Chopstick Painting
I found out recently that Josephus is developing a painting technique where he paints with two brushes in hand at the same time.
Valhalla
Well, he did it again. My son took a dare and injured himself. This time jumping from some playground equipment.
He broke his ankle. So, that’s more money out of pocket for medical expenses.
My wife went to the school to have lunch with him and she found him surrounded by five girls, all pretending to be his nurses, and that he was injured in “battle”.
One Fine Day in the Emerald City
The day started early, at 6:30am. I managed to keep up on emails and reduce the net down to 49 yesterday, and today again down to 25. But not to zero as I had hoped. Still plugging along.
I am currently booking projects for painting in mid-May (need to get a head start to account for acquisition of models and assembly). I’ve had a few people ask me if they can send in their models (already bought and assembled) for just painting and the answer is YES, definitely yes.
It was a flurry of activity as the Machine hums to full bore again, projects coming in and out in an intricate dance. We are nearly done with a Death Korp of Krieg army; that looks so good. We also have an Eldar Yme Loc craftworld force done and ready for digital photography on Friday.
On Friday I’m going to be playing a game of Warhammer Fantasy with Sarah (her first game) using the studio Lizardmen (which she painted- and are for sale- details forthcoming). We’ll probably just do a 1000 point game. Vids and commentary coming on that. I’ll be playing Dark Elves of course.
I am processing a Morning Show that we did before I left for Oregon. I hope to have the enormous amount of Oregon footage processed in about a week, not that it is of great interest to anyone.
My seven-year old son sprained his ankle today. I think that he A) likes his crutches, and B) liked getting out of school.
In other news, my wife has lost her voice. I could make all sorts of jokes, but I shall refrain. It’s tough for her to get the kids organized, and doubly so since I’m staying late nearly every night this week. I am hoping to take her out somewhere nice this Friday.
Imperial Guard
Just a heads up: I am formulating some specials for Imperial Guard. Out in May.
I will have one for massed infantry and another for tanks.
Back in the Shire
Coming back to the studio was like slipping into a warm coat on a wintery day, fresh from the dryer.
I came in to find Sarah, Joseph and Renn gathered round doing their various duties and chatting animatedly. Sarah commented that the studio ran remarkably smooth in my absence; everyone knows their duty and when to show up. That was nice to hear.
I have doven in headfirst. I have 74 emails in my inbox (after clearing out the detritus), which is a super-high amount. I plan on having that cleared out by tomorrow. I am prioritizing inquiries. Getting new projects set up is the top issue, so by all means don’t hold off on that.
I repeat: don’t hold off just because I am on my heels. This will all be caught up by tomorrow afternoon.
For those interested in details, we arrived in Salt Lake City this morning at about 1am. We had hoped to arrive before midnight, but made a wrong turn earlier in the Oregon outback. In the past I joked about White City being the armpit of Oregon, but now I have been to Aber, the Anus of Oregon. I’ll be suing the county for the cost of grief counselling on account of having failed to properly warned travellers away.
“Joked” is the key word here. All of these places, of course, have their own beauty. So, chuckle (knowingly if you live there) which is the appropriate response to my regional ribbing.
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Note: Denio, does not have a gas station any more. So be careful to have enough gas to get from Winnemucca to Lakeview or vice versa. We were lucky, but I would hazard to say other travellers have been caught there.
To be home, and take a nap on my beloved couch, catch up on some Daily Show, eat a hot breakfast, and take a hot shower (in a bathroom rife with micro-civilizations grown from my own body’s flakage) is like slipping into a familiar coccoon.
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I found the studio in good order this afternoon. Everything billed, lined up and projects ready to go.
Tainted Love
Sarah’s favorite commercial, evah.
Week in Oregon
Today marks one week that I’ve been in (or travelling to) Oregon. We are coming back today.
I shot a lot of footage, and plan on making a meaty entry very soon.
I am eager to get back to the studio and get cracking.
There is also a notrep coming up with my Eldar vs. Renn’s Bone Knights. As well as the rematch with Mike’s Blood Angels.
Money Supply
I will here combine two items, each on either side of the scale for you to weigh them, or perhaps to add something to the weighing platforms.
The first is this article about Money Supply:
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Pay closer attention to this section:
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Arguments
The main functions of the central bank are to maintain low inflation, and full employment. The U.S. Central bank may attempt to do this by artificially stimulating demand by affecting the nation’s money supply via lower (or higher) interest rates. Furthermore, deficit spending on the authorization of the U.S. Government is designed to artificially stimulate aggregate demand for products and services within an economy.
The main functions of the central bank are to maintain low inflation, and full employment. The U.S. Central bank may attempt to do this by artificially stimulating demand by affecting the nation’s money supply via lower (or higher) interest rates. Furthermore, deficit spending on the authorization of the U.S. Government is designed to artificially stimulate aggregate demand for products and services within an economy.
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Another means, of stimulating demand would be changes in both consumption taxes, and personal income taxes. The argument for either, as per the efficiency to which the additional dollars are being utilized, would determine their overall effect on the GDP of a nation, and whether or not a sustainable stimulus is in effect. For example, a dollar given to a tax-payer (tax credit) for purchases of products or services (stimulating monetary velocity), versus a dollar given to an additional construction laborer – infrastructure redevelopment (for example, also stimulating monetary velocity).
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The main debate amongst economists in the second half of the twentieth century concerned the central banks ability to predict how much money should be in circulation, given current employment rates, and inflation rates.
The main debate amongst economists in the second half of the twentieth century concerned the central banks ability to predict how much money should be in circulation, given current employment rates, and inflation rates.
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Some economists like Milton Friedman believed that the central bank would always get it wrong, leading to wider swings in the economy than if it were just left alone.[26] This is why they advocated a non-interventionist approach.
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Chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke, has suggested that over the last 10 to 15 years, many modern central banks have become relatively adept at manipulation of the money supply, leading to a smoother business cycle, with recessions tending to be smaller and less frequent than in earlier decades, a phenomenon he terms “The Great Moderation” [27]
Chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke, has suggested that over the last 10 to 15 years, many modern central banks have become relatively adept at manipulation of the money supply, leading to a smoother business cycle, with recessions tending to be smaller and less frequent than in earlier decades, a phenomenon he terms “The Great Moderation” [27]
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However these assumptions may very well prove ill-conceived by the ongoing financial/economic crisis of 2008-present. History will judge whether or not the now classical thinking of interest, and money supply moderation, have proven effective in preventing recessions, severe or mild. Furthermore, it may be that the functions of the central bank may need to encompass more than the ‘jigging’ up or down of interest rates in order to influence money supply, in the sense that these tools, although valuable, do not in fact control the very volatility, nor directly the velocity, of money supply in a nation’s economy.
I ask, how can an institution that (apparently) does nothing except increase the money supply moderate inflation? Bear in mind that inflation is not “increasing prices”. That is only the effect of inflation, which is truly the increase in the supply of whatever is used as money.
Now in the other scale, these quotes from “Meltdown” by Thomas Woods:
Virtually all analysis of the economy today… takes for granted that regulatory tinkering is all that is needed to patch up an otherwise sound monetary system. To the contrary: the system itself is the problem, and the sooner we cast away the foolish web of superstitions that stand in the way of serious productive discussion of the issue, the better off the American people will be…
Over the course of history, societies have most often chosen gold and silver as money. Soon enough, governments decided they wanted a piece of the action, and kings and other rulers began to stamp their faces on the coins and monopolize the production of money. This, their people were led to understand, was a rightful attribute of sovereignty to which their leaders were entitled… what government monopolies on money production actually meant was that the rule could now loot the population by clipping the coins and debasing the currency, inserting some amount of base metal into previously pure coins and pocketing the difference himself…
Paper money suite governments rather better than coins of precious metal, since they could enrich themselves and their friends without arousing the suspicions and public hostility… It was also easier to blame scapegoats—wicked businessmen, speculators, and the rest … of people the population is taught to hate—for the rising prices that paper-money inflation caused…
Governments tend to oppose monetary systems based on precious metals because they impose restraints on ambitious politicians. Gold cannot be infinitely reproduce [ie you cannot just whip out $2,000,000,000,000 (trillions) of gold to finance a war or “stimulate” the economy] as can paper money. Even if paper money is used under a commodity standard, the paper is a money substitute that can be converted into the commodity whenever people demand it… Not surprisingly, government prefers a system in which the paper money cannot be redeemed into anything. Then it can increase the supply of money without restraint.
Unable to print all the money it wants, government under a commodity standard must resort to borrowing or taxation, both of which are more obvious and meet with sterner resistance than the silent means of inflation…
–p 110-114
This power, to create fiat money, is a sort of One Ring that binds all other issues to it. Notably the power to make war, an incessant string of wars, and to enrich or enslave individuals or segments of the population by suppressing or expanding their economic activities.
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What do you think tripling the money supply is going to do?
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I do not pretend to understand all of these matters completely. I am a political explorer. I am sharing with you my discoveries.
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If you have something to add, please email me at bluetablepainting@gmail.com I am interested in getting additional facts and insights.
"There really is no time to think about this… just send in the money"
More “fun” at borders INSIDE the US. I was wondering when this would happen.
I present these for consideration. My understanding is that an officer can Detain you for any reason while he determines if a crime has been commited. You don’t have to answer questions or allow yourself to be searched, but you can’t take off. Is this true? If so, then this is why this guy couldn’t just drive off.