Eat Worms for Better Health?

Edward C. Geehr, M.D., Lifescript Chief Medical officer

We have trillions of bacteria in and on our body ? and they?re actually good for us. The bugs in our gut help with digestion. Those on our skin maintain a healthy balance that helps to shield against destructive bacterial interlopers.

But parasites are another matter. Until now, no known parasite has been thought to be good for our health. Now, researchers have discovered the beneficial potential of a pig parasite called the whipworm.

Parasites may help with the rising incidence of autoimmune diseases such as Crohn?s disease, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and ulcerative colitis in the developed world. Same goes for other immune-based disorders, such as asthma, which increased in children by 28% between 1999 and 2009.

These types of immune-mediated diseases remain rare in less-developed countries. Environmental changes may be the reason. While some researchers blame various chemicals found in the environment, many scientists think it may be hygiene.

Essentially, our environment has become too clean, they claim. One of the most significant immunologic changes is the virtual eradication of intestinal parasites.

In agrarian cultures, people are constantly exposed to bacteria and parasites. Over one-third of the world?s population has intestinal parasites. Routine exposure to pathogens in our environment helps to regulate the immune system, according to the hygiene hypothesis. In the case of asthma, the immune system reacts abnormally to certain naturally occurring allergens, such as animal dander, plant pollens and fungal spores.

Migration to the cities and suburbs in the developed world decreased intestinal infections. Without ?training? of the immune system by exposure to various bacteria and parasites during childhood, the immune system can be inclined to over-react or become misdirected.

Even worse, in autoimmune disorders, the immune system perceives your own cells as foreign material and attacks, leading to organ system destruction and failure.? Multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, Crohn?s and rheumatoid arthritis are all examples of the immune system turned against the person?s own cells, attacking and destroying important tissues.

Numerous animal studies supported the notion that exposure to parasites could prevent some of these devastating auto-immune disorders. The studies suggested that exposure to parasites may prevent or treat human disease.

Based on these observations, University of Iowa researchers found a safe parasite to test in humans.? They selected a pig whipworm, whose eggs can hatch in the human intestine, but cause no disease.? In other words, it might trigger the desired ?reset? of the immune system without itself posing any risk of infection.

Early trials consisting of oral administration of a concoction of 2,500 microscopic whipworm eggs in a liquid slurry every other weeks for 24 weeks have shown that they?re not only safe but appear to lessen the symptoms of both Crohn?s disease and ulcerative colitis. Follow-up trials are being conducted.

Another area of interest is in multiple sclerosis. One human trial published in the Multiple Sclerosis Journal, showed brain lesions decreased in four of five patients three months into treatment, and rebounded two months after it ended.

So it appears that parasitic therapy helps to rebalance the immune system. Ongoing trials should help to further define the effectiveness of the treatment across a number of immune-system disorders.

Would you eat worms for better health??

Source: http://healthbistro.lifescript.com/2012/02/28/eat-worms-for-better-health/

pineda john edwards heart condition mena suvari joyful noise coachella one life to live jeff fisher

Photoshop Touch app comes to iPad 2

18 hrs.

Rosa Golijan

Photoshop Express has been?available as an iPad app for quite some time, but ??despite being quite powerful and feature-filled?? it hasn't exactly satisfied fans of Adobe's popular image editing suite. Thankfully a "real" Photoshop app is available for the iPad now: Photoshop Touch.

We've known about Photoshop Touch since Adobe demonstrated some of its features about a year ago, but now the app can finally be downloaded from the Apple App Store. It will set you back ten bucks and it requires an iPad 2 (as it relies on the second-generation device's powerful guts).

The app offers "core" Photoshop features such as layers, selection tools, adjustments and filters. It also allows you to use the iPad camera to fill in areas on layers, to use a scribble selection tool in order to select images, to wirelessly print using AirPrint, to upload projects to the Adobe Creative Cloud, to transfer layered files to Photoshop CS5 and more.

Photoshop Touch is now considered part of a "family" of iPad-friendly Adobe apps that includes previously released Photoshop companion apps?Adobe Color Lava, Adobe Eazel and Adobe Nav.?In the coming months, Adobe Collage (a "moodboard" creation app), Adobe Debut (a presentation app), Adobe Ideas (a sketching app), Adobe Kuler (a color theme exploration app) and Adobe Pronto (a website prototyping app) will join that family as well.

Want more tech news, silly puns, or amusing links? You'll get plenty of all three if you keep up with Rosa Golijan, the writer of this post, by following her on?Twitter, subscribing to her?Facebook?posts, or circling her?on?Google+.

Source: http://www.gadgetbox.msnbc.msn.com/technology/gadgetbox/photoshop-touch-app-comes-ipad-2-222943

christopher columbus trina the green mile the green mile james whitey bulger coptic church amerigo vespucci

Pay Per Click Traffic: Online Marketing | abhconline.org

February 28, 2012 Marco Uncategorized,

Pay For each Just click (Pay per click marketing) is a type of advertising used on-line. Pay Per Click (Pay per click marketing) is needed to afford advertising actions working with google, sites, and marketing and advertising cpa affiliate networks. The advertisement was made to seem when the person looks for a key word. Now when the person mouse clicks the ads that contain put their hands up then a marketer makes cost to search engines like google or advert cpa affiliate networks dependant on Pay per click marketing.

Some well known Pay per click marketing cpa affiliate networks are Adwords, Bing! Search Engine Marketing, and Mirosoft adCenter. In this article the marketer can wager for any Pay per click marketing. Some cpa affiliate networks expenses your requests a hard and fast pay back along with some you could make a quotation for any facebook en espanol amount. The circle or the major search engines stimulates the Pay per click marketing label of advertising and will allow you to have got a financed website link or advertisement to show up adjacent to the kind of keywords which were looked or maybe the subject material shown on a website.

The marketer can put into practice Pay per click marketing advertising based on the services and products they provide. Additionally the marketing and advertising can be performed over the internet sites in which the marketer decides on. This is the quite interesting means to fix web marketing.

Pay For each Just click may facial area click scammers exactly where people today could possibly go and then click the advertisement with no in fact reading through it or some corrupt coders can also traductor google result in click fraudulence. Some computerized uses to avoid this click fraudulence are executed therefore Pay per click marketing advertising is protected again unreliable, neo relevant and counterfeit actions.

There are sites that regulate this Pay per click marketing advertising on virtual reality. They assist in building, applying, working, showing, and acquiring earnings to your Pay per click marketing advertising. Some video games internet sites like the sites for on the internet stop and internet-based online stimulate Pay per click marketing advertising on his or her sites.

Some other google that stimulate Pay Per Click are check with.org, baidu.org, and business.org, to your Pay per click marketing promotional initiatives. Some utorrent sites which help you choose to do this Pay per click marketing advertising activity quickly at the beginning have you look through their collection of sites. You will pick the sites most relevant to your business. Then you will want to choose the landscape in which you want the advertising activity. Ultimately you create your very own text for any advertisement.

You have to specify your ability to buy to your Pay per click marketing advertising activity. You only pay for any mouse clicks within your advertisement to your online site. The online site will allow you to check your advertisement campaign as possible reports around the mouse clicks as well as the capital you may have expended resulting from the Pay Per Click advertising.

Source: http://www.abhconline.org/pay-per-click-traffic-online-marketing/

thursday night football johnny jolly johnny jolly demi moore and ashton kutcher demi moore and ashton kutcher kim zolciak kim zolciak

Right now Is The Right Moment To Buy Albuquerque Real Estate ...

Are you fascinated with Albuquerque homes for sale? Well, there?s never been a better period to get Albuquerque homes.

In the biggest location in New Mexico, Albuquerque real estate provides amazing opportunities. Albuquerque homes for sale supply you with outstanding sights to the Sandia Mountains upon the east area of the metropolis. Albuquerque homes profit from their proximity to the Rio Grande waterway and Albuquerque real estate also signifies you?ll be near to the Albuquerque natural park.

Each area is distinctive, and Albuquerque real estate the same. The Albuquerque homes for sale fluctuate greatly and have Albuquerque homes to match every spending plan and choice. Whether you desire to reside nearby the college or Glenwood Hills, Albuquerque real estate has everything you need to find your personal ideal directory of Albuquerque homes.

So precisely what is there to do after you?ve selected Albuquerque real estate to live in?

Firstly you can see the Albuquerque museum, situated in the Old Town part of the metropolis. Albuquerque homes for sale in this area are normally made up of common adobe material. And when you chose Albuquerque real estate in Old Town, you?ll see the exhibit of a huge number of luminaria around Xmas.

Albuquerque homes inside the Old Town region are close to the New Mexico Museum of Environmental History as well as Science. The Museum?s most important show hall is a voyage throughout epochs, spanning the origination of the Galaxy and all the way to the Pleistocene glaciation period. The museum is likewise where you can a skeletal frame of ?Stan?, a tyrannosaurs rex that is about 40 ft in size and also a dozen feet in height. Making him the second biggest T. Rex ever found. So Albuquerque homes within the Old Town part are best for those with an interest in the historical past or perhaps a scientific imagination.

Those who own Albuquerque real estate even gain from staying so near to the Rio Grande zoo. Several of the most famous animals within the Rio Grande zoological park are: orangutans, chimps and also gorillas; seals and marine lions; elephants, white bears, giraffes, hippopotamuses, camels, tamarins, marsupials, coyotes, mountain lions, monkeys, jaguars, zebras, and also rhinos. People who own individual Albuquerque homes and have youngsters may devote a long time traveling over 2 miles of path ways in the zoological park and on the lookout at over 2 hundred or so species of wildlife.

If you are fascinated with Albuquerque homes for sale, you could be fascinated with going to the National Hispanic Cultural Center, that is actually an establishment for safe guarding and also advertising the lifestyle of the Spanish-speaking globe. The National Hispanic Cultural Center can be found south of downtown next to the Rio Grande river.

Now you really should have got a very good idea of the type of elements being offered to you if you select Albuquerque real estate. There are lots of Albuquerque properties for sale all across the town, so you?re free to pick from a great deal of Albuquerque homes that go well with your needs and desires. Right now there really is no better moment to invest in Albuquerque real estate. So act now if you?re fascinated with Albuquerque homes for sale!

Want to find out more about Albuquerque homes, then visit Daniella Tlinsky?s site on how to choose the best Albuquerque homes for your needs.

Source: http://www.homesforsalevienna.com/right-now-is-the-right-moment-to-buy-albuquerque-real-estate/

cornel west marzieh vafamehr marzieh vafamehr lady liberty lady liberty the rum diary addams family

YC-Backed Coderwall Wants to be the Reputation System for Developers

If coders want to demonstrate their prowess, they can share code on GitHub, answer programming questions on sites like Stack Overflow and Quora, or just blog their thoughts and advice. What's missing, however, is a site that aggregates all this activity ? at least according Coderwall, which is part of the current batch of startups incubated at Y Combinator. Naturally, Coderwall wants to be that site, functioning essentially as the online reputation system for developers. Even though it's officially launching today, the site has been live since last summer. It's growing at about 20 percent each month, with sign ups coming in entirely from Twitter, and there are now 13,000 individual profiles. Founder Matt Deiters tells me he's already seeing job postings that specifically ask applicants to send their Coderwall profile.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/ueEJUjo3tHs/

antioch the grey review demi moore 911 call ipo jim rome ufc on fox 2 weigh ins brandi glanville

China media calls for democracy at World Bank

China's state-run Xinhua news agency called Wednesday for democratic and transparent elections for the next World Bank president, saying the US strangle-hold over the job was outdated.

The World Bank announced last week it would select a new president to succeed Robert Zoellick by April 20, the start of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund's spring meetings in Washington.

Zoellick said he would step down at the end of his five-year term on June 30, setting up a race for the top post at the development bank.

"If the new president of the World Bank is indeed selected through a fair and democratic election, it will free the agency from a seven-decade-old tradition that saw the World Bank's president as a US citizen," Xinhua said in an unsigned commentary.

"Only a real 'transparent, open and fair' selection for the World Bank president will result in the installation of a visionary leader with merit, a leader who can push forward reforms and reduce poverty without ideological bias.

"The mentality that the World Bank's president must be of US origin has lost its legitimacy because of changes in global political and economic order, as well as the changing roles of the organization itself."

It was unclear if the commentary fully reflected the wishes of China's communist government, which does not allow open democratic elections for its government officials.

Last week, the government said it hoped the next head of the World Bank would be selected on "merit."

"China hopes that the World Bank will select the next president based on the principles of openness, competition and merit," foreign ministry spokesman Liu Weimin told reporters.

Liu would not be drawn on whether China would prefer a non-American to lead the global lender, unlike Brazil, which has already urged the World Bank to give proper consideration to developing country candidates.

According to the bank, nominations will be accepted until March 23 and candidates must be members of the Bank's 187 member countries.

Thanks to an unwritten pact between European powers and the United States dating to 1945, all 11 Bank presidents have been Americans and all IMF managing directors have come from Europe.

Source: http://www.terradaily.com/reports/China_media_calls_for_democracy_at_World_Bank_999.html

tim howard goal ben gibbard aubrey o day nfl playoff schedule tim howard scores nick cannon kidney failure consumer financial protection bureau

Civilian Contract Jobs Iraq posted an update: .. JOBS.. COM civilians to information about high-paying overseas first SOURCE.. Saving dollars, the contract [...]

.. JOBS.. COM civilians to information about high-paying overseas first SOURCE.. Saving dollars, the contract is six months in Iraq, I ? Is a good physical condition.. In most cases, civilians working in Iraq will not be a health insurance is a contract.. For this reason, hiring managers.. Those who are interested in civilian operations in Iraq and Afghanistan are plentiful.. .. In Kenya pporumuwawoora am very interested in working with many of the drivers have.. My contract.. Private companies in war, emergency operations, peacekeeping, Iraq, Afghanistan veterans civilian defense base in private sector operations.. Professional social work in Afghanistan, Jobs in Iraq, the U.S.. embassy and the local employment.. Iraq, a strategic partnership office (ISPO) was founded by two Presidential Decree 13541.. Lee left a part of international business at the site, such as English Teacher ? Iraq, a former Iraqi police Worldwide Personal Protective Services. 0df28816e2 In Iraq, how to apply for private employment is a good physical condition.. In most cases, civilians working in Iraq will not be a health insurance contract and ? Civilians working in Iraq.. Iraqi civilian job pays very well richest and most especially.. U.S.. companies typically say that they are in their contract.. When you return to the United States, Iraq?s contracts with one or two years of financial condition can change dramatically.. However, the pay-off could come at the price.. Some private contractors $ 80,000 to begin work.. .. Jobs in Iraq in general can be viewed online.. Spending $ 3.3 billion in the current contract.. Last Review: 02/06/12 21:35 \\ \\ \\ \?civilian contractors, skilled work of the Association of Iraq, you can post messages.. Work is related to Iraq.. Information has been acquired in recent dangezonejobs.com.. Iraq for your next contract is looking for experienced professionals ? Afghanistan, Iraq, Middle East, and over-the foreign private companies are working to learn how to be.. job type, industry groups and a description of the operation.. the private overseas employment abroad, a security agreement, Iraqi security Jobs, a foreign private contractors, international recruitment, a civilian contractor in Iraq can be retrieved through me from the contract work, but a website or two? Search people about the work Do you have tips or a story to teach? I know they pay well ? FORT kaseute bean contract with Iraqi firms contract hepatitis Southern Electric Contractors, Inc.

In Iraq, how to apply for private employment is a good physical condition.. In most cases, civilians working in Iraq will not be a health insurance contract and ? Civilians working in Iraq.. Iraqi civilian job pays very well richest and most especially.. U.S.. companies typically say that they are in their contract.. When you return to the United States, Iraq?s contracts with one or two years of financial condition can change dramatically.. However, the pay-off could come at the price.. Some private contractors $ 80,000 to begin work.. .. Jobs in Iraq in general can be viewed online.. Spending $ 3.3 billion in the current contract.. Last Review: 02/06/12 21:35 \\ \\ \\ \?civilian contractors, skilled work of the Association of Iraq, you can post messages.. Work is related to Iraq.. Information has been acquired in recent dangezonejobs.com.. Iraq for your next contract is looking for experienced professionals ? Afghanistan, Iraq, Middle East, and over-the foreign private companies are working to learn how to be.. job type, industry groups and a description of the operation.. the private overseas employment abroad, a security agreement, Iraqi security Jobs, a foreign private contractors, international recruitment, a civilian contractor in Iraq can be retrieved through me from the contract work, but a website or two? Search people about the work Do you have tips or a story to teach? I know they pay well ? FORT kaseute bean contract with Iraqi firms contract hepatitis Southern Electric Contractors, Inc.
autocad jobs in saint george utah
australian mining industry jobs
augusta rehabilitation associates jobs
assistant teacher jobs in nyc
at t 3000 jobs
fitness jobs in chicagobn railroad jobsfree work at home typing jobsemmeskay jobsclose protection jobs in iraq ex militaryjobs for mechanical engineershawaii travel nursing jobsecommerce jobs

Source: http://thinkon.co.uk/activity/p/4150/

james arthur ray elisabeth shue avastin avastin robert wagner robert wagner live with regis and kelly

Samsung Toiling Away On Bezel-less Galaxy B Smartphone?

Judging by the way Samsung is trying to eliminate bezels from their products, you'd think Samsung found that extra rim of material offensive somehow. The consumer electronics titan is already working on ridding your next television from the confines of a bezel, and if a new report South Korea's Maeil Business Newspaper holds true, one of their next smartphones will be the first to feature an edge-to-edge screen. Aside from a small area along the top of the device that houses a speaker and a front-facing camera, the screen on the Galaxy B is reported to cover all of the device's face.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/sq2J4t7qiQQ/

mcdonalds beating dreamcatcher georgia tech big east expansion big east expansion google buzz trace cyrus

Turning risk into results:Mature risk management drives financial ...

February 24, 2012 ? 11:05 AM

Risk management that improves financial performance??? great read for all small business owners. Leadership

Excerpt??Our research suggests this translates to competitive advantage: we found that companies with more mature risk management practices generated the highest growth in revenue, EBITDA and EBITDA/EV.

Read full article?.via Turning risk into results:Mature risk management drives financial results ? Ernst & Young ? Global.

Like this:

Be the first to like this post.

Source: http://bjconquest.com/2012/02/24/turning-risk-into-resultsmature-risk-management-drives-financial-results-ernst-young-global/

la galaxy jordy nelson hot chelle rae guile alton brown weather los angeles caleb hanie

Erosional origin of linear dunes on Earth and Saturn's moon Titan

ScienceDaily (Feb. 24, 2012) ? Linear dunes, widespread on Earth and Saturn's moon, Titan, are generally considered to have been formed by deposits of windblown sand. It has been speculated for some time that some linear dunes may have formed by "wind-rift" erosion, but this model has commonly been rejected due to lack of sufficient evidence. Now, new research supported by China's NSF and published this week in GSA BULLETIN indicates that erosional origin models should not be ruled out.

The linear dunes in China's Qaidam Basin have been proposed to have formed as self-extending lee dunes under a unidirectional wind regime owing to a high level of total silt, clay, and salt content or cohesiveness of sediments, and they have undergone southward lateral migration at rates of up to 3 m/yr.

New GSA BULLETIN research examines the sediments, internal structures, and optically stimulated luminescence ages of the linear dunes in the central Qaidam Basin approximately 80 km north of the city Golmud. The study's findings suggest that the linear dunes are most likely of erosional origin similar to yardangs with orientations controlled by strikes of joints.

According to the study's lead author, Jianxun Zhou of the China University of Petroleum's State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Resource & Prospecting, "If the control of tectonic structures on the orientation of wind-eroded ridges is taken into account, morphodynamic interpretations for the wind-rift model may become much simpler. No one has considered the possibility of erosional origin for the linear dunes on Titan. Nearly all researchers consider the linear dunes on Titan to be of depositional origin, but their morphodynamic interpretations are complicated and their relationships to wind directions are in dispute. If an erosional origin is considered, the morphodynamic interpretations of the linear dunes on Titan can also be greatly simplified."

Recommend this story on Facebook, Twitter,
and Google +1:

Other bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Geological Society of America.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

---

Journal Reference:

1. Jianxun Zhou, Ying Zhu, Chongqian Yuan. Origin and lateral migration of linear dunes in the Qaidam Basin of NW China revealed by dune sediments, internal structures and optically stimulated luminescence ages, with implications for linear dunes on Titan. GSA Bulletin, 2012; DOI: 10.1130/B30550.1

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120224140615.htm

lana turner donald glover julio cesar chavez jr

A nun, football coach and Marine going to Oscars (AP)

[unable to retrieve full-text content]AP - At least one person on the Oscars red carpet won't have to worry about what to wear: Mother Dolores Hart.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120223/ap_en_ot/us_oscar_countdown_documentaries

the descendants the descendants homeland homeland packers giants game golden globe winners 2012 ricky gervais golden globes

Maryland Gay Marriage Bill Approved By State Senate

ANNAPOLIS, Md. ? Gay marriage is all but legalized in Maryland with the legislature giving its final OK Thursday to the law that is awaiting the expected signature of the governor.

The state Senate voted 25-22 for the law. The vote comes less than a week after the House of Delegates barely passed the measure.

Maryland will become the eighth state to allow gay marriage when Gov. Martin O'Malley ? who sponsored the bill ? signs the legislation.

Opponents, though, have vowed to bring the measure to referendum in November. They will need to gather at least 55,726 valid signatures of Maryland voters to put it on the ballot and can begin collecting names now that the bill has passed both chambers.

Senators rejected some amendments to the legislation Thursday. Proponents warned that amending the bill could kill it because gathering enough support for altered legislation in the House would be difficult.

Last year senators passed a similar measure by 25-21, but the bill died in the House after delegates rescinded their initial support citing concerns that it could violate religious liberties of churches and business owners who do not support same-sex unions.

"; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/23/maryland-gay-marriage-bill_n_1297910.html

eric church sara evans lionel richie cma awards cma awards christmas tree tax world series of poker

Chris Weigant: Republicans' Democrat Envy

Watch out!
You might get what you're after.
-- Talking Heads, "Burning Down The House"

You might not know it from the extended bouts of hair-pulling-and-garment-rending anguish emanating from the Republican Party establishment these days (see: any recent GOP commentary by a party elder or deep thinker which uses the phrase "brokered convention"), but the Republican Party is getting exactly what they asked for. Not just asked for, in fact, but specifically planned on.

Ever since the 2008 presidential primary season, the Republican Party as a whole came down with a serious case of Democrat envy. The GOP took a look at their own primary process, and then they took a look at what had gone on between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, and they decided they liked the Democratic plan better. Obama hadn't been destroyed by the months-long primary fight (as many at the time predicted), he was in fact toughened up by the experience and a better candidate when the general election started -- as a direct result of the long primary calendar. This is the root cause of the Republicans' envy.

Of course, even individual Republican presidential candidates are also showing their envy of Obama's primary run. Ron Paul, in particular, is working from Obama's playbook in concentrating on caucus states the other candidates have ignored. Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich both hold dreams of knocking off their party's frontrunner and achieving what Obama did against Clinton. The only one with no Democrat envy at all is Mitt Romney, because he would have been just fine with the tried-and-true Republican way of doing things -- wrapping things up early, with a "coronation" for the nominee, usually the "next guy in line" from the last time around. Romney's the only one who can truly claim disappointment (and not envy), looking back at 2008.

The Republican Party establishment decided upon radical changes to their primary calendar this time around. The blueprint was to draw the race out, and extend it until roughly mid-April, rather than wrapping things up so early. In 2008, Super Tuesday was held on the fifth of February, when John McCain essentially wrapped up the nomination and Mitt Romney dropped out (Mike Huckabee would keep campaigning, for some unfathomable reason, but no one paid much attention). To put it another way, four years ago, the Republican race was really over at this point in time, and had been for two weeks.

This was not to be in 2012, the Republican Party decreed. Their plan was to extend the early primary season considerably, but then encourage the states to wrap things up by mid-April (nobody was envious of watching the Clinton/Obama contest go all the way to June). They did this with two deadlines. After the initial four states voted (starting in January) no state was supposed to hold their contest before Super Tuesday, the first Tuesday in March. This would allow all of February for real competition, and would allow the candidates to toughen each other up while the public was actually focused on the campaigning. Super Tuesday would likely narrow the race down to two (or, at the most, possibly three) viable candidates.

The second deadline the Republican Party laid down was that all states which voted before April Fool's Day (insert your own joke here) were not allowed to award their delegates in the traditional "winner-takes-all" Republican method, but instead use the Democrats' "proportional" delegate system. This would allow second-place (and even third-place) winners to also build up delegates, and would avoid having the race be called too early -- before the candidates had the chance to season each other up a bit on the campaign trail.

Of course, the Republican Party also has the same "herding cats problem" when it comes to the 50 states following the plan as the Democratic Party always does -- some states want to go earlier than allowed. This is why states like Michigan and Arizona are in the mix before Super Tuesday. Theoretically, any state with an actual binding vote which votes too early is supposed to lose half their delegates to the convention as a penalty. If this race stays even slightly close, look for this to become an absolutely enormous issue within the Republican Party for the next few months. The Republicans' Democrat envy may lead them to the ugliest phase of the 2008 Democratic primary race -- the question of what was to be done about Michigan and Florida. Imagine what the intraparty fight in the Republican Party will be like if awarding the early states their full delegate slate would actually change the outcome of the race. The Democrats had a huge fight over it even though it wound up not being a deciding factor for Obama in the end -- so the fight would be even more intense if it meant the difference of whether Romney held the magic number of delegates for the nomination, or whether it was denied to him (to pick just one scenario).

Convention speculation aside, though, if the Republican Party had followed their initial template perfectly, the race would be pretty close to exactly where it stands today -- a muddied candidate field, in more ways than one. Nobody's wrapped anything up yet, there are still four candidates in the race, and they are all out there swinging at each other just about as hard as they can. All by design. In fact, the plan was for Super Tuesday not even to be the deciding factor. It wouldn't be until April that one candidate could easily amass so many convention delegates as to absolutely put the nomination out of everyone else's reach.

The Republican Party didn't just plan for where we are today, they planned on more than another month of muddying the field.

Watch out. You might get what you're after.

?

Chris Weigant blogs at:

Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant
Become a fan of Chris on The Huffington Post

?

?

?

?

Follow Chris Weigant on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ChrisWeigant

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-weigant/republicans-democrat-envy_b_1294974.html

andre johnson andre johnson arrested development arrested development shannon tweed shannon tweed don lapre

Stevens Point Brewery Investing $1 Million into Expansion ...

New equipment will increase brewing capacity to keep up with demand

Posted 10 hours ago by Press Release

STEVENS POINT, WI - For the third time in three years, Stevens Point Brewery is expanding its production capacity to keep up with demand.

The latest expansion ? a $1.1 million project includes nine new fermentation tanks, two new bright beer tanks, a new 7,000-gallon hot water tank and a centrifuge for filtering finished beer. When all of the new equipment is up and running this spring, the brewery will be able to brew 120,000 barrels of beer annually, a 20% increase.

Since 2009 the Stevens Point Brewery has invested approximately $1.5 million in new equipment and additional storage space to increase capacity and improve efficiency, according to Joe Martino, Stevens Point Brewery Operating Partner.

?Last year we added 6,600 square feet of warehouse space, five aging tanks and three fermentation tanks to bring our brewing capacity up to 100,000 barrels per year,? Martino said. ?In 2010, we built a 2,700-square-foot addition to expand our keg cooler room and add four aging tanks.

?We have our loyal customers to thank for our continued success, and as our sales continue to grow, we?ll continue to expand our capacity to keep up with the demand,? Martino added. ?We?ve still got plenty of room to grow and we fully intend to do so.?

The two new bright beer tanks for package release beer will allow Point Brewmasters Gabe Hopkins and John Zappa and their team of Brewing Operators to brew six days per week instead of five. The 120-barrel tanks, which hold finished beer ready for the bottle and can lines, will be installed by the end of February.

The nine new fermentation tanks scheduled to be installed in late March are vertical fermentation ?unitanks? and represent a first for the Stevens Point Brewery, according to Hopkins. ?Our new vertical tanks are twice as tall as they are wide, and they?re called unitanks because they allow us to ferment and age beer all in one vessel,? he explained. ?Vertical tanks also enable improved dry hopping of our beer. Traditional fermenters are horizontal and can be used for either fermenting or aging, but not both in the same tank.?

The centrifuge, which will arrive in April, will help improve beer quality and production efficiencies. ?We will be able to filter beer faster and improve the quality of our product in the package,? Hopkins said.

The new hot water tank will be used to heat water at the beginning of the brewing process and will be the first piece of new equipment to be installed, in mid-February.

Address: 617 Water St
Stevens Point, WI 54481
United States

Source: http://www.brewbound.com/news/stevens-point-brewery-investing-1-million-into-expansion

hope solo texas high school football fugazi fugazi indiana jones and the last crusade nba lockout dramamine

Blog Archive ? Health plans have lowest customer service ratings

Share this story:

Health plans have the lowest customer service rating of more than 200 companies, according to a new research report published by Temkin Group.

The group rates customers? experiences at 206 large companies across 18 industries. It?s the second year of the study.

The research is based on a survey of 10,000 U.S. consumers and includes 13 health plans. Kaiser Permanente was the highest rank insurance company, and the only one to receive an ?okay? rating. However, it ranked 87th in the overall ratings. TriCare, Medicare, Aetna, United Healthcare, Humana, Empire BCBS, Blue Shield of California and Cigna all received ?poor? ratings, while four plans received very poor ratings: Highmark BCBS, Health Net, Medicaid and Anthem BCBS.

Health plans represented the lowest rated industry and the only one of three industries to receive an average rating of poor. However, the health plans experienced a modest improvement from the 2011 report.

?It?s troubling that only one health plan can even achieve an okay rating; the entire industry needs a customer experience wake-up call,? said Bruce Temkin, author of the report and managing partner of Temkin Group. ?While it?s great to see some improvement; it?s not enough.?

The Temkin Experience Ratings evaluates three dimensions of customer service: Does the company meet consumers? needs? How easy is it for consumers to do what they are trying to do? How do consumers feel about their interactions with companies?

Source: http://csbj.com/2012/02/20/health-plans-have-lowest-customer-service-ratings/

rule 5 draft lindsay lohan playboy cover lindsay lohan playboy cover shooting at virginia tech shooting at virginia tech blagojevich rod blagojevich

Iran says may cut oil to more European countries

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) ? Tehran is considering extending an oil embargo on France and Britain to other European countries, a semiofficial Iranian news agency reported Monday.

The head of Iran's state oil company Ahmad Qalehbani was quoted by Mehr as saying that the country would stop selling crude to nations who take action against Tehran.

"If the hostile acts of some other European countries continue, oil exports to these countries will be cut," he said.

Iran announced the cut-offs to France and Britain on Sunday, a pre-emptive retaliation for an EU embargo over Tehran's controversial nuclear program that is scheduled to go into effect in July.

Since the embargo was announced last month, Iranian officials have said that Tehran should enact its own sanctions immediately, before European countries lined up alternative suppliers.

The news sent oil prices to a nine-month high, reaching $105 per barrel in Asia on Monday.

Qalehbani predicted the prices could rise even higher. "The current situation of the market shows that there is a probability of oil price passing $150 per barrel," he said.

Iran says Spain, the Netherlands, Greece, Germany, Italy and Portugal are among its European customers.

Some of these countries may no longer be importing Iranian oil. France has played down the impact of Tehran's action, saying French oil companies already have stopped purchases of Iranian crude.

Qalehbani said demand for Iran's oil has increased in recent weeks, saying that Iran seeks "unconditional" contracts. He did not elaborate, but the Iranian media has previously mooted the idea of having buyers sign long-term contracts before they are allowed to purchase any oil at all.

Meanwhile, Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi predicted that bitterness between Iran and EU countries will not last long. "Relations between Iran and Europe cannot remain idle for a long period," the official IRNA news agency quoted him as saying.

"European countries cannot continue without needing Iran, nor can Iran believe that it doesn't need Europe, since we are complementary parts of each other," Salehi said.

The 27-nation EU accounts for about 18 percent of Iran's oil exports.

The EU sanctions along with other punitive measures imposed by the U.S. are part of Western efforts to derail Iran's disputed nuclear program, which the West fears is aimed at developing atomic weapons. Iran denies the charges, and says its program is for peaceful purposes.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-02-20-ML-Iran-Oil/id-e58fa299d55d44e3a673961f02708c04

mlk mlk being human being human chicago news chicago news golden girls

Syrian opposition says 7 die in intense shelling (AP)

[unable to retrieve full-text content]

AP - Government troops heavily shelled rebellious districts in the resistance stronghold of Homs Tuesday, killing at least seven people and compounding fears of a new round of bloody urban combat in a country careening toward all-out civil war.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120221/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_syria

prickly pear prickly pear jcole jcole j cole j. cole j. cole

URS to acquire Flint Energy Services for $1.25B (AP)

[unable to retrieve full-text content]AP - Construction giant URS Corp. has offered $1.25 billion in cash to buy the Canadian oil and gas contractor Flint Energy Services Ltd.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/energy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120220/ap_on_bi_ge/us_urs_flint_energy_deal

toys r us shame shame donovan mcnabb donovan mcnabb the waltons the waltons

Stella McCartney shakes up fashion show (AP)

[unable to retrieve full-text content]

AP - Stella McCartney shook up the fashion world Saturday night by using a flash mob approach for a presentation of her evening wear.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/fashion/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120219/ap_on_en_ot/eu_london_fashion_stella_mccartney

cole hamels curtis painter apple news conference apple news conference apple news apple iphone apple iphone

High court dilemma: Can lie about medal be crime?

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Xavier Alvarez was in good company when he stood up at a public meeting and called himself a wounded war veteran who had received the top military award, the Medal of Honor.

Alvarez was lying about his medal, his wounds and his military service, but he wasn't the first man to invent war exploits.

He was, however, one of the first people prosecuted under a 2006 federal law aimed at curbing false claims of military valor.

Concerns that the law improperly limits speech and turns people into criminals for things they say, rather than do, will be key issues as the Supreme Court reviews his case and the Stolen Valor Act.

The justices hear arguments on Wednesday, the birthday of Gen. George Washington, who established the U.S. military awards system.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-02-19-Supreme%20Court-Stolen%20Valor/id-de5fd8fc79fc4eb0b5513cb4fa366a9b

houshmandzadeh bieber baby justin beiber dia de los muertos dia de los muertos david arquette lionfish

Pets-O-Mania ? Blog Archive ? 7 Horse Breeding Tips For Beginners

posted by Bob B Taylor on Feb 17

There are horses that are the best for weekend horse riding, and there are horses that are out standing champions of dressage level competition. But whatever a horse may excel at, it may catch your eye and you may therefore choose to breed her. Passing on the genes of an accomplished horse is an excellent reason to breed one. Especially if a particular horse excels in something as precise as dressage, which requires some conformational advantages not seen in every steed. But to cause the most satisfactory results and breed a foal worthy of succeeding, there are a few things that you as the equestrian breeder must consider.

-Why are you breeding the pony? Is it for a particular discipline? Knowing the particular discipline the resulting foal would specialise in would aid you in finding the perfect mate for the horse you want to breed.

-Does your horse have any conformational deficiencies that their mate can complement? Since the foal will be a mix of the genes of both sire and dam, you would not want both to have the same conformational drawbacks, which will virtually guarantee the poor conformational fate of their young one.

-Is there a perfect mate with a good temperament? Particularly during mating, horses can have extraordinary temperaments. So apart from a good natured mate being easy to handle and work with, but probabilities are that mate can pass down the temperament to the resulting foal.

-What about prior progeny? This is critical, as prior young are the only real evidence you can use to observe as to how well the nice stuff about a mate are passed down to its progeny. You can check not just the positive sides of the prior young, but also any congenital defects or inadequacies related with the passing of the genes. You can also opt to contact other equestrian breeders along the ancestry of the mate to check up on its gene pool.

-The health of the mate candidate is also quite necessary. All the signs of good health should be noted from the mate. Too much or too little weight may cause complications in carrying the foal, and complications in the pregnancy could cause resulting inadequacies in the offspring. The overall medicare of the candidate mate should be given attention, not just its health at the moment. Regular dewormings, vaccinations, and good veterinary care are a must. Ask the equestrian accountable for the mate about these things.

-Have mates undergo breeding examinations. Proven mares might require extensive examinations and maiden mares require a vaginal and rectal examination.

-Now that everything is set up, go thru your checklist again. Breeding horses isn?t a matter to be treated lightly. After you are doubly sure you know what you are getting into (as well as all financial commitments that you will be commiting to), only then can you confidently commit to the breeding.

Selective breeding of horses is the attempt of the equestrian to improve the end result you should be sure you?re doing it right, and for excellent reasons.

Horses are Heather Toms passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100s of articles with other horse lovers, like all things about horse blanket

Source: http://petsomania.com/?p=9860

mark wahlberg yu darvish apple announcement pipa keystone xl sopa and pipa sopa bill

Improved Self Esteem After Abdominoplasty Surgery! | New Health ...

New Health And Fitness.Org - Health Information You Can Use

A tummy tuck is a surgical procedure which involves reshaping and refashion their stomach and the skin along with muscles surrounding it. The appropriate term for a tummy tuck is an Abdominoplasty.

This procedure is normally useful for cosmetic reasons. However following surgery most patients are left together with considerable improvement to one?s self esteem and can be a driving force for the decision to have surgical procedure performed.

The usual type of one that undergoes a tummy tuck is rather often a woman who has experienced children and has ended up with skin scarring and loose saggy skin tone on her abdomen. Other most women, who may benefit from a abdominoplasty, are often those women who already went through a a caesarian section and playing scars and or lose epidermis

It?s important that patients with decided to have a tummy tuck know that they will be left with a scar. Many people seem to think that such a procedure leaves a very fine scar or no surgical mark at all, however it should be kept in mind that this procedure is classed as major surgery, as there was bound to be some form of scarring damage.

The scar from a tummy tuck usually runs horizontally by hip to hip over the pubic region. The surgeon who is normally a plastic surgeon appreciates this anxiety of his people that as little scar as you can will be visible. Therefore a great surgeon will do his extreme to ensure the scar that is still left is as low as possible making it as least visible as is possible.

Many patients undergo numerous procedures at the time of a Tummy Tuck. Reasons for combining procedures which has a tummy tuck include patient goals, recovery time and cost.

Liposuction completed in conjunction with a tummy tuck can enhance the whole look with the abdomen giving it a completely brand new shape.

Tummy Tuck & Breast Enhancement can also be frequently combined. Many mothers after pregnancy, breastfeeding and substantial weight loss are however left with sagging breasts in addition to lose skin in the abdominal area area. This type of patient benefits greatly from combining both the surgeries.

Check Out This New Scientifically Proven System That Will Help You Lose Weight Fast! Get In Shape Now!

Source: http://newhealthandfitness.org/2012/02/18/improved-self-esteem-after-abdominoplasty-surgery/

mumia abu jamal mumia abu jamal pearl harbor alec baldwin alec baldwin rock and roll hall of fame erin andrews

The big business of non-profit Catholic hospitals : News Headlines ...

In the American Spectator, George Neumayr contributes a scathing piece about Sister Carol Keehan, the head of the Catholic Health Association.

Noting that Sister Keehan takes in an annual compensation package that approaches $1 million, Neumayr remarks: "Who knew that lobbying for the corporal works of mercy paid so well?"

Catholic hospitals, Neumayr goes on to say, produce enormous revenue streams. Federal funding will increase those revenues. The executives who administer the hospitals are well paid, and the institutions can afford to pay attractive salaries to a representative who will further their interests in Washington.

Additional sources for this story
Some links will take you to other sites, in a new window.

It's Your Turn to Sound Off!

? To ensure well-meaning comments, only donors are allowed to Sound Off.
? If you're a donor, log in; otherwise please support our work, and Sound Off!

Sound Off! Comments

There are no comments yet for this item. Be the first to Sound Off!

Source: http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=13355

dina manzo dina manzo once upon a time once upon a time demarco murray teresa giudice red ribbon week

Foreign exchange made simple by easy-forex | World Finance

The foreign exchange market has been one of the most exciting sectors to be a part of since the global economic crisis started in 2008, and also one of the most reliable. This wasn?t always the case however; the risks associated with currency trading have always been at the forefront of traders? minds and when large-scale events happen that affect a currency, such as the Japanese tsunami that engulfed the country last year, or the ongoing eurozone debt crisis, markets become both volatile and unpredictable.

What has been interesting about the past 12 months is the amount of traders who have embraced this volatility. No-one could have thought four years ago that the US dollar, which for so long dominated markets, would be a risky tender to trade in, or could have predicted the ongoing failure of the euro, the fate of which is currently the most influential factor on the forex market. Harnessing the ability to trade in such perilous times takes more than just skill; you must first find a trading platform that has a complete understanding of the industry and provides the products to achieve the best results when trading.

At easy-forex we have been pioneering currency trading since 2001, when we began to democratise the market and give easy access to the forex market to everyone. We were one of the first companies to bring retail forex trading to the mass market and we have been trading in 160 countries ever since. With one easy-forex account, traders can trade currencies and commodities using their web, desktop or mobile platforms, from any location. We believe our company is the best choice for those investors who are looking to explore trading with forex and we attract such people by making forex uncomplicated and honest. We pride ourselves on being convenient and trustworthy.

Some examples of the ways we do this are by providing guaranteed stop-loss on our easy-forex platform, which means you can never lose more than you are prepared to risk, and we also make available tight fixed spreads, so that you can be sure that the rate you set is the rate you get.

An industry in turbulence
Over the past 12 months we have seen our client base of active traders grow by approximately 50 percent and our turnover by around 35 percent. We attribute this to a variety of factors, including significant investment in our customer service and our trading platforms. We have also observed increased interest from traders looking to try forex for the first time.

Importantly, the forex industry is still relatively new and the growth rate of the market has yet to stabilise. As the majority of retail traders are sourced via online marketing channels and their access to the forex market involves immediate payments via online payment solutions or credit card deposits, we believe that the correlation of the industry with internet penetration and the growth of online payment methods means that the future is bright for forex. Another important factor to consider is that turnover is also correlated to volatility in the market. During the 2011 eurozone financial crisis we saw continuous and elevated levels of market volatility in the forex market. This had the effect of exciting the retail traders as many of them associated the link between volatility with the number of available trading opportunities, which, as a result, led to increased turnover.

Looking at 2011 volumes, we can clearly see the disproportionate level of turnover compared to previous, less volatile years. The market volatility was also covered extensively by many news sources globally, which effectively provided free marketing for the industry and attracted many new entrants keen to try forex trading. We also increased focus on customer service and education for our traders, which we executed by boosting our investment in, and restructuring of, our marketing and sales departments.

Calling traders to account
Success in forex is attributed to a number of factors, but primarily education. As a trader, you need to understand what can make the market move and how to balance your opportunities against your risk. Those traders who are new to forex, but savvy, spend the time getting to know the market and the tools at their disposal to help them become the best trader possible. We support our traders by offering one-to-one coaching, a dedicated ?Learn? section on our website with 40 educational videos-on-demand, as well as 24-hour support, five days a week, via telephone, live chat and email. Transparency is essential in forex trading and no matter which company you decide to trade forex with, you should always choose a broker that is regulated. Easy-forex is regulated in Europe by CySec, in addition to also being regulated in the US and Australia. In fact, we adhere to the highest levels of KYC and AML standards, irrespective of the trader?s location. We don?t charge commissions on deposits, there are no withdrawal fees and no maintenance margin requirements. We also do not engage in dealer intervention practices, all of which reassures our traders. We also offer unique, simple margin calculation that allows traders to leverage all available balance in their account and our traders benefit from our price improvement policy, which means we offer the best rate available in the markets.
tailored to your needs.

We have over 100 currency pairs available for trading, as well as valuable commodities such as gold, silver and oil. We offer four types of account: mini, gold, platinum and VIP. The mini account allows traders to open an account with us with as little as $25. We are flexible and are able to cater to the personal needs or requirements to suit every kind of trader. Our traders simply have to express their preference and we will tailor their account to suit their needs.

Those clients who open a gold, platinum or VIP account also get access to our dealing room services, including personal support and exclusive tools for traders who are looking to take their trading to the next level. We are wary of becoming complacent and have ambitious plans for 2012. We will continue to grow our business and to strengthen our brand position across our target regions with local footprints in Africa, the Far East and the Middle East. We also have some significant investments under way in terms of our infrastructure, as well as technology and platform improvements, which our traders should look out for.

Source: http://www.worldfinance.com/markets/fx-and-brokerage/foreign-exchange-made-simple-by-easy-forex/

brandon mcinerney black friday 2011 deals nfl power rankings week 12 nfl power rankings week 12 brine turkey brine turkey uc davis

4 accused of eating endangered Zimbabwe tortoises (AP)

[unable to retrieve full-text content]AP - Four Chinese nationals have been arrested on cruelty charges after they cut up and ate rare tortoises, an animal protection group said Thursday.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/africa/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120216/ap_on_re_af/af_zimbabwe_tortoise_deaths

acura nsx shark tank powell the last lecture syracuse basketball kim jong un madonna halftime show

US officials tie terror group to Syrian bombings

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Top U.S. intelligence officials told Congress Thursday that al-Qaida of Iraq was likely behind a series of bombings against the Syrian regime in recent months.

Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said bombings against security and intelligence targets in Damascus and Aleppo bear "all the earmarks of an al-Qaida-like attack", leading the U.S. intelligence community to believe the Iraqi militant branch is extending its reach into Syria. Al-Qaida of Iraq is one of al-Qaida's largest regional affiliates.

He added that Syrian opposition groups may have been infiltrated by al-Qaida, likely without their knowledge. Clapper said the lack of a unified opposition group could leave a power vacuum that extremists could fill if the Syrian government falls, a potential development he called "troubling," because Syria has an extensive network of chemical weapons sites.

Defense Intelligence Agency chief Lt. Gen. Ronald Burgess added that it appears "the al-Qaida like attacks" were likely caused by elements already inside the country, and that the U.S. intelligence community had not yet detected "a clarion call to outsiders" to join the cause.

He made no mention of the video released by core al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri over the weekend, calling on Muslims to support Syrian rebels.

The officials also told Congress that if Iran is attacked over its alleged nuclear weapons program, it could respond by closing the Strait of Hormuz to ships and launch missiles at regional U.S. forces and allies.

Burgess tells senators Iran is unlikely to initiate or intentionally provoke a conflict.

Clapper says it's "technically feasible" that Tehran could produce a nuclear weapon in one or two years, if its leaders decide to build one, "but practically not likely."

He says recent diplomatic outreach by Iran to European diplomats could indicate that officials there are reconsidering the program.

Both men say they do not believe Israel has decided to strike Iran. Clapper said he would be meeting with Israeli officials soon to discuss the matter.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-02-16-US-US-Intelligence-Threats/id-c13dc957b526442ab2acbaf568c1f09f

scott walker recall cruise ship derek fisher martin luther king jr. john elway john elway zappos

Aaron and Sam on Real Estate Today! ? Green Canopy Homes

Our own Aaron Fairchild and Sam Lai sat down with KIRO?s Tom Kelly on Real Estate Today to discuss how to build and remodel cost effectively in the Puget Sound area ? with ?green? in mind. In case you missed it, check out the full show here.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 14th, 2012 at 3:28 pm

Source: http://greencanopyhomes.com/2012/02/aaron-and-sam-on-real-estate-today

kwame brown martin luther king day blue ivy devil inside ted nugent dash diet how to make moonshine

Why do European central bankers sound like Austrian economists?

After attending a European Central Bank workshop on global liquidity, the author learned that European monetary economists sound surprisingly like Austrian economists.?

Last week I attended a workshop at the ECB on Global Liquidity. Global Liquidity of course refers to money flowing throughout the world as a result of western central bank money printing?especially Fed printing. I thought it might be beneficial to highlight some insights gained.

Skip to next paragraph Mises Economics Blog

This is the institutional blog of the Ludwig von Mises Institute and many of its affiliated writers and scholars commenting on economic affairs of the day.

Recent posts

1. Attended mostly by central bankers, the group of 40-50 people seemed to be in agreement that their?and particularly the Fed?s?monetary policy is a key driver of financial asset prices, including commodities and real estate.

I learned that while there is no consensus among central bankers that increased bank credit is the sole driver of higher asset prices (though I?m told many say that it is, and one economist I spoke with said that it was), there is a consensus that it is the sole driver of inflation in the long run. The short-run drivers are rather insignificant. One that I agree with is changes in the supply of imports. As a booklet I bought states: ?Inflation is ultimately a monetary phenomenon.?

Why central bankers agree that rising consumer prices are ultimately a monetary phenomenon, but believe rising asset prices are only a partial monetary phenomenon is beyond me.

Just to be clear, I asked one central banker about the theory that unions can drive up prices. He said that they could?if there was an increase in money. He was spot on.

An very interesting insight came about when he said that I sounded like a monetarist. I said that I was actually more aligned with Austrians. He immediately replied that the school is not much different than monetarists with respect to what we had been discussing. Of course he was right, but it impressed me that he was that intimately familiar with Austrian views. After all, one Italian central banker I spoke with a few years ago asked: ?what is an Austrian??

2. The group also discussed that monetary policy has both a supporting and a destabilizing effect on the economy and financial system (we, of course would argue that it is the sole driver of asset prices and of GDP and consumption in the long run). One PPT presentation by an economist from the Bank for International Settlements, regarding the financial crises concluded: ?Who to blame? Model says the Fed.? I agree with him. But it?s shocking that they actually state/admit this.

Another statement was ?the central bank can create distortions.? Again, to us they are?absent acts of nature?the only ones creating distortions, but that they accept their influence as matter of fact is surprising to say the least.

3. The group kept commenting that it was increased credit driving leverage. They agree that it is leverage driving asset prices. As one person said ?increased leverage has to come from somewhere? (i.e., you cannot create new leverage without creating more money/credit). (They defined leverage as total bank assets over bank equity and as equity of banks times leverage). Interestingly, several people discussed that the leverage of banks is inversely related to the VIX.

4. There is a whole area of research related to the following information that I too have previously learned the importance of: the transmission channel of money flow into consumer prices (i.e., bank loans) is a completely different transmission channel of money flow into asset prices. For asset prices, money flow is originated in the interbank market (money market) with the large banks and hits the hedge funds/brokerage houses/institutional investors in the form of ?non-monetary bank liabilities such as money market papers, certificates of deposit, commercial papers, structured notes, or bonds, which [are bank credit but] not recognized as the common medium of exchange.?

As part of this, there is a large debate about which side of bank balance sheets are responsible for rising prices: the asset or liability side. This is known as the money view vs. the credit view. The money view is the liabilities view that argues that the creation of money in the form of bank deposits pushes prices higher. The credit view is the asset view (or loanable funds theory) that argues that the creation of credit in the form of bank loans is responsible for rising prices. They noted that credit has grown much more rapidly than money over the last 25 years.

This explains why both GDP growth and consumer prices have had low growth rates while asset prices of boomed (asset inflation has been high). It also explains why performance of the financial market is unrelated to the performance of the real economy (money can flow into asset prices without flowing very much into consumer prices, causing GDP to stay low).

5. Though there was some debate on this, it was said several times that ?the U.S. is the global provider of liquidity.? I thought that Europe and parts of Asia were also providers, by way of coordinated monetary policy. But somehow the US is supposed to be the driver. Perhaps they simply mean that the Fed initiates policy first, and that other central banks follow in the footsteps of the Fed unofficially so as to keep their currencies aligned. By intentionally keeping their currencies at parity, they suck in capital flows pushing their asset prices higher. Thus, US liquidity evolves into global liquidity.

6. One paper argued that Europe is as large of a driver of US asset prices, but it?s not registered on the radar screen as such because the Eurodollars they use are held in the names of US banks, and thus show up as US assets. If this is the case, European banks affect our asset prices much more than previously expected.

7. I was surprised at how their language was so similar to that of Austrians, since mainstream economists usually cloak their points with obscure, ?roundabout? language. These monetary economists spoke regularly of the central bank creating money, and kept noting that it was only possible in a fractional reserve system. They even used the term ?Ex nihilo? as Austrians do. They also spoke of misallocation of capital, distortions, and booms and busts. Interestingly, one paper presented distinguished between ?aggregate demand? and ?aggregate real demand? differentiating between aggregate demand caused by money printing and true aggregate demand in the real economy (which, of course, can rise only with more production).

8. Though they know that they are aware causing rising prices, boom and bust asset movements, and financial crises, they still support fractional reserve banking and credit creation. They really, truly believe that economies need new credit in order to grow. That, is their originating flaw.

The main takeaway is that it is very surprising how aligned with Austrians these monetary economists are. I think this is so because these people focus in such a detailed fashion on money and prices that they cannot avoid the real facts. Within the scope of their daily work, they are not political propagandists; they are merely seeking?as are Austrians?to understand how things really work. It?s just too bad they don?t advocate different policy actions based on their conclusions.

The Christian Science Monitor has assembled a diverse group of the best economy-related bloggers out there. Our guest bloggers are not employed or directed by the Monitor and the views expressed are the bloggers' own, as is responsibility for the content of their blogs. To contact us about a blogger, click here. To add or view a comment on a guest blog, please go to the blogger's own site by clicking on blog.mises.org.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/iuzyUuqLi8Y/Why-do-European-central-bankers-sound-like-Austrian-economists

cochlear implant navy football navy football 50/50 50/50 dreamhouse pan am