Of Shutdowns and Credit limits

With the US government shutdown moving into the third week, the fear of US defaulting for the first time in history has intensified. The credit limit set at $16.7 trillion will be reached by mid October -17^th the treasury presumes. The Republicans are using this predicament along with the recent deadlock over the fiduciary budget spending for the new fiscal year to delay Obama’s signature Healthcare policy – Obamacare.

The Deadlock:

The reason the US government is in a state of semi-paralysis is due to the senate’s inability to finalize the current continuing Resolution or CR. Republicans are using this opportunity to postpone the implementation of Obamacare and hence has proposed a bill to implement the budget cuts, the next fiscal year budget and to delay the healthcare plan by a year. The democrat controlled Senate however has refused to give in to the demands and has sent the bill back to congress for ‘Reconsideration’. Because of this, the government was unable to fund itself post 1^st October, their new fiscal year and has asked its 800,000 of 3.3 million strong workforce to stay at home (A bill was passed last week to give back-dated wages to about half of them).

Not all government functions were closed  from Oct. 1 — Social Security checks will still get mailed, and veterans' hospitals will stay open. But many federal agencies shut their doors and sent their employees home, from the Environmental Protection Agency to hundreds of national parks.

So in short, because of its inability to spend the government is unable to continue its less essential services like tourism, research, overseas embassies, etc.

( More details can be found at : http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/09/30/absolutely-everything-you-need-to-know-about-how-the-government-shutdown-will-work/)

The Credit Cliff :

In his letter to the US house speaker John Boehner, treasury secretary Jack Lew warned the congress that on October 17,US would reach its credit limit of $16.7 trillion. If the congress fails to  increase the limit, the government will have to survive on the 80 million payments accrued per day which is far from sufficient to meet the daily requirement – a whopping $60 trillion. Hence the request.

(FYI - Since 1960, Congress has raised the debt ceiling 78 times.)

Consequences of not increasing its borrowing limit - running out of money to pay its bills, increase in interest rates, crash in the value of dollar, gravely wounding the economy, and perhaps even throwing it back into recession.

However, the speaker Mr Boehner is using this opportunity to not only pressurize the democrats but also to trash the democrat’s reputation. He wants the people to realize that “The debt limit remains a reminder that, under President Obama, Washington has failed to deal seriously with America's debt and deficit."

Ultimately whether the shutdown is reverted or the debt limit increased, congress’s reputation has taken a major hit and has proved that it is impossible for the two parties to work cohesively.

The Search

All our young lives we search for someone to love. Someone who makes us complete. We choose partners and change partners. We dance to a song of heartbreak and hope. All the while wondering if somewhere, somehow, there's someone perfect, who might be searching for us.
 - Wonder years

Drink Aurora Borealis

This drink feels like a concoction from the outer space. A drink with a pink natural color but which glows aqua marine in black-light - the two main colors of Aurora Borealis. And here's the recipe for the drink - courtesy TCC: 

• 2 liters Gin or Vodka
• 9 Liters Tonic Water
• 3-4 Bottles Roses Mojito Passion, OR 3-4 Canisters of Pink-Lemonade Concentrate
• Ice

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Mix all ingredients together shortly before the party begins.
2. Add ice as late as possible before drinking.

Cheers!

Note : The actual drink will not contain stars and galaxy as depicted in the picture.

Math of Music

Have you ever wondered why our musical scales have twelve notes and not ten or eight? Why some notes sounds good or melodic together? Why most of us are able to identify when a note is out of place in a song even though most of us musically illiterate? Well folks, the answer lies in - Frequencies and ratios. 

In Western music, the primary reference tone is the pitch A - a frequency of 440 Hz. The next higher A in the musical scale is at frequency 880 Hz or 440 X 2 Hz. the difference of 440 Hz makes the two A an octave apart. Every octave is divided into twelve notes, the frequencies of which are mentioned in the table below.

A	440
B flat	466
B	494
C	523
C sharp	554
D	587
D sharp	622
E	659
F	698
F sharp	740
G	784
A flat	831
A	880

Lets consider the major triad - A, C# and E or the A chord.

Notice that A is 440 Hz. Now 440 X 3 = 1320 and 1320 / 2 = 660 ~ frequency for E. I.E. A and E are harmonically related  - 440 X 3 is E one octave above the note A - 440. 

For somewhat more arcane reasons, the interval between A and E, which is a frequency rise of 3/2, is called a fifth. The note 3/2 above E has frequency 988, which is an octave above B-494. Another 3/2 above that is approximately F sharp (740 Hz). Continuing in this fashion, multiplying frequencies by 3/2, and then possibly dividing by two, you can approximately trace the twelve notes of the scale. This progression is called the circle of fifths. The notion of key in music and a scale are based on this circle of fifths.

How is C# then part of the major triad?

440 × 5 ≈ 554 × 4 or C# is 3 octaves above A - 440. 

So A C# and E are harmonically related. Hence when you play the notes A C# and E together you find the resultant sound "musical".

In short,the human ear hears frequencies   and frequencies that are harmonically related tend to sound good together - they are consonant rather than dissonant. People prefer musical scales that have many consonant intervals. And such scales contains frequencies which equal the ratio of small integers ( 3/2  and  5/4 as in the case of major triads ). 

There are seven basic consonant intervals in the musical world - 

Basic Consonant Intervals

2/1	octave	harmonic inverse of 1/1
3/2	perfect fifth	harmonic inverse of 4/3
4/3	perfect fourth	harmonic inverse of 3/2
5/3	major sixth	harmonic inverse of 6/5
5/4	major third	harmonic inverse of 8/5
6/5	minor third	harmonic inverse of 5/3
8/5	minor sixth	harmonic inverse of 5/4

But why the number twelve in octave - not 20 or 10?

The answer is  - The twelve-tone equal-tempered scale is the smallest equal-tempered scale that contains all seven of the basic consonant intervals to a good approximation — within one percent.

This can bee seen below for the note C  

Number of Semitones	Interval Name	Notes	Consonant?	Simple ratio	Twelve notes Scale	Difference
0	unison	C-C	Yes	1/1=1.000	20/12=1.000	0.0%
1	semitone	C-C#	No	16/15=1.067	21/12=1.059	0.7%
2	whole tone	C-D	No	9/8=1.125	22/12=1.122	0.2%
3	minor third	C-Eb	Yes	6/5=1.200	23/12=1.189	0.9%
4	major third	C-E	Yes	5/4=1.250	24/12=1.260	0.8%
5	perfect fourth	C-F	Yes	4/3=1.333	25/12=1.335	0.1%
6	tritone	C-F#	No	7/5=1.400	26/12=1.414	1.0%
7	perfect fifth	C-G	Yes	3/2=1.500	27/12=1.498	0.1%
8	minor sixth	C-Ab	Yes	8/5=1.600	28/12=1.587	0.8%
9	major sixth	C-A	Yes	5/3=1.667	29/12=1.682	0.9%
10	minor seventh	C-Bb	No	9/5=1.800	210/12=1.782	1.0%
11	major seventh	C-B	No	15/8=1.875	211/12=1.888	0.7%
12	octave	C-C'	Yes	2/1=2.000	212/12=2.000	0.0%

My favorite melodic scale is B-minor. Here is a link for a B-minor arpeggio played over the Piano. 

Now or Never

For all those who always think twice before they act, who always doubt their actions, i believe these few lines from the most wise-men will motivate them- even if for a flicker of a moment.

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“Do what you feel in your heart to be right – for you’ll be criticized anyway.” 
― Eleanor Roosevelt
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“Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.” 
― Mark Twain

“In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.” 
― Robert Frost

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” 
― Eleanor Roosevelt, This is My Story

“Whenever I feel the need to exercise, I lie down until it goes away.” 
― Paul Terry

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” 
― H. Jackson Brown Jr.

“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.” 
― Oscar Wilde