text:
Swanson got to this point of seemingly a win away from a title shot, by winning six in a row, earning two Fight of the Night honors and two more KO of the Night rewards during this streak. Edgar, the former UFC lightweight champ, has won two straight and after a year absence, he returned in July with a spectacular TKO win over the great B.J. Penn.
Penn announced his retirement after the fight, his third loss in a never to be forgotten trilogy with Edgar. True to his form Edgar was mixed almost to the point of apology for beating Penn again. Such is the dignity, along with a rapid fire pacing he brings to every fight. Rematches and title chances are the norm as well for Edgar. He lost his lightweight title to Benson Henderson via unanimous decision and then dropped a controversial split decision rematch in 2012. He followed that by dropping in class to featherweight and immediately getting a title shot against Jose Aldo at UFC 156. He lost by unanimous decision, his third straight loss. It was unprecedented territory for the 33 year old. Still he has never been finished, all decision setbacks, which makes this matchup so interesting.
Though coming off a unanimous decision victory over Jeremy Stephens, the 31 year old Swanson is regarded as a finisher, 15 of his 21 triumphs have been decided by either knockout or submission. He has been the gate keeper along the way for the UFC, Dustin Poirier, Dennis Siver, Charles Oliveira, Ross Pearson all have had to go, unsuccessfully, through Swanson to move up the ladder of the division. With a win over Edgar, he'll have his first opportunity at a belt since dropping a title eliminator in the WEC to Aldo in 2009. So, is he the man who will finally stop Edgar? Before and during a recent taping for Inside MMA, Swanson downplayed anything other than "this will be a full out fight," while throwing in words "respect," "tough opponent," and "great challenge" in praise of Edgar.
Another thing that makes this fight so intriguing is the demeanor of both men. It's about merit, not about who reigns on social media, or postures better for the cameras. It is the essence of martial arts, at least what it once was, where two fighters are focused on the matter at hand with discipline and a nod to their fellow combatant for the effort. The most publicity generated outside of that for this fight, has been the tweets and interviews from the colorful Conor McGregor who is hyping himself as the guy who should be facing Aldo next. He's even slid in some verbal shots at Swanson, who has deflected them with deftness, not allowing anything or anyone to upstage what is his biggest career fight.
This has all the intensity of a title fight and Edgar is at a stage where an amazing seven of his last nine fights have been title fights. This is possibly his final chance to show that he is deserving to be right in the middle of conversation, that will no doubt be the right of the winner in this one. It is a deep division, and neither man can afford to slip down in the rankings with others also eagerly and deservingly awaiting their moment.
That's it, two of the best in their weight class, with exciting histories in the octagon, with a belt dangling just out of reach. Nothing more needs to be said and these are two men who've always done their best talking with action. If that's old school, pay attention—class is in session Saturday night.
Got something you're burning on? Tell the man himself on Twitter. Watch Kenny, along with Bas Rutten, LIVE on "Inside MMA" Fridays on AXS TV! Check out Kenny's book "Not Hit Yet," an insider look at the MMA world.
AXS TV, your home for MMA. Follow Inside MMA on Facebook and Twitter. Never miss a moment. Sign up for weekly newsletters. Find AXS TV on your TV.
Tags: fights, Inside MMA, kenny rice, Mixed Martial Arts, sports, UFC
Copyright © 2020 AXS TV - All Rights Reserved.


text:
Riedel Performance Pinot Noir Wine Glasses
Easy, hassle-free returns online and in-store for eligible items.Learn More
Earn 5% Back in rewards4 plus free standard shipping3every day when you shop with your Williams Sonoma credit card at Williams Sonoma.Apply Now Learn More
- Summary
The new essential wine glass, Riedel Performance brings out the best in Pinot Noir by maximizing the flavor, bouquet and subtle nuance of the variety. Internal fluting broadens the surface area of the glass – allowing the wine to fully open up – while boasting a stunning optical effect.
- Machine made of sparkling, lead-free crystal.
- Internal fluting maximizes the surface area of the bowl to encourage Pinot Noir to fully open up and reveal its subtle flavors.
- Made in Germany by Riedel, a family-owned company famous for exquisite glassware since 1756.
- Dishwasher safe.
- Set of two.
- Dimensions & More Info
- 9 1/2" high.
- 29-oz. cap.
- Made in Germany.
- Use & Care
- Dishwasher safe.
- Shipping
Shipping Information
UPS can deliver most in-stock items within 3–5 business days. UPS is unable to deliver to P.O. boxes.
Shipping Rates
The shipping rate varies depending on your order total and shipping destination. View Shipping Options and Charges.
Next Day Delivery
For an additional charge of $26 per address, we can expedite delivery to most destinations. This service is not available for some oversize items, items shipped directly from the supplier (including perishable and custom-manufactured items), out-of-stock items and items to be shipped outside the contiguous 48 states.
Orders received by 9:00 p.m. ET Monday through Thursday will arrive the next business day; orders placed Friday through Sunday will arrive on the following Tuesday.
Return Policy
At Williams Sonoma, we take great pride in the quality and craftsmanship of our products. Attention to design, materials, safety and construction are our priority. Upon receipt, please inspect your purchase and notify us of any damage; we will arrange for a prompt replacement.
If within 30 days, you are dissatisfied for any reason, you may return your purchase for a refund of the merchandise value. An original receipt or gift receipt is required for all returns and exchanges. Returns with a gift receipt will be refunded in the form of a Merchandise Credit for the amount indicated on the gift receipt. Returns with original receipt will be refunded in the original form of payment, cash and check refunds over $100 will be issued as a company check (may take 14 business days from time of request).
For all cutlery returns (knife sets, single knives, cutting boards, knife sharpeners and knife storage), please contact us at 888.922.4108 to initiate the return.
We cannot accept returns on monogrammed, personalized, special-order items, custom upholstery, food, items shipped direct from the vendor or on items damaged through normal wear and tear. Final sale items ending in .97 or .99 cannot be returned.
Made to Order and Final Sale Furniture items are non-returnable and cannot be cancelled once the order is placed.
For returns of items purchased from your Williams Sonoma Gift Registry, we will gladly provide a refund or exchange for the merchandise within 90 days of your event or within 90 days of purchase, whichever date is later. View Full Returns Policy.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The Sussex
17 St Catherines Terrace, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 2RH 01273 732442
17 St Catherines Terrace, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 2RH 01273 732442
Located just a stone's throw from the seafront, off the A259 and close to Brighton and Portslade, The Sussex in Hove is a great place to refuel after a long day exploring the Western Lawns, Sea Life Brighton, or the many attractions to be found along Brighton beach.
Serving up brunch, lunch, and dinner every day of the week, alongside our set price buffet, our varied pub food menu offers something for everyone, including vegetarian and vegan options. We also have a wide range of draught beers available including Hop House 13 and Carling. So, if you're looking to tuck into great quality pub food with family and friends, make sure The Sussex near you is your first port of call!
With an extensive menu and a warm, welcoming atmosphere, this local pub in Hove is the ideal location to enjoy good food and great company. A wonderful pub to eat, drink, and relax, no matter what the occasion.
To reach us from Hove train station, head east towards Denmark Mews, continuing straight across the roundabout onto Denmark Villas. Turn right onto Eaton Villas and continue onto Clarendon Villas, before turning left onto Sackville Road/A2023 and left again onto Kingsway. You'll find us on the left.
17 St Catherines Terrace, , Hove, East Sussex, UK, BN3 2RH
01273 732442
If you're looking for great food and real ales, The Sussex in Hove is the obvious choice. Close to Brighton, Saltdean and Portslade, whether you live nearby or just passing through, you're welcome to drop in.
Our quality pub-food will really hit the spot. With our seasonal menus and excellent vegetarian and vegan menu options, we work hard to bring you classic dishes just the way you like them. They're even better alongside our wide range of beers: carefully picked from some of the best breweries across the country, and lovingly poured for your drinking pleasure.
If you have not received an email voucher or are having problems signing up, please contact our Support Team.
We'd appreciate any feedback you might have – take our guest survey to let us know how it was for you. Alternatively, if you have a compliment or complaint about your recent visit to The Sussex in Hove please complete our feedback form.


text:
Your privacy is important to us. We have updated our privacy policy to better explain how we use data on this site. Read it here
An unscientific poll, but nothing out there better
A poll found that "20% of young adults use (smartphones) during sex."
— PunditFact
on Wednesday, September 10th, 2014
Few countries limit borrowing precisely as the U.S. does
"Most countries have no debt ceiling."
— PolitiFact National
on Monday, July 25th, 2011
She overlooks actual job creation, but her point about labor force shrinkage is important
Says although the unemployment rate seems to be improving, it does not reflect real job creation -- it's caused by a "shrinking of the actual labor force."
— PolitiFact National
on Wednesday, May 4th, 2011


text:
October 29, 2002, Section A, Page 28Buy Reprints
Serial killers drank here, they say at this bar on Holly Street.
Its name is the Waterfront Tavern. It is a good bar that should not be judged bad simply because some customers misbehaved so spectacularly, patrons said today.
That is what they said in the mid-70's after Ted Bundy drank here. Mr. Bundy confessed to killing 20 women.
They said it in the late 70's, after Kenneth Bianchi drank here before he was arrested in the killing of two college roommates. He and a cousin, Angelo Buono Jr., were later convicted in the Hillside Strangler case in Los Angeles.
They said it over a year ago, after James A. Kinney, who also drank here, was arrested in the murder of a woman found dead off the Mount Baker Highway. He pleaded guilty.
Now they are saying John Muhammad, accused in the sniper case, drank here.
''I don't know, we just seem to attract them,'' said Millie Ulmer, the early morning bartender. ''This town is full of drifters, but even so, Muhammad didn't look right to me. Little did I know.''
Bellingham is a jumping-off place to the Alaskan tundra and the Canadian wilds. The area is home to hippies, yuppies, militiamen, fishermen, American Indians and tramps. People brew applejack in the woods and breed bird dogs.
The tavern opens at 6 a.m., the earliest in town. It has bay windows, cheap paneling and a view of Bellingham Bay. A pint of Budweiser goes for $2 in the morning. All this is what attracted the other men, say regulars who say they remember Bianchi and Kinney and recount local Bundy lore.
The bar is a stone's throw from the mission where Mr. Muhammad and his teenage traveling companion, Lee Malvo, stayed. Drinks are cheap. Mr. Muhammad drank Budweiser as he whiled away mornings watching cable news and ''The Price Is Right.''
''He looked clean, and he was very polite and articulate,'' said Lynne Farmer, the owner. ''He always had his own money. He applied for a job, but we threw the application away like we do with all guys from the mission.''
Mr. Muhammad did not try to blend in or adjust his personality to charm the locals, as Ted Bundy did. He was belligerent, fellow patrons say; he railed against the United States and spoke up for the World Trade Center attackers.
''I wanted to take him outside when he was cheering for 9/11,'' said Drew Samdilands, who was drinking this morning before he took his boat out to lay crab pots. ''I had a gut feeling about the guy and I wanted to kick his head in, but they probably would have put me in jail.''
Despite the guest list, people who drink at the Waterfront described themselves as warm, well-adjusted. Perhaps it was their accepting attitude, they surmised, that let so many notorious characters feel welcome.
''Live and let live,'' said Pete Davis, who is unemployed. ''Of course, we only know after the fact that they're bad guys. I don't know. Maybe we should name sandwiches after them.''


text:
Accurate and up-to-date elevation data layers provide the foundation for a wide variety of applications, from urban change detection to transportation planning to precision farming; it is not just for orthophoto creation and topographic mapping any more.
This webcast highlights how ImageStation DTM for GeoMedia (ISDG) can collect and edit terrain data to generate surface files for photogrammetric, mapping, and engineering workflows. Together with GeoMedia and ImageStation Stereo for GeoMedia, ISDG provides an alternative to CAD-based workflows for feature and DTM collection and editing directly in a GIS environment.


text:
Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Fulfillment (04/06/06)
- TITLE: Heaven's Rain
By Caitlynn Lowe
The first thing she noticed about the rain today was the feel of it against her skin. It was surprisingly cool and refreshing. It poured down gently, soothing away her every stiffness and cleansing her of every pain. Not only was it pleasing to the touch of her skin, it was also satisfying to her spirit. This was that special kind of rain, the kind that one stands in and is convinced that it must be pouring straight down from Heaven itself; a Divine gift of mercy and peace from God. And just as the rain touched her skin, it also touched her soul.
The next thing Joy noticed about the rain was how it looked. Tiny little droplets of liquid diamond, each playfully reflecting a glimpse of Heaven's glory before--splat!--it struck the surface of her skin and the vision faded away, leaving her poised and anxious for the next. Each raindrop contained another secret, another beauty, each more exciting than the last. She could hardly tell exactly what each secret was, yet the brief wonders she saw in each little drop before they were lost were beautiful nonetheless. Yet she was not sad when those glimpses of Heaven vanished from her, only more excited to one day see the real thing.
The smell of the rain was just as intoxicating. It did not smell as pollution or mud, it didn't even smell as one would imagine any rain would. In fact, Joy could not quite place the smell at all. It was more delightful than the smell of any spring flower or any apple pie, unlike any earthly smell available in everyday life. Somehow, though, it was strangely familiar, almost like the smell of home after you've been gone for a long time. It smelled fresh and clear, and she knew in that moment that she'd never smell anything so wonderful the rest of her earthly life.
Joy licked her lips as a few of the raindrops fell in her mouth. She was astonished to realize that the rain even tasted magnificent! It was sweet and refreshing, and tasted almost like sugared water, only...sweeter. It tasted more like drinking light than anything else. And as she continued to taste and drink of it, her spirit was renewed.
Even the sound of the rain was lovely. She could hear it in the distance and all around her, dancing on the rooftops of the nearby houses and on the leaves of the different trees. It sounded like music as each drop fell in just the right way to produce the next perfect note. It was a joyful tune, upbeat and lively yet relaxing and peaceful all at once. It was not like the standard music one would listen to on a daily basis. This music was deeper, appealing more to the soul than to the usual sense of hearing. Yet even so, it was a beautiful noise that anyone could enjoy if only they would stop to listen.
Usually Joy hated to be out in the rain, but sometimes it was nice. This was one of those times. This was no ordinary rain; this was a shower of love and strength from God. And as Joy stood still and let it surround her, she knew she could never be more fulfilled.
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
If you died today, are you absolutely certain that you would go to heaven? You can be right now. CLICK HERE
JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.


text:
The recent flooding event in West Virginia serves as a sad reminder that natural disasters can strike at any time. To ensure our local health departments have the information necessary to facilitate recovery in a situation like this, we would like to share this resource page, which can help communities move forward following a flooding event.
If you have any questions, please contact the NACCHO Preparedness Team.


text:
The Douchey DM » Advice, Misc » The Evolution of a GM part 2: How I learned.
The Evolution of a GM part 2: How I learned.
March 7th, 2011 | 1 Comment
As we learned last time the number one rule of gamemastering is that you will make mistakes and that you have to learn from them. That was not a problem for me because I made mistakes, plenty of mistakes. Before I even knew what it meant I was riding the rails like a maniac. It was my bread and butter. If my players deviated I beat them with a stick until they were back on the rails in my happy little world. We rode the rails with pride, and had no idea there was any other way of doing things. Eventually though I realized something was wrong, it just felt wrong. It wasn't satisfying to me, and I didn't think it was satisfying to my players either. I put out questionnaires, and had them fill them out for me anonymously. It was clear that they felt the same, but had no suggestions as to how to help.
That was when I discovered roleplaying podcasts. I absorbed podcasts like a gaming sponge. Fear the Boot, The Podgecast, Kicked in the Dicebags, Sons of Kryos, and Pulp Gamer. Many of those shows had things that I could adapt to my own gaming experiences, and even some fun commentary at times. Others had information, but more importantly were fun to listen to as well. I listened, I learned, and I applied. Things got better, my players were happier, and lots of fun was had.
I took some time to experiment, playing with the status quo so to speak. Taking things my players and I had taken for granted and taking them away, flipping them upside down, or just painting them a new color. It made what was old new again, and made what was new something altogether unexplored and raw. There were no longer any expectations. What was best was no longer would I describe the scene in the local sake house with the big burly guy in the back pounding back the shochu and have everyone at the table immediately say "That's the Crab, he's not who we're looking for." In this new era, that stereotype no longer fit. Of course it very well could be the Crab, but it could just as easily be the Scorpion who has their information. Tricky tricky Mr. Gamemaster, keeping the little players on their toes.
Some of the experiments were successful, like when I gave my very quiet friend control of the entire party in a new campaign and made him take charge and speak up. Then again some were not, like the time I let one my players create his character's teacher and bring him into the game as an NPC. After a few missions were solved merely by a few motions from the very influential teacher… he was sent somewhere much MUCH more important. There were disagreements at the table, there were heated arguments away from the table, and there were even random internet posts about my grossly lacking GM skills. After discussion however, most of these situations were resolved. I had made the next step toward leaving gamemaster puberty and into adulthood.
A new crop of lessons were added to my rulebook.
• Never stop learning.
• Railroad tracks aren't bad… as long as there are a lot of exits and your passengers are enjoying the ride.
• If in doubt, ask your players, they will point you in the right direction.
• There is always someone to ask.
• Prepare only as much as you are willing to prepare, pushing it only dilutes the experience.
• It doesn't matter if they disagree, it only matters that you pay attention to why.
It was at this point that I learned lesson two of my own gamemastering code. You don't have to be a douche, but you do have to push the envelope. If you ever let yourself or your players get comfortable, you are failing them and you are failing yourself. The game will never be as good as it can be unless you are constantly trying to make it better. Never accept the way things are. That's rule number two.
Written by SirGuido
SirGuido has been a Happy Jack's RPG fan since the first moment he heard Stu on Kicked in the Dicebags. He hopes one day that he will get to meet all of these great people and play lots of games with them.
Filed under: Advice, Misc · Tags: advice, gamemaster, gamemastering, gm, GMing, roleplay, roleplaying
One Response to "The Evolution of a GM part 2: How I learned."
JazzIsBlues says:
Really good article Guido. Very useful information for GM's at every level.
Leave a Reply Cancel reply
Listen to the Podcast
Email Newsletter
- June 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- August 2015
- April 2015
- January 2015
- October 2014
- August 2014
- March 2014
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- August 2013
- July 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
Recent Comments
- Robert Tucker on My Free-Form GURPS Magic System from the 1990s
"Sorry to resurrect the comments here, but I'm so lucky I found this! I got to ac…"
- Friday Knight News – Triskaidekaphobia Redux Edition: 13-JUL-2012 | Gamerati on Acquiring Accents for RPGs
"[…] If props aren't your thing… what about accents? The Douche…"
- Game Fodder: Welcome to the Nevish College of Magical Studies | Gamerati on Thoughts on World Creation: Magic
"[…] Thoughts on World Creation: Magic(doucheydm.com) […]…"
- Friday Knight News: Long Weekend Edition – 31-AUG-2012 | Gamerati on A Study in Pre-Game Collaboration
"[…] love it when GMs and players collaborate to create something both will…"
- David Vignola on Laser Ponies RPG Review – Gateway Game for Girls?
"Hah! I was hunting around for this game, because I heard you sing its praises o…"
© 2020 The Douchey DM


text:
- Browse by category
2017 SF Bay Area Printers' Fair & Wayzgoose
A Celebration of Letterpress Printing and Allied Arts
The 2017 Bay Area Printers' Fair & Wayzgoose will be Saturday, May 6, at History Park in San Jose, CA, from 10 AM t0 3 PM. This will be the fourth year the San Jose Printers' Guild is hosting the Fair, and we look forward to an even bigger event. Exhibitors will display their products & services in a venue geared to letterpress, printmaking, and the book arts.
Location: History Park, 635 Phelan Ave., San Jose, CA
Date: Saturday, May 6, 2017
Fair Hours: 10am - 3pm
Admission: FREE
Parking: $6 (or free on local streets)
For more information about the fair, visit our website: http://www.sjprintersguild.com
Those who want to rent a space at the fair to offer letterpress equipment & supplies, letterpress-printed goods, fine papers, reference materials, please register online via Eventbrite; fees are about $60 per space:
For inquiries about non-profit demonstration space, email us at [email protected].


text:
From The Age newspaper today, a blow-by-blow account of the annual general meeting at the Lost Dogs Home;
It was the annual general meeting of a charity – normally a quiet and predictable occasion. Instead, at the recent Lost Dogs Home meeting there was shouting, chaos and several people storming out.
If that seems a little weird to you - that the media is reporting on the AGM of an animal charity - then you'd be right. I can't say in the more than ten years of following animal welfare news in this country, that I've ever seen an AGM given any media attention, whatsoever. So what exactly was happening that was so gosh-darn interesting?
One life member, an 80-year-old retiree, described the scene as "a riot": "People were up in arms. I had a stand-up argument with the finance person."
The elderly man, who asked not to be named, said he had since suspended his regular donations to the home and was considering changing his will to remove a bequest to the animal charity. Two other life members have told Fairfax Media they are planning to cancel bequests to the home.
... The dispute centres on the board's use of several hundred proxy votes to block the election of a new director, and its refusal to answer several questions from the floor.
Supporters of the unsuccessful board candidate, Georgia Murphy, are seeking legal advice over whether the board has breached regulations by quietly reopening membership so soon before the AGM and apparently inviting people to join.
.... Many of those who contacted Fairfax Media claimed that the majority of the new memberships came from the so-called no-kill movement, and a particular charity, Rescued With Love. This is a group that opposes euthanasing unwanted animals in facilities such as the Lost Dogs Home.
... Chair of the board Prue Gillies also used the hundreds of new proxy votes to block a motion to have her removed.
So historical members or 'life-members' of the Lost Dogs Home were upset when "several hundred" new members were invited to, and joined, the organisation.
Life-members then weren't able to elect their preferred board candidate (Georgina Murphy), nor were they able to oust an existing member (Prue Gillies) because of these pesky "no-kill activists" who seem to have materialised in their hundreds after the organisation opened it's doors to public members. Pesky new members who believe shelters that are being paid to save pets, shouldn't be killing them (ie."the so-called no-kill movement").
These now impotent life-members have contacted the media to have their gripes heard.
... The bitter feud at the home dates back to controversy over its removal of Graham Smith in 2013, and a split between supporters and opponents of so-called no-kill activists.
The audience was stunned to learn that the home's membership had been reopened, after being closed for years, and that hundreds of new members had been quietly signed up just two weeks earlier and had given their proxy votes to the board.
Open membership of a publicly funded organisation, holding council animal management contracts, should be encouraged. For literally decades there was no public membership to the Lost Dogs Home. This meant that the General Manager Graeme Smith could pick and choose who was able to vote on organisational matters.
Make no mistake about it, it was the biggest deception in Australian animal rescue history.
A high kill pound that portrayed itself as a sanctuary, who shut out rescue groups and turned the institutionalised killing of homeless pets into a multi-million dollar business. While other animal organisations around the country developed life affirming policies, reached out to their community and slowly worked to increase public affection for companion animals; they doggedly maintained an outdated 'catch and kill' mentality, driving merciless campaigns against orphan cats and dogs and condemning pets to death by the thousands in the face of humane alternatives.
Under Graeme Smith's leadership the organisation accidentally killed loved pets. They ran specific campaigns designed to help them impound more cats. They worked hard to drive public hysteria over bull-breed dogs. They tried to co-opt the language of No Kill. They attacked PetRescue trying drive away sponsors. They demonised rescue groups, refusing access to these groups to pets they wanted to save. They pioneered the model of artificially overpopulating animal shelters (the 'mega pound') to maximise revenue. They even slithered over the border and started killing pets interstate.
See more: A friend to pets? A review of policies and procedures of Melbourne's Lost Dogs Home
The organisation drove themselves into a showdown with a community-driven backlash of epic proportions. A long overdue declaration by the community that they would no longer fund or support unnecessary killing.
The life-members now kicking up a fuss that "no-kill activists" have taken over their voting monopoly - where they bloody hell were you when all of this was going on?
Multiple decades of the worse level of animal abuse (the unnecessary killing of saveable pets) were allowed to happen on your watch. Shame on you.
And now you have the gall to step up and step in and call in the media? What kind of asshole stays mum while an organisation is shovelling the corpses of now dead dogs and cats into its incinerator, but gets upset when new members come on board who are working to save lives?
Some members of the animal charity, deeply upset by developments, are considering cancelling bequests.
Good. If you genuinely believe the pets were better off then, than they are now; want your money to be directed into killing needy animals - not saving lives - please for the love of pets, take your money and shove it. Your money and your abhorrent, backwards attitudes to caring for vulnerable animals is neither needed or wanted.
If the hundreds of people joining the Lost Dogs Home membership ranks is anything to go by, it demonstrates that the organsation has a bright future as a compassionate defender of the rights of pets to best practice care.
The community gift more than $16 million dollars annually into the Lost Dogs Home. No Kill advocates aren't the problem here - they are simply community members who want to see their money invested wisely and compassionately. The true culture clash is driven by the rancid echoes of a high-kill past who just refuse to accept they are history.
Good riddance.


text:
While out enjoying nature we often wish to capture 'the moment' so that we can later relive our experiences, or share our excitement with others online and through social media. In fact it almost seems that, nowadays, decent photos are a prerequisite from any trip to prove a few bragging rights! There's almost nothing more frustrating though, then, in returning from a great hike, ski or a day snowshoeing and find that those snaps you took while out on the trail weren't quite as sharp as you'd first thought… so how did it happen?
Well, in the excitement of the moment we often overlook the fact that a photo can look quite acceptable on the small LCD screen of a compact camera or smartphone, only for us to discover later that when viewed by friends and family on their PCs and iPads it's a little blurry — and doesn't quite excite everyone's interest as we had initially hoped for! The good news is that acquiring a little knowledge on how to take sharper pictures is actually not that difficult: this blog shares a few simple tips to improve your photography and produce sharper images from your camera (or, indeed, smartphone) when enjoying the outdoors.
Improving your technique - first steps
Getting the sharpest possible photos when shooting outdoors is all about technique. Almost nothing will spoil an image more than the blur that camera shake produces. As such, it's vital to try to reduce the movement of the camera when taking shots. As you're outdoors, this can prove a little tricky! However, first, think about what's causing the movement of the camera while you compose and focus your picture: is it the wind? If 'yes', then it could help to seek a little shelter or otherwise reduce your exposure to the buffeting effect the wind has on your ability to steady the camera and prevent shake. If the wind's gusty and you're not in a rush, be patient and wait for a lull and shoot the frame when it's calmest — you'll observe a big difference in the resulting image.
Waiting for a calm moment is also a good exercise in observing changes in illumination — air currents and swirling winds interact with the clouds, resulting in shifts in ambient light: experiment and see just how different a scene can look as nature casts different tones and shades across the landscape.
Tripods - and their (weighty) limitations
Without exception, any respectable guidebook or blog on photography will advise first of the necessity of using a tripod to get sharp images from your camera. A decent tripod is considered a critical part of sharpness technique, and yet you'll rarely see anyone even on a day hike (let alone a multi-day trekking trip) carrying one. Why? Well, even the newer carbon versions are still relatively heavy and a nuisance to fix to a backpack.
Accepting that few people will wish to lug a tripod around, it's better that we therefore focus on how best to get around this. Firstly, you might wish to consider making use of either the Leki adapter or Hama trekking pole that can be adapted to work as a monopod to mount your camera to: these provide a useful base to steady your camera and achieve a less blurry image.
Absent the conversion of a trekking pole into a monopod to stabilise your camera, you'll need to adapt your technique to minimise shake when holding the camera. Holding the camera correctly is crucial to achieving maximum sharpness. When holding your camera, be sure not to tense up or grip it too tightly — try to clasp it gently and not squeeze the apparatus too hard: this will just make your hands more sweaty and likely lead to greater movement when you press the shutter. Either hold your camera to your eye (if you've a viewfinder) or in front of you at a distance where you can view the LCD back screen comfortably, then drawn your elbows close to your chest: this creates a stable platform for the camera and allows you to take sharper pictures.
Image Stabilisation
A key point when shooting a handheld is to choose a fast enough shutter speed (if your camera allows manual adjustments such as this). A shutter speed of at least than 1/60 second for wide angles, 1⁄125 second for standard focal lengths or 1⁄500 second for telephoto focal lengths is a good rule by which to work. If your camera or smartphone allows the option of digital zooming, well, you're much better off avoiding using it — it simply crops the existing photo by zooming in on the image sensor, resulting in a more pixellated photo!
Instead, make use of image stabilisation if your camera has this functionality. Image stabilization (IS), also referred to as 'SteadyShot' or vibration reduction, is a relatively new technology that enable photographers to take shots in conditions outdoors that would have previously resulted in much blurrier images. Depending on the make and model of your camera, image stabilization works by sensing your camera's movement whilst you steady it, then adjusting the lens or image sensor to offset the shifts and vibration in real time — it does this using some very sensitive sensors and complex algorithms (which we needn't go into!). IS has developed in leaps and bounds in the last decade and is definitely worth making use of. Switch on your IS system and see the results — and don't see it as cheating!
Shooting on Continuous Mode
Sooner or later while taking photo outdoors you'll find yourself in a situation where holding your camera steady is really tricky — perhaps the wind's up and you really can't wait for a lull as you need to keep moving (and your fingers are beginning to feel like they're icicles!). A great way to maximise your chances of getting a sharp shoot is to set your camera to continuous shooting mode.
Whilst this setting is usually used for action shots, it's actually also very handy for when you are shooting handheld at relatively slower shutter speeds and trying to get a sharp shot. Hold the shutter down for a burst of four or five shots: you'll find that those in the middle of the batch are usually sharpest (pressing the shutter button causes movement in the camera, which settles once you have the button depressed fully). Discard the less sharp images and just keep the best one! That's the beauty of digital photography: endless scope to experiment, explore and make changes. Indeed, we're blessed with amazing technologies that create far more flexibility in how we choose to capture that perfect moment in the outdoors than just a generation ago. Go explore, have adventures — and bring back some unforgettable memories!


text:
Back to Fulham FC
By selecting a currency you will see the equivalent prices in your preferred currency at the side of the sterling prices. You will be charged in sterling when you place an order..
New Era FFC Jake Bobble Knit Hat Red/Multi
Show your support in unequivocal style with this loud and proud bobble hat. Knitted in team colour stripes, and topped with a bobble, it includes the Fulham wordmark knitted into the crown and carries the officially licensed FFC logo embroidered on the fold up cuff. Also carries the New Era flag to the lower left hand side. One for the true fan.
Product code: NEW00013


text:
Expert cardiologists Dr. Anne Curtis and Dr. Hiroko Beck discuss how a stroke can be prevented in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). A key factor is to prevent blood clots from forming in the heart. They discuss blood thinner medications (anticoagulants) which act to prevent the build up of blood clots in the heart. Some patients may be at very low risk for developing a blood clot related to atrial fibrillation, while others may be at very high risk. The higher the risk, the more critical it is for the patient to take and stay on blood thinner medication.
In this video, expert cardiologists Dr. Anne Curtis and Dr. Hiroko Beck discuss how a stroke can be prevented. They emphasize that it is important to treat any medical conditions that could be related to or cause a stroke, and to keep blood pressure (hypertension) and cholesterol levels well controlled. It is very important that people who smoke should quit smoking. Following a healthy lifestyle can lower the risk of stroke, such as healthy eating choices, maintaining a healthy weight and being physically active.


text:
By Sh. Abdool Rahman Khan The family is that solid block which forms the foundation of a functional society. It comprises of individuals with
Family Breakdown
Here's Why Passing Paid Family Leave is Absolutely Vital
Source: Muslimgirl.com As women, we are endowed by our Creator with the miracle (and sacrifice) of pregnancy and childbirth. As Muslims, our children are


text:
There really needs to be more dancing. The world would be a much better place if we just danced all the time. Why don't you get up and dance, buy this funny T-Shirt and spread the word and get everyone dancing.
Get There Ought To Be More Dancingon a shirt from Carbon Clothing. This design comes on a huge range of shirts, tops and hoodies as well as buttons and stickers. Go grab yours now.
Perfect for the clubber in your life!
Click here to buy this item! – There Ought To Be More Dancing Funny T-Shirt


text:
Quick! Excluding the President, who's the single most impressive, visionary, leader in either the first or second Obama administration? Give up? Well, I just saw him speak at the World Innovation Forum 2013 in Manhattan. He's the former and first ever Chief Information Officer of the United States, Vivek Kundra, and to me it's a toss up whether the greater insight was in creating the position or convincing Vivek to fill it so admirably.
Having previously served as CTO for the District of Columbia and as the Assistant Secretary of Commerce & Technology for the state of Virginia, Vivek was the USCIO from March 2009 to August 2011. Today he's the EVP of Emerging Markets for Salesforce and a Visiting Fellow at Harvard.
However brief his tenure with the Feds, Vivek's impact was truly extraordinary. From the outset he faced off against the living history of enormous, Federally funded and all too often failed IT programs far too numerous to catalog here. Charting his own course against the odds, Vivek chose to pursue four simple, concrete goals:
1. Strategically manage the Fed's $80BN worth of IT projects to productive completion;
2. Recognize hacking was no longer limited to disgruntled teens but now included sophisticated nation states and organized crime networks;
3. Move away as quickly as advisable from redundant, expensive and outdated fixed assets in favor of the cloud; and
4. Address all this in the service of making the government more effective, more accountable, and more open the to the people is serves.
Among his first initiatives was the launch of data.gov providing immediate access to raw government data enabling far greater public participation while directly spurring private sector innovation. Then he launched the IT Dashboard providing unprecedented trans-agency and public visibility into the performance of individual Federal IT investments. He designed the Dashboard to report the progress of every single IT project underway, accompanied by the name and photograph of the agency CIO responsible. Then Vivek took an additional, inspired step. He requested and succeeded in having a photograph taken of President Obama looking at the IT Dashboard and had it widely publicized. And things really started to happen.
Over six months he held tight 60-minute meetings on each and every project with the IT leaders and found that less than a third of the thirty-eight underway were on track. The majority were either dramatically over budget, staggeringly late, or remarkably over scoped. To the people who told him, "But you don't understand, that's not they way the government works" he all but replied, "Watch me" as he led the dismantling of what he calls a "culture of faceless accountability". At the end of his review Vivek had killed four projects outright, reduced and razor focused the scope on eleven, and accelerated the delivery from an average of over two years to only eight months on twelve more. All while redirecting everyone's attention from the management of aging and expensive legacy infrastructure to the liberation of the cloud.
As USCIO Vivek joined a tech evangelist's vision to the compelling common sense that made Jimmy Stewart and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington part of the American narrative. Hearing him tell his own story was nothing less than inspiring: about us as people, about America as a nation, and about our future as it continues to unfold faster and faster. There is a better way. And one man with tenacity and vision can make it happen
image credit: nextgov
Wait! Before you go.
Choose how you want the latest innovation content delivered to you:
- Daily — RSS Feed — Email — Twitter — Facebook — Linkedin Today
- Weekly — Email Newsletter — Free Magazine — Linkedin Group
Lou Killeffer is a Principal with Five Mile River Marketing. A versatile marketing strategist, Lou's passion for communications and innovation has made him a trusted advisor to some of the world's most enduring businesses and brands, from AT&T to UPS, where he helps enterprises embrace change, look ahead, and focus on sustaining success.


text:
What does it mean that even the demons believe (James 2:19)?
Question: "What does it mean that even the demons believe (James 2:19)?"
Answer: James 2:19 says, "You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder." James is showcasing the difference between mental agreement and a genuine saving faith. Many people were claiming that, because they believed in the God of Moses and they could chant Deuteronomy 6:4, which says, "Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!" they were right with God. James shatters that false hope by comparing that kind of belief to the knowledge held by Satan and his demons. If all that is required for salvation is mental agreement with the truth about God, then Satan and the demons can be saved, too. They know it is all true. Satan's minions are more aware of God's reality than most people, yet the demons are not right with God. The demons may believe some things that are true about God, but they're certainly not saved.
So what is the difference between the demons' belief and the faith required for eternal salvation? Fortunately, James does not leave us to wonder. The rest of the chapter goes on to explain that faith without any resulting action is useless (James 2:20). The kind of faith that saves us is the kind that changes us. We can understand this better through an illustration:
Imagine standing on the brink of the Grand Canyon. A narrow suspension footbridge spans the canyon. It dips in the middle, sways slightly in the wind, and has a few planks missing. Standing with you on the edge is the architect of that bridge. He is world-renowned for his designs, and he holds the plans in his hand. He asks if you have faith in his bridge. You eagerly reply, "Yes! I have faith in you. I believe that bridge will hold my weight." But real faith does not remain on the brink of the canyon. That is only hope. Faith is when you step out onto the bridge and begin walking across the chasm.
So it is with salvation. The demons know more than we do about the awesome power of God. They watched Jesus Christ come to earth, live as a man, and then be crucified (Matthew 20:28). They trembled in horror as the God-Man rose from the dead and walked out of the tomb (1 Corinthians 15:3–8). They saw Him ascend back into heaven, and they believe that Jesus is the Son of God (see Mark 1:24). But demons do not have saving faith, and neither do we if that is where our faith ends.
The difference between the demon's faith and saving faith is a question of lordship. Who is the boss of my life? To whom have I entrusted my life and my future? Who has the final say on my lifestyle decisions? Demons have already made their choice to follow Satan (Revelation 12:3–9). For our faith to be of a different variety, we must surrender our lives to God's control. We must forsake all lesser loves in order to put Him first in our hearts. Jesus said plainly that, if we love anything or anyone more than Him, we are not worthy of Him (Matthew 10:37–38).
It's not enough to believe in God. The demons believe in God, but they do not love God. They believe that Jesus is God's Son and that He died on the cross for the sins of humanity, but they do not care. They know He rose from the dead, but that fact does not affect their allegiance. Many people are in the same category, not realizing that what they call "faith" is nothing more than what the demons possess. Perhaps they prayed a prayer, got baptized, or went to church, but the direction of their lives never changed. They remain the undisputed sovereigns over their own lives. Jesus told us what it costs to become His followers: "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me" (Luke 9:23). That cross we must carry represents death to the right to direct our own lives. Without that cross-carrying, we are still standing on the brink of the Grand Canyon.
People may believe in God, angels, heaven, and hell, yet never trust Christ as their Lord and Savior. They are satisfied with a demon-level belief that will never save them from God's righteous punishment (Romans 6:23; Revelation 21:8). We can escape the demons' fate, however (Matthew 25:41). We each have the opportunity to bow our hearts to the lordship of Jesus and humbly receive the forgiveness of sins. God offers to us what He does not offer demons—a chance to be adopted into His family as His own children (Galatians 4:5–6). It is a free gift that costs us everything we are (Luke 9:24). But the rewards are never-ending (Matthew 25:21; Psalm 23:6).
Recommended Resource: James, MacArthur New Testament Commentary by John MacArthur
More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free!
Why is Sola fide important?
How can salvation be not of works when faith is required? Isn't believing a work?
What does it mean for salvation to be a gift from God?
Why is faith without works dead?
Why is salvation by works the predominantly held viewpoint?
Return to:
Questions about James
Return to:
GotQuestions.org Home
What does it mean that even the demons believe (James 2:19)?


text: Home > Bookshop > Other Subjects > Computers > Computers - General « Back E-mail: Essential Computers Milner, Annalisa Our Price Retail Price AUD$14.25 Your Price AUD$5.45 Minimum Order: 1 In Stock (1) Dispatch: 1 day E-mail: Essential Computers/Milner, Annali/Paper/0751309958/S050-B2 AUD$5.45 QTY Gift Wrapping Add Gift Wrapping (click checkbox) If you would like a gift wrapping message, please add it in the Notes section on the checkout page, thank you. AUD$2.95 Publisher: Dorling Kindersley ISBN-13: 9780751309959 Series: Essential Computers Binding: Paperback Year Published: 2000 Master state-of-the art computer skills quickly and confidently with the Essential Computers series. These clear and concise step-by-step visual guides are designed to help beginners acquire all the techniques necessary to use today's information technology, from word processing to desktop publishing to setting up E-commerce and researching on the Internet. ID: 41742 Code: P102395


text:
In less time than it will take you to read this article you could have gone from living a normal life to being the victim of a crime and (hopefully) surviving the aftermath.
There are an infinite number of situations where you might have to respond to an act (or the threat of) violence and even in the best of circumstances, the bad guy will have the tactical advantage.
Ideally, we will become aware of a potential threat before the threat becomes reality. In order to accomplish this we must be aware of what is going on around us.
We do this by observing what is happening around us. Once we observe the potential threat, we orient our attention towards it. We gather as much information as we can about the threat and possible ways to mitigate it.
Once we have this information, we then decide what action to take and then finally we act upon our decision.
This process is called an OODA loop.
We already do this on a daily basis. Let's say we're driving along and we see traffic slowing ahead so we focus our attention on the traffic and not our phone, decide to slow down rather than change lanes and then we slow down.
So this process is nothing new, we're just using it to highlight how the self defense timeline progresses and evolves.
In our example, you walk out of a store and observe someone to your left. You decide to turn right in order to mitigate the risk of getting too close. That's the 1st iteration of the loop (and in an ideal situation, the only one). Now, as you're walking away, you observe the individual starting to walk in your direction! Thus begins the 2nd iteration of the OODA loop. As you observe, orient, decide and act upon what is happening, the other person is altering his (or her) behavior to compensate for your actions.
Even though you're acting...you are still reacting to the other person. If this progresses long enough you will eventually become the victim of a crime and you may (or may not) be able to defend yourself.
The most important part of a self defense situation is the decision to defend yourself and then the actual act of self defense. Sometimes you can defend by running back into the store. If that's not an option then you have to choose another route.
Regardless of your decision, you'll need at least one free hand!!!
If you have your child in one hand and a fresh Starbucks in the other, which one are you going to let go of?
So, the bad guy sees you drop your coffee and now his OODA loop is in motion. If he decides to press on, your next iteration says "get out the gun" and then his next iteration responds to that action.
But your act of dropping the coffee flipped the process, causing him to evaluate YOUR actions.
This back and forth process continues until one of you prevails. Often times, the unaware and/or unarmed become the stories we read about in the news.
The robbery victim, the missing person or the latest homicide of the year.
Bad things can happen very quickly which is why it's important to have the proper training in how to respond. Once you have that training, it's just as important to practice those response techniques on a regular basis.


text:
Some might consider it a blessing to be able to see everything as a marketing opportunity (as I do), but sometimes I wonder if it's a curse.
Let me explain -
Here is a picture of my son I took the other day with my iPhone (thus the sucky quality - sorry) of something my son had discovered to be one of the "funnest" things he had ever done (his words). He decided this all on his own too, that going down a steep hill in his Tonka truck would be a good idea:
Just looking at the picture, it looks like a normal picture of a kid having fun with a toy, right? Well here is the problem for me. I look at this picture, and my mind starts to race, and gets flooded with so many marketing ideas that I think I am going to explode if I don't act.
The very first thing that comes to my mind is this - I may have a client selling children's toys, and what I start to think about is how I can use this to better market their site, make it go viral, build links, and of course - trust. For example - finding 9 other uses for a Tonka truck (besides the one pictured) and trust me, my son has about 20 other uses of that Truck that I think Tonka had not intended. Then, I can create some amazing content for a blog post worthy of building up a ton of links - "10 Uses Of Tonka Trucks They Never Intended [PICS INCLUDED]" and it would probably end up being pretty dang funny post that would get lots of attention.
Now don't get my wrong, I can appreciate a funny picture of my son without thinking about some way to monetize it, but I just wanted to share with you a little insight to how my brain works. We have blogged in the past that anyone can find a way to make their topic go viral (even for a boring industry), and all it takes is a little creative thinking (just like this with this picture).
Hopefully this makes sense, and you see my point of just thinking outside the box in order to take advantage of marketing opportunities. I guess I am lucky to have the kind of son I have, as he is ALWAYS giving me more then enough ideas to be able to go viral with!


text:
The Hunting Widow
The first full burst of Fall's wind shift , resurrects a mood change in Clyde Johnson. He reckons it's time to let his beard fully grow in, and scope out the wooded paths he plans to traverse. His wife Sylvia has become accustomed to her husband's long unannounced excursions throughout the years. His regular tardiness to dinner and early retreats to bed, true tell signs hunting season has arrived.
Guns are pulled out cleaned and polished. Clyde handles them with the dexterity, and skillfulness that Sylvia uses with her best china! His gun will be a constant companion for many hours during his wild hunting escapades. His disappearing acts are expected and tolerated this time of year. Gun sights are set, and triggers are checked. Targets drug out for target practice. Shots are fired piercing the silent air, startling nature into a frenzy.
Sylvia stands back quietly observing giving Clyde his own space. She knows disturbing him will do no good. His mindset on a strict one way track , "Huntin mode!" When first married she became a tad jealous of his yearly ritual, but she soon grew to understand. Clyde took time off for himself only during hunting season. Bear and deer were the two exclusive things which mattered to him for weeks on end. Leaving the house well before dawn, and punctually returning at nightfall.
When he had the good fortune to lug one home to her, you never saw a more proud or happier sight. Clyde was bringing home food for the table, as if this was all which validated him as a man. Bolstering his confidence up, so he could tell his buddies full play by play details of his astounding hunt. The huge boyish grin graced upon his face said it all!
A quick change from dried bloody clothes and he's off. His final jaunt spinning out to the Elks Sportsman club, to pound down a few beers, and exchange hunting stories. Later pleasantly shit faced strolls back home, grabs a bite of dinner, a shower, and finally falls away exhausted into a heap onto their bed.
Sylvia has found her true calling, she's been dubbed a hunting widow for the all the support time she's put in. She shakes her head in amusement at the beginning of yet another hunting season. Sylvia has many things to keep her mind and time occupied. She knows Clyde will be a happier man doing what he loves to do best. A happy man gives lots of good lovin, and the lovins will be delivered on a grand scale in just a couple weeks!
©Jo A. True-Burkholder 2008
The fields all around my home will become the killing fields directly in the morning. The shots will start as early as 4:00 AM. I always cringe at the thought of those beautiful creatures being killed. My area is crawling with hunters. I just pray that if they are shot they are killed, and not running around wounded. Once my dogs came upon a buck, his leg was hanging literally by the skin. It was such a sad sight, my husband had to put the sweet thing down. I do like venison, when prepared well to remove the gamey taste. Also the meat has much less fat than beef.
The above photo is an eight point which I had my husband mount. Look at his cute big black nose, and his big perky ears. He's a beautiful big buck, my favorite of the ones he's shot. Hubby will be out tomorrow trying to get his deer! Wishing all the hunters Happy Hunting!


text:
Sunday, 26 July 2015
How to make a Minion
Friday was the first full day of my 6 year old granddaughter, Lara's, school holidays. And Mark and I were looking after her for the day. So naturally it bucketed with rain all day and our planned outing to the park had to be cancelled, as did a gardening session with Mark. But Lara loves crafting, so between us she and I decided we would see whether we could make a Minion style greetings card. I cut us an A6 yellow card blank each and then we delved in the snippets box for suitable colours to build our Minions with.
We used medium sized circular dies in each corner of the card blank to shape it - not by die cutting, but by drawing around the die and then cutting by hand. We each designed our own "dungarees" from blue card, then I die cut grey and white circles for the eyes, using black Candi for the pupils and a strip of black for the headbands. Then we added finishing touches with markers.
Here is my Minion
And here is Lara with hers
And now both of them side by side
Lara and I would like to share these with
Pixie's Snippets Playground - week 187
Fab'n'Funky - No Patterned Paper
I really wish I'd taken photos of the rest of Lara's lovely art and craft work - she designed her dream Romany caravan and made an easel card covered with butterflies and bows!
9 comments:
Wonderful. I bet Lara had a fabulous time crafting and she's done an amazing job. Time spent with a Grandchild is the best xReplyDelete
Two gorgeous cards, I think I may have to CASE these. Well done to Lara, what an amazing card maker! xxReplyDelete
Hi Jane,ReplyDelete
oh my word these are so gorgeous.
Well done to Lara on her super design of that great card.
My Grandson would love one of these.
Lots of crafty love. Jenny L.
Er, well . . . I do live in a child-free zone . . . and I know the Minions come from Despicable Me . . . but that's as much as I do know! They seem to be everywhere at the moment too!ReplyDelete
These 2 cards look great and your granddaughter is obviously going to be a mega crafter!
Hugs, Sarn xxx
Oh what fun Jane! Great minions and they do make a fetching couple :) Do say thank you to Lara for coming to play with us!ReplyDelete
Di xx
Fabulous! Lara has certainly inherited the crafting gene!ReplyDelete
My son both love Minions...if you send this to them they will scream hihihi sooooo cutteee and I love your creativity..so clever made cute and I love much...now speechless no other words hihi..Jane tell me your address please..I will send you congrats to have new grandchild for next month...is it a girl will be or a son??I am excited and love little baby...
Oh my kiddos would flip for this! Might have to 'CASE' you! Fabulous Minion creation. Thanks so much for joining in the fun with the Fab 'n' Funky girls this challenge. I LOVE what you did for the challenge. Look forward to having you join us again soon. Hugs, Wends x Fab 'n' Funky DTReplyDelete
Two really fun cards. How lovely to be crafting with your grandaughter. Laura has made a lovely card. I only heard about Minions a week ago. BarbxxReplyDelete
In line with the Data Protection legislation (GDPR) by commenting you do so in the knowledge that your name & comment are visible to all who visit this blog and thereby consent to the use of that personal information for that specific purpose.


text:
Are you Looking for creative ways to develop children and young people's learning about the world of work?
Enterprising attitudes and skills such as generating ideas, creative problem solving, being pro-active and tenacious and taking responsibility, help to support our young people to cope with, and indeed succeed, in our increasingly dynamic wold of work. Scotland's Enterprising Schools have developed a free online professional learning programme – The Enterprising Practitioner to help you have a better understanding of enterprise education and how you can help young people develop an enterprising mind set.
The three module programme aims to give you a brief introduction to this broad area:
Module 1 introduces you to the wider context of enterprise in education and the key stakeholders who can help you. Module 2 reviews key teaching approaches commonly used by practitioners to help support enterprising learning and Module 3 has a focus on self-employment and entrepreneurship and aims to bust many of the myths surrounding this area.
Each module is supported by an activity pack designed to challenge you to reflect on each area and consider your own practice and that of your school.


text:
Google+ Is More Popular Than You Think
Pages 1 2 NEXT
Google+ Is More Popular Than You Think
With 343 million active users, Google+ has surpassed Twitter and is now second only to Facebook on the social networking scene.
Remember Google+? It came out to much fanfare a couple of years ago but turned out to be little more than a second-rate Facebook and quickly crashed, burned and was forgotten, consigned to the dustbin of digital history alongside FidoNet, Friendster and the blink tag. Right?
No, actually. It turns out that despite the assumptions of literally everyone I've talked to about it (which, I must admit, is four people), Google+ has actually built up a significant user base and is now second only to Facebook in terms of active users. A Global Web Index report says that roughly 25 percent of global internet users use Google+, adding up to roughly 343 million active users; that puts it well ahead of Twitter and YouTube, each of which draws 21 percent of the internet with a little under 300 million active users.
Twitter actually led the way in growth between the second and fourth quarters of 2012, increasing its number of active users by 40 percent, but Google+ is up there as well, with a growth rate of 27 percent. And despite concerns about "Facebook fatique," the world's most popular social network is still growing at a rapid clip, claiming a 33 percent increase in active users.
Smaller, regional social networks, particularly those in Asia like Mixi, Sina Weibo and Ren Ren, have seen significant losses over the same period, presumably victimized by the ongoing popularity of the big boys. But Google+ making a serious bid for the title, or at least the number-one contendership? I did not see that coming.
Source: phoneArena.com
I highly doubt that 343 million are active users. My impression based on the activity I see among my friends and random browsing is that a lot of people have an account, but hardly anyone uses it.
I'd expect this to be on Yahoo or something. Are we having a slow news week, guys? I don't use Facebook (okay, maybe that one time) or Google+, but competition is always a good thing, I guess.
This is because Google forces anyone who has a Youtube account or Google account to have a Google+ account.
I've never willing touched the site and I imagine I count as an 'active' user, because all my youtube settings and comments get sent to Google+
It has nothing to do with the success of the social network =D
^Is why
What exactly do they consider active? Like people who have an account and never look at it or accidentally press one of those G+1 buttons? Or are they counting the youtube accounts that usually end up tied into their Google accounts because literally no one I know even bothers to look at their G+ accounts.
I have a Google+ widget on my phone. I rarely look at it, and almost never post, but it's there and loading, so I'm sure that counts as an "active user". But even with people like me, I doubt they'd get 343
P.S. Thanks
Doesn't it sign you up almost automatically with youtube accounts and such? If that's the case, I imagine there are a few hundred million people floating around with an account and don't even know it.
This so hard.
I was basically going to say the same thing, Whenever I log into youtube I'm shown as active on Google+
I get the feeling that Google are going to position Google+ as the new Youtube where you upload all your vids and Youtube will be turned into a Hulu/netflix type service, just a feeling I got.
Oh and Facebook is going to buy out Opera Browser too.
Google+, the WoW subscription of social networks.
Im reminded of...
I dont really know what else to say to avoid a low-content indictment, so i added this sentence.
It's not as good as facebook, on the other hand it isn't as bad as facebook... which overall makes it preferable, only by default.
Hah going to Google search and then using it counts as an additional use of google+ if your loged on to your youtube or blogger account at the time as well.
Part of that is probably their child groups, like Gmail and Youtube.
Another significant part is probably Google Hangouts, which is the single coolest thing to come out of Google+ or possibly anything ever.
I, for one, actually do use Google+ on a regular basis. It's slow, but my family dynamic had become so strained through Facebook that a few of us silently migrated over to Google+ to avoid the drama. Now I get some news and family updates through the site, and I like it a lot more. It's quieter, not filled to the brim with game requests, and lacks drama queens from high school.
Only reason i got G+ is because i have a youtube account and a Gmail account.
Sooooo, not really surprised they got so many members, half the bloody internet uses either Youtube, Gmail or both.
Now, what is interesting to know, is how many people ACTIVELY use it. And also minus Google hangout uses please.
Oh and does anyone know how to UN link your youtube account from your G+ account, so that you can delete the G+ one? Or is that not possible at all?
I think it forced me to make one because I use youtube. Other than that I have no idea what it does and don't really want anything to do with it anyway. All I want is an option to get rid of that black bar at the top of the search page.
What exactly is Google Hangouts? I've heard people talking about it, but I have no idea what it is.
OT: I for one accidently signed up to Google+ during one of the more recent Gmail updates. I doubt I'm the only one in that boat. Any of my activity is based solely on my Youtube or Gmail account usage.
I don't think that's possible, I know I tried many, many times. They basically force you to have both now, even on sign up.
Probably EVERYONE tried to delete it.
If i remember correctly, initially only 40k or so people signed up with it, so they probably implemented that then to not seem like a complete screw up.
Instead they just come off as annoying.
Think Skype but with google, and apparently a lot more secure. Also, you can have quite a few people on it.
Add another here. This is actually why I deleted my Gmail account and switched to GMX. I just want my email to be an email. I suppose I still have a G+ by proxy of having a Youtube account, but all the personal info on that one is fake.
I was forced to get a Google+ account by my university, so I'm part of that 343 million userbase. However, I highly doubt that all of them are active users - I imagine quite a lot are likely like me: forced to get an account by either YouTube or some other organisation, so Google can claim popularity but without actually being that widely used. Clever trick, really.
The only time Google+ has been useful to me has been allowing me to get into the Google Hangouts set up by the guys at GaymerConnect.
It's essentially a multi-person (up to 9, I think) video and text based chat thing run through/by/whatever Google.
Google hangouts are what you'd expect to be a "hangout" where you can either start your own or have a friend invite you to one where you can text chat,voice chat or webcam chat with up to 11 people or more all at the same time.
They used to have the Youtube tab (pictured) which allowed you to all watch a video at the same time in sync and anyone had access to type in the search engine to change the video.
You can also share files with one another thanks to google docs and see who's viewing them as well as grant access to allow them to edit your document at the same time.
OT: I seem to be the second person on here to actively use G+ considering I despise Facebook and see G+ as being much better with my neatly organised circles to which I can post content I want to different circles and thus chat with different people.
That and there's no shitty timeline and so far no employer requests access to your account unlike facebook.
See to me Google are even worse than Facebook for this. I was excited at first because I'm not a Facebook fan but then I realised it was a terrible idea. Google already control basically all the videos people watch on the internet, most of the adverts people see on the internet and everything people on the internet visit by searching and something like 20% of all people's web histories with Chrome. The idea of letting them get hold of a social network too is terrifying.
And the worst thing is, there's no company in the world more talented at mining vast amounts of data or that has more experience finding unique ways to use that data. Just having a social network is bad enough (unless you run a blocking app, if you have a Google+ account [and as we've said they force people to use one] everytime you see a webpage with a +1, that means Google has been allowed to know that you visited that webpage)
I need Facebook so that Google doesn't get to control all the internet (same reason I wouldn't use Gmail or Chrome). I trust Microsoft, Facebook, Google and Mozilla with parts of my internet life than I would trust Google with my whole internet life (if it had to be one company only, I'd choose Microsoft because I think they'd be too bureaucratic and unorganised to actually use all the information)
If I had to guess, based on my own personal experience, people signed up for Google + must have a segment who are only there to use the video chat.
isn't the titel of that article wrong no matter how you spin it? Either alot of people clearly know that google+ is pretty popular, or it really isn't very popular.
the Injustice league has chats on google hangout, that's why i use it.
And what exactly determines an active user? Because my girlfriend found out recently somehow she was an owner of a Google+ account she never signed up for and her Android phone just had a lovely setting to upload photos automatically onto her profile. We stumbled upon it when we were sitting one day wondering what the fuck drained her monthly internet quota on her phone.
Oh and I feel this is relevant - http://theoatmeal.com/pl/state_web_winter_2012/google_plus
Don't get me wrong, I like G+, it has some neat features, but there's a reason I'm not using it - it's because NO ONE IS. It came out and everyone went "OMG G+, bye bye Facebook" and two weeks later the thing was a ghost town.
edit: Oh and I feel another thing is relevant. With the Android market on the rise, Google Play store is where you generally get stuff. To comment however, you have to sign up for a G+ account. So I'm wondering how many forced accounts like that are out there. It has a bit of an Origin stink on it.
I could say something similar for Facebook. I created an account on a whim years ago and have since made exactly two entries on my page(and I was drunk when I made one of them). The only real use I've gotten out of the service is due to the SCA migrating from Yahoo Groups to Facebook. I occasionally get an invite to an event(which I see in my Gmail) and click "yes." I think that makes me an "active" Facebook user. Similarly, I occasionally get Twitter updates(again, in my Gmail) from a few gaming devs I've subscribed to, but have only ever Tweeted once on my own. Again, I think that makes me an "active" user.
They all pad their numbers.
So they added millions of youtube commenters. Is that really a win?
All they did was add everyone with a gmail or youtube account to the tally. Nothing special, almost none of those people use the social tools.
Yeah, I actually did set up a Google+ and used it for maybe a month. At least 90% of the friends on it though just automatically got assigned one from their gmail, and have nil content on there, and logged in maybe once when they got the invites in the email. The numbers are drastically inflated because of thet wo popular services (Youtube and Gmail) technically being Google+ accounts.
Yep, i technically have an account and it thinks im an "Active" user because i check my gmail and sometimes login into my youtube account ( i still use old username and password, FU google for merging them). altrough i did use google+ ONCE, and that was 2 days ago, and in fact escapist related.
Yeah I have a feeling it's just that if you have anything Google related (Youtube, Gmail) it gives you a Google + account. So I have a Youtube account I use reguarly, and I'm pretty sure I probably have a Google + account, but I've never actually been on it.
This reminds me of the number of people who use "Bing" as their search engine. More likely that people are forced to go to a bing page when they mistype an address in their address bar.
Google+ had a go but suffered the same fate as anyone else who competes with World of Warcraft... the opposition has its claws into far too many people and there's no reason to have two programs that fulfill the same function, segregating those you associate with.
Essentially, Facebook has meta success. It's sucessful because it's successful. And that will cause its competition to fail. They will fail because Facebook is too successful.
|Pages 1 2 NEXT


text:
Article updated and reviewed by Sreeni Jonnalagadda, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Interventional and Pancreatobiliary Endoscopy, Washington University School of Medicine on June 6, 2005.
Hepatitis B is a viral infection of the liver caused by the Hepatitis B virus (HBV).
Hepatitis literally refers to any inflammation of the liver. In fact, there are five forms of acute viral hepatitis that are often clinically indistinguishable from one another. These diseases are unrelated to each other except by the fact that they all cause liver damage.
It is important not to confuse hepatitis B with with any other viral hepatitis. Each has its own mode of transmission and associated risk factors. Hepatitis A, for example, is transmitted by the fecal-oral route, whereas hepatitis B is often transmitted through sexual contact or IV drug abuse.
HBV is a known threat to health care workers. Each year in the U.S., an estimated 12,000 health care workers contact Hepatitis B from their patients. About 300 people die each year of this illness or its long-term consequences. This is in contrast to the observation that only seven health care workers have developed AIDS as a result of occupational exposure. The ease of the transmission of the virus is one of the many challenges facing public health professionals.
Hepatitis B infection may result in a range of health outcomes. After a two- to six-month incubation period, HBV can lead to acute hepatitis. Most individuals are able to recover completely from an acute infection. However, if the body is unable to mount an effective immune response, a patient may become a "chronic carrier" of hepatitis B virus.
Chronic carriers are at increased risk of developing cirrhosis of the liver and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a serious liver cancer. In fact, HBV is regarded by many scientists to be second only to tobacco as a known human carcinogen. CDC estimates that approximately 25 percent of carriers suffer chronic symptoms, and those people are at the greatest risk of cirrhosis.
All carriers, whether or not they have active symptoms, have a 12 to 300 times greater risk of developing primary liver cancer than non-carriers.
Hepatitis B follows a similar mode of transmission as the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the agent responsible for AIDS. Both are transmitted through exposure to infected blood or blood products, sexual contact and from mothers to infants primarily at birth.
However, hepatitis B appears to be far more infectious than HIV. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 30 to 40 percent of acute HBV infections in the U.S. occur in individuals with no known risk factors. In comparison, only 4 percent of AIDS cases have occurred in individuals with no known risk factors.
Hepatitis B is threatening for a variety of other reasons. In addition to the ways in which HIV is spread, hepatitis B appears to be spread by casual contact. It can be acquired by close contact within families, or from person to person through contact with open skin lesions. The virus may possibly be spread by exposure of mucous membranes to saliva, but you cannot get it from food or water, sneezing or coughing, breastfeeding, handshakes, hugs or casual contact.
Another important fact is that hepatitis B can remain stable outside the body for days or weeks, even when dry.
Symptoms and signs of hepatitis B can range from none to minimal in the early stages of the illness, to jaundice (yellowing of the skin), nausea, abdominal pain, fever, and malaise in the acute phase. Appetite loss, fatigue, itching, dark urine and pale stools are some common symptoms.
After the initial infection, carriers of hepatitis B usually have few symptoms.
Diagnosis of hepatitis B is based upon examination of the blood for characteristic antigens and antibodies associated with the disease.
There are four medications currently approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment of active hepatitis B infection.
- Alfa Interferon (Brand names: INTRON A, INFERGEN, ROFERON): Interferon is an antiviral agent with antiproliferative and immunomodulatory agent that is administered by subcutaneous injection daily or three times per week, for 12-16 weeks or longer. With adequate teaching, the injections can easily be administered at home by patients. High pretreatment ALT and lower levels of HBV DNA are the most important predictors of response to alfa interferon therapy. Virologic response to alfa interferon occurs in less than 10 percent of patients with normal ALT. A sustained response can be seen in 15 - 30 percent of patients with HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B and less than half of the responders show sustained clearance of HBsAg.
Side Effects: Depression – this is more commonly seen in patients with a prior history of depression. Muscle aches, fatigue, and low grade fevers are common and may be minimized by taking Tylenol (acetaminophen). Occasionally, patients may develop low white blood cell count, headaches, irritability, and thyroid dysfunction. Underlying autoimmune disorders may also be unmasked.
- b) Lamivudine (Epivir-HBV, 3TC): inhibits hepatitis B viral DNA synthesis. It should be taken orally, once daily. It is approved for use in adults and children and is usually tolerated well. Occasionally, it may cause a rise in the liver enzyme ALT. Pretreatment ALT is an important predictor of response, with HBeAg conversion occurring in over a third of patients when the ALT is greater than five times normal. While Lamivudine benefits patients with HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B, the vast majority of patients relapse once treatment is stopped.
- Adefovir dipivoxil (Hepsera): inhibits DNA polymerase activity and reverse transcriptase. This drug is administered orally on a daily basis and is typically well tolerated. It can be associated with kidney dysfunction, particularly if used in high doses. The optimal duration of therapy is not yet clear. About 50 - 60 percent of HBeAg positive and negative hepatitis B patients respond to this medication; data regarding the durability of response is awaited.
- Baraclude (Entecavir): is the latest drug approved by the FDA for treatment of chronic hepatitis B. It works by inhibiting the function of Hepatitis B virus polymerase. Side effects include headache, fatigue, dizziness, nausea, and transient elevation in liver enzymes. This drug is taken orally, once daily and the optimal duration of therapy is not yet established.
In patients with severe liver dysfunction, a liver transplant may be required.
Who is at risk of contracting hepatitis B?
What treatment is available for hepatitis B?
Based on my laboratory data, what is the likelihood of durable response to treatment?
Is cirrhosis of the liver or liver cancer likely to develop?
What preventive measures can be taken?
What if I become pregnant?
Editorial review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.
Current public health efforts to prevent the disease have focused on vaccinating people in high-risk groups and, increasingly, vaccinating all children and adolescents.
Those at greatest risk are: intravenous drug abusers; heterosexuals with multiple partners; homosexual men; health care workers; and children born to immigrants from China, Southeast Asia, and other areas where hepatitis B is very common.
Two companies have a hepatitis B vaccine license for use in the U.S. and both are produced by recombinant DNA technology. As part of a national effort to eliminate hepatitis B transmission, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, with the concurrence of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Physicians, has recommended that all infants receive hepatitis B vaccine as part of their childhood immunization schedule.
Three doses of vaccine are required to achieve effective immunization and will induce adequate antibody in 80 - 95 percent of persons who get three doses. The vaccination schedule most often used is three intramuscular injections, with the second and third doses administered at one to six months after the first.
The first dose of hepatitis B vaccine is given soon after birth before the infant is discharged from the hospital or in the first two months of life. The second dose is given between one and two months after the first and the third at six to 18 months of age. Since 1999, two-dose vaccines are available and required in some states for adolescents age 11 to 15 years.
Infants born to mothers infected with hepatitis B virus should be treated with hepatitis B immune globulin and hepatitis B vaccine within 12 hours of birth, with the second and third doses of vaccine given at one and six months of age.
Adults and older children should receive the injections in the deltoid. Infants should receive the injections in the thigh. Buttock injection should never be used.
Other means of prevention include:
- (if carrier) Cover open wounds, don't share razors or manicure tools.
- Practice safe sex
- Don't share needles, razors, toothbrushes, manicure tools or other items that could bear contaminated blood.
- Don't allow yourself to be pierced or tattooed with non-sterile equipment.
- Limit alcohol intake.
- Never share IV drug needles or other drug equipment.


text:
MySpace Profile
Facebook Profile
La Dispute Bio:
La Dispute is five close friends from the Upper Midwest with a firm passion for the concept of music and art as a medium for making new friends. As a result, La Dispute makes (or strives to make) music that is both artistically, technically, and emotionally engaging in hopes of establishing legitimate connections with any and all interested people, while encouraging dialogue between those people and themselves about things in life that truly matter and that truly last. La Dispute also carries a firm passion for the relevance of a live show, both for the bands involved and for the people in attendance, and will go to the grave believing that the environment created when strangers come together despite their differences to celebrate one important thing is invaluable and should not under any circumstances be taken for granted. Two split 7″ to come in 2010 (with two amazing friends), Europe tour in June (they can't wait), new full length in the not-too-distant future, touring always come 2011. Come say hello.


text:
New boundaries are as exhilarating as they are intimidating
One unique attribute that joins together both the dreamers and the realists at AFC: the desire to go to the next level. Some species, like the caterpillar, take the plunge, others hold back. Certainly, the rewards can potentially exceed the risks. Therefore, it makes sense to us if the personified desire or dream of a caterpillar is to be a butterfly one day, then surely it is an attainable goal to cross new boundaries in the sciences putting together the pieces of the puzzle that integrate the oceanic-atmospheric & interplanetary forces at work.
A considerable amount of research initiated in the atmospheric sciences today continues to get its roots from theories decades old that ironically have not been 're-calibrated' with modern principles & visionary ideas. For example, even though a butterfly flapping its wings in Brazil today is a minuscule cause of a tornado in Texas tomorrow — as per the 'Butterfly Effect', a part of the Chaos Theory — this same theory limits science to better understand how to predict long-range weather more accurately. To the contrary, AFC steps out of the box and stresses the harmonious interconnectedness of the Earth's atmosphere with events such as solar cycles and electromagnetic fluxes. In other words, we believe we bring a more complete picture to understanding better the 'why' and 'how' questions related to energy fields that potentially formulate adverse planetary risks.


text:
For Irin News: A portrait of the village of Kandak, in South Sudan's Jonglei State.
Eight days walk from the Ethiopian border, Kandak paid a high price during Sudan's civil wars, in which southerners fought for decades against Khartoum's forces, leading eventually to an independent state of South Sudan in 2011. In the early 1990s, the war brought starvation to Kandak and the surrounding area. Heavy fighting prevented much humanitarian aid getting in and thousands of people died.
Now, after nearly four years of independence, Kandak yet again faces the consequences of civil war. Since the internal conflict broke out at the end of 2013, Kandak has received thousands of internally displaced people because of fighting taking place not far from the village. Even now very few aid-agencies are active in the area due to the enormous logistical challenges in this, one of the most remote areas in the country.
The new influx of displaced people has hit Kandak hard. More people now have to share scarce resources. Lack of clean water forces the population to from muddy pools. Water-borne diseases are huge challenges, malnutrition is on the rise and lack of healthcare makes Kandak a very vulnerable community.
With ongoing fighting in the area and no peace in sight, the humanitarian situation is predicted to deteriorate. And with no or very little access for humanitarian actors the circumstances today is a chilly reminder of what lead up to the devastating hunger-situation 25 years ago.


text:
#2. What is Money?
#3 An Introduction to Paper Money
#4 Fractional Reserve Banking, Inflation, and Boom-Bust
In the last post in this series, I discussed some general concepts underlying fractional reserve banking (FRB), and I argued that it should not be upheld by the courts since it necessitates the recognition of a contradictory legal condition, i.e., it enables the the simultaneous possession of the same physical asset by more than one owner. But why is this even important?
FRB actually predates the modern concept of the central bank, i.e., FRB can exist even under a gold standard. In fact, various catastrophes emanating from FRB throughout the 19th century and early 20th century helped set the stage for the modern central bank. Furthermore, FRB continues to be a major economic force. It is responsible for most of the money creation that has occurred since the advent of the Federal Reserve System and therefore, is a major factor in causing the boom-bust cycle. For example, today the total money supply is in the neighborhood of $6T, while the total creation of money by the Federal Reserve (the "monetary base") is about $2T.
For an excellent overview of the topic of FRB, see the recent article, The Faults of Fractional-Reserve Banking, by Thorsten Polleit (HT: Per-Olof Samuelsson).
To review, let's take a simple example.
1) Joe deposits 100 oz. of gold in Bank A. Bank A sets aside 10 oz. of gold in a vault and lends out 90 oz. to a farmer.
Joe: "I have 100 oz. of gold available to me at all times"
Farmer: "I have 90 oz. of gold available to me at all times"
Total Money Supply = 190 oz. of claims to gold
Actual Money = 100 oz. of gold
Note that two parties now believe they have title to the same physical asset. Joe thinks he has 100 oz. of gold and the Farmer thinks he has legal title to 90 oz. of gold.
2) Continuing, let's say the farmer deposits the 90 oz. of gold in Bank B. Bank B sets aside 9 oz. of gold in its vault, and lends out 81 oz. of gold to a grocery store.
Joe: "I have 100 oz. of gold available to me at all times"
Farmer: "I have 90 oz. of gold available to me at all times"
Grocery Store: "I have 81 oz. of gold available to me at all times"
Total Money Supply = 271 oz. of claims to gold
Actual Money = 100 oz.
This process can repeat until there is 1000 oz. of total money supply, all backed by the original 100 oz. of gold. (Ludwig von Mises would call the 900 oz. of claims "circulation credit.")
In other words, through FRB with a 10% reserve ratio, the banking system can create 10 times as much money as is on deposit. The increase in the quantity of money over the increase in quantity of precious metals is inflation. In the same way, if banks stop lending, or their loans lose value, or customers choose not to borrow, then FRB can result in a decrease of the previously created money by up to 10 times. This decrease in the quantity of money is deflation.
Of course, such a process of money creation and destruction causes the notorious boom-bust cycle. Inflation, among other things, distorts the investment of capital throughout the economy and causes a general increase in the price level (or increase in prices above what they would have been otherwise). The corresponding liquidation of this malinvestment and consequent decrease in the quantity of money, or deflation, corresponds to the bust phase of the cycle - a phase for which most of us are now well versed. See my post, Boom-Bust Part 1, Reisman's Capitalism: A Treatise on Economics or his recent post "Boom Bust in Microcosm", or Jesus Huerta de Soto's Money, Bank Credit, and Economic Cycles, for more on this. As Reisman writes (see Capitalism p. 542):
...depressions are caused by government sponsorship of a fractional-reserve banking system, which increases the quantity of money unduly, thereby artificially reducing the demand for money and raising its velocity of circulation, thus setting the stage for a subsequent financial contraction, deflation of the money supply, and depression.Now, as a further practical consequence, what if all these people come to the bank at the same time demanding to redeem the paper notes in gold? Of course, it would be impossible for the banks to redeem 1000 oz. of gold when they only have 100 oz. As I argued in the last post, the conflation of the legal concept of deposit with the concept of loan results in a situation where many independent parties are legally entitled to the same physical asset - a situation which would not arise if deposits were treated separately from loans. When all these parties simultaneously demand their gold, it is known as a run on the bank.
Generally, FRB leads to the business cycle and an untenable legal condition in which many parties have rightful claim to the same asset. Historically, this practice led to one disaster after another throughout the 19th century, even when the U.S. was on a gold standard. As I discuss in more detail in my post, Boom-Bust Part 3, when banks endured runs as investors panicked, states allowed banks to suspend redemption in specie, thus introducing profound form of moral hazard into the monetary system, as banks who pushed the envelope were effectively bailed out. Friedman and Schwartz quote Clark Warburton in a footnote (p. 328):
By the middle of the 1830's most of the states had adopted or were in the process of developing general banking codes, with the insertion of provisions for severe penalties for failure to pay note in specie, or had placed such provisions in bank charters when renewing them or granting new ones. Under such provisions, suspension of specie payments meant forfeiture of charters, or at least curtailment of business until specie payments were resumed...We know of no instance where any legislature or bank supervisory authority declared bank charters to be forfeited as a result of a general restriction of convertibility. Instead, legislation was enacted postponing or relieving banks of the penalties the law imposed for suspension of specie payments.Although I will discuss this in more detail in a later post, it should be noted that the various panics set off by this process ultimately led to a political movement, not to insist that the state serve its proper function which is to enforce banks' contractual obligation to redeem, but rather, a drive towards the establishment of a central bank to act as "lender of last resort" or to increase the currency's "elasticity" - all code for a central statist authority to backstop the banks (at taxpayer expense) when they got in trouble. Such a movement served the ends of both the turn of the century progressives', who sought inflation as an economic elixir (or a means to not be crucified on a "cross of gold"), and groups of statist bankers, who sought to profit from FRB without subjecting themselves to risk.
Looking ahead, it should be noted that FRB is a major factor in the determination of the total money supply. FRB provides the means to multiply and decrease a monetary base by orders of magnitude. The connection to the central bank is as follows. In the absence of a gold standard, a central bank that controls the monetary base, controls the fundamental base of that multiplication. In other words, the creation of money can be thought of as emanating from two central causes: 1) the central bank (the Fed) which creates money out of thin air that serves as the so-called monetary base and 2) the private banking system, which multiplies this amount as it lends money to its customers or contracts money as loans go out of existence. The recent history of monetary growth in the United States can be thought of as an ever increasing curve (as the Fed continuously adds to the monetary base) with additional cycles of expansion and contraction caused by the banking system's shorter term lending behavior.
Further looking ahead, this is the reason why the Fed can, at times, create money but not actually increase the total money supply if this money creation is met by an offsetting contraction in lending from the private banking system. Such a state is exactly what has been happening over the past year as the Fed finds new ways to increase the monetary base (expand its balance sheet) while private banks and individuals "deleverage" or pay off debt and raise cash.
FRB has been and is today an integral part of the banking system and warrants close re-examination if we are ever to fully and properly establish a private banking system based on the legal and moral principles of laissez faire.