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The latest posts tagged with investingFriday — January 20, 2012
The Pickle Jar
The pickle jar, as far back as I can remember, sat on the floor beside the
dresser in my parents' bedroom.
When he got ready for bed, Dad would empty his pockets and toss his
coins into the jar.
As a small boy, I was always fascinated at the sounds the coins made as
they were dropped into the jar.
They landed with a merry jingle when the jar was almost empty. Then the
tones gradually muted to a dull thud as the jar was filled.
I used to squat on the floor in front of the jar to admire the copper
and silver circles that glinted like a pirate's treasure when the sun
poured through the bedroom window. When the Jar was filled, Dad would
sit at the kitchen table and roll the coins Before taking them to the
Taking the coins to the bank was always a big production.
Stacked neatly in a small cardboard box, the coins were placed between
Dad and me on the seat of his old truck.
Each and every time, as we drove to the bank, Dad would look at me
hopefully. 'Those coins are going to keep you out of the textile mill,
son. You're going to do better than me. This old mill town's not going
to hold you back.'
Also, each and every time, as he slid the box of rolled coins across the
counter at the bank toward the cashier, he would grin proudly. 'These
are for my son's college fund. He'll never work at the mill all his life
like me.'
We would always celebrate each deposit by stopping for an ice cream
cone. I always got chocolate. Dad always got vanilla. When the clerk at
the ice cream parlor handed Dad his change, he would show me the few
coins nestled in his palm. 'When we get home, we'll start filling the
jar again.' He always let me drop the first coins into the empty jar. As
they rattled around with a brief, happy jingle, we grinned at each
'You'll get to college on pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters,' he
said. 'But you'll get there; I'll see to that.'
No matter how rough things got at home, Dad continued to doggedly drop
his coins into the jar. Even the summer when Dad got laid off from the
mill, and Mama had to serve dried beans several times a week, not a
single dime was taken from the jar.
To the contrary, as Dad looked across the table at me, pouring catsup
over my beans to make them more palatable, he became more determined
than ever to make a way out for me 'When you finish college, Son,'
he told me, his eyes glistening, 'You'll never have to eat beans again -
unless you want to.'
The years passed, and I finished college and took a job in another town.
Once, while visiting my parents, I used the phone in their bedroom, and
noticed that the pickle jar was gone. It had served its purpose and had
been removed.
A lump rose in my throat as I stared at the spot beside the dresser
where the jar had always stood. My dad was a man of few words: he never
lectured me on the values of determination, perseverance, and faith. The
pickle jar had taught me all these virtues far more eloquently than the
most flowery of words could have done. When I married, I told my wife
Susan about the significant part the lowly pickle jar had played in my
life as a boy. In my mind, it defined, more than anything else, how much
my dad had loved me.
The first Christmas after our daughter Jessica was born, we spent the
holiday with my parents. After dinner, Mom and Dad sat next to each
other on the sofa, taking turns cuddling their first grandchild. Jessica
began to whimper softly, and Susan took her from Dad's arms. 'She
probably needs to be changed,' she said, carrying the baby into my
parents' bedroom to diaper her. When Susan came back into the living
room, there was a strange mist in her eyes.
She handed Jessica back to Dad before taking my hand and leading me into
the room. 'Look,' she said softly, her eyes directing me to a spot on
the floor beside the dresser.
To my amazement, there, as if it had never been removed, stood the old
pickle jar, the bottom already covered with coins. I walked over to the
pickle jar, dug down into my pocket, and pulled out a fistful of coins.
With a gamut of emotions choking me, I dropped the coins into the jar. I
looked up and saw that Dad, carrying Jessica, had slipped quietly into
the room. Our eyes locked, and I knew he was feeling the same emotions I
felt. Neither one of us could speak.
This truly touched my heart. Sometimes we are so busy adding up our
troubles that we forget to count our blessings. Never underestimate the
power of your actions.
With one small gesture you can change a person's life, for better or for
worse, but you have to start now.
2011 Stock Performance
Here are my results for the stocks I picked in 2011. You could have definitely outperformed the market if you followed these picks.
1. EERG – I liked this junior oil stock back in April at $0.35. It was interesting to me because the merger would have pushed the share price higher. It was a little speculative, but it still paid off. Since the announcement the stock rose as high as $0.45. If you sold at the high point you would have had a return of 28.5%. It has also merged with American Eagle Energy, with the new symbol for the two companies being EERGD. The new stock currently trades at $1.35.
2. DCHAF/DSM – I picked this rare metal holding company stock back in May at $0.49. I liked it because it was essentially a mining company except it purchased rare earth metals instead of mining for them. With China announcing that it was going to decrease the amount of rare earth metals it exported (thus increasing the price of rare earth metals), DCHAF/DSM was a no brainer. The stock rose as high as $1.24. If you sold at the peak you would have a return of 153%! It currently trades at $0.53. With assets worth $1.47 a share, the stock is still a great buy at this price.
3. CTXIF – I announced this textile manufacturing stock back in July at $2.20. Since that time the stock rose to a high of $2.60, up 18%. I still love this company and expect it to do very well in the New Year. The stock's current price is $2.17. It's still a great buy, especially considering the Net Asset Value per share is $6.11, a conservative liquidating value of approximately $4.06 per share, and net working capital of almost $32 million. The company is also sitting on just over $5 million in cash, or $0.72 per share in cash. The company is continuing to grow very rapidly and since 2010 has acquired an additional yarn spinning factory to include in its operations. I strongly recommend everyone to look into CTXIF, as the company and its management are still grossly undervalued. Look for this stock to perform well as the company continues to expand. For further information check my other posts on CTXIF.
So 2011 was a good year, even with the market downturns which most people suffered from. Stay tuned for some more posts!
Justin Gruenthaler
JustinG101 - Twitter
Get the F@% Out!
Right now, amidst the current uncertainty of America's roller coaster of a market, there is a question that continues to grow in investors' minds as each day passes. "Will the Federal Reserve step in?" As Bernanke's speeches continue to give rise to the possibility of Federal Reserve intervention should the markets fall, I speak for value investors everywhere when I protest, "Please don't." Despite what Bernanke and countless other high ranking "officials" say, monetary stimulus and Fed intervention is not the answer, no matter how bearish the market becomes.
As most investors know, there is a growing propensity for the Fed to intervene in capital markets at the first signs of trouble, usually in the form of some sort of monetary injection or interest rate change. This type of intervention not only creates moral hazards by prolonging overvaluation, but it also encourages out-of-control market speculation where so called "investors" have nothing to worry about and are free to recklessly toss money around. Come September, let us all hope that Bernanke stays put and does not implement whatever tools he has up his sleeves.
Investing used to be a rich persons game, but by today's standards anyone with a small sum of capital and/or virtually no knowledge can enter into the capital market. It is these people which give rise to both grossly overvalued securities when markets are high and absurdly undervalued securities when markets fall. It is foolish for the Fed to keep intervening for the simple sake of restoring investor confidence after the market dips. These dips are necessary as 1. They are a natural part of the business cycle and 2. They keep out those without the emotional fortitude to make it through any bearish times. To think that markets can continue to grow forever without any relapse is foolishly optimistic.
And yet these investors, nay, speculators, are continually saved by the Fed when they implement their monetary gimmicks such as economic stimuli and low interest rates. Thus, the speculator's investments are saved (or not allowed to go below a certain level), creating a false sense of confidence and safety for speculators in the market. And this false sense of smarts is warranted, as they know that they cannot lose as long as the Fed continues to do what it always has: intervene.
When a child touches something hot for the first time do they not learn from that mistake? Yes it hurt, but it is necessary in order for some to learn from the mistakes they make. But now what if that child's mother kept intervening in this natural part of growing up? What if mother continually stopped the child every time they tried to touch that open flame? Well, the obvious answer is that child would never learn.
By NOT letting these speculators get burned the Fed is creating toddlers with no regard whatsoever for the safety of their own principle, as there is always a safety net there to catch them no matter how speculative their "investments" are. Mother Bernanke, you must let these speculators get burned. You must stop coddling them! It is time to let the market grow up and take responsibility for the mistakes it makes!
The Fed needs to stop holding our hand all the time and let us grow up, or there will never be any long term progress in the market nor the overall economy. The tools that are used by the Federal Reserve create a market in which there is no punishment for failure and ultimately no learning from past mistakes, leading to a market which is unsustainable in the long run. If these speculative investors never learn their lesson they will continue to repeat the same mistakes over and over and over, and the Fed will continue to inject money over and over and over, creating a vicious cycle of quantitative easing where interest rates fall lower and lower and lower. But as we all know, interest rates can't fall below zero, and inevitably they must rise. And that is where everyone will suffer, as inflation will become uncontrollable. Printing more money and changing interest rates isn't going to work forever. Sometimes, Mother, it is better to rip the Band-Aid straight off instead of pulling it off slowly.
I hope Bernanke reads this and takes into consideration the consequences of what will happen if things continue to move along as they have before with the Fed continually intervening in markets affairs.
So to both Bernanke and the rest of the Federal Reserve, get out of the markets.
And please, stay out.
MPT – Strike Three: Investing Is A Trade-Off Between Risk And Expected Return
Now here is where things start to get a little muddled, because sometimes risk is related to return and sometimes it isn't. However, this will correlate in whether the so called investor is investing or speculating. For clarities sake it should be noted that regardless of what security is being looked at, risk pertains to the level of safety which can be derived from the companies quantitative and qualitative aspects, and not from whether the security is simply a stock, bond, debenture or derivative.
The statement is saying that the higher the risk, the higher return. Remember when you were a little kid watching cartoons and when the characters got so angry that steam came out their ears? That's me when I read that statement.
That statement is very far from the truth. Investing is NOT a trade-off between risk and expected return. In fact the opposite is true. Stocks and portfolios with lower risk tend to provide higher returns than stocks and portfolios that carry higher risk.
Furthermore, let's clear up what risk SHOULD be defined as in the stock market. "Risk is based on the amount of research one is willing to put into ones portfolio." And, ultimately, the higher the price paid for a stock, the higher the risk. Investors who gamble in the stock market are not investors; they are gamblers. So please do not confuse risk in the stock market with anything else that is outside of what I have just stated.
I would also like to point out here what the actual definition of investing is according to Benjamin Graham: "Investing is allocating capital into an operation that provides safety of principle (your money) while providing an adequate return."
But let's get back to the point. Let's look at how this statement is far from true, and how MPT is seriously flawed in stating this.
It is actually very easy to prove how this point is flawed. All I would need to look at is the fund with the lowest possible risk and compare it with ANY other fund that offered even slightly higher risk (which would be all of them). It has been shown that over any large time period, lower risk funds actually produce greater gains than higher risk funds. The lowest risk funds in history are the index funds; the S&P 500, the DJIA, the Nasdaq, and the rest. Unsurprisingly, they outperform the vast majority of high risk funds over any large time period (5-10 years).
Taking large time periods into account, lower risk mutual funds only return (on average) between 2.5% and 3.7% annually, with the higher risk portfolios generating only 0.2% per year! If we even take a look at the performance of mutual funds just over the last year we find that the average return was only about 1%! If anyone can show me a high risk fund that has outperformed the market over a 10 year span I would love to hear from you.
So when does the higher risk pay off? I mean, with higher risk there should eventually be higher reward right? Well, obviously not. There can be the POTENTIAL for higher returns with higher risk in the short run, but nothing more. Even saying this we would be speculating a great deal, as some investors have a vastly different definition of risk than what we should use (other financial institutions assign a level of risk based on the standard deviation of the historical returns or average returns of a specific investment).
"Strike three! Yerrr ooutttt!"
MPT – Strike 2: Markets Are Efficient
Ready for the next blunder that Modern Portfolio Theory assumes? Are you?!?! Well get ready for the next big assumption that MPT makes which is……………………………
What this means in that in order for MPT to work the model assumes that markets are efficient, meaning (more or less) that at any given time the price of a stock reflects what a company is worth based on all readily available public information and that prices instantly change to reflect new public information. In very simple terms efficient markets are saying that the market is a weighing machine. Stock prices accurately reflect, at any given moment, what a company is worth.
What all investors need to understand is that the market is only a weighing machine (and only sometimes) in the long run. In the short run, it is a voting machine, and a poor voting machine at that. There will be all sorts of price discrepancies in the short run due to, overconfidence, overreaction, representative bias, information bias, and various other predictable human errors in reasoning and information processing.
And if markets were efficient there would be very little money to be made, as companies would never become undervalued nor overvalued. Furthermore there would be zero arbitrage opportunities (taking advantage of a price difference between two or more markets). But let's look at some examples of a few market inefficiencies.
1. The 2000 – 2002 financial crisis. Things were going so well in the stock market before 2000. The market was reaching new highs and people were making money. But of course we know that the market was grossly overvalued at this point. By believing in this idea that markets are efficient, financial leaders were inconsiderate to the chronic underestimation of the dangers of asset bubbles breaking. This inevitably led to one of our great recessions as the market corrected itself.
2. Lululemon at its current price of around $60 is overvalued. It is currently trading at over 60X what it is earning. Meaning that for every dollar you put into it you will earn, as an owner of the business (in theory), less than two cents on that dollar. Even its price to book ratio is huge at about 20X, meaning that even if the company liquidated for every dollar that you put into it right now you would only get back about five cents! Now don't get me wrong Lululemon is an amazing company, but the current price that some people are buying into it at right now is extremely overvalued. Its prospects and growth don't even justify a price this high! Even the average price to earnings ratio for the industry is only about 27X!! So even if we use this average (although this is still very overvalued) it should be trading at about $25. But in my opinion that is still too high. $15 or $20 would be more understandable. There is no safety of principle with Lululemon at its current price, and if the market were efficient, the price of Lululemons stock would be much lower. (Please note that when I originally wrote this Lulu was trading at about $120, however recently they did a stock split so the share price is halved. The ratios are the same however.
3. China Linen Textile Industry at its current price of around 2.25 is disgustingly UNDERvalued. The company sells linen and yarn in China, and has both excellent management and fantastic prospects. What is more interesting to note is that it should be trading at about $18.00 based on a combination of it's earning power, book value and intrinsic value. Even just using book value it should be abour $5.00, which still points to the idea that the company is undervalued (see my analysis on CTXIF for a plethora of information). Its current EPS for the first quarter of 2011 was a whopping $0.46! If the keep this rate up they should finish the year with an EPS of about 1.84. That means the P/E ratio is only 1.2X! This means that if you were to buy today you would make back (as an owner) more than half of your initial investment in one year. Furthermore, the company is poised for growth, as it plans to take over other companies in the surrounding area, and also receives some unique help from the Chinese government (again, see my analysis on CTXIF). So why the price discrepancy? Who knows?! ( Actually probably because there have been some fraud charges against a few Chinese companies). The point here is that the market is not efficient. If it were, this company would be trading at a price much higher than what it is currently trading at.
So there are three examples on how the market is not efficient. Obviously we would need only one to disprove this assumption, but three really drives the point home. And of course there are many other examples out there, but we'll stick with these ones for now.
Strike two MPT. The second assumption that the market is efficient does not stand up for modern portfolio theory to work.
"Here batter batter! Swing batter batter!"
MPT – Strike 1: Investors Are Rational
A friend of mine told me that I should look at the Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT) for some ideas on what to write about. Boy was he right. So this will be a 4 post series on MPT and the pitfalls of it. But first, what is MPT?
MPT is a theory of investment which attempts to maximize a portfolio's expected return for a given amount of portfolio risk, or equivalently minimize risk for a given level of expected return, by carefully choosing the proportions of various assets. It is also a form of diversification (and you know how I feel about that (if not read my post on diversification)). MPT is best explained by using a mathematical model, which, in my own opinion, is a bunch of baloney. The only mathematics you need to evaluate companies or stocks is simple adding, subtracting, multiplication and division. That's it. Now the model works in theory, but in the real world, where there are no save points, it doesn't even come close to working. This is due to the FACT that it makes a few very grave assumptions. So part one of our journey through the pitfalls of MPT starts now with the assumption that………….
One of the assumptions that enables MPT to work (in theory) is that investors are rational. I find great difficulty in believing this to be true due to the simple fact that investors are not any different from other people. Investors are people; plain and simple. Now how many people do you know who are completely rational? Take a few pauses here to really think about that……………keep thinking……….
(Remember I don't count)
Probably not that many right? And that is because the majority of people (please do not take offense here) are too emotionally driven to be rational.
So now how can investors be rational? Are they some sort of superior being that has evolved to totally abide by the rules of logic and circumstance and admonish most, if not all, of their emotionally weak mindset? Of course not. The majority of investors are not rational. They can be greedy, overzealous, and sometimes frightened when their favourite stock takes a plunge.
As an example let's look back a few years at some irrational investors who were buying technology stocks. And remember any smart individual (who knows at least a little accounting) could see that the majority of "tech" stocks were grossly overvalued at this time, even though they were very popular.
1. In 1999, Alexander Cheung of (what once was) Monument Internet Fund, after earning 117.3% in the first 5 months of the year, claimed that his fund would gain 50% over the next three to five years and would achieve an annual average of 35% over the next twenty years. Now is he rational? Well, considering most of the fund's portfolio was comprised of internet stocks which were grossly overvalued, I'd say no he isn't rational. He got caught up in the market mayhem of internet stocks. Another point to look at is that the highest 20 year return for any mutual fund in history was about 25.8% per year (performed by the great Peter Lynch). Peter's performance during that period turned $10,000 into more than $982,000, and yet Cheung was saying that he could turn it into over $4,000,000! Obviously that is ridiculously overoptimistic. And here is the point….investors bought it. These "rational" investors threw more than $100,000,000 into Cheungs fund over the next year. By the end of 2002, that $100,000,000 was worth about $20,000,000. A loss of 80%.
2. Alberto Vilar of Amerindo Technology Fund, after a whopping 249% return for 1999, ridiculed anyone who doubted that the internet was a perpetual money making machine: "If you're out of this sector, you're going to underperform. You're in a horse and buggy, and I'm in a Porsche (personally I loled there). Clearly Mr. Vilar was not rational in saying this, as the backbone of the economy at the time was the brick and mortar companies (companies with tangible assets). So clearly this investor, who ran a multimillion dollar mutual fund, is not rational. To showcase this, if you had invested $10,000 at the end of 1999 you would have about $1,195 left by the end of 2002. Makes you sick doesn't it?
3. James J. Cramer, a hedge fund manager, proclaimed in 2000 that Internet-related companies "are the only ones worth owning right now." These "winners of the new world are the only ones that are going higher consistently in good days and bad." Oh man. As with the above examples, he isn't looking at what these companies are worth. He is looking at the price of the stock. Sorry James, you're being branded as irrational. By year end 2002, one of the 10 companies in the fund went bankrupt, and a $10,000 investment would have shrunk to about $597.44. That is freaking scary. I'm not sure which new world James was referring to here….oh wait, an irrational world, where people pay for overvalued stocks that won't make them any money.
The majority of investors are obviously not rational and as long as people are guided by their emotions they never will be.
Strike one MPT. Swing and a miss. The first assumption that investors are rational does not stand up for modern portfolio theory to work.
Enterprising Value Investor Rules To Live By
1. Focus on the Intrinsic Value of Companies – This is by far the most important rule for the value investor. Intrinsic value can be defined as "the actual value of a company or an asset based on an underlying perception of its true value including all aspects of the business, in terms of both tangible and intangible factors. This value may or may not be the same as the current market value." Value investors look at the fundamentals of a company NOT THE TECHNICAL ASPECTS OF A STOCK. And as history has shown, value investors outperform technical traders in the long run. The key here is to buy stocks at levels that are below the level of intrinsic value for a particular company. This not only provides a margin of safety but also the opportunity for gains when the market corrects itself.
2. Practice Emotional Stability – You do not need to be overly intelligent to be a good investor, but you do need strong emotional intelligence. Very few investors have made substantial money by getting caught up in market "swings" (although there are many who have lost money). As a value investor you should already be buying a stock at a level that is below what the company is actually worth, so if the stock goes down, all that means is that you can now buy even more of this company at a better price! Do not sell just because the price has dipped if the price of a stock is still below the value of the company. On the other side of things, just because the price has gone up does not mean that you should sell! A value investor should only sell once the price of the stock has surpassed the value of the company, or if he has found a security that is much more attractive then the one he currently owns. So if the price has gone up but the price of the stock is still below the value of the company don't sell! There is still some money to be made. If you don't think you will be able to handle this don't invest in the stock market. A great example of not having emotional control comes from "The Intelligent Investor" by Benjamin Graham. In the Spring of 1720, Sir Isaac Newton, one of the great geniuses of all time, sensed that the stock market was getting out of hand and dumped all of his South Sea Company stocks (one of the hottest stocks in England at the time). He pocketed a 100% gain totalling 7000 pounds. However, months later, by getting swept up in the wild enthusiasm of the market, Newton jumped back in at a much higher price, and subsequently lost about 20,000 pounds (which is over 3 million by today's standards). Now Newton wasn't an idiot, but he did not have the emotional discipline that is necessary to be an intelligent investor. So if you've failed so far, it's not because you're stupid (probably not anyway). It's because you haven't developed the emotional intelligence required to be a successful investor (or you are extremely unlucky). So control your actions! Sometimes it is better to be the wolf than to follow the sheep.
3. Avoid Permanent Losses – Investing is not just about making money, it's also about not losing money. Enterprising value investors outperform the majority of other investors because they do not lose money. If an investment does not offer an adequate amount of safety of principle (i.e. buying below intrinsic value etc.) then it is not an investment. It is a speculative operation and must not be considered. Most other value investors will say that a true value investor is not concerned with outperforming benchmarks. However, taking my own little spin on things, I believe that over the long term an enterprising investor should use benchmarking tools (such as the performance of the market indexes) to evaluate their performance or else there really is no point in putting in the time and effort into researching companies, especially if you are not going to outperform the market in the long run.
4. Diversify Less – Today you will hear (from the majority of investors) that you must diversify. By now you should know that I'm not a fan of major diversification (check out my article on diversification) because if an investor is already using a value oriented approach to investing diversification will actually limit ones gains, as a value oriented approach already provides a margin of safety. There is no point in using two techniques which both provide greater safety. It's like wearing two life-jackets when you go boating. One life jacket would suffice. SO I'm actually going to go AGAINST Benjamin Graham here and tell you to diversify less, but only if you are willing to put in the time and effort to research the companies that you invest in. If you're not willing to put in the time and effort then yes, you should diversify. But as an enterprising investor, diversification will be a very small part of your vocabulary.
5. Continue to Learn – This is a no brainer. If you're not willing to continue to learn then don't become an enterprising investor. You are always going to need to learn about new industries and new companies. You're going to do a ton of reading, especially on various company's financial statements. And if you don't understand something in them, then you're going to have to figure that out. You're going to lean about different industries and how they operate, what their average profit margin is, and any threats that may hinder the industry in the future. And you're going to love every waking minute of it.
D-D-Diversification Junior
I had a little argument the other day with someone about diversification. Well not so much an argument but more of a debate. Now, I understand diversification and the reasons for why it is used, but I don't think people realize that there are also some pitfalls that come with it. But let's look at the positives first. Positives: 1. Safety – diversification "should" provide safety in that by being diversified there is greater probability that one's portfolio will fail. I completely agree with this, however it must be clear on what being diversified means. It does not mean owning a bunch of different stocks that are all in the same industry. It means you need to own a mining industry stock, a tech stock, a clothing store stock etc. That is true diversification. Owning a large number of stocks in the same industry is not being diversified. FURTHERMORE, one should also have some bonds in their portfolio, for an extra level of safety and to be truly diversified. 2. Picking Winners – By owning more stocks you greatly increase your chances of picking the winners (whether you know what you're doing or not doesn't really matter). By picking the winners there is a greater chance that your portfolio will increase in value, and that these winners will offset any losers that are in the portfolio. Negatives: 1. Reduced Gains – for the enterprising investor who has a strong understanding of business and stocks should diversify less so as to increase the gains that are returned to him. By being diversified not only do you pick winners you also pick stocks that may not perform as well as others. This will actually decrease the amount that could have been owed to you as stocks that perform poorly will dilute the success of stocks that show a greater performance. 2. More Time and Effort – By not being diversified you must be willing to put in the time and effort into researching stocks. If you are not going to do this and are just going to pick stocks by guessing or basing valuations of companies by the price of their stock, then you definitely need to diversify. However, if you're doing your homework, you can diversify much less. NOTE: Not diversifying does not mean that the level of risk increases. It simply means that you must put more time and effort into the stocks you choose. Personally I am against diversification. It dilutes the gains that I could have made, and there are too many people out there who simply throw the word "diversification" around to convince their customers that their investments are safe. I believe that there are too many Investment Advisors out there today don't really know what they are doing, so they tell people "Pick X, Y, Z, P, and Q because I don't really know what I'm doing. So if X and Y go down P and Q should go up, and vice versa. Oh and Z is there in case all the other ones fail." If I wanted to gamble I would go to a casino. If we also look at some of the richest people in the world (Warren Buffet, Bill Gates etc.) we see that their holdings are not diversified. The majority of the stock that they own is in their respective companies. That is why they are wealthy. In sum, diversification can provide a larger degree of safety, but one should still learn everything about the stocks that they are investing in before they give the go-ahead. It should be used only if you are not an enterprising investor and do not have the time or effort to put into your portfolio. However, if you want to be wealthy, I advise against diversification. You're definitely going to have to do your homework though. Thanks for reading! I'm still searching for another good stock to write about, so stay tuned for that!


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I have heard this through the Jets' fan grapevine, about the reps being unequal. Well, let me give you some numbers here: 20-14. What are those numbers? The 20 is the number of snaps Sanchez took, including penalties. The 14 is the number that GENO SMITH took!
Six whole snaps. What a huge difference! Clearly, the Jets are keeping the new guy down. He was behind by six snaps. Oh wait a minute. ….I forgot, GENO SMITH SPRAINED HIS ANKLE AND LEFT THE FOOTBALL GAME! Did everyone else forget about this too?
Let's think about this. Might Geno, had he not gotten hurt, you think, TAKEN SIX MORE SNAPS? Come on, now of course he would have. If he hadn't sprained his ankle, this wouldn't have even been a debate. But, I guess the conspiracy theorists feel that Rex Ryan, I don't know, talked to God, and arranged for Geno to sprain his ankle at that moment. Or maybe he was OK, but on orders not to let him back in the game?
See why I am getting worried about some of you?
Don't forget, as I talked about in the evaluation piece, there were plays that were slated for Geno to make a throw, but he didn't get rid of the ball in time. A couple of more throws, then all of a sudden, the discrepancy in passes thrown is not as great.
This one is particularly nutty, ladies and gentlemen. But, I saw this as part of a major debate, so here we go.
People went crazy about the fact that Rex didn't name a starter for the game against Jacksonville on Saturday night. Nuts! Apparently, this was part of the problem.
Say what? Folks, despite the fact that we think we have a stake in the team, we don't. THE JETS DO NOT OWE US THE STARTER BEING NAMED ON TUESDAY, FOR A SATURDAY NIGHT GAME IN THE PRESEASON! We think that they do, but they don't. Rex has EVERY RIGHT to take as long as he chooses to name a starter. He's the coach. We watch the games. Get it straight.
People were also upset about why Rex said they hadn't named a starter yet. He said that they wanted to let the week play out. The theory was, it's a conspiracy because Rex didn't SAY that they want to make sure Geno is healthy.
Come on. Because he didn't SAY it? First of all, he doesn't have to. He is not required to give you the answer you want to hear. Since when has any coach ever given all of the info to the public? Let me help you, NEVER. It will happen when pigs fly, and I am not talking about the GEICO commercial.
Secondly, you all have brains. It's obvious that they want to make sure that Geno is healthy before naming him the starter. Use your own judgement, how about that? Stop getting bogged down about what words are used. You are worrying over NOTHING.
What is the bottom line? Stop with the conspiracy theories. The Jets will give us enough reasons to be annoyed. We don't have to make up stories. Isn't that this guy's job?

subset: commoncrawl


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Dr. Warner A. Oldenburg, MD
Surgery, Mayo Clinic
- 4500 San Pablo Rd S
Jacksonville, FL 32224
- 1 Office Location
- Email a Friend
- (904) 953-2000
Dr. Warner A. Oldenburg has been practicing medicine for 34 years. Dr. Oldenburg graduated from the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in 1980. He practices medicine in Jacksonville, FL and specializes in Surgery and Vascular Surgery. Dr. Oldenburg is affiliated with Mayo Clinic.
Gender: Male
Years in Practice: 34 Years
Languages Spoken: English
Medical School: Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Graduation Date: 1980
Hospital Affiliations: Mayo Clinic
Specialties: Surgery, Vascular Surgery
©2005-2014 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.
WebMD does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See additional information.


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Message from the Chancellor
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Learn more about the courses we offer, and find out how to apply.
Prepare for PES, get helpful information to make your move to PES easy.
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PES University in the list of Top 25 M.Tech collges in India - Careerindia


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The contract addition that they blessed paid all the company's debts and provided a 144 percent increase in payment for each anthrax vaccine dose, from $4.36 to $10.64.
It was $2 million less than BioPort sought. Pentagon officers wrote that by chopping the amount, they didn't have to notify Congress about the new deal.
Hearings were held, including one by Sen. John Warner, R-Va., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. His session involved only BioPort officials and others who supported the bailout.
A second hearing involving critics of the company and the renegotiated contract was promised but never held.
More aggressive questioning took place in the House of Representatives. It was determined that El-Hibri and his partners had invested only $4.5 million of their own money, in cash and loan guarantees.
All that money and the cash the Pentagon had chipped in was gone, spent on renovations, consultants' fees and physical improvements, congressional investigators found.
Further, the original $25 million deal with Michigan had become $14.45 million.
"The message seems clear: If a company wants to make millions without providing a product or service, enter into a sole-source contract with the De- partment of Defense to produce vaccines," Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C., said in a written statement. "BioPort appears to have the government over a barrel."
Louis J. Rodrigues of the Government Accountability Office - a congressional oversight agency that's frequently criticized BioPort and the Pentagon's management of the vaccine program - told Congress that it "had no option" but to pay up if it wanted anthrax vaccine.
The Pentagon contractors who made the original deal with BioPort should have known there was no way that the company could stay in business, Rodrigues said.
"We did nothing to force BioPort's hand and make them come up with a cost-control system," he said.
Or, he added, a realistic business model.
Pentagon officials promised Congress that they'd do a better job - in part by assigning government employees to oversee the company's bookkeeping and quality-control systems.
They denied that they'd been patsies for the well-connected company.
"All I am trying to say is that this is not a sweetheart deal," David R. Oliver, then principal deputy undersecretary of defense for acquisition technologies, told Congress.
BioPort struggled for more than three years to get licensing for its plant and product. Meanwhile, batches of vaccine were made and the Pentagon paid for each - including money for storage of unusable vaccine.
Vaccine made before the plant renovation kept going into the arms of thousands of troops. Dozens of them came to Congress, complaining that the drug made them permanently ill, giving them headaches, joint pain, loss of memory and more severe symptoms.
By 2000, even the Pentagon had lost patience and told BioPort to stop making vaccine until the plant regained its license. But the military agreed to keep making payments anyway, to keep the company afloat.
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Here's a taste of what TheBody.com has to offer on this topic:
Ask the Experts
HIV/STD risk from handjob during massage "URGENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"Hello DOC,I went to a massage parlour in thailand.I recieved a handjob from the masseuse using the massage oil. I only kissed her neck gently during the handjob.I am worried sick that if she was HIV positive I could acquire HIV or any other STD....
Response from Erik Glenn, M.A.
Chicago Black Gay Mens CaucusThanks for your question,Even if she were HIV+ you would have <b>absolutely no risk</b> from HIV.You would only be at risk for HIV/STDs if your naked bodies (speaking about genitals here) were rubbing vigorously against each other. This... Read more »
Handjob hiv std risk assesmentHi doctor. 2 month ago i got a full check up, all my results were negatives. A month ago i went to... Read more »
Handjob with small amounts saliva lead to infection?Hello!This may come off as a stupid question but when it comes to HIV I feel that no question is... Read more »
Innovative Rapid HIV Test Appears to Detect Acute HIV; OraQuick Rapid Saliva Tests Found to Be Not Very Accurate for High Risk TestersMy name's Chris Pilcher and I'm a HIV researcher from UCSF [University of California, San Francisco]. I'm principally interested in HIV diagnostics and particularly in detecting and managing acute HIV infection. The poster is appropriately titled,... Read more »
Routine Brief Risk-Reduction Counseling With Biannual STD Testing Reduces STD Incidence Among HIV-Infected Men Who Have Sex With Men in CareThe researchers evaluated whether routine, twice-yearly STD testing, together with brief risk-reduction counseling, reduces STD incidence and high-risk behaviors. The SUN study is a prospective, observational HIV cohort study carried out in four US... Read more »
Effects on Sexual Behavior and STD Rate of Brief HIV/STD Prevention Interventions for African-American Women in Primary Care SettingsThe study authors tested the efficacy of brief HIV/STD risk-reduction interventions for African-American women in primary care settings. A total of 564 African-American women were recruited from a Newark, N.J., inner-city women's health clinic for... Read more »
High-Risk Sex Partner Increases STD RiskA partner's sexual risk behaviors were more predictive of STDs than an individual's own sexual activities, a recent study found. The researchers, from the universities of Florida and Pittsburgh, examined sexual partner characteristics, individual... Read more »
Connect With Others
Lapdance handjob is this a risk ?
Posted by scaredagain, 6 RepliesA few days ago I ended up going to a Lapdance bar with friends while working in the USA. After much beer and coaxing from my friends I ended up getting a private dance from one of the dancers a Venezuelan girl. I ended up getting a handjob, which... Read more »
Any STD from handjob through pants
Posted by abcd1234abcd, 2 RepliesHello,
I was at a strip club yesterday and the stripper grabbed my penis for about 3 second through my pants, i never made any contact at all with the skin on my penis, she only touched it with her hand over my jeans. Could i get any STD from this?
Tha... Read more »
HIV from a handjob?
Posted by step2step, 1 ReplyI have a fear of getting HIV positive. In any situation (sexual), I have that strong fear. I know its not normal.
This week, two days ago, I visited a prostitute in Holland. Because I'm afraid of HIV, I have done only a handjob. I thought it was... Read more »
Posted by Anonymous, 2 RepliesHandjob recipient with lots of saliva as lube.....had every symptom.....tested negative at 3 months.....am I in the clear? Read more »
Guides for People With HIV


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Arts collective Performance Space once again hosted their engaging 'Micro Parks' events appropriating public parks into gallery spaces. Art installations and groups have for a long time been democratising art often in unconventional contexts making it more accessible for people to participate which not only broadens its audience, but also elevates it into new opportunities.
Wimbo park, cnr Bourke & Devonshire st (pictured) portrayed the backyard of a dog lover creating a pen and other common objects like rocks, garbage, planks of wood and a dog out of Styrofoam painted fluorescent-hazardous waste yellow.
A friend and I also visited Ward park, again on Devonshire St. but at the wrong time missing a performance piece, but that's ok when the many local pubs offer good libations!


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From US Thanksgiving Day through New Years Day, you'll find letters, audio posts, and videos created by moms (and this year, other friends and family) who are lovingly supportive of ALL children who identify as LGBTQ. This is the kick-off video which came from the 2011 audio recording that was the spark of inspiration for this site.
Category Archives: Videos To Inspire You
From Shamama: The Longest Night Of The Year
Dear Holiday Child,
This is my blessing for your this solstice (and feel free to share it, because it is for ANYONE of any age who would like a holiday blessing!), plus a few words about the longest night of the year and why I created wwwYourHolidayMom.com.
My love to you! Shamama
Videos To Inspire: Lana Wachowski
Videos To Inspire: Bishop Gene Robinson


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Library Home
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Feedback QEP
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NVC believes that as part of our mission to become responsible members of our world community, we must also be good stewards of our environment. The links here provide information about some of the environmental challenges and solutions being proposed in the world today. There are also links providing a fun and engaging way to realize these issues through art, games and videos. Get involved and have fun too!
Grist Environmental News & Commentary
Green Futures Online Magazine
The Daily Green Consumer Guide
Story of Stuff Project
Definition of Sustainability- an animated video
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"Everyone needs beauty as well as bread, places to play and pray, where nature heals and gives strength to body and soul alike."
-- John Muir, naturalist, explorer and writer (1838-1914)
3535 N. Ellison Drive, San Antonio, Texas 78251 (210) 486-4000


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The Return of Nexus
- Written by Jude Terror on Thursday, December 22 2011 and posted in News Archive
Dark Horse Comics announces the return of Nexus in Dark Horse Presents #12
The fan-favorite title returns with its team of creators, Mike Baron (The Badger) and Steve Rude (The Moth), in their respective positions of writer and artist! Baron and Rude created Nexus in 1981 and have been continuing their canonical tale for thirty years. The Eisner Award winners will craft a brand-new three-part story for readers eager to quench their thirst for what's next to come in the Nexusverse.
"The new stories crush anvils," says Mike Baron.
"Nexus has never been a stranger to different publishers. Last seen under the Rude Dude banner in 2009, Nexus has stayed in limbo, never quite knowing when to return, or if he ever would return. Things come together in strange ways. With the backing of Mike Richardson of Dark Horse Comics, Nexus will return to comics," Steve Rude said. "We especially look forward to the response of Nexus's devoted fans, and thank them for the wonderful support and encouragement they've given us since the book's debut in 1981!"
Dark Horse Presents #12 is on sale May 2012.
About Dark Horse Comics
Since 1986, Dark Horse Comics has proven to be a solid example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an industry giant. The company is known for the progressive and creator-friendly atmosphere it provides for writers and artists. In addition to publishing comics from top talent like Frank Miller, Mike Mignola, Neil Gaiman, Gerard Way, Will Eisner, and best-selling prose author Janet Evanovich, Dark Horse has developed such successful characters as the Mask, Timecop, and the Occultist. Additionally, its highly successful line of comics and products based on popular properties includes Star Wars, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Aliens, Conan the Barbarian, Mass Effect, Serenity, and Domo. Today, Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent comic-book publisher in the United States and is recognized as both an innovator in the cause of creator rights and the comics industry's leading publisher of licensed material.
Source: Press Release
Written or Contributed by: Jude Terror
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Note: while you are welcome to speak your mind freely on any topic, we do ask that you keep discussion civil between each other. Nasty personal attacks against other commenters is strongly discouraged. Thanks!
About the Author - Jude Terror
Jude Terror is the Webmaster Supreme of The Outhouse and a sarcastic ace reporter dedicated to delivering irreverent comics and entertainment news to The Outhouse's dozens of loyal readers. Driven by a quest for vengeance, Jude Terror taught himself to program and joined The Outhouse. He instantly began working toward his goal of forcing the internet comics community to take itself less seriously and failing miserably. Ironically, our webmaster, whose website skills know no end, has very little understanding of social networks or how they work. Regardless, you can find him on Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr, but would probably have the most luck just emailing him.
More articles from Jude Terror


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We created Pandora to put the Music Genome Project directly in your hands
It's a new kind of radio –
stations that play only music you like
Lil Rob
Selected Discography
Track List: 1218, Pt. 2 (Explicit)
Track List: Twelve Eighteen, Part I (Explicit)
Track List: Neighborhood Music (Explicit)
Track List: The Album (Explicit)
Track List: R.I.P. Recording In Progress (Deluxe) (Explicit)
Similar Artists
when you want to chill with some friends and weed
holds up after several years.
just like summertime by will smith
Play my records till I just dont wanna hear them anymore
Reminicing on all of the times we had, you know
Memories of long ago, love letters let her know
Words of love so meaningful, I just cant see her go
Its gonna take a miracle, torture and sadness
Paired when Im lonely drives me insane, I wish things were the same
She doesnt know how bad it kills me inside
Hide the tears behind my eyes, wont show through my pride


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On the heels of the outrageous, unprecedented HHS decision to overrule the FDA's recommendation to make Plan B fully available without a prescription comes a new study revealing just how inaccessible emergency contraception is–even for those women who theoretically already have over-the-counter access.
Researchers posing as 17-year-old women called pharmacies around the country to ask about getting EC. First off, nearly 20% of the callers were told straight-up that they couldn't get EC that day–whether because it wasn't in stock or they didn't want to give it out or maybe the person who answered the phone hadn't been trained yet. Regardless, tough luck for the caller who'd really, really like to try to avoid getting pregnant ASAP. Once the callers revealed their age, almost 20% of pharmacies claimed that 17-year-olds could not get the drug–despite the fact that, um, they damn well can. Furthermore, the study found that women in poorer neighborhoods were more than 60% more likely to be misinformed than those in more affluent neighborhoods.
So, young women are getting screwed; poor women are getting screwed. Anyone else? Yep, let's not forget that the age restriction on over-the-counter access also means that pharmacists have to ask for an ID, so undocumented women of all ages are screwed too.
As Aaron Carroll writes, "All of this would be improved if the drug were just known to be available over-the-counter for everyone." Pretty sure that's exactly why the FDA tried to make it so.


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Male Patient BEFORE Electrolysis Treatment
Male Patient AFTER Electrolysis Treatment
at Hairless NYC Clinic
Call (212) 935-3524 to schedule an appointment today!
Don't worry, you aren't the only guy with hair woes! In fact, we have hundreds of male patients, and field new inquiries from men every week. Wanting to get rid of insightly or uncomfortable hair is perfectly normal regardless of your age or gender.
Here's what a few of our male customers have to say about their experiences at Hairless NYC Clinic:
"Monique and her staff make you feel at home from the moment you walk into their zen-like office. Within a few minutes of your first visit you realize that these are great people who truly care about providing great results for every single one of their customers."
- A.Z. from Manhattan
"My wife convinced me that Hairless NYC Clinic could permanently remove the hair that for years had put limits on our intimacy. Each treatment took less and less time and now the results are permanent. No more shaving hassles! My wife was right and loves my clean look from top to bottom."
"Monique's clinic is spotless and modern. The staff is very professional, discreet and respectful. First Class!"
- R. C. Upper East Side
"After my divorce, I began dating a woman to my surprise that had the smooth "Brazilian" grooming. When we got together, I was embarrassed and felt like a gray, hairy old man... but I'm only 39. I did some research and discovered that Laser hair removal won't work on removing gray hair but electrolysis from Hairless NYC Clinic does remove gray hairs.
My gray chest hair, shoulder and private area hair is gone for good! This investment will last a lifetime. Very grateful to the staff and excellent service at Hairless NYC Clinic."
- Jason, NYC


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- Human Evolution Research
- Climate and Human Evolution
- Asian Research Projects
- East African Research Projects
- Human Origins Program Team
- What's Hot In Human Origins?
- Fossil Forensics: Interactive
- E. A. Mammal Dentition Database
- Human Evolution Evidence
- Behavior
- 3D Collection
- Human Fossils
- Human Family Tree
- Genetics
- Dating
- Timeline Interactive
- Human Characteristics
- Education
- Exhibit
- About Us
- Multimedia
Old World monkeys are primates and are more closely related to humans and apes than any other living nonhuman primate group. The Smithsonian Institution's Division of Mammals (http://vertebrates.si.edu/mammals/) houses many Old World monkeys in its scientific collections.
This specimen, USNM 277618 (http://collections.mnh.si.edu/search/mammals/?irn=7296158), is a female Shortridge's langur (Trachypithecus shortridgei) from Myanmar. This individual was collected by Kenneth E. Stager in 1945 near Myitkyina District of Kachin Province. The total length of the individual was 1538 mm, the tail length 950 mm, the hind tarsus length 200 mm, and the ear notch length 34 mm.
This is a CT scan of the cranium of USNM 277618. These three-dimensional scans are made publicly available through the generous support of the Smithsonian 2.0 Fund, provided from the annual gifts of the Smithsonian National Board to the Secretary to use at his discretion (http://smithsonian20.si.edu/fund.html), and the Smithsonian Collections Care and Preservation Fund.
The main goal of this joint initiative between the Human Origins Program and the Division of Mammals is to make the NMNH's scientific collections of our closest living nonhuman primate relatives available in 3D for education and research.


text: Programs A Carolina Christmas Enjoy a festive celebration of the Appalachian folk traditions and other styles native to the Carolinas. Two-time Country Music Association Female Vocalist of the Year, Kathy Mattea, is at center stage and is joined by regional talents VOX, The Beggar Boys, Abigail Haynes Lennox, and Christina Pegues. Carolina Live Enjoy a weekly program of the Carolinas' best live classical concert recordings. Eastertide with the Christ Church Cathedral Choir Hear one of the world's great male-voice choirs perform works by choral music's most celebrated composers including John Taverner, Orlando Gibbons, Henry Purcell, George Frideric Handel, William Walton, and Charles Hubert Parry. Concierto Concierto is a weekly program of classical music presented in English and in Spanish, particularly music by Spanish and Latin American composers and musicians. Frank Dominguez is the host. OpenAir Brevard Exciting concerts from notable artists including Barry Douglas, Gil Shaham, JoAnn Falletta, and Brevard Music Center Artistic Director Keith Lockhart. Radio Chopin Two hundred stories about "the poet of the piano," Fryderyk Chopin. Learn about his life, times, and music. Spoleto Chamber Music Series A showcase of the best chamber music performances from the Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston. Tweet


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Ezra Holdings Limited, a leading contractor and provider of integrated offshore solutions to the oil and gas industry, today announced that the Group's Subsea Services division,
Rederij Groen's entire SRSV fleet built by Damen Maaskant Shipyards Stellendam.
Dutch offshore services company Rederij Groen has taken delivery of the 7-Waves,
GDF SUEZ E&P UK Ltd and BP today announced a new exploration discovery in the UK Central North Sea. The discovery, which spans GDF SUEZ operated block 30/1f
Wärtsilä announced its third quarter results, reporting that it sees good development in order intake and profitability.
According to Wärtsilä, third quarter
Mark Kammerer has been named vice president, international marketing and sales for Holland America Line and Seabourn. In this role, he will be responsible for the companies' sales offices in the U.
The Carnival Magic cruise ship was en route back to the United States on Saturday with a passenger from Texas who might have handled specimens of the first Ebola


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Irenopolis, Cilicia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Neronias)
Irenopolis or Eirenopolis (Greek: Εἰρηνούπολις) was an ancient and medieval city in eastern Cilicia, also known briefly as Neronias (Greek: Νερωνιάς) in honour of the Roman emperor Nero. Irenopolis was also an episcopal see that is now included in the Catholic Church's list of titular sees.
See also[edit]
- Panagopoulou, Katerina. "Eirenopolis". Encyclopedia of the Hellenic World, Asia Minor. Foundation of the Hellenic World. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
|This Ancient Greece related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.


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- Sigmund Freud
FS says: Freud said basically the same thing about masturbation.
I think it's dangerous to quote Freud out of context like this, given the historical significance of social Darwinism. One of the things social Darwinist rarely admit to is that the movement started as a way to define white Western society as the pinnacle of creation and to bestialize the "lesser" civilizations and races, labeling everything primitive that wasn't white, secular and Western.
This logic then was followed to its inevitable and erroneous conclusion with the anti-semitism that continued (this time "justified by science!") and anti-everything not German of the Third Reich.
Be careful what you say about religion. Its been said before and really aggressively and often coupled with violence and murder.
I'm not religious myself, but its inappropriate to bring ideas of social evolution like Freud's into the discussion not only because it's been proven so wrong as far as how civilization develops, but also been used for so many horrible things.
Try being atheist without needing to demonize or dehumanize or make religious people into lesser beings. It's nicer, easier and a better and more moral way to express your beliefs.
Reminder: when you dehumanize, degrade, and ridicule those you are opposed to, you are doing exactly the same things that you protest them doing to you.


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Welcome to QTown CrossFit
We are located at 723 S. 8th Street Quincy, IL 62301
Class Times
Check the Schedule
Monday – Friday
5:00am 6:00am 7:30am 9:30am 11:30am 12:30pm 3:30pm 4:30pm 5:30pm 6:30pm 7:30pm
no 6:30pm or 7:30pm on Fridays!
9:00am 10:00am
Contact us at 847-594-2434 or firstname.lastname@example.com
Fundamentals Class – $125/month
The Goal of QTown CrossFit's Fundamental Class is to help you become an athlete that is knowledgeable, safe, and confident in your abilities before entering the CrossFit classes. Only interested in our Strength and Mobility Program? Skip the Beginners and sign up right up. Even though we still recommend the Beginners Classes, the movements in Strength and Mobility class do not require as much technical training as in CrossFit.
The Beginners Program is run at a slower pace and includes functional movement exercises, skill work and education. This is to provide you with the tools you'll need to be successful in the CrossFit classes. All sessions include a warm-up, functional movement, skill-training, and a workout. We also spend time developing your individualized goals and include a free Lifestyle Transformation class. Please note that all new members entering QTown CrossFit, must go through the Beginner classes, personal training (on ramp).
Once you and your coach feel confident to join the classes, spend the remainder of the 30 Days taking our CrossFit, Strength and Mobility, Endurance, or Beginner classes!
To Our QTown Family
On behalf of Sam and myself I am so excited to be writing this letter to all of you. Although it has been over a year since we left QTown, we miss you all so much and look forward to getting back to QTown this fall!
First off, we are going to greatly miss Kelsey and Christine. We are so proud of them and wish them both the best of luck in all of their future endeavors. As sad as we are to see them leave, we are proud to have worked with and developed some of the best coaches in the industry. We knew the moment would come when they would be offered an opportunity to grow and help other gyms and athletes become as great as QTown! Thank you both for all the great memories and for dedicating your time and talents to help make QTown what it is today.
When Sam and I left we knew it was not goodbye, but see you later and are very excited to announce that we will be returning to our hometown in October! We are BEYOND excited to reunite with QTown and our amazing community. We have truly missed all of you and cannnot wait to see everyone and to meet all the new faces. One of the things we have realized with all our travels is we do have THE best gym around and our community and members are fantastic. We are blessed to have all of you in our lives.
During our year with CrossFit Conjugate we met a dear friend, teammmate and coach, Hunter Britt and we are excited to announce he will be joining QTown CrossFit as one of our coaches in September! Hunter has been along side some of the best coaches in the fitness industry, not only in CrossFit but also in the powerlifting world. He has coached along side of Sam Dancer as well as Laura and Shane Sweatt. For those of you who don't know, Laura Sweatt currently holds several power-lifting records and is one of the strongest women in the world. In addition to coaching, Hunter is also a talented athlete, helping Conjugate Black place 2nd in the CrossFit Games. Hunter has programmed for the Conjugate Competitor Program and also wrote programming and coached high school athletes and kids. I can tell you first hand the kids and moms of the 9AM class adored him tremendously. Hunter has a lot of experience for a 19 year old and we are very excited to welcome him to the QTown CrossFit Family! There is so much more about Hunter Britt and what makes him a great fit for us. His Bio is coming soon! Please take a minute to check it out and get to know our adorable new coach!
Jennie & Sam Dancer
5 Reasons to accept the 100 Day Paleo Lifestyle Transformation Challenge
5. You need accountability.
It is time to get serious about your goals and that includes holding yourself accountable to others. Challenge yourself to share your goals with others and work together to achieve your goals. The power of peer pressure is real. Surround yourself for the next 100 days with people committed to helping you achieve your goals.
4. #FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)
Yes, you read that correctly, fear of missing out. As a dedicated CrossFit athlete, this is what drives us to the gym in the bitter cold, pushes us to the last second and keeps us coming back for more. We are community driven, we pressure each other into making healthy lifestyle changes and we certainly don't want to miss out on an opportunity to be better than yesterday.
3. You failed the 30-day challenge.
First off, if you walked away from the challenge learning anything, you did not fail. Too often, when people hear the word challenge, diet or lifestyle change it is easy to get caught up in all the rules and regulations and quit. When I attempted my first challenge I immediately focused on what I had to give up. Dairy – But how am I going to eat enchiladas or pizza? No Gluten – How am I going to eat a hamburger? People often get the misconception that a successful challenge is based on numbers, when it is really much more than that. If you were able to eliminate some foods and physically/mentally feel better, it was a successful challenge! Congratulations, you have developed an awareness for how food impacts your health! This is the first step in making permanent changes. Whether you have had some success or not, I challenge you to explore yourself, your values and desires and develop a plan based on your values, not a pant size. Once you identify and begin to focus on what you truly value in life, food choices become easier and so does reaching your goals.
2. You completed the 30-day challenge.
Congratulations on completing a 30-day challenge! Almost everyone I talk to after the challenge experienced weight loss, increased energy and typically experienced results, but many of you returned to your old eating habits or didn't feel successful for various reasons. If you have completed a challenge and are asking yourself, what's next, the 100 day challenge is your answer. If you thrive on competition, this is a great opportunity for you to push yourself out of your comfort zone and commit to Paleo for 100 days. Use this 100-day challenge as an opportunity for you to explore yourself, what your values are, and what living a healthy lifestyle looks like to you.
1. Because every time you eat or drink you are either feeding a disease or fighting it.
Because every time you eat or drink you are either feeding a disease or fighting it…
Where do you want to be in 10 years? Look around you at someone 10 or 20 years older than you that is currently feeding a disease. Is that where you want to be in 10, 20, 30 plus years from now? How would your life be different if you committed to changing your lifestyle for the next 100 days, 200, 365? Are you currently feeding a disease or fighting it? If you are prepared to answer these questions and make permanent changes this year, you are ready to accept this challenge.
What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals. –Henry David Thoreau
100 Day Paleo Lifestyle Challenge
This course is designed to help you develop permanent lifestyle changes by taking an hour each week to focus on you! We will set short and long term goals while learning what it takes to adopt the Paleo Lifestyle. We will also work together to achieve success by participating in activities such as a Paleo Grocery Shopping trip and small group focus sessions. Each month you will receive support and education through attending 2 Paleo classes with Katie Tappe and 2 group life coaching sessions with Selah Life Coaching (4 classes each month – one per week).
Member Rate $60 or 3 monthly payments
Non-Member Rate $100 or 3 monthly payments
Early Registration Deadline is January 15th
First payment is due February 1st
Classes begin Monday, February 3rd at 6:30pm
Paleo Shopping Trip February 10th at 6:45pm
Email email@example.com to sign up!
Crossfit has impacted my life in a lot of ways. It is surprising the changes that occur in such a short time (1 year). It's all about trying new things, which is what happened with me when I first tried out Crossfit. Before I came to QTown, I had played baseball for around 4 years or so in grade school. I was put mostly in the outfield for the time that I played. I also had around 12 years of PE.
Before I joined CrossFit I was the exact opposite of what you would call physically fit. I lack a regular exercise daily, with the exception of occasionally attempting to work out, but those attempts didn't last long since I had absolutely no idea how to do some movements, or even knowing any movements in general. I went on walks with my dog, Abby, on occasion, but that was about it. Before I joined CrossFit I was ill constantly. I thought I was eating healthy. I followed the FDA's food pyramid and as a result, I had a diet high in grains and processed foods almost daily. Because of how out of shape I was at the time, I struggled with low confidence a lot and just in general found life a struggle every day. I would often have random panic attacks and acid stomach. I hated eating because I felt sick a lot when I did eat. I had always wanted to be big, strong, and in shape, but felt doomed to be forever out of shape since I could barely run 400 meters without getting gassed. At that point I couldn't 10 pushups or a single pull up. I had no real motivation to work out because I was stuck doing the same old workout everyday and I would often exhaust myself in the first 5 minutes of working out.
I was still struggling with my anxiety and lack of confidence in early August of last year, which was when they replayed all of the 2012 CrossFit games on TV. I'd just happened upon it and thought that it would be nice to be fit enough to be able to do all that crazy stuff. About 2 weeks later my dad told me that QTown had just opened in Quincy. We checked for age limits but didn't find any so I figured I would check it out. Before I had wanted to attempt getting in shape yet again, but this time I had wanted to do something different, like gymnastics. I didn't feel like I was strong enough to do gymnastics at the time though so I completely ruled that out. I went and watched one of the workouts and just talked with Coach Sam about the different things QTown had to offer. He told me to come back the following Monday to check out some of the movements and try my very first WOD. I proceeded to come back after a lot of persuasion from my dad, because I wasn't sure if I'd wanted to do it or not. I was immediately a fan of wall squats when Sam had me try them out because it was one of the few movements that I could do naturally well. After that I proceeded to try my first WOD, which was 20 pushups, 20 sit-ups, and 10 pull-ups, or something like that, and after the 20 pushups I was lightheaded and had to go sit on a tire for about an hour or so, and Sam had thought he'd killed me. I learned right then that I really wanted to get in shape, and CrossFit seemed like the best course of action for me, so I had my Dad sign me up for the On-ramp.
At first I really struggled with my motivation to keep coming back every day. The workouts were really, really hard for someone of my fitness level. I could barely make it through the warm-ups let alone the actual workouts. I was also extremely shy at the time so the idea of working out with other people made me nervous. It took me a long time to start to open up to people more. I had begun to gain some incentive after about two weeks of struggling with workouts, because I had started to make a little bit of progress. A lot of my incentive came from the encouraging words from my coaches, especially Coach Sam. These words gave me confidence in my abilities and I thought that I would keep trying to see where CrossFit would lead me. It helped that my first movement that had actually improved in those two weeks was my back squat. I had never been good at anything when working out before and that helped me to want to learn more and try harder.
Over the past year I tried many workouts and movements, and with them I have set many goals. Some of these goals I have already accomplished, while others it may be a while before I accomplish them. When I had started out I just wanted to be able to do a pull up, and eventually thanks to careful planning I was able to accomplish and even exceed that goal. It was difficult to get there though because a lot of times I just wanted to give up. There was a period of time where I skipped doing pull-ups and I really regret it now. I've also wanted to have a really heavy squat, like at least 300 lbs, and while I'm not there yet I have a feeling I'll get there within the next year or two. I would also love to get a muscle up someday. I would also love to gain weight and add on muscle. Thanks to Coach Andrew I figured out that you have to eat big to get big, and as a result I have gained 5 lbs. I used to think fats were bad for you but as it turns out they're absolutely essential for you if you eat the healthy types. I would also love to attempt Murph at some point. I haven't tried it yet and I really need to because it seems like it'd be one of my favorite workouts to do once I try it.
CrossFit is challenging in more ways than I can count, but if it were easy we wouldn't get the benefits that we do from it. Some of the most challenging parts for me are when I am in the middle of a WOD, and I'm exhausted and feel like I can't do one more rep. I suck at self motivation Mid-WOD, and if it's a really hard WOD I often feel like it'd almost be impossible to finish the rest of the reps. I also really like to have a coach watch my form to make sure I'm doing things correctly. Coach Christine is really good at helping me keep the proper form. Oftentimes what helps get me through these tough challenges are the people and the coaches. Their encouraging words and bits of advice are often what keep me going. Coaches Mike, Tim, Christine, and Kelsey are all especially helpful with this, but all the coaches have helped me at some point. The people that I WOD with are also a blessing to me because if I'm the last one doing the workout still, instead of leaving they stay there and give me encouragement until I'm finished. I couldn't ask for a better group of people to work out with.
I've learned so much since starting my journey here. For starters I've learned that even a really skinny guy like me can lift a lot of weight if taught how to do the movement properly. I never knew I had the capacity to deadlift 300 lbs, do handstands, or push press 175 lbs. I've learned that diet affects our performance more than we realize it does. I hadn't started eating strict Paleo until the beginning of the summer. As a result of poor diet, I had always struggled some on the WODs so I figured I would give the diet a try at the beginning of the summer. Almost immediately after starting it I felt better and made bigger gains while working out. I didn't have to suffer as bad in the workouts if I kept it up, and on top of that I felt better about myself too.
Through CrossFit, I've learned that every now and then I need to sit back, relax, and have fun. Whether it's at pool parties where I soak Sam Dancer and Katie Tappe, or whether it's watching Jason Coplan "torment" the other coaches at QTown, every now and then you need to sit back and enjoy yourself. Even eating can be a source of enjoyment as long as you keep it healthy, and savor every bite. I've learned many times over that being social is a good thing and that it makes us happier as people. I've made so many awesome friends while at QTown that I can have a good time with. And I wouldn't trade any of them for the world. A lot of them have helped me through tough times without even realizing it, and I'm forever grateful to them for that. I'm really, really excited to meet even more new people at QTown too, because you can never truly have enough friends. Finally I've also learned that it is ok to be last every now and then. I can't tell you the amount of times I've finished last while doing Karen. It's not a bad thing to finish last as long as you try your hardest. It just gives you a goal to beat the next time you do that workout. Being first isn't always a good thing, because that sometimes can mean that you didn't pick a hard enough weight, and therefore you're not pushing yourself that hard.
I would recommend that anyone of nearly any age give CrossFit a change, it has changed my life and it can change many more people's lives as well. I would recommend that if someone were to pick a box to start crossfitting, that they at least give QTown a try. There are many awesome coaches that are very helpful here. The people are awesome and you can generally get along with everyone. I like QTown because I get this sense of belonging somewhere when I go to QTown, which I didn't have before at really anyplace else. I feel like I can be myself at QTown and not be judged because of it. We're all like a big family. Overall, I'm glad I chose to do Crossfit. Crossfit is life changing and I'm glad I discovered it, and QTown.
~Kyle Warnin
I've played most sports but my loves are soccer and wrestling. I still compete in both of these sports and I would admit that both of these are challenging in their fitness. But I would never necessarily say that everyone needs to try each of them for the purposes of growth. But I will definitely step forward and say exactly that about CrossFit. Everyone should do it. The mother of three should do it. The older gentleman who has recently retired should do it. A Navy Seal should do it. And a high school bookworm should do it. Why? Because it makes you better.
The pure functionality of CrossFit cannot be overstated. Whether you're an older person who wants to sit in your office chair a bit longer without complaining about your spine hurting or you're an elite athlete who wants to improve your prowess, CrossFit allows all of this through functional training. People say that certain sports are either an individual sport or a team sport. The truth is that all sports are individual endeavors and many times, there is a team element when all of those individuals get together in a group. CrossFit is similar in that it is an individual endeavor that takes place in a group environment. Each person is an individual competing against him or herself in a group setting where others are alongside that person also competing against themselves. It's a beautiful thing if you've ever seen it in person. Watch for 5 minutes in a box (the CrossFit vernacular for "gym.")
Newcomers to CrossFit ask, "When is leg day?" "When do I get to work my abs?" "When do I get to work my shoulders?" "How do I clean?" "What is a snatch?" "What the heck is going on?" These questions draw multiple resounding answers but I will answer it like this: You will work most of your muscles nearly everyday or at least in a week's time through intentional programming. You will have personal training. You will have people who care about what you are doing. You will row, you will Olympic lift, you will jump on a box, you will push yourself using resistance, and you will lift heavy things repeatedly while coaches, trainers, and owners challenge you to think positively, eat well, and exhibit kindness toward your fellow human beings.
Finally, I want to touch on something important. I want to talk about how difficult CrossFit is. If you've played a sport that involved physical activity, there is nothing in CrossFit that is out of the ordinary from what you have experienced sometime in your life. However, if you've never played a sport, you will learn what sports are about while entering the world of CrossFit. Is it difficult? Well, life is difficult. But there is nothing in life that is so hard that it should cause a person to not give it their all and expand their consciousness. And that's what CrossFit does. Without religion, drugs, or Kool-Aid, it shows you yourself. Many people come to CrossFit not knowing much about it. But once they leave, they know the sport of CrossFit and more importantly, they can acknowledge that they know a little more about themselves as well. And guess what? You want to know if you can do it? I'm telling you: "You can." Not only that, "You should."
-Frankie Murphy-Giesing (picture far right)
First, there are a couple things about the food that you see listed here and what I eat on a day to day basis that will be important for you to know:
- I prepare ahead of time as much as possible. Packing some Tupperware to grab food from the hotel and take it with me, brining a jar of almond butter and coconut oil, packing my own protein powder, etc… all help make the experience more convenient and allow for better choices. You'll notice that I eat a lot of the same things on a daily basis. This helps take some of the guess work out of it.
- I eat dairy. Having experimented with and attempted different things with the paleo diet over the course of 4-5 years, I am familiar with what my body can handle and not handle. I do quite well with dairy and often need it to get enough calories during the day to fuel my body
- 1.5 gallons of water/day is pretty standard. It may look funny to some people, but carrying around gallon jugs of water is a good way to measure how much water you've gotten that day. Water consumption is very important
- You'll notice that I listed the price I paid for dinner every night. Another point to this post is that you don't have to break the bank to eat well on the road. I am easily able to keep my expenditures under $20/day on food by doing some extra preparation ahead of time.
- It's helpful to keep a mental list of items that you can obtain almost anywhere for those times when you're in an unfamiliar area. For me, that is cheese sticks. I know I can eat them and, more importantly, I can find them at almost any gas station and they're inexpensive when I need a snack. But you can also find things like raw almonds, beef jerky, etc… more readily available.
- MOST IMPORTANT!!! The biggest point I want you to take away from this blog post is this: YOU NEED TO EAT. Are the hotel eggs and sausage completely unprocessed? Doubtful. Are cheese sticks ideally what I'd like to be consuming? Not really. Is eating out for an entire week yielding the healthiest choices? Probably not. Is Gatorade paleo? Absolutely not. But the whole point is, sometimes it's not about getting the perfectly paleo food. Sometimes it's about making the best decision you have available to you at the moment to make sure you are eating enough! Our bodies need fuel. Our goal is to get that fuel through the Paleo Diet because that is how our body is going to function best. However, life often isn't as convenient as we'd like it to be. When it comes right down to it, you need to look at your options and make the best decision you can and then not worry about it. When you're back at home you can get right back on the bandwagon and cook nothing but paleo perfect foods!
-Breakfast – eggs and bacon, coffee with Coconut Oil
-Snack – cheese sticks
-Lunch – Panera power Chicken Mediterranean Salad $9 – -Dinner – Egg Beaters/Lunch Meat/Cheese Slices – $6
-Before Bed – protein shake with whole milk
-All Day – 1.5 gallons of water (and lots of bathroom trips)
-Breakfast – Eggs and Sausage at the hotel, coffee with coconut oil
-Lunch – Grabbed some extra eggs and sausage at the hotel to eat for lunch. It helps to have Tupperware to use for extra items like these
-Snack – String Cheese, Banana, 2 tablespoons of almond butter
-Post workout – Protein shake with chocolate milk, banana, 32 oz low carb Gatorade
-Dinner – Carmi's Restaurant – baked pork chop, steamed vegetables with butter, sweet potato fries – $11
-Before Bed – two tablespoons of almond butter
-All Day – 1.5 gallons of water
-Breakfast – Eggs and Sausage at the hotel, coffee with coconut oil
-Lunch – Grabbed some extra eggs and sausage at the hotel to eat for lunch. Again, Tupperware is awesome
-Pre-Workout – Protein Shake with Banana
-Post workout – Protein shake with chocolate milk, banana, 32 oz low carb Gatorade
-Dinner – Outback Steakhouse – 2 grilled Chicken Breast, steamed vegetables with butter, baked sweet potato with butter – $12
*Outback Steakhouse now touts their gluten free menu items!
-Before Bed – two tablespoons of almond butter
-All Day – 1.5 gallons of water
-Breakfast – Eggs and Bacon at the hotel, coffee with coconut oil
-Lunch – Grabbed some extra eggs and bacon at the hotel to eat for lunch
-Snack – Cheese Sticks
-Pre-Workout – Banana w/ 2 tablespoons of Almond Butter
-Post workout – Protein shake with chocolate milk, banana, 32 oz low carb Gatorade
-Dinner – Texas Roadhouse – 11 Oz Sirloin, steamed vegetables with butter, baked sweet potato with butter – $16
-Before Bed – two tablespoons of almond butter
-All Day – 1.5 gallons of water
-Breakfast – Eggs and Sausage at the hotel, coffee with coconut oil
-Lunch – Grabbed some extra eggs and bacon at the hotel to eat for lunch
-Snack – Cheese Sticks
-Pre-Workout – Banana w/ 2 tablespoons of Almond Butter
-Post workout – Protein shake with chocolate milk, banana, 32 oz low carb Gatorade
-Dinner – Smashburger – bacon cheddar burger w/ fried egg, sweet potato fries – $10
-Before Bed – two tablespoons of almond butter
-All Day – 1.5 gallons of water
-Breakfast – Scrambled Eggs with Almond Butter at the hotel
-Lunch – Grabbed some extra eggs at the hotel to eat for lunch
-Pre-Workout – Banana w/ 2 tablespoons of Almond Butter
-Post workout – Protein shake with chocolate milk, banana, 32 oz low carb Gatorade
-Dinner at the Dancers! – ribs, sweet potato, avocado with onions
-Before Bed – two tablespoons of almond butter
-All Day – 1.5 gallons of water


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Estudo Biblico Sobre O Inferno.mp3
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