#This is related to my qa au

[reiayanamiisbestgirl]

“Kids eat free tonight, ma’am”

[im-not-batman]

Okay i am SO excited that people were interested so here it is. I need to preface this with the fact that it won't be totally 1-to-1.

9-1-1/The West Wing Fusion crossover AU thing

SO, i already said Bobby is the President. Not only does it make sense for his relationships with everyone else, but he is also very similar to Bartlett in a lot of ways: the Catholicism, the hidden illness (Jed's MS and Bobby's Alcoholism and PTSD), the strong moral compass and the way they are always everyone's go-to for advice. Also the way they deal with problems and conflict.

Athena is obviously FLOTUS. Unfortunately i suffer with Can't-Stand-Athena Disease, so i'm leaning on my love of Abbey for this one. But they're both very capable, intelligent women who can't be told what to do. Both are completely devoted to their families and are even self-destructive with that love sometimes. (Athena going after Amir (DONT EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THAT - FUCKING ACAB) and Abby secretly treating Jed's MS and putting her lisence in question).

May and Harry should take on the roles of Zoey and Ellie respectively. May still being the older sibling, i just think they fit the personalities of the siblings better that way. Harry being distant and aloof until they have a breakthrough, May being close to the family and friendly with the other staffers. Also the Charlie/Zoey of it all.

Hen (my beloved) is Chief of Staff. This feels obvious. She's already Bobby's second in command, she's got the instict for it, and the respect of all the others. I also think she would still have a fire fighting background and she got into politics later. I just think that experience would be vital for her as COS, similar to Leo's military service. I also think a professional history like that would also commmand respect from strangers.

For Deputy Chief of Staff I'm (perhaps predictably) going with Eddie. I was toying with the idea of it being Chim but you'll see why i didn't got there when i explain his role. But yeah, Eddie's perfect for this one. Both he and Josh are dramatic about everything, they both have well-meaning hearts that sometimes results in them doing or saying stupid shit, they have deepseated issues that cause them to push people away. Also, need i say it? SHOOTING ARC! This also (again predictably i fear) allows for the EPIC ROMANCE of Josh and Donna to be mapped onto Buddie.

Which brings me of course to Buck. He's gotta be Donna. They've got the shared history of failed relationships with some not great people (but remain hopeless romantics anyway), Buck flitting from job to job and Donna not having much work experience go hand on hand too. Also they're both very capable and intelligent but hide it/don't realise that fully. I like to think that Maddie qas the one to get him his job amd Eddie was just a bit too scared to question her.

Now Maddie. This might be an unpopular decision because on the surface they are nothing alike, but I'm putting Maddie in Toby's spot. Not only does she suit Director of Communications perfectly – Maddie is the fucking QUEEN of coomunication (season 5 notwithstanding lol) but she and Toby share a lot of their values. Sure, Toby's a miserable, pessimistic asshole about it, but they both believe in a very black and white definition right and wrong. They are both loyal to a fault (even Toby's treason was an act of loyalty you can fight me on this but you will LOSE) and do everything they can to protect the people they love. Also i just love them both so much i want to fuse them into one because it makes me feel like a mad scientist in a lab trying to create the perfect character out of goo and slime and glitter.

Anyway! For Maddie's second, I'm really not sure. I was thinking maybe Linda or Josh but neither fit particularly well to me. Idk, let me know what you guys think.

Okay. Chim. Think how perfect he'd be as Press Sec. Please. That man is BORN to be on camera. He's charismatic and friendly and relatable, he comes across as approachable but fr who would cross him if he put his foot down? No one! Also. I IMPLORE you to please imagine him doing the Jackal. It was so hard to figure out who i'd trust to take up the mantel of CJ "baddest bitch around" Cregg because i love her so much but when i started to consider Chimney it felt obvious 😅 i also just think he'd love to have the opportunity to evicerate an asshole on live television, and he DESERVES that opportunity too. And if you were wondering: Yes I DO ship CJ and Toby. Hence Madney being their counterparts.

Now for my boy Charlie!!! It of course HAS to be Ravi!! Those boys are the sweetest loveliest boys on the planet! They pair up so well! I also have a headcanon that, similar to Charlie, Ravi has younger siblings he's always had to take care of because their mum died and their dad worked too much. So. Yeah. Also lowkey May x Ravi nation where are you please accept me into your ranks.

Anyway, i hope this is acceotable to everyone who was interested. I might write something in this AU one day but if you have ever interacted with me before you should know not to hold your breath lmao

Tagging @pangrams-n-palindromes from my other post so they see this, I hope that's okay!

[nyabac]

Thursday, 30 November 2023, 12 pm ET (US & Canada)

Online Zoom Lecture

70 Years of Wa/ondering: The Pylos Ta series and Mycenaean Ceremonies

TOM PALAIMA (Department of Classics & Program in Aegean Scripts and Prehistory, University of Texas at Austin)

The thirteen tablets of the Ta series at Pylos are arguably the most informative set of documents pertaining to paraphernalia used in ceremonies and rituals in the Linear B corpus.

The contents of the Ta tablets are diverse and significant for research in Aegean cultural history. There are a. clearly drawn ideograms of ceremonial vessels along with phonetic renderings of their names: pouring vases, receptacle vases, ritual heirloom tripods; b. references to the materials used to construct and decorate pieces of furniture; c. descriptions of abstract or figural motifs of decoration; d. observations on the state of repair of specific objects; e. likely identification of the region of manufacture of particular items (ke-re-si-jo); f. entries referring to implements connected  with sacrificial actions (pa-sa-ro, wa-o and qi-si-pe-e) and equipment to use with fire (au-te, pu-ra-u-to-ro, -qa-ra-to-ro and e-ka-ra); g. inlaid tables (whether slaughtering tables or banqueting tables is now under discussion) with varying numbers of ‘feet’; h. throne and stool ‘sets’, other stools.

All this rich and detailed, if occasionally tantalizingly opaque, information was registered as the results of an inspection inventory involving a person named pu2-ke-qi-ri, whose status as an elite functionary, perhaps even a collector, is undebatable, although whether he is the actual tablet-writer of the Ta series and other important tablets that are identified as the work of Hand 2 is still being discussed.

Moreover, the header line for the Ta set specifies that the records were written on the occasion when the king (wa-na-ka) did something important (te-ke) with regards to an individual named au-ke-wa and the significant office of da-mo-ko-ro. What he did is in my view no longer a settled matter nor should it ever have been thought to be.

There are also other important socio-political terms embedded in the descriptions of individual items: for example, wa-na-se-wi-ja and ­a-mo-te-wi-ja.

I have myself turned to this series periodically since I wrote 49 years ago, as an advocatus diaboli, my M.A. thesis in fall semester 1974 trying to prove to myself and Emmett L. Bennett, Jr., that the tablet writer of the Ta series really was not Hand 2, but Hand 1, the master record-maker, whom Hand 2 closely resembles.

What I will do here today is give a reading of these texts that demonstrates how problematical it is (1) to address critical questions relating to their interpretation looking for either-or solutions; and (2) to keep the forest in mind when studying the roots, bark, branches and leaves of the trees and vice versa.

For seventy years now, the full Ta series of thirteen tablets (discovered in the 1952 excavation season at Pylos) has hardly ever not been under discussion. However, the last five years have seen a veritable renaissance. Behold:

Pierini, Bernabé, Ercoles (eds) 2021. THRONOS: Historical Grammar of Furniture in Mycenaean and Beyond.

Morton, J., N. Blackwell and K. Mahoney 2023. “Sacrificial Ritual and the Palace of Nestor: A Reanalysis of the Ta Tablets,” AJA 127.2, 167–187

Palaima, T.G. and N.G. Blackwell 2020. “Pylos Ta 716 and Mycenaean Ritual Paraphernalia: A Reconsideration,” SMEA NS 6, 67–95.

Blackwell, N.G. and T.G. Palaima 2021. “Further Discussion of pa-sa-ro on Pylos Ta 716: Insights from the Ayia Triada Sarcophagus,” SMEA NS 7, 21–37.

Perna, M. and R. Zucca 2021. “Il ta-ra-nu nel Mediterraneo antico,” in THRONOS, 97–104.

Petrakis, V. 2020. “Mycenaean thórnoi, Homeric θρόνοι: Textual Perspectives,” in L. Nosch, D. Brostowsky Gilboa (eds) The Ancient Throne: The Mediterranean, Near East, and Beyond, from the 3rd Millennium BCE to the 14th Century CE, 61–84.

Pierini, R. 2021. “Mycenaean Wood: Re-thinking the Function of Furniture in the Pylos Ta Tablets within Bronze Age Sacrificial Practices,” in THRONOS, 107–135.

Piquero, J. 2021. The Tables of the Pylos Ta Series: Text and Context, in THRONOS, 43–53

Díez Platas, F. 2021. “Imagining Chairs: Models and Representations of Mycenaean thronoi,” in THRONOS, 75–88.

Aura Jorro, F. 2021. Las interpretaciones de la serie Ta de Pilo en su context,” in THRONOS, 7–30.

Bernabé, A. 2021 How to Describe Things? Depictions of Tables on Mycenaean Tablets and in Present Day Furniture Catalogues, in THRONOS, 55–64.

Varias, C. 2016 “Testi relativi a mobilio e vasi pregiati,” in M. Del Freo, M. Perna (eds) Manuale di epigrafia  micenea. Vol. 2: 551–563.

Murphy, J.M.A., S. R. Stocker, J. L Davis and L.A. Schepartz 2020. “Late Bronze Age Tombs at the Palace of Nestor at Pylos,” in J. M. A. Murphy (ed.) Death in Late Bronze Age Greece, 26–44.

Palaima, T.G. 2021. “Mycenaean *a-mo-te-u, Greek ἁρμόζω, and the Ideology of Joining,” MASt@chs Harvard Center for Hellenic Studies February 5, 2021. https://classical-inquiries.chs.harvard.edu/mastchs-winter-2021-seminar/  §§1–13.

Palaima, T.G. Forthcoming. “Historical Reflections on the Pylos Ta Series: Putting te-ke in Its Place,” in J. Bennet, A. Karnava and T. Meißner (eds) KO-RO-NO-WESA: 2021. Rethymno: School of Philosophy, University of Crete.

Zoom participation is limited to 300 people and registration is required. To register, please click here.

[reiayanamiisbestgirl]

Aww thank you I focused a lot on proportions. I can teach you some tricks I learned.

Don’t worry I have more drawings planned for when I feel like drawing. Probably some Nier Automata and Qualia Automata crossover stuff or some art related to my self indulgent Qualia Automata au where Fayrouz improves herself after lamentations and becomes a half decent mom

the colorbars guy is Kennith btw and I just thought he’d be stoked as fuck to meet the highly respected and revered Dr Fayrouz Khalid

also I’m living for your whiteboardfox renditions of my art they’re going in my QA folder

tamaring time

Thanks a bunch to @nacora-najita for the arabic translations :D

[ladyvader23]

For the fanfic ask game: J (for MPD), K, M, and R :)

J: Write or describe an alternative ending to Missing and Presumed Dead

I actually originally meant to end it shortly after Luke gets rescued. He's recovering, he's happy with his dad, Leia is tentatively willing to work with Vader to overthrow the Empire as long as the Rebels get a seat at the table in the formation of the aftermath, and Vader decides he cares more about his kids than the Empire, so he's willing to do whatever necessary to make them happy and healthy. But then I realized I'd set up the breadcrumbs to continue that plotline (with a LOT more messiness) that still fit the "Luke pretending to be dead" thing. Originally the Alliance would have known Luke was alive, too, much earlier than they did. I think my current ending is much better, though it meant more hard work.

K: What’s the angstiest idea you’ve ever come up with?

Ok. So this wasn't technically fanfiction. This was a roleplay I did with a friend for years. In it, my main character has like a family with a bunch of young kids. He ends up sacrificing himself to save one of them, but then when his family strikes a bargain to bring him back, he ends up bring brought back as a baby. This was great for my main characters dad, because he never got to raise his son (long story), so he got a chance to raise him, but his wife and kids were forced to watch their dad grow up. Part of the deal was also that they couldn't tell their dad that he was their dad until he was an adult, and by the time their dad was an adult, (this family became immortal at a certain age, kinda like a fey, it's again, a long story) he got his prior memories back, and had to deal with trauma of being there, but not being able to BE there, of putting his wife in a situation where she was forced to fend for herself and their kids, and oh, all of his now adult kids have trauma and some of them really don't trust forming a relationship with him again, and they're also adults and he struggles with coming to terms with matching who they are in his brain with who they are now. He basically had to refind himself while also bridging his new self with his old self and that ended up being far more complicated and traumatic than I thought when I started that plot line. Otherwise, Fracture is up there for sure. That fic is dark as hell, but I thought I'd give an idea I know you haven't read and will never read :P

M: Got any premises on the back burner that you’d care to share?

I've shared some before, but...hm. Now that DVGTT is wrapping up, I'm thinking about new crack stories to do. There's Luke becoming an actual drug dealer to be like his dad, only for his dad to find out and do Canadian-worthy PSA ads to try to get his son to stop meanwhile Luke is like "wow these ads are getting so specific lol (sells more drugs)". There's a podcasting AU, or like. Space twitch streaming AU, maybe. Idk, we'll see what happens! (I'm also super open to suggestions, I'm pretty chill when it comes to crack fics).

R: Are there any writers (fanfic or otherwise) you consider an influence?

You and @azalea-scroggs inspired me to do Dad Vader fanfic. @kittandchips, @silvereddaye, @maedre13 and queenslx99 were massive influences, as well once I started writing. As for non-fanfic authors... so, when I was a kid, I loved Meg Cabot. I loved her sass. I was influenced to write by Final Fantasy 10, but Meg Cabot was the first author I tried to be like. Then, later, Cinda Williams Chima, and I also really loved Rick Riordan even though I was above his age group by the time I read the Percy Jackson series, but I loved how he made mythology so accessible to a younger audience and as a writer, that fascinated me (unfortunately his website is full of QA's geared towards kids, and not really writing-craft related, but I'd still love to pick his brain about that). I also love the way Sarah J Maas writes, and I identify heavily with her writing process, but lately I've struggled to read her stuff for various reasons. Also, Natsuko Ishikawa is probably my current influence, and you'd only know who she is if you played FF14 and got to the Shadowbringers and Endwalker expansions. Trust me, she's brilliant.

Thanks for the ask, my friend!

Send me an a fanfic ASK!

[littlestsnicket]

I’d love to hear about your dev/pm related headcanons for asoue characters!!

and i would be happy to share some of them!

- bertrand is sort of my self-insert for this au, so he does QA and is a bdd evangelist. he’s also accidentally the track lead on the automation project. people keep checking in code with hard coded waits, he’s loosing his mind but very politely.

- lemony is a technical writer, but for some reason also the scrum master. (i’m pro-non developers being scrum masters, it’s a different hat that not all technical people are very good at wearing.) he and olaf regularly fight on the SOS calls. lemony thinks olaf is deliberately trying to undermine his team by not communicating dependencies and it’s probably true. they have some beef from college when olaf wanted to be a playwright but somehow ended up in software engineering instead.

- lemony often feels like he is the only person who has actually read the SAFe documentation, and has made enemies in middle management by pointing this out. he and bertrand love writing process documentation, and have invested countless hours trying to come up with the perfect DoD criteria which everyone proceeds to ignore.

- kit is a tech lead. she’s also a single mother, and has all sorts of stress about the poorly defined work from home policy. she always leaves work at 5 on the dot but she’s often back online after she puts her kid to bed. (idk what dewey is doing… something…)

- widdershins the the lead architect even though kit is smarter than him and more up to date on the latest technologies. they actually have a good, respectful relationship despite this.

- beatrice and esme are product owners. they are both very good at office politics and very gifted at their jobs, but esme is the sort of person who tends to call things that were already decided into question and force discussions to be re-hashed. the biggest problem with this is that she’s usually right, it just would have been really nice if she had been paying attention the first time they had this discussion. bertrand and esme actually have an ok working relationship, which no one understands.

- beatrice has more of a technical background, so the developers like to work with her better. esme HATES this.

- olivia is the worlds worst QA engineer. she has all the technical skills—writes decent automation scripts, is good at finding bugs, but she’s terrible at standing up for herself or being an advocate for quality on her team. her team is constantly checking in stuff that hasn’t been regression tested and ends up breaking things because they ran out of time at the end of the sprint and the rest of the team doesn’t care cause they don’t respect her. she’s probably on olaf’s team.

- jacques is in middle management. no one is quite sure what he does, but their division of the company would probably fall apart without him. he just makes things happen behind the scenes. deals with finance. all the terrible, boring stuff.

if i actually wrote this fic, it would be primarily focused on bertrand and lemony and beatrice getting together and the office politics would all be in the background, but knowing how the office would work is very important!

[llitchilitchi]

HI qas just wondering if were ok to ask questions abiut the vampire au? i want to know more sm its so excitong, but if you dont want to give out spoilers/dont want ur ask box flooded its completely cool if not :)!

hello! I'm more than happy to answer any questions about this au (or any other of my aus really :D) I won't be answering asks that would be spoiler heavy, especially if I have plans on covering something related to that topic in a comic/art, or I will be very vague about the answer.

just don't be too underwhelmed by my responses to this particular au lmao it has little to no real plot going for it

but definitely don't mind my askbox being flooded :)

[ais-n]

does boyd want/ever entertain the idea of having kids?

Hi :) I’m sorry I was slow to reply. The reason is this. 

For your question - The short answer is no, not really. However, over the years there have been various fan questions related to Boyd and Hsin and kids, and I tracked them down because I thought you might like to see the different scenarios mentioned and the various answers :) So actually, the second half of the short answer is: in canon, no not really, but in AU fanfic? Dude, everything goes.

QUESTIONS/ANSWERS BELOW, CHRONOLOGICALLY  - MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR END OF THE ICOS SERIES! I’m not putting this behind a cut because some people can’t click those still. Sorry it’s a bit of a long post :(

2014 Q&A questions about if Boyd and Hsin would have kids - it won’t let me direct link so go here: https://aisness.wordpress.com/2016/03/03/2014-dc-evenfall-qa-evenfall-spoilers-only-post-1-of-2/ and do a search for canon - it’s the first mention on that page. (Or else, the question asked was “Will Boyd and Sin ever get a baby? I hope so.”) There’s the answer to that question and then another baby-related question below it.

2014 Q&A clone comment about Sin - https://aisness.wordpress.com/2016/03/03/2014-evenfall-dc-qa-spoilers-past-evenfall-post-2-of-2/ (search for clone - this one isn’t directly kid-related but they mention a kid so it’s another version of a scenario that’s come up)

March 2015 tumblr question about if Boyd wondered if he fathered a child on the Aleixo mission - http://ais-n.tumblr.com/post/114081310581/hi-ais-i-wanted-to-ask-a-pretty-weird-question 

May 7, 2015 tumblr question about how Boyd and Hsin would be like raising a baby: http://ais-n.tumblr.com/post/118395007661/hi-i-love-domesticparenting-aus-in-slash-fic 

May 8, 2015 tumblr question about how they would react to a crying baby in the middle of the night: http://ais-n.tumblr.com/post/118470337241/hi-again-thank-you-and-santino-so-much-for-the

May 22, 2015 tumblr question about how Boyd would react if Hsin came home with a baby he fathered:  http://ais-n.tumblr.com/post/119647685221/hola-what-would-boyds-reaction-be-if-hsin

I feel like somewhere on tumblr maybe, at one point some people had ideas about what a kid could be named that Boyd and Hsin had but I don’t know where that is. For me personally, if someone were to imagine a scenario that would work best for their personalities if the person really wanted to see a kid involved in their lives -- in that context, my favorite scenario is where they take some street kid in for a while before the kid’s like, “aiight cool, I got all I need. SEE YA!” 

Sort of akin to the questions about if Boyd or Hsin would like pets and if so which kind, and ultimately I feel like Boyd works best with wounded wild animals he helps get better before they go back to freedom. Not to equate humans to animals (although as a vegetarian for 20 years I do see similarities in the level of worth and importance and everyone having a soul) -- I just mean, he works best with helping others when they need help, without having to feel responsible for them for the entirety of their lives, because he takes responsibility really seriously and wouldn’t want to introduce someone or something into a less than ideal situation. And Hsin and Boyd will always live in less than ideal situations for something vulnerable like a baby.

But as we say in those links, basically the question of canon is one thing but I always feel like even if something will pretty much never happen in canon for what we can foresee, that doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen in fanon/fanfic if someone wanted. That’s why fanfic is there, to have those scenarios you can’t see in the original work :) I will always support fanfic and fanart to have fun with whatever they want to do, because that’s the whole point of it :)

[goldeagleprice]

Viewpoint: Child’s game can teach something

By Richard Francis

I really enjoy spending time with my 11-year-old son, Jonathan. Last weekend, Jonathan and I got up early, ate a big breakfast at Burger King and went to an estate sale. While Jonathan didn’t find anything at the estate sale, I found a piece of glassware and new magnifying glass. It was a fun morning.

After lunch, we assembled a prehistoric display complete with dinosaurs, dinosaur bones, quicksand and erupting volcano. We are already looking forward to next weekend.

Like most children, Jonathan is very inquisitive. He asks a lot of questions. I don’t mind this because asking questions is one of the ways in which we learn. Jonathan’s favorite type of question goes something like this: “Would you rather have: the ability to fly, or the ability to run super fast?”

At this time, I would like to do as Jonathan does and pose a “would you rather” question of my own to Numismatic News readers. Would you rather have a Professional Coin Grading Service MS-67 MAC (Modern Approved Coin) 2010 Lincoln Shield Cent or a PCGS MS-66 Red 2010 Lincoln Shield cent plus an additional $2,979.50 to spend on other coins? Or to put it another way, are modern condition rarities really worth the money?

While reviewing recent eBay sold items (Note: all “sold item” prices referred to in this article are from recent eBay sales), I found that a PCGS MS-67 MAC (Modern Approved Coin) 2010 Lincoln Shield cent recently sold for $2,995 In comparison, a PCGS MS-66 Red 2010 Lincoln Shield cent recently sold for $15.50. Is the MS-67 coin really worth the additional $2,979.50? My personal opinion is no.

While I do understand condition rarities, it must be pointed out that the difference between MS-66 and MS-67 is so slight that in many cases I daresay it is not even noticeable, even to the most skilled graders. I will take this point a bit further.

Any seasoned numismatist is familiar with the “crack-out game,” the act of resubmitting a coin to a professional grading service in hopes that the coin will return with a higher grade. In cases where, for example, there is a significant price difference between, say, an MS-64 and MS-65, it might be financially worth the risk to submit a coin several times for recertification. While it may take several attempts, if the coin eventually makes it to MS-65, the gamble has paid off.

Also, as we get higher up the grading scale, it stands to reason that the difference between grades is even harder to identify. Regardless, the grade a coin receives is simply the opinion of the one grading the coin. Bob’s MS-66 may be Larry’s MS-67. If all graders were the same, and all grades absolute, the “crack-out game” would not exist. Clearly, that is not the case. Again, I must ask, when there is such a significant price difference, is it really worth it to purchase an MS-67 coin over a nearly identical coin that has an MS-66 grade? As stated, I say no.

The minimal difference in condition is not the only reservation I have with regard to paying significant premiums for modern condition rarities. I feel that high mintages may make it difficult for modern condition rarities to retain their value. Let me explain.

Revisiting the 2010 Lincoln Shield cent noted above, it is likely that other MS-67, or higher grade, coins exist, especially when you consider it had a mintage of 1,963,630,000. Furthermore, there is usually a high rate of saving the first year of a new coin design. With mintage figures that high and the likelihood of significant saving, the primary reason we have not seen many other MS-67 2010 Lincoln Shield cents is probably because most people would not spend the money to certify one due to the financial risk. If the coin came back less than than MS-67, they would certainly lose money.

As previously noted, a PCGS MS-66 Red 2010 Lincoln Shield cent recently sold for $15.50. Also, a PCGS MS-65 Red 2010 Lincoln Shield cent recently sold for $11.01. Whoever paid to certify those coins clearly lost money.

As other MS-67, or higher grade, 2010 Lincoln Shield cents likely exist, one must ask what would happen to the value of the 2010 Lincoln Shield cent that sold for $2,995 if others came to market? The answer is quite obvious. As moderns typically have high mintages, this is a very real risk.

One may think that the sale of the $2,995 2010 Lincoln Shield cent is an exception to the rule, but that is not the case. It seems that there is quite a demand for modern condition rarities.

A PCGS MS-67 Red 1982 Bronze Lincoln Cent, small date, sold for $2,111.40, while a PCGS MS-66 Red example sold for $69. Many other examples can be found by reviewing recent eBay sold items. Again, I feel those who pay large premiums for modern condition rarities are treading on dangerous ground.

It should be noted that those who purchase condition rarity bullion moderns could also be treading on dangerous ground. Let’s look at silver Eagles. As there are large supplies that have as yet not been certified, today’s condition rarity may be tomorrow’s common item. As many people purchase monster boxes, boxes containing 500 same date silver Eagles, it is likely that more MS-70 Gems will come to market at some point in the future.

It is not unusual for some dealers to submit full monster boxes for certification. That being said, paying an extremely high premium for an MS-70 silver Eagle, when an MS-69 is nearly identical and drastically cheaper, may not be wise.

Reviewing recent eBay sold items, I found a PCGS MS-70 1996 silver Eagle, with a QA (quality assurance) sticker, that sold for $9,450. There were two from Numismatic Guaranty Corporation. One sold for $2,810, while the other sold for $3,070. It should be noted that the NGC pieces did not have QA stickers. In comparison, two PCGS MS-69 examples recently sold. One sold for $69 and the other for $95. Neither of these had QA stickers, either.

There were several recent sales of NGC MS-69 examples, none of which had QA stickers. The prices range from a low of $46.89 to a high of $142.49. As a side note, I would like to mention that the $142.49 example was in a green holder labeled “From U.S. Mint sealed box.” As this was the most expensive MS-69 example, one has to ask if the increase in cost was related to the label. If so, why? Buy the coin, not the holder.

Again, when dealing with moderns, many sealed boxes and rolls exist. That being said, where significant numbers of a certain coin, or bullion modern, exist, the possibility of future submissions cannot be ignored. The value of today’s condition rarity could certainly be affected in a negative way.

While not a modern, the 1903-O Morgan dollar is a perfect example of this scenario. It was a very rare coin until 1963, when significant numbers from government vaults came to market. The coin went from rare to common almost overnight, and the price fell dramatically.

In my opinion, the only time it is safe to purchase condition rarities is when there is little chance that other like coins could surface. A perfect example would be the 1853-O Seated Liberty half dollar, without arrows and rays, of which only four are known. Of those, the highest grade is VF-35. If someone were to find one today that was AU or Uncirculated, that would be a true condition rarity. There would be little chance that others would come to market and lower the value of said coin. Anyone who purchased such a coin could do so with confidence.

The points made above beg the question, why do people pay significant premiums for MS-70 coins when almost identical MS-69 coins can be purchased for hundreds or thousands of dollars less? I feel those who make such purchases are doing so in order to build registry sets. Upgrading a coin from MS-69 to MS-70 can dramatically increase the overall grade of a set. In other words, the thrill of competition and the satisfaction of being able to say “I have the best”. Numismatics is so much more than that.

Another reason people may make the aforementioned type of purchase could be simply for investment. If that is the case, I am afraid that when the time comes for them to sell they may be highly disappointed.

To clarify, I am not saying to avoid the purchase of moderns. I am saying that purchasing a MS-69 over an MS-70 can provide more bang for your buck and better protect your assets. Using the purchase price of the PCGS MS-70 1996 silver Eagle (with QA sticker), $9,450, let me ask you the following:

Would you rather have of the following option one, two, three or four?

Option 1: PCGS MS-70 1996 silver Eagle (with QA sticker)

Option 2: 94 PCGS MS-69 1996 silver Eagles (using an average purchase price of $100 each) (with $50 left over)

Option 3: One PCGS MS-69 1996 silver Eagle (using an average purchase price of $100) PCGS AU-50 1877 Indian Head cent, $3,095 PCGS MS-65 1912-S Liberty nickel, $745 PCGS MS-63 1909-S VDB Lincoln cent, $1,399 PCGS VF-35 1921-D Walking Liberty half, $1,231 PCGS MS-64 1913-S Type 2 Buffalo nickel, $1,495 PCGS XF-40 1895-S Morgan dollar $1,100 PCGS VF-25 1914-D Lincoln Wheat cent $278 Total: $9,443.00 (with $7 left over)

Option 4: PCGS MS-64 1895-S Morgan Dollar (CAC Stickered) $9,450

For the investor, ask yourself, if you were to place the above options in order of which would best retain its value and be the easiest to liquidate, where would the PCGS MS-70 1996 silver Eagle (with QA sticker) fall?

For the registry set competitor, ask yourself, if there was no registry set competition, would you pay a significant premium for an MS-70 coin when an MS-69 is almost identical in appearance and costs much less?

Let me take a moment to go a little off point and make a couple observations. It should be noted that while some coins may qualify for a high grade, they are not always pleasing to the eye. In many cases, a lower grade of mint state may look better than its next higher grade counterpart. Just sayin’. Also, if you can purchase an MS-65 coin for a small premium over what an MS-64 would cost, that may be the best way to go.

In conclusion, we should purchase what makes us happy. However, I feel those who purchase for competition only, or for investment only, are missing the true enjoyment the field of numismatics has to offer.

By the way, for those who are wondering how I answered Jonathan’s question, if given the option between super speed or flight, I would rather be able to fly.

This “Viewpoint” was written by Richard Francis.Viewpoint is a forum for the expression of opinion on a variety of numismatic subjects. To have your opinion considered for Viewpoint, write to David C. Harper, Editor, Numismatic News, 700 E. State St., Iola, WI 54990. Send email to david.harper@fwmedia.com.

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• The Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000 is your guide to images, prices and information on coinage of the 1900s.

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[learnclimate]

FutureLearn Climate Change Course Week 3 Reflections

The most important themes we learned this week are that carbon emissions have increased because of human activity and that the effects of climate change are anticipated to be extreme. 

The most difficult part of the week was seeing the graphs from the World Bank data related to carbon emissions. It was tough seeing the US having some of the highest per capita carbon emissions in the world. That’s me, my country, and my neighbors directly contribution to the climate change crisis.

I found it really interesting digging into the direct effects of climate change on Hawaii. There was a lot more information and a lot more resources out there than I realized!

In addition to the World Bank data, I found the Wikipedia article the “List of countries by carbon dioxide emissions” to be informative. When I had looked at the WB data I failed to include any middle eastern countries, so I ran the charts again.

Total emissions:

http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EN.ATM.CO2E.KT?locations=US-AU-QA-CN

And per capita:

http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EN.ATM.CO2E.PC?locations=US-AU-QA-CN

Although their total output isn’t much, Qatar puts everyone else to shame in their per capita rates!

[reiayanamiisbestgirl]

family photo in my Qualia Automata AU

and here’s one without the green rendering :)