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NCERT Textbooks0 comments Posted by Admin - APPSC Group 1
Economy - Important Terms and definitions4 comments Posted by Admin - APPSC Group 1
Aggregate monetary resources Broad money without time deposits of post office savings organisation (M3).
Automatic stabilisers Under certain spending and tax rules, expenditures that automatically increase or taxes that automatically decrease when economic conditions worsen, therefore, stabilizing the economy automatically.
Autonomous change A change in the values of variables in a macroeconomic model caused by a factor exogenous to the model.
Autonomous expenditure multiplier The ratio of increase (or decrease) in aggregate output or income to an increase (or decrease) in autonomous spending.
Balance of payments A set of accounts that summarise a country's transactions with the rest of the world.
Balanced budget A budget in which taxes are equal to government spending.
Balanced budget multiplier The change in equilibrium output that results from a unit increase or decrease in both taxes and government spending.
Bank rate The rate of interest payable by commercial banks to RBI if they borrow money from the latter in case of a shortage of reserves.
Barter exchange Exchange of commodities without the mediation of money.
Base year The year whose prices are used to calculate the real GDP.
Bonds A paper bearing the promise of a stream of future monetary returns over a specified period of time. Issued by firms or governments for borrowing money from the public.
Broad money Narrow money + time deposits held by commercial banks and post office savings organisation.
Capital Factor of production which has itself been produced and which is not generally entirely consumed in the production process.
Capital gain/loss Increase or decrease in the value of wealth of a bondholder due to an appreciation or reduction in the price of her bonds in the bond market.
Capital goods Goods which are bought not for meeting immediate need of the consumer but for producing other goods.
Capitalist country or economy A country in which most of the production is carried out by capitalist firms.
Capitalist firms These are firms with the following features (a) private ownership of means of production (b) production for the market (c) sale and purchase of labour at a price which is called the wage rate (d) continuous accumulation of capital.
Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) The fraction of their deposits which the commercial banks are required to keep with RBI.
Circular flow of income The concept that the aggregate value of goods and services produced in an economy is going around in a circular way. Either as factor payments, or as expenditures on goods and services, or as the value of aggregate
Consumer durables Consumption goods which do not get exhausted immediately but last over a period of time are consumer durables.
Consumer Price Index (CPI) Percentage change in the weighted average price level. We take the prices of a given basket of consumption goods.
Consumption goods Goods which are consumed by the ultimate consumers or meet the immediate need of the consumer are called consumption goods. It may include services as well.
Corporate tax Taxes imposed on the income made by the corporations (or private sector firms).
Currency deposit ratio The ratio of money held by the public in currency to that held as deposits in commercial banks.
Deficit financing through central bank borrowing Financing of budget deficit by the government through borrowing money from the central bank. Leads to increase in money supply in an economy and may result in inflation.
Depreciation A decrease in the price of the domestic currency in terms of the foreign currency under floating exchange rates. It corresponds to an increase in the exchange rate.
Depreciation Wear and tear or depletion which capital stock undergoes over a period of time.
Devaluation The decrease in the price of domestic currency under pegged exchange rates through official action.
Double coincidence of wants A situation where two economic agents have complementary demand for each others' surplus production.
Economic agents or units Economic units or economic agents are those individuals or institutions which take economic decisions.
Effective demand principle If the supply of final goods is assumed to be infinitely elastic at constant price over a short period of time, aggregate output is determined solely by the value of aggregate demand. This is called effective demand principle.
Entrepreneurship The task of organising, coordinating and risk-taking during production.
Ex ante consumption The value of planned consumption.
Ex ante investment The value of planned investment.
Ex ante The planned value of a variable as opposed to its actual value.
Ex post The actual or realised value of a variable as opposed to its planned value.
Expenditure method of calculating national income Method of calculating the national income by measuring the aggregate value of final expenditure for the goods and services produced in an economy over a period of time.
Exports Sale of goods and services by the domestic country to the rest of the world.
External sector It refers to the economic transaction of the domestic country with the rest of the world.
Externalities Those benefits or harms accruing to another person, firm or any other entity which occur because some person, firm or any other entity may be involved in an economic activity. If someone is causing benefits or good externality to another, the latter does not pay the former. If someone is inflicting harm or bad externality to another, the former does not compensate the latter.
Fiat money Money with no intrinsic value.
Final goods Those goods which do not undergo any further transformation in the production process.
Firms Economic units which carry out production of goods and services and employ factors of production.
Fiscal policy The policy of the government regarding the level of government spending and transfers and the tax structure.
Fixed exchange rate An exchange rate between the currencies of two or more countries that is fixed at some level and adjusted only infrequently.
Flexible/floating exchange rate An exchange rate determined by the forces of demand and supply in the foreign exchange market without central bank intervention.
Flows Variables which are defined over a period of time.
Foreign exchange Foreign currency, all currencies other than the domestic currency of a given country.
Foreign exchange reserves Foreign assets held by the central bank of the country.
Four factors of production Land, Labour, Capital and Entrepreneurship. Together these help in the production of goods and services.
GDP Deflator Ratio of nominal to real GDP.
Government expenditure multiplier The numerical coefficient showing the size of the increase in output resulting from each unit increase in government spending.
Government The state, which maintains law and order in the country, imposes taxes and fines, makes laws and promotes the economic wellbeing of the citizens.
Great Depression The time period of 1930s (started with the stock market crash in New York in 1929) which saw the output in the developed countries fall and unemployment rise by huge amounts.
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Aggregate value of goods and services produced within the domestic territory of a country. It includes the replacement investment of the depreciation of capital stock.
Gross fiscal deficit The excess of total government expenditure over revenue receipts and capital receipts that do not create debt.
Gross investment Addition to capital stock which also includes replacement for the wear and tear which the capital stock undergoes.
Gross National Product (GNP) GDP + Net Factor Income from Abroad. In other words GNP includes the aggregate income made by all citizens of the country, whereas GDP includes incomes by foreigners within the domestic economy and excludes incomes earned by the citizens in a foreign economy.
Gross primary deficit The fiscal deficit minus interest payments.
High powered money Money injected by the monetary authority in the economy. Consists mainly of currency.
Households The families or individuals who supply factors of production to the firms and which buy the goods and services from the firms.
Imports Purchase of goods and services by the domestic country to the rest of the world.
Income method of calculating national income Method of calculating national income by measuring the aggregate value of final factor payments made (= income) in an economy over a period of time.
Interest Payment for services which are provided by capital.
Intermediate goods Goods which are used up during the process of production of other goods.
Inventories The unsold goods, unused raw materials or semi-finished goods which a firm carries from a year to the next.
John Maynard Keynes (1883 – 1946) Arguably the founder of Macroeconomics as a separate discipline.
Labour Human physical effort used in production.
Land Natural resources used in production – either fixed or consumed.
Legal tender Money issued by the monetary authority or the government which cannot be refused by anyone.
Lender of last resort The function of the monetary authority of a country in which it provides guarantee of solvency to commercial banks in a situation of liquidity crisis or bank runs.
Liquidity trap A situation of very low rate of interest in the economy where every economic agent expects the interest rate to rise in future and consequently bond prices to fall, causing capital loss. Everybody holds her wealth in money and
speculative demand for money is infinite.
Macroeconomic model Presenting the simplified version of the functioning of a macroeconomy through either analytical reasoning or mathematical, graphical representation.
Managed floating A system in which the central bank allows the exchange rate to be determined by market forces but intervene at times to influence the rate.
Marginal propensity to consume The ratio of additional consumption to additional income.
Medium of exchange The principal function of money for facilitating commodity exchanges.
Money multiplier The ratio of total money supply to the stock of high powered money in an economy.
Narrow money Currency notes, coins and demand deposits held by the public in commercial banks.
National disposable income Net National Product at market prices + Other Current Transfers from the rest of the World.
Net Domestic Product (NDP) Aggregate value of goods and services produced within the domestic territory of a country which does not include the depreciation of capital stock.
Net interest payments made by households Interest payment made by the households to the firms – interest payments received by the households.
Net investment Addition to capital stock; unlike gross investment, it does not include the replacement for the depletion of capital stock.
Net National Product (NNP) (at market price) GNP – depreciation.
NNP (at factor cost) or National Income (NI) NNP at market price – (Indirect taxes – Subsidies).
Nominal exchange rate The number of units of domestic currency one must give up to get an unit of foreign currency; the price of foreign currency in terms of domestic currency.
Nominal (GDP) GDP evaluated at current market prices.
Non-tax payments Payments made by households to the firms or the government as non-tax obligations such as fines.
Open market operation Purchase or sales of government securities by the central bank from the general public in the bond market in a bid to increase or decrease the money supply in the economy.
Paradox of thrift As people become more thrifty they end up saving less or same as before in aggregate.
Parametric shift Shift of a graph due to a change in the value of a parameter.
Personal Disposable Income (PDI) PI – Personal tax payments – Non-tax payments.
Personal Income (PI) NI – Undistributed profits – Net interest payments made by households – Corporate tax + Transfer payments to the households from the government and firms.
Personal tax payments Taxes which are imposed on individuals, such as income tax.
Planned change in inventories Change in the stock of inventories which has occurred in a planned way.
Present value (of a bond) That amount of money which, if kept today in an interest earning project, would generate the same income as the sum promised by a bond over its lifetime.
Private income Factor income from net domestic product accruing to the private sector + National debt interest + Net factor income from abroad + Current transfers from government + Other net transfers from the rest of the world.
Product method of calculating national income Method of calculating the national income by measuring the aggregate value of production taking place in an economy over a period of time.
Profit Payment for the services which are provided by entrepreneurship.
Public good Goods or services that are collectively consumed; it is not possible to exclude anyone from enjoying their benefits and one person's consumption does not reduce that available to others.
Purchasing power parity A theory of international exchange which holds that the price of similar goods in different countries is the same.
Real exchange rate The relative price of foreign goods in terms of domestic goods.
Real GDP GDP evaluated at a set of constant prices.
Rent Payment for services which are provided by land (natural resources).
Reserve deposit ratio The fraction of their total deposits which commercial banks keep as reserves.
Revaluation A decrease in the exchange rate in a pegged exchange rate system which makes the foreign currency cheaper in terms of the domestic currency.
Revenue deficit The excess of revenue expenditure over revenue receipts.
Ricardian equivalence The theory that consumers are forward looking and anticipate that government borrowing today will mean a tax increase in the future to repay the debt, and will adjust consumption accordingly so that it will have the
same effect on the economy as a tax increase today.
Speculative demand Demand for money as a store of wealth.
Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) The fraction of their total demand and time deposits which the commercial banks are required by RBI to invest in specified liquid assets.
Sterilisation Intervention by the monetary authority of a country in the money market to keep the money supply stable against exogenous or sometimes external shocks such as an increase in foreign exchange inflow.
Stocks Those variables which are defined at a point of time.
Store of value Wealth can be stored in the form of money for future use. This function of money is referred to as store of value.
Transaction demand Demand for money for carrying out transactions.
Transfer payments to households from the government and firms Transfer payments are payments which are made without any counterpart of services received by the payer. For examples, gifts, scholarships, pensions.
Undistributed profits That part of profits earned by the private and government owned firms which are not distributed among the factors of production.
Unemployment rate This may be defined as the number of people who were unable to find a job (though they were looking for jobs), as a ratio of total number of people who were looking for jobs.
Unit of account The role of money as a yardstick for measuring and comparing values of different commodities.
Unplanned change in inventories Change in the stock of inventories which has occurred in an unexpected way.
Value added Net contribution made by a firm in the process of production. It is defined as, Value of production – Value of intermediate goods used.
Wage Payment for the services which are rendered by labour.
Wholesale Price Index (WPI) Percentage change in the weighted average price level. We take the prices of a given basket of goods which is traded in bulk.
Labels: APPSC, capital expenditure, economics, economy, exchange rate, foreign exchange, glossary, Group 1, income, indian economy, revenue
THE DETERMINATION OF INCOME IN AN OPEN ECONOMY0 comments Posted by Admin - APPSC Group 1
With consumers and firms having an option to buy goods produced at home and abroad, we now need to distinguish between domestic demand for goods and the demand for domestic goods.
National Income Identity for an Open Economy
In a closed economy, there are three sources of demand for domestic goods – Consumption (C ), government spending (G), and domestic investment (I ). We can write
In an open economy, exports (X) constitute an additional source of demand for domestic goods and services that comes from abroad and therefore must be added to aggregate demand. Imports (M) supplement supplies in domestic markets and constitute that part of domestic demand that falls on foreign goods and services. Therefore, the national income identity for an open economy is
Rearranging, we get
where, NX is net exports (exports – imports). A positive NX (with exports greater than imports) implies a trade surplus and a negative NX (with imports exceeding exports) implies a trade deficit. To examine the roles of imports and exports in determining equilibrium income in an open economy, we follow the same procedure as we did for the closed economy case – we take investment and government spending as autonomous. In addition, we need to specify the determinants of imports and exports. The demand for imports depends on domestic income (Y) and the real exchange rate (R ). Higher income leads to higher imports. Recall that the real exchange rate is defined as the relative price of foreign goods in terms of domestic goods. A higher R makes foreign goods relatively more expensive, thereby leading to a decrease in the quantity of imports. Thus, imports depend positively on Y and negatively on R. The export of one country is, by definition, the import of another. Thus, our exports would constitute foreign imports. It would depend on foreign income, Yf , and on R. A rise in Yf will increase foreign demand for our goods, thus leading to higher exports. An increase in R, which makes domestic goods cheaper, will increase our exports. Exports depend positively on foreign income and the real exchange rate. Thus, exports and imports depend on domestic income, foreign income and the real exchange rate. We assume price levels and the nominal exchange rate to be constant, hence R will be fixed. From the point of view of our country, foreign income, and therefore exports, are considered exogenous (X = X ). The demand for imports is thus assumed to depend on income and have an autonomous component
We shall provide a diagrammatic explanation of the above mechanisms and, in addition, their impact on the trade balance. Net exports, (NX = X – M), as we saw earlier, depend on Y, Yf and R. A rise in Y raises import spending and leads to trade deficit (if initially we had trade balance, NX = 0). A rise in Yf , other things being equal, raises our exports, creates a trade surplus and raises aggregate income. A real depreciation would raise exports and reduce imports, thus increasing our net exports.
Labels: andhra Pradesh, APPSC, economics, economy, Group 1, indian economy
THE FOREIGN EXCHANGE MARKET0 comments Posted by Admin - APPSC Group 1
Having considered accounting of international transactions on the whole, we will now take up a single transaction. Let us assume that an Indian resident wants to visit London on a vacation (an import of tourist services). She will have to pay in pounds for her stay there. She will need to know where to obtain the pounds and at what price. Her demand for pounds would constitute a demand for foreign exchange which would be supplied in the foreign exchange market – the market in which national currencies are traded for one another. The major participants in this market are commercial banks, foreign exchange brokers and other authorised dealers and the monetary authorities. It is important to note that, although the participants themselves may have their own trading centres, the market itself is world-wide. There is close and continuous contact between the trading centres and the participants deal in more than one market. The price of one currency in terms of the other is known as the exchange rate. Since there is a symmetry between the two currencies, the exchange rate may be defined in one of the two ways. First, as the amount of domestic currency required to buy one unit of foreign currency, i.e. a rupee-dollar exchange rate of Rs 50 means that it costs Rs 50 to buy one dollar, and second, as the cost in foreign currency of purchasing one unit of domestic currency. In the above case, we would say that it costs 2 cents to buy a rupee. The practice in economic literature, however, is to use the former definition – as the price of foreign currency in terms of domestic currency. This is the bilateral nominal exchange rate – bilateral in the sense that they are exchange rates for one currency against another and they are nominal because they quote the exchange rate in money terms, i.e. so many rupees per dollar or per pound. However, returning to our example, if one wants to plan a trip to London, she needs to know how expensive British goods are relative to goods at home. The measure that captures this is the real exchange rate – the ratio of foreign to domestic prices, measured in the same currency. It is defined as
Real exchange rate = f eP P (6.1)
where P and Pf are the price levels here and abroad, respectively, and e is the rupee price of foreign exchange (the nominal exchange rate). The numerator expresses prices abroad measured in rupees, the denominator gives the domestic price level measured in rupees, so the real exchange rate measures prices abroad relative to those at home. If the real exchange rate is equal to one, currencies are at purchasing power parity. This means that goods cost the same in two countries when measured in the same currency. For instance, if a pen costs $4 in the US and the nominal exchange rate is Rs 50 per US dollar, then with a real exchange rate of 1, it should cost Rs 200 (ePf = 50 × 4) in India. If the real exchange rises above one, this means that goods abroad have become more expensive than goods at home. The real exchange rate is often taken as a measure of a country's international competitiveness. Since a country interacts with many countries, we may want to see the movement of the domestic currency relative to all other currencies in a single number rather than by looking at bilateral rates. That is, we would want an index for the exchange rate against other currencies, just as we use a price index to show how the prices of goods in general have changed. This is calculated as the Nominal Effective Exchange Rate (NEER) which is a multilateral rate representing the price of a representative basket of foreign currencies, each weighted by its importance to the domestic country in international trade (the average of export and import shares is taken as an indicator of this). The Real Effective Exchange Rate (REER) is calculated as the weighted average of the real exchange rates of all its trade partners, the weights being the shares of the respective countries in its foreign trade. It is interpreted as the quantity of domestic goods required to purchase one unit of a given basket of foreign goods.
The question arises as to why the foreign exchange rate1 is at this level and what causes its movements? To understand the economic principles that lie behind exchange rate determination, we study the major exchange rate regimes2 that have characterised the international monetary system. There has been a move from a regime of commitment of fixed-price convertibility to one without commitments where residents enjoy greater freedom to convert domestic currency into foreign currencies but do not enjoy a price guarantee.
In a system of flexible exchange rates (also known as floating exchange rates), the exchange rate is determined by the forces of market demand and supply. In a completely flexible system, the central banks follow a simple set of rules – they do nothing to directly affect the level of the exchange rate, in other words they do not intervene in the foreign exchange market (and therefore, there are no official reserve transactions). The link between the balance of payments accounts and the transactions in the foreign exchange market is evident when we recognise that all expenditures by domestic residents on foreign goods, services and assets and all foreign transfer payments (debits in the BoP accounts) also represent demand for foreign exchange. The Indian resident buying a Japanese car pays for it in rupees but the Japanese exporter will expect to be paid in yen. So rupees must be exchanged for yen in the foreign exchange market. Conversely, all exports by domestic residents reflect equal earnings of foreign exchange. For instance, Indian exporters will expect to be paid in rupees and, to buy our goods, foreigners must sell their currency and buy rupees. Total credits in the BoP accounts are then equal to the supply of foreign exchange. Another reason for the demand for foreign exchange is for speculative purposes.
Let us assume, for simplicity, that India and the United States are the only countries in the world, so that there is only one exchange rate to be determined. The demand curve (DD) is downward sloping because a rise in the price of foreign exchange will increase the cost in terms of rupees of purchasing foreign goods. Imports will therefore decline and less foreign exchange will be demanded. For the supply of foreign exchange to increase as the exchange rate rises, the foreign demand for our exports must be more than unit elastic, meaning simply that a one per cent increase in the exchange rate (which results in a one per cent decline in the price of the export good to the foreign country buying our good) must result in an increase in demand of more than one per cent. If this condition is met, the rupee volume of our exports will rise more than proportionately to the rise in the exchange rate, and earnings in dollars (the supply of foreign exchange) will increase as the exchange rate rises.
However, a vertical supply curve (with a unit elastic foreign demand for Indian exports) would not change the analysis. We note that here we are holding all prices other than the exchange rate constant. In this case of flexible exchange rates without central bank intervention, the exchange rate moves to clear the market, to equate the demand for and supply of foreign exchange. If the demand for foreign exchange goes up due to Indians travelling abroad more often, or increasingly showing a preference for imported goods, the DD curve will shift upward and rightward. The resulting intersection would be at a higher exchange rate. Changes in the price of foreign exchange under flexible exchange rates are referred to as currency depreciation or appreciation. In the above case, the domestic currency (rupee) has depreciated since it has become less expensive in terms of foreign currency. For instance, if the equilibrium rupeedollar exchange rate was Rs 45 and now it has become Rs 50 per dollar, the rupee has depreciated against the dollar. By contrast, the currency appreciates when it becomes more expensive in terms of foreign currency. At the initial equilibrium exchange rate e*, there is now an excess demand for foreign exchange. The rise in exchange rate (depreciation) will cause the quantity of import demand to fall since the rupee price of imported goods rises with the exchange rate. Also, the quantity of exports demanded will increase since the rise in the exchange rate makes exports less expensive to foreigners. At the new equilibrium with e1, the supply and demand for foreign exchange is again equal.
Income and the Exchange Rate:
If a shirt costs $8 in the US and Rs 400 in India, the rupee-dollar exchange rate should be Rs 50. To see why, at any rate higher than Rs 50, say Rs 60, it costs Rs 480 per shirt in the US but only Rs 400 in India. In that case, all foreign customers would buy shirts from India. Similarly, any exchange rate below Rs 50 per dollar will send all the shirt business to the US. Next, we suppose that prices in India rise by 20 per cent while prices in the US rise by 50 per cent. Indian shirts would now cost Rs 480 per shirt while American shirts cost $12 per shirt. For these two prices to be equivalent, $12 must be worth Rs 480, or one dollar must be worth Rs 40. The dollar, therefore, has depreciated. According to the PPP theory, differences in the domestic inflation and foreign inflation are a major cause of adjustment in exchange rates. If one country has higher inflation than another, its exchange rate should be depreciating.
However, we note that if American prices rise faster than Indian prices and, at the same time, countries erect tariff barriers to keep Indian shirts out (but not American ones), the dollar may not depreciate. Also, there are many goods that are not tradeable and inflation rates for them will not matter. Further, few goods that different countries produce and trade are uniform or identical. Most economists contend that other factors are more important than relative prices for exchange rate determination in the short run. However, in the long run, purchasing power parity plays an important role.
Countries have had flexible exchange rate system ever since the breakdown of the Bretton Woods system in the early 1970s. Prior to that, most countries had fixed or what is called pegged exchange rate system, in which the exchange rate is pegged at a particular level. Sometimes, a distinction is made between the fixed and pegged exchange rates. It is argued that while the former is fixed, the latter is maintained by the monetary authorities, in that the value at which the exchange rate is pegged (the par value) is a policy variable – it may be changed. There is a common element between the two systems. Under a fixed exchange rate system, such as the gold standard, adjustment to BoP surpluses or deficits cannot be brought about through changes in the exchange rate. Adjustment must either come about 'automatically' through the workings of the economic system (through the mechanism explained by Hume, given below) or be brought about by the government. A pegged exchange rate system may, as long as the exchange rate is not changed, and is not expected to change, display the same characteristics. However, there is another option open to the government – it may change the exchange rate. A devaluation is said to occur when the exchange rate is increased by social action under a pegged exchange rate system. The opposite of devaluation is a revaluation. Or, the government may choose to leave the exchange rate unchanged and deal with the BoP problem by the use of monetary and fiscal policy. Most governments change the exchange rate very infrequently. In our analysis, we use the terms fixed and pegged exchange rates interchangeably to denote an exchange rate regime where the exchange rate is set by government decisions and maintained by government actions. We examine the way in which a country can 'peg' or fix the level of its exchange rate. We assume that Reserve bank of India (RBI) wishes to fix an exact par value for the rupee at Rs 45 per dollar (e1 in Fig. 6.3). Assuming that this official exchange rate is below the equilibrium exchange rate (here e* = Rs 50) of the flexible exchange rate system, the rupee will be overvalued and the dollar undervalued. This means that if the exchange rate were market determined, the price of dollars in terms of rupees would have to rise to clear the market. At Rs 45 to a dollar, the rupee is more expensive than it would be at Rs 50 to a dollar (thinking of the rate in dollar-rupee terms, now each rupee costs 2.22 cents instead of 2 cents). At this rate, the demand for dollars is higher than the supply of dollars. Since the demand and supply schedules were constructed from the BoP accounts (measuring only autonomous transactions), this excess demand implies a deficit in the BoP. The deficit is bridged by central bank intervention. In this case, the RBI would sell dollars for rupees in the foreign exchange market to meet this excess demand AB, thus neutralising the upward pressure on the exchange rate. The RBI stands ready to buy and sell dollars at that rate to prevent the exchange rate from rising (since no one would buy at more) or falling (since no one would sell for less).
Now the RBI might decide to fix the exchange rate at a higher level – Rs 47 per dollar – to bridge part of the deficit in BoP. This devaluation of the domestic currency would make imports expensive and our exports cheaper, leading to a narrowing of the trade deficit. It is important to note that repeated central bank intervention to finance deficits and keep the exchange rate fixed will eventually exhaust the official reserves. This is the main flaw in the system of fixed exchange rates. Once speculators believe that the exchange rate cannot be held for long they would buy foreign exchange (say, dollars) in massive amounts. The demand for dollars will rise sharply causing a BoP deficit. Without sufficient reserves, the central bank will have to allow the exchange rate to reach its equilibrium level. This might amount to an even larger devaluation than would have been required before the speculative 'attack' on the domestic currency began. International experience shows that it is precisely this that has led many countries to abandon the system of fixed exchange rates. Fear of such an attack induced the US to let its currency float in 1971, one of the major events which precipitated the breakdown of the Bretton Woods system.
Without any formal international agreement, the world has moved on to what can be best described as a managed floating exchange rate system. It is a mixture of a flexible exchange rate system (the float part) and a fixed rate system (the managed part). Under this system, also called dirty floating, central banks intervene to buy and sell foreign currencies in an attempt to moderate exchange rate movements whenever they feel that such actions are appropriate. Official reserve transactions are, therefore, not equal to zero.
The question arose – would not a country lose all its stock of gold if it imported too much (and had a BoP deficit)? The mercantilist4 explanation was that unless the state intervened, through tariffs or quotas or subsidies, on exports, a country would lose its gold and that was considered one of the worst tragedies. David Hume, a noted philosopher writing in 1752, refuted this view and pointed out that if the stock of gold went down, all prices and costs would fall commensurately and no one in the country would be worse off. Also, with cheaper goods at home, imports would fall and exports rise (it is the real exchange rate which will determine competitiveness). The country from which we were importing and making payments in gold would face an increase in prices and costs, so their now expensive exports would fall and their imports of the first country's now cheap goods would go up. The result of this pricespecie- flow (precious metals were referred to as 'specie' in the eighteenth century) mechanism is normally to improve the BoP of the country losing gold, and worsen that of the country with the favourable trade balance, until equilibrium in international trade is re-established at relative prices that keep imports and exports in balance with no further net gold flow. The equilibrium is stable and self-correcting, requiring no tariffs and state action. Thus, fixed exchange rates were maintained by an automatic equilibrating mechanism. Several crises caused the gold standard to break down periodically.
Moreover, world price levels were at the mercy of gold discoveries. This can be explained by looking at the crude Quantity Theory of Money, M = kPY, according to which, if output (GNP) increased at the rate of 4 per cent per year, the gold supply would have to increase by 4 per cent per year to keep prices stable. With mines not producing this much gold, price levels were falling all over the world in the late nineteenth century, giving rise to social unrest. For a period, silver supplemented gold introducing 'bimetallism'. Also, fractional reserve banking helped to economise on gold. Paper currency was not entirely backed by gold; typically countries held one-fourth gold against its paper currency. Another way of economising on gold was the gold exchange standard which was adopted by many countries which kept their money exchangeable at fixed prices with respect to gold but held little or no gold. Instead of gold, they held the currency of some large country (the United States or the United Kingdom) which was on the gold standard. All these and the discovery of gold in Klondike and South Africa helped keep deflation at bay till 1929. Some economic historians attribute the Great Depression to this shortage of liquidity. During 1914-45, there was no maintained universal system but this period saw both a brief return to the gold standard and a period of flexible exchange rates.
In the post-World War II scenario, countries devastated by the war needed enormous resources for reconstruction. Imports went up and their deficits were financed by drawing down their reserves. At that time, the US dollar was the main component in the currency reserves of the rest of the world, and those reserves had been expanding as a consequence of the US running a continued balance of payments deficit (other countries were willing to hold those dollars as a reserve asset because they were committed to maintain convertibility between their currency and the dollar).
The problem was that if the short-run dollar liabilities of the US continued to increase in relation to its holdings of gold, then the belief in the credibility of the US commitment to convert dollars into gold at the fixed price would be eroded. The central banks would thus have an overwhelming incentive to convert the existing dollar holdings into gold, and that would, in turn, force the US to give up its commitment. This was the Triffin Dilemma after Robert Triffin, the main critic of the Bretton Woods system. Triffin suggested that the IMF should be turned into a 'deposit bank' for central banks and a new 'reserve asset' be created under the control of the IMF. In 1967, gold was displaced by creating the Special Drawing Rights (SDRs), also known as 'paper gold', in the IMF with the intention of increasing the stock of international reserves.
Originally defined in terms of gold, with 35 SDRs being equal to one ounce of gold (the dollar-gold rate of the Bretton Woods system), it has been redefined several times since 1974. At present, it is calculated daily as the weighted sum of the values in dollars of four currencies (euro, dollar, Japanese yen, pound sterling) of the five countries (France, Germany, Japan, the UK and the US). It derives its strength from IMF members being willing to use it as a reserve currency and use it as a means of payment between central banks to exchange for national currencies. The original installments of SDRs were distributed to member countries according to their quota in the Fund (the quota was broadly related to the country's economic importance as indicated by the value of its international trade). The breakdown of the Bretton Woods system was preceded by many events, such as the devaluation of the pound in 1967, flight from dollars to gold in 1968 leading to the creation of a two-tiered gold market (with the official rate at $35 per ounce and the private rate market determined), and finally in August 1971, the British demand that US guarantee the gold value of its dollar holdings. This led to the US decision to give up the link between the dollar and gold.
The 'Smithsonian Agreement' in 1971, which widened the permissible band of movements of the exchange rates to 2.5 per cent above or below the new 'central rates' with the hope of reducing pressure on deficit countries, lasted only 14 months. The developed market economies, led by the United Kingdom and soon followed by Switzerland and then Japan, began to adopt floating exchange rates in the early 1970s. In 1976, revision of IMF Articles allowed countries to choose whether to float their currencies or to peg them (to a single currency, a basket of currencies, or to the SDR). There are no rules governing pegged rates and no de facto supervision of floating exchange rates.
The Current Scenario:
Another arrangement adopted by Equador in 2000 was dollarisation when it abandoned the domestic currency and adopted the US dollar. All prices are quoted in dollar terms and the local currency is no longer used in transactions. Although uncertainty and risk can be avoided, Equador has given the control over its money supply to the Central Bank of the US – the Federal Reserve – which will now be based on economic conditions in the US. On the whole, the international system is now characterised by a multiple of regimes. Most exchange rates change slightly on a day-to-day basis, and market forces generally determine the basic trends. Even those advocating greater fixity in exchange rates generally propose certain ranges within which governments should keep rates, rather than literally fix them. Also, there has been a virtual elimination of the role for gold. Instead, there is a free market in gold in which the price of gold is determined by its demand and supply coming mainly from jewellers, industrial users, dentists, speculators and ordinary citizens who view gold as a good store of value.
Labels: APPSC, exchange rate, foreign exchange, Group 1, income, interest rate, speculation
THE BALANCE OF PAYMENTS6 comments Posted by Admin - APPSC Group 1
The balance of payments (BoP) record the transactions in goods, services and assets between residents of a country with the rest of the world. There are two main accounts in the BoP – the current account and the capital account. The current account records exports and imports in goods and services and transfer payments. Trade in services denoted as invisible trade (because they are not seen to cross national borders) includes both factor income (payment for inputs-investment income, that is, the interest, profits and dividends on our assets abroad minus the income foreigners earn on assets they own in India) and non-factor income (shipping, banking, insurance, tourism, software services, etc.). Transfer payments are receipts which the residents of a country receive 'for free', without having to make any present or future payments in return. They consist of remittances, gifts and grants. They could be official or private. The balance of exports and imports of goods is referred to as the trade balance. Adding trade in services and net transfers to the trade balance, we get the current account balance. The capital account records all international purchases and sales of assets such as money, stocks, bonds, etc. We note that any transaction resulting in a payment to foreigners is entered as a debit and is given a negative sign. Any transaction resulting in a receipt from foreigners is entered as a credit and is given a positive sign.
Alternatively, the country could engage in official reserve transactions, running down its reserves of foreign exchange, in the case of a deficit by selling foreign currency in the foreign exchange market. The decrease (increase) in official reserves is called the overall balance of payments deficit (surplus). The basic premise is that the monetary authorities are the ultimate financiers of any deficit in the balance of payments (or the recipients of any surplus). A country is said to be in balance of payments equilibrium when the sum of its current account and its non-reserve capital account equals zero, so that the current account balance is financed entirely by international lending without reserve movements. We note that the official reserve transactions are more relevant under a regime of pegged exchange rates than when exchange rates are floating. Autonomous and Accommodating Transactions: International economic transactions are called autonomous when transactions are made independently of the state of the BoP (for instance due to profit motive). These items are called 'above the line' items in the BoP. The balance of payments is said to be in surplus (deficit) if autonomous receipts are greater (less) than autonomous payments. Accommodating transactions (termed 'below the line' items), on the other hand, are determined by the net consequences of the autonomous items, that is, whether the BoP is in surplus or deficit. The official reserve transactions are seen as the accommodating item in the BoP (all others being autonomous). Errors and Omissions constitute the third element in the BoP (apart from the current and capital accounts) which is the 'balancing item' reflecting our inability to record all international transactions accurately.
Labels: andhra Pradesh, APPSC, Balance of payments, economics, economy, Group 1, indian economy
Open Economy Macroeconomics0 comments Posted by Admin - APPSC Group 1
So far, we have simplified the analysis of income determination by assuming a closed economy. In reality, most modern economies are open. Interaction with other economies of the world widens choice in three broad ways
- Consumers and firms have the opportunity to choose between domestic and foreign goods. This is the product market linkage which occurs through international trade.
- Investors have the opportunity to choose between domestic and foreign assets. This constitutes the financial market linkage.
- Firms can choose where to locate production and workers to choose where to work. This is the factor market linkage. Labour market linkages have been relatively less due to various restrictions on the movement of people through immigration laws. Movement of goods has traditionally been seen as a substitute for the movement of labour.
We focus here on the first two linkages.
An open economy is one that trades with other nations in goods and services and, most often, also in financial assets. Indians, for instance, enjoy using products produced around the world and some of our production is exported to foreign countries. Foreign trade, therefore, influences Indian aggregate demand in two ways. First, when Indians buy foreign goods, this spending escapes as a leakage from the circular flow of income decreasing aggregate demand. Second, our exports to foreigners enter as an injection into the circular flow, increasing aggregate demand for domestically produced goods. Total foreign trade (exports + imports) as a proportion of GDP is a common measure of the degree of openness of an economy. In 2004-2005, this was 38.9 per cent for the Indian economy (imports constituted 17.1 per cent and exports 11.8 per cent of GDP). This is substantially higher than a total of 16 per cent that prevailed in 1985-86. However, in comparison to other countries, India is relatively less open. There are several countries whose foreign trade proportions are above 50 per cent of GDP.
Now, when goods move across national borders, money must move in the opposite direction. At the international level, there is no single currency that is issued by a central authority. Foreign economic agents will accept a national currency only if they are convinced that the currency will maintain a stable purchasing power. Without this confidence, a currency will not be used as an international medium of exchange and unit of account since there is no international authority with the power to force the use of a particular currency in international transactions. Governments have tried to gain confidence of potential users by announcing that the national currency will be freely convertible at a fixed price into another asset, over whose value the issuing authority has no control. This other asset most often has been gold, or other national currencies. There are two aspects of this commitment that has affected its credibility – the ability to convert freely in unlimited amounts and the price at which conversion takes place. The international monetary system has been set up to handle these issues and ensure stability in international transactions. A nation's commitment regarding the above two issues will affect its trade and financial interactions with the rest of the world.
Labels: andhra Pradesh, APPSC, economics, economy, Group 1, indian economy, Open Economy
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Swamp Thing
Volume 3, Rotworld: The Green KingdomeBook - 2013
From the critics
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When you cant find a creative way to write a solution to your quickly escalating stakes in a series , Mega Violence sloberknocker Crossover with incredible art (not the Animal man Inserts) set in a alternate possible universe with grotesque alternate DC heroes is one way to make an enjoyable comic. Unfortunately in the American way this comic shows that the way to win, and have no repercussions and full reward, is violence and death. But it is nice to learn that the way to balance all deeper issues in our lives and world is through beating the other guy down and fulfilling our egos. The art (except for 12 pages of Animal man insert that were awful) Is amazing, and the ideas are fun and kept me intrigued. The exploration of death and rebirth is also well done... unfortunately many of the other "depths" that could have been gone too fell far short of accomplished in what I imagine was a bid to sell to the American mainstream.
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subset: commoncrawl


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Melbourne, Australia, 2014
On the grand scheme of things, and hindsight, choosing Melbourne over Sydney as my next stop was part random choice, part a plan... that didn't pan out (I had to meet someone in Sydney in a few weeks, so it made sense to visit Melbourne first). The best thing is that what I discovered was a place where I would love to live in, despite their strange bar hours, but I guess that's mediterranian me and our love of keeping late hours, constant wind (but that's a constant in the whole of Australia) and crazy heat.
When I had to take the plane there I made the bold decision of putting on my jeans, and boy was I happy when I landed… after months of incredible heat, the 14 degrees completely froze me up. I even had to go on a winter sale and buy a jumper. That is, for a few days, then we got the most amazing heat wave I've ever experienced. If you are a tennis fan you might have noticed a few complains about the heat over the Australia Open, because, oh my, yes, we went to the 45. It was a good day when the blackboard of the hostel announced the we were only at 41.
I loved it, though, I loved it because Melbourne has lovely all kinds of asian food, amazing coffee, more amazing people and because I also made a friend, that in a week I'll be seeing again, and that made it possible and easy for me to do something that I've always wanted to do…


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Thursday, March 28, 2013
UPDATES: April 7th, Circle of Light class and meditation, 1:00 PM in Naperville, IL
April 19th, Sacred Breath Workshop, 7:00 PM in Downers Grove, IL
NEW! I am writing my first novel, The Riddle of Suffering! It will be an eye-opener~
NEW! My good friend, Jim Loftus, who is now offering a brand new web site: www.AstroAlmanack.com similar to what Guy Spiro used to offer in the Monthly Aspectarian. Check it out. Excellent!
This was the old wish for the aspirant on the path. It means that through constant striving toward the Light we might transmute the heavy cross of matter (earthly self and issues) into the fragrant Rose of the spiritual life. This is known by the awakened ones as the Earth initiation. The soul is ready to demonstrate more fully the Light of God in his/her actions on earth. It is one thing to intellectually understand and quite another to achieve inner realization and actually put it into action.
Wouldn't it be amazing if more of us would make a deeper commitment this Easter to live the Christ spirit? We can go direct to the heart of Christ. We have the power to do that. Every time you allow yourself to be filled with gratitude, compassion and live a higher form of love toward others, you are gaining a greater mastery over the ego and body.
Jesus came as a promise to what lies within us. Underneath the package we are wearing is the all-pervading spirit of love. Accept your daily karma. It is the bread which feeds your soul.
Jesus offered us His spirit, the essence of divine love. Drink from the cup he offered and your heart will be filled with both understanding and love. Love is the fulfilling of the law. Through love we are made whole.
In hope and harmony,
Shirlee Hall
I invite you to visit my new web site: http://www.behealedforever.com. © 2013 Shirlee Hall. All rights Reserved To remove your name go to http://www.behealedforever.com/optout.htmlHttp://www.behealedforever.com
Posted by Unknown at 1:40 PM No comments: Links to this post
Labels: commitment, Easter, initiation, Jesus, karma, path, realization
Saturday, March 23, 2013
- Are you ready to dethrone the anthropomorphic god of the Bible who threatens, instills fear, judgment and the opposite of boundless universal loving-kindness?
- Are you ready to really think and look seriously at a rational, tolerant way of living that you can actually test and verify through personal experience?
- Can you become an independent thinker?
Why fight it?
What we need is right guidance, right knowledge and right understanding.
- How many people have brought their mind to a state of one-pointedness?
- How many of us view life and objects from an unconditioned point of view?
- Wouldn't' you prefer to touch on the summits of your former achievements, be unconditioned and timeless?
To be successful, we must accept responsibility for the conditions or situations we find ourselves in today and at any time. It is possible to attain an understanding of things as they really are and become fully awakened. To depend on oneself is positive. We were told, 'What I have achieved, you, too, can accomplish.' As long as we ignore this statement of truth, the longer we suffer. Self-complacency increases ignorance. Liberation, heaven on earth and being fully aware does not come into existence automatically.
Posted by Unknown at 8:08 PM No comments: Links to this post
Labels: change, forward, mind, one pointedness
Sunday, March 10, 2013
We are both the seeker and the sought from the very beginning, though we may not know it. Isn't this sad? Every day we recognize beauty and goodness in others but, we rarely accept it in ourselves.
We all have the Christ or Buddha Nature within. It cannot be sought outside of ourselves. Why? People fail to grasp the truth of their being because they cling to deluded thoughts and attachments. Conditioning separates us from the truth of our real identity.
We live with this marvelous hidden Nature every day but do not recognize it even when it is right in front of our eyes. There are many names for the inner Nature: wakefulness, mind ground, Nirvana, unchanging, reward body, spirit, essence, enlightenment, God, radiant Light, spirit and endless other names.
We all have this Nature. The inner Nature is equal in all. The difference is in our conscious awareness of Its presence and power. A determining factor is also whether we accept and use it. Externally,on the human level, there are huge differences between the consciousness of people. In the perspective of the higher wisdom, we have eternal equality and must awaken to use it.
Understanding our true spiritual identity from the higher wisdom perspective, we are all 'heavenly beings'. There is nothing to cultivate. There is no need to seek from others. The difference between spiritual ignorance and awakened understanding though is to actually achieve awakened thought. We must understand our hidden Nature and accept and live it.
One of the greatest secrets to awakened Mind is not to be attached. Humanity is bewildered and collectively spiritually ignorant. People continue to suffer because their true Nature is obscured by delusion. All of us need to clear the dust off the mirror.
The 3rd Friday of each month, a Sacred Breath Healing Workshop is held in Downers Grove, IL at the Sohmar Massage School at 7:00 pm. The purpose of the healing workshops are to help you break through the delusion of false conditioning and consciously realize the truth of who YOU are! During our time together, you actually feel the truth of your inner Nature~
In harmony,
Shirlee Hall
Details: Contact Shirlee at firstname.lastname@example.com
Posted by Unknown at 6:29 PM No comments: Links to this post
Labels: attachment, delusion, hidden, secrets, seeker and sought, spiritual ignorance, true Nature, wakefulness
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The Pillars of Swedish Heritage in Oregon The Singing Societies
The background
During the mid-19th century many Swedes suffering harsh economic times in their homeland, immigrated to the United States. As the Northern Pacific and Great Northern Railroads reached across the United States to Oregon in 1883, the number of Swedes in Oregon swelled. By 1910, Swedes were the second largest ethnic group in Oregon. In the 1920's the number of new immigrants tapered off with a change in U.S. immigration policy, but by then first- and second-generation Swedish Americans accounted for nearly 125,000 residents, as recorded by the U.S. census.
The immigrants brought with them the very important Swedish tradition of Allsång (Unison singing).
Allsång originated from singing in churches, and at enjoyable occasions such as Walpurgis (Valborg), Midsummer and Kräftskiva (crayfish party). It was also very common at universities where many singing societies (choral groups) were established under the umbrella name of Allmänna Sången (Public Singing Societies), established in the 1830s in university towns such as Uppsala. Their choral groups participated in and won many international choral contests. You can say that the tradition Allsång (public unison singing) was the foundation for the later establishment of "Körsång" (Choral singing).
Even in the middle school years the students were introduced to singing through music and singing classes. Immigrants born in Sweden would remember Nu Ska Vi Sjunga (Let Us Sing), the school song book used in Swedish schools for this purpose.
The Swedish Public Singing saw a Swedish patriotic outbreak when Norway broke the union with Sweden on June 7, 1905. Regardless of or in the complete absence of reason, however, Swedish people will stand up and adhere to the century old tradition of standing side by side and doing the same thing simultaneously
"åsså sjunger vi allihopa: lyssna på mig, uppå mig, uppå mig
. Lets all sing together: follow me, follow me
. We were egged on in 1963 by Egon Kärrman, the most notable Allsång leader at Skansen in Stockholm. He was a pain to many people with a more noble understanding of the Swedish phenomenon Allsången but immensely popular with the masses.
When it came to more organized choral singing groups, we had the world famous choir leader in Eric Ericsson who started his career as chief conductor of OD (Orphei Drängar) of Uppsala in the 1950's.
Some say part of the skill of Swedish choirs can be attributed to the Swedish language, which is said to have a singing quality. Speaking the language helps groom a clear, brilliant voice quality, sought after in a singer.
The stories
Undoubtedly Swedish singing is the most important and most universally acknowledged contribution made by the Swedish immigrants to our modern cosmopolitan culture. Swedes are noted for their love of singing. Almost everyone sings in Sweden and the songs did not die from their lips on arrival in America. Rather, many become more interested than ever in the songs of the homeland.
A Swedish [singing] immigrant in Portland said, "Those old songs mean more to us here in America, I think, than they do to those we left behind, because they do not miss those things for which we have longings. The songs of the homeland hold us Swedish-born Americans together; they are a tie to the old home over there. We never forget the old familiar things of childhood and our songs; especially the ones about homeland scenes and customs seem to help us over that nostalgic feeling we have at times. We prize these songs, and no one here objects. Our singing concerts and conventions are so dear to us, and yet so popular, because we always render good music.
Singing communities
When it comes to organized choral groups, the Swedes in Oregon have been much slower than their countrymen in the neighboring states of California and Washington.
There was an excellent male choir in Portland as early as 1889, called Luren (The Horn), but of its ten members only twoC. B. Borquist and Andrew Holmquistwere Swedish. All the others were Norwegians. Luren was dissolved on October 8, 1889.
Swedish quartet songs were enjoyed by Portland audiences prior to 1890, but later C. E. Holt, an American-born Swede and enthusiastic lover of quartet songs, gathered Swedish singers, rehearsed, gathered more singers and by July 13, 1903, the Swedish Song Club Columbia (Svenska Sångklubben Columbia) was organized. In addition to singing, the early chorus participated in various productions under the artistic direction of Edward Boyse.
C. E. Holt was its first leader and he led the group until 1908, when he was succeeded by C. B. Borquist. He remained in charge of Columbia until July 1910, when Holt returned as leader of the group. Columbia performed in public many times, and this group received much praise for its excellent harmonies, strong vocal resources and artistic modulation at the singing competitions during the expositions in Portland 1905, San Francisco 1907 and Seattle 1909.
The prominent efforts of Swedish Song Club Columbia members, Edward Boyse and C.A. Appelgren, helped organize the United Swedish Singers of the Pacific Coast (Svenska Sångarförbundet på Stilla Havskusten) on July 28 1905, in Portland at the Lewis & Clark Exposition. Eighty-seven singers from the four Pacific Coast charter choruses, Swedish Song Club Columbia, Swedish Singing Society of San Francisco, Svea Male Chorus of Seattle and Svea of Everett (Washington), sang on Scandinavian Day, July 29th, at the exposition under the direction of C. E. Holt.
In 1919, Swedish Song Club Columbia changed its name to the Columbia Singing Society. The group performed at festivals from 1907-1928. In 1925 at the Everett convention, the Pacific choruses became affiliated with the American Union of Swedish Singers (A.U.S.S.), becoming its Western Division.
Around 1930 the Columbia Singing Society began to use the name Swedish Male Chorus (Svenska Manskören). In 1946, Svenska Manskören was admitted to the American Union of Swedish Singers.
It is nonsense talk that Swedes are too shy to sing. They yearn to sing in big crowds. Only if someone steps forward and clears the way.
-Egon Kärrman, 1963 (Allsång leader at Skansen in Stockholm)
"Det svenska folket behöver samla sig, icke blott i tanke, vilja och gärning
utan äfven i känsla. Och ett af de ädlaste känslans uttrycksmedel är sången.
[The Swedish people need to collect themselves, not just in thought, want and deeds
but also emotionally. And one of the nobler expressions of emotion is the singing.]
-Alice Tegnér, 1906 (Swedish music teacher, composer, organist, Sjung svenska folk)
So the singing tradition is strong, even among todays immigrants when they come to their new homeland, America. Maybe this is their source of yearning for establishment of Swedish singing choirs in America, including the state of Oregon.
Inevitable changes were coming with references to Swedish music. Indicative of this is the change of name in 1919 of the Swedish Song Club Columbia to Columbia Male Chorus. The Chorus would regularly sing Stå Stark (Stand Strong) by Wennerberg, the Swedish flag song, but in recent years it has appeared only infrequently in programs. It is used because it is good music, and not a song for which the audience rises, and when it is sung they dont salute the Swedish flag. One of the immigrant singers said:
The younger generations are coming up and we realize that they have a greater interest in America than in Sweden, and we cater to that inclination. We want to keep them with us and have them carry on an interest in Swedish songs, folklore, and history, but we want them to be a real American as well.
In times of dwindling participation, the Portland Scandinavian singing groups began to merge. The combined Portland Swedish Male Chorus began to participate in national festivals.
In 1976, the Swedish Male Chorus and Norwegian Male Chorus joined together to form the Scandinavian Chorus of Portland. In 1979, Swedish women singers organized a sister chorus, the Scandia Ladies Chorus of Portland. Under the sponsorship of the Scandinavian Chorus, they were admitted to the A.U.S.S. in 1982. Currently, the two choruses hold joint concerts in the winter and spring.
The choruses perform often at local events in the Portland area, such as:
Spring Concert (Norwegian Syttende Mai/May 17th/celebration),
Scandinavian Midsummer Festival,
Lucia Court Selection and Lucia Event,
Portland ScanFair at Christmas time at the Norsk Julesangfest and
Julotta Services
These performances are contributing to keeping up the Scandinavian heritage among the Scandinavian immigrant communities in the Portland area.
The Swedish tradition of Public singing (Allsång) and Choral singing (Körsång) are still with us and very much appreciated by the Swedish immigrant community. The singing provided immigrants solace for many years when homesickness was part of their daily life.
In 2008, A.U.S.S was a roaring success in Portland with 200 singers at Oregon Convention Center.
A combination of Swedish and American choirs provided Portland with a performance that will be talked about for a long, long time! Among the best performances was Serenad i Havana, Fragrancia by the Swedish poet and troubadour Evert Taube.
Serenad i Havanna
I Cubas natt en röst från din estancia
och doft av rosor som är din aroma
sveper hit ner och talar O Fragancia
talar ditt och kärlekens idiom
Hela mitt hjärta är uppfyllt av din ensamhet
fast du är borta äger jag dig här,
här i min själ, mitt innersta din kärlighet
blommar och doftar för mig var du är
Glömsk av mig själv jag uppfylls av dig till brädden
fastän du gömmer dig och inte blir mig när
Himmel! Du kom ändå till blomster bädden!
Månen går ner....Gitarren tystnar här
In Cuba's night a voice from your estancia
And the fragrance of roses which is your aroma
Sweeps down here and speaks, O Fragrancia
Speaking yours and lovers idiom
All of me is filled with your loneliness
Whenever you are away, you are still here
Here in my soul, inside your beauty
Flowers and fragrance for me are wherever you are
All of me is filled with your loneliness
Whenever you are away, you are still here
Here in my soul, inside your beauty
Flowers and fragrance for me wherever you are
Obviously to myself, I am filled to the brim with you
Even though you hide yourself and are not close to me
Heaven, You came anyway to the flowerbed
The moon goes down, and guitar stops playing.
Story written by Leif Rosqvist, the editor for New Sweden Cultural Heritage Foundation and SRIO newsletter in Portland, Oregon
Swedish Oregon, SRIO book from 2008 and The Swedes of Oregon by William Carlson Smith.
A century of Song by Lilly Setterdahl and AUSS Cultural Heritage Foundation
Oregon och dess svenska befolkning, by Ernst Skarstedt
Julie White, Scandia Ladies Chorus of Portland
SwedishSchool Songbook
The Swedish Song Club Columbia and leader C.E. Holt early1900s
Combined Chorus in Portland today
Mens Chorus in Portland today
Mens Chorus in Portland in early 1900s
Photo: Craig Peterson


text:
All of our teachers are passionate about music and the development of children. Our instructors are Registered Music Together®® teachers, having completed a 3 1/2-day Teacher Training given by the Center for Music and Young Children (CMYC), Princeton, NJ. We are committed to excellence, regularly attend additional trainings offered in our area and in Princeton, and work closely together to benefit from each other's expertise. They create a fun, informal, social setting that spurs engagement and supports each child's musical development.
Click here to see some fun pictures of our teachers, then and now. Each of our teachers grew up with a love of music.
Linda Criscitello
Linda Criscitello (Center Director) earned a bachelor's degree in Theatre from the University of California at Irvine and a master's degree in Deaf Education from Gallaudet University in Washington, DC. She has tap danced since the age of three and has kept on dancing to enjoy a musical theatre career touring in such shows as 42nd Street, West Side Story, A Chorus Line, and Singin' in the Rain. In 1996, Linda's first child was born and her husband's job moved them back to NYC for four years. She attended a Music Together class with her son and loved the program. She taught for two years there and and then opened her own center in Vienna, VA in January 2002. Music Together of Vienna (now Music Together Sing and Groove) began with 24 families and has now grown to serve over 200 families. Linda says, "Even more valuable, at times, than my theatre background, is the on-going training I receive as a mom of three". Linda also teaches tap at Vienna's Cuppett Performing Arts Center to kids 7-15 as well as to a lovely group of women called the Diamond Tappers (ages 85-88). She feels truly fortunate to spend time every week singing and dancing with people ages newborn - 88!
Gail Browne
Gail Browne earned a BA in Music Education from the University of the Pacific Conservatory of Music in Stockton, CA and an MA in Music Education, University of Washington, Seattle, WA. A credentialed K-12 Music Specialist, she has taught music for several years in public schools in addition to private instruction and Music Together classes. Gail is the mother of three boys and is an ACE certified group fitness instructor. She is thrilled to facilitate people enriching their lives through music-making and fitness classes.
Jennifer Nickl
Jennifer Nickl holds a B.F.A. in Acting from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. As a child, she sang and danced around the living room while her father played guitar. Since then, she has worked as a performer, stage manager, theatre director, and has even worked on Broadway as the Production Assistant ofThe Secret Garden. After becoming a mother of two, Jennifer was excited to find the Music Together program. Upon realizing that much of her time was still spent singing and dancing around the living room, she gladly embraced the idea of becoming a Music Together teacher. Jennifer loves sharing her musical skills and dramatic experience with families and making Music Together!
Anne Whitten
Music has always been central in Anne's life. She began piano lessons at 7, and bassoon lessons at age 12. She performed in piano recitals, church choir, school band, county orchestras, and church musicals. Anne received a BS in Computer Science with a minor in math. She worked in the business world for over 20 years, all the while continuing to play the bassoon and singing in the church choir. After her children were born, she began leading the children's music program and the Vacation Bible School music program at her church, then transitioned to teaching preschool music and movement classes. Anne taught preschool music for five years and during this time completed the Music Together teacher training, incorporating the training into her preschool music classroom. Anne enjoys teaching music with Music Together Sing and Groove!
Ramon Bonzon
Ramon Bonzon grew up playing in his church worship band and leading children's music. As a singer songwriter, he was in a professional rock band in Chicago for over 15 years. After participating in Music Together with his family for several semesters, he felt drawn to share his music skills with other families. Ramon and his family reside in Reston. Music Together has been key in bridging his love for music and developing community with his own children and other families. He understands that introducing music to children at an early age is key to their development and leads to a lifetime of music appreciation. Ramon holds a Master's in Public Health and works to improve the health of adolescents and young adults. He is excited to make music with our Music Together Sing and Groove families!
Romi Ratti
Romi has always delighted in singing, dancing and moving—really in the complete joy that music brings! She plays the guitar and has taken part in vocal groups and choirs. She also enjoys ballet and jazz dancing and writes songs, rhymes and stories for children. Romi is a certified PE teacher from the ISEF R. Brest, Argentina, a certified teacher of English from St Trinneans University College, Argentina and has a Licentiate in English Language from Universidad del Salvador, Argentina. She loves working with children and has 12 years of teaching experience in both pre-school and elementary school. As a mother of two boys, she discovered the wonderful Music Together program and she is so excited and eager to share her love for children, music and movement in her Music Together Sing and Groove classes.
Janelle Abel
Janelle is excited to join the Music Together Sing and Groove "family". She obtained a liberal arts degree from the College of Charleston with a concentration in Theatre and Music Theory. She has been singing and acting since the age of three and has performed a variety of roles on the repertory stage, in regional theatres, and on television. One of her greatest pleasures, however, has been sharing her passion for movement, make-believe and music with her young daughters and the children within their playgroup and preschool cooperatives. After discovering the Music Together curriculum for her own family, Janelle feels compelled to share the joy it offers with other children and their grown-ups.


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To many fans he is the mysterious romantic in the phenomenon that is Fifty Shades of Grey and to critics he is the sado-masochist with a troubled past. To us he was the gorgeous Jamie Dornan (queue entire office swoon).
However the true nature of Christian Grey (and all of his S&M) thoughts will be unveiled for all, as E.L James has announced she is publishing a new book…from Christian Grey's perspective. The 4th book in the franchise will simply be called 'Grey', and has come about due to popular demand from fans wanting to know more about their favourite billionaire.
E.L James explains: "Christian is a complex character, and readers have always been fascinated by his desires and motivations, and his troubled past. Also, as anyone who has ever been in a relationship knows, there are two sides to every story. It's been a great pleasure to return to my happy place – writing, being with Christian and Ana in their universe, and working with the fantastic publishing teams in the US and the UK."
Grey is due to be released on 18th June – be prepared for Kindles galore on the tube.


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Manager to Designer: Transitions
Today is officially my last day as Manager of Learning Support Services (LSS) on West Campus at Valencia Community College. I will be starting my new journey as an Instructional Designer (ID) with the Learning Technology Alternative Delivery (LTAD) team at Valencia. Oh course I'm not free and clear of all my manager duties, since I am over the renovation project of the Math/Tutoring Center, which will reopen for Fall 2010,


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Not another tent review, sigh. In the end aren't they all the same? Some are heavier, some are lighter, some are yellow and some are blue. Some are bigger and some are smaller. I'll pitch it, I'll sit in it and be happy that my non-permanent home is indeed waterproof.
|Our review of this product
|8.9 / 10
The pros are:
Huge view
Loads of space
Easy pitch
The cons are:
Pack size is big
Then I got to fool around with the Mountain Hardwear Optic 2.5 tent. It is like other tents but different. Different in that it offers up some serious ocular pleasure.
But let's look at the technical stuff first, shall we?
Setting up this tent is like stealing candy from a baby: easy. Out of the bag it took me 2 minutes to pitch this tent. The 2 X pole configuration (the .5 being the tiny pole across the roof) is simple and easy to do every time. Maybe I'm biased but I do love the clip system as it takes a split second to have your tent up even in the dark.
Or maybe this tent was easy to set up because it came with instructions with pictures and a link to a video. Almost no one does this, but I think more should start (or maybe I'm the only one who has scratched their head putting up complicated tents before?).
Compromise plays a big role in camping equipment, and this is made evident by the Optic. If 'ultralight' is your favourite buzzword (and your tooth brush doubles as a tent peg), then maybe forgo this tent. It is slightly bigger than other 2 person tents on the market, weighing in at 6 lb. 3 oz. but…
The room, sweet Jesus, the room. The high ceiling on the Optic makes it perfect for getting changed, without being a yogi. Combine that with numerous stow pockets in the walls, and you have an extremely practical tent for getting stuck in the pouring rain for days on ends.
And then there is the view.
The two doors are not on opposing sides of the tent, but connecting. Open up both doors and you can give yourself the view of a lifetime (*ahem* depending on where you pitch your tent). If you are lucky and can head to Zion National Park in Utah, then you may be rewarded.
The Optic 2.5 tent from Mountain Hardwear, which also comes in a 3 person version, is a room AND a view. If you like hiding from the bugs and sipping wine from your tent while watching a calm lake, a desert gorge or your family play in a field, the Optic 2.5 may be at the head of your list.


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Posting a few photos of longtime Yankees catcher Jorge Posada following news that the 40-year-old is close to announcing his retirement. As a Yankees fan, I of course grew up watching Posada mature into one of the best offensive catchers in baseball during the Yankees' run of four World Series in the late 90s. Posada will go down as one of the best Yankees of all time, and he sort of did that quietly in a time of bloated power numbers and flashy names.
A switch-hitter with power, Posada was a five-time AL All-Star, hit 275 home runs and played in 1,829 games. Only Yogi Berra and Bill Dickey (both have their numbers retired) caught more games than Posada.
I caught Posada during a summer game last season when he saw some time at first and, in the image above, chatted with his replacement, Russell Martin.
I felt bad for Jorge a little bit this last season as he clearly wanted to contribute and wasn't always given opportunities. He was clearly in decline, beyond his baserunning, but I'm glad he will go out a Yankee rather than tacking on a meaningless season as a DH in Tampa or whatever.


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On Thursday, October 14, Mothers on the Move hosted a Town Hall Meeting to learn more about NYCHA's Green Agenda for public housing. 55 people attended, with a good mix of local public housing residents, service providers and allies from the Bronx Green Jobs Roundtable in attendence.
NYCHA Green Commissioner Margarita Lopez gave an in-depth report on the challenges and long-term benefits associated with moving NYCHA toward more energy-efficient, sustainable housing solutions for working class and low-income New Yorkers.
Some details of Ms. Lopez' presentation:
- Systematically change every lightbulb and fixtures, thus creating jobs
- The example of Castle Hill Houses in the Bronx, where average pay was $43.00/hour for 'greening' measures-changes they made - these have included installing instanteous water heaters, adding new boilers (old ones were only 55% efficient, new are 90% efficient), planting trees and installing apartment temperature sensors
- All this creates jobs- field coordinators, steam fitters, painters, laborers, electricians
- Creation of a "green committee' at each development to help implement green initiatives, educate neighbors and serve as a resource
- Long term goals include: geothermal buildings, solar panels (feasibility study with CUNY) and making money from recycling programs
Michelle Pinnock, NYCHA's Senior Advisor for Resident Economic Empowerment & Sustainability, gave a brief outline of NYCHA's Section 3/Resident Employment Program (REP). Section 3 is existing Federal HUD regulation requiring Public Housing Authorities to put roughly 30% of HUD funds toward job development opportunities. Ms. Pinnock's presentation
- Section 3 is an unfunded mandate - a funding stream is needed to provide sufficient training to residents. In addition, the "greatest extent feasable" language allows a lot of leeway for Housing Authorities to treat Section 3 as optional and not to comply.
- Privately funded office through the Robin Hood Foundation (her office prepares people for future positions, refers people to GED programs, they also have hotline)
- NYCHA created the Resident Employment Program (REP) to "give teeth to Section 3"
- REP large contracts (over $500,000) stipulate that 15% of labor costs have to go to NYCHA residents. The current focus has been on construction projects, but the goal is to shift that to make REP a requirement on all or most projects
Goal - 150 participants this first year (with 75 placed in jobs)- 1,000 total for 500 jobs (perhaps over the next several years??)
- Unpaid, but provide metrocard and lunch
- Requirements for participation: Must be a resident on lease, have no criminal history to be hired by NYCHA (not to just participate in program0. Education requirements (they only refer people to places to get GED help)
- Track 1- basic construction, 8-week training, job placement assistance, 1st class entering third week, 2nd class for women-working with NEW
- Track 2- janitorial track, 1st cohort beginning of November
Overall the plan seems to be coming from the right place, with good intentions and an understanding that the crisis in housing, unemployment and the environment are deeply connected and have intersecting solutions.
MOM looks forward to working with NYCHA to developing resident-led solutions, and to ensuring implementation and accountability so that increasing numbers of local residents benefit from job training and placement dollars available to NYCHA and other agencies.
Big shouts to MOM leaders Luisa Escalera and Matthew Welch for providing excellent facilitation of the meeting and laying out MOM's preliminary recommendations for a NYCHA Green Jobs Pilot Program. MOM Luisa and Mathew are part of the MOM Green Jobs leadership committee that conducted a survey this year on resident perspectives on NYCHA employment programs and green job opportunties. MOM will be releasing a report on these findings in the coming months - stay tuned!
More photos from the meeting - HERE


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i'm not sure you guys(moderators, and so on) are reading this thread correctly, people which suggested things that could improve the forum basically painted it out for you, and i'm pretty sure that they know what administrator is talking about. But this isn't about what are forum possibilities right now, but what could be in the future. We need you guys to atleast try to understand what was suggested by users and then try to implement it to help us, the users to have better and more pleasent experience on forum.
Strive for the better, don't let forum stagnate...
Server section display size
The problem is that there are domains where there are 3 servers and domain where there are 20 active servers.
This means that the domain with 3 server si forced to see also 17 subsection that they do not need.
Beside that every subsection which is added to the forum add workload to it, which can cause lag and issues.
The labels are there for a reason, as well as the watching functionality.
A domain with twenty active servers? That sounds awesome! Which one is it, I'd like to have a look at playing such an active domain.
Just out of curiosity, who decided on the new layout for this forum and was any customer feedback or input taken?
Just out of curiosity, who decided on the new layout for this forum and was any customer feedback or input taken?
The layout was decided by the art team to fit with the new start page.
Thanks for answering the second question. Please can you answer the first?
Had a quick look, most I found was 11 - actually the international, .com domain. This of course includes the PTR server, the F&S beta server and tournament finals. Most I found other than that was 9. I checked the Arabic domains as well as Turkey, Iran and Russia because they seem to be a large part of the overall playerbase, always bringing a ton of players where they go. I checked .de because the game is German and started on .de originally.. I checked China because well.. It's a China so the potential playerbase is massive.. And I checked Portuguese and Spanish speaking ones, because while there are regional servers for Europe and South America, maybe there would be players from either continent playing on the other domain...
But I probably missed something super obvious to check
Not sure if this contains the most recent figures, but will hopefully give an idea of the most active domains.
You probably misunderstood how it works.
Every section of the forum is visible in every domain with it's translated version, this is called multilingualism function.
Every section we add tot he forum will be visible for every domain, because the forum is one, just translated in multiple languages.
So you will see all the section, doesn't matter which language you have activated.
By the way: This problem can be easily avoided by people hiding subsections.
So what if there are 20 different servers in total?
If I'm only on the NL domain with my player account, I can hide all servers besides the ones that are played on the NL domain.
This is just a one time setting.
Press the eye icon in the main view, and de-select which (sub)section you don't want to see.


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The beginning : 1986 – A year of glory for the Directors of this company because it was the year in which they were united and ventured in to Courier Business.
The Professional Couriers (TPC) was incorporated on 1st November 1987. The founders were young, qualified and could have sought employment anywhere. But they were made of different stuff. They decided that they should build their own fortunes with their own hand and had visions of creating an organization, which could provide employment to thousands of youngsters, like them but perhaps with lesser chances of being winners in the rat race. This is a daring venture indeed, but they jumped headlong into it. Thus was born TPC with a purpose.
The Octo Professionals : The eight Directors of this company had a high ideology of excellence in service and employment creation for the young and ambitious, thus a company was born with an ideology of Rural Employment & Rural Empowerment. In its infant stages TPC was nurtured with tender care by them. This involved a great sacrifice choosing a road full of obstacles while one with clear passage, routine though was gaping at them, tempting them to take. Those were also the days when the concept of courier was pretty vague. Therefore they had to pioneer a path for their organization – TPC and impart to it a culture of its own with an accent on ethics and excellence.
TPC gives employment to thousands of people. It has turned hundreds of ambitious aspiring youngsters to be the proud Managers of an elite company. Much more, it is today a Courier organization which is being looked upon by the others as a role model of what a courier should be.
Today TPC in India has 20 Regional Offices, over 2485 Offices, over 5000 Collection Centers and easily well over 25,000 destinations, where delivery is possible, by far, the biggest Courier Network in India. Its organization paved the way for a reliable and an economically affordable express courier service which was considered a luxury in India prior to it's incorporation.
In its ambition to grow from strength to strength, it has launched in 1999, it's International Subsidiary Company M/s The Professional International Couriers Pvt.Ltd. and had opened its International Hub Operations at Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata & Mumbai. Its Business Associates in Dubai & Singapore catered to its services in 230 Countries.
2007, the Group had formed a company M/s.The Professional Couriers Network Ltd. (PCNL) to consolidate its Operations base in entire North/West/East and Central India and the same had focused on strengthening its Network of Franchisees and its own offices, with its Corporate Office at New Delhi, India.
2009 was a daring year for the Group in forming separate Companies namely, M/s The Professional Couriers USA Inc., Newyork/USA, Professional Couriers LLC., Dubai/UAE, Professional Couriers Pte Ltd., Singapore and established there its own Offices and Operations.
As part of the company's Corporate Social Responsibilities, it has found a Charitable Trust in the year 2009 M/s.The Professional Couriers Charitable Trust (Regd) with its Head Office at Mumbai, India


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Office transformation AKA THE OFFICE MIRACLE
Barbara led a productive environment party day at my work and it was great. My staff loved it and I personally feel freer and more satisfied with my work environment.
What was your life like before the "Office Miracle?"
Total chaos, my desk didn't have room for my keyboard. It took me hours if calculated per day to find a single paper that I just put up there 2 days ago. I had to constantly see the same paper every day.
What circumstances made you decide to invest your resources with PEI?
Needed to get organized and be the example of a great leader. How can you ask your staff to keep their area straight if you can't do it yourself. Practice what you preach is what my dad and mom taught me. First time I have ever spent money like that, but it has been worth it.
What results did you get?
Saving hours (literally) per day. Peace of mind. Stress from that alone was bad, now that has been removed. Now I can find any paper document in my office within 10 seconds. For me, that is a major accomplishment. It is a valuable 8 hours to invest in Barbara and her team. It was a very emotional day, so just be prepared. I never thought that would be something so emotional. Throwing away papers 10 years ago that is on your current desk was crazy. It was a miracle!
How is your life different now?
Organized! I'm exercising 3 days/wk, having lunch with my wife every day and not working on Saturdays!
How will the experience contribute to the success of Christian Computers?
Time savings to do other more productive tasks — e.g., having "staff huddles" with my team every morning, looking at key performance indicators, spending time with existing clients identifying other services we can provide, and meeting with prospective clients. The bottom line results are outstanding.
Although my office was clean, my files were a disaster! My file drawers held folders from 4 years ago from my old company. I couldn't find the time to cull through them and create room for my new company's files. So everything was just stacking up and it felt very overwhelming. I couldn't find anything I needed and nothing was organized.
After learning about the process Barbara uses, and being convinced that it would be freeing to make my office space organized and productive, I agreed to let Barbara work her magic on me. I admit I was a little worried that it would be taxing to make the decisions you have to make when organizing spaces – what would I keep, what would I give to someone who might need it more than me, and what would I throw away, and I wasn't wrong about that. You see we were going through a lot of my son's toys, games and school work that had been in the playroom for years – so nostalgia was a big part of the process, but Barbara kept me on task while allowing a bit of time for a few memories, and in 4 hours we were finished clearing out the old playroom and organizing my new office. I really did feel light as a feather.
A valuable service for anyone who works in an office, whether a corner suite or a corner of the kitchen. Clear, practical and in touch with today's work environment.
Barbara Hemphill has been a great friend to Special Olympics North Carolina. She was generous enough to do a seminar for our full staff on Taming the Paper Tiger. Following her advice, we eliminated enough paper to fill an entire office in our building. We have improved our efficiency with Barbara's help, which allows us to be more productive in carrying out our mission of providing sports training and competition for people with mental retardation.
I simply couldn't go on as I had been. I knew that if I was hit by a bus one day, my employees would never be able to sort everything out. I felt like a bad business owner because I didn't have a handle on things.
I met Barbara Hemphill and Andrea Anderson of Productive Environment at an entrepreneur's mastermind meeting in January. I wasn't expecting to hire someone to help organize my office, however I had recently moved my home office from a little alcove off of my bedroom to what used to be my son's playroom (he's now 14 and has taken over the 3rd floor as his new place to hang out with his buddies). It was a quick move of my 2 desks, my computer and printer, several files, tons of books and a few boxes of office supplies. I also had about ten boxes of "stuff" I brought home a year ago when I left the corporate world. Those boxes contained a lot of what used to be useful "stuff", but more so they contained a lot of emotional "stuff" that I wasn't ready to unearth over the past year.
Now, it takes me seconds, literally, to find anything. Using a simple web and mobile app, Barbara helped me put everything in order that I can find immediately with a simple search on my laptop or phone. I feel like I AM in control, not my files!
I feel better and more productive knowing that my work and life are organized. I told Barbara that I knew I couldn't create world peace if I didn't have inner peace. Well, Barbara helped me to reclaim my inner peace so I can move forward with confidence and ease as I go about my day. Thanks, Barbara!
Not only was my new office space neat and orderly, the tools she set up (Swift File and Workflowy) to keep things organized were easy to put in place, and more importantly, are easy to continue using – and they are still keeping my office space organized and productive.
Barbara's easy-to-execute strategies and practical steps that you can literally put to work immediately brings quick and easy to understand organization to even the most chaotic of office environments.
Being "organized," especially when it came to the avalanche of paper that flows both in and out of my office, was always an area of mega stress. I needed a filing system for all of my messages, but also for the scattered pieces of paper containing spiritual insights that haven't been fully developed into a completed message. Those are just two of a long list of solutions this system brought to me.
Our organization has grown by 400% in the past year. Since paperwork is one of my greatest challenges, Barbara's system manages the mounds of paper that have tied me down so I am free to run my business more efficiently and effectively.. I am grateful for this time-saving program and cannot even imagine how I functioned without it. It's as though I hired another person to work in my office.
The experience of working with Barbara was easy and, I couldn't believe it, so much fun! The first thing we did was clean off the top of my desk, which, while clean, was very cluttered with knick-knacks. Barbara asked me for each whether it made me more productive or gave me joy, and if it didn't do one of those things, we repurposed or moved it. We flew through the process of sorting through what I had in my file cabinets—either keeping, giving away or throwing out what wasn't needed. We filled several large trash bags in the process.
Barbara returned the next day to begin working on the boxes from my corporate life, and although there were a few things that brought back old memories (of a 20 + year career), I came out on the other side of it unscathed. Barbara's process of only keeping things that are useful, or that you love helps to remove much of the indecisiveness that typically comes with this type of organizing, and it allowed me to finally be done with those old corporate anvils.
Last week I needed to find my car and home insurance details, and after a quick and easy search in Workflowy, there they were, in File #22. I'm not sure I would ever have found them in time to meet with my insurance agent before working with Barbara.
It is indeed well worth 8 hours of your time to have Barbara perform her magic on you too!