Review: Caravan Palace /

<I°_°I>

Rating: 4 Stars (Silver)    * * * *

The frontrunners of the electroswing movement over in France include names like Parov Stelar and Caravan Palace.  The latter has released their third studio LP, the first since 2012's "Panic".  "<I°_°I>"  (pronounced phonetically as "Robot") takes a different direction from the group's previous efforts.  Gone are is the gypsy dance style of 'Brotherswing' and the hardstyle grind of 'Clash'.  Instead this might be their most volatile work yet, which is saying a lot with Caravan Palace.  On one hand we have the bounciness and indecipherable lyrics of 'Comics' and the thumping 'Tatoos', and the other we have have the mellow chugging along funk of 'Wonda' and 'Human Leather Shoes for Crocodile Dandies'.

Caravan Palace have been pros of mixing catchy dancable beats with soul catching melodies and it shows on this record.  My favorite moments are the instrumental breakdowns such as the backmasked vintage sounding synth on 'Comics', the beautiful piano chords in the bridge of 'Tattoos', and the chopped and manipulated saxophone on 'Lay Down'.  As always it is difficult to tell whether certain instrumental layers are live playing or electronically sequenced, as well as whether theyre even performed or sampled.  It's one of the groups little fun mysteries.  '<I°_°I>' is also much more pop friendly, with more emphasis on bombastic vocals than Panic or their self titled debut.  While this could easily be offensive to a longtime fan, here it is done rather tactfully and done with restraint, as most of the album is fairly sparse vocally aside from subtle vocal bits that are difficult to make out.

With its highly unconventional name, <I°_°I>  is a fantastic third effort from Caravan Palace.  No complaints here.

Review: Kamasi Washington / The Epic

The Epic

Rating: 5 Stars (Gold)    * * * * *

Kamasi Washington brings a behemoth of a song collection to the spotlight with "The Epic", a daring triple album of refreshing jazz fusion.  As a massive aficionado of Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock's respective fusion eras, I was stoked to discover this album as a new album in 2015.  What an album it is, being a whopping three hours in length, a feat that almost no musician would dare to throw to their listeners in a single release.  In this case, those three hours are well worth the effort if the listener is willing to digest this monster.

Washington had previously made ripples in the public spotlight appearing as a saxophonist on Kendric Lamar's famous To Pimp a Butterfly.  Thankfully he has been able to use that fame to draw attention to his fantastic work as a solo artist.  I for one welcome the reintroduction of jazz into the present scene, as I strongly believe that it contains an array of beautiful emotions rarely experienced in the current decade.  Jazz classics like Davis' 'In a Silent Way"' and Hancock's 'Chameleon' fill me with a sense of tranquil neutrality, a feeling that can best be described as viewing the darkness as your friend.  I felt this rare beautiful feeling on this album when I first heard the Rhodes piano chords in the outro of 'Miss Understanding', the kick off track of the second disc and then again when hearing the repetive but gripping melody of 'Re Run Home', a song that plays the same role for the third disc.  While I would consider those two moments to be the highlights of the album, the rest of the music has just as much purpose with minimal moments that could be described as filler.  Mighty impressive considering the amount of material being presented.

Vocals caught me by surprise on what I thought was to be a purely instrumental record for the tracks 'The Rhythm Changes', 'Henrietta Our Hero', 'Cherokee', and 'Malcom's Theme', the last of which contains vocal samples of Malcom X himself.  The inclusion of lyrics felt controversial to me at first on a jazz album, but they are a nice addition and add a new dimension on a lengthy collection where no human presence could potentially become weary on the mind in a single sitting.  Another recurring set of vocals are the use of choirs on many of the tracks, which could be the closest thing to a flaw that this album has, as they might come off to some as slightly overused or even pretentious. It is only a small price to pay however.

I am a collector of physical merchandise when it comes to music albums, nothing boosts my opinion of a record quite like having a satisfying package to encase the music.  After hearing this record I went out and purchased the physical product to have a proud spot on my music shelf.  It did not disappoint, The Epic comes in a wonderful 8 panel digipak (I despise jewel cases), with three discs labeled "The Plan", "The Glorious Tale", and "The Historic Repetition".  Albums today should take note of this inspiration and intention of giving a visual concrete element to the soundwaves.

A tiresome yet rewarding three hours, The Epic may well be my favorite album of 2015 thus far, the only other contender being the new release from electroswing titans Caravan Palace.  I hope that the moods conveyed by Washington persevere for sometime in the music industry as a result of this release.

The Twelve Fundamental Laws

I.  An individual shall not harm another individual for reasons other than unquestionable self defense, in a setting of war, or by a trial by peers in a court of justice.

II.  All sexual activity must be completely and absolutely consensual between all parties involved.

III.  A society must not be established and enforced in such a way that favors one religion over others.  

IV.  Individuals shall not be oppressed or judged on the basis of their race, religion, gender, or orientation; only by the nature of their actions,

V.  Property owned by individuals must be respected as the property of the individual, theft is not to be permitted.

VI.  Involuntary ownership of another human being is not acceptable under any circumstances.

VII.  A government must conform to the will of inhabitants of the territory it governs, all possible measures must be taken to put this principle into practice.

VIII.  War should be a last resort and only come to pass if absolutely no other measures of peace are possible.

IX.  Any measures of punishment by the government or law enforcement on citizens must not be in conflict with the will of the majority of society.

X.  Leaders in government should receive their positions based on the merits of their previous actions

XI.  All individuals ought to keep the well being and happiness of both themselves and their fellow individuals in mind in all that they do.

XII.  Individuals should fight for the honor and dignity of other individuals that they feel have been wronged by any other individual or entity.

Musings About God

Just some thoughts and looking into my own brain about God and religion in my current mindset.

 

For every religion there are billions who do not adhere it to it. Yet many of these religions claim simultaneously that their idea of God is loving, yet will punish those who do not adhere to it. It would appear to me that the True God has not designed the universe in a way that expects humanity to adhere to a single set of beliefs amoung many sets that are mutually exclusive. If the idea of an exclusive God presented in these religions is the correct one, wouldn't you expect that the choice would be more clearly presented? It is almost by chance that adherents of religions adhere to the religion that they do. In my view, a Sovereign God, and the one that I believe to exist, would not make the "one true path" to him so obscure as the main organized religons present. He would not make the path something that so many people would be deterred from, using their God-given reason.

Many say, if you don't subscribe to any organized religion, why believe in God at all? How can one arrive at the conclusion that God exists using reason? This is a good question, and belief in God does require some degree of faith in something beyond simply reason. Of the classic "proofs of God" the cosmological arguement is my personal favorite. When one thinks about it, there indeed needs to be an uncaused cause of everything. Some time ago the counter to the cosmological arguement would have been "If God is uncaused and eternal couldn't the universe simply have been uncaused and eternal?" This made sense prior to the development of the Big Bang Theory. The expansion of the universe suggests that traced backward through time, the universe began from a singularity and stretched outward. It is now commonly accepted that the universe did indeed have a beginning. The universe could not have been it's own uncaused cause so it would seem that something created the universe. Granted, this cause of the universe could be something else besides God, it could be a multiverse or some impersonal non-living force. However the beauty of Deism is that the power that created the universe doesn't have to be so clearly defined like those of organized religions. Perhaps the Creator is a mind made up of extradimensional membranes or string vibrations. I personally think that since the universe is so intricate in detail and beauty, that the Creator does indeed have a will and thought this whole thing called the universe out pretty well, on a level we could never hope to grasp.

The Eternal Friend

Some stream of conscious writing I did while at work (shh don't tell):

God was there in the beginning, God will be there in the end. Before the big bang, God was there. After the heat death of the universe, God will still be there. We can't know for certain where we will be after we reach the end of our lives. But I am comforted by the thought that I will be in God's hands. Whether theres a heaven in the traditional sense or not, I have faith that we will be in God's care. Enveloped in light, in intamacy with the one who knows our every experience and detail. God is the Infinite Eternal Mind. God is the Limitless. God is the Uncaused Cause of All and the One who Transcends Space and Time. God is sovereign over everything. Though God's intervention is limited, God is the designer of the universe, sovereign over every body, energy, law, and detail. God is the Eternal Friend.

Flirting with Deism

Today I've started venturing mentally into areas I never would have even considered a few years ago. I think I've reached a point where my doubts in the infallibility of the Bible have reached critical mass and now there is a major shift taking place. I've begun to strongly consider identifying as a Deist. I don't think I can believe any longer some of the stories in the Bible, as well as the core doctrine of God only being accessible through the death of Jesus. However I find myself unable to completely reject Christianity, so at the moment I guess I would identify as sort of a Christian Deist, bouncing back and forth.

Deism is appealing to me because of its mental freedom. There is no need to take prophets from thousands of years ago at their word, or faith in a massive collection of stories that cannot be proven. One is free to completely believe in science. I cannot drift over to Atheism however, as my faith and relationship with God is far too important. I would be free to believe in God based on reason, and not by complete faith in a story. I feel that my relationship with God would strengthen and deepen if I didn't have the mental and moral shackles that traditional Christianity requires. Although I don't want to leave Christianity, I am finding it more and more difficult to believe that God requires belief in a penal substitution to enter into a relationship with him/her/it.

I don't know. I have a hard time leaving Christianity behind out of fear of falling out of favor with God because I've made the wrong decsion. But my own logic and reason seem to be pointing me in the direction of Deism, I don't feel much compulsion from God to remain with Christianity. We'll see what happens.

Ark Banknote Details

Just so I can save something I put together.

5 ark note - Lowest denomination. Is gray colored and has the portrait of James Hanson on the front, early parliament member and founding father. The reverse has an image of the Theopanian oblesk. Anti-counterfeit measures include a watermark and overlayed watermarks in the left corner, and a holographic strip.

10 ark note - Commonly used denomination. Is yellow colored and has the portrait of Nestor Halas, the 4th Executive Paramount of Theopanias. The reverse has a Trinitary Falcon, the national bird. Anti-counterfeit measures include a watermark and overlayed watermarks in the left corner, and a holographic strip.

20 ark note - Most commonly used denomination by regular people. Is green and has the portrait of Ezekiel Hallas, a Theopanian author. The reverse has the Chamber of Governance, the meeting place of Parliament's lower house. Anti-counterfeiting measures included multiple watermarks, overlayed watermarks in left corner, security threads, a holographic strip, raised magnetic ink, infrared and ultraviolet ink, and others that aren't made public.

The increased measures from the lower denominations are due to the raised risk of the denomination being counterfeited.

50 ark note - Commonly used denomination in larger transactions. Is blue in color and has the portrait of Beth Johnston, a woman's rights activist in Theopanias. The reverse has the Executive Mansion. Anti-counterfeiting measures included multiple watermarks, overlayed watermarks in left corner, security threads, a holographic strip, raised magnetic ink, infrared and ultraviolet ink, and others that aren't made public.

100 ark note - Most printed denomination, though not the most used by the average person. Has the portrait of Caleb Porter on the obverse, the 17th Executive Paramount. The reverse has the Supreme Court of Theopanias. Anti-counterfeiting measures included multiple watermarks, overlayed watermarks in left corner, security threads, a holographic strip, raised magnetic ink, infrared and ultraviolet ink, and others that aren't made public.

1000 ark note - Large denomination note that makes up a significant portion of arks in circulation, though the note itself is uncommon for the average person, and they tend to be used by upper class, banks, and businesses. Is indigo colored, and the Obverse has the portrait of Sarah Neichman, the 3rd Executive Paramount and a founding mother of Theopanias. Anti-counterfeiting measures included multiple watermarks, overlayed watermarks in left corner, security threads, a holographic strip, raised magnetic ink, infrared and ultraviolet ink, and others that aren't made public. There have been motions to have this note and the 10000 ark note removed due to their very large value and risk of being counterfeited or used in illegal transactions. However the Central Bank maintains that these notes draw a lot of attention when used in large quantities and have sufficent anti-counterfeit measures to prevent counterfeiting, and maintain them as active denominations.

10000 ark note - The largest denomination note, making up a large portion of arks in circulation compared to other denominations, despite rarely if ever being seen by the average person due to it's large value. Is gold in color and has the portrait of Joseph Chatillion on the obverse, the 12th Executive Paramount. The reverse depicts the Chamber of Providence, the meeting place of the upper house of Parliament. Anti-counterfeiting measures included multiple watermarks, overlayed watermarks in left corner, security threads, a holographic strip, raised magnetic ink, infrared and ultraviolet ink, and others that aren't made public. It's value is extremely large for a banknote and is one of the most valuable circulating banknotes of any currency.

Giant and Titan Banknotes Revealed

A video popped up at banknotenews.com showing the 1 million and 100 million pound banknotes, the two most valuable banknotes in the world as far as face value is concerned.

Using the scan of the 1 million pound not that exists already, it was pretty easy to recreate the 100 million pound banknote, called the "titan".



One would probably expect the king of all valuable banknotes to have a bit more complicated of a design.  On the other hand, I guess they never leave the bank so there's no risk of it being counterfeited.

The Grand Account of Everything

Before the beginning of the universe there was God. God is and has always been the simple omnipresent and omnipotent higher power that transcends space and time. God is not its true name, and "He" is not a male, but those are the names and pronouns we use to identify "Him".

The existence before the universe is not known, but there may have possibly been many other, possibly infinite universes that were created by God and met their end. Lifeforms that entered into a relationship with God in those other universes might have been saved and exist now as what we call Angels.

14 billion years ago, God created the singularity that gave way to the Big Bang, and the laws that governed it and led it to where it is today. Much later, life evolved on Earth according to the laws of the universe that God had already calculated and put in place.

Yeshua, or Jesus as we call Him, is and was God in human form, as well as the Son of God, this relationship is not fully understood and likely goes beyond human understanding. Jesus was crucified by his own will in order to offer substitution of penalty for sins of all who believe in Him, as well as introduce humanity to the Holy Spirit, who transforms and purifies those who follow God.

In 100 trillion years, the universe will enter a state of complete entropy of energy and even the bonds that hold sub-atomic particles together will cease, and the universe will end in the Big Freeze.

Beyond that, those with fellowship with God will be ressurected safely in a permanent universe, or possibly the space between universes in the grand multiverse, either of which is God's realm or Heaven. Perhaps we will watch over future universes as we exist for eternity with God.

Review: Hesitation Marks / Nine Inch Nails

Hesitation Marks:
Rating: 5 Stars (Gold)    * * * * *


This was the album I was waiting for ever since I really started getting into music and collecting albums back in 2008.  NIN has been possibly my favorite artist for a long time, and has also been infamous for releasing albums between large periods of time, but with rewarding results.  So this album had a ton of pressure on it in my mind.  I am glad to say, I'm very happy with it.

With Ghosts I-IV, The Slip, and How to Destroy Angels, Trent Reznor seemed to be accepting his role as an independent minimal artist.  With this album however, he returned to a major label and released a full length LP.  No disrespect to How to Destroy Angels or those other two albums, I did enjoy those but I wouldn't have wanted NIN to stay like that forever.  At the same time, Hesitation Marks doesn't sound like a desperate return to an earlier period, it is entirely original sounding and melds a type of minimalism with NIN's classic dense layering.

The album opens with the track The Eater of Dreams, an instrumental prologue containing little more than a dark ambient pulse and distorted lyrics.  At the climax it leads directely into Copy of A, a slightly minimal but fast paced song to kick things off.  In it Reznor laments being a copy of a copy of a copy, a product of outside forces.  The synth that kicks in during the chorus adds a dramatic feel that also reminds me slightly of something that might be found in a Radiohead song.  Lindsay Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac makes his first appearance in this song, playing guitar during the connecting segment between the chorus and the second verse.

Next up is Came Back Haunted, the album's lead single.  The song is very bouncy as Reznor tells of needing to hide something but being unable to help himself.  He experienced something dark and came back haunted to tell the tale.  The guitar work both in the second verses and the bridge are very NIN-y and declared to me a return to NIN form back when the song first came out.  This song also has a great music video directed by David Lynch to go with it.

Things slow down for a bit with the next song, Find My Way.  A very atmospheric and solemn song that accompanies a prayer to God.  In it, Reznor laments that he has gone astray and is determined to find his way.  A bed of underlying vocals creeps in during the second half and gives the song an almost angelic feel.

Things kick back up with All Time Low.  One of my favorites, it has a funky guitar and percussion, carrying a theme of indulging in the dark side of life, being another all time low.  The second half switches gears and sounds uplifting with a rising and falling synth as the vocals chant "stretch across the sky".  The change seems to either signify a rise out of the all time low and into the sky, or as the lyric "how did we get so high?" suggests, possibly replicating the feeling of being intoxicated and feeling a high.

The next track Disappointed begins with a minimal gallopy beat as layers creep in and out throughout the song.  Reznor seems to either be attacking people who are disappointed in him, or is giving a sardonic portrayal of someone who has disappointed many and is mocking them.  An unidentifiable stringed instrument plays in the outro in the same melody as the vocals.

Everything is possibly the most controversial song to hit the NIN fanbase.  The song sounds uncharacteristically happy and upbeat for something composed by Trent Reznor.  With a punk rock sound, Reznor sings "I survived everything".  A falling guitar riff reminiscent of The Cure is present in the second verse as he sings "wave goodbye, wish me well".  The outro begins to sound far away as Reznor continues "I am home, I am free, I believe".  It's hard to tell if this song is meant to be a genuine declaration of triumph or a sort of false redemption.

Satellite is another favorite of mine on the album.  A very poppy and dancable track that also sounds uncharacteristic of Nine Inch Nails.  As many have pointed out, the song's theme of being spied on by satellites is almost eerie seeing how it came out around the time of the NSA spying controversy.  The song is extremely catchy and the second chorus vocal harmonies remind me of a 90s era dance track.  In the latter portion, the song grows more sinister, repeating "I know you're up there somewhere".  The poppiness of this track and the previous track could perhaps be explained by the fact that they were the first two songs written and were originally planned for an NIN best-of pack that Reznor owed to Interscope.  Nonetheless, it is a fantastic song.

Starting with Various Methods of Escape, the album becomes more centered and focused on Trent Reznor as a person in the present.  Minimal in the versus and heavy in the chorus, the lyrics reflect on the difficulty of freeing oneself from life's difficult vices.  The bridge gets quiet in a style similar to Mr Self Destruct as he repeats "I think I could lose myself in here".  It then builds back up and leads into the next track.

The next track, Running, starts with a fast paced but subdued sounding gallop.  The protagonist is running from something in their life but is quickly running out of places to hide.  The synth plugin from Copy of A rejoins during the chorus.  Much of the song rides the line "I'm running out of places I can hide from this".  The song is a good standalone track while also serving as a sort of connector between Various Methods of Escape and I Would For You.

I Would For You is an intense track, with a chaotic thumping bass in the verses, and a heavy guitar with shouting in the choruses.  The synth from Running and Copy of A rejoins this song during the second verse.  I am interested who the "you" is that Reznor is willing to become someone else for.  His wife and kids?  Even God perhaps?  The songs strips down to a piano riff for the outro, leading directly into In Two.

In Two is one of the most violent sounding songs on the album.  Very chaotic beats accompany chopped up lyrics of a conversation between two different personalities.  One urges the protagonist to shed his skin and save himself.  The other urges him to become his disease.  Distorted vocals then chant about nature being violent and how that was someone else.  Lindsay Buckingham's guitarwork jumps in with a falsetto voice saying "it's getting harder to tell the two of you apart".  The bridge once again gets silent and repeats "I just don't know anymore".  It builds once more to a climax filled with rapidly changing synths and quickly spills into the final full song.

At the end of the album is the final song split across two tracks.  The bulk of the song is While I'm Still Here.  This song is mellow but dead serious, as Reznor seems to reflect on his life and confronts the idea that he will die someday, contrasting the earlier chants of "we will never die" in All Time Low.  More wonderful guitarwork by Buckingham and a smooth outro saxophone add to the ambiance of the song.  The final track is an instrumental outro to the song called Black Noise.  The loop from the previous song continues but something sounds different.  The baseline has become much more sinister as a wall of horrifying sound creeps in and devours everything.  Building to a loud climax, it suddenly cuts out, ending the song and album abruptly.

That is Hesitation Marks, a satisfying Nine Inch Nails album following years of build up.  Well done Mr Reznor!

Review: The Nine Inch Nails Catalog

Pretty Hate Machine
Rating: 4 Stars (Silver)    * * * *




Broken
Rating: 4 Stars (Silver)    * * * *




The Downward Spiral
Rating: 6 Stars (Diamond)  * * * * * *




The Fragile
Rating: 5 Stars (Gold)    * * * * *




With Teeth
Rating: 4 Stars (Silver)    * * * *




Year Zero
Rating: 5 Stars (Gold)    * * * * * 




Ghosts I-IV
Rating: 3 Stars (Blue)     * * *




The Slip
Rating: 4 Stars (Silver)    * * * *



Nine Inch Nails is one of my favorite music artists, if not my favorite.  No other artist is as consistent in delivering quality material for years.  On top of that, NIN albums are fulfilling to buy because of their beautiful packaging and artwork.  In order to review the newest album, which I'll do in the next post, I'm first going to review the catalog up to this point.

The debut album is Pretty Hate Machine, showing the early roots of NIN.  The sound of the album is early industrial and synthpop.  The songs Head Like a Hole, Down In It, Sin, and Ringfinger are my favorites on this album.  It is catchy, but is slightly inhibited by the self loathing lyrics at points, like on the song That's What I Get.  Still a great album.

The next is the Broken EP, a short but intense album.  This is the start of the sound that NIN is most known for, an intense burst of industrial rock anger.  The song Wish won Trent Reznor a grammy, though for me the best songs are Last, Happiness in Slavery, and Gave Up.  There also exist two cover songs as bonus tracks, both of which are great stuff.  This EP's orange and black inner artwork is some of the neatest I've seen.

Next is NIN's most successful and one of my favorite albums of all time, The Downward Spiral.  The album is a dark masterpiece, with each song sounding profound and being organized in the perfect way to give the album flow.  The lyrics tell a story of a protagonist descending his own personal downward spiral, starting with Mr Self Destruct and ending with Hurt at the bottom of the spiral.  This album also spawned Closer, the most successful single of NIN's.

After a long period which were Trent Reznors darkest days, eventually The Fragile appeared, an atmospheric double album that was met with some controversy because of it's initial inaccessibility to the listener.  The album is still somewhat infamous for dropping from no 1 on the billboards in the first week.  However, the album sold well over time and was met with good reviews, and remains a favorite among dedicated NIN fans, including myself.  Somewhat Damaged, The Wretched, We're In This Together, Even Deeper, La Mer, Into The Void, Where is Everybody?, StarFuckers Inc, and The Big Come Down are my favorite songs on the album.  It would be wonderful if double album epics like this and Pink Floyd's The Wall were more common, though sadly they are difficult to make and aren't the most marketable form of album.

After yet another long period in which Reznor became sober and reinvented himself and NIN, With Teeth showed up, with the intial title of Bleedthrough.  With Teeth is the era I was most familiar with of NIN when I first discovered them (or rather him).  The album has a stripped down raw sound compared to NIN's earlier albums, being less focused on being a sprawling epic like The Downward Spiral and The Fragile, and more on being a collection of songs that happen to fit together.  Some might say this is NIN's safest and most marketable album.  The first half could probably be described that way, though the tail end starting with The Line Begins to Blur becomes very experimental and much more daring.  While still having a dark tone, the album is a nice tribute to Reznor's rise from the ashes that he faced.

Soon after, an alternate reality game with the theme "art is resistance" showed up everywhere, foreshadowing the release of Year Zero.  Much more daring and dense than With Teeth, this album takes on a heavily political tone, Reznor focusing not so much on his own journey this time, but on what he believes is right.  He does this tactfully and creatively, with the lyrics painting a picture of a dystopian future of the United States following what Reznor saw as the unfortunate path it was heading down.  The album is very dancible as well as challenging but rewarding after several listens.  The Good Soldier, Vessel, Me I'm Not, Capital G, The Warning, God Given, Meet Your Master, In This Twilight, and Zero-Sum are my favorites.  I would put this in NIN's top 3 easily.

After this, Trent Reznor departed from Interscope Records and spent some time as an independent musician and working on several different projects.  The first was Ghosts I-IV, a completely instrumental double album (or rather a quadruple EP depending on how you look at it).  Overall I would say this is the weakest album by NIN, but only because it is missing lyrics and isn't quite as great of an experience as works that have Reznor's voice.  However, the instrumentals are great stuff, ranging from quiet introspective pieces, to high energy jams.  The thing I adore about this album is the packaging.  Each song has an associated piece of artwork.  On top of that, the physical release came in the form of several tiers, the Standard, Deluxe, and Ultra Deluxe Editions; with the Ultra Deluxe being perhaps one of the prettiest packages to hold an album.  Plus it was signed by Reznor himself, which is pretty sweet.  Sadly I did not get a hold of one of these things.

Finally, the last album in this review is The Slip, the final album that NIN put out while working independently of a record label.  The album's first half is hard hitting while the second half is instrumental and atmospheric, aside from the final song.  The album was completely free upon release, making it hard to call this a waste even if it were a bad album.  However it is nice, with my favorites being Discipline, Echoplex, Head Down, and Demon Seed.

Next up is the review of the newest album just released, Hesitation Marks!

Something New

I haven't made a post here in awhile.  I don't think anyone even reads this, but I feel like I should start writing again for personal fulfillment.  In my own life there hasn't been a whole lot going on that's interesting to read or write about.  I mostly like writing about abstract things that don't directly pertain to my life anyway.

The biggest thing jumping out to write about right now is the federal government shutdown.  On one hand though it almost seems too obvious to write about that.  I'm not sure how much new information I'd have to offer regarding it, but I guess I could muse on what I think caused it and what could be drawn from it.  It seems to be a mixture of stubbornness and too much blind adherence to an ideology.

I have not read the "Obamacare" health act, but I've heard bits and pieces of what it is made up of.  The more reliable sources don't seem to me to paint a picture of something that is something worth gambling a government shutdown over.  Also, either way it was voted on and enacted in accordance to the principles of democracy, and so it would seem to me that it's opponents ought to admit defeat and let us try it out.  But the blind adherence to the republican ideology does not let them be open minded enough to do that, so they have to play the game of trying to strike it down by any means necessary.  After 40 attempts to repeal it, they found it wouldn't work so they did a work around to defund it and it backfired horribly.  One could say the democrats in the senate are to blame for not passing the act, but in my opinion they did the right thing by not budging.  It seems apparent to me that the shutdown is on the backs of the republicans.

But it is what it is.  From what it sounds like, the consequences won't be as extreme as a government shutdown might suggest.  Eventually they will agree on a budget plan and resume business as usual.  But the idea of the end of the US government is kind of fun to think about, as it would be a very significant event, one that could potentially mean the end of the nation of the United States of America.  Part of me would welcome something like that, it would be interesting to follow and it would force people to become engaged, including me.  The US seems to be almost bored as a society.

To me, the whole thing as well as most of the events in politics lately have reflected the need to see things from outside of one's determined ideology.  The ability to see things from the other side.  I do not see this going on in American society as a whole, especially from conservatives.  I usually act moderately and say that both sides are in the wrong, but the close mindedness from the right in particular as of late seems to be significantly larger.  Some beliefs about Obama and Obamacare sound completely ridiculous and unfounded.
Anyhow, I'll end this post now.  Hopefully there will be more soon.

Review: Cherry Poppin Daddies Album Catalog

Cherry Poppin' Daddies have become one of my favorite groups as of late.  In light of their recent album, I thought I'd review the whole album catalog.



Rating: 6 Stars (Diamond)  * * * * * *





Rating: 4 Stars (Silver)    * * * *





Rating: 4 Stars (Silver)    * * * *





Rating: 3 Stars (Blue)     * * *





Rating: 4 Stars (Silver)    * * * *




Rating:  5 Stars (Gold)    * * * * *

I got into the Cherry Poppin Daddies probably a little over a year ago when I remembered an old video of Zoot Suit Riot that I saw when I was younger.  I bought both it and the song Brown Derby Jump off the compilation album.  Eventually I bought and listened to each of their albums over the past couple months and just recently bought and listened to their newest one, White Teeth Black Thoughts.

To start, their debut album Ferociously Stoned is my favorite of theirs and one of my favorite albums of all time at the moment.  The chaotic swingrock mixed with jazz found in Drunk Daddy, Master and Slave, and Dr Bones is addictive as is the psychadelic in Answering Machine, Suicide Kings, and Diabolic Tastemaker. Shake Your Lovemaker is also irresistibly catchy.

Their next album Rapid City Muscle Car is an interesting concept, with virtually every song being of a different genre than the one before it, though the overall theme is still mostly swing.  It has some awesome tracks, my favorites being The Search, Chrysalis, Ding Dong Daddy, Mister White Keys, Pink Elephant, and Johanna of the Spirits.  However overall it doesn't feel quite as solid as Ferociously Stoned.

The next record, Kids on the Street, is kind of the oddball of the entire Cherry Poppin Daddies records.  The only remotely swing or jazz sounding track that sounds like what dominated the first two records is Here Comes the Snake.  The rest is much more straightforward punk rock or almost grungy.  Nice overall, my faves are Cosa Nostra, Modsquadrophrenia, and Don Quixote.  I like what they were going for with this one, even though it stands out like a sore thumb next to the others.

Soul Caddy is the album that I can't really get into as a whole.  The album was their first to follow the fame they achieved with Zoot Suit Riot.  I like Swingin' With Tiger Woods and My Mistake, and the album has more of the Cherry Poppin Daddies feel than the previous album, but it just didn't grow on me even after several listens.  Not a bad album definitely, but it shines dimmer than the others.

Susquehanna marked a return from hiatus after the Daddies seem to have almost intentionally fled from the fame that was starting to find them from Zoot Suit Riot.  The album has some swing and rock that the Daddies were known for, but theres a running flavor of spanish music and ska in the album.  Favs are The Mongoose and the Snake, Blood Orange Sun, White Trash Toodle-Oo, and Wingtips.  Theres a clever stunt on the album where the first track Bust Out, and the final track Arrancate are in fact the same song, with Bust Out being in English and Arrancate being in Spanish.

Finally their newest album is White Teeth Black Thoughts.  I was very excited for this album because it was a return to swing and jazz which they hadn't focused on in awhile.  I admit the album is still in the process of growing on me since I haven't listened to it nearly as much as the other albums yet so I may be a bit hasty in giving it 5 stars, but I can tell that it is a very well made album and I'm sure it will be a favorite.  The Babooch, I Love American Music, Whiskey Jack, and Concrete Man Blues are extremely catchy and already among my favorites of the Daddies, and the rest sound solid from my listens thus far.

Thus concludes my review of the body of work from the Cherry Poppin Daddies.  Hope to hear more from them in the future, and I'd love to be able to catch one of their live shows!

Top 8 Largest Banknote Denominations (In Terms of Real Value)

There are banknotes that have gigantic nominal value but little real value, such as the Zimbabwean 100 trillion dollar note and the Hungarian 1 sextillion pengo note.  But there also exist banknotes which are amoung my favorite of all time that have rather large nominal value, as well as gigantic real value (aka you can buy a ton with just one note).  The face value in US$ I mention refers only to it's value in US dollars at face value, and not its value when its price as a collectors item is considered.

These are the Top 8 Largest Banknote Denominations (In Terms of Real Value)




8. - The United States 5,000 dollar note


Face value in US$: $5,000

I've written about large denomination currency in the US several times already, but the US used to issue dollar bills much larger than $100.  Number 8 on the list is the $5,000 bill.  Featured is the portrait of US President James Madison.  Yes, there will be other larger US dollar bills on this list, as the United States has printed quite large value denominations in comparison to other nations.




7. - The Brunei 10,000 dollar note



Face value in US$: $8,091

While most modern nations have stopped issuing currency of denominations this large into general circulation out of fear of money laundering and other reasons, the nations of Brunei and Singapore defy this trend.  The Brunei $10,000  bill is the tied as largest banknote that is still regularly printed by its nation's central bank and released into circulation.  It is also the worlds most valuable banknote that's made of polymer as opposed to paper.  The portrait of Sultan Hassanal Bolkia is on the note, the currently long ruling leader of Brunei.




6. - The Singapore 10,000 dollar note



Face value in US$: $8,091

Now this is actually tied with the Brunei $10,000 bill and has the same exact real value, but I put this at one position higher due to the Singapore dollar being the more widely used of the two currencies.  The Singapore $10,000 bill is often cited as the most valuable banknote, though it is pegged in value to the Brunei dollar, and there do exist more valuable banknotes that are either no longer printed or have only been issued internally.  The man on the bill is Yusof bin Ishtak, the first president of Singapore.  All denominations of Singapore dollar bills are in different colors, and this one is appropriately printed in gold.



5. - The United States 10,000 dollar note


Face value in US$: $10,000

Yep here it is yet again, the US $10,000 bill.  The portrait is of Salmon Chase, the secretary of the treasury under Abraham Lincoln and the man who designed the first set of US banknotes.  This bill is notable for being the largest denomination of dollar bill issued to the public in the United States (but not the largest printed ever).  Like most denominations of the dollar above $100, this bill was mostly used for payments between large banks and businesses, but ceased production amid fears of organized crime and carrying large bills like this one.



4. - The Thailand 500,000 baht note


Face value in US$: $16,743

This banknote was a comemmorative banknote in Thailand and possibly the most valuable banknote that is legal to be owned by an individual as opposed to a bank of government.  The largest regular issue of banknote in Thailand is the 1,000 baht note and so this is a tremendous jump from what is typically used as legal tender in Thailand.  This note was issued to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Royal Wedding of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit, and was issued both in 50 baht and 500,000 baht.




3. - The United States 100,000 dollar note


Face value in US$: $100,000

This is the third time this bill has shown up in my blog but this should be the last time for awhile.  The third largest bill in existence and the largest denomination of the US dollar in existence is the $100,000 bill.  Only printed as part of the 1934 gold certificate series, it's only been used for payments between federal reserve banks and the US treasury.  Woodrow Wilson's portrait is on the bill.  It is unknown how many of these bills are still in existence, as the federal reserve is known to still holds billions of dollars in gold certificates.




2. - The United Kingdom 1,000,000 pound note


Face value in US$: $1,552,100

Now we arrive at the absolutely gargantuan value banknotes that are not well known to many, and to most a banknote of this value seems completely absurd.  However, they do indeed exist.  The reason for this bill's existence is due to an anomaly in the British banking system.  The Banks of Scotland and Northern Ireland are permitted to issue their own version of the British pound, but in order to ensure public confidence in their ability to be used in transactions, the Bank of England (the central bank in the UK) requires that every pound issued by these national banks be backed pound for pound by Bank of England issued pounds.  Therefore the Bank of England holds banknotes in its vaults of enormous value, including the 1 million pound banknote denomination.  Within the Bank of England, these are named "giants" and there are 4,000 of them printed.




1. - The United Kingdom 100,000,000 pound note

Face value in US$: $155,210,000

In addition to the 1 million pound banknote, the Bank of England also has stashed away 40 banknotes for the same purpose named "titans" with a value of 100 million pounds each.  Whereas the 1 million pound note is A5 in size, the 100 million pound note is the larger A4 size.  This is by far the largest (known) banknote in the world in terms of real value.  I think it's pretty fascinating that such a giagantic amount of value can be legally assigned to a single piece of paper.

Belated Intro to 2013

Haven't written about anything in awhile.  There's been plenty of events that I could write about but I haven't been in the writing mindset.  So here goes my attempt to get back into the swing of writing.  I've since moved to Flagstaff to attend Northern Arizona University as a graduate student, but it's not looking things are going to work out here.  So here I am in my expensive apartment as I finish up this semester.  I guess I'll be able to say that I at least tried instead of wondering down the road if I could've done something better by going to grad school.

Heather's gotten pregnant since I last wrote.  That's changed the direction of a lot of things.  I was originally going to room with her but instead I'm living up here alone now.  That would've lead to a huge set of problems if I moved in while she's going through that.  I'm not sure where that's going to go in the future.  That's part of the reason I didn't want to stay in Phoenix.

I've been kind of down since moving here.  It's extremely difficult making friends when you know absolutely nobody within over a hundred miles.  I've managed to be social and young life and mostly Christian based groups but not much outside of that.  Since I'm only in one class and everyone's significantly older than me in that class, and I don't have a job, it seems that I don't have very many outlets to meet people.  Hopefully that'll pick up soon.

Seems my personal blogs tend to be kind of depressing.  Guess I mostly feel like writing stuff when I'm not too happy about things.

Top 15 Hottest Chili Peppers

Lately I've been following Chili peppers as new ones continue to be created and new ones take the title of "worlds hottest", and so I'm inspired to assemble a Top 15 Hottest Chili peppers as the list currently stands.  The list is fairly approximate as there is variance in how hot each individual pepper is compared to other peppers of the same type.  I'm also attempting to include some that have not been formally tested for heat but are generally accepted to be some of the hottest out there.

# 15 - Habanero

Average Scoville Units: Approx 100,000

The common habanero is a good way to start off the list.  Back about a decade ago this wouldve been considered one of the hottest if not the hottest pepper in the world.  However, though still an ultra hot pepper, it's been dethroned in recent years by newly cultivated peppers that destroy it in terms of heat.  Still a popular pepper for spicy foods and one of the hotter peppers that I've personally had.



#14 - Red Savina

Average Scoville Units: Approx 400,000

Essentially a redder and much hotter class of habanero.  This was the world record holder for hottest pepper prior to 2007 when it was dethroned by the Naga Jolokia, also known as the Ghost Pepper.



#13 - Trinidad 7 Pot

Average Scoville Units:  Approx 700,000

A chili from Trinidad fairly recently discovered.  It's name comes for the fact that one of these peppers is sufficient to heat up 7 pots of food.  Closely related to the Trinidad Scorpion.



#12 - Naga Morich

Average Scoville Units:  Approx 800,000

I think of this as the Ghost Peppers little brother.  Is part of the Naga family of peppers and considered to be milder than the Jolokia variety.



#11 - Trinidad Scorpion

Average Scoville Units:  Approx 900,000

Another of the family of peppers from Trinidad.  This pepper served as the base for some of the hottest crossbreeds of peppers in the world.



#10 - Naga Jolokia

Average Scoville Units:  Approx 1,000,000

Known commonly as the Ghost Pepper, this is probably the most well known of the top tier chilis.  The world record holder for hottest pepper from 2007 until 2010 when pepper growers started creating crossbreeds that exceeded it.  Grown in India and sometimes used in curry, this pepper is probably the worlds hottest naturally occuring pepper.  I've eaten one whole and it was easily the hottest pepper I've had, with a burn that incapacitated me for the next hour and a half or so.



#9 - Infinity Chili

Average Scoville Units:  Approx 1,200,000

Artifically bred chili and the first to surpass the Ghost Pepper.  This pepper held the world record for only a week before being surpassed by the Naga Viper.



#8 - 7 Pot Douglah

Average Scoville Rating:  Approx 1,250,000

I don't really know much about this other than that it is a much hotter version of the 7 Pot.  A popular chili for growers ordering seeds online.


#7 - Naga Viper

Average Scoville Units:  Approx 1,300,000

Big brother of the Ghost Pepper.  These peppers were artifically bred in England and held the record for several months before being usurped by the Trinidad Scorpion Butch T.  These are evidentally a crossbreed between a Naga Jolokia and a Trinidad Scorpion.



#6 - 7 Pot Brain Strain

Average Scoville Units:  Approx 1,350,000

Hottest of the 7 Pot family.  Believed to be closely related to and is often confused with a Trinidad Moruga Scorpion.



#5 - Trinidad Scorpion Butch T

Average Scoville Units:  Approx 1,400,000

Much hotter class of Trinidad Scorpion.  Technically still the Guiness World Record holder for hottest chili pepper, though there do exist hotter that are not yet recognized.  Named after Butch Taylor, a famous chili grower.  Is said to have a floral flavor, having a perfumey taste followed by incomprehensible heat.



#4 - Carolina Reaper

Average Scoville Units:  Approx 1,500,000

Also called HP22B in the chili circles.  Brand new pepper thats been unveiled online, with the grower presenting it as the new worlds hottest pepper.  However, there are still more peppers that appear to still be ahead of this pepper in terms of heat.



#3 - Trinidad Moruga Scorpion

Average Scoville Units:  Approx 1,700,000

Hottest variety of Trinidad Scorpion and the hottest pepper that has been offically been tested for its scoville rating.  A bit of controversy surrounds this pepper since its average heat and range for heat are vastly different, with some peppers measuring as high as 2,000,000 and as low as 500,000 or so.  However, on average it does appear to be the hottest recorded pepper, though not recognized yet by Guiness.



#2 - Carolina Reaper Death Strain

Average Scoville Units:  Unknown (believed to be 2,000,000+)

The only evidence of this pepper's existence that I've found is the internet reviewer Ted the fire Breathing Idiot, who says that this pepper is the hottest strain of pepper that Ed Currie, the grower of the Carolina Reaper has in store.  Both claim that this pepper averages at least 2,000,000.  This pepper is still out of sight from the public aside from hints of its existence.



#1 - Jay's Ghost Scorpion

Average Scoville Units:  Unknown (possibly 2,200,000+)

A pepper that has popped up out of nowhere in recent weeks and is a crossbreed between a Naga Jolokia and Trinidad Scorpion Butch T grown by a farmer known only as "Jay".  No scoville tests have been done on it yet, but several reviews who have tried the obscure ultra-hot peppers, including Ted, who reviewed the Carolina Reaper Death Strain, agree that this is currently the hottest pepper out of all of them.

Skyfall

Rating: 5 Stars (Gold) * * * * *

I'd say the greatest of the Daniel Craig 007 movies, possibly one of the greatest Bond movies altogether.  Javier Bardem plays a very memorable villain, which is something that James Bond has been missing for quite awhile.

Looper and Argo

Looper: 3 Stars (Blue) * * *
I really enjoyed this movie.  However, there was a plot device in the second half that caused the movie to drop from amazing to just pretty good.  The concept was fantastic, but it had too much additional stuff put into it.  Had it not drifted into absurdity, this would have been a 5 star movie.  As expected, Joseph Gordon Levitt and Bruce Willis are great, and theres also a great performace by Jeff Daniels.



Argo: 5 Stars (Gold) * * * * *

I went into this not really knowing what to expect, but I left with the feeling "that was a great movie".  Which I'd say makes it worthy of 5 stars.  Based on a true story, though I need to look up how accurate it is.  Either way, very entertaining, informative, and overall great.  Tons of great actors, especially Ben Affleck and Bryan Cranston.

Complete Guide to the Coins and Bills of the US Dollar

Most people that know me know that I'm a currency enthusiast, and my favorite physical currency is my own home currency, the United States Dollar.  Here I shall do a complete rundown of all denominations of the Dollar, ranging all the way from $0.005 to $100,000.


Coins





The $0.005 Coin (Half Penny): The smallest denomination of the dollar ever made.  This coin was made back in the 1800s when the dollar was worth significantly more than it is now, where the cent could actually buy you something.  Once a common coin, inflation rendered this coin practically worthless and it was gradually phased out of circulation.  However, if you were to find one today you could probably sell it for a pretty significant amount.  The obverse has a depiction of a generic "lady liberty" as was common in the 1800s, before it was considered proper to have depictions of existing people on your currency while the reverse has a design encircling the word "Half Cent".



The $0.01 Coin (Penny):  What today's American will think of when they think of the smallest division of the dollar.  This coin is commonly seen today and often thrown away when recieved as change.  Once made of copper, now made of an alloy of zinc and copper since the value of pure copper in a penny exceeds its own face value.  Calls have been made to cease production of this coin do to inflation rendering its value to nearly nothing.  The obverse has a depiction of Abraham Lincoln while the reverse has commonly had a depiction of the Lincoln Memorial though has changed recently to depict a sheild.  A long time ago, the coin also depicted a generic figure like the Half Penny.



The $0.05 Coin (Nickle): Also commonly used today, the coin depicts Thomas Jefferson on the obverse and commonly Monticello on the reverse, Jefferson's plantation, though this has changed as well throughout the years.  The "Liberty Head" series nickle from the 1800s is said to be one of the most valuable coins in the US in the eyes of collectors.



The $0.10 Coin (Dime): The name meaning "tenth" as in a tenth of a dollar.  This is actually the smallest US coin in terms of size but not value.  Dimes in the past were much larger and made of actual silver while moden coins are small, made of nickel, and depict Franklin D Roosevelt on the obverse, and a torch on the reverse.



The $0.25 Coin (Quarter): The name referring to its value being a quarter of a dollar.  The most commonly used coin in the US today.  Most popularly has George Washington on the obverse and a bald eagle on the reverse, though the past decade saw the "state" series where the reverses of the coins depict each state in the US.



The $0.50 Coin (Half Dollar): One of my favorite coins and one that sadly doesn't see very much use.  The half dollar is the largest coin still minted by the US and depicts John F Kenndy on the obverse and the Great Seal of the United States on the reverse.  Though this is the largest coin still minted in the US, the largest ever minted in the US was the Dwight D Eisenhower dollar in the 70s.



The $1.00 Coin (Dollar Coin):  An uncommonly used yet increadibly frequently redesigned coin, the most recent being the gold colored dollars with each of the presidents depicted on them.  There have been many attempts to get this coin to replace the $1 bill, though all of them proving unsucessful.  This is the highest denomination of coin minted in the US today.  Prior versions of this coin were the Susan B Anthony Silver Dollar and the Sacagawea Gold Dollar. 



The $2.50 Coin (Quarter Eagle): The first of the discontinued, ultra-rare, solid gold, and presently extremely valuable high denomination coins.  The Eagle is a slang term meaning "Ten Dollars" so the name Quarter Eagle means a quarter of ten dollars, or $2.50.  All coins of this denomination and higher depicted generic portraits, being of a generic Native America, or a generic Lady Liberty.



The $5.00 Coin (Half Eagle):  Worth half an Eagle, or $5.  These coins contained what was at the time, their face value in gold, which today is FAR higher than what their face value was at the time.  This combined with their extreme historical value, can cause these Eagle coins to be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to collectors today.



The $10.00 Coin (Eagle):  Same as the other Eagles, but worth $10.  The reverse depicts the Great Seal of the United States and the words "Ten Dollars".



The $20.00 Coin (Double Eagle):  The highest denomination of coin ever issued for general circulation in the US.  These can go for stellar amounts of money at collector auctions today.





Bills




The $1 Bill: Probably the most common form of the dollar in circulation.  The $1 Bill is interesting since it is probably the bill that has changed design the least amount of times since it was introduced, aside from the $2 Bill.  The bill has virtually no anti-counterfeiting measures and has George Washington on the obverse, and the famous "All Seeing Eye" and Great Seal on the reverse.



The $2 Bill: The rarest dollar bill that is still printed regularly by the US.  The two has Thomas Jefferson on the obverse and the signing of the Declaration of Independence on the reverse.  Rarely used due to it's unusual denomination and rarity.



The $5 Bill: Commonly used bill today, the lowest of the bills that saw redesign in the last decade.  Has a watermark and various features to prevent counterfeiting.  Has Abraham Lincoln on the obverse and the Lincoln Memorial on the reverse, just like the Penny.  This bill was also released as part of the Silver Certificate Series in the early 1900s, where it could be redeemed for its face value in silver.



The $10 Bill: Common bill that has first Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton on the obverse and the Treasury Building on the reverse.  Has the same anti-counterfeiting features as the $5.  This bill was also released as part of the Silver Certificate Series in the early 1900s, where it could be redeemed for its face value in silver.



The $20 Bill: Another of the most commonly used bills in the US.  Has Andrew Jackson on the obverse and the White House on the reverse.



The $50 Bill:  Slightly less commonly used bill.  Has General and President Ulysses S Grant on the obverse and the Capitol on the reverse.




The $100 Bill:  The highest denomination of dollar that is still printed regularly today, though far from the highest dollar bill in general.  Has Benjamin Franklin on the obverse and Independence Hall on the reverse.  This bill was also the lowest denomination of the elusive 1934 Gold Certificate Series, which was money that was only to be used by the Federal Reserve and Treasury and was created to replace the gold bullion held by the Federal Reserve when the US was preparing to leave the Gold Standard.



The $500 Bill: The lowest of the large denomination bills that are not printed today.  The obverse has President William Mckinley on the obverse and an abstract design that reads "Five Hundred Dollars" on the reverse.




The $1,000 Bill: The rare $1,000 bill has Grover Cleveland on the obverse and an abstract design that reads "One Thousand Dollars" on the reverse.  This bill was also included in the 1934 Gold Certificate Series, which had a gold colored seal and had a gold colored reverse.



The $5,000 Bill:  Possibly the most valueable dollar bill to collectors due to the fact that there are actually a fewer number of these than $10,000 bills.  The obverse has President James Madison and the reverse has an abstract design that reads "Five Thousand Dollars".




The $10,000 Bill: The highest denomination of currency that was released for use into general circulation in the US.  The obverse has Cheif Justice and Treasurer Salmon P Chase on the obverse and an abstract design on the reverse that reads "Ten Thousand Dollars".  This bill was also included in the 1934 Gold Certificate Series, which had a gold colored seal and had a gold colored reverse.



The $100,000 Bill:  The king of bills and the king of denominations.  The $100,000 was only printed as part of the 1934 Gold Certificate series and thus could only be used by the Federal Reserve and the Treasury.  This gigantic bill has President Woodrow Wilson on the obverse and an abstract design on the reverse that reads "One Hundred Thousand Dollars".  The bill, including the seal, serial numbers, and entire reverse feature gold ink being Gold Certificate series, which adds to the valuable appearance of the bill.  The Federal Reserve has admitted to holding over ten billion dollars in Gold Certificates to this day, and so there are probably still many of these in existence, though only held by the Treasury and Fed.



This concludes my guide to the United States Dollar.  :)