text:
Boom and bust is a feature of capitalism.
We have had the Dutch tulip mania, the Mississippi bubble, the South Sea speculation, the Railway booms, property booms, share booms and new economy booms. All these booms and others caused great disturbance and almost all ended badly.
We tend to assume booms and busts are undesirable, worthy of 'reforms' that dampen booms and therefore decrease the busts.
Henry is coming to the view that the 'reform' process is strangling the golden goose that is capitalism.
The benefits of booms are many and varied.
Great things get achieved, whose benefits sit beside the costs of idiotic projects started.
Melbourne became a great city in the property boom of the 1880s. The Railway booms opened new territories and greatly increased the efficiency of existing industries.
People of an innovative mindset get their best chance in a boom, even though some innovative villains get away with other people's money.
Some poor people of talent, or merely lucky, rise during booms, just as some foolish, or merely unlucky, wealthy people miss out.
The busts weed out the seriously incompetent, some of the crooks and unlucky people generally.
The busts break up the entrenched oligopolies, as Schumpeter's gale of creative destruction breaks over the previous boomtown.
Cautious, sensible people usually survive the downturn and find serious bargains when the bust has run its course.
The calculus is far from certain, but history shows that boom and bust is an inherent part of capitalism. Inherent features of any system tend to have some beneficial role.
It is clear that there are many benefits of boom and bust to offset the costs. More work is needed to document and if possible to quantify the costs and benefits. Henry has a strong intuition that the benefits outweigh the costs, with one important caveat.
The chief cost of the busts may be increasingly intrusive and restrictive regulation of business. This may eventually outweigh the net benefits, if indeed it has not already done so.
'Let the buyer beware' has long been forgotten as a catch cry of capitalism. Globalised and harmonised accounting standards failed to stop Lehman Brothers from rorting this intrusive and clumsy set of standards. Friends say that the revamped Sarbanes-Oxley Act is an absolute nightmare.
Existing regulations failed to stop the boom of the noughties.
As the salarymen and women of global governance strive to 'reform' the rules of capitalism, this stark fact should not be forgotten.
The demise of Lehman Brothers, lamented as a mistake due to the trouble it caused, may have been a blessing in disguise. At least it disposed of the myth that bad banks would always be bailed out.
One hopes the re-regulators will put in place a system that does not let such enterprises become too big to fail, and has real costs for crooked, incompetent or merely unlucky managers.
'WHEN a 2200-page legal report on the collapse of Lehman Brothers landed with a thud in New York last week, exposing the grand deception the firm used for years to mask its perilous financial situation, many were left wondering how so many of its top executives could have been so bloody stupid. What made them think they were so special that the normal rules of the market, of the law and of common sense did not apply to them?'
Read on here.
Posted today on The Australian's website.
The by-election for the seat of Canning is the next moment of truth for Tony Abbott and his government. Polls are unpropitious and the money-pinching scandal in the Victorian branch cannot help. The battle over the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption into should help, especially if Mr Abbott can persuade commissioner Heydon Dyson to tough it out and finish his report.
But Labor will run hard both to discredit the commissioner and get the commission closed down. Kelly again: 'Whatever happens, Abbott wont close this commission. The political story of the week was the Abbott governments resort to an aggressive campaign against Labor and unions over jobs, suggesting that Abbott has found a powerful script'.
Mrs T wonders what all the fuss is about. The terrorists of the Middle East cut live people's heads off on camera, while a brave Australian soldier is persecuted for cutting off the hand of a dead terrorist so the body can he identified. 'Where is there any sense in the carryon' she asks. The Thornton household hopes Mr Hastie gets elected in Canning with an increased margin.
The dark clouds overhanging the Australian economy are ignored, with power brokers whistling happy tunes and telling us 'punters' 'she'll be good, mates', an attitude Henry emphatically objects to. The sustained examination of the global economy in Henry's Raff Report, whose latest edition is available here, suggests she won't be right. In contrast, the Raff reports: 'Figure 2 shows USA production of agricultural, construction and mining machinery. There is clearly no joy here and the rates of deterioration are accelerating. This is not the picture of an economy going gangbusters. Rather of one in a tad of difficulty. Its rather interesting but considering all the charts the Raff has published over the past 6 to 7 years, none of them show a hike that might reasonably have been expected given the trillions of stimulus'.
This burst of cold, hard reality comes just when we discover Australian share prices are now below levels at the start of the year. Supposedly 'weakness of the Chinese economy' is the precipitating factor, but there are plenty of other reasons for gloomy global Animal Spirits. Here is a list: sluggish Eurozone activity, evidence of slowing US activity (as systematically documented by Nick Raffan here), caution due to unsustainable levels of household, business and government debt everywhere, clear signs of global deflation and deep uncertainty about the eventual outcome of global currency wars and when and how the US Fed will begin to raise interest rates.
Go carefully, dear readers.
Bill Leak is a serious painter as well as an esteemed cartoonist.
He presents a hard hitting review of 'the Archibald' whose custodians for many years hung his fine portraits but never awarded him the prize. (Henry knows a fine Victorian portrait painter whose offerings were not even opened, like an elderly spinster, returned unopened.) Bill Leak is not bitter, but perhaps a bit battered. Here are a few snippets.
'... things are crook, but nothing will change because art is different. It exists in a sort of mysterious realm protected by an impenetrable barrier of spin, written in arcane but deeply politically correct language. And no one dares question it for fear of revealing they dont know what it means.
'The spin doctors of art have been very successful at making the world of art an inhospitable place, inhabited only by the cognoscenti and shut off to everyone else'.
But there is also a heartfelt tribute to real Great Art. 'Standing in the middle of the Simpson Desert and looking into the clear night sky is the sort of visual experience that can give you a sense of the numinous, to put you in direct contact with something too awe-inspiring to even begin to understand.
'Standing in front of great paintings can be overwhelming, too. Looking at great works of art and wondering how they were created is like looking at the night sky and wondering how all the stars got there.
'The difference, of course, is you know what youre looking at was not created by an unimaginable God but by an almost but perhaps not quite imaginable human being'.
Read Bill Leak's full article, based on a recent speech, and decide for yourself.
Fiona Prior directs you to an ingenious visual record of the history of the Archibald Prize provided by the ABC that will have you up-to-speed with the changing face of portraiture in Australia in 60 seconds! Highly recommended.
Australia's netballers won the world title for the third time in a row. 'Go guuurls!' as we said last week, no doubt serious uplifting advice the shielas were delighted to hear.
The much maligned Aussie (men's) cricket team is well on the way to winning the dead fifth rubber after an embarrassing batting collapse by the pestiferous Poms. Poor Cap'n Clarke, still his 15 runs eclipsed Bradman's final innings of zip. Leaving the Don's average a tad below 100 and the Pup's a bit below 50. Both a lot better than Henry's average of 2.5,with some redemption after a final inninings for Mont Albert Fourths of zip not out while fighting (successfully) for an improbable draw.
The big footy news was the sacking of James Hird because of Essendon's dismal on-field performance. If only he'd fessed up when the initial charges were laid and stood down he'd be seen now as an unreasonably persecuted here rather than, how shall we put it, a whipped dog. Caaaarlton! of course in another proud footy club still recovering from punishment after behaving badly, in its case salary cap rorting rather than 'substance abuse'.
Almost as dramatic as Hird's departure from Essendon was Port Adelaide's beating of Hawthorn overnight, again showing signs that their early signs of infallability were simply too good to be true. And Australia's previously infallable Rugby coach, Michael Cheika, fell to earth when our boys were belted by the All Blacks at Eden Part, where no Aussie team has won since the heady days if the Banana Republic, a state peeping out of the data again, though, of course, 'she'll be good, mates'.
The cricket team has finally come good. Batters have batted like it is a test match, and Peter Siddle has reminded us all what a good bowler he is. One wicket for no runs after 5 overs it was at one stage. So absent monsoon rain for 2 days the series should end 3/2, but with many questions to be answered by both teams.
Image of the week
Courtesy HeraldSun
China's market meltdown will not influence Australia, says Treasurer Joe Hockey. The Chinese are learning about modern capitalism and have intervened to devalue their currency. China will also 'do what it takes' with fiscal and monetary policy to maintain growth. We certainly hope so, Mr Hockey, because failure of China's stimulus would make the RBA's recent forecast downgrade look like a gentle overture to a dramatic symphony. Wait, there's more - jobs growth is strong, retail sales have picked up and Australia is surfing its way to renewed prosperity. We hope so, Mr Hockey, because many of those people Henry talks to are far more skeptical about the state of Australia's economy. Maybe its because those people travel in crowded cars, trains and trams rather than in comfy Comm cars and at the front of aeroplanes, and pay for those uncomfortable trips out of their own pocket.
Politically, it was a heck of a week. The ridiculous debate about same sex 'marriage' - will it be a decision of parliament, will it be a decision by the people, will it be a plebisite or a referendum, most of us just don't give a toss. If gay people want to marry, let them do so. Traditional religous folk surely believe such people (and pedophile priests) will surely burn in hell forever, and surely that is punishment enough. Important that the legislation frees religous practitioners to say 'no thanks' to gay people asking them to marry them, but there will surely be gay religious willing to tie the knot.
How could a distinguished former eminant judge, now presiding over the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption, be conned into delivering a speech to a Liberal Party function? Henry hopes the Commissioner will be forgiven his misjudgment (or reveal how he was conned) and gets on with his job. Sadly, however, mud sticks and this may mean he has to stand down in a stunning victory for Bill Shorten.
Henry was dining with around 100 of his closest friends at a social event last night. No-one was willing to say the government was doing a good job and there was much gloom about prospects for the conservative side of politics, and indeed about Aussie politics in general.
The shape of things to come
Brilliant article today on one vital medical development.
'Amanda Gorvin began to think her life had become unbearable in the early hours of a November morning last year when she found herself crawling agonisingly down the hall from her bedroom to the darkened kitchen of her home on the NSW Central Coast. ...
'If Anatomics [a Melbourne Company] could custom-build an implant to fit snugly into Gorvins damaged vertebra, Coughlan [a surgeon] explained, it might straighten her spine and alleviate her pain. The technology was so new that few surgeons in the world had attempted the procedure, and therein lay the rub: Coughlan would be the first Australian surgeon to attempt it, and Amanda Gorvin the first patient in the country to agree to it'. ...
I was back at work four weeks after the operation, back in the gym after six weeks, says [Amanda Gorvin]. I was breathing better, my mind was clearer, I felt lighter. Its incredible how much influence the spine has on the rest of the body. I remember that pre-surgical pain and now I havent got one per cent of it. Its nothing short of miraculous. As she speaks, Gorvin becomes emotional and reaches for a tissue. This has absolutely changed my life, she says.
'For Coughlan, its an outcome beyond his expectations and a pointer to where medicine is headed. The last time I saw Amanda before surgery, she was pretty stressed and quite desperate. As a doctor, you try to factor in the physical and the emotional coping mechanisms of your patient. Maybe this is the way medicine can go, customised more to the patients needs.
Read more here. This is a vital part of modern medicine and shall solve many previously insoluble medical issues.
And if you are someone who takes a long view, try this article on our dying universe.
Fiona Prior takes us on a tour of the Venice Biennale All the Worlds Future, curated by Okwui Enwezor. The Venice Biennale is the world's most influential contemporary art exhibition.
image: detail from Japanese Pavilion, Venice Biennale 2015
Following the stirring win in the Four Nations Competition, Australia's greatly improved Rugby team takes on the All Blacks tonight in Eden Park, where our last win was in the distant past. It will be a stern test and coach Cheika's bold selection calls seem to have injected new confidence and determination into a previously lacklustre mob. Tonight it is the inclusion of Quade Cooper that has the Rugby community abuzz and Henry will be cheering from his armchair in Marvellous Melbourne.
More here.
The Age has kindly provided an upbeat two page spread by Garry Lyon headed 'Carlton have foundations to build on'. The necessary renovation - yes Mr Lyon uses a nice extended metaphor about houses and streets - will require a lot of hard work and (Henry adds) better choice of the furnishings. This is a team that 'let go' Eddie Betts, Aaron Jacobs, Vin Waite and many others, and now Gary Lyon says has only 16 players worth perservering with. Tonight Carlton battles with Brisbane for the wooden spoon and a loss my open the door to a first round draft pick. 'So what' say the pundits, all the first round picks are good, or seem so, and there's a fair bit of luck involved.
The cricket sheilas are set to win indeed, if Henry can count, have already won the sheilas' Ashes. Great work Guuuurls, and an inspiration for the downcast and beaten Aussies. Looks like a wholesale renovaton is called for, borrowing from Garry Lyon, with perhaps 8 elderly players freed to make their fortune in the Indian or Big Bash competitions.
And if you are someone who takes the long view, try this article on our dying universe.
Bronnie has fallen on her sword, Tony Burke is revealed as a pillock (Defn: A man who has dropped a major bollock. Not nescessarily (sic) a stupid bloke, rather, one who has done a stupid act.), the RBA has reduced its forecasts of Australia's growth rate and two of the newish ventures Henry has been grappling with have achieved important milestones. It is some time since Henry's team has been doing better than the Australian average, but this is definately one of those golden moments. And this is not just because the Australian average is falling back, which it is in both politics and economics, but because Henry's team is winning.
Jack the Insider discusses Polly travelgate against the benchmark of Ben Chifley and the latest wonderful British political satire 'In the thick of it'.
Henry is aware of the dreaded word HUBRIS that afflicts Australian Treasurers in particular. Sensible people fix the roof while the sun is shining and have a plan B in case Plan A turns to custard. Henry's team awaits with stoic calm the next slap in the face with a wet fish dished out by a scary universe. But it could be worse, dear reader, Henry's team could be getting the sort of bollicking handed out lat week by the Oz to Australia's pollies (Wraaaak!) and, by implication, econocrats (Booooo!).
'Global disruption is unsettling for workers, companies and governments. Relentless economic forces, largely brought on by technological innovation and capital flows, are reshaping jobs, industries and the wealth of nations. Australia is not immune from political challenges and budgetary pressure, although we have had a buffer because of past policy design and luck. But our inheritance and time for contemplating the next move are running out. We need leadership and proper perspective on the issues but our political system is not up to the challenge. The nations politicians are being sidetracked by failed ideas, false debates and third-order issues. We need advocates for growth through leaps in productivity to show the way, not mendicants and class warriors obsessed with redistribution'.
Read on here.
An American doctor has said of the eurozone mess, as reported by the estimable John Maudlin: 'For such problems, there are no simple solutions. There aren't even complicated solutions. There are only best-guess measures with no guarantees of success. The currency unions underlying flaws, like so many other modern problems, are far too intricate and perplexing for our minds and institutions to cope with. Failing to admit to our own overconfidence in dealing with the blocs problems will only perpetuate the crisis playing out across Europe.'
More here.
Fiona Prior has returned from Italy and is busily penning her Impressions of both Venice and the internationally influential 2015 Venice Biennale, a highlight of the worlds cultural calendar. See her preview for Henrys readers of the work of Russian artist Irina Nakhova below.
Nakhova has filled one room of the Russian Pavilion with the installation of a giant head from which an enlarged projection of her eyes look out and scan the room. Fiona stands in front of the mask to give you a sense of scale but was overwhelmed by not just the size of this strangely monstrous military presence but also the sense of vulnerability contained in those giant eyes trapped inside.
If you have not already read Fionas impressions of Florence and Rome please do so. We will look forward to reading of Fiona's time in Venice next week.
The People vs Winter
If you think it has been a tough winter, cop this contribution, courtesy YouTube.
Footy'n'cricket'n'drugs stuff
Richmond, brave winners over mighty Hawthorn last week, were smashed by Adelaide on its shiny new stadiun overnight. Today Caaaarrlton! faces Collingwood which is
seeking its seventh straight loss. Given the historical feeling between these teams, if the blues cannot at least look like they are trying, If that cannot be said, what is needed is a clean out from the top, and in fact Henry hears that just such a cleansing is being plotted already.
Alas for Cap'n clark, most of the batters and at least one of the bowlers. Australia's dismal first session (not even first day!) has sounded the death knell for several aging former stars, including very likely Cap'n Clark. Always go while you are at your prime, dear reader, even if your pals want you to stay. The interesting question is whether our boys were on strike because what the cozy team members thought was the unfair sacking of Hard Hands Haddin. As it is, the best reports of Australia's dismal performance refer to the batters as having 'hard hands, soft heads'. The Mont Albert Forths would have batted with more discretion.
Australia's swimmers have fared will in the world swimmeet held somewhere in the Russian Federation. The shock of the week was to hear that modern tests suggest that one third of olympic medals were won by people with now suspicious drug tests. If the AFL had been on the case, as advised by Henry all those years ago - link here - we would today know which Premier teams had received help from banned 'substances'.
Courtesy Heraldsun
In this weeks Outside the Box we have a unique diagnosis of Europes ills from
a medical doctor. The author is Dr. Luc De Keyser, who currently serves as the chief medical information officer at Xperthis, the largest provider of hospital information systems solutions in Belgium. He has done pioneering work in multicenter clinical trials, medical ontologies, paleonutrition, and examining human conflict from an evolutionary perspective.
Dr. De Keyser (writing for Stratfor) is not sanguine about Europes future. There are times, he reminds us, when a doctor has to make the tough call and conclude that the patients case is simply without hope. It's a painful diagnosis and not one that the doctor enjoys sharing with the patient. But at some point the patient must be told.
The fundamental obstacle to solving Europes problems, he asserts, is that Europe is simply too complex to fix in any straightforward or dependable way:For such problems, there are no simple solutions. There aren't even complicated solutions. There are only best-guess measures with no guarantees of success. The currency unions underlying flaws, like so many other modern problems, are far too intricate and perplexing for our minds and institutions to cope with. Failing to admit to our own overconfidence in dealing with the blocs problems will only perpetuate the crisis playing out across Europe.
Our poor human brains, the good doctor says, simply arent built to cope with a sociopolitical entity as big and complex as Europe. One thing we not-so-evolved apes like to do is interpret information in a way that confirms our preconceived notions. This is called confirmation bias, and in simpler times it kept us out of harms way by encouraging preferences for things we knew to be safe. This is a limitation that afflicts economists right along with the rest of us. And so we see, for example, Wolfgang Schäuble, finance minister of Germany, and Yanis Varofakis, former finance minister of Greece, obstinately pushing diametrically opposed economic programs. Which is OK, says Dr. De Keyser, until people on both sides start to claim that adherence to the other guys economic school of thought is going to ruin the livelihoods of millions of people.
Were riddled with other sorts of biases, too stuff that the field of behavioral economics is still trying to understand and help us all to cope with. Dr. De Keyser recommends humility: [W]e must first accept that it is our fate to be overwhelmed by the problems of modern-day society. Well, thats a start, I guess; but maybe we should just bring the challenge closer to home and recognize that just as Europes (and the USs and Chinas) leaders struggle mightily and often futilely to manage their societies, we too should be keenly aware of our mental limitations in managing our investments and businesses. We all have a lot to learn.
All too often in our investment portfolios we want to make the investment world conform to our biases and opinions. More often than not we find out that reality is far more complex and that there is a plentitude of variables, many of which are unknown to us, that influence what we fervently wish to be a simple, straightforward solution.
... amid the encircling gloom.
The RBA meets today and is widely expected to sit on its hands. Main facts include:* China's economy is slowing, China's stock market has had a flogging, and commodity prices are mostly falling, last month by an eye-watering amount.* Greek shares, especially shares in Greek banks, fell dramatically when the Greek market opened yesterday.* The Aussie dollar is slowly sinking, but the rate of sinking is less than the plunge in commodity prices.* Jobs have been growing, as least according to ABS statistics (Gary Morgan's more accurate reading agrees on a fall in unemployment though from a much higher base.)* The most recent statistics on job ads shows a tiny (inconsequential) fall after a substantial rise. (And the official (ABS) rate of unemployment has again lurched, this time upward, to 6.3%, and much worse for young people.)* Goods and services inflation is within 'the band' but asset prices, while volatile, are still rising too sharply for comfort.* House prices in Sydney and Melbourne continue to grow at scary rates, especially if one has children soon to be needing help to get into the market. * The current account deficit is very large, meaning Australia Inc is still borrowing from abroad to maintain its unsustainable lifestyle.* Household debt is of the order of 150 % of household income - an heroic Greek-like performance - and households are being understandably cautious about borrowing and spending.* Business investment is weak, especially in mining but also in the non-mining sectors that are meant to replace mining as the engine of Australian growth.* Senior econocrats are suggesting that sustainable growth may be slower than it has been. Combined with a rapidly aging population, this makes the outlook grimmer than it has been for many years.
What would you do, dear reader, if (heaven forbid) you were elevated to the RBA board now meeting in solemn conclave, presumably in the bunker at the top end of Martin Place?
'Cut interest rates' I hear you cry. 'And tell APRA to get on with reining in the banks who are presumably funding most of the Sydney/Melbourne housing bubble'.
Sadly, dear reader, monetary policy is already 'set easy' and very soon will be facing a rise in US interest rates. 'Never bet against the Fed' is an old saying that applies especially to Americans. But if the aim is a far lower exchange rate for Australia the punters of Martin Place may be tempted to give exactly that a go. 'Anyone for a 50 US cent dollar?' asks Chairman Stevens.
A far more lasting solution would be a program of widespread economic reform, including reform of our antiquated Tax, Welfare and Industrial Relations systems. The Oz today speculates that the Productivity Commission is about to recommend limited IR reform, but if they think our dysfunctional parliament is going to endorse a slightly freer wages system, they will be deeply disappointed. One hopes the review of parliamentary travel and accomodation rorts may provide some (minor) budgetary relief, but on the far bigger question of welfare and tax reform, please do not hold your breath.
Is Henry overly pessimistic? No doubt, but do remember dear reader that a pessimist is an optimist with experience.
The Reserve Bank (and probably also Treasury) is beginning to think its forecasts were too optimistic. This was a generic feature of Australia's previous Labor governments and their Treasurer Wayne Swan.
Australia's Treasurers and econocrats are not alone. Many countries have fell for overoptimism and associated hubris. Even Treasurer Hockey has been too optimistic, but then no-one thought the Chinese economy would slow, commodities would fall like stones in a pond and the Shanghai stock exchange would pop like a bursting bubble. After all, nothing like this has happened before, has it dear readers? And realists who have offered warnings (eg here) have been described as 'fools', 'dingbats' and virtual traitors. In Henry's case this was for the second time, the first time being in the leadup to Treasurer Keating's 'Banana Republic' moments, as described here.
Richo this week said it well: 'There should be a law against treasurers fixing budgets. Wayne Swan managed to get Treasury to sign off on promised surpluses when deficits were certain. In opposition Tony Abbott and Joe Hockey rightly belted him for it day after day. In government they have mimicked his every move and once again a willing Treasury have acquiesced. On budget night I said the growth figures in the document would not stand up till Christmas. It is not yet four months from budget night and even the Reserve Bank is debunking these dodgy numbers. Just like Swan, Hockey has set out a path to surplus he knows will not be trodden'.
In recent times, the Greek economy has provided the most extreme case of hubris fuelled by false optimism. Here is a revealing article from Bloomburg.
'In 2010, as Greece signed a bailout deal with the International Monetary Fund, forecasts by the IMF and the European Commission suggested the countrys debt-to-GDP ratio would peak below 150 percent of gross domestic product in 2012. The forecasts also projected that Greek GDP in 2015 would be 8 percent larger than in 2011. This optimistic vision of the future was based on underlying assumptions that Greece would go from having the lowest productivity growth in the euro zone to among the highest, alongside the highest labor force participation rates and employment rates equal to Germanys.
'No oneincluding the IMFbelieves those assumptions anymore. The latest estimates suggest Greek GDP will be 10 percent smaller than in 2011. Why were those early prognostications so rosy? It turns out that the IMF, the EU, and other institutions have a tradition of consistently overoptimistic growth forecasts in times of crisis. Dealing with that tendency would significantly reduce the harm done by future financial crises'.
More here.
Those who do not understand history are doomed to repeat it. Like most western nations, Australia is suffering an investment drought, slow growth, shortages of jobs, lack of business and household confidence ('Animal Spirits') and continued poor international competitiveness. The gradual drop of the Aussie dollar is making us poorer, adding to the income recession that cannot be overcome except by radical economic reform that neither major parties seem unable to face, much less propose. The 'punters' (ie voters) are disgusted that a sense of entitlement is most deeply embedded in politicians of all shades of opinion, from greedy social democrats to deep dyed conservatives. We agree with parious pundits that either Speaker Bronnie has to go or the PM has to institute thorough-going reform of the whole mess. All pollies except cabinet ministers to travel economy class would be a good start.
The Aussie cricket sheilas fought back wonderfully from a first game loss in the wimmin's 'Ashes'. The blokes also fought back well in the second game of their 'Ashes' but have crumbled horribly in the third test. This is largely the fault of the batters as the bowlers toiled manfully and Mike the Merciless grabbed two wickets in three balls with two of the best short balls at the throat seen so far this series. Nathan Lyon also wove (spun?) his net brilliantly and at one stage was 3 for 3 off three (overs.)
Bring back Watto is Henry's advice. After all he did make two 30s in the first test, far better than his captain and just about every other batter in this game, Rogers in dig 1 and Warner and Nevill in dig 2 excepted. The expected result, Poms by teatime on day 3, occurred on schedule leaving two spare days for Australia's selectors to ponder what to try next. Bring back Watto is Henry's suggestion.
Footy has been besmirched by booingate. Adam Goodes is a superb player, an Aussie of the year and a great exemplar for his role as a leader of the growing indigenous cohort in the AFL. The Swans should just refuse to come out after half-time if it happens again, and stick to this policy until the booing stops. No money back for the fans, either.
Biggest footy question is whether Hawthorn have peaked too soon. We will know soon but we would like to know what is the secret of their sucess. The old graffiti that asked 'What would you do if Jesus came to Hawthorn!' might now need to be answered 'Play him with Box Hill' rather than 'Play Peter Hudson at Centre Half forward'. We learned a lot about this matter last night, when a fired-up Richmond lowered Hawthorn's colors.
We really must cheer Foreign minister Julie Bishop for her wonderful speech at the UN Security Council. She looked fabulous on evening TV and Greg Sheridan's report is well worth reading. One for the ages.
Henry must apologise for lack of weekday stimulus for several weeks now. There are two reasons; a major (pro bono) task assembling a large three-dimensional jigsaw for 17 research institutions plus uncounted companies seeking a boost from research relevant to their businesses; also, incomplete recovery from a carpel tunnel hand reco, with said hand proving stubbornly determined not to return to normal.
Courtesy The Oz
Whod'ave thought it, comrades. Bill Shorten turning back the boats, soaking the 'rich' and sucking up to the unions. Sounds like a perfect way not to get elected, brothers and sisters. Meanwhile, Tony Abbott has made a reasonable start in creating a debate about tax reform, greatly helped by Premiers Baird and Wetherall. Conservatives will almost always prefer government to cut spending rather than expand taxes. But if you do have to increase taxes - due to ingrained 'entitlement' mentality among the 'punters' (AKA voters) - a widened and/or higher rate of GST is far superior to just about every other tax one can envisage.
Suddenly 'jobs' are on the agenda too. The clever people in Canberra and Sydney have noticed that growth is slowing but jobs are (apparently) doing a bit better, ergo productivity is sagging. Of course, those of us in the real world have children who cannot get jobs. Henry met one of Australia's most successful entrepreneurs this week. He makes high tech microphones and can out-compete even Chinese manufacturers as almost every job is done by high precision machines. Fantastic for production and exports, but no so good for jobs.
As we have laboured to inform readers, the official (ABS) jobs data is flawed due to overly-optimistic definion of 'employed'. If a more realistic allowance for who is 'employed' is allowed, as done by Gary Morgan, the true rate of unemployment is not much below 10 %, and underemployment is about the same ratio. These are the national averages; for young people, the numbers are far worse. Even kids in Melbourne's leafy Eastern suburbs with impressive degrees (yes, the plural is not a typo), parents with useful 'contacts' and willingness to work as (unpaid) 'interns' struggle to find jobs. Prospects in the poorer parts of Melbourne, or in regional areas, can only be imagined.
And house prices in Melbourne and Sydney continue to rise. Last week, while Henry was on the road in Northern climes, morning television reported that Sydney's median house price hit $1 million. 'Crazy' said the RBA's Glenn Stevens. Glory be, brothers and sisters, how can a young person with no job aspire to own a house, or even a broom-cupboard-sized apartment? And Brother Shorten wants to double the refugee intake. Nice idea, comrade. Even Henry would applaud this if there was a long probation period for immigrants that had to be spent in a rural town or city.
Henry and Mrs T spent last night in front of the TV. After the news we watched Carlton get towelled by Hawthorn for a quarter, hoping for a miracle. Then we switched to the Sopranos, a 1990s series about criminals and their lives in upstate New York. Then back to the footy to watch the dying minutes of Carlton's largest beating in the entire history of Aussie Rules. And Henry's dear old Blues have to play the Hawks again before the finals. Could the once mighty Blues beat Box Hill (AKA Hawthorn seconds)?
Probably not, but and their performance this year makes the case for relegation to an inferiour group just about waterproof.
Meanwhile the Aussie sheilers have beaten the Poms in the second one-day game of their 'ashes' battle. The lads will put on their whites again in the week ahead to provide more distraction from the footy, distraction much needed for dear old Henry. Someone wrote this week about why batters fear Michael Johnston's fiendish fast bowling. Apparently it is because his hand is hidden for longer due to his particular 'slingshot' action.
Lovely story in The Age today about the man who was robbed of a gold medal and a record in the Moscow Olympics. We hope justice is handed out before too long.
What a comeback it was in Darwin when Lleyton Hewitt and Sam Groth fought back from 0-2 (provided by the two Ks) in the Davis Cup tie in Darwin. Here is a stirring report.
Image of the week.
Henrys readers might recall that the Raff has tracked many US economic time series for many years, in fact for 36 years. Over that latter period the US data has never provided a bum steer. And so it is that the current business cycle in the US is at a peak as depicted in Figure 1. Long-time readers of Henry might recall the Raff Report suggesting never buy resource equities at the peak of a cycle; only at the bottom and get out before the peak before the thundering herd heads for the revolving door.
Exibit 1: US New Orders for Durable Goods
Read on here, dear readers, and note the Raff's medical challenge. We wish him well, his analysis having contributed materially to those, including Henry, who have followed his advice.
Other economies.
What can we say? China's wild stock market crash and partial recovery is typical of market behaviour toward the end of a bubble. China's government, however, has learner plates with respect to the wilder excresences of capitalism and may stave off the eventual supercrash for a time. This need not slow the economy more than it has already slowed, as Australia discovered after the 1987 sharemarket crash.
Lovely to hear soothing Chinese words on front page of the Oz today. 'Make love (well, trade) not war' is always comforting and we believe they are sincere. Why start a war to obtain access to resources (remember Japan, possibly also Germany before 1939), who were denied access, or thought they might be.
Greece has retained its place in the Eurozone we judge by a fingernail, and there is a long way to go before this festering sore is properly sorted.
Australia seems gradually to be waking up to the fact that we are in dire trouble and that real economic reform is extremely unlikely with this parliament. The good news is that the RBA, Treasury and the business community (in the form of the BCA's Catherine Livingston) are all publicly calling for economic reform. Doing better probably requires some sort of gross economic or political shock - a massive CAD, our little dollar at 50 % of the big dollar, continued rising unemployment, a double dissolution election that either returns the coalition with a majority in both houses of parliament or neither major party receiving many votes. What would a Nats-Green coalition get done, dear readers? Not much, one fears.
We shall refrain from bothering to remind readers that we have been warning of severe economic danger for several years now (well 2.5 years at least) and have been co-author of the most comprehensive reform proposals yet published. No invitation yet to the G80 talkfest being run by the AFR and the Oz, but it will be great to see the crack economic commentators going about their work. Nodding in unison, no doubt.
Fiona Prior writes: "Henry has featured the 2015 Archibald winner at the bottom of this blog. Im not in place to review this weekend so below I have placed a link to all the finalists for Henrys readers.
This years Archibald winner Nigel Milson with his expressive portrait of Charles Waterstreet Judo house pt 6 (the white bird) is touched by alchemy
.. An exceptional artist with a troubled, criminal past; a barrister known for his eccentricity and his singular style; an artist/subject bond tinged with the salvation of at least one party
. You really could not have created the recipe with better ingredients. Milson is also a winner who possibly is more deserving than many who have come before. I can make statements like this as it is Australias Archibald Prize and outspoken views are mandatory!
I hope Henrys readers will explore the Archibald 2015 finalists here. Enjoy. Note the number of politicians and art-related public figures, choose your favourites and maybe even visit the Art Gallery of NSW before 27 September 2015 to experience the originals."
The poms celebrated too soon after smashing a sleepy Australian side on a heavily doctored pitch in Cardiff. Our team was too old, especially Rogers, Smith couldn't bat and the bowlers were either injured or had lost their mojo. Well, glory be (as Henry's grandmother used say when an apparent miracle took place), look what is happening at Lords. Rogers a 'big' hundred, Smith joins the immortals, the untried (at this level) wicketkeeper takes a catch off the second ball of the game and the supposedly buggered bowlers got four for after Australia 'asked' (chuckle) the poms to bat after nearly 2 fruitless days in the field.
Caaaarlton! is expected to be smashed comprehensively by Free tonight. Just think, the blues get to play Hawthorn twice in the run up to the finals. Is this more evidence that the authorities are determined to keep this once mighty team in its newfound place in the AFL celler?
In Darwin, sans Tomic, the two K's (cannot spell, too tired to look up) got smashed in the opening two games of the Davis Cup, against a country also with a K-name. K1 crying 'I don't wanna be here' as he went down, not exactly fighting. Fortunately little Llyton and former footy player Groth are representing us in the doubles today, and Henry is confident they will fight like maddened wallabies. This may give K1 and K2 the chance for redemption on Sunday. Mr Tomic's apology to Tennis Australia gives him a chance at redemption also, but who do these wunder-kids think they are?
When Henry became an Australian national boomerang thrower, there was no carry on, no dummy spitting just humble acceptance of the finest sporting win of his life.
Sport excessively like 'stuff' today so it is time to shut down. We are hoping for a review the Archibald later today.
Image of the week - 'seriously scary' the verdict of our art critic.
Courtesy Archibald PR Dept.
China's 'do what it takes' approach to maintain what was looking like one of history's greatest share bubbles seems to have had some effect. Booms eventually bust, and history shows that, the bigger the boom, the bigger the bust, though history also records an upward trend. So we must stay calm, like corporal Jones in 'Dad's Army' shouting 'Don't panic'. And in Europe the Greeks have presented a tougher budget to the financiers. The departure of the Game Theorist Marxist is another fact that is presumably helping the Greek cause. On the other hand, as we must say, Greek debt is now reported to be $380 billion, a result that would have made Wayne Swan feel his life had not been in vain.
Here is our tribute to Comrade Wayne and his pals - Julia in Wonderland. ('Vanity, vanity, all is vanity'.)
Treasury Secretary speaks out.
'Treasury boss call for IR reform' reports Peter Martin in the Smage. John Fraser has delivered a fine speech, including the telling point that Australians are 'overly complacent'. Here is the link to Peter Martin's report, and this link takes you to the full text, which is a must read.
Read the speech and ponder, dear readers.
Aussie property 'undervalued'!!!!!!
Despite fears of a property bubble, Australian house prices are 30 per cent undervalued, the widest such gap in three decades, research conducted within the Reserve Bank has found.
'Under our assumptions owning a home is now more attractive, relative to renting than it has been at any time in the past 30 years'. Peter Tulip, Reserve Bank senior research manager. Could this bloke be off among the flowers at the bottom of the garden?
'Delivering the "preliminary results" to a session on housing at the Australian Conference of Economists in Brisbane, and stressing that they should be attributed to him and not the bank, Reserve senior research manager Peter Tulip said that whereas a year ago home prices were "fairly valued", today they are about "30 per cent undervalued".' His boss, of course, recently said some prices were 'crazy'.
With Mrs T away tending to family business in Sydney and Boggabri, Henry made a fire, cooked and ate a chop, gave the bone to the Border Collie Jack, and settled in front of the fire with a bottle of reasonable red. The Blues fought hard throughout but were gradually overcome. A clear mark in front of goal by Kreuzer was instead given to a Richmond player who was the 'man in front' but did not touch the ball. This was effectively a two goal turnround on a cold and windy, lowscoring night. The Blues battled on, their spirit eventually crushed by a better team and whistle-blowers who seemed to think it was their job to wreck the game, especially for Carlton.
After the fiasco of the Gibbs tackle, two weeks in the stands, then the near identical tackle that was ruled hunky dory, Carlton fans are entitled to be mad as hell. But no-one's listening so why bother? Jack Elliott would be in the AFL threatening mayhem right now if he was still El Supremo at the club.
Henry was hoping for a long and watchable Ashes series. But with the Welsh wicket shaved and (allegedly) brushed and shaved again, our ferocious quicks, especially enforcer, Mitch the merciless, were unable to terrorise the pommie batters. Looks like we're headed for a belting. The Smage certainly comments thus.
Not much other stuff this week, except for a superb article about Bill Shorten's performance at the Royal Commission into union hi-jinks. Highlight was when Justice Heydon, QC, and a former High Court Judge, gave the opposition leader some advice designed to raise his credibility. Answer the question, don't ramble off answering another one, and for goodness be brief. Another translation - Avoid pollie speak. As the good book says: 'A fool also is full of words: a man cannot tell what shall be; and what shall be after him. who can tell him?'
And on the subject of Same sex bonking certificates, Paul Kelly today provides a magisterial account of the dilemma involved in balancing same sex marriage against religious people's right not to accept such a law.
The comrades in Greece are in a very hard place. This is what happens when a country finds itself burdened by crippling debt, inefficient and uncompetitive industrial structure and hopelessly unfunctional tax and welfare arrangements. Oh, and an extreme leftist government that lies both to its own people and its creditors. At least the game theory afficiondo posing as a Finance minister has fallen on his butter knife, and his replacement is said to be a mild mannered bloke used to negotiating in good faith. Very difficult to predict what happens from here, but Eurozone central is on the horns of a dilemma. Cut Greece loose sets a bad precedent, but bailing Greece out maybe sets an even worse precedent.
China is a far bigger worry for the global community. No doubt a slowdown was inevitable after decades of double-digit growth. No doubt a pivot to consumers had to come soon, plus an attack on rampant corruption. But Australia is the biggest loser, heavily dependant as we are on exports of iron ore and coal to China. Finally the Aussie dollar has fallen to the level wished for by RBA chief Glenn Stevens. (But note the post-meeting announcement issued today said: 'The Australian dollar has declined noticeably against a rising US dollar over the past year, though less so against a basket of currencies. Further depreciation seems both likely and necessary, particularly given the significant declines in key commodity prices'.) The two-and-a -half years since the powers ignored Henry's proposal to tax capital inflow as a way of restoring a level playing field for many non-mining industries has left us with intractable budget deficits, rising unemployment (far worse than the official statistics, especially for young people) and many kaput businesses that did not need to be lost.
Any attempt to manage currencies is of course fraught with difficulty. At various times strong economies such as Germany (in the 1960s and 1970s) and Switzerland more recently have tried tax and other ways to keep their currencies to a level that keeps their trading businesses viable. Switzerland eventually gave up trying to restrain its franc and industry seems to be thriving despite a massive revaluation. Germany discovered in the Euro a far more reliable way to keep its industries competitive, linking itself to the weak economies of Southern Europe. Among the many disruptive effects of a breakdown in the Eurozone by those weak economies leaving in the wake of a Grexit would eventually leave German industry fighting much harder for success.
Far more worrying after such a fracturing of the Eurozone would be a series of bank failures that left the Eurozone banks with massive debts So one imagines that Germany will be inclined to bail out Greece with a non-game-playing finance minister in place. But only time will tell. Whatever happens, Greeks will be a lot worse off than they are now with banks closed, tetering on the edge of bankruptcy, incomes decimated and over 50 % of the workforce unemployed or pretending to work in low paid, or non-paid jobs.
The global financial markets have taken fright and we may be at the start of a substantial correction. The US Fed may decide yet again to postpone the rise in global interest rates that has been postponed already with the ongoing, largely hidden, global financial fragility. A general conclusion from research on financial booms is action delayed makes the eventual bust greater.
It will not be a happy day from the RBA board. Australia is in far less dire straits than Greece, of course. Yet the budget is far from fixed, interest rates are low and expected to go lower, the current account deficit is setting new records (though export volumes are growing strongly, at give-away prices) and unemployment is deeply troubling. We should have done far more to fix underlying problems while the global economy was looking stronger.
The Abbott government needs help to fix the budget, and the opposition is showing signs of waking up to the fact that opposing necessary fixing will leave it up the proverbial creek with a broken paddle. Monetary policy needs to be normalised as soon as US monetary policy is normalised.
The powers must recognise that at some point a rising dollar will again make great swathes of Australian industry uncompetitive. However, sufficient industrial reform will stave off the day that we again need to be concerned about that matter. There is plenty of opportunities to reform our still highly inefficient industrial structure. Here is a modest set of recommendations.


text:
The Youth Hostel in Agerola (San Lazzaro), 650m above the Amalfi coast, was one of the first A.I.G. Hostels to open... More Info »
Albachiara b&b is located in Agerola, a small village in the Amalfi Coast and Sorrentine Peninsula, surronded by the... More Info »
In the Casale Paradiso we offer a family environment in the countryside of the Amalfi Coast ideal for those wishing... More Info »
Video guides, travel podcasts, city maps & free city guides. What to eat, where to stay and things to do and see - our travel guides have it all.Find a guide »
With the sun shining 80% of the time, Miami is the hot spot to go if you want a tropical getaway. It gets over 3,200 hours of sunshine a year, making it one of the top places to...Read more »
We offer the most comprehensive selection of hostels on the internet with over 33,000 great places to stay in 170 countries. The ultimate online resource for hostels everywhere.Find great value hostels »

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Options Trading Simulation
Registration and general information
Free registration
Complete the registration form.
Registration deadline
Friday, January 22, 2016, at 5:00 p.m. (EST).
Eligibility conditions
Each team must be enrolled in a full-time undergraduate or MBA program in Canada.
Team composition
Teams must be composed of one to four participants. There is no limit to the number of teams by university or faculty.
Simulation description
Initial parameters
- Each team is given a virtual cash account of $100,000 to build its options portfolio.
- This eight-week Options Trading Simulation is held during the 2016 winter term, from February 1, 2016 to March 25, 2016.
- Each team is strongly encouraged to attend an education session hosted by their university's Student Ambassador on Wednesday, January 27, 2016, at 5:00 p.m. (EST). This education session will focus on the mandatory components of the simulation, the options trading strategies, the trading simulator functionalities as well as the alerts and quotes. This presentation will be followed by a live question period through webcast.
Mandatory components
- To construct their options portfolio, teams must choose at least five Canadian option classes from the 50 most active securities.
- Each mandatory strategy must have a minimum notional value of $5,000 or 10 option contracts. There is no minimum holding period required.
- Each initiating stock and option transaction is limited to a maximum of 5,000 shares and 50 option contracts on the same option series.
- Mandatory strategies must be traded in a single transaction by selecting the "Transaction Type" field of the Trading Simulator, and not by legs, except for the long call.
- Each team can receive a maximum of five "Margin Calls" during the simulation.
- All positions must be liquidated before market close on March 25, 2016.
Mandatory strategies
Each team must execute the following four predefined options trading strategies:
- Long call
- Short straddle
- Married put
- Butterfly call
- Each team must execute a surprise strategy that will be unveiled by email on Wednesday, February 24, 2016 at 4:00 p.m. (EST).
- Participants have to comply with all the mandatory components & strategies to be eligible for prizes.
For more details, please see the Regulations for the simulation.
Three winning teams, having fulfilled all the mandatory components, while achieving the best returns after eight weeks of trading, will be awarded a 1st prize of $10,000, a 2nd prize of $5,000 and a 3rd prize of $2,500 respectively from the Montréal Exchange.
The best performing team per university as well as the top 50 teams in the Canadian ranking, having fulfilled all the mandatory components, will receive a certificate of excellence.
Equity option strategy sheets
Guides and strategies offered by the Montréal Exchange are available on the website for your reference.


text:
EQUAL FOOTING/A special report.; 9 MILLION GAINING UPGRADED BENEFIT FOR MENTAL CARE
By ERICA GOODE
Published: January 1, 2001
Acting on an executive order issued by President Clinton, the federal government will begin today to offer its nine million employees improved mental health benefits equal to those for physical ailments.
Federal officials' embrace of equal insurance protection for mental and physical ills represents a significant victory for mental health advocates, who have argued for more than a decade that the widespread practice of providing far less coverage for mental disorders is discriminatory.
The new policy also offers further evidence that the notion of equality in coverage is gaining wider acceptance. Thirty-two states now have laws that in some way address such insurance disparities, and many large corporations provide equal coverage for their employees, believing that doing so saves money in the long run.
The notion of equal coverage, referred to as parity, was also endorsed by Vice President Al Gore and Gov. George W. Bush during their presidential campaigns.
''There has been definite progress,'' said Jennifer Heffron, senior director of state affairs for the National Mental Health Association, a nonprofit group.
Yet Ms. Heffron, echoing the concerns of other mental health groups, said that despite such advances, true equal coverage, in its fullest sense, remained elusive. She said that many state laws included so many restrictions that they had little impact, and that in some cases, insurance companies had simply found other, more subtle ways to limit coverage for mental illness.
Dr. Richard Frank, a professor of health economics at Harvard University, said: ''Parity is very much symbolic, and somewhat real. But it does not fix as many problems, when it winds up on the ground, as most people thought it would.''
In offering equal coverage, federal officials hope to provide a model for employers around the country. The initiative is also likely to be monitored closely by Congress, which will probably take up the parity issue in its next session.
Under guidelines developed by the federal Office of Personnel Management, private health plans for federal employees will no longer impose higher co-payments or deductibles for mental health services, or set limits on outpatient visits or hospital days for mental disorders that are lower than those applied to general medical or surgical care.
Treatment for alcohol and drug abuse will also be covered equally under the new policy.
Even a decade ago, equal coverage for mental illness seemed more a pipe dream than a practical possibility. Opponents, including the insurance industry and business groups, warned that without limits on mental health coverage, the ''worried well'' would spend endless years on the couch and health care costs would spin out of control, forcing many employers to forgo health insurance altogether.
Yet over the last 10 years, much has changed.
Increased understanding of the biological underpinnings of many mental disorders and the advent of new and better treatments have led to a greater acceptance of the idea that conditions like manic depression and schizophrenia are illnesses like any other.
The cost-control strategies of managed care, still in their infancy in 1990, are now in widespread use.
And on Capitol Hill, lobbying by mental health groups -- combined with the testimonials of celebrities like Tipper Gore, who last year revealed her own struggle with depression -- has garnered unprecedented attention and bipartisan support for psychiatric issues.
Opposition to parity still survives. In Michigan, New York and other states, for example, repeated efforts to pass parity bills have been unsuccessful.
The 1996 Federal Mental Health Parity Act, banning dollar limits on mental health care that differ from those for general medical care, lacks the regulatory teeth to have much real effect. But the symbolic impact has led many state legislatures to address the issue.
And four states -- Maryland, Minnesota, Connecticut and Vermont -- have statutes that not only eliminate inequalities in reimbursements but also require employers to cover mental health, define mental illness broadly, include drug and alcohol addiction, and require small employers to comply.
Still, health care experts say that the reality of parity, as translated by lawmakers and insurance companies, often bears little resemblance to the ideal envisioned by advocates.
Some state statutes, for example, contain so many loopholes that thousands of employees are not covered. Others limit coverage to specific illnesses. And even where parity legislation is broadest, some critics say, managed care has undercut the goal of equality, leaving some patients worse off than they were before.
''On its face, parity is a simple issue,'' Ms. Heffron of the National Mental Health Association said. ''But the clarity dilutes very quickly.''
A Question of Cost
For its champions, parity is about fairness. Without it, they argue, parents take out second mortgages to pay for the care of a child with severe mental illness, and professionals like Kathryn Lynnes, a lawyer and environmental consultant, end up devoting much of their salaries to simply staying well.


text:
Trouver un exemplaire dans la bibliothèque
Recherche de bibliothèques qui possèdent cet ouvrage...
|Genre/forme :
|Personne nommée :
|George Brinton McClellan Harvey; Mary Benjamin Rogers; Dorothy Sturgis; George Brinton McClellan Harvey; Mary Benjamin Rogers
|Format :
|Archival Material
|Tous les auteurs / collaborateurs :
Mark Twain
|Numéro OCLC :
|Note sur la langue :
|Material is in English.
|Description :
|1 linear ft. ( 2 boxes; 1 volume; 1 oversize folder)
|Plus d'informations :
Résumé :
The collection consists of 32 letters written by Samuel L. Clemens to Mary Benjamin Rogers (Mrs. H.H.), his niece by marriage, and four letters written to Clemens and forwarded by him to Mrs. Rogers with comments. The letters are very personal in tone, full of Clemens' well-known wit, and revealing of his personal characteristics. There are a few clippings, cartoons, and one photograph. Also, a collection of 18 letters written by Clemens to Dorothy Sturgis, 1908-1909, relating to the "Angel-Fish Aquarium." There is also one typescript of the Constitution of the Club, "The Aquarium, Issued by the Admiral;" and a photograph album of the Mark Twain Dinner, 1905.
Critiques d'utilisateurs


text:
Enter keywords, ISBN, author, or book title
Sign-up for the High School Newsletter:
Category: Poetry - African
Imprint: Anchor
Format: eBook
Pub Date:
Price: $11.99
Can. Price: $11.99
Pages: 96
Also available as a
trade paperback.
RH.com | Privacy
Policy | Back to Top | Educator
Services | Contact Us
| Site Map | Permissions
©2005 Random House LLC. All rights reserved.


text:
Here's how Arsenal can win the Premier League next season by FD
Tag Archives: managers
Arsenal Debate – Could we start the season as title favourites?
Future Seems Bright For The Gunners by SS
As the Premier League season came to an abrupt end on May 19th, there were celebrations going in the Arsenal dressing room at St. James Park. No, they had not won the title. They were actually celebrating their 4th place (which according to Mr Wenger is a trophy). They had just beaten Newcastle to claim the last Champions League spot. And they had beaten their bitter rivals Tottenham to it.
Now is the time to back Arsenal to win the League next season!
Well what a crazy week for English football! It seems that all THREE of Arsenal's top rivals for the League are changing their managers this summer. We all know about Ferguson, and today it is on Sky Sports that Man City are in talks with Manuel Pelligrini to take over at the Etihad next season.
Arrogant Wenger can't give Arsenal any further success
GUNNER for life…….. by Popeye786Sailor
This season was an eye opener to anyone connected to Arsenal FC. When a player like Robin van Persie makes a public statement that the club lacks ambition before eventually leaving the club at the peak of his career to join our rival Red Devils, it does raise many eyebrows. What really must have happened behind closed doors of the mighty Emirates? Why would a player, whose career was moulded by the father figure manager who backed him through his hard times, would leave by making noises?
So how many Arsenal fans would swap Wenger for Mourinho?
I guess everyone has seen the yearly rumours linking Arsene Wenger with a move to Real Madrid, after it has been revealed that Jose Mourinho is not getting on very well with his players, and he was even (like Wenger) abused by the Real Madrid fans despite his team being five points clear of Barcelona in La Liga.


text:
This is part of an office prank where we change each other's backgrounds when we forget to lock our computer and we walk away (for security reasons of course) and one of our co-workers has been ruthless and has never walked away and left his computer unlocked. So does anyone know if there is a way to perform this with a photo that would be saved on a network drive that he has access to?
closed as not constructive by CharlieRB, Xavierjazz, grawity, KronoS, harrymc Jun 19 '13 at 15:05
As it currently stands, this question is not a good fit for our Q&A format. We expect answers to be supported by facts, references, or expertise, but this question will likely solicit debate, arguments, polling, or extended discussion. If you feel that this question can be improved and possibly reopened, visit the help center for guidance.If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.
You would just need a batch script that changes the appropriate values in the registry, and get the user to click the file. I didn't test it, but i found something you can try:


text:
After a tough mid-week loss to the KC Bullets earlier this week, the American Legion Manhattan Manko senior 17ers rebounded nicely this weekend with a pair of wins on Friday afternoon at the Missouri State Western showcase.
This page and other exclusive local content require a subscription.
Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | The Manhattan Mercury, 318 North 5th Street, Manhattan, Kansas, 66502 | Copyright 2012
Reproduction of any kind is prohibited without written consent.


text:
Alright so this is what I'm trying to do:
I have made a page called "Authors" where on it, it lists all the authors of the blog. However, I want to add in a few extra things into it. the two things i want to add into this list are the title of that blogger (being their work title, like manager or something), which is a custom made field which i made without issue and I can pull it up with php code. the other thing i want to put in is the first few words of that author's bio.
so the list would look something like this:
Author 1
Title of author 1
first few words of bio
Author 2
Title of author 2
first few words of bio
and so on...
Does anybody know how to do this?


text:
"Internet Purchases Only"
"Not a Retail Store Stock Item"
This item is viewable at our retail store in LEXINGTON, KY. It may be on display and is
available for immediate purchase and pick-up.
click here to see all brands we sell
**Mouse over image above to zoom any area, or click on image to zoom the entire image.
*Please Note!! Many of our pictures are stock photos provided to us by the manufacturer and do not necessarily represent the actual item being purchased. Please verify this picture accurately reflects the product described by the title and description on this page before you place your order.
Each kit includes a non-scratch, plastic-coated, cleaning cable with a
comfortable, easy-to-grasp Fast Snap T-handle, a bottle of Rem Oil, a
bottle of Brite Bore carbon/copper/lead/plastic wad fouling solvent, and
an assortment of bronze brushes, bore mops, patch loops, and patches.
An easy-to-use bore light projects bright, white light for easy
inspection of bores, chambers, and other hard-to-see areas. Durable,
reinforced canvas case, with foam interior and separate slot for each
component, keeps everything organized. Small enough to fit in your range
bag or backpack.
Gun Accessories, Ammunition, Gun Safes, Handguns, Left Hand Guns, Youth Guns, Reserves, Rifles, Shotguns, Scopes / Optics, Gun Closeouts, Factory Certified Guns, Used Guns, MAP, Bud's Mobile
A A & E Leathercraft, ADCO International, Advanced Technology, Aearo Company, Aimshot, Aimtech Mount Systems, Alexander Arms, Allen Company, Aluma Sport, Beretta, Browning, CZ USA, Leupold, Remington, Ruger, Savage Arms, Smith & Wesson, Springfield, Taurus Handguns, The American Outdoorsman, ULTRADOT DISTRIBUTION,
Uncle Mike's Michaels of Orego, US FIREARMS, USA MAGAZINES, VANGUARD USA
Copyright © 2003-2016 Budsgunshop.com. All Rights Reserved. (CW2)


text:
Over 1,500 Bulgarian miners rallied in Sofia Tuesday to defend their jobs, following the announcement that coal-fired plants would be temporarily shut down due to low electricity consumption and exports.
The protest, organised by the country's two main trade unions KNSB and Podkrepa, added to the snowballing public discontent over high electricity bills and growing poverty and corruption that toppled the right-wing government two weeks ago.
"We are here to defend our jobs. We want work! We want bread for our children!" the chief of Podkrepa's mining federation Vladimir Topalov said at the rally.
The miners waved blue and purple union flags and hurled insults outside the DKEVR state energy regulatory commission. They also dumped several bags of coal in front of the building.
The commission inked late Tuesday an immediate cut in regulated electricity prices for households in a move to appease the sometimes violent daily rallies that have shaken Bulgaria over the past three weeks.
Households in southeastern Bulgaria, supplied by the local branch of Austrian utility EVN, will pay 7.28 percent less for electricity starting Tuesday, the DKEVR said in a statement.
The clients of Czech electricity supplier CEZ in western Bulgaria will have their prices cut by 7.17 percent, and those in the northeast of the country, supplied by Czech Energo-Pro, will see a reduction of 6.22 percent, the regulator added.
Low domestic consumption and slumping electricity exports have already prompted a lowering of capacity and temporary shutdowns at a number of coal-fired plants across the country.
Miners said they were not against the price cuts, but they slammed a proposal by outgoing Economy and Energy Minister Delyan Dobrev to no longer provide households with electricity from three coal-fired plants considered the most expensive providers.
"There are many other solutions for cheaper electricity. Whoever cannot find them should go," KNSB union leader Plamen Dimitrov said Tuesday, suggesting that the DKEVR should instead lower the share of green energy provided to consumers.
"Do not play with the fate of thousands of Bulgarian workers, who barely make ends meet, work under deplorable conditions and often lose their lives on the job," he said to approving shouts from the crowd.
Experts say the jobs of over 5,000 Bulgarian miners are threatened by the planned thermal power plant shutdowns.
Another 1,500 jobs are also at stake at the country's heavily-indebted state railway company as coal makes up about a third of all cargo moved by its freight unit.
"If there is no coal, there will be no railways. That is why we are here to show solidarity with the miners," rail union chief Petar Bunev said as several hundred railway workers joined the rally.


text:
Our loadbalancer looks for "loadbalancer.html"
So today, I deleted the file, but in a browser I could still fetch it.
My eyes crossed, I made sure, 3 ways, that the file was removed from the iis web site home dir. But fetching it gave a nice 200 http response, and the file.
In desperation, I created a new loadbalancer.html, and put some test text in it, and then this new content was retrieved, and then I deleted this file, and THEN it finally gave the 404 as desired.
How can I better understand/control this ?


text:
According to the Buck Institute for Education a project is meaningful when it fulfills two criteria. The students "must perceive it as personally meaningful, as a task that matters…and a meaningful project fulfills an educational purpose." This PDF provides 8 essential components to create meaningful projects. Each is explained using an example of a project with suggestions on how to make the project more robust.
* Significant Content
* A Need to Know
* A Driving Question
* Student Voice and Choice
* 21st Century Skills
* Inquiry and Innovation
* Feedback and Revision
* Publicly Presented Project
Via Beth Dichter


text:
Sensational Greek Linguine
Total Time
Prep 15 mins
Cook 20 mins
This is a Greek inspired dish. If you like pasta but are getting sick of having it with the same sauce over and over again, try this one. It's a healthy Summer pasta dish. Adjust all the ingredient amounts to your likings.
Ingredients Nutrition
- 14 ounces linguine
- 5 medium tomatoes, chopped
- 4 -6 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 lb mushroom, sliced
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- salt, pepper
- 1⁄2-1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
- 1⁄3-1⁄2 cup black olives, sliced
- Cook linguine according to package directions.
- Heat olive oil in pan and add mushrooms. Saute until they give of liquid and are soft. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper and oregano and cook until tomatoes are heated through.
- Mix sauce with pasta and sprinkle feta and olives on top. Serve immediately.
Most Helpful
Very good and easily prepared! I didn't realise all the fresh tomatoes had been used, so I had to resort to a can, other than that I made no changes. My feta was a tad salty, so I added no extra salt, oh, I did slice in some zucchini, becuase I had it and thought it would go well with the dish. Thank you, a good pasta dish, quickly and easily prepared. Made for Alphabet Soup tag game.
My family and I LOVED this dish! I prepared it exactly as directly except i used grape tomatoes cut in half in place of the diced tomatoes...it was very pretty. Am preparing again tonight per the husband's request! Thanks for sharing :)
Great mix of flavors and one I could not stop eating!


text:
I created an android virtual device for phonegap development, with the Intel Atom(x86) as CPU/ABI feature.
When I turn on the GPU emulation on my avd, the screen shows a black box in the middle.
This only happens with phonegap+jquerymobile. Doesn't happen in native android apps.
My laptop has a Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-2350M 2.30GHz CPU, with Intel integrated graphics. I am using Linux Mint 13 Cinnamon. The virtualization on my BIOS is active too.
How can I remove the black box in there?


text:
Get the interactive edition on your device!
Free access for print subscribers
We catch up with this year's deserved winner, Sophia Webster, and former winners to see what happens next
The footwear designer invited us into her first shop on London's Mount Street
Watch as Sophia Webster wins this year's coveted prize
The London-based shoe designer has been chosen as the recipient of this year's BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund
Meet the designers that are in the running to win this year's prize
No longer just about the clothes, fashion week has become a serious Instagram battle - who was your winner?
Sophia Webster has collaborated on a shoe collection with the famous doll
The footwear designer branches out into bridal
The British Fashion Council names its latest Fashion Forward crop
The accessories label accuses the American retailer of copying one of her designs
The shoe designer hopes to open her first standalone store by 2015
The footwear designer opens a second pop-up store
Two of the hottest labels are joining forces
The footwear designer's collaboration with Nail Rock is finally hitting stores
The London-based footwear designer opens a temporary new boutique in London
The fashion world's key accessory designers get set for the first ever collective showcase
How the London designer became footwear's brightest new star


text:
I'm currently wondering about the place that Windows (XP, Vista, 7) store information like "Windows is running" and so on. I mean, somehow Windows knows when you just power-down your computer that it was running before. The bootloader somehow also knows that there is a memory image in hiberfil.sys and not just empty garbarage.
I would guess its the registry, but where exactly?


text:
Damien FrancoShared publicly -
So I've gotten a ton of new followers over the weekend and I need a roll call. If you're into photography let me know so I can put you in my photography circle.
458 comments
I'm sure I'm already in that there circle of yours, but just a reminder. I could also be put in a circle called Midland Expat.
+Damien Franco Thanks for asking the question - I've found many more photogs I can now circle myself!
Damien Franco
+Chris Scott You're in VA now? You know what they say: Once a Texan, always a Texan!
Andre Aguiar
Suggest everyone also check out +Chris Marquardt He is a great photographer and awesome educator in this area.
I think I did this all ready, but just in case: I'm definitely into photography! http://www.barichrome.com/2007/05/clinging-cat.html
+Damien Franco absolutely TXN to the core. It still blows my mind that you are based in Midland and you are one of the more influential photogs around.
Hi~ Getting back into Photography after many years & loving it. Thx, & have a great week.
my images have mostly soul searching and whimsy, if you've got such a circle subset :) http://followgram.me/applejacks
Steve H
<aol>Me too</aol>
And a good idea to use this thread to find other photographers to follow.
And a good idea to use this thread to find other photographers to follow.
Been playing with cameras for 30 years or so. Google+ is very photography friendly so looking forward to following other photographers.
I just got pointed to this thread, Super stoked!! Helloooo all you beautiful fellow photographers. Add me in the mix!!
Yet another photog here. http://www.crystalclearmedia.com I mainly shoot for sports wires and contract with NHL Dallas Stars during hockey season.
Pano fan here - http://andy.bryant.name/pano and I also do more normal stuff http://andy.bryant.name/images
Roads Less Traveled Photography ~ HDR and more ~ Photography of the former USSR, Ukraine, Turkey, Egypt, USA, Canada, Belize, Mexico. www.roadslesstraveledphotography.com/ ~ http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattsh/ ~ http://500px.com/mattsh ~ Add me here, add me at Flickr, add me at 500px. It's all good!
Wow... reminds me of my BUZZ post awhile back. Looks like we've got quite a few togs out here...
Yes. Just getting into astrophotography, but avid photographer for about 35 years now.
Jeff Sullivan
Hi Damien, I'm writing the book on landscape photography in Southern California, from Yosemite to San Diego. Publisher Laurent Martres will have it out under his PhotoTripUSA series in 2012, but you can catch previews as I share photos online. I also lead landscape photography workshops. Love to interact with other photogs... on those rare occasions when I have power, Internet and time simultaneously. Just getting onto G+... http://500px.com/JeffSullivan
I am pretty bad about posting pics (work keeps me very busy), but I will get more up eventually.
I added just about everyone on here, so much to learn... being able to look through this Photog Circle, it's unbelievable. So many jaw dropping photos, love Google+!
I'm into photography, but still green and amateur only. Looking to connect and learn. :)
I am! I wish there was a way to share circles, then we can share photographer circles.
Here too. Overwhelming is right David. I would say there are lot's of photogs here and lots of photog lists.
added you to my photographers circle. I see it getting large as more photographers from Flickr, and more pro's join g+. I hope they have hierarchical circles soon so I can divide these up in to interests (landscapes, urban, people, etc.) but keep 'em all under a main photography umbrella circle too.
I consider myself a hobby photographer since my career focus is on psychology right now, but I have a BA in Photography.
howdy from Los Angeles, I'm an amateur adventure and nature photographer, feel free to follow!
No profile picture yet, and im a Canon addict, live in Cali. http://www.kimberlycherphotography.com
I am into photography, but by no means am I a professional. More like a hobbyist, I suppose.
Adding my name to the bottom of this mammoth list. Sydney based, I mainly shoot film these days.
Just added YOU to my "photographers" circle. :)
I'm a children's photographer based in Seattle.
I'm a children's photographer based in Seattle.
From Tulsa area, I'm still learning a lot but working as a wedding photog. I'm wanting to learn more about strobes and dynamic lighting.
I am a photographer that travels all over the USA, I tend to shoot more people than anything else, but trying to buck that trend a bit by stepping out of my box.
I am by no means a pro, but I love it and blog about it: www.rafavarium.com
Feel free to add me to a photography circle, I am doing the same :-)
I am in the process od putting some pictures from Flickr to G+, if anyone knows of a tool or something to do that, I would appreciate the info.
Happy shooting!
Feel free to add me to a photography circle, I am doing the same :-)
I am in the process od putting some pictures from Flickr to G+, if anyone knows of a tool or something to do that, I would appreciate the info.
Happy shooting!
Yeah, non-pro follower of yourself on both flickr & twitter (Used to follow 'YourPhotoTips' community as well).
David English
Me, too. Thanks for writing the Photographer's Guide. It has been a big help with getting started with Google+. www.protozoid.com
Wow...cool list. Can't wait to start exploring. Add me. I'll figure this thing out soon enough! ha
I'd love to be added (thanks for all the recommendations, too-- looking forward to a robust photography stream)
I'm definitely into it. Just starting to get into Google+. Amateur, struggling photographer here!
Nice to find a bunch of fellow photographers here :) feel free to add me as well
I'm in.
And now I can add some of these other people in my photography circle, too! (if they want)
And now I can add some of these other people in my photography circle, too! (if they want)
Wonder if our sharing here will begin to influence G+'s overall identity..? Might be a fun outcome: "G+ - the largest shutterbug hangout on the Web"...
Ian Mackie
I hate photography! Just kidding. Yes I am a photographer...sometimes, used to be, still am. Kids change things, temporarily.
@ Damien - Thank you for the post. Austin TX Commercial Photographer, Figital Revolutionary :-)
Hello, Thanks for the article. I'm new but will be adding photos to G+ soon. I'm a Photographer, practical & digital artist/designer. Film. Games. Travel. Action Sports. Landscape, etc... http://chassell.smugmug.com/
Bellow is my photography page do kindly have a look, my works will not dissapoint you for sure :)
Hey, I'm currently using G+ as a photography site. I am an amateur photographer, check out my stream!
I'm a semi pro mostly sports and events shooter (still own a retail gallery) but trying to earn as much as I can, and am NEWBIE at google+ and could use all the help avialable to network and spread my brand. NAPP member, been shooting since 1964, Nikon. I'm also a seminar junkie and always open to learning ANYTHING about photography. I've "been around the block" but there is always a new street or alley way to explore. Now to find a decent photo for my profile.... Jock
Google+ newbie. Always looking for motivation and new ways to learn. I am also a NAPP member.
I am a serious Landscape, Nature and Travel Photographer and very new to the Google+ community. Hope it's not too late to add my name to the list / circle. Many thanks.
That's right. I just made this thread come to life again after a year of dormancy.
Add a comment...


text:
H.R.668: To amend section 1105(a) of title 31, United States Code, to require that annual budget submissions of the President to Congress provide an estimate of the cost per taxpayer of the deficit, and for other purposes.
|Luke Messer, R-IN
|6 (All Republicans)
|Feb. 13, 2013
|House Budget; Senate Budget
Bill Progress
- Bill introduced in the House
- Bill passed in the House
- Bill passed in the Senate
- Bill signed into law
Bill Actions
Last Action
|March 6, 2013
|Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Budget.
|March 5, 2013
|On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 392 - 28, 1 Present (Roll no. 57). (View this vote)
|March 5, 2013
|Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
|March 5, 2013
|Considered as unfinished business.
|March 5, 2013
|At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
|March 5, 2013
|Mr. Messer moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
|March 5, 2013
|Considered under suspension of the rules.
|March 5, 2013
|DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 668.
|Feb. 12, 2013
|Referred to the House Committee on the Budget.


text:
What do you expect from Islamoappeasers?
The point in the President's statement isn't about whether or not it is legitimate to talk with terrorist groups...the parallel he drew was with those who assumed that just by talking to Hitler could prevent war.
If in promoting the idea of talks with Hamas and others, Sen. Obama doesn't put forth substance but treats such talks as viable foreign policy, he is simply arrogantly assuming they will swoon at his charisma.
Let's not attack the strawman...if you want to show the President's argument about appeasement to be false application, just point out Sen. Obama's foreign policy plans include more substance "talks."
Red Bushies don't have a point.
They just have hatred of our core American values of Truth, Justice, and the American Middle Class way of life.
That and extreme incompetence.
It'll be a laugh-riot when the middle east realizes the one thing they all have in common is their hatred for us.
Well, of course they KNOW, silly.
The more pertinent question is: do they CARE, if it doesn't fit their narrow world-view, or further their neo-con agenda?
Comments Closed
In order to combat spam, we are no longer accepting comments on this post (or any post more than 45 days old).


text:
I'd like to provide some fail-over capacity to our web farm, so I'm looking at various open-source reverse proxy platforms (haproxy, nginx, Varnish, Cherokee, and Squid) to direct http and SSL traffic to our MS/IIS web servers. My preference would be to deploy the reverse proxy to a Linux environment (though I'm open to alternate suggestions).
Ideally, I'd like to be able to control deployments to the production environment by removing/adding hosts to the reverse proxy's configuration as a deployment is occurring.
Our development is all .NET\C#, so it would be really handy if any of the proxy packages I mentioned above have an external API that is friendly to Windows/SOAP/REST clients.
As a worst-case, I suppose I could write a Mono/C# app to listen for commands, update the required config files, then HUP the proxy service...but that seems like a lot of work for a lazy programmer like me.
Does anyone have a suggestion (or two, or three)


text:
"ARUBA/BONAIRE" Aruba by Alphons
Aruba Travel Guide: 1,039 reviews and 2,820 photos
Aruba is the most westerly of the Netherlands Antilles. Aruba lies at the heart of the southern Caribbean, about two-and-a-half hours by air from Miami, Florida and within easy flying distance of other U.S. cities. The island is 19.6 miles long, and six miles across at its widest point, with a total area of 70 square miles. Most of it's 27 luxury hotels are lined up neatly along the northwestern shore.
Reviews (36)
Here the end of my Aruba page with this beautiful sunset pic. more travel advice
Here is Bonaire east of Curacao. more travel advice
CALIFORNIA LIGHTHOUSE The old stone California lighthouse is within sight of the Tierra del Sol golf course and is... more travel advice
Windsurfing. The constant 15-knot trade winds, along with the variety of flat-water locations and challenging wave... more travel advice
Comments (94)
Daar zou ik mij ook wel thuis kunnen voelen.....wauw
great pages!!!!! I need sun!!!!!...what a willing to fly there!
G'day Alphons. Well I've learn't heaps from your pages here, fabulous pix!! Didn't know Aruba has desert and plants, and didn't know it's roots are Dutch. Thanx for sharing with us!! Cheers, Ann :o)
Very interesting descriptions, I had only stopp overs on Aruba so far, never left the airport. It really seems to be worth it!
Looks like heaven on earth... I like the pic of the wild flamingo :)) Nina
an interesting page & great pics, bringing back great memories ! ...all of the former Dutch colonies were my favorite islands in the Carribean !
somdeday..I will cruising caribbean..with with my loved ones... -gene-
A banana daquiri and a dip in the calm, clear waters sounds like a perfect way to pass the time! ;-) HAPPY BIRTHDAY Alphons!! Have a good one!
Certainly a dream destination... Great page :)
Natural bridge and the beaches are beautiful ! Very nice page ! I have a friend from Aruba.
Alphons' Related Pages
Aruba Travel Guide
Member Travel Pages
- "Escape from Chicago's winter to Aruba"
- "Things That Make You Go.....WOW!!!"
- "Aaaaawesome Arrrruuuuba!!!!"
- "Adventure Awaits"
- "Thanksgiving in Aruba"
- "Amapola Goes to Aruba"
- "Arid and Friendly"
- See All...
- Things to Do in Aruba
- Hotels in Aruba
- Transportation in Aruba
- Nightlife in Aruba
- Restaurants in Aruba
- Shopping in Aruba
- Warnings and Dangers in Aruba
- See All...
Nearby Travel Guides
- Oranjestad Travel Guide
- Aruba Travel Guide
- Noord Travel Guide
- See All...
"Have i told you lately that i love travel?"
- Member Rank:
- 0 0 8 4 8
- 1,746 Reviews
- 1,969 Photos
- Add Friend
- Follow
- Send Message
Badges & Stats in Aruba
- 36 Reviews
- 33 Photos
- 0 Forum posts
- 14,705PageViews
- 0 Cities
- See All Stats
- See All Badges (9)
Have you been to Aruba?Share Your Travels
Latest Activity in Aruba
- updated a Aruba Travel Page "ARUBA/BONAIRE"
- Posted in Travel Australia Forum "travel by camper"
- Commented on one of suvaa003's Aruba travel pages
- Uploaded a Photo to "The California Lighthouse."
- Wrote a Review Here the end of my Aruba page. in Aruba Things to Do
Photos in ArubaSee All Photos (33)
Top 10 Pages
- Kathmandu Intro, 55 reviews, 56 photos
- Netherlands Antilles Intro, 51 reviews, 52 photos
- Terschelling Intro, 53 reviews, 49 photos
- Innsbruck Intro, 45 reviews, 46 photos
- Top 5 Page for this destination Annapurna Himal Intro, 40 reviews, 41 photos
- Sydney Intro, 35 reviews, 45 photos, 1 travelogue
- Top 5 Page for this destination Zaandam Intro, 33 reviews, 46 photos, 1 travelogue
- Groningen Intro, 38 reviews, 39 photos
- Australia Intro, 25 reviews, 51 photos, 1 travelogue
- Uluru National Park (Ayers Rock) 37 reviews, 37 photos


text:
AcceptanceMy urologist, in N.Y. evaluated the results of the PSA test from an independent lab. The microscope slides were evaluated by medical personnel at a local hospital in N.Y.
I sat across from my doctor while he studied the combined results from all of these sources. He looked at me, in a quiet way, and said "You have prostate cancer". Not just a "few cells" but full blown prostate cancer. My world was instantly changed!!
With that statement I crossed a threshold which led to the need for many decisions, much study, a slow, arduous, and prolonged series of still more tests and probing by doctors and eventually what I considered to be the proper course of action for me.
However, far overshadowing the mechanics of treatment and the need to understanding the disease, was the emotional shock of coping with the fact that I had the dreaded disease CANCER and that it could kill me.
When I arrived home from my doctor's office I was at once confronted by my family. I told them I had cancer!!! "Do you really have it?" they asked - hoping that they had not heard correctly. "Yes, I have cancer!!!". I will never forget the look on their faces. One of crushing sadness and despair.
I did not hide my disease from my friends and business associates. Their reactions were universal. Sadness, and pity! "Enjoy your life!" I had a friend who lived five years with prostate cancer!"
"We will pray for you!" Suddenly people were looking at me in an entirely different way - a way I did not appreciate!
I was now entering a phase that all cancer patients must eventually face - "acceptance". This is a critical first step along the road to recovery. There were many sleepless nights and the thought of my disease literally wiped all other thoughts from my mind. The cancer was now the only thing of importance to me. Thoughts of it filled my every waking moment!!
The Day that Hell Came to Stayby Paul Schilling
December 21, 2015
3 Great Reasons To Have Gratitude On Your Cancer Teamby Marlys Johnson
July 25, 2016


text:
Ultimate Battler Achievement
View Single Post
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 3
View My Profile
I know exactly how you feel. I now try to do Impossible at least twice a day with the doomsday method. It's turning into an obsession. I want to stop, but I just keep coming back.
I've gotten to 19 twice, and 17 three times.
I usually do well, and then get crushed by someone. Lately it's been Bane and Hawkgirl.
Maybe if we talk about what we do, we can give ourselves tips to complete this horrible battle:
Here's what I'm doing:
1) The regular Jump D3 method, usually going into either 33 or 123 DF3.
2) Crouch block and wait for them to dash at me, then try the 123 DF3 combo and repeat.
I couldn't do the crouch block method with Bane, as he kept grabbing me, or charging. Hawkgirl kept chipping away at me, so I had to jump attack her.
I've learned that it doesn't seem like a good idea to attack them right away after you knock them down, as they will wake up and kill you. So let them get up, and then jump at them with D3.
My biggest problems are against: Bane, Hawkgirl, Doomsday, Superman, Sinestro, Aquaman, and Green Arrow.
Also...there seems to be some Batman method to doing this. But I can't find it anywhere.
Got to 15 today...going to try one more time...
I just want to get past this horrible battle already!
Last edited by TommyDogan; 06-05-2013 at
View Public Profile
Send a private message to TommyDogan
Find More Posts by TommyDogan


text:
The Waterside Children's Studio School (PS 317) in Rockaway Park and the surrounding community were devastated by the hurricane. Here is their website set up to collect donations: www.giveforward.com/waterside .
Take action now!
Rockaway Park families, stay safe and sending love your way,
United Opt Out National Administrators
Help the Families of Rockaway Park: Action for the Week of 11/4/2012


text:
"Cape Coast, Caribbean Ghana" Top 5 Page for this destination Cape Coast by Pieter11
Cape Coast Travel Guide: 72 reviews and 355 photos
The capital of Ghana's Central Region is Cape Coast. Not a very big, but very pleasant city that is completely surrounded by green and blue: The Gulf of Guinea with its blue water and wide beaches to the south, a lagune with dirty, but blue water to the west and green hills full of banana- and palmtrees to the other sides.
In between this colourful environment you'll find the Caribbean-ish city of Cape Coast, with a pleasant centre and good places for going out, and of course the big and old Cape Coast Castle; an important and horrible memory of the British slave trade: an absolute must-see during a visit to the country.
Reviews (17)
Besides the attraction, Cape Coast is just a nice town to walk around in. There are some old, colonial buildings that... more travel advice
When you are visiting the Cape Coast Castle, you can already have a look at the colourful harbour that lies right behind... more travel advice
When you are taking the STC-bus from Cape Coast, it ca happen that you'll have to wait for the bus for a few hours. And... more travel advice
Another great thing to see from a far in Cape Coast definitely is the wide sandy beach. It looks absolutely great from... more travel advice
Things to Do (3)See All Fort Victoria
Transportation (3)See All Shared taxi's
Nightlife (2)See All Oasis Beach Resort
Restaurants (3)See All Fresh fruit on the beach
Hotels (1)Sammo's Guesthouse
Been to Cape Coast?Share your travels with the world!
Comments (3)
Note there are three types: beef, mutton (lamb) and chicken gizzard (which is like the rubbery texture of tripe). So just ask before you buy. Enjoy !
Fort Victoria looks like a nice place to visit! One of these day I hope I will. Interesting pigs on the beach!!! Norman :)
'Wrong' people selling 'wrong things'..? You have to tell me more about that one ;)
Pieter11's Related Pages
Cape Coast Travel Guide
Member Travel Pages
- "Cape Coast in April 2016 "
- "Cape Coast, Caribbean Ghana"
- "Cape Coast"
- "Cape Coast"
- "Cape Coast Slave Fortress & Kakum National Park"
- "The former capitale of the Gold Coast"
- "Little town, big history!"
- See All...
- Things to Do in Cape Coast
- Hotels in Cape Coast
- Transportation in Cape Coast
- Nightlife in Cape Coast
- Restaurants in Cape Coast
- Warnings and Dangers in Cape Coast
- See All...
Nearby Travel Guides
- Cape Coast Travel Guide
- Elmina Travel Guide
- Winneba Travel Guide
- See All...
"So much of who we are is where we have been"
- Member Rank:
- 0 0 1 6 5
- Forum Rank:
- 0 7 3 9 4
- 1,236 Reviews
- 3,436 Photos
- Add Friend
- Follow
- Send Message
Badges & Stats in Cape Coast
- 17 Reviews
- 39 Photos
- 0 Forum posts
- 3 Comments
- 2,592PageViews
- See All Stats
- See All Badges (45)
Have you been to Cape Coast?Share Your Travels
Latest Activity in Cape Coast
- updated a Cape Coast Travel Page "Cape Coast, Caribbean Ghana"
- Posted in Travel Saint Kitts and Nevis Forum "Re: taxi from port to brimstone"
- Uploaded a Photo to "Walking around"
- Wrote a Review Walking around in Cape Coast Off The Beaten Path
- Commented on one of Djamal's Cape Coast travel pages
Photos in Cape CoastSee All Photos (39)
Top 10 Pages
- Top 5 Page for this destination Guadeloupe Intro, 96 reviews, 339 photos
- Paris Intro, 107 reviews, 301 photos, 5 travelogues
- Top 5 Page for this destination Ghana Intro, 69 reviews, 190 photos
- Athens Intro, 62 reviews, 167 photos, 5 travelogues
- Prague Intro, 47 reviews, 134 photos, 1 travelogue
- Caribbean and Central America Intro, 25 reviews, 121 photos
- Top 5 Page for this destination Western Sahara Intro, 33 reviews, 113 photos
- Stockholm Intro, 41 reviews, 88 photos
- Top 5 Page for this destination Liechtenstein Intro, 35 reviews, 90 photos
- Tamale Intro, 26 reviews, 78 photos