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Scam Letter(s) from Elena Volkova to Rik (USA)
Letter 1
You are really very cute and handsome. I want to get acquainted with you if you don't mind.
But at first let me introduce myself. My name is Nataliya. As for me, I believe that there are many pretty girls all over the world but the beauty is not very important the main thing is to have a beauty soul that not every person has. But I don't doubt in your beautiful soul because after reading your profile at eroticy.com and looking at your profile "alobar50" my heart says to me that you are that man I should to write to. I have a good intuition that never tells me a lie. So, I hope that if you write me back we will be able to become good friends and who knows maybe I am your destiny whom you shouldn't let off.
So, rik, If you are interested in me and want to know me better, please, write me back on my E-mail: email@example.com
I will be waiting for your letter with sweet impatience. Remember that all depends on you.
I send you my friendly kiss in your cheek.
Your new friend.
Letter 2
Hi Rik!!!!!
Rik I have received today your letter, and I am happy. I so wish to learn
About you it is more. But I do not know from what to begin. I have seen yours profile, and you To me has liked. I hope, that to you too I like.
I would like at first To answer your questions.
Rik it was very pleasant to me to hear your comment for my letter, I see that you are very judicious man and that you really understand me well.
Yes you are right certainly that the beauty is given the person only temporarily and it blossoms as a flower and in due course it unfortunately vanishes.
But can be as beautiful feelings which will always live.
Become final to begin with we should with you true friends and learn to have better each other more close relations and already we will see that we can reach.
I hope, that my answers are clear to you. I am not so good to write English. But I hope, that you understand me.
I as wish to tell about myself more. My name is Nataliya. To me
Now 29 years and I live with mum and the daddy in one apartment. I never was
It is married and not to have children. The city in which I live, is called
Ershow. In mine a city I devote myself to work. I work as the cosmetician for
Girls also I help them to look beautiful. I do manicure and a pedicure for them.
As I put cosmetics to them on the person. To me like, when I to see their happy.
Rik I have started to use Internet recently. After at us
There was a cafe Internet in a city. I at first did not think of it.
But has decided to try.
Rik that you would wish to learn about me??? Ask me, and I am obligatory
To you to answer. I hope, that you will send the photos also. I
Would like to receive more them. I send you the photo. I hope, that it is pleasant to you.
Tell to me, Rik. What it is pleasant to you in women? What character?
What should she be able? I very much would wish to know.
I hope, that tomorrow I again will receive your letter and your photo. I will be
Very to wait. Rik you will not forget to write me the letter? I hope, that was not present.
I very much wait......
Your new girlfriend Nataliya.
Letter 3
Hello Rik!!!!!!!
Rik as you feel? I hope, that all is good. As has changed
Your mood when you have received my letter? I hope, that my photo
It was pleasant to you. Today I send you a photo, on which I
It is represented on the nature. I love the nature and always when
I have a free time I like to walk on the nature.
It always calms and gives time to think over a life.
And you like the nature? You often leave to walk on the nature?
Rik it is very pleasant to me to hear that you understand my English language well enough.
This main thing that at us with you was common language in which we with you we can understand each other. My city is in the country Russia. Ershow - a city to Russia, an administrative centre of Ershovsky area of the Saratov area. The city is located at a river source Small Yzen in 178 km to the east from Saratov. Knot of railroad lines of the Privolzhsky railway and highways. Rik thanks you for your photos, me were very pleasant to see your photos, you really are very beautiful man and I was so happy that have received your photos.
You have a beautiful face. Rik I estimate your compliments which you speak to me. It is very pleasant to me to hear all it from you. I am very grateful to you. I like to receive compliments.
Rik I consider that we with you take all things easy and we will learn each other in due course.
I where do not hurry up and I have many patience. Important that was as trust each other.
Rik I as understand you very well and all your words are completely clear for me.
In some years I would like be near to the beloved in which I can to fall in love and have with it serious relations to create a family and to have children.
Rik I hope, that my photos it is pleasant to you. You too will send to me
It is a lot of photo? I hope, that I will receive them tomorrow. I do not know why, but I To trust you. I do not know you, but I trust. I do not understand why.
Rik You know? I will tell more about myself. My growth 168 sm (5 ' 7), weight nearby 54 kg (120 lbs). Proportions of mine a breast, a waist, hips accordingly
93 - 62 - 35. And at you Rik??
I to appreciate in people kindness, sincerity, honesty and the good relation to another.
It is pleasant to me, when it is pure, cosy. When I come home I
It is always glad, because at home always purely. Rik and you love cooking?
I simply adore. The grandmother has learnt me and now I always and all I do
Itself on kitchen. And what it is pleasant to you? What dishes?
I asked you about what women to you like. To me, for example,
Men who are quiet like, sincere and do not deceive.
Which I love, and which loves me. Rik as you think, you
You can be it? Or not? I think, that we will soon know it.
When we learn one another better.
Than you were engaged today? I hope, that when you receive my letter,
It warms you and does your day successful.
I hope, that at you all is good. I will wait for your letter tomorrow.
I hope, that I will receive answers to all questions and many your photos.
Letter 4
Hello My Dear Rik!!!!!!
Rik your letter again does me happy. You are able to make,
So I would smile. I forget at once about all and I think only of you.
How day today? Successfully? I hope what yes.
Rik it is remarkable that to you as the nature is pleasant and you divide with me it.
It would be fine that once we with you could go together to walk on the nature and to
speak with each other personally. To me pleasantly that you could find already a place
where I live. Yes Saratov is not so far from my city, and sometimes when I wish to buy to myself things that I leave there. Rik I still when did not travel in not Russia.
I was in many cities of Russia, but not to time was not outside of. I would think that to me was pleasant as once to go to travel that we with you could learn each other confidentially in what that a romantic place. And me would be as very pleasantly if you could visit once me and my family here in Ershow. Rik it is good that you wish to live long and you try to observe for this purpose all necessary measures. Rik I have made inquiry on the Internet and to me have given the address of your e-mail and it was valid on a site in eroticy.com I in it very badly I understand and through this inquiry I could contact you.
Important that we communicate now and we begin ours with you sincerely friendship.
Rik I would like to learn about your family. What can you tell to me?
At you it is a lot of relatives? Where your parents? My mum now 53 years and her name Tatyana. The father name Sergei, to it was executed 57 years.
Native I have no Brothers and sisters.
I have my cousins and we see them on holidays and we spend celebratory suppers together!
At us very amicable family and always on holidays we gather.
As I have my grandmother. Mine the grandmother call Svetlana.
I earlier in the childhood often lived with the grandmother and it much
To that has learnt me. Rik why you have decided to search for the love in
The Internet? I, for example, tried to find the man in the city earlier
Or in other, but it has turned out nothing. At all of us the man it is a lot of to drink
Alcohol. I do not love it. In Russia it is a lot of men,
To which the woman only for sex is necessary. That is the man pay attention only to my appearance.
But they never think of my private world and a shower... They wish to have only with me short relations.
And I wish to find the man for creation with it of strong, serious and loving relations.
Which would appreciate me not my beauty, and for my mind and my private world...
I have not met anybody here and have decided to learn
About you it is more. I wish to meet such who would understand me. Who can
To support me and to whom I will be important. And I will love such man
Always also I will be only it. Rik I do not think that the age is important
The factor. Because with the years men more cleverly also are more skilled also I would be
It is happy, to live with such man. Therefore age not the main thing for me.
I wish to enjoy love, passion, tenderness, I wish to see happiness
The beloved. And I will make all for the sake of it. And you Rik???? I not
To love quarrels. I think, that all can be solved easy. How you think?
Rik you would like to receive still my photos? I send today you a photo,
On which I was photographed with my mum and my grandmother.
I send you an air kiss and I hope, That it does your day successful.
I hope, that I will receive the answer Soon. The truth?
You will write to me at once as will receive my letter?
Yours Nataliya.
Letter 5
Hello Rik, My Far Friend!!!
How you? Rik, what mood at you? What did you do today?
I hope that all that you wanted, all has turned out.
Thanks, that you have written me some details about your life and family!
I have close studied it. It has helped me to understand more well you and your life, and you become more the loved one.
Rik it is really very sad that you speak to me that your daddy already has died.
In a life always there are bad and good moments and when there comes this moment that much regret and worry, but from it where you will not leave also to each person it is necessary to go through through it. I sympathise with you in it. I think that the main thing that there were good memoirs and to recollect more often parents. Rik I understand that my some phrases in English not absolutely correct, but I try to improve my English language and I hope that with your help at me it will turn out. Rik yes my parents I know that I have begun friendship with you, I think that for love is not present what age and the love can exist at any age, my parents as understand me in it and they support me.
Rik I think that you should place the name of my city in Russian and then you can find my city. Write it so: Ershov. And then you can as to see all information on mine a city.
The population last time was 25,6 thousand. - in 1996. Rik as I send you its designation on a card.
Rik you know, what I saw today? When I went along the street I have seen
Small a cat. It was the cat, he to purr, and looked at me.
I have lifted it and have carried it home. Now I do not know, what name to it to give.
At me never was a cat. You can to me will help?
Rik I wish to learn from you how you like to have a rest? You like to go?
You love what songs? What films? What dances? You
Danced with me? I not so well dance, but with you I
Has agreed to dance. Theatre, the sea?
What do you love? Rik tell to me.
I adore, films about love and as comedies.
If I look a terrible film that I always I am afraid and usually I close eyes.
As I like romantic songs and classics. I sometimes like to listen Tchaikovsky,
Bah, Mozart. And as I like to cook food!
The grandmother has learnt me to prepare many dishes, and I am assured, that it would be pleasant to you of a dish which I have prepared.
I am able to prepare such pizza which more
Nobody can prepare. I am assured, that you would estimate my skill.
Rik you were on the sea? I was only once in a city of Sochi. To me very much
It was pleasant. As the cool wind shrouds a body, as cool water
Gives freshness and pleasure. There is no only one. Men, with
Which all can enjoy it. You would go with me Rik??? I
I send you a photo on which I am on the sea in Sochi.
And as I send you greetings from my mum and girlfriends.
I will wait for your photos and the letter. They my pleasure every day.
I am happy, that have met you. I can discuss all with you that I want.
I wait for your letter.
Yours Nataliya.
Letter 6
Hello Rik!!!
I very much hope to receive your letters. I very much miss when you do not write to me. Really you absolutely do not have time? Or you do not want to communicate with me?
I hope that you write to me the letter.
I shall wait,
Yours Nataliya.
Created: 2010-12-06 Last updated: 2010-12-06 Views: 177


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Funpidgin is a customized version of the popular open source client Pidgin which allows instant messaging with over twenty different protocols.
In addition of the original Pidgin features, FunPidgin offers :
# "Entry area manual sizing" a plugin by Artemy Kapitula that allows manual resizing of the entry area.
# An option to set the size of the buddy icons displayed in the chat window.
# An option to let the window manager place new windows.
# Two different ways of seeing that your buddies are typing.
# An optional send button for Tablet PC users.
Download Funpidgin

subset: commoncrawl


text:
1,600 people in 24 cities living 4 values for 1 goal:
To use design to help our clients succeed.
We create exceptional environments that meet our clients' most complex design challenges.
We inspire people through our work by expressing timeless cultural, organizational and personal values.
We connect people and place with ideas that come from many minds and imaginations.
We care about serving our clients, enriching lives, improving communities and protecting our natural environment through design.
We are a global architecture, design, engineering and planning firm.
Image courtesy of Bangalore International Airport Limited
Image courtesy of Bangalore International Airport Limited
"With our pioneering efforts here, we are rewriting India's aviation history."
With a design that creates a pleasant and efficient curbside-to-aircraft passenger experience, the open, welcoming environment is easy to navigate and accommodates the increasing number of passengers using the airport.
The structure creates a grand, dramatic presence that seamlessly blends with the existing terminal. An elegantly curved roof serves as the unifying element for the new and existing facilities, creating a strong physical presence and visual identity for the airport. The roof's undulating shape forms a canopy that protects passengers and visitors from the elements. Its structural system includes a monolithic plinth with elegant steel branches that pass through a suspended ceiling to meet the structure above.
Along with the building's large overhang, the use of low-e glazing reduces unwanted heat gain to create an energy-efficient, high-performance structure. Skylights enable natural light to penetrate from above, linking the atmosphere and spacious feeling of the original building with the expansion. At the east and west ends of the terminal, 65-foot-high glass walls flood the space with natural light while creating commanding views to the outside.
Silver metallic and bright white finishes recall the high-tech nature of the city. Interior landscape features and plantings reinforce Bengaluru's reputation as India's "Garden City." New passenger amenities include enhanced seating areas at gate lounges and a variety of new retail and dining opportunities.
Expanded, centralized departure areas include the addition of 30 check-in counters, six emigration counters and 11 security counters serving domestic and international passengers.
The expansion adds international gates designed specifically for newer wide-bodied aircraft such as the Airbus A380, as well as a more efficient baggage delivery system with dedicated island carousels.
"The airport has been built to reflect the city's dreams, culture, ethos and the state's landscape," reported The Economic Times. "The expanded terminal is spacious and at par with the best in the world in terms of convenience."
The airport has earned GreenCo Platinum certification from the Confederation of Indian Industry's Green Business Centre and LEED Gold certification from the Indian Green Building Council.
LEED-NC Gold
GreenCo Platinum
1.44 million sq. ft. / 134,000 sq. m.
23 gates
Design and Planning Services
29 February 2016
"Kempegowda International Airport Is India's First to Receive GreenCo Platinum Rating"
HOK News
24 March 2015
"Kempegowda International Airport Accommodates 15 Million Passengers in 2014-2015"
Bengaluru Airport News
4 August 2014
"BIAL Positions Bangalore Airport to Be 'Gateway to the South'"
The Hindu Business Line


text:
About Social Studio
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Day 240/365
9 comments:
- What Ken Be Done said...
I thought, dear readers, you might like to know that as I left the house this morning, a cockatoo perched on a tree above me crapped on my vintage Anthea Crawford... yet I remained smiling. Why? 1) A bird poo-ing on you is universally accepted as meaning *good* luck (!!) and 2) thanks to Anthea's 1980's design - you couldn't even see where the poo actually was!! :-)
- February 23, 2011 at 8:57 AM
The bird probably thought that is what it was meant to do with that outfit...
- February 23, 2011 at 9:27 PM
Goodness, I thought this was a Qantas flight attendant's outfit from the early 1908s.
- February 23, 2011 at 9:28 PM
- birdmonkey said...
bird poo story is hilarious! x make that 69 items- one definately coming from the Canberra mob.
- February 23, 2011 at 11:31 PM
- birdmonkey said...
and I can say that Jackie was still wearing this neckpiece in the evening. You must have the most tolerant work place.
- February 23, 2011 at 11:33 PM
- Lyndel said...
Oh my. must have been the 'necklace' he mistook it for paper in the bottom of the cage. Sorry, your first KD I didn't think looked fantastic. HOwever, the Anthea C looks great.
- February 24, 2011 at 7:50 AM
The calendar neck piece is so outrageous. I love it! Brilliant! I'm sure you got some excellent reactions to that little baby!
- February 24, 2011 at 8:28 AM
Only 65 to go...four KD items will be coming to Sydney with me next week! :-)
- February 24, 2011 at 9:39 AM
- What Ken Be Done? said...
Trust a hand-crafted paper necklace to help divide comments amongst you all, dear readers. I did think there was some significance in the bird poo story as well... and again, love that some of you thought it was *me* that confused the cockatoo with such an outrageous outfit. :-)
FYI: a lovely man I work with seriously said to me, "I bow at your altar" when he saw the necklace... so I am very *lucky* my workplace colleagues know how to have fun!!
Thanks too on helping me to reach my target - together I know we can do it! And if not, there will be more of these paper necklaces coming... eeek!!
- February 25, 2011 at 6:44 AM


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Bush to Seek Cutback in Gas Consumption
On the surface of it, this SEEMS like a good thing, but unless it's executed very carefully by people who actually think ahead, the biggest effect it's going to have is to cause already too high fuel prices to skyrocket.
Instead, perhaps NOW the auto industry could get off it's collective kiesters and start coming up with REALLY fuel effecient cars… As in 90 – 100 miles per gallon and also to get moving on hydrogen fueled cars.
Think about it, hydrogen is THE most plentiful substance in the known universe, it burns clean and does not pollute the environment. Why has this not been seriously explored on a truely large scale? I think the answer involves very intense greed.
Bush to Seek Cutback in Gas Consumption
WASHINGTON (AP) – In his first State of the Union address to a Democratic-controlled Congress, President Bush is calling for Americans to slash gasoline consumption by up to 20 percent by 2017.
Bush envisions the goal being achieved primarily through a sharp escalation in the amount of ethanol and other alternative fuels that the federal government mandates must be produced. The rest of the fuel use reduction is to come from raising fuel economy standards for passenger cars, Joel Kaplan, White House deputy chief of staff, told reporters in a briefing before Bush's Tuesday night speech to a joint session of Congress.
Filed under: News • Politics • Technology
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|A Place of Rare Beauty.
Ironforge is my home. Although my first character was a Night Elf, it wasn't until I first rolled a Dwarf that I found a connection to the game world. I can remember the first time I went into Ironforge in Vanilla and realised I'd need a new PC if I wanted to do anything there. I can remember the first thing I did when I got that new PC was to walk around and look at every single place I'd previously been unable to see with a sense of utter amazement. This was somewhere I wanted to stay.
I still resent the fact that Stormwind's been made into the de facto HQ for everyone because of the portals. I miss the days of giant rampaging demons taking down the Gates. I also miss the Elemental Invasions. I'd like Ironforge re-instated as a place people should need to come to, please.
|OK so that statue's a bit excessive, but still…
There is still a large portion of Ironforge that many people didn't know existed, and had been in the game since Vanilla but not easily accessible. When Cataclysm launched the door in the Throne Room (on the right as you enter) was finally opened and you could gain access to the original bowels of the city, in the midst of which was the frozen form of Magni Bronzebeard. In an attempt to understand the Titan's technology, he had paid the ultimate price for curiosity.
|I'd like my ruler back please. I miss him.
Old Ironforge is vast, yet largely cosmetic, but it adds an entirely new dimension to the city. If you've not yet explored it, I'd suggest you do.
|Dwarves and Stone are inextricably linked. Never forget this.
There's a hundred great pictures of this city to be had, and it's been quite difficult to select five, but it occurred to me that this last one is probably my favourite.
|The Ironforge Library.
It's a standing joke: Dwarves are about the beer and the guns, and many people overlook the fact they have a great thirst for knowledge and understanding, especially when it comes to their own heritage. Our leader has possibly paid for that with his life, after all. Dwarves are not simply to be laughed at, or to be ridiculed, they have a vast and rich history which should never be forgotten.
They also make by far the best Hunters :D


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Woodward sets the global standard in the aerospace and defense industry for advanced flight control systems, integrated cockpit controls, precision actuation solutions, motion control, and sensing.Over the last 50 years, we have evolved from an electromechanical and hydraulic motion control manufacturer to a technology leader for advanced cockpit-to-surface solutions for actuation and flight control systems for military and commercial fixed wing aircraft. Woodward can design, develop, qualify, and support all items needed to meet our customer's total requirements.
Woodward has total system solutions for your aerospace application. Our customers value us for our superior systems capabilities, operational and process excellence, innovative technical solutions, and premier customer service.
Woodward's aircraft motion control products and total capabilities include:
©Copyright 2019 Woodward, Inc


text:
RoboReply v1.1
Don't text while you drive! Let RoboReply auto reply to your incoming texts when you are driving, at a movie, working out, or just unavailable. Choose your reply message from a list you create, then set the length of time for RoboReply to stay on. Reply to everyone or just your contacts. Your reply will also tell them what time you will become available. Access RoboReply from a home screen widget.
Available for Android 1.5 or higher.
Tags: android app, auto reply, sms reply, text message reply


text:
"Working with IMA made developing and designing our website easy. They took the time to visit me in person at my location—this helped everything flow smoothly and made it possible for them to capture the image I wanted to portray, in spite of my inability to accurately verbalize it. Thanks again, IMA!"
"We love IMA! I'm very, very happy with our new custom website. We wanted one that looks different because we're different—and they over-delivered on their promise and stayed on budget. After being extremely disappointed with another website provider, I'm thrilled that IMA was able to see and carry out my vision. The team's expertise, from copywriting to design and SEO, is as professional and efficient as it gets. Another incredible bonus? We now have great content from our website that can be repurposed in other marketing materials."
"Waukesha Floral has become a recognized brand in the floral industry with the help of Tom Kaupp and associates at Image Makers Advertising. IMA provides streamlined, trendy advertisements for TV, billboards, and print, along with full website enhancements and search engine optimization. The use of IMA's Rate Our Business program provides valuable feedback about what our customers like or would change, as well as reviews for our website. Tom and associates are professional and knowledgeable about all aspects of advertising and image building for our business. As quickly as advertising changes these days, we know we can count on IMA to keep us on the cutting edge!"
"We look forward to a bright future of continued growth and success, thanks to our strong partnership with Image Makers."
"Transitions are never easy, and fair and festival season are certainly no exception—especially during the busy part of the preparation stages! I've always known Image Makers Advertising to be a part of the Fair and support the community as a whole. It has been an eye-opening opportunity over the past few months to experience a whole team living, breathing, and backing your visions and goals as a nonprofit business benefitting the community.
Between the challenges of balancing a tight budget, meeting (sometimes unfathomable) deadlines, and connecting a mass amount of people to knowledge and opportunities, Image Makers continues to rise to every occasion. Whether it's helpful advice, a friendly ear to listen and work through logistics, or their incredible attention to detail, I couldn't imagine making this event as successful without Image Makers Advertising along the way.
Tom Kaupp and his team create a welcoming, professional outlook that help to truly put challenges at ease. It has been a blessing to have their knowledge, support, and willingness to adapt to any situation. They strive for excellence and continue to stand above the rest!"


text: bluegrass Colorado Bluegrass Band Trout Steak Revival On Wyoming Sounds By Wyoming Public Media • Aug 29, 2018 Anna Rader Trout Steak Revival on Wyoming Sounds recorded on 08/29/18 10¢ Stranger & Low Water String Band On Wyoming Sounds By Wyoming Public Media • Feb 16, 2018 Melaina Nielson 10 Cent Stranger, Low Water String Band, and J Shogren Shanghai'd live on Wyoming Sounds on 2/16/18. Denver Bluegrass Band Masontown On Morning Music By Wyoming Public Media • May 2, 2016 Masontown Masontown recorded live on 5/02/16 during Wyoming Public Radio's Morning Music show. Bluegrass Jam Session - Dayton By Tongue River Valley Community Center • Mar 4, 2016 Tongue River Valley Community Center The Tongue River Valley Community Center occupies the former Tongue River High School and exists to enrich the quality of community life by providing educational, social, recreational, and cultural opportunities that cultivate positive values and good character. Among the many programs, the Center hosts bluegrass jam sessions twice a month. Many musicians go to Dayton for the Jam Sessions. They join in from Dayton, Ranchester, Sheridan, and Buffalo. Big Horn Mountain Festival Celebrates 10 Years Of American Roots Music By Micah Schweizer • Jul 5, 2014 The Big Horn Mountain Festival in Buffalo celebrates ten years of roots, bluegrass and Americana music at the Johnson County Fairgrounds, July 11 through 13. Wyoming Public Radio's Micah Schweizer asked one of the organizers, Paul Jarvis, to remember the festival's early years. Colorado Bluegrass Band Thunder And Rain On Morning Music By Anna Rader • Jun 6, 2014 Micah Schweizer Golden, Colorado bluegrass band Thunder and Rain are known for their "Mountain Made Colorado Country" music. Three of the five band members, guitarist and vocalist Erinn Lukes, mandolin player Pete Weber, and banjo player and vocalist R.P. Oates stopped by Wyoming Public Media on June 6. They played a live set on Morning Music ahead of their show on June 7 in Woods Landing. Steep Canyon Rangers: Come Dance By Ben Slater & Anna Rader • May 12, 2014 www.steepcanyon.com WPM's Ranch Breakfast show recently had a visit from the Grammy Award-winning bluegrass sextet the Steep Canyon Rangers. Here's a live performance of an original song from their newest album, Tell The Ones I Love. BeatGrass: Everlasting Home By Anna Rader, Ben Slater & Micah Schweizer • Jan 29, 2014 Anna Rader We were saddened to hear that BeatGrass banjo-picker Pete Mergard passed away last week. Here's a song from the Cheyenne-based band's December 2013 visit to the WPM studios. Cowgirl In A Bluegrass Band: Della Mae's Wyoming Connection By Micah Schweizer • Jan 24, 2014 A bluegrass band with Wyoming connections will be holding its breath at the Grammy Awards on Sunday night. That's because Della Mae's recording 'This World Oft Can Be' is up for Best Bluegrass Album. Wyoming Public Radio's Micah Schweizer reports. MICAH SCHWEIZER: Late last year, late at night, the band was on the road in Tennessee when they heard the news. Shelby Means, who plays bass and sings harmony, says the band was packed into a van with their soundman at the wheel. The Ranch Breakfast Show Celebrates 33 Years By Wyoming Public Media • Jan 8, 2014 Jeremy Martin/Boomerang photographer Host Tom Wilhelm of the "Ranch Breakfast Show" is celebrating 33 years of being on air with Wyoming Public Radio. The bluegrass radio show started in the early 1980s and has continued to be a great local music program. Shook Twins: Crisper By Anna Rader, Micah Schweizer & Ben Slater • Nov 4, 2013 Micah Schweizer Born and raised in Sandpoint Idaho, identical twins Katelyn and Laurie Shook make up the Indie Folk-Pop band Shook Twins. They now reside in Portland, Oregon. Kyle Volkman and Niko Daoussis form the core quartet.


text:
It gets fierce when the money's on the line. Things definitely heated up since practice* in Kansas. Check out the photos and video of heavy moves that went down during the Street League finals yesterday. Stay tuned for the next stop in Germany on the 27th.
*Also check out the photos and video from the warm up at the Kansas City Street League stop.


text:
Randy Balsmeyer and the team at BFD have spent the last several weeks creating visual effects for two exciting television shows, both of which are airing in the next few days. We hope you get a chance to see and enjoy them. We apologize if you have already received this message. We have moved to a new server and are experiencing some "growing pains."
Sunday night at 10/9C on ABC
Welcome to The Drake, Park Avenue's most devilish address, where evil, obsession, and supernatural occurrences are all included in the rent.
In this week's episode, Jane makes a terrifying discovery about what lies behind the walls of The Drake as she begins to renovate Mr. Barlow's apartment.
Randy Balsmeyer is the Visual Effects Supervisor for the series, working with Zoic Studios to produce the effects. For a sneak peek take a look here.
For more info visit the 666 Park Avenue web site.
GOSSIP GIRL Season Premiere
Monday night at 9/8C on the CW
Six years after the first Gossip Girl blast rocked the Upper East Side and viewers at home, Gossip Girlreturns for an unforgettable final season. Serena (Blake Lively) has gone off the grid, beyond even the reach of Gossip Girl. Her friends fear for the worst and hope for the best, but even they can't imagine where they will ultimately find her.
In the season premiere, VFX Supervisor Randy Balsmeyer and BFD's VFX team magically transport the cast to Tuscany, Dubai and Monte Carlo for a recap of their summer adventures.
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Magpul Womens Diamond Logo T Shirt First seen on the side of our 1952 Flxible Sightseer bus that travels to various shows around the country, our retro style logo is now available on new upgraded shirts and color schemes.
Magpul Diamond Logo in screenprinted soft-touch ink on the front with a small Magpul wordmark script on the lower right rear.


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Amac wrote:I hope you raised the pores with a damp cloth to start with and then sanded back. That just eliminates the stain and finish from raising the grain.
Cheers Andrew
Nup, didn't know I had to do that. There's another lesson learnt. I did use some sanding sealer.
Cheers mate.


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Joanne over at Possum blossom patchwork has kindly sent me some packets of pre cut hexagons to share with my hexagon buddies on this blog. some are 1 inch and others are 1 1/2 inch.
Over the next few weeks I thought we could have some giveaways of these packets. So stay tuned for more.
If you get time pop over to Joanne's web site and check out all the paper piecing supplies she has.
Happy sewing ladies.
Monday, June 13, 2011
A gift for us
9 comments:
- De said...
Oh how very generous of her! Big thank you from me :)
- June 13, 2011 at 4:51 PM
- Jo in TAS said...
HOw lovely! I could do with more hexies!!
- June 13, 2011 at 5:13 PM
- Kathy said...
Thats so nice of Joanne. What a lovely surprise.
- June 13, 2011 at 5:45 PM
- Vicki ♥ said...
Joanne that is very generous of you :) You are a special lady :)
- June 13, 2011 at 9:36 PM
Thats a lovely thing to do Joanne. Its nice when others like to share what they have.
- June 14, 2011 at 7:16 AM
- Kathy said...
How cool is this! I love the way quilters are so generous:)
Kathy G
- June 14, 2011 at 10:33 AM
- Quilt Kitty said...
That's so nice of Joanne. Going to check out her site now too. Tracee xx
- June 20, 2011 at 7:42 PM
- Sarah said...
Very generous indeed! Thanks PBP xx
- June 25, 2011 at 7:17 PM
- Sarah said...
- June 25, 2011 at 7:17 PM
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Liquid Multi Tropical Orange Flavor - 16 oz.
Serving Size: 1 Tablespoon
Suggested Use: Shake well. As a dietary supplement, For Adults: take 1 tablespoon (15 mL) 1 to 2 times daily with meals. For Children 4 years and older: take 1 teaspoon (5 mL) 1 to 2 times daily with meals.
Other Ingredients: Purified Water, Vegetable Glycerin, Xylitol, Natural Flavors, Soy Lecithin, Citric Acid, Malic Acid, Xanthan Gum and Potassium Sorbate.
Free of: salt, starch, yeast, wheat, gluten, milk, egg or artificial colors or flavors.
Warnings: None
Shake well before use.
Refrigerate after opening to preserve flavor.
Store in a cool, dry place.
Please recycle
AAC=Amino Acid Chelate
|Supplement Facts


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Conventional wisdom in Washington is coalescing around the idea that the Federal Reserve should be empowered as a systemic risk regulator to supervise all "systemically significant" financial institutions. Last month's Outlook[1] contended that the failure of banking regulation argues strongly against extending safety-and-soundness regulation beyond the banking sector and that designating some firms as systemically significant would create another class of companies–like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac–that are implicitly backed by the federal government. This Outlook examines the notion that the Fed should be the systemic regulator, pointing out that the agency has for many years had all the powers of a systemic regulator for banks and has failed to use them effectively; that supervising industries other than banking requires skills and knowledge that the Fed does not have and probably could not acquire in any reasonable amount of time; and that a role as systemic regulator would impair the Fed's independence and create conflicts with its more important function as the nation's monetary authority. Finally, this Outlook questions whether systemic risk itself can be defined–and whether the commonly accepted notion of systemic risk supports the creation of a systemic risk regulator.
Although there is no draft legislation yet available, the broad outlines of what the Obama administration is likely to propose in the wake of the financial crisis are becoming clear. The Group of Thirty report,[2] the report of the Congressional Oversight Panel that followed,[3] and statements by Barney Frank,[4] the influential chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, indicate that there is substantial support for a plan that would extend prudential (that is, safety-and-soundness) regulation beyond banking to hedge funds, securities firms, insurance companies, private equity firms, and other financial intermediaries. Not all members of these industries will be regulated for safety and soundness, only those that are deemed to be systemically significant by a new regulator of systemic risk. The agency that Frank seems determined to invest with this authority is the Federal Reserve.
There are a number of reasons to be concerned about extending safety-and-soundness regulation beyond banking to other sectors of the financial system, and particularly doing so by designating certain companies as systemically significant. But empowering the Fed as the systemic risk regulator raises several major issues:
· The Fed has been aware of the problem of systemic risk for at least thirty years and has had the power to control it through its regulation of bank holding companies (BHCs) for at least that long. If the Fed has made any efforts to control the risk-taking of the largest banks–the financial institutions that might cause systemic risk–those efforts have failed.
· The Fed is a bank regulator; it has no expertise in regulating or understanding the details of businesses like hedge funds, securities firms, or insurance companies. Yet, as the regulator of systemically significant companies, the Fed would be required to make important decisions about such things as appropriate capital levels, leverage, products, and risk management that require deep understanding of any industry in which a systemically significant firm is located.
· There are inherent conflicts between the role of the Fed as the nation's central bank and its potential role as a regulator of systemically significant companies. The United States is one of only a few major developed countries that have authorized a monetary authority to take a role in bank regulation, and the trend in the last quarter century has been to separate monetary policy from financial regulation.
· To maintain its credibility for monetary policy purposes, the Fed must be independent of the political organs of government. But, as systemic risk regulator, it would inevitably be drawn into the politics of regulation, adversely affecting the credibility of its efforts to maintain price stability.
· As the lender of last resort, the Fed is in a particularly good position to provide financing to nonbank financial institutions that encounter financial difficulties. This will spread the federal safety net beyond banking and raise questions about whether there should be restrictions on commercial ownership of all systemically significant companies.
· There is no accepted definition of systemic risk and no generally understood idea–other than size itself–for how the potential for systemic risk might be identified before a systemic event actually occurs. The widely accepted view that systemic risk results from an external shock as well as simple contagion raises questions about the efficacy of regulating systemically significant firms. Granting to any agency the authority to determine whether a company is systemically significant or whether any activity would pose a systemic risk would be a blank check.
The Fed and Systemic Risk
In 1970, Congress granted the Federal Reserve the power to regulate and supervise BHCs. This power is extensive, and it has allowed the Fed to regulate BHCs in the same way that a bank supervisor can regulate a bank. The Fed regulates the capital of BHCs, limits their nonbanking activities, and, through the BHC, is able to influence the lending policies of the underlying bank. Although the term "systemic risk" is not used in the Bank Holding Company Act, the Fed has all the powers under the act that it might conceivably be given in any legislation in which the Fed is constituted as a systemic regulator. Nevertheless, the Fed never used these powers to stem the problems at Citigroup, Wachovia, or the other banking institutions that have had to be rescued in the current financial crisis.
It is not as though the Fed is unfamiliar with the concept of systemic risk. In 1998, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (with the acquiescence of the Federal Reserve Board) stepped in to prevent the collapse of the hedge fund Long-Term Capital Management when it thought that the collapse would have far-reaching systemic effects. There is some question whether this was the correct judgment,[5] but there is no question that the Fed was sensitive to the issue of systemic risk. Nor is there any question that if the Fed wanted to control the risk-taking of the largest banks–the institutions most likely to be declared systemically significant–it could have done so through its control over their holding companies. Accordingly, before handing the power to control systemic risk to the Fed, Congress should want to know why the Fed has not exercised its existing power to control systemic risk in the banking system–and why it was unable to prevent the near failure of Citibank, the principal subsidiary of Citigroup and an institution that everyone would define as systemically significant.
The Fed's Expertise
The Fed is a bank regulator. It goes without saying that banking is a completely different business from insurance, which is different from securities trading, which, in turn, is different from the risk-taking and arbitrage transactions of hedge funds. The regulation of each company must take account of these differences. In order to decide on such issues as the appropriate amount of capital or leverage, the systemic regulator or supervisor of each form must have a detailed knowledge of the business practices, accounting standards, and taxation of each business model.
Accordingly, in order to be a systemic risk regulator for industries and business sectors other than banks, the Fed or some other institution would have to acquire a great deal of expertise in other fields of finance. It would be required to understand how these industries function and why they function the way they do. Every change in capital or leverage would have an effect not only on the competition within the industry in which the particular firm is located, but also on the ability of the firm to compete with other members of the financial services field. In today's financial services sector, banks, insurers, securities firms, hedge funds, mutual funds, finance companies, leasing companies, and even private equity firms compete for business, for capital, and for credit. Any significant mandated change in how the largest firms in each of these financial services industries do business will have an impact–positive or negative–on firms in every other financial services industry. It is for this reason that the Senate report on the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act did not give the Fed the authority to supervise the nonbanking subsidiaries of financial holding companies. "It is inefficient and impractical," the report noted, "to expect a regulator to have or to develop expertise in regulating all aspects of financial services."[6] This was the judgment of Congress when securities and insurance were the only activities that were subject to any form of safety-and-soundness regulation (which, in the case of securities firms, was regulation intended primarily to protect customer accounts). If the legislation under consideration ultimately authorizes the Fed (or some other regulator) to supervise every financial intermediary that is systemically significant, it will create a giant regulator that will be required to understand in detail how each of these businesses operates and how a change in its capital, leverage, or business model will affect every other member of the financial services industry.
The underlying theory of the proposal to constitute the Fed as a systemic risk regulator is that the agency will not only be able to supervise the systemically significant members of the financial services industry–no matter what business form they take–but will also be able to recognize the development of systemic risks before they place the financial system in jeopardy. Thus, the Fed would have to be able to forecast the effect of new products and business activities on future financial health. Not only will the agency be required to know what is the best capital level for these companies in many different businesses and with many different risk profiles, but it will also need to understand what particular activities or investments present excessive risks when undertaken by such a business. The answers to these questions for hedge funds and insurance companies, for example, are quite different from one another and quite different from those for banks. Hedge funds are traders and risk-takers; insurance companies are specialists in pooling risks. Hedge funds are financed by equity; insurance companies are generally corporations with capital ratios and long-term assets. Banks are part of a global payment system. Can any one agency make these varied judgments effectively–more effectively than the market itself?
Conflicts among the Fed's Roles
As the U.S. central bank, the Fed is responsible for maintaining price stability while fostering economic growth and employment. To a large extent, these roles are in conflict. As Robert E. Litan and Charles W. Calomiris noted in a 2000 article: "[W]eakness in the financial sector can tempt a central bank with supervisory authority over financial institutions to pursue a looser monetary policy than it would otherwise follow, imparting an inflationary bias."[7] For example, it might be that at a time of bank weakness, a tight monetary policy would have an adverse effect on the health of the financial institutions under the Fed's supervision. Instead of considering the overall health of the economy when it makes its monetary policy decisions, the Fed as bank supervisor or systemic regulator could defer a necessary rate increase in order to reduce the pressure on the institutions it supervises. This danger would be particularly acute if the Fed were the systemic regulator because systemically significant financial institutions are–by definition–too big to fail; they must be kept healthy lest their failure cause an adverse systemic event. The Fed would certainly be tempted in these circumstances to hold off on an interest rate increase in hopes of preserving the health of the systemically significant firms it is supervising. An opposite outcome is also easily imaginable; imagine that the Fed decides not to invoke its power to close down a weak institution because it fears that such an action will then require it to increase market liquidity in order to prevent further financial institution defaults.
Ideally, if there were to be a systemic regulator, it should have the health of the institutions it supervises solely in mind when it makes its decisions. However, the Fed's interest in promoting market stability can lead it to encourage–rather than discourage–risk-taking by the banks it supervises. One example of this phenomenon in action was the Fed's successful effort in 1982 to get various U.S. banks to extend loans to Mexico at a time when Mexico was unable to meet its foreign exchange obligations. Although the banks themselves were threatened by losses on their Mexican loans, they followed the Fed's direction and made new loans to Mexico. At the time, Fed chairman Paul Volcker assured the banks that these risky loans would not be held against them: "[W]here new loans facilitate the adjustment process and enable a country to strengthen its economy and service its international debt in an orderly manner, new credits should not be subject to supervisory criticism."[8] This is not to say that Volcker's decision was wrong in that instance, but only to point out a clear example of the conflict of interest that affects the Fed's administration of its bank regulatory functions.
It is perhaps for this reason that central banks in almost all developed countries have no role other than that of monetary policy. The European Central Bank was established with only a monetary policy role, and only the United States and Israel give their monetary authorities any role in financial system regulation. Elsewhere–Switzerland, Canada, Australia, Germany, Sweden, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Japan, to name just a few–banks are regulated by other government entities. And the trend has been strongly in this direction, with the United Kingdom, Japan, and Australia having taken bank regulation away from their central banks in recent years.
The traditional position of the Fed has been that its bank regulatory activities assist it in keeping tabs on the economy. The theory is that the examination of banks and reports from banks provide a source of confidential information, not available elsewhere, for judging the health of the overall economy. This would, in turn, contribute to the Fed's role as systemic regulator. This argument has always had a make-weight aspect to it. There is no reason for the Fed to have to examine banks or other institutions to get this information, even on a confidential basis. In reality, the Fed does not examine many banks; almost all the large banks are nationally chartered and examined and regulated by the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). The Fed regulates and supervises BHCs, the companies that control banks. Most of the day-to-day supervisory work on BHCs is done by the regional Federal Reserve banks and not the Federal Reserve Board itself. If necessary, both the OCC and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation receive reports from banks and could furnish the confidential information in these reports to the Fed.
Threats to the Fed's Monetary Policy Role
The Federal Reserve System was designed to be independent of both Congress and the executive branch. The seven members of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System are appointed by the president for fourteen-year staggered terms–by far the longest in the federal government–and the agency is independent of the congressional appropriations process. The chairman is appointed by the president for a four-year term, but his term is not coextensive with the election of the president, so that the Fed chair remains in office for at least the first two years of the new president's term.
This extraordinary insulation from the elected branches gives the Fed credibility with the financial markets, which are justifiably concerned that the Fed's policies on price stability will eventually start to follow election returns, allowing the dollar to devalue for political rather than economic reasons. As Laurence Meyer, a former Fed governor, observed: "The motivation for granting independence to central banks is to insulate the conduct of monetary policy from political interference, especially interference motivated by the pressures of elections to deliver short-term gains irrespective of longer-term costs . . . [and] to provide a credible commitment of the government, through its central bank, to achieve . . . price stability."[9]
The Fed's independence has spawned a great deal of controversy, as it should in a democracy. The question is whether an organization that has the power to affect the economy in such substantial ways–resulting in more growth or less in both the economy and employment–should be able to function without accountability to the elected branches. The agency's independence has been repeatedly challenged by powerful members of Congress, usually when it tightens monetary policy and suppresses economic growth in the interest of maintaining stable prices. This conflict springs from important political interests. Price stability–that is, a stable currency value–favors lenders; inflation in currency values favors borrowers because they are able to repay their loans with inflated dollars. The tribunes of the common man, like William Jennings Bryan, opposed the "cross of gold" because they saw the tight money policies implied by the gold standard as a burden on the working man (now called "working families"). This controversy continues into the modern era. In 1989, for example, then-representatives Lee Hamilton (D-Ind.) and Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) introduced legislation intended to make the Fed "more accountable" for its decisions, a move described as follows in the New York Times: "The Midwestern farmers and businessmen whom Mr. Hamilton and [Mr. Dorgan] represent often favor lower interest rates or 'easy money' to make borrowing easier. . . . But the Federal Reserve has traditionally agreed with bankers and bond dealers, who typically advocate 'hard money,' or higher rates, to prevent the inflation that can devalue the loans they make and the securities in which they deal."[10]
Today, the question of the Fed's independence does not revolve around hard money versus easy money but instead around the credibility of the Fed's policies. For the past twenty-five years, with the exception of a few years after the dot-com collapse in the early 2000s and current efforts to address the financial crisis, the Fed has followed a policy of keeping inflation low by controlling the money supply or otherwise attempting to limit price increases. This has resulted in a slow rate of inflation (1 or 2 percent a year) and relatively stable long-term interest rates. Long-term rates, which are essential for investment planning by business, will remain stable as long as the credit markets believe that the Fed will continue to follow a stable price policy in the future. In the late 1970s, the Fed's commitment to price stability had lost credibility, and long-term rates rose to historic highs. It took several years of painful Fed money supply management to win back the credibility that was required to bring these rates down. The credit markets understand that the political pressures in a democracy favor inflation–there are simply many more borrowers than lenders–and so they watch carefully to determine if the Fed is buckling under pressure from Congress and the president. Thus, while the Fed's independence is inconsistent with democracy, it reflects a practical judgment that the nation's economy would be better off if its monetary policy is determined by economic rather than political considerations. A similar judgment, as noted above, has been made in many other major developed countries. Indeed, at least one study has shown that in countries where the central bank is also engaged in bank regulation, inflation rates tend to be higher.[11] This is what would be expected if the central bank is under pressure to put off credit-tightening in order to make sure that the banks it supervises are stable.
Nevertheless, the cooperation between the Fed and the Treasury in the last year–as the financial crisis has deepened–has been unprecedented. Although there has been relatively little commentary about this in the media, it raises serious questions about the Fed's long-term independence from the elected branches and hence the credibility of its stable price policies. When the crisis comes to an end, this will surely be one of the major issues that the financial markets will worry about. Will the Fed simply have become an arm of the Treasury Department, or will it be able to separate itself in the future from Treasury policies that it has had a major role in creating and implementing? Will the Fed sop up the liquidity that it has poured into the economy, or will it again cooperate with the Treasury at least through the election of 2012? It is through this lens that the Fed's power over systemically significant companies should be viewed. Giving the Fed the power to regulate all the key financial firms in the U.S. economy would involve the agency in major decisions about how business is carried out by whole industries. Unlike monetary policy–which depends for its success on the financial markets' belief that the Fed is making its decisions on the basis of economic rather than political factors–there is no practical or policy basis for insulating the Fed's control over systemically significant companies from political influence. These decisions would be so important that they should be subject to political influence.
Fortunately, there seems to be some recognition of the importance of this issue on the part of Senate Banking Committee chairman Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.). At a hearing on regulatory reform on February 4, 2009, Dodd noted the danger associated with giving the Fed a major regulatory role: "We must be mindful of ensuring the independence and integrity of the Fed's monetary policy function."[12] In the same hearing, Volcker was asked about the broad authority some have talked about giving to the Fed. In response, he pointed out that there are dangers in loading up the Fed with responsibilities: "You will have a different Federal Reserve if the Federal Reserve is going to do all the regulation from a prudential standpoint. . . . You have to consider whether that's a wise thing to do when their primary responsibility is monetary policy."[13]
Use of the Discount Window
The Fed has one authority that no other regulator possesses–the ability to create and lend money without an appropriation from Congress. The flexibility of the Fed's authority as lender of last resort has been demonstrated in the current financial crisis by the agency's willingness to lend on an emergency basis to companies and organizations that are not banks or BHCs. The continued availability of this authority raises troubling questions if the Fed is to become the regulator of all systemically significant financial institutions. The Group of Thirty report[14] contains a recommendation that, in whatever form regulation might take, it should preserve the restriction in current law that prevents the commercial firms from acquiring control of insured depository institutions.
Ironically, this restriction, known as the separation of banking and commerce, has contributed substantially to the financial crisis by depriving the banking industry of the capital that could come in from outside the industry. In the past year, the Fed has made efforts to loosen its rules on what constitutes a controlling position in a bank, but there is still very little capital coming into the industry. The longstanding reason for the separation of banking and commerce has been a fear (wholly unwarranted, in my view) that if commercial firms were to control banks, the government "safety net"–which includes the Fed's discount window lending facility–would be spread beyond the banking industry.
That spreading, of course, has already occurred as a result of the Fed's efforts to keep many financial institutions afloat during the current financial crisis, but the proposal to make the Fed the regulator of systemically significant financial firms threatens to institutionalize a substantial broadening of the Fed's lender-of-last-resort functions. As discussed more fully below, the underlying reason for regulating systemically significant firms is concern that their failure will cause failures elsewhere in the economy–that is why they are called "systemically significant." Under these circumstances, giving the Fed authority to regulate and supervise these firms is essentially the same thing as giving it authority to use its lender-of-last-resort facility to provide them with the liquidity necessary to prevent their failure. The effect, of course, will be to extend the safety net far beyond the banking industry and, to the extent that the policy of separating banking and commerce is intended to prevent the spread of the safety net to commercial firms, to raise a question of whether there should be restrictions on commercial ownership of any firm that is deemed to be systemically significant. For this reason, if any agency were to be given authority to regulate all systemically significant firms, the Fed should be the last agency on the list.
Defining Systemically Significant Institutions
There is a certain glibness in the reports, papers, and proposals that recommend the regulation of systemically significant financial institutions. The idea completely avoids the difficult question of how to identify these institutions. This is not an unimportant omission. Because the notion of systemic risk has so little content, any systemic regulator is far more likely to err on the side of broadening than narrowing the range of firms it chooses to regulate. This is because of the criticism it will receive if a systemic event occurs because of the failure of an institution that was not previously designated as systemically significant.
But the far more difficult problem will be identifying what is meant by systemically significant and the relationship of this term to the concept of systemic risk. Since the beginning of the financial crisis, there has been increasing attention to the concept of systemic risk. Some commentators have noted that conceiving of systemic risk as arising from contagion–the cascade of losses coming from the failure of one institution–is obsolete at a time when assets are marked to market.[15] In that case, the losses of one or a few institutions because of some external shock can be transmitted to others without any connection between them. That would be a fairly good description of what happened to most of the world's financial intermediaries in the current crisis–when the external shock was a sudden recognition among investors that asset-backed securities of various kinds might be far less safe as investments than the ratings on them might have implied. When this occurred in the summer of 2007, the asset-backed securities market suddenly dried up. Funding for portfolios of such securities could not be found, and intermediaries were compelled to sell these assets at distress prices. The substantially reduced market prices caused the write-down of the same or similar assets on the balance sheets of other financial intermediaries, and what has been called the mortgage meltdown began. Various academic papers have referred to this sequence of events as an example of systemic risk–the danger of widespread losses coming from a systemic shock.[16]
The difficulty this raises is that systemic risk arises not from the failure of a large institution, or even a small group, but from an exogenous event–a shock to the system–that can come from a potentially infinite number of sources. Looking at the current financial crisis, its origin can be found in the combination of a deflating housing bubble in the United States, an unprecedented number of subprime and other nonprime mortgages, an originate-to-distribute securitization system, poor analysis by rating agencies, low costs for borrowed money, and a mark-to-market accounting system that caused asset values (and hence bank capital) to spiral down as distress sales occurred. In the current case, virtually all financial intermediaries were overleveraged in light of the rapid decline in the liquidity of their assets. Accordingly, one of the ways to prevent this ever happening again might be to regulate the various financial intermediaries in such a way as to prevent them from becoming overleveraged again. However, the next crisis may come from an entirely different combination of circumstances–one for which regulation of leverage or capital will not have prepared the regulated institutions. In fact, since regulation will force all the regulated institutions into the same approved mode of regulation, it might weaken the system by reducing the diversity that would allow some financial firms to survive the next shock. So if we do not know exactly how systemic risk will next manifest itself, how can we rely on the regulation of systemically significant institutions to protect us? Moreover, if systemic risk comes from an external shock, there is no reason to regulate only the systemically significant institutions–whatever they are–when virtually all financial institutions are likely to be affected. Why create the problems that come from differential regulation when it will not create any material difference in the outcome?
Even if we think of systemic risk in the traditional way–as the result of a cascade of losses coming from the failure of a large and interconnected institution–how would we identify such an institution? One way, of course, is by size, but is that likely to be sufficient? The interbank payment system is one clear potential source of systemic risk. If one bank in the system were to fail to meet its payment obligations to the others, there could be a cascade of losses as the recipient banks would be unable to meet their own obligations at the end of the day. The trouble with this is that relatively small institutions can have outsized effects on the payment system if they fail to meet their payment obligations, and these institutions are unlikely to be considered systemically significant. An example is the failure of Herstatt Bank in 1974. That failure caused a systemic breakdown, even though no one would have considered Herstatt to have been a systemically significant bank.
Finally, there is the fact that what might be considered systemically significant is highly context-specific. Comparing the failure of the securities firm Drexel Burnham Lambert in 1990 with the failure of Lehman Brothers in 2008 makes this point. Drexel was a very large firm in the context of the market at the time, but its failure did not cause any systemic distress. On the other hand, Lehman's failure in September 2008, when everyone in the market was jittery, caused a worldwide freeze of interbank lending.
This analysis suggests that it is difficult to define systemic risk and what institutions can legitimately be considered systemically significant. Those who argue for regulating systemically significant institutions have not defined them, and until that happens, the suggestion that the Fed or any other agency should regulate this imaginary group has no sound basis.
The Problem of Differential Regulation
Even assuming that we can identify systemically significant institutions, what would be the consequences of regulating them–as opposed to regulating the entire industry of which they are a part? Such a step would have a disastrous effect on the competitive financial system in the United States. If a financial institution is designated as systemically significant, the financial markets will see it as a declaration that the institution is too big to fail. After all, the whole purpose of regulating systemically significant firms is to prevent them from failing, since, by definition, their failure would have an adverse systemic effect on the financial system or the economy generally.
As we have seen with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, any indication that a private firm has the implicit backing of the government–especially if the backing comes from an agency like the Fed, with the power to extend financing–would persuade the markets that extending credit to this institution would involve less risk than extending credit to an institution that is operating without this special designation. For this reason, a firm that is designated as systemically significant would be able to raise funds at lower cost than its competitors, would be likely be more profitable than its competitors, and would have greater access to capital. In industries such as insurance, in which the financial soundness of the company could make a competitive difference, the companies that were able to boast of implicit government backing would be the most successful in attracting customers. Overall, the systemically significant firms would grow larger in relation to others in the same industry and would gradually acquire more and more of their less successful competitors. Eventually, we would see a market much like the housing market that Fannie and Freddie have come to dominate, with a few giant companies, chosen by the government, that have pushed out all competition.
It is, of course, possible that the opposite could occur. The companies that are designated as systemically significant could face so much costly regulation that they become less profitable than their competitors. They might even weaken financially as their competitors took away more of their business by operating more efficiently and offering lower prices. However, implicit government backing, as demonstrated by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, can enable companies to drive all competition from their markets. The likelihood is that if the systemically significant companies encountered competitive difficulties, the Fed or any other regulator would be compelled at some time to provide them with financial assistance or regulatory forbearance.
The case for creating a systemic risk regulator has not been made. There is no clear definition of systemic risk, and specially supervising companies arbitrarily designated as systemically significant would seriously disrupt competition in every field in which a systemically significant company were to operate. In addition, even if it were possible to identify systemically significant companies and to overcome the competitive problems such a policy would entail, the Federal Reserve would be a very poor choice for the systemic supervisor. Such an assignment for the Fed would create significant conflicts with its monetary policy role and impair the independence that the agency needs to carry out that role effectively.
Peter J. Wallison is the Arthur F. Burns Fellow in Financial Policy Studies at AEI.Notes
1. Peter J. Wallison, "Regulation without Reason: The Group of Thirty Report," Financial Services Outlook (January 2009).
2. Working Group on Financial Reform, Financial Reform: A Framework for Financial Stability (Washington, DC: Group of Thirty, January 15, 2009), available at www.group30.org/pubs/recommendations.pdf (accessed January 21, 2009).
3. Congressional Oversight Panel, Special Report on Regulatory Reform (Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, January 2009), available at http://cop.senate.gov/documents/cop-012909-report-regulatoryreform.pdf (accessed February 19, 2009).
4. Stacy Kaper, "Fed First as Hill Tackles Reg Reform in 2 Parts," American Banker, February 4, 2009.
5. See Shadow Financial Regulatory Committee, "The Issues Posed by the Near-Collapse of Long-Term Capital Management," September 28, 1998.
6. Financial Services Act of 1998, 105th Cong., 2nd sess., September 18, 1998, S. Rep. 105-336.
7. Charles W. Calomiris and Robert E. Litan, "Financial Regulation in a Global Marketplace," in Brookings-Wharton Papers on Financial Services: 2000, ed. Anthony M. Santomero and Robert E. Litan (Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press, 2000), 292.
8. Quoted in Bernard Shull, The Fourth Branch: The Federal Reserve's Unlikely Rise to Power and Influence (Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger, 2005), 150.
9. Laurence H. Meyer, "The Politics of Monetary Policy: Balancing Independence and Accountability" (speech, University of Wisconsin, La Crosse, WI, October 24, 2000), available at www.federalreserve.gov/BOARDDOCS/SPEECHES/2000/ 20001024.htm (accessed February 20, 2009).
10. Louis Uchitelle, "Moves On in Congress to Lift Secrecy at the Federal Reserve," New York Times, August 24, 1989.
11. Carmine Di Noia and Giorgio Di Giorgio, "Should Banking Supervision and Monetary Policy Tasks Be Given to Different Agencies?" (Working Paper 411, Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, October 19, 1999), 8, available at www.econ.upf.edu/docs/papers/downloads/411.pdf (accessed February 19, 2009).
12. Christopher Dodd, "Modernizing the U.S. Financial Regulatory System" (remarks, Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, U.S. Senate, February 4, 2009), available at http://dodd.senate.gov/?q=node/4752 (accessed February 19, 2009).
13. Quoted in Steven Sloan, "Dodd Voicing Doubt on Fed Systemic Role," American Banker, February 5, 2009.
14. See Peter J. Wallison, "Regulation without Reason: The Group of Thirty Report."
15. See, for example, Markus Brunnermeier et al., The Fundamental Principles of Financial Regulation, Geneva Reports on the World Economy, preliminary conference draft (Geneva: International Center for Monetary and Banking Studies, 2009), 14-15, available at www.voxeu.org/reports/Geneva11.pdf (accessed February 19, 2009).
16. Ibid.; see also Philip F. Bartholomew, "Banking Consolidation and Systemic Risk," in Brookings-Wharton Papers on Financial Services: 2000, ed. Anthony M. Santomero and Robert E. Litan (Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press, 2000), 373.


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thinking of PINK
thanks to fellow blogger, Mrs. Blandings' annual "Post Pink" prompting
to mark the 1st day of breast cancer awareness month.
if you have ever had a call to return to have additional views done after an initial MAMMOGRAM screening, you must know the things that run through your head.
being AWARE is what it is all about.


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The personal and the professional have a way of merging for the Reagans of "Blue Bloods."
Such was the case again in "Lost and Found," Friday's (Oct. 25) episode of the CBS police drama written by co-executive producer Daniel Truly. Frank (Tom Selleck) was alarmed to learn Father Markhum (Frank Wood, "The Newsroom"), the NYPD's chaplain, had been stopped for driving while intoxicated … "the fourth time in two months," police chief Dino (John Ventimiglia) revealed.
The clergyman had rear-ended another car, and Frank worried that intervening would appear to be favored treatment — something the arresting officer already had furnished by letting the priest sleep off his condition. And Frank realized such handling was "the reason I never heard about the other three DWI's."
Later, Frank entered a confessional to talk to the chaplain, and told him to turn himself in: "Even priests do penance, Jerry."
While eating out with Erin (Bridget Moynahan), Nicky (Sami Gayle) noticed a cute youngster (Makenna Barrett) and mentioned the apparent father seemed to be "kind of a jerk." After the child and dad left, the waitress found written on a napkin on their table, "Help me." Erin tried to gather evidence from other patrons while Nicky ran out to find them, but they were nowhere to be seen.
Danny (Donnie Wahlberg) went to the diner and suggested the note might have been "a prank," but surveillance video showed the youngster trying to pull away from the man once they went outside. A karate-related symbol on the girl's pants gave Danny a clue, and he asked to take the tape … and also took the chance to order a sandwich to go.
Tracing the symbol to a specific karate school, or dojo, Danny and Maria (Marisa Ramirez) learned from a teacher that the girl's parents ran a travel agency. There, her mother (Alison Wright) was shown a frame from the surveillance video and indicated, after a slight pause, "That's my husband." She also suggested the "Help me" message had been "a misunderstanding."
Danny still wanted to talk to the presumed husband, and it turned out the real one (Maury Ginsberg) was heading into the agency just as the cops were leaving, The clearly nervous man was told by Danny, "Get your wife and meet us at the diner in 15 miniutes."
At the hushed-toned meeting, the parents admitted their daughter had been kidnapped, and her captor (David Vadim) wanted them to arrange travel for a couple of "business associates" of his — members of the Croatian underworld. If they didn't, their daughter would be killed.
Undercover in street clothes, Jamie (Will Estes) and Eddie (Vanessa Ray) probed a series of smash-and-grab thefts at jewelry stores. The police partners staked out one shop, and it didn't take long until a man (Daniel Eric Gold) came in and demanded an $8.000 refund on an nonrefundable custom piece.
The customer got edgier and louder, to the point where the store security guard asked him to leave … and then, his gun was grabbed by the man. Jamie tried to talk him down while being herded toward the back of the store, along with Eddie and the others who were present.
The man wanted whatever money he could get for the evidently unsatisfactory jewelry, and Jamie cautioned him that the moment he touched any of it, "That makes this armed robbery." Eddie tried another angle by asking the gunman, regarding the woman in his life, "Is she worth losing your life over? No one is worth that."
The hostage taker was on his own, though: The woman had left him for another man, and he was determined to go through with African relief efforts they'd planned together, using the money he intended to recover for the jewelry. Jamie offered to stay as the lone hostage, and the gunman agreed. But as soon as everyone else was in the clear, Jamie drew his own gun and took the man into custody.
Jamie asked for Erin's help in handling the arrested man, reasoning the fellow had just "snapped" over his broken engagement. Erin hesitated to intrude on another prosecutor's case, but promised Jamie she'd "look into it."
Garrett (Gregory Jbara) told Frank the chaplain's drinking problem had started after the suicide of a policeman the priest had been counseling. And "not just another cop," Frank noted: They had been together throughout the events of 9/11, with the priest continuing to support the officer long afterward.
Frank asked Father Markhum what was different about his recent circumstances, his having dealt with loss for so long, The chaplain lamented that "nobody's coming" to him anymore, given other sorts of counselors and even the meds people take to feel better. And, basically, he had decided to throw in the towel.
Danny had an idea to catch the kidnapper, who didn't know what the incoming travelers looked like. Getting two cops to pose as them and retrieve the abducted youngster was Danny's plan, and her father steered the planned trade away from an airport. The felon set a park as the new site, warning "your daughter dies" if anything were to go wrong.
Two dressed-down cops stepped in to pose as the Croatians as Danny and Maria ran the operation. Upon arriving, the kidnapper was clever, quizzing the cops on their supposed homeland — and stumping them with one question, prompting the abductor to pull his gun. Danny also pulled his and shots were exchanged, setting off a chase through the park as more bullets flew.
Literally running into a cab stopped the fleeing felon, who turned to walk away and told Danny, "You're not going to shoot me in the back." Danny didn't hav
e to: The kidnapper walked right into the path of a moving vehicle and was killed. And the youngster was saved.
e to: The kidnapper walked right into the path of a moving vehicle and was killed. And the youngster was saved.
Another Reagan also didn't have to do additional work on a case: Erin informed Jamie that the gunman from the jewelry store had hung himself. And as others at the family dinner table discussed the concept of faith, a saddened Jamie weighed in by saying, "Even when you do what seems like the right thing, sometimes things still turn out wrong."
Jamie soon got a chance to restore his own faith, though. Garrett found him shooting hoops at a basketball court and told him, "Your father needs a favor." He was dropped off at the church of Father Markhum, neither knowing exactly why they were there at first.
And suddenly, Jamie understood the reason, just as the chaplain offered him a cup of coffee … and the two men went to have what was likely to be a mutually beneficial chat.


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Helen Skelton
Helen Skelton is a BBC Blue Peter presenter who has worked on the programme since 2008.
Over the years, Helen has made herself a name, as someone who will happily throw themself into any number of extreme challenges, which over the past few years, have earned her an amazing reputation and a world record.
In 2010, for Sports Relief, Helen kayaked over 2,000 miles along the Amazon and in January this year, she embarked on another Polar Challenge which saw her tackle 500 miles of the icy and treacherous terrain of Antartica, to reach the South Pole with the use of skis, kite-ski and bikes. Helen will likely get herself into the Guiness Book of World Records, by becoming the first person to reach the South Pole by bike.
You can read about Helen Skelton's challenge on the BBC web site here: Helen's South Pole Diary
Helen Skelton is a superb host and presenter who also loves to talk about her adventures as part of the current Blue Peter team.


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Download detailed specifications for this productDownload PDF
SCC314 is microcontroller based 4-port signal isolator developed specifically to measure AC and DC voltage/current and generate mutually isolated dual analog current or voltage output and digital RS485 output. It is available in a 22.5 mm wide snap-on , Dinrail enclosure . This isolator has exceptionally high accuracy and stability.
SCC314 can be available in with 100 milliseconds FAST response time option .It provides isolation between its power supply, the input and output and RS85 signals
Please choose from our customization options and enter under comments while inquiring about this product`


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Real Estate CyberSpace Society
Nine Hawthorne Place, Suite 16L
Boston, MA 02114
Phone: 617-523-4441
BOSTON, MASS. - The Real Estate CyberSpace Society today announced that ListMate Pro has been selected as a Society Gold Product. According to John M. Peckham III, Executive Director "The Society has reviewed ListMate Pro and determined that it meets it's criteria as a unique product of particular value to real estate professionals operating in CyberSpace.
Peckham said that a ListMate Pro on line booth is now open at the Society's On-Line Expo located at www.REcyber.com/expo/ The Society's recommendations and other information appear at the booth along with a special offer for visitors.
Shawn Halfpenny, Developer and Chief Operator Officer of ListMate.com, described ListMate Pro as "an 'industrial-strength' multi-functional/automated email list processing tool designed to eliminate the drudge-work of preparing ones email lists for mailing - a tedious task which is necessary, however. I'm proud to say that our software has quite a sterling reputation in the direct email business and is widely regarded as the 'de facto' standard".
Mr. Halfpenny went on to add : "ListMate Pro is what's known as an "Email List Management Package". To do an email blast to a large number of people, you basically need 3 things: (1) The email addresses (of course!). (2) Software to sort, filter, arrange and organize these email address lists to prepare them for mailing. (3) Software to actually send out the mail.
ListMate Pro helps you with step (2) of this process. It contains 12 different tools/screens that allow you to sort, filter and organize your email list in a myriad of different ways, at extremely high speed - giving you as output, a file which is readily importable into your favorite mail sending program.
Make no mistake however, ListMate Pro is not a "contact management" type of program. It does not keep track or deal with extraneous information such as phone number, first name, last name, etc. It is for businesses/individuals who need to organize lists of email addresses and are doing direct email marketing on a medium to large scale. When it comes to this type of application, ListMate Pro is known as the industry standard - the one the pro's use."
"We are proud to have received the Real Estate CyberSpace Society Gold Product Award and pleased to present information to the real estate profession at our new booth at the Society's On-Line Expo where we are offering an innovative product to the Society members and visitors," concluded Mr. Halfpenny.
The ListMate.com Booth at the Real Estate CyberSpace Society's On-Line Expo can be visited at www.REcyber.com/expo/. Society membership information is available at 617-523-4441.
The Real Estate CyberSpace Society provides its 3000 members in 80 Chapters with information on real estate technology issues and strategies and a networking connection for professionals from all real estate specialties. Peckham announced that over 70 similar interviews are broadcast at the Society's "Real Estate CyberSpace Radio": www.REcyber.com/masters/audio.html. He invited the real estate community and the public to visit and listen to a wide selection of audio briefings there.
Information regarding the full interviews in this release of The Real Estate CyberSpace Alert or membership in the Real Estate CyberSpace Society is available from Society headquarters by calling 617-523-4441, at www.REcyber.com or by e-mail at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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HealthLogix Care™ engages care teams and individuals to improve population wellness with community-wide patient information and near real-time insights. This application helps communities and care teams collaborate more effectively to seize every care improvement opportunity and make more informed decisions at the point of care.
HealthLogix Care is a point of care solution that provides physicians and care teams with a single, comprehensive view of a patient's clinical, claims and wellness data from multiple disparate sources, organized in a clear and easy-to-use format that supports confident clinical decision making. Complementing electronic health records (EHRs), HealthLogix Care breaks down information siloes by analyzing, normalizing and corroborating community-wide data to provide care teams with a more complete picture of a patient's health; this application analyzes information to generate proactive health insights, including valuable care gap notifications. HealthLogix Care operates alongside care teams to create a positive patient experience that can lead to improved health behaviors down the road.
HealthLogix Care bridges the gap between care teams and patients by providing powerful data visualization tools that can be easily communicated and understood to help improve patient and care team collaboration at the point of care. By continuously collecting and analyzing immense amounts of patient data from multiple systems, HealthLogix Care provides timely insights to care teams that ensure physicians take advantage of preventative care opportunities when caring for a patient. Once an opportunity for care improvement is identified, HealthLogix Care allows care teams to push updated care plan information directly to a patient's personal mobile device remotely from anywhere. Care teams can create and track detailed patient referrals from within the application, as well as review inbound referrals and notes for enhanced care coordination between multiple healthcare organizations within a community. HealthLogix Care is a solution that your care team can support to improve patient outcomes.
By focusing on relationships first, HealthLogix Care unites care teams around a common purpose: turning patients into partners in health. This application is designed to allow care teams the flexibility to view community-wide patient information from either their desktop computers in their office or from a tablet device while sitting across from a patient at the point of care. With the clear and easy to understand interface, care teams can say goodbye to tedious distractions and say hello to their patients.


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Story highlights
- At least two train cars derailed near Tiefencastel, Switzerland, rail company says
- Six people were injured, police say
A landslide caused a passenger train to partially derail in the Swiss Alps Wednesday, injuring at least six people, regional police spokesman Peter Faerber said.
The train was headed from St. Mortiz to Chur in eastern Switzerland when at least two carriages derailed near Tiefencastel, said Simon Rageth, spokesman for the Raethische Bahn rail company.
A rescue operation was under way Wednesday afternoon, said Faerber, a spokesman for police in the Swiss canton of Graubuenden.


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Receive $173.65 of bonuses + free shipping.
We are a small family business that has a great love of the outdoors and four wheel driving. The difference between us and many other retailers is that we actually use the products that we sell and back them up with after sales service.
We have sold GPS devices to four wheel drive, boating and outdoor enthusiasts as well as to Government departments, emergency services and private enterprise. Not only that, whenever we venture off road, we record the tracks using GPS and a laptop computer and forward the results on to both the relevant authorities and Hema. This data eventually finds its way on to maps that the emergency services in Victoria use.
Clayton handles the sales side of the business and is an active member of the CFA. Clayton has a military background, been a truck driver and has an Airline Transport Pilots Licence having flown Boeing 737 and 747 aircraft. He also has a Masters Degree in Policing, Intelligence and Counter-Terrorism and a Diploma of Aviation Industry Management and is a qualified Safety Auditor.
Clayton drives a Nissan GU Patrol and has done the Simpson Desert three times, along with Cape York, The Flinders Ranges and numerous trips into the High Country in Victoria. He has a strong background in GPS having used them in various manners since 1994.
Favourite four wheel drive destination – Cape York.
Sue runs the administration side of the business. Sue was an international flight attendant and is a qualified Aviation Safety Training Instructor. Sue also has a regulatory background having liaised with the Victorian Fire Authorities and CASA. Two fire seasons ago, Sue was the Australian representative for an overseas company running heavy fire bombing helicopters in Victoria. Presently Sue is studying for a Masters of Aviation (Human Factors).
Sue drives a Mitsubishi Challenger and has done The Flinders Ranges and many trips into the Victorian High Country.
Favourite four wheel drive destination – The Flinders Ranges.
Tom is number 8 for Collingwood and is a future captain. Blue Sky Navigation sponsors Tom believing that he has a great AFL future ahead of him.
Buy from us & receive 10% off an instructional course run by an former Hema technician in Melbourne.
Address: PO Box 431,
Diamond Creek 3089, Australia


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Upcoming Events
Creative Retreats
Stamped Treasures Rewards Program
Craft Room/Studio
Tuesday, 27 January 2015
Beautiful Bunch Gift Card Holder
I've got a little bit of a catalogue CASE project to share with you today. I'm part of a monthly swap and each month we are assigned a stamp set and a type of card (over the top, workshop, CASE, technique etc.). So January's stamp set was Beautiful Bunch and my task was to CASE (Copy And Share Everything) the catalogue. Well the project in the catalogue was a box so I converted it to a card. it was actually lots of fun to recreate the same look. I did take the liberty to switch it up a bit so that it used something from the Occasions to make it a bit more relevant to what we are using now.
I love the B.Y.O.P stamp set from the Occasions catalogue! So I switched out the Thank You for greetings from that set.
Have a creative day!
Supply List
Click any of the photos to find out more information or to place an order.
Beautiful Bunch Clear-Mount Stamp Set
B.Y.O.P. Photopolymer Stamp Set
Fun Flower Punch
7/8" Circle Scallop Punch
Gift Card Enclosure Pack
Ornate Tag Topper Punch
Night Of Navy 1/2" Seam Binding Ribbon
Twine Baker's Whisper White
Crushed Curry Classic Stampin' Pad
Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock
Tangelo Twist Classic Stampin' Pad
Mossy Meadow Classic Stampin' Pad
Night Of Navy 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock
Table built using
Product Table Builder
by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.
Posted by
Gift Card Holders
Handmade Cards
Occasions Catalogue 2015
Sherry Roth
stampin up canada
Stampin Up Sherwood Park
stampin' up demonstrator
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|Thanksgiving lightweight!
|seriously, though . .
This is the goodie. Wait for it.
I ordered this spacesuit looking deal for Gabry. Even though he got his driver's license and some money towards a taxi that he wants to buy, he still came back to Lucca to beg. Unfortunately, I didn't have any more to give his family at this time. This thing is waterproof and warm up until six degrees below zero. It has shoe covers and a hood. He usually sleeps at the fruit and vegetable market at night while he's here, but there is no heat there. When the package arrived on this cold for Lucca day, I was excited to call him right away. I saw the number listed under Gabry and I called. A woman answered. I told her I must have the wrong Gabry. She insisted that it was correct. That her name was Gabry. I told her that I was looking for a man. She said her husband was also named Gabry. I told her that the man I wanted was Romanian. She told me they were Romanian. I said the couple that I was talking about had a son. She said that they did have a son. She insisted on knowing what I wanted with her husband, and her tone led me to think that this wasn't the first time she had gotten this kind of a call. Anyway, I told her I was sorry, but that my husband and I have a joint contact list and maybe her husband was one of his students. She said I spoke Italian too well to be American (Thanks, lady!). She made me promise that my husband would call to clear things up later and threatened that she would save my number and call me back if I didn't.
|Since it is only a matter of time before I get arrested (see all other posts), enjoy a photo of the real Gabry's family that I illegally stole off his fb page.


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Senior Quality Engineer
- Competitive
- Centennial, CO, USA
- Permanent, Full time
- S&P Global
- 22 May 19
Senior Quality Engineer
JobDescription :
- As a QA Engineer II within S&P Global Ratings, you will play a key role in the on-going delivery of diverse and leading products that help our internal and external customers realize revenue integrity across the world. You will be responsible for design, development and execution of manual and automated testing of our desktop, database and web products using a variety of automation tools.
- Design and create test scripts for both web and windows applications including scenarios for database impacts, software scenarios, regression testing, negative testing, error or bug retests.
- Plan test schedules or strategies in accordance with project scope/delivery dates.
- Would be working on diverse application set
- Would be required to work on different automation tools available based on need
- Quality - Demonstrates accuracy, thoroughness and attention to detail at all times; Looks for ways to improve and promote quality; Applies feedback to improve performance; Monitors own work to ensure quality.
- Initiative - Volunteers readily; Undertakes self-development activities; Seeks increased responsibilities and takes ownership of tasks at hand; Takes independent actions and calculated risks; Looks for and takes advantage of opportunities; Asks for and offers help when needed.
- Innovation - Displays original thinking and creativity; Meets challenges with resourcefulness; Generates suggestions for improving work; Develops innovative approaches and ideas; Presents ideas and information in a manner that gets others' attention.
- Teamwork - Balances team and individual responsibilities; Exhibits objectivity and openness to others' views; Gives and welcomes feedback; Contributes to building a positive team spirit; Puts success of team above own interests; Able to build morale and group commitments to goals and objectives; Supports everyone's efforts to succeed.
- Degree in a computing related discipline; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Experience testing GUI applications, web services and/or web applications (Backend and frontend).
- More than 2 years of experience in working with automation tests using languages like VB script, C# and Java
- Solid understanding of object oriented programming, design and debugging skills.
- Experience in Agile development methodologies preferable.
- Experience with testing tools such as HP ALM, UFT, Tricentis Tosca, Soap UI, Selenium a plus


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Not long ago, my colleague Bryan White and I had the good fortune to interview Mr. Aswath Damodaran. Damodaran is a professor of finance at the Stern School of Business at New York University, where he teaches corporate finance and equity valuation, and we had an enlightening discussion on investing and different ways to view valuation.
In celebration of our Worldwide Invest Better Day happening on Sept. 25, I encourage you to give this interview a listen. I guarantee you'll be a better investor for it!


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Mathilde Duffy draws, paints, and photographs the patterns of nature found in flowers and seashells. She teaches classes and workshops in the greater Boston, MA area and accepts commissions for original art.
Visit her online Galleries to view some of her work.
To view a larger image, click any flower below: