; and when Doctor Bell was going that way, I begged of him to be particular in his enquiries, which he, as usual, neglected.
When John Salmon* was up, he was very particular, and I of course was laughed at. Here I saw politics, and told all the gentlemen, that when Salmon** arrived at Tariffa, then, and not till then, we should have the plague in Barbary; and just so it turned out.
*John Salmon was Spanish envoy to the emperor of Marocco, and was at this time up at Fas, i.e. on his embassy.
** Arrived at Tariffa, and so secured his admission into Spain on his return from his embassy. …
Ever truly thine,
Trade of Essaouira [Mogodor]:
Important Jewish merchant families:
Important Moroccan Jewish merchant families *: were recruited by the sultan to take charge of developing trade and relations in Mogador in relation to Europe.
* The Sultan´s merchants: "tujjar as-sultan"
The extraordinary and privileged Jewish tujjar elite controlled all of the major imports of Mogador and other Moroccan trade centers where their influence was gradually extended. These included sugar, tea, metals, gunpowder, and tobacco. The tujjar also managed such vital exports as wheat, hides, cereals, and wool, items which became government monopolies at the time.
The one exception was all artisan work connected to wood, directly linked to the vast forests around the town.
Tujjar – Merchants:
The tujjar declined in influence after the 1890s with the aggressive penetration of the European powers into the Sharifian Empire of Morocco. By the early part of the 20th century, and certainly following the formation of the French protectorate (1912), they disappeared from the scene.
A new elite of Jewish entrepreneurs, recruited by the French, Spaniards, Italians, and British commercial houses replaced them, as did foreign merchants who settled in Mogador and other parts of the country, controlling commerce until Moroccan independence in 1956.
"The port of Timbuktu"From the Middle Ages to the 17th century there were sugar-cane refineries in the province of Mogador. Other local products were fish and cereals but Mogador exported also items coming from Africa with the caravan trade.
The merchants of the souk traded salt, camel skins,
gold, slaves……..for European cloth and Chinese tea.Essaouira attracted pirates and the inhabitants of Diabet lived close to the sea and the bay and was used by the Sultan to fight the pirates.
For this task they were supplied with goods and military services.
See also:
Source: Essaouira, on Trade


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When you run a company that depends on good blenders for what it produces, you need to have good blending machines to do the job. Whether you are just starting out or you have been in the business for a long time, you can count on good services to work with you in every way. You will need to find a company that produces blending machines that you can count on for the long haul.
You need good industrial blending machines at the right price. Go online and you will find a company that makes them to your standards and then you can start buying. Whether you need ribbon blenders, paddle blenders, vertical or horizontal, you will find what you are looking for and it will be at the right price. After all, you can put a price on good blending and you have higher standards than most companies.
You need to make your standards count for something. You can have the industrial blending machines you need in a timely manner. Consider all your blending needs and think about what that will take. It is ideal to use ribbon blenders. They mix anything the right way with blades that move the product in two directions constantly. This provides optimal blending of all that you may have to blend.
You know your company is important to you and that is why you want to produce good products. You want the best in the industry and you will not settle for cheap substitutes in any way. You have a good idea of what blending machines you will need and you can get them soon with the right services on your side. You get the blending you need for continued production.
Make the most of your blending company and get good industrial blenders. Your company can be the best.


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Eva Aviad, wife of an Israeli diplomat who has lived all over the world, wishes to notify you that her Jerusalem Realty personalized service, which she started twenty five years ago, is still going strong.
Eva is very much here to serve your needs at all times. Fluent in five languages, Eva is a former language teacher, art events coordinator, and realtor with Anglo-Saxon Real Estate.
With the many connections Mrs. Aviad has abroad and in Israel, with her close ties to other real estate agencies, she hopes to provide her overseas clients, diplomats, journalists and other residents of Jerusalem with a fine choice of sales and rental properties.
Should you, the client, need guidance and advice on renovations, interior design, fine arts and other home purchases, Mrs. Aviad can take you to meet the best in the above mentioned professional spheres.
Israel is a country with wonderful real-estate investment opportunities. No one who has bought commercial or residential property in this country has regretted this move.
In Israel, both the buyer and seller pay a fee of 2% , plus a 17% Value Added Tax. This fee is paid upon the signing of the contract. For rentals, both sides pay a fee of one months' rent, plus a 17% Value Added Tax. For short term rentals, the fee is 10%.
Call or email in advance to arrange a meeting so that suitable properties can be selected for your viewing.
Looking forward to serving you with courtesy, integrity and with a diplomatic touch.


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January 8, 2013
Nikon unveils new gear at CES
Nikon is showcasing its full line of imaging solutions including new products at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas starting today (Jan 8th).
Highlights at the Nikon Booth (#8643) in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center include the new Nikon D5200 D-SLR, and new Nikon 1 duo of cameras, the Nikon 1 J3 and Nikon 1 S1.
The Nikon booth will also feature dedicated sections to demonstrate the shooting, connectivity and sharing capabilities of Nikon's HD-SLR cameras, the Nikon 1 System, NIKKOR lenses and COOLPIX cameras.
Interactive displays will be available, as well as opportunities for the connected user to experience the sharing capabilities of Nikon's latest products.
Highlights from Nikon's CES Press Release:
The New Nikon D5200 Inspires Users to Capture Creatively
The 24.1-megapixel Nikon D5200 features a user-friendly interface, in-camera Special Effects and creative shooting modes to inspire innovative photography, making it effortless to create amazing images and HD video.
The D5200 also allows users to share photos with friends and family in an instant when attached to the optional WU-1a Wireless Mobile Adapter1. Users can also apply creative filters and effects to HD video for truly unique memories.
Additionally, the D5200 features a vari-angle LCD that lets users swivel the screen for above-the-head photos, or down low for creative self-portraits. The Nikon D5200 with the AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR lens will be available in late January 2013 for a manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) of $899.95 USD.
New Nikon 1 Cameras and Lenses Provide New Ways to be Creative, Expressive, and Connected
Nikon has expanded the Nikon 1 system with the new Nikon 1 J3 and Nikon 1 S1 cameras, offering superfast speed and performance, high image quality and easy-to-use creative shooting modes.
The new Nikon 1 cameras are intended for users looking for a camera that offers the compact size and portability of point-and-shoot cameras along with advanced controls and features found in more advanced digital cameras.
The new J3 and S1 feature unique shooting modes like Auto Mode, Creative Mode, Advanced Movie, Motion Snapshot and Best Moment Capture, and are compatible with the optional WU-1b Wireless Mobile Adapter2 so that users can share and transfer images and HD videos to smart devices.
The Nikon 1 J3 with the 10-30mm lens will be available in February 2013 for a SRP of $599.95 in White, Black, Silver Burgundy and Beige. The Nikon 1 S1 with the 11-27mm lens will be available for an MSRP of $499.95 USD in White, Black, Red, Pink and Khaki.
Two new lenses for the 1 NIKKOR lens lineup
The VR 6.7-13mm f/3.5-5.6 is an ultra-wide-angle zoom lens featuring Vibration Reduction (VR) and a wide 100-degree angle of view that makes it perfect for capturing photos and HD video of landscapes, cityscapes, interiors and architecture. It will be available in February with an MSRP of $499.95 USD.
The VR 10-100mm f/4-5.6, a compact and lightweight telephoto zoom lens, is convenient enough to take everywhere and provides a long focal range ideal for various types of photography including group shots and action sports. It will be available in February with an MSRP of $549.95 USD.
Underwater Photography
Nikon has also introduced the WP-N2 underwater case, which can house the new Nikon 1 cameras with the 1 NIKKOR 10-30mm lens.
Fully submersible to a depth of 130 feet deep (40 meters), the WP-N2 waterproof housing transforms your Nikon 1 J3 or Nikon 1 S1 into a powerful waterproof, underwater camera that's perfect for diving, snorkeling, boating, kayaking, swimming, fishing, surfing or just having fun at the pool.
It will be available in February with an MSRP of $749.95 USD.
Posted by flashdeadline at January 8, 2013 5:47 PM


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Have you spoken to a Swede lately? No, not the root vegetable also known as a rutabaga. A real, honest-to-goodness Swede, as in a resident of Sweden.
To celebrate the 250th anniversary of abolishing censorship – Sweden was 1st in the world to do so, the Swedish Tourist Association has debuted "The Swedish Number."
Now anyone around the world can call +46771 793 336 (+46771 Sweden) and speak to a local Swede about pretty much anything, ranging from the Northern Lights to how to assemble your IKEA furniture, and everything else in between.
Travel website Skift reports that since the launch of The Swedish Number 06APR, more than 2,300 calls have been made, and the top 5 countries calling in to speak to a local Swede are: Turkey (68%); the U.S. (20%); U.K. (6%); Germany and Austria (2% each). Come on Canada, call a Swede!
Basically, anyone with a phone can dial the number and be connected to a random Swede who has signed up to be a part of this program. It's great for potential visitors, who can get authentic information on what to expect.
To pull this off, the Swedish Tourist Association created one of the world's largest switchboards to support any and all incoming calls 24 hr. a day, 7 days a wk.
Local ambassadors register on a cloud-based contact centre that connects all the calls, and the switchboard was designed to randomly choose one of the locals for each call that comes in.
Positioning locals as tourism ambassadors comes at a time when many countries, especially those in Europe, are considering tightening their borders, given recent terrorist attacks
"In troubled times, many countries try and limit communication between people, but we want to do just the opposite," Magnus Ling, CEO of the Swedish Tourist Association said in a statement.
"So instead, we are making Sweden the 1st country in the world with its own phone number and giving our fellow Swedes the opportunity to answer the calls, express themselves, and share their views, whatever they might be. In doing so we want to show the real Sweden — a unique country worth visiting with the right of public access, sustainable tourism and a rich cultural heritage. With The Swedish Number, our goal is to create more pride and knowledge about Sweden, both nationally and internationally."
You can watch a video about 'the Swedish number' here.


text: Your Ultimate Guide When Buying Clocks for Seniors Seniors or the elderly generally are hard up using their old-style alarm clocks because of health issues and other problems associated with aging, so they may need simpler and easier to use alarm clocks. Dementia or Alzheimers, arthritis, failing eyesight, and reduced hearing are just some of the medical and aging-related conditions that may lead to problems using the old-style alarm clocks. There is confusion present in Alzheimer's disease or dementia, and this may lead to a senior not understanding how to set the alarm on his alarm clock. It is crucial for seniors to have easy to use alarm clocks with simple buttons and controls because the buttons and switches of their old-style alarm clock may no longer make sense to seniors because of their current mental state or health condition. Seniors may experience tremendous pain when operating the small buttons of alarm clocks due to inflamed and swollen arthritic joints. For seniors, the force needed in sliding switches or in holding down buttons may be difficult. The failing eyesight of our beloved seniors may have problems reading the display of standard alarm clocks. They also have problems reading the small print on the buttons, so they need an alarm clock with bold print and displays using high contrast between the background and the numbers. Hearing an alarm can be hard for seniors because they often do not wear hearing aids at night time. When it comes to the important functions of alarm clocks, many elderly need to stick to their sleep schedule because oversleeping may lead to difficulty of sleeping later that day. What are the features you need to look for when purchasing an alarm clock for the elderly? When it comes to shopping for an alarm clock intended for a senior citizen, you have to consider its ease of use, easy to use buttons, easy to set alarms, easy to see controls, large display, large LCD screen, large snooze button, dual alarms, multiple alarms, sunrise simulator, and alternative alarm. It is best to select an alarm clock that is intuitive and simple to use that can be preset on the desired time, activate an alarm clock mode, and ring at the appropriate time. Always remember that it is common for seniors to look at the time when they wake up in the middle of the night, so it is best to buy an alarm clock with crisp large numbers and they should be displayed on a bright and large LCD screen. Most seniors have poorer memory, so they need an alarm clock with dual or two alarms, serving as a useful reminder to keep their schedule in order. A sunrise simulator creates the look of natural sunrise to help a senior wake up instead of using jarring sounds of the standard alarm clock.Study: My Understanding of Products


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Digital Marketing has taken off over the last 10 years, and for a lot of businesses, the options can be a minefield
Digital Marketing spans many channels and disciplines, and it is impossible for one person to be an expert in all of these options, as well as traditional marketing channels. This is why we have invested in our people to continue to upskill and learn about this ever changing medium, and we have experts who know how to identify the best digital opportunities for clients based on their goals and target market.
A website has become the modern day business card; every business needs one. It is your opportunity to connect with people at a time that suits them - when they have a need or want for your products or services.
In many cases your website sets the tone for your business and the perception people have of you. They may have come to you via a search engine, through a recommendation or through seeing some of your marketing material. You want to ensure you are putting your best foot forward when people visit your website, and that it makes them want to connect with you – either through an enquiry or purchase.
We work with clients to ensure we understand their business and goals, but more importantly who their target customer is, what motivates them and what possible barriers they have to do business with you. We can amplify the motivations and knock down the barriers with the messaging and imagery on the website.
Search Engine Optimisation
On page SEO
Search Engine Optimisation has been around for years now, and is still an important part of digital marketing. It is important that your website can be easily found by people looking for you.
Our Digi's can provide on page SEO where they ensure that your content, meta data and images are easy for Google to find and index. They are experts at finding the balance for well optimised content that meets the needs of potential customers looking for your product or service.
Conversion Rate Optimisation
Conversion Rate Optimisation is optimising your website to convert visitors into leads or customers.
Think of watering the garden with a hose full of holes. By the time the water gets to the end of the hose only a small dribble comes out – not enough to water the garden and help it grow. CRO is about plugging all of those holes so that all of the water makes it to the end and your garden can grow.
By undertaking CRO our team will work its way through your website, plugging up the holes and moving visitors through your website until they convert into a lead or customer – growing your business.
Google Adwords
We have been running Google Adwords campaigns since 2008, keeping our finger on the pulse of what makes Google tick and how to get our clients great results.
Google Adwords is particularly useful in competitive industries where it is near impossible to get to the top of the organic search results. It is also useful for clients who want to be able to switch on and off their sales pipeline as their capacity demands, as campaigns can be easily paused and restarted.
Metro Marketing has Google Partner accreditation. This means we have proven we understand how the Google platform works best for both SME's and larger organisations. Google Partnership is earned, not bought and to achieve this status the Google team has watched us at work, spending clients' money on their desired Google outcomes and undertaking best practice optimisation methodology.
Social Media
Social Media has exploded in recent years and businesses can't ignore it. People are spending so much time on social platforms that you need to have a presence, but you don't need to be on them all.
Sometimes it's hard to know where you should be spending your efforts to get the most bang for your buck, especially when it comes to things like Social Media sites when there are so many and new ones always popping up. Our philosophy is to focus on the one or two platforms we perceive to be of greatest value to you, and concentrate your efforts on these, rather than spreading too thin across too many sites.
Our digital team can tap into our reports and experience to advise which platforms we think you should be focusing on to connect with your target audience. Advice can also be provided about the type of content to post.


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At this very moment David Cornock of BBC Wales, as their Westminster correspondent, has written an article which touches upon the Welsh Language: "William Hague's Bed Time Reading" ( http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-29159356 ) and inadvertently opened up a small opportunity for those who feel uneasy about being forced to assimilate into the Welsh language and its culture to express their feelings and thoughts.
This is easier said than done as BBC Wales in post devolution Wales excels itself by sanitising and censoring comments that expose sheer nonsense and insanity of Welsh language imposition and policies in Wales, especially in education, that is damaging children "Socially and Academically".
This brings me back to RAF Valley on Anglesey who in 2011 published on their website a Welcome Message from the Station Commander to promote Day School Allowance for North Wales (DSA) aimed at service personnel with young children – In other words RAF is providing an opportunity of good education for children in their care in English language within the local independent schools, by funding the school fees.


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Unique and very popular 50th Anniversary Photo Invitation, Champagne/Beige with simulated Gold tones Anniversary Invitation Design
5x7 size only
CHOICE OF DIGITAL FILE (you print option) OR PRINTED PACKAGE
►Gold Tone and Foil are NOT real - they are graphic simulations that will print out to "look like" them. If printing on your own, a very high quality printer is recommended for most realistic results.
BEFORE placing your order, READ IMPORTANT ORDERING INFORMATION here
You will need to email us your photo and invitation wording AFTER submitting your order.
By purchasing this listing - you agree to all the terms outlined in our policies http://starliteprintables.indiemade.com/content/policies-and-faqs and you acknowledge that you have thoroughly read our important ordering information
COPYRIGHT - Starlite Invitations + Stationery | Starlite Weddings & Occasions Inc.


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Emergence of Mahajanapadas
In the later Vedic period, the tribal organisations changed its identity and gradually shifted to the territorial identity, and the area of settlement were now regarded as janapadas or states.
In transition from tribe to monarchy, they lost the essential democratic pattern of the tribe but retained the idea of government through an assembly representing the tribes. These states consisted of either a single tribe such as Shakyas, Kolias, Malas etc.
The people in the lower Ganges Valley and Delta, which were outside the Aryan pale, were not incorporated. There was, therefore, a strong consciousness of the pure land of the Aryans called Aryavarta. Each janapada tried to dominate and subjugate other janapadas to become Mahajanapadas.
Ancient Buddhist texts like the Anguttara Nikaya make frequent reference to sixteen great kingdoms and republics which had evolved and flourished in a belt stretching from Gandhara in the northwest to Anga in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent and included parts of the trans-Vindhyan region, prior to the rise of Buddhism in India.
According to the Anguttara Nikaya, there were about sixteen Mahajanapadas in the sixth centuary BC. Their capitals and locations are given in a table on 16 Mahajanapadas.
|Covering the region between Kabul and Rawalpindi in North Western Province.
|Covering the area around the Punch area in Kashmir
|Covering modern Paithan in Maharashtra; on the bank of River Godavari
|Covering modern districts of Allahabad and Mirzapur
|Covering modern Malwa (Ujjain) region of Madhya Pradesh.
|Located in the Mathura region at the junction of the Uttarapath & Dakshinapath
|Covering the modern Budelkhand area
|Kushinara, Pawa
|Modern districts of Deoria, Basti, Gorakhapur in eastern Uttar Pradesh. Later merged into Maghada Kingdom
|Covering the modern Haryana and Delhi area to the west of River Yamuna
|Virat Nagari
|Covering the area of Alwar, Bharatpur and Jaipur in Rajasthan
|Located to the north of the River Ganga in Bihar. It was the seat of united republic of eight smaller kingdoms of which Lichhavis, Janatriks and Videhas were also members.
|Covering the modern districts of Munger and Bhagalpur in Bihar. The Kingdoms were later merged by Bindusara into Magadha.
|Located in and around present day Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.
|Covering the present districts of Faizabad, Gonda, Bahraich, etc.
|Ahichhatra (W. Panchala), Kampilya (S. Panchala)
|Present day Rohilkhand and part of Central Doab in Uttar Pradesh.
|Covering modern districts of Patna,Gaya and parts of Sahabad
Rise of Magadha
Between the sixth and the fourth centuries BCE, Magadha (in present day Bihar) became the most powerful Mahajanapada.
The Haryankas: Magadha came into prominence under the leadership of Bimbisara (542-493 BC), who belonged to the Haryanka dynasty. He strengthened his position by marriage alliances.
He took three wives. His first wife was the daughter of the king of Kosala and the sister of Prasenajit. His second wife Chellana was a Lichchhavi Princess from Vaishali, and his third wife was the daughter of the chief of the Madra clan of Punjab.
Marriage relations with the different princely families gave enormous diplomatic prestige and paved the way for the expansion of Magadha westward and northward.
The earliest capital of Magadha was at Rajgir, which was called Girivraja at that time. It was surrounded by five hills, the openings in which were closed by stone walls on all sides. This made Rajgir impregnable.
Bimbisar was succeeded by his son Ajatasatru (492-460 BC). Ajatasatru killed his father and seized the throne for himself. Throughout his reign, he pursued an aggressive policy of expansion.
Ajatasatru was succeeded by Udayin (460-444 BC), His reign is important because he built the fort upon the confluence of the Ganga and Son at Patna. This was done because Patna lay in the centre of the Magadhan kingdom.
The Sisunagas: Udayin was succeeded by the dynasty of Sisunagas, who temporarily shifted the capital to Vaishali. Their greatest achievement was the destruction of the power of the Avanti with its capital at Ujjain. This brought to an end the 100 years old rivalry between Magadha and Avanti.
The Nandas: The Sisunagas were succeeded by the Nandas, who proved to be the most powerful rulers of Magadha. So great was their power that Alexander, who invaded Punjab at that time, did not dare to move towards the east.
The Nandas added to the Magadhan power by the conquering Kalinga from where they brought an image of the Jina as a victory trophy. All this took place in the reign of Mahapadma Nanda.
He claimed to the ekarat, the sole sovereign who destroyed all the other ruling princes.The Nandas were the first non-kshatriya rulers. The last Nanda ruler was defeated by Chandragupta Maurya who founded the Maurya Empire.
|Causes for the Rise of Magadha
Persian Invasion
The Achaemenian rulers of Iran, who expanded their empire at the same time as the Magadhan kings, took advantage of the political disunity on the north-west frontier.
The Iranian ruler, Darius, penetrated into north-west India in 518 BC and annexed Punjab, west of the Indus, and Sindh.
He divided the province in 20th Straphy, which was considered to be the richest and the most populous province of the Persian empire. According to Herodotus, Punjab and Sindh satrapy (province) was the twentieth in the Persian empire.
It was considered to be the richest and the most popular province of the Persian empire. Its annual tribute amounted to 360 Euboic talents of gold-dust.
The Kharosthi script was used on the north-western frontier since then uptil about 4th century AD. On the eve of Alexander's invasion, the hold of Persian emperors on their Indian provinces had become weak.
|Effects of Persian Invasion
|Effects of Greek Invasion
Socio Economic Conditions During Mahajanapadas
Besides, the establishment of big empires, another important feature of the age was increased prosperity and the growth of towns. The primary reason of increased prosperity of India was its growth of foreign trade with the countries of the North-West, Western countries and several countries of Asia.
There were several trade routes and roads connecting different parts of India in all directions. One trade route was from Kosambi, through Gangetic plain, to Punjab and then Taxila joining the routes to Iran, Central Asia, European countries and several countries of Asia.
Another route started from Rajagriha and, passing through Kosambi and Ujjaini, was connected with the port of Baroach from where the trade was carried on with western countries through sea-route.
One important route passed through the entire Gangetic plain and reached the boundary of Burma and yet, another route connected northern plain with the sea-coast of south-east. These routes developed because of increased trade and, in turn, helped in enhancing internal as well as external trade.
The increased prosperity of the Indian affected their social structure as well. Towns became not only the centers of trade but centers of industries as well.
Various goods were produced on a large scale to feed the foreign trade and that could be possible only in town or vice versa. By that time, Indian rulers had started minting good coins of different metals.
It helped in the development of trade and growth of industries because coins proved to be a good medium of exchange and, thus, facilitated transactions. The growth of trade and industry formed rich trading and industrial communities which concentraded themselves in towns.
We find existence of different guilds formed by traders and industrialism during this period. It created various organised and consciously awakened groups in towns which, finally, resulted in the formations of several sub-castes.
Numerous religious sects arouse in the middle Gangetic Basin in the sixth century BC. We hear of as many as 62 religious sects in this period. Of these scets, Jainism and Buddhism were the most important, and they emerged as the most potent religious reform movements


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You know how you thought that when you met the man of your dreams he would change? And he did. For the worst. But you still held onto him because you believed that having anybody was better than having nobody. No matter how he treated you, you believed that if you worked just a little bit harder, had one more conversation and a little more time, he would change. You were determined to work out the magic formula that would transform him. It was the power of your love that would realize his potential – if only he would just listen!
I, like you, a victim of abuse, believed that all I was worth was a man who beat me, punched me and cheated on me. I shrunk each time I heard, "first time a victim, second time a volunteer," "if you go back you deserve what you get" and "why don't you just leave?"
It took seven long years before I accepted I was an abused woman. It seemed impossible that I could be one or that my husband was an abuser. He was far too rich, too educated, and too sophisticated. I came from a prominent political family, was the mayor's daughter and was far too affluent to be a victim of abuse. After all, abused women lived in poverty stricken areas, were uneducated and their abusers were skin heads with facial scars and missing teeth.
Weren't they?
Lifestyles of the rich and vicious
My opinion changed dramatically one night when I found myself on the sidewalk, bleeding, my clothes torn. He had tried to put a cigar out on my cheek, bit my mouth until it filled with blood and tried to choke me. I had no idea where I got the strength but I managed to break free, picked up the emergency remote and ran out of the house. In South Africa, I lived in a gated community with security guards roaming the streets. I was safer on the streets of Johannesburg, the crime capital of the world, than in my own home. No sooner had I pressed the button when the headlights of the patrol car appeared at the bottom of the drive way. While I waited for the police to arrive I asked,
"Is it unusual to receive a call like this from this area?"
"No," the security guard replied. "We receive more calls from this area than any other".
That was my first in a long list of beliefs that changed. Abuse is a great leveler. It reaches everywhere and everyone.
Another belief in need of correction was that of my fairy-tale endings. As abused women, we refuse to give up on "happily ever after" despite the evidence that proves otherwise. We cling to the belief that our beast will turn into the prince, the frog will magically transform when kissed and our Knight in Shining Armani will whisk us off into the sunset.
Or is there a different story?
My story is your story because abuse only has one story.
Most of us abused women are codependents. We equate love with need and unless we are working like a slave for a man our love isn't worth anything. Our pathology demands damaged, wounded men to prove we can save them.
When I finally accepted I was an abused woman, I was riddled with shame. It was a crippling, confusing shame. I wanted the hands that beat me to comfort me. How did I explain that to myself or anyone else? I "loved" and wanted a man who kicked me, pulled out bunches of my hair and spat in my face. "It's like wanting to hug a shark – why on earth would anyone do that?"
It took a third abusive marriage for me to finally understand that the common denominator was me. Until I took responsibility for my contribution to the dance of abuse I was destined to repeat the pattern.
The Golden Goose
I was living alone yet still feeling like a victim, stuck in the story of what had happened to me. Despite my love and commitment, I was cheated on. My devotion for which I expected applause and reward had resulted in violence and lies. Life wasn't fair. But the only voice I was listening to was my own. I had begun to emulate my abuser in that I was abusing myself worse than they ever did. That was a wake-up call.
There is always a payoff to self-destructive behavior and for me it was that as long as I blamed and complained I didn't have to take responsibility for my life. That sickened me. There is nothing more dis-empowering than being a victim. I could only imagine what I could achieve if put all my time and energy into myself and realized my own potential instead of my men. In that instant I became my project.
I read every self-help book, attended Kabbalah classes, and even went to an ashram in India in search for answers. Slowly and painstakingly my search moved from outside to within and a new value system emerged. Everything I had thought was valuable and had assigned meaning to became insignificant and everything I believed was true, wasn't.
Scott Peck wrote in The Road Less Traveled that throughout our lives our sick side and our healthy side battle each other. The sick side is the insane voice of the ego that never shuts up. It's the running commentary of labels, judgments, criticisms and comparisons that assigns meanings to every object, situation and event. It keeps us locked in past and future where fear, guilt, pain, loss, lack and conflict reign. It constantly feeds us lies base on our insecurities and we react to them as if they were true. It is the ultimate abuser.
The healthy side is the place deep within that resonates with truth, love and peace. It's the place where we experience an "aha" moment as a truth lands perfectly or experience the magnificence of nature. It's the voice of wisdom that whispers when we are still. This is the voice that heals us – not the tyrannical voice of the ego.
Abuse taught me the power of choice. I get to choose what thoughts I want, what feelings I want and who I want in my life. No one can rob us of our inner peace unless we choose to allow it.
I am not for a minute saying that changing your world view is easy. It takes work, commitment and dedication. I struggled for years with abuse and one of the reasons I co-wrote When Loving Him Hurts was to short circuit other women's journeys. If I could go from having zero self-esteem to moving across the world and publishing three books, what can you achieve? My first book, Hot Cuisine, was about men and food and my first client in LA was Elizabeth Taylor. In 2015 I was invited by my ex-therapist, Sue Hickey, to co-write When Loving Him Hurts and the following year we wrote The Affair.
Do you have any idea what that felt like when my ex-THERAPIST issued that invitation? To co-write a book with someone you hold in the highest regard when for years you believed you were worthless? I still tear up when I think about it.
I have since formed a non-profit organization called The Women's Voice Project to help abused women. I get to go out every day and help make a difference in people's lives. Abuse gave me my life purpose. It was how I discovered my worth and how you can discover yours.
It requires a choice.
Today you can choose it.
If I found the golden goose in abuse, so can you.


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According to various statistics, around 80 percent of Himalayan adventuring deaths occur on the way down the mountains, not on the way up. It's at this point that climbers are fatigued, perhaps a little overconfident and more prone to making fatal errors.
The man in this story, you'll be happy to know, got home perfectly safely from near the top of the world's sixth highest peak, the 8188-metre monster Cho Oyu. But boy, did he tempt fate.
Valery Rozov is a 51-year-old Russian who has done this sort of thing before, once jumping off a flank of Everest in what was then the world's highest BASE jump (BASE is an acronym for building, antenna, span, earth -- which are the four type of fixed objects you can jump from).
Here's a pic of that day at the office.
He wears a wingsuit, a device which generates a small amount of lift as you plummet, which means you travel forward two metres or more for every metre you fall. It's dangerous as hell and there have been horrific accidents in the 15 or so years that daredevils have used the technology.
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But as we mentioned, this ended happily. And was quite a ride. *Wheeeeeeee!
(*Note: Wingsuit guys probably don't say "Wheeeeeeee!". It's probably more like "ffffffuuuuuuuuuu...". Ahem. Anyway.)
After 90 seconds of pure freefall, Rozov opened his parachute and kept flying for another couple of minutes before landing safely on the glacier below, at 6,000 meters above sea level. Which is a quick ride compared to the 21 days it took to ascend.
The video is above. Enjoy the ride.


text: EDX – No Xcuses 227 (Presented by ElectricSloth.com) Brian ManningWednesday, July 8, 2015Deep HouseHouse0 Comments Twenty-two episodes later and we could not resist another premiere of EDX's No Xcuses radio show here on Electric Sloth, especially because this guy has been a machine lately with his career. He's just coming off of performances at EDC Las Vegas, Paradiso in Washington State, and shows in Ibiza. His remix of Sam Feldt's 'Show Me Love' is about to run over 12 million plays, and his newest remix of Spada's 'Catchfire [Sun Sun Sun]' is too hot to handle. Throughout all of his escapades, he manages to keep his radio show of the world's tastiest house tracks alive and thriving. For episode 227, we have a great hour of tracks set up by the Swiss house master. We start it off with Disclosure mammoth lead single off their upcoming album, "Holding On," then we move into the AC Slater remix of Kaskade's 'Never Sleep Alone.' Keeping a steady tempo through the stylings of Paul Vinx, Don Diablo, Syn Cole, and more, we end it with budding funk newcomer, Throttle, and his new single 'Together.' EDX always knows how to leave our palette with a multitude of flavors, and this week's episode of No Xcuses could be one of the best yet. Put this baby on repeat on your iTunes with the download below and enjoy. Download Link: http://bit.ly/16Xq1UI.http://bit.ly/16Xq1UI Tracklist: 01. Disclosure ft Gregory Porter – Holding On [Island] 02. Belocca – Some Lovin [Mainground Music] 03. Kaskade – Never Sleep Alone (AC Slater Remix) [Warner] 04. Samsara & Sheila Gor – Ten Feet High (Rare Candy Remix) [Promo] 05. Dirty Vegas – Do What You Feel (Paul Vinx Remix) [D:Vision] 06. Dirty Freek – I.D (Original Mix) [Promo] 07. Duke Dumont vs Chris Lake – Won't Look Back at The Chest [PBH & Jack Shizzle Mash-Up] [Promo] 08. Samuele Sartini & Amanda Wilson – About U (Original Mix) [D:Vision] 09. Rudimental – Never Let You Go (Don Diablo Remix) [Asylum Records] 10. Sultan + Shepard – In The Night [Mixmash] 11. Nicky Romero – Warriors (Syn Cole Remix) [Protocol Recordings] 12. Michael Woods – Chin Up (Original Mix) [Diffused] 13. Throttle – Together [Promo] I know many of you were expecting to hear EDX's newest remix of Spada's 'Catchfire [Sun Sun Sun],' and although he didn't include it, we decided to add a little spice and put the track in the premiere just because it's that hot. It's also now available on Beatport so add it to your summer playlist here. Connect with EDX: Facebook | Twitter | SoundCloud


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New York City, NY, USA – January 16, 2018 – Great News for all the mothers and new parents as Trumom USA has proudly introduced its two new breast pumps. These all-new breast pumps come with a revolutionary and patented PPSU Gold bottles and they are already getting a phenomenal response from breastfeeding mothers from around the world. One is the Trumom Electric breast pump which is rechargeable, while the other is Trumom advance manual breast pump with suction control.
"The PPSU gold bottle was invented by Trumom R&D center in New York and is heat resistant up to 197 degrees," said the spokesperson of Trumom USA, while introducing the new breast pumps for mothers. "In addition, it is long lasting and looks mesmerizing in its transparent gold color," she added. According to the spokesperson, the newly launched breast pumps are also BPA free and made from medical grade materials to ensure that the babies remain safe and hygienic and mothers use the pumps with peace of mind.
The all new breast pumps also feature the highest standard of safety for babies. The electric rechargeable breast pump as well as the manual one are both increasingly in demand in United States, India and many other countries. Moreover, the rechargeable breast pump has 5modes of stimulation and massage and nine modes of expression. The rechargeable battery can run seamlessly for two hours on a single charge, which is great for mothers on the go. Furthermore, the manual advance pump has a suction controller, which makes it convenient to pump as per requirement.
Packed with many amazing features and benefits for both mothers and their children, the Trumom pumps are also lightweight, portable, wireless and highly user-friendly. Another major benefit of these amazing breast pumps is that their unique design prevents backflow and has silicon massage pads that can fit perfectly on the nipple. They not only give gentle stimulation but are designed with baby safe materials for a long-lasting usage, to raise babies in a healthy way and provide them with best nutrition.
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2013 Faculty Research
Kevin Bartig's monograph Composing for the Red Screen: Prokofiev and Soviet Film was recently published by Oxford University Press, 2013. See news article.
"Sentential Lyric-Types in the Great American Songbook," an article by Michael Callahan, assistant professor of music theory, appeared in the September 2013 issue of Music Theory Online.
Sarah Long, assistant professor of musicology, focuses her research on liturgical music in France and the Low Countries in the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance. In 2013 she published two articles on this topic: "The Sanctorale of Andenne: A Description and Analysis of Liturgical Manuscripts for the Secular Chapter of Noble Canonesses" in Revue Belge de Musicologie, the yearly Belgian musicological society journal and "Missel à l'usage de la confrérie de St. Jean l'évangeliste à Paris, c. 1500," in Les livres de Notre-Dame: Exposition et Actes du Colloque.
Ken Prouty, associate professor of musicology and jazz studies, is the author of "Finding Jazz in the Jazz as Business Metaphor," which appeared in the journal Jazz Perspectives.
Marcie Ray, assistant professor of musicology, published "Dystopic Marital Narratives at the Opéra-Comique During the Regency," in the Brazilian journal Música em Perspectiva.
Gordon Sly, associate professor of music theory, recently completed an extended annotated bibliography on "Sonata Form" for Oxford Bibliographies in Music. This invited article covers the history, breadth, and established schools of thought that comprise scholarly literature on Sonata Form from the late-18th century to the present.


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I'm Afraid Of Food!
When I decided to tackle my weight thing once and for all, I went back and did an "autopsy" to determine why things went sideways in the past.
The last time I got to a weight where I was happy and comfortable, I was following a low carb diet. Not South Beach, Atkins or even paleo but one that included lean meat, fish, poultry and dairy and lots of vegetables, some fruit and grains. I ate carbs like cookies, cake, crackers and bread very rarely.
After about 8 months, I reached my goal weight and kept it off for about a year and a half.
I seem to be good at losing weight but I stink at keeping it off.
Step one in the "autopsy:" Tell the truth.
I used the excuse that I had a bad case of shingles, was basically bedridden for 3 months and the inactivity caused my weight gain.
Not the truth.
My eating habits had started to fall off before I got sick.
I had begun allowing myself a taste of cake here, a spoonful of ice cream there. Then it turned into a cookie here and a candy bar there.
At first the scale didn't move so I didn't panic. But then it slowly began to inch up little by little and before long I had put on 6 pounds.
My workouts became intermittent.
I was pushing myself to succeed in my business and volunteering a lot of my time. I was stressed and tired and I began to use food, mainly sweets, to make myself feel better.
I now see that it wasn't the shingles that caused me to gain weight. It was my lack of self-care that brought on the shingles. And that led to many bags of Doritos trying to take my mind off the pain.
But the main thing I realized was, I got cocky. I thought that I would never go back to being addicted to sugar and carbs.
I even remember saying the words, "I'll never go back!"
Words that came back to haunt me.
I see now that I lost the fear of the weight coming back. I forgot about the tired, wrung out feeling when I eat too much crap. And didn't even consider the possibility of not only getting sick but contracting a chronic condition like high blood pressure or a disease like cancer.
I got cocky and the weight came back.
I've lived most of my life worrying about what others think and I've done a lot of work to break through that. I don't believe I should live in constant terror and worry about becoming obese.
What I do now believe is that there is nothing wrong with a little healthy fear to keep me on my toes and out of trouble.
This fear includes a healthy respect for things like alcohol and food. It is an awareness that I have to be careful not to let my guard down too much.
I need to set my own limits and be clear where the line is.
I'm back to cutting down on processed carbs and sweets and eating more whole foods. And I'm always paying attention to what makes me feel like I want to eat and drink a bit too much.
That's working for me right now.
Do you struggle with keeping weight off once you lose it? What have you learned from your past experiences when it comes to losing weight? What do you think about having a "healthy" fear of food?
Heart (Core Value #2)
What is love really? We talk about it as a noun, a thing. Or it can be a verb, you know, to be "in love."
But most people think of love as a feeling. This can be tricky because we don't always "feel" like we love someone, even someone that we know deep down we do, like our parents, siblings, spouse or our children.
I remember as a kid hating it when my parents were angry with me. I interpreted their anger as they didn't love me. Primarily because when I was angry, I couldn't "feel" the love for that person. It was confusing for me.
This effected how I dealt with my children. If you ask them even now, they both would tell you that when I would get angry, I would say, "even though I'm angry with you I still love you."
As a human, I have a tough time with love because it may be a noun but I can't touch, taste, smell or see it. So I'm stuck with my own interpretation.
The Bible says that God is love. The Course In Miracles says that the only thing that is real is love.
God is the embodiment of pure love and is not human. It is virtually impossible for us as humans to comprehend that love. I believe when we access that part of ourselves that is willing to sacrifice our happiness, comfort, safety and ultimately our lives for someone else, that's the closest we come to understanding that divine love.
I believe that love is an energy to which we are all connected. We get to choose, however, whether to tap into it. I have experienced this.
There was once someone that I just did not feel like I loved them. I remember that it caused me pain because I thought that I should love this person because it was someone I was very close to. I remember getting down on my knees and praying every morning pretending to lift this person up to God. I knew that God loved them even when I couldn't. Then I would pray to have my heart open so that I could see that person as God sees them and love them as God loves them.
I don't remember exactly how long it took but I suddenly noticed that I was enjoying being around them and one day, I truly "felt" love for them. I argue that the love was always there, I just had some ego and fear in the way.
This brings me back to my core value of heart. What it means to me is that from a business standpoint whoever does business with my company will be accepted and loved; the good, the bad and the ugly. That doesn't mean I will choose to work with everyone however it does mean that everyone will be treated as what they are: divine love.
I believe each of us is this divine love. There are some of us that reflect that love back to us more readily. Those are the ones we love easily. I believe those we have a hard time being with are also divine love, we just have a harder time seeing it because there are egos and/or fear in the way (both theirs and ours). With those, we have the power to stop there or we can keep going, get down on our knees and ask for divine love to heal the relationship.
If we are truly all divine love, it means we are all one. What would the world be like if we were all willing to see and accept each other for the love we are even if our hearts didn't "feel" it? If I do it for you, will you do it for me? Maybe this is what "heaven" is all about.
A Foundation of Trust
Finding Our Value(s)
A Legacy of Love
A Course in Power
I felt moved to pick up my Course in Miracles book recently and "happened" to open to this passage."Nothing can hurt me unless I give it the power to do so. For I give power as the laws of this world interpret giving-as I give I lose. It is not up to me to give power at all. Power is of God, given by Him & reawakened by the Holy Spirit, Who knows that as I give I gain. He gives no power to sin, &
therefore it has none; nor to its results as this world sees them-sickness & death & misery & pain." ~ A Course in Miracles P. 408
Recently, I viewed someone in my life as a bully and made them wrong for how they were treating me. I made them into a bad person and I wanted someone to come and rescue me.
What I couldn't see is that I handed over my power. After reading this passage, I understand that my interpretation of the situation was completely untrue. And that this pattern of giving my power away to others has been going on for years.
Everyday I see many people deal with "sickness & death & misery & pain." And everyday, I see many who choose to receive the power that is "of God." From that connection to God (or insert your word for the Divine; Life, Universe, Spirit etc), sickness, misery, death and pain have no power and cannot hurt us.
When we realize this, we then live our lives from our true power and usually end up inspiring others to do the same. Robin Roberts is a wonderful example of this. And so are many of you!
Let's practice accepting and living our true power!
Be Bold – Save a Life!
During my coach training, the leaders of our program urged us to say the thing that will get us fired. When I first heard this, I was horrified. You see, I was always the "nice" one. I prided myself that no one could get to me. No matter how anyone reacted, whether it be anger or arrogance, I would be "nice."
Then it was pointed out that my "niceness" was simply a manipulation. At first, I became incredulous. How could they say such a thing?! Me, manipulative?! Never!
Once I calmed down and took a look, I realized they were right. I used my "niceness" to get what I wanted and to make myself feel better than those who couldn't control their egos or their temper. Wow, was that a wake up call!
From that one powerful reflection, I also realized that if I was always "nice" with my clients, I wouldn't be providing them with the best coaching I could offer. I would only be getting my need to be liked met.
I began practicing saying the bold thing everywhere.
I recently had a friend call me out of the blue and tell me that she needed me to come and be with her because she could not breathe. I immediately suggested we call 911 but she was resistant. She finally agreed and I met the ambulance at her house.
It turned out that she was having a panic attack and from what I understand, they really can make you feel like you're going to die. I ended up taking her to be checked out by her doctor and they said that she was physically okay.
My friend, Kelly (not her real name), had been self destructive in the past and had cut herself off from her friends, me included. I always told her that I would be there if she needed me. And that morning, I had been. And Kelly was extremely grateful.
However, I found myself telling her that she got lucky that morning. I travel for work and am out of town on occasion and I sometimes have early morning client calls. I told her that I am not always able to drop everything to come and be with her.
I reflected her self destructive pattern and I told her that I cannot make her live. I told her that I would be heartbroken, that I would carry my love for her in my heart forever should she die but my life will go on. I couldn't believe these words were coming out of my mouth.
Her reaction was to give me the biggest bear hug and thank me. She said she felt free in that moment because of my honesty.
We met a couple of weeks later and Kelly thanked me again. She said she finally realized that it was up to her whether she lived or died and it was her choice what kind of life she lived. She thanked me for my boldness because she said it saved her life!
So consider the practice of saying the bold thing. Yes, you may have to apologize and clean things up with some. With others, you may change their life forever. And who knows, you may even save a life!
Coincidence? I Think Not!
About 3 years ago, I read the book A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle. It was one of Oprah's book club selections. This book was so powerful for me that I knew I had to talk to others about it despite my fear of being in a room full of strangers.
I went back to Oprah's website and found a book club in Rochester. I was so scared to go to the first meeting, I took a friend with me.
This group of people became a very important part of my life every Wednesday evening as we read each chapter and discussed how the concepts translated in each of our lives. And little did I know what a profound effect each of those people would have on my life as we spent those evenings together for over a year.
I met my best friend, Darcie, in that group. The facilitator of the group was a life coach and it was, in no small part, because of him, that I chose to become a life coach. Another member and current friend, Luz, recommended her life coach to me when I decided that I wanted to work with a coach to decide if I wanted to be one. That led me to Gregg and Accomplishment Coaching.
I graduated from the AC training program in New York in July 2010. I have a whole new group of friends and colleagues all over the country. And now Luz is going through the training as well. Is all this a coincidence? I don't think so.
I believe that when we put ourselves out there in spite of our fear, the universe conspires to bring us what we want even if we don't know what it is that we want. I knew I was looking for something in my life but I wasn't sure what it was. Looking back, I couldn't have planned this journey any better.
I now look at life differently. Not wondering why things happen the way they do but having wonder at the way life happens. What do you see about your journey called life?


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Create a Google Form and submit it once with the correct answers (to be used as a key).
In Google spreadsheet associated with Google form, click on Tools tab and select Script Gallery.
Search for Flubaroo script and install. You will also have to authorize the script to run.
After all students have completed the form/assessment, click on the Flubaroo script tab and select "grade assignment".
Assign points to each of the questions on the form.
Select which entry will be your answer key.
Review the grades in the new tab at the bottom of the spreadsheet entitled "grades".
Visit www.flubaroo.com for support.


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Gusset Mix N Match Headset MTB Lower Cup Zero Stack (ZS55/40,30) 1/18" & 1.5"
Gusset Mix N Match Headset - Lower
55mm Headtube with Bearings to fit either 1.1/8" or 1.5" steerer
R-Series Mix'N'Match, Lower cup set. Zero-Stack (ZS55/40,30) Cartridge Brng (Scott/Lapierre)
Top quality precision headset with lightweight CNC alloy cups, premium grade bearings and fine tuning technical features that are not included on most other headsets.
Precision CNC machined 6061 T6 alloy cups.
Woodman custom cartridge bearings (with almost double the bearing fill and durability of std. cartridge bearings)
HA Plate micro-adjust top-cap shims (As not all frames are created equal, this allows fine tuning of the height gap over the headtube.)
SGC Steel ring reinforced split crown race (for easy installation without deformation).
1.5 lowers include 11/8" adaptor crowns (as not everyone runs 1.5 or Taper forks)
Mountain Bike MTB Mix 'n' match headsets at the Dogs wheels Bicycle Shop plymouth