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[originally written 29Aug2015]
Z for Zachariah (Craig Zobel, 2015)
Two of my favorite directors in the history of cinema are Béla Tarr and Yasujiro Ozu, the masters of "slow film". While I was watching Z for Zachariah, the new film from Craig Zobel (Compliance), I got the feeling throughout that Zobel is familiar with these two masters, and is working his way into slow-film-dom. I don't think he's quite there yet, but he's on the right path.
The film opens with Ann (Suite Française's Margot Robbie) seemingly the last person in America after some sort of nuclear disaster. (Where is never mentioned, though the area, and the city we see her scavenging in the beginning, looks like Pittsburgh and its surroundings; the accents have a Kentucky feel to them, however.) It's not long before we find out she's not alone; John Loomis (12 Years a Slave's Chiwetel Ejiofor), a scientist who's been holed up in an underground bunker, makes his way to the valley where Ann lives, and the two meet when she warns him about bathing in an irradiated pond. If you think you're the last two people alive, the inevitable happens, but it's complicated by their conflicting outlooks on life; Anne is a deeply religious preacher's daughter, while John is a dedicated rationalist. The biggest bone of contention is about getting electricity back to the valley; John can build a waterwheel that'll do the trick, but in order to do so, he needs the wood from Ann's father's chapel. As if there aren't complications enough, a third party enters the valley: Caleb (Chris Pine, the latest incarnation of Captain Kirk), whose worldview is much closer to Ann's, but with a pragmatic streak that makes him valuable philosophically to John as well. So, two guys and a gorgeous woman. You've seen this plot before.
The main difference, before I get into the whole slow film thing, is that Zobel and screenwriter Nissar Modi (Breaking at the Edge), working from Robert C. O'Brien's novel, give us finely-drawn characters whose decisions are usually intelligent and well-thought-out, even if things turn out badly given some of them. (And the ones that aren't are all easily explained by the stress of the situation.) The tl;dr version of this review, if that's all you're interested in, is that while not much happens during this movie, what does is compelling, and these are characters that are easily worth spending a couple of hours with.
You'll also want to stop reading here if you're extra-sensitive to spoilers; I don't go into specifics, but knowing some of the things below may give away critical pieces of the plot. Caveat lector.
And now for the rest of you: compelling characters in precise situations are the exact
methodology of slow film. The parallels to Tarr are more obvious here. This is a sere, joyless film. It's not depressing, really, aside from the initial premise. After all, it's essentially a movie about people falling in love. But even when John and Ann are lit by candlelight, she's trying innocent seductive tricks and he's being all angsty about whether he should take her up on it, there is not a second in this movie where you look at these two characters and say "they're the last two people alive" until Caleb shows up. (At which point, of course, you say "these are the last three people left alive." Even if both John and Caleb say that there were other survivors in the places they left; never once did I believe any of those survivors were still alive.) Aside from that, not only does the movie's theme, which is sporadically picked out on the old church organ by Ann, come straight out of the repertoire of Mihály Vig, Tarr's longtime musical accompanist, but he even wolfed down Tarr's film structure whole—a movie that is very slow for almost its entire length, but that contains a single scene of shocking violence. Unfortunately, Zobel veered off into the world of the Coen Brothers for that critical scene. And while it made sense to keep the violence offscreen in the climax of No Country for Old Men (after all, McCarthy wrote it that way for a reason—the death in question is not only inevitable, but by that time, so inconsequential to the movie's actual plot that showing it would have been gratuitous), here it lends itself to a little too much ambiguity. If the scene just before the cut hadn't been quite what it was, we might have known what happened. But here we are.
But for all that I see Tarr in every frame in this movie, the longer we stayed with these characters, the more Ozu I saw here. The gentleness the characters display even in what might be characterized as rougher scenes—the one I'm thinking of in particular occurs just after John discovers that Ann hasn't touched the valley's general store's beer supply—is much more Ozu than Tarr, who specialized in rough characters. It wouldn't be right to call even Zobel's backwoods rubes "refined", but their intelligence, manners, and problem-solving abilities would be far more at home in Floating Weeds than they would be in Werckmeister Harmonies. And because of that, I felt more empathy for them, which made me all the gladder that Zobel kept them as intelligent, sensitive, and overall gentle as he did.
This movie was a surprise indeed, and I hope, based on the box office from its limited release, it opens wider; this is a movie that deserves to be seen by far more people than currently have the chance to do so. ****
Trailer? Indeed!


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Neeraj Marwaha, HIET, India
Shivani Arora, Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, India
Syed Rizwan, Caledonian College of Engineering, India
A. K. Malik, B. K. Birla Institute of Engineering & Technology , India
S. Ramachandran, AMET University, India
Ali Ahammed.G, VTU Post Graduate Centre, India
B. K. Mishra, ,
S. V Sathyanarayana, JNN College of Engg, India
A.P Jagadeesh Chandra, Adichunchanagiri Institute of Technology, India
R Dhanasekaran, SYED AMMAL ENGINEERING COLLEGE, India
Neeta Baporikar, Namibia University of Science and Technology, India
Venkat Yalla, GIET Engineering College, India
D P Acharjya, VIT University, India
Bommanna Raja Kanakaraj, KPR Institute of Engg and Tech, India
Padma, PES College of Engineering, India
Murtaza Rizvi, National Institute of Technical Teachers' Training and Research, India
Sunmeet Banerjee, Kristu Jayanti College, India
Harshad Prajapati, Dharmsinh Desai University, India
Ashok K , BIET, India
Rana Mukherji, The ICFAI University, India
Geetha Mohan, Jerusalem College Of Engineering, India
Ramachandran Manikandan, SASTRA University, India
Manish Prateek, UPES, India
Santhi V, VIT University, India
Rajeev Kumar, Teerthanker Mahaveer University, India
B G Premsudha, Siddaganga Institute of Technology, India
Usha, R. V. College of Engineering, India
Karthikeyan J, SSM Institute of Engineering and Technology, India
Mallikarjun S Holi, University B.D.T. College of Engineering, India
Harish K S, Manipal Institute of Technology, India
Roopa G. M , BIET, India
Pushpa Kotipalli, Shri Vishnu Engineering College for Women, India
Rajini Kanth T V, Sreenidhi Institute of Science & Technology, India
R.C. Chhipa, ,
Mohit Verma, Amity University, India
Vinay Kandpal, ,
Pradeep Kumar Singh, Jaypee University of Information Technology, India
Madhu Viswanatham V, VIT University, India
Godfrey Winster Sathianesan, Saveetha Engineering College, India
M. V Vijayakumar, Dr. Ambedkar Institute of Technology, India
Prof Sunil Kumar B S, GM Institute of Technology, India
Rakesh L, Jain Institute of Technology, India
Arvind K Sharma, ,
Jayavardhana Gubbi, ,
Umesh Kumar, Vishveshwarya Group of Institutions, India
Srinivasan Arulanandam, MNM Jain Engineering College, India
Sasirekha V, Sri Sairam Institute Of Management Studies, India
Ravinder Chandok, ,
Ajay Somkuwar, Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, India
Vandana Tandon Khanna, K.J. Somaiya Institute of Management Studies and Research, India
Lakshminarayana Vemuri, Mohamed Sathak Engg. College, India
Asha Ambhaikar, Rungta College of Engineering & Technology, India
Vinutha H P, BIET, India
Brahm Sharma, AIMS Institute of Higher Education, India
Akhil Khare, MVSR Engineering College, India
Thirumaran J, Rathinam College of Arts and Science, India
Velmurugan T, D.G.Vaishnav College, India
Mohan, BGS health & Education CITY, India
Ikhtiar Ghumro
V. R. Sarma Dhulipala
|Prof. Dr. Aynur Unal,
Director, Member of the Executive Team, www.amteus.com
High Profile Supply Chains Professional of Silicon Valley, USA
Principal Consultant - Dubai Internet City, www.dubaiinternetcity.com
Stanford University, USA
|Prof. Dr Anirban Basu,
Consultant to PQR Software.
President of Advanced Computing and Communications Society (2006-2007).
President (2016-2017) of Computer Society of India.
|Prof. (Dr.) Ajith Abraham,
Director - Machine Intelligence Research Labs (MIR Labs)
Scientific Network for Innovation and Research Excellence
|Assoc. Prof. Ir. Dr. Aduwati Sali,
Deputy Director, Research Planning and Knowledge Management Division,
Research Management Centre (RMC)
UPM Serdang, Malaysia.
|Prof. Dr. Thinagaran Perumal,
Chair, IEEE Consumer Electronics Society, Malaysia
Unit Head, Cyber-Physical Systems,
Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia.
|Prof. Dr. Ing.- Jagdish Raheja,
Prof. AcSIR & Sr. Principal Scientist
Central Electronics Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-CEERI)
Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research,
Digital Systems Group (CEERI),India
|Prof. Pascal Lorenz,
University of Haute Alsace, France Vice-chair of the IEEE ComSoc Communications Software Technical Committee
Secretary of the IEEE ComSoc Communications Systems Integration and Modelling Technical Committee
|Dr. Madhan Kumar Srinivasan ,
Cloud IoT Expert | Business Analytics and Big Data Strategist
General Manager - Analytics Advisory & Lead IS Cloud/Big Data Analytics Offerings,
Accenture Innovation Center for Analytics,
Accenture Service Ltd., Bangalore
Founder Member, Cloud Computing Innovation Council of India (CCICI) - http://wiki.ccici.in/index.php/Founder_Members_of_CCICI
|Prof. Dr. Wang Lipo,
Associate Professor, School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering
College of EngineeringNanyang Technological University, Singapore
|Dr. Shashikant V. Albal,
Director, SSN School of Advanced Career Education
SSN School of Advanced Software Engineering
SSN Collage of Engineering, India
|Prof. Vivek S. Deshpande,
Chair, IEEE Communication Society,
Technical University of Sofia, Bulgaria
More details on the short courses will be provided soon. If you have any proposal to conduct the short-course, please write to: email@example.com.
SS02: Recent Trends In Microelectronics, Vlsi & Communication
SS03: Advancements In Computer Science And Information Technology
SS07: Parallel And Distributed Network-Based Computing System
SS08: Advancemences In Cloud Computing, Issues And Their Future Trends
G D Goenka Education City
School of Engineering
Sohna Gurgaon Road
Sohna, Haryana, India
G.D. Goenka University (GDGU) has emerged as a leading university in Delhi NCR, imparting high quality professional educational programs of international standards. The GD Goenka Education City built with the world's most advanced technology spread over 60 acres is situated in the picturesque foothills of the Aravalli Range, Sohna Gurgaon Road, just 29 kms from Delhi's International Airport. The high-tech Millennium City, Gurgaon and the National Capital Region are just a stone's throw away.
Watch Video: G.D. Goenka University Sohna Road Gurgaon
The University has the best of facilities, equipment including laboratories, dedicated video conference facilities, virtual learning facilities and fully equipped conference rooms. The University offers courses in Communication, Engineering, Fashion & Design, Hospitality, Humanities & Social Sciences, Architecture & Planning, Law and Management.
For More Details, Please Click on www.gdgoenkauniversity.com
Download: Detailed Technical Programme (Tentative) .
Registration fees can be paid by the paper authors only after the acceptance notification of the paper.
For India
For Other Countries
Authors (IEEE Member)
Student Authors
Invited Presentation
Conference Attendee/Listener
Extra Paper
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USD 200 / paper
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INR 500 / page
USD 50 / page
Addl. Certificate for Co-Author(s)
INR 1500 / each
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*Please note that Conference Attendee / Listener registration fee includes the full conference kit, including the certificate.
For Student Authors/Attendees
Students from overseas will get subsidized accommodation either in the college campus (hostel) or at the designated accommodation in place. Approx. (~70 participants sharing basis) available on first-come first-serve basis.
The registration fee, includes:
For Student Registration, student status verification is required either by a letter from the Institution or a scanned copy of the student card.
(a) All banking charges MUST BE borne by the participants.
(b) Please ensure that the Remitter's (Participant/Author) name, Paper-ID and the Purpose of remittance (Registration Fees) is clearly mentioned by the Remitter in the Funds Transfer Application.
(c) Registration fees do not include accommodation and travel.
Substitutions or cancellations should be made in writing on or before 1 September 2017. Refunds will be subjected to an administrative charge to be borne by the registrant. Bank charges that occur will also have to be borne by the registrant. Registrants wishing to cancel may send someone to take their place without penalty if they send a written request with the replacement person's name to secretariat at least two weeks prior to the event start date. No refunds will be made for cancellation or no-show after 1 September 2016.
Will be updated soon....
Gurgaon is located 30 km south of national capital New Delhi, about 10 kilometers from Dwarka sub-city and 268 km south of Chandigarh, the state capital. Over the past 25 years the city has undergone rapid development and construction. Gurgaon is one of Delhi's four major satellite cities and is part of the National Capital Region. It is within commuting distance of Delhi via an expressway and Delhi Metro. Gurgaon is the second largest city in the Indian State of Haryana and is the industrial and financial center of Haryana. It has the 3rd highest per capita income in India after Chandigarh and Mumbai. Gurgaon is also the only Indian city to have successfully distributed electricity connections to all its households. It is also the IT hub & centre of various BPO companies.Tourist Attractions in Gurgaon
Kingdom of Dreams
Kingdom of Dreams is India's first live entertainment, theatre and leisure destination. It is located in Sector 29, Gurgaon in NCR Delhi, near the Leisure Valley Park. The destination consists of two theatres, Nautanki Mahal and the Showshaa Theatre, and a cultural and cuisine area known as Culture Gully.
Sheetla Mata Mandir
The Sheetla Mata Mandir is one of the oldest temple in Gurgaon good Place for Hindu Religious people. It is historical temple, having roots to Acharya Drona Charya.
Sultanpur Lake Bird Sanctuary
Ten Km from Gurgaon and 42 km from Delhi, the place is a haven for bird lovers. It is a find of Peter Jackson, the world famous authority on bird watching. It was opened for tourists on 6th Feb. 1972. To this lonely and lovely retreat, flock the migrant birds from Europe and Siberia. These birds come here with the onset on winter and return when their colder homes have warmed up. Camping equipment like beds, Chairs, central tables, lights, stoves etc are available at site on hire at reasonable rates.
Sohna Sulphur Springs and Tourist Complex
The tiny town with pretty name, Sohna is credited with sulphur springs. This is situated in the heart of the town by the side of a perpendicular rock and is approachable only on foot through small narrow lanes where vehicles can not pass. The water is strongly sulphurate and its temperature varies from 46° C to 51.7° C. The hot water is believed to have curative effect on skin infections and diseases like gout and rheumatism. Hindus consider the tank sacred and come for a dip in its water on solar/lunar eclipse and Somavati Amavasya.
Ambience Mall
Ambience Mall also known as Ambi Mall, is located on the National Highway 8 (NH8) also called as Gurgaon Expressway. Ambience Mall Gurgaon is the biggest shopping mall destination comprising of an area of 18,00,000sq. ft. with variety of huge stores and mix of shops in the national capital region, making it currently the largest operational mall in India
Technical Queries
Dr. Usha Batra
General Chair – IC3TSN 2017 &
Head of Department,
Department of Computer Science Engineering,
G D Goenka University,
Sohna Road, Gurgaon 122103,
Haryana, India.
Email: email@example.com

subset: commoncrawl


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Puppets for Puppetry 2018: Recap and Photos
May 30, 2018 15:56
The Center for Puppetry Arts team recently visited Hollywood, where The Jim Henson Company hosted a fundraiser in our benefit! In addition to supporting the Center for Puppetry Arts, the event was also held to honor legendary Sesame Street puppeteer Caroll Spinney. It was an evening full of star performances, heartfelt speeches, laughter, happy tears, and, yes, lots of puppets! Here are some of the highlights:
Read More


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The ingredients are the same as for making s'mores; you just substitute marshmallow peeps for the marshmallows. We used the rabbit shapes.
Hershey bars
graham crackers
Marshmallow Peeps
Use 1/2 of a graham cracker as a base and layer with 1/2 of a Hershey bar and 1 peep. Since peeps tend to explode in the microwave and I had no desire to clean that up, we put ours in the oven at 350 degrees for 2 minutes, watching it carefully to make sure the peep didn't scorch. I suggest lining the cookie sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean up. After taking them out of the oven, put the other 1/2 of the graham cracker on top and enjoy!
Do you have a recipe to share? Link up below.


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September 21 is International Peace Day. It is a day for people across the world to come together to explore how we can achieve peace for all. One day is not nearly enough to engage in this important conversation. Peace is a topic that should be introduced from a young age and revisited constantly in order to help us move our thinking and actions forward.
There are some wonderful picture books that explore the concept of peace, including Karen Katz's Can You Say Peace? and Todd Parr's The Peace Book.
Can You Say Peace? is a simple picture book but powerful. It begins, "Today is Peace Day all around the world" and features children from many different places saying peace in their languages. The illustrations are beautiful and colorful, giving a sense of what each country is like. The illustration of the child is large-scale and sweet, allowing the reader to understand the humanity of that person.
Karen Katz wraps up the book by pointing out that all children, regardless of where they live, want the same thing, to be kids and to feel safe. This amazing picture book is accessible for very young kids. You can invite them to create their own version these pages for their own home countries, especially if they are not represented.
The Peace Book by Todd Parr is provides another great entry point into a conversation with young ones about what peace looks like in their lives. The different contexts he provides are easily relatable and introduce subtle differences among people. For example, peace is reading different types of books and listening to different types of music.
Todd Parr's book features diverse characters, who wear different types of clothing and have different bright colored faces, characteristic of all his books. The Peace Book is yet another one of his books to successfully introduce multiculturalism and celebrate diversity in a way that is accessibly for young kids.
Both Can You Say Peace? and The Peace Book are perfect for kids ages 3-6.
Click here to purchase copies of Can You Say Peace? and The Peace Book (affiliate links).


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Ember and the Future of Making Things
Ember, the Autodesk 3D Printer, made its debut earlier this year. Autodesk's goal behind Ember and its open platform, Spark, is to help fuel the manufacturing industrial revolution.
Along with the focus on Ember, Autodesk is looking at the Future of Making Things and how these two concepts can work together to create successful businesses and bring products to market faster. PLM 360 is helping to make this happen. Utilizing PLM 360 allows Autodesk to keep track of ECOs and variances for Ember as well as create documentation and keep track of their overall manufacturing.
Want to learn more about the Spark story and how 3D printing is impact the Future of Making Things? Read the full article here.


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... in holding my nephew
I found God in holding my six-week-old nephew. I was meeting him for the first time and immediately fell in love with him. I thought that surely God must look at us all the same way that I looked at my nephew – with a deep and everlasting love.
As I held my nephew and comforted him when he started crying, I realised that we all just long to be held and comforted by God, to know that we are being held safe. I could feel God holding and comforting me just as I was comforting my nephew.
We may not always see God, but occasionally we catch glimpses of his presence - in the kind words of a friend, or an inexplicably joyful day, or an answer to a prayer. That's how God shows us that he is there, holding us safe. When I rode the bus with my nephew in his pram, he started crying because he couldn't sense his parents' presence. His parents whispered "we're here." Just like his parents reassured my nephew of their presence, God reassures me of his presence time and again, reminding me that I am not alone.
Holding my nephew reminded me of just how much God loves me, and how he is holding me safe in his arms.


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A listing of planned events. Keep checking for updates.
Our Picnics
AAN has regular picnics alternating between parks around Sydney and occasionally on the Central Coast.
The aim of the picnics is for mixed Australian African families and couples to meet each other and hang out together.
AAN Committee members will attend so it's also a chance for you to talk to us about what you think AAN should be doing.
The next picnic is on:
Saturday 24 January 2015
2:00pm – 5:00pm
Waterplay Park, Steel Park, Illawarra Road, Marrickville
For more information or wet weather plans, call Suzanne on: 0401 869 106.
Other events
We have a dinner party about every three months, usually at an African Restaurant.
Check back in for the date of the next dinner
We also usually have an end of year party – keep an eye out for the dates.
How to find out what's on
- Sign up for our e-newsletter
- Join our Facebook group
- Check this website regularly
- Check the "What's on" page at www.africanoz.com.au.
Get involved
We'd love to hear your suggestions for other things AAN could do. If you have ideas for events, can suggest a good restaurant, or would like to help organise AAN activities, email email@example.com.


text:
Puk O, Dalke C, Favor J, de Angelis MH, Graw J. Variations of eye size parameters among different strains of mice.
Mamm Genome. 2006 Aug;17(8):851-7. Epub 2006 Aug 4.
Oliver Puk GSF-National Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg GERMANY
Jochen Graw GSF-National Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg GERMANY
With: Dalke C, Favor J, and Hrabě de Angelis M
|Oliver Puk firstname.lastname@example.com
|Funding provided by the German National Genome Network (NGFN; 01GR0103); performed within the European framework on mouse phenotyping (EUMORPHIA).
|Phenotype strain survey data set
|MPD identifiers
|Puk1 MPD:222
|No updates/corrections. Initial release date: 09/2009.
Click above to copy-paste the entire citation for this MPD web page.
|Summary of procedures that were conducted
|• organ dimensions
|Eye morphology.


text:
Sir Robert Laird Borden
Sir Robert Laird Borden
Sir Robert Laird Borden
Sir Robert Laird Borden (1854-1937) was a Canadian political leader and prime minister who guided his country through World War I and, through astute bargaining, achieved equal status for Canada with England within the Commonwealth.
Robert Borden was born at Grand Pré, Nova Scotia, on June 26, 1854, the descendant of prerevolutionary American émigrés. He was educated at the Acacia Villa Seminary in Horton, Nova Scotia, and as a youth he taught at the Glenwood Institute in Matawan, N.J. Returning to his native province in 1874, he began the study of law and was called to the bar in 1878. Borden practiced first in Halifax, then in Kentville, and then again in Halifax, where in 1889 he became head of his own law firm. He seemed headed for a successful career as a lawyer until he became interested in politics.
Party Leader
In 1896 Borden was elected to the House of Commons as a Conservative member for Halifax. The party was beginning a 15-year period in opposition, and within a few years Borden made a respectable reputation for himself in Parliament. The party leader, Sir Charles Tupper, was a doughty fighter but old and somewhat discredited in certain quarters, and after his defeat in the general election of 1900 there was a general feeling that his career was over. Certainly Borden did not envisage that he would be Tupper's successor, and it was with great surprise that he saw the party caucus turn to him. His first reaction to the offer was negative, but he finally agreed to accept the post for a year. The year stretched into two and then three, and Borden was soon permanent leader of the Conservative party.
Borden's tenure was neither easy nor immediately successful. In 1904 and 1908 the Conservatives were decisively beaten by Sir Wilfrid Laurier and the Liberals, and Borden was making little impact in the country. The issue that finally propelled Borden into power was that of reciprocity with the United States. The Laurier government had negotiated a treaty with the United States in 1911, an act that frightened Canadian businessmen and manufacturers, who had been sheltered so long behind the high tariff of the national policy. Borden had found his issue, and with it he attracted enormous support from the "interests," garnered thousands of disaffected Liberal voters, and won a clear victory in the general election of 1911.
Head of Government
Borden's government was not particularly strong. His Quebec representation was weak, and the financial affairs of many of the English-Canadian ministers were not conducted ethically. Borden himself was above reproach, but he apparently lacked the ruthlessness necessary to become a first-class prime minister. Still, legislation on railways and civil service reform began to appear on the statute books, and the militia was reorganized and made more efficient. Not even the downturn in business that began in 1911 was enough to completely dampen enthusiasm in Canada.
Crisis in World War I
The outbreak of war in 1914 did not change the mood either. Borden's government immediately offered a contingent, mobilized it with impressive speed, and shipped it to England in the largest convoy ever to cross the Atlantic to that time. No one expected a long war, but by the time the first casualty reports began pouring into Ottawa from France in the spring of 1915, few could have doubted that the struggle would be difficult. Borden's task was formidable. He had to organize the government for war, a task that was never really accomplished. He had to see to it that industry was geared up for maximum production, a task that was well done. Above all he had to galvanize the Canadian people, both French and English.
This task was not accomplished; in fact, the reverse took place in Quebec. Borden did not understand the Canadien, and he permitted recruiting in that province to be botched. Few French-Canadian officers received important commands, patronage was rampant, and ethnic prejudice swept the nation. The whole crisis came to a head in 1917 when Borden decided that conscription was necessary to reinforce Canada's troops at the front. Quebec was opposed to conscription, and after Borden's efforts to unite with Laurier in a coalition failed, he determined on a coalition without Quebec. By October 1917 he had his Union government and his conscription bill, and in December 1917, after a blatantly racist campaign conducted by his party, he had a renewed mandate. Canada was badly split, and the irony of the situation was that conscripts did not reach the front in sufficient numbers to have major impact before the end of the war.
Relations with Britain
Borden achieved more success in his relations with the British. He had been appalled to discover that Canada was being treated as a backwater colony, despite the nation's massive war effort. After hard bargaining he wrung recognition from the British that Canada was equal in status to the mother country. He also won a voice in the councils of empire, representation at the peace conference, and separate representation in the League of Nations for the Dominion. These were no mean achievements.
By the end of the war, Borden was exhausted by his labors, and soon he began to seek release. In 1920 he passed the mantle of prime minister to Arthur Meighen and entered what he hoped would be a quiet retirement. But the following year he was called back to be Canadian delegate at the Washington Conference of 1921-1922, and in 1930 he was Canada's representative at the League of Nations. Meanwhile he was writing about constitutional questions and serving as the director of numerous private companies. Sir Robert Borden—he had been knighted in June 1914— died in Ottawa on June 10, 1937.
Further Reading
A source for information on Borden is Henry Borden, ed., Robert Laird Borden: His Memoirs (2 vols., 1938). Roger Graham, Arthur Meighen (3 vols., 1960-1966), also provides information on Borden.
Additional Sources
Brown, Robert Craig, Robert Laird Borden: a biography, Toronto :Macmillan of Canada, 1975-c1980.
English, John, Borden: his life and world, Toronto; New York: McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 1977. □
Borden, Sir Robert Laird
Sir Robert Laird Borden, 1854–1937, Canadian political leader, prime minister during World War I, b. Grand Pré, N.S. Called to the bar in 1878, he won a reputation as a constitutional lawyer. He was elected to the House of Commons in 1896 and in 1901 succeeded Sir Charles Tupper as leader of the Conservative party. He led the opposition until 1911, when Sir Wilfrid Laurier's Liberal government fell. During the election campaign Borden had opposed the creation of a separate Canadian navy and had criticized Laurier's reciprocity agreement with the United States. The agreement, which would have lowered tariffs between the two countries, was opposed by powerful economic interests in Canada. As prime minister, Borden headed a Conservative government until 1917 and a Union (coalition) government until his resignation in 1920. He is remembered for his leadership in carrying Canada through World War I and, subsequently, in defining the new status of the self-governing dominions in the British Empire. Largely through his efforts the dominions were given separate representation in the League of Nations, and the Canadian Parliament ratified the treaties that resulted from the peace conference of 1919. Borden later represented Canada at the naval armament conference in Washington (1921–22) and in the League of Nations. He was also chancellor of Queen's Univ. (1924–30). His Canadian Constitutional Studies (1922) and Canada in the Commonwealth (1929) are significant works.
See his memoirs, ed. by H. Borden (1938); H. A. Wilson, Imperial Policy of Sir Robert Borden (1966).


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Study examining organic, conventional milk production
A four-year, $1 million study will examine the health and welfare of dairy cows at 200 organic farms and 100 conventional farms in New York, Oregon, and Wisconsin.
Dr. Pamela L. Ruegg, the lead researcher on the project and a professor in the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Dairy Science, said the study will examine the effects of current U.S. standards related to organic milk production and the standards' impact on animal care, as well as identify preventive care practices that are successfully used on both types of farms.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is funding the study, which involves researchers from UW-Madison, Oregon State University, Cornell University, and the Organic Centre in Oregon.
Dr. Ruegg said the United States requires producers to permanently remove cows from organic milk production once they receive treatments not approved for animals used in organic production, while the European Union and Canada allow farmers to return cows to organic milk production after extended holding periods.
Researchers will also examine preventive medicine practices used by veterinarians and producers on organic and conventional farms to develop an extension program that could help farmers using either system improve their programs, Dr. Ruegg said.
"We're hoping to take data from these farms and develop an online customized benchmarking program for farms," Dr. Ruegg said. "So the participants in the farms will be able to basically pick out other like farms that have excelled as peers and take a look at practices used on their farms."
The first two years of the study will involve site visits and data collection, Dr. Ruegg said. The last two will involve developing an integrated extension program.


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I've been looking forward to this ALL DAY LONG!
There is so much hurt in the world right now. I can't fix it. But I can make ONE PERSON very happy through the simple use of the Random Number Generator!
Just look at this loot!
We've got 3 Quiltmaker issues, including the newest November/December 2017 issue FULL of holiday inspiration, a package of Tumbling Blocks foundations from EZ Piecing, a Coloring' Quilts screen print perfect for coloring with crayons, markers or paints, quilt marking pencils, an add-a-quarter ruler, a stilletto sewing tool by Annie, and the big bonus – a Start Free-Motion Quilting DVD with Angela Walters!
We need ONE lucky winner – will it be YOU?
Don't forget my Addicted to Scraps Column!
This month I'm ALSO on the holiday bandwagon in shades of green, red and neutral – half pinwheel, half star, you are going to love making my Peppermint Schnapps blocks from your favorite holiday scraps. These blocks are Essential Triangle Tool and Scrap User's System friendly, and the pattern is found in this issue.
I'm thinking this block would be AMAZING in all kinds of color combos – what about scrappy Civil War repros?? Can you see it?
All of this – for ONE LUCKY QUILTER!
Who is winner number 1218 out of 4,496 entries?
E. Behm!!
Elizabeth AKA Betsy, I do believe this super bundle is YOURS! Please get back to me with your snail mail address and I'll be putting this in the mail just for you.
If you missed this giveaway and missed what is inside this issue, you can find out more on the Original Post.
And now that this is posted and we have our winner – there is a certain quilt that needs to be loaded in the machine tonight while I indulge in another episode of Call the Midwife, Season 6 on Netflix!
Have a wonderful evening, everyone!


text:
Welcome to all new and potential ICC students for the fall 2006 semester. Here are some things I would like you to know about or help me out with:
- Please let me know your e-mail address as soon as you can. This way I can keep you updated on any important news regarding the course. [Update, Sept. 8: I have only gotten e-mail from 2 people… where is everyone else?]
- This semester's syllabus is up (click on the "syllabus" link), and a very preliminary schedule of activities is available. The latter will be revised in the next few days.
- In the mean time, you can browse through the old posts and get some idea of what kinds of issues we cover in this class.
See you on Sept. 21!


text:
Forms & Policies
Getting Ready for Your Visit
In order for us to provide the best care for you, it is very important that you bring the following items to your visit:
- Photo ID
- A list of your current medications
- Any and all x-rays
- Insurance information and card
- Information about previous treatments and medications
- Medical records that you think may be helpful
- New Patients: download necessary forms
Insurance and Payment
At Red River ENT Associates, we file and accept most major insurance plans.
You may call our office at 318-321-5800 to find out if we accept your insurance plan.
Our doctors are affiliated with Rapides Regional Medical Center.
We accept Visa and MasterCard. Financing is available.
Download Patient Forms
To view the forms listed below, you will need Adobe Reader. You may download Adobe Reader for free at www.adobe.com. Please bring your completed forms with you to our office at the time of your visit.
Miscellaneous Documents
Sinus Center
- Airline Travel
- Acid Reflux Precautions
- Balloon Sinuplasty Instructions
- Cawthorne Head Exercises
- Gargle Solutions
- General Surgery Instructions
- Post-Op Instructions for Nasal Sinus Surgery
- Post-Op Instructions for PE Tubes and Adenoidectomy
- Pre-op and Post-op Tonsil and Adenoid
- Pre-Op Instructions for Tonsillectomy and Adenoidectomy
- Pulmicort Nasal Irrigation Instructions
- Tinnitus Document
- TMJ Precautions
- Vertigo Precautions


text:
Investment Office
Selecting relevant market observations
Like obscenity and modern art, bitcoin price charts will mean different things to different people. Take for example this recent tweet from the Federal Reserve boards uber-dove, Neel Kashkari.
This tweet startled me for various reasons, namely:
a) Central bankers really do embrace their role as party-poopers whose mission is to take away the punch bowl before things really hot up (note, there will be no central bankers at my annual Christmas Eve party, so if you happen to be in Whistler, you should come along!).
b) The above was tweeted by the most dovish Fed governor, so if Kashkari is scratching his head over bitcoin developments more hawkish governors are presumably pulling their hair out.
c) And if dovish policymakers in the US are publicly pondering the impact of crypto-currency speculation, central bankers in markets where such activity is rampant must be properly concerned.
Indeed, a recent Bloomberg article noted that 40% of bitcoins are owned by around 1,000 or so individuals who mostly reside in the greater San Francisco Bay area (the early adopters). Sitting in Asia, it feels as if at least another 40% must be Chinese investors (looking to skirt capital controls), and Korean and Japanese momentum traders. After all, the general rule of thumb in Asia is that when things go up, investors should buy more.
Asias fondness for chasing rising asset prices means that it tends to have the best bubbles. To this day, nothing has topped the late 1980s Taiwanese bubble, although perhaps, left to its own devices, the bitcoin bubble may take on a truly Asian flavor and outstrip them all? Already in Japan, some 1mn individuals are thought to day-trade bitcoins, while 300,000 shops reportedly have the capacity to accept them for payment. In South Korea, which accounts for about 20% of daily volume in bitcoin and has three of the largest exchanges, bitcoin futures have now been banned. For its part, Koreas justice ministry is considering legislation that would ban payments in bitcoin all together.
At the very least, it sounds like the Bank of Koreas recent 25bp interest rate hike was not enough to tame Korean animal spirits. So will the unfolding bitcoin bubble trigger a change of policy from the BoK and, much more importantly, from the Bank of Japan in 2018?
The aim of this paper is to look at this and other important questions whose answers may have a significant impact on the price of financial assets over the coming quarters.
1 Will the BoJ change course in 2018?
In recent years, the BoJ has been the most aggressive central bank, causing government bond yields to stay anchored close to zero across the curve, while acting as a buyer of last resort for equities by scooping up roughly three quarters of Japanese ETF shares. Yet, while equities have loved this intervention, Japanese insurers and banks have had a tougher time. Indeed, a chorus of voices is now calling for the BoJ to let the long end of the yield curve rise, if only to stop regional banks hitting the wall.
So could the BoJ tighten monetary policy in 2018? This may be more of an open question than the market assumes. Indeed, the short yen trade is popular on the premise that the BoJ will be the last central bank to stop quantitative easing. But what if this isnt the case? There are, after all, pros and cons to keeping an uber-easy monetary policy, as shown below.
So all in all, we seem to be on a knife edge, and any number of events in the coming months may force the BoJs hand.
2 Will inflation surprise on the upside?
From the very first Gavekal paper to the first book we wrote up to my more recent offerings, we, as a firm, have taken a broadly deflationary view of the world. A key factor for this over the past 15 years has been excess manufacturing added by China, together with millions of workers leaving the countryside year after year to try their luck in cities. In a sense, spending the past 15 years talking about deflation had less to do with being visionary than simply being observant.
But is the situation now changing? In a recent piece, I asked what would happen to companies whose sole purpose is to optimize excess capacity (i.e. half of the worlds unicorns) if and when that excess capacity is used up. Again, simply by being observant rather than visionary, we know that:
a) Migrant workers are no longer pouring into Chinese cities. With about 60% of Chinas citizens now living in urban areas, urbanization growth was always bound to slow. Combine that with Chinas aging population and the fact that a rising share of rural residents are over 40 (and so less likely to move), and it seems clear that the deflationary pressure arising from Chinas urban migration is set to abate.
b) Reduced excess capacity in China is real: from restrictions on coal mines, to the shuttering of shipyards and steel mills, Xi Jinpings supplyside reforms have bitten. At the very least, some 10mn industrial workers have lost their jobs since Xis took office (note: there are roughly 12.5m manufacturing workers in the US today!).
a) Migrant workers are no longer pouring into Chinese cities. With about 60% of Chinas citizens now living in urban areas, urbanization growth was always bound to slow. Combine that with Chinas aging population and the fact that a rising share of rural residents are over 40 (and so less likely to move), and it seems clear that the deflationary pressure arising from Chinas urban migration is set to abate.
b) Reduced excess capacity in China is real: from restrictions on coal mines, to the shuttering of shipyards and steel mills, Xi Jinpings supplyside reforms have bitten. At the very least, some 10mn industrial workers have lost their jobs since Xis took office (note: there are roughly 12.5m manufacturing workers in the US today!).
To say that most excess investment China unleashed with its 2015-16 monetary and regulatory policy stimulus went into domestic real estate is only a mild exaggeration. Very little went into manufacturing capacity, which may explain why the price of goods exports from China has, after a five-year period, shown signs of breaking out on the upside. Another part of the puzzle is that Chinese producer prices are also rising, so it is perhaps not surprising that export prices have followed suit. The point is, if Chinas export prices do rise in a concerted manner, it will happen when inflation data in the likes of Japan, the US and Germany are moving northward.
Indeed, for all the talk about how inflation is harder to find than morals in a movie production company, a sizable chunk of the recent inflation data is starting to point towards a creep higher in a number of prices.
3 Why does inflation matter?
Forget the fact that higher inflation typically leads to lower P/E ratios (as firms are forced to keep more inventory, thereby exposing themselves to the economic cycle), while lower inflation tends to lead to higher P/Es. Forget also that equity market valuations around the world, but especially in the US, are decently high by any historical gage, and thus arguably discounting a low inflation/low interest rate environment for years to come. The real reason I worry about inflation today is that inflation has the potential to seriously disrupt the happy policy status quo that has underpinned markets since the February 2016 Shanghai G20 meeting. And here, a historical parallel may be relevant.
Back in the early 1980s, foreign exchange volatility wreaked havoc on business spending plans and countries ability to repay foreign currency debt. To remedy this situation, the worlds key financial policymakers got together, first at the Plaza Hotel in New York in late 1985 and then in early 1987 in Paris to agree on a plan for coordinating monetary policies. The idea was to reduce currency volatility and so limit the scope for financial shocks. And so were born the Plaza accords and the Louvre accords.
Unsurprisingly, global investors loved the idea that they would no longer get sucker-punched by large currency swings. Almost all risk assets ripped higher. Gold and silver miners were especially big winners as silver prices more than doubled between the summers of 1986 and 1987 (today, bitcoin has that easily beat!). Deep cyclicals rallied hard, as did emerging markets (Hong Kong equities more than doubled in the period, while Taiwan (where 10% of adults were day-trading) started to redefine what a bubble looked like. These go-go years came to an abrupt halt after a rise in bond yields through the summer of 1987. In response, the Bundesbank (which back then was a genuine inflation hawk) panicked and in October 1987 raised short rates. US Treasury Secretary James Baker responded: We will not sit back in this country and watch surplus countries jack up their interest rates and squeeze growth worldwide on the expectation that the United States somehow will follow by raising its interest rates.
This statement made on a Sunday morning television show made it clear that the Louvre Accord was dead and buried. The next day, the Dow Jones Industrials opened down 27%.
So why re-hash ancient history?
Because careful readers will have noticed that for the past 18 months, I have espoused the idea that, after a big rise in foreign exchange uncertainty triggered mostly by China with its summer 2015 devaluation, but also by Japan and its talk of helicopter money, and by the violent devaluation of the euro that followed the eurozone crisis the big financial powers acted to calm foreign exchange markets after the February 2016 meeting of the G20 in Shanghai.
Since then, markets have lived under the calming influence of the Shanghai agreement (such an agreement may or may not exist, but the fact that market participants think it does has minimized the required intervention!). And, as in the post-Louvre accord quarters, risk assets have broadly rallied hard. Its all felt wonderful, if not quite as care-free as the mid-1980s. And as long as we live under this Shanghai accord, perhaps we should not look a gift horse in the mouth and continue to pile on risk?
This brings me to the nagging worry of what if the Shanghai agreement comes to a brutal end as in 1987? (back then, the Hong Kong stock exchange closed for a week as it could not handle a tsunami of sell orders).
For that to happen, one would need someone to play the role of Karl Otto Pohl who headed the Bundesbank through the 1980s. Now today, Mario Draghi is about as well suited to play that role as Ben Affleck is to play Batman. And frankly, in spite of the concerns expressed above about regional Japanese banks, Haruhiko Kuroda at the BoJ is also unlikely to upset the Shanghai understanding. So it is easy to conclude that, with everyone now happy to be on the back foot against inflation, there is no risk of a 1987 denouement of the established international order.
Except that this overlooks the single most important economy: China (lets face it: the last two upswings in global growth, namely 2009 and 2016, were triggered by China more than the US). Indeed, the Peoples Bank of China may well be the new Bundesbank for the simple reason that most technocrats roaming the halls of power in Beijing were brought up in the Marxist church. And the first tenet of the Marxist faith is that historical events are shaped by economic forces, with inflation being the most powerful of these. From Marxs perspective, Louis XVI would have kept his head, and his throne, had it not been for rapid food price inflation the years that preceded the French Revolution. And for a Chinese technocrat, the Tiananmen uprising of 1989 only happened because food price inflation was running at above 20%. For this reason, the one central bank that can be counted on to be decently hawkish against rising inflation, or at least more hawkish then others, is the PBoC.
And this is why a rise in inflation could end up dealing the markets a triple body blow. First, rising inflation would lead to lower valuations for most asset prices. Secondly, higher inflation would likely trigger a tighter monetary and fiscal policy in China. Thirdly, a tighter China threatens the cozy Shanghai Agreement which has prevailed since 2016. And how can one hedge against this threat? In 1987, bunds ended the year among the worlds best performing asset classes. Of course, history never repeats itself; but if it ends up rhyming, owning short-dated renminbi-denominated bonds may be an obvious portfolio cushion.
4 What will the Fed do?
Answering this question has always been an important driver of performance, yet this year the general level of stress regarding the Feds upcoming decisions has been remarkably low. Almost every conversation I have had on the topic has been a version of the following:
a) The differences between incoming chair Jerome Powell and departing chair Janet Yellen are marginal.
b) In any event, Powells policy choices in the near term are constrained by the dot-plot and the path that Yellen has traced out. For Powell to depart from the plan would require significant upside/downside surprise for the economy and markets.
c) So bottom line, unless there is a shock to the system, we will just have more of the same.
d) And more of the same seems fine, thank you very much!
Needless to say, the above makes ample sense; and indeed, the path that Powell will follow is likely that offered by Yellen, and so discounted by the market. Yet, imagine a parallel universe, such that within a few months of being sworn in, Powell faces a US economy where:
The base case must remain that the Fed will follow broadly the path that it has set for itself. That said, the above scenario does not look far-fetched.
Which means that looking into 2018, four scenarios seem most likely.
In the first scenario, events unfold fairly predictably and the Fed stays on its promised path. In this case, global currency volatility stays muted. In the second scenario, the US embarks on a huge stimulus, prompting the Fed to tighten monetary policy aggressively. Meanwhile, other central banks continue to sit on their hands. is triggers big capital inflows from the rest of the world into the US and pushes the dollar higher. The third scenario sees the world experience some kind of shock (take your pick from a bad Italian election, a bank crisis in China, a Saudi-Iran war, a North Korea war or a political crisis in the US) and the Fed responds with more QE. Finally, the fourth scenario sees the Fed deliver the promised monetary policy tightening, but inflation accelerates and the rest of the world tightens more aggressively than expected.
In the first two scenarios, the US dollar will likely rise, either a little, or a lot. In the latter two scenarios, the dollar would likely be very weak. So if this analysis is broadly correct, shorting the dollar should be a good tail risk policy. If the global economy rolls over and/or a shock appears, the dollar will weaken. And if global nominal GDP growth accelerates further from here, the dollar will also likely weaken. Being long the dollar is a bet that the current investment environment is sustained.
5 The other threat to the current environment: oil prices
For ease of math, assume that the world consumes 100mn barrels of oil a day (the real number is around 97mn bpd). Then further assume that about 100 days of inventory is kept in the system, whether in pipelines, boats or reservoirs. Now, funding these inventories takes money, which is how a US$20/barrel move in the oil price can have a big impact on the global liquidity situation. After all, if the price of oil is US$60/bbl, then oil inventories will immobilize around US$600bn in working capital. But if the price drops to US$40/bbl, then the working capital needs of the broader energy industry drops by US$200bn.
The point is that an environment of rising oil prices and tightening Fed policy is usually bad for financial assets. Simply put, the more money the Fed sucks out of the system, and the more that is tied up in the energy complex, the less is available to push up asset prices. On this score, it should be noted that excess money supply in the US is decelerating (see chart below).
Should oil prices continue to rise, the resulting change in the liquidity situation could leave markets vulnerable. It follows that energy stocks may be a decent hedge for portfolios. To be sure, if oil prices head lower, then energy stocks will underperform, as the freed-up excess liquidity will flow into the likes of tech, emerging markets and bitcoin. But if oil prices do creep higher or worse still, some kind of supply shock unfolds due to a Saudi-Iran confrontation or perhaps another collapse in Venezuelas output then energy stocks will provide a buttressing effect against a very different investment environment.
To many investors surprise, the past year was characterized by:
a) Massive outperformance of growth vs value
b) Massive outperformance of tech
c) Solid globally synchronized growth with low inflation
d) Low equity market volatility
e) Low bond market volatility
f) Low foreign exchange market volatility
g) Oil mostly range-traded, though breaking out on the upside towards the end of the year
h) Yield curves flattened/stayed flat
What are the odds that 2018 produces more of the same?
When I was a boy, I went to Jesuit school in France. And there, I was taught to answer every question with another question. Or better yet, with several questions (if only to ensure that ones conversation partner ends up too confused to press a point). So the quandary of whether 2018 will unleash more of the same to me comes down to five questions:
1) Is the recent oil price breakout a sign of more strength to come? My fear is that the recent upside stems from strong, global, synchronized growth and a lack of investment in the past few years. This lack of investment is important, as the energy industry has become far more capital-intensive in recent years due to the rapid depletion of fracking wells compared to traditional wells and the associated faster wear and tear of equipment. Thus, I am inclined to own energy stocks as a hedge against a further rise in oil prices; a rise which will suck up excess liquidity and so cap gains in hitherto hot asset classes. I also like energy stocks as a hedge against a big geopolitical shock as I worry that Saudi and Iran are one big terrorist event away from going at each others throats.
2) Will inflation surprise on the upside in 2018? There is little doubt that most of the worlds structural trends (the digitalization of everything, robotics and population aging) are deeply deflationary. Yet, what strikes me as odd is that everyone in every investment committee meeting these days is a deflationist. Gone are the days when at least one or two people may argue that central bank printing would lead us down the path of Zimbabwe or Weimar Germany. The inflationists have either been fired, or beaten into silence and submission. Which probably means that the deflation forever thesis is, by now, most likely fully baked into most asset prices? So much so that, even as inflation data around the world start to rebound, no-one seems to care! It should also be acknowledged that since the eurozone crisis of 2011-12 few modern economies have added much productive investment capacity. Sure, real estate has been on fire almost everywhere and it is hard to go to a major city and not see a number of large construction cranes scar the skyline. But beyond real estate, and beyond tech, where have the marginal investment dollars gone? Not into steel mills, petrochemical plants, oil refineries, cement factories, or new tankers; not even in China, Korea or Japan (which could usually be counted to invest regardless!). So if global growth continues on its current synchronized path, isnt the risk that this lack of investment in new capacity ends up causing demand to outstrip supply? If so, then a sell-off in global bond markets is likely, along with all long- dated assets (especially growth stocks with limited profits). Fortunately, hedging against such an event is fairly easy as financials around the world should, in this eventuality, see steeper yield curves rapidly translate into better profits.
(3) Will China tighten more aggressively in 2018? The main reason I am worried about inflation is that this would likely trigger a far tighter stance from Chinese policymakers. And lets face it, the world is more fun when China steps on the accelerator than when it steps on the brakes. At the very least, it is easier to make money when China steps on the gas. Now this doesnt mean we cant cushion portfolios against a tighter China. And today, the most obvious hedge would be Chinese government bonds, denominated in renminbi, yielding 4%. In case of further Chinese tightening, such bonds may be as useful to portfolios as bunds were in 1987. As Charles often likes to highlight, he came into October 1987 with 30% of the portfolio he managed (against the World MSCI) invested in long-dated German bunds. In early October 87, he thought this might be too much. By late October 87, he had realized it wasnt enough.
(4) Will Japan tighten monetary policy? The lack of inflation in Japan makes this seem a fringe possibility. Yet, there are three reasons why a policy change may occur. Firstly, at some point policymakers will need to be seen doing something in response to the bitcoin mania. The second is that Japan tends to play ball with American requests and [though] a mercantilist president wants wins on trade, that wont be easy with an under-valued yen. The third is that regional banks are starting to really struggle, with the simplest fix being a yield curve steepening. Thus, while a change in monetary policy is not likely, it is a risk for the coming year and one that is currently unpriced. With that in mind, investors who, like me, fear a BoJ policy reversal should (i) remove yen hedges/short positions, (ii) rotate equity portfolios from high flying exporters to long-suffering domestic financials and (iii) press bets on Japanese domestic real estate
(5) Will the Fed continue to tighten monetary policy? It has been said that Keynesians think governments should expand their balance sheets when an economy heads south, and shrink it once an expansion is under way. Meanwhile, Republicans think the government should expand its balance sheet when a Republican is president and shrink it when a democrat is president. I used to take this adage in jest, but today, the joke is on us as the GOP seems intent on proving the premise with gusto.
Concretely, this means that the US investment environment may be set to change. Specifically, between 2010 (when the GOP took over the House) and 2016, the US experienced a tight fiscal and loose monetary policy. As Charles has shown over the years, this is the best combination for equity markets, as tight fiscal policy and loose money almost invariably leads to far higher P/E ratios. Alas, the opposite is true for the reverse: loose fiscal policy and tight money typically trigger a de-rating of equity markets. And this is the policy mix we seem to be heading towards.
So pulling it together, investors who responded no to all five of the above questions with confidence should stick with the winners of recent years. In this eventuality, the investment environment in 2018 should not prove too different from the one that prevailed in 2017. However, investors who answered yes to the above questions may want to start building cushions in their portfolios against shocks. These cushions may be a greater exposure to energy stocks, financial stocks, renminbi bonds, the yen, rotating away from US growth stocks and towards value stocks, or simply buying puts on US equities.
Bubbles and Crashes
Business CyclesCentral Banks
Creative DestructionCredit Crunch
Current Account
EquityEuropeFinancial CrisisFiscal Policy
Gloom and DoomGold
Government Debt
Historical Patterns
Household DebtInflation
Interest Rates
Market Timing
Monetary PolicyOilPanicsPermabearsPIIGSPredictions
ProductivityReal Estate
Sovereign BondsSystemic Risk
Tail Risk
Tipping PointTrade Balance


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6 Seasons
Newest Episodes
Watch Now
Videos: Trailers, Teasers, Featurettes
Based on Michael Connelly's best-selling novels, these are the stories of relentless LAPD homicide Detective Harry Bosch who pursues justice at all costs. But behind his tireless momentum is a man who is haunted by his past and struggles to remain loyal to his personal code: "Everybody counts or nobody counts."
Bosch - watch online: streaming, buy or rent
Currently you are able to watch "Bosch" streaming on iflix.
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World's first grid-scale flywheel energy plant to go online soon
How can a technology known to ancient potters and spinners help create a 21st-century smart energy grid? A company based in Massachusetts aims to demonstrate when it begins operating the world's first grid-scale, flywheel-based energy storage plant in New York later this year.
Beacon Power Corporation is currently building the $69 million plant with the help of a just-closed $43 million loan from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Founded in 1997, Beacon Power was first focused on the market for backup power by the telecommunications industry. In 2004, though, it changed direction to develop grid energy storage systems after company officials met with the DOE and grid operator PJM Interconnection.
Once construction of its innovative plant in Stephentown, New York, is complete, Beacon Power expects to be able to provide up to 20 megawatts of energy capacity to the region's electricity grid. The first four megawatts of capacity are set to come online earlier, however — by the end of this year.
Beacon Power's system will uses fast-rotating rims made of a carbon-fibre composite material to store excess and renewably generated grid energy as kinetic energy that can be tapped when demand rises or power from wind or solar sources is unavailable. The rims spin on magnetic bearings in a vacuum to minimise energy loss from friction.
When in operation, the plant is expected to provide about 10 per cent of the state's energy frequency regulation needs. That's a need that's likely to grow as New York brings online more intermittent clean-energy sources.
Flywheel-based energy regulation is not only cleaner than that typically provided by conventional fossil fuel plants, but it's quicker too. It can ramp up or down 10 times more quickly to meet fluctuating energy demands. According to Beacon Power, the New York plant will be able to respond to changing power demands in under four seconds, and can output continuous maximum power for 15 minutes.
By reducing the need for fossil-fuel-based peak energy sources, the flywheel plant will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 82 per cent over its 20-year life, the company added.
"We believe that there is no better way to provide efficient, grid-scale frequency regulation than our flywheel systems," said Bill Capp, president and CEO of Beacon Power.
Eight definitions of 'smart buildings'
Smart Cities May 13, 2011 1


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Romania Quiz
Romania is a beautiful country. It is distinguished by the places and traditions of each region. You deserve to know the most important things that are in this country, maybe one day you will visit it. Foreign visitors consider Romanians among the friendliest and most hospitable people on earth. Romanians are by nature fun loving, warm, hospitable, playful, with an innate sense of humor. For more information, read the links which are indicated in the description. Romania certainly worth your attention.
published on December 09, 201215 responses 7 5.0★ / 5


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Yahoo board members are, at this very moment, looking deep within themselves trying to decide whether or not they need to fire yet another CEO.
Help them out?
First some context, so you can make an informed choice.
After years of sliding sideways despite a massive audience of 700 million people, Yahoo was forced to fire CEO Carol Bartz last summer.
Then there was a dragged-out head-hunting process that finally ended when an unknown PayPal exec named Scott Thompson "cold-emailed" the board and said he wanted the CEO job.
The board didn't vet Thompson the way it normally would have, but it hired him.
Meanwhile, Dan Loeb, who manages the hedge fund Third Point, decided to become Yahoo's biggest shareholder and launch a proxy fight.
Loeb thinks Yahoo needs a new board.
Yahoo could have ended this proxy fight by simply putting Loeb on its board.
It chose not to.
So then, yesterday, Loeb published a letter in which he accused Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson of lying to the SEC and Yahoo's board about having a computer science degree.
It turns out this accusation was correct: Thompson does not have a computer science degree, despite claiming to have had one for the past several years and in bios for a couple other jobs.
So now, Yahoo's board has a call to make. Does it fire Thompson or not.
If Yahoo fires that CEO, Scott Thompson, it will have to name a fourth CEO in under a year. Also, it will be getting rid of a guy who, at the very least, seems to be eager to make hard decisions quickly.
If it doesn't, the board will be essentially telling the industry and the company employees that it is OK to lie. Also, the board will have to live with having a CEO that has almost zero credibility in Silicon Valley engineering circles.
UPDATE: The poll is closed. Below, the results.
Get the latest Yahoo stock price here.


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Amazing 2/2 Penthouse at Barton Place w/180 degree views of the city! Rare 6th floor corner unit with 16 ft ceilings and incredible views. Two full size parking spaces and a 5x5x9 storage unit in the 24 hour gated garage. Amenities include a salt water pool, four rooftop decks w/BBQ grills, a gym, owner's lounge, guest suite (available for nightly rental), and a dog run. Get on the hike/bike trail right across the street. Location and views all in one!
Elevator, End Unit, Mid Rise (3-9 Stories), Neighbor Below
Dog Park, Fitness Center, Jogging/Biking Path, Pool-Community, BBQ Pit/Grill, Concierge, Elevator, Google Fiber, Rooftop Lounge, Saltwater Pool
Electricity on Property, Natural Gas on Property, Internet-Fiber
2 Reserved Parking Garage, Gated Parking, Parking Garage, Security Gate
Ceiling-Vaulted, Smoke Detector, Window Treatments, Fire Alarm System, Wired For Surround Sound
Dishwasher, Disposal, Microwave Oven, Range-Free Standing, Refrigerator, Cook Top Gas
Barbecue, Balcony-Covered, Dog Run, Storage
|Price Reduced
|$25,000 (3.85%)
|Price Reduced (from $659,900)
|$10,000 (1.52%)
Property Listed by: Austin Homes Realty
The information being provided is for consumers' personal, non-commercial use and may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties consumers may be interested in purchasing.
Based on information from the Austin Board of REALTORS® (alternatively, from ACTRIS) from December 13th, 2019 at 10:31am CST. Neither the Board nor ACTRIS guarantees or is in any way responsible for its accuracy. The Austin Board of REALTORS®, ACTRIS and their affiliates provide the MLS and all content therein "AS IS" and without any warranty, express or implied. Data maintained by the Board or ACTRIS may not reflect all real estate activity in the market.
All information provided is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and should be independently verified.


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Roman fashion house
Spanish Steps shopping streets
Indulge the fantasy of having your very own Roman pied-á-terre with a ravishing rooftop terrace at Portrait Roma hotel, a collection of apartments in a refined Italian townhouse from the Ferragamo empire. A spot adorned with shoe-related artwork and photographs capturing the shoemaker's career belongs in Rome's most fashion-conscious quarter, a high heel's throw from the fashion-studded Via Condotti and Piazza di Spagna.
Smith Extra
Get this when you book through us:
A bottle of wine to share and a perfume each (one for Mr Smiths and one for Mrs Smiths)


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Design your own guitar strap online dating
PAIGE PAMELAMonday, March 18, 2019 3:47:55 AM
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For those that want to rotate the OC4J log files under $ORACLE_HOME/opmn/logs, there are new parameters not documented in 9.0.4/10.1.2 documentation:
[New JVM parameters]
Max file size limit of each archive. Unit is megabyte.
Max number of files that oc4j can keep as archives. The oldest file
will be automatically deleted if the limit is exceeded.
Time when the log file is rotated. Format is "HH:mm". The archive
will be rotated at the specified time everyday.
ex 1: rotate stdout/stderr when the file size is reached to 2.5M byte.
java -Dstdstream.filesize=2.5 -jar oc4j.jar -out std.out -err std.err
ex 2: rotate stdout at 13:30 everyday
java -Dstdstream.rotatetime=13:30 -jar oc4j.jar -out std.out
ex 3: rotate stdout at 13:30 everyday and keep 10 files as archive
java -Dstdstream.rotatetime=13:30 -Dstdstream.filenumber=10 -jar oc4j.jar -out std.out
The generated log file would look like <filename w/o extension>_yyyy_MM_dd_HH_mm_ss.<extension>
e.g. std_2004_07_08_13_24_53.out
1. The same parameter are used for both "-out" and "-err".
2. In AS mode, the log files will be created under <island name and process id> directory
(this isn't changed by this fix, existing code handles this)
3. Both "filesize" and "rotatetime" parameters can be used at the same time.
In order to get these parameters in opmn.xml you need to define it as follows:
<category id="start-parameters">
<data id="java-options" value="-server -Djava.security.policy=$ORACLE_HOME/j2ee/home/config/java2.policy -Djava.awt.headless=true -Dstdstream.filesize=0.2 -Dstdstream.filenumber=5"/>
<data id="oc4j-options" value="-out std.out -err std.err"/>
You will find the new log files under:$ORACLE_HOME/j2ee/home/home_default_island_1
The file naming will be like: