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Ten years ago most countries of the European Union abolished their individual currencies in favour of one regional currency, the Euro. There were celebrations and rejoicing at a further step towards European integration and co-operation. It was proclaimed that this would lead to peace and prosperity. Most people gave it little thought beyond the fact it would be handy to use the home currency abroad on holidays. Very little consideration was given to the economic effects the currency might have. Rather it was presumed Europe could only benefit from a single currency. Ten years on and the Euro is facing widespread and possibly even collapse. Where did it go wrong?
In a nutshell, the Euro is in trouble because European economies are too different. In fact their economies are going in two opposite directions. This contradiction cannot work and many analysts are predicting the Euro's break up.
Under a single currency, countries give up certain powers and give them to the European Central Bank. These include powers to set interest rates, to devalue and to print money. The ECB bases its actions on what is good for the whole Euro zone, rather than any individual economy. If all countries are on the same page this will cause no problems. If however economies are suffering from different problems requiring different (or even contradictory) solutions. Guess which describes the Euro zone?
Around 2001 the main economies of the Euro zone (France and Germany) went into a slowdown and suffered from high unemployment. To solve this problem the ECB cut interest rates to stimulate their economies. Unfortunately Ireland and Spain were experiencing a boom and needed the opposite solution, namely higher interest rates. Instead the ECB made their problem worse and contributed to the crisis the periphery countries suffered. Currently the shoe is on the other foot. The periphery countries (Ireland, Greece, Spain etc) are stuck in recession whereas the core countries (France, Germany etc) are recovering. Therefore the core needs higher interest rates whereas the periphery needs lower interest rates. The choice is either inflation for the core or unemployment for the periphery. Due to their power the core is getting its way.
The euro also exacerbated the boom and bust in the periphery countries. Most of the money to fund the Irish property boom was borrowed from Germany. The Euro greatly helped this capital movement by adding fuel to an all-ready overheating economy.
For an area to share a currency, it must have economies that are similar. For example America works well with only one currency. This is because US states trade a lot with each other and capital and labour can move freely between them, offsetting any imbalance. While on paper this is the case with the Euro zone very few people actually move countries due to differences of language and culture. A significant amount of their trade is done with America and former colonies. Most importantly of all there are no fiscal transfers. If one American states' economy is declining while another's' is booming, rising tax revenue from one will be transferred to pay rising welfare costs in the other. This way the difference between the two states is balanced out and the economy keeps moving in the same direction. The lack of such fiscal transfers is a major cause of the current euro crisis. We have a choice: either a federal EU government with its own taxes or the breakup of the Euro. We cannot go half and half.
This has lead to calls for the Euro to be split in two. One for the richer core countries and one for the crisis periphery countries. As it currency stands the ECB is preventing the periphery from using the very policies it needs to get out of recession as it would cause in inflation. (The ECB also has an irrational and damaging fear/paranoia of inflation). With their own currencies, periphery countries could devalue print money and keep interest rates low, all of which would greatly benefit their economies without damaging the core countries.
The problem is that every country wants to be part of the rich currency and no one wants to be part of the crisis currency. There are several risks involved in changing currency especially if it is unplanned. There could be a market panic or a loss of confidence by investors. This could lead to bank runs, falling investment, capital flight and economic decline only making the problem worse. There would be significant problems regarding national debt if the new currency devalues as bonds are in Euros. All countries would suffer from a loss of confidence and stability, which why many strongly oppose the breakup of the Euro.
The Euro essentially was a one-size-fits-all policy for fundamentally different economies. It simply won't work as long as the core and periphery countries are heading in opposite directions. While it would probably have been better if Ireland didn't join, it may be too late to leave. While leaving could be disastrous, it's hard to see how things can continue. There are no easy options.


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|Course 201:
|How to Juggle Different Investment Goals
The 100 Level of the Investing Classroom's Portfolio track covered setting goals, getting a handle on risk, and building a portfolio. But as your life changes, so will your goals.
Say your financial goal right now is retirement. But what happens if you have a child two years from now? Paying for college will become a goal, too. And maybe buying a larger home three years after that. Or paying for a parent's long-term care. Most investors eventually have multiple investment goals.
The 200 Level of the Portfolio Track will cover many of the issues you'll face when investing for different goals, as well as how to invest for various time horizons.
This course, in particular, offers general guidance for how to invest for more than one goal.
Next: Map Out What Each Goal Will Cost >>
|Learn how to invest like a pro with Morningstar's Investment Workbooks (John Wiley & Sons, 2004, 2005), available at online bookstores.
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If you have questions or comments please contact Morningstar.

subset: commoncrawl


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Drug Recovery & Treatment Centers in Grove Hill, AL
Southern Oaks Grove Hill Memorial Hospital
Southern Oaks Grove Hill Memorial Hospital is located in Grove Hill, Alabama - 36451.
These programs are provided for the following care types: Mental Health Disorder Treatment.
Ready To Get Help?
We can help you find the right treatment facility that best fits your overall needs and financial requirements.


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1. Ice. Ice can be used to make alcoholic frozen drinks, which are popular among loose Amazons in the summertime. To make the drinks, gargle some tequila, then crush the ice with your massive jaws and spit the results out into a highball glass. Throw in some crabgrass for an excellent garnish.
2. Mice. Crushed mice make a great stew, as do rats, shrews, moles, voles, marmots, opossums, skunks, and, if you're into foreign cuisine, tamarins.
3. Other people's toes. A proper barbarian weighs somewhere around 300 pounds, so if you're just feeling like having some fun, try stomping on other people's feet when you're riding in the elevator. They'll be terrified and they'll have no place to run!
4. Globes. They still have them in libraries sometimes. (Libraries are those places full of free books and are always a great source of fun, being highly flammable.) If you find a globe, demonstrate your feelings toward civilization by assaulting its false notion of a spherical planet! In other words, flatten it!
5. Nipples. Technically this is pinching more than it is crushing, but in any case, it is fun, whether they are someone else's or your own.
6. Televisions. Especially old ones. Make sure to plug them in first. It's probably the most fun you can have crushing something. It's also fun to crush other people's cellular telephones, laptops, and tablet computers. For best results, use a sledge hammer or a morning star.
7. Watermelons. Gallagher was right! What could be more satisfying than the spray of chunky green rinds and wet pink meat you get from a warhammer applied directly to a watermelon? Well, maybe human heads, but those should be reserved for combat, not smashing as a lazy weekend pastime.
8. Flowers. If you're male, this is a great way to begin a date: buy a bouquet of flowers to show off your phony romantic side, then thrash them against the sidewalk to show your total lack of sensitivity. Girls hate whiny sensitive types. As long as the petals are still attached, you're not done. Keep smashing them on the street until the petals are shredded, the stems are a fine powder, and the paper and cellophane are full of holes. Afterwards, bill your date for the cost of the bouquet.
9. Giant spiders. For best results, use a shoe the size of a Volkswagen.
10. Your enemies. If you've already crushed all your enemies, it's time to make new ones. Try dumping your garbage in front of your neighbor's house, abducting and enslaving their children, and lighting their car on fire. Voila: instant enemy– and very fun to crush!!


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Central Plant
Section 1
Central plant is the heart of the utility infrastructure on campus. It is staffed by licensed Steam Engineers and is operational 24/7. In addition to monitoring the sophisticated plant equipment, all after-hours trouble calls are received and triaged by the plant operators.
Central Plant List of Services:
- Maintain equipment in campus buildings, such as boilers, water purification and vacuum equipment, as well as mechanical maintenance of HVAC system equipment and filters
- Produce and distribute chilled water (for cooling, dehumidification, and process cooling), high temperature hot water (for building heating water, domestic and industrial hot water, low-pressure steam generation for research equipment) and compressed air (for instrumentation and automation functions and for research laboratories) to campus buildings
- Produce and distribute electricity via the cogeneration plant (CHP - Combined Heat and Power)
Other Central Plant Services Include:
- Air compressors
- Air handlers
- Chemical treatment for pools
- Emergency generators
- Heat exchangers
- Industrial hot water heaters
- Motors
- Process cooling systems - central
- Pumps
- Steam boilers
- Steam generators
- Steam supply
- Vacuum pump systems
- Valves - isolation and control
- Water systems - central: DI, RO and soft water systems
To request a Central Plant Service, please submit an online request to the Facilities Management Services Portal (UCInetID is required).


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C-SPAN founder Brian Lamb starts new chapter in his life
Just over a year ago, Brian Lamb donated the entire library from his
"Booknotes" program to George Mason University and moved out of
"Executive Row" to a smaller office at the C-SPAN bureau at 400 N.
Capitol St. NW. The move was a signal that the man who founded the
network in 1979 was ready to begin a new chapter in his life. While his
decision to step down as CEO on C-SPAN's 33rd birthday might have
surprised some, it was clear to those who know him that Lamb had been
laying the groundwork for his departure.
"We started talking about this two years ago," Lamb told The Hill. "It was time."
{mosads}C-SPAN will now be managed jointly by Susan Swain and Rob Kennedy. Swain, who joined the network as a producer and on-air host in 1982, will be responsible for programming content and marketing. Kennedy, who has a background in the cable industry, will manage the business side as well as the network's technical infrastructure. Lamb will stay on as executive chairman of the board and will continue to do his weekly interview program Q-and-A.
Appearing on C-SPAN's "Booknotes" program in 1997, author Frank McCourt recalled what he used to say to his students at Stuyvesant High School in New York. "By the end of this term, there's one person in this class who will have learned the most, and that's me, because I want to learn." They're words that Lamb could have spoken himself of his more than three decades at the helm of the network.
Assessing his legacy is no easy task, but if there's one word that sums up Lamb best, it is "process." He wanted to know how government works, how policy is formulated, how laws are made, and how writers think and write. Over the decades, Lamb has educated himself and the public by unveiling the U.S. government and its history to anyone who wants to watch or listen.
NBC White House correspondent Chuck Todd says it's this access that gives the network its anti-establishment vibe.
"It's the most populist entity in town," he said.
Asked if he was anti-establishment or populist, Lamb summed it up this way: "I'm anti-big power. I don't know if that's populist or not."
In addition to C-SPAN, more than two dozen states now have televised coverage of their state legislatures. Former C-SPAN employees manage three of those channels (in Pennsylvania, Illinois and Wisconsin).
C-SPAN's extensive online video library counts some gems among the more than 190,000 hours of programming, including one from 2003 with presidential historian Robert Caro sifting through papers at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library in Austin, Texas.
"The very idea that he'd show a historian going through papers was revolutionary," Caro said. "I didn't think it would work, but it did. To this day people remember that program."
Lamb subsequently interviewed Caro at his New York office in 2008, where he asked the historian to explain how he wrote his books. This is the stuff of C-SPAN.
"He's interested in what I'm interested in — political power," Caro said of Lamb.
Trusting the public with access has been the hallmark of C-SPAN. For more than three decades, the network has provided gavel-to-gavel coverage of the House, with the Senate following suit in 1986. Hearings, briefings and panel discussions have been added to the mix over the years.
While most lawmakers believe the impact on Congress has been largely positive, there are some downsides.
"Increased transparency exposes the deficiencies of democracy in a profound way," former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) said. "And it's changed the context and tone of debates on the floor and in committees. It's still something we're learning to adjust to."
Former Utah Republican Sen. Bob Bennett agreed.
"When they got television, senators started to speak to their audience rather than each other, and the art of oratory was lost. You never get a real exchange on the floor."
C-SPAN's mission to provide access to the political process will remain front and center as Swain and Kennedy both look for ways to share what the network covers through new technologies and social media — though in some respects, C-SPAN has been a pioneer and ahead of its time. Long before Twitter and Facebook, there was "Washington Journal,"
C-SPAN's morning call-in program, in which hosts take up to 60 calls in three hours from viewers, who can talk directly to members of Congress, administration officials, reporters and historians alike.
The challenge ahead for the subscription-based network — six cents of each subscriber's cable bill goes toward C-SPAN's annual budget of $60 million — will be to stay abreast of distribution technologies and how that effects the cable industry. For now, data plans continue to preserve the business model. But embracing change will remain key to the network's survival.
"When you're a more mature organization, you have to encourage innovation," Swain said.
Praise for Lamb since his announcement has been constant. As his fellow Hoosier, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (R), put it, "He's not just a superb journalist, but part of a disappearing breed, a scrupulous reporter that never puts himself ahead of the story. Brian is the antithesis of all that."
Always a reluctant celebrity, Lamb joked of the recent attention.
"This is what it's like when you're buried alive," he said.
Touhey, The Hill's comment editor, was a
C-SPAN producer from 1998 to 2007.


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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Lynn Anderson, whose strong, husky voice carried her to the top of the charts with "(I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden," has died. She was 67.
A statement from the family said she passed away at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, on Thursday. Her publicist said the cause of death was cardiac arrest.
Anderson first soaked up the national spotlight as a young singer on "The Lawrence Welk Show" between 1967 and 1969. Although she was signed to an independent label, the exposure helped her nab a deal with Columbia Records in Nashville.
"He was absolutely wholesome," she said of Welk in a 1987 interview with The Associated Press. "He felt country music was coming into its own and deserved to be on national TV. At that time, I was the only one singing country music on national TV every week. He's one of my heroes and always will be."
And it was "Rose Garden" that sealed her country music legacy, earning her a Grammy and Country Music Association's female vocalist of the year award in 1971.
"It was popular because it touched on emotions," she told the AP. "It was perfectly timed. It was out just as we came out of the Vietnam years and a lot of people were trying to recover.
"This song stated that you can make something out of nothing. You take it and go ahead. It fit me well and I'll be proud to be connected to it until I die."
She made television appearances with such stars as Lucille Ball, Bing Crosby, John Wayne and Tom Jones and she performed for presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter and Reagan. She was also in episodes of the TV show "Starsky and Hutch" and in the 1982 TV movie "Country Gold."
Anderson's other hits included, "Rocky Top," "You're My Man," "How Can I Unlove You," "What a Man, My Man Is" and "Top of the World" (also recorded by the Carpenters).
She returned briefly to the country Top 10 with a Gary Morris duet in 1983, "You're Welcome to Tonight."
Country star Reba McEntire lauded her accomplishments Thursday.
"She did so much for the females in country music," McEntire said in a statement. "Always continuing to pave the road for those to follow."
Dolly Parton also said she'd be missed.
"Lynn is blooming on God's Rose Garden now. We will miss her and remember her fondly," Parton said in a statement.
She was born Sept. 26, 1947, in Grand Forks, North Dakota, but raised in Sacramento, California. The daughter of country songwriters Casey and Liz Anderson, she started performing at the age of 6.
Anderson was an award-winning equestrian as a teenager, voted California Horse Show Queen in 1966.
In her later years she lived in Taos, New Mexico, where she faced a number of legal problems. A Taos judge issued a restraining order in 1995 against Anderson after her boyfriend said she had threatened him following the end of their 12-year relationship.
In 2005, Anderson was accused of shoplifting a "Harry Potter" DVD from a Taos supermarket and then punching a police officer as she was being put into a patrol car. She later pleaded no contest to obstructing an officer and was given a conditional discharge, court records show.
The year before, Anderson was arrested on drunken-driving charge in Texas, the same week she was nominated for a Grammy for a bluegrass album.
She is survived by her father, her partner Mentor Williams and her children, Lisa Sutton, Melissa Hempel and Gray Stream.
Associated Press reporter Russell Contreras reporting from Albuquerque, New Mexico contributed to this story.
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Safety Is Our Priority
Seismic retrofitting is about making your building safe during earthquakes, both the quakes you feel and the tremors that you don't. We understand seismic demand on structures, and with a recent uptick in large earthquakes near urban centers, we endeavor to make every structure we work on sound.
Historic San Francisco Seismic Retrofitting
Saarman's first major seismic retrofit project was San Francisco's Hotel Majestic in 1985. This historic 1902 structure was the only hotel left standing after the Great Earthquake and fires of 1906. We restored the hotel to its original turn of the century grandeur and elegance under the watchful eye of the San Francisco Historical Society, while making sure to upgrade the structure and support to modern standards.
Seismic retrofitting is an integral part of all restoration, rehabilitation and reconstruction projects we have performed since 1985. We look forward to bringing your structures into the 21st Century!


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The Rock Coast Rollers are ready to rumble — again.
In their second home bout of the summer season, the Midcoast's derby girls are dragging an old grudge across state lines as they face the Upper Valley Vixens on Saturday, June 23 at 7 p.m. at the Midcoast Recreation Center.
Dubbed the "Solstice Slam," the bout promises fans plenty of hard-hitting action against the Vixens, a rival from the hinterlands of New Hampshire and Vermont. Doors for the event open at 6 p.m.
Following a powerhouse performance on June 2 at MRC, the 'Rollers are anxious to treat fans to another round of amazing athleticism, supersonic grace and gritty determination, all carefully balanced on four tiny wheels.
The thrills and chills can be had $5 per person, with children under age 12 admitted free.
Get ready to hoot and holler at the halftime show, where local entertainers kick up their heels for old-timey fun — wild-west carnival style. The after-bout party is at Waterworks in Rockland.
Tickets for the bout can be purchased at Rock City Coffee, Atlantic Baking Co., Good Tern Food Coop, Serendipity, Rising Tide and other local businesses, as well as from the league's website at rockcoastrollers.weebly.com. A portion of the proceeds goes to New Hope for Women, a local nonprofit that helps residents of Lincoln, Knox and Waldo counties create safer communities.
The Rock Coast Rollers league formed in early 2011 and is a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association. With the unfailing support of the fans, the women of RCR are going helmet-to-helmet with some of the best roller derby leagues in the northeastern United States and Canada, making a name for Midcoast Maine in a sport that is taking the nation by storm.
The league is looking for additional referees, track officials and volunteers, and encourages anyone interested in the sport to consider becoming a part of the fast-growing phenomenon of roller derby by joining forces with a positive, empowering, community-oriented team.
Learn more about the hard-hitting, wheel-burning women of the Rock Coast Rollers and the sport of flat track roller derby on their website at rockcoastrollers.weebly.com.
Courier Publications sports staff can be reached by phone at 207-594-4401 or by email at email@example.com.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
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Mustangs make their points — over and over
Warriors spoil Lions' bid for first win of 2022


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Pominville has found himself on the third line in recent games, and it was there that he earned the secondary helper on a Casey Mittelstadt goal.Fenton Fairfield TribLIVE commenting policy We moderate comments.Sheary scored two goals https://www.eaglesshopfootballauthentic.com/Authentic-Brian-Westbrook-Jersey — the first on the power play, and the second the overtime winner — and added an assist in Friday's 4 victory over the Penguins.The two families traveled to road games then and formed a bond that endures.
To search for players who were born on a certain date, for example all players born on December 25, choose the month, day and year with the drop down boxes and then choose the 'Full Date Search' option.Bagley's 3-pointer brought the Kings within 108 with 3 left.More importantly, he would not have been overlooked for so long as a Hockey Hall of Fame inductee.SACRAMENTO, Calif.Vancouver fell one spot last season and two spots in 2016.Shumpert made one of 10 shots in Monday's loss at Brooklyn.
If that ends up being the case, the 29-year-old blueliner will finish the campaign having notched two goals and 12 points while posting Brian Westbrook Youth Jersey a plus-3 rating in 55 appearances.Before the night gets underway, the Wild held an optional morning skate at Xcel Energy Center.The Canadiens have recalled Brett Kulak from the AHL.That would be the Jacuzzi room…
To find all players born within a certain month and year, for example all players born in December of 1985, choose the month and year with the drop down boxes and then choose the 'Month and Year Search' option.This lack of size has made his time in the AHL difficult, as he has been unable to see past screens by much larger opponents and needs to be more mobile to keep up Art Shell Jersey with quicker skaters and more accurate shooters.The final year of that contract is fully non-guaranteed, representing great value for the Kings, who can really use Bjelica's scoring ability from either forward spot.
Kyle Kuzma said that he didn't know what exactly was wrong with the team.Warner's efforts eventually proved futile, though, and it was his misfield that allowed Rahul to knock off the winning runs from the penultimate delivery.Adam Schiff and other mouthpieces from the party, they pressed for a special prosecutor to investigate Russian collusion in the election, presumably with the target of removing Trump from the presidency.His talent has been rewarded with a call-up to England's Performance Squad.
Jim: Hey Brian.Thank you for your time and wish you all nothing but the best in this offseason and the new season.We had complete control of the game for the majority of that game with exception of maybe a two-minute span.To search for players who were born on a certain date, for example all players born on December 25, choose the month, day and year with the drop down boxes and then choose the 'Full Date Search' option.Mostly everyone already remembers that Smith-Schuster fumbled away that game."We were at our wit's end, it was kind of desperation," Atkinson said.
How they got here: Romania is a team void of star players, yet they qualified second in their qualifying group behind Northern Ireland.Who knew it would take less than one month of the NBA regular season for said eyebrows to be correct – as it stands now, at least.The good news is he seemingly escaped unscathed, but he'll get the night off against the Canucks anyway.DEP documents also indicate the department conducted water tests at the property and found elevated levels of iron, manganese, turbidity and zinc, all above pre-drill expected levels.
If you think Hurts will complete at least 19 passes, you would take the over.When London captured the 2016 Mastercard Memorial Cup, he went with a stellar 1 GAA and a .942 save percentage.The talk of camp for the last week-plus, 18-year-old Alex Formenton signed his entry-level contract, signaling the team's intent to keep him around at least in the interim.Perhaps this time he sticks as he should earn a spot on the Predators even after injured players return.
He http://www.footballraidersofficialauthentics.com/RAIDERS-ART-SHELL-JERSEY was also one of the most popular players to don the bleu, blanc et rouge in decades.We forced them into turnovers." Definite positives for a young Kings team that was eliminated from playoff contention last week.His 316 career goals are the most in league history.He's made himself a winger of interest in a number of fantasy formats this year.
To avoid distracting other readers, we won't publish comments that suggest a correction.Similar to inductee Gilbert Perreault, this was the only major award of Middleton's NHL career.


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Bitcoin, which was launched in 2009, is a math-based digital currency project operated by nongovernmental entities.1 Anyone can obtain bitcoins if he/she can solve a math problem (mining). The math problem gets harder as more coins are mined. The math problem is so hard that miners use computers for mining; hence, the money supply is constrained by the progress of computing technologies. Once a coin is mined, it can circulate as an ordinary coin within the internet. Bitcoins can also be exchanged with other currencies, such as Euro and US dollar (USD). For example, Figure 1 shows the exchange rate with USD at the Mt. Gox that shows a steady increase in its value: from almost zero to $100 in May 2013. Mt. Gox is a Tokyo-based Bitcoin exchange that deals with most of the Bitcoin exchange trades. According to this chart, it seemed that Bitcoin is heading toward the successful establishment of a new payment method beyond the control of any authority, until the crash of Mt. Gox in 2014 (some signals might have already been observed in 2013).
Bitcoin-USD exchange rate at Mt. Gox (Source: bitcoinchart.com)
There are several digital currencies other than Bitcoin, such as eBay, Anything Point, and Facebook Credits. Several new projects are also being launched, such as Amazon Coin and Ripple. In addition, mileage points of commercial airlines and shopping points of credit card vendors, for example, are similar to these digital currencies. Why was the focus on Bitcoin? Before the crash of 2014, some major financial companies, such as Western Union and MoneyGram, are approaching Bitcoin vendors.2 In addition, public authorities, such as the Fed and the FBI, are also interested in the activities using Bitcoin, as it may help criminal activities such as money laundering as well as tax evasions, and may be targeted by various cyber crimes.3
This paper studies Bitcoin (a legendary digtal currency) using a search-theoretic model of money.
There are three major versions of money-search model: the first generation model that uses indivisible money and goods (Kiyotaki & Wright, 1989); the second generation model that uses indivisible money and completely divisible goods (Trejos & Wright, 1995); and the third generation model that uses completely divisible money and goods (Lagos & Wright, 2005).4 This discussion is based on the second-generation money-search model. We extend the basic model by Trejos & Wright (1995) to a dual-currency model as Craig & Waller (2000). The reason to use the second generation model is its simplicity for extension and its capability of dealing with price differences in methods of payments.
In the dual-currency system, there are two currencies coexisting in a unified market as methods of payments. For keeping the seller to buyer ratio constant, this paper allows new entries of sellers and buyers. Accepting new entrants, who observe the previous period's market performance of each currency, allows correlations among parameters within each currency, and eventually an interdependence of shares of traditional money and Bitcoin users. With such a framework, we examine if Bitcoin can stay in the market as a method of payment. In addition, we consider dynamic stabilities of bargaining outcomes and population shares of respective agent types. It is then clarified that Bitcoin may fail to exist if the inflation rate is sufficiently low relative to the storage cost (or gain) of Bitcoin. Actually, the financial crisis in Europe has brought the focus on Bitcoin. To overcome such a time on the cross, bitcoiners may have to accept major financial institutions to get involved in the community.


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Image by Kyle Cajero
End the streak.
For the past 15 years, Waves fans have said, tweeted and written a variation of those three words before every men's basketball game against the Gonzaga Bulldogs. Over the span of 32 games, the Waves have lost to the Bulldogs in a myriad of ways, from missed tip-ins, to 40-point blowouts and to a controversial loss in the West Coast Conference Tournament.
Aside from an NCAA Tournament appearance or a former Wave hearing his name on NBA Draft night, the Waves' 32-game drought against Gonzaga is one of the longest — and arguably, one of the most painful — streaks in Pepperdine basketball history.
The worst part? There doesn't seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel. This season, Gonzaga is the final undefeated team in college basketball with a 20-0 record. The Bulldogs come into Firestone Fieldhouse as double-digit favorites on Saturday, Jan. 28, and are looking for their 33rd-consecutive win against Pepperdine. Barring anything short of a miracle, the Zags will win no. 33. And chances are, the loss will hurt.
"I'm not big on moral victories," former Head Coach Tom Asbury said after Pepperdine's 17th-straight loss to Gonzaga in the AP article "Gonzaga grabs sole possession of first place in WCC with win," published Jan 12, 2010. "It's a loss."
Pepperdine is one of two winless teams in the West Coast Conference against Gonzaga since 2002 (the other being Pacific, who joined the conference in the 2013-14 season, following a quarter-century stint in the Big West). Predictably, Saint Mary's leads the rest of the WCC with seven wins against the Bulldogs, per the chart below.
Image by Kyle Cajero
Although the Bulldogs are far from unbeatable, the Davids of the WCC have only toppled the Goliath 25 times in the past 15 seasons. Somehow, these 25 wins are still fewer than the number of losses Pepperdine has endured against Gonzaga over that same stretch. It's safe to say that this series between one-time-WCC giants has become rather lopsided in recent years.
But how lopsided has the Zags-Waves series been? Pepperdine fans: You might want to skip the next three paragraphs. They are not pretty.
Gonzaga has outscored Pepperdine in 54 out of the last 64 halves, and has won the past 32 contests by an average of 17.9 points. The Waves' sole halftime lead against the Bulldogs was a mere point (45-44), which occurred in the 2002 WCC Championship game, which was game number two in the Waves' 32-game losing streak. A grand total of five Pepperdine Head Coaches have participated in the 15-year drought, whereas Mark Few has been at the helm of the Bulldogs every time.
While Pepperdine has failed to enter the Associated Press top 25 rankings since the final poll of the 1975-76 season, Gonzaga has beaten the Waves while ranked 3 (twice), 5, 6 (twice), 7 (three times), 8 (twice), 10, 13 (twice), 14, 15, 16 (twice), 17, 23, 24 and 25 in the AP Poll. For those of you keeping score at home, Gonzaga is halfway to a National Ranking Bingo against the Waves (yes, I just made up this stat). It's very possible that Gonzaga will have beaten Pepperdine from every rank in the AP Poll before Pepperdine even cracks the national rankings.
Speaking of the AP Poll, Pepperdine has won one game against a nationally-ranked opponent since its last win against Gonzaga: a non-conference home win against No. 20 Wisconsin on Nov. 27 2004.
Both programs have embarked on opposite trajectories since the Bulldogs started its winning streak against the Waves in 2002. However, the past 32 games have seen its fair share of characters and drama between these two teams. Every so often, a David in a Pepperdine uniform has stood up to the Bulldogs. Guards Terrance Johnson and Devin Montgomery nearly toppled the Bulldogs in the dawn of the streak. Forward Glen McGowan chipped in 19 points and 9 rebounds off the bench in the last win against Gonzaga; merely months before, the controversial forward was suspended for punching his teammate Will Kimble in Payson Library. Former guard Keion Bell is in the school record book for his career-high 37 points against Gonzaga in January 2010. Even though he transferred to Missouri later in his career, Bell is the only Wave to drop 30-plus on the Bulldogs.
And most recently, Pepperdine's all-time leading scorer Stacy Davis was hailed as the one who would finally slay Goliath; in a Shakespearean twist of fate, the Waves were excruciatingly close to achieving the unthinkable in Davis' final home games against the Bulldogs.
With all of this in mind, here is an overview of all 32 losses. The games are ranked in tiers: the first being "predictable" losses, which are games Pepperdine had no business being in, yet weren't completely blown out by the Bulldogs. The "painful" losses are embarrassing either due to the margin of victory, or due to the players involved. The "heartbreaking" tier is for the extreme losses including, but not limited to, huge blowouts, last-second losses, blown leads and a loss in the WCC Championship game that not only impacted Pepperdine's NCAA seeding, but also changed the rivalry for the next several years.
Here we go.
Image by Kyle Cajero
The Bulldogs were obviously out for revenge less than a month after losing to Pepperdine in Malibu. I'm sure the Waves saw this coming from a mile away.
This was the only time Pepperdine has been tied at half in Spokane, and if there's anything I learned in the one (and only) economics class I've taken, it's that a gain of zero is still a net positive. After all, not leading at half in the toughest venue in the conference is predictable.
The Waves haven't won in the Kennel since Feb. 19, 1998, and this losing streak will be older than several players on the current Men's Basketball roster by the time Pepperdine plays in Spokane next season.
"We've told our guys that there is a thin line between the elite in our league and everyone else. We obviously proved that tonight. We can play with everyone in the league if we're doing all the things we need to do," Marty Wilson said after the 12-point loss in the ESPN article "Gonzaga hangs on to beat Pepperdine for 22nd straight time," published on Feb. 5, 2012
At the time, Gonzaga was ranked 24th in the AP Poll with an 18-4 record. Pepperdine was 8-15.
"For one night, at least, the Gonzaga-Pepperdine rivalry was back in the West Coast Conference," read AP's recap, "Gonzaga grabs sole possession of first place in WCC with win," published on Jan 21, 2010..
This matchup had one of the best individual performances: Keion Bell scored 34 points in the second half on his way to notching 37 — his career high in a Waves uniform.
The fact that a 14-point loss is in the "Predictable" category says something about this rivalry. Pepperdine has lost the past 32 games in a myriad of painful ways that a loss like this doesn't feel as bad as it probably should.
AP's recap for this game was titled "Gonzaga outshoots, out rebounds foe," which is all anyone needs to remember about this game, or most of Gonzaga's games, for that matter.
Well, aside from the fact Pepperdine was referred to as simply a "foe."
Not "Pepperdine." Not "Waves." Foe.
Stop me if you've heard this before: According to the aptly titled AP recap "Gonzaga 69, Pepperdine 52," "The Waves came into the game ranked among the national leaders with per-game averages of 81.9 points, 28.7 3-point attempts and 10.9 3-pointers made." Pepperdine was 4-13 going into this game.
One decade later, the Waves are a 5-14 squad that shoots 37 percent from deep, is 92nd nationally in 3-point percentage according to ESPN's rankings, yet has failed to win because of its offense.
"We played OK," Gonzaga guard Jordan Mathews said in the AP article "No. 7 Gonzaga beats Pepperdine 92-62 in WCC opener," published Dec. 29, 2016. To be fair: The undefeated, seventh-ranked Bulldogs let a 4-8 Pepperdine team hang around for the majority of the first half, so he's not wrong.
Image by Kyle Cajero
Gonzaga's semifinal win in the West Coast Conference tournament was "easily the most fun we've had in a game this year," to quote senior guard Byron Wesley from ESPN's article, "Byron Wesley, Kyle Wiltjer lead No. 7 Zags into WCC final," published Mar. 9, 2015.
In a game that was never particularly close, Gonzaga proved the old college basketball adage wrong: A team can beat an opponent three times in a row, especially when said opponent has lost the last 28 contests.
Pepperdine's all-time leading scorer Stacy Davis gave credit where it was due in the same article. "They're a great team," Davis said. "They're very balanced. We have nothing to hang our heads about."
Oh, Stacy. Pepperdine basketball misses you.
Fun fact: Mychel Thompson, brother of Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Trayce Thompson and Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson was the leading scorer for the Waves that night.
Not-so-fun fact: Thompson scored nine points on 2-14 shooting while sinking three of four free throws.
On this date, Gonzaga forward Josh Heytvelt set three career highs with 27 points and 22 rebounds and six blocks. No wonder why he loved playing in Malibu: He averaged 12.2 points and 5.8 rebounds in his career, according to his sports-reference.com page.
To further twist the knife, Pepperdine forced Gonzaga into an astronomical 28 turnovers, yet they couldn't pull within one possession of the Bulldogs.
The aforementioned Heytvelt nearly eclipsed his career-high in scoring, with his 25 points — plus 9 rebounds — against the Waves.
After the game, Heytvelt said this to AP reporters in "Heytvelt, Bouldin power Gonzaga past Pepperdine," published Jan. 22 2009 : "I don't know why I didn't come here because I always seem to have decent games [here] and then we end up winning most of the games when we come here. I don't know if it's the atmosphere of the heat, but I think I enjoy playing here."
On behalf of the City of Malibu: You're welcome. Please visit us anytime.
"We don't relax for any game," Gonzaga guard Kevin Pangos said in the AP recap of the game titled "Kevin Pangos helps No. 6 Gonzaga pound Pepperdine," published Feb. 7 2013. "I saw today that [unranked] Illinois beat [no.1] Indiana. It happens. We can't let that happen to us."
This is like saying "Nobody's gonna top my formal proposal" and hiring The Weeknd to serenade your prospective date during a dinner at Nobu, all while you film the scene with a custom Snapchat filter.
Former Head Coach Paul Westphal is a great example of someone who tells it like it is. The man simply does not use alternate facts.
"Our defense is very poor and their defense is very, very good," Westphal said in the AP article "Annual grudge match no contest in Kennel," published Feb. 5 2004. To wit: The 2003-04 Waves surrendered 79.1 points per game, good for 320th in the nation, according to sports-reference.com. Not a good look against the nation's seventh-highest scoring offense that year at 81.8 points per game, according to sports-reference.com.
Different year. Same Paul Westphal.
"When you give up 60 percent and shoot 33 percent, up here or anywhere, you're going to lose the game." he said in the AP article "Pepperdine stifled to just 33.9 percent shooting," published Jan 15, 2005.
I wasn't around to see Westphal coach, but man. I miss him so much.
"We're not ready to play them yet," Pepperdine coach Tom Asbury said of his young team in the AP article "Heytvelt's double-double lifts Bulldogs to rout of Waves," published Feb. 21 2009. "They are too big and physical and too experienced. We can't compete with that."
Image by Kyle Cajero
Welcome to rock bottom.
With an interim head coach and virtually no momentum in conference play (Pepperdine arrived in Spokane with a 1-6 record), the Waves surrendered 101 points to an unranked Gonzaga squad. Despite carrying a 19-point halftime lead, the Zags didn't let their foot off the gas pedal. The Bulldogs' 54 second half points were merely five points fewer than what the Waves had scored all game.
Pepperdine's worst loss against Gonzaga is tied for fourth among the Bulldogs' highest margins of victory against West Coast Conference opponents in the past 15 years, according to sports-reference.com. The Bulldogs have won by 40-plus against San Francisco (42), Santa Clara (42 and 43) and LMU (45).
Future NBA players Yakhouba Diawara and Ronny Turiaf battled it out to keep this game close. Diawara — one of five Waves to log an NBA minute in the millennium — hit two threes in the final minute to pull within 2 with 38 seconds left, but his effort wasn't enough.
"If we make our free throws and get our rebounds, we win that game," Diawara said in the AP article "Turiaf, Knight clutch down the stretch," published Feb. 11, 2005.
If only it was that easy.
"The Traffic Game" started under unique circumstances. Gonzaga was an hour late to the game because of horrible freeway traffic, which is #soLA, it hurts (other contenders: USC's in-game DJ/hypeman, UCLA fans showing up super late to games unless they're nationally televised, the palm tree design on Cal State Fullerton's court and the fact that Long Beach State plays in the glitzy-sounding Walter Pyramid). In an act of sportsmanship, Head Coach Marty Wilson gave the Bulldogs ample time for a pregame warm-up.
Pepperdine was down by 9 at halftime, but the Waves used a 13-5 run to pull within two at the first TV timeout of the second half. The Waves would go on to outscore Gonzaga 45-38 in the second half, thanks to shooting 60.3 percent from the field, 40 percent from deep and, critically, 81.8 percent from the free throw line.
It took the Waves nearly thirteen years to get within one possession of Gonzaga. Up until this point, the Pepperdine students — or even grad students — in attendance hadn't seen the Waves lose by single digits to the Bulldogs. This game was unknown territory. Like a first concert, a first trip overseas or a freshman orientation, Waves fans had no idea what to do or how to react, but they were definitely happy to be there.
The naiveté and feel-good atmosphere turned to nervousness and tension by the time Gonzaga threatened to pull ahead during second half. It was almost as if the dorky, scrawny sixth grader finally realized he could stand up to the eighth grade bully and throw a punch or two. As soon as the crowd realized that A) They could actually win, B) Hey wait, it's been how long since Pepperdine beat Gonzaga? and C) Forget it, let's just freakin' WIN, the legend of "The Traffic Game" was born.
Video courtesy of Pepperdine Athletics
On a personal note, this was the first time I watched Pepperdine play Gonzaga in person. I don't think I'll forget this game, especially the final eight minutes. As I've written before, there was enough hope in the building that maybe, just maybe the Waves would finally pull off the upset. For the first time in 15 years, Pepperdine could almost taste victory against the juggernaut from Spokane.
Alas, the unthinkable was a missed tip-in away.
It should have been a storybook ending. A nationally-televised game on a Saturday night. The Waves brought back all of its starters for Stacy Davis' and Jett Raines' senior seasons. Lamond Murray Jr. and Kameron Edwards were blossoming in real time. And there was no Przemek Karnowski for the Bulldogs. There was bound to be a raucous crowd (it was). Last year's two-point loss fresh in everyone's minds, so how much closer could the Waves get? Everything looked promising.
That is, until it didn't.
Stacy Davis singlehandedly willed the Waves to recapture the magic from the previous matchup in Malibu. In front of a national audience, the senior forward from Laveen, Arizona — who, by the way, was rated two stars by ESPN coming out of high school — led all scorers with 26 points, including 5 threes. Not to be outdone, Lamond Murray Jr. scored 15, including a sweet dunk in transition off a no-look assist from Jeremy Major to make it a one-possession game.
But the Waves' defense came through against the Bulldogs. As a team, the Bulldogs only shot 9-25 from the field in the second half — a far cry from its 13-26 mark in the first half. On the individual level, Pepperdine's defense limited 2015 Wooden Award finalist Kyle Wiltjer to a mere six points in the first half. Wiltjer finished with a pedestrian (by his standards) 17 points, and the Waves held him to only 16.7 percent from 3 (Wiltjer made 43.7 percent of his 3-pointers that season, according to sports-reference.com).
The lesson in this defeat, as always, was Gonzaga had (and has) so many weapons. Wiltjer and guard Josh Perkins were well off their season averages in scoring, yet sophomore forward (and current Oklahoma City rookie) Domontas Sabonis led the way with 20 and 11. Reserve forward Bryan Alberts was the only scoreless man in the lineup, which was eight-deep.
Despite the fact that Pepperdine also played an eight-man rotation, forwards Jett Raines and Kameron Edwards failed to score in the double digits: something they had done frequently during the season. Amid Udenyi also went cold by shooting 0-8 from the field. The usual go-to players didn't have their best games, which was the difference maker.
Unlike leaving Firestone after the 78-76 loss the year before, any feelings experienced after the final buzzer were those of emptiness, numbness and doubt. Chances are, Pepperdine will experience several years of 17-point losses before it comes within a possession of the Bulldogs.
As of now, future Gonzaga matchups look bleak, but it's only a matter of time before another David in a Waves uniform rises to the occasion.
Pepperdine held WCC Player of the Year Dan Dickau to two first-half points, outscored Gonzaga's bench, turned a one-point halftime advantage into a seven-point lead midway through the second half, shot 45 percent from the field (including 42.9 percent from 3-point land), saw starting point guard Devin Montgomery score a career-high 27 points.
Yet Pepperdine lost by six thanks to the aforementioned Dickau. With his fiancee in the crowd — heckled by Pepperdine fans who urged her to "keep her maiden name," according to the Graphic's article "The finer points," published March 14, 2002 — and ESPN's cameras fixed on his floppy mop of hair, the baby-faced Dickau came alive in the second half to score a whopping 27 points.
As soon as Dickau surged, the rest of the Bulldogs followed their senior leader; the sixth-ranked Zags saw their lead balloon to 15 with eight minutes left to play. Pepperdine's reserves had kept them in the game up until that point — coach's son Mike Westphal hit three 3-pointers in the second half and Craig Lewis chipped in 8 — but the Waves could no longer drive and kick as easily as they did in the first half. Dickau's offensive resurgence must've sparked something in Gonzaga's defense as well.
But the game did have its fair share of controversy, mostly surrounding Dickau. Pepperdine forward Boomer Brazzle was whistled for a rather questionable technical foul at 16:24; the forward took one high dribble in frustration after a play was whistled dead, and the gesture was enough in the eyes of the referees to T him up. The Bulldog on the line for the ensuing free throws? Dan Dickau.
Then, with 44 seconds left, Dickau proved to Pepperdine fans that yes, he could be a little more unlikable after dropping 27 on the Waves.
After two free throws from Devin Montgomery to put the Waves within five, the Bulldogs prepared to inbound the ball. Dickau tried to make a cut to the inbounder, but was tied up by Pepperdine forward Jimmy Miggins. Before they could get the pass off, referees noticed Dickau lose his balance. One of the referees blew his whistle. Foul on Miggins.
After the play was ruled dead, Miggins and Dickau exchanged words as Dickau stood up. Miggins turned to his left to walk away from Dickau, while Dickau was arms-length in front of a referee. At the last second, Dickau slid into Miggins' path, feigned contact and collapsed. A second whistle sounded. Technical foul on Miggins.
It's worth noting that a referee watched the whole scene transpire from a mere two feet away, but the whole scene was almost ridiculous. Was Dickau shoved, or was he flopping? The jury is still out.
But Dickau still made one of two free throws because of the technical and, by proxy, gave the Bulldogs' possession, which all but ended the Waves' slim chances at a comeback.
This game also marked the last time the Waves-Zags rivalry was close and meaningful. Although both teams entered the West Coast Conference tournament with a 13-1 conference record, Pepperdine was awarded the top seed thanks to a coin flip, according to The Graphic's article "Waves floored in Spokane," published on Feb. 21 2002 . Both teams won a combined 49 games coming into the tournament final: something that hasn't happened between these two teams in any games since.
The Waves have yet to make the WCC Championship game.
Less than a year after Pepperdine's last win over Gonzaga, the Waves came into the Kennel looking to avenge the 96-90 loss in the West Coast Conference tournament.
But, as an ancient Hindu philosopher once said: Life comes at you fast.
Pepperdine outscored Gonzaga 44-42 in the second half, but this wasn't even close to erasing its horrid 50-28 halftime deficit.
In most ways, this loss was the most painful because it not only showed the stark difference between the programs, but it also served as the turning point in the rivalry. Pepperdine lacked the depth, physicality and skill required to keep pace with Gonzaga.
The Bulldogs, on the other hand, were just taking off.
Follow Kyle Cajero on Twitter: @kylecajero


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I once came out of a store and saw a lady trying to open her car door by using a bent, wire coat-hanger. I asked if it was her car, or if she was stealing it. A smile relieved her face of obvious frustration. When I offered to help, she gladly handed me the coat-hanger. It was apparent that the wire wasn't strong enough to grip the handle on the inside of the car door. So, as I chatted with the woman, I took some time in bending, twisting, and shaping the wire so that it had both the strength and the contours to grasp the handle. With great skill, I carefully lowered the newly-molded tool toward the handle, but to my embarrassment, the innovative instrument was now too short. It didn't even reach the handle! It was then that I asked the woman to stand back. I was going to try my car keys in her car door. It was a long shot, but it would at least take attention off my obvious blunder. I slipped the key into the lock, then turned it. To our total surprise and delight, the door immediately opened. Modem evangelism has bent, twisted, and shaped its methods in a sincere effort to unlock the heart of the unbeliever. To the embarrassment of many, our efforts have fallen short of the ideal. Yet, the key to the sinner's heart is, and always has been, close at hand to the Church. All it will take to open the door of revival is to abandon our own efforts and try the key to see if it does indeed work. Out of a total of 11,500 assemblies, a major U.S. denomination had 7,872 respond to a questionnaire asking about church growth for 1991. The results revealed that a massive 294,784 decisions were obtained during that year. Unfortunately, only 14,337 remained within the Church. In other words, over 280,000 couldn't be accounted for. This 96% fall-away rate is a little higher than the normal for modem evangelism, where the average is 80-90%. Charles E. Hackett, the author of the report, said, "Something is wrong, and has been wrong for nearly one hundred years of evangelism, since the Church forsook the key to the sinner's heart. It set aside the Ten Commandments in their function to convert the soul (Ps. 19:7) and to show us our true state, and thus see our need of God's forgiveness. Romans 5:20 says, "Moreover the Law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound..." When sin abounds, grace "much more" abounds, and according to Scripture, the thing that makes sin abound is the Law. We can often see the work of God's Law illustrated in civil law. Watch what often happens on a freeway when you are traveling. When there is no visible sign of the law, see how motorists transgress the speed limit. Everyone knows the maximum is 55 mph, but watch how they all naturally flow together at an unlawful 70 mph. It seems that the law has forgotten to patrol this part of the freeway. You are just "going with the flow." Besides, you are only transgressing the law by 15 mph, and you are not the only one who is over the speed limit. Now, notice what happens when the law enters. He comes through on the fast lane with his lights flashing. Your heart misses a beat. You no longer feel secure in the fact that other motorists are also speeding; you know that you are personally as guilty as the next guy, and you could be the one the law pulls over. Suddenly, your "mere" 15 mph transgression doesn't seem such a small thing after all. It seems to abound. Look at the freeway of sin. The whole world naturally goes with the flow. Who hasn't had an "affair" (or desired to) at some time or other? Who in today's society doesn't tell the occasional "white" lie now and then, or take something that belongs to someone else, even if it's just "white collar" crime? They know they are "over the limit," but their security is in the fact that so many others are just as guilty. It seems God has forgotten all about sin and the Ten Commandments - "He has said in his heart, 'God has forgotten; He hides His face; He will never see"' (Ps. 10:11 NKJV) Now watch the Law enter with lights flashing. The sinner's heart is stopped. He lays his hand upon his mouth. He examines the speedometer of his conscience; suddenly it shows him the measure of his guilt in a new light, the light of the Law. His sense of security in the fact that there are multitudes doing the same thing becomes irrelevant, because he knows he is as guilty as the next person. Sin not only becomes personal, it seems to "abound." His mere lust becomes adultery of the heart (Matt. 5:27-28); his white lie becomes false witness; his own way becomes rebellion; his hatred becomes murder (1 John 3:15); his "light" fingers make him a thief -"Moreover the Law entered, that the offence might abound..." (Rom. 5:20). Without the Law entering, sin is neither personal, nor is it severe - "For without the Law sin is dead - the sense of it is inactive and a lifeless thing" (Rom. 7:8b, Amp. Bible). It is the "Commandment" that shows sin in its true light, that it is "exceedingly sinful" (Rom. 7:13). Paul sat at the feet of Gamaliel, the great "teacher of the Law," and therefore saw sin in its true colors.
The "offense" and the "foolishness" of the cross.
According to Romans 3:20, "...the real function of the Law is to make men recognize and be conscious of sin (not mere perception, but an acquaintance with sin which works towards repentance...)" (Amp. Bible). To illustrate this, imagine if I said to you, "I have some good news for you! Someone has just paid a $25,000 speeding ticket on your behalf!" You would probably answer me with some cynicism in your tone, "What are you talking about? I don't have a $25,000 speeding ticket!" Your reaction would be quite understandable. If you don't know you have broken the law in the first place, the good news of someone paying a fine for you won't be good news; it will be foolishness to you. My insinuation of unlawful activity will even be offensive to you. But if I was to put it this way, it may make more sense: "Today the police clocked you traveling at 55 mph. in an area designated for a blind children's convention. You totally ignored ten clear warning signs saying that the maximum speed was 15 mph. What you did was extremely dangerous. The fine is $25,000 or imprisonment. The law was about to apprehend you when someone stepped in and paid the fine for you. You are very fortunate." Can you see that telling you the good news of the fine being paid, without telling you that you have broken the law first, will leave you thinking of the "good news" as nothing but nonsense? To make known your transgression actually gives sense to the good news. An unclouded explanation of the law, so that you can clearly see your violation, helps you understand and also appreciate the good news. In the same way, to tell someone the good news that Jesus died for their sins makes no sense to them, "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing..." (1 Cor. 1:18 NIV). If an unregenerate person is told that Jesus "paid the fine" for him (that He died for his sins), it is quite understandable for him to say, "What are you talking about? I don't have any 'sins.' I try to live a good life...", etc. Your insinuation that he is a sinner, when he doesn't think he is, will also be offensive to him. But those who take the time to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, and open up the Ten Commandments, will see the sinners become "...convinced of the Law as transgressors" (James 2:9). Once a sinner sees his transgression, the good news will be neither offensive nor foolish, but the power of God to salvation.
What "sin" are you talking about?
When David committed adultery with Bathsheba and killed her husband, God sent Nathan the prophet to reprove him. Notice the order in which the reproof came. Nathan gave David a parable about something that he could understand - sheep. He began with the natural realm rather than immediately exposing the king's sin. He told a story about a rich man who killed a poor man's pet lamb to feed a stranger, rather than take one from his own flock. David was indignant and said that the guilty party would die for his crime. Nathan then exposed his sin of taking another man's "lamb" saying, "...You are the man! Why have you despised the commandment of the Lord, doing evil in His sight? "(2 Sam. 12:7a, 9a Amp. Bible). When David showed signs of contrition, Nathan then gave him grace and said, "...The Lord has also put away your sin; you shall not die" (2 Sam. 12:13b Amp. Bible). Imagine if Nathan, fearful of rejection, changed things around a little and instead told David, "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. However, there is something which is keeping you from enjoying this wonderful life; it is called sin. Imagine if he had glossed over the personal nature of David's sin with a general reference to all men having sinned and fallen short of the glory of God? David may have reacted with, "What sin are you talking about?" rather than admit his terrible transgression. Or, in a desire to experience this wonderful plan, he may have admitted that he, like all men, had fallen short of the glory of God. If David had not been made to tremble under the wrath of the Law, the prophet would have removed the very means of producing godly sorrow, which was so necessary for David's repentance. It is "godly sorrow" that works repentance. It was the weight of his guilt that caused him to cry out, "...I have sinned against the Lord" (2 Sam. l2:13a). The Law caused him to labor and become heavy laden; it made him hunger and thirst for righteousness. How true are the words once spoken by Charles Spurgeon (the prince of preachers), "The Law serves a most necessary purpose." He also said, "They will never accept grace, until they tremble before a just and holy Law." Paradox though it may seem, the Law does make grace abound, in the same way darkness makes light shine. It was John Newton (the writer of "Amazing Grace") who said that a wrong understanding of the harmony between Law and grace would produce "error on the left and the right hand." I don't know if any of us could claim to have a better understanding of grace than the one who penned such a wonderful hymn. The world will never clearly see the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ until the blackness of sin is explicitly painted on the canvas of a just and holy Law. When a Christian sees what he has been saved from, he will realize what he has been saved for - love for God, the unspeakable gift that will be a continual source of joy. Gratitude will motivate him to reach out and do the will of God, to seek and save that which is lost. That is the key to genuine Church growth, and that is how to see revival. When we begin to apply the truth of this article into our evangelism, there needs to be the involvement of the Holy Spirit in both softening the hearer to be able to perceive the truth he is hearing, and in guiding the person who is sharing the love of God. It is the Holy Spirit's job, not ours, to convict the sinner of sin. We are merely the vessels He uses to communicate the truth that draws men to Jesus. We need to share the love of Christ in a sensitive and gentle manner that exemplifies Him.
Ray Comfort, 3/26/2012


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On the 10th of april, 2004 I shot my first Polaroid in Los Angeles, the photograph features the Chevron Filling Station on the crossing of La Brea Avenue and Beverly Boulevard. A car had died down in the drive. Sky was grey like concrete and "Dude's" bowling site had fallen to demolition. Damn! I had an "In-And-Out" burger with my sweetheart and turned my back on the city.
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...where we were, what we have witnessed, who we have met... by Janko Woltersmann, Roland Geisheimer, Mark Mühlhaus.
courageous, creative, bizarre moments, impressive, committed, funny people... their ideas, actions – for sure their counterpart, the difficult moments like confrontations and certainly doubt...
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ANBA and Heart of the Valley Chamber Partner Up for December Event!
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Are you looking to make the most of your ANBA or Heart of the Valley Chamber membership? Well you're in luck! December 10 the two organizations have combined to hold their monthly networking event and Mr. Brews Taphouse! Make sure to stop out for a fun night of networking at a great local establishment. Please […]
18 Nov


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This was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine. Basically, these books haven't been released yet, but I'm eagerly anticipating them.
The Queen's Daughter by Susan Coventry
Joan's mother is Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, the most beautiful woman in the world. Her father is Henry II, the king of England. She loves them both—so what can she do when she's forced to choose between them? As her parents' arguments grow ever more vicious, Joan begins to feel like a political pawn.
When her parents marry her off to the king of Sicily, Joan finds herself with a man ten years her senior. She doesn't love him, and she can't quite forget her childhood crush, the handsome Lord Raymond.
As Joan grows up, she begins to understand that her parents' worldview is warped by their political ambitions, and hers, in turn, has been warped by theirs. Is it too late to figure out whom to trust? And, more important, whom to love?
Published by Henry Holt and Co.
Release Date: June 8, 2010


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Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Relaxing Easter Sunday Lunch
Image 1 - source unknown Image 2 - Country Living Image 3 - Fiona Carter Ribbons Galore Image 4 - Cake Journal
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Easter decorating
I've got a fasination with cloches and terrariums at present, so I knew I wanted to include a glass jar in the display.
Paper and ribbon bunting from Details, details! (thanks girls!)
Pink milk glass cake stand from Donna Hay General Store (I already had this)
Glass jar from Ikea (I had these left over from Christmas 2008)
Choc Lindt Bunny and Darrel Lea eggs
As you can see, there's no need for a tutorial. I literally popped the eggs and bunny in the jar and voila! Hope you are enjoying the lead up to Easter.
Image Sharnel Dollar My Life My Loves
Friday, March 26, 2010
Please give Jakob five
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Beautiful bedroom
Love the fabric used on the window treatment. It's the same as used on this sidetable.
The same designer (Joe NYE Inc) is responsible for these perfect spaces too.
How sexy is that bar?
Images JoeNYEinc
Monday, March 22, 2010
Grace's Sweetshop Party
Sunday, March 21, 2010
In the news
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Pant wetting material
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Midnight ramblings
Phoebe is the queen of twin beds in my opinion. No one does it like her.
Really digging this balustrade. The natural "tree stump" table is great too. I'm sure there is a proper word for the table, let me know if you know it.
She just gets it hey?
Guest bedroom perfection.
Nothing like a bit of Hollywood Regency to sexy up your reading material.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Mummy and Me Tea Party
Friday, March 12, 2010
Wonderfilled weekend
Monday, March 8, 2010
Olivia's 6th Birthday - Inspiration Board
Image credits: Bramble via Hummingbird, toadstool table and chairs from Magic Cabin, whimsical toadstool table scapes via Amorology, mashmallow milkshake via Sweet Paul, Rose Petal Skirts image Land of Nod, Fawn graphic via Two Peas, Gnome snowglobe graphic, ric rac and dots from Parasol
Vegemite scroll anyone?
Thursday, March 4, 2010
How's Kitty?
New blog on the block
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Chewy and Crispy
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Sweet flowers
Image Bake it Pretty
Monday, March 1, 2010
House Tour - Welcome to my kitchen
With our kitchen being featured in Brisbane News last week, I thought what better time than now to write the second installment of my House Tour series.
My inspiration
This kitchen by Mark Wilkinson was the image I gave to Victoria Ashton in 2006 when she designed our kitchen. When explaining what I wanted, I showed her this kitchen but I didn't want it to be this rustic. No raw timber, not so 'country cottage'. What I did want was glass fronted cabinets, a huge island bench with seating, freestanding oven, shaker style cabinet doors, pendant lighting, integrated fridge and dishwasher, a pot tap (over the stove) and subway tiles.
Victoria did a wonderful job interperting what I wanted and completed our kitchen plans.
I then engaged the services of Anna from Black & Spiro to furnish our home. She provided advice on tile selection and layout, cabinetry design, cabinetry handle selection and tapware selection for our kitchen. Craig Madders from Madders Kitchens was responsible for the making of the beautiful cabinetry.
Here is the result
Image via Brisbane News
Image via Black & Spiro
What I love about our kitchen
Walking into it every morning - it really is a beautiful space
The zip-hydro tap
The space! And the storage. Those 'to the ceiling' units are a godsend.
Intergrated fridges
Separate pantry/scullery
Display shelving - it's a work in progress
Pot tap above the stove
What shits (oh did I just type that?) me about our kitchen
The honed marble - it marks really easily. You have to be super quick in wiping up stuff. I love the way it looks though.
I won't lie - keeping a white kitchen clean is alot of work. Especially since it is all handpainted. Those Magic Erasers are great for hard to budge marks.
The pendant lights trap insects in them and we don't have screens, there are ALOT of insects flying in. Apart from that I do love them.
I have a love hate relationship with my butlers sink. I love the way it looks, I hate the way it performs. Nuf said.
Make sure you choose machine washable fabric if you are having loose cover barstools. It is a major pain in the backside having them drycleaned all the time.
Hope you enjoyed my house tour kitchen edition. I'll take some close ups of the kitchen in the few days and show you some tricky little gadgets we have that make life easier and keep visitors entertained for hours!


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text:
Apr 30 2007
Must Read For Today
I am not even going to excerpt this one – just read it. Andrew McCarthy rips Tenet and his made up meetings and the left for the obssession with 9-11 and inability to see potential future 9-11s (which is what I have been saying Iraq was all about for years). Memorize it and lambast every liberal in denial about the threats to this country. It is the ony way to show them THEY are repeating history. The history that lead to 9-11.
Comments Off on Must Read For Today


text:
French Montana brought the hometown love as his "Excuse My French" tour hit New York City. French performed a lengthy set of his radio hits ("Pop That," "Stay Schemin," "Shot Caller") along with his heavy body of mixtape work, including tracks from his mixtape, "Mac & Cheese 3."
"Haannnn," the Bronx rapper grinned with his signature ad-lib throughout the night. If there's one thing French has, it's a growing roster of famous friends. A bevy of guest stars including Busta Rhymes, DJ Khaled, Wyclef and of course, French's Coke Boyz colleague Chinx Drugz all made appearances. Some cameos, like his cohort Chinx Drugz or the street banger "I'm A Coke Boy," made more sense while others, especially Wyclef who got up to spit a Spanglish freestyle of all things, were a bit odd.
The most salacious guest star of course, was French bringing his rumored girlfriend Trina onstage. Trina, who looked gorgeous, performed their collabo "Tick Tock" but it was the duo's offstage antics that really raised eyebrows. Frenchie and Trina were in cuddle mode after the show, clearly enjoying each other's company. French hasn't fessed up to dating the Diamond Princess as of yet, but the mere thought of this new hip-hop couple already has tongues wagging.
The elder statesmen Busta used the opportunity to hype up French's debut album "Excuse My French," dropping on May 21st, which just so happens to be the late Notorious B.I.G.'s birthday. "No other New York rapper has dropped an album on Big's birthday," roared Busta, showing the crowd that the torch was being passed to a new generation of Bad Boy Records. –Sowmya Krishnamurthy
Video via XclusivesZone


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Monday, January 20, 2014
Keeping the Sniper Relevant
Understanding the sniper in Dust 514 first requires unlearning everything you have experienced as a sniper in 99 percent of shooters. It was CCPs intention to turn the shooter upside down by replacing casual mechanics with tactical ones in what was first described as 'the most hardcore shooter ever' by the former EP. Most casual shooters that try to implement objective based gameplay find themselves polluted with what we call the 'toxic sniper' simply put, this is the player who is only concerned with his KDR and seeks out the most low risk, high reward gameplay he can find.
Online experiences are flooded with players like the Toxic Sniper because players are still adverse to putting objectives or teamplay as their priority. Shooters have been an individual sport for so long [and most titles still promote individual stats as an endgame] that the sniper engaging in avoidance style gameplay is the norm, not the exception. CCP wanted to avoid this in Dust 514, and combats it first with taking away the primary reward: Easy Kills. The sniper [especially the early version] is more of a wounding or support weapon. Fortunately this decision is supported by lore. In most contemporary military shooters, immersion is ruined when soldiers survive a shot from a large caliber rifle. 20,000 years from now dropsuits have both armor and shields and so surviving a hit from a rail rifle doesnt destroy the suspension of disbelief.
Next CCP required marksmen to have a very high skill level. The sheer amount of scope sway associated with sniper rifles in Dust is a deterrent to players accustomed to casual sniping mechanics. One of the universal complaints of players accustomed to the 'EZ Mode' sniping in other shooters is that sniping is too difficult in Dust. While most shooters allow quick scoping and have zero scope sway, this game does not. The result is less players setting up tents far away from the action ruining all semblance of tactical gameplay.While the hardcore mechanics do a solid job of urging unskilled players away from sniper rifles, there are a number of core aspects that need tuning because they are subpar and harm the experience for those actually skilled enough to fill the role of sniper. They must be improved so that the sniper isn't rendered irrelevant as players progress.
1. Hit Detection -This absolutely has to improve or the sniper class will struggle to be relevant. There are too many instances where accurate shots simply do not register. This severely hurts gameplay as consistency with strikes is everything in a shooter and its magnified due to the fact that snipers have fewer shots and opportunities. Definitely a major issue that needs resolving.
2. Rendering - Marksmen have had an issue for months where targets at range vanish randomly or simply never appear. This is another crippling issue that must be resolved or the class simply doesnt have a role on the battlefield.
3. Scope Diversity - Marksmen need the ability to zoom in and out on targets. In previous builds the Thales Rifle had zoom that was an enormous upgrade over the other weapons. Perhaps not every SR will have this ability but its a great way to upgrade the better weapons without always resorting to higher damage. When scoped perhaps L3 can be used to zoom in and out.
4. Head Shots - Based on the amount of skill it takes to land a headshot from distance and the manner of weapon being used, the headshot modifier for snipers should be the highest in the game. 250% is a solid number. Theres simply no way the scrambler pistol & rifle should have higher head shot bonuses. Victims of headshots should not be eligible for revives either.
5. Team Spotting - This was a great starting feature that needs to return. We simply cant complain that snipers dont help the team enough and then take away the key feature that helps their teammates. Let the entire team see what snipers have spotted.
6. Target Painting - Give snipers the ability to paint targets similar to what the squad leader can do. Use a different color [like yellow] and reward them with intel assists if their info leads to kills.
7. Vertical Maps - The vertical nature of the maps is great. Previously the 'bowl' design allowed snipers too much line of sight. Placing more vertical structures in the middle of maps would allow good sniper position but would require they leave the safety of the redline to use them.
8. More Equipment - One of the main things snipers need to aid their gameplay is more equipment geared towards their style of play. A great suggestion by forum poster Outer Raven were recon cameras similar to the BF MAV which we'd love to see as it could be the first real Gallente drone tech in Dust. As long as these were low-flying and easily destroyed we think they would be a great addition to gameplay. Snipers are often static and we think infantry prox explosives [claymores essentially] would do a great job of adding some variety to the usual take-the-sniper-by-surprise gameplay. Lastly, another item that would aid their gameplay are uplink sized detectors that highlight any dropsuit that comes within 15m of them. If placed carefully these easily destroyed devices would do a good job of preventing people sneaking up on snipers.
9. Vary Clip Size - This is the suggestion we debated the most. Our team went back and forth but eventually we decided to add it. Another way to show the sniper progression like all of the other classes is to increase its clip size at higher tiers. While 3 shot clips are fine at MLT and STD level, we should see 5 shots at ADV level and 7 at proto. The Thales officer sniper might even have 10 rounds available per clip.
10. More Options - While we're assuming the Gallente [TAC AR] and Amarr [Laser Rifle] precision weapons are already in the weapons library, the Minmatar Precision Rifle is not. Finish out the racial variants of distance weapons so that marksmen can have as many options as the other classes.
We also decided to make some adjustments to sniper rifles as merc health has seen an upgrade without a similar upgrade to their damage to compensate. Here are some suggestions for adjusted values:
[STD] Sniper Rifle - 209 dmg, ROF 75
[STD] Tactical Sniper - 180 dmg, ROF 150,
[ADV] NT-511 - 230 dmg, ROF 75
[ADV] C15-A - 195 dmg, ROF 150
[PRO] Ishukone -260 dmg, ROF 75
[PRO] Kaaliakiota - 210 dmg, ROF 150
[PRO] Charge Sniper Rifle - 350 dmg
As always, we'll continue to attempt to help promote and publish ideas that help establish, enhance and grow the Dust 514 community as much as we can. Have any ideas that need sharing? Would you like to join our staff as a writer? Be sure to contact us at firstname.lastname@example.com
10 comments:
- AnonymousJanuary 20, 2014 at 2:52 PM
- AnonymousJanuary 21, 2014 at 8:11 AM
Snipers are pussies. Get into the fray.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJanuary 21, 2014 at 11:10 AM
You talk about vertical maps, but surely by the time dust takes place a sniper would have the equivalent of a grappling hook and a power ascender to get up into places that he/she can snipe from.ReplyDelete
Honestly, I'd rather there be more skill involved in sniping. A lot of people go off about how redline snipers need to not be a thing or how sniper rifles' range needs to be reduced.. I'm against that. There are two solutions I'd much rather see tried before we jump to drastic measures:ReplyDelete
a) Scope sway when crouched. This limits sniping to be used by skilled individuals as a force multiplier for a team.
b) Removing the "snap back" where you fire and the reticle goes right back where it was when you fired it. This is the only reason Tactical Sniper Rifles are more powerful than vanilla sniper rifles as their high rate of fire, longer zoom and higher headshot fidelity allows them to put two/three lethal rounds downrange before the person can even react.
It's the lack of these two aspects that is preventing the sniper rifle from having justifiable nerfs/buffs and as it's already a niche role shooting at pixels with really jerky aiming mechanics, reducing range to put the sniper "on the frontline" is just stupid. 20,000 years in the future, technology should be advancing, not degrading. Another thing that I'd like to point out is basing map design solely to prevent snipers from doing their job; the three new Gallente Research SI maps did just this and a lot of snipers have the complaint that there aren't any good spots that they can work with.
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10. More Options - While we're assuming the Gallente [TAC AR] and Amarr [Laser Rifle] precision weapons are already in the weapons library, the Minmatar Precision Rifle is not. Finish out the racial variants of distance weapons so that marksmen can have as many options as the other classes.ReplyDelete
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