Snake in a Water Glass
For Some Reason:
This Makes Me Think of
A. Photo Art
B. Snakes
C. A Drowning Snake
D. Tap Water
The British 10km London Run - 10th July 2011
A day at the races, without a horse or jockey in sight. Actually that is a lie. There were a few scattered around – the only difference between this and Royal Ascot is that the jockey’s were doing all the work; inside the horses. Some people call these events ‘fun runs’. Whoever coined that phrase is a sick human being. Do not get me wrong, I know this is not a marathon, but it certainly felt like one to this beer drinking, smoking gymaphobe. I spend most of my time in front of a computer screen for goodness sake.
Despite arriving late to the biggest 10km run in the country I was not turned away and made my way to the start, joining the back of the queue. When I say back of the queue I literally mean ‘back of the queue’! By the time the race began and over half the runners taking part ran past me on the other side, I was surrounded by no more than 30 stragglers, all wondering why they did not just take a diversion to the nearest pub. Slowly but surely we arrived at the start line, just as some of the professional athletes would have been finishing – that thought still staggers me.
Knowing that I had the best part of 24,999 people to overtake, I sped through the first kilometre. When I say sped, what I really mean is I struggled up a slight incline whilst being overtaken by pensioners and people dressed as bananas. Of course once I was going downhill they were all left in my dust and I even had time to pose for my mum and brother as they looked on in admiration. As I entered the second and third stages of the run, I jogged past Trafalgar Square and down on to the Embankment, both looking glorious in the gathering morning sun. Still having not resorted to walking and avoiding crossing pedestrians, I ventured along the Thames up to Blackfriars Bridge. The sun and the heat were already beginning to take their toll on some of the runners as the water stations were still in the horizon. I began to notice people who had started ahead of me and my confidence grew, my target time of one hour was back in my mind and I was going to do it. That was until I actually arrived at the water station. Instead of jogging by and grabbing a bottle as per the usual, I had to wait in a scrum as the bottles were forcibly ripped from the plastic by volunteers and runners alike. Terrifying. Luckily I managed to retrieve one and I was on my way once more.
A great part of these runs is the crowd. It does not matter if you are running for their charity or not, they will support you and give you encouragement as you go round the course. Though I must say I was not fond of the ‘find your feet’ signs. The crowds support and the metal in my ipod were not enough for me however. As I entered the Blackfriars Underpass and the four kilometre stage I had to slow down and take a walk. The coolness of the shade and what was left of my water was a welcome rest bite from the ever increasing heat. But I knew I could not keep this up. I had to run again. It was like something out of a sports drama as I took a deep breath and burst out into the blazing sun – and into the queue for the toilets. After about 40 seconds I realised this was a waste of time as the queue was not moving. I thought to myself that the filling of my bladder could spur me on to the finish in record time. I powered on, back under the bypass and the bridge and back along the Thames. Five kilometres down – halfway there.
Running along the Thames with Parliament in the distance and the South Bank and London Eye on the other side was a highlight of the run, as it was the last time I did it in 2009. The wind was blowing and I felt as though I was going to get a second wind. Unfortunately, the wind was blowing straight towards me, slowing us all down. And instead of cooling us from the sun, it was spreading the rays all over us. I must have looked like a six foot beetroot by the end. Once again there was more jostling for water, with me having to resort to getting one from the helpful hand of a football rival. I think he was as shocked as I was. I did not let this shock distract me though. I was heading towards the last few kilometres, in which I was having a rather compelling race between Syrian protestors, Tibet Protestors, Egyptians and the army. I cannot remember how this particular battle ended, but I like to think I was on the winning side. After all, I was not carrying flags or heavy bags.
Westminster Bridge was in sight. And what a sight it was. Knowing that there was only two kilometres to go I refused to stop and kept jogging right to the end. Seeing my first casualty being looked after by St. John Ambulance only spurred me on, mainly to get away from the ambulance, but because I was starting to get lightheaded and needed more fluids – most of my last bottle of water went towards showering myself. Leaving the bridge I turned into Parliament Square, with Bill Bailey’s song 'Midnight in Parliament Square' going through my head as I passed the war protestor camp site. To my right was the finish – it looked glorious, and so close. Yet these things always find a way of biting you in the nether regions. Myself and the rest of the runners are first directed left, away from the finish, to be faced with an almightily frustrating u-turn. But while this is an annoyance, when you finally start running back towards the finish and turn into Whitehall, with the finish in site past the Cenotaph, the feeling is spectacular.
That last 100 metres I pulled it all out of the bag and sprinted to the finish line. Runner after runner was left in my wake as I sped past the finishing line with a shout of joy and a fist pump of relief. It was over. The headphones came out and I took in the atmosphere of the day. It was a great day for it. The only downer was me being late and not being able to run with my friend. That was very disappointing and my plans to catch up were thwarted by the sheer number of people and time it took to actually start the race. A catch up and a drink in Kings Cross was a nice way to end the day though. Once I had found my family after an hour at the finish.
A great day, a great experience, and all for a very good cause.
William Evans - 1:11:39
I was running for the Do It For Don Fund. For more information and to donate, please go to www.doit4don.com
The Surface Merchants: Miami Heads
The Surface
Merchants:
heads
Just came across this and had to post it. Newly formed collective group are branching out.
Tiger Eating Models Arm!
Cool Flicks
Stumbled across these on the internets. Love em'
Art is like Flowers - Lincoln Steffens
Art is like a border of flowers along the course of civilization.
Lincoln Steffens
Half Naked, Listening to Records
Sleep in the Kitchen!
Cookie Monster Cupcakes
Cookie Monster
cupcakes for everyone!
These are pretty amazing. Gotta try to make these sometime. Gotta love the cookie sticking out of the cupcake mouth.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Illustration
This would be sick if this is what the ninja turtles look like in the new film. I guess I'll just dream for now.
Via: Gorilla Artfare
Smoking Facts for Women
Scientific studies have proven that a hot babe smoking actually looks like exhibit B.
Exhibit A
Exhibit B
Melbourne Yarramazing.
Moving Forward to a New Digital Gold Standard
All currencies backed by gold or convertible into gold are mutually convertible with each other. This kind of international monetary standard encouraged trade and is beyond the control of any one country, region or state.
In my everyday conversations people always ask me, "are we going back to the gold standard? Is that what you want?" I have to laugh and respond by saying, "yes, back to the gold standard of the 1800's and on your way out today, please turn in your car keys and pick up your horse and buggy."
We can't go back in time. We can't wake up one day and pretend that the cell phone was not invented or the Internet doesn't exist. Once the blind man gets his sight, there is no going back to the darkness.
As Lewis E. Lehrman and Ron Paul both say, we should be "going forward to a new gold standard". The move from legal tender paper to voluntary use of gold and silver has already been occurring on a state by state basis in the U.S.
By giving people the option to use sound money over paper currency, slowly but surely, the state legislatures are offering real protection from ongoing paper money inflation.
So what is happening today with my money? When will I be able to buy groceries and conveniently pay with gold?
Well, that day will be here sooner than you think. The technology is already here and in use right now.
In just the past few years over a dozen states have proposed legislation to permit the use of gold and silver in a variety of consumer and state financial transactions. The great state of Utah, has already passed laws recognizing gold and silver U.S. minted coins as legal tender within the state. This gives Utah citizens the voluntary option to use gold U.S. coins in any type of payment. Of course a $50 face value gold eagle today has a real world worth of about $1600 U.S. Dollars, and no one is contemplating spending these U.S. coins at their face value. While the Utah law does not offer a standard measure of daily valuation for U.S. gold and silver coins, anyone possessing them generally knows the daily spot price. Please don't send me an email saying that you would never use a $50 face value gold coin because it is worth so much more. (that's another ignorant point about moving forward with a new gold standard)
Welcome to the digital currency world of online payments. The idea of using gold and silver in everyday commerce at spot prices has already been perfected by the genius creators of digital gold currency. Over a decade ago, companies like e-gold and GoldMoney came online with robust payment systems 100% backed by real gold bullion. Anyone with a computer connection could then and still can today very easily send payments backed by gold to anyone else with a computer. All of these payments are possible today....right now.
Using Digital Gold Currency:
- Bob from Michigan, can instantly send Alice in Los Angeles a $5,983.18 payment that is 100% backed by real gold bullion.
- Ahmed in Dubai, can also send Alice in Los Angeles an instant payment in gold of little as .01 cents with without huge fees or costly wait time.
- Alice can shop in Los Angeles at her local store and she could pay for her goods using an iPhone application and a digital gold currency payment.
All of these payments are now possible using digital technology and physical gold.
No more should we ever hear, "how will a shop keeper make change with gold, by chipping off a tiny piece of my gold coin?" Yes, that comment is truly brilliant.
These new systems that make online payments divisible down to less than a penny, are now possible using any mobile device, PC or even a debit card.
Perhaps this is the concept of "moving forward to a new gold standard"?
Here are several of the old arguments regarding everyday commerce and a "gold standard" that are no longer valid using today's technology.
- "Gold and silver are too heavy to carry around a bag of metal to pay for everyday purchases."
- "Gold is too valuable, we'd be using pieces the size of rice to try and pay for things."
- "It's impossible to make change using gold and silver, the coins are not physically divisible at the cash register!"
Again...let's all move forward to a new gold standard. Digital gold currency is gold bullion (which can also include U.S. gold coins) held securely in a vault. When one ounce of gold is deposited, one ounce of digital units are created to circulated across the Internet. Digital Gold Currency or DGC is a privately issued closed system of debits and credits. Consequently, when one user sends a payment to another user, no physical gold changes hands or leaves the vault. One account is debited and the other is credited. Payments move instantly and effortlessly across the Internet using cell phones, mobile devices or computers.
I can some readers mumbling this out loud right now, "why can't I just use my credit card to pay at the checkout, that does the exact same thing, instant payment?"
Bank debit and credit cards are backed by U.S. Dollar accounts and the world is now moving away from these inflatable paper dollars. We are moving to a new gold standard and honest digital gold commerce which will ensure that the value of our funds is not eroded by the government printing press. Remember when you could get a Coke and a Snickers for a dollar? While gold’s price has fluctuated, its purchasing power has endured.
We need to recognize several important differences between digital gold currency payments and credit card payments. Digital gold payments are pushed from sender to receiver. The sender must authorize each transaction at the time of the payment. Conversely, transactions with credit cards move by "authorizing" a future payment, sometimes the funds are removed at the time of payment but more often a "credit card charge" means the receiver pulls the funds from the card account at some future time. Credit cards, which were invented in the 1950's were not designed for today's high tech online payments world. Charges can be taken from a credit card account without the card holders knowledge and card fraud has become a massive problem around the world.
Digital gold solves this problem.
Digital gold currency payments, each one initiated by the account owner, are not reversible. There is no such thing as a merchant charge back or a fraudulent change.
Please, follow us forward to the new voluntary gold standard which will directly compete with paper dollars.
The good news is that U.S. States are not waiting around for the trickle down red tape of the federal government to engage in sound money commerce. Gold and silver as money are being written into the law books right now at the State level. In Utah, it shouldn't be long before a local digital gold currency solution begins to go mainstream.
Interview with Mark Herpel the creator of DGC Magazine.
Mark started the Gold Pages directory in 2003 which became the largest online directory featuring companies that accept digital currency and digital gold currency. The directory was sold about 5 year ago and the magazine was created shortly after that time. Now in its forth year online, there are forty three back issues of DGC Magazine available on the web site which includes several "special issues". As Mark puts it, he has been "hanging around" the digital gold currency business since the late 1990's.
Q Are you a digital gold "industry expert"?
A NO, not by a long shot. I simply enjoy the honesty of the digital gold business and
the opportunities it offers all users around the world. I watch for trends and write about them.
Q In your opinion, who are the digital gold currency industry experts?
A In the digital gold currency world, where physical gold is held securely in vaults and
digital units are issued against the gold's value... I would say that list of experts
includes but is not limited to:
- Mr. James Turk creator of GoldMoney
- Dr. Douglas Jackson creator of e-gold Ltd.
- Mr. Simon Davis co-creator of Pecunix and Voucher-Safe
- Dr. Zeno Dahinden of e-dinar
- J.P. May 1MDC/e-gold (software developer)
- Sean Trainor from the old Crowne Gold
Additionally, there is an entire team of experts, inventors and creative minds at WebMoney Transfer which I have not listed here. I would include these people as some of the top industry experts in the online payment and digital currency industry, however I don't know all of their names. Peter Darakhvelidze is certainly one of them. WebMoney has been the global leader in non-bank online payments for many years and I expect that will continue. Their company has invented, created and pioneered a dozen or more the top digital currency products and systems in use today. Because of WebMoney's innovative business style and given the dreadful state of the global banking business, I believe WebMoney has an excellent chance at knocking PayPal out of the lead sometime in the next 5 years. The WebMoney Transfer operation reminds me a lot of Google Inc. Both companies are so creative, it is almost thrilling to see what new product they will develop next! So please include the WebMoney team in the list of experts.
Q What company leads the way right now in the Digital Gold Currency business?
A GoldMoney just passed the $2 billion dollar level, so I would have to say they are leading in asset holdings category!
Q What does that mean, exactly?
A GoldMoney(GM) now holds more than $2 billion dollars worth of precious metal and cash under their management. These are value GM is holding, on behalf of customers who have trust in how they operate the company and the business. According to Wikipedia and the world official gold holdings for December 2010, GoldMoney now has more precious metal than many countries. I'd say that puts them in the lead for "digital gold assets in safekeeping".
Here is what really stands out with GoldMoney, the company opened to the public in February 2001 and their holdings passed $1 Billion USD in June of 2010. It took 9 years to gain that first billion in assets. Here we are in June 2011 and GM has already accumulated another billion dollars of value in less than one year. I can't imagine how quickly the GoldMoney asset base will rise to $10 Billion or $100 Billion. That's a lot of zeros. A big congratulations to Mr. Turk for his patented development of such a convenient way to buy, hold and sell precious metal. By the way, Mr. Turk filed his first patent application for "digital gold currency" way back in February of 1993. It was granted in September 1997. I would consider him to be THE industry expert.
Q I also see that GoldMoney is a big advertiser in your magazine? You must be rolling in cash advertising for companies like that...?
A We have been running a full page ad each month featuring GoldMoney for many years now. This is a free service I provide to all industry participants, large or small. All industry ads including the full page or smaller ads are free of charge and always have been.
Q Free industry advertisements? Has that always been your policy?
A Yes. If your company is in this business, you are welcome to include an ad in our monthly magazine at no cost. If you have news or a industry related article you are free to submit it for inclusion in our next issue. We want to expand the industry and offer a convenient place for new users to find quality products
Q How is digital gold currency different from online banking payments?
There are a lot of differences. One of the most powerful features is the instant "transaction and clearing". Global payments are instant and the funds are available to be withdrawn or used moments after the transaction. There is no lengthy bank settlement process. Digital gold transactions a have no foreign currency exchange risk or fees. There are no "banking" delays, the digital gold currency business is always open 24/7...no weekend delays and no holidays. A person in Japan sending funds to Moscow has no currency exchange. The transaction is simply digital units moving from one another account to another and each balance is denominated in gold by weight.
What you need to understand is that digital gold currency is actual physical gold held in a secure vault on your behalf. The gold is not loaned out, or borrowed against and the company handling your business does not sell options or futures against the physical bullion. There is very little counter party risk. IMHO, this is a SAFE place to keep your money.
Q What about FDIC insured banks?
Banks loan money, borrow money, make bad investments, trade derivatives and even create new dollars out of thin air when originating a loan. While your dollars sit in a bank, the Federal Government is printing more each day and your purchasing power shrinks with each new dollar. Remember when you used to be able to buy a Coke and a Snickers for a dollar? Right now and probably for the entire next decade, gold and silver ARE the safe place to be and digital gold currency is one of the most secure, convenient and inexpensive options for owning them. Digital gold currency is a tangible asset and not some bank's promise to pay you.
Q What is your favorite digital gold currency and why?
A My favorite has changed over the years as the business has changed. Functionality is what I look for in online payments, how easy and useful is the currency in my daily life. E-gold was king and the most useful currency for many years. Now they are gone. WebMoney has always been the top industry work horse and especially lately more and more global companies are accepting WebMoney as a method of payment. We love WebMoney Transfer and would have to say that today, WebMoney is my favorite.
Many people really like Pecunix and that remains popular with a certain group of fans.
It's hard to choose one currency over another as they all can serve different needs and markets. It's kind of like saying, "My favorite vehicle is the Ferrari." but if you are in the desert or off road in the woods, you couldn't drive the Ferrari, you'd need the Range Rover. Quite often, one currency is very good for a few purposes but not optimal for everything. I love GoldMoney but you can't pay for hosting each month with Goldgrams! Another important part of choosing is how you are funding the account or withdrawing your value. You may want to receive a Western Union transfer when selling and not all agents will coordinate that for you, unless you are using a specific currency. WebMoney is especially popular all around the globe. In Panama I can even pay for my prepaid cell phone service using WebMoney.
Each digital currency presents different solutions for online payment problems. Often we need to utilize all of them, not just one, to get through our daily payments.
Another great example is e-dinar. If you are doing business in the Dubai, it may be more convenient to purchase digital gold from them with a local wire. E-dinar also delivers gold dinars and silver dirhams that you can easily buy right from their web site. Gold dinars are small and very reasonably priced, if you can't afford to buy the 100 gram bars from GoldMoney, the gold dinars are an affordable pure gold product. We like e-dinar very much.
Q How do you feel about PayPal?
A PayPal sucks, they are scum.
Q Well don't hold back, how do you really feel?
A Forget about PayPal, the entire business is an extension of the bank and I don't like banks. Anytime a digital payment can be reversed that is bad news for merchants and because credit cards are a big part of their process---that's a open invitation to fraud. I won't use PayPal.
After the financial crisis in 2008 PayPal’s money market fund portfolio was holding $1.63 billion dollars of illiquid assets. HA, a $1.6 Billion. How's that for counter party risk! Who do you suppose paid for that mistake? The company or the customers? HA, no thanks, I'll stick to precious metals. An ounce of gold, is an ounce of gold no matter who is holding it for you GoldMoney, e-dinar, WebMoney Gold or Pecunix.
Q In December of last year, you wrote a paper on entitled, 2011 Observations on the Digital Currency Industry. What was the paper all about and why did you write it?
A It's more like a bunch of my notes grouped together in one document. The paper talks in general about some of the changes that have occurred in digital currency type payments. That is....non-bank online payments. It's a new and changing industry. The regulators are still trying to keep up with the brainy nerds creating new software. (some of my friends) I just had all that information rolling around in my head and one day decided to write it all down so that others may see it from my point of view. There may be a few misspelled words in there :-) but it's good information and presents the POV of an industry participant.
Q What can digital gold do for consumers and merchants that bank products can't?
A Non bank digital currency products can reshape how we do business. Along those same lines, Peer 2 Peer payments, without a bank-in-the-middle has the ability to change EVERYTHING, such as how taxes are collected. These digital currency products level the playing field, no more does someone have to qualify for a bank loan or have your "credit" checked in order to accept online payments. Here are a few examples: WebMoney's Credit Service permits anyone to loan money to anyone else using the WebMoney purse. If you have funds to loan another WebMoney account holder simply set your terms and conditions then make the loan directly to another user. No bank, no credit check...no bank fees.
Think about the Loom system for a minute. Today you can create your own currency which is your own financial brand, back it with metal or not, and transact online without any of the usual bullshit bank restrictions. If users like your currency, trust you and your reputation, they will accept it. If you are shady, chances are no one will accept it. By issuing your own brand currency you actually become the bank.
This is a lot like what the Internet did for the news business. No longer can one central information source direct or mis-direct the actions and opinions of the masses. Sure I often watch the NBC nightly news but I also read two dozen other news sources each day online. With non bank digital currency products, you could rely on bank issued products, but there are three dozen non-bank alternatives now, cheaper, faster and easier. Maybe one day soon I'll stop watching Brian Williams each night, and just get my news online from alternative sources. I don't use banks anymore.
Change post title...
Pink Zine
The Online Magazine where eveything is awesome and cool! Duh.
Can you say bikini season!
Don't be seen rocking any bikini you don't feel comfortable and sexy in...take it from these celebs!
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Hawwt
Fashion
Shoegasim here!
I'm in love with Jessica Simpson shoes, simplicity, fashionable, and tasteful all in one pair! It just shows that most celebs wanna do the whole cliche designer thing but only a few actually pull it off.
Rock them with jeans and a loose fitting top..go casual! or for the night, go sexy and slip into a little black dress...accesorize and top them off with a pair!
Storm in a Cup of Water
Dude!
There's like a storm in my cup of water.
Change post title...
Hollywood Actor tried BYB Woman
Name: CC Perkinson
I just have to tell you WOW!! It's is so much better then waxing...I love the smoothness and having less razor bumps! I'm a believer in Below Your Belt intimate hair removal products!!
THANK YOU!
unbelievable
UNBELIEVABLE
California Coffee Coolness for Maple Ridge Home Buyers
A little California coffee coolness is coming to the Remax Results Realty office in Maple Ridge. Is it a realty office that's also a cafe, or a cafe that's also a realty office? You decide. Sip a latte while viewing what could become your dream home on the big screen in a cozy (non-sterile, non-office) atmosphere. They're still in the midst of renovations but the drywalling has just been done and it will be exciting to see what unfolds. Thanks to realtor Tommy T for "painting a picture" of the near-future look.
Get calls, clicks, emails and business! Reach360.ca
VanCityBuzz has posted a snippet from FoxSportsWest: Californian and 2011 "hockey fan" Miss USA's favourite team is the Vancouver Canucks.
I'm not convinced that she's really a Canucks fan. She fails to mention a single player and her technical take on the game in general is:
"You’re never sure where (the puck) is going to go. It happens so fast."
Decide for yourself from this exceprt:
FOXSportsWest.com: How did you discover hockey?
Miss USA: It happened this season when I was in Vancouver and went to see a Canucks game. I didn’t know anything about hockey prior to that, and I went to a game and fell in love with the energy and the sportsmanship of the players. It was just insane, so ever since then I’ve been a diehard Vancouver Canucks fan.
FOXSportsWest.com: You must have been upset when they lost the Stanley Cup.
Miss USA: It was disappointing because they were so close. It was only one more game. But to me, I was thinking that they got the President’s Trophy this year and made it to the Stanley Cup finals. There’s always next year.
FOXSportsWest.com: What attracts you to the sport?
Miss USA: I love the speed. I love how you’re always on your toes when you’re watching a hockey game because you’re never sure where (the puck) is going to go. It happens so fast.
FOXSportsWest.com: Favorite player?
Miss USA: I don’t have a favorite player, but I do like watching the Sedins score. I think I like Henrik, but I don’t exactly have a particular favorite.
FOXSportsWest.com: Cutest player?
Miss USA: I don’t really look at the players that much. I’m really into the sport itself.
I love my hair, so this is no small offer!
My recent Twitter offer applies to your business.
“I'll shave my head and paint it your favourite colour if I can't bring your Vancouver, BC area business at least 300 online leads in 6 mos.”
I love my hair, and plan to keep it while generating a positive return on investment and 50 to 250 geo-targeted leads or more monthly through Google, Bing and Yahoo, as well as Canpages.ca
Details at http://twitter.com/#!/GrahamCanpages and http://reach360.ca.
Is your search engine campaign manager making that offer to you? If not, let’s chat.
Golden Ears Bridge, Southbound to Langley