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Research Reveals the Healing Power of the Mind
One Study Invalidates Much of Medical Science
My lifelong assertion that much of medical science is literally wishful thinking has now been confirmed by new, groundbreaking scientific research involving the, so far, underestimated healing power behind patient expectation. The study, entitled "The Effect of Treatment Expectation on Drug Efficacy: the Analgesic Benefit of the Opioid Remifentanil" may completely crush the principles upon which medical science has built its case, to date. Yet, this finding may also open the door to an entirely new way of treating disease.
Prominent researchers from the University of Oxford, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Cambridge University, and Technical University, Munich found that the ultimate and most influential determining factor of whether a drug treatment is, or isn't, effective is nothing less than the patient's own mind. Their research, published in February 16, 2011 in the medical journal, Science Translational Medicine. [Sci Transl Med 16 February 2011: Vol. 3, Issue 70, p. 70ra14, DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.3001244], removes any doubt that the placebo effect is responsible for healing, not a drug treatment or even a surgical procedure.
In the study's abstract, the researchers state: "Evidence from behavioral and self-reported data suggests that the patients' beliefs and expectations can shape both therapeutic and adverse effects of any given drug." They discovered how divergent expectancies in patients alter the analgesic efficacy of a potent opioid (painkilling drug) in healthy volunteers by using brain imaging."
In this study, when test subjects were told that they were not receiving painkiller medications – even though they were – the medication proved to be completely ineffective. In fact, the research showed the benefits of painkillers could be boosted or completely wiped out by manipulating the subjects' expectations, which basically means it's entirely up to the patient whether he gets relief, or not.
This particular research also identified the regions of the brain that are affected by patient expectation. "On the basis of subjective and objective evidence, we contend that an individual's expectation of a drug's effect critically influences its therapeutic efficacy and that regulatory brain mechanisms differ as a function of expectancy," according to the study's findings. Now try telling that to your doctor the next time he hands you prescription medication!
Obviously, this should have important consequences for patient care and for testing new drugs, but I doubt that it ever will. There is no money to be made from telling patients they can heal themselves. Still, alternative and complementary forms of medicine may greatly benefit from incorporating these principles into their approaches.
Your Mind Does Count – More Than You May Think
Now let's look at some of the specifics of this fascinating research.
A group of healthy test patients who experienced the same intensity of continuous pain caused by heat application to their feet were asked to rate their pain levels on a scale of 1 to 100. All patients were attached to an intravenous drip so drugs could be administered to them without their knowledge. The patients experienced pain at an average of level of 66.
The first phase of the experiment involved giving the patients one of the most effective and potent medications, remifentanil, without their knowledge. Their rate of pain dropped to 55.
In the second phase, the patients were told that they were receiving an intravenously administered painkiller. With no doubt in the patients' mind that this was true, the pain score dropped to 39.
Then, without actually altering the dose of the drug, the patients were told the painkiller had been discontinued altogether and to, therefore, expect pain to return; consequently, the pain score went back up to 64. Even though the patients still received remifentanil, they now experienced the same level of pain as they did at the beginning of the experiment, when no drug was given to them.
Professor Irene Tracey, from Oxford University, told the BBC: "It's phenomenal, it's really cool. It's one of the best analgesics we have and the brain's influence can either vastly increase its effect, or completely remove it." She further pointed out that the study was conducted on healthy people who were subjected to pain for just a short period of time.
People with chronic conditions who have unsuccessfully tried many drugs would not be as responsive because their expectations were likely dampened too many times before. Consequently, they may readily turn their own doubts (negative expectations) into a self-fulfilling prophesy of non-recovery. In other words, recovery or cure doesn't depend on the treatment, but rather on what the patient believes it will, or will not, do for him.
"Doctors need more time for consultation and to investigate the cognitive side of illness; the focus is on physiology not the mind, which can be a real roadblock to treatment," claimed Professor Tracey.
George Lewith, a professor of health research at the University of Southampton, poignantly stated that these findings call into question the scientific validity of many randomized clinical trials: "It completely blows cold randomized clinical trials, which don't take into account expectation."
George Lewith is a person to take very seriously, given his impressive and impeccable record of achievements and contributions to the world of medical science. The University of Southampton awarded a personal chair to Dr. Lewith as Professor of Health Research. He has published over 200 peer review papers and 17 books. The Times, in an article on September 6, 2008, included George Lewith in The Lifestyle 50, the newspaper's listing of the "top 50 people who influence the way we eat, exercise and think about ourselves."
You Are in Charge of Your Brain
What made this new study so fascinating and important is that objective brain scans taken during the experiment also showed which regions of the brain were affected by the patients' subjective expectations.
The researchers found significant changes in the neural activity in brain regions involved with the coding of pain intensity. Positive expectancy effects of pain relief were associated with activity in the endogenous pain modulatory system, whereas negative expectancy effects linked with activity in the hippocampus and the medial frontal cortex. Having either a positive or a negative expectation of outcome from a particular treatment, therefore, alters brain chemistry and determines your body's ability to heal.
This is a quote taken from the first edition of my book, Timeless Secrets of Health and Rejuvenation (1995), which now makes more sense than ever: "The mechanism of placebo healing is centered in the belief of the patient that a drug, an operation, or a different kind of treatment is going to relieve his pain or cure his illness. Deep trust or a sure feeling of recovery is all that the patient has at his disposal to initiate a healing response. Utilizing the previously described powerful mind/body connection, the patient may release natural opioids (morphine-type painkillers) from areas of the brain that are activated by certain thought processes. The corresponding neurotransmitters for pain relief are known as endorphins. Endorphins are about forty thousand times more powerful than the strongest heroin."
Professor Anthony Jones, Salford Royal Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, has stated: "Work from our own lab and those of others indicates that expectations are a key driver to pain perception and to placebo analgesic effects. So this provides further confirmation of that idea in relation to drug effects. This has been demonstrated previously in relation to nitrous oxide analgesic effects, but the current study provides good evidence that this phenomenon is not due to the subject saying what they think the investigator wants to hear."
Drug Studies Are Fraud
The implications of this study are profound and science-shattering. It seriously undermines the validity of all drug studies ever conducted because they did not include this crucial factor – the subjective expectation of the patient or test subject who takes the actual drug. To reiterate Dr. Lewith's words, "It blows them cold."
Simply having a placebo group for comparison can neither make a drug trial trustworthy and scientific, nor can it ascertain the effectiveness of the drug. Those subjects who receive the actual drug have similar subjective, unpredictable expectations as the members of the placebo group. Drug companies like to give the impression that the placebo effect can only occur in the placebo group, not in the test subject group. But since members of neither group initially know whether they are getting the real drug or a 'dummy' drug, the study results are ultimately determined by each person's expectation of beneficial outcome, regardless of the group to which he is assigned.
Even if a tested drug shows greater benefit than the placebo, this still doesn't prove that the drug is effective. To the contrary, it may merely show the placebo effect is stronger in the drug group than in the placebo group – which is a big finding, in and of itself.
Principal Flaws in Drug Trials
Why would the placebo be stronger that the dummy drug in those participants that receive the actual drug? Well, since all trial participants hope they will receive the real medicine, not just a placebo pill, they will experience a significantly increased positive expectation the moment they notice the side-effects they were told the drug might produce, such as constipation, diarrhea, headache, dizziness, nausea, headaches, dryness of mouth, etc. Realizing they are among the actual drug recipients because of this self-observation, their expectation of possible recovery boosts the drug's success score. Researchers claim that this is proof of effectiveness of the tested drug, and they give zero credit to the now-elevated expectancy on the part of the participants.
While some of the tested subjects may be very hopeful and enthusiastic about receiving a new medicine, others who have tried many similar medications before, without reaping much, if any, benefit, may have a more reserved or even negative expectation about its benefits. Since patient expectancy is highly relevant, according to this new research, all previously conducted scientific studies that didn't account for patient expectancy are misleading and must be thrown out as invalid. This practically applies to all double-blind control studies ever done.
Another reason why clinical drug trials are so unscientific and fraudulent is that they are not conducted in a truly double-blind setting. All participants, regardless whether of they receive the real drug or the placebo pill, are told that the study is for a specific condition. For example, a clinical trial may test a new drug to combat hypertension, lower blood sugar, or decrease cholesterol. This simple information, which is advertised during the trial recruitment campaign, already generates an expectation in the participants that, perhaps, the new experimental drug might help them improve their health. This hopeful expectation may, in fact, be the primary reason they enroll in the trial.
There has never been a clinical trial where participants were not told what drug treatment they could expect to receive. On the one hand, the researchers claim their study is fool-proof because participants won't know whether they receive the drug or a placebo. On the other hand, they tell all the participants upfront that at least half of them can expect to receive a pharmaceutical drug to improve the specific condition they are suffering from.
In other words, at least 1 in every 2 participants may already experience a placebo effect before the trial has even started.
Every clinical scientist knows that the mind's belief in a drug or treatment can produce a healing response. This is the very reason there is a placebo group in every clinical trial. Why, then, do scientists and doctors insist that only drugs can cure conditions?
There is a clear double standard in medical research. If they are correct in that only drugs can cure and treat diseases, then why do they need to include a placebo group in their research?
Telling the participants that one-half of them will receive the experimental drug and the other half will just get a placebo creates a major uncertainty factor of varied, unpredictable expectations in the subjects, one that the research doesn't account for. This is pseudo-science at its best, and outright fraud at worst.
The only other way to do an objective study would be to tell every participant that he/she will receive the real drug, but nobody actually will. Instead, all participants will get a placebo. Then start a second phase with the same subjects at a different time, and now give them the real drug while telling them so. If findings from the above pain study are correct, then the subjects are most likely going to get the same results at both phases. If the findings are incorrect, then it will show that the researched medication has true benefits. This would be honest, scientific research.
Dishonest Practices
To prevent getting a poor success score for the tested drug, pharmaceutical companies typically instruct researchers to choose the youngest and healthiest subjects to test it against a targeted disease. However, this practice is both unrealistic and deceptive. In real life, most drugs are being prescribed to the more sick, weaker and older patients who are already less likely to muster positive expectations than younger, stronger and healthier patients can. When you are really sick, you are also much more likely to feel disheartened or depressed.
Drug companies know about this dirty little secret and, therefore, refuse really sick or depressed people from participating in drug trials. Think of a time in your life when you suffered from influenza or another type of illness. You likely felt weak and lost interest in almost everything that normally excited you. As we now know, you will need to be excited about a treatment (positive expectation) to reap genuine benefits from it, or rather, from the placebo response it can trigger in you.
Even with the drug companies succeeding in manipulating the outcome of the so-called research in favor of a new drug, there always are a relatively large number of trials that show outright ineffectiveness of the same drug.
If a drug were truly effective, it would work for every person tested. But since patient expectancy is a highly variable and unpredictable factor, some of these trials show that there are drug benefits, whereas others show there aren't any. Drug companies are legally permitted by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) to cherry-pick the 'good' trials and throw out the 'bad' ones.
When the research is finally presented to the FDA and the medical journals for peer-review and publication, it will look like a valid scientific study. The research paper carries the stamp of 'proof' of drug efficacy.
In truth though, all of the studies conducted in this way are fabricated, worthless, and potentially risky for the patient population, leading to the often serious consequences of side-effects, including death. No wonder the FDA is compelled to pull numerous drugs off the market each year because they are just too toxic and dangerous. Hundreds of thousands of Americans die each year, poisoned by these Frankenstein pharmaceuticals.
Bottom line, it is impossible to directly prove whether a patient improves his condition because he is taking a medical drug, or because he believes the treatment will make him better. However, this new pain research clearly indicates the latter to be the case.
Danger of Medical Diagnosis
There is another aspect to the new findings. If someone goes to the doctor and receives a diagnosis for a serious or terminal illness, such as cancer or congestive heart failure, this 'negative diagnosis' may turn into the same self-fulfilling prophesy that the test subjects in the aforementioned study experienced when they were told the painkiller was discontinued, even though this wasn't the case. A diagnosis of such an illness can practically shut down any remaining healing abilities the body may still have, including intrinsic hope.
The uncertainty of not knowing "what I have" is based on fear of the unknown, where I may expect the worst case scenario, such as dying from it. This negative expectation, which is usually confirmed by the doctor's diagnosis, can shatter all hope. Hope is just another word for 'positive expectation.' Why is it so necessary for a doctor to take this proven healing opportunity away from someone, simply because "we don't want to give him 'false' hope"'? There is no false hope. If hope is there, it's a good thing. Hope can never be false. Telling the patient that there is no hope can just be as disappointing at the point of a doctor's diagnosis and prognosis as it can be when a cure eventually does not come about.
Taking away hope is a crime committed against the patient. Hope can make the difference between dying from a terminal illness and recovering from it.
As can be expected, the mechanism to heal from pain, cancer, or a heart condition is practically destroyed by instilling some kind of panic or death fright in a patient. A person of authority, which a medical doctor undoubtedly is, can pass on to the patient his own misguided conviction that he (or she) suffers from a terminal cancer, even though there are many examples of patients who have recovered from it.
Yet, even if the doctor knew of an alternative method that could be helpful and save the patient's life, he is legally prohibited from making such a recommendation.
If the patient is already very vulnerable because of a preexisting condition, financial hardship, social isolation, depression, anxiety, emotional stress, etc., then it is relatively easy to convince this person that he is caught in a trap from which he cannot escape. The fearful expectation of death can have dire consequences and, as implied by this research, actually prevent the patient from recovering and surviving. In other words, the certainty of a diagnosis can turn out to be far worse than the uncertainty of an undiagnosed disease.
There are numerous examples that support this. It has been a medical mystery for many decades why people can comfortably live with a large malignant lung tumor for many years, but then die within a few days after receiving the diagnosis. While the death certificates will blame cancer for their death, in reality it's the diagnosis of cancer that kills them. Death fright is about the strongest fight or flight situation one can experience. It shuts down the body's digestive functions and waste removal, prevents sleep, causes wasting and rapid weight loss, and triggers many other serious physical imbalances. Modern medicine is still so far removed from understanding and applying the intricate relationship that exists between mind, body and spirit, that it cannot make any sense of these 'unexplainable' phenomena where patients die from the diagnosis, not the disease – or survive a 'terminal' diagnosis because their positive expectations are profoundly strong, stable and effective.
"Miracle" of Spontaneous Remission
The mind/body/spirit triad connection is clearly demonstrated in the now thousands of cancer patients who experience spontaneous remissions of their cancers. Research has shown that the size of a tumor can be reduced dramatically within a few hours of holistic health treatment, when the patient is highly motivated by personal development. Perceiving a spiritual purpose in the disease that affects them, can also be enough to achieve remission.
This usually happens when the disease is no longer perceived as a threat, but as a blessing in disguise. In other words, instead of being helpless victims of a senseless disease, they become active participants in the process of becoming whole again. The expectation of being blessed by something they might have previously seen as a dreadful curse evokes some of the most powerful healing responses the body has at its disposal.
The mechanism of expecting, and subsequently experiencing, pain relief from a saline solution placebo is no different than the mechanism that turns a big tumor to powder in less than a minute.
I once saw a live ultrasound image where a cancerous bladder tumor, the size of a grapefruit, completely disintegrated and vanished during a 15-second sound-energy-healing session by a group of Chinese Qigong masters. Of course, without the patient's hopeful and receptive expectation that healing would occur, nothing would happen. Nobody can enter your home as long as you keep the door closed.
Instead of instilling death fright in a patient, a doctor ought to help the patient to develop hope-filled expectations that can then translate into the necessary biochemical responses in the brain and heart that are required for the patient's body to actually and fully heal itself. On the other hand, telling the patient that he (or she) is suffering from a terminal illness introduces a factor of expectancy that is undeniably capable of executing the doctor's unintended death sentence.
If the doctor or, even worse, a diagnostic machine like a CT scanner (machines don't lie) passes a death sentence on a patient, it is the natural expectation of the patient that the sentence will be carried out that actually kills him, not the disease.
When feeling this vulnerable, patients often see their doctor as their savior, their God. If God tells me I am dying, then it must be true. Relinquishing one's power to someone who plays God makes one a slave, where the expectation is one of worthlessness and dependency. Letting a diagnosis, or rather the negative interpretation of it, rule one's life, lies at the core of today's health crisis.
Just the title of my book, Cancer is Not a Disease – It's a Survival Mechanism, has helped thousands of people restore their confidence in themselves and their bodies. Transforming a negative expectation into a positive one is what practicing medicine ought to be about. The aforementioned research should be studied by every doctor and applied to every field of modern medicine, but this would most certainly make most of modern medicine obsolete.
Still, thanks to these brilliant researchers, we now have the model to scientifically explain that healing is largely up to the expectation, state of mind, and attitude of the patient, not necessarily to the doctor and his pharmaceutical treatments.
So far, most medical dogma has turned everything upside down. I sincerely hope, for the sake of the survival of humankind, that modern medicine undergoes a revolution that will turn it all upside down again. I am encouraged to see there is some light at the end of the tunnel.
Expectations Shape Reality
Both negative and positive expectations can lead to very unusual events. Many people have heard about the studies that showed heart attacks occurring more often on Mondays, usually at 9AM, to be more exact. It is presumed this is due to the expected difficulties and stress that may occur during the work week. Also, fewer people die during the days before Christmas, and more people die right after Christmas.
Another phenomenon, discovered by the Yale School of Public Health and the National Institute of Aging, is that young people who have positive expectations about aging are less likely to have a heart attack or stroke when they grow older.
In a study on aging conducted at Yale and also Miami University, middle aged and elderly people lived seven years longer when they had a positive attitude about aging.
In a classical study, 100 individuals over 80 years of age were placed in an environment that put them back 30 years in time – from old time music playing on the radio, to era-appropriate clothing. Within a few weeks all their physiological and biochemical markers of aging had dropped by an average of 15 years. When they returned to their current homes and living environments, however, they 'aged forward' by 15 years in just one day.
In a piece posted on CNN.com, Elizabeth Cohen, CNN Senior Medical Correspondent, wrote about the self-induced, spontaneous remission of cancer in David Seidler, who won an Oscar this year for best original screenplay for "The King's Speech." Mr. Seidler, age 73, suffered from bladder cancer and used a simple method of visualization to completely disintegrate his large tumor in less than two weeks, just in time before his scheduled operation, much to his physician's shock.
There are literally thousands of examples where imagination, expectation, visualization, perception, attitude, etc., have shown to manifest whatever is being seriously entertained by the mind. Mind-body medicine is not some kind of woo-woo or wishful thinking, it is true science, as the following research further confirms.
Would you believe that just looking at the photograph of a romantic partner is enough to significantly dull pain, in the same way that paracetamol or narcotics, such as cocaine, can? Well, a research study by Stanford University published discovered just that.
In the study, which was published in the journal PLoS ONE in October 13, 2010, (doi:10.1371), researchers took MRI scans of the brains of love-struck students who were asked to focus on photographs of partners while varying levels of heat pain were applied to their skin. On average, the pain reduction was reduced between 36 and 44 percent, according to neuroscientist Jarred Younger. Pain drugs don't perform much better than that.
According to a report in the September 2006 issue of the Hospitalist, "many patients will only experience a 30%-50% reduction in pain relief." Besides, pharmaceutical painkillers can have side-effects, including nausea, dizziness, somnolence, constipation, dry mouth, increased sweating, liver failure and death. In other words, you don't have to rely on drugs to get good pain relief.
In yet another study, published in the journal Psychological Science in November 2009, psychologists from the University of California Los Angeles studied 25 women and their boyfriends for a period of six months, subjecting them to different levels of pain.
While experiencing the pain, the women were told to either hold their boyfriend's hand or the hand of a male stranger, both of whom were hidden behind a curtain. The women experienced significantly less pain while holding their partner's or a stranger's hand.
When asked to view a photograph of their boyfriend, or a picture of a male stranger while being subjected to discomfort, the women experienced at least the same pain reduction. In fact, the relief was even greater when a stranger was involved. This means that pain relief doesn't necessarily involve love-induced analgesia. The feeling of closeness or security that the women expected to receive from looking at their lover's picture, or touching someone's hand, is all that's needed for the brain to send out the necessary opiates that bring on the relief.
These studies are invaluable in that they show how healing is closely connected to how we feel. We are not robots. To heal from a cancer, we require the support, encouragement, and assurance from the world around us, so that we can generate the kind of (positive) expectations necessary for the healing to occur. A negative diagnosis or prognosis, threatening a person with "if you don't take this medicine you will die," or making him feel that he is a helpless victim of a terrible disease, won't help but may actually be responsible for his declining health or ultimate demise.
Many pharmaceuticals only work because people expect them to work, not because they have any significant biochemical effect on the body. Without the belief of receiving a substantive benefit, the brain will simply block the medication from doing its job.
As we have seen in the first study, giving a person a painkiller while telling him it's not a painkiller, proved to be completely worthless. Mind power either overrides the potential benefit of the drug, or it triggers the same biochemical responses the drug is designed to produce. In other words, the mind tells the brain whether or not to initiate the biochemical responses necessary for healing to take place.
We know from brain research that all healing in the body is regulated by the brain. This has repeatedly been confirmed by many studies, including those on antidepressant drugs, which have consistently failed to outperform the placebo. What's so encouraging about all this is that we are in charge of our brain. The brain carries out our instructions in the form of beliefs and expectations, positive and negative, conscious and subconscious. In one expression, we are what we believe. So, perhaps, it's now time to change the way we think about the power we have over our own healing ability.
Andreas Moritz is a writer and practitioner in the field of Integrative Medicine. He is the author of 13 books on various subjects pertaining to holistic health, including The Amazing Liver and Gallbladder Flush, Timeless Secrets of Health and Rejuvenation and Cancer Is Not a Disease. His most recent book is entitled, Vaccine-Nation: Poisoning the Population, One Shot at a Time.
Moritz is also the creator of Ener-Chi Art (ener-chi.com) and Sacred Santémony.
Much of his life's work has been dedicated to understanding and treating the root causes of illness, and helping the body, mind, spirit and heart to heal naturally.
Copyright©2011 by Andreas Moritz


text: Who has time to wait? We groan at such a thought. But waiting doesn't mean inactivity—rather in HIM activity. Waiting means watching for him. If you are waiting on a bus, you are watching for the bus. If you are waiting on God, you are watching for God, searching for God, hoping in God. Great promises come to those who do. Read… Prayerful Waiting | Christian Daily Devotionals.

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text: On Nov 15, 2010, at 22:12 , Jonathan A. Kollasch wrote: > On Mon, Nov 15, 2010 at 09:58:44PM -0500, Chris Ross wrote: >> >> I was surprised to see, on recent investigation of pkgsrc, that there >> doesn't seem to be a python any newer than 2.6.x. Since 2.7 and 3.1 have >> been out for many months, and 3.0 well before that, I was curious if I was >> missing something. Is there a python3 somewhere else in the pkgsrc tree, or >> a reason that it isn't? > > Someone packaging 2.7 would be good. > > Python 3, maybe not such a good idea to have packaged, it simply breaks > too many things. So, it looks like python3 (and 27) still exist only in pkgsrc-wip. In addition to the fact that I still think python3 should be made more easily available, although as mentioned it should probabaly not be installed as "python", it was noted that 27 should be pulled up into pkgsrc. I don't think I have the knowledge or ability to package things up, but I still have an interest. If I'm incorrect, and there's something I can do to facilitate it, let me know. I'm happy to do some legwork. Jeremy, did you commit the patch you had mentioned for python 3.1? (I haven't examined -wip yet, though I think I will need to, as I don't want to get into installing python for myself by installing 2.6, or 2.x at all. Just as someone who's starting to learn and use it, I'd rather start with 3. Since I'm not installing it to run existing code. :-) ) - Chris


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Five Ways You Can Bust Myths About Women and Why It's Important
Inequity, inequality and injustice are sure things to get me fired up. When Libby Lyons, Director of WGEA recently posted on Twitter about a (small) drop in the gender pay gap, the thread of comments that followed were an illuminating insight into the attitudes toward women getting a fair go in Australia. I saw red and broke one of my rules and tweeted whilst angry.
The gender pay gap is real. It starts early. It persists throughout a woman's life. It harms her. Especially when she becomes a woman over 50. It harms Australia, economically, socially and politically. It's time for every one of us to step in, everywhere, all the time, to close a yawning financial gap that simply is not fair.
It Starts Young and Persists
Women's wallets are penalised from the outset of life. Girls are paid less pocket-money than boys, they're expected to contribute in greater amounts to household chores and they perform more caring duties than boys. This is a trend that continues throughout a woman life.
Women are not only paid less than men to the tune of 21.3% (AUD $25, 717), they also carry out two and a half times more unpaid household and care work than men. As a result, women have less time to go to work or they are forced to work longer overall hours when taking into account paid and unpaid work.
On top of that, Australia has one of the most gender segregated workforces in the world. What this means is the there are very clear stereotypes about what constitutes women's work versus mens work. Sectors such as healthcare and social assistance services are dominated by women who represent 80% of workers and 70% of management roles. Whereas manufacturing mining and construction are dominated by men. Surprise, surprise, healthcare and social assistance services are the lowest paid industries with construction and mining some of the highest. Draw your own conclusions about what might happen if more men were catapulted into nursing, teaching, childcare and retail!
Busting Myths
Lets cut to the chase and bust some myths about women, work, money and equality:
Myth 1: Women graduate from university and secure post-graduate roles with equal pay.
Graduate programs typically under-hire and under-pay women versus men to the tune of 10%. Research shows that women graduates encounter a pay gap of several thousand dollars in their first job out of university. This pay gap widens as other gendered expectations along with structural barriers in the workplace (lack of paid parental leave, flexible work, bias and discrimination) emerge to hold women back from advancing their career and their lifetime financial wellbeing. Unfortunately, these barriers and attitudes to women persist throughout her career.
Myth 2: Women don't ask for pay rises.
This is a cop-out based on gendered stereotypes about the way society expects a woman to behave. This view perpetuates the myth that it's the woman fault and doesn't take into account the systemic workplace practices that fail to organise and value work along with performance, fairly. These failures include recruitment processes and selection criteria, as well as benchmarks used to assess performance, pay and promotion.
Women are further penalised when they do ask for a raise. In this recent study by HBR, we discover that women are asking for pay rises at similar rates to men (as opposed to previous information which indicated women do not ask). However, due to bias and expectations about 'asking behaviour', they are less likely to be granted a pay rise, even when disparity exists.
"The bottom line is that the patterns we have found are consistent with the idea that women's requests for advancement are treated differently from men's requests. Asking does not mean getting — at least if you are a female."
Myth 3: Women just aren't ambitious.
Bulldust! Women are ambitious, but they are expected not to act this way. Not to ask, not to want, not to take. So they experience the type of treatment that driven, ambitious women (think Julia Gillard and Hillary Clinton) are dished out that reinforces that women are to be kept in their place.
Behaviours and traits men are lauded for, assertive action, commitment to principle, lofty goals, refusal to compromise, are repurposed into words like abrasive, inflexible and grasping ambition when used in the context of a woman drive to succeed. A 2014 study of performance reviews found that women are not only more likely to receive negative reviews, but also more likely to be criticised for exhibiting behaviours that men were actively encouraged to cultivate: aggressiveness, assertiveness, and ambition. The punishment? Thwarted ambition and lower pay.
What Must Leaders Do?
This is yet another opportunity for leaders to critically examine their own mindset and behaviours when it comes to women, work, money and equality. 5 things that leaders must do to even the playing field for women in the workplace:
- Clarity: Leaders must create a culture where the rules about performance, pay and promotion are well-known. Specifically, all workers need to be explicitly told that pay negotiation is permitted, or not. As the HBR study says 'when the "rules of wage determination" are left ambiguous, men do tend to negotiate higher pay.'
- Process: Leaders must develop objective criteria to evaluate performance, promotion and pay. Train all people leaders how to use the processes. Train all people leaders how to effectively manage recruitment, performance, promotion and pay processes.
- Bias: Leaders must publicly acknowledge we all have bias and make it safe to have open discussion. Take proactive steps for continuous awareness and education activity to combat bias during performance reviews, salary negotiations, recruitment and promotion evaluations.
- Denial: Do not try to explain the gender pay gap away. It exists. It is up to you to make sure it does not exist in your workplace.
- Deep Dive: There should be little stopping any people leader, in any organisation, undertaking a deep dive into the pay data of your team. An objective, critical review of the salaries paid to your team will highlight opportunity for immediate action.
Who is responsible?
The burden of financial inclusion for should not be placed on the financially excluded, and the same applies to workplaces. So the short answer is that it is not women, HR or the diversity working group that are responsible for solving wage equity. It's leaders.
The lifetime gender pay gap costs women hundreds of thousands of dollars, their homes, their health and their dignity. Pay equality in the workplace is the responsibility of leaders who must take action so that all people are able to access and enjoy the same rewards, resources and opportunities, regardless of gender.
This article was originally published by Advancing Women, and authored by Michelle Redfern
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Police in Moore, Oklahoma are currently investigating why state Sen. Ralph Shortey was hanging out in a hotel room last Thursday with a teenage boy.
A text exchange between Shortey and the teen are central to the investigation, according to The Oklahoman.
Police were first tipped off by concerned relatives of the boy.
On Tuesday, Cleveland County District Attorney Greg Mashburn acknowledged he'd received a initial police briefing and is awaiting a final report before decides whether to press criminal charges.
Related: Antigay Senator/Prostitute Patron David Vitter Gets Trolled On Twitter
According to the prosector, 35-year-old Shortey was questioned Monday by police.
First elected in 2010, Shortey (R-Oklahoma City) has been married to his high school sweetheart since '02.
On Tuesday, Lt. Kyle Dudley to The Oklahoman:
"On March 9 … officers of the Moore Police Department were contacted in reference to a welfare check at a local hotel."
"Responding officers found a juvenile male in a hotel room which was also occupied by an adult male. The circumstances surrounding this incident are currently under investigation and no additional information can be released at this time."
Shortey has proven to be a controversial figure during his time in Senate. Most recently, he infuriated voters by proposing that approved drug laws be undone at the polls in November.
Related: A Brief History Of Antigay Politicians Caught Doing Very Gay Things In Public Restrooms
Earlier this year, he advised former state Rep. Dan Kirby, R-Tulsa while embroiled in a sexual harassment scandal at the Capitol. Kirby later resigned after a House investigative committee "commended his expulsion."
The Oklahoman contacted Shortey on Tuesday afternoon. He said he would have a response later.


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The year was 1990. I was anxious to replace my decaying '57 Fairlane (my first and only vehicle at the time), and I knew, somehow, that a vintage convertible was the way to go. As to which model I should purchase, I had no idea. I knew that I didn't want anything obvious like a Corvette or a Mustang; I wanted something uncommon, and I had a vague vision of the body style that I was after. I approached the search with an I'll-know-it-when-I-see-it attitude.
I grabbed a fresh batch of ads once they hit the stand each Thursday morning and started making calls. I looked at several cars in the area over the next few weeks…Skylark, Cutlass, LTD, Chevelle, Cougar, et al, all in the 1964 to 1974 range, all in various states of disrepair. Some were too far gone, some just didn't appeal to me for one reason or another.
On Friday, May 25, I drove about 50 miles north of town to check out a car that sounded promising. The man I spoke with told me that he was the second owner of a 1969 LeMans and that it was in good running condition. He had been storing it in his barn ever since his daughter (yes, the farmer's daughter), who had been driving it, purchased a new vehicle and didn't want the Pontiac anymore.
Through miles of rolling farmland I drove, following the directions he gave me to find his remote corner of the county. I had just nosed into the driveway when I saw before me the barn, the farmer and the Pontiac, which was parked atop the highest point of his yard. I stopped right where I was and just stared, grinning like a possum eating a sweet potato. Cue the choir of angels, the harps and the soft lighting. I knew instantly that the search was over; this was my convertible. The only thing standing between me and this LeMans was another prospective buyer, who was walking slowly around the car with a bargain-hunter's gaze.
I kept my distance. I killed the engine and sat quietly near the end of the driveway, trying to be invisible, trying not to spook him. I pretended to read the classifieds I had with me, but I was watching him intently, beaming in his direction the telepathic message, This is not the convertible you're looking for. Get back in your car and drive away. I couldn't hear their conversation at that distance but it appeared to end on a "Well, I'll think about it" note. I turned my eyes to the paper and tried to look casual as he rolled past me and turned onto the county road. I exhaled heavily.
As I was walking up the hill, I reflected on the fact that the LeMans was the mystery convertible pictured in my mind when I began my search; one must have crossed my field of view, who knows where or when, and got stuck in some corner of my brain. I was quite taken with the lines and curves of this machine…a beautifully designed body, and certainly much sleeker than my Fairlane.
Still wearing a big grin, I introduced myself to the owner and began my inspection while we talked. There were some obvious problems with this vehicle: fading paint, rust in the rear bumper, Bondo in the quarter panels, a large rip in the top, a well-worn driver's seat and evidence that mice had moved in. But my priority was to find a car that was mechanically sound, with a powertrain in good operating condition; body and cosmetic issues, I could live with.
Test drive? Sure. I had no doubt that this purchase was a done deal, but I wasn't about to pass up an opportunity to drive this beauty. So I fired it up, made a quick run southward through a few intersections, then turned back. The car was running beautiful; in fact, it was running so well that I couldn't accelerate from a dead stop without spinning the rear wheels, no matter how gently I hit the throttle.
Time to haggle? Ha! No way I'd take the risk that he would wait for a better offer to come along. If he wanted $1500 for this car, he was going to get $1500. To me, that price seemed like a bargain. I pulled out every dollar I had on me (200 odd bucks) and asked him if this would hold the car until I could get to my bank, withdraw the rest of the cash and find a ride back up here. He agreed, but since he needed to leave to take care of some business that afternoon, he asked me to come back the next morning. Perfect. We shook hands, he moved the LeMans back into the barn, and I made a beeline for the bank, making damn sure I got there before they closed for the long holiday weekend.
On Saturday morning, May 26, 1990, a friend drove me and my wad of bills up to the farm. The bills stayed there; the keys, the title and I headed home in the LeMans. Flying down the highway with the wind swirling around my head, I was really enjoying those first 50 miles of many thousands yet to come.


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It's a pretty common refrain to speak of taking a step back to make two steps forward. It's not a bad thought – every now and again we probably need to take stock, reset where we are on something in our lives and then let that step back lead to even better progress than when we started. The tricky piece is that even when you logically know that you will be better off after the step back, it's still sometimes a challenge to do that. Why? Because who doesn't want to be advancing all the time. We like progress – we fight against regression.
Today's vlog is about how I am not taking one or two steps back, but perhaps many. It's not easy… not at all. Personal pride is a very powerful force, but I think it's going to be right for me in the end.
As an added bonus, you get to see me act like an utter lunatic for a few seconds. Sunday fun for the whole family!


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A variety of elements underpin creating and maintaining a successful business. For example, a successful business has solid customer services, an effective sales strategy, and steady financial management. If a business operates in the brick and mortar world, the location of that enterprise is well maintained and clean.
By way of this article, you are provided with an overview of the keen importance of maintaining a clean business. Indeed, there are five primary reasons why maintaining a clean business location must be a top priority for you as a business owner. Paying attention to these primary reasons works to ensure that you enjoy consistent success with your business.
Attract Loyal Customers
First impressions matter in life. This includes when it comes to a patron entering your business for the first time. The moment a customer or client enters your business, the appearance of the venue will have an immediate as well as a lasting impact on that patron.
If your business is not in a clean state, the possibility exists that a customer or client will turn around and exit directly after walking in the door. An unclean store will immediately leave a potential customer to conclude that that the quality of items sold at your business are questionable.
A clean business space leaves customers comfortable to make purchases from your enterprise. In addition, a clean store will leave a first time patron far more likely too come back and do business with you again in the future. In addition, it is also likely that a patron who enjoys being in your store — in part because it is clean — will refer friends and family members to your business. Referrals of this nature can prove to be very helpful when it comes to growing your business.
Maintain Health Code Compliance
Depending on the type of business you operate, maintaining a tidy, clean establishments ensures health code compliance. The reality is that health code violations are detrimental to a business in a number of different ways.
If you receive a health code violation, you can receive fine as well. In addition, you face the prospect of having your business closed down until an issue is rectified and the establishment is re-inspected. Not only does this result in a loss of revenue for your business, it sends terrible message to the public. Indeed, this can result in last or even permanent damage to your business.
Legal Considerations
As a business owner with a venue in the brick and mortar world, you are subject to what is known as the legal doctrine of premises liability. What this means is that if someone is injured at your place of business, you can be held legally responsible for those injuries. You can be required to pay financial compensation for losses associated with those injuries.
You can lessen the likelihood that someone will be injured on your business' premises by keeping your store or office clean. Clutter and a lack of attention to cleanliness can make a business at least somewhat, if not significantly, more dangerous to customers or of clients.
Save Money
If you do not properly tend to keep a business clean and in good condition, the establishment will experience wear and tear at an accelerated rate. You save money on more significant repairs over the long term by keeping up with cleaning and maintenance on a regular basis.
Indeed, you may even want to consider investing in the services of reputable professional cleaners. Yes, this requires the payment of funds by your. However, because it will reduce the prospect of more long term (and expensive) issues down the road, paying professional cleaners likely will prove to be a wise and cost effective investment.
Employee Retention
Maintaining a clean business renders it more attractive to your employees. In the final analysis, no matter how much your own team of employees may like working for your company, an untidy, unkempt work place will be detrimental when it comes to your relationship with your workers.
In addition, if you do not maintain a clean business, you will also find that you will have difficulties in recruiting top notch employees going forward. Quality people are not inclined to gravitate towards an employer that does not maintain a clean workplace.
Vendor Relations
You also need to be concerned with vendor relations when it comes to your business. You want to maintain professional relations with your vendors. This includes setting the proper tone when it comes to the look, feel, and appearance of your workplace. Part of that process is to keep your business in a clean state.
When the cleaning of a business is kept up with on a daily basis, it becomes a manageable task. A business is placed in a consistent tip-top shape for customers, clients, and employees.
Jessica is a professional blogger who writes for Faxage, a leading company that provide Internet fax service services for individuals and businesses.


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You are strange creatures, you mortals. You are amazed by what you know. That an enemy is unimportant, there is no doubt. Just as each of us has a mother. But why is it unacceptable to see one's own life in a mother's hand?
Actors (2)
Production and distribution (2)
Adapted from Dialogues with Leuco by Cesare Pavese.


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A few weeks back, I wrote that I was embarrassed to be a part of the advertising industry because of the silly strike that agencies overseas organized to limit the number of agencies that clients invited to pitches. My industry has now redeemed itself, and of course it is through the work.
I saw the new TV campaign for Gonai-f fertility drug and was amazed not only by the spots, but by the fact that the advertiser isn't even mentioned in the spots. Instead, the spots drive you to a branded website (www.increaseyourchances.org) that can help couples who suffer from infertility problems find a fertility specialist through an online directory that provides results based on the zip code you enter. On that site is where you'll find information about Gonai-f. It's subtle, but it's there. In fact, the site really works hard to NOT sell and instead seeks to inform and help. Plus, there's a "share" button included with each spot so friends of those who suffer can forward them the spots quickly, easily and privately.
This unusual way to sell a product is matched by the unusual way they make their pitch. Normally pharmaceutical ads, like most hospital ads, start with people who are concerned about something, then introduce the product and explain how it works to solve their problem, and then ends with happy people whose problems have been solved. Blah, blah, blah. Sure, if you have the problem, you might listen. And if you are one of the people who is frustrated with your inability to conceive, then you might just respond to any basic message that offers hope.
But "typical" drug advertising (and hospital advertising) typically does nothing to separate the product from its competitors. Indeed, that distinction is hard to make, particularly when drugs (and hospitals) really do the same things.
So this campaign separates itself not by claims of superiority, but rather by resonating in funny (if not odd) human ways with the frustration and embarrassment couples face when in this predicament.
The spots feature an extremely "normal" couple that could be friends with anyone, except that he is in a bee costume and she is in a bird costume. The thing is, they don't seem to know it. They are discussing their problem like anyone else would, talking about how often they make love (or, "have sex" as she puts it often), how many different tips they have followed from the various friends who try to help them, how unfair it is that a couple in love like them cannot conceive, etc. And they do it all with a straight face.
Fortunately, I have three kids (yes, they're mine) so I've never experienced this problem. Despite that, I couldn't help but watch the spots. If I knew someone who was suffering from this, I would tell them about the site — not because I'm in advertising, but because it's very memorable and should, at the least, put a smile on that person's face. At least, I think so.
I'm very interested to know how couples suffering from fertility issues will react to the campaign. I hope it's favorable, because the effort and the guts of the advertiser deserve some success here.
Which brings me to my point about healthcare advertising in general.
Advertising is supposed to stand out. It's not just presenting a message so people know you exist; rather, it's about carving out a spot in the brains of your audience so that your company, products, and/or services are top of mind when the time comes for you to satisfy a need they may have. To do this, we must take chances. We must find unique ways to stand out. And we must be memorable.
While it's sad to me that most of my industry's work (including some work from my own agency) is designed to simply toss our clients' hats into the ring of competitors (often on the insistence of client-side advertising managers who don't want to rock the boat with their superiors in an economy where jobs are hard to find), it's refreshing to see an agency take some pretty major chances.
Rather than throwing their client's hat in the infertility drug ring, this agency created a whole new ring. Bravo.
So go ahead and push the envelope. Push your agencies to present your story in a memorable way. And have no fear. As this campaign demonstrates, there are others out there with much larger problems than a boss who thinks your ads are too different.


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Tag Archives: description
Falling Into The Wave
I read once that it is easier to write about the horrible side of life than happiness. I've been looking through my dictionary (yes, I am one of those!) and so far I have found there to be more words to … Continue reading
Posted in Writing Tagged describing emotions, description, descriptions, descriptive text, dicitonary, Emotion, emotional roller coaster, happiness, skate park, turbulence, vocabulary, Word, Words, writing Leave a comment


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I'm afraid I've been terrible at updating this blog, but when I'm not working at my job–keeping the winter-over community of McMurdo Station fed–I'm busy learning how to market my historical novel Plaguewalker, jumping into the coldest water on earth and ogling tins of preserved rhubarb meant for one Robert Falcon Scott.
It's all been very exciting but doesn't exactly allow for much blog time.
I hope to update my links page soon, and also to tinker with this site's design. But my biggest project the next few months, in addition to spreading the word about Plaguewalker (hey, all five star reviews on Amazon, and no, they're not all family and friends!), will be doing the final edit on the first of my fantasy novels, The War's End.
So stay tuned. In the words of David Bowie, "I don't know where I'm going from here, but I promise it won't be boring."
And thanks, as always, for reading.


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|Up a level
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Number of items: 2.
Owusu-Ware, Samuel K, Cherry, Anthony J, Baltus, Christine B, Spencer, John and Antonijevic, Milan D (2015) Thermal analysis of novel biphenylamide derivative. Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry, 121 (1). pp. 437-452. ISSN 1388-6150
Fearon, P K, Bigger, S W and Billingham, N C (2004) Dsc combined with chemiluminescence for studying polymer oxidation. Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry, 76 (1). pp. 75-83.


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Project Description
Anthony Maley
Principle, Chief Technology Officer
C-Suite Plenary Session: Disruptive Technology and The New Economy
Wednesday, October 17th
Anthony Maley is Principle and Chief Technology Officer at Ledgr and VDart Digital where he also leads strategy for products and intellectual property. Anthony has 25 years of executive and leadership experience performing CTO or Chief Architect roles for Toyota Europe, AGCO, SunTrust in both the USA and Europe. He also has extensive expertise in building innovation and transformation teams as well as designing and implementing full end to end solutions within the Blockchain, Digital, IOT and Enterprise spaces.


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James Kobielus, Wikibon, Lead Analyst
Jim is Wikibon's Lead Analyst for Data Science, Deep Learning, and Application Development. Previously, Jim was IBM's data science evangelist. He managed IBM's thought leadership, social and influencer marketing programs targeted at developers of big data analytics, machine learning, and cognitive computing applications. Prior to his 5-year stint at IBM, Jim was an analyst at Forrester Research, Current Analysis, and the Burton Group. He is also a prolific blogger, a popular speaker, and a familiar face from his many appearances as an expert on theCUBE and at industry events.


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In February. (It was worth the wait but we'll get there in a minute).
These guys are so hot that you have to book months in advance. I waited and twitched for two months, waiting with an impatience equivalent to a kid on Christmas. I was excited about finally being part of the crowd that had been able to go to Hidden Kitchen, but nervous as well. I'm eating dinner with 14 other people I don't know ! How will this work out ? The last weekend in Feburary finally rolled around, when Fab sent me a message suggesting he needed to cancel our reservation at the last minute since we were moving.
*blink blink* Are you kidding me ? We will move until we can move no more and then we will clean ourselves up real good and be there for 8 PM !! And that is precisely what we did.
We arrived at the apartment at 8 PM to be greeted by Laura, who kindly took our coats and offered us a delightful apéro of champagne, Buffalo vodka, lichee and spumante. The conversation casually followed the "Do you live in Paris or are you visiting?" path. When we informed everyone that we had just moved apartments before coming, people looked shocked and stated that we were very well put together for having just gone through a move. I liked this crowd already !
|I loved this apartment !
The dinner was of the stuff dreams are made out of, and is probably the reason one waits 2 months or so to get a spot. We started off with amuses-bouche. Braden came out to announce each new dish and offered to share preparation tips, wine information, or any other interesting fact. No one spoke up right away, so he joked that we weren't boozy enough and we would soon be firing questions at him left and right. With that, wine was poured.
Overall, the food was well-balanced and full of flavor. The fennel in the Caramalized Fennel with Clams, Grapefruit and Miso entrée had the best taste I have ever eaten, and the miso with grapefruit was such a perfectly paired yet unsuspecting combination. My favorite dish was the Quail with Tabasco Lentils, Roasted Celeriac, and Radish. The tabasco added just the right kick but didn't overpower the taste of the quail croquette that had been made, nor the root vegetables. The dessert of Almond Cake with Blood Orange and Ricotta Ice Cream was simple but once again so incredibly flavorful. And the mignardises of a dark chocolate peanut butter cup, cinnamon marshmallow, and toffee made with popcorn were just too adorable that I didn't want to eat them (but alas, my stomach won, and I did). 10 beautiful exquisite courses. To make things even more fun, the girl I was sitting next to is a trained sommalière at one of the hottest restaurants in town, so she was giving us explanations on why the wine paired so well with various dishes.
|Caramelized Fennel with Clams, Grapefruit, and Miso
|Almond Cake with Blood Orange and Ricotta Ice Cream
Fab and I lingered to keep talking to our dinner neighbors. Then Laura and Braden came out to talk to us some, and released their adorable Boston Terrier, Tattie (named after Ernest Hemingway's nickname from his first wife). It really felt like we were having dinner with friends and we just didn't want the night to end. I asked Laura when I could come back with family, but alas, the summer tourist season's plans are being made by starry-eyed tourists, and most reservations are taken up through the end of June. Hopefully I will be able to dine once again with this talented couple, but until then, the memories will be more than enough to sustain me.
Hidden Kitchen
Reserve by sending an email to email@example.com
Join their Twitter page (they announce cancellations !) http://twitter.com/#!/HiddenKitchen


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Under Armour Giveaway – Winner!
Man Biceper Therese won the Under Armour Giveway!
I also just wanted to take a second to post this awesome magazine cover she sent me with her entry.
I think the new fashion accessory for this next year may just be biceps….
Posted on December 19, 2012, in Show me yours and tagged bicep, Under Armour Giveaway. Bookmark the permalink. Leave a comment.


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Whether it's for drying dishes, wrapping baked goods, or lining a serving tray, kitchen towels are essential to every home. To ensure years of use, choose The Organic Company's Little Towel. Ethically made from high-quality, GOTS-certified cotton, it cleverly features a strap that you can use to hang it.
Little Towel II
by The Organic Company
Editor's Note
Features & Details
- Material: 100% GOTS Certified Organic Cotton
- Care instructions: Machine Wash 60°, Dry Normal on Medium Heat.
- Dimensions: L 24 x W 14 in
- Country of origin: India
Shipping & Returns
We currently only ship to Canada and the US (except PO boxes, APO/FPO and US Territories).
Your order will be shipped DDP (Delivery Duty Paid) so that you don't have to pay extra fees upon delivery. Please allow 2-6 business days for delivery from receipt of tracking. Add 5 business days for shipments to Canada.
We hope you'll love your purchase. In case you need to make a return, you have 30 days to send eligible items back to us. Items that are customized or special ordered are not eligible for return. Contact us at firstname.lastname@example.com to initiate a return request.
Please see our Shipping & Return Policy for further details and rates.
Supported Causes
Natural Materials
This product has been crafted with materials that are derived from plants, animals, or other naturally occurring materials.


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I haven't played a mahjong game in a while, because proper mahjong games don't get localized, I've played all the ones I already owned, and I hadn't been to Japan to restock for a few years.
So, I made sure to buy some PSN point cards while I was visiting. This hasn't translated into many actual GAME purchases, because I have a monster backlog as is and frankly Japanese game prices are kuh-RAAAAAZY when you're not buying used. Since I tend to only buy used, looking at full-priced games has been a serious case of sticker shock.
Fortunately, mahjong titles also tend towards the budget end of the spectrum, and that brings us to Tottemo E Mahjong, which set me back all of Y1543 including two extra DLC characters.
Since the glory days of the Sega Saturn, with its infamous red-label games, are long since behind us, this is not a strip mahjong game. You do play against an all-woman cast of opponents, and your rewards for victory are unlocked pages in an image gallery, but there's no nudity involved.
You do get your pick of all the popular stereotypical opponents. There's five in total, including a couple of imouto types, a genki athletic type, and an ojousama who's so far over the top that I half expect her to break out into B-ko-style laughter every time she wins. I haven't started the fifth character's challenges yet so I don't know her personality yet.
The writing is really fun – your opponents are really melodramatic when they lose and gloat unabashedly when they win, and even a crushing defeat is met with a threat that NEXT time they're not going to let you off so easily.
So, that aside, presumably the next question is "but how does it play?"
Well, it's four-player mahjong (you, your chosen opponent, and two nameless NPCs), it's well-drawn, the sound effects are very mahjongy, it does a good job of pointing out when you can pon or kan or chi or richi, it handles all the scoring for you, it is in general a very competent mahjong game. It gets extra points in my book for not having "meld" be the default action when it shows you a potential meld, because I almost never want to meld unless I'm doing it for a pon of dragons or the seat / prevailing wind. I'm lousy at setting up high point value hands and I go for the guaranteed 1-yaku win of having a closed hand.
This originally meant that I lost a LOT. See, most mahjong games go off straight wins – you come in first and that's all that matters. It's actually theoretically possible to "win" a game of mahjong without winning a single one of the eight hands you play, as long as you pick up enough points from draws and your opponents beat each other up in a more-or-less balanced faction.
Tottemo E Mahjong has more of a mission structure, with (usually) multiple objectives per mission. Your first game against any character will have a simple objective of "come in first", then maybe "come in first AND be more than 30,000 points ahead of your opponent", or "come in first AND only win by tsumo" or, well, something like this:
Which is "come in first AND have 30,000 points more than your opponent AND your opponent must go bust AND you must have a total score of 60,000 or more AND the dealer must win at least two games in a row, or at least draw"
It gets quite frustrating when you have a results screen like this:
It's very difficult to meet these sorts of win conditions through straight mahjong, which leads to the part of the game that I've become less and less fond of – the item shop, where various cheat items are sold to help you complete your missions.
Fortunately, this is not a real money item shop. You buy your nefarious tools using currency earned in-game, and you rack up this currency even when you're failing missions, which is something of a comfort when you're beating your head against one of the trickier challenges.
Unfortunately, it's really imbalanced. It's very cheap to buy, say, the following combination:
1) An item that gives you a guaranteed pon of dragons and generally gives you an extra KAN of dragons.
2) Another item that allows you to review your hand before you start, and throw back any pieces you don't like.
3) An item that lets you interrupt an opponent's ron or tsumo, which is even nastier if you interrupt their tsumo because it forces them to discard their winning tile and go furiten.
Oh, and just for kicks,
4) An item that guarantees that your needed wait WILL appear when you call richi, as long as the tile isn't already in an opponent's hand or in a discard pile.
Or, if you are absolutely stuck on a particular challenge, there IS an item which you can buy which will simply auto-complete the mission for you. This isn't a cheap option by any means, but it's there.
I've had a lot of fun with mahjong games that have occasional cheat items in the past. I love the Suchi-pai series, for example, and that's a mahjong game where you frequently win by playing a panel match game instead of actually defeating your opponent with your leet mahjong skills. Still, something about the particular way this one is implemented is, well, it doesn't feel very sporting.
I'm abusing the heck out of it, don't get me wrong, because I went through at least one stretch of fifteen straight mission failures BEFORE I broke down and started hitting the item shop, and that sort of thing could break a man.
So I'm a little negative on the game, in the final analysis. I'll probably stick with it at least until I finish all of the character paths, because it's been fun having a mahjong game to play after a long drought, but I wish that the developers had done a better job of setting the difficulty from the beginning, rather than leaving it in the hands of the player via the shop.
About the most positive thing I can say is that the mission structure has made me think a lot more about HOW to win as opposed to just trying for the fastest win possible, and I'm starting to recognize situations where letting another player win is beneficial to me, which is a completely new skill.


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SUPERIMPOSING a historic photo on an up-to-date snap of the same scene is a neat way to bring history to life, as the website historypin.com demonstrates.
If you want to take a modern photo that will contrast effectively with its historical counterpart, though, you need to ensure it is taken from the same spot, and with the same zoom level. If you don't, the combined picture ends up looking disjointed, with roofs, walls and roads poorly matched.
If these cobbles could speak (Image: Historypin.com/Mirror Pix)
Help is at hand, however, in the form of new software for digital cameras that helps people get their shot-framing spot on. Frédo Durand and Soonmin Bae at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, with Aseem Agarwala of Adobe Systems in San Jose, California, turned to a technique called visual homing to come up with an answer (ACM Transactions On Graphics, DOI: 10.1145/1805964.1805968). Visual homing is used in robotics to send a machine to a precise location, such as a charging station.
The team's software runs on a laptop linked to a digital camera. The software compares the camera's view to a preloaded historical scene and provides instructions to adjust the camera's position and zoom to best match the scene.
The laptop is a temporary measure, however: "We envision the tool running directly on the camera," the team says.


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When my kids started preschool in September, there was an issue with my boy and a boy in his class. He was upset because this boy called out that he's a flapper. You know, how some kids flap when they're excited? His cousins took to saying "He flaps when he's happy. HE IS FLAPPY!" And then they all proceed to flap along with him. It's actually the very best thing on the planet and infectious, but we knew there would be a day when it was called to his attention in a way that wasn't so great.
Now, our nanny and his teacher were both so kind and proactive about this, it wasn't even a big issue, but then I kept hearing rumblings of, "I don't think (boy's name) likes me" from my boy and it was breaking my heart.
He was stuck on this boy and what he thought of him. We kept telling him things like, "You just keep being kind and know that no matter what anybody says or does, you're awesome. No matter what you wear or who you play with, you are awesome as long as you are kind. Not everybody is going to like you or want to be your friend. And that's OK. Because there will be a lot of people who WILL want to be your friend". He would tell us these things back letting us know he understood and he was really ok about it, but we knew it still bothered him. His sister – absolutely his backup and supporter – watched all this closely and has her brother's back forever.
Make no mistake, kids are kids and 3 and 4 year olds say and do things that are just things 3 and 4 year olds say and do. Not a big deal most of the time. They are learning and growing and developing social skills all day every day and we are here to be their guides, ultimately. I don't think this kid was doing anything out of the ordinary or being malicious AT ALL, but when your kid is hurting, you hurt, right?
I've made a couple mom friends with this class (who the hell do I think I am?) and one of them was a sounding board for me during this. She is friends with the boy's mom who my son was seemingly unable to let go of for a while there. She took a bullet and spoke with the other boy's mom and the boy's mom approached me the next day with tears in her eyes. I had tears too. She assured me she had spoken with her son and that's all it should hopefully take for a change to occur. She said she understood what this feels like as she has a situation with one of her daughters right now with bullying and it hurts. She said to let her know if I hear anything further about this and I said the same to her, I want to know if my kids are not being kind or exclusive. Always.
Since that day, my boy and the other boy are friends. Good friends. He always says hi to me and includes my boy (and girl) in his fun. Their class is adorable and cohesive and kind. Their teacher is quite awesome to have achieved such unity and great behavior with 16 3 and 4 year olds. My hat is off to her. I'm so thankful.
My takeaways from this are, be honest. Know that we all love our kids and our people fiercely and want what is best for them. People act and react out of fear. Understand that not everybody is going to be friends, but sometimes bridges can be built if we look for the similarities rather than harp on the differences. What would've happened had I gone off fully cocked and not been open to this conversation? What would've happened had this other mom not had the vulnerability to approach me about this and try to make it right. This could be one of my kids acting this way to another kid, we are all culpable at times and no kid or parent is without fault. I will always remember this conversation, on this day, with this mom. It was my first of these conversations, though I expect not my last. I'm thankful for her and how she reacted.
Building bridges may start in preschool, but they can last a lifetime with some maintenance and repairs along the way.
Every day when I drop my kids off or before I leave for work on the mornings I go into the office, I whisper three quick things in their ears – Be good listeners. Be kind. Be brave.
If a classroom is a microcosm of our society, we see before our eyes in these kids how to resolve our conflicts. There are good ways to handle it and not so good ways. I've done both. I will continue to handle things badly, but I can keep trying to do better.
We are where we are right now in this country. But I'm having a hard time every day accepting this to be true. I mean, I get it. I understand that it happened and I have come to believe that people voted the way they voted for many different reasons, but my heart is broken. Forever changed. Now I need to move forward. Not just for me but for my kids. For the people in my life that I love even through our differences. I'm trying really hard not group people together and I admit, it's hard.
I've been doing a lot of listening. I've been trying my best to really hear what people are upset about. To respect that and not come in with my two cents. I've been trying to hear what people's fears are, their hopes, their beliefs. I know I have little chance of changing anybody's mind, but I can try to lead by example.
There are a lot of upset folks out here right now. I am one of them. If not for these kids, I fear I would sink into a depression even deeper than this dull sadness that seems to not fade as the days go by. I'm an alcoholic. This has caused me to question if drinking is the right thing to do many times over the last week. At the very least, it makes me want to crush a pack of smokes even though I don't smoke anymore. I won't do it, ultimately, but I'm sure there are many that have and that kills me too. I'm here with you. I'm here.
This is not normal. We are not whiners or complainers if we are sad or mad. We are not sore losers if we are upset and standing up for what we believe to be right. We have a right to grieve. We have a right to take a moment in the grand scheme of things to catch our breath. Don't let anybody rob you of that. Take action in ways you believe in. We need to care for ourselves and our loved ones and all those who feel as though they are losing their voice.
I'm a woman – a white woman to be fair and better off than many – but I am a woman who fears losing women's rights and the ability to make choices for my own body. For my daughter – who will grow up and become a strong woman – who will be making decisions for her body? We tell her it's her. That she has control over her body and nobody else, but is that going to be true anymore?
When I hear my nanny express fear of coming to work or going on a trip because of the color of her skin, well, we have a problem. A really really big problem. That is only going to be emboldened. We've known it was out there, but now it's accepted and voted in. I don't have to be OK with this.
Being good listeners, being kind and being brave will never not serve us well. But that doesn't mean we lie down and take abuse. What is happening today is not normal. If we normalize treating people who are different than us terribly, we are going backwards. We lose the very essence of what makes this country so great. The golden rule is so simple, and yet, so seemingly out of reach to so many right now.
My kids had jokingly started referring to Donald Trump as Donald Dump during the election (completely on their own mind you – and we thought it quite clever) but I had to tell them through gritted teeth that they cannot call him that. They need to call him Donald Trump because he will be our President. Now, has our last President been treated with that much respect by people who didn't vote for him? I don't think so. PARENTING IS SO HARD. But I will continue to teach my kids to be good listeners, to be kind and to be brave. Even when it's really really really hard. We teach them to stand up for people being bullied even when it seems no one else will. Stand up for what is right and good and kind. I have hope and belief in these young people. I have to, or what is the point? I need to do as I say and keep putting this in practice for myself. For them. For all of us. I have to keep looking for the similarities. Every damn day.
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Tomnod has launched a crowd sourcing effort, in searching for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight 370. The Boeing 777-200 has now been missing over 72 hours without a trace. While speculation and theories abound, it couldn't hurt to have a few thousand extra pairs of eyes to help out on the search.
Using satellite images captured Sunday morning, searchers can tag anything they see that's relevant to the search, including oil slicks, rafts and wreckage. Even if nothing is found as a result of this campaign, it's pretty amazing that the technology to do this is even possible.
Previous Tomnod campaigns have been formed during the Syrian Crisis, Super Typhoon Haiyan, and to help look for Christopher Columbus' ship, the Nina.
Malaysia Airlines 777 image is by Air Icarus on Flickr, with Commercial License.


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It's always the hookers or children, isn't it?
Sodomized, strangled, abused, assaulted.
Dismembered, disemboweled, decapitated and in the
extreme cases, dinner. Dahmer…dinner.
Alliterational coincidence? Perhaps…
Perhaps not.
Trophies taken: a necklace, a lock of hair,
liver in the freezer.
Bodies dumped…
shallow hasty graves, covered
with sad tree limbs or off rusting bridges
into muddy rivers rushing waters.
It's always the white male middle class somewhat
intelligent socially impotent loners, isn't it?
Law enforcement prides itself on it's
superior profiling skill and ability to track
these "psychopathic sociopaths." But yet…it always the
same blonde, blue jeans and apple pie kinda guy.
After they're caught, carbon copy neighbors
give tape loop commentary, "He pretty much
kept to himself. Quiet, courteous if a bit…odd."
Ayep…superior profiling abilities. Shooting fish in a barrel
can be considered fishing in its own way.
I'll be probably branded a race traitor for saying this, but,
if white folk were a minority in this country
the cops would lay down a serious dragnet;
break down every white picket fence;
pull over every station wagon, pick up truck, mini-van and SUV;
raid every strip mall, parking lot;
"up against the wall motherfuckers" at every
Krispy Kreme, Duane Reade and Home Depot
from Levittown to the suburbs of Los Angeles,
from Taos, New Mexico to Bangor, Maine.
But these guys are white…middle class…Americans and the
cops can't very well run around profiling and harassing
the fine, law abiding, upstanding folks whose society
innocently spawned these psychos. Law enforcement
must wait until the predator slips up, makes an error,
leaves an evidence shred at the burial site. Until then…he hunts
he hunts the children, the hookers and the runaways. And the
body count…grows. 10…20…30…40…
In fact, it's growing now, somewhere.
Enough of the heavy duty
exploration and commentary upon
race, society and law enforcement therein.
It's time for me to reveal the real reason
behind this poem, which is, that serial killers
are boring; boring and predictable;
boring, predictable and as bland as
margarine on untoasted white bread.
Always the same twisted depraved crimes committed by
the same twisted depraved criminal minds.
Since there's nothing unique about their choice of victims,
and there's nothing unique about the crime,
and there's nothing unique about the criminal,
there's no way to exclaim,
"Woah! Now…that's uniquely fucked up!"
Whatever happened to creativity?
Why not run down random soccer moms with a maroon minvan or
kill them with repetitive blows from a high pressure air
cannon that shoots…soccer balls?
Why not train a group of rogue pit bulls, Rottweilers,
German Shepherds, Dobermans or really mean
Bassett Hounds to set upon and devour
rural dog catchers?
Why not rim the hats of the Shriners with ricin before the big parade?
Ahhh…what an image…dead Shriners slumped in miniature cars careening along
crowded sidewalks and Main Streets everywhere. The mayhem! The horror! The humor!
Why not kill poets, by making them eat their vacant words with…cheap marinara sauce?
Now…now…this is no Anarchist's Cookbook dammit!
I don't want to read a story about someone out there that
took my ideas and applied them in real life. Then
you'd be no better than the stupid kid from Connecticut
that copied a stunt he saw on TV and
nearly barbecued himself to death
on his family's backyard hibachi.
You'd be a dumb ass at that point in time,
and we all know you have superior, albeit unrecognized
intellectual capabilities. You're a smart man…don't make
me sue you for copyright infringement. I got lawyers and
I'm not afraid to use them!


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Before we get to Card #10, the winner of yesterdays daily giveaway is: Mary Jane who said, "Beautiful!".
Thank you for your kind words and Congratulations Mary Jane!
I hope you enjoy your card.
Don't forget to leave a comment on this post for today's card. Remember each day you leave a comment, you are entered into the drawing for the Grand Giveaway for all 31 cards. Easy, peasy.
Card #10 – "Pawesome" card
I started by assembling all my supplies.
Today's card is dedicated to all my friends and dear readers who own cats. This stamp is part the the same set that I used on Card #6 – Ruff Day? I was obviously attracted to this set because of the dog, but the ball of yarn called to me as well ;-).
I used white cardstock (5 1/2″ X 8 1/2″) for my base, orange cardstock (5″ X 3 3/4″) for the frame and patterned cardstock (4 3/4″ X 3 1/2″) for the design.
I started by die cutting the patterned cardstock using a rectangular stitched die. I also die cut the sentiment "Pawesome" out of orange cardstock. I wanted to add some dimension and glamor to the sentiment so I went over the letters with Glossy Accents, a clear, dimensional adhesive and glitter.
I found some scrap white cardstock and stamped, in black ink, the cat and the ball of yarn. I colored the images, cut them out and went around the edges with a black marker to give the pieces a finished look. I then glued the sentiment and stamped the ball of yarn on the patterned cardstock. I stamped the ball of yarn because I cut off the string after I colored the yarn image.
I added foam squares to the back of the cat and the ball of yarn and attached them to the patterned cardstock.
I used my tape runner to adhere the frame to the orange cardstock. I then glued the patterned cardstock inside the frame.
I finished the card by attaching the front to the white cardstock base and adding a few sequins.
Here is the finished card.
Remember to leave a comment below and be entered to win this card today and possibly the Grand Giveaway of all 31 cards on February 1, 2015.
Until tomorrow,
Are my ears deceiving me or is mom talking about cats? Cats are our favorite.


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So you've probably seen it all ready. The Kenzo X H&M lookbook. So you know the re-interpretation of the heritage tiger stripes were done to acid dripping effect for the H&M series. Wow….
Honestly, there are only a few pieces I'd wear- BUT – I said few. So, the one's I'd like to get my hands on…
Well… Let's start with this video:
"Youth are catalyst for social change" Amy Sall, Founder and Editor of SUNU in H&M X Kenzo. Out November 2nd.
So, yes, I love the dress. Of course I'm not tall enough to wear it and she makes it look effortless. But I don't care. I love this dress. It is in a classic silhouette, it looks elegant and young and so much fun. I would feel like me in this dress but MORE awesome! I'd need the boots too – seriously, the styling for this was awesome. Did you see the nonchalant draping of the scarf? Love!
Then there's the blouse in this Vogue video inspired by the collection. I would so love that blouse! It's like taking a turtle-neck sweater with a sort of like "peek-a-boo" curtain for your breasts! It's a bit perverted if you get in a flasher frame of mind – but I like that it is falsely demure!
The other looks I like were the colorful renditions of the heritage stripes in unconventional colors- mixed and matched – reconstructed into cool classic silhouettes. I like the materials – very laid back sort of pajama style … thick and heavy – perfect for fall/winter.
The shoes were uninspiring for me and so were the socks which seem like they'd get natty quick! But it's H&M – so like those films where the hero saves the day against unspeakable odds – you have to take it all-in with a grain of salt.
But, so that I don't discriminate against this uber-colorful and deep collection, here are the remaining looks for the Kenzo x H&M collection, out November 3rd!


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Everyone wants to improve their life. But the farther behind we get, and the more obvious it becomes that we really have to start making stuff happen (like five years ago), we adopt the mindset that only crazy-hardcore commitments can make a difference for us. Which paradoxically keeps us from making any change at all.
Because when we drink the hardcore Kool-Aid, this coming from a recovering hardcore Kool-Aid-aholic, we always let ourselves down. Then we trash-talk ourselves for not being perfect, — and we impose scarier and scarier promises on ourselves until we mentally collapse under the pressure and/or look for a comfortable hole to crawl in and die.
There's a good chance you're familiar with this process….especially if you're the New Year's resolution type.
But really, massive change doesn't have to be so hard. Or complicated.
We just have to shift our focus away from the glamorous resolutions that never end up happening—meditate for an hour a day! do yoga 7 days a week! never eat carbs again!—and commit to the plain, unsexy things that make life better in every moment.
Here are three such unsexy habits that have resulted in my *hottest* streak of personal growth yet:
*Sorry, I couldn't not try to make personal improvement sound a little sexy.
If I keep a list of people to pray for, and start my mornings out with 5-10 minutes of connecting to a higher power, I act more selflessly, feel more connected to my purpose and the people I love, and generally act like the best version of myself. Prayer is easily the best investment of time I've ever made.
Still, I'm human; and I fell out of this habit towards the end of last year. Luckily I had good a friend point me back in the right direction before things got too messy. (It did get messy, lest you doubt.)
My girl Rashida shared a pro-found spiritual experience that inspired her to pray every morning. – Then when she told me about all the amazing changes that happened through regular prayer, and I was all, 'Shoot, I really need to get back on it gurrl…' – Rashida told me to get back on it, 'boii'. So I did.
That was at the end of November. And as of writing this, – continuing my morning prayer routine, of course, – the first month of 2019 has been the most inspired and connected month of my life. And I always trace my good decisions back to the simple habit of morning prayer.
(Even if you don't believe in a higher power, prayer automatically makes you a more mindful person, which helps you make better decisions!)
2-Constantly asking myself, 'what's the right decision?'
Good things happen when we make good decisions. (Oy Vey! – the basic stuff we forget!) But even though most of us want to make better decisions daily, we often lose sight of our responsibility to make the best decisions we can in the present moment. – which is the only moment we can control. Unless you're Hermione Granger.
That's why I've gotten in the habit of asking myself, "What's the right decision?" –And I do it as often as possible.
It's pretty easy to do; one could call it 'unsexy'. (I think it's hot.) But still, I can link this question to countless good decisions that have led to me being more creative and more productive, more connected, and more of the person I want to be.
I was taking a walk last week, for instance, when I came up to a street where some elderly friends live. These are dear people I like to visit every once in a while, to give them laughter and company. (Sometimes I'm the only one who laughs at my jokes…) But that day I was rushing; and I definitely didn't have time for them.
Approaching the street, I told myself that a visit was out of the question. But when I got to the street corner, I asked myself, "What's the right thing to do?"- and I took a hard right without even blinking. Because connecting with them was unquestionably the right thing to do.
And even though it was just a 15 minute visit, it was such a pleasure to see them, and we shared so much laughter and fellowship that I could just tell I made a huge impact on their day. Easily one of the best decisions of all time.
When I resumed my walk, I reflected back on my decision and thought, "That's exactly the kind of man I want to be." And even though it was a small action, it quintupled my self esteem; which resulted in a chain reaction of better and better choices that continue to this day.
All you have to do is start asking your self the little, unsexy question:
'What's the right decision?'
And ask often!!!
Nothing is quite as small and unsexy as listening.
I mean, you're one gene away from doing nothing when you listen. But it's really not nothing; – because when you put your monkey brain to rest, and devote your full attention to what the other person is saying, you give them the gift of being understood: which is the gift of connection.
Feeling more connected with the people you love will automatically make this the best year ever. But it gets better.
Because by actively listening, which means consciously pushing aside the desire to say something really interesting, – we know, it's really interesting and important, – you'll begin to hear subtle-yet-inspiring things which resonate with you in a way that JUST DOESN'T HAPPEN when you're chomping at the bit and waiting for a chance to spew the super interesting sh*t you already know.
Listening is crazy underrated.
And when you act on the bits of wisdom that you hear, because you actually listened, and didn't just wait to talk, you will finally experience the drastic change you've been craving*. It just takes time. But the time feels like nothing when you're enjoying the fruits of rich and deep connection with amaze-balls people.
So use them ears, y'all!
*I've experienced so much of this personal-growth-via-listening over the past few months that I've actually considered trading my tongue for an extra ear. And my relationships/overall feeling of connection to others has improved so much since I've become an earnest listener that I'd consider parting with the tongue for free—if I knew it was going to a good home, of course. Message me if you're interested.


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New Botrychium Key for New York
Art Gilman created a Botrychium Key for the NYFA Botrychium workshop in June. You can access the key by CLICKING HERE. We need more information on this group of ferns for New York so we hope you can get out in the field and use this key.Explore posts in the same categories: Publications, Apps, and Websites


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Savings & Investment strategies to achieve your financial goals
Australian Expatriate Group recognises that Australian expats require specialist financial advice and as such, our services are designed with exactly this in mind. As holistic, fee-based financial advisers, we will work with all of our new clients to identify exactly which areas we can assist with, whether this be setting up life insurance policies or designing a strategic plan to reach financial independence. Our team has significant experience and qualifications in the Australian financial advice industry and, as such has the necessary skills to ensure that you make the most of your time offshore.
Asset AllocationAsset allocation is the process of selecting the proportions of your investment portfolio that will be invested in each of the main asset classes. This includes equities, listed property, fixed income suchas bonds, and cash.
Diversifying Your PortfolioAsset allocation accounts for over 80% of your portfolio's overall returns. Simply put, greater attention should be placed on your asset allocation than any other single factor to do with your investments.
Global PortabilityAs an expatriate, it is vital that any savings and investment strategy that you adopt be flexible. Whether you're relocated with work, or decide to live elsewhere, your financial strategies can remain on track.
Giving You FlexibilityAs an expatriate, you will be accustomed to changes in your life, highlighting the importance of flexibility with your financial strategies. Our team at Australian Expatriate Group ensures that all savings and investments are flexible.
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Our Key Savings & Investment Services
Offshore Investing
Offshore portfolio management refers to investing in a diversified portfolio of assets in a jurisdiction that is outside your home country. An offshore portfolio can allow you to save for your retirement and other personal financial goals, while reducing potential future tax burdens and other costs.
Savings Strategies
As an expat working in Singapore, it is likely that your disposable income on a monthly basis is higher than it was when you were working in Australia, or elsewhere, allowing you to save and invest more. The key question is – "Are you making the most of this opportunity, financially?".
Book Your Complimentary Appointment
Click on the buttons below to contact us or arrange your complimentary appointment to discuss we can help you to construct and implement your savings and investment strategies


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Upper Rectory Farm Cottages
7 delightful award-winning cottages sitting around 3 interconnecting courtyards. All bedrooms ensuite. Perfect for family holidays as so many places to go locally, or ideal for the business man looking for an alternative to a hotel. 2 miles of private roads and paths to wander along spotting the local wildlife.Read More


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Does Fade In include a grammar checker?
While Fade In includes both live and on-demand spell-checking (with additional third-party dictionaries available in many languages) it In does not currently have a grammar checker.
One reason for this is that screenplay grammar tends to break a lot of the rules of "proper grammar", and would therefore get flagged by any standard grammar-checking algorithm as being incorrect. (And additionally, every language would need its own screenplay-specific grammar checker.)