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Summer is officially here and it is a big season for traveling! Here are some ways to keep your health and longevity intact on your journey.
Flexibility Is Key To Stress-Free Travel
Travel can be stressful. You may miss a connecting flight, find out your bus isn't leaving today, or that somehow your hotel reservations got misplaced.
Before you give in to stress, keep this in mind: travel is often unpredictable, and the easiest way to overcome the stress of encountering an unexpected sticky situation is to adopt an attitude of flexibility. Remember that everything that happens – bad or good – is all a part of your travel adventure.
If you find yourself in a particularly stressful place, take a few deep breaths and try to put the problem in perspective so you will be ready to face the next step. Throughout your trip, practice stretching, yoga, or tai chi: being physically flexible can promote the same trait in your personality.
Time-Out For Renewed Energy
Traveling is exciting and brings with it a new scene around every corner. It is easy to become so busy with your travel agenda that you forget to take care of your needs. Constant time with people can become a drain on your energy.
So give yourself a breather! A little rest can go a long way – even a 15-minute nap or meditation session by yourself can reinvigorate you. Try this Dao-In massage to hit the reset button on your energy: take one of your heels and rub it against the sole of your other foot until you feel heat in the massaged foot, then reverse your feet and repeat with your other heel.
This will stimulate blood flow into the lower extremities (great for tired travel legs!), and it also activates an important acupuncture point for energy and vitality called Gushing Spring.
Avoid The Ailments Of Travel
Nothing puts a damper on a vacation like illness. Here are some strategies for dealing with common travel woes:
Combat motion sickness with ginger. Whether you take it in tea form, powdered, or as capsules, ginger alleviates digestive distress. As an added benefit, the anti-inflammatory properties of ginger can help inhibit the onset of migraine headaches. If you know you are prone to motion sickness, begin a ginger treatment a few days before your trip and continue to use ginger throughout your travels.
Take dandelion for TD. When a traveler's diarrhea episode strikes, drink plenty of liquid to avoid dehydration and make tea from dandelion root. You can bring along a few tea bags and drink one cup three times a day. Adding skullcap from your Chinese pharmacy will boost the effect.
Soak in some sun and wash off jet lag. Our body's biological clock or circadian rhythm is tuned by light from the sun. In order to quickly restore your body's clock while crossing multiple time zones, get into the sun without your sunglasses for as little as 30 minutes, as soon as you arrive at your destination if it's daytime.
Be sure to drink a lot of water and stay physically active. If you arrive at night, take one milligram of melatonin, a natural hormone produced by the body's pineal gland, one hour before bedtime to help you reset your clock.
Build your immunity before you travel. Taking an herbal supplement can also help increase your immunity to protect against pathogens while you are traveling. My family's herbal formula Perpetual Shield includes white mulberry twig and black sesame seed to increase your ability to recover from illnesses and protect you from getting sick.
May you live long, live strong, and live happy!
Dr. Mao Shing Ni, best known as Dr. Mao is a bestselling author, doctor of Oriental Medicine and board certified anti-aging expert. He has recently appeared on "The Ricki Lake Show," "Dr. Oz," and contributes to Yahoo Health and The Huffington Post. Dr. Mao practices acupuncture, nutrition, and Chinese medicine with his associates at the Tao of Wellness in Santa Monica, Newport Beach, and Pasadena. Dr. Mao and his brother, Dr. Daoshing Ni, founded the Tao of Wellness more than 25 years ago in addition to founding Yo San University in Marina del Rey. To make an appointment for evaluation and treatment please call 310.917.2200 or you can email Dr. Mao at email@example.com. To subscribe to his tip-filled newsletter please visit www.taoofwellness.com.


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Achieve your design dreams with modern, minimal and energy-efficient aluminium windows and doors.
From the panoramic views created by our large sliding doors to light-filled spaces that our large glazing solutions can achieve, our aluminium window and door systems can turn your dream home into a stunning reality. And with plentiful options of styles, configurations, colours and finishes, your design vision can be fully realised.
We have clever solutions for glazing large areas so you can have wall to ceiling glass and panoramic views with all the thermal comfort and security that you demand. Using our high-performance window systems or curtain wall ranges, we have the perfect aluminium system for your large glazing project.
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Made in the UK from high performance aluminium, the 58BW tilt-before-turn HI window is safe, functional and easy to clean, ideal for bedrooms and medium-rise properties. Easy-cleaning and child-safety features combine with a contemporary design to make this a popular choice for homeowners and architects.

subset: commoncrawl


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Get set for a 'never-seen-before' opening ceremony of IPL 6, says Shah Rukh Khan
The IPL opening ceremony will have cheerleaders, flying drummers, gymnasts, rhythm acrobats, stilt-walkers, air-tumblers and mass dancers coming together to entertain the audiences.
- Press Trust of India
- Updated: April 01, 2013 06:59 PM IST
Kolkata Knight Riders co-owner and Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan on Monday promised a "spectacular and never-seen-before" opening ceremony of the Indian Premier League 6 to be held at the Salt Lake stadium on Tuesday. Before the start of the two-month long exhilarating cricket, the opening ceremony of IPL 6, described as the greatest show ever in India by the organisers, would stay true to its theme of 'cricketainment'.
"The opening night of IPL 2013 will be a spectacular ceremony, the likes of which India has never seen before," Shah Rukh said. "I will be performing to some of my songs. Katrina Kaif and Deepika Padukone, two of my co-stars, will also be there. Pitbull, the international rapper, will also thrill the audiences," he added. The trio would perform to a medley of Bollywood chart-toppers after which Pitbull is expected to join them on the stage with some of his popular rap numbers.
Last year, American pop star Katy Perry had performed during the opening ceremony of IPL 5 in Chennai. The Salt Lake stadium, mainly used for hosting football matches, has been decorated in a lavish way, which includes a mammoth-size stage for the opening show. The opening ceremony will have cheerleaders, flying drummers, gymnasts, rhythm acrobats, stilt-walkers, air-tumblers and mass dancers coming together to entertain the audiences.
A huge podium has been erected, while the artificial turf is being covered with a rubber mat, where the artists will perform. Precautions have also been taken so that the astroturf used for football matches does not get damaged. The opening ceremony would begin with a traditional welcome during which a huge balloon carrying the IPL Cup would descend on the stadium in a segment titled 'The IPL Universe' where the nine teams will be seen as planets.
A large troup of 300 dancers is expected to perform on a track composed by Bollywood composer Pritam. A troupe of 19 Red Poppy artistes, a band of women percussionists from China, would add to another international touch to the celebrations.
KKR CEO Venky Mysore said they have also invited West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee to light the inaugural lamp on Tuesday. "I had a short courtesy meeting with her today. We requested her to be present and thanked her for her support," he said.


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GAME OF THE WEEK Men's Volleyball Tops Lesley in Straight Sets For Four Game Streak
The MIT men's volleyball team extended its winning streak to four courtesy of a 30-10, 30-12, 30-12 decision over Lesley University in a North East Collegiate Volleyball Association (NECVA) New England Division match on Tuesday. The victory lifted the Engineers' record to 9-9 on the year and 5-3 in conference play while the Lynx saw their record dip to 1-11 overall and 1-7 in the league.
MIT tallied the first four points of the contest, but Lesley kept the hosts in check by capitalizing on miscues to trail, 6-2. The Engineers responded with a 20-3 run to put the game out of reach. The Lynx continued to attack, using serving errors along with a block by Nick Assad to prolong the frame and make the score 27-8. Hopes of sustaining the late rally were thwarted as the Engineers posted three of the final five points to close the set.
The Engineers carried the momentum into the second stanza, racing out to an 8-1 advantage. Lesley quickly narrowed the gap to four (8-4) on a block by Assad. The Lynx stayed within striking distance for a majority of the game as a service error trimmed the deficit to eight (17-9). MIT countered with eight straight points before taking the second set.
In the final frame, MIT held a 7-5 lead prior to igniting a 14-1 run. Each side exchanged points until MIT rattled off four in a row to seal the match.
Troy V. Tamas '10 led the Engineers with 11 kills and a .600 hitting percentage. Eric R. Reuland '10 notched seven kills as Benson M. George '12 posted five kills and four blocks. Jeremy J. Velazquez '12 tallied five aces while Eugene Jang '09 collected five digs. In two games, Caine L. Jette '10 recorded 21 assists and five aces.
Assad finished the night with four blocks as Stephen Siragusa registered five kills. Clayton Janer dished out nine assists for the Lynx.
MIT will hit the road for non-conference action at Johnson & Wales University on Wednesday, Feb. 18. Lesley will continue conference play on Saturday, Feb. 21 at the Wentworth Institute of Technology.


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The Maravilla mating dance. Photo courtesy irunfar.com |
The dawn
light makes eerie shadows from overhanging trees. The dawn chorus of random
insects and birds tries to disorient my senses, but intense focus on my task
makes me block out those distractions.
Early on
the Japanese Samurai, Shinji Nakadai, is my hunting partner, but after we catch
the rare Brazilian jaguar (Iazaldir Feitoza) I set off in pursuit of more elusive
game. Occasionally I hear howling or screaming in the distance, possibly some
kind of mating call. It's difficult to judge the distance but I have no trouble
following the beast's trail. Sometimes I catch a brief glimpse in the distance
of white spandex or is it my mind playing tricks?
I soon
realize that on my UROC hunting trip, the over-energized Jorge Maravilla is my
primary target. Other thin and determined-looking specimens occasionally
attract my attention, but the sport is with the Maravilla. The whoops in the
distance taunt me but never get closer - does he know I'm chasing?
persists for hours as I gradually wear myself down and can't believe the
Maravilla is always "3 minutes" ahead according to wild-eyed natives.
Surely the rocky terrain will slow him? No. Maybe the endless tarmac will wear him down? Never! I start to think he can't be caught, that he's just toying with
me. I should have set a trap on the way out to ensnare my nemesis when he returned.
finally it looks like the last climb of the day will be my opportunity to take
down the amiable, Cheshire-grinned cat. The road winds upwards for an eternity
and at each turn I see my prey. Occasionally his glance backwards tells me the
Maravilla is running scared. After over eight hours of stalking, it looks like
I may succeed. Yet the gap isn't closing. It's like a race through treacle,
painfully slow yet at maximum effort.
As I see
the end of the hunt, signified by a large inflated hoop and a clock, I also
spot a blur of Ecuadorian-Californian magic go into the safety of the locals'
arms. It's been a duel - one I'll never forget. But a mere minute denies me my
coveted prize.
8h25m of
effort ends with sightings of two Western cheetahs sitting and drinking (Max
King and Sage Canaday), both limping from the day's efforts. These animals are
natural sprinters but stepped up to the endurance challenge in impressive form.
Yet I suspect this is just the second of many hunts with the Maravilla (the
first was through the High Sierra with the roles reversed at Western States
where I fended off the challenge from the world's happiest feline).
memories like these that I know will stay with me forever, ingrained into my
mind by the searing heat of a day-long battle. Hundreds of stories come out of
every similar event with duels and partnerships that last minutes or hours. More can be found (as well as results)
at irunfar and the race website.
Photo courtesy Bad To The Bone. |
L-R: Me, David Riddle, Jorge, Nick Clark, Dave Mackey and Scott McCoubrey. Photo courtesy Bad To The Bone. |


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Verizon has a simple goal in buying Yahoo: It wants to challenge Google and Facebook in the huge and lucrative field of digital advertising. But Verizon faces its own challenge in doing so, given that it will be competing against a slew of other companies also looking to break in.
Verizon wants to become a strong third choice for advertisers by adding Yahoo's popular sites and billion users worldwide to its own media business, which includes AOL and Verizon's home-grown go90 video service. It can place ads on those sites, and can also combine data from visitors to those sites with AOL's ad technologies and sales teams, and possibly also personal data from Verizon mobile customers such as location and other information, in order to better target ads at individuals.
Verizon has programs that use mobile-customer data for targeted ads and may combine that with data gathered by AOL and Yahoo. Verizon says customers can choose whether to participate.
Yahoo's shareholders on Thursday approved the $4.5 billion sale of its key businesses to Verizon. The deal is expected to close by Tuesday. The combination of AOL and Yahoo will cut 15% of its 14,000-person workforce, or about 2,100 jobs, said a person familiar with the matter who requested not to be identified discussing details of the cuts.
Yahoo and AOL are "positioned to do better together than apart," Pivotal Research Group analyst Brian Wieser said.
But he is setting the bar low. While Verizon talks of growth from the deal, Wieser said "not declining would be a success. Five years from now, if the combined entity were the same size as it is today, I would consider that to be successful."
The vision
Verizon sees online ads — particularly targeted ads — as a potential new source of growth as the wireless industry fights for U.S. users with lower prices and other discounts. Verizon has "essentially turned into a no-growth business," said CFRA Research's Angelo Zino. The ad business would be a "big deal" for Verizon if it goes well, he said.
Tim Armstrong, the former Google executive who joined AOL as CEO in 2009, has for years wanted to combine AOL with the long-declining Yahoo. Although AOL has big-name properties such as HuffPost and Engadget, it hasn't been as big of an online destination as Yahoo's mail, finance, sports and other properties.
The combined business, to be called Oath, will expand its news, sports, entertainment, finance and lifestyle coverage. Like everyone else, Oath will focus on video and mobile, where consumers increasingly spend their time online.
Armstrong says he wants Oath properties to be a place consumers "come and visit every day" and predicts users growing to 2 billion from 1.3 billion by 2020, with annual revenue of $10 billion to $20 billion from roughly $7 billion today.
Lowell McAdam, CEO of New York-based Verizon, teased last month that this could set the stage for a new streaming video service, competing with the slew of internet-TV services already out there. Verizon already has a free mobile video service, go90, that isn't well known.
Alternatives to the duopoly
Facebook and Google together draw about half the world's spending on digital ads, and in the U.S., they're even more dominant. They're also where the majority of mobile-ad dollars go, eMarketer data show.
The sway Facebook and Google hold for advertisers isn't expected to change in the next few years. They had a head start on mobile. Yahoo has poured billions into acquisitions that have helped Yahoo make some leeway in mobile—but not enough. It's gotten better at doing mobile ads, but it has had no major hit apps.
Still, AOL and Yahoo together provide a much-smaller No. 3 in the U.S. for advertisers looking to reach lots of people. But even if Verizon's goal is to just be happy at No. 3, there are several much smaller players that also draw advertisers.
Snapchat is a niche hit with young people. Amazon has an under-the-radar ad business that supports its e-commerce dominance. Microsoft, which owns LinkedIn, is expected to grow its piece of the ad pie; Microsoft will be just behind the combined AOL-Yahoo in the U.S. once the deal closes. Twitter, although it's sorting out its ad business, is a significant smaller player. Globally, several Chinese companies also rake in ad dollars.
And the combined company will also have to compete for people's attention, and not just with other services that rely on ad dollars to survive. Popular sites like Amazon or Netflix also suck up time spent online, said eMarketer analyst Martin Utreras.
"They've acquired these two dinosaurs and you kind of wonder, can they be successful?" Zino said. That will depend on Verizon being able to convince marketers that they know more about consumers than anyone else, he said.


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Find Our Latest Video Reviews on YouTube!
If you want to stay on top of all of our video reviews of the latest tech, be sure to check out and subscribe to the Gear Live YouTube channel, hosted by Andru Edwards! It's free!
Monday November 17, 2008 1:03 pm
Wooden PAPPA*Phone for VoIP
The luxurious wooden PAPPA*Phone works as a Skype phone for both PC and Mac by using its USB adapter. Handmade in Montreal, it is plug-and-play and can work with other VoIP services such as iChat, GoogleTalk, etc. for both PC and Mac. Created by Hulger and handmade in Montreal, it has a handset cord length of 1.5m. Expect a 6 to 8 week delay while your phone is being created and a designer price of $300.00.
Read More | Hulger Shop
Latest Gear Live Videos
© Gear Live Inc. {year} – User-posted content, unless source is quoted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Public Domain License. Gear Live graphics, logos, designs, page headers, button icons, videos, articles, blogs, forums, scripts and other service names are the trademarks of Gear Live Inc.


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Three quarterbacks drafted in 2012 make the latest installment of our PFT Top 100 countdown.
We probably don't have to tell you who those three quarterbacks are, and we probably won't get many arguments about whether they belong on the Top 100 list at all. But the order of the three rookie quarterbacks who took the NFL by storm last season will be good for plenty of argument. The latest rankings begin with a certain tight end whose recovery from back surgery is very important for an AFC contender and also include a wide receiver who left that AFC contender for another AFC contender. You'll also see three players on the Bears and three on the 49ers.
We'll unveil the full Top 100, as voted on by a panel of media members, in one week. The 75 we've unveiled so far are below.
26 Rob Gronkowski, tight end, Patriots
27 Duane Brown, offensive tackle, Texans
28 Justin Smith, defensive end, 49ers
29 Brandon Marshall, receiver, Bears
30 Robert Griffin III, quarterback, Redskins
31 Julio Jones, receiver, Falcons
32 NaVorro Bowman, linebacker, 49ers
33 Arian Foster, running back, Texans
34 Jason Pierre-Paul, defensive end, Giants
35 Andrew Luck, quarterback, Colts
36 Ryan Clady, offensive tackle, Broncos
37 Patrick Peterson, cornerback, Cardinals
38 Jimmy Graham, tight end, Saints
39 Marshawn Lynch, running back, Seahawks
40 Jared Allen, defensive end, Vikings
41 Russell Wilson, quarterback, Seahawks
42 Joe Staley, offensive tackle, 49ers
43 Julius Peppers, defensive end, Bears
44 Charles Tillman, cornerback, Bears
45 Vince Wilfork, defensive tackle, Patriots
46 Wes Welker, receiver, Broncos
47 Ray Rice, running back, Ravens
48 Eric Weddle, safety, Chargers
49 Earl Thomas, safety, Seahawks
50 Jamaal Charles, running back, Chiefs
51 Demaryius Thomas, receiver, Broncos
52 Colin Kaepernick, quarterback, 49ers
53 Percy Harvin, receiver, Seahawks
54 Ndamukong Suh, defensive tackle, Lions
55 Cam Newton, quarterback, Panthers
56 Dez Bryant, receiver, Cowboys
57 Gerald McCoy, defensive tackle, Buccaneers
58 Marshal Yanda, guard, Ravens
59 Roddy White, receiver, Falcons
60 Vincent Jackson, receiver, Buccaneers
61 Daryl Washington, linebacker, Cardinals
62 Jason Witten, tight end, Cowboys
63 Jahri Evans, guard, Saints
64 Mike Iupati, guard, 49ers
65 Jerod Mayo, linebacker, Patriots
66 Terrell Suggs, outside linebacker, Ravens
67 Tony Gonzalez, tight end, Falcons
68 Logan Mankins, guard, Patriots
69 Luke Kuechly, linebacker, Panthers
70 Jairus Byrd, safety, Bills
71 LeSean McCoy, running back, Eagles
72 Troy Polamalu, safety, Steelers
73 Muhammad Wilkerson, defensive end, Jets
74 Maurkice Pouncey, center, Steelers
75 Victor Cruz, receiver, Giants
76 Tony Romo, quarterback, Cowboys
77 Doug Martin, running back, Buccaneers
78 Frank Gore, running back, 49ers
79 Carl Nicks, guard, Buccaneers
80 Maurice Jones-Drew, running back, Jaguars
81 Vernon Davis, tight end, 49ers
82 Evan Mathis, guard, Eagles
83 Alfred Morris, running back, Redskins
84 Joe Haden, cornerback, Browns
85 C.J. Spiller, running back, Bills
86 Calais Campbell, defensive end, Cardinals
87 Matthew Stafford, quarterback, Lions
88 Antonio Cromartie, cornerback, Jets
89 Jason Peters, offensive tackle, Eagles
90 Jordan Gross, offensive tackle, Panthers
91 Mike Pouncey, center, Dolphins
92 Mike Wallace, receiver, Dolphins
93 Reggie Wayne, receiver, Colts
94 Ed Reed, safety, Texans
95 Henry Melton, defensive tackle, Bears
96 Lance Briggs, linebacker, Bears
97 Steve Smith, receiver, Panthers
98 Antoine Winfield, cornerback, Seahawks
99 Max Unger, center, Seahawks
100 Matt Forte, running back, Bears


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In 2011, Stone Brewing will be throwing a curve ball. 2 of the brewery's popular released will be Belgian-ized going "Belgo". Stone calls the program "Odd Beers for Odd Years". The stone Russian Imperial Stout and Old Guardian Barleywine will undertake this transformation.
From the Stone Blog:
As a Stone fan, you undoubtedly know and love two of our long-standing special releases: Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine and Stone Imperial Russian Stout. We love them too. We think they're great beers and both receive sterling marks from BeerAdvocate and RateBeer, the two most prominent craft beer rating websites.
But we've been making Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine since 1998 and Stone Imperial Russian Stout since 2000, and if you subtract those numbers from 2010, you arrive at a long time to be making the same beers. So being the dynamic young go-getters that we are, we felt like mixing things up a bit.
Starting in 2011, we're kicking-off a program we've dubbed "Odd Beers for Odd Years." Translation: in odd numbered years (2011, 2013, 2015, etc…) we'll be releasing new variations on Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine and Stone Imperial Russian Stout in place of the classic version. A radical redirection for two reliably wonderful beers, we know, but we think you'll be pleased with the results.
Hell, we are.
The first Odd Beer for Odd Years release will be rocking your collective world in the form of Stone Old Guardian Belgo Barley Wine, which hits shelves in February.
While brewing up 2010 Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine, Stone Brewing Head Brewer Mitch Steele redirected 30 barrels of the batch into a fermenter containing the Belgian yeast we love from Stone Cali-Belgique IPA. After 8 weeks of comingling, bubbling, and resting, the results were ready for sampling. And sample we did. The English/American/Belgian chimera was so delicious, we quickly decided to make it the "Odd Beer" version of Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine for 2011.
So entranced were we with the effects of Belgian yeast on our barley wine, that we chose to go in a similar-ish direction for 2011 Stone Belgo Imperial Russian Stout. It will be an approximately 50/50 blend of classic Stone Imperial Russian Stout and the Belgo-ized version, with a hint of star anise added during the brewing process. You can expect to see this blendo-rific version Stone Imperial Russian Stout on shelves in April of 2011.
Arrival: Dates TBA


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Feature Article 1: The Relationship Between GDP and Employment
Graph 1: GDP, Volume measure - Quarter on quarter trend movements Graph 2: Employment, Month on month trend movements There are a range of other methods by which analysts examine time series. A common method, but not one supported by the ABS, is to derive a time series of seasonally adjusted growth rates in 'through the year' terms. This series is estimated by dividing the current quarter seasonally adjusted estimate by the corresponding estimate from the same quarter of the previous year. Graphs 3 and 4 show growth in GDP and employment in seasonally adjusted 'through the year' terms. It is evident that the implied turning points are noticeably later than those estimated using the trend estimates above, with GDP growth turning in June quarter 2004 and employment growth yet to turn (as at June 2005). Indeed, it can be shown that the identification of turning points in growth rates using 'through the year' methods will be roughly 2 quarters after the turning point defined using trend methods such as the Henderson method used by the ABS. This is a characteristic known as 'phase shift' and is simply a function of the way in which 'through the year' series are estimated. A technical note on these measurement issues has been appended to this article. Graph 3: GDP, Volume measure - Through the year seasonally adjusted movements Graph 4: Employment, Through the year seasonally adjusted movements In terms of defining the precise timing of a turning point, the Henderson trend used by the ABS is superior to using 'through the year' analysis. The fact that the 'through the year' seasonally adjusted growth in employment has not yet turned may be one reason for the concern that the employment and GDP estimates are telling different stories about the economy. From our trend analysis, both series have had turning points in their growth rates in the last 18 months and show a typical lagged relationship between employment growth and GDP growth. The historical nature of this relationship is examined in the next section.
Graph 5: GDP and employment, Quarter on quarter trend movements
Graph 6: Hours worked and employment, Quarter on quarter trend movements Graph 7: GDP per hour worked, Quarter on quarter trend movements
Graph 8: Terms of trade index, Trend - (2003-04 = 100) Graph 9: Volume GDP and RGDI, Trend Comparing the quarter on quarter trend movements of GDP and RGDI (Graph 10) shows that the recent turning point in GDP growth is at the same time as the turning point in RGDI growth. However, the turning point in RGDI growth is much sharper and the overall trend in RGDI is stronger. Preliminary business cycle analysis shows a turning point in RGDI growth one quarter later than the turning point for GDP growth. It is possible that the decisions of employers, in the short run, are more influenced by changes in their real incomes than changes in their real output. Consequently, when the terms of trade is growing strongly, and hence when RGDI is growing more strongly than GDP, employers may be more inclined to hire (or not put off) staff even though growth in output volumes may have declined. In terms of the lagged relationship between output and employment growth, in a situation of strong growth in the terms of trade this logic would see a more normal lag between RGDI and employment and a longer lag between GDP and employment growth. The reverse would be true if the terms of trade were falling strongly. Graph 10: RGDI and GDP, Quarter on quarter trend movements Preliminary modelling work by the ABS suggests that a distinct positive impact can be seen between an improvement in the terms of trade and improvements in GDP and employment, with the impact on employment being stronger. Further, although the terms of trade effect has only had a significant impact at certain times over the last 25 years, analysis suggests that there is a persistent impact from the terms of trade over the full time series.
Graph 11: Real unit labour costs non-farm, Index (1986-87 = 100.0)
The second graph presents the quarterly movements of the same time series together with 'through the year' movements. It is clear in this graph that the turning point identified in the 'through the year' movements is after the turning point identified by the quarterly movements. As noted above, for fairly normally behaved series the lag between turning points observed in the 'through the year' and quarterly movements will be 1.5 quarters. The reason for this lag can be explained. Suppose the 'through the year' growth measure is applied to another artificially constructed series given in the figure below. The 'through the year' growth at any point is represented by the slope of the line that joins the point at time t and the point a year in the past. Thus line A measures the change from March of year 1 to March of year 2. As the line is sloping upward this implies the 'through the year' growth rate as at March, year 2 is positive. Inspection of the lines B and C shows that the 'through the year' growth rate is still positive in August, year 2 (line B) but negative in December year 2 (line C). If the 'through the year' growth values were then used to indicate the direction of underlying activity, turning points would be considered to have occurred whenever the 'through the year' growth measure changed from positive to negative, or vice versa. Based on the three lines in the figure below this would be between August, year 2 (line B being positive) and December, year 2 (line C being negative).
In summary, although the 'through the year' growth is an easy measure to calculate, it is subject to the influences of the irregular component of the series (and the seasonal component if applied to the original series). More crucially, it can delay the detection of turning points, giving a misleading indication of the timing of pivotal changes in underlying series behaviour. Document Selection These documents will be presented in a new window. |


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Using Google Docs Spreadsheets
Google Docs Spreadsheets is a free online app that creates spreadsheets which can be shared with other people. All that is required to use Google Sheets is a web browser on any operating system. If you are familiar with Microsoft Excel or Apple Numbers, you will be comfortable with Google Docs Spreadsheets.
Unlike Microsoft Excel or Apple Numbers, Google Docs Spreadsheets offers a wide array of financial functions such as current prices, fundamental stock data, and mutual fund performance. The financial functions can be embedded in a Google Docs Spreadsheet to provide nearly real time updates. For more information see the Google docs finance help page.
Click on the spreadsheet above for sample Google Docs spreadsheets to monitor your portfolio.


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An online TikTok sensation visiting the area recently made some young fans pretty pumped.
Datrie is an influential 19-year-old with 8.9 million followers, 2,352 videos and and more than 438 million likes.
Producing theatrical and comedic videos online (vlogs), as well as modelling on Instagram, Datrie has gained a large following, particularly among teens.
Including Vernon's Danika Morris and Ashley Kotz, who were lucky enough to catch up with Datrie near Polson Park on Monday, Aug. 17.
"We were just driving down to Kal Beach and my friend recognized her so we drove back," said Morris, who had her mom turn the car around after spotting Datrie's white-blonde hair and recognizing the online celebrity.
Although nervous to approach her, Morris said, "she was really nice."
The Grade 7 girls asked Datrie to take a selfie with them, which she happily did, and pretty much made their summer.
It's not the first time Datrie has been spotted in the area. She was seen at Kal Beach a few weeks earlier, and her social media pages are full of posts from Kelowna, at Lake Country's Kangaroo Creek Farm, in Peachland, Osoyoos, Vancouver and Victoria.
"I'm pretty sure she was just visiting," said Morris, as Datrie lives in Calgary.
@datrie KIWI THE CAPYYYYY AYYE @onefluent @weeklychris @karismacollins @yycwolf
♬ original sound - datrie
TikTok has become a popular social media platform for tweens, teens and even adults, where they can post fun videos about their day or do little dances to popular music snippets.
"I do TikTok dances," said Morris, an Okanagan Landing Elementary student, who is looking forward to going back to school.
While Datrie is one of the biggest celebrities on TikTok, she does not compare to Charlie Damelio, who has more than 82 million followers.
READ MORE: Vernon Tim Hortons staff dance off against immigration impacts
READ MORE: TikTok saga continues with Microsoft talks
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Now that I'm home from Seattle, I'm right back to editing and rewriting and obsessively perfecting my PAX East keynote, but before I can give that the focus it requires, I need to talk a little bit about this year's Emerald City Comicon.
First, the good: The dungeon delve I wrote and ran was really great. We raised $500 for Child's Play, and the people who played in it (and I) had a really good time playing D&D. I wrote an original adventure that I think I may even be able to expand and publish in some form some day, which is great.
Aaron Douglas and I made a bet during the Olympic ice hockey finals: if USA won, he'd wear a USA sweater at the con, if Canada won, I'd wear a Canada sweater. So on Saturday, I wore Aaron's Team Canada jersey, and had a lot of fun explaining to the genuine Team Canada supporters that I'd lost a bet and was a USA Hockey fan, even though I've secretly thought about defecting to Canada for most of my life.
I bought Matt Kindt's Super Spy: The Lost Dossiers, which if the title didn't tip you off is set in the Super Spy universe. Super Spy is one of my favorite comics of all time, and I can't wait to read it.
I met and talked with hundreds of people who came to my table in the expo hall. I sold all of my books. I ran out of 8x10s. I posed for lots of pictures, and probably didn't look like a complete dork in at least three of them. It was, as always, really awesome to connect with people who read my blog and my books, especially the people who told me they'd been inspired to get back into gaming because of something I'd written about it, and the people who I helped to get excited and make things.
The con was absolutely packed this year, and I saw more families and casual geeks than I've ever seen at a con before in my life. On Friday morning, I did some press to help promote the show, and in the process of talking about it, I realized that I love ECC because it reminds me of everything I loved about SDCC before Hollywood moved in and took over. It's large enough to draw some great guests, but it's still small enough that you have a reasonable chance to actually meet and (depending on who they are) get to spend a minute talking with them. It's growing like crazy, though, and while I don't think it will ever turn into the giant clusterfuck that San Diego's become, I was happy to hear that they're adding a third day next year, because two days just isn't enough time to see and do all the stuff that's available at this show.
Which brings me to the bad: I worked so hard to make the dungeon delve memorable and special, I was up after midnight every night last week writing it (after working on my PAX keynote all day) and as a result, I was exhausted before the show even started.
I felt like my Awesome Hour didn't really earn its name. I would have called it The Pretty Good Hour, if I was giving myself a grade. See, I got last year's PAX and last year's ECC mixed up in my head, and ended up reading the same story that I read last year (Blue Light Special, from The Happiest Days of our Lives). I think most of the audience enjoyed it, and they certainly enjoyed it when I read Justice from Memories of the Future, but I could sense that a significant portion of the room was disappointed to hear a story they'd heard before. I also felt rushed, because I wanted to make sure there was time for at least some Q&A, and there was no way I was going to let myself go over, on account of I was essentially opening for Leonard Nimoy and Stan Lee (which was AWESOME, actually. I mean, how often do you get to do that?)
And now to the thing that's really been bothering me since I got home, The Ugly:
I was just awful when we did our Rock Band thing. I mean, I really, truly, sucked out loud. I know the people who played with me had fun, and I'm not taking anything away from their experience, but for everyone who was just watching, I could tell that I didn't give them a particularly good experience. Mostly, that's because Rock Band was scheduled at the end of the con, which was the worst possible time for me. My voice was completely shot, I was completely out of gas, and I only had an hour to play before I had to literally run to a car that was waiting at the curb to get me to the airport.
There was some great stuff in the setup that we'll carry over to future cons: there were screens that all of us playing could clearly see, there was a microphone stand with a bandanna tied to it for maximum rock, and there was plenty of space for people to get up and mosh, should they have been inspired to do so.
Unfortunately, we made a huge mistake and forgot to turn the vocals all the way down like we usually do, and I was so tired, I forgot that I could just pause the game and do it manually! There wasn't a single speaker facing the stage, so I couldn't hear myself at all ... and judging by the expressions I saw in the audience, Randy Jackson would have told "From me to you, dogg, it was a little pitchy, dogg. I have to say 'no.' Dogg.'"
When I play Rock Band at home, that doesn't matter - it's about having fun and pretending to rock, not sounding great - but I'm doing it as sort of a performance for people, it's different than it is when you play in your living room with your friends. I feel like the players had fun (which was very important to me), but I also feel like I let everyone else down - I know I let myself down - and I'm sorry for that. I've only done the Rock Band party thing twice before, and I guess you could say that we're still working out the bugs in a very public (and for me, in this case, embarrassing) beta. I'm going to take the lessons learned from this experience and apply them to Phoenix Comicon in May, though, so hopefully I'll have a chance to redeem myself.
Now, to wrap up on a more positive and less self-flagellating note: I saw a lot of seriously hardcore fans in amazing costumes at ECC this year, but I also saw and talked with a lot of people who were attending their first con, and they were having a great time dancing with the geek what brought them. I also gained several levels in DM while prepping and running the dungeon delve, but all that will have to wait for another post.
Finally, if you want even more Emerald City Comicon stuff, you can hear me talk about it - including a dramatic reading of the backstory and setup for my delve - on this week's episode of my podcast, Radio Free Burrito.