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L-theanine, Health Benefits and Cognitive Function
This blog does not intend to provide diagnosis...
In this article:
- L-theanine and Neuropsychiatric Disorders
- L-theanine, Anxiety and Stress
- L-theanine and Other Psychiatric Disorders
- L-theanine Cerebrovascular Disease and Stroke
The amino acid l-theanine (γ-N-ethylglutamine), occurs naturally in tea leaves and in the edible bay boletes mushroom Xerocomus badius. Green tea and black tea are made from the same plants. Black tea is manufactured through fermentation but green tea is not fermented. Green tea has been a mainstay of Chinese medicine for over 3 millenniums, and is used medicinally both in combination with other herbs and alone in the form of a concentrated liquid for enhancing stamina and concentration. The amount of l-theanine depends on where tea plants are grown, production methods and the time of harvesting. Different species of tea such as Camellia sinensivar have higher concentrations of l-theanine than the more familiar C. sinensis. A synthetic form of L-theanine (Suntheanine™) is also available.
L-theanine is widely used in Asian countries to treat a variety of medical and mental health problems and is rapidly gaining popularity in Western countries. Caffeine, the other major constituent of tea, increases brain levels of acetylcholine and dopamine resulting in improved attention, cognition and mood. Beneficial cognitive effects of caffeine take place more rapidly than those of l-theanine because it is absorbed more rapidly, reaching peak plasma levels after 30 minutes compared to peak plasma levels of l-theanine 50 minutes following consumption. In addition to l-theanine and caffeine, tea leaves contain other constituents that confer a variety of health benefits, including amino acids glutamine, arginine, serine and alanine, and the phenolic compounds epigallocatechin, epicatechin gallate, epicatechin and epigallocatechin-gallate (so-called 'catechins'). Matcha is a special green tea preparation that contains higher levels of beneficial phytochemicals compared to regular green tea.
Animal and human studies support that L-theanine reduces subjective stress response, enhances cognitive performance, improves sleep quality, and has protective effects against chronic disease, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and the common cold. Different constituents of green tea including l-theanine, caffeine and catechins may help prevent metabolic syndrome and obesity. L-theanine reduces oxidative damage caused by reactive oxygen species (i.e. 'free radicals'), increases glutathione concentration in the liver enhancing the capacity of liver enzymes such as superoxide dismutase to clear toxins from the blood. Research findings suggest that l-theanine has anti-aging benefits. Catechins from green tea may have beneficial antimicrobial and antiviral activities. In the gastrointestinal tract green tea has been shown to activate intracellular antioxidants and inhibit formation of procarcinogens.
L-theanine and Neuropsychiatric Disorders
L-theanine has been shown to improve learning, memory and cognitive function, and to enhance selective attention during mental tasks. Epidemiological studies support that regular consumption of tea made from the leaves of Camellia sinensis, is associated with decreased incidence of cognitive decline, improved mood and enhanced capacity to cope with stress. L-theanine is a promising augmentation therapy for schizophrenia, and may have beneficial effects on mood disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as well as panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and bipolar disorder.
Placebo-controlled studies have investigated the effects of L-theanine alone or in combination with caffeine on mood and cognitive performance, with the finding that cognitive functioning is enhanced in response to combined treatment but not in response to l-theanine alone. Two meta-analyses of human interventions on acute psychoactive effects of tea constituents on mood and cognitive performance found evidence that l-theanine improves self-reported relaxation, reduces subjective feelings of tension, and that caffeine improves performance on demanding cognitive tasks and enhances alertness and vigor.
Animal studies support that L-theanine rapidly crosses the blood brain barrier, increases brain levels of serotonin, GABA and dopamine, binds to glutamate and NMDA receptors, and may increase levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Long-term consumption of l-theanine (i.e. over 3 to 4 weeks) may have general neuroprotective benefits mediated by increased synthesis of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the hippocampus an area of the brain that plays a central role in memory consolidation. All of these effects are believed to result in anxiety reduction.
As L-theanine is typically ingested together with caffeine and other bioactive constituents of tea, most studies have investigated the combined effects of l-theanine and caffeine on mood and cognition.
L-theanine, Anxiety and Stress
The anti-anxiety effects of L-theanine are mediated through different mechanisms including enhanced alpha brain wave activity, increased synthesis of GABA, and its role as a weak antagonist of AMPA glutamate receptors. General calming benefits of l-theanine are reflected in increased brain electrical activity in the alpha frequency range (8 to 13 Hz). Changes in brain electrical activity measured by electroencephalography (EEG) are dose-dependent, and are similar to beneficial EEG changes observed in meditation, including increased alpha waves in the occipital and parietal regions. Increased alpha activity has been shown to continue for 60 minutes following administration of a 200mg dose of l-theanine, and this effect was more marked in individuals with higher trait anxiety. Finally, ingestion of green tea with high l-theanine content has been found to decrease adrenal hypertrophy in mice exposed to chronic stress.
Individuals who drink green tea for stress or anxiety may experience greater calming effects than stimulating effects depending on the relative amounts of L-theanine and caffeine in the particular species of tea and how it is prepared. A general calming effect is usually noticed within 30 to 40 minutes after L-theanine is taken at a dose of 50 to 200mg, and typically lasts 8 to 10 hours. Moderate symptoms of anxiety often respond to a regimen of 200mg once or twice daily. More severe anxiety may require doses of 600mg to 800mg daily taken in increments of 100mg to 200mg spaced over the day. Unlike benzodiazepines and other prescription anti-anxiety medications, L-theanine does not cause drowsiness, slow reflexes or impair concentration, there is no risk of developing tolerance or dependence. There are no reports of serious adverse side effects or interactions between l-theanine and psychotropic drugs or other natural products.
Findings of studies on l-theanine for state anxiety are inconsistent. Differences in outcomes are probably related to different patient populations examined, and the fact that some studies investigated caffeine in combination with l-theanine. A placebo-controlled trial that compared l-theanine 200mg/day to the benzodiazepine alprazolam, found evidence for general anxiolytic effects but not for reduction in experimentally induced state anxiety. In contrast, two other studies reported significant reductions in measures of subjective stress such as decreases in heart rate and blood pressure, in response to the same dose of l-theanine. In a 4-week placebo-controlled trial (N=30) adults with no psychiatric illnesses randomized to l-theanine 200m/day experienced significantly greater reductions in state anxiety and improved sleep compared to the placebo group. In a small placebo-controlled trial 16 healthy adult volunteers were randomized to l-theanine 200mg/day vs alprazolam 1mg or a placebo while monitored during a relaxed and an experimentally induced acute anxiety condition. L-theanine had some relaxing effects during the baseline condition but neither alprazolam nor l-theanine had anxiolytic effects greater than placebo during the relaxed state or the experimentally induced anxiety state.
In a 10-week placebo-controlled study (N=46) adults with a DSM-5 diagnosis of Generalized Anxiety Disorder were randomized to receive l-theanine (450 to 900mg/day) vs placebo while continuing on their current medication. The adjunctive l-theanine group did not outperform the placebo group on measures of anxiety reduction or improved sleep quality. In a small placebo-controlled study (N=34) healthy adults aged 18-40 were administered an l-theanine drink vs placebo then subjected to a multitasking cognitive stressor. The l-theanine group reported significantly lower stress response compared to placebo one hour after ingesting the drink. Another study on a nutrient drink containing l-theanine 200mg, phosphatidylserine 1mg, chamomile 10mg, and glycerylphosphorylcholine 25mg, found significantly reduced subjective stress responses 1 hour following ingestion and significantly reduced serum cortisol levels 3 hours following ingestion.
L-theanine and Other Psychiatric Disorders
A placebo-controlled study found that l-theanine 100mg twice daily significantly improved sleep quality in boys with ADHD suggesting that l-theanine may be an effective adjunctive therapy in ADHD. L-theanine does not cause drowsiness however taking l-theanine 200mg at bedtime may improve sleep quality by reducing anxiety.
Emerging findings support that l-theanine may have beneficial effects on symptoms of depressed mood and psychosis. In an 8-week open-label study (N=20) adults diagnosed with major depressive disorder treated with l-theanine 250mg/day reported improvements in mood, anxiety and sleep quality.
L-theanine may also have beneficial effects on anxiety related to psychosis. Findings of an 8-week placebo-controlled trial support that l-theanine augmentation in individuals with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder reduces anxiety levels. Beneficial effects of l-theanine augmentation in this population may be mediated by increases in cortisol and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). A combination treatment containing the neurosteroid pregnenolone and the amino acid L-theanine may have beneficial effects on symptoms of psychosis. In an 8-week double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (N=40) adults with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder with suboptimal response to antipsychotics, were randomized to pregnenolone (50mg/day) plus l-theanine (400mg/day) vs placebo while continuing on their antipsychotic medication. At study end point the group receiving pregnenolone plus l-theanine had significantly fewer negative symptoms of psychosis such as blunted affect, anhedonia and paucity of speech, significantly reduced anxiety, and greater improvements in general functioning, compared to the placebo group.
L-theanine Cerebrovascular Disease and Stroke
Findings of animal studies suggest that l-theanine may help prevent cerebrovascular disease and mitigate the impact of cerebrovascular accidents (i.e. stroke). Neuroprotective effects of l-theanine following transient cerebral ischemia may be related to its action as an antagonist of AMPA glutamate receptors. Rats treated with l-theanine (0.3 to 1mg/kg) before being subjected to repeated episodes of experimentally induced cerebral ischemia showed significantly less impairment in spatial memory and significantly less neuronal cell death.
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Find all 3 digit numbers such that by adding the first digit, the square of the second and the cube of the third you get the original number, for example 1 + 3^2 + 5^3 = 135.
Explore a number pattern which has the same symmetries in different bases.
We are used to writing numbers in base ten, using 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. Eg. 75 means 7 tens and five units. This article explains how numbers can be written in any number base.
If a number N is expressed in binary by using only 'ones,' what can you say about its square (in binary)?

subset: commoncrawl


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Anti points are a good thing. It alows one to seperate the weat from the chaf so to speak. I have one problem though. If they are an ASS Hol*^*^&^(^$$#^^ then give them anit-points. If anyone express's a point of viem politely in any form. Well thats a point of view and they should'nt be degraded for it. We have men and women that have died in our country just for someone to have the right to express one's own opinion. I would give my life as well for the right for the same. Don't shoot them down for that. This way we all have a chance to get a view of the world at large and the opinions that make up a great collection of people.
Anyway. To the point. I have given plenty of possitive points ( about 30 I think ) and only 2 negative to butts in the crowd. However, none have showed up on my profile ( ie... the number given out + or - ) anybody know what gives. Lets all be free, and respect everyone's opinion. Live and die free!!!!!!


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RPi IceWeasel
Back to RPi Guides.
Adding The Mozilla IceWeasel web browser to a Raspberry Pi
What does it do?
The Mozilla Firefox web browser is popular on many computer operating systems. On Debian systems (including Debian and Raspbian on the Raspberry Pi), the implementation of Firefox is rebranded as "Iceweasel". More details are available on the Wikipedia page.
The Midori browser does not support many html features, including HTML5, and has stability issues with many web pages. Iceweasel gives you all the features and security updates that are available with Firefox, and adds stability to your browsing experience.
This guide shows you how to install the Mozilla Iceweasel browser on your Raspberry Pi for recent Raspbian or Debian operating systems.
- A booted Raspberry Pi with keyboard, mouse, monitor
- A network connection (Ethernet or WiFi).
- Authorization to use root privileges.
Installing the software
Login to the computer, activate a terminal window by either double click on either of the "LXTerminal" or "Root Terminal" icons or menu "Accessories -> LXTerminal" or "Accessories -> Root Terminal". Type the following commands in the terminal:
sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get upgrade sudo apt-get install iceweasel
Answer with a positive response if asked about authorization. With both the 'upgrade' and 'install' steps, answer "Y" when asked about disk space.
After this sequence, the IceWeasel browser should be installed on your computer. It can be activated from the system menu "Internet -> Iceweasel".
This browser should look familiar to you if you are a Firefox user on other systems. All dialogs and features are similar or the same as with Firefox. Many plugins will work on both Iceweasel and Firefox.


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Just after I got back from the conference, we started talking about skill on the software-testing discussion list, and I posted this:
--- In firstname.lastname@example.com, "Elena"
> The rest I cannot quite explain to myself -- is it intuition,
>having a bigger picture/snapshots of what it's supposed to be
>like in my head, etc?
There's an old saw that an apprentice butcher is sitting with an old butcher.
You know, they grey-hair type who's working in the shop hit entire life.
Customer comes in "I would like two pounds of pork."
Chop Chop Chop. "Here you go."
Suddenly the kid pipes up "No way that is /exactly/ two pounds! You didn't even
weigh it!!"
"Ok, kid, you weigh it then."
Sure enough, 2.01 pounds on the first slice.
"How did you /*do*/ that?"
"I'm not exactly sure, kid, but, now that you mention it ... I suspect cutting
meat five days a week for thirty years had something to do with it."
Moral: Don't let other people label your hard-won experience as "intuition" or
No, I suspect you /earned/ and /developed/ skill over time.
Skill takes work.
To be precise, the human brain has a lot of functions, one of which is a really
big neural network. So we recognize patterns.
You recognized a pattern that no one else could. That's part of what good
testers do.
I'm happy for you, man.
Don't let the anti-skill ... goofballs get you down.
all my best,
Then this afternoon Justin Dessonville posted this video to his twitter account.
It is a five-minute video of people doing the seemingly impossible: Multiple far-court free-throws in a row in basketball, a guy who throws a playing card and uses it to blow out a candle - multiple story jumps, tony hawk's impressive skateboarding feats.
I'm not sure how some of those were done; the guy might have spent six hours in front of the video camera to record one take. But some of them, like the basketball player and Tony Hawk, were clearly the result of a lifetime of practice.
Now compare that to your typical software ideology of having a defined, standard, predictable, repeatable process.
How do you write down a process called "be an awesome skate-boarder?"
You don't.
You can, however, defined moves and create a place to practice consciously. You can memorize, and repeat, and build from low-skill to high skill exercises.
I'm pleased to say that, at this point, I see a substantive part of the test-o-sphere moving from these shallow notions of repeatability into something more meaningful. If it's testing dojos or weekend testers or something else, we're finally getting there.
I'm pleased.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I gotta go practice my javascript blackflips on IE6 ...


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January 10th, 2023
What are New Additions in 2023? 1. Detailed industry outlook 2. Additional information on company players 3. Customized report and analyst support on request 4. Recent market developments and it's futuristic growth opportunities 5. Customized regional/country reports as per request "According to the research report published by Polaris Market Research, the global Self-Driving Cars market was valued at USD 20.25 billion in 2021 and is expected to reach USD 60.27 billion by 2030, to grow at a CAGR of 13.9% during the forecast period." Polaris Market Research released a 150+ page report on Self-Driving Cars Market 2023: By Types, Applications, Size, Share, Key Players & Regions Forecast Analysis till 2032. The report examines several aspects, including market position and viewpoint of the Self-Driving Cars market, from several perspectives, including competitive overview, geological regions, types of applications, and products. 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The study sheds light on qualitative and quantitative perceptions of the constraints, primary drivers, and challenges influencing the market's growth. Key Highlights of the Report: Identify the Self-Driving Cars market by application, product type, manufacturers, and geographical regions. Offers dynamic industry examination, including industry improvement requirements and industry driving variables. It offers competitive evolutions such as agreements, expansions, the latest product launches, and acquisitions in the industry. The major aim of this study is to offer an understanding of the industry's future and potential. The report provides qualitative and quantitative analysis of the whole industry. It provides venture outside climate investigation. Leading Players Covered The major goal of this division is to include all the Self-Driving Cars market key players with thorough research of their business profiles on the basis of their products, production, SWOT, value, financials, and other crucial factors. Further, the players outline their key product launches, market size, sales, share, revenue, price, strategies, and specifications. Based on this report, as the innovation in technologies is rising, the competition is also rising rapidly in the market. Prominent Key Players – Covered in the report: Argo Ai and Ford Audi Aurora Innovation Inc. Cadillac Daimler AG Einride General Motors Company Honda Lexus Nissan Motor Co. Ltd Tesla Inc. Toyota Motor Corp. Uber Technologies Inc. Volvo Car Group Waymo LLC (Google Inc.) For Additional List and Detail Information on Key Players, Send Your Request for Sample Report Brochure @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/autonomous-vehicle-market/request-for-sample Geographical Landscape North America (United States, Canada, and Mexico) Europe (UK, Germany, France, Russia, and Italy) Asia-Pacific (China, Korea, Japan, India, and Southeast Asia) South America (Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, etc.) The Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Nigeria, Egypt, and South Africa) Geographically, the regions covered in the report are the above. Some of the factors that directly influence the industry such as business methods, production strategies, development platforms, and product models. Also, it covered the detailed recorded revenues by the following regions. In addition, the market report contains specific insights into several development plans at the regional level, potential industry constraints, and other revenue growth constraints. Research Methodology The research methods include the collection of data by analysts only to have them read and filtered throughout in an attempt to offer considerable predictions about the industry over the prediction period. The examination process also includes interviews with key market influencers that prepare the primary research relevant and practical. The secondary method provides a direct glimpse into the demand and supply connection. The industry methodologies accept in the report provide accurate data analysis and offer a tour of the whole market. Both primary and secondary outlooks are used for the data collection. Custom Requirements can be requested for this Report @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/autonomous-vehicle-market/request-for-customization Moreover, various analytical methods like Porter's Five Forces Analysis, PESTLE Analysis, Player Positioning Analysis, Market Share Analysis, Value Chain Analysis, and SWOT Analysis have been used to analyze the Self-Driving Cars market. The graphical representation is used in the form of histograms, bar graphs, pie charts, etc., to demonstrate the key insights. The report assesses the gap between supply and demand, import-export statistics, and the regulatory landscape of top countries in the world for the market.
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FALLing Into a New Season!10:00 AM
23 comments
Absolutely stunning! You are such an inspiration to all of sewists! Thanks, Erica!ReplyDeleteReplies
Thank you Anna!Delete
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Thank you Dara!Delete
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Thank you Genevieve!Delete
beautiful fall dress! I live in Texas and know what you mean about wanting fall clothes but it is still summer temperatures - this dress hits the mark!ReplyDeleteReplies
It sure does. The fabric is the perfect weight. Thanks Nancy!Delete
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Thank you Eimear!Delete
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Thank you Ronel!Delete
Gorgeous fabric and that print is perfect for it. You look stunning in those colors!ReplyDeleteReplies
Thank you Leann!Delete
I love the collar on that dress and the fabric is scrumptious! As always, you look beautiful!ReplyDeleteReplies
Thank you Bampitt!Delete
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Thank you Skippy Ten!Delete
Thank you for the video on sewing a yoke. What seam allowance do you use when you attach the yoke shoulder to the front?ReplyDeleteReplies
I sew it with a 5/8" and I trim it down to 3/8" or 1/4", especially on a white shirt where the SA will show through. Thanks Millie!Delete
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Thank you Vanessa!Delete
OMG! I have this same fabric from Mood. It was so irresistible! I haven't sewn it up yet or even decided what to do with it because I'm so nervous that I'd make a bad choice and mess it up ... lol All I know for sure is that I want it to be something nice, but wearable so that I can enjoy wearing it often as opposed to so extra precious that I don't even use my make.ReplyDelete


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Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland is headed to Washington for North American trade talks with another deadline looming.
Officials from the continent's three countries have been holding talks aimed at speeding the ratification of the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement ahead of the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
The Privy Council Office said in a statement that Freeland would be meeting her American and Mexican counterparts, Robert Lighthizer, the Trump administration's trade czar, and Jesus Seade, Mexico's undersecretary for North America on Wednesday.
Freeland, who is the lead minister for the renegotiation of North American Free Trade Agreement, started her with a federal cabinet meeting in the Ottawa area.
Canadian government officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation, said Canada's acting ambassador Kirsten Hillman and chief trade negotiator Steve Verheul were representing Canada in talks earlier in the day.
Officials say Freeland has spoken on the phone with Lighthizer both Tuesday and Wednesday.
Mexico is the only country to legally approve the deal, while Canada is waiting on the U.S. Congress to make its first move towards ratification.
The American Thanksgiving holiday was seen by many as the last reasonable opportunity for U.S. lawmakers to practically dispatch with USMCA amid the broader impeachment drama engulfing President Donald Trump and the looming political shift ahead of the November 2020 presidential election.
Democrats control the House of Representatives and have been negotiating with Lighthizer for many months to strengthen several of the deal's provisions, including improved labour standards to ensure that Mexico's much promised workplace reforms can be enforced.
Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic House Leader who controls the introduction of a ratification bill, said earlier this week that she and Lighthizer "were within range of a substantially improved agreement for America's workers." But she added she wanted Lighthizer to put that in writing "for final review."
Trump and his top economic adviser, Peter Navarro, have levelled scathing criticism on Pelosi and the Democrats for blocking progress on the trade deal by focusing on impeachment.
The Canadian Press


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Aya de Yopougon
Clément Oubrerie was born in Paris, educated in art at the Penninghen art school and stayed in the USA for two years before he began his career as an artist. He has worked as an illustrator for publishers like Hachette, Mango, Gallimard, Albin Michel and Nathan since the early 1990s. He also works as a 3D animator, among others on the Canal+ series 'Les Moot-Moots', and on his own film 'Anna Gavalda'. Between 2005 and 2010, he worked with the Ivorian writer Marguerite Abouet on 'Aya de Yopougon', a comical series about everyday life in 1970s Abidjan, the capitol of Ivory Coast, published by Gallimard.
Gallimard also published his 2008 one-shot 'Zazie dans le Métro', which he created with Raymond Queneau, and the children's series 'Jeangot', which he makes with Joann Sfar since 2012. Since that same year, he has been working with Julie Birmant on a comic series about the life of Pablo Picasso for Dargaud.


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Ingenieur Ingeman (De Telex, 16-3-1946)
Piet de Groot took art classes from Art Academy in The Hague. He started out working as freelance artist, but eventually got an education in animation from Marten Toonder. De Groot found employment as animator with Joop Geesink and OSCAR Film. He was involved with comics in the 1940s and early 1950s. He was present in Kompas with comics like 'Tijl en Lamme' (1950), 'Sen, de Boosaardige Pop' (1950) and 'De Zwarte Schaduw' (1950). His story 'Ingenieur Ingeman en zijn Atoommobiel' was published in newspapers like De Telex in 1946 and in an advertising book for coffee and tea merchants De Hofstad. After his retirement in 1978, he focused on independent filmmaking.


text: When the movie's no good, you can't blame a guy for wanting to have a little fun and fooling around with his girlfriend during the feature. Richie really wanted his girlfriend to play with his dick while the film played, but she refused! Later, the film was so boring it konked everyone out, but of the few people awake, the director's hot Milf mom came down to sit next to him and make his public sex fantasies cum to life! Alura Jenson rubbed his fat boner through his jeans, then whipped out his cock and dove mouth-first onto it. After sucking him off, Alura led him to the bathroom so they could fuck. Richie licked her sweet pussy, then pounded her standing until he shot a fat load onto her hungry holes!


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Table 13.2 presents broadly the profits of businesses (referred to as gross operating surplus (GOS) and gross mixed income (GMI)) and the wages income of employees (referred to as compensation of employees) for 2000-01, the change over 1999-2000, and the average annual rate of growth over the years from 1992-93. GOS refers to the income from production of corporate enterprises, while GMI denotes the income from production of unincorporated enterprises.
Table 13.3 shows the growth in each industry's gross value added in terms of chain volume measures, in 2000-01 and over the longer term as an annual average over the years from 1992-93 to 2000-01. While estimates in current price terms, shown in tables 13.1 and 13.2, reflect both price and volume changes, chain volume estimates reflect only volume changes, as the direct effect of price changes has been eliminated from the estimates. For more information on chain volume measures see the section Chain volume or 'real' GDP in National accounts.
The three industries showing the largest growth in gross value added in 2000-01 were Culture and recreation (11.2%), Communication services (10.3%) and Property and business services (9.3%). The Construction industry showed the largest decrease in gross value added over 2000-01 (down 17.6%).
The largest annual average increase in gross value added over the years from 1992-93 to 2000-01 was recorded in the Communication services industry (10.4% per year).


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December 13, 2011
Recognizing that communities in the state depend on general aviation (GA) and GA airports for both commerce and tourism, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal on December 1 declared December General Aviation Appreciation Month in the state.
"Governor Jindal's announcement is especially appropriate in light of Louisiana's leading role in the evolution of business aircraft," said Ed Bolen, President and CEO of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA). "Jimmy Wedell and Harry Williams of Patterson, Louisiana played a key role in the Golden Age of Aviation in making airplanes the reliable, high-speed business machines we have today. We thank the governor for recognizing the importance of all general aviation, including business aviation, in Louisiana."
Today, Louisiana is home to 74 airports, seven of which have commercial service. In recognition of GA's importance, the state has undertaken 59 separate improvement projects at small community airports during the 2010-2011 planning year. And just two months ago, Governor Jindal announced an investment of $6.2 million in part for better access to one four community airports in the northern part of the state.
GA airports in the Bayou State are also being used as testing grounds for advanced technology. A test of a 165-point taxiway lighting system with LEDs instead of conventional bulbs is now underway at False River Regional Airport, a business-use airport northwest of Baton Rouge. A solar panel serves as a power backup for the lights.
In his proclamation, Governor Jindal notes that GA in the Bayou State contributes over $2 billion, or $454 per capita annually to the state's Gross Domestic Product, which ranks Louisiana seventh in the nation in the importance of aviation to its economy. He also noted that GA employs nearly 8,000 Louisianans, who earn over $240.5 million annually. Other aviation and aerospace jobs in the state up the total employment to 11,000 jobs, with $416 million in payroll.
"GA plays a vital role in the State's response to emergencies and natural disasters," the Governor says, "and has a significant interest in the continued vitality of GA, aerospace, aircraft manufacturing, educational institutions and aviation organizations and community airports and airport operators."
The Governor's proclamation touched on the themes of the "No Plane No Gain" advocacy campaign jointly sponsored by NBAA and the General Aviation Manufacturers Association. Louisiana becomes the 35th state to officially recognize the importance of business aviation.


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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Bret Bielema is taking his brand of power football to Arkansas, leaving Wisconsin after seven seasons.
Arkansas released a statement Tuesday night saying Bielema has agreed to a contract to take over the program reeling after the firing of former coach Bobby Petrino.
Bielema will earn $3.2 million annually for six years in his new job at Arkansas, which will also pay its new coach's $1 million buyout to Wisconsin. Arkansas on Wednesday released its signed letter of agreement with Bielema, which includes another $700,000 in annual incentives.
Bielema, Barry Alvarez's hand-picked successor at Wisconsin, was 68-24 with the Badgers, with four double-digit win seasons. He coached Wisconsin to a 17-14 victory over Arkansas in his first season at the Capital One Bowl.
ESPN reported Bielema wants to coach the team in the Rose Bowl presented by Vizio, but it's unknown if Alvarez will want him to. A source close to Alvarez told ESPN that Alvarez would consider coaching the team himself in the bowl game.
Bielema is leaving the Big Ten for the Southeastern Conference and a Razorbacks program that opened the year with a top 10 ranking and hopes of challenging for a national championship, only to get mired in Petrino's infidelity scandal before stumbling to a 4-8 finish.
"His tough, aggressive style of play has been successful and will be appealing to student-athletes and Razorback fans," Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long said of Bielema in a statement. "He not only shares the vision and values for the future of Arkansas football, he embraces them."
The move was the second stunning hire this year at Arkansas, which brought in John L. Smith as the interim coach after firing Petrino for hiring his mistress to work in the athletic department. Long announced after the season that Smith would not return.
Bielema seems likely to bring a far different approach than what the Razorbacks have become accustomed to. Arkansas continually ranked among the SEC's best passing teams under Petrino, while Bielema is known for his dominant offensive lines and slew of running backs.
"During my conversation with Jeff, he described the characteristics for the perfect fit to lead this program," Bielema said in a statement. "It was evident we share the same mission, principles and goals."
Wisconsin running back Montee Ball tied Barry Sanders' long-standing single-season record of 39 touchdowns last year. He became the FBS career leader this year with 82 touchdowns after running for three Saturday night in the Big Ten title game against Nebraska -- a 70-31 romp that secured the Badgers' third straight trip to the Rose Bowl, where they will play Stanford on Jan. 1.
The 42-year-old Bielema was the defensive coordinator at Wisconsin for two years before being promoted to head coach in 2006. He played for Iowa and started his coaching career there as an assistant under Hayden Fry and later Kirk Ferentz.
"I was very surprised when Bret told me he was taking the offer from Arkansas," said Alvarez, Wisconsin's athletic director and former coach. "He did a great job for us during his seven years as head coach, both on the field and off. I want to thank him for his work and wish him the best at Arkansas."
When Wisconsin launches its search for Bielema's replacement, it won't include former Badgers defensive coordinator Dave Doeren. A source close to Doeren told ESPN.com on Wednesday that Doeren, who was hired Saturday to be NC State's new coach, is not a candidate to return to Wisconsin's program.
Doeren was hired by the Wolfpack the day after he led Northern Illinois to its second consecutive Mid-American Conference championship. Doeren went 23-4 in two seasons at NIU after serving as a Badgers assistant from 2006-2010, the last three seasons as defensive coordinator.
Bielema, an Illinois native, takes over a program eager for stability and leadership.
"I'm excited about this decision," Arkansas cornerback Tevin Mitchel tweeted.
Also pleased with the reported hire is Dallas Cowboys owner and Arkansas alum Jerry Jones.
"We're excited about him," Jones said. "It's a great opportunity for him. Our program has a lot of pride."
The Razorbacks improved their win total in four straight seasons under Petrino, including a 21-5 mark in 2010-11, and finished last season ranked No. 5. They had talked openly in the spring about competing for the school's first SEC championship and perhaps a national title.
Then came the April 1 motorcycle accident that led to Petrino's downfall. The married father of four initially lied about being alone during the wreck, later admitting to riding with his mistress -- a former Arkansas volleyball player he had hired to work in the athletic department.
Smith, who had been an assistant the past three seasons at Arkansas under Petrino, was chosen by Long to guide a team that returned first-team All-SEC quarterback Tyler Wilson and a host of other key playmakers. The decision was lauded by the Razorbacks, who welcomed the personable Smith back with open arms.
The season hit the skids with a stunning overtime loss to Louisiana-Monroe on Sept. 8, starting a four-game losing streak that dropped Arkansas out of the rankings. The Razorbacks finished with the school's lowest win total since 2005, missing a bowl game for the first time since 2008.
"It's very difficult for me to believe that is not a bowl-eligible team," LSU coach Les Miles said following the Tigers' win over the Razorbacks in the season finale. "Watching the talent there, (it's) very capable."
Arkansas struggled to find its identity in the SEC after leaving the former Southwest Conference in 1992, but it appeared to have finally found just that under Petrino, who was hired after leaving the Atlanta Falcons during the season in 2007.
The Razorbacks turned into an offensive powerhouse under Petrino, leading the league in scoring and total offense last season. After winning 10 games and reaching the school's first BCS bowl game in 2010, losing to Ohio State, Arkansas won 11 games in 2011, capped by a Cotton Bowl win over Kansas State.
Still, Arkansas has yet to win the SEC, losing in the conference championship game three times.
While the country watched closely to see how Arkansas would react following Petrino's dismissal, Smith made headlines of his own throughout the season. The former Michigan State and Louisville coach filed for bankruptcy during the season, revealing $40.7 million in debt he blamed on bad land deals.
He was under far more fire from Arkansas fans for the mounting losses and it will be up to Bielema to turn things around in the loaded SEC West, with Alabama, LSU and now Texas A&M.
Long said during the season that the new coach would be tasked with building on the recent success at the school, which is looking into expanding the 72,000-seat Razorback Stadium and is currently building an 80,000-square-foot football operations center.
"The infrastructure in place at Arkansas shows the commitment from the administration to accomplish our goals together and I am excited to begin to lead this group of student-athletes," Bielema said. "This program will represent the state of Arkansas in a way Razorback fans everywhere will be proud of."
Information from ESPN's Joe Schad and Brett McMurphy, ESPN.com's Mark Schlabach and Adam Rittenberg and The Associated Press was used in this report.


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More than two dozen senators — most of them Republicans — put hundreds of homestate projects in the $1.3 trillion bill to fund the federal government even though they recently voted to ban so-called earmarks.
The effort to pass the 1,924-page bill collapsed Thursday night after complaints by conservatives over its complexity and size and the relatively few days to be devoted to debating its merits. Anti-spending tea party activists were angry, too, especially since they had helped propel Republicans to big gains in the midterm elections.
A handful of Republican senators needed to advance the massive measure withdrew their support for the bill, leaving Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., little recourse but to pull it back.
Still, the bill's $8 billion in earmarks showed that some GOP senators voicing outrage over the measure had made no effort to dump their own pet projects. The earmark-free approach to legislation that had been promised by 39 Republicans and Democrats, though their pledge came well after work had begun on the measure.
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, for example, said he's unalterably opposed to the bill, but it still had $85 million of his earmarks, including $18 million for a railhead upgrade at Fort Knox and a $3 million infantry squad battle course at Fort Campbell. All told, McConnell obtained 38 earmarks, according to a database put together by the office of Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla.
The bill and accompanying reports contained 6,714 earmarks costing $8.3 billion, Coburn said. Twenty-three Republicans and four Democrats who had voted for the immediate ban on earmarks ended up with pet projects in the bill.
At a news conference Wednesday, Sens. John Thune, R-S.D., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, assaulted the bill, but then reporters questioned why they had earmarks in the measure.
Thune backed 17 earmarks for $23 million, including $500,000 for a terminal expansion at the Rapid City airport and $1 million for improvements to state route 73 in Jackson County.
"I support those projects, but I don't support this bill," Thune said.
Cornyn obtained numerous earmarks as well, including $110,000 for the Texas State Technical College and $500,000 for a wastewater plant in Edinburg, Texas.
"I'm going to vote against this bill and refuse all those earmarks," Cornyn said. As long as they remained in the bill, however, Cornyn's earmarks had been set to move ahead. His requests were made in the spring.
Critics pounced on what they deemed double-talk.
"Many of the same senators who are criticizing … earmarks have earmarks in the bill," said Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., who obtained $89 million worth of them. "That is the height of hypocrisy — to stand up and request an earmark and then fold your arms and piously announce, 'I'm against earmarks.'"
Such criticism, however, also could be directed at Colorado Democrats Michael Bennet and Mark Udall, who voted for the earmark ban two weeks ago. The Senate bill included a $700,000 earmark sought by Bennet for a new water line for Trinidad, Colo., and $500,000 for a wastewater project in Idaho Springs, Colo., requested by Udall.
President Barack Obama didn't escape the criticism. Just a month ago, he said the nation can't afford "wasteful earmark spending."
But his administration made it clear he would accept the earmark-laden Senate bill over a less expensive, earmark-free version passed by the House last week. Defense Secretary Robert Gates endorsed the Senate version and its $678 billion for the Pentagon and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, about $19 billion more than in the House bill.
House Republicans who swore off earmarks earlier this year were sharply critical of the president.
"This is a 'Christmas tree' our nation simply can't afford," said Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, who in January will succeed Democrat Nancy Pelosi of California as House speaker. "The ball is in President Obama's court."
The Senate voted 56-39 on Nov. 30 to kill a Coburn proposal to ban earmarks. Only Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, actually wrote to the Appropriations Committee to withdraw his pet spending items.
"I had a number of requests in and I voted for the moratorium and I thought, in all honesty, I need to withdraw my requests," said Hatch, "and I did."
Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., withdrew his earmark requests last April after an earlier vote on banning the practice.
The most commonly accepted definition of an earmark is a project not requested by the president but inserted into one of the annual spending bills.
Defenders of earmarks pointed out that the money for congressional earmarks represented a tiny portion of the bill — less than 1 percent — and that lawmakers know the needs of their states and congressional districts better than administration bureaucrats. And just because something is in the president's budget doesn't mean that it's not pork.
"If you look up earmark in the dictionary, it means 'to designate or set aside.' It is not 'in addition to,'" said Sen. Robert Bennett, R-Utah. "If the Congress does not exercise its constitutional authority to designate where the funds will go, the administration will usurp that authority and you will get every bit as much pork-barrel spending."
Such arguments, however, were drowned out by protests from tea party activists and other opponents of the projects, who make fun of earmarks like $100,000 obtained by Rep. Jose Serrano, D-N.Y., to renovate the Edgar Allan Poe museum in the Bronx, a cottage where the poet lived for the final three years of his life.
Other senators with earmarks in the bill after voting last month to ban them included Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn.; Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga.; Richard Burr, R-N.C.; Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas; Bill Nelson, D-Fla.; and Jeff Sessions, R-Ala.
Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press


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Fluor Awarded Chemicals Project for BASF in Germany
Fluor Awarded Chemicals Project for BASF in Germany
EPCM Services Contract for TDI Complex Project
IRVING, Texas & HAARLEM, the Netherlands--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Fluor Corporation (NYS: FLR) announced today that it has secured a contract for engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) services for BASF's toluene diisocyanate (TDI) Complex project at BASF's site in Ludwigshafen, Germany. Fluor booked the undisclosed value into backlog in the fourth quarter of 2012.
The single-train, 300,000 metric tons-per-year plant will produce TDI and expand additional plants as precursors for polyurethanes at the BASF site in Ludwigshafen. Production is scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2014. Fluor has been involved in the project since 2011 performing support services for both the pre-front-end engineering and design (pre-FEED) and the FEED work for this project. TDI is a key component used for polyurethane foams. To a large extent, it is used in the automotive industry (e.g., seating cushion and interior applications) as well as in the furniture segment (e.g., flexible foams for mattresses, cushions or wood coating).
"Fluor continues to expand its long resume for the design and construction of new chemicals plants led from our Haarlem operations center," said Peter Oosterveer, president of Fluor's Energy & Chemicals Group.
Fluor's Haarlem, the Netherlands, operations center will lead the project with support from Gliwice, Poland. More than 800 Fluor craft workers are contributing to the construction of the facility expansion.
About Fluor Corporation
For more than 100 years, Fluor Corporation (NYS: FLR) has partnered with its clients to design, build and maintain many of the world's most challenging and complex capital projects. Through its global network of offices on six continents, Fluor's 43,000 employees provide comprehensive capabilities and world-class expertise in the fields of engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning, fabrication, operations, maintenance and project management. Today, the company serves a global client base in the energy, chemicals, government, industrial, infrastructure, operations & maintenance, manufacturing & life sciences, mining, power and transportation sectors. Headquartered in Irving, Texas, Fluor ranks 124 on the FORTUNE 500 list and had revenue of $24.3 billion in 2011. For more information, visit www.fluor.com.
Fluor Corporation
Media Relations:
Keith Stephens, 469-398-7624
Brian Mershon, 469-398-7621
Investor Relations:
Ken Lockwood, 469-398-7220
Jason Landkamer, 469-398-7222
KEYWORDS: United States Europe North America Netherlands Germany Texas
The article Fluor Awarded Chemicals Project for BASF in Germany originally appeared on Fool.com.
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We've all been in this conversation:
Other Human: Boy it sure is hot today!
Me: Yeah, but I'll take this over winter any day.
Other Human: Not me! I love all four seasons! The fall colors are beautiful, and there's nothing better than curling up in front of the fire on a cold winter night. And the Spring! All the flowers are beautiful!
Me: (imagining myself punching Other Human in the face) What are you, fecking Snow White? The other seasons suck. You're dead to me.
I'm not sure, but I imagine Snow White as the ultimate optimist. Her step-mother tried to kill her and she just went and lived with dwarfs until a Prince came along. And she sang and whistled happy tunes while doing housework! She probably loved all four seasons. I've never once sang and whistled while shoveling three feet of snow from my driveway.
"Oh the Fall is so beautiful. I love the colors!" Yeah, well you know what? The colors on my 50 inch HD TV are gorgeous and I don't have to go outside and pick the colors up off my yard for two months while inhaling mold and allergens. That's ok though, you go ahead and frolic in leaf piles.
My problem is that I've lived in the northeastern part of the United States for my entire life. The first half of my life was my parents fault. But since I was liberated from their tyrannical control, it's all on me that I still live here. I've grown sick and tired of damp, cool, Falls, cold, snowy winters, and Springs that are like living in England. (Yeah, sorry England, I hate to break it to you, but your weather is not great.)
I'm all about being an optimist and understanding others perspectives, but in February of 2015 the average temperature for the entire month in my hometown was 12 degrees. And not toasty warm 12 degrees celsius, whatever that is. It was 12 degrees Fahrenheit which is the manly American way of measuring temperature. We had over 100 inches (254 centimeters) of snow for the entire winter. Snow that had to be removed from driveways and roads. Yeah, you "I love all four seasons" people, how much fun was that season?
That picture above this is me every Spring until about June. Yes, I know that rain is good for nature and all, but seriously, how can you "I love the four seasons" people actually love Spring? Who enjoys going around being damp all the time?
Admit it, none of you really love all the seasons. You know who says that? Idiots and people who live somewhere that doesn't really have all four seasons. So as summer turns into Fall, consider yourselves warned that if you engage in a weather related conversation with me, it's not going to end well.
Have a great Saturday! ~Phil


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Dog ownership down a little; cat ownership down more, according to AVMA demographic study.
The percentage of pet-owning households declined 2.4 percent over the last five years, according to a study of 50,000 pet owners conducted by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). An Aug. 4 preview of the 2012 U.S. Pet Ownership and Demographics Sourcebook, to be released this fall, revealed that the percentage of households owning dogs decreased 1.9 percent, while households owning cats declined 6.2 percent, although cats still outnumber dogs as pets.
Changes in the total number of dogs and cats owned as pets are even more dramatic. There were 69.9 million pet dogs at the end of 2011, a decrease of 3 percent from 72.1 million in 2006, and 74.4 million pet cats in 2011, a decrease of 9.4 percent from 81.7 million in 2006. The decline in the total number of pet dogs and cats in the U.S. from 2006 to 2011 is 6.4 percent.
"Obviously the recession is probably a big reason for this decline," says Karen Felsted, DVM, MS, CPA, CVPM, president of Felsted Veterinary Consultants and presenter of the data. "But there may be other reasons as well, and we need to find out what those are."
The study did find that veterinary visits for dogs were up 9.2 percent, but the feline decline has continued, with cat visits down 4.4 percent since 2006. The average number of veterinary visits per dog was 1.6 times per year, while the number of visits per cat was 0.7 times per year. "What I find particularly disturbing is that 45 percent of cat-owning households never visited a veterinary clinic in 2011," Felsted says. "That's up dramatically from 35 percent in 2001 and 36 percent in 2011."
Here are some other study findings presented by Felsted:
• Pet owners spent $28 billion on veterinary care in 2011, with about two-thirds of that spent on dog care, a quarter going toward cat care and the rest spent on other types of pets.
• While there was an increase in expenditures for both dogs and cats from 2006 to 2011, Felsted says mean expenditures per pet were flat with inflation taken into account. Plus, 51 percent of dog owners and 74 percent of cat owners spent less than $200 per year on veterinary care, which Felsted considers the minimum for basic preventive care.
• Six percent of dog owners and 3 percent of cat owners reported that they had insurance for their pets. "I thought this was interesting because it's higher than the 1 to 2 percent you usually hear quoted," Felsted says.
• Eighty-six percent and 78 percent of dog owners said their pet was average weight. "Now do you think they're right?" Felsted asked the audience. "We know from the Banfield State of Pet Health Report that there's been a 37 percent increase in overweight dogs and and a 90 percent increase in overweight cats. I think their perception may be skewed."
"So what does all this data mean?" Felsted says. "It means that with fewer potential clients, we need to provide more extensive care. We need to look at our marketing, perception of value and pricing. Plus we need to get back to basics. We've talked about the 'wow' factor a lot, but a bandana on a dog doesn't mean much if the client had to wait for 45 minutes in the waiting room."


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Gary Carter's tumors likely malignant
Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter has a brain tumor that is likely cancerous.
Doctors performed biopsies on a tumor in Carter's brain on Friday morning and Duke Medicine says in a release that preliminary results show it ''appears to be malignant.''
''Once the pathology report is available, which will take several days, we will discuss treatment options with Mr. Carter and his family,'' said Doctors Allan H. Friedman and Henry S. Friedman, the co-deputy directors of The Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke.
''In the meantime, Mr. Carter is in excellent spirits and good physical condition. He is resting comfortably, surrounded by his family. We hope that his friends and fans will continue to pray for Mr. Carter and his family during this time.''
The 57-year-old Carter, who just completed his second season as Palm Beach Atlantic University's baseball coach, announced last Saturday that an MRI had revealed four small tumors on his brain. The Duke Medicine release says the biopsies were performed on a single tumor.
Carter hit .262 with 324 homers and 1,225 RBIs in 19 seasons in the majors. The 11-time All-Star played his last game with the Montreal Expos in 1992 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2003.
The effervescent Carter, nicknamed ''Kid,'' is perhaps best known for helping the Mets win the 1986 World Series. He had 24 homers and 105 RBIs that year, then drove in 11 runs in the postseason.
''We have to wait and see what kind of treatment there is. We are praying for him and his family,'' said Mets first base coach Mookie Wilson, a former teammate of Carter's. ''It's tough for any of us. Gary was one of the happiest guys in the world every day. That's why they called him the Kid.''
Wilson said he has texted Carter since hearing about the tumors last weekend but hasn't spoken with him.
''It's shocking. We're pretty much the same age. It could happen to any of us,'' Wilson said. ''We know he's a competitor and I think that gives him an edge.''


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Summary: Periods of economic stress tend to bring forth quack simplistic economic theories, like during the 1930s. We will see more of these if this slow period continues, more so if we have another recession before a recovery. Not just gold, but other fringe ideas such as Ayn Rand and her mutant version of Marx's labor theory of value (with "going Galt" as their form of collective labor action). This is part one of a series about the theory and the history of gold-based monetary systems. Part 2 is What would a gold-backed currency do to America?
If they dare to come out in the open field and defend the gold standard as a good thing, we shall fight them to the uttermost, having behind us the producing masses of the nation and the world. Having behind us the commercial interests and the laboring interests and all the toiling masses, we shall answer their demands for a gold standard by saying to them, you shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns. You shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold.
— Conclusion of William Jennings Bryan's Cross of Gold Speech to the Democratic National Convention, 9 July 1896
- Gold, a vice around the economy's heart
- Does gold stabilize the economy?
- Why do many people want a gold-backed dollar?
- For more information
(1) Gold, a vice on the economy's heart
This love of gold goes to the central flaw of laypeople's thinking about economics. Fixed is not always good. Economic variables have to vary. It's usually better for interest rates and currency values to change rather than shocks flow through to national income and employment. To use a bad medical analogy, why don't we all get pacemakers to stabilize our heart rate! Imagine how a fixed pulse would improve our health, especially during sex and other forms of vigorous exercise.
Many of the past century's successful economic outcomes occur in nations whose leaders understood this. Many failures occur in those that didn't.
The case history most relevant to us: the late British Empire. In 1924 they made a horrible mistake, appointing Churchill as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Knowing nothing about finance — and that a strong currency is obviously and always good — in 1925 he repegged the pound to its 1914 value. Since the UK was far weaker in 1914, that initiated a series of currency crisises lasting until the final IMF bailout in 1976 (the largest until then). In exchange this loan the IMF demanded a final large devaluation (see this UK government paper about the event). This set the stage for the "Thatcher miracle", as Volcker's breaking inflation did for the "Reagan Miracle".
We're repeating Churchill's mistake, due to a similar imperial ignorance. The US dollar is too high vs. the currencies of our trading partners, with the same result: ugly trade deficits, outsourcing, and deindustrialization. Eventually reality will hammer the US dollar (or US national income) down, as it did the to Britain. If we're not smart and take the easy way, events push us on the hard path to the same outcome.
For an brief explanation of the problem with gold-based monetary systems see "Golden Instability", Paul Krugman, New York Times, August 2012 — Excerpt:
There is a remarkably widespread view that at least gold has had stable purchasing power. But nothing could be further from the truth. Here's the real price of gold — the price deflated by the consumer price index — since 1968 {graph}
… What does that tell us about how a gold standard would work? Faced with the kind of shock we've just experienced, the real price of gold would "want" to rise. But under a gold standard, the nominal price of gold would be fixed, so the only way that could happen would be through a fall in the general price level: deflation.
So if we'd had a gold standard operating in this crisis, there would have been powerful deflationary forces at work; not exactly what the doctor ordered.
Now, the gold bugs will no doubt reply that under a gold standard big bubbles couldn't happen, and therefore there wouldn't be major financial crises. And it's true: under the gold standard America had no major financial panics other than in 1873, 1884, 1890, 1893, 1907, 1930, 1931, 1932, and 1933. Oh, wait.
The truth is that returning to gold is an almost comically (and cosmically) bad idea.
(2) Does gold stabilize the economy?
The gold standard has horrific effects on the US during the late 19th century. Our histories are written from the perspective of creditors, for whom the Gilded Age was a wonderful period of growing and concentrating wealth and income. Those years look wonderful because we've airbrushed them as carefully as Playboy does their centerfolds. Ignorance sells!
In fact there were frequent depressions — with no food stamps, unemployment insurance, or medicare. Our "yeoman" classes that Jefferson saw as the foundation of the Republic (independent small merchants, farmers, craftsman), were liquidated during these depressions. Even children's stories like Little House on the Prairie to see the pain it caused. And the resulting social turmoil.
Nor does gold prevent the formation of financial bubbles, which are an inherent aspect of free-market economies — and can occur even without credit. Although on a gold standard 19th century Britain had many bubbles, each of which painfully bust. For an introduction to this history see "Charles Mackay's own extraordinary popular delusions and the Railway Mania", Andrew Odlyzko (Professor, U MN), 14 September 2011. Odlyzko shows how bubbles look sensible at the time, until their underlying assumptions prove wrong over the short-term — even if they prove to be correct over the long-term.
The gold standard worked for the UK because its leaders allowed the Bank of England to break its bonds during emergencies. For more about this see these articles by Brad Delong (Prof Economics, Berkeley):
- "The ECB's Battle Against Central Banking", 31 October 2011
- "Central Banks Have the Power to Do Things They Have No Power to Do Department", 26 November 2011
(3) Update: Why do so many Americans want a gold-based currency?
First, its not just a fringe that want a gold-based currency. It's a large, mostly Republican, minority of Americans. As seen in these polls.
- "Blom & Benko: Advocating Gold Standard Could Change Outcome of 2012 Presidential Contest" op-ed in Roll Call, 3 January 2011
- Public Has Mixed Views of Return to Gold Standard, Rasmussen, 21 October 2011
Why do they want something with a history of painful failure? Why is the most difficult of questions to answer. This comment by revelo gives as good an answer as any I've seen:
The answer is that gold is a symbol or metaphor for what people really want, which is stability and security and a return to the good old days of the 1950′s, when American blue-collar workers had a bright future to look forward to, as opposed to a future in which American blue-collar wages must eventually fall to the level of developing world wages.
No one is actually going to give these fools a gold standard, but promises of a gold standard may very well win some votes. Then again, the question was rhetorical and doesn't need to be answered, since everyone already knows the answer is more or less what I just wrote.
(4) For more information about gold-based monetary systems
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(a) Major works about gold:
- "The Nature and Necessity of a Paper-Currency", Benjamin Franklin (1729) — Every generation must fight the gold-bugs.
- The ur-source for information about gold: Report to the Congress of the Commission on the Role of Cold in the Domestic and International Monetary Systems, March 1982
- "Reflections on the Gold Commission Report" by Anna J. Schwartz, chapter 13 in Money in Historical Perspective (1987)
- "International Gold Standard and U.S. Monetary Policy from World War I to the New Deal", Leland Crabbe, Federal Reserve Bulletin, June 1989
- "Brief History of the Gold Standard in the United States", Congressional Research Service, 23 June 2011
(b) Articles about gold for a general audience:
- "The Gold Bug Variations", Paul Krugman, Slate, 23 November 1996 — "The gold standard and the men who love it."
- "A Critique of Pure Gold", Barry Eichengreen (Prof Economics, Berkeley), The National Interest, Sept-Oct 2011
- The GOP has picked the wrong time to rediscover gold", Ezra Klein, Washington Post, 24 August 2012
- The Clear and Present Danger Chronicles: Goldbugs, GOPsters, The Ryan, and Oh Dear FSM Are They Really That Dumb?, Thomas Levenson (Prof Science Writing, MIT), The Inverse Square Blog, 25 August 2012
- "Why the Gold Standard Is the World's Worst Economic Idea, in 2 Charts", Matthew O'Brien, The Atlantic, 26 August 2012 — "Whether it's 1896 or 2012, it doesn't make sense to crucify our economy on a cross of gold"
- "Golden Instability", Paul Krugman, 26 August 2012 — "There is a remarkably widespread view that at least gold has had stable purchasing power. But nothing could be further from the truth."
(c) Other posts about the gold standard
- Government policy errors as a cause of the Great Depression, 1 November 2008
- Everything written about the economic crisis overlooks its true nature, 24 February 2009
- Fetters of the mind blind us so that we cannot see a solution to this crisis, 1 April 2009
- A top businessman and banker explains our political and economic challenges, 30 April 2011
- Explaining the gold standard, the Euro, Default, Deflation, and Hyperinflation, 17 December 2011