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text:
Stop Printing Money!
Stop Government's Ability to Print Money Out of Thin Air
What is Money
Fractional Reserve Banking
Monetizing Debt
History of Money and Banking
The Amendment
What about...
Stop Printing Money! A Call for a Constitutional Amendment
Stop Printing Money, Inc.
7003 Chadwick Drive, 111
Tweets by @noprintingmoney
© 2019 BUILD111
America's Founders were well aware of the dangers inherent in fractional reserve banking, central banking and monetizing debt, because they had a perfect example in the Bank of England. They knew that if Congress could monetize debt through a central bank, instead of running the government only on taxes and real borrowing, there would be no limit to the amount of spending they could authorize. That is why in Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution, Congress was granted only the right "To coin Money, regulate the value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures."
If Congress could not create money from nothing, there would be fewer and shorter wars, no booms and busts in the economy, no inflation of any significance, no bail-outs and many other benefits. The current system was designed through a collusion between bankers and politicians so they could manipulate the money supply to their own advantage. But the ability of men to manipulate the system has failed dramatically. This system has allowed Congress to raid the treasure of its citizens without the citizens even knowing they have been robbed. With this system of money, if all debts were paid, we would have no money in the money supply at all. The system is based on debt - and fraud.
How did we come to this?
The first step along the path of understanding is to learn about the goldsmiths, the definition of money, the four types of money and how they came about. This is an important read because you will learn about a truly successful monetary system that lasted for 800 years.
The Banks
The first banks of deposit were established by goldsmiths in Greece ca. 400 BC at the same time coins were developed. Banks were seen in India ca. 315 BC, in Egypt a little later, in Damascus in 1200 and later in Barcelona. Let's take a look at a few successful banks.
The Bank of Venice
Venice is considered the cradle of modern banking. By 1361, many safeguards were in place to ensure the stability of banks. Bankers were forbidden from engaging in other businesses so they would not be tempted to use deposits to finance their own ventures. Their books and stockpile of coins were available for public inspection. Bank examiners were used and banks had to settle accounts between themselves in coin rather than by check. Despite these precautions, Venice's largest bank failed in 1584. However, out of this failure, a truly sound bank rose from the ashes. The new bank was not allowed to make loans and sustained itself solely from fees. Because this worked so well, that bank became the center of Venetian commerce and its receipts were widely accepted even beyond Italy. By 1619, however, the sins of the past were already forgotten and new banks were formed across Europe making loans on fractional reserves. Throughout the 15th and 16th centuries, European banks arose and failed with the inevitable result that depositors lost their money.
The Bank of Amsterdam
The next example of sound banking comes to us from Amsterdam in 1609. Its income came only from fees just like the successful Venetian bank. When the armies of Louis XIV approached in 1672, some worried depositors rushed to the bank to withdraw their money. In reaction, others came in fear their money would not be there. However, once people realized all who wanted their money would be paid, they were no longer worried and left their money in the bank. Eventually, the bank began to lend money it didn't have and it failed in 1819.
The Bank of Hamburg
For over 200 years, the Bank of Hamburg adhered to the principle of 100% reserves. It was so careful and honest, that when Napoleon took possession of the bank in 1813, he found 17,613 more silver marks than were needed to cover liabilities. The French replaced the money with securities, however, and the bank began the practice of fractional reserve banking to survive. It lasted another 55 years before it failed.
The Bank England
The first paper money in England was issued in the early 1600s as fiat money, so it was not widely used. When Charles II was unable to repay a debt of over a million pounds in 1673, 10,000 depositors lost their savings. The ensuing economic disaster resulted in politicians and bankers making a deal to save the economy. Their eventual solution was the first partnership between government and banking to create a central bank which would be granted a monopoly to issue bank notes as the sole currency of England. The Bank of England, chartered in 1694, would use debt monetization at the direction of Parliament to create money out of nothing and the economy would be "saved," albeit at the expense of the treasure of the people. In 1696, there was a run on the bank and it did not have the money to pay depositors. Parliament intervened exempting the bank from having to honor its contract to pay in gold, beginning a tradition of bail outs that has continued to this day. In 1833, the bank's notes became legal tender, meaning people had to use them to settle debts and pay taxes. While Parliament granted charters to other banks that failed, they have always bailed out the Bank of England by monetizing debt and devaluing the currency. This bank was the example our founders had when they wrote the Constitution, so they could easily point to the dangers of banking in this way.
The Rothschild
Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1744 - 1812) once said, "Let me issue and control a nation's money and I care not who writes the laws." Son of a goldsmith, he apprenticed as a banker and quickly worked his way from clerk to junior partner, eventually establishing his own banking business in the 1760s. He also traded in rare coins, garnering the favor of wealthy patrons including William of Hess. His banking skill and connections led to the family handling William's very profitable troop rental business providing Hessian soldiers to many including Britain for the revolution in America. A bank was established for his son Nathan in London and as business grew, each of his sons headed his own branch of the family banking dynasty in Berlin, Vienna, Paris and Naples. The Rothschilds financed everything from South African diamond fortunes to governments and the crown heads of Europe. They financed both sides of many wars, allowing them a monopoly to also smuggle cargo and information across battle lines.
In 1815, England was selling bonds at an incredible rate to fight the war with Napoleon. As the battle of Waterloo approached, England's currency and entire future was at risk pending the outcome. In the early morning hours of June 20, Nathan Rothschild's agent reported the outcome of the battle to him a full 24 hours before Wellington's own courier arrived with the news. The members of the London stock exchange expected Nathan to know the outcome of the battle before anyone else, so when he began selling British bonds, everyone began selling and a panic ensued. When the market was a fraction of its original value, Nathan quickly bought the entire market for pennies on the dollar and in a single day became owner of a dominant portion of England's debt. In a similar move three years later, the Rothschilds gained similar control over the French economy.
The Rothschilds were among the first and remain today some of the most powerful international bankers in the world who use fractional reserve practices and debt monetization through governments to increase their own fortunes and power at the expense of the people. They were instrumental by proxy, in the creation of the Federal Reserve in 1913.
America & Central Banking
In 1775, the money supply was $12 million and paper Continentals were traded for $1 in gold. The Continental Congress didn't have the authority to tax, so it authorized $2 million in additional paper to be printed in June of that year, another million shortly thereafter and $3 million more before the end of the year. In 1776, another $19 million was printed, in 1777, another $13 million, in 1778, another $64 million and in 1779, $125 million. The Continental Army issued certificates for another $200 million for the purchase of supplies. At the same time the states were doing the same thing. The total estimate is a 5,000% increase in the money supply in 5 years with nothing backing it. By 1779, Continentals were worth less than a penny and the phrase "not worth a Continental" was born. A pair of shoes cost $5,000 and a suit of clothes, $1,000,000. This debt was not paid for by future generations. It was paid for by that generation because they themselves experienced the inflation. This is the effect of fiat money. Had it not been for the personal intervention of George Washington, the army would have revolted against the Congress and the revolution would have ended in anarchy.
The 1st Central Bank - The Bank of North America, 1781-1785
The first central bank of the United States was chartered even before the Constitution was adopted. Robert Morris, a wealthy merchant and Congressman and eventual signer of the Declaration of Independence was made Superintendent of Finance to organize the bank. It was modeled after the Bank of England, but did not establish legal tender. It was to be capitalized with $400,000, but only about $70,000 was raised from private sources. The bank was further capitalized with gold loaned by France to America and other capital and opened in 1782. The bank handled the account for Congress and quickly loaned them $1,200,000. Amid charges of fictitious credit, foreign influence and unfair competition, the bank's charter was revoked in 1785.
The 2nd Central Bank - The Bank of the United States, 1791-1811
Jefferson argued against the constitutionality of a central bank, but George Washington eventually sided with Alexander Hamilton and the second central bank of the United States was granted a twenty year charter in 1791. It was much like the first bank and the Bank of England in that it could issue notes and handled the government's account. This bank was required to redeem notes in gold or silver on demand but since it was not required to keep gold or silver in its vaults equal to its note obligations that was not possible. The bank was supposed to have $10,000,000 in capital but it began operations at around $675,000, less than one tenth of that requirement. The Bank of the United States was established to loan money to the federal government. Private loans were secondary since it was not allowed to charge more than 6% interest. The government was required to invest $2,000,000 of the $10,000,000 required reserves at the start. It invested the $2,000,000, but took it back out and borrowed $8,200,000 over the next five years. In that five year period, wholesale prices rose 72%. The bank was a source of political disagreement nearly from its inception, but even so, its charter was not renewed in 1811 by a single vote in Congress.
The 3rd Central Bank - The Second Bank of the United States, 1816-1836
This bank was a carbon copy of the others. It was required to raise $7 million in gold and pay Congress a $1.5 million fee for the charter. By the second year it had only raised $2.5 million, much of it foreign investment. Loose monetary policy resulted in a boom, bust economic cycle. It has been speculated that taxpayers lost 40% of their wealth during this period.
The Case for Constitutionality of Central Banking
The court case that upheld central banking was presided over by Chief Justice John Marshall, who was a federalist and an advocate of strong, centralized government. The case was McCulloch V. Maryland, decided in 1819. The argument was not made upon whether Congress had the power directly or indirectly to emit bills of credit or otherwise convert debt into money. If that argument had been made the issue, it would have been unconstitutional. But the focus of the case was on a "necessary and proper means" for Congress to execute any other constitutional powers it may have. The bottom line is the case was a fraud in that it is quite likely the Plaintiff in the case did NOT want to win, but only to lose and set a precedent for the government to operate a central bank. The public did not agree with the case. Rather, they agreed with Jeffersonian Republicans and sound money principles, but by then that party had abandoned those principles so a new party was formed by Martin Van Buren and Andrew Jackson. It was the Democratic Party and its main agenda item was to abolish the Second Bank of the United States. Jackson was elected to the Presidency in 1828 and it took him 8 years to do that, but he was successful.
Nicholas Biddle was the President of the Second Bank of the United States. In 1832, the bank's charter had four more years, but Biddle decided to ask Congress to renew it early so the decision would come just before Jackson's reelection. Biddle figured Jackson would not take a controversial position to oppose the bank. But Jackson put his entire political future on the line and vetoed the bill with three general arguments against it.
injustice inherent in granting a government monopoly to the bank.
the unconstitutionality of the bank even if it were not unjust and
the danger to the country in having the bank heavily dominated by foreign investors.
Regarding the constitutionality, Jackson did not believe he had to abide by the McCulloch V. Maryland decision of the Supreme Court because the President and Congress have just as much a right to decide constitutionality as the court. That was not a novel view at the time. It is only in recent times that people think the Supreme Court is the only entity of our government authorized to pass on the question of constitutionality. He declared the bank unconstitutional in his veto and had every right to do so according to the founding fathers division of power concept adopted in the Constitution.
While Jackson was fighting the bank, it intentionally shrunk the nation's money supply to cause a financial crisis. This intentional act was discovered by the Governor of Pennsylvania where the bank was located. What had been a close fight between the bank and the President ended up becoming a landslide for the President. Jackson completely paid off the national debt and gave $35 million back to the states for a wide variety of public works projects.
Era of No Central Banking and the Civil War
After Jackson closed the 2nd Bank of the US in 1836 and before the Civil War, only states could charter banks. However, abuse of fractional reserve banking and poor oversight led to extensive bank closings during this period and significant loss of money by depositors. A few banks took on some functions of a central bank during this time acting as clearing houses and providing deposit insurance.
In 1861, federal expenses were $67 million. After a year of war, they were $475 million and by 1865, $1.3 billion. Taxes covered only 11% of the total and by the end of the war the deficit was $2.61 billion. Since taxes couldn't cover the amount and there was no central bank to bail the government out, they turned to the Rothschilds who loaned the North the needed funds. The Rothschilds also put money in bonds in Southern banks, but these had fallen to almost zero value so in familiar fashion, they bought the bonds back for pennies on the dollar and planned to have the North force the South to pay them off in full at the end of the war. Even after the sale of bonds, the North needed more money or would have to stop fighting. In direct contradiction to Article 1, Section 10's prohibition of bills of credit, Lincoln printed $150 million worth of fiat money. The notes were printed with green ink and became known as "Greenbacks." Voters were promised that this was a "one time" measure but by the end of the war, $432 million in Greenbacks had been issued.
As might be guessed the purchasing power of Greenbacks fell by 65% while the money supply increased by 138%. Americans surrendered half the money they earned during that period to inflation (from debt monetization) in addition to their taxes.
The expense of funding the Civil War precipitated the National Bank Acts of 1863 through 1865 establishing federally chartered banks and granting them significant power over the monetary system. The banks had a monopoly on the issuance of bank notes which the government accepted for payment of taxes. They could back this money up to 90%, with government bonds instead of gold. Every bank in the system had to accept the notes regardless of how shaky the bank. This was like a half-way house to central banking. Andrew Jackson had killed the Second Bank of United States, but the legislature effectively put the same functionality back in place with this fractional reserve system. Lincoln wanted to veto the bank act, but was unable to buck his party during time of war. Nevertheless, he was troubled by it and wrote about his concerns.
The citizens did not revolt because they didn't understand the burden of a hidden tax just as we do not understand it today. But bankers were laughing at the voters. On June 25, 1863, four months after the National Bank Act, a confidential letter was sent from the Rothschild Investment house in London to an associate banking firm in New York.
"The few who understand the system [bank loans earning interest and also serving as money] will either be so interested in its profits or so dependent upon its favors that there will be no opposition from that class while, on the other hand, the great body of people, mentally incapable of comprehending, ... would bare its burden without complaint."
The 4th Central Bank - The Federal Reserve
Prior to WWII East coast businesses were doing well and were funding growth out of profits rather than taking out loans. Banks in the west were flourishing with growth and taking deposits from east coast banks. The government was flush with money and was paying off its debt as well. None of this was beneficial to East coast bankers, who could foresee the need for bailouts looming on the horizon. They knew the best way to accomplish this was through a central bank.
At the turn of the 20th century, US wealth was held mainly by the Morgan group and the Rockefeller group. Europe's wealth was held by the Rothschild group and the Warburg group. For nine days in November of 1910, seven financiers, one of whom was also a politician, met in secret on Jekyll Island, Georgia to outline the plans for a fourth central bank. The Jekyll Island Club, as they became known, represented one sixth of the world's wealth. They were:
Nelson Aldrich, Rhode Island Senator (R), JP Morgan associate, son-in-law was John D. Rockefeller, Jr.
Abraham Piatt Andrew, Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Treasury
Frank A. Vanderlip, President of National City Bank of New York, representing William Rockefeller and Kuhn & Loeb & Company
Henry P. Davison, Senior Partner with JP Morgan
Charles D. Norton, President of JP Morgan's First National Bank of New York
Benjamin Strong, head of JP Morgan's Bankers Trust Company
Paul M. Warburg, Kuhn & Loeb partner, representing the Rothschilds, brother of Max Warburg, head of the Warburg banking consortium
The five purposes of the 1910 meeting were to:
Stop the growing competition from the nation's newer banks, located generally in the West.
Obtain a franchise to create money out of nothing for the purposes of lending.
Get control of the reserves of all banks so the more reckless ones would not be exposed to currency drains and bank runs.
Get the taxpayer to pick up the cartel's inevitable losses, via "bail outs.
Convince Congress that the purpose was to protect the public.
It is important to note that this was not a conspiracy. A conspiracy requires the planning of a crime. After the anti-trust acts of 1934, such a meeting would have been against monopoly laws, but it was not criminal in 1910. The seven men on Jekyll Island were bankers and monetary scientists. They were developing a business plan to have taxpayers as a fail-safe to rescue their businesses by the workings of a fourth central bank. As with most business plans they maintained secrecy until the bill was passed on December 22, 1913, but several of them in later years published what occurred at the meeting.
In 1910, Senator Aldrich proposed the "Aldrich Bill" to create the fourth central bank. This bill never made it out of committee, but it laid the groundwork for the nearly identical Democrat "Glass-Owen Bill" that would pass two years later with the support of Woodrow Wilson. The country had its fourth central bank in the form of the US Federal Reserve. The bank had the right to
convert federal debt into money (or monetize debt)
lend that money to the government with interest
control the affairs of regional banks
be the depositor of federal funds
create the official money of the United States.
It was the first time that a US bank could issue paper notes that were legal tender not only for public debts but for private ones as well. As with much legislation today, the Federal Reserve Act left out many details and was written in vague language. This was a tactical move to avoid debate over fine points, get the bill passed and allow flexibility for future interpretation. Since the bill was passed, it has been amended 195 times and would be virtually unrecognizable to the Congressmen and Senators who voted for it in 1913.
The first real test of the new system was WWI. 30% of the war was paid for by taxes and 70% was paid through inflation by monetizing debt. After the war, in order to help England out of its financial troubles and counteract a mild recession in 1927, the Fed artificially lowered rates and pumped money into the US economy while England raised theirs to attract investment. Gold which had moved from England to America during the war, moved back to England as planned, but the world economies were nearly ruined in the process. The abundance of available money in the market caused malinvestment and speculation eventually crashing the economy when the true value of the investments was recognized.
On August 9, 1929, the Fed reversed its easy money policy in concert with the Bank of England and began selling securities which severely contracted the money supply. The market topped out on September 19, 1929 and people began to purchase stock on the way down. On Thursday October 24th, the market turned and thousands of investors stampeded to sell. Thirteen million shares were sold. People thought the bottom had dropped out of the market, but they were wrong. On Tuesday October 29th, the market failed. Within a day millions of investors were wiped out. Within a few weeks, three billion dollars of wealth had disappeared. Within twelve months, $40 billion had been wiped out. The inability of man to control market forces was proven. With the help of ill-advised government policy such as the Smoot Hawley tariff of 1930 and many others, the resulting depression lasted longer than anyone anticipated.
Results of the Fed as a Central Bank
It has been said that the Fed was born as a stabilizing force out of the panic of 1907, but clearly the other reasons we have discussed are more appropriate. Certainly, the Fed has been more successful at bailouts and creating money for government spending than it has been at stabilizing the economy. Since it was formed, the Fed has presided over crashes and recessions in 1921, 1929, 1937, 1953, 1957, 1969, 1975, 1981, 1987, 2000 and 2008. We have experienced some 1000% inflation since the inception of the Fed in 1913, which has destroyed 90% of the purchasing power of the dollar. This loss in value was quietly transferred from the citizens to the government through inflation and the Federal Reserve is the mechanism by which it was accomplished.
The Crisis of 2008
The root causes of the 2008 financial crisis / correction can be found in easy monetary policy at the Fed and the Community Reinvestment Act initiated by President Carter, given teeth by President Clinton and encouraged by President GW Bush. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were used to encourage home ownership by those who could not afford the cost. Low interest rates contributed to the resulting bubble and an enormous excess of bad loans ended up on the books of most banks, especially the large banks that knew they would get bailed out. In order to lay off the risk, these loans were bundled into financial instruments that masked their risk profiles and sold to off. Eventually, when the true value of those instruments was revealed, the crisis was triggered.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


@mehegama so you just name your Fiddlicator presets for the Bias preset you made?
Well in m case i use the same IR for most of my practicing presets so I save the vol leve in fiddlicator and the app remembers it as the last active slot on and i close the fiddlicator app. Then every time I open the Bias FX app and the I load the presets I saved with fiddlicator as IAA it works just perfect. Now if i want to use another IR i need to go to fiddlicator and choose another slot and do the same. Remmber the Fiddlicator app has as active always the last slot you had active.
Unfortunately unless they add an IR loader in Bias fx, you ll have to do this back and forth between the 2 apps.
The positive thing is that even in this way it works marvels soundwise.
@mehegama how do you delete irs from Fiddlicator that you don't want in there anymore?
I m using the OH heave hitters 1. They work very well in both ios apps and in my Helix.


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Prestigiously set in an ideal position overlooking the long beach of Scala, Villa Costa offers an excellent standard of accommodation. Within its beautiful, landscaped garden guests share exclusive access to the villa's aesthetic swimming pool and Jacuzzi.
With only six studio apartments, and all boasting an exceptional sea view, Villa Costa provides serenity, peace of mind and ambience to those residing in its borders.
Though set in this idyllic enviornment, Villa Costa is just 500 meters from the resort centre of Scala, offering a wide selection of restaurants, cafes and bars to satisfy almost any taste or preference.
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In our previous articles, we have seen two of the searching algorithms like Binary Search and Fibonacci Search alogorithm. In this article, we will go through Selection Sort algorithm.
Selection sort is one of the simplest sorting algorithm available. Before going into more details we will see first see why sorting is required in programming. Sorting is important in programming for the same reason it is important in everyday life. It is easier and faster to locate items in a sorted list than unsorted.
The selection sort algorithm sorts an array by repeatedly finding the minimum element (considering ascending order) from the unsorted part and putting it at the beginning. The array will have two parts in this process. A subarray which is sorted and other subarrays which is yet to be sorted.
First, it finds the smallest element in the array.
Exchange that smallest element with the element at the first position.
Then find the second smallest element and exchange that element with the element at the second position.
This process continues until the complete array is sorted.
From the code, we can see that the time complexity for selection sort is O(n2) and space complexity is O(1) .
In Selection sort, a maximum of n swap operations are required, whereas in Bubble Sort, up to n swap operation happens for each element, so up to n2 total swap operation are required. These swap (write) operations are memory-intensive, so selection sort becomes even more efficient than Bubble sort for large lists.
In short, Selection Sort is used normally in cases where memory writes are quite expensive than memory reads.
However, both Selection and Bubble Sort take O(n2) time, so it is not recommanded to use them in real-life applications.
You can also check the other articles on sorting and searching such as selection sort, binary search, fibonacci search, merge sort etc. you can also go through our other articles on different algorithms and data structures.


text:
Haykavan, communauté rurale d'Armavir, en Arménie.
 Haykavan, communauté rurale du Shirak, en Arménie.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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If you think social media is only for technology companies, think again. Heres a look at how Danone use social media to change the image of the Activia brand.
As you can see, its all about engagement. Now, i am not a marketing person, so i wont even try to look at that aspect of things, but another interesting aspect of this is the fact that the campaign was played out as a game. Users would go through a series of Activia challenges designed to create more engagement of users with the brand. One of the aspects which probably would help to create a buzz around the campaign would be the component of the challenge which would give users a sense of achievement have having crossed different levels of the challenge.
Now, this campaign could also have been run as a series of activities, probably the same set of activities, seemingly unconnected to each other (think activity of the week). The series of challenges, like the levels in a game, leading to the final event creates the level of excitement among users at crossing levels, at reaching the next level. This creation of a continuum of levels into "higher" levels brings with it the engagement which the brand needs, and gives a good illustration of the effect of gamification on activities, whether they be marketing or learning.
1. Most initial level teaching at university level will be done through online presentations.
2. Learning and assessment will be more social.
3. Teaching will happen in very different ways.
1. Theoretical aspects of courses could be video recorded, with the professors providing the content, and presenters presenting that content to students. This way, professors get much more time to do things other than teaching the same content again and again.
2. Professors could use this time to better engage their students through coursework. What this would mean is that instead of teaching classes, professors could develop assignments, design comprehensive project work, moderate discussions, answer student questions, run quizzes, referee peer assessment, all this without taking any extra time to their working day. All of these could be done in a social form.
1. Provide theoretical inputs through online classes.
3. Facilitate the learning process.
This means not just that the profile of the teacher could change, but this also means that the way students study, learn, and are evaluated, could change. And the learning structure would change, from being teacher-centric, to being student-centric.
A few days ago, came across this article about the CS221 program offered by Stanford online. You can find more programs here. I found these quite fascinating. Somewhere, these present a changing face of education … or do they? I suppose this change started with MIT putting their courseware online. Then there was academicearth, which i thought was a sort of game-changer given that here, we didnt just have the courseware, but the entire lecture series video-recorded, and posted online. This meant anyone with an internet connection could be there, could learn from the some of the top universities, from anywhere in the world. Then there was Khan Academy … a game-changer in terms of the sheer scale Salman Khan has been created over the last 6 years (please dont look at these chronologically, am just trying to build the sort of continuum of changes which i feel have contributed to a possible new direction for education), and then there was classroom videos posted on youtube. Amazing, wouldnt you say?
These have a way of changing the way education is delivered going forward. If you look at the scenario today, teachers at a university deliver the same lectures year after year to a different audience. Instead of having to do this, teachers could video-record their lectures, and post them online, to be available to students. On their part, teachers need to be able to be available to guide research, mentor Ph. D. folks, and (probably the new aspect here), manage the learning process. When talking about managing the learning process, am talking about creating, managing, kindling conversations among students, guiding and mentoring students to enable them to learn more beyond the classroom lectures, and facilitate learning outside the classroom, in an ongoing way.
The next part, of course, is how this changing paradigm of education can be leveraged in the business scenario to redefine the training landscape. Any thoughts?
Came across a piece about an organization banning email. Now, that might sound a bit radical, but there you are. You can find the article here. The CEO believes that only 10% of the emails people get are useful. Even if thats a trifle too little, the idea still remains that email may not be the productivity tool that we think it is. Lets look at why this may be.
To begin with, the purpose of email is to communicate, collaborate. Looking at the basic concept of email, we find that email is not a tool for conversation. Most of us would agree that the best way to communicate and collaborate is through discussions, conversations. And email, by its very nature is not meant to be a tool for that. though, quite a few of us do use email in that way. How many mail chains have you seen which run into pages? Sometimes, it seems like an email ping-pong which goes on. At times, you might get included in the email at a very late stage of the mail chain, and its rather a task to be going through the entire mail chain to figure out what its all about. This is because email is being used for conversing when thats something it is not meant to be for.
So, if the essence of communicating is conversation, which is also the tool required for collaboration, then wouldnt it be easier to collaborate if we use tools which are available to us, which are meant for collaboration and conversations?
A discussion that I was having with colleagues the other day was about why I usually don't read management books. And I was surprised to think that I haven't read a management book for a while now. In other words, a few years, I suppose. And I got to wondering about whether I have stopped learning? This is not to say I have given up reading, but the reading I do now has taken an altogether different form from what it was maybe a decade ago.
I have read a number of management books about topics at the edge of management thought … From The Fifth Discipline to The Balanced Scorecard, to Business Process Reengineering, and many more. So, what am I doing not reading now? And this is where I looked at how learning patterns have changed over a period of time. Today, a lot of information, and so learning, reaches us, not through books, but through the social media around us. This isn't just about millenials, but senior citizens too. A lot more information is available out there in the form of, especially, blogs. And this information reaches us through the social network. A large number of blogs reach me through tweets, and this, to a large extent, has become my learning channel. Whether it is something new, or whether it is something where I need to upgrade my skills, I look more and more online to learn. Let me give you an example. I have been trying to understand Clifford algebra. And I have found the information available out there, without having to read a book.
Does this mean that books are history? I don't think so. Books are still an important way of learning. Books are still an important form of story-telling. Where I see books today, and maybe in the future, is to give a structure to the learning. This means that I get from books what I need to learn, and the learning from books is supplemented by blogs. For example, why am I studying Clifford algebra? Because I am reading about quaternions. Why am I reading about them? Long story. So, in this way, books are giving the structure, outline, and quite a bit of detail, while blogs are giving a lot more detail to add to them. This is why I feel today, blogs and books go together in the learning process. Another step towards the social learning paradigm, you would say?


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Q: Partial update based on condition in postgres I would like to make an update to a table, and the columns updated is dependent on a condition. I already know how to make a conditional WHERE clause like so:
UPDATE table SET colA='apple', colB='banana' WHERE colC='fruits

However I would like to base the update on a condition, such that if the conditional is false, only colA will update. Something to the extent of the following:
UPDATE table SET colA='apple', (if $1=true colB='banana') WHERE colC='fruits

The only resources I'm finding are pertaining to the first example. Is this possible in Postgres? I would like to avoid making separate queries for this type of condition.

A: You could use CASE expressions to control the logic of updating the B column:
UPDATE table
SET
    colA = 'apple',
    colB = CASE WHEN $1 = true THEN 'banana' ELSE colB END
WHERE
    colC = 'fruits';

When the $1 flag be set to true, the B column would be updated to banana, otherwise the update would just set to the current value, which is effectively a no-op.

A: A CASE statement might help you here:
UPDATE table
SET colA = 'apple',
    colB = CASE WHEN $1 = true THEN 'banana' ELSE colB END
WHERE colC = 'fruits';

However, there may be risk of SQL injection, in which case you may be better off having two separate queries, selected by your application logic.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Great opportunity! Running business goes with this store plus vacant lot (.554 acres) behind store is included in the sale. Second business (gas station) in Gilmer is also included with this purchase in Quitman. Building in Gilmer is leased, business only. Certain fixtures/displays will not be included in the sale. Store inventory is not included, but will be calculated and buyer will purchase at the time of the sale.


Ways to Study for the STAAR – Ponder This!
Quizlet is a great resource, and you can make flashcards to remember the materials that a teacher has given you. If a teacher has already made a Quizlet account, that's even better! That way the cards are already made for you.2. Review notes.
If you have notes over the year from class, you can easily glance over what you've learned all year. Therefore, your mind is refreshed over all that you have learned this year.
3. Ask your teacher for extra material.
Teachers usually have a good idea of what is going to be on the STAAR. If you ask for extra material, they will be more than happy to provide you with good worksheets and things to review before the STAAR.
I hope that with these things, you will be able to study for the STAAR and feel prepared.
Hi! My name is Mikayla Espolt. Writing is my passion and I plan to pursue it one day.
I am active in GT, TMSCA, UIL, and STUCO.


MEDIA NOTE: Rights free photos of the U.S. Ski Team training at Vail are available for editorial use at http://ussa.smugmug.com. Please credit Vail Resorts.
VAIL, CO (Nov. 3) – With the official announcement of the 2011 U.S. Alpine Ski Team just days away, Vail Mountain, Ski & Snowboard Club Vail, the local community and U.S. athletes including Olympic gold medalists Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) and Bode Miller (Franconia, NH) are ramping up for the Nov. 6 celebration.
The event, presented by Vail Resorts, opens to the public Saturday at 4:30 p.m. MT with music, videos, complimentary hot chocolate and cookies in Vail Square in Lionshead. Complimentary cheer cards, pom poms and other items will be available for fans to help welcome the U.S. Ski Team. Following the presentation, fans are invited to meet Vonn, Miller and the Team during an autograph session.
For those who can't make it to Vail, www.UniversalSports.com will carry a free LIVE webcast of the event from 5-6 p.m. MT.
"It's really cool that the U.S. Ski Team and Vail put together such a creative way to present the 2011 team," said Vonn. "I'm looking forward to seeing a packed Vail Square this weekend, but if for some reason you live on the other side of the country and can't make it, fans can still tune in by watching Universal Sports."
The celebration serves as an extension of the area's storied alpine history. The Vail Valley played host to the 1989 and 1999 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships and has successfully courted the return of the premier alpine event in 2015.
"I think it's awesome that we're doing an event like this," said Steven Nyman (Sundance, UT), a two-time podium finisher in the Birds of Prey World Cup downhill at Beaver Creek. "It's going to be a cool way to kick off the ski season with our fans. It allows them to meet our entire team, both Olympic athletes and the guys who will be the future of the U.S. Ski Team. Plus it makes a community event that will build excitement for the Colorado World Cup races and the 2015 World Championships."
"For the first day of training, it was awesome," added Vonn, who is racking up the slalom miles this week in preparation for the Nov. 13 World Cup stop in Levi, Finland and the Thanksgiving weekend races in Aspen. "It was exactly what I needed. It wasn't too icy. It was just a perfect feel-good day."
In the spring of 2009, the U.S. Forest Service approved the Ski & Snowboard Club Vail-funded installation of automatic snowmaking equipment on Vail Mountain's Golden Peak. The snowmaking upgrade debuted last fall, allowing for a premier early-season training opportunity not only for the club's athletes but also for the U.S. Ski Team and other teams from around the globe.
"It's great to be home and train," said men's Head Coach Sasha Rearick. "Coming here to Vail is fantastic for the guys. It feels like home. It's easy. We walk across the parking lot and we're here at training. There are no lift lines to deal with. It's truly fantastic."
The public is also invited out on Saturday morning to watch from the base area as the U.S. Ski Team trains on Golden Peak during their 7-10:30 a.m. morning session.
"It's going to be a huge day," said Will Gregorak (Longmont, CO), a Ski & Snowboard Club Vail alum, who started his first World Cup race this season in Soelden, Austria. "This is going to be especially cool for the young racers to be a part of something with the top athletes. I hope it's something that starts big, gets bigger and becomes a yearly tradition."
Stage construction is expected to start at Vail Square Friday afternoon and will include sound and a huge video wall.
Logon to www.Vail.com for lodging information, including discounted rates for the weekend.


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GWA Wingfoil World Cup Morocco | Day One
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Postby Toby » Wed Nov 03, 2021 4:10 pm
The GWA crew and athletes are thrilled to be in Dakhla, Morocco, bringing this new emerging sport to Foum Labouir wave spot for the first time. It is an epic location known for incredible wind and waves, and the forecast for this coming week is no exception.
Registration took place at Westpoint Dakhla Hotel in the early morning, where 20 men and 5 women of over 10 nationalities signed up to compete at this event.
Wind and waves were pumping from the very start, so the Race Director, Juan Antonio Aragon, decided to start the event with the Surf-Freestyle discipline as the conditions were ideal. By 1 pm, the first Men's Heats were already underway. Riders were competing in 15-minute heats, where they were allowed 10 wave attempts, with the 2 best waves counting and 5 trick attempts with 1 trick counting for their total score.
Men's Rounds 1 and 2 were completed seamlessly, as the wind conditions were ideal. Titouan Galea's opening performance at this event was nothing short of spectacular. He scored an almost perfect single trick score of 9.13 points, and an overall score of 23.67, the highest of the day. He proved right away that he means business here in Dakhla, and set the bar high for the rest of the event.
All riders advanced through Round 1, and for Round 2, it was Malo Guenole who scored an impressive 20.80 points for his heat, locking down his spot in Round 3 and knocking out French rider Francois Prevost in the process.
Things started heating up in Round 3, as riders went full throttle to avoid being eliminated from competition, and focus was on advancing through to the Quarter Finals. Chucho Nonnot managed an incredible heat, having just landed in Dakhla half an hour before he hit the water due to flight delays. He knocked out Sebastien Jourdant from Round 3. Joining him in the Quarter-Finals will be Camille Bouyer, Francesco Cappuzzo and Hugo Marin.
Francesco Cappuzzo went from strength to strength today, gaining an overall score of 18.47 points in his heat against Hendrick Lopes. Francesco rode smoothly and confidently, showing that he was extremely comfortable riding in Dakhla, after having been here training for over 3 weeks now.
"I've been wingfoiling a lot in waves this last year, and these conditions are really similar to what I'm used to at home in Sicily, so i felt really comfortable riding today," said Francesco. "I have been here in Dakhla for over three weeks now, so that definitely helped. The waves were really perfect this afternoon, and if you chose wisely you could connect the three sections, and that is what always gives you the biggest reward. My dream for sure is to win this event, and I will fight for it. I've been training a lot more racing than freestyle and wave, but I feel really good in both disciplines here."
The competition continued steadily up until 6pm, when the wind dropped, in the middle of Round 3, Heat 5, between Jerome Cloetens and Fabian Muhmenthaler. They had been neck and neck throughout, but the decision was made to call off the competition for the day, and the full heat will be re-run tomorrow.
Return to "Wingsurfing"


Is Charles Ollivon the new Kieran Read?
Is Bayonne's Charles Ollivon France's Kieran Read?
Rugby World: How's the knee you injured on Saturday?
Charles Ollivon: It's OK. I had a scan on Monday that revealed there's no ligament damage, and it's not as serious as first thought with just a muscle strain behind the knee. I'm out of the Exeter game but will be back in a couple of weeks.
RW: How do you explain your superb start to the season?
CO: First, I have the confidence of the coaches so I'm able to go out and express myself and that's very important. Also, I'm in a squad with experienced players like Scott Spedding and Santiago Fernández, who set an example and offer advice. That's been a great help to me and the other younger players.
RW: What influence has coach Patricio Noriega had on Bayonne since his arrival in July?
CO: He's a very humane coach, by which I mean he's interested in the players and how they are getting on, on and off the pitch. You can discuss anything with him, rugby or otherwise, and that climate of confidence has created a good atmosphere within the squad with no cliques and the players enjoying each other's company.
RW: Midi Olympique recently described you as a "phenomenon". Feeling the pressure?
CO: A little, it's something new for me. I'm still young and it's happened very quickly. A few months ago I was a nobody and now people want to know all about me! So there is some pressure but luckily I'm at Bayonne, where I grew up, so I have my family and friends around me and that keeps me grounded.
RW: Toulon are rumoured to be on your tail. Do you listen to idle gossip in the papers?
CO: Frankly, I just concentrate on the rugby and doing my best on the pitch. The rumours I'm aware of but I don't pay much attention to them.
RW: What do you know of British and Irish rugby?
CO: I didn't really have any heroes as a kid. The player who I use as a reference today is Kieran Read. He's the complete No 8, outstanding in the set-piece and the loose, and that's what I aspire to be.
RW: Tell us about Pelote Basque* and it's influence on your rugby career?
CO: Pelote has been very important because it's a fast game that requires agility and very good hand-eye co-ordination. I played pelote a lot at school and have found that it's been a great help in my rugby, improving my agility and also my passing and offloading out of the tackle.
RW: You're born and bred in the Pays Basque, what makes the region so special?
CO: It's the strength of its identity, which is a mix of French in the north and Spanish in the south. It's a culture which has its own language, dances, sports, traditions and that has created a unique ambiance. And the Basque people are very welcoming.
RW: Why were you never capped for France as a junior?
CO: You'd have to ask the selectors! I don't know. I worked hard, tried my best but it never happened.
RW: Was it because you focused more on your commercial management studies than your rugby?
CO: No. I succeeded in my studies because I had the time to do so after not being selected [for representative rugby honours]. But I'm pleased with the way it's panned out. I passed my management studies and now I've been called up to the senior squad. It's the best of both worlds!
RW: Describe your emotions when you got the call last month from Philippe Saint-Andre?
CO: I was like a big kid. There was a lot of pride because, as I've just said, I wasn't selected as a junior, so to get called into the senior squad showed all my hard work had paid off. Now I'm just very motivated for the future: I'm in the squad but I haven't yet played for France. So a lot of work still to do.
RW: The French squad had a few days together earlier in the month. How's the morale after last season's poor run?
CO: The spirit is good, there's a good feeling in the squad. It's been a tough year or so but we're confident the results will come.


Medical marijuana health effects: a medical herb or a dangerous drug?
Medical marijuana: a healthy alternative medicine or a dangerous drug? Image via social media.
Medical marijuana health effects: The case for legalization. Cases it is used for, case for adverse effect and is it a medical herb or a dangerous drug?
The idea of marijuana as an illicit drug is beginning to go up in smoke. 31 states and Washington, DC have legalized use of the marijuana plant for medical purposes with varying restrictions. In 9 states and Washington, DC, recreational use of marijuana is legal.
But while the laws are changing, the debate over legalized cannabis continues. Some advocate its use and claim that it's as safe as coffee. Others say that its benefits are overestimated, and it can be harmful. Who's right and who's wrong? Let's see.
Medical marijuana is a plant-based medicine derived from Cannabis sativa. It contains at least 113 different cannabinoids. The two of them are considered to have a healing effect. Both are created in the process of smoking or vaporizing cannabis.
THC (delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol) is the primary psychoactive ingredient in cannabis. When you smoke or vape the plant, THC quickly passes the way from the lungs into the bloodstream and then directly into the brain. It affects the brain area that influences pleasure, causing the user to experience a euphoric "high".
CBD (cannabidiol) is another active chemical that provides users with medical benefits without getting them high.
What medical conditions is marijuana used for?
It's interesting that the power of cannabinoids is not an undeniable scientific fact. So far, cannabis use is proven to be helpful in chronic pain management, decreasing chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, and relieving spasticity (stiff or tight muscles) due to Multiple sclerosis. Recent research found that it significantly reduces premature deaths from conditions like diabetes and cancer.
In spite of this evidence, the FDA hasn't yet recognized marijuana as a safe and effective method of treatment of any health condition, except for some types of epilepsy.
How to Use Marijuana for the Best Result?
There are two common ways to consume cannabis: smoking or vaping and eating.
Smoking or Vaping. These two similar ways provide the fastest results. Patients who would like to vape cannabis will need helpful marijuana vaporizers (the full details). The most popular forms of cannabis for this method are dry herbs/flowers, oil, shatter, and wax extracts.
The bloodstream brings the cannabinoids to the brain so fast that one may feel high after a few minutes or even seconds. The effect lasts from 1 to 4 hours. Common cannabis smoking methods include rolling a joint and using a pipe (a bong).
Vaping is safer than smoking and here's why. When the plant is burnt, toxic chemicals, including carcinogens, are created. So, a smoker inhales them together with good active compounds.
The lack of combustion makes vaping a safer option as patients won't be inhaling the toxic materials produced. If a patient uses a dry herb vape pen, they inhale vapor rich in cannabinoids, not smoke containing undesired chemicals.
Eating or drinking. Everyone who comes to dispensary the first time is amazed by the wide choice of marijuana edibles. A buyer can choose from brownies, cookies, chews, chocolates, lollipops, mints, and truffles. As for the drinks, smoothies, colas, juices, coffees, and teas are available.
This method is the best option for non-smokers. The major disadvantage is that it takes from half an hour to 2 hours for a user to feel high. However, the effect will be longer than in case of smoking or vaping – up to 8 hours.
Can medical marijuana be harmful?
Before you rush to buy a marijuana vape pen or some edibles for your treatment needs, have a look at the opposite side of the coin.
Just like there is not much evidence that cannabis has a healing effect, there's no reliable proof that it can lead to health problems. Nevertheless, the lack of knowledge doesn't allow us to claim that the plant is totally safe.
A low dose of marijuana is unlikely to cause side effects. Some experience dry mouth and fatigue.
Dizziness and mood swings may follow higher doses consumption.
Heavy pot smoking is known to cause temporary hallucinations and paranoia. Other by-effects include bloodshot eyes, fast heartbeat, low blood pressure, higher risk of heart attack (within an hour after smoking), and anxiety.
Using marijuana can impair your judgment, concentration, and coordination and slow your reaction time. It's recommended that you don't drive for 4 hours after inhalation and 6 hours after oral ingestion.
Is medical marijuana addictive? This is a commonly asked question. A few studies showed that patients who stuck to recommended low doses didn't develop an addiction. When they stopped smoking, they didn't feel the withdrawal symptoms like tobacco smokers. Those who abuse marijuana may find it tough to curb or stop it.
So, is medical marijuana a healing herb or a dangerous drug?
From one side, there's evidence that demonstrates the healing properties of cannabis. From the other hand, there're reports about its adverse effects. Anyway, scientists and medics still lack knowledge of its impact.
The tension is rising as marijuana legalization movement is picking up pace around the world. Substantial research has to be done in order to define the public health consequences of cannabis use completely. But that's not that easy.
Marijuana is labeled as a Schedule I drug. Thus, the study of marijuana use is deterred by strict guidelines.
If medical marijuana is legalized in your state, and you discuss a possibility of using it as treatment with your doctor, weigh all the pros and cons. The benefits should always outweigh the risks.


I met the great white dog, Hanta Yo, on my first trip to Sedona (See my post two Sundays ago: Letter from Sedona). The second time I was with Hanta was when we went walking in the wilderness and climbed a great red rock—the shaman, my daughter Michaela, me, and a second dog, Cheyenne.
As we rode along in his truck, Clay – the shaman – asked if we had any "restrictions." "Well, I'm old, I said." He laughed and said, "What's old?" Well, okay, I thought. Let's see what happens. We rode along on narrow dirt roads through what looked like barren desert, but now and then he would point out a bush or a flower and tell us what they had been used for by Native peoples. The desert is a beautiful place if you know how to look at it. Hanta rode along in the back seat as if he did this every day. He did, of course.
A great red rock loomed in the distance. Clay stopped the truck. "That's where we're going," he said. It didn't occur to me that he meant we'd climb it. He started out toward it. The dogs and Michaela and I followed him. When we reached the foot of the great rock, he turned to us and said, "Three things: Follow my feet, don't look down, and don't stop." For some crazy reason, I wasn't afraid. He held a coiled rope in back of him. "If you need to hold onto something, grab this." I'm sure he meant, don't grab me. He started ahead, holding the coiled rope in back of him.
Up, up, and up, we went with rocks for stair steps. I was behind him, my eyes riveted on his feet. Sometimes the path was no wider than a foot. Michaela was behind me. Some of the rocks were too high for me to step over. I had to crawl over them. Clay just kept going, not looking back. As we climbed higher, it got hotter and hotter. We were carrying nothing – no water, no nothing. We needed our hands free. I began to feel lightheaded. Please don't let me faint, I prayed. That would be stupid. And embarrassing. Finally, I had to stop before I did faint. "I need to stop," I said. I sat down on an enormous rock and dropped my head between my legs. Nobody said a word. Clay was above me, looking down. Michaela was below me. They waited. Thankfully, no one said a word. All of a sudden, I felt a huge presence in front of me. I lifted my head. It was Hanta Yo. He had walked up to me and come very, very close. I looked at the big, calm face in front of me. I had never seen anything so still in my life. It was as if he had come to lend me his strength. He did not move. Neither did I. His eyes were confident, reassuring. In a while, I felt myself returning to normal. I rubbed his head and said, "Thank you, Hanta." Recovered, I turned to follow the feet again.
We reached the top and Shaman's Cave, a place ancient and sacred, beautiful beyond description. We looked out of its circular windows at the land stretching to the horizon, red rocks in the distance.
Hanta and his companion Cheyenne, not even breathing deeply from the climb, settled down to rest as we three humans stood in awe, feeling the presence of the ancient ones who had also rested here, safe and hidden from harm.
The next year, I went walking alone with Clay, Hanta, and Cheyenne. This time, we visited the circles he had made in the desert, sitting without speaking, sometimes listening to his drum making the sound of a heartbeat, aware of the sacredness of the land. My days of climbing the big red rocks were over. And so were Hanta's. I noticed that he was slower than usual. Several times we had to wait for him to catch up.
And then one day, back home in Maryland, I got an email from Clay, telling me that Hanta Yo had died. I cried.
Back in Sedona the next year, I was sitting with a meditation group. In the quiet, I closed my eyes and waited for the stillness. And I saw him, the great white dog, walking ahead of me. Once he turned to look around, as if to say, "Come along. I will lead you." I did, and felt safe.
Hanta is my spirit dog. A photograph of him stands on my desk. He is the big healer, the confident, silent one, the assurer, whose name, Hanta Yo, means Clear the Way.
Read The Messenger: The Improbable Story of a Grieving Mother and a Spirit Guide by Helen Delaney. It can be obtained at http://www.Amazon.com and at the News Center in Easton, MD.


How Safe Are You While Working on a Vessel?
One of the most important decisions you will have to make in life is the type of career you will pursue. There are numerous jobs that take place at sea. The Jones act law was designed to protect any workers making a living on a seafaring vessel. If you are new to working in this environment, you will need to be aware of the dangers of working at sea.
When working on a sea vessel, you will usually work very long and odd hours. Due to the lack of rest this produces, fatigue can become a real problem. If you are tired, you may not be able to think on your feet very well. There are various parts of maritime law designed to help naval workers receive the best possible work conditions—but they aren't always followed.
If you feel you fatigue was a contributing factor in an accident you have been involved in, you may have grounds to pursue a lawsuit against your employer. Speaking with legal professionals who are well-versed in the Jones act law will allow you to get information on whether or not you have a case worth pursuing.
Today's seafaring vessels operate at a variety of different levels. In order for you to navigate these levels safely, the owner of the vessels will have to install the right equipment. Having handrails around the levels of a vessel is important for preventing slip and fall accidents.
If you have sustained injuries due to a lack of proper safety equipment on a sea vessel, chances are you are entitled to some compensation. The owners of these vessels are required by Maritime law to do all they can to create a safe work environment.
To drill for oil on a vessel, workers have to use a variety of heavy equipment. If the operators of this equipment have not been properly trained, they may have accidents and face a lot of pain and suffering. Even if you have been trained in how to properly operate the equipment on a sea vessel, a lack of proper maintenance can make for a very unsafe working environment.
The injuries sustained from working with faulty equipment can lead to a lifetime of pain and anguish. Working with an experienced Jones act lawyer is vital when trying to get the compensation you are owed. Legal professionals will be able to put a price tag on the injuries you have sustained and will go toe to toe with the insurance companies to ensure you are paid the right amount.
Have you been involved in an accident on a seafaring vessel? The team at Cueria Law Firm is here to help you get compensation for your pain and suffering. Don't hesitate to contact us to find out more about the help we can provide.


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Our techs are certified, highly trained, and educated. All techs are required to possess a Bachelor's degree and have extensive training in computer forensics, malware detection, and rootkit removal. Certifications include, but are not limited to, Computer Forensics & Digital Investigations (CFDI), Information Security, (Info Sec), Linux Administration, Systems Administration, and Microsoft Certification.
Certified techs have over 30+ years experience spanning all aspects of Information Technology and computer support. Our techs are also required to keep their skills and knowledge current and relevant.
Other shops' business model is based upon maximizing profit by up-selling additional costly software and maximizing the number of systems a tech works on per hour in order to get the systems out as quickly as possible and usually simply performing system restores. However, this methodology does little to prevent a repeat of future problems since it does not determine the underlying cause and may, in all actuality, contain the cause of the problem.
We can find the underlying cause, stop it at the source, and tell you exactly how the issue got on your system -- preventing a repeat in the future. Furthermore, if there are other suspected vectors of attack and affected machines, we can investigate and let you know. We don't simply throw software at your issue, tell you the problem is solved, and take more of your money when you return in the near future.
Industry proven technology, methods, and software.
We accept all traditional forms of payment such as cash, check, and money orders. However, we also accept credit cards (Visa(TM), Mastercard(TM), American Express(TM) and Discover(TM)), and Paypal whether you click, call, or come to us.


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Expenditure on research and development (R&D) has increased significantly in Germany and China in recent years. The resulting output growth is, however, lower than expected in both countries. "This indicates that research productivity in both economies is too weak," explains Dr. Philipp Boeing, senior researcher and China expert at ZEW Mannheim. In a ZEW policy brief published today, he and Paul Hünermund, PhD, assistant professor at the Copenhagen Business School, have analysed how investment in R&D is related to research productivity in Germany and China. They conclude that in order to achieve sustained growth rates in Europe, "an innovation policy is needed that takes a bottom-up approach and does not rely too heavily on mission-driven research policies. This is the only way to achieve breakthrough innovations that can compete globally with the leading industrialised countries. China's strongly mission-driven innovation policy cannot serve as a role model in this regard."
A country's research productivity measures the efficiency with which R&D investments are translated into output growth through innovative products, processes and services. Research results on the US have confirmed that a decline in research productivity at the global technology frontier is the key reason for sluggish growth.
In order to determine how pronounced the phenomenon of declining research productivity is in Germany and China, the researchers used company data of both countries from the last three decades to compare company growth with R&D investment. "If research productivity remains constant, firm growth and R&D spending should roughly develop proportionally," explains Hünermund. "However, our research findings for Germany and China show that this has not been the case." In Germany, research productivity has fallen on average by 5.2 per cent per year over the past 30 years, while R&D spending has increased by about 3.3 per cent annually over the same period.
Rapid decline in China's research productivity
The study shows an even clearer discrepancy for China. Investments in research there have increased by 21.9 per cent since 2001, while at the same time the Chinese economy has recorded a 23.8 per cent decline in research productivity. "In comparison to high-income countries such as the USA and Germany, China has undergone an even larger decrease in research productivity over the last two decades," says Boeing. "However, due to China's more dynamic economic development we caution against a simple extrapolation of growth rates into the future." He emphasises though that China needs further growth and that Chinese policymakers are willing to promote it. In this context, however, it is important for the Chinese government to create the right incentives for increased research activities, but to avoid overly mission-driven innovation policies. If policy priorities are driven by national security instead of economic consideration, the Chinese economy runs the risk of a further rapid decline in research productivity.
With regard to the European Union, the results of the study suggest that the increasingly mission-driven, sometimes unambitious research policy should be viewed critically. According to the study, it is essential that R&D becomes a top priority in EU policymaking again. "Fighting the trend of slowing growth and declining research productivity requires the EU to further internationalise its policy initiatives, invest more into education, and secure the availability of a sufficient level of public R&D support over the business cycle," stresses Hünermund. "Otherwise technological progress and global competitiveness are likely to diminish in the not too distant future."
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text:
Liz Cantrell
Journalist & Writer
Abe's Corner Accelerator: Financing Startups in the Digital World // Published in Thread Magazine // December 2, 2014
Sean Hurley (left) and Jake Tsacudakis outside Abe's Corner Accelerator. All photos by Damir Alisa
Sean Hurley is obsessive. He'll admit it, and he'll tell you it's a good thing. Loquacious, energetic and driven, in five years Hurley has already founded one company, sold it and set his sights on company number two. It is possible that the man does not sleep. Trained in statistics, big data and consumer behavior, but balanced by an appreciation for the Vermont way of life, Hurley gets his thrills from creating and sustaining small businesses in the heart of Burlington's Old North End.
Hurley's latest project is Abe's Corner Accelerator, a venture capital startup that helps other start-ups well… start up. Abe's invests in, provides co-op location space for and supports new Vermont businesses that are rooted in the digital realm. Abe's ultimate aim is to represent three to five companies who have teams of three to five people, moving them from "Hey this sounds like a great business idea" projects to full-fledged organizations.
Having founded his own business, hearfoward, in 2009, Hurley knows the uphill battle that startups, and particularly those in the digital industry, face in this state. The concept at hearforward was to match the value of social media promotional campaigns with internal data that companies already had. Fresh from a few years in the Boston marketing and advertising circuit, Hurley and his then-business partner, Jeff Frank (who is now press secretary to Sen. Bernie Sanders) founded hearforward in 2009. They brought on Kyle Girard, now Director of Software Engineering at Green Mountain Digital, in 2011. The trio worked for international brands like Pepsi, as well as closer-to-home organizations like Green Mountain Coffee, Seventh Generation and King Arthur Flour.
Hurley in the Abe's Corner co-working space.
Hurley plans to do just that. Thanks again to VCET, Hurley and the rest of the Abe's crew have their own investment money, which they plan to give right back.
"The point of capital is to deploy it, not to sit on it," he says, throwing up his hands with a bit of frustration that comes from years bouncing around the venture scene. "So when we talk about deploying capital we mean writing checks to people who then write checks to other people to get things done."
Hurley's investment theory begins with research and reviews of a host of potential businesses. Then, he will take a (calculated) risk on backing a select group of businesses, both financially and personally.
"You make a very discrete decision out of seeing a lot of options and you believe it when you wrote the check, and you're making a commitment to a crew of people that you're going to be there, and their salary will be made," he explains.
Hurley is passionate about helping out digital underdogs because he wants to see young talent break out of the underemployed cycle of ad-hoc work. A package of funding, space, resources and advice, he says, "gives them the ability to actually focus on something instead of having to hack it in the freelance economy."
His first move was to assemble a team of digital analysts to do the legwork of practicing market research, setting up an open call for and also seeking out possible businesses, and ultimately reviewing the applications. Hundreds of them.
Sound ambitious? It is.
"For the rest of this year we'll be working to review 300 to 400 business opportunities before we pull the trigger," Hurley says. "Best estimates are between 100 to 125 that other folks in Vermont who write checks [typically] see. I think that work can be done harder and I think we can put together a crew to do it."
Hurley's current team consists of his sister Kate, who handles administrative duties and communications, and three digital analysts he found on a call for hire: Ariel Henley, a current student in Champlain's MFA in Emergent Media program who is focusing on search engine optimization (SEO) for Abe's; John Wall, who is working on a template for institutionalizing an objective exercise to understand brands, and Jake Tsacudakis, a former digital marketer intern at Bluehousegroup, a Vermont web design and development firm.
Throughout the fall, the Abe's team is working to review business proposals for Hurley's twin brother's Philadelphia company, Hurley Media Group. By putting two to three people on each low-stakes client review, Hurley aims go through a brand and systematically understand it as a dry run for actual future clients.
Abe's Corner, at North Street and Elmwood Avenue in Burlington's Old North End.
This process was done out of Hurley's Old North End living room until the crew officially moved in to the Abe's corner at North Street and Elmwood Avenue. Hurley recalled the beginning fondly, if not without a little exasperation.
"There's desks under the backyard in a tarp because we couldn't move in yet," he says. "There's a garage halfway to the office filled with stuff. It couldn't be more startup-y. But we have an office! That's the worst part is this looks so Silicon Valley. It's just my house."
Sure, Abe's current laid-back and slightly frazzled vibe might be ripe for an indie Social Network-style biopic. But what keeps it afloat is Hurley's passion and jump-right-in attitude, something that each of his team members echo.
As she is working through her master's degree, Henley says, "There aren't many opportunities to find people actually willing to work with you and to teach you new things, and I really like the idea of working with a team that I could learn from and share my knowledge with."
Wall agrees, simply stating that once he answered the open bid on Craigslist and got to know Hurley, "the level of passion that was reflected was astounding."
If Hurley is what keeps Abe's running, what keeps it "Vermont" is putting down roots in the Old North End, while still injecting a bit of 21st century ingenuity in order to have a hardcore hyper-local impact.
"We want the best for this neighborhood," Hurley professes, "The truth is that Abe's Corner is the first piece of commercial space that has been built here in fifty years."
Hurley's optimism about Abe's success touches all aspects of the business: who will be working there, what companies they'll be supporting, and how it will all come together at the physical location.
"Why I think Abe's Corner is going to work is that we're going to make very conscious decisions about who those people are who are in the space, we're going to fund them so they can marshal focus for a business problem we all believe in, and we're going to require that they be there and work together," Hurley says.
Now that Abe's is officially off the ground, with Hurley at the helm and a dynamic team firing on all cylinders, it looks like the road for future startup success in Vermont will lead to the corner of North Street and Elmwood Avenue. ‡