Public Domain

Public Domain 

Hello Everyone,

I hope you will enjoy this blog.  Please feel free to comment, it is good to have some feedback.  

All images, unless otherwise noted, were taken from the Internet and are assumed to be in the Public Domain.  If there is a problem with copyrighted material, the break of the copyright is unintentional and noncommercial and the material will be removed upon request.

Thank you everyone,

Ben

Our Only The Brave Emblem

Our 'Only The Brave' Emblem

Final version of our emblem. 

The mission of  'Only the Brave' are:

- Help disadvantaged youth with social inequality',

- Provide support and help to youth in and around the city of Edmonton, Alberta,

- Relief of poverty, in underprivileged families with children/youth, &

- Contribute to the sustainable development of less advantage areas and people around Mesopotamia (Eastern Turkey, Northern Syria/Irak) (Tigris & Euphrates River System Area).

Thank you for visiting, 

Ben 

Only The Brave YEA

Only The Brave Youth Equality Association

     Second Attempt at the Logo

     Help our children

Sincerely, 

Ben

Importance of Water

Importance of Water

I would like to bring attention to the following statistics regarding 'Clean Drinking Water'. 

          Banff Alberta 

- 70-75% of the Earth's surface is covered with water,

- 97.5% of the Earth's water is salt water,

- 2.8 billion people live in areas of high water scarcity,

- 2.2 million people die every year, from unsafe water and poor sanitation reasons,

- 2 elements make up water: hydrogen & oxygen,

- 96% of a cucumber is made up of water, 

- 65% of an adult human's body is made up of water,

- The same water that existed on the Earth millions of years ago, is still present today,

Water is the life of all living things, every living creature depends on water to survive.  

Last statistic:

- Of all the water on Earth, humans can only use about 1% of it.  Usable water is only found in groundwater aquifers, rivers and freshwater lakes. 

Please be cognizant of the importance of this liquid, and use it wisely.  

Sincerely, 

Ben here ehh,

Twitter Blocked in Turkey

Twitter Blocked in Turkey

Twitter has been blocked in Turkey since March 20th, though many found ways around the ban even thereafter. Turkey initially placed the ban as protests rose and a corruption scandal began to embroil the government ahead of an election.  Blocking Twitter has only brought it more negative attention though: the block was the subject of further acts of protest and was condemned by the United States and United Nations Human Rights office, among others.  Given Turkey's 30 day period to unblock Twitter, it's possible that service won't be restored.  I have researched on-line and found 3 ways for citizens in this country to work-around the block.  Below are the 3 ways users can get around the ban:

1. SMS

In what is likely the simplest way to get around the restrictions, users can send tweets via SMS; though this solution is limited to sending outgoing tweets.  Twitter provided both English and Turkish instructions for doing this.

2. Change Your DNS

Many users are reporting they are able to bypass the block by changing their DNS settings.  Non tech-savvy users will need to exercise caution when changing these numbers, but solutions like OpenDNS or Google DNS are reliable.  Wikileaks posted step-by-step instructions in Turkish. 

3. Use a VPN or Tor

Another solution is to use a VPN connection.  Setting up a VPN usually requires paying at least some cash up-front, though there are free versions. But as one user pointed out, people should be cautious when using free VPNs.  They can be unreliable, or in some cases, malicious software.  Users can also get around the restrictions by using Tor, which makes you anonymous in the Internet connection.

Thank you for reading,

Ben

Red $50 Bank Note

Red $50 Bank Note

The $50 bank note is red in colour, and introduced into circulation on March 26, 2012.  

The note is printed on polymer paper, which means the note is more plastic than paper.  This means that the note is more durable than the cotton-based paper it has replaced.  

The main reason by the Federal Government in implementing the new Canadian bank note is the 'Security' features.  A few of the security features are:

- the same clear windows and metallic images that are seen on the front are seen on the reverse,

- design incorporates a special tactile feature, similar to Braille Dots, for the blind, indicating the denomination of the bank note.  

          Canadian $50

The front of the note:

The front of the note features a handsome portrait of Mr William Lyon Mackenzie King, who was the Prime Minister from 1921 - 1948. 

The reserve of the note:

The reverse of the note shows the Canadian Coast Guard Ship, named 'Amundsen', which is a Research Icebreaker Ship. 

          The back

I was finally able to get my hands on a new/old $50 Canadian Bank Note, at the same time, and took the below two pictures: 

Also, I have written about $5, $10, $20 and $100 Canadian Bank Notes, please look for these blogs below:

$5 Canadian Note

http://onlythebrave10.blogspot.ca/2014/01/5-canadian-note.html

New Purple $10 Canadian Note

http://goodread10.blogspot.ca/2014/01/new-purple-10-canadian-note.html

$20 Canadian Currency

http://goodread10.blogspot.ca/2014/01/20-canadian-currency.html

Big Brown $100 Bill

http://onlythebrave10.blogspot.ca/2014/01/big-brown-100-bill-if-you-are-following.html

I have finally been able to complete my 'series' of trying to picture each of the new/old notes together. 

I will now try to get my hands on a $1,000 Bank Note.  I hear they are in circulation, however to this date, I have never been able to find one.  

Thank you for reading, 

Ben

Denarius Currency

Denarius Currency

Has anyone ever wondered what currency the 'Roman empire' used?

I researched this topic while completing couple of other blogs of mine titled:

'Fiat Money in Circulation'.  

http://onlythebrave10.blogspot.ca/2014/02/fiat-money-in-circulation.html

&

'Bitcoin in the Future'

http://www.goodread10.blogspot.ca/2014/02/bitcoin-in-future.html

I have attached a link of the blogs for you to read, if the link does not work, please copy/paste to the address bar.  

Now, back to today's topic. 

It is important to understand the similarities of our monetary system in use today, with that of the 'mighty' Empire, and the failures associated with this system when in use by the Roman Empire and not learning from the past errors.  

The Roman Empire did not utilize a 'paper' currency.  

The currency in use was actual 'silver' commodity, stamped with the Emperors bust, and shaped into the size of our current 1 dollar coinage.  

The Empire within all of its vast territories used one of the first examples of 'true' debasement of a currency.  

This currency was called 'Denarius'. 

The Denarius, when first utilized was essentially 100% pure silver.  What this means is that, the citizens would carry around with them 'silver coins' to use as 'barter' and/or money in exchange of purchasing an item from another individual.  

The pure silver coinage called Denarius began circulating at the beginning of the first century A.D. 

This changed for the worst soon after this date.  

By the year 54 A.D., the Roman Emperor Nero ordered that the Denarius not be a full silver coinage.  The Denarius was now approximately 94% silver and the remainder made-up of other material.  

By around the year 100 A.D., the Denarius coinages silver content was down to 85%.

All other Emperors after Nero, bought the idea of 'devaluing their currency' in order to pay the bills of the Empire, keep the silver for their own usage and increase their own wealth.  

By the year 218, the Denarius coinages silver content was down to 43%. 

By the year 244, the Denarius coinages silver content was taken down to .05, by the Emperor Philip.  

The monetary system of the 'Once Mighty' Empire, directly correlates to the collapse of the city of Rome and and the Roman Empire.  The Denarius coinages silver content was only 0.02%, at the collapse date of the year 410, which was also the date of 'Sacking of the city of Rome'.  After this date, no person accepted the Denarius, as it did not store a value.  

The phrase 'All things must come to an end' comes to my mind, however I hope the 'Central Banks' of each country, particularly 'the once mighty' USA studies the 'devaluation of a currency' and the consequences attached to this.  

Thank you for reading, 

Ben

Minimum Wage in Canada

Minimum Wage in Canada

The 'minimum wage' in Canada is set forth by 'Employment Standards Regulation'.  This document states that for example, in the province of Alberta, the 'minimum wage' is;

- hourly minimum wage of $9.95 for most employees,

- hourly minimum wage of $9.05 for employees serving liquor,

I have attached some useful links and documents to support all the figures, these are below:

Employment Standards, Rights and Responsibility at Work

http://humanservices.alberta.ca/documents/Minimum-Wage.pdf

Province of Alberta, Employment Standards Code

http://www.qp.alberta.ca/1266.cfmpage=1997_014.cfm&leg_type=Regs&isbncln=9780779733927

Order in Council

http://www.qp.alberta.ca/documents/orders/orders_in_council/2011/611/2011_237.html

Do you feel that an increase is warranted for the 'minimum wage'?

I will write another blog in the future, as I am interested to know which province in Canada has the 'highest' 'minimum wage' currently. 

To be continued. 

Thank you, 

Ben