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Laura Dekker in Maidentrip
More than just rock climbing documentaries, this weekend's Mountainfilm festival celebrates humanity's relationship with the planet and the indominable spirit of the adventurers among us. Both themes are on full display in the festival's opening night sneak preview of Jillian Schlesinger's Maidentrip. The film follows a 14 year old girl named Laura Dekker as she sets out to becoming the youngest person to sail around the world, a dream that first required her to take on the government of her native Holland. We spoke with Schlesinger about her documentary and its dynamic protagonist.
How did you meet Laura and decide to do this film?
I read an op-ed piece in The New York Times about Laura in 2009 with the headline "How Young is Too Young to Sail Around the World?" The story instantly captivated me. It sparked something in people, such strong reactions from every angle. As I read more, I observed that the only voice not represented in the media conversation about it was Laura's own. I reached out to her with a proposal for a collaborative film project that would allow her to tell her own story from her point of view in a way that's not possible in mainstream coverage of such a sensational story.
I was so curious about who Laura was as a person, as a young person with the desire to pursue such a courageous adventure and the tenacity to fight for it against government authorities and public opinion. I was delighted when Laura responded to my proposal and then I took a solo bike trip across southern Holland to meet her and her dad on the boat where they were living in Den Osse in 2010. That was about two months before Laura got permission to do the trip and set sail.
Did you meet up with her at each of her destinations? Was that difficult to schedule given the uncertain timing of her voyage?
I met Laura in St. Maarten, Panama, the Galapagos Islands, took an unplanned trip across the Pacific on another boat with a Canadian family, met up again on the other side of the Pacific in the Marquesas, Tahiti, and then Australia and South Africa before returning to St. Maarten for Laura's finish. And between these trips I was working crazy hours on freelance work in New York, so scheduling was extremely difficult and unpredictable. It wasn't until South Africa that we were finally able to beat Laura to a place and get aerial shots of her sailing. Since Laura sailed alone with no support crew or follow boat, she did all the filming at sea on her own, meaning if we had not gotten those shots, there would have been no visuals in the film of Laura sailing taken from off of the boat. Last minute one-way tickets, we quickly learned, were the best way to go and actually saved money compared to making a million changes to round trip tickets purchased in advance.
Much of the film relies on footage that Laura shot herself, which seems like it would require a lot of trust on your part. What kind of instruction did you give her? And were you worried about the footage getting damaged at sea?
We were careful about process and collected footage at every stop where we met Laura. We sometimes had to replace the cameras that were mounted outside on the boat if they were malfunctioning. In terms of instructions about filming, I observed early on that Laura had a really unique and natural gift with the camera and didn't want to interfere with that at all. People are often surprised to discover that I never told Laura what or how much to film. It was important for it to be her thing—something she wanted to be doing for herself, to share with her children and grandchildren someday—not just because someone told her to do it. The camera was a friend, not a chore, so whatever we got was what we got and what we'd work with. I experienced that as a exciting challenge of the project, accepting that lack of control and viewing it as an asset, a really interesting creative constraint.
Laura reflects on emotions and obstacles during her time alone on sea. Did you guide her in that respect or did it all come from her?
While I didn't give any instructions regarding the filming, I did provide Laura with a Zoom sound recorder and would give her lists of topics that I was interested in having her reflect on. Beyond the list of topics, I didn't give any direction for the recordings, and often Laura would speak about other things that weren't on the list as well. These unscripted reflections were made throughout the trip and after. Sometimes it was something Laura did totally on her own, sometimes she required more cajoling. In one port, I even did Laura's laundry so she would have more time do the recordings. I always felt it would be a really important part of telling the story from Laura's point of view and a great, self-directed alternative to traditional on-camera interviews, which Laura found uncomfortable and invasive. The recorder gave her time and space to reflect on her experiences without pressure or people around and in her own environment, on the boat, where she felt most comfortable.
Director Jillian Schlesinger
What was the editing process like?
We were very fortunate to be able to work with an exceptional doc editor, Penelope Falk, whom I had met about six years ago when I was doing archival research for another film she was cutting. Our process was to first focus on the natural physical arc—the journey around the world—and then weave in the backstory and emotional content, which we all felt was the heart of this story and what makes it so universally relatable even though the backdrop is so extreme and remote. It was an unusual process for a doc, starting short and continuing to add pieces. We never had that four hour rough cut where you're like, "Oh god how will we ever cut this down?" The film gradually increased in length, scene by scene, we didn't have to kill a lot of darlings. And it was great to have Laura in on the edit and learning about that stage of the process. She stayed on my couch in New York for a month while we worked and she seemed to really enjoy it, picking up on a lot of the editing lingo we were using and giving great feedback, thinking as much like a filmmaker as a subject. I felt lucky to be able to collaborate that way in post-production and I think it worked out so well, particularly because our goal was to tell a very subjective story expressly from Laura's point of view, so having her there in the room was great, even, and often especially, when we disagreed about how best to tell the story.
Laura established adoptive parents with fellow sailors Mike and Deana during her journey. Do you know if she has kept in contact with them or sailed with them again?
Yes, Mike and Deana have been like family to both of us and they continue to keep in touch with Laura. When Laura came to New York from New Zealand last year, she had a quick layover in LA and they went to meet her for dinner at LAX. I stayed with Mike and Deana in Marina Del Rey when Emily (McAllister, producer) and I were out at the Film Independent Documentary Lab earlier this year and we talked with Laura on Skype. They are wonderful friends and Laura was very fortunate to encounter them and a lot of other really warm, supportive sailing friends along her voyage. There's an amazing community of cruising sailors that most people don't know about, and they have been like a big family to Laura during her solo trip as well as now that she has settled in New Zealand.
Maidentrip screens Friday, November 15 at 9:00pm on opening night of the Mountainfilm festival with director Jillian Schlesinger and producer Emily McAllister in person for Q&A.


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what has happened to two threads - on I started and the other with a title of Dr Lonner.
Bothe were current yesterday- don't tell me that they have been closed? We should still be able to see them??
what has happened to two threads - on I started and the other with a title of Dr Lonner.
Bothe were current yesterday- don't tell me that they have been closed? We should still be able to see them??
I AM VERY ANGRY. I started a thread about VBT - As with all threads it got heated and veered on and off topic. However there were posts to me individually from KayinIowa and Pooka1 which were about me and my difficulties. This is a SUPPORT GROUP. Why delete the thread?. We are not children and you live US and I live in UK and both countries are democratic and believe in free speech. If you must - just delete individual posts!! What is the point of this forum if it does not encourage and support debate. Times are changing- this forums woeful lack of information about VBT is evident and for some reason the mods are determined to eradicate posts about it. Well time are changing and if you continue to do this then there will be no point to the forum at all. Just look at the activity on Facebook and compare with the amount of posts here. The forum is already in decline and I think it is a great pity because actually there are voices on here that are well worth hearing (Ed, Pooka1 to name a couple) , have wonderful things to help fellow patients. Forums are much easier to follow than Facebook and you do scoliosis sufferers a disservice by denying them access to proper discussion. The point of your forum is for SCOLIOSIS sufferers because we are failed by medicine!. I am so angry - you call yourself NATIONAL SCOLIOSIS FORUM yet to go about treating adults like children and behaving as if this was some private little group where only people who agree with you can 'play'
VBT is happening - in US - In turkey, In Germany and maybe soon back again in UK. So however heated the discussion - and to be honest it was really only flerc with his mistranslated posts that was getting annoying- no-one should remove it. At best you could have deleted individual posts or closed the thread but to remove it is disgraceful - shame on you!
This forum should not be a place where irrational conspiracy theorists can post.
Sharon, mother of identical twin girls with scoliosis
No island of sanity.
Question: What do you call alternative medicine that works?
Answer: Medicine
"We are all African."
It's like part of me my past has been deleted - as if I don't matter and what I think doesn't count. Richard and flerc were irrational - they can only be countered by rationality but it has to be evident- out there
And no reply from the mods after 48 hours? So all our efforts and not a modicum of courtesy from the mods who just deleted everything and said nothing?????
I am astounded - come on guys ???
The defamation of SRS and the medical community needed to be deleted. I completely agree with the call, she gave a warning, I personally would have deleted right away. For those surgical patients that had their lives saved, this becomes highly offensive and should never ever happen AGAIN. I will start another thread in which Dr Lenke talks about what surgical patients will need to do as far as support with our ever changing health care system. When insurance companies DENY our surgeries in the future, everyone will have a complete understanding of what I am talking about. Things are getting extremely serious with our healthcare system right now. (smug face) I will be expecting to make premium payments that will surpass two house payments in the future. I am in the most expensive group but I never said I was a cheap date.
Translated language using online translators is still lacking accuracy, any 5th grader will agree. Leave it to software programmers to release inferior product when the rest of the world is forced to offer a guarantee. There are words that have multiple meanings, and the grammer is off. Its See Spot run, not See run Spot. Sigh.....The translators are only good for a few words, not shilling or hawking surgical procedures that have the potential to affect people should something go wrong. The accusations of insanity is another subject being incredibly uncouth. The word uncouth translates with Google translator as being "rough" and English speakers all know this is the wrong translation. Need I say more? Should I go on a Chinese scoliosis forum, insist that posters have debilitating neuro disorders because they don't understand, and insist that the translation is correct? How would this action be defined?
Burdle, I am so sorry that you are in pain. PT is a good thing, and hot water soaks work quite well....I will always be careful with medications due to the unknowns even with approval. This does come after taking multiple blacklisted drugs, which of course has me overly cautious. We have our tools in the scoliosis arena, I think of them as tools, and whatever works for each of us is our own choice and decision.
This is a good forum because of its members. The SSO British forum was also an excellent forum, very supportive with Tonibunny, Titch, Mark, and the others all acting together as group mod's. It took a strong communicative effort on their part, and it worked well in the support and technical arena. I hate to say this but Facebook is a powerful monster. They are a monopoly, and will control all media to some extent. I don't use FB, since I don't like their format, I am sure one of the 19,000 employees is reading this, perhaps they will make that change to a forum style to appease people like you and me. For now, we are here together in our scoliosis struggle just trying to cope. All we can try to do is make the best of things on a positive note.
Last edited by titaniumed; 06-25-2017 at 01:37 PM. Reason: spelling and grammar and English is my language
49 yr old male, now 61, the new 61...
Pre surgery curves T70,L70
ALIF/PLIF T2-Pelvis 01/29/08, 01/31/08 7" pelvic anchors BMP
Dr Brett Menmuir St Marys Hospital Reno,Nevada
Bending and twisting pics after full fusion
My x-rays
I understand what Ed is saying, and agree.
Burdle - I also understand where you are coming from. When someone says something to me that really hits me in the heart and makes me feel like that person ACTUALLY cares about me and my well being, I savor that comment and I will read and re-read it when I'm feeling low. It's a true testiment that "just a few words can brighten someone's day." Even if it's someone you don't even know personally. For me, really no one close to me really "gets it" when it comes to my scoliosis. (Well, my husband does because he had to live with me!) To them, it's a "serious back issue that I conquered." But, really it's more than that. It carries a certain amount of "mental anguish" for me that no one understands what I've been through, even before surgery. I don't make a big deal of it because I feel like it doesn't serve a point to talk about something no one understands anyway. But, I do feel a certain amount of "friendship and understanding" with people on this forum.
I hope tomorrow is a "good Monday" for you, Burdle.
Decompression surgery L4/L5
April 3, 2015
Twin Cities Spine Center - Dr. Joseph Perra
Fused from T11 - Sacrum anterior/posterior
June 24, 2016 - 55 years old at surgery
Twin Cities Spine Center - Dr. Joseph Perra
Before Surgery: 42 degrees lumbar, 28 degrees thoracic
After Surgery: 10 degrees lumbar, ?? Thoracic
2 inches taller
Hey Burdle, here is the guy I mentioned in one of those deleted threads... he is the spine surgeon who started doing basic research into pain.
http://brainworldmagazine.com/spine-...nic-pain-docc/Dr. David Hanscom, M.D., is an orthopedic spine surgeon at Seattle Neuroscience Specialists with Swedish Medical Center in Seattle, WA. He specializes in complex spine problems in all areas of the spine, and has expertise in adult and pediatric spinal deformities, such as scoliosis and kyphosis. Many of his patients have had multiple prior spine surgeries. He has successfully treated hundreds of patients for chronic pain.
Having had had two spinal surgeries, ending up with kidney failure, ulcers and post-operative infection, Hanscom has first-hand knowledge of chronic pain. This has left him with extreme empathy for patients who come to him. Since medical school hes educated himself on mind/body syndromes. Discovering he had a lot of anger issues he says, I wrote a section in my book called the disguises of anger and, looking backward, I could see that I had every disguise going. When you come from a difficult childhood like mine, anger and anxiety are your baseline; thats your norm. He describes three causes of pain: structural, soft tissue, and fired up already established, neurological brain pathways. Pain pathways are very, very specific and he advocates a program hes developed that he calls DOCC (Defined, Organized, Comprehensive Care), which takes into account the Mind/Body Syndrome. He went through the Hoffman Process and learned, You either create bad habits or good habits. Anytime youre anxious or angry, youre in an automatic pattern, a reactive pattern. Thats not who you are. (hosted by Justine Willis Toms)https://newdimensions.org/dealing-wi...d-hanscom-m-d/Topics explored in this dialogue include:
How chronic pain disables us
How did the Russian scientist, Dr. Ivan Pavlov, cure himself with buckets of mud
How experiments have shown that a rich social life diminishes pain
Why surgery is not always the definitive solution to pain
Why positive thinking and mind over matter are only short-term solutions
How can we calm down the neurological pathways of pain weve developed
How is sleep the trump card of lessening chronic pain
Why Hanscom is very conservative about recommending spine fusions
Why degenerative disc disease is often not the cause of chronic pain
What is the Hoffman Process and how did it help him
How the Hyde School process changed his family dynamics
I hope this helps you with you Monday tomorrow. Hang in there. :-)
Sharon, mother of identical twin girls with scoliosis
No island of sanity.
Question: What do you call alternative medicine that works?
Answer: Medicine
"We are all African."
SSO in UK has stopped- no word why - nothing.
It's all very well but setting up a site such as these comes with a huge responsibility. The SSo left vulnerable people stranded - who knows what anguish it caused. No-ones 'fault' but a huge problem for those in the middle of a support who lost all contact in one fell swoop!
Same here really- I fully understand about people giving up their time etc but still you have to be very careful that when you stand up and call yourself 'NATIONAL' and give yourself a sort of credibility that you make sure you fulfil obligations.
The site must be 'up-to-date'- otherwise it can give a very dangerous message. It can say it is not up to date and it can say that voluntary moderators are having less and less time to maintain it and it can say it is looking for someone to take it over. Communication is everything.
That is why I have emailed now twice ( with no reply) to the site to ask for at least a basic information about VBT and to ask for some of the information like SPINECOR to be updated and also that irritating article which says the majority of people who have scoliosis have no pain to be removed as clearly the majority of people who have a significant scoliosis and go to internet sites for help Do have pain. People who have no pain just get on with living.
I emailed SRS also ( nothing defamatory about doing so) asking why nothing about VBT and got a reply saying they are looking into it. We should not be afraid of challenging SRS , they are a research body for scoliosis. Without patients they would not exist. Therefore patients have a right to the latest accurate information out there. I will not be frightened away from doing this and I don't expect to be given a hard time for doing this. Surgical treatments do and frankly must evolve
Richard and Flerc went too far in their conspiracy conclusions but this is what can happen when you are met with a 'silence'
We have law of slander and libel in UK? do you have the same in US
My guiding principle in this area is that truth is a perfect defense. You can never be convicted if the statement is true.
Sharon, mother of identical twin girls with scoliosis
No island of sanity.
Question: What do you call alternative medicine that works?
Answer: Medicine
"We are all African."
Well I would hope someone who brings a loser suit should have to pay all defense costs.
Sharon, mother of identical twin girls with scoliosis
No island of sanity.
Question: What do you call alternative medicine that works?
Answer: Medicine
"We are all African."
Sharon, mother of identical twin girls with scoliosis
No island of sanity.
Question: What do you call alternative medicine that works?
Answer: Medicine
"We are all African."

subset: commoncrawl


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NEW YORK (Reuters) - Four of the world's 10 most polluted places are in Russia and two former Soviet republics, an independent environmental group said in a report released on Wednesday.
Encompassing seven countries, the top 10 sites may cause some 12 million people to suffer health problems ranging from asthma and other respiratory ailments to birth defects and premature death, the New York-based Blacksmith Institute said.
"These places are sapping the strength of the populations around them, and it's not rocket science to fix them," Richard Fuller, the nonprofit group's founder and director told reporters on a conference call.
He said simple engineering projects could make many of the places safe, but that funds, political will, and technical ability were often lacking.
Concern about polluted places is growing as the world's population swells and people in developing countries like China and India buy more cars and electronics -- habits that had been limited mainly to rich countries like the United States.
The polluted sites in Russia and the former Soviet republics include Dzerzhinsk, Russia, which until the end of the Cold War was one of the country's major chemical weapons centers, and Chernobyl, Ukraine, where the world's worst nuclear accident occurred in 1986, Blacksmith said its second annual report.
China and India each has two sites in the top 10. Linfen, China, is in Shanxi Province, the heart of country's expanding coal industry, while Tianjin is one of the country's largest lead production bases. In Tianjin, residents, particularly children, suffer lead poisoning symptoms such as learning disabilities, brain damage and kidney malfunction.
In La Oroya, Peru, another top 10 site, heavy metal mining has left 99 percent of children with higher than acceptable levels of lead in their blood, the report said.
In Kabwe, Zambia, children who play in the soil near heavy metal mining operations and young men who scavenge the metal, have lead poisoning levels close to those regarded as potentially fatal, Blacksmith said.
The institute, which worked on the report with Green Cross Switzerland, did not rank the top sites because the quality of health information from each country varies.
The polluted sites are often in remote mountain areas, especially those linked to mining, which can complicate the gathering of health data, the report said.
Blacksmith has amassed data over the last seven years on 400 sites to come up with the list that can be seen at www.worstpolluted.com. This year, the institute also listed the "Dirty 30," which includes the top 10 sites. In the expanded list, Russia and former Soviet republics have 10 sites, and China six.
No U.S. sites were in the group's top 10 because pollution laws there have led to the cleanup of heavily polluted areas since the 1970s.
Consumers in rich countries could be indirectly responsible for some of the pollution, however. "Much of the nickel in U.S. cars and lead in car batteries may have come from these places," Fuller said.
The annual list was compiled with help from specialists at Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, Hunter College in New York, India's ITT, the University of Idaho, Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York and others.
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.


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No that's not Hercules in the picture above, but it may as well be. The 6'3 255 pound freight train you see is Jason Marshall, a professional rugby player who recently competed for Canada in the Rugby World Cup. Jason holds a degree in Business and was busy crunching numbers before he started crunching people on the rugby pitch. He currently resides in France, where he represents not only himself, but his country as well. So CAVE decided to get in touch with Jason and ask him a few questions, and here's what he said.
CAVE: First, lets talk about getting signed to Stade Aurillacois Cantal Auvergne. When you inked the deal what emotions came over you?
Jason: I would say relief. It happened during the last week of the World Cup, I came into the tournament with a pretty uncertain future. I wasn't sure if I was going to keep on playing rugby as an amateur player anymore, due to the lack of money. So I was actually thinking about different career opportunities, which I wasn't too keen about. So really the opportunity to come over to France to play professionally just made sure that I do not have to worry about getting a real job for awhile.
CAVE: You recently played in the Rugby World Cup, how did it feel to represent your country on such a big stage?
Jason: It was amazing. To be a part of such an event at the world stage is a once in a lifetime opportunity. It was all the way down in New Zealand, but the support we had from the locals and the Canadian fans that travelled all the way down there was top notch. I know none of us took the opportunity for granted, because we were reminded all the time that thousands of other guys would kill to be in our spots to represent our nation.
CAVE:You've always been athletically gifted, even from your days as a college quarterback, to your cfl tryout; did you feel like it was just a matter of time before you would be able to showcase your skills and earn a pro deal?
Jason: Well after being cut from the Eskimos I thought my sporting career was over. I was preparing for a career in Accounting. But that's the beauty of being a multisport athlete growing up, I was able to go back to rugby. The rugby route wasn't easy, there was a lot of trial and error so to speak. It took a lot of hard work to get to where I am, which I wouldn't give credit to talent, but more to my drive to try and better myself every day.
CAVE: Now that you're in France, what has been the biggest lifestyle adjustment?
Jason: Definitely the language. I came here with one week of Rosetta Stone under my belt, which it is safe to say I knew zero French. So that has been pretty difficult. And they also have terrible gyms here.
CAVE: You walk around at 6'3 255 pounds, what advice could you give Canadian men in terms of helping them reach their physical goals?
Jason: It all depends on what your physical goals are. I think the most important thing is to try and push yourself every day. The biggest problem in pushing yourself to the max every day is motivation. In my case, one way I get motivated is by watching YouTube videos. If you're like me type 'how bad do you want it? football' into YouTube, the next thing you know you'll be heading out the door for a workout. Also if you find yourself sitting on the couch watching TV, make some room on the floor and do some pushups or situps during commercials. And eat healthy.
CAVE: What parts of Canada are you missing the most now that you are overseas?
Jason: Probably the food and NFL Sundays.
CAVE: If you weren't playing Rugby, what would you be doing?
Jason: Well I love the gym, so I think I would be doing some kind of personal training.
CAVE: Describe what your perfect 'ManCave' would entail?
Jason: Well playing sports for a living there is a lot of down time, which means playing a lot of video games and watching movies. So I have put some serious thought into this. The most important thing is obviously the TV, so I would go with a 60" HDTV. You would have to have the ultimate channel package with every channel you can think of. I would have an Xbox 360 and a PS3 for some extreme gaming. There would also have to be some serious surround sound for the ultimate movie experience. I would have movie style seating with La-Z-boy chairs. I would also have a bar set-up for beverages and a fridge for food. And if the room is big enough, a pool table and dart board would have to be in there, and a poker table. If there is a bathroom in there I wouldn't leave.
CAVE: Away from training and Rugby how do you enjoy spending your free time?
Jason: Well as you can see from my ManCave description, I try and live a pretty relaxed lifestyle that includes video games and movies. And although our coach doesn't recommend it I try and get in as many gym sessions I can throughout the week if the body isn't too sore.
CAVE: How close is Canada to not being seen as an 'underdog' in big international matches?
Jason:Well every year we are closing the gap between the 1st tier and 2nd tier nations, we are continuously getting more competitive. But the main difference between Canada and the top nations is that the players for the top nations are in professional leagues playing at a high level of rugby all year long. The reason most Canadians are not playing professionally is due to employment laws within the countries that have professional leagues. Most teams can only have two foreigners on their team, and most teams would rather have Australians or Kiwis instead of Canadians or Americans. So until that rule is changed or until a professional league is set up in North America we will still be behind the development curve and be considered an underdog to the top tier nations.
CAVE: Success is often defined as the perfect mixture of talent, skill, motivation and timing. With holding a University degree, gaining a CFL tryout and now signing professional rugby deal, what words of wisdom can you give the men back in Canada who are chasing their dreams of success?
Jason: I don't want to be too cliché but I live by this quote that is written on the wall at Level 10 in Vancouver, it keeps me motivated and driven and hopefully it will do the same for someone else.
"Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard" – Kevin Durant
For more on Jason follow him on twitter @Jason_Marshall_


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YOU want a hassle-free experience. You want on-time service. You want easy! We give YOU want YOU want.
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Why is it called whiskey fungus?
Distilleries release ethanol into the atmosphere during the process of distilling and aging liquor. Whiskey fungus is called whiskey fungus because it was first noticed growing on and around distilleries in Europe during the 1800s.
What is whiskey fungus?
Whiskey fungus is a black fungus that grows when ethanol is released into the atmosphere. Technically, its called Baudoinia compniacensis.
What does whiskey
Downstream Injection By: Bob Williamson
Downstream injection is a means of applying chemicals with the use of a pressure washer. It is an effective way of applying chemicals, as long as the end solution of the chemical being applied will be effective at dilution rates of 8-1 and higher. Dilution ratio depends on the gpm of your pressure washer. Higher gpm pressure washers will have a higher dilution ratio.
Downstream injection introduces chemical into


text:
I'm wondering if there is a good way to tell which archive page a post came from. I essentially just need the post's position in the total order, then divide it by the 'posts_per_page' option. The hangup I'm having is getting that position or offset of where the post sits.
EDIT: All while being on the SINGLE POST template.
There, no matter what, the usual $wp_query global and 'page'/'paged' query vars are always 0 - so those won't get me anywhere.


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Industry 'bigwig' Alan McGee has stuck his neck out and attacked Robbie Williams for being a "showbiz chancer" who is "destroying British pop culture".
Comparing him to the bloated talents of Elton John and George Michael, McGee told BBC 6 Music: "These people are brilliant, world class musical talents. Robbie's just a showbiz chancer."
That's not to say I don't like Elton John or George Michael. Sometimes talent is better bloated. It's hilarious! Get rich, get fat and die. P'raps Robbie should take note.
"It's people like him who are destroying British pop culture," McGee kept on. "He has one per cent of Mick Jagger's talent. He's the post 9/11 feel good factor. He doesn't mean anything. He's utterly vacant."
One can only assume that McGee didn't feel quite so protective of British pop culture back in the vacancy of 1977. God save the Queen!


text:
By Ronald Blum
AP Sports Writer
When Barry Bonds walked into the federal courthouse in San Francisco on Dec. 4, 2003, his career total stood at 658 home runs, baseball had yet to institute drug testing with penalties and the Giants were nearly a half-century removed from their last World Series title.
Much has changed since the brawny, contentious slugger spent 2 hours, 53 minutes answering questions from a pair of assistant U.S. attorneys and grand jurors examining drug use in sports.
Baseball's Steroids Era receded somewhat as players and owners started mandatory testing and then toughened the rules three times. Bonds won his seventh MVP award in 2004 and broke Hank Aaron's career home run record in 2007.
And then on Nov. 15, 2007, exactly 50 days since he took his final big league swing and 100 after topping Aaron, Bonds was indicted on charges he lied to the grand jury when he denied knowingly using performance-enhancing drugs. Even though he wanted to continue playing, all 30 major league teams shunned him. And without Bonds, the Giants last year won their first title since 1954.
Starting Monday, a jury will be selected in the very same court house where Bonds testified all those years ago to determine whether he broke the law with four short answers totaling nine words: "Not that I know of," "No, no," "No," and "Right."
Each of the charges – four counts of making false statements to the grand jury and one count of obstruction – carry a possible sentence of up to 10 years, although federal guidelines make a total of 15 to 21 months more probable if Bonds is convicted.
Prosecutors claim he lied to protect the legacy of a career in which he hit home runs at an unprecedented pace, especially for someone his age. Bonds was 43 when he his 762nd, and last, home run.
His apparent defense?
He was truthful when told the grand jury he didn't know the substances he used were steroids, so even if they were performance-enhancing drugs, that isn't relevant to the charges against Bonds.
"If you look at the cases of athletes internationally over the years, the defenses of those athletes has been, 'I didn't know,'" said Dr. Gary Wadler, former chairman of the committee that determines the banned substances list for the World Anti-Doping Agency. "They clearly know. The question is: In a hearing, can you prove it? But they know. Of course, they know."
Even if that is the case here, prosecutors may trouble convincing jurors.
Much of the government's case has been gutted by the refusal of Greg Anderson to testify. Bonds' personal trainer and childhood friend was sentenced in 2005 to three months in prison and three months home confinement after pleading guilty to steroid distribution and money laundering for his role in the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO) case. He is likely to be jailed again next week because he is refusing to testify at Bonds' trial.
Without Anderson to authenticate key evidence, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston ordered that prosecutors couldn't present three positive drug tests seized from BALCO and so-called doping calendars maintained by the trainer at the trial. Prosecutors tried and failed to get her decision overturned. The appeal delayed the trial by two years, but the government lost in a 2-1 vote by a panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Prosecutors allege Bonds lied to the grand jury when he said he didn't take steroids Anderson gave him, never received human growth hormone from Anderson, never took anything Anderson asked him to take before the 2003 season other than vitamins, and never allowed anyone to inject him other than physicians.
Bonds testified to the grand jury he was told by Anderson he was taking "flax seed oil," which the government alleges was a then-undetectable steroid later determined to be Tetrahydrogestrinone (THG), developed by Patrick Arnold for BALCO and known as "the clear." Bonds also testified he used a lotion that Anderson told him was a balm for pain relief, which the government claims was a testosterone-based substance known as "the cream."
With Anderson refusing to testify, prosecutors intend to use the testimony of other athletes, including former AL MVP Jason Giambi, plus the a tape recording of Anderson speaking with then-Bonds assistant Steve Hoskins, to help prove their assertion that Bonds knew what he was taking.
A urine test Bonds took on June 4, 2003, for baseball, which later was found to be positive for THG, also will be introduced along with a July 7, 2006, urine test for baseball that was positive for an amphetamine. And Bonds' former mistress, Kimberly Bell, will be asked to testify about changes to Bonds' body and demeanor the government asserts were caused by steroids.
With the well-established group of BALCO prosecutors led by Matthew A. Parrella and Jeffrey D. Nedrow battling against Bonds' high-priced legal team of half-a-dozen-plus attorneys, the case could come down to how much doubt Bonds' side raises about the government's evidence. The standard for criminal conviction is "beyond a reasonable doubt," not "without any doubt."
Thus far, the highest-profile athlete sent to prison in the BALCO investigation has been track star Marion Jones, sentenced to six months in prison after pleading guilty to lying to federal investigators when she denied using performance-enhancing drugs and to a second count of lying about her association with a check-fraud scheme.
Led by Jeff Novitzky, the tall and imposing lead investigator, the government has been criticized by some for spending millions of dollars on the investigation of Bonds and the separate probe of cyclist Lance Armstrong, who has not been charged. And Novitzky and prosecutors were rebuffed by the 9th Circuit, which ruled they illegally seized the tests results of about 100 baseball players not involved in the BALCO case.
Yet former baseball Commissioner Fay Vincent sees value in the prosecution.
"The legal system has to count on people telling the truth and therefore the government will take seriously charges of lying to federal organizations," he said. "It's important for the federal system."
Illston has urged the sides to try to reach an agreement without a trial, but that recommendation seems to have gone nowhere. And Bonds is only the first Steroids Era baseball star to face a jury. Starting July 6, seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens goes on trial in Washington on three counts of making false statements, two counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of Congress.
How Bonds and Clemens are viewed on the 2013 Hall of Fame ballot – and beyond – will be determined by these verdicts. Bonds' season record of 73 home runs and his career mark have been dismissed by some, perhaps many. Now 46, Bonds' statements, accomplishments, physique and reputation will be under scrutiny like never before.
"Obviously some of the romance and mythology of all sports has been diminished," broadcaster Bob Costas said. "That's just a consequence of the modern age. But I think that it's mostly because of the direct linkage to steroids."
© 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.


text:
Adesto Technologies, a venture dedicated to developing non volatile memory technology has acquired intellectual property and patnets related to their Conductive Bridging Random Access Memory [CBRAM] technology from the now defunct Qimonda AG. The agreement includes purchase of 30 patent related families and licensing of additional undisclosed patents.
The agreement "positions Adesto as the clear leader in CBRAM memory technology and enhances our current IP position in this area tremendously" according to Dr. Narbeh Derhacobian, CEO of Adesto Technologies. Further, Dr. Derhacobian stated "We are impressed with the Qimonda developed IP and believe it will accelerate our time to market in delivering our memory technology platform solution to end users in discrete and embedded application spaces". Further he said, "We are impressed with the Qimonda developed IP and believe it will accelerate our time to market in delivering our memory technology platform solution to end users in discrete and embedded application spaces."
The Qimonda patent portfolio is being liquidated by the insolvency administration in Germany since the company filed for bankruptcy protection in January, 2009. The administration is marketing approximately 10,000 worldwide patents and patent applications from the former firm?s accumulated intellectual property.
Qimonda spent four years internally developing and demonstrating the potential of the Programmable Metal Cell technology, originally licensed from Axon Technologies of Phoenix, Arizona. They were able to develop a cost effective, high performance non volatile memory solution.
The CBRAM technology has many of the desirable characteristics required for storage class memory now important in developing solid state disks for server through tablet computing service. Construction simplicity along with balanced read/write timing, low latency with attendant low power makes it one of the lead candidates in the race for this market. Longer term applications include the important system on chip [SoC] market includes embedded control and smart phone mobile market.
Like we said before this is a must watch company.


text:
The Belgian practice dmvA Architecten realised this extension of an existing row house in Mechelen, Belgium.
Here is what the architects explain:
Central void – glass floors
"Following a new addition of the family, the owners decided to rebuild their house.
The existing house was extended according to building regulations, 17 m groundfloor, 13 m first floor and 9 m saddle-roof.
Responding to the light problem on the groundfloor, a central void was created, cutting three floors, so light could enter the house via the huge dormer window.
In order not to lose space, the void was filled in with glass floors. This light-shaft organises and connects all different living-functions."
Open house – own space
"The concept of the central void with glass floors also bears an educational aspect.
By means of the glass floors, a spatial transparency is created through which all spaces are connected. Children are brought up with the emphasis on 'living together', one of the main principals in education.
At the same time everyone has the disposal of his own space."
Street – garden, closed- open, dark- light, strict –sculptural
"The façade on street side is in every inch the opposite of the back façade.
The design of the front is the result of the search for sunscreen, privacy, closeness, urbanism. Characteristic to the front façade is not only verticalism, but also the contemporary translation of roller-blinds, so often used in the past.
The back façade, on the contrary, is open, clear, white with large windows.
The design-language applied gives this façade a sculptural character."


text:
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Weekend Open Thread...
Friday, April 29, 2011
Morning Update/ Market Thread 4/29 - Smokin' Edition...
Equities are climbing again this morning, the last trading day of the month. The dollar continues its slide into nothingness (even relative to other debt saturated currencies), bonds continue higher not in support of equities, oil is higher, gold is in new record territory, silver is still working on breaching the $50 mark despite another attempt to cut it down via margin increases, and food commodities are bouncing slightly after declining yesterday.
It's typical that a bullish bias exists on the last and first trading days of the month. There was a small movement in the McClellan Oscillator yesterday, so expect a large price move today. Which direction? Well, let me consult my daily pump you up with fluff POMO schedule…
Yep, another $5 to $10 Billion today and every day. Is it ever going to end? I say that if it does we will see an instant return to another wave of deflation. And if they keep it going commodity prices will continue to the moon. Will they keep it going? They have to, the "Fed" doesn't work for you, they work for the private central banks.
Personal Income and Outlays in March are showing the money printing in action and if this report is even close to accurate then we may be seeing the beginnings of inflation in incomes. If that continues, it will fuel a spiral in inflation expectations that will require more and more money pumping from the "Fed." Again inflation is hot in this report and I'm certain that aspect of it is understated – here's Econopray:
The consumer sector got some lift from income growth in March. Personal income in March grew 0.5 percent, following a 0.4 percent gain in February. The latest was a little higher than the median projection for 0.4 percent. Wages & salaries rose a moderate 0.3 percent, softening from 0.4 percent in February.
Consumer spending slowed somewhat in the latest month but was coming off a robust February. Personal consumption expenditures printed at a 0.6 percent rise in March after jumping 0.9 percent the prior month. Analysts had forecast a 0.5 percent gain. The slowing was largely due to a leveling off in durables after the large advance in this component in February. Durables were a little better than many expected as earlier released unit new motor vehicle sales dipped in March. Of course, higher gasoline prices helped boost the nondurables component. Nonetheless, real PCEs managed to gain 0.2 percent, following a 0.5 percent surge in February.
For PCEs in March, strength was led by nondurables (includes gasoline), up 0.9 percent, after a 1.7 percent surge in February. Durables eased to up 0.1 percent, following a 2.1 percent jump the prior month. Services spending advanced 0.5 percent after a 0.4 percent rise the month before.
On the inflation front, the PCE price index continued to be hot, jumping 0.4 percent and matching the February boost. However, the core rate decelerated a bit to a sluggish 0.1 percent rise in March, following a 0.2 percent gain in February. On a year-ago basis, headline PCE inflation worsened to 1.8 percent from 1.6 percent in February. Core PCE price inflation was steady at 0.9 percent on a year-ago basis. The latest core numbers will let the Fed keep arguing that underlying inflation is still soft.
Year on year, personal income growth for March came in 5.3 percent, compared to 5.2 percent in February. PCEs growth posted at a year-ago 4.6 percent, up from 4.5 percent the prior month.
The consumer sector is holding up a little better than expected despite high gasoline prices. The question is whether the price effects are "transitory" as hoped by the Fed. The income gains are at least helping to offset the impact of higher gasoline prices on consumers' budgets.
So then it must be okay to send oil prices to the moon? Heaven help you if you live on a fixed income.
Wait… are wages really increasing or aren't they? In a separate report, the Employment Cost Index does not show the gains:
HighlightsI took the liberty of drawing a big fat trend arrow for your wages (err, I mean employment costs). CPI, of course, is trumped and reality is much higher than advertised. I'm giving this report on wages the benefit of a doubt, but who really knows as the data is so widely warped that trust in the money printing central's data makes one look like an idiot.
A rise in benefit costs fed an above-trend rise in the employment cost index which however shows no acceleration in wages. The ECI rose a quarterly 0.6 percent in the first quarter vs a run of 0.4 percent gains in prior quarters. Year-on-year, the ECI is up 2.0 percent for no change vs the fourth quarter. Wages rose 0.4 percent, the same pace as the fourth quarter, and are up only 1.6 percent year on year. Benefits jumped 1.1 percent for a 3.0 percent year-on-year increase with health benefits for employers up 3.4 percent. For comparison, the year-on-year rate for the CPI was 2.7 percent in March.
Gee, could that be why confidence is being lost in the dollar? Or could that be why China and Russia are on a gold buying binge? Or why central bankers of the world are exchanging their debt backed money from nothing for gold?
Gold Luring Central-Bank Buyers May Extend Record Rally in Price
April 29 (Bloomberg) -- Central banks that were net sellers of gold a decade ago are buying the precious metal to reduce their reliance on the dollar as a reserve currency, signaling demand that may extend a record rally in prices.
As developing countries accelerate purchases, gold may reach $2,000 an ounce this year, compared with a record of $1,538.80 yesterday in New York, said Robert McEwen, the chief executive officer of producer U.S. Gold Corp. Euro Pacific Capital's Michael Pento, who correctly predicted gold's highs for the past two years, forecast a 2011 high of $1,600.
Prices reached a record 14 times this month on demand from investors seeking an alternative to the dollar after the currency slumped to the lowest since 2009, U.S. debt widened, and the Federal Reserve signaled April 27 that borrowing costs will remain near zero percent for an extended period. The economy in China, the biggest foreign holder of U.S. Treasuries, grew 9.7 percent in the first quarter.
"China is out to have more gold than America, and Russia is aspiring to the same," McEwen said yesterday in an interview in New York. "When you have debt, you don't have a lot of flexibility. China wants to show its currency has more backing than the U.S."
In 2010, central banks became net buyers for the first time in two decades, adding 87 metric tons in official-sector purchases by countries including Bolivia, Sri Lanka and Mauritius, according to World Gold Council data. China, with more than $3 trillion in foreign-currency reserves, plans to set up new funds to invest in precious metals, Century Weekly reported this week. Russia purchased 8 tons of gold in the first quarter.
China's Gold Reserves
China, which has just 1.6 percent of its reserves in gold, may invest more than $1 trillion in bullion, Pento said. "China wants to be an international player, and they need to own more gold than they currently have."
The U.S. Treasury Department projects the government could reach its debt ceiling of $14.3 trillion as soon as mid-May and run out of options for avoiding default by early July. The Fed has kept its benchmark rate between zero percent and 0.25 percent since December 2008 to help stimulate the economy, driving the dollar down 11 percent against a basket of six major currencies during the past year.
"Until monetary policy changes, you're going to continue to see gold go up," said Michael Cuggino, who helps manage $12 billion at Permanent Portfolio Funds in San Francisco.
"Ultimately the best thing we can do to create strong fundamentals for the dollar in the medium term is first, keep inflation low, which maintains the buying power of the dollar, and second, create a stronger economy," Fed Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said on April 27.
Uh, huh. The handwriting has been on the wall for quite some time. But remember, those who produce the money are the ones WHO are really in control. In this nation that would currently be the private banks. They know that the math of debt doesn't work, and I still think that switching to a gold backed money works for them as long as they are still the ones who control and produce the money.
While the U.S. is supposedly the world's largest holder of gold, that gold has not been truly assayed for decades, and in that time the central bankers have been acting as if they own it (you really own it). They have acted freely to swap it all over the globe and even though that gold truly belongs to the people, they won't even allow an audit of their activities. So who knows how much gold there is in reality?
The lesson here is two-fold. First and foremost, what's most important is WHO controls the production of money. Secondly never trust private individuals with your physical gold – always take and maintain delivery of the real thing – paper gold is an outright swindle.
Speaking of swindle, evidently the EU is tired of being swindled:
Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Among 16 Banks Probed by EU Over CDS
April 29 (Bloomberg) -- Goldman Sachs Group Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co. and 14 other investment banks face a European Union antitrust probe into credit-default swaps for companies and sovereign debt.
The European Commission is investigating whether 16 bank dealers, including Citigroup Inc. and Deutsche Bank AG, colluded by giving market information to Markit, a financial information provider. Regulators will also examine whether nine of the firms struck unfair deals with ICE Clear Europe, a clearinghouse for derivatives, shutting out competitors.
"Lack of transparency in markets can lead to abusive behavior and facilitate violations of competition rules," Joaquin Almunia, the EU's competition commissioner, said in an e-mailed statement. "I hope our investigation will contribute to a better functioning of financial markets."
Global regulators have sought to toughen regulation of credit-default swaps, saying the trades helped fuel the financial crisis. The EU's probe into the CDS market adds to separate investigations in the U.K. and U.S into whether banks colluded to manipulate the London interbank offered rate.
Possible Collusion
Bank of America Corp., Barclays Plc, BNP Paribas SA, Commerzbank AG, Credit Suisse Group AG, HSBC Holdings Plc, Morgan Stanley, Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc, UBS AG, Wells Fargo & Co., Credit Agricole SA and Societe Generale SA will also be investigated for possible collusion in giving "most of the pricing, indices and other essential daily data only to Markit."
The commission said this "may have the effect of foreclosing the access to the valuable raw data by other information service providers." It said some of the clauses in Markit's licence and distribution agreements "could be abusive and impede the development of competition in the market for the provision of CDS information."
The EU will also separately investigate credit default swap clearing agreements struck by ICE Clear Europe with Bank of America, Barclays, Citigroup, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley and UBS.
'Behaved Badly'
"What we are looking at is whether the main players in the market have behaved badly, have entered into anti-competitive agreements or abused a possible dominant position," Amelia Torres, a commission spokeswoman, told reporters in Brussels today.
Oh yeah… Collusion, "Lack of Transparency," Manipulation, Abusive, and most importantly "Behaved Badly." Uh huh, and just look at the names associated.
Of course we've been preaching about this for years. But nothing will be done that has any meaning because they are the ones WHO have wrongly been allowed to control the production of money, and then they sent the bill to you and me. Ridiculous – these banks and their schemes need to be cut down, a truly healthy economy will prove to be elusive until that occurs.
The Chicago PMI was just released for April. It fell from 70.6 to 67.6 which is also below consensus. "Consumer" Sentiment was also just released for April, and came in very close to March's level at a still depressed 69.8 on their Index.
'Fukushima - gross miscarriage of radiation science'
Someone's smokin' alright - But I think Bernanke plans to keep on tokin'...
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Morning Update/ Market Thread 4/28 – Con men, Sideshows, and Carnival Barkers Edition…
Ever notice that the word "CONfidence" begins with the root con? I'll have more on that in a minute…
Meanwhile, stocks are down, the dollar is down and has been more or less crashing nonstop (but is now bouncing a little due to bad economic data), bonds are shooting higher on the bad data, oil set a new high and pulled back slightly, gold is at another new all-time high, silver is climbing again back to just under $50 an ounce despite margin intervention just the other day, and most food commodities are just slightly lower.
Weekly Jobless Claims shot up from 403,000 to 429,000. This is the third week in a row now back above 400k, and this rise was against expectations that it would fall to 390k. Here's Econohope finding it hard to continue the improvement claim:
Initial jobless claims are definitely on the rise and it may not be auto related. Initial claims jumped 25,000 in the April 23 week to 429,000 which is nearly 40,000 above expectations (prior week revised 1,000 higher to 404,000). The Labor Department said layoffs in the auto sector were isolated and not a major factor. The four-week average rose a steep 9,250 to 408,500 and is nearly 15,000 above the month-ago level. Initial claims were on a convincing downward trend, but no longer with this month's data pointing to trouble for the April employment report.
Any number above 350k represents job contraction, jobs have been contracting now for years, not just months.
GDP for the first quarter supposedly rose by an annualized rate of 1.8% against expectations of 2.0% or more. This is down sharply from Q4's 3.1%. Here's Econospin, then I'll de-spin it for you:
The economy slowed during the first quarter of 2011. However, the detail shows moderate forward momentum. First quarter GDP growth eased to a 1.8 percent annualized pace, following a 3.1 percent boost in the fourth quarter. First quarter growth came in lower than the median projection for 2.0 percent.
The softer growth in the first quarter was largely due to a sharp upturn in imports, a deceleration in personal consumption, a larger decrease in federal government spending, and decelerations in nonresidential fixed investment and in exports that were partly offset by a sharp upturn in private inventory investment.
Nonetheless, relative strength was seen in personal spending, investment in equipment & software, and inventory investment. Exports also continued to rise although not as rapidly as earlier. PCEs rose an annualized 2.7 percent, following 4.0 percent in the fourth quarter. Equipment & software improved to 11.6 percent from 7.7 percent the prior quarter. Inventories rose a moderate but stronger $43.8 billion, compared to $16.2 billion in the fourth quarter. Exports gained 4.9 percent in the first quarter, following 8.6 percent in the previous quarter.
Weakness included a drop in government purchases (down 5.2 percent), nonresidential structures (down 21.7 percent, residential structures (down 4.1 percent), and imports (up 4.4 percent).
Final sales of domestic product posted at a sluggish 0.8 percent in the first quarter, compared to 6.7 percent the prior quarter. Final sales to domestic purchasers (takes out net exports) slowed to a 0.9 percent increase from a 3.2 percent rise in the fourth quarter. Deceleration in both was primarily due to a sharper drop in government purchases and a fall in structures investment-especially nonresidential but also residential.
Economy-wide inflation picked up with the GDP price index jumping _ percent from a modest 0.4 percent rise in the fourth quarter. Analysts had forecast 2.2 percent.
Year-on-year, real GDP in the first quarter is up 2.3 percent, compared to 2.8 percent in the fourth quarter.
Economy-wide inflation picked up with the GDP price index jumping 1.9 percent from a modest 0.4 percent rise in the fourth quarter. Analysts had forecast 2.2 percent.
Overall, the headline number was disappointing as were the final sales figures. But key components-consumer spending, equipment investment, and inventory investment-are maintaining forward momentum.
The GDP report is nothing but fluff – and is a big part of the CON. It's so far removed from reality that I'm personally shocked that anyone takes this seriously. The big picture is that DEBT should not count as productivity, nor should any financial engineering – remove that and our true productivity would likely be half of what is reported. But let's ignore that and play along with the central banker game…
Below is the table from the BEA's GDP Report with the current "deflators" highlighted:
The "Deflator" is used to supposedly correct for inflation to make the GDP number "Real." This deflator is supposed to represent annualized inflation. So, the BEA adds up all the "productivity" and then subtracts the deflator to find "real growth." Note that last year there was a string of 2.0% deflators, then in Q4 it fell to .3%, and is now a supposed 1.9%.
Okay, but does that really represent annualized inflation? Not even close. Of course the PPI and CPI numbers are also complete fantasy, but as I look around I see a set of numbers that seems closer to the truth – namely Import and Export Prices. March is the end of Quarter one, and in the month of March Import prices were reported up by 2.7% just for that month alone! Annualize that number (without compounding) and it's a staggering 32.4%! But if you just add up the prior year's Import price inflation, it adds up to 9.7%!!! And just to prove that this is no fluke, export prices rose 9.5% in the past year even with our government's own figures.
Import and export prices more accurately measure the true fall in the value of the dollar. Now, trade inside of the United States may not see all of this price inflation immediately, that takes time. Still, real inflation, in my opinion, is much greater than the deflator values suggest. In essence what I'm saying is that the supposedly positive GDP reflects money creation, not productivity as it is anything but "real."
Remember, there are three types of "money;" Sovereign, credit, and "other" (derivatives, margin, etc.), the total of which is completely impossible to track and very much out of control.
Let's take a quick look at a long term dollar chart that Jesse made, this will give you the long term perspective of just how far the dollar has fallen in value versus the "basket" currencies it is measured against:
The dollar is now down in the .72 region, not far above the all-time lows.
Keep in mind that the dollar index is NOT real either – all the currencies in that basket are depreciating. So, to see real, you need to compare the dollar to something outside of that basket, and that would be the real price of tangible things – just look at the price of gold or even a candy bar to get an idea of real dollar devaluing.
So, if stocks rise while the dollar is falling in value, is the rise "real." No, because that share of stock, if sold, will actually buy you less than it used to.
And now we have an interesting development with the Russell 2000 small cap Index rising to new all-time highs yesterday:
Of course the other indices have a way to go, but the Transports are pretty close, while the NDX and XLF are very far away from their respective all-time highs. Still, should the major indices join the RUT, then the big picture wave count changes. And this is exactly why McHugh has changed his big picture outlook to a belief that the Grand Supercycle wave III did not in fact top in the year 2000 as almost everyone believed. If his read is correct, that means that the timeframe from the year 2000 until March 2009 was wave 4 within III and that we are currently in a wave 5 movement to complete Grand Supercycle III. If that read is correct, then it means that once wave 5 of III tops, that we will experience something on a larger scale than the past decade as wave IV progresses.
I personally do not know what is true in regards to the waves, but what I see fundamentally is that money printing allowed the private banks to capture the markets and to capture our political system. I think that waves will happen until complete confidence in the current money system is gone, and that confidence is eroding further every day.
Bernanke's CON of a press CONferenence didn't seem to promote CONfidence in the dollar. Instead the dollar tanked some more, gold, silver, oil, and even stocks rose as there is obviously no end in sight to zero percent interest rates or the artificial money printing and capture of the planet.
For confidence to flourish, people must believe that the rule of law is being upheld. I maintain that there is the natural rule of law, and then there is the man-made version which can be manipulated and changed. I maintain that the bankers have captured politics with their money printing, and that they have had the man-made laws changed to suit them. The gap between the man-made laws and what is real and natural is getting larger and larger. As that gap grows, it will reach a point at which the people will just find it unacceptable to live with the glaring gap.
The most important natural rule of law is that the agreed to money system not disadvantage the majority. This is the basis of usury and why it is so important – in this regard we are miles and miles away from the natural and proper order of things (rule of law). But a symptom of the money capture is political capture… and this is why it's important to have leaders that we have confidence in.
And I must say that I did not have any confidence in George Bush, but I now have even less confidence in Obama. Both, of course, are obvious puppets of the central banks – as have national level politicians been since the CON of the "Federal Reserve Act." But never in my life have I seen so many con men in so high of places.
First of all, I'll point out that Donald Trump is nothing but a narcissistic con man – what he does he does for his own gain, not for the gain of humanity. Again, simply look at his stance on the banks and on Wall Street – he has repeatedly stated that he would leave them alone, and if anything would further deregulate them. That alone is all you need to know – he is making overtures for his own personal gain and thus what he says lacks the underlying truth.
Now, let's address the "birther" issue… I started out skeptical. In fact, I even was guilty of ignoring this issue and falling into the media boxing it in as "nutty." Like most people, I failed to appreciate fully the implications that it represents – so let's take a fresh big picture look. This issue is important for several reasons, the largest of which is confidence.
A nation's leader should have 100% of their loyalty resting in the country which they lead. If they do not, then they may fail to make decision to the benefit of those who he represents. With Obama, I think any rational, thinking, American has to wonder if that is the case. The issues are much more complex than simply being born in the United States… It is possible to be born in the U.S., but to not have 100% of your loyalties here – that is one major issue that is largely ignored. But to me, the way this whole issue has been handled destroys my personal confidence in our President.
If it were me, I would have simply provide the long form, notarized copy of my certificate that's sitting in the drawer in my desk a long time ago. By the way, my certificate is worn, folded, and is obviously not fresh off the computer printer. Still, a fresh copy can be requested from the hospital, but if it comes from the hospital, I can guarantee you that it doesn't come in a layered .pdf form…
Something is not kosher. For it to be in .pdf form at all, it would have had to have been scanned as a whole, not layered. And that to me casts Obama in the role of a CON MAN. And in turn that further erodes my CONFIDENCE in him and in his administration – and that is why this is such an important issue that is being made more important by the day. Obama's "Sideshow, and Carnival Barker" comment yesterday was obviously aimed at Trump. Yet, if Obama was not himself a CON MAN, then he would not be forced to step inside of the circus tent – and that is clearly where he resides.
No, this issue is not dead, it is more important than ever as this document release, if proven to be trumped (and I think the .pdf layers do that), then it could be the downfall of a President. And I must say, that he deserves the downfall for many things, he is not an adult and has failed to reel in and contain the out of control central bankers. The results of which are a destroyed middle-class, unnecessary wars (and thousands of deaths), totally captured markets, and the loss of confidence in our monetary and political systems. Obama's lack of honest dealing with the "birther" issue absolutely is important – it strikes at the very character of our markets, of our political system, and the way in which we represent ourselves to the rest of the world. We are being led by a CON MAN, not that changing him out will change that – we must change out WHO controls the production of money to have significance.
Meanwhile, the special interest captured government of Japan is failing to reel in TEPCO who is absolutely making the Fukushima matter worse. More radiation, and now tinkering with the reactors and fuel rod pools is getting very dangerous with the threat of further explosions possible. Particles heavier than plutonium are now being found in the United States, and the total radiation being expelled is rising to new heights. There are too many details to cover here, so please join us in the daily thread if you wish to understand the real issues involved.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Morning Update/ Market Thread 4/27 – Lip Service Doesn't Change the Impossible Math Edition…
I'll be away this morning; this short update is written on the evening of the 26th…
The market action earlier today (26th) moved all of the major indices above their upper Bollinger Bands. The Transports and the SPX broke out to new closing highs, confirming the uptrend. The XLF, however, is still weak, and the VIX barely moved down after producing a market sell signal yesterday. Conflicting signals to me are a sign of a phony market – one driven not by fundamentals, but instead driven by money printing and manipulation (you can't argue the manipulation as buying bonds is manipulating equities).
Durable Goods and the worthless MBA Purchase Applications report will come in the morning prior to the bell – hopefully someone will post those in the daily thread, if not I will when I return.
The FOMC announcement comes earlier than usual with the new format – 12:30 Eastern instead of 2:15. This is a SICK game that the "Fed" plays with the markets, lip service that is in fact nothing but psychological manipulation by those who stole the power to produce this nation's money. They have created a completely impossible math situation, and nothing that Bernanke utters will change that… especially more lip service in the form of a post FOMC news conference. It's kind of like having your torturer whisper sweet nothings in your ear right before they dunk your head under water for the hundredth time! Gee, thanks…
Raise your hand if you think Bernanke is going to say something stupid! What a ridiculous game, I feel like we should all be pounding out our flour on the nearest flat rock…
Standard & Poor's tonight downgraded Japan from stable to watch "negative," just like the U.S.. The truth, of course is that the impossible math of Japan is far further progressed than here and Standard & Poor's is anything but in front of the situation. Yes, their conflicted business model is a large part of the situation in which we find ourselves (Japan Debt Outlook Cut to Negative by S&P on Reconstruction).
More and more evidence points to our own assessments about the Fukushima nuclear plants being far more accurate than the official story line. Now they are finally admitting leaks in 3 of the reactors, they are admitting that the number 4 fuel pool is leaking, and now experts are considering the possibility that the number 3 explosion wasn't just hydrogen, but that it also had a nuclear impetus that spread the number 3 fuel pool fuel all over the planet…
Gundersen Postulates Unit 3 Explosion May Have Been Prompt Criticality in Fuel Pool
Again, to me we have a deadly serious situation in which a corporate special interest has been stonewalling the public. Not only that, the captured governments of Japan and the United States have failed to act in humanity's best interest. At least I can give the Soviet Union far superior grades from that standpoint for the way that they quickly produced an all-out effort to contain the radiation of Chernobyl. Looking at both incidents now in hindsight, it is clear to me that the Russians lacked this special interest capture and thus the government was able to act. Sure would be nice to learn this lesson, it's the same lesson we should have learned following the BP oil spill.
Have a great morning, carry on my wayward sons, and enjoy the "Fed" lip flappin'!
Morning Update/ Market Thread 4/26 - Broke Edition...
Equity futures are higher, again on the back of a broken dollar which is sinking once again. Bonds are rising which does not back the rise in equities, oil is higher, and most food commodities are slightly lower. Gold is slightly lower, but regaining its footing after being much lower overnight, and silver fell sharply off new highs yesterday when margin requirements were hiked in an attempt to manipulate the price down. This did produce a top-looking candlestick, and the price is lower this morning, however I would be very suspicious of manipulated tops as my experience is that they don't last. The $50 silver barrier was obviously too hot for the manipulators to stand, but it is they who broke the markets in the first place, once you break confidence it cannot be undone.
The FOMC meeting begins today, and we'll see both "Consumer" Confidence and State Street Confidence numbers at 10 Eastern. This will be interesting as one confidence number has been sinking while the other has been soaring. Guess which is which? One is benefiting from money printing while the other is taking it in the shorts. Tune into the daily thread to see how this one turns out.
This morning Case-Shiller reported home Prices for February. Month to month, home prices dropped by 1.1%, this is more than January's .9% fall which was subsequently revised to a 1.0% decline. Year over Year, prices fell 2.6%, this is an acceleration of price decline from 2.0%, and is worse than the 2.2% drop expected. Here's Econospin blaming the weather as if bad weather never happens in February:
S&P Case Shiller data are mixed in what is probably a good sign for home prices which have been in a long and damaging slide. Seasonally adjusted data for the composite 10 index show a 0.2 percent decline for February, less steep than the 0.3 percent and 0.4 percent declines of the two prior months. These are three-month moving averages which indicates that February showed little change. Year-on-year contraction, however, is deepening, to minus 2.6 percent vs. minus 2.2 percent in January and minus 1.4 percent in December. Unadjusted data, which is widely looked at in this report, show a 1.1 percent monthly slide that reflects weather issues.
And for those who can handle less spin, here's the entire report including a couple of nice charts worth taking a look at – Can you say "double dip?" I thought so, let's face it, the housing market is broken:
Case Shiller February
With earnings season in full swing, "profits" appear on the surface to be peachy. However, looking under the hood a little the falsehoods of fraud and money printing can be seen if you're willing to look. For example, the XLF has been lagging far behind the rest of the market despite record "profits" for Wall Street banks. Here's a chart of the XLF, why is it lagging so badly?
Well, here's a clue:
Biggest Banks Beating Estimates Can't Hide 13% Drop in Revenue
April 26 (Bloomberg) -- The biggest percentage drop in quarterly revenue in three years, driven by lower lending and reduced fees, is damping investor appetite for shares of the six largest U.S. banks.
Net revenue at the six lenders -- Bank of America Corp., JPMorgan Chase & Co., Citigroup Inc., Wells Fargo & Co., Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Morgan Stanley -- fell 13.3 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Pretax pre-provision profits, which exclude taxes, loan-loss provisions and one-time items and are considered a better gauge of profitability than earnings, slid 40.2 percent.
While five of the banks beat analysts' estimates, and JPMorgan and Wells Fargo reported record quarterly earnings, anemic revenue and a steady drop in pre-provision profits have kept investors at bay. Since JPMorgan reported earnings on April 13 with a 67 percent rise in net income to $5.6 billion, the KBW Bank Index of the 24 largest U.S. banks has fallen 3.5 percent as the Standard & Poor's 500 Index climbed 1.6 percent.
"You're seeing people backing off of exposure to this space because of the lack of loan growth and poor revenue growth," said Paul Miller, a former examiner for the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia and an analyst for FBR Capital Markets in Arlington, Virginia. "It's not a sell-off -- it's more of a slow drift down. These stocks are going to trade very weak" until their loan books and revenue start to grow.
The bottom line is that the banks are NOT making money the old fashioned way – via prudent lending. The large banks have morphed into something completely unrecognizable… they are now behemoth corporations that control the production of money, they control and manipulate all the markets, and they speculate in the same markets that they own and control. Oh, and while they are doing that, they are busy marking their debt and derivatives to a fantasy model of their own creation! Nice business model. The truth, of course, is that the large banks are insolvent, as in BROKE when their REAL assets are compared to their liabilities. These banks literally own the "FED" and they have totally captured politics and economic policy.
It's quite the bizarre situation when you pause to really think about it.
Yesterday's market volume was the lowest of the year. It also produced a VIX market Sell Signal which occurs when the VIX closes back above the lower Bollinger band after closing a daily candle below it:
That sell signal has been overrun recently by money printing, so I wouldn't bet the farm on it, especially with inverted and bullish Head & Shoulder patterns in play. Still, this signal if it is prophesying a market decline, usually leads the market by a few days – so patience is required even when the market isn't as highly manipulated as it is now.
Here's the latest update from Arnie Gunderson calling for a pause and rethinking of our nuclear power programs - he's spot on, only I think the shift needs to be even more dramatic:
Fairewinds Calls for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to Delay Licensing Until Fukushima Lessons Are Evaluated
From my perspective the regulators are broken, the housing market is broken, the banks are broken, the United States is broke, the rest of the developed world is broke, and what we call "markets" are completely and totally broken. Oh, and don't forget Broke Back Bucky, he's broken too…
Monday, April 25, 2011
Morning Update/ Market Thread 4/25
Equity futures are flat to down slightly heading into the open. The dollar is lower, bonds are flat, oil is higher, gold is higher, silver gapped higher, and most food commodities are substantially higher as well.
New Home Sales are released at 10 Eastern this morning. This is a busy week for economic data, the FOMC announces on Wednesday, Q1 GDP comes on Thursday, and we'll see both "Consumer" Confidence and Sentiment numbers this week – something that commodity prices should be affecting.
It seems like much time is wasted wondering what the Chinese will do – will they revalue the Yuan? Will they sell off their U.S. debt holdings? In the end, whatever they do is the result of the impossible math that WE'VE created. The impossible math is glaringly obvious, yet we continue to do nothing about it except to distract the masses with "investigations" into high oil prices (which never find anything or anyone to blame), or by dropping bombs on other world leader's compounds as if assassinating whoever we want is no big deal.
I have to keep this update short as I will be out of town for the morning – will have more tomorrow.


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In 'Veep,' Washington Is Viewed With A Skeptical Eye
There are two ways to go with television shows about politics. You can go aspirational — that's the tradition that gives us political drama and gave us The West Wing, which suggested that for all its flaws, government is a fundamentally honorable and decent place in which many fundamentally honorable and decent people are trying to do the right thing. The other way to go is cynical and mocking. That's the tradition that gives us political satire and gives us Veep, the new HBO comedy starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Vice President Selina Meyer.
Veep comes from Armando Ianucci and Simon Blackwell, who have worked extensively in British television and are best-known to American audiences who know them at all as two of the men behind the wonderfully funny, spectacularly profane In The Loop, which was also about the gruesome workings of politics – in that case, British and American politics simultaneously.
To the many people who love In The Loop, seeing Ianucci and Blackwell sink their teeth – their sharp, angry teeth – into American political operatives so close to the president is a delicious proposition, as is the return of Julia Louis-Dreyfus to series television. Louis-Dreyfus turns out to be a marvelous fit for their particular form of spat-out dialogue, in which everyone with even a glimmer of intelligence is constantly irritated, in part because they're ever-aware of both the amorality and the mundaneness of everything they're saying. The supporting cast includes Anna Chlumsky (a veteran of In The Loop), Tony Hale (Arrested Development), Reid Scott (My Boys), and Matt Walsh, who's been in everything from The Hangover and The Daily Show to Community and Happy Endings.
Veep isn't a mockumentary, with the hand-held style and the talking heads to camera, but it is shot in a very unadorned fashion that does have a documentary feel. That leaves room for the constant chatter to feel less choreographed than it would in most similar comedies; it plays with both precision and naturalism, which is a challenging balance. [Note that this trailer contains some strong language.]
Most of all, it's consistently funny. The comedy comes primarily from the fact that everyone involved – both Selina and every member of her staff – is both freakishly dedicated and at least partially incompetent. Selina expects the staff to protect her from making mistakes, undo mistakes she makes in spite of their efforts, and take the blame for any mistakes that can't be undone. It makes her rather loathsome, except that that's the way they see their jobs as well. It's just the way it's done, and it's the same for everyone in their world. There's very little grumbling on display, despite the fact that everyone here seems to have a terrible job; they're so deeply buried in the Washington power structure that they can think of nothing except advancing within it, presumably so they can be mistreated by a better and better class of people.
It's quite brilliant to set a comedy in the vice president's office. It leaves open the opportunity to get into the minutiae of log-rolling and boring meetings and drab receptions, but it doesn't require the kind of attention to detail that would be called for if you were trying to depict the daily activities of the president. It is an underlying theme of Veep that the vice president doesn't have a lot that she absolutely needs to do, and she therefore spends a lot of time in a very purely distilled political world, in which she has almost no policy to think about at all. She has only the polishing of her personal brand to consider. And there's a lot of pressure there, because her pride is under constant assault, as she tries in vain to get senators to show up for her receptions and asks her assistant over and over whether the president has called. (He hasn't. He doesn't. Ever. He is, you might say, her Great Pumpkin.)
Everyone here gets to be both the buffoon and the buffoon's victim, depending on the moment. Sometimes, Selina is demanding that her staff do the impossible and they are frustrated; sometimes, her personal aide Gary (Hale) is being overly attentive and she is frustrated. There's enough back and forth that you feel for everyone sometimes, and that prevents it from being just an abusive boss and a saintly staff or a harried boss with nothing but idiots on her team.
The strong cast, great writing and appealingly loose style make Veep yet another strong entry in the Sunday night television races. And I'll make this prediction right now: Look for Julia Louis-Dreyfus to nudge her way into the Emmy nominations this fall.
Programming note: Check back Sunday for an interview on Weekend Edition with Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who talks about Selina Meyer, "kind of" having authority, and lots more.


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|October 16, 2012, 11:20 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: July 1, 2001
Posts: 5,218
OP Thread Etiquette
This may be completely ridiculous to some, but I see a lot of threads where the OP posts some valid discussion point and never responds to suggestions or questions. I know this isn't a requirement, but friendly conversational etiquette says you would at least post a "thanks," "I'm done" or "keep the info coming."
Also, I would like to request OP's tell us what you did. This could be a huge help to the guy who does search for answers, finds your post. Reads all the good ideas, but then a final, "I changed mags and it never jammed again," would be great.
This may sound like complaining and could be rephrased better, but I'm just asking when people post to please plan to interact with the thread some.
|October 16, 2012, 01:59 PM
Join Date: March 20, 1999
Location: Somewhere in the woods of Northern Virginia
Posts: 16,359
I couldn't agree with you more, Nathan. That is one of my pet peeves also. There are times when I want to simply lock the thread when the OP never comes back to respond or even say a simple "Thanks", but I don't because we get enough flack when we close threads that really need closing.
Actions such as you described are akin to someone walking up to a group of people, asking a question, and then walking away as the question is being answered. They never look back or respond to those answering the question they posed. I'm sure it's not really like that since members can view their threads without having to ever respond in it again, but the appearance of ignoring those who are trying to help is very real.
[soapbox mode off]
|October 16, 2012, 07:06 PM
Join Date: April 13, 2000
Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 40,427
We need a goon squad.
"The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza
Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.
|October 16, 2012, 07:14 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: February 16, 2006
Location: IOWA
Posts: 8,121
Living on a two-way street !!!
Quite often I will ask the OP to "Please get back to us on how you resolved this problem" There are some really unique problems that I sure would like to get some follow-up on. I'm thankful for learning and sharing. There are truly some great posts in here. ...
Be Safe !!!
'Fundamental truths' are easy to recognize because they are verified daily through simple observation and thus, require no testing.
|October 16, 2012, 07:21 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: September 9, 2008
Location: Woooooshington
Posts: 1,797
I think, aside from a lack of search skills, that, at least with the new ones, they lack any forum social graces or have no interest in participation... other than obtaining answers to their questions. Who's to say?
It doesn't drive me crazy, but it certainly is annoying.
Shoulder Drive Nicholson Club
|October 16, 2012, 07:22 PM
Junior member
Join Date: January 24, 2010
Location: South West Riverside County California
Posts: 2,763
I want to know the rest of the story.
|October 17, 2012, 02:08 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: July 1, 2001
Posts: 5,218
Thanks for the response. Not sure how to solve it, but I'm getting better at asking for OP response vs continuing the discussion without the OP.
|November 4, 2012, 06:47 PM
Junior member
Join Date: May 16, 2008
Posts: 9,995
I'm guilty.
Sometimes you read the response and have to mull it over. Then it gets swept under the rug for a bit.
Sometimes I am not content with the answer I get. Maybe I re-post the question on a more specialized forum or maybe I just wait until someone else replies.
Other times I forget to subscribe to the thread and it just drops off the radar.
I didn't know you guys took it so personally
|November 4, 2012, 07:12 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: September 9, 2008
Location: Woooooshington
Posts: 1,797
My problem is that I was a technical instructor for over 20 years. I want to share what I know... it gives me the warm fuzzies when the light bulb comes on.
If it's one of those short, vague, poorly considered questions... I tend to give a short, one paragraph or less, off the top of my head, quicky answer... I don't really care. It's kind of a throw-away deal.
If on the other hand I perceive a real need or desire to know and understand... and I spend a good amount of time and effort with identified personal opinion vs. reasonable objectivity, content, specific hard data, links, wording, sentence structure, proper grammar and so on... then yes, I get a bit miffed if the OP doesn't appreciate the time and care put into for my efforts to illuminate & educate.
Then I say "oh well... " and go to the next interesting thread.
Shoulder Drive Nicholson Club
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Following on from her 'Flower Chest' project, Interior Designer Karen Lane, has rescued an old cabinet from her local second-hand shop and given it the love and attention needed to turn it into a beautiful piece of furniture. Here's how she did it!
- The cabinet was first rubbed down and then undercoated.
- After another light sanding two top coats of emulsion were painted before the flower (cut from wallpaper) was applied using PVA.
- The whole body was then painted with several coats of clear satin varnish to protect it from wear and tear.
- Finally the inside was lined with an attractive but practical, scrubbable wallpaper.
Karen, "I am very happy with the finished result and now have another item to add to my range of hand decorated, recycled furniture."
If you would like to contact Karen regarding commissions or for an interior design project, please visit her website!


text:
RoadHawk DC-2 HD GPS Dash Cam
The multi-purpose RoadHawk DC-2's has extensive range of features, giving you the power to recall any unexpected events on Britain's busy roads. This discreet dash cam will provide you with clear-cut evidence for use in insurance claims and settling disputes over who was at fault if you do find yourself in a crash.
RoadHawk DC-2 HD GPS Dash Cam
All video footage from the RoadHawk DC-2 is easily viewed within RoadHawk's intuitive software. With evidential-grade footage, GPS information and G-Force data, you are able to supply irrefutable evidence to your insurer or police.
Crystal clear footage
The RoadHawk DC-2 records every journey in fantastic quality, with full 1080p video recording, gyro balanced image stabilisation and high-quality sensor to provide you with protection in low-light scenarios.
Automatic shock sensor
With an inbuilt G-force sensor, the RoadHawk DC-2 will automatically save clips to a separate 'event' folder when the camera detects a sudden jolt or impact. This way, you can ensure that your most important footage isn't overwritten or lost. 'Event' files can also be created by clicking the event button on the camera for saving incidents on the road that don't necessarily involve your vehicle.
Inbuilt GPS
The camera's built-in GPS function means that your footage will pair up with your movements on a map within the RoadHawk software. If you do find yourself the victim of a crash, your speed and location data will be readily available – that's one less thing to remember when speaking with your insurer!
- Resolution: Full HD 1080p
- Viewing angle: 120 degrees
- High quality low-light sensor
- Gyro balanced image stabilisation
- 8GB SD Card included. Compatible up to 128GB
- External GPS antenna connection
- External Audio input connection
- Inbuilt GPS
- User controlled G-Force, audio input and Speaker volume settings
- Audio can be disabled
The RoadHawk DC-2 comes with a 8GB SD memory card and is capable of using up to 128GB SD memory cards. For optimum camera performance and due to the high number of counterfeit and poor quality SD cards available on the market, we only recommend SD cards purchased via RoadHawk.co.uk for use in our cameras
|Product Name
|RoadHawk DC-2 HD GPS Dash Cam
|Date & Time Stamp
|Memory Card Included
|8GB SD Card
|Maximum Memory Compatibility
|128GB SD Card
|1080p (30fps) / 720p (30fps) / 480p (30fps)
|Vehicle Suitability
|Car / LCV / HGV
|Insurance Approved
|Software Compatibility
|Power Cable (12v Aux)
|Electronic Image Stabilisation
|Event Button
|Eligible for Evidence
|Field of View
|External GPS Antenna
|G-Force Sensor
|File Format
|Built-In (with external option)
|Mount Included
|Windscreen adhesive mount & vertical windscreen adhesive mount
|Loop/Continuous Recording
|Low Light Sensor
|Remote Event Button
|Remote Event & Alarm
|Optional (with compatible telematics system)


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Thimphu Bhutan Brazilian Jiu Jitsu School | Coaching | Training | Fitness | Self-Defense | Martial Arts
Everyone who does Brazilian jiu-jitsu in Thimphu, Bhutan wants to improve their game. You know you do too… and you also know it's especially hard when you only have limited training time at the studio in {statename}.
That means you have to do a lot of BJJ training at home in Thimphu, Bhutan, which means you're pretty much limited to watching DVDs and clips on YouTube, or drilling basic movements without a partner. And you and I both know there's only so much you can improve from those activities.
But what if there was a way for you to make massive improvements in your game at home, and also turn your passion for BJJ into a lucrative side hustle (or even a full-time career in Thimphu, Bhutan)?
I know what you're thinking, and this is NOT a scam. Actually, it's a very innovative program that you'll definitely want to hear about, before your buddies find out, too.
So what's this program all about?
Simple, it's an exclusive, specialized course for MMA and BJJ enthusiasts in Thimphu, Bhutan like you who want to discover cutting edge fitness and conditioning methods for combat sports. And, the applications are endless because these workouts and techniques are the perfect supplement for any competitive jiu-jitsu player, MMA fighter, judo competitor, Muay Thai fighter… basically anyone who competes in combat sports can benefit.
I bet you want to hear more about that side hustle thing I mentioned, right?
Well, think about it… if you're a serious competitor, how much would you pay to get an edge on the competition?
If you've ever paid for private lessons from your jiu-jitsu coach, you know that knowledge don't come cheap. And people who are serious about competition are willing to pay good money for training and tips that can take them to the winner's podium.
That's where you come in… once you complete the course, you'll be certified as an MMA conditioning coach and fully qualified to help BJJ competitors and MMA fighters improve in areas such as:
• Strength
• Speed
• Stamina
• Power
• Agility
• Cutting weight safely
• Rehabbing from injuries
And more stuff that you'll learn once you're in the course. This is bleeding edge info that is way beyond the stuff you see on the magazine rack at the grocery store. Think about it – if you were at the top of the heap, would you share your most valuable training secrets with the world?
Of course not, and that's why you're wasting your time pouring over jiu-jitsu mags looking for that competitive edge. But in this course, you'll discover how the champs really train to win.
And you'll be developing valuable skills that you can parlay into a lucrative side hustle, or even into a six-figure athletic training career.
Then click this link to find out more about starting your professional jiu jitsu and MMA conditioning career in Thimphu, Bhutan >>>
Country is Bhutan (BT):
Region is: Thimphu
Cities are: Thimphu
Latitude: 27.48 Longitude: 89.6


text:
End-of-Life announcement for Norton Family Freemium
Starting January 24, 2018, Norton Family is no longer available as a free subscription. To continue protecting your devices such as Windows PC, Android, or iPhone, you can purchase Norton Family Premier subscription or try Norton Family Premier for 30 days.
Why is NortonLifeLock retiring Norton Family Freemium?
NortonLifeLock regularly reviews the subscription offerings in the Norton portfolio and have made the decision to discontinue offering the free version of Norton Family in order to focus on delivering the right protection and most value for our customers.
We have provided a complimentary upgrade to Norton Family Premier to your account for 6 months. At the end of that time, you may renew your Norton Family Premier subscription, but no further action is required for you to keep your current Norton Family features until then.
How does this announcement affect my existing Norton Family free subscription?
Your subscription will be upgraded to Norton Family Premier subscription free of cost for 6 months.
Norton Family Free users also be offered the full subscription for discounts as high as 80%, which varies according to region.
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