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The Song Company: Sunken Dreams
- Date: Tuesday, 7 August 2012, 8 pm
- Venue: Melbourne Recital Centre, Primrose Potter Salon — Cnr Southbank Blvd & Sturt St, Southbank, VIC
- Series: This event is part of the New Music Network 2012 series
- Tickets: Tickets can be purchased online or by phone on (03) 9699 3333
Event Details
The Song Company along with special guest artist Claire Edwardes perform an impressionist program including a composition by Peter Sculthorpe.
Featured non-Australian music: Debussy, Jack Body
Further information for this event is available online at the event's website or by phone on (02) 8272 9500
Featured Australian Works
|Maranoa lullaby : vocal ensemble by Peter Sculthorpe
— performed by The Song Company
Featured artists
- Performer Claire Edwardes
- Performer The Song Company
User reviews & comments
Be the first to share your thoughts, opinions or insights about this event.
To post your comment please login


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Customer Interviews of Photographers, Photojournalists, and other creatives.
In the Spotlight: Eman Mohammed
She started quite young and it was as challenging for her as possible. Having been educated in the war torn Gaza City, she has had a first hand view of the Palestine conflict that has been raging on for decades. But the difficult terrain has only managed to inspire her to take up a challenging career in photojournalism.
Palestinian photojournalist Eman Mohammed has been maintaining her portfolio with a Pixpa website for quite some time now and we have been really proud to be associated with her. So, last week we decided to have a chat with her so that we could introduce her to the entire Pixpa family. We are reproducing some snippets of her life and her ideas below along with a couple of amazing photographs that she shared with us.
To see more of her work, you can visit Eman Mohammed Photography.
Create your portfolio website in minutes.
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subset: commoncrawl


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Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Ever Wonder
6 comments:
- Unknown said...
Eventually, we will not be allowed, anymore, by our consciences to do nothing! Eventually, some or many will either act or react. The former is usually much better than the latter, in most cases. Henry Drees
- October 22, 2009 at 9:00 PM
- RHMercer said...
We should vote in a 3rd party to take back what is the founding fathers ideas of a free person and country. We do need a Military to defend our Country but they should never turn on us. They did in Louisiana after the storm! I have served in the military and I only agreed to upheld the US Constitution!
- November 3, 2009 at 1:50 PM
- bradfoot said...
ZERO must fail! We must wake up to get the freedom that WE pissed away back. America is the greatest country on earth still. We have nothing to apologize for, nobody we should BOW to!
come join the discussion at http://irktheenemy.com
- November 4, 2009 at 9:31 AM
- The Marauding Angel said...
Power Elite? You need to point out who exactly controls. It's nice to ass-u-me but it doesn't do jack-squat. It's obvious that the media is out to entertain and not inform. But is there a central initiative behind their stories? Is there a covering-up by the American-styled Illuminati? You need information on this crap before declaring a conclusion. Find that and I would support your dissemination with my own resources.
- January 19, 2010 at 11:11 AM
- Unknown said...
Wonderful work! This is the type of info that should be shared around the web. Shame on Google for not positioning this post higher! Come on over and visit my site . Patek Philippe watches Thanks =)
- February 2, 2012 at 10:14 PM
- Unknown said...
Most network/cable news is corporate owned. So, I am not surprised by the lack of content and the lack of focus on the real issues. Take for instance, General Electric owns NBC and its affiliates. Jeffrey Immelt is the CEO of General Electric. Jeffrey Immelt also sits on the board of directors of the New York Federal Reserve bank; the very same bank that handled the bailout of General Electric, and I haven't seen any investigative reporting from NBC on this glaring conflict of interest.
Most the news and media coming into your living room via TV is supplied by only three large media companies. So the lack of diversity in the content is no surprise.
- April 30, 2012 at 11:20 AM
Blog Archive
- ▼ 2009 (8)


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What to See & Do
Shopping in Harare is highly recommended. This city has an array of shops catering for every budget, including malls with fast-food, clothing, shoes and accessories. The traditional open market at Mbare with its colourful array of baskets, stone and wooden sculptures, jewelry, food and clothing is popular with both locals and tourists alike.
Another must see is the Lion and Cheetah Park, which is just a short drive from Harare city centre. Lions and other wild animals including cheetah, giraffe, ostrich, zebra, wildebeest, antelope and Zimbabwe's largest and oldest galapagos tortoise can be seen and photographed in their natural surroundings.
Just outside of Harare to the east, you will come across the Chivero Mukuvisi Woodlands. This natural woodland of 227 hectares is home to a wide range of animals including giraffe, zebra, impala, tsessebe, wildebeest, bushbuck, steenbuck, reedbuck and eland, and over 230 bird species including the shy narina trogon, African finfoot and Ayres hawk eagle.
Visit the National Gallery which houses a collection of interesting and valuable pieces of art and sculpture, including superb Shona soft-stone carvings. The National Archives has a rare collection of historic diaries, note-books and reports written by famous missionaries and explorers. Some of the original works of some of the greatest names in African exploration can be viewed here.


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Kisac Fair Trade Ltd.
Kisac Fair Trade Ltd. is an artisan-based group made up of members, employees and artisans. The group's goals include the following: 1) improve the standard of living of members and participating artisans through the production and sale of soapstone carvings; 2) improve the social, economic and environmental well-being of marginalized communities in the local area through active participation in community-based projects; 3) operate an equitable business that involves the sharing of profits between members, employees and artisans; and 4) promote fair trade and social justice within the community. Throughout its existence, Kisac has generated income for its members, artisans and employees. Ten Thousand Villages began purchasing products from Kisac in 2010.
Handmade Products by This Artisan
Unity Sculpture
Handmade in Kenya$24.99
Love's Shelter Candleholder
Handmade in Kenya
Regular Price: $24.99
Special Price: $6.25Sale Price
Unity Candleholder
Handmade in Kenya$24.99
Share the Love Paperweight
Handmade in Kenya$6.99


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Our Philadelphia nursing home neglect lawyers believe independent rankings are one of the best ways for families to begin their searches for a safe and caring nursing home. So we were dismayed by a Jan. 27 USA Today article showing that about a fifth of nursing homes have consistently received poor ratings from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The poorly rated homes are in every state and the District of Columbia, the newspaper said, and a quarter of a million people live in them. Perhaps most significantly, the report said almost all of the poorly rated homes were owned by for-profit companies.
The Medicare ratings began in 2008, so there are only two years of data to compare, the article said. But in those two years, about a fifth have consistently scored one or two stars on a five-star scale. The ratings are calculated from inspection reports, complaints from patients and families, health and safety violations and more. The lowest-rated homes had an average of 14 problems per home. Medicare spokespeople said the overall ratings have already improved in the past year and may continue to improve in future years, as homes continue trying to improve.
As Pennsylvania nursing home abuse attorneys, we agree that two years isn't much time to improve a rating. But this ignores the question of how those homes came to be poorly rated in the first place. No doubt many homes existed for years or decades before the Medicare ratings started in 2008 — and so did their problems. Trying to improve now is still a good thing, but it also implies that long-term, difficult-to-solve problems may continue to plague them. We would advise clients to research this very carefully before placing a loved one in such a home.
Rosenbaum & Associates represents families throughout Pennsylvania that suffered serious injuries or the death of a loved one at the hands of an unsafe nursing home. To learn more about us and tell us about your case, please call us toll-free at 1-800-7-LEGAL-7 or contact us through the Internet today.


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10am is not compulsory. 😉
10am is not compulsory. 😉
The region to our north and north-west continues to be hit by earthquakes and typhoons. Take time out to help. Most readers will know what organisations to contact to make donations. Some are listed in this article. The Uniting Church offers a direct donation facility here.
But not nearly as photogenic as the storm earlier this week.
That's one from the Sydney Morning Herald gallery – linked to the image.
As a matter of interest, the "normal" situation may be guessed from this map from the University of Bristol's Dirtmap.
See It's back: second dust storm sweeps Sydney.
You have to go back to 1942 to find similar visibility issues at Sydney Airport.
Across the Pacific (link on pic) was apparently a hit at the time. It was the year before I was born.
Today's Sydney Morning Herald has some facts and figures.
EIGHT years of drought, and record temperatures that have baked outback soils dry, were blamed for yesterday' s dust storm that turned Sydney's sky red, and the sun blue.
Scientists estimated 75,000 tonnes of dust were being blown across NSW every hour in what may have been the most severe dust storm Sydney has seen since the droughts of the 1940s.
NSW, said John Leys, a scientist with the Department of Environment and Climate Change, was now experiencing "something like 10 times more dust storms than normal".
"In the last two months we have been getting a major dust storm once a week," said the scientist who helps manage DustWatch, which has a network of 32 monitoring stations across the state. "We have been getting more and more of them [dust storms] over the last seven years."
Dr Leys was reluctant to say it was the result of climate change. But he noted, "we are getting the hottest summers we have ever had. We have had droughts for eight years." …
The Other Andrew has some great shots. Here's one.
Can you see the Opera House?
See also: Sally: here and here; Julie.
In a comment on yesterday's post Kevin from Louisiana congratulates me on not attributing the dust storm to climate change. There is a good reason not to: no individual event can be attributed to or not attributed to climate change with any confidence. It is only as a pattern of unusual events emerges that one might start extrapolating. That is pretty much what Dr Leys says above.
However, Herald cartoonist Alan Moir did make the leap today, and fair enough to make a point about possibility – it is possible, after all, that yesterday's event is of the order that we might anticipate if the majority of scientists who accept the idea of anthropogenic climate change are right – and as you would know from my side bar note I am inclined to go with that majority.
One stat that appeals to me is that what passed over Sydney yesterday was the equivalent of 25% of Uluru (Ayers Rock) ground up into powder!
It goes from what I said that it is also rather presumptuous to be sure that yesterday had no relation at all to climate change. Piers Akerman, as is no surprise, is of course convinced on no scientific grounds whatsoever that it is not and proceeds to make the usual arguments against doing anything, though there is room for discussion – though possibly it is a luxury we will live to regret – about whether what the government has proposed is well considered or not. Trouble is though that climate change as such really is not a matter of politics; if indeed it is a natural process in train as we dither, and if indeed the hypothesis so widely accepted that this time round our impact has been both considerable and measurable is proven, it won't really matter what political position we adhere to. We will end up resembling old King Canute giving orders to the tide.
See The Sydney Morning Herald. I have never seen anything like it here in my lifetime. And that's 66 years…
See also ABC on this — and the comments.
Update: You can see how my coachee (Year 9) saw it at The day the weather went crazy….
This isn't mine, but it gives a really good idea of the morning:
This was taken at interval and is totally noir. 😉 At one point a shadowy Sirdan may be seen — or intuited…


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Parish Team
Parish Priest
Fr. Peter O'Connor (effective weekend 10/11 August 2019)
69 Anne Devlin Park, Ballyroan, Dublin 14
Tel: 01- 495 0444
You can contact the parish office at 01 – 494 7303
Pastoral Worker
Averna Lahart
c/o The Ruah Pastoral Centre, Marian Road, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14
Parish Office
Ms. Aine Mullaly, with help from Teresa, Ron, Sr. Rosemary and June
01 – 494 7303
email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Pastoral Council
The Ballyroan Parish Pastoral Council was formed in 2002. It is a recognised structure within the Church concerned with the pastoral activities of parish life.
It is made up of a representative body of parishioners and must include the parish Priest or his delegate.
The objectives of the Council are:
• Listen and respond to the hopes, ideas, needs and concern of parishioners and the people of God throughout the diocese.
• Be a vibrant and visible group within the parish, working together and promoting meaningful parishioner involvement at all levels of parish life.
• Reflect on and plan future directions for the parish and prioritise initiatives to be undertaken.
• Provide the on-going formation, evaluation and training for Council members and existing groups in the parish.
• Be a channel of communication within the parish and diocese.
• Recognise work already done, affirm the contribution of those involved and celebrate the gifts and achievements of all parishioners.
Current pastoral council committee members
Like all good parishes there is a team involved in making sure the day to day parish office is running, the emails and phone calls are answered, the finances are kept in check, the monies are collected and the church is kept clean. The following ministries are involved;
We are so lucky to have a team of Sacristans who open/close the church, and help at the various ceremonies during the year. Each volunteer takes responsibility for a day and they work together for holidays and other commitments etc. We do have a vacancy at present for one day as one of our group is currently doubling up. Don't all volunteer at once !
Again a wonderful group who meet on Tuesdays to keep our beautiful church grounds in pristine condition. Simply call by and Tuesday after mass and meet the 'lads' and join up. Many hands make light work is so true.
Finance Committee
Fr. Peter O'Connor, Anne Crawley, Gillian Massey and Chairperson James Perkins
email: email@example.com
Ruah Pastoral Centre Management Team
Bernadette Drennan, John O Brien, John Short, Tommy Flynn
Collectors and Stewards
Please contact the parish office
Please contact the parish office
Since the church opened in the late 1960's, parishioners have always volunteered to clean the church. At present there is a group of about 5 people who clean the church at times of their own choosing, each taking a small area to be responsible for. Some of these have been involved since the beginning. We are always looking for help! Just come along on Tuesday morning about 10.30am. No experience necessary! Mop and bucket supplied.
There are many ways in which you can volunteer to help out, please contact Aine in the office for further details.


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ALESTORM Begins Recording Fourth Album
"Over the past couple of years we've been writing non-stop, and we've come up with a ton of badass material.
"Some of this stuff is catchiest pirate party anthems you've ever heard, with choruses that'll make you want to raise a pint of rum up high and sing your guts out. And for the fans of the epic stuff, we've got some songs that hit the 10-minute mark, with lyrical themes about historical events and crazy mythological madness. It's gonna rule!"
ALESTORM's "Shipwrecked" video was filmed in Belgrade, Serbia with director Ivan Colic, who has previously worked with EPICA, KAMELOT and KATAKLYSM. The song comes off the band's third album, "Back Through Time", which was released in June 2011 via Napalm Records.
"Back Through Time" was produced by Lasse Lammert at LSD Studio. The effort was made available as a jewelcase, mediabook, LP, and special-edition boxset "featuring bonus tracks and other mad shite!"


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Representing a major milestone in the history of the Lamma Show, 2019 saw the UK's largest farm machinery and technology event move completely indoors for the first time.
Insulated from any inclement weather, the NEC in Birmingham provided visitors with an opportunity to view a vast wealth of farming kit available in the UK.
Here we take a look at the latest loader developments...
Sporting a trio of telehandler developments Dieci used Lamma to premier two new models and preview its latest compact model.
Of particular interest to UK farmers is its new Agri Star 35.6 Evo 2 model. With a lift capacity of 3.5 tonnes and a lift height of 6.4m, power comes from a 143hp, four-cylinder FPT engine.
Channelling power to the wheels is a single stage hydrostatic transmission, said to be ideal for 'shuttle' work around yards.
Standard or premium spec cabs can be specified which feature improved switch gear and control layout. Cab suspension offer vertical and lateral dampening, and an optional reversing camera can be specified.
Up front, a simple flat-faced couplings allows any headstock type to be fitted, allowing easy adaptation to attachments. At the rear, a pick up hitch is standard, which comes as standard with a coupling providing a park brake function for trailers.
Higher up the spec level is the new Agri Plus 42.7 VS Evo 2 model with a lift capacity of 4.2 tonnes and a reach of seven metres. Power comes from FPT providing 153hp.
A combination of a large hydro-pump and two hydro-motors is said to offer a true continuously variable transmission driving style.
This offers a choice of four driving modes; normal, Eco which uses a single hydro-motor, loader mode prioritising loader functions, and creep mode which offers independent control over forward speed, hydraulic flow and engine speed.
Finally, with an overall width of 1,500mm, the firm's new Mini Ag 20.4 is aimed at situations where space is at a premium, such as chicken sheds and traditional livestock buildings.
Featuring a lift capacity of two tonnes and a reach of 4.3m, a three-cylinder Kubota motor provides 50hp.
JCB has updated its Loadall Super and Agri Pro models, boosting operator comfort and convenience with the introduction of an all-new cab.
Called Command Plus, the new cab uses a larger, longer curved front windscreen that incorporates both the windscreen and roof window; there is a revised control layout and more storage space, and improved fit and finish.
The in-cab noise level has been slashed from 78 to 69dB(A), representing a 50 per cent reduction.
In addition, six, seven and 9.5m models gain a modest 100-200kg lift capacity increase, and an optional chassis sway mechanism will be available for the Loadall front axle to improve load placement precision.
Following the rebirth of Manitou's MLA pivot steer telehandler, the firm has started to expand the range. As a result, the MLA-T 516-75H now joins the range and sits below the full-size MLA-T 533-145V+.
Essentially a Gehl-built machine (also part of the Manitou Group), the 516-75H packs a 74.3hp Deutz diesel engine, and drives all four wheels through a two-speed hydrostatic transmission, offering a maximum travel speed of 20kph. A three-speed 30kph transmission option is available.
With an operating weight of 5.5 tonnes, the 516-75H offers a lift capacity of 1,600kg to a height of 4.9metres.
Tobrocco Giant used the show to launch its new pivot steer loader into the UK.
The G4500 replaces the V561, and is now Stage 5 compliant, with its 75hp Kubota engine. Emissions are dealt with through DPF.
New to the machine is an improved joystick, said to have better proportional control, and two rocker switchs controlling boom and auxiliary functions.
The loader can have a telescopic or 'Z' bar boom, with lift capacities of 2,600kg and 2,800kg respectively.
Lift heights for the two boom options are 4,350mm and 2850mm, powered by an 80 l/min hydraulic pump. Propulsion is provided by a Rexroth Bosch hydrostatic transmission.
Schaffer's latest development in it loader range sees its T8620 given a boost in power, to a maximum of 136hp. Provided by a four-cylinder Deutz engine, emissions are treated with AdBlue. Drive is through a hydrostatic 'box, capable of 40kph.
Lift capacity tops out at 4,200kg while height is 5.2m. Overall width of the machine is 2,180mm while load sensing hydraulics pump 105 l/min. Available now, prices start from £81,000 plus VAT.
Avant took the opportunity to show off its latest in electric loader technology.
The e6 pivot steer loader now features a lithium ion battery, rather than the lead acid one of old.
Integrated into the machine is a fast charge system, which replenishes battery capacity from 10 per cent up to 100 per cent in an hour, according to the company.
Maximum battery life is a claimed six hours.
Operating capacity is said to be equivalent of the company's diesel 6 Series loaders, with a lift capacity of 950kg, while lift height is 2.82m with its telescopic boom. Available for delivery now, the price is said to be similar to the company's 7 Series loaders.
Those looking to make the most of wheeled loaders might find Suffolk attachment firm BA Caulkett's toe-tip muck fork, of interest.
Considered to be an industry first, the toe-tip muck fork offers a three cubic metre capacity, is equipped with Hardox tines and is aimed at those looking to make the most of their wheeled loaders in agriculture.
The toe-tip muck fork is priced from £7,750.
Loader firm Alo is extending its portfolio with a range of high-capacity attachments suitable for use with telehandlers and wheeled loaders.
Called the Quicke XL series, its latest models include the Silograb XL, Silofork XL and Silocut XL – the latter can be configured with a push-off system or bucket in place of tines.
Alo UK general manager Steve Hewitt says; "We are looking to cater for all aspects of the materials handling markets, not just the supply of tractor loaders and associated attachments."
Merlo has hinted at the size and shape of things to come, with a preview of this forthcoming TF65.9CS.
While information was being kept tightly under wraps ahead of its European launch at next month's Paris SIMA Show, the model numbers suggest a 6,500kg lift capacity and 9m lift height, with hydro-pneumatic cab suspension and chassis leveling being part of the standard specification.
Manitou has taken a step into the skid steer loader market with the 2700V.
The machine comes from the Mustang range – also part of the Manitou Group – but has been introduced to meet growing demand for compact equipment operating in poultry sheds.
The 2700V offers a 1,225kg load capacity, 3.3m lift height and 0-12kph or 0-19kph travel speeds – the latter from an optional two-speed transmission.
The 72hp Yanmar-powered skid steer measures 1.76m wide, 2m high and 3.7m long.
Could MX be harbouring the world's largest loader for wheeled tractors within its new TX400 series?
The French maker believes so, and a glance at the spec sheet backs up this claim for a range of models engineered to suit tractors up to 400hp. Three models make up the TX400 series – TX420, TX425 and TX430 – with the range-topping TX430 packing a 5.5m lift height and a 3.5 tonne lift capacity. The lesser TX420 and TX425 can reach 5.1m, and offer 3.25 and 3.5 tonne lift respectively.
Unladen weight is 1,200kg, and specification includes hydraulic self-leveling, electronic controls and the ability to wear a variety of headstocks from most telehandler manufacturers. The TX400 series is priced from £18,000.


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Colorful Kate Spade Inspired NYE Ideas
Sounds like my kind of party! Cheers to the new year! So totally obsessed with everything about this. So much so that I'm definitely going to be pinning every. single. detail. And these kate spade new york inspired touches? A perfect theme for a New Year's Eve party, if you ask me!
Kudos to all the talented pros who came together to make this fun-filled scene come to life! I'm especially digging the black and white stripes, the confetti, and those polka dots. Oh, and those blooms! How could I forget?
Time to drink champagne and dance on the tables, you guys! Okay, so maybe not dance on the tables. Let's not get ahead of ourselves now. But a cold glass of champagne is sounding pretty good about now. Anyone care to join me? Pop. fizz. clink.


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I finally got the medal version of the Venture Leader's Training Award. I might need it for a formal COH this summer.
When I was putting the paperwork back in my Leader's Book, I read over the requirements for the Training Award and the Webelos Den Leader Knot I had just received.
They are basically the same. The only real difference is the one is Cub level and the other Crew level.
So my question is this: Why are the Scout and Crew level awards available with a medal and Cub level awards only available in knot form?
One has to meet the same general requirements of Training for the position, Tenure in the position, Round Table participation and actual participation in the position.
I would think they should all use the same knot and medal plus the cub, Scout, Crew or Versity device (one can be made for Webelos specific) or they Den Leader awards get a separate medal.


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Our newest dealership, Audi Shawnee Mission is now open for business in Lenexa Kansas. As the photographer and Digital Marketing Specialist for Kuni Automotive, I took a trip to Kansas to visit the store, help train staff, and photograph the location.
The building has underwent some impressive renovations. It has been molded into a fantastic retail location that feels like Audi.
A row of inventory greets you as you drive up. Models are showcases side by side with a nice variety of models and colors for easy comparison.
Audi Shawnee Mission has a great location, easily viewed from the nearby interstate 35 and easily accessed on Lenexa drive.
With the interior decor continuing to evolve, Audi Shawnee mission is very welcoming and comfortable.
A view of the customer lounge between service and sales.
Coffee by Local brewer The Roasterie, is offered up in the custom Audi coffee machine.
A brand new clean and spacious shop area:
The parts counter:
Almost finished with the service drive overhang:
The nearby Country Club Plaza in downtown Kansas City was a joy to explore. We are very excited for this new dealership in a fun and beautiful city!
The trip to Kansas was a great one. I look forward to visiting again soon to see the store grow and evolve. Also, to enjoy more of that fantastic Kansas BBQ!


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Should we purchase CPM software from our BI vendor?
Should you purchase CPM software from your business intelligence vendor? Get our expert's advice, and find out if CPM-BI software integration is the most critical consideration.
We're planning to add a corporate performance management (CPM) system in the next year. We have a pretty good idea of requirements. Is it that much more beneficial to purchase CPM software from our BI vendor? Do the integration benefits outweigh not getting all of the functionality that we might by going with a different vendor?
It is not always proven that going with the current BI vendor's software will best meet your organization's business and IT requirements. The software might not be as usable or flexible as other products are, and it might not be the most cost-effective option over a three- to five-year time period. Also, the amount of time it takes to deploy a particular software product is sometimes so long that the business value of that time will demand looking at alternatives. While integration of software is important, this category of what I call adaptability must be weighed along with other categories such as usability, functionality, manageability, TCO/ROI and vendor validation as part of what we have defined as the "value index" of software products.
Dig Deeper on Corporate performance management best practices
Related Q&A from Mark Smith
The real benefits of CPM and financial performance management software
There are benefits to CPM and financial performance management software beyond faster budgeting and financial reporting. Learn about using CPM ... Continue Reading
The most effective form of Excel spreadsheet management for BI, CPM
Get advice on proper Excel spreadsheet management for BI and CPM projects in your organization. Learn when spreadsheets should be used for business ... Continue Reading
How important is it to make sure our CPM tools are up to date?
CPM tools can be very beneficial to organizations. And what matters most isn't the version of your CPM software but how you use it, says a corporate ... Continue Reading
Have a question for an expert?
Please add a title for your question
Get answers from a TechTarget expert on whatever's puzzling you.


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Seeking to lay a foundation of God's love in the lives of teens and school children
Through An Empowered Generation, we seek to lay a foundation in which children and teens discover that they are created in the image of God, that their lives have purpose and that they are unique, valuable and worth loving. We want to teach them that even when they make a mistake God's love for them does not change and that through Jesus they can receive forgiveness and a fresh start.
We also hope to help them create a system of values which will help direct their lives and guide the choices they make. We seek to make the children aware of the fact that each choice has a consequence or consequences.


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Deep in the ocean live little creatures who work tirelessly to keep the ocean clean, they're called Feeders. Now you can help keep the ocean clean as you match falling algae pieces to the animal that eats them! Be careful though, loose stones fall from above and can get in your way!
Archive for: October 2009
Haiku Journey
Create words by linking letters to release the butterflies that fill in a poet's ancient haiku word puzzle for you to solve. Earn special bonuses that will help you along the way. Solve the haiku and progress on your journey to the ultimate destination of Mount Fuji.
Toy Golf
It's mini-golf with a twist! Shrink your ball and play indoors. Get all the thrills of birdies and bogeys, in the comfort of a house. Putt your way through the kitchen, study, living room and more from a new perspective. 3D graphics make you feel like you're playing through a whole new kind of course. You might want to warn your neighbors: Fore!
Mack's Escape
Mack was thrown unjustly into prison because of his haircut. But he refused to get a new hair-do. He appeal this unjust sentence all the way to the Supreme Fashion Court and even to the President of the Fashion Institute. All appeals have failed.
Mack has no other choice but to escape from this unfashionable prison and join his hippy friends in love, peace and long hair doors.
Super Granny Winter Wonderland
Super Granny's ski resort vacation is cut short when her kitties go missing. Navigate Granny through 90+ new action-packed levels, some created by fellow players, as you rescue Granny's kitties from the clutches of the nefarious Dr Meow.
Trio: The Great Settlement
Free the colorful and cute Orbics from their underground prisons, and build them a brand spanking new settlement! Earn gold coins to construct new homes, and create a paradise for the Orbics in Trio: The Great Settlement! Play through this unique Match 3 game on the planet of Orb, and renew a beautiful civilization on the verge of extinction. Collect trophies, meet new characters, and improve magical flying islands!
HdO Adventure: Frankenstein — The Dismembered Bride
Help Brad save Janet, his fiancée, from Frankenstein's crazy experiments in Frankenstein: The Dismembered Bride! Janet has been missing for several months but Brad has finally tracked her down to Bavaria. Explore the mysterious house owned by Lord Albrecht von Frankenstein and save Janet before it is too late in this exciting Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure game!
The Treasures Of Montezuma 2
Return to the jungle in The Treasures of Montezuma 2, an all-new Match 3 game with more levels, more challenges and more fun! Powerup totems and unleash special powers by making multiple matches of the same color token. Then rack up a high score by activating Score Frenzy with a series of insanely fast matches! Finally, unlock trophies for performing amazing feats as you try to collect all of the gems on each level before time runs out.
Pile & Pop
Pile & Pop is the perfect game for a fun break! Lift and drop bricks to create amazing combos and score huge points. The gameplay is easy to learn, yet has strategic depth and rewards quick and clever thinking. The two modes of play will challenge both your reactions and your brains. No matter if you play for fun and collect trophies or fight your way into the highscore tables – this casual puzzler will keep you entertained!
Fashion Rush
Meet Satine, a young wannabe Fashion Designer. Help her become successful and famous in the fashion world! Share Satine`s life and find out if she can manage a successful career and a great love story. Fashion Rush will allow you to create your own clothing collection. This fast-paced adventure is crafted with beautiful graphics and will offer hours of great stylin` fun. Unlock many items and discover Satine`s life in this fashionable fantasy world!
Big City Adventure: New York
Explore magnificent New York City on your next Big City Adventure! The Big Apple has become home to thousands of hidden items and minigames. Discover fascinating and obscure facts about NYC and its history. Earn magnificent mementos and beautiful postcards as you travel around the huge city, finding Hidden Objects and playing minigames. Challenge all of your friends and family to beat your high score!


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Zuckerberg ties the knot
Facebook billionaire weds sweetheart in California
Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg updated his status to "married" on Saturday.
Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan, 27, tied the knot at a small ceremony at his Palo Alto, Calif., home, capping a busy week for the couple, according to a guest authorized to speak for the couple. The person spoke only on the condition of anonymity.
Zuckerberg took his company public in one of the most anticipated stock offerings in Wall Street history Friday. And Chan graduated from medical school at the University of California, San Francisco, on Monday, the same day Zuckerberg turned 28, the person said.
The couple met at Harvard and have been together for more than nine years, the person said, adding Zuckerberg designed the ring featuring "a very simple ruby."
The ceremony took place in Zuckerberg's back yard before fewer than 100 guests, including Facebook's chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg. The guests all thought they were coming to celebrate Chan's graduation but were told after they arrived that the event was a wedding.
"Everybody was shocked," the guest said.
Rather than his trademark hoodie, Zuckerberg wore a suit for the ceremony, while his bride wore a traditional wedding dress.
Food was served family-style and included dishes from the couple's favourite Palo Alto sushi restaurant.
The two had been planning the marriage for months but were waiting until Chan had graduated to hold the wedding, the guest said. The timing wasn't tied to the IPO, since the date the company planned to go public was a "moving target," the guest said.
Even after the IPO, Zuckerberg remains Facebook's single largest shareholder, with 503.6 million shares. He also controls the company with 56 per cent of its voting stock.
The site, which was born in a Harvard dorm room in 2004, has grown into a worldwide network of almost a billion people. Zuckerberg, who grew up in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., was selected as Time magazine's Person of the Year in 2010, at age 26.


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1 Kings 18:21 "And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word."
What is a fence straddler? I know the meaning very well. It describes me and my lifestyle about three years ago. I wanted to follow God and go into ministry, but I also wanted to be in an "all out" relationship with a man who wasn't my husband. God wouldn't allow me to be elevated spiritually and in some ways naturally until I decided between, "God or Baal?" I had one leg on the world's side of the fence and one leg in the kingdom – fence straddler. God kept nudging me with forceful nudges to come out of sin. I mean the kind of nudges that I couldn't just ignore. The nudges went beyond "heart tugs."
Will you stay in sin until God has to give you a serious nudge or will you come out now? We stifle our own elevation with our rebellion. Will you go all in with God? He says if not, just go all in with Satan. He said for us to love Him with all our hearts, all our soul, and all our strength, withholding nothing… Jené Elaine Walker


text: Dick's Sporting Goods Today 10:00AM-9:00PM Today Jan 21 10:00AM-9:00PM Wednesday Jan 22 10:00AM-9:00PM Thursday Jan 23 10:00AM-9:00PM Friday Jan 24 10:00AM-9:00PM Saturday Jan 25 10:00AM-9:00PM Sunday Jan 26 12:00PM-6:00PM Monday Jan 27 10:00AM-9:00PM Map Pin Located on lower level See Map (423) 282-4430 See Map (423) 282-4430 http://www.dickssportinggoods.com DICK'S Sporting Goods offers the finest quality products at competitive prices, backed by the best service anywhere. Like you, we have a real passion for sports and are excited to bring the enthusiasm and experience to the online community. Our mission is to be the #1 sports and fitness specialty retailer for all athletes and outdoor enthusiasts through the relentless improvement of everything we do.


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The Clarksville Department of Electricity began operations in December 1938. The City of Clarksville purchased the distribution facility from the Kentucky-Tennessee Light & Power Company, a privately owned and profit making utility, and contracted to purchase power for resale from the Tennessee Valley Authority. All power consumed by CDE and its customers is supplied by TVA.
The department's service area includes all of the 100 square miles located within the boundaries of the city of Clarksville. Approximately 60,000 customers are served and 892 miles of power lines and 960 miles of fiber optic cable are maintained.


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Oracle Primavera is the leading Enterprise Project Portfolio Management (EPPM) solution for project-intensive industries. It offers best-in-class capabilities focused on mission critical PPM requirements of industries like engineering & construction, discrete and process manufacturing, public administration, financial services and others. Oracle Primavera enables enterprise agility, team productivity, portfolio predictability and overall project management efficiency. The result is the ability to drive down costs, minimize risk and deliver results to key stakeholders.
Primavera software was established in 1983 by Joel Koppleman and Dick Faris in Philedalphia, USA. Primavera have been the defacto project management software used by over 75,000 companies worldwide to successfully manage project, programmes and portfolios. To help expand its product capabilities, Primavera acquired Eagle Ray Software Systems in 1999, Evolve Technologies (a professional services automation vendor) in 2003, ProSight (an IT portfolio management software vendor) in 2006, and in the same year, Pertmaster (a project risk management software vendor).
Primavera core strength has been always project scheduling but with the evolution in project management practice over the years, Primavera have successfully transformed its core functionality from scheduling tool used by planners to full a blown project portfolio management solution used by the entire project team and executives.
In 2008, Oracle announced it was acquiring Primavera, turning it into the Primavera Global Business Unit (PGBU). With the acquisition by Oracle Primavera software have gone through in many enhancements and currently Oracle Primavera is the leader in Project Portfolio Management market segment.
In Malaysia major iconic projects like KLCC, KLIA, Putrajaya, Cyberjaya, LRT was successfully delivered using Primavera solution. Apart from construction industry, Primavera have been deployed in oil & gas industry in Malaysia by Petronas as preferred solution to manage capital projects and maintenance/shutdown projects.
In a recent survey and analysis conducted by Economist Intelligence Unit sponsored by Oracle on 213 senior executives and project managers worldwide and in-depth interviews with nine executives and project management experts in various industry vertical the following is the outcome of the survey.
|Critical factors to be considered before implementing Oracle Primavera solution. Oracle Primavera offers unmatched flexibility and power to successfully help organizations to deliver projects on time and budget thus saving companies cost, increase productivity and deliver quality projects. Read more...


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A NEW PRODUCT that's intended to keep fruit and vegetables fresher for longer has been designed by a New Zealand company, which sounds like good news for those of us who eat a lot of the good fresh stuff.
beFresh by Everfresh Partners is a sachet that reduces the ethylene gas emitted by fruit and vegetables in refrigerators. Ethylene acts as a ripening agent for a number of different fruits and vegetables, so cutting down the amount of the gas in the crisper drawers should enhance the freshness and the useful life of fruit and vegetables.
Everfresh Partners manager Pravin D'Lima says that "The missing link in the supply chain is the domestic refrigerator. The ethylene emitting produce is chucked in the fridge with ethylene sensitive food, accelerating the ripening process. The result is huge wastage of good fresh food. Our product interrupts the ripening process and delays wilting and yellowing of leafy green vegetables such as celery, broccoli, lettuce and cabbage, and the softening of fruit. Kiwifruit for instance, is an 'enemy' of apples which emit the ethylene gas. beFresh will double the shelf life of fruit and vegetables in fridges."
beFresh is a small gas-permeable sachet of potassium permanganate or sodium permanganate. It has a moisture-proof cardboard lining and a suction cup to allow it to be secured to the side of the crisper drawer. So you just pop it in place and enjoy fresher produce for 30 days.
beFresh is currently available in NZ supermarkets and on TradeMe.
For more information, check out – http://www.everfresh.co.nz/befresh.html


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Life as Lincoln follows three Abraham Lincoln presenters who live and impersonate Lincoln in the places that he called home–Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois. From each man's costumed presentations to his ordinary at-home routines, the film unveils the ambitions behind the men dedicated to preserving Lincoln's memory and the peculiar parallels between Lincoln's history and the presenters' lives. Ultimately, the film's three presenters meet together in Washington, D.C. with nearly 100 other Lincoln Presenters for their annual convention, a celebration of Lincoln's life and their presenting pastime.
Through moments both moving and humorous, Life as Lincoln breathes new life into the history of our 16th president as these men serve as the guides to Lincoln's life. Along the way, the film reveals how Lincoln serves as an ever-present touchstone for these presenters, leading each man to his own personal relationship with Lincoln's legacy and his own unique approach to life.


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Graham Gilbert
Graham founded ComputerLand UK in 1989, a business that specialised in providing IT infrastructure support services to corporate and public sector clients. The business had four main product offerings, Managed Services, Project Services, Hardware Support and Managed Product Supply. Notable clients included O2, Experian, Comet, and Heinz. In September 1997 Graham floated the business on the AIM list of the LSE and continued to grow the organisation until it was sold to Capita in April 2008, with a turnover of £70 million with a PBT of £3.1 million. The business employed 500 staff (April 08) of whom about 400 were involved in service delivery. During the 19 years as CEO and Chairman of ComputerLand Graham gained a wide range of expertise and experience in a number of areas including, floating a private company, managing the board of a public company, fund raising, acquisitions, managing city and investor relations, designing and implementing innovative service offerings and maintaining the highest standards of quality and customer service.
Since leaving ComputerLand Graham has become investor and Chairman of the following companies and works extensively in the Private Equity sector.
- Little Fish (UK) Ltd – A rising star in the Managed IT Services sector
- BigHand Ltd – The UK market leader in Digital Dictation and workflow products
- Kirona Solutions Ltd – A leading provider of Field Force Automation solutions


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(Our three part series from Market Insight July/August 2016)
In the beginning:
So you've heard about a whisper, a rumour, on the quiet just for you – nobody else knows and its come straight from your new "bestest" friend. Two of the above off markets started exactly like that for us, which we took to the client and one our client brought to us.
That was the opening line from the agents; with added commentary on the home's greatness, rarity and the owners desire to sell at a reasonable price as soon as possible. All 3 were big on details of this nature.
Small on detail was land size, asking price and process for sale – nothing new here. Almost every off market starts the same.
The information flow at the beginning of an off market is a bit like an unknown weather event.
It starts with a whisper of something in the distance, turns into a torrent of info (almost all of which is not what you need to know) and leaves you in a desolate landscape, devoid of life sustaining facts around dollars, condition and process.
Not to worry – that's what we do at James – find out the important info – more on that later.
Lets start with some general info.
Question One: Why do sellers sell off market, especially in this supposedly strong market?
1. Genuine – privacy reasons, well known to public, divorce, financial.
2. Genuine – in that there is only one buyer for the property and it may take a year to find them – so other campaigns will not suit, eg the home would look stale after 6 months in the Weekly Review
3. Not so genuine – but not disingenuine either, in that if the seller gets a huge price from you, then they will sell, otherwise they are staying put.
4. Not genuine – it's not really for sale, but the agent has browbeat the seller into running a campaign. The agent is doing so in the hope he/she can change the sellers mind with a big offer from you.
5. Not genuine – a version of above, except they are selling next year no matter what; you are being used a guinea pig until then to get the agent the listing.
6. Not genuine – the seller has no intention of selling, but likes the attention and free valuation advice you are given them. Cup of tea anybody!!
Question Two: How do you find out if the property is really for sale?
With so many off-markets coming across our desk, we have developed what we call the OFF MARKET duck test – meaning if it doesn't look like a duck, doesn't walk like a duck or doesn't quack like a duck – then it probably isn't a duck.
Here is the OFF MARKET duck test and best to ask the questions in writing.
1. Have you got an authority to sell Mr Agent?
2. What is the asking price please?
3. What access can I get to look at it?
4. Are there contracts?
5. What is the process for selling this home Mr Agent please?
While in our business the JAMES OFF MARKET duck test doesn't give you absolutes, it does provide you with a basis for a good foundation. And let's not be too picky – 3 to 5 out of 5 satisfactory answers is OK but 0 or 1 satisfactory answers from 5 says move on.
Question Three: Mal, why worry about all this, before you even start.
1. Because life is short and more to the point market time is short – basically you have Pre Easter, Post Easter, Winter, Early Spring and late Spring markets in which to find a home – these are all short bursts of activity and if you are focused on a home you can't buy, then you will be missing ones you can.
2. Because life is stressful. Don't know about you, but for me personally the most stressful times I have found; have been chasing girls who simply have no desire of realizing my full potential. My time in the past has been a lot more enjoyable chasing the girls that wanted to be chased – and in my case the numbers have been small, so every chase counts.
3. Info – you know the "friendly" agent who you are looking at the home with? Yeah! Well she/he is sucking the info out of you by the gallon, on a home you're never going to buy. Eg You're asked would you pay $8m for the home you're never buying – yep is your answer. Ok, so when you are looking at a $6m home you can buy, do you think the agent will ask you for $6m or $8m? Mmmm – what do you think?
Footnote: If any of the words come across as being derogatory to good agent work on legitimately for sale Off Market homes – then I'm sorry, I'm not making my point well. All three of the off market homes above we bought, would not have bought at the price we paid – if it wasn't for the excellent work of the selling agent. Agents who can regularly sell homes ethically off market, are at the top of the tree as far as we're concerned; as they do so without the advertising hype – meaning they use their databases and they need to provide personalized service on both sides or else it all falls apart.
Having said that, an off market agent is NOT working for you the buyer – he or she is working for the seller.
- Dealing with Agents
- Limited Information
Your relationship with the selling agent and how you manage it; is a critical factor in whether or not you will be successful in buying an Off Market.
So lets say you have viewed the home and you are satisfied with the James Off Market Duck Test.
You have deemed yourself past Base Camp and ready to climb the mountain.
Next stop is dealing with or understanding the selling agent's position.
By now you should know that the selling agent is not actually your friend and not actually working for you – he or she is a professional, working for the seller.
That is not to say the agent is not wanting to see a deal done or not being helpful or not a nice person – after all he or she is showing you the home, that you like and that you have now assessed as having some chance of buying. That's 3 big ticks for the agent, but they are working for the seller – just giving you some perspective.
Dealing with Agents.
Is the agent the controlling agent in this deal?
You need this critical insight and it needs to be right.
Is it an open listing with a number of agents having access to the home? That's usually a big negative for you, if you are new to the game.
So if yes, where does your agent sit in the pecking order in terms of information flow?
Why is this important?
Well if you are not speaking to the controlling agent, your information flow could be restricted and the home could be sold without you knowing;
or could be sold without you getting the right information (there is a lot more to this sentence than a few words,if you think about it);
or in fact it's actually not for sale even though your agent, who is not the controlling agent, genuinely believes it's for sale.
Some supplementary, but very important questions to information flow.
Are the other agents sharing commissions or is it dog eat dog – that's an insight into the information flow?
Here is another issue to manage around – have you been told about the home by an agent who has access for a limited time; but then another agent has the exclusive listing? This puts you at a distinct disadvantage by actually going through with the non-exclusive agent – yes it's better to not go through with the wrong agent – you will be locked into the wrong agent – you will have significantly reduced your chances of being the buyer.
OK let's move from information flow to agent influence?
Does the agent have the skills to be able to influence the seller in a manner that will bring about a deal you (and the seller) can live with?
Anybody can buy an Off Market $2 million over the odds; we know because we see it and the almost finished (maybe it hasn't) Asian stampede right at the top, proved that on a weekly basis in 2015.
A question is do you want to pay well over the odds? If yes then "Junior Agent" should be able to fumble your deal through, if not then "Junior Agent" won't be able to get the deal through – so the deal won't happen for you or the seller. And to be clear – a "Junior Agent" may be very experienced at selling under auction conditions, but not so at Off Markets.
If you want a win-win Off Market deal, you need to be dealing with high quality, experienced agents such as Ross Savas, Jeremy Fox, Jock Langley, Adam Cashmore, ie those we bought from in July and others such as Marcus Chiminello, John Morrisby, Ian Jackson, Andrew Campbell, Rae Tomlinson, Michael Armstrong, David Wood to name a few more.
It's not a matter of buying it cheap – it's a matter of actually buying it. These guys will not sell you something cheap – in fact if you let them, they will sell you something very expensively.
No, it's a matter of finding an agent who has the skills to manage the seller to "only slightly above unreasonable" – but still at a level you can afford, so as to get the deal done – if it is in the interests of the buyer and the seller.
With agents it's the 3 I's
- Is this particular agent in your best Interests to deal with on this home?
- What about his or her Information flow?
- Does the agent have sufficient Influence?
Limited Information for Pricing and Values.
I make judgments all the time.
Don't know about you, but I will be walking down the street and look at a bloke's trouser length and make some sort of assessment on his character, depending on whether I like that length or not!
Now in the absence of other information, I've assessed whether this bloke on the pavement is a man of decency, or a potential threat and I've made that assessment based on his trouser length!
Mmmm – Mal, you're an idiot, who does that – well you do. Look at the judgments you make each day on limited information and how many times are they wrong.
At a public auction you have a lot more information to be able to assess and confirm the pricing of the home. You can see the numbers at OFI's – you can see who is bidding and you can see what levels. You can get a feel on the mood. That is all very helpful (if your radar is tuned in the right way) to help you assess price and competitor strength.
You don't have that vindication in a private Off Market – and to some extent neither do we – although we will often have a fair bit more information than you.
This is where, in our case, professional peer review and James Negotiation Council plays a critical role in helping to assess value and pricing.
Without independent professional 2nd opinions you are flying completely solo; judging everything on "trouser length" without 2nd opinions – it can be an expensive way to live your life.
Aha you say, but you have the agent – in fact he or she is your beacon – he is your second opinion – she is your default professional? Really?
Please, because an agent rings you up twice a year for five years does not necessarily make him a close friend – does not make her somebody you "owe".
What it makes him/her is a diligent professional agent working for the seller and ……. you are the buyer.
Repeating this, we are of the opinion you don't "owe" a selling agent anything, just because he or she maintains regular contact with you. Our human condition is we all naturally tend towards friendship – but in real estate it's friendship that often costs you the most.
The advice of "friend agents" is often
* not as robust,
* your fees are often higher and
* in a world where the poorer buying and selling agents can have an attention span of a nat, the care factor lower (if allowed to get away with it)
However in the absence of no other person to speak to – your selling agent becomes your lean to, your adviser.
May I suggest a different adviser – may I suggest an experienced in Off Markets, professional buyer advocate. We are no friend either – but if I was going to court, or having my tax done, or in for open heart surgery – friendship would be secondary to competence, skill and area of expertise – in buying a home friendship should be secondary to getting the best outcome – because often after the transaction is done, your "friend" is gone.
The seller has his professional agent – why don't you get your professional buying agent or advocate.
Welcome to part 3 of the 3 part Off Market Series.
Beginning the Off Market negotiation – below is a combination of three Off Market negotiations that James Buyer Advocates completed in July 2016.
- One in the $10M+ range
- One in the $3m to $7m range
- One in the $1m to $2m range
In other words, the three Top End $M+ Market segments we operate in – Lower, Middle and Upper.
All three were family homes and all three were Inner Melbourne – Scotch Hill, Grace Park and near Gascoigne – but they just as easily could have been Golden Mile, Beachfront, Tara or Sackville precincts.
Involved were four agencies Kay and Burton, RT Edgar, Jellis Craig and Abercrombys.
So we begin at the beginning. Actually for many Off Market buyers, the beginning can be the end, even though it should have just been the beginning.
It's the end for some Off Market buyers, because you have given a narrative of how much you will spend and how you will be doing things with/to the agent. You will have done this via opening your mouth, in the one brief conversation that introduced you to the potential Off Market.
Game Over…
- You either won't be the buyer on a home you could have been or;
- You will be the buyer on a home you shouldn't have been or;
- You will pay a very different amount to what you could have paid
and you haven't even been to the home.
Here is a typical conversation we have;
G'day Mal
Hi RAJJ (Ross, Adam, Jock and Jeremy) how is the market treating you?
Not bad – have you still got that $7M buyer looking for land in Hawthorn?
RAJJ we got a few new clients at all price levels. What have you got that may be of interest? You know the routine just give us the PPP's – Address, Land Size, One sentence on description and Price Guide ………………………………..
RAJJ there are a couple of goodies on that list, when can I get through D, E and maybe A. I've been through B and C and they are not really for sale and F doesn't make sense to me on the price you are talking about. And I won't bother with J or K, as not enough detail …..
Mal, how about Wednesday at 10 and we can do all three D, E and A. Who is your client and are you bringing them?
Sounds good RAJJ, no just me to begin with – let's see if they are as good as you say they are.
This is a conversation we like to have weekly with key selling agents in Top End Melbourne.
It's a good initial conversation and one an Off Market buyer without a buyer agent cannot usually have:
- no closed minds
- some filtering
- no real price giveaways
Fast forward – we've been through the home (without clients) and during the visit, we liked what we saw and one home passed the JAMES OFF MARKET DUCK TEST.
Next step is to send photos and a JAMES HOME RATING to our client. Here is a sample of a number of James Home Ratings – click here
Confidentiality for our buyer is an important commodity on three fronts:
- Not becoming an Open Book on $
- Privacy
- Management of Contact from Agents over a longer time frame
Hi Kellie and Ben, Mal here; I think we have one, possibly two OFF MARKETS that are worthwhile having a look at.
If you could check out the JAMES RATINGS, the pics and videos I sent you and do a drive-by (if overseas Google link) both 14 Tara and 33 Greystone, Armadale in the next few days that would be great.
Ok Mal.
Next day I'm giving some feedback back to RAJJ and asking some more questions – my main focus is to confirm the JAMES DUCK TEST and to give the agent the heads up that we (client and I) maybe wanting to go through.
This new Agent Conversation we can guarantee you will also contain:
- A very high Client Dream Price and a very low Agent Buyer interest figure – giving you a "wide as" price range and as definitive as a politician's pre-election promise. If you bothered to record the initial conversation, you will also notice a change in the figures from RAJJ's first price indication – the change will be in a northerly direction.
- You will also hear about how the selling wife wants X and the selling husband wants Y and that they are not quite on the same page. This is the standard wide range price justification technique. It's sensible work from the selling agent, whether you agree with it or not – personally, I have no issue with it. To be too narrow on price is not representing the sellers' interests, as well as a good selling agent should be doing.
- There will also be 'another buyer lurking in the wings' conversation. A standard time pressure and fear of loss agent technique. You need to have a three-sided strategy to deal with this to:
*Actually deal with another buyer if real.
*Deal with your emotion of another buyer whether real or not.
*Return serve, so as not to be always on the defensive.
Fast forward – Clients have done the drive-by and felt comfortable with the area.
We have supplied more information re land size, past sales and/or sales campaign history (eg when offered in the recent past and for how much and with which off market agent), owners and our initial thoughts on value and market interest from others. Eg sometimes these homes have been on the market for two or more years with two or more agents– its all useful information if you know what and who to ask.
And so fast forward – we've been through the home – have been really careful again, not saying too much – not to be tricky, just to be prudent.
Out the front of home D with the clients.
Hey Mal, I really like this home – me too.
OK, let's give it the sleep test and talk tomorrow.
Next conversation
Hi RAJJ. We have some interest in D, mild interest in A and no interest in E. Talk tomorrow.
Fast forward and Ben and Kellie confirm interest via a coffee meeting or phone call.
Ok, great Ben and Kellie – can we please frame what might happen from here.
We still don't know that this home is really for sale and we won't until they return our first serve – meaning they:
- counter or
- accept or
- choose not to respond to
our initial offer.
Why don't we wait till the agent has made the first offer, Mal?
Well they have via their quoting and conversation – and if you are holding your breath for a firm figure, then in almost all cases you will expire prior to hearing a firm selling agent figure.
So our best advice is, this is what works in Off Markets – having bought hundreds – you are going to have to make some of the running or you will be run over.
Here is the Buyer Big 3 at the start:
- You need to have clear goals, as you are going to be stress tested by the other side, either accidentally or deliberately (almost always the latter with good agents) and it's easy to move off track and not achieve what you set out to achieve. Eg snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
- You need to have a good internal expectation management system right from the start; that can help regulate your emotions, so as you can actually keep sight of your goals.
- You need a play book – not a rule book – a play book of what to do when this happens or that; or this and that; or this without that.
So what I personally use is a good old-fashioned notebook. And in that notebook I record:
- Key conversations
- Goals
- Expectations
- Additional facts
- Insights and gut feels
- Possible scenarios – flow charting doodles etc
It's like a dear diary, and it has helped many a difficult deal stay on track with a review from time to time.
Hope you enjoy. If we can help you buy, please give us a call and lets get stuck in – 9804 3133.


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I set a goal to myself to read 20 books in 2005. I ended up reading 25!
Phil Jackson – The Last Season
I bought the hardcover of this when it first came out. So it cost 30$. Ouch. I think Mr. Jackson is a great coach and he is a great teacher of young boys who are paid absurd amounts of money to be men and professionals. What I wonder is if Mr. Jackson really believed his team could win. He pushed his team to always try hard because that's what coaches do, but did he really believe in all these selfish ring-seekers? It seems he at least gave it a shot and tried to impress upon them new ideas by giving them books and quotes to muse over, but this may have been the inability to keep his own personality from seeping out into his disinterested juniors.
I understand that Mr. Jackson is married to the Lakers owner's daughter. But still, when Mr. Jackson took the job as Lakers coach again in the 2005-2006 season, my respect for him dropped a lot. After all, he said in this book that he'd never coach Kobe again because he acts so childish and selfishly.
Shawn Dorman – Inside a US Embassy
Not really a book but more of a brochure. It explains what the various positions of foreign service officers in an embassy perform and are responsible for, with interviews with current officers. This is not a must-have book, but considering the meager offering of books detailing the career one could expect to have as a foreign service officer, the material is very useful in figuring out what opportunities there are and the optempo on which foreign service officers operate.
F. Scott Fitzgerald – Tender is the Night
When I hear elitists drone on about there never having been a great American novelist, I roll my eyes. Fitzgerald is one of my favorite authors. He is easy for me to read, and his attention to the nuances of his characters' behaviors intrigues me. Mr. Fitzgerald understands how the human mind works and is able to express little ticks or habits or petty human decisions in an understandable way, and going even further by figuring out how to incorporate them into realistic characters. What more, he captures the folly and dissociation from reality and nature that epitomized and eventually befell the roaring twenties.
For in Tender is the Night, Fitzgerald is in his best form. Peoples' unrealistic expectations of perfect strangers being convoluted and corrupted by those peoples' hidden secrets and ugly traits. Playboy lifestyles being undermined by the past and by the creep of the fearful future.
Thomas P.M. Barnett – The Pentagon's New Map
Mr. Barnett changed the way I thought about the world. Barnett became well-known in the Pentagon for galvanizing his ideas into the perfect Power Point presentation, preferred media in management circles. Within a few slides, Barnett imprinted his idea into many minds, the idea that we DO have a physical representation of where our enemy is: our enemy lives in the disconnected state, or gap, that state which exists outside the core, made up of mainly first-world industrialized nations. Disconnected states are those run by people who care not for their people, countries whose populations are so poor that anyone can come in and exploit them.
Barnett believes that countries must be integrated into the core as quickly as possible, through a three-tined attack: politically, socially, and economically. You cannot reform a country fully by improving only two out of those three — all three must work in tandem together. This is a theory shared by many other smart people and is mirrored in Robert Rubin's book. It's now my sort of litmus test to see whether a country's publicly-traded companies are worth investing in and whether an economy will be headed on the right path.
This book provided a framework for all the jumbled ideas I had about improving the world. It made my life make sense, explained why I got fascinated with the Internet, then the stock market, then the military. I am not a floundering freak after all. And there are others out there like me, who are going to change the world for the better.
Mr. Barnett is the sort of person I need to work for, or with. He describes himself as someone who comes up with possible future scenarios, but concentrates on constructive ones which we could actually affect for the better. I like that.
John Steinbeck – Tortilla Flat
Having lived in Monterey for a year and a half, Steinbeck's books have become like the experience of returning home. Steinbeck's characters, dithering around Monterey and Cannery Row and Salinas, can't seem to put together any string of successes because they squander their prizes and earnings in idleness. The boys mean well, but they keep screwing things up because they want women and drink.
What strikes me is Steinbeck's ability to create a bustling town within text. The old asian grocer flip-flopping down to the water. The whores who sought the attention of those soldiers who lived at the Presidio long before me. The schemers and scoundrels and good ol' boys who once frequented the area but who have been displaced now by Clint Eastwood and extremely rich retired people who've given birth to spoiled young girls and surfer boys.
Dean Karnazes – Ultra-Marathon Man
It motivates me to read about a man who ran 226 miles straight as a gesture towards a young girl in the hospital. A man who started running cross-country in high school because he hated the showy, speed-obsessed, technical track and field mentality and preferred the just-go-out-there-and-run-for-ages lifestyle of the cross-country runners.
Mr. Karnazes was a successful businessman who was unhappy and tired with his life. He began running again after a long hiatus. The first day he just ran and ran and ran, needing his wife to pick him up — many miles away. He was wounded from the burst of freedom and adrenaline, but it spurred him to take up running as his love.
He would run a 100-miler out west, which tested him severely but which he would finish within 24 hours many times afterwards.
It's a story about someone who realized that he didn't have everything and sought something completely nonsensical and in the process making him a happy man with a close-knit loving family.
Sam Lipsythe – Home Land
Home Land is one of those books that makes it onto all the "best of" lists at the end of the year but you can't understand why. It's one of those books that doesn't really have a point, is written like a high schooler trying to be clever, and leaves you doubting whether you actually like reading books at all.
It took me a third of the book to start wondering if this book was told from the author's experience or if it was fiction. Upon reading some background, I discovered that it was fiction. That just strikes me as a huge letdown, an insincerity on the part of Mr. Lipsythe. Fuck you, man! It's not even real? Then why the fuck am I fucking reading this shit? And WHY DOES EVERYONE RECOMMEND IT SO HIGHLY?!
Just imagine if someone actually had the balls to write in to his high school's alumni paper, updating the gossip on all the embarrassing adult gaffes of those insecure, cruel high school peers. Imagine if someone actually was honest about himself to the point of too much information! The reality of life catches up with high schoolers turned young adults turned burnt-out life failures. Sorry, but if I want to experience the post-mortem on high school alumnis' lives, I'd watch Grosse Point Blank and get a good dose of light-heartedness and, yes, sincerity, with it.
Stephen Levitt – Freakonomics
Probably the most talked about book of the year. Mr. Levitt reminds us that in order to figure out long-unsolved problems, perhaps we have to radically change, destroy, and start over our assumptions about them.
The key theory in this economist's book is that all the reasons touted as the cause of a massive drop in crime in the United States, just when "experts" proclaimed an anarchic, violent dystopia would come, were almost completely ineffective in actuality. The politicians pumped their useless reform schemes and law enforcement justified budget increases in order to curb the violence.
Mr. Levitt claims that the drop in murder was caused by the Roe v. Wade court decision along with the legalization of abortion, which among the pool of most potential future criminals, decimated its ranks.
He goes on to suggest ways to detect cheating on state education exams, using statistical analysis, along with a recount of another economist's first-hand study of the economics of the street drug trade.
What I learned from this guy is that the most interesting questions about economics exist in taboo subjects that no one wants to talk about but which affect a significant portion of our population.
I believe that some of our future great leaders will be the ones who break down those taboos and deal with the problems that are protected by
the taboos.
Malcolm Gladwell – Blink
To be honest I didn't want to read Blink. I read Gladwell's first book and thought it was outstanding. However, Blink just sounded like a flimsy premise for a book. What, a whole book on how snap judgments are usually right? That seems like an over-generalization, and something that'd be fluffed out with hundreds of pages of filler.
But it's actually a pretty decent book. I find it hard to locate books that appeal to a non-academic audience that discuss human behavior and the subconscience.
I learned from this book to trust my intuition more, something I'd been learning on my own beforehand but have had trouble internalizing. My teammate jokes that I am an excellent thin-slicer, a phrase Gladwell uses to describe snap judgments about people or things to get a sense of whether it's good, evil, worthwhile, or whatever.
James Surowiecki – The Wisdom of Crowds
For a while I've been turned off by people who hate the "mainstream", people who think that what's popular is always shitty and that attention equals ruination.
Mr. Surowiecki's book helps to explain why I feel that way. He argues that the more diverse a body, the more likely they are to guess the right answer to a problem, no matter how technical or how little information there is to solve it.
For instance, he claims that in Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, the audience is almost never wrong when polled to give an answer to a difficult question. Not any one person knows every answer, but in a group of people (he qualifies this by saying they must be from a wide, diverse pool, and not people of similar backgrounds, even if they are the most prominent experts in that field) enough people will know the answer to get it right. Also the role of discussion among people can taint their answers since some people can be more persuasive than others, despite being wrong.
This is an idea put into words that we intuitively knew already. The more homogenous a group of people, the less variety and ingenuity there is, even amongst experts, who sometimes can be far more wrong than others because they're stubborn and are constantly told how right they are about everything.
Paulo Cuelho – The Alchemist
The Alchemist is, to me, a simple, beautiful parable that profoundly affected my life. It is simply told. It is short. It is easy to understand. It's elegant in its simplicity. A boy learns to follow his dream, taking risks by leaving everything in pursuit of that dream. Life is an adventure and the boy learns as he finds new lands that there is much to learn and that he can thrive in new environments. It's Matthew Modine's Vision Quest.
This book helped me realize I now love the desert. I love its mystique, its hardiness, the way the winds and the sands and the people who inhabit it spread ephemeral tales. It's magical. Fucking hot, but magical. Stories matter in the desert. There's little else there, and when something IS there, it is soon gone, living on only in peoples' memories.
I will read this book the rest of my life when I need inspiration to keep pushing towards the realization of a dream I am unsure of its intention. It might end up taking me to where I least expected: back where I started.
James McManus – Positively Fifth Street
Half this book is about the Binion murder case, which bored me insanely. Yeah, so this crazy descendant of a world-famous gambler and casino owner gets whacked perversely by his girlfriend and her lover, for his money. Whoah! Nothing new! Particularly not in Las Vegas. There was nothing interesting about the case. They were all despicable people, scumbags.
The reason all that shit is in the book is because the author is trying to link the book back to his original reason for doing it — a Harper's Magazine article. And because he got to meet the murdered son's sister, who knew his girlfriend was the culprit. Sentiment.
But the book came into its own, despite MacManus's meddling and muddling. Mr. MacManus plopped down the money granted to him to do the article on getting a seat for the World Series of Poker, $10k a pop. Turns out that he would get to the final table, becoming good friends with many of the top names in poker. The most intriguing parts of the book are narratives about key hands, and about his chip count through the tournament.
I could've done without the rest. There are better books out there.
Cecil Foster – Where Race Does Not Matter: The New Spirit of Modernity
Given to me by my French-Canadian girlfriend, this is written by a black Canadian. This book was not what I expected. I was hoping it would discuss more of Canada's current environment with regards to racial equality and the struggle to develop a truly equal environment. I was hoping it would talk about measures Canada took to achieve a more mixed demographic background.
Instead it talks a lot about Canada's monarchical past. It is not so much a vision for the future and how to get there, as the title might imply, but a historical recount that hardly describes Canada as its own entity. Might as well be talking about the United States and its racial problems.
In fact the book troubles me a lot because it initially dwells far too much on reparations. It wants to hold people of the present accountable for the past. Can we move on already? Can we think of a more constructive future, please? A new spirit of modernity?
Sinclair Lewis – Elmer Gantry
Given to me by a friend from DLI who shared an interest in one of America's great magazine men, H.L. Mencken, this book is a treat and a primer for religion in the U.S., even to this day. Elmer Gantry is a womanizing drunkard who discovers the perks of being a pastor. He's unable to control himself though and cannot avoid trouble. But somehow his blustery personality wins people over again and again.
What blew me away most about this book was the method in which it was written. Lewis apparently spent many months researching different religious sects within America. He did the legwork, the due diligence, traveling to Kansas City and inviting different religious leaders to come discuss with him their faiths. Through this manner, Elmer Gantry is not only an extremely funny, cynical look at American religion but also I think a key historical and anthropological work. It is the method that I would like to mimic when I write my own book — Lewis' understanding of the different churches Gantry works himself into flesh out a realistic world that strikes a lot of similarities to modern-day America. It's like reading de Tocqueville's "Democracy in America", except with a great sense of humor and interesting content.
This is magnificently-written novel.
Lance Armstrong – It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life
Lance Armstrong talks about his career, from his early days picking up cycling just a few blocks away from my house in Dallas, at the Richardson Bike Mart (across from the Minyard/Kroger), to his finding out he had cancer, and then his emergence as the best Tour de France competitor in history. I like reading about Armstrong's personal account of having cancer — it sounds dreadful but the way in which he handled his cancer was how I would like to. Research the hell out of it, approach it like a complex problem, maintain a positive attitude. It helped that he had so much family support.
It also resonated to me when he said that having cancer caused him to lose a lot of his fat and upper-body muscle that detracted from his riding performance. Once he got back in shape, he built up his lower body and had less mass up top, a smaller build, but with a renewed sense of confidence and the same angry, arrogant brutality he had as a young rider.
The book, like Phil Jackson's, is hurt by the passage of time: Armstrong's devoted wife in the book is no longer with him — Armstrong is now dating Sheryl Crow, which colors everything Armstrong said in the book about his first wife. But of course people change, and that's not always a bad thing.
Michael Scheuer – Imperial Hubris
Michael Scheuer originally wrote this book anonymously, since he was the former head of the bin Laden unit at the CIA. Scheuer's book is a scathing attack on the U.S.'s treatment of the Global War on Terrorism as a response to 9/11 and to the international emergence of Al-Qaeda.
Scheuer contends that we've botched the mission, quitting Afghanistan early to pursue Iraq and ignoring the direct words from Al-Qaeda itself. Scheuer spends a good amount of time describing bin Laden's relationship with the Muslims he hopes to awaken through jihad and what the long-term strategy of Al-Qaeda is.
This book is a fresh voice amongst a lot of table-pounding hawkish rhetoric. There seem to be only a few people who have the knowledge of what's really going on, and the open-mindedness and insight to see the big picture, and Scheuer is one of them. He quit his post and I understand through my own time in the military why — there is no appreciation or utility for knowledge of our enemy right now.
Lewis Black – Nothing's Sacred
I read this in a couple days. My teammate's family sent it to him and I picked it up for a quick read. Lewis Black used to work with my mother at the Kenyon Theater long ago. He's pretty funny if only because he's neurotic. I wouldn't say he's that great a comedian. And the book's not really that good. It just sort of sucks reading about actors and comedians before they make it big, because really they're just normal people who look for a break and need some money and can only really hang out with others in the same boat. It's not glamorous and if people knew what they'd have to go through to make it, they'd hopefully not go that route. Especially when they realize that fame and TV don't improve your life, only make it worse.
Neal Boortz and John Linder – The FairTax Book
Boortz is a radio commentator, Linder is a congressman. They got together to write a brief book promoting the FairTax. I can only dream of a country where the FairTax has been implemented.
Imagine getting rid of the IRS almost entirely, as taxes will be collected on consumption, not income. It's not a VAT (Value-Added Tax) — it's more like a sales tax. You are not punished on your income, which should all be yours — you pay an add-on when you buy something. We should be taxed for what we consume, not for what we earn. Why are we penalized when we try to invest or save? Shouldn't we be able to invest what we've earned? Surely though we will allow for paying tax on what we CONSUME — that's far fairer for rich and poor people alike.
The book describes the economics of suppliers' costs of production working their way down to consumption pretty well. It does not answer some of my questions, like what's to stop people from buying goods from other countries to evade the tax.
But I think this is a breakthrough in thinking about our tax system and will enormously alleviate the ballooning growth of tax laws year over year.
Neil Strauss – The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists
I love books that delve into little-known cults. This one involves online newsgroups, a community of men sharing tactics on how to consistently hit on and pick up women. Neil Strauss is a writer who had little self-confidence when talking to women. But after meeting some of the best pick-up artists, all with their own faux-bravado pseudonyms, and learning their silly techniques (peacocking), he makes up his own strategies and posts them online, becoming the most successful pick-up artist in the entire community.
In the end he becomes disgusted with how greedy the pick-up artists become, offering expensive seminars and real-world training classes. Most of the men never really develop as people, despite learning nuances of social interaction. They treat it more like a linear computer program than as pushing peoples' buttons and getting them interested in a spontaneous manner.
Strauss himself backs away from the community and falls in love with the guitarist from Hole, and finds the happiness he was looking for in their relationship.
Douglas Coupland – Shampoo Planet
My girlfriend Julie sent me this book while I was in Iraq. It was a wonderfully welcome book to get from my baby while I was stranded out in the middle of nowhere.
Douglas Coupland is an expert at combining the randomness and desire for convenience of American 30-somethings with the consumerism and vapidity of American culture. His books however are rather depressing to me because of the sadness of his characters as they amble through life. There's no excitement. It's like hard, cold rain on a Sunday. Dreary.
Still, the relationship between the protagonist and his girlfriend is sincere and sweet, and the relationship with the French woman he meets while on vacation is doomed and you know it the whole time. His relationship with his mother would hit home with most young men.
Anthony Shadid – Night Draws Near
This seems to be the only book of its kind about Iraq. Shadid, formerly a contributor to the Washington Post, and a Pulitzer Prize winner, embedded himself not only with the troops as the U.S. invaded Iraq, but also with the Iraqis before and after the invasion. He keeps up with friends whose lives get worse as the U.S. presence continues, follows a small tribe whose trouble-making sons decide to ambush a U.S. convoy (dying in the process), turning them into martyrs. He follows an American foot patrol, whose soldiers think the citizens love their presence. Shadid talks to the citizens in passing and they're far more ambivalent than the soldiers believed.
Few have the know-how or interest in reporting on how the Iraqis as a whole feel about the invasion within the context of Muslim, Iraqi, and Arab history. It's not enough to just interview a random person — Shadid has friends who have lived in Iraq their whole lives and who know him enough to be honest with him (and he can gauge the change of their feelings on the matter).
Not only do you get a far richer sense of what Iraq is like and what its people are going through, but you also see how beneficial it is to develop friends and genuine contacts no matter where you go in order to cut through the official line. You learn that Iraqis are exhausted by decades of war yet still have a taste of what the good life (Iraq in the late 70's) is like. They are proud people who are ashamed of how their country has fallen, and they can be very traditional, such as some tribes' insistence on honor killings. One of Shadid's trips is to a village where a father is told by the other inhabitants that he must kill his own son to exact justice and renew the town's fidelity. The father does indeed kill his own son.
Joseph Heller – Catch-22
I found this book boring except for its role in our culture and its many repeated references. Heller often takes jokes way too far, to the point where it's tedious and face-punchingly annoying. Insight into the absurdity of military bureaucracy and the obsessiveness of officers with parades and uniformity is keen, but all this makes up the core of the book, and not amusing anecdotes scattered through the book.
Gavin Menzies – 1421: The Year China Discovered America
My roommate had this book and I asked him if I could read it.
Obviously there's a lot of controversy about the conclusions in the book but I think Menzies lays down a far better case that Chinese came to the Americas before the Europeans did. It certainly makes sense — I had trouble buying into the stories we were taught in grade school. Menzies claims that he's found eastern Asian evidence in the Americas, and that only the Chinese could reliably navigate using longitude at the time — only latitude could be measured anywhere close to what would be needed to make to-scale maps.
I think it's destructively beautiful that the Chinese emperor poured so much money into sending ships into the unknown in order to map the world for its own sake and not just for spices and wealth like the Europeans did. Wherever the Chinese went, they traded cultural knowledge with those whom they met, instead of slaughtering them. They were true explorers, intelligent and resourceful mariners who, if the theory is sound, never got the just credit they deserved.
John M. Barry – The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History
Avian flu is a hot item right now. Even Dubya's supposedly read this book. This book chronicles the revolution in American medical practice at the turn of the century from barbarous alchemy to logical, methodical experimentation. It also details the spread of influenza, which interestingly began to spread in camps of American soldiers waiting to deploy to Europe for WW1. Influenza went epidemic and spread to major cities, killing hundreds of thousands. Public officials did nothing until it was too late, greatly helping the flu spread.
What's sad is that you know this can happen again. Public officials are useless when it comes to first-response and to damage control, mainly because they do not understand the consequences of their actions (or inactions). The author, John M. Barry, believes it's certain that a flu epidemic WILL happen again.
Neal Stephenson – Snow Crash (re-read)
This is a seminal book to me, perhaps my favorite book ever. In it is the Metaverse, a virtual reality that is quite adaptable to connection bandwidth and is realistic enough that you believe it's a certainty to come to our Internet. In it is a globe that encompasses all knowledge (Wikipedia?), stringers and gargoyles who collect all types of information to enter into the government's database so that they can earn money if anyone uses that intelligence.
Raven, Hiro Protagonist, Y.T., all great characters who would translate well into a film.
That a religious nut would try to take over all media and try to create a virus that infiltrates our linguistic brain centers is fascinating, and Stephenson uses the myth of the Tower of Babel and the Sumerian gods to flesh out the Snow Crash virus.
The book reads quickly yet is full of the cyberpunk attitude. It's also full of brilliant ideas that make my imagination orgasm.