The bromeliads are a family of monocot flowering plants of around 3,170 species native mainly to the tropical Americas, with a few species found in the American subtropics and one in tropical west Africa, Pitcairnia feliciana.
What bromeliad are referring to here? Let’s think tropic; let’s think pineapple. Fresh pineapple has many benefits.
Raw pineapple is an excellent source of manganese (76% daily value (DV) in a one US cup serving) and vitamin C (131% DV per cup serving)
Solar cycle 24 began on January 4, 2008 and so far has been the smallest sunspot cycle since 1904. Solar cycle 24 “is on track to be the Solar Cycle with the lowest recorded sunspot activity since accurate records began in 1750.”
Solar cycles supposedly have a duration of about 11 years.
“In radio communication, skywave or skip refers to the propagation of radio waves reflected or refracted back toward Earth from the ionosphere, an electrically charged layer of the upper atmosphere. Since it is not limited by the curvature of the Earth, skywave propagation can be used to communicate beyond the horizon, at intercontinental distances. It is mostly used in the shortwave frequency bands.”
Most long-distance HF radio communication—between 3 and 30 MHz—is a result of skywave propagation.
“Since the early 1920s amateur radio operators (or “hams”), limited to lower transmitter power than broadcast stations, have taken advantage of skywave for long distance (or “DX”) communication.”
If you’re a mild audiophile like me, then you’re looking for nirvana with some affordable speakers that fill the room up. I wanted a decent sound system to quench my audiophile thirst, and I wanted to afford to eat my lunch at the same time. I accomplished this goal when I purchased the Logitech Z313 Speaker System
It was plug and play right out of the box. I think I had to plug the two satellite speakers into the outlet in the back of the subwoofer, which also plugs into the electrical outlet. Turn on some FM music and nirvana was there. Like magic the 25 watts of sound filled the room and I was overjoyed.
Without shelling out some $200 for the big shelf speakers, I don’t think it gets any better than the Logitech Z313 Speaker System. The speakers sound good and the subwoofer adds some big bass to the song. The bass is not overwhelming and it sure beats what you get out of those cheap little computer speakers, the ones that can’t handle any bass.
I am channeling my speakers through a small mixer board, the Behringer 802 to be specific. This allows me to add or subtract some lows and highs. It has knobs that help to control the volume and provide opportunity for some modest mixing. This little mixer makes it fun for graphic equalization. I plan to upgrade to a bigger mixer soon.
In conclusion, I am happy with this system. Anything less and I would’ve been very disappointed. These speakers sound very nice and I am picky about my audio.
One feature that I like is the volume switch that includes a headphone hookup. It makes life easier having this switch for armchair availability, even though I have volume control on my mixer. And the headphone hookup within reach is an added bonus.
I hope to enjoy these speakers for years to come and I would highly recommend them to anyone. I feel like I got my money’s worth this time.
How hard is it to enhance the audio before listening to those favorite tunes? How to find a graphic equalizer that works with Linux? PulseAudio is what you are looking for. What is PulseAudio and what does it do?
PulseAudio is a sound system for POSIX OSes. “PulseAudio is designed for Linux systems. It has also been ported to and tested on Solaris, FreeBSD, NetBSD, MacOS X, Windows 2000 and Windows XP.”
This audio graphic equalizer does work fantastic. I personally tried it and it worked just as described.
Listening to music suddenly became a more pleasant experience, as I was able to round off the edges and shape a better quality of sound booming out of the speakers.
It was a pleasure to shape the sound on the computer screen before running it through the sound mixer on my desk. So simple yet so effective. Adjust the EQ and apply settings. Do it all over again to polish the sound.
And PulseAudio will work with Linux. Nice.
Is it possible to text or chat off-the-grid? The short answer is yes. Open Garden has launched FireChat for iOS. The FireChat app will work with Apple products and you do not need an internet connection in order for it to work. Using the Apple framework, the app utilizes Bluetooth or WiFi.
You don’t even need a password. It’s good news mostly but caution is recommended. Here’s the kicker. Say you’re at an event or on location somewhere, and you woul dlike to chat with friends. No problem.
The downside is that everybody that has the app can see what you’re texting. If you are in a remote location then it’s no problem. The TUAW site says that the range is 30 feet.
But you can chat or send photos anonymously. So it’s not a problem really.
Open Garden supposedly has an Android app also.
Features
• Instantly message anyone around you on iPhone, iPad or iPod touch,
• Chat and share photos with one person or with a group,
• See what people are talking about everywhere, or create conversations that only people near you can join,
• Works even without any 3G, 4G or Wi-Fi connection,
* The Nearby mode works best within 30 feet of your location,
• Easy: no Facebook or email login, no password to remember,
• Use it at home or when travelling anywhere in the world,
• No significant impact on battery consumption,
• FireChat is designed for iOS 7.
The federal funds rate for June of 2014 is 0.00%-0.25%. This has been the rate since 2009.
Monetary policy is “determined by a meeting of the members of the Federal Open Market Committee which normally occurs eight times a year about seven weeks apart.”
The nominal rate is usually when media refers to the Federal Reserve “changing interest rates.”
“Considering the wide impact a change in the federal funds rate can have on the value of the dollar and the amount of lending going to new economic activity, the Federal Reserve is closely watched by the market.” This is very important to all consumers.
It seems that the Fed is continually pumping money into the system to prevent a financial meltdown. If there is an alleged recovery, then why such low interest rates?
As we all should know by now, there’s no recovery and there probably won’t be any looking into the near future. It’s possibly a good time to get a home or car loan because of low interest rates. One might assume that these rates will rise in the future.
When will the federal fund rate start to increase?
[Image Credit: Kbh3rd]
Democracy is kept at bay and is no longer a consideration for the governing class. Ford Motor Company, also known simply as Ford, was founded in Michigan by Henry Ford. Today, the executives at Ford do not see the company strictly as an American company. They see it as a global entity. Their managers are taught to think global. At the same time, Detroit is falling apart. This is part of The Global Class War
Jeff Faux’s story about ‘The Global Class War’ is the story of post-war America. It’s about globalization and the beneficiaries, the corporate executives, mostly at the expense of the working people. Never before have so few dominated the lives of so many. The results are a declining nation, a once prosperous nation that’s no longer a sovereign nation, and many would call it an oligarchy. Some would label it a fascist country.
In the 1990′s the Democrats controlled Congress. Bill Clinton became president and cheerleader for NAFTA. Robert Rubin (another Goldman Sachs boy), the secretary of treasury, was the star of the show.
Rubin’s pals Alan Greenspan and Larry Summers were proponents of NAFTA. All were behind the financial deregulation that was promulgated for the banksters to eliminate the Glass-Steagall Act. Socialism for the rich was now set in place. Fast forward into the 21st century and we’ve seen the disastrous results from these policies.
As the writer points out to the reader, NAFTA failed to deliver on its promises to the workers of America and Canada. The Mexican farmers fared even worse, displacing roughly 2 million of them. Is this what we would call a shining success?
Other writers feel the same way about NAFTA: 20 Years Of Spin For America’s Failed Trade Model; Nafta Has Helped Put The United States In The Poorhouse. There’s been plenty of spin. That’s for sure.
Has NAFTA helped workers in Mexico? It has led to poverty and a huge amount of violence. In many ways it made conditions worse for Mexicans. Why are Mexicans flooding into America if the plan was a success? The elites have no answer for this. They’re just trying to prevent a catastrophe from happening.
Faux spends two chapters on NAFTA explaining what it was really about. What most of us didn’t really understand was that NAFTA, along with globalization, shifted into the interests of the banking class. It was the banksters that profited tremendously, at the expense of the Mexicans and the Americans. NAFTA opened the door for more American imperialism.
More importantly, the social contract between the capitalists and the workers has been ripped to pieces. American wages are intentionally kept low, while its workers compete against the cheapest laborers in the world. The outcome is evident.
The author concludes that there is no such thing as free trade. The United States has been a protectionist nation for most of its duration. And never mind that the majority of people in all three countries opposed NAFTA.
In the world according to Davos, the global constitution is not official, however, there are networks that promote the conception. The central bankers work far beyond the capacity of any legislation and are not beholden to any dinosaur laws. The Kantian catch-22 is solved by a very sophisticated network of global organizations.
Therefore, the global banksters are not constrained by normal sovereign laws.
Yet, with all of the grand talk about the expansion of the global economy, there are signs of collapse and the dollar is starting to weaken. Saddam Hussein was hunted down because he had proposed to trade oil in the Euro, and the Euro is now being traded in Saudi Arabia.
The author mentions another problem that the transnationals have not addressed. The trade deficit can no longer be dismissed, while Japan and especially China have become skeptical of an ailing American economy.
The author makes clear that while Clinton and Rubin supposedly had budget surpluses, the country was running trade deficits even at that time. And the trade deficits have reached unsustainable levels at this point. The American economy has to collapse at some point in time.
In a matter of two decades, the United States went from being a country that loaned credit out to a country that’s deeply in debt. It seems that now it’s payback time.
The connection between the Drug War in Mexico and neoliberal policies is interlocked. Faux has echoed this repeatedly. After NAFTA, the drug flow into the United States increased, and the gun trade flowing from the United States into Mexico increased as well.
The author suggests that the drug trade was enhanced by NAFTA. This topic alone makes the book an interesting read. Faux sheds light on some valuable Mexican history, and links the correlation with American policy.
In the last two chapters it seems like Faux suddenly has become an advocate for an integration of the three countries. He does quite a bit of babbling and I think most Americans would strongly disagree with him.
If you take the last two chapters with a grain of salt, “The Global Class War” makes for a very compelling read. At least Faux makes us aware of the NAFTA mentality and the ideology that has driven it.
Meanwhile, we watch the American economy go down the toilet.
Faux directs us to another author. Who is the governing class? Who Rules America?
[Image Credit: Wikipedia, Public domain.]
There are books that entertain and there are books that change our way of thinking. JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters
After reading this well written masterpiece, I now have a greater respect for John F. Kennedy and his dear beloved wife Jackie. It is their family that suffered publicly and privately during the whole tragedy. The suffering must have been too much to bear for poor Jackie and her children.
Douglass captures the essence of the times, which includes the politics, the military agenda, the intelligence agencies, and the players moving behind the scenes. After the hoopla dies out and the sun sets in the evening, it is the details that are always important. Douglass has certainly left us with many clues and a very clear formulation of the assassination. The author has done his homework and then some.
The perspective on several topics need to be analyzed. The Cold War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the Vietnam War are key points of reference. We quickly discover that the CIA is big part of our story and the proof is undeniable. The men in suits were for hire.
The reader should not be overcome with confusion in the first part of the book, because some of the ideas are blurry in the beginning. The picture gets more vivid as the reader gradually flips the pages. It is especially near the ending when the pieces of the puzzle start fitting together.
Not only was John Kennedy steered by the CIA during the Bay of Pigs incident, he was being pushed hard into the Cold War. Kennedy changes from a ‘cold warrior’ to a man of peace, after realizing the devastation that a nuclear holocaust would bring to humanity. After Kennedy finds his way and turns into a man of peace, the CIA and the dark forces behind it would make him pay dearly for it. These people were chartering a different course. They pursued war because war equals profits.
Those were complicated times and it seems that JFK was pressured from all sides. John and brother Robert were a team to be reckoned with and they encountered many enemies along the way. Robert would lose his own life for the same reasons that his brother did. The two stood up to the establishment and they paid for it. We are all mortal.
The author spends an entire section on Vietnam and this is very important to digest. It is my opinion that Vietnam was a big component to understanding the mystery behind the assassination. JFK wanted to de-escalate the Vietnam War as he understood that many lives would be lost and it was to be a war that could not be won. Kennedy knew this and was reminded by his advisors that the French had failed and the United States would find defeat also.
Prophetically, we now know what happened as was predicted. Kennedy’s enemies prevailed and they took America to war. The author informs us that it just wasn’t Kennedy that lost his life over Vietnam, it was approximately some 60,000 soldiers and many more Asians that fell victim to poor decisions. This is a war that should have never happened. It was a mistake that haunts America to this day.
John Kennedy knew he was a marked man and wanted to get out of the trip to Dallas. He was warned not to go and he himself had bad feelings about it. Yet John was not afraid to die. He battled with health problems all of his life and knew of mortality.
As the plot to kill Kennedy thickens, we grasp and measure the details. Lee Harvey Oswald was a patsy indeed, just as he claimed before being shot by Jack Ruby. Ruby was a very important player in the story and he was heavily involved in the assassination itself. This is often unchecked by the conventional side of the story, as are many other revelations. Both Oswald and Ruby were CIA assets.
I am quite shocked at the cover-up and the plausible deniability. There were numerous key eyewitnesses that mysteriously died before, during, and after the assassination. I believe this was a message to all future presidents. ‘If you stand in our way we will eliminate you as well.’
We should be fearful of this dark force, however, the fear should be a motive to demand more out of our government officials. Our weapon should be the one that John F. Kennedy chose. This is a message of hope and peace. Love is a much greater force than evil and hatred. We should never forget this.
The poem that daughter Caroline reads to John at a meeting is eery. “Rendezvous” was written by Alan Seeger, an American poet. It was one of John’s favorites and his daughter knew it by heart. One would have been amazed to hear her recite this poem.
Another inspirational quote cherished by the president was from another president, Abraham Lincoln. Both presidents shared a unique history in their deaths.
I know there is a God — I see the storm coming and I see his hand in it — if he has a place then I am ready — we see the hand. John F. Kennedy paraphrasing a statement by Abraham Lincoln; quoted in The New York Times (May 15, 1964). [Source: Wikiquote]
Douglass mentions another prolific author, Jim Marrs. Jim Marrs has a fascinating story in his book called “Crossfire: The Plot That Killed Kennedy.” This is another must read on the subject.
Jim Marrs covered the Ed Hoffman story. “Ed Hoffman had witnessed a critically important scene in the assassination scenario.”
I am quite intrigued with another mystery man the author mentions, a man named Richard Case Nagell. The book was called “The man who knew too much : hired to kill Oswald and prevent the assassination of JFK” and was authored by Dick Russell. By the way, this healthy mystery man died suddenly of an unexpected heart attack.
“The Man Who Knew Too Much” Is “one of the most exhaustively researched books on President Kennedy’s assassination.”
I can only advise anyone interested to read “JKF and the Unspeakable” to absorb the story that was explained in 380 pages, not counting the extra material provided. The unspeakable was complicated and horrific. To do justice one must read this book and others like it.
If corporate profits are more important than life itself, then we are in big trouble as a nation. Until we find peace in our hearts like President Kennedy did, we will reap the rewards of our destruction. The American Empire will fall, just as every other empire before it did in the past.
Thank you James W. Douglass for a most interesting read. “Now peace is up to us.”
Is the electric bath right for you? In the United States, there are two things that do not go together; water and electricity. Well, water is heated through an electric water heater, but this is not quite the same as an electric bath. In Japan, electric baths (denkiburo) are available for the taking. Bathe at your own risk.
I’m not knocking it, just saying that it seems a bit dangerous. The Japanese are some wonderful people. Whatever works for them, I’m all for it.
Stay away if you have a pacemaker inside of you. Stay clear if you have a heart condition.
Who could imagine soaking in the tub with electric current sending tingling sensations up the back. Nup, I don’t think so. I just can’t see it happening. With the accident rates, bad luck, and rivals wishing to up the voltage, this would not fit into mainstream American culture. Maybe the psycho slash movies. That’s a thought.
And next, it’s the public bath (Sentō). Yes, we’re talking nudity in public bath houses and we’re talking skinship. It’s certainly not for everybody. The Romans would have felt at home.
If you live in the United States or plan to visit, you might take a look at Bathhouse Row, located in the city of Hot Springs, Arkansas. Good luck!
Are oil and gas companies cheating landowners on fracking royalties? As if ruining the nearby water supply wasn’t enough for local residents to worry about. And now these companies are cheating the landowners? This is just unbelievable if true.
Many state economies are a disaster and are ostensibly searching for revenue. Even if fracking is destroying the land, the politicians are willing to risk it all. Disasters can bring opportunity.
In the state of Pennsylvania, fracking is king and the politicians are hoping to capitalize on the frustration of the citizens. Some Democrats are considering adding more taxes on the fracking industry, with hopes of added revenue.
Sadly enough, as mentioned in the AlJazeera article, the environmental damage is rarely even mentioned. This is an agenda based on money only, and seemingly in acts of financial desperation, it signifies a nation in decline.
In fact, one of the landowners who got ripped off said that the oil and gas companies were not to be trusted. Even worse, he said that he would not vote because the politicians were unwilling to help with the issue of royalty fraud.
How do the companies cheat? It appears that the rising costs and expenses are to blame for the decreasing profits of landowners. One farmer stated that he was cheated on 90% of royalty payments!
The shocking news is that these monopolistic vultures can charge as much on fees as they want to, because there are no laws preventing them from doing it. The landowners have no legal defense in many cases.
ProPublica explains — Unfair Share: How Oil and Gas Drillers Avoid Paying Royalties.
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