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The gay men's health crisis is sill with us. HIV/AIDS are now treatable, but not yet curable. One of the pre-eminent AIDS/HIV researchers into the disease and advocate for those it has infected is the incoming Dean of Rutgers School of Public Health, Dr. Perry Halkitis. He joins Correspondent Brenda Flanagan.
Flanagan: Your identity is a big part of your mission of your job here. You call yourself the first openly gay dean of a major college and this is going to be how you approach your job, isn't it? Tell me what's your mission?
Halkitis: My identity is part of who I am, and part of who I am is how I help to direct the school. For a very long time schools of public health have been concerned with social inequities and how marginalized groups experience health disparities at extremely high rates, be it gay people, be it African Americans, be it immigrants. So the way I approach my work in public health, and the ethos that I hope to bring to the School of Public Health at Rutgers is one that realizes that discrimination and that bigotry and that social inequities drive health conditions. And we have to keep that in our hearts and in our minds as we do effective work to eradicate the public health problems here in New Jersey, in the United States and across the world.
Flanagan: How big of a deal is it that someone who essentially is out there with their identity in front in terms of having a position of this magnitude. Is this rare?
Halkitis: It's critically important. I think women for decades have attempted to rise up in higher education. Members of racial and ethnic minority groups have attempted for decades to rise up in higher education. We still have a long way to go in both those regards.
Flanagan: Is there a glass ceiling?
Halkitis: There is a glass ceiling and there is a glass ceiling for LGBTQ people. It's one thing to be a gay man and to hide your identity, but I am an openly proud gay man. I am a model for my students, I am a model for my colleagues and so I bring this pride, my pride of my gay identity, my pride of being the child of immigrants to the work that I do.
Flanagan: So your research focused on young, gay and bisexual men as they transitioned into adulthood. What programs or initiatives do you envision bringing to Rutgers that is going to forward this research and provide some results that are going to be beneficial?
Halkitis: Thanks for that question. I think that 35 years into the AIDS epidemic we still define the health of young gay men by HIV alone. HIV is still a problem, there's no doubt about it. Forty thousand new infections a year in the United States, primarily gay men, primarily young gay men, primarily young gay men of color. So you look at places like Newark and New York City and that's where the epidemic continues to exist. So, the work that I hope to bring here to New Jersey and to Rutgers is work that understands how the struggles of young people in 2017 differ from the struggles of my generation. When I was 18 years old in 1981, HIV was our primary presenting problem. If I was 18 years old now, HIV would still be a concern for me as a gay man, but finding a job, a place to live, finding work, having a career, those would be much bigger problems. The work that I hope to do, NES health issues, HIV and other health issues for gay men and for other marginalized groups within the larger context that considers the totality of their lives.
Flanagan: You're looking at legal issues, issues of discrimination.
Halkitis: Absolutely. We know from research that in states that protect the rights of LGBTQ people, their health increases. We know that marriage equality is going to have a beneficial effect on the future generations. This is true for any marginalized group. Anytime we see policies and laws that give protections to that group, the same protections that anybody would expect, health conditions ultimately improve.
Flanagan: Whats your gauge of the status of the group legally now in Jersey? What kind of protections do you see are still needed?
Halkitis: Jersey and the northeast are way ahead of the game compared to other parts of the country. But still there are aggressions that are macro and microaggressions that people experience on a daily basis. If you're an African-American gay man, you're experiencing microaggressions because you're gay and because you're black and sometimes because of your low income status. There is no perfect situation right now, right? What it requires is an ongoing dialogue to realize that in every aspect of our lives LGBTQ people deserve the same rights as every other human being in this country.
Flanagan: HIV and AIDS though are still a major threat. As you said 40,000 new infections every year, which is just mind boggling. The most at-risk population, talk about that, what you can do and how prevalent is the situation involving this group in Jersey?
Halkitis: It's highly prevalent in Jersey. Young gay men of color, that's where most of the disease is lodged right now. So when you think about the AIDS epidemic in the early days, it was sort of spread out along the socioeconomic stratum. What do we see now, we see young, poor, black and Hispanic gay men — sexual minority men — most at risk. So what do we need to do? We need to empower these communities with the tools that they need to protect themselves. We need to bring medications to them. We have effective medications. Somebody who is HIV positive can go on medications, and if they adhere to those medications live a normal life expectancy. In addition, individuals who are HIV negative can take one pill once a day in the form of something called PrEP, Pre-exposure prophylaxis, which prevents them from acquiring HIV. But, think about this: you're a young, poor man going to the doctor consistently, right? It's a challenge. Paying the copay is a challenge. All of those structural inequities that make accessing care difficult for people are at play here. We shouldn't have an epidemic in this country — we can prevent it.
Flanagan: And that's going to be your mission now come August when you become the Dean of the School of Public Health at Rutgers. We are out of time, this was great. I wish you the best of luck Perry Halkitis.
Halkitis: Thank you so much.


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XSS - How to get 20 .gov links in 20 minutesBlog Post: August 21, 2006
Please , can anybody tell me how to make a xss link , how does it work , where to find useful information about xss links , or where can I download a software for making xss links. Can you explain me with a few words how does the software works , or what do I have to do , to understand how to make a xss link. Thanks in advance!

subset: commoncrawl


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City of Almaty
Almaty is a financial, business center not only for Kazakhstan, but for other neighboring countries such as Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tadjikistan, and Turkmenistan. Almaty is the previous official capital city, for the last 5 years is has been changed info a new capital of investment, business, trade and commerce not only for Kazakhstan,
but also for the other Central Asian countries. The major airline companies like "Turkish Airlines", "KLM", "Lufthansa", "British Airlines", "Aeroflot", "Air Astana" and "TransAero" have direct flights to Almaty. Almaty offers you best hotels, restaurants, nightclubs, beautiful mountains and other facilities.


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I never heard about them, but with there company profile i can see that they are a reputed organisation. I guess i need to improve my knowledge.
IFlex Solutions
Company Overview:
i-flex®solutions (Reuters: IFLX.BO and IFLX.NS) is a world leader in providing IT solutions to the financial services industry, with more than 600 customers in over 120 countries. Its range of products, custom solutions and consulting services enable financial institutions to cut costs, respond rapidly to market needs, enhance customer service levels and mitigate risk.
The i-flex portfolio includes FLEXCUBE®, a complete banking product suite for retail, consumer, corporate, investment and internet banking, and asset management and investor servicing. Since its launch in 1997, more than 250 financial institutions in 100 countries have chosen FLEXCUBE. FLEXCUBE has been ranked the world's No. 1 selling core banking solution for four consecutive years - 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005 - by the UK-based International Banking Systems (IBS).
Reveleus™ is a suite of analytical applications for the financial services industry focused in the areas of risk management, customer insight, and enterprise-wide financial performance. Reveleus' Risk Analytics product solves the most complex global challenges facing the financial industry today, including multi-jurisdictional Basel II compliance and operational risk management. Reveleus is positioned in Gartner's 'Leaders Quadrant' in its Basel II Risk Management Application Software Magic Quadrant and Tower Group has ranked Reveleus' Basel II solution amongst the best in this domain.
Together with Castek® Software Inc., i-flex offers strategic business software and services for the global Property and Casualty insurance market. Castek provides insurance carriers with a suite of core business processing systems for insurance product and process configuration, policy processing, customer billing, claims management and services. Recipient of prestigious awards, Castek was rated among the 'Top 50 Best Managed Private Companies in Canada'.
PrimeSourcing™, i-flex's global IT services business, provides customized software solutions exclusively for the financial services industry worldwide. It focuses on corporate, investment, private and retail banking, and the Insurance domain, and is backed by top-notch industry consultants, technology experts, and SEI-CMMi Level 5 compliant processes. PrimeSourcing's deep domain expertise helps customers manage challenges associated with complex, mission-critical, outsourced functions. The Division operates development centers across India, the USA, and Singapore. It has a solutions center in Europe, a specialty center around Oracle technologies, a virtual university (Prime University) to enable continuous learning, and dedicated centers of excellence in business intelligence, customer relationship management (CRM), payment solutions, and testing services. With over 3,200 employees, PrimeSourcing has serviced customers in over 40 countries.
The i-flex Consulting and Systems Integration group offers an end-to-end consulting partnership, providing comprehensive business and technology solutions that enable financial services enterprises to improve process efficiencies, optimize costs, meet risk and compliance requirements, define IT Architecture to support future needs, and manage the transformation process. Consulting services are offered in the areas of Business Transformation, Risk and Compliance, IT Architecture and Strategy, IT Governance and Process Improvement and Program Management.
i-flex's Technology Deployment & Management Services (TDMS) group designs, develops, deploys and manages Information Technology (IT) infrastructure for financial institutions. TDMS' services are based on the COBIT (Control Objectives for Information and related Technology) model, a globally accepted standard for IT management and control framework, and incorporates the best practices of many other standards, including ITIL (IT Infrastructure Library) and BS7799 (ISO17799).
Equinox Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of i-flex, provides innovative and cost-effective customer acquisition and knowledge process outsourcing services to the lending industry. With staff strength of over 400 located in Gurgaon, near New Delhi, Equinox has serviced more than 15 customers in the United States. i-flex has over 6,600 employees operating from 14 development centers across India, Singapore and the USA. The company has a strong global reach with a sales, marketing and support presence in 22 overseas locations operating under five subsidiaries (i-flex solutions Inc. in the USA, i-flex solutions b.v in The Netherlands, i-flex solutions pte. ltd. in Singapore, and SuperSolutions Corporation and Equinox Corporation in the USA). In addition, i-flex is represented in over 80 countries through over 30 corporate business partners. i-flex also has strong alliance and/or implementation relationships with industry leaders such as Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Intel, Microsoft and Oracle.
· Technology Products.
· Custom Applications and Services.
· Consulting Services.
· IT infrastructure Services.
· KPO for the financial industry – that's what we specialize in providing.
For your core, retail, corporate, investment and internet banking needs, and asset management and investor servicing, we offer FLEXCUBE®, the world's best-selling banking solution for four consecutive years, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005.
i-flex Park
C/o Embassy Business Park
C.V Raman Nagar
Bangalore 560 093
Tel: +91-80-5759 7000
Fax: +91-80-2534 5090
i-flex Center
133, Kundalahalli
Brook Fields
Millennium Tower
Bangalore 560 037
Tel: +91-80-5759 6000
Fax: +91-80-5666 4005
i-flex Center of learning
Plot No.13, Doddanekundi
Industrial Area
Phase II
Whitefield Road
Mahadevapura Post
Bangalore 560 048
i-flex solutions ltd.
Lower Ground floor, B Tower
Diamond District, Airport Road
Bangalore 560 008
Tel: +91-80-5521 9000 & 3983 9000
Fax: +91-80-5521 9090
email id: [email protected]
I never heard about them, but with there company profile i can see that they are a reputed organisation. I guess i need to improve my knowledge.
I suggest you to check out there website.
They are into private and retail banking.


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Prem Hirubalan
Prem Hirubalan is a finance professional and entrepreneur based in New York City. While studying at Syracuse University, Prem learned about cryptocurrencies and became increasingly interested in the asset and its potential to change the world. Prem strongly believes that cryptocurrency has the potential to revolutionize the financial industry. He is particularly fascinated by blockchain and its ability to help reduce friction in databases. Prem looks forward to learning more about cryptocurrency and its implications for the financial industry as he continues his career.
While Bitcoin is the most well-known cryptocurrency, Prem Hirubalan is quick to point out that the technology behind Bitcoin, blockchain, is truly transformative technology. Blockchain technologies have the potential to transform society in a number of ways. Since blockchains are very secure, they could potentially be used for online voting and record management in addition to payment systems. Since the technology behind cryptocurrency is so new and complex, many people have a difficult time understanding it. Prem encourages anyone who is interested in the subject to attend a meetup where he or she can learn about the technology from other people who share their interest.
Data Science
In addition to his interest in cryptocurrency, Prem Hirubalan is a student of data science. While working in the financial industry, he began to learn more about the technology involved in analyzing large data sets. Soon he started studied R and Python, two of the most popular computer programing languages that are used in data science. Learning how to program is not the easiest skill to pick up, yet Prem believes that anybody can learn if they are determined and remain persistent. The ability to analyze data is a valuable skill to have in today's world where there is so much data available to businesses. Prem looks forward to applying his data science skills to future projects.
Outside of his career, one of Prem Hirubalan's biggest passions is rugby. From the time that he was a child, Prem played the sport. During his time at Syracuse University, Prem was the captain of the school's rugby team. One of his favorite rugby memories is playing Army at West Point. Most people assumed that Army would crush Syracuse, but the team ended up only losing by five points. Even though the team lost Prem remembers how much effort his teammates put into the game and how much fun they had. Today Prem doesn't have the time to play rugby for a team, but he still enjoys following his favorite teams and watching matches as often as possible.


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Asianera started with the belief that distinctive fine quality china could be designed and produced in China, the place which originally invented and defined porcelain beauty centuries ago. Rather than emulating traditional designs, they set their minds to developing a unique design style and product line which reflect an Asian vernacular within a contemporary context.
It was 1995 and Grace and JP felt this was the beginning of a new exciting Asian era. They established Asianera on a foundation of mutually held values which extended beyond the product to positively influence the company's employees, clients, and community. Their mission continues to grow and develop.
Fine hand-painting on bone china is the Asianera medium. Our passion is for the artistry of hand-painting and the magic of the ceramic body. We chose fine bone china for its elegance, durability and ability to carry a broad range of colors from rich, bright shades to earthy muted shades. Designing and producing for functionality is our profession. The result -- fine hand-painting combined with the finest quality bone china to form elegant functional art for everyday living.
Recently, Asianera has also launched two new sub-brands: Lian and AE2.
The Lian brand is our cooperative designers'brand. These are the creative works of invited international designers working side-by-side with our own designers and artists. The results are cutting-edge and decidedly contemporary.
AE2 is our entry-level bone china brand which focuses on dinnerware and tabletop accessories for young professionals and young families just starting to appreciate the joys of collecting and using fine china, and the fun of home entertaining.
All our products strictly adhere to world-wide export safety standards.
Visit the Website: www.asianera.biz
Comments are closed.


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Under the dark of night, a man desperately tries to escape a massive cyborg, whose screen reads "Exterminate." Make peace with your gods, puny non-cyborg man! "Once they were your gods, too," he gasps. The cyborg's programming identifies his distinctive tattoo. "Am I the last?" the man asks. "There is one more," a distorted mechanized voice replies. "The Doctor."
AHA, I thought it would be the Doctor! *gives self points* I can't be too modest; there's also the narrator's ten-ton clue as she reminisces about her favorite childhood tale: a man who lived forever; "whose eyes were heavy with the weight of all he'd seen; a man who fell from the stars." Let's see, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor! :D Boy, it's sure nice of the Toby Whithouse to make it so easy to — ah, CRAP! *loses all points* D:
Things aren't as they seem! Okay! Rory, Amy, and the Doctor stand at a crude border of stones and wood, the Old West town called Mercy. Population: 81. A huge "KEEP OUT" sign signals danger. Luckily, the Doctor takes those as "suggestions more than actual orders, like dry cleaning only!" Oh, come on and admit it: those signs aren't cautionary suggestions; they're like Time Lord catnip!
The three stalk through the town, encountering your standard wary hiding townspeople. "That's not right," the Doctor says of a street lamp. "Anachronistic electricity, keep out signs, aggressive stares: has someone been peeking at my Christmas list?" he asks delightedly. Well, yes, since you mentioned it on the dinosaur spaceship!
Western movie tropes continue apace! Our heroes enter a saloon and conversation grinds to a halt. "What are you doing here, son?" the saloon's owner asks the Doctor. "Son?" he exclaims. "You can stay!" While the town undertaker measures him for his coffin (Whithouse, you didn't leave anything out!), a young whippersnapper asks if the Doctor's an alien. "I suppose I am," he allows. Everyone pounces.
The Doctor's hurled across the boundary while the Preacher recites the Lord's Prayer. In a lovely marriage of Western and Sci-Fi perspective, the Gunslinger cyborg fades in and out as he stalks/teleports closer, a visual hearkening to heat distortion surrounding approaching characters in Western flicks. Everyone draws to keep the Doctor out, until with a "You! Bowtie!" the Doctor's ordered back by Isaac the Marshall.
What if he's the Doctor the Gunslinger's looking for, that wet-behind-the-ears whippersnapper asks. "You know it ain't," Isaac replies. They've been trapped for weeks, he tells the Doctor & Co. back at the Marshall's. No supply wagons can cross the line; the townspeople get shot at (warning only) if they attempt to cross.
It's all because the Gunslinger demands the Alien Doctor. "Why would he want to kill you?" Amy asks. "Unless he's met you." HA! /Krabappel-ing. Can't be our Doctor: they were headed to Mexico to the Day of the Dead Festival (potentially cultural insensitivity avoided!) when someone got toast crumbs on the console (Rory, if exasperated Time Lord looks could kill…).
"Resident 81, I presume," must be hiding at the Marshall's, because that's where the Doctor would stash himself. Introducing Kahler-Jex, all civilized mild-mannered alien physician to the cyborg Gunslinger's outlaw savagery! The Doctor wrings his hand, full of compliments for the Kahler, an ingenious technologically-advanced race who could build a spaceship out of Tupperware and moss. Ew.
Isaac and the townsfolk saved Jex, pulling him from the wreckage of his spaceship. As thanks, he cured their cholera and turned his ship into a generator to supply heating and electricity. So. Why does the Gunslinger want him dead? "It don't matter," Isaac insists. America's the land of second chances, and they called the town Mercy for a reason.
If only the rest of the townsfolk hadn't changed the name to Brutality! "They're scared, that's all!" Jex insists compassionately. Isaac doesn't agree; if he lets them hand Jex over, "we're handing the keys over to chaos." Fine, they'll just help Jex escape and evacuate the town. "No crazy schemes?" Amy asks. "No negotiations?" Of course not, and for the record, the Doctor's not curious about that mysterious space cowboy assassin, okay?!
Time for sleight of hand: Isaac dresses in Jex's clothes, and since the Gunslinger won't fire on innocents, he and Rory run like maniacs while the Gunslinger follows closely with his firing arm (literally his arm, a multiple barrel automatic). The Doctor, meanwhile, appropriates the Preacher's transgender horse ("He wants you to respect his life choices!") and rides. Say "she" if you're going to be respectful, Doctor!
Jex tells Amy he only ever wanted to end suffering, so he won't leave Mercy, where he can start afresh and help. "You're a mother, aren't you?" he asks when she places a coat around his shoulders. He sees kindness, sadness, and ferocity in her eyes. "Not exactly straightforward," Amy says, taken aback. "Seldom is," he answers. Is he a father? "Yes. In a way, I suppose I am," he replies, looking troubled. Uh oh.
On his way to the TARDIS, the Doctor pulls over with Susan. "Oi, don't swear," the Doctor exclaims while Susan neighs impatiently. He discovers the tubing transmitting Jex's ship's energy to the town and follows to the source. "Yes, good point, Susan! Where is the damage?" he asks as he knocks on the ship before Sonic-ing it.
The Doctor sets off an alarm, saving Isaac from the Gunslinger. In town, Jex realizes the Doctor's gone rogue. "He's not following the plan!" "Welcome to my world," Amy says, overlooking Jex's suspicious apprehension. Yay, Sonic Screwdriver alarm override from, "Abraxas Security Software: incinerating intruders for three centuries!"
Finding nothing on the Gunslinger, the Doctor orders Jex's personal files. Sounds of people screaming in pain provide background to Jex's calm voice noting the "names of deceased subjects". Lovely yet horrifying moment encapsulating the banality of war: the data flashes by, seen only in reflection on the Doctor's troubled face.
Amy turns to find Jex has a gun to her head. "Sorry, Amy. He really should have followed the plan." Outside the town, the Doctor calls off the Gunslinger's fire before he explains he knows who he and Jex are. They can put him on trial, he offers. "When he starts killing your people, you can use your justice," the Gunslinger growls.
Jex plans to kidnap Amy as a safeguard; the Gunslinger tends to take innocent lives "only when it's absolutely necessary." "Color me reassured," she says just as Isaac returns, his gun drawn on Jex. Over at the ship, the Gunslinger insists he'll kill the next one over the town line: "Make sure it's Jex."
"Lying, every word," the Doctor interrupts Jex's excuses. "Sit down!" he roars (he just zips from zero to sixty these days). What is Jex? "A war hero," Jex replies, defiant. The Doctor bitingly breaks it down: Jex created the Gunslinger, a volunteer for special training who was brutally experimented on, fashioned into a weapon.
"Our task was to bring peace," Jex objects; using cyborgs, his team ended a nine-year war in a week. The cyborgs were "decommissioned" (should I be hearing "killed"?), but the Gunslinger, damaged in battle, launched a vendetta against the scientists. He's killed them all, except for Jex.
While Rory, Isaac, and Jex bicker over Jex's fate (is he war criminal, town savior, or something else?), the Doctor broods until Jex taunts seeing him is like "looking into a mirror." They share rage, guilt, solitude, "everything but the nerve to do what needs to be done."
Rising to the bait, the Doctor drags him away to the town's boundary and tosses him across before aiming a gun on him. "You wouldn't," Jex says. "I genuinely don't know," the Doctor replies, angry and indecisive. Eeee, we're only beginning to get the great payoff of this story in which nothing is straightforward or easy.
Amy shoots skyward, threatening to shoot. "Maybe I've changed," she yells when the Doctor scoffs. "You've clearly been taking stupid lessons!" Crap, for a moment the episode jumps on the stupid lesson bandwagon: Amy mistakenly fires two more times to comic effect. Uh, Amy knows how to handle guns. *bonks heads*
"Everyone who isn't an American, drop your gun!" Isaac bawls out. This is "not how we roll, and you know it!" Amy admonishes. But he wants to honor the victims today, all who died "because of my mercy!" "This is what happens when you travel alone for too long," Amy says, insisting "we can't be like him [Jex]; we have to be better than him."
Amy's reproving words are a great reminder of how much the Doctor needs his companions to help him act more humane. But it's a troubling reference to how the arrangement with the Ponds doesn't quite meet those needs anymore. The Doctor isn't only distanced from Amy and Rory by gaps in time between adventures, but by the unspoken though increasing understanding that he's ultimately on his own.
The Gunslinger materializes, gun to Jex's head (and a visual reminder of his tattoo recognition tech). "Make peace with your gods," Jex says, echoing the opening. Ack, Isaac intercepts the shot! The Doctor huddles over him as he dies, listening to Isaac's exhortation to, "Protect Jex; protect my town." Great, diametrically opposed missions! "You're both good men," Isaac says weakly. "You just forget it sometimes."
The Doctor pins the Marshall badge on, telling the townsfolk, "You'll have me to answer to," if they harm Jex. He turns to tell the Gunslinger, "This has gone on long enough." Okay, then, the Gunslinger proposes a solution which totally would mean Isaac died in vain: high noon tomorrow, hand Jex over, easy peasy lemon-squeezey!
That night, the Preacher visits Marshall Doctor and Deputy Pond to ask him to come outside. In the fine tradition of Atticus-Finch-ing a lynch mob, the Doctor refuses to "leave the keys and take a walk," instead talking down that same young frontiersman with the itchy trigger finger. "He really worth the risk?" the kid asks. "Don't know," the Doctor says hoarsely. "But you are."
"Frightened people!" the Doctor exclaims. "Give me a Dalek any day!" YOU THINK? The Undertaker brings the Doctor coffee so he can say he's on his side (and measure him again for a coffin, oho!) The Doctor tries to ignore Jex's insistence he's horrified by his past deeds. "It would be so much simpler if I was just one thing, wouldn't it?" Jex says derisively, but he's not an easy fit for mad scientist or the savior physician.
The Doctor totally has Jex's number: he chose Mercy as the place to perform his penance. Uh, not how justice works; he can't decide "when and how your debt is paid!" Jex relates the Kahler's belief that in death a spirit must climb a mountain, carrying the souls of everyone she or he's wronged. "Imagine the weight I will have to lift": the monsters he created, the people they killed, Isaac. That's why he fears death.
There's "no shame" in wanting to turn him over and perhaps play the hero, Jex observes shrewdly. But while he's haunted by his past, he sees the Doctor's haunted by his morality. "We all carry our prisons with us," he says, a line that impresses the Doctor so much he repeats it. And "Ha!" He's got a plan!
It's five minutes to High Noon! While the Preacher and most townsfolk pray, and Amy guards Jex in his cell, the Doctor waits, hole-shot Stetson on his head, for the Gunslinger to step over the boundary. It's all very stand-off-y, great confrontation stuff with simple sounds and thick tension. Both the Doctor and Gunslinger draw, but the Doctor's got his Sonic Screwdriver! Oh, thank hell; it freaks me out to see him hold a gun!
High-pitched noise shatters windows and disorients the Gunslinger, who shoots randomly before he's completely confused by people running to and fro, all with Kahler-ian tattoos on their faces. His tattoo recognition goes haywire while Jex runs undetected. "Error: Invalid Visual Match," the Gunslinger sees. "Disengage," he says aloud. "It's a trick."
Cue a boot-stomping spur-jangling march by the church, where an innocent girl knocks over a stack of prayer books. The Gunslinger aims at congregants and shatters stained glass until he's jarred by the little girl clinging to the Preacher. He stands down.
Jex makes it to his space-ship, while the Gunslinger's tech separates out images to detect the Doctor from his tattoo. Confronted, the Doctor yells Jex is gone; they'll soon see the vapor trail of his ship. Meanwhile, get outta town! "This is their home," the Doctor argues, "not the backdrop to your revenge."
Jex uses his ship's com to ask if the Gunslinger will return to their planet. No, because he's a monster now. "So am I," Jex admits, starting the incinerating-alarm countdown again: it's time to face the souls he's wronged. "Perhaps they will be kind," he says fearfully as the self-destruction explosion rises to the air to end the Gunslinger's vendetta.
"He behaved with honor at the end," the Gunslinger says, "Maybe more than me." He'll self-destruct beyond the town's limits because he has no role during peace as a creature of war. "Except maybe to protect it!" the Doctor calls after him. The Gunslinger halts.
The Doctor tells Amy and Rory the next stop: finding the real story of those monkeys and dogs launched into space! Aww, I like to think they're living peaceably on a Monkey-Dog hybrid planet somewhere. But Amy begs off because "our friends are going to start noticing we're aging faster than them." Oh. That does bite. "Another time; no worries," the Doctor says jovially. You're fooling exactly NO ONE, Doctor.
The Doctor has a "got ya, pardner!" moment of finger-gun showdown with that eighteen-year-old dude. If there was one storyline we had to cut from this episode…anyway, they're obviously both more childlike and playful as a result of having saved Mercy in the end. The Doctor salutes and leaves.
Mercy never needed marshals or sheriffs, the narrator says. They had "our own angel who fell from the stars." The little girl walks beyond the inactive boundary to gaze up at the Gunslinger; he wears the Marshall badge. I love the misdirection's resolution (easy to spot though it was): it's so moving to learn it's not the Doctor but the war-traumatized Gunslinger who became Mercy's protector and featured in those favorite childhood tales.
Whoo-wee ahthooo phahooo! I'd love to hear your reactions to this ep in comments! Join me next week for New Who, "The Power of Three" — and before that, for recaps of previous-series DW this Wednesday and Thursday with the Ten & Martha Jones eps, "The Lazarus Experiment" and "42"!


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The wait is finally over!
Earlier today, Samsung Mobile Malaysia announced that the much anticipated Samsung Galaxy S4 is on sale in Malaysia!
Samsung Galaxy S4 is the latest flagship Android superphone from Samsung, which was announced last March 2013 in a theatrical Broadway-esque event in New York, USA. As a quick recap, here's a brief specs overview of the Samsung Galaxy S4:-
- 5″ Full HD Super AMOLED display (1920X1080)(441 ppi)
- 1.6 GHz octa core Exynnos 5 processor <– Malaysian version is non-LTE
- 16/32/64 GB internal storage (expandable microSD slot) + 2 GB RAM
- Powered by latest Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2 OS (with Samsung TouchWiz interface)
- 13 megapixel rear camera, 2 megapixel front facing camera
- 7.9 mm thin, weighing only 130 grams
- 2,600 mAH removable battery
- Connectivity : HSPA+/LTE, WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC, IR (infrared) Blaster
- Available in Black Mist and White Frost
The highlight of this flagship phone has to be the series of features that was introduced, which includes Dual Camera use, Air View using your fingers, Sound & Shot, Smart Pause, S Translator and more. For more information, do check out the Samsung Galaxy S4 microsite at http://www.samsung.com/my/galaxys4/
Also, follow Samsung Mobile Malaysia on their Facebook Page HERE or their Twitter account HERE
See Previous Post : Samsung Galaxy S4 announced & what the tech sites think
After releasing a Facebook Event invite HERE to the public yesterday, the launch consist of a moving roadshow from early morning of Saturday, 27 April 2013 until the afternoon in the following locations:-
- 9.30 – 10.00 at Blue cube Sunway Pyramid (ICONIC) Celcom Store
- 10.00 – 10.30 at Sunway Pyramid – Digi Store
- 10.45 – 11.00 at 3rd Floor The Gardens, Mid Valley – Maxis Store
- 11.30 – 12.00 at Berjaya Times Square – U Mobile Store
- 12.30 – 14.30 at Low Yat Plaza Main entrance
The launch this year was rather different from the usual Media / Partners Launch event, it's a moving roadshow at all 4 major telcos (Celcom, DiGi, Maxis and U Mobile) ending at the consumer event at Low Yat Plaza in KL city. Additionally, all telcos also held their own roadshows at various nationwide.
Pricing and Mobile Telco Plans
The Samsung Galaxy S4 is on sale starting 10 am this morning of 27 April 2013, at the Recommended Retail Price (RRP) of RM 2,199 at all 4 telcos as well as authorised Samsung distributor / retailers.
All 4 telcos also announced their respective plans for the Samsung Galaxy S4.
Maxis – S4 Plans from RM 1,249 at RM 78/month
Check out Maxis' Samsung Galaxy S4 plans at http://new.maxis.com.my/content/maxis/en/personal/devices/all-phones/samsung/samsung-galaxy-s4.html
Celcom – S4 Plans from RM 1,338 at RM 88/month
Check out Celcom's' Samsung Galaxy S4 plans at http://www.celcom.com.my/devices/smartphones/android/samsung-galaxy-s4.php
DiGi – S4 Plans from RM 1,199 at RM 148/month
Check out DiGi's' Samsung Galaxy S4 plans at http://www.digi.com.my/PhonesDevices/Samsung_GALAXYS4.do
U Mobile – S4 Plans from RM 899 at RM 159/month
Check out U Mobile's' Samsung Galaxy S4 plans at http://www.u.com.my/phone-deals/samsung-galaxy-s4
Are you excited? Or have you already got your hands on the Samsung Galaxy S4 already this morning?


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Author(s): Stuart Littlemore
The irascible Harry Curry and beauteous Arabella Engineer are back in a new suite of legal misadventures and relationship jousts. In this final instalment of Stuart Littlemore's incisive crime collection, Harry and Arabella get down and domestic dealing with a baby on the way and the impending interruption to their lively legal careers. Harry comes to relish a spate of 'rats-and-mice' cases - the bottom of the courthouse barrel and as far from murder trials as you could get. Between forest protesters, a new Ferrari on the loose and a spot of rural cricket, this rakish legal scion must find a way to keep his professional and personal life from veering into chaos, or worse yet, monotony.


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If you're like me, the task of eating lobster is not easy. I have cut my finger countless times on claws, that lobster liquid has hit my date in the face (graphic... but true). So I was over the moon when I received this graphic from the North River Lobster Company. Finally, a easy to follow guide on how to eat my favorite summer meal (I will be that girl who brings a print out of these instructions to every lobster cook out). Also, National Lobster Day is June 15, so make sure to honor our favorite crustacean and enjoy!
[image id="7877d493-b7cf-4a66-b2e6-8e5d6fc4e919" mediaId="2df06ad6-ccad-4951-aea4-181151e51544" loc="C"][/image]


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Improving the quality of life for DeKalb residents is rooted in prosecuting crime and deterring crime through community prosecution − a nationally-proven method that uses a proactive, integrated, solutions-based and grassroots approach to combat quality-of-life crimes in targeted areas through partnerships among the community, police and prosecutors.
The Solicitor-General community prosecutors work with neighborhood residents, community organizations, service providers, the faith community and police to identify public safety problems and to promote long-term solutions to quality-of-life issues vexing DeKalb communities. These quality-of-life issues can include graffiti, vandalism, trespassing, disorderly conduct, drug solicitation, prostitution, and aggressive panhandling. Other issues can include an absentee landlord who allows a tenant to sell beer, cigarettes, drugs or sex from his or her apartment as well as be the landlord who turns a blind eye to the tenant operating an unlicensed bar, dance club or "massage" parlor from a commercial space. Or, it can be the persistent presence of criminal activity in a private or public space.
Deputy Chief of the Special Victims Unit and Community Prosecution Dionne McGee oversees the program, working alongside Community Prosecutor Claire Farley. Dedicated to finding real solutions to crime problems in our neighborhoods, both community prosecutors hold regular office hours at police precincts throughout DeKalb, attend countless Homeowner and Community Association meetings and participate in numerous community events.
Additionally, our community prosecutors identify "frequent flyers," or repeat offenders − who are known to go through the courts as if they're going in and out of a revolving door − and then share that information with fellow prosecutors, who, in turn, inform judges to help them determine appropriate sentences.
If needed, our community prosecutors direct defendants to therapeutic treatment. In some instances, they personally prosecute cases of "frequent flyers" or those of particular interest to a community.
Our Community Prosecution Program also tackles nuisance properties – those properties known within the community to sustain criminal activities – through the filing of civil nuisance abatement actions. Learn more about nuisance abatement here.
If you have a community concern, you can reach Claire Farley at firstname.lastname@example.com.
To reach one of our community prosecutors, please contact the Solicitor-General's Office at (404) 371-2201 or email firstname.lastname@example.com.
If you are interested in requesting a speaker at your community event, please fill out and return to Deputy Chief SVU/Community Prosecution Dionne McGee: SPEAKER REQUEST FORM.


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Success Rate of Facebook Ads
Facebook is an inexpensive method for small businesses to reach an engaged audience. The targeted nature of Facebook ads ensures that the viewer of an ad will find it somewhat relevant, increasing the chances that he will click on it. But with the platform still being relatively new, questions remain as to the overall effectiveness of Facebook ads.
A majority of Facebook's revenue comes from selling advertising. These ads appear along the right hand side of the page and occasionally within your News Feed. Ads are targeted using information within your profile, including age, gender, location, education and what you've previously liked on Facebook. This targeting is intended to make the ads more relevant to increase the chances that you'll click on the ad.
Ads on Facebook can either promote content on Facebook or another Web site. Advertisers have the option of promoting an entire page or event; they can also promote individual posts as ads. These are called "Sponsored Stories." The ads appear to friends of the people who like a page in the hopes that those friends will be more interested, since somebody they know already likes a page.
Facebook claims that users who like a product or service's page spend an average of twice as much as regular customers. A June 2012 study by Andrew Lipsman, Carmela Aquino, and Patrick Kemp of comScore backs up this claim. The researchers found that in general fans did spend more. What comScore found that might make Facebook advertising really attractive is that friends of an advertiser's fans also spent more, validating Facebook's push for advertisers to use its "Sponsored Stories" concept.
While comScore did find that fans and friends of fans spent more, other studies have questioned the long-term effectiveness of Facebook ads. Another survey performed in June 2012 by polling firm Ispos and Reuters Newswire found that four in five Facebook users have never bought a product or service as a result of advertising on the site. Automaker General Motors pulled its own ads from the site in May 2012, claiming advertising on the site was ineffective.
Photo Credits
- Polka Dot RF/Polka Dot/Getty Images


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Listed below are campground members of the Upper Buffalo River Association, along with a brief description and photo gallery of each property. For more detailed information about our campgrounds, visit the business websites for more details. A link is provided to the right of each description, along with contact information.
Centerpoint Horse Camp
Centerpoint Horsecamp & Campground is located directly across Hwy 43 from the Centerpoint Trailhead. We welcome horse trailers, RV's, campers, and tents. We have 6 campsites with water, electric, a shower house, and a pull thru dump station. We have 11 outdoor stalls and one round pen for your convenience.
Phone: 870-420-3222 or 870-404-4120
Website: www.centerpointhorsecamp.com
Email: email@example.com
Map & Directions
Lost Valley Canoe & Lodging
Lost Valley Campground is primitive tent camping only, with campfire ring and picnic table. Our Rustic Bunkhouse is a step up from camping, and accommodates up to 16. Our new "Tree House Yurt" is glamour camping at its finest. Step up into the branches of two ancient cedar trees. Coin operated showers available.
Rates: Camping starts at $20
Bunkhouse starts at $10/person
Yurt- $100/up to 4 people
Phone: 870-861-5522
Website: www.lostvalleycanoe.com
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Map & Directions


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Making shoes from leather :~
I wrote this tutorial a few years back for OSS , and since someone just asked about pirate boots, I thought I would post it here.
I don't have much to add after a few more years experience since I wrote it except that you don't have to sew uppers to soles : glue can do the job well enough .
Miniature leatherwork does need a proper outfit of tools and materials : its no use trying to do this with modern chrome leathers ( the shiny coloured ones used for most modern stuff , typically handbags ) and blunt knives .
You will need :
Thin( 2mm or less ) vegetable tanned leather (calf or goat ), from Rio Rondo ( nice leather , but very small pieces : you want the pale flesh-coloured stuff , not the coloured , which are chrome tan ;
or other suppliers : I use Le Prevo , of Blackfriars , Stowell St., Newcastle NE1 4XN , who do an excellent mailorder service if you are in the UK . http://www.leprevo.co.uk/
Their vegtan goatskins , described sometimes as Morocco, are ideal for 1/6th , and not expensive. One will last you for years .
Linen thread , a little beeswax to rub on the thread to make it pull through holes smoothly, and suitable needles ( glovers needles which have a sharpened blade tip are often handy , from le Prevo ), and very sharp new knives : Scalpels are adequate in this scale .
You will also need an awl to make holes with : I made mine by backing a largish needle into a suitable wooden handle , then grinding the tip to a sharp point .
A cork tile is a really useful board to work on , since you can pin things to it , as you see in the following pics.
Otherwise its best to use a very smooth piece of MDF board or similar to work on when cutting leather .
The point about using vegtan leather is that its plastic whilst wet : you can stretch it and shape it amazingly to make shoes and holsters . It also takes false stitching and decoration very well : its the leather used for all tooled work in 1:1 , such as Western gunbelts and saddles . Chrome leathers cannot be shaped in this way : you can stitch them into flat items or cut straps from them satisfactorily , but beyond that they are useless.
To make shoes 1/6 succesfully you are following a simplified version of 1:1 shoemaking , but leaving out a layer ( the insole ) which makes things easier .
The first requirement is for a last ( or a pair of lasts to speed things up ) to mould your shoe around : I make mine from Sculpey , but an epoxy putty would do just as well if you dont have a suitable oven for the Sculpey.
You need to compare for size it to the foot of the figure you are dressing , and also to the shape of the particular style of shoe you are trying to make .
In this article Im making mid-seventeenth century shoes for English Civil War figure , but the principles are much the same for later styles , ACW brogans for example .
The last needs to be big enough , and Ive found its wise to err on the larger side , since the leather will shrink very slightly on drying.
Before the mid-19th century , shoes were straights , that is , the same for both feet , and made on the same last : no wonder people had to break them in !
You'll find that your figure has laft and right feet , so you have to make some accomodation for that when modelling the lasts ,
Here are my pair of Sculpey lasts : almost identical , with square toes .
First use these to roughly mark out an oversize sole , and pin the sole to the board:
The cut the fronts of the uppers : the piece of leather should be roughly the shape shown :
Soak it in water , then , with a blunt tool ( I use a spatula ) gently work it to fit over the front of the last , taking particular care to get the welt you are forming with the tool well under the bottom of the last : the further under you can get it , the better the fit of the shoe .
Leave to dry : the dry leather will stay in shape.
Once dry , you can make stitch holes with your awl going through the upper and the sole :
Take a needle , with a waxed thread , and sew the upper and sole together . This can be a bit fiddly , but so long as you keep the holes matching , it should work out in the end . I use two needles ,
saddle stitching as its called , but you can go round and back with one needle if you prefer:
Wet the welt and burnish it all to shape again.
Then the backs ( in the originals , the backs are actually in two pieces , but its quite possible to make them in one in 1/6th ).
Notice that the back is quite curved : this is essential to make it deep enough for the heel , yet tight enough at the top to lie close to the ankle.
Repeat the procedure as with the front : the back slightly overlaps the front on each side:
You might want to add another layer to the sole : simply stick on ; the same for heels , which are stacked from as many pieces as you want :Here I've placed the sewn shoes on another layer to make the outer soles : once glued ( use any good glue : it could be white glue , or Bostik ) I'll trim round this and add the heels :
[ HISTORICAL NOTE : despite what you might think from countless
medieval films , heels were not in use in Europe until 1600 : they come in almost exactly with the new century , probably after influence from Eastern Europe and ultimately the Turks , who seem to have been the first people to use them .
Late medieval/ renaissance shoes did have attached , welted soles ( after about 1460 ) , and there was often a thickening lift towards the rear , but they never had separate heels until after 1600 ......
Any European figure before 1600 WILL NOT HAVE HEELS ! ]
Dampen and burnish again , and your shoe is finished apart from the lace holes and colouring.
Once you are happy with the shape , gently ease it off the last , and finish with a colour wash of acrylic , and some suitable laces:
Here are some more types I've made this way : Shoes from 1600 , with a raised but integral heel :
Some round-toed shoes from around 1630 :
And some ACW Brogans ( forgive the trouser legs ) :
GLUING instead of STITCHING :
Its quite possible to use this method using a last , but substituting glue for the stitching ; but the leather will have to be really dry at each stage, or the glue wont take on it . I havent tried it myself , preferring the scale stitching ; and the finished item is going to be a little less strong if you use glue ; but Im sure its possible if you dont fancy the sewing .The stitching can be faked with the awl once the glue is dry : dampen the leather again and scribe the stitching into the leather .
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Once you have some vegtan leather ; all sorts of improvement to commercial items becomes possible . You are only limited by time and skill . Its well worth replacing Pleather straps with the real thing , since it eliminates the woven backing which often shows with pleather items. You can make leather holsters as well .
Vegtan likes acrylic paint , which it soaks up , so its possible to turn it any colour you like ( experiment on a scrap first ); There are also a good range of spirit based leather dyes you can get from suppliers .You can use wax to get a shine after , or even use boot polish .
The same technique can be used to make tall boots , for which you will need a full-height last , modelled in this pic in Sculpey again:
The pupose of the last is again to enable you to accurately shape each section before assembling it.
Start with moulding the wet leather to make the foot , then the leg . You have to glue or stich the leg to the foot portion . Its ESSENTIAL not to close the rear seam until you remove the last , or you will never get it out :
Once all the sections are joined , remove the last :
Using some other cylindrical object without a foot on it as an internal support , you can now either stitch or glue the rear seam ; here Im butt-stitching the two edges together with a pair of glovers needles threaded on the same thread : saddle stitching , in other words, but with the edges being brought together rather than overlapped. This is exactly how the real boots were made:
The finished boots , after staining with a spirit-based leather dye :
I also used an identical technique to add some legs to the DiD officers boots , to make the Staff Officers boot shown here . The gaiter leg was moulded on the last , then glued to the boot , then both boot and gaiter were painted with acrylics :
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Boy Scout Troop 83 (sponsored by American Legion Post 83) is having its annual food collection on Dec. 4. Food collection bags will be dropped off on Nov. 27 by the scouts and will be picked up on Dec. 4 in the morning by 10 a.m.
People are asked to contribute to the local food pantry by making a food donation. If people are unable to donate food items at this time, they are asked to contact 499-9177 or 499-0297 for a food pickup. The goal is to fill the food pantry with much needed items for this holiday season.


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Hello Stampin' friends! I've been taking a little stampin' and bloggin' break! I wasn't sure my mojo was ever going to come back but I thought if I got sketchy with the MFT Wednesday Stamp Club then maybe my mojo would reappear...a sketch is always a great way to get the creative juices flowing again!
Here is the fabulous sketch that I used for my card!
I got a great deal on BasicGrey Paper Cottage wood buttons and some Hemptique cord at Winners the other day so I pulled out my Paper Cottage 6x6 paper pad to go with the BG Paper Cottage button. I used the MFT Heirloom Label Die-namics, the Flower Medley Die-namics and the Solid Bracket Border Die-namics. I matted with MFT Blu Raspberry, Red Hot, Hot Fudge and the gorgeous new Primitive Cream Heavyweight Card Stock. This sentiment from the, Chalkboard Greetings Stamp set, is sound advice that I need to heed myself at the mo :) I also added in a few ink spatters with the the Abstract Art Stamp set and stamped with Hot Fudge Premium Dye Ink.
Here is the inside...I used the same layout as the front of the card and used a sentiment from the Lisa Johnson Designs On the Line Sentiment Stamp set...I added a few more ink spatters with the Abstract Art Stamp set and added another pretty flower cut with the Flower Medley Die-namics with another BasicGrey Paper Cottage wood Button tied with Hemptique cord.
Well thanks SO much for stopping by and havin' a wee peek at my card! Have a great week!


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Pressure and Valves
High pressure and high volume valve requires a unique expertise in volumetric and mechanical test operation design. JET engineers have worked in the field both in their careers as well as with our customers. We understand the exceptional circumstances that revolve around 3,500 psi and how to test system built to work at that pressure.
Allow us to help make your test rig rugged and accurate enough to ensure your products are successful.


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When a marriage is annulled, it brings about several complications due to the fact that the marriage was never seen as legally valid. One of the primary concerns many parents face is that any children they share may be at the center of tricky custody battles at the result of being born to parents who were never legally wed.
Fortunately, Arizona has some rather forward-thinking laws when it comes to children born outside a legal marriage. Children born to parents of any relationship status are protected by the same guidelines, and if a child has been born out of wedlock, parents will have equal custody of the child once paternity has been determined.
The "presumption of paternity" clause is what can confuse many couples, but it is much simpler than the tricky legalese makes it seem. All you need for paternity to be established outside of marriage is one of the following:
- A birth certificate signed by both the mother and father (the most common method)
- A notarized statement acknowledging paternity signed by the mother and father
- A genetics test showing 95% or greater probability of paternity
- The child was born no more than 10 months after the annulment of the marriage.
Generally speaking, it is easier to prove paternity following annulment than deny it; the burden will lie with the presumed father to prove otherwise.
You may even be able to hammer out the details of child support and custody during your annulment hearing, which can help make an already overwhelming process just a bit easier. If you are seeking to annul your marriage in Arizona but are concerned about what may happen to your children, you do not need to navigate the process alone. The Arizona family law attorneys at Curry, Pearson & Wooten are here to help you; call us today at 602-258-1000 to receive the support and guidance that you need.


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New Georgia based penny auction, SmHeartBid.com claims to be the first penny auction running a multi-level marketing (MLM) program (note: DubLi & myBidShack also tout an offered MLM program). SmHeartBid (pronounced SMART BID) is requesting bidder's social security numbers at sign up along with their mailing address, full date of birth and telephone number.
According to SmHeartBids' MLM marketing video on YouTube, they're the only penny auction site where users earn commissions "eight levels deep" on an auction whether you've purchased a bid pack or not. "Earn commissions almost immediately! And, " With thousands of penny auction participants daily, SMheartBid.com is pure entertainment shopping at its very best with one big twist, it's designed to pay you, and isn't it time you got paid?"
One new forum member, presumably an affiliate marketer/MLM member, in a forum post, recently posted:
"Please note that since this company shares some of their profits by paying commissions on positive activity, they do ask for your SSN on the registration page. The CEO doesn't want to take any chances with the IRS."
Alexa says, "Smheartbid.com has a three-month global Alexa traffic rank of 3,412,999.
(No reviews yet) 3,412,999Alexa Traffic Rank Sites Linking In
No data available for smheartbid.com
Sorry! There is not enough data available to display for this site."
smHeartBid's 'About Us' Info:
|"smHeartbid.com: The Leader in Penny Auction/Multilevel Affiliate Marketing (MLAM)
|smHeartbid endeavors to be the leader in the Penny Auction online industry.
|smHeartbid was established for three logical reasons.
|Provide an outstanding entertainment online shopping experience
|Provide income opportunity from auction activity
|Provide financial assistance to communities in need by way of our Non-Profit organization (NPO) Initiative."
According to SmHeartBid's terms, they're incorporated as Pangea Global Network:
"The following General Terms of Service ("Terms") shall apply exclusively to the business relationship between Pangea Global Network, Inc. d/b/a smHeartbid.com ("smheartbid"), its internet platform www.smHeartbid.com ("the Website") and our users. By using the Website, the user accepts the following General Terms and Conditions, as well as the manner in which the Website and its "AUTOSBIDDER" operate as described on the Website. (Autosbidder?)
SmHeartBid's terms state the following,
"Publicity: smHeartbid reserves the right to publish the name, region address and photograph of any winners. This rule is one of the conditions of participating on the Website, which allows smHeartbid to provide the public with proof of the auctions won by users. This constitutes a fundamental transparency issue. As a winner of a major auction, you may be asked, depending on advertising needs, to take part in a photo session and a brief interview about the circumstances surrounding your win. The following rules apply to the photo session:
- The face must be uncovered
- smHeartbid might require photo ID to confirm the winner's usual appearance. If a winner refuses to comply with these rules, smHeartbid reserves the right to suspend payment of the prize.
- The information gathered may be used to write a press release sent to the media. Your win will also likely appear in one of smHeartbid's commercials, including but not limited to, television and radio, as well as on the Website."
Domain name: smheartbid.com
Registrant Contact:
Whois Agent LiquidNet US LLC ()
C/O smheartbid.com
1500 N. University Drive, suite 115
Coral Springs, FL 33071
We e-mailed to ask Bob Johnson, CEO of SmHeartBid about the required SSN and if users can join without giving them this info, He tells us:
"SmHeartbid.com is actually a paradigm shift in the Penny Auction Industry. Our goal is to share our profits with our Affiliates. The income that Affiliates can earn, can be very attractive and are treated as "earned income". With that in mind all income over $600 is reported to the IRS. (It's like having a home based business.) The Social Security # or Fed Tax ID # is imperative in order for us to pay the referral commission."
Business owners are required to send a 1099 out to independent contractors who are paid over $600/year and for that a ss# is required, however I don't feel it necessary for a penny auction site to require this from all registered users. Just my opinion.
The site appears to be partially encrypted.
Under right to cancel – users must contact:
"The following contact details must be used:
smHeartbid.com #516
400 Peachtree Industrial Blvd. Suite 5
Suwanee, Ga. 30024″
Under Use of Data- SmHeartBid's Privacy Policy:
|Our primary purpose in collecting personal information is to provide you with a safe, smooth, efficient, and customized experience. You agree that We and affiliates or members of our corporate group may use your personal information to:
According to Bob, they plan to re-open tomorrow at noon EST.
www.smheartbid.net, SmHeartBid's instructional site takes the following info from closed auctions (though it doesn't specify from where), yet we don't see these same closed items on their site?
If you've tried it, what have your experiences been with smheartbid.com? Would you give sensitive personal information out to a penny auction site?
Should you?
Discuss this in our penny auction forum.
That's why online pharmacies is becoming more popular over the last years. Well-known are remedies which are used to reduce inflammation caused by inflammation of the skeletal muscle etc. There were only few examples. Did somebody tell you about canadian generic Viagra? Maybe you along know about the problem. Sexual disfunction can be a result of a physical condition. Even when it has a physical reason, psychological problems can make the disorder worse. Sex drive problems are so commonly a product of how you feel that there is something to that "headache" saying after all.


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Area Activities
Nature provides Packwood and the surrounding area with a great wealth of outdoor adventures. This Gifford Pinchot link has current conditions. The National Park Service and White Pass Ski area also have useful information. Browse this page for ideas and helpful links.
Email Our Tour Guide
Would you like some help planning your activities? Our tour guide would love to give you a hand. Feel free to email our tour guide.


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Hindsight is a powerful tool.
It's hard to recognise patterns in the moment, to understand how a larger design is unfolding as it actually unspools. It's a lot easier to process the larger context once the work is complete. Many important works only reveal themselves in retrospect, once they can be properly contextualised as part of broader cultural movements and placed within the larger popular consciousness. By this measure, Steven Moffat's run on Doctor Who is a particularly fascinating piece of work.
Moffat's Doctor Who is an interesting piece of work, in large part due to the sheer volume of venom that it generates online. This is to be expected with any writer working on a major geek-friendly property. Fandoms are inherently protective of what they deem to belong to them, and this can lead to excessive and aggressive campaigns of hatred against those writers and directors they believe to be betraying the object of their affection. This is most obvious in terms of the response to Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi, with harassment campaigns against actors and insane petitions and misogynist edits.
Moffat was subject to that sort of online hatred to the point that he was chased off Twitter, but the most interesting thing about the hatred of his tenure was that it seeped into professional journalism. Professional websites like The Daily Dot were so aggressively critical of Steven Moffat that they even made a point to blame him for decisions made by his direct predecessor; even when issuing a correction of that simple fact-checking oversight, they made a point to leave his sarcastic commentary on that narrative choice within the article without any context so that it might look like an endorsement.
There was an interesting dishonesty in the criticism of Moffat's tenure. The most obvious example might be Rebecca A. Moore's infamous study that argued that women's speaking roles actually decreased under Moffat's tenure, which was circulated in mainstream media and press. While it's possible to have subjective arguments about the content of such dialogue and characterisation, the study itself was easily demonstrably inaccurate and read very much as an attempt to manipulate the numbers in service of a predetermined editorial perspective.
It is, of course, perfectly reasonable to dislike the work of a particular writer or to dislike the direction of a particular show. Life would be boring if everybody liked the same things. However, a large part of the fan-press coverage of the Moffat era seemed dedicated to arguing that the series was objectively awful with little room for debate. This resulted in a very heightened tone in online discourse around it in which the producer had to give interviews to the mainstream press insisting that he was not a misogynist. This critical environment was less than healthy, and its spread to professional outlets was regrettable.
As with most things, including the tenure of Russell T. Davies and Andrew Cartmel, the reality of the Steven Moffat's tenure as showrunner was complicated. It is, for example, true that the overnight ratings did drop during the final years of his tenure. It is also true that the manner in which people were consuming television changed as well, making overnights less important. It is similarly true that Moffat's tenure saw the series breaking into America; synchronising broadcast on BBC America, record high ratings and shooting episodes like The Impossible Astronaut, Day of the Moon and The Angels Take Manhattan there.
More to the point, it was the Moffat era that saw the series' impact on American popular culture increase dramatically. To be fair, at least some of this was a delayed reaction to the hard work done by Russell T. Davies who had made smaller-scale efforts at outreach such as second-unit shooting in Daleks in Manhattan and Evolution of the Daleks. Nevertheless, the impact was felt. For example, Christopher Eccleston showed up on The Sarah Silverman Program playing "Doctor Lazer Rage." Similarly, Community featured "Inspector Spacetime", with a superfan played by future Moffat-era co-star Matt Lucas.
Whatever the precise cause of this increasingly mainstream interest in the show in American popular culture, and it seems fair to credit at least some of that to the increased access that American audiences had to the show during Moffat's tenure as showrunner, it gets at one of the larger and stranger overlaps between Moffat's work on the series and broader cultural trends. Moffat's Doctor Who often seems like a template for certain strands of contemporary popular culture, whether through coincidence or design.
Rewatching Moffat's Doctor Who, removed from its original context, it often seems like Moffat had a much stronger understanding of the direction of contemporary culture than many of his critics would allow.
Filed under: Television | Tagged: deconstruction, doctor who, narrative acceleration, narrative substitution, pop culture, steven moffat | 14 Comments »


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Matthew Russell
Matthew Russell, a southwest Missouri native, attended Missouri State University where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Government before attending Creighton University School of Law, in Omaha, Neb., where he won several awards for trial advocacy.
After graduating law school, Matthew returned to Springfield where he began working at the Greene County Prosecutor's Office. Matthew worked in the major crimes division while there, trying many felony cases and honing his trial skills.
Because of this experience, Matthew has an enhanced understanding of both criminal law and family law. In his nine years there, Matthew prosecuted every kind of crime under Missouri law and argued hundreds of trials and hearings. This gives him an inside understanding of the prosecutorial process and how to get the best possible result for your case — he understands what prosecutors and police look for and how to combat their case.
After nearly a decade there, Matthew decided to further assist those in the Southwest Missouri and started MRD Lawyers, where he primarily practices family law, criminal law and estate planning. He is committed to ensuring the legal system works for those he represents, and his commitment to families was a key driver in his decision to start his own legal practice.
Matthew is also involved with many Springfield-area organizations, including Leadership Springfield Board of Directors, for which he currently serves as director. Leadership Springfield is an organization that focuses on indentifying community leaders and familiarizing them with community opportunities, needs, problems and resources.
Continually showing his commitment to the practice of law and ensuring the legal system is working, Matthew has served on the CASP Board in Springfield. This group allows those who are charged with minor crimes to pay for their offense through community service rather than by serving jail time. His dedication to families led him to serve with the Violence Free Families of Springfield, where he helped families in need understand their legal rights.
"I have a unique perspective on how the legal system works, and I use this every day to do what is best for my clients, their families and their future. I try to help them find a solution everyone can live with, but if that option is not available, I will put my courtroom experience to work." — Matthew Russell
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Russell Dempsey
Russ Dempsey attended the University of Central Missouri where he earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in Psychology before attending Washburn Law School in Topeka, Kansas, where he graduated with honors in 2002.
After graduation, Russ worked in the Traffic Division of the Greene County Prosecutor's office, primarily handling DWI cases, before being appointed Prosecutor and Assistant City Attorney for the City of Branson.
In January 2005, Russ returned to the Greene County Prosecutor's Office in the Person's Division, where his focus shifted from DWI and traffic law offenses to serious violent crimes against women and children. In January 2011, after six years prosecuting complex domestic assaults, child sexual abuse cases and adult rape cases, Russ was promoted to head of the Major Crimes Division, where he managed other attorneys in the division and carried a caseload that included felony drug possession, drug manufacturing/distribution, burglaries, robberies, serious assaults and homicides.
In addition to his other duties, Russ was a POST-certified instructor at the Springfield Police Academy where he taught new police officers criminal law, criminal procedure, constitutional law, search and seizure law and other legal topics.
In 2013, the Missouri Bar Association recognized Russ's extensive jury and bench trial experiences by naming him Missouri's 2013 recipient of the Lon O. Hocker Trial Advocacy Award.
In his 10-plus years with the Greene County Prosecutor's Office, he handled hundreds of bench trials and jury trials. Russ has successfully tried cases involving nearly every kind of crime under Missouri law, from speeding tickets and DWI cases to first-degree murder.
Russ now brings his vast experience in prosecution to work for his clients at MRD Lawyers. Regardless of the legal situation you find yourself in, you can count on Russ to give you the best possible representation.
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At the most basic level, currency functions as a means of exchange (I give you a dollar and you give me an ice cream cone), a unit of value (a dollar, pound, etc.) and a store of value (you can hold onto a dollar as it maintains its worth). It's also a source of information about relative value, and about what is needed to keep trade flowing, for instance, by adjusting the supply of money or the exchange rate so that those in other markets can afford your goods.
Does this make sense as a definition to you?
Actually at the beginning, when currency wasn't created yet, people used their own things to barter, for instance I exchanged my cup with jennifer for some bread. But because it's hard to value these things, it's hard to measure the value of those things, and in order to have a fair value on this exchanging step, the currency was created.
But it's not really fair, there's a lot of problems.
Can you iterate?
I think compared to when people are exchanging things [bartering], [using currency] takes away from the relationship of those two people.
How so?
Like if i exchange something with you, then we would chat, we would bond, but if its just money then, it's just like business.
Some of the human interaction is lost.
Yes, and it's easier to exploit people because of it.
Actually, one of the people brought that up in an article, so now it's the second time i'm hearing it. Because, we've been talking about trust a lot lately, right?
And so when they started talking about trust in these articles it made me prick up my ears.
In some parts of the world, this kind of trading still exists.
Like markets in Africa, and people just gather around in villages, and if I just decided I can trade my things with your things, and both sides are happy with what they get, becase the agree to exchange that and they got what they wanted.
Business activity has to be based on trust, so its no matter what the intermediate stuff is that you utilize, first of all, if you have to carry your commodity for a long distance, it won't be convenient for you to exchange your stuff directly without currency.
That's why we've moved away from direct bartering.
Also the article you posted has demonstrated a way to preserve the benefit of currency. And in the meantime, without spoiling the trust between people. On the contrary it increases the interaction and trust between people.
How so?
They created another kind of currency, people in that community, becase they trust each other.
Yes, they all accept this currency.
So the problem is we are using currency we didn't decide to use.
Someone else decided.
I read some article, that said to decentralize the control of currency, the idea is similar to what oliver said, it means, currency can be created by a certain group of people, and these people, they trust each other. Is it the same idea?
Conventional currency excels at serving as a store of value—so much so that use of money for actual trade slows down, leaving some local economies stuck. Coin and paper currencies do not lose value like the products one buys with them can, which makes hoarding and speculation attractive, particularly with the enticement of interest. Argentine economist Silvio Gesell described this phenomenon in 1913 and said that money also should lose value: that it should "rust" or go moldy like other commodities, and suggested a penalty, or demurrage fee, for holding onto it.
What's demurrage?
Okay, google says it's a ship taking up space at a port for longer than they agreed to. They're getting in the way of other boats, and wasting people's time and money. So the demurrage fee is for holding on to or using something too long, and inconveniencing other people. So demurrage is about holding on to currency too long, storing value for too long.
But on the contrary, we encourage people to hold on to money by giving them interest for deposting in the bank. But why we encourage this, it's becaue the bank can earn profits by gaining our currency. So the whole banking system encourages people to store currency, but not to use the currency. And in the end, bcause the trading activity slows dow, so the economy doesn't grow.
Reducing taxes on the rich doesn't grow the economy for the same reason. Rich people take tax breaks and don't necessarily use it to create jobs or real investment, they might just save the money instead.
Yeah, in the US, they're saying the rich are job creators, so they deserve lower taxes, but the truth is, the last thing you want to do as a business owner is hire more people, becuase it increases your costs, so creating jobs are only something done as a last resort. So rich people are only job creators when they have no choice.
But why does the government reduce the taxes on the rich?
I really don't know.
Because they're the ones who pay their campaign fees!
Is that the only reason?
Well theyre rich themselves usually, you have to be rich to get into national politics, so they're giving their relatives and friends a tax break.
But, because they are more rich, so they should pay more money!
[general agreement]
This is how it works: Each quarter, every Chiemgauer bill loses 2 percent of its value.
In the beginning, Gelleri got complaints. Then people figured out how to make the model work for them. For instance, one cinema owner said that business went way up at the end of the quarter when people wanted to shed their currency. Increased cash flow at quarter's end was helpful for accounting, he said. The 2 percent loss, he added, was insignificant compared to the advertising he'd have to buy to secure the same level of customer loyalty he has from accepting the Chiemgauer.
So a local currency is like giving out tickets for people to use for certain places.
Yeah, and you know what? It turns out we have a local currency in Taiwan, it's printed by the President Corp. You can only use it to buy things at President stores. We got it from Chunghua Telecom, they gave us a rebate on our internet service, but not in NTD, but in these President vouchers. They're printed like money, there's no expiry date, so technically they'd be good 20 years from now. It's really a local currency.
Actually, there's more, then. Like points systems in department stores.
Air miles!
Would a yoyo card be a currency?
Yes, i think so!
7-11 cash
Credit card points
Online games all have currencies.
Oh, and you can exchange them to buy real things with real money.
There is even a company to provie a platform to exchange a lot of diffrent kind of game points, to let people exchange.
So they're a currency converter for online game points, holy cow.
If you have extra points you can convert it to another game you're playing
This is why i love talking with you guys, i would never have thought of any of this.
Not only games, including any service, credit cards, department store vouchers, gift certificates.
You're changing currencies.
And it's not limited, just point to point exchange, or point to gift certificate exchange.
So that you can change the point you don't want to other things you need.
Oh, it's convenient and useful.
It's a Taiwanese company, right?
We have a gambling spirit.
And our governemnt allows this currency to be used.
That's the other point!
And they have taken the time to research how to manage these kinds of currency systems.
But the businesses need to work with these games in order to be able to exchange these gift certificates.
Yeah, how does that work?
That's their job! [to figure this out]
So, wait. Those currencies are designed to create consumer loyalty to certain businesses, but they're not designed to create community trust. It's not that alternative currencies are automatically good. It's how they're designed and used.
I have a question, based on the Cheimgauer thinking, he thinks that devaluing the currency can solve the problem.
Solve what problem?
People wanting to store the currency.
But when we discussed the banking system and inflation last week, we mentioned that when there is inflation, the value of currency decreases. What's the difference between this situation and the Cheimgauer one? And now, the greek currency, the value is dropping, but people in Greece do not increase their consuming.
This is a valuable question, but I want to talk about the next quote before we try to answer it.
I don't get the question.
Okay, last week we talked about that...
During the process of inflation, the value of currency goes down.
Which means, before you could use 5 dollars to buy a cup of coffee, but during the period of inflation, you need 10 dollars for the coffee. That means the value of the currency goes down.
But that's its relative value
Relative to what?
To other commodities.
You need to explain more.
I 'd like to talk about the German case first, since currency is a kind of substitute for commodities, so this is kind of straigtforward for me, that currencies should have the same qualities as commodities, including like, rusting.
"From the beginning we had two objectives—to promote the region and promote local charities," says Christian Gelleri. In 2003, Gelleri and a group of his students at a Waldorf School developed the Chiemgauer currency in the Lake Chiemsee region of Bavaria, Germany. Since then, some 3 million Chiemgauer notes (equivalent in value to the euro) have been placed in circulation. The currency, accepted by 600 businesses in the region, typically is spent and spent again 18 times a year—three times more than the Euro. This means that the currency is encouraging trade and cooperation in the region, which keeps the shops and restaurants and artisans active. Think of this faster rate of use (what economists term "velocity") as a kind of reinvestment in the community.
The Cheimgauer is used 18 times, and a euro is used 6 times, so the Cheimgauer economy is more active than the euro economy.
Hm? I'm not sure that's true.
I'm so curious, that they trust that it has the same value as the euro.
What would devalue it?
I mean, in the current system, we trust that this paper is worth 100 dollars, that's because the govt or the central bank says that it is worth 100.
Yeah, but in real life, do you really think about that?
We actually just take it at face value.
It represents an investment in the locality, and a trust in the community.
And a trust in those students [who developed the currency]. For instance, if there's a stranger, and this person printed a lot of notes and encouraged us to use those notes as currency?
You don't know him, there's no trust there.
For instance, because we trust President company, so we accept those coupons as worth 100NT.
Wow, so we're getting to the heart of the issue.
We trust the government, becaue we use their currency.
But we have no choice but to use it.
No, that's not true. In Vietnam, people use dollars as well as dong, and sometimes buying things in dollars is cheaper. If Taiwan people really didn't trust the NT, there would be a dollar economy as well. Like in France. They're angry with the Euro, and lots of places are starting to use the old french francs again. We don't have no choice.
And in the Czech Republic, you can't use the Euro, people don't trust it, you have to buy Crowns. And if you do use a euro, it costs more.
So let's go back to Fanny's question:
What's the difference between the devaluing that happens because of inflation and currency manipulation, and the 2% inflation that happens in the Cheimgauer?
People will be more likely to consume, as people treat currency as a normal commodity such as Vegetables. If you are a farmer, you want to trade your vegetables as soon as possible. On the other hand, if you feel like you don't have as much diposable income as before, you may try to confine your spending. So that's why the different result, when the value of currency goes down, people react differently, based on their feelings.
Do you know what I mean?
It means, if I have 100 dollars in my bank account today, and when I realize that this one hundred will devalue...
Will rust!
...will rust tomorrow, I will--
Try to shed it.
You'll spend it. You'll rush to use up the vegetables in your fridge.
So maybe our government should tell everyone that the NTD will devalue.
It's easy, as long as they turn interest rates from positive to negative.
You'll be punished if you deposit.
What is going on? I don't understand?
No one will want to store money in a bank.
Since you save money in the bank, you have to pay money to the bank, so people will get their money out of the bank and spend it.
But why does the government do like this?
Acutually we discussed this when I was in college, and you reminded me of this today. But why do no governments use this? It's a good way to...
If they do so, they won't be able to control the public. The power will be distributed among the people.
What do you mean?
The currency will be distributed among the public, instead of staying in the bank.
And making money for the bank.
So the bank won't be able to earn money, and so the currency won't concentate on the bank anymore.
And the government can't control the amout of currency that's circulating.
If you imagine currency as a kind of power, and it's distributed among the people instead of at the bank--
That's democracy! That's currency democracy!!!
What about insurance companies? I feel like they are like banks, you put your money in there, and they will give it back when you almost died.
I think they're more like casinos.
Yes, my mother says that, you can't beat the insureance companies
You can't beat the house! [=casino]. The house always wins! Statistically. Otherwise why would anyone run a casino? The whole point is to earn a ton of cash.
Reliance on national currency means being at the mercy of the national credit situation. As we've recently seen, credit constriction can paralyze local economies. Despite the availability of goods and the need for business, when there's no money, consumers don't buy. Stores don't sell. Start-ups can't get a toe-hold. An alternative currency gives people another way to buy, sell, lend, and borrow. If the community creates its own currency, local business can go on even if the supply of national currency dries up.
It's what you're using the currency for, and what it means to the people using it. People use the Cheimgauer because it represents an investment in the poeple that they care about.
People use the NT dollar because it's convenent and it works.
In taiwan
Only in Taiwan.
Yeah but it's not only taiwan that has a limited national currency. Lots of countries have currencies that only work in their own country. It's really only the US that has like a global currency. Even the Euro isn't really used outside of Europe.
Do you know what I'm trying to answer in terms of Fanny's question?
Which one?
The question I'm trying to answer is that, why the devaluation of currency results in different situations, when people spend their money. The devaluation of Cheimgauer encourages people to consume, but when it comes to inflation, people tend not to spend.
Yes, that's my original question.
So the point you are not catching is what?
Let me think.
Okay. Why doesn't inflation have the same effect as built-in rust?
Wait, it's about the contract! It's about the being built in! It's about the agreement! When I accepted the Cheimgauer, I agreed it would devalue, I signed up for that at the beginning. But our normal currencies, nobody says when they will change, or how much, and they change it without even asking people, we didn't agree for it to change around like that! So it breaks our trust!
Yes! The face value agreed to pay us 100, but the inflation breaks the contract.
But the devalutation is part of the contract with the Chiemgauer.
We were all asking the question from a slightly different angle.
So that's the beauty of diversity, so we should have a lot of currencies.
When I was a college student, why couldn't my teachers teach us like this? We never thought about how the system worked, or why it workd.
We learned things parrot-fashion
What do you mean?
Just like in cram school, we accept everything.
What is parrot fashion?
You know, like a parrot will learn to say "Awk! Polly-want-a-cracker!" but it doesn't know that it's a sentence with a name, a verb and an object, it just knows that if you make this sound you get a delicious cracker.
how didi it learn the sentence?
Operant conditioning. Someone goes, does Polly want a cracker, and then they get a cracker, and so they learn to imitate the sound to get a cracker.
So the teacher said, "Bank is good, bank is good bank is good"
So you guys said, "Awk! Bank-is-good!"
So when we first discused this topic it was hard to say bank is evil.
I'm sorry, I'm still behind.
You're performing a valubale service, you know. When someone isn't clear it makes everyone else clarify their thoughts in order to explain, you give everyone an opportunity to understand what we're saying better.
Why is the Chiemgauer valued?
Because the people in that area all accept this.
No, why does it devalue?
It's just like a rule that's set. When you agree to use this currency, you know it will devalue in 3 months.
In one quarter.
So you agree to this.
Are you asking why it needs to devalue?
Or you just don't get how it operates.
And why when it devalues it increases consuming.
It's like if I have a stack of RO dollars, say. Let's say these RO Studio business cards are RO dollars. Tomorrow is the end of the quarter, so 2% of these bills will disappear, I can't use them anymore. So if I want to get the value out of them, I have to quick spend them, so I can get the same value out of them.
So, why is the rule set like that?
They only have to agree.
The rule says that, this bunch of ro dollars will devalue tomorrow. This will just disappear.
That's a part of the contract,
If you use this currency you agree to this fact.
Okay, but why would you want to do that?
Okay, it's like this, let's just set up an economy with just one RO dollar. With this one RO dollar we can actually make 5 different transactions happen. Maybe I'll buy some financial advice from Fanny for one RO dollar, and then Fanny will buy, say, housecleaning from you, and then you'll buy tutoring for your kid from Oliver, and then Oliver buys, oh, I don't know anymore, my brain is tired, but something from Stacy, and so this one piece of currency created 5 transactions, an economy is created. The currency just allows the exchanges to be made.
Oh! Just like Time Banking, you can exchange one hour and one hour and one hour.
Holy cow, I just realized, using hours for a currency system, why that's so fair, because noone can change the value or duration of an hour, it's the most stable currency you could possibly use!
So Time Banking is using time as currency
And it's very fair, because its a fixed value, that no one can change.
There's a movie about that
Yes, the years of your life are used as the currency.
"His crime wasn't taking time, it was giving it away."
This is significant, it means, the government doesn't want money to be distributed, it wants it concentrated in banks!
In the movie, you have to pay money to get from area to area, so poor people can never get to the rch area.
There's another movie like this, called Upside down
So poor people...
Live on the ground.
...probably cannot become rich people, but rich people can pay money to become poor people?
Or lose their money
Or just visit the poor people.
It's just like the caste system in India
We can approach problems by different routes. So no matter alternative currency or alternative cooperation, globalization, it needs to change. And last friday, jennifer told me about her career to become a social entrepreneur, just like on wednesday we talked about bunker roy in india, he's also a social entrepreneur, and I also mentioned the book named the blue sweater written by Jacqueline, she did things similar to Roy in India.
I think of the RO studio as a social enterprise.
How do you define it?
Instead of focus on making a profit, you focus on making benefit for people.
You want to pay your expenses, but profit is not your main goal.
But it's not the same as a non-profit.
You dont focus on making your own profit, you make profit for other people.
Or for sustaining purposes.
But non-profit also doesn't focus on making their own profit.
For social entrepreneurs, making profit is their means not thier goal.
So they could be non profit, just that they aren't necessariily.
So Jaqueline is like barefoot college
Final Statments
Economics just bores me.
It's okay! I remember that one week we talked about GMO foods and cancer, I had the same feeling.
When was that? Did we talk about gmo foods?
High fructose corn syrup, and the effect on people's bodies
I just want to say, that it's okay if you're not that interested in a given discussion.
Okay, because, from my opinion, the Chiemgauer, it's a small currency, compared to the euro, which is used in most of europe. So, you have no control over something so big. And I think, for the Chiemgauer, we feel that we can do something with the currency, we can invest in the shops here, we can help the local businessmen here, um, but the euro is controlled by the government, the UN, and it was forced on the people, a lot of people don't like the currency.
Yeah, we've kept discussing how to change our world, how to solve the problem of our banking system, our economy, and climate change. From my point of view, the key point may be to decentralize. For the problem of our economy and banking system, we can decentralize the currency, and create local currency for certain communities. The same when we discuss the story that indian woman build the solar panels, and we also mention decentralization.
In that case, decentralization of aid,
And decentralization of education system. I think that's the way we can keep on discussing and thinking and change our world.
Decentralization of education?
In that case, they are...
They create their own education system.
...and they teach other women how to build solar panels by women, not by engineers, and not by schools.
Talking about this, after we had the barefoot college topic, I have acquaintance with someone, a researcher at the Academia Sinica. And he has a fellow researcher that used to be in the field of astronomy, but now he's working on electricity production.
So he went from farther stars to a closer star.
So this friend sent me a powerpoint that he did, a speech he did. And his conclusions for the current problem of electricity was more efficient nuclear plants.
Oh, jesus. Let's build even more better polluting potential bombs and scatter them all over the place.
But a guy I know working in Taipower company said we always had extra elctricity in Taipower company
Does that mean we don't...
Oh, guys, you have to understand how power companies work, or you'll misunderstand that statement. Power is a weird utility. It can't be stored, not really. And when you're powering a whole country, you have to match exactly the amount of power produced with the amount of demand from second to second, or the whole system collapses and becomes a blackout.
This is why devloping countries have problem with power. Listen. A power company needs to know exactly how much power is going to be needed at a certain time, so they need to know exactly how many customers they have. When everyone's property is regiesterd and they can legally apply for utilities, and are legal customers, the power company knows how many customers they have and how much power they use. But in a developing country, it's difficult to impossible to regiseter your ownership of a house, but you still need power, so people hook up illegally to power lines. Then the company never knows how much power to supply and when the demand and supply get out of balance, bam, blackout. If you want to understand more about this, you have to read "The Mystery of Capital" by Hernando de Soto.
Okay, but so I didn't understand why they can make these solar power panels in India, but the Acadmia Sinica researcher can only come up with nuclear plants and biofuel.
So I emailed it to him
What did he say?
He said, the problem of solar power is batteries. They cannot really store power.
Batteries are like the Chiemgauer. They leak value.
Power has to be consumed as it's made. If its not being used, they power down the plants. You can't store power like water. If no-one's using you have to stop producing, if more people are using you have to produce more. Second by second.
So how can it be used at the barefoot college?
Batteries. They charge the batteries by day and use it by night. The power loss is there, but since they're charging everyday, the batteries are enough each night. Also, you gotta think about it. They're using a single LED light, and that's enough because they had NO light before. But just in this room we've got 6 flourescent bulbs, a projector, a computer, the AC, that's a lot of power! You'd need a lot of batteries to store that much power, just to use it for two hours! We've got to learn to scale down power use, or vastly increase the power of our alternative generating systems. Or both.
You know, I understand that people find economics boring, but really the point for me is that if we understand all these systems better, we better understand the opportunities to change it when we see it. We have to understand our economic system to figure out how to make it bettter.
But it's so complicated!
But the thing is, a system that's too complicated can't survive, so there has to be just a few underlying principles, if a system is durable. And so, we just have to find and identify these principles, and then we can understand the complicated things that happen in the system. And it's not like any one person can change it, but it's like this. If something is clearly understood by the community, then it's hard to get away with manipulating it. But if nobody understands it well, then the people who want to play tricks can do it easily. So for me, the solution to creating communities that work, where people trust each other, is to have people understand the sytems we live and participate in. So more people just have to understand economics.