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Mar 01
Commodification of the Commons Extinction Economics financialization of nature IISD SDG Knowledge Hub International Institute for Sustainable Development Natural Capital Natural Capital Forum Neliberalism Sustainable Development Goals World Conservation Congress
Nature is Priceless, Which is Why Turning it into 'Natural Capital' is Wrong
September 21 2016
by Bram
But this strategy is not just self-defeating. It is a dangerous illusion that masks the way capitalist growth undermines conservation itself.
The concept of natural capital is hot. Over the past decade a growing network of actors and organisations has banded around promotion of this concept as the key to the future of sustainable development. At the recent World Conservation Congress, natural capital was front and centre, with a launch celebration of the Natural Capital Protocol and announcement of yet another new coalition to develop private finance for conservation.
These, and many other initiatives, describe natural capital in simple terms as the nature, water, or the air that we live with on a daily basis. The Natural Capital Forum, for example, says the concept refers to
the food we eat, the water we drink and the plant materials we use for fuel, building materials and medicines.
This example – and indeed most others are premised on the fundamental assumption that "natural capital" can become the basis for a sustainable economy.
Clearly, things are not this simple, as even many proponents of these initiatives acknowledge. What's worse is that the two main assumptions in this agenda (nature can become capital and provide services, and this could be the basis for a sustainable economy) are based on fundamental fallacies. They will not reverse the negative effects of our global growth-economy. They will in fact make them worse.
What "capital" really means
The fact that the food we eat and the water we drink apparently need to be labeled "natural capital" only becomes meaningful in the context of capitalist growth. In this context everything should, in principle, become "capital".
It is therefore vital to be clear on what "capital" really means. In daily conversations and some economic theory, the term is frequently defined as a "stock" or as "assets". More accurate, however, is to see capital as a process, a dynamic. It is about investing money (or value) in order to make more money (or value). In short, capital is "value in motion".
Capital in a capitalist economy is therefore never invested for the sake of it. The aim is to extract more money or value than had been invested. Otherwise it would not be capital.
It follows that the move from "nature" to "natural capital" is not an innocent change in terminology, another word for the same thing. Rather, it constitutes a fundamental reconceptualisation and revaluation of nature. Natural capital is about putting nature to work for capitalist growth – euphemistically referred to as green growth.
The move from nature to natural capital is problematic because it assumes that different forms of capital – human, financial, natural – can be made equivalent and exchanged. In practice – and despite proponents's insistence to the contrary – this means that everything must potentially be expressed through a common, quantitative unit: money. But complex, qualitative, heterogeneous natures, as these same proponents acknowledge, can never adequately be represented in quantitative, homogenous money-units.
And even if we try, there is an untenable tension between the limitlessness of money (we can always generate more money) and the limits of natural capital (we cannot exchange evermore money-capital into natural capital, for all eternity).
Natural capital is therefore inherently anti-ecological and has little to do with giving value to nature, or rendering this value visible. It is the exploitation of nature to inject more value, and seeming legitimacy, into a faltering capitalist growth economy.
Failing capital markets
Another assumption is that natural capital can form the basis for a sustainable society. In practice, however, it has become clear that investing in natural capital is not all that attractive for most companies, investment firms or even governments. So, even if a price tag has been put on nature – which can never adequately capture its total value – recent research shows that markets for natural capital and ecosystem services are mostly failing. In practice they are usually not even markets at all. Rather, they are subsidies in disguise.
Further, actual private investments in natural capital are negligible compared to investments in unsustainable economic activities. This is because these are much more profitable, and hence a much better form of capital or "value in motion".
When Ecuador, for example, asked government and private actors to invest in conservation of the Yasuni protected area, the promised investments stayed far below what was hoped for. Actual donations were much lower still. As a result, the country is now allowing companies to drill for oil in the park.
The common argument made by proponents of natural capital, namely that it helps to make the value of nature visible, is therefore deeply flawed. The value of nature is perfectly visible to investors. They know that destroying it is far more profitable than saving it.
Destruction for protection?
An even more fundamental point is that destruction of nature is increasingly becoming the basis for the conservation of nature. Programmes built on natural capital are usually geared towards offsetting the destruction of nature, which becomes the main source of the money needed for investing in conservation. In the logic of natural capital, investments in unsustainable economic activities are therefore "compensated" by equal investments in sustainable activities.
This practice, which in theory should lead to no net loss of – or better yet, net positive impact on – nature and biodiversity, leads to an untenable contradiction. It means that nature can only be conserved if it is first destroyed.
But as indicated above, this is still mostly a virtual problem since actual investments in conserving natural capital have remained insignificant. Even worse, companies generally invest much more in strong lobbies to keep environmental regulation to an absolute minimum. If they really believed that conservation would be profitable, there would be little incentive to pursue this lobbying any more.
From quantity of growth to quality of life
The conclusion is clear: natural capital is no practical or realistic solution to integrate nature into the economy or make its values visible. It is a dangerous illusion that will not only worsen but also legitimate the environmental crisis. And while some probably really believe in its potential, most of those at the helm of the current economic system must see on a daily basis that natural capital is illusory.
But by participating in it, they also know that more fundamental questions about the logic of our economy and who benefits from it are not asked. And hence they do not have to provide any answers.
But we do have to ask these questions: should we not start weaning ourselves off an economy predicated on an unsustainable quantitative growth-fetish? Should we not build an economy focused on people, nature and equality rather than one based on putting forth money only to ultimately make more money? Most especially, should we not build an economy focused on quality of life rather than quantity of growth?
With some imagination, the answers are not only straightforward but also practical, logical and truly sustainable.
Professor of Geography, Environmental Management and Energy Studies, University of Johannesburg; Research Associate, Stellenbosch University; Professor of Sociology of Development and Change, Wageningen University]
Associate Professor, Sociology of Development and Change, Wageningen University]


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At the press conference following the Federal Communication Commission (FCC)�March 31 Open Meeting, Chairman Tom Wheeler made the following observation:
"Interconnection is part of the Network Compact." Peering "is just a $3.50 word for interconnection."
Wheeler followed up this statement by explaining that there was a difference between "network neutrality" and the "open internet" on one hand and "interconnection" as the 'path to the Internet' on the other hand.�While government has a critical role in monitoring peering/interconnection to protect the�values of the Network Compact, it isn't a network neutrality issue. You can see Wheeler's�full statement here�(Start at 144:45 – 147:23 has unrelated stuff in middle) (transcript here).
After the meeting, the FCC released a separate statement that they really mean it when they say that they aren't going to do peering as part of the Net Neutrality rules. While Brendan Sasso at National Journal gets points�for noticing that�"the FCC could decide to enact separate regulations on the issue or force Comcast to accept new rules in order to receive permission to buy Time Warner Cable," most folks I've read in the press have broadly interpreted this as indicating the FCC�will not look into the Comcast/Netflix�dispute or�complaints by Cogent and Level 3�about large edge-providers squeezing them for higher interconnection fees.
Personally, I think most people are totally misreading this. Wheeler's statements make it look more likely to me that the FCC will start looking closely at the Internet peering market, not less likely, especially as part of the Comcast/TWC deal. Indeed, Comcast's Chief Lobbyist David Cohen, who ranks in my book as one of the absolutely smartest and most effective telecom lobbyists ever, has already started backing away from earlier statements that regulators would ignore peering issues and that�he expects them to look at the Comcast/Netflix deal. (Unsurprisingly, Cohen also said he expects regulators to find no problems with the deal and called Netflix CEO�Reed Hasting's arguments�that this eviscerated net neutrality "hogwash.")
Below, I will rant at considerable length that (a) Wheeler is right, this is not a "network neutrality" issue, but the same goddam interconnection issue that we have struggled with for more than a hundred years in every networked industry from railroads to electricity to broadband; (b) The FCC needs to actually look at this and study it and understand how the market works before it makes any decisions on what to do; and, (c) While Wheeler is not saying in any way, shape or form he actually plans to�do�anything before he has real information on which to base a decision, he is signaling — for anyone actually paying attention — that he is, in fact, going to actually look at this as part of his overall transition of the agency around his "Fourth Network Revolution" and "Network Compact" ideas.
While this last would seem pretty basic and obvious, it represents a significant change in policy from the previous insistence that IP magic pixie dust obscures all things Internet and makes them invisible to the FCC. Whether I agree with what Wheeler ultimately does or not — and I have no idea what he might ultimately do here, he could decide the market is competitive and working just fine — I don't believe Wheeler is going to go around with his eyes and ears covered blathering about the magic nature of the Internet. I think Wheeler is actually going to check under the hood and see what actually makes the damn thing tick — and Comcast is just the company to help him do it.
Much ranting below . . .

subset: commoncrawl


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October 3, 2009
Better Google Support
Now you don't have to visit Gmail's forum to post a question about Gmail. Just go to this page, type your question and choose the appropriate Google product from the drop-down. Google even lists similar questions and their answers when you type your question, which is great because many people forget to search before posting. By default, you'll receive an email notification when someone answers your question.
9 comments:
"Google even lists similar questions and their answers when you type your question, which is great because many people forget to search before posting."
Unfortunately this feature does not search the existing Google help topics on the same keywords, this makes it much harder to find answers that are hidden in the official help. Also selecting a category does not restrict the answers to those of the category making this feature confusing instead of helping.
Displaying answered posts only also does not always help, e.g. when someone experiences an issue that affects many users but for which there is no solution yet. Instead of hooking on to an existing thread this makes users post the same issue over and over again; this in turn makes the forums harder and harder to use.
Apparently Google is moving to using Help forums that are unmanned, leaving answering to users as a kind of self-help. That would be OK if the official help for product was comprehensive - which it is not, and if the few Top Contributors would be able to have a direct dialog with the Google Guides on issues that need official intervention - this also is absent.
All in all this means that the service on Google products is getting worse and worse. In essence user are presented with a 'free' product but have to puzzle out themselves how to use it. And even that would be largely acceptable if Google products would not change over night without due warning an without any explanation.1. Google should discourage users from asking the same questions over and over again. Many people forget that the search box is useful and they ask old questions.
2. Google should discourage users from asking vague questions, so it would be useful to provide some templates, especially for troubleshooting.
3. Power users should be encouraged to contribute with helpful answers. The current reputation system is a step in the right direction, but top contributors should get more rewards.
4. Each service should include an interactive help system that explains the most important features. Many people don't understand features like "archiving" or "labels" and the UI should do a better job at explaining them.@Alex
@1 Google scatters its information too much about. E.g. for Google Docs there is the official help, the current forum, the old forum, the official blog, Knol articles, the New features page and some announcement blogs they seem to have abandoned again. Users can't get to information when it's scattered about like that.
@2 Again for Google Docs they started 'Google Docs comprehensive troubleshooter' which is a good initiative, but they also allow comments on the trouble shooter as another dissociated thread (which is another place people think they can post their questions).
@3 There is only so much incentive a power user needs, (s)he also needs access to information (e.g. a bug tracker, or a listing of all known issues) to be able to help. A real dialog with the Guides - not a post in a private forum and a fraction of a chance someone reacts - would also help a lot. As it is now power users are expected to help, do triage, escalate issues and act as unpaid guides, without getting anything in return that makes such work easier or more efficient to do. (E.g. when trying to help someone in the GDocs forum, and attempting to find a reference to an official help topic the 'Add references:' option does not allow searching the official help. A power user is forced to open up the help a search for the subject to reference and has to copy and URL and description of the help topic instead of having a one click Add option).
@4 I totally agree with that. There should be a mock interface which not only shows how Google names all the buttons, links that are menus, menus that are links, etc. but also a glossary (like already in use for some Google product) that teaches the user that e.g. a document can be either a text document, a spreadsheet, a presentation or a PDF file, but also that a workbook sometimes is called a spreadsheet and a spreadsheet a sheet, just to name a few.
And explanation of the idea behind the interface is absolutely required, even though the Google developers think everything they create is intuitive, it absolutely is not.
And Google should should add a mission statement for each of its applications, if only to tell the user what are Google's ideas behind it and how and why it want people to make use of it.- AnonymousOctober 4, 2009 at 12:57 PM
I have a Google Website at http://sites.google.com/site/noahite/home but Google will not find it. I have tried searching for the reason and looking in the help forums as well as looking for blogs. Can anyone send me help in this regard? My website has my email address.
ReplyDelete - AnonymousOctober 6, 2009 at 11:29 AM
I think that Google needs to support its custmers.
I sent this to Google a few days ago:
"I have getting this error for over 10 days and have suffered a number of significant personal problems as a result.
I have been using Gmail for over 4 years now with Outlook under SMTP but recently changed to IMAP to help clean up the very large number of old emails. I was able to delete a very large number of them, but decided to move back to SMTP because of the lack of speed using IMAP. When I switched I made everything as unread and moved it into the inbox. I was able to capture all of my old mail - from 2005 to December 2008 when I began to get this error and was precluded from doing anything. Every once in a while (no more than one time a day), I get connected for a little while and am able to download about 315 emails and then I am shut off again.
I have tried to use using your "Help Forum".
Even if you are unable to help –PLEASE TELL ME! I need to make arrangements."
I received an auto rely telling me to use the "Help Forum".
I feel that I am just ignored on that forum - maybe because the Top Contributors don't have anything to say.
Bottom line for me is - No Mail for 13 Days. - AnonymousOctober 23, 2009 at 4:03 PM
Tomorrow will be a month without my Gmail account working - bad things have happened to me as a direct result and they do not seem to even care. I can't think of any reason to think they even have support - let alone that it is somehow better.


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Pledge to Stand with Voters: A New FairVote Initiative
The 2012 elections underscored the stark partisanship that governs U.S. politics and divides Americans. Two-thirds of our states now have what we call "monopoly politics" : one party holds a majority of the state legislature, holds the governor's seat and won the state's presidential vote. At the same time, the national vote is very closely divided, fostering extreme competition. In such a competitive environment, politicians jockey for every advantage they can get.
Partisan pundits and politicians blame redistricting, the media, campaign spending and one another for political polarization and gridlock. They are quick to point fingers and shout foul at every turn, claiming the other side for manipulating the system to win races unfairly. But they too easily overlook their own roles in prioritizing partisan outcomes over democratic principles.
It's time to focus on those who are hurt most by partisan bickering and static politics -- the voters and the many Americans who have turned away from politics in disgust. This year alone, two in five eligible voters did not vote, many citing their frustration.
With our "Pledge to Stand with Voters', FairVote asserts that it's time to fight for democratic principle over partisan politicking. Promoting and protecting our representative democracy is far more important than seeking short-term advantage in electoral rules.
Here's our pledge. We ask that you read it, sign it and share it with your friends. Thank you!
Pledge to Stand with Voters
Voters come first. Not politicians, not pundits, not PACs. Voters.
Democracy means a level playing field. We are tired of our leaders weighing election laws and reforms by what the advantages or disadvantages they offer a specific party or incumbent. When it comes to democracy, America is better than that.
Reforming democracy is what Americans do. Our founders left us with a republican framework which we have regularly reviewed and enhanced to strengthen democracy. Every generation has taken steps to improve elections and increase participation.
Now, it's our turn.
As an American who believes in truly representative democracy, I pledge to:
- Support actions to increase voter turnout and voter education
- Oppose tactics to game elections through manipulation of voting rights and election laws
- Evaluate reforms based on whether they promote a level playing field for all, not whether they hurt or help my party
- Support laws that allow for voter choice and oppose laws that suppress it
- Open my mind new ideas that might strengthen democracy


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This is a brief introduction to the philosophy behind the ICDNS Collaborative Environment. There is a continued need to refine neuropathological diagnostic criteria for diseases of the nervous system. The need to have standardised internationally agreed diagnostic criteria is being driven by the molecular revolution. Advancing molecular insights into disease means different groups all using the same neuropathological criteria. To date criteria have been developed by essentially closed groups of interested workers and this may have limited the speed of development and responsiveness of classification schemes. To make such criteria widely accepted many people now believe that there should be an opportunity for any interested worker to participate in their development. Such a democratic forum can now be realised using the internet and the web. We hope that any interested person will register with the forum [free, quick and easy] and then contribute to debate on diagnostic criteria. We will hold votes online to determine whether there is a consensus. Ownership of the classifications developed here will be by everyone. There is no intention to restrict usage or limit access. However the source of the classification should be acknowledged. We hope that this will be the start of a new scheme for democratic development of neuropathological diagnostic criteria. This is work in progress. We need to develop terms of reference and you should also contribute to this debate. We hope you approve of this development and will expres your opinion freely. Please read the overview of the ICDNS initiative published in PLoS MedicineHave a look at the ICDNS discussion group |
All comments to the webmaster.
The ICDNS website is presently being administered from Australia. |


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plot regions defined by inequalities
Calling Sequence
inequal(ineqs, xspec, yspec, options)
one inequality, a set or list of inequalities, a nested list or set of inequalities, or a boolean combination of inequalities
(optional) xvar = min_x..max_x
(optional) yvar = min_y..max_y
(optional) plot options, including optionsfeasible, optionsexcluded, optionsopen, optionsclosed, backwardcompatible, nolines, or additional plot options. See the Description for details.
The inequal function plots the regions defined by inequalities in two unknown variables. If a list or set of inequalities is given, the intersection of their feasible regions is plotted. If a list or set of lists or sets of inequalities is given, then the union of the intersections given by the inner lists or sets is plotted. For convenience, combinations of inequalities may instead be specified using boolean operators that are then converted into the list of lists format by conversion to disjunctive normal form.
If ranges for the two variables are given, these ranges determine the domain over which the inequalities are plotted. If they are omitted, Maple attempts to determine a suitable domain for the given set of inequalities. You can specify ranges for both variables, or for neither, but you cannot specify a range for only one of the two.
The plot consists of four elements:
feasible region: for the regions that satisfy all inequalities
excluded regions: for the regions that violate at least one inequality
open lines: representing the borders of a strict inequality
closed lines: representing the borders of an inequality that includes its edges, and also the equalities
The styles of each of these types of elements can be controlled independently. Each option is of the form optionname = [sequence of plot options]. The optionnames are optionsfeasible, optionsexcluded, optionsopen, and optionsclosed. Only options applicable to curves and polygons, which are used to represent these elements, are accepted. The option axeslabels, for example, cannot be used with one of the four option names listed above, but can be provided separately as an additional plotting option. For more information, see the plot/options help page.
Some equations may be included in the input ineqs, but they are plotted only as boundary curves, and extraneous curves where the equations are not satisfied may also be plotted (boundaries of regions where the equations might have changed signs but did not). In general, calling plots[implicitplot] will produce more accurate results.
If ineqs is a list of lists, then any of the options except optionsexcluded can be given as a list of lists of options to specify the style of each of the regions separately.
If a style is specified for optionsexcluded then a rectangle is drawn behind the feasible region. Note: To create plots that can be combined with plots[display], avoid using the optionsexcluded option.
Additional plotting options (those not passed in one of the four option lists) are applied to the feasible regions when applicable.
The algorithm used by inequal changed significantly in Maple 17. For applications that rely on the old behavior, you can use the backwardcompatible option to get the old algorithm from Maple 16 and earlier.
The nonlinear components of the inequalities are rendered by plots[implicitplot] using a heuristic to compromise between visual fidelity and computation speed. The option optionsimplicit can be used to explicitly pass a list of options to implicitplot to achieve faster performance or a smoother plot.
To create a plot displaying only the feasible region areas without borders, specify the option nolines.
inequal0<x+y,x−y≤1,x=−3..3,y=−3..3,color=Nautical 1
inequal0<x+y,x−y≤1,x=−3..3,y=−3..3,optionsexcluded=color=Niagara DarkOrchid
The nolines option can give a cleaner looking plot.
Specifying a nested set of sets is like combining multiple inequal plots using plots[display] except that optionsexcluded can be used.
inequalx<−2,y<−32,x<−2,32<y,y<32,−32<y,0≤x+y2,x=−3..3,y=−3..3,optionsexcluded=color=Niagara DarkOrchid
This is the command to create the plot from the Plotting Guide.
inequal0<x+y,x−y≤1,y=2,x=−3..3,y=−3..3,optionsfeasible=color=DarkGrey,optionsopen=color=Navy,thickness=2,optionsclosed=color=Niagara Green,thickness=3,optionsexcluded=color=WhiteSmoke
Using a list of lists input, different colors can be specified for the regions:
inequal3≤b,a<2b+8,2b−6<a,−53<b,b<3,a<2b+8,−b+3<a,a=−2..15,b=−4..11,optionsfeasible=color=Spring 1,color=Spring 2
Boolean operators can be used instead of the list of lists input; however, the order of regions may changed by in preprocessing so styles may have to be adjusted.
inequal3≤banda<2b+8and2b−6<aor−53<bandb<3anda<2b+8and−b+3<a,a=−2..15,b=−4..11,optionsfeasible=color=Spring 1,color=Spring 2
The backwardcompatible, optionsimplicit and nolines options were introduced in Maple 17.
For more information on Maple 17 changes, see Updates in Maple 17.
The plots[inequal] command was updated in Maple 2022.
See Also
Download Help Document


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Bibliogram is a website that takes data from Instagram's public profile views and puts it into a friendlier page that loads faster, gives downloadable images, eliminates ads, generates RSS feeds, and doesn't urge you to sign up. See an example.
Bibliogram does not allow you to anonymously post, like, comment, follow, or view private profiles. It does not preserve deleted posts.


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facebook page |
twitter page |
facebook page |
twitter page |
Sounds as if you are off to a full start to this new year!
LOVE your new buttons :)
I pulled my socks up and finally jumped into my pinterest page
I find it so lovely and better than blogging :)
I really like your style!!!
Gosh, you have been busy. Very glad you have got comfortable with the rebellion. No turning back now. Off to follow you on Twitter. c.x
Glad you're back Tif. I hope you fresh shiny new year is a good one. xxx
Great to hear your well Tiff:))))
A bit of space does wonders doesnt it?!?
Best wishes
Wishing you a fresh, shiny and happy new year from across the pond!
Hurray! You're posting again! I do hope some joy and cheer has returned to your shed, along with the peace and quiet. I'm off to like you on facebook, which is really a silly-sounding thing if you think too hard about it.
So glad you are back and feeling better,not left a note before, but love your blog.
Welcome back Tif!
I have added you to my facebook page. :)
V x
Hey Dottie Angel, good to see you again :) and see the revamp :) Also caught your post of 12th and am so sorry - I had the nearly unbearable loss of my darling man 7 months ago and this journey of grief is hard, hard, hard - to be 'without' him is a mighty adjustment. But look forward to cheerful ramblings from you to brighten my day ........:)
It's lovely to have you back Tif. The new look blog is super and the buttons are looking good. Liz xx
Sounds like you have been extra busy Tif! and I thought I was doing well with getting almost half of my workshop cleared so far this year! I too am looking fwd to a shiney new year and my aim is to gain easy access to my creative stash at all times and stay de cluttered if you have any tips Im all ears :)Yvonne
Oh Lordy Tif! I've only *just* started to want an iphone....
Now I'm gonna have to look into ipads too :o)
Lovely to have you back my dear..
Have a happy, happy week. xx
Good to see you back. I am looking forward to a wonderful new year with your lovely blog. x
lovely to have you back in blogland , and facebook and twitter and instagram ........., really enjoy your pictures and words . your new buttons are beautiful wish i had a Marjan .x
Dear Tif,
Thanks for posting the "spiffy clogs" tips. I have two pair of really darling clogs that I purchased over the years but they just seem to be so uncomfortable! I always wonder if folks really think they feel great and then assume it must be me that they don't suite. So this new year, I will try and break them in,with a little wear each day. Also, can you actually drive safely in them or do you slip them off?
( from rural northern California)
Love the spiffy new look of things, glad you are back from hiatus.
Its good to have you back Tiff!!!! I started my blog as a new years resolution, but I cannot do the picture thing yet lol!!!! But baby steps, baby steps!!!! I hope you are bearing up well!!! We are thinking of you in the UK!!!
Goodness, I love the new buttons and that you got an iPad and I "Liked" your Facebook page.. I was on a roll but for the Twitter thing.. I have a Twitter account but haven't gotten the hang of it much. I suppose maybe I could add you but since I never look at it it might not help. :-) I love your blog.. all that's missing is a link to my blog. :-D Hugs from snowy down-under.. in Portland. Teresa
Oh how very lovely to have you back in blog land. Happy New Year! Hx
i was a lucky lady and got an ipad for christmas, I use it so much more than I ever imagined I would, and the same is true for me, there is always music playing from it too! Your new buttons look lovely :)
Love your "blogbuttons" :)
Have a happy tuesday!
lovely to have you back so enjoy your ramblings and gorgeous pictures . the new buttons are fabulous .
just realised i have left 2 comments on the same post , let me reassure you i am neither mad or stalking you - just thought i had not pressed the right button to register the first comment and have just realised they need owner approval - what a moose !!!
oh hurrah hooray! how lovely it is to be back with you and your happy ways.
as for clogs, well i do drive in them if i have bare feet, i do not drive in them if i have woolly tights. unless the clogs i am wearing have straps on them, then i do. i have also been known to stand on stools and ladders with them which is foolhardy and not recommended :)
many thanks for the 'liking' of my twitterings and my facebook, nice to feel welcomed :)
dotty! thank you for making me smile this morning
and thank you for the kind words about our loss, it is always a comfort to know others care and understand :)
Hey Tif!
So nice to see you back here, your blog is looking pretty pretty!
Well done.
Hope you feel good and ready for a great crafty new year!!
How is Used Dog?
I don't know who/what is more clever. You or your clever little techy dog! Happy New Year. :)
wow! you're rambling all over the gaff! loving your instagram feed. x
I really love your design, and your blog is so inspiring. I am reading your
blog every day. My english is bad, so I hope you're understanding what I am writing...Have a nice day!
From Unn, Norway
Happy New year to you! I'm loving your new buttons and really admire your technological wizardry!
indeed, i do don't i fran!
used dog is feeling very spiffy these days, we are delighted by her high spirits and this alone gives us hope she will have many happy days left on this earth, thank you for asking :)
hello Unn, lovely and brilliant good of you to stop by every day!
welcome back, you've been missed ... :)
so glad to see you back, hope you had a refreshing break! so sorry though about the loss of your man's father.
love that you're on FB!! I have a special crafty list where I can see the posts from all my favorite crafty pages, to which you have now been added :)


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10 Country Bands Whose Lineups Look Very Different Now
Being on the road with the same people for hundreds of days each year is bound to cause tension. Bandmates have to make life-altering decisions as a collective, even though they might not always agree. Then there's the added stress of group members with families back home, whom they rarely get to see thanks to life on the road. Add in the normal wear and tear of creative differences and the possibility of simply growing apart, and it's no wonder that, from time to time, musicians have to bid farewell to their musical families and embark on separate paths.
Plenty of country music fans remember that Sugarland was originally a trio, with Kristen Hall exiting after only one single, and recall Heidi Newfield's very public departure from Trick Pony to pursue a solo career. However, even longtime fans may not be able to guess which Rock and Roll Hall of Famer was an original member of a certain legendary country group.
Scroll through the gallery below for a flashback to some of country music's biggest bands as they once were:
This story was originally written by Erin Duvall, and revised by Liv Stecker and Carena Liptak.


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Homecoming Radio is brought to you by Bill and Gloria Gaither and Spring House Productions, Inc. Bill and Gloria have filled stages all around the world with the "best of the best" Southern Gospel artists to entertain, encourage and bless their audiences. Now you can hear all that great music on your radio or computer. An hour long radio program filled with the antics of Bill Gaither, Kevin Williams, Tori Taff (the better half of Russ Taff) and Phil Brower, plus a group of regular guests including Buddy Green, Gordon Mote, Gerald Wolf, Jason Crabb, Russ Taff, Joe Bonsall, Larry Gatlin, and you never know who may wander into the studio to visit. You're friends at Homecoming Radio bring you soul touching music and heart changing lyrics, and sincerely pray that Homecoming Radio gives you what you are looking for. We appreciate each of our listeners. Pass the Good News along... tell your family and friends about us.
Air Times: Sundays at 8:00am


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Canadian home sales strengthen further in May
National home sales rose 3.1% from April to May. Actual (not seasonally adjusted) activity stood 2.7% above May 2014 levels. The number of newly listed homes was little changed from April to May. The Canadian housing market remains balanced overall. The MLS® Home Price Index (HPI) rose 5.17% year-over-year in May. The national average sale price rose 8.1% on a year-over-year basis in May; excluding Greater Vancouver and Greater Toronto, it increased by 2.4%.
The number of home sales processed through the MLS® Systems of Canadian real estate
Boards and Associations rose 3.1 per cent in May 2015 compared to April. This marks the fourth consecutive month-over-month increase and raises national activity to its highest level in more than five years. (Chart A)
May sales were up from the previous month in about 60 per cent of all local markets, led by increases in the Greater Toronto Area, Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa and Montreal.
"CMHC announced in April that effective June 1 it was hiking mortgage default insurance premiums for homebuyers with less than a 10% down payment, so some buyers may have jumped off the fence and purchased in May to beat the increase," said CREA President Pauline Aunger. "It's one of the factors that could have affected sales last month. That said, all real estate is local, with trends that reflect a combination of local and national factors. REALTORS® remain your best source for information about sales and listings where you live or might like to in the future."
"Sales in and around the Greater Toronto area played a starring role in the monthly increase in May sales," said Gregory Klump, CREA's Chief Economist. "At the same time, the rebound in sales over the past few months in Calgary and Edmonton suggests that heightened uncertainty among some home buyers in these housing markets may be easing."
Actual (not seasonally adjusted) activity in May 2015 stood 2.7 per cent above levels reported for the same month last year and 5.7 per cent above the 10 year average for the month.
Sales were up on a year-over-year basis in about half of all local markets, led by activity in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Greater Toronto and Montreal.
The number of newly listed homes was virtually unchanged (-0.2 per cent) in May compared to April. This reflects an even split between housing markets where new listings rose and where they fell, with little monthly change for new listings in most of Canada's largest and most active urban markets.
The national sales-to-new listings ratio was 57.6 per cent in May, up from a low of 50.4 per cent in January when it reached its most balanced point since March 2013. The ratio has risen steadily along with sales so far this year as new supply has remained little changed.
A sales-to-new listings ratio between 40 and 60 per cent is generally consistent with balanced housing market conditions, with readings above and below this range indicating sellers' and buyers' markets respectively. The ratio was within this range in about half of local housing markets in May. About a third of local markets were above the 60 per cent threshold in May, comprised mostly of markets in and around the Greater Toronto Area and markets in British Columbia.
The number of months of inventory is another important measure of the balance between housing supply and demand. It represents the number of months it would take to completely liquidate current inventories at the current rate of sales activity.
The national balance between supply and demand has tightened since the beginning of the year, when buyers had more negotiating power than they had in nearly two years. There were 5.6 months of inventory on a national basis at the end of May 2015, its lowest reading in three years.
The Aggregate Composite MLS® HPI rose by 5.17 per cent on a year-over-year basis in May, up slightly from the 4.97 per cent year-over-year gain logged in April. Gains have generally held to the range from five to five and a half per cent since the beginning of 2014. (Chart B)
Year-over-year price growth accelerated in May in all Benchmark home categories tracked by the index with the exception of one-storey single family homes.
Two-storey single family homes continue to post the biggest year-over-year price gains (+7.18 per cent), with more modest increases for one-storey single family homes (+4.11 per cent), townhouse/row units (+4.09 per cent) and apartment units (+2.91 per cent).
Year-over-year price growth varied among housing markets tracked by the index. Greater
Vancouver (+9.41 per cent) and Greater Toronto (+8.90 per cent) continued to post by far the biggest year-over-year price increases. By comparison, Fraser Valley, Victoria, and Vancouver Island prices all recorded year-over-year gains of about four per cent in May.
Price gains in Calgary continued to slow, with a year-over-year increase of just 1.21 per cent in May. This was the smallest gain in more than three years and the eleventh consecutive monthly slowdown in year-over-year price growth.
Elsewhere, prices held steady on a year-over-year basis in Saskatoon and Ottawa, rose slightly in Greater Montreal and fell by about three per cent in Regina and Greater Moncton.
The MLS® Home Price Index (MLS® HPI) provides a better gauge of price trends than is possible using averages because it is not affected by changes in the mix of sales activity the way that average price is.
The actual (not seasonally adjusted) national average price for homes sold in May 2015 was $450,886, up 8.1 per cent on a year-over-year basis.
The national average home price continues to be upwardly distorted by sales activity in Greater Vancouver and Greater Toronto, which are among Canada's most active and expensive housing markets. If these two markets are excluded from calculations, the average is a more modest $344,988 and the year-over-year gain is reduced to 2.4 per cent.
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PLEASE NOTE: The information contained in this news release combines both major market and national sales information from MLS® Systems from the previous month.
CREA cautions that average price information can be useful in establishing trends over time, but does not indicate actual prices in centres comprised of widely divergent neighbourhoods or account for price differential between geographic areas. Statistical information contained in this report includes all housing types.
MLS® Systems are co-operative marketing systems used only by Canada's real estate Boards to ensure maximum exposure of properties listed for sale.
The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) is one of Canada's largest single-industry trade associations, representing more than 109,000 REALTORS® working through some 90 real estate Boards and Associations.
Further information can be found at http://crea.ca/statistics.
For more information, please contact:
Pierre Leduc, Media RelationsThe Canadian Real Estate AssociationTel.: 613-237-7111 or 613-884-1460E-mail: email@example.com


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Investors have been somewhat more cautious on the corporate-debt sector lately, with spreads — which measure the yield advantage versus Treasuries — tight by historical standards. To be sure, the financial health of corporations in the investment-grade space continues to be quite strong. However, in a slow-growth macroeconomic environment, we believe it may prove challenging for corporations to continue to improve their margins and increase their revenues. The risk, we feel, is not so much one of potentially deteriorating fundamentals, but of investors concluding that investment-grade corporate debt has reached something of a plateau.
Our base case forecast calls for continued economic growth and continued volatility on the long end of the yield curve. In such an environment, we believe there are ample opportunities to add value through our fundamental research-based approach. We continue to focus on opportunities in credit and prepayment strategies, and consider declining interest rates to be an unattractive driver of returns.
More in: Fixed income


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Delete my GoDaddy Studio account and data
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About a week ago, Sarah and I posted the Ebook Reader's Bill of Rights. We've watched it bounce all over the blogosphere much to our mutual delight. But there has been a recurring question in some of the discussions as to what this document would mean to authors. I will try now to explain how authors would benefit under the terms outlined in the Ebook Reader's Bill of Rights. Here's my breakdown:
the right to use ebooks under guidelines that favor access over proprietary limitationsAs a librarian, I have a carefully honed monologue to inform people who come to the library why or why not their chosen ereader device will be able to download ebooks or audio ebooks. (At present, the Kindle one is the shortest at "Sorry, no can do". The iPod is the longest since it starts out with a short shopping list of programs needed and permissions required.) I am the de facto technical support for these devices and yet I am left holding the bag when it comes to explaining the convoluted jargon of Digital Rights Management, proprietary devices and software, and why's and how's of loading content into their devices. Now, imagine this interaction happening beyond the walls of the libraries as people look to purchase ebooks.
As an author, these limitations do you no favor when your readers cannot access your literature. When the effort eclipses the reward, people will forgo the attempt to get your work on their ereaders in favor of easier fare. I have seen people give up on trying to download library ebooks; I would hope that they would not give up on authors as easily.
the right to access ebooks on any technological platform, including the hardware and software the user choosesEbooks should transcend platforms. What you buy on the iBookstore or the Kindle should be readable on the Nook or Kobo and vice versa. Ebooks should be platform neutral and portable. As an author, in order to reach the widest audience possible, your books should be able to travel wherever your audience wants them to be. You've put in the hours and the hard work; why should something like software or technology get between your prose and the reader?
the right to annotate, quote passages, print, and share ebook content within the spirit of fair use and copyrightAt present, there is an inconsistent ability to do any of these aspects across all of the devices and ebooks. While fair use and copyright should be respected, these limitations work against the reader and their interaction with the text of the ebook. They stifle potential discussion regarding book passages by the inability to copy and share with others. They frustrate the reader by disallowing annotations about significant passages and recording their thoughts or reactions. Finally, in preventing the printing of parts of the ebook, they keep the words in a virtual space when the intention of printing is to share with others for further discussion or commentary. Think of every work space you've ever seen where a line of poetry or novel passage has hung; that is one of the beneficial aspects that this is preventing. People find significance in those words and make them part of their daily life. The prevention of printing usurps that urge.
Again, while copyright and fair use should be observed, authors should be mindful of accommodating the habits and actions of their readers that have grown out of print editions of their materials over many years.
the right of the first-sale doctrine extended to digital content, allowing the ebook owner the right to retain, archive, share, and re-sell purchased ebooksNow, I will admit this is the tricky one that has gotten people tripped up over this document. Retaining and archiving are common practices for people with software; it allows them to make a backup copy in case something happens to the original. There shouldn't be a problem with that as it ensures the future of the ebooks that they have purchased.
As to sharing, I'll put it this way: authors benefit from sharing. Neil Gaiman makes a note of it specifically in his Open Rights Group video where he asks audiences how many people found their favorite author through a friend lending them a book as opposed to buying it at a bookstore (I've linked to the specific part of the video). The American Library Association has a 2007 study which shows that people who borrow books are likely to buy those books for themselves or purchase them as gifts for others. Libraries are an integral aspect of word of mouth marketing for authors.
"Word of mouth is still the best form of advertising. The forces unleashed by new media technologies seem to have never changed the truth behind this age-old wisdom dating back to the times when human culture was largely oral." (ComCorp) With the new communication and social media possibilities, people are not simply telling their immediate friends and family about books; they are telling everyone about books. People are sharing the books that they love through sites like Facebook, LibraryThing, Goodreads, Shelfari, and their own blogging. The Twitter hashtag #fridayreads (up for a Mashable award for Best Internet Meme) shows how people can make recommendations for books to their followers and to the people who follow the hashtag. That recommendation carries weight with others as depicted by this survey from eMarketer and presented as this graphic:
The 2009 Nielsen Global Online Consumer survey shows that 90% of consumers trust recommendations from people they know and 70% trust fellow consumer opinions posted online (think #fridayreads, sites like Goodreads, and Amazon/B&N user book reviews). This 2010 Guardian/ICM survey gives similar supporting results of this trust in others (especially question 4).
Sharing ebooks would be word of mouth on steroids for authors since it means making a recommendation and the ability to put the book almost instantly in the (virtual) hands of another. Sharing is not a lost sale, but a new marketing foray into a previously unrealized potential fan.
As to the question of ebook re-selling, I will admit that I do not have a perfect answer on this point. If there was a limited DRM system that would enable people to do so (ensuring that the old copy is destroyed while transferring a copy to the new owner), I think it would be a fair trade-off to confer ownership and greater content rights.
My primary concern is less about re-selling and more in regard to people being given control over their own reading content. While I'm hesitant to engage in what may be construed as hyperbole, I appeal to you to consider the emotional connections to your own personal libraries and the importance of every book that you have selected to be a part of it. I would implore authors to consider how they would consider outside removals or modifications on your own book collections. Ownership matters, quite frankly, and it is an expression of intellectual pride.
As it concerns the passage of text that followed the rights in the initial document, I personally believe in every word written there. I believe authors can flourish when their work is available on the widest range of media and when readers are given the maximum amount of freedom to access and share with others. I believe in creating the best possible market for authors to live by and thrive. I also believe ebooks are an important new part of the greater cultural cornerstone of society; and I believe that a document like the Ebook Reader's Bill of Rights works towards that goal.
For myself, there are farther reaching issues at stake here since the written word lives on long after our bodies have turned to dust. As a librarian, I strive to preserve the work of authors for future generations. It is a matter of great import and one I do not take lightly. It only gets more complicated when ebooks are locked behind formats and proprietary ereaders. It is my hope that the actions we take today will cultivate a vibrant literature market while increasing access to readers and allowing libraries to maintain their traditional societal role in maintaining the literary and cultural record.
I thank the authors who came here to read this post. I hope I made the meaning of the Ebook Reader's Bill of Rights and the benefits authors would derive from it a bit clearer and show that it was constructed around the best of intentions. I welcome any author feedback on this post so that I can further refine the Ebook Reader's Bill of Rights.
This post was originally published at Agnostic, Maybe and has been reprinted with Mr. Woodworth's permission.
Andy is a librarian in New Jersey. He spends his days surrounded by vast amounts of information which he consumes on a fairly regular basis. He was named a 2010 Library Journal Mover and Shaker, an honor bestowed upon fifty librarians each year that are considered to be changing the face and future path of libraries. He writes the award winning librarian blog 'Agnostic, Maybe' at http://agnosticmaybe.wordpress.com.


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As a veterinarian, pet owners often ask me what they should be doing in order to help keep their pets healthy. To help others with similar concerns what follows are my top ten pet health tasks to promote the well being of your pet.
1. Yearly veterinary examinations
Annual examinations are as essential as food and love. Don't wait for your pet to be sick before taking him to the veterinarian. Bring your pet in for a wellness exam at least once a year. Older pets and pets with medical issues may need to be seen more frequently.
Your veterinarian will examine your pet from head to tail to insure he is healthy and up to date on immunizations and other preventatives. In the long run these annual checkups will save you money and heartache by protecting your pet from preventable diseases and by detecting illness early when it is more treatable. Taking your pet to the veterinarian for an annual wellness exam is the best way to ensure your pet lives a long, healthy life. Learn more about the importance of yearly exams.
2. Vaccinations
Most people wouldn't skip vaccinating their kids and shouldn't overlook vaccinating their pets. Immunizations protect our pets from devastating diseases caused by viruses and bacteria. As a shelter vet, I see too many animals suffering needlessly from preventable diseases like distemper and parvovirus. Ask your veterinarian to find out which vaccines would benefit your pet based on his lifestyle and risk factors, and how often your pet should receive booster vaccines.
3. Screening tests
Since animals can't talk and tell us what is wrong with them, screening tests are important because they can detect disease before signs and symptoms develop. Depending on your pet's age, your veterinarian will recommend screening tests to look for problems like diabetes, kidney disease or thyroid disease. Make sure you get the screening tests recommended by your veterinarian even if your pet looks healthy. Your veterinarian may also recommend screening tests before your pet undergoes general anesthesia to ensure they are healthy enough for the procedure.
4. Dental care
Commit to keeping your pet's teeth clean and healthy. What does this entail? First, take your pet to the veterinarian for a checkup and cleaning if necessary at least once a year. Second, brush his teeth regularly with pet toothpaste and give him dental chews to help keep his teeth pearly white in between visits. Routine dental care can not only help keep your pet's teeth clean and healthy but also help prevent painful and costly dental problems in the future. Learn more about dental care.
5. Parasite protection
Parasites are a common and important cause of disease in pets. They can be internal, like worms and protozoa, or external, like fleas and ticks. Besides making you cringe, parasites can cause significant morbidity in pets and can lead to death in the case of heartworm disease and Lyme disease, to name just two. Click here for what you need to know about heartworm disease. Parasites can even pose a danger to other family members such as children. Fortunately parasitic disease is easy to prevent. Speak with your veterinarian to insure you are protecting your pets and family from internal and external parasites by using monthly preventatives year round.
6. Microchips
If your pet doesn't already have one, make sure you microchip your pet. While collars and ID tags are important, they are not a guarantee that your pet will be returned home if he ever gets lost. Click here to see how a microchip helped Giget get home from 2500 miles away. Collars and ID tags are not foolproof because they can break or fall-off. As a shelter vet, I see many lost pets end up in the shelter. I am a strong proponent of microchips because I think they are the best way to improve the odds that your pet will be returned home if he ever gets lost. Finally, don't forget to keep your contact information up to date. A microchip isn't very effective if no one can reach you to tell you they have your lost pet. Learn more about microchips.
7. Spay and neuter your pet
Besides helping prevent pet overpopulation and being the responsible thing to do, spaying and neutering your dog or cat has important health benefits. For example, spaying and neutering lowers the risk of breast cancer, testicular cancer, and pyometra (infection of the uterus). Spaying and neutering can also help with behavioral problems such as spraying, roaming, and aggression. If your pet isn't already spayed or neutered, call your veterinarian to discuss how spaying or neutering can benefit your pet.
8. Pet proof your home
Pets are curious creatures by nature, but sometimes their curiosity can get them into trouble. Make sure your home is safe for your pet by pet-proofing your home. Check the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center's website for a list of the most common poisonous household plants to ensure that none of your houseplants are a potential hazard to your pet. Also, refer to their website to learn which foods and other household items may be toxic to your pet. Lastly, don't forget to keep all toxic chemicals stored safely away from your pets.
9. Exercise
Exercise is the best way for your pet to stay trim and healthy. Like us, pets can suffer from obesity and the problems associated with being overweight such as arthritis and diabetes. Make sure you exercise your pet and maintain their level of activity. For dogs, go on longer walks, play fetch and let them run off-leash in a dog park. If you're a runner, check with your veterinarian to find out if it's okay to run with your dog. For cats, have them chase a laser pointer and play more with them. Exercise is the best way to keep your pet physically healthy and mentally stimulated.
10. Teach an old dog a new trick
Muscles are not the only things that need to be exercised; stimulate your pet's brain. This can be as simple as giving him interactive toys that stimulate his mind or teaching your pet a new trick. If you have a dog, consider enrolling him in an obedience course or sign up for agility training. While it is important to keep your pets physically healthy, it is equally important to keep their mind stimulated and sharp. Learn more about training.
We all want the best for our animals. Hopefully these health tips will ensure your pets live a long and healthy life.


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What is the infamous ID2020? It is an alliance of public-private partners, including UN agencies and civil society. It's an electronic ID program that uses generalized vaccination as a platform for digital identity.
It seems, the more there is written about the causes of the Coronavirus – the more the written analyses are overshadowed by a propaganda and fear-mongering hype. Questions for the truth and arguments for where to look for the origins and how the virus may have spread and how to combat it, are lost in the noise of wanton chaos. But isn't that what the "Black Men" behind this intended pandemic want – chaos, panic, hopelessness, leading to human vulnerability – a people becoming easy prey for manipulation?
WHO declared the coronavirus COVID-19 a "pandemic" – when there is not the slightest trace of a pandemic. A pandemic might be the condition, when the death to infection rate reaches more than 12%. In Europe, the death rate is about 0.4%, or less. Except for Italy which is a special case, where the peak of the death rate was 6% (see below for further analysis).
China, where the death rate peaked only a few weeks ago at about 3%, is back to 0.7% – and rapidly declining, while China is taking full control of the disease – and that with the help of a not-spoken-about medication developed 39 years ago by Cuba, called "Interferon Alpha 2B (IFNrec)", very effective for fighting viruses and other diseases, but is not known and used in the world, because the US under the illegal embargo of Cuba does not allow the medication to be marketed internationally.
WHO has most likely received orders from "above", from those people who also manage Trump and the "leaders" (sic) of the European Union and her member countries, those who aim to control the world with force – the One World Order.
This has been on the drawing board for years. The final decision to go ahead NOW, was taken in January 2020 at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos – behind very much closed doors, of course. The Gates, GAVI (an association of vaccination-promoting pharmaceuticals), Rockefellers, Rothschilds et al, they are all behind this decision – the implementation of Agenda ID2020 – see below.
After the pandemic has been officially declared, the next step may be – also at the recommendation either by WHO, or individual countries, "force vaccination", under police and/or military surveillance. Those who refuse may be penalized (fines and / or jail – and force-vaccinated all the same).
If indeed force-vaccination will happen, another bonanza for Big Pharma, people really don't know what type of cocktail will be put into the vaccine, maybe a slow killer, that acts-up only in a few years – or a disease that hits only the next generation – or a brain debilitating agent, or a gene that renders women infertile …. all is possible – always with the aim of full population control and population reduction. In a few years' time, one doesn't know, of course, where the disease comes from. That's the level of technology our bio-war labs have reached (US, UK, Israel, Canada, Australia…).
Another hypothesis, at this point only a hypothesis, but a realistic one, is that along with the vaccination – if not with this one, then possibly with a later one, a nano-chip may be injected, unknown to the person being vaccinated. The chip may be remotely charged with all your personal data, including bank accounts – digital money. Yes, digital money that's what "they" are aiming at, so you really have no control any more over your health and other intimate data, but also over your earnings and spending. Your money could be blocked, or taken away – as a 'sanction' for misbehavior, for swimming against the stream. You may become a mere slave of the masters. Comparatively, feudalism may appear like a walk in the park.
It's not for nothing that Dr. Tedros, DG of WHO, said a few days ago, we must move towards digital money, because physical paper and coin money can spread diseases, especially endemic diseases, like the coronavirus. A precursor for things to come? – Or for things already here? – In many Scandinavian countries cash is largely banned and even a bar of chocalate can be paid only electronically.
We are moving towards a totalitarian state of the world. This is part of Agenda ID2020 – and these steps to be implemented now – prepared since long, including by the coronavirus computer simulation at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore on 18 October 2019, sponsored by the WEF and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Bill Gates, one of the chief advocates of vaccinations for everybody, especially in Africa – is also a huge advocate of population reduction. Population reduction is among the goals of the elite within the WEF, the Rockefellers, Rothschilds, Morgens – and a few more. The objective: fewer people (a small elite) can live longer and better with the reduced and limited resources Mother Earth is generously offering.
This had openly been propagated already in the 1960s and 70s by Henry Kissinger, Foreign Secretary in de Nixon Administration, a co-engineer of the Vietnam war, and main responsible for the semi-clandestine bombing of Cambodia, a genocide of millions of unarmed Cambodian civilians. Along with the CIA-Kissinger engineered coup on 9/11, 1973, in Chile, killing the democratically elected Salvador Allende and putting the military dictator Pinochet in power, Kissinger has committed war crimes. Today, he is a spokesman (so to speak) for Rockefeller and their "Bilderberger Society".
Two weeks after the computer simulation at Johns Hopkins Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland, that "produced" (aka simulated) 65 million deaths (!), the COVID-19 virus first appeared in Wuhan. By now it is almost certain that the virus was brought to Wuhan from outside, most likely from a bio-war lab in the US. See also this and this.
What is the infamous ID2020? It is an alliance of public-private partners, including UN agencies and civil society. It's an electronic ID program that uses generalized vaccination as a platform for digital identity. The program harnesses existing birth registration and vaccination operations to provide newborns with a portable and persistent biometrically-linked digital identity. GAVI, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, identifies itself on its website as a global health partnership of public and private sector organizations dedicated to "immunization for all". GAVI is supported by WHO, and needless to say, its main partners and sponsors are the pharma-industry.
The ID2020 Alliance at their 2019 Summit, entitled "Rising to the Good ID Challenge", in September 2019 in New York, decided to roll out their program in 2020, a decision confirmed by the WEF in January 2020 in Davos. Their digital identity program will be tested with the government of Bangladesh. GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, and "partners from academia and humanitarian relief" (as they call it), are part of the pioneer party.
Is it just a coincidence that ID2020 is being rolled out at the onset of what WHO calls a Pandemic? – Or is a pandemic needed to 'roll out' the multiple devastating programs of ID2020?
Here is what Anir Chowdhury, policy advisor of the Bangladesh government program, has to say:
"We are implementing a forward-looking approach to digital identity that gives individuals control over their own personal information, while still building off existing systems and programs. The Government of Bangladesh recognizes that the design of digital identity systems carries far-reaching implications for individuals' access to services and livelihoods, and we are eager to pioneer this approach."
Wow! Does Mr. Anir Chowdhury know what he is getting into?
Back to the Pandemic and the panic. Geneva, the European seat of the United Nations, including the headquarters of WHO, is basically shot down. Not unlike the lock-down that started in Venice and later expanded to northern Italy until a few days ago – and now the lock-down covers all of Italy. Similar lock-down may soon also be adopted by France – and other European vassal states to the Anglo-Zionist empire.
Numerous memoranda with similar panic-mongering contents from different UN agencies in Geneva are circulating. Their key message is – cancel all mission travel, all events in Geneva, visits to the Palais des Nations, the Geneva Cathedral, other monuments and museums. The latest directives, many agencies instruct their staff to work from home, not to risk contamination from public transportation.
This ambiance of panic and fear – outstrips any sense of reality, when the truth doesn't matter. People can't even think any more about the causes and what may be behind it. Nobody believes you (anymore), when you refer to Event 201, the coronavirus simulation, the Wuhan Military Games, the closing last August 7, of the high-security biological war lab at Fort Detrick, Maryland…. what could have at one point been an eye opener for many, today is sheer conspiracy theory. The power of propaganda. A destabilizing power – destabilizing countries and people, destroying economies, creating hardship for people who may lose their jobs, usually the ones who can least afford it.
Also, at this time it becomes increasingly important to remind people that the outbreak in China was targeting the Chinese genome. Did it later mutate to transgress the 'borders' of Chinese DNA? When did that happen, if it happened? Because at the beginning it was clear that even the infected victims in other parts of the world, were to 99.9% of Chinese descent.
What happened later, when the virus spread to Italy and Iran, is another issue, and opens the way to a number of speculations.
There were various strains of the virus circulated in sequence – so as to destabilize countries around the world and to confound the populace and media, so that especially nobody of the mainstream may come to the conclusion that the first strain was targeting China in a bio-war.
In Iran, I have a strong suspicion that the virus was an enhanced form of MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, man-made, broke out first in Saudi Arabia in 2012 , directed to the Arabic genome) – which was somehow introduced into government circles (by aerosol spray?) – with the goal of "Regime Change" by COVID19-caused death. Its Washington's wishful thinking for at least the last 30 years.
In Italy – why Italy? – Maybe because Washington / Brussels wanted to hit Italy hard for having been officially the first country to sign a Belt and Road (BRI) accord with China (actually the first was Greece, but nobody is supposed to know that China came to the rescue of Greece, destroyed by Greece's brothers, the EU members, mainly Germany and France).
(iv) The hype about the high death to infection rate in Italy, as of the time of this writing: 10,149 infections vs. 631 deaths = death rate of 6.2 (comparatively Iran: 8042 infections vs. 291 deaths = 3.6 death rate). The death rate of Italy is almost double that of Iran and almost ten-fold that of average Europe. (Are these discrepancies the result of failures in the establishing reliable data pertaining to "infections", see our observations pertaining to Italy below).
Why? – Was is Italy being affected with virus panic? Was there a much stronger strain introduced to Italy?
The common flu in Europe in the 2019 / 2020 season, has apparently so far killed about 16,000 (in the US the death toll is, according to CDC between 14,000 and 32,000, depending on which CDC website you look at).
Could it be that among the Italian coronavirus deaths there were also common flu victims, as the affected victims are mostly elderly with respiratory preconditions? Also, symptoms are very similar between coronavirus and the common flu, and nobody questions and checks the official authorities' narrative?
Maybe not all the coronavirus strains come from the same laboratory. A journalist from Berlin of Ukrainian origin, told me this morning that Ukraine is host to some 5 high security US bio-war labs. They test regularly new viruses on the population – yet, when strange diseases break out in the surroundings of the labs, nobody is allowed to talk about it. Something similar, she says, is happening in Georgia, where there are even more Pentagon / CIA bio-war labs – and where also new and strange diseases break out.
All of this makes the composite picture even more complicated. Overarching all is this super hype is profit driven, the quest for instant profit, instant benefits from the suffering of the people. This panic making is a hundred-fold of what it's worth. What these kingpins of the underworld, who pretend to run the upper world, perhaps miscalculated, is that in today's globalized and vastly outsourced world the west depends massively on China's supply chain, for consumer goods, and for intermediary merchandise – and, foremost for medication and medical equipment. At least 80% of medication or ingredients for medication, as well as for medical equipment comes from China. The western China dependence for antibiotics is even higher, some 90%. The potential impacts on health are devastating.
During the height of the COVID-19 epidemic China's production apparatus for everything was almost shut-down. For deliveries that were still made, merchandise vessels were regularly and categorically turned back from many harbors all around the world. So, the west has tricked itself into a shortage-of-everything mode by waging a de facto "economic war" on China. How long will it last? – Nobody knows, but China's economy which was down by about half, has rapidly recovered to above 80% of what it was before the coronavirus hit. How long will it last to catch up with the backlog?
What is behind it all? – A total crackdown with artificially induced panic to the point where people are screaming "help, give us vaccinations, display police and military for our security" – or even if the public despair doesn't go that far, it would be easy for the EU and US authorities to impose a military stage of siege for "health protection of the people". In fact, CDC (Center for Disease Control in Atlanta), has already designed harshly dictatorial directives for a "health emergency".
Along with forced vaccination, who knows what would be contained in the cocktail of ''mini-diseases" injected, and what their long-term effects might be. Similar to those of GMOs, where all sorts of germs could be inserted without us, the commons, knowing?
We may indeed be just at the beginning of the implementation of ID2020 – which includes, forced vaccination, population reduction and total digital control of everybody – on the way to One World Order – and global financial hegemony – Full Spectrum Dominance, as the PNAC (Plan for a New American Century) likes to call it.
A windfall for China. China has been purposely targeted for "economic destruction", because of her rapidly advancing economy, an economy soon to overtake that of the now hegemon, the US of A, and because of China's strong currency, the Yuan, also potentially overtaking the dollar as the world's main reserve currency.
Both occurrences would mean the end of US dominance over the world. The coronavirus disease, now in more than 80 countries, has crashed the stock markets, a decline of at least 20% over the last few weeks – and rising; the feared consequences from the virus of an economic slow-down, if not recession, has slashed petrol prices within about two weeks almost in half. However, without China's central bank interference, the Yuan's value vis-à-vis the dollar has been rather stable, at around 7 Yuan to the dollar. That means, the Chinese economy, despite COVID-19, is receiving still much trust around the globe.
Advice to China – buy all the US and European corporate shares you can at current rock-bottom prices from the stock markets that collapsed by a fifth or more, plus buy lots of oil futures. When the prices recover, you have not only made billions, probably trillions from the west, but you also may own or hold significant and influence-yielding amounts of shares in most of the largest US and European corporations – and will be able to help call the shots of their future endeavors.
There is however, one little silver lining oscillating at the horizon full of dark clouds. It could miraculously be an awakening of consciousness of a critical mass that could put an end to it all. Although, we seem to be far from such a miracle, somewhere in a hidden corner of our brain, we all have a spark of consciousness left. We have the spiritual capacity to abandon the disaster path of western neoliberal capitalism, and instead espouse solidarity, compassion and love for each other and for our society. That may be the only way to break the gridlock and doom of western egocentric greed.


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It's often said a few pictures are worth thousands of words. But pictures can be a little misleading, when everything is globally interconnected.
First, look at the standard view of the ever-widening US trade deficit and negative US balance of payments. Then, focusing on Mexico – a Trump whipping boy – let's pry open the box and look inside to see what is traded back and forth. What the numbers suggest is that the greatest part of the US trade deficit is involved with "trade by related parties", i.e. multinational companies importing parts and other goods to the US, sometimes for assembly here and export. Many of these are US companies who have used international operations to cut production costs, but then gain access to US customers on favorable terms through their time-honored sales channels.
The Standard Picture
Just looking at the standard US trade statistics, the story is grim. Imports to the US have persistently exceeded US exports since the 1980's, with the negative balance soaring just before the Great Recession of 2008-2009 to around $200 billion.
Four countries, China, Germany, Mexico, and Japan are the largest contributors to the US trade deficit, as the following chart shows.
Sharp erosion in the US balance of international payments accompanies these import and export curves.
But What Does Mexico Import Into the US?
This is where we have to adopt a new way of looking at these facts.
So, in recent years, US Trade authorities have begun to maintain a new kind of statistical data, relating to trade by related parties, a.k.a. trade between parts of the same (multinational) company.
Mexico, in fact, has a large portion of this trade by related parties, as the following Table indicates.
Readers may also want to consult J.W. Mason's The Slack Wire What Exactly Does Mexico Export to the US?
Now there are all sorts of measurement issues involved in measuring trade by related parties, and, of course, the import prices for within-company trade can be somewhat suspect.
But, its interesting some years ago, the Middle Class Political Economist calculated that –
Thus, things are more complicated than suggested by trade in wine from Portugal and textiles from Old Blighty.
In fact, a scholar at Harvard has one of the most compelling pictures highlighting the global supply chain.
Thus, the 787 Development Team encompasses 50 suppliers located in 9 countries (Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States). 70 percent of the 787s parts are produced abroad.
From Pol Antras' CREI Lectures in Macroeconomics Contracts and the Global Organization of Production, June 2012
So, this is the sort of complexity which enfuriates the "stranded white working class," left behind when the factories move abroad, but the company marketing organization builds new offices in the nearby metropole.
From which I also deduce that the conflict between Mr. Trump, Mr. Bannon, and powerful interests on the other side is likely to be a serious battle. This is not a win-win, as global trade always was presented (even though it has "distributional impacts"). Border taxes will intervene in these global commodity chains which have been constructed to further the pursuit of profits by multinationals. So border taxes will in fact also have distributional consequences, but these impacts will extend to company profits and involve reorganization of production.
I mean this is like going to be a pitched battle.


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Hailey Baldwin's 'Lover' Tattoo Has Fans Convinced It's Inspired By Taylor Swift
Hailey Baldwin got a "Lover" neck tattoo in the same font as Taylor Swift's latest album, Lover.
The 22-year-old model's tattoo artist, Dr. Woo, shared a photo of her new ink on Instagram Tuesday (September 3), which fans immediately speculated might be in reference to the "ME!" singer. The tat, located on the left side of Baldwin's neck right underneath her cross, is thin, small and written in cursive.
"Love always wins," Dr. Woo captioned the post.
Check out Hailey Baldwin's new "Lover" tattoo for yourself, below:
Now, here's a photo of Swift's album cover:
The tattoo and album font are definitely super similar, but the word "lover" is also very common — especially as a term of endearment. So, even though some fans want to believe it was inspired by Swift, Baldwin probably got it as a tribute to her husband, Justin Bieber. The couple will be celebrating their one-year anniversary this month.
Besides, it seems pretty unlikely Baldwin would choose a tattoo inspired by the Lover album after Bieber's public confrontation with the pop star. In July, he defended Scooter Braun after Swift accused the manager of bullying her following his purchase of her former record label, Big Machine.
At the time, Bieber posted a lengthy message on Instagram, in which Baldwin commented "gentleman."
Still, fans are pretty convinced on Twitter...


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Our theme for this issue is Patronage, inviting you to think more intentionally about all of the ways you invest in culture and the common good. It's not a question of whether you patronize; only what--which is precisely we need to think and talk about this.
My editorial, "Let's Talk About Your Investment Strategy," invites you into these questions. Here's a snippet:
We are patrons, not just in our "charitable" giving, but in our day-to-day lives. When we spend our money, we are not just consuming commercial goods, we are also fostering and perpetuating ways of being human. To be a patron is to be a selector, an evaluator, and a progenitor of certain forms of cultural life. You didn't realize you exercised such power, did you?
When you start to think in these terms, you realize that all of us are patrons. And you start to realize that maybe we should think a little more carefully about how to do this well. By decisions we perhaps don't think about, we are effectively saying "yes" to some version of the good life. In this issue of the magazine we have gathered wisdom from a range of practitioners with a view to equipping you to be a better patron—in philanthropy and charitable giving, but also in our nitty-gritty, workaday lives. We're interested in patrons as culturemakers and helping culture-makers to see their responsibility as patrons.
Read of the rest of the editorial. Then, if you're not yet a subscriber, I hope you'll sign up today for just $30/year. Or consider our reduced iPad subscription at just $19.99/year (and get a bonus issue).
Already a longtime Comment subscriber? Then I have another suggestion for you:
1. Think of three people whose lives you want to invest in: they might be students who are going to graduate this year, staff members you are cultivating, leaders in your congregation, grandchildren who are beginning to make their way in the world.
2. Buy them gift subscriptions to Comment. It's a great way to invite them into a wider conversation.
3. We'll send you a signed copy of my new book, Discipleship in the Present Tense. (Hurry! Offer ends December 9.)