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When bacteria enters the urinary tract through the urethra and multiply in the bladder, a urinary tract infection (UTI) occurs.
This infection can affect any part of the urinary system: kidneys, bladder and urethra. Most infections involve the lower urinary tract: the bladder and the urethra. Our physiological make up normally keeps bacteria out of the urethra, but sometimes the best defense fails. If the bacteria take hold, you have a full-blown urinary tract infection.
The female anatomy places women at a greater risk of developing a UTI than men. These infections can be painful and bothersome.
If you experience any of the below symptoms, it's important to see your doctor as soon as possible.
• A burning feeling when urinating
• An intense urge to urinate, and only a small amount of urine comes out
• Pain or pressure in your back or lower abdomen
• Cloudy, dark, bloody or strange-smelling urine
• Feeling tired or shaky
• Fever or chills (a sign the infection may have reached your kidneys)
Here are a few tips that can reduce your chances of developing a UTI.
• Don't "hold it." Urinate when you feel the urge.
• Urinate after having sex.
• Don't use products that aggravate the urethra, like deodorant sprays or scented products.
• Flush bacteria by drinking eight glasses of water each day.
• Add acidic juices like prune, plum and cranberry to your diet.
• Avoid coffee, black tea and alcohol. They can irritate the bladder.
Other conditions that increase the risk of a UTI are pregnancy, multiple sclerosis, and kidney stones. Also, women with diabetes may be at a higher risk of a UTI because of their compromised immune systems.
If you get frequent UTIs, have trouble getting rid of a UTI or are unsure if it is a UTI, visit any of our providers. We're here for you!


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Shilpa Shetty: Sanjay Dutt has come out as hero
Actress Shilpa Shetty expressed happiness over Sanjay Dutt's release from Yerwada Jail in Pune after completion of his sentence in the 1993 serial bomb blasts case and said the actor came out "as a hero."
Shilpa Shetty and Sanjay Dutt
Dutt, 56, today walked out a free man from Yerawada Central prison after being granted remission in his five-year sentence.
"It's a happy event for us. He (Sanjay Dutt) has come out as a hero. Sanjay (Dutt) has done his time and he is looking fitter and better than before. This has been a learning curve even for him," Shilpa told PTI at 'The Bonsai Bonanza & Ikebana Exhibition' here.
"I can only wish him wellness in every stage of his life. I am happy with the fact that he has come out," the 40-year-old actress said.
Shilpa and Dutt have shared screen space in films like "Hathyar", "Jung" and "Dus".
The actress, her husband Raj Kundra and other celebrities like David Dhawan, Apoorva Lakhia, Abbas - Mastan, Ameesha Patel later came to meet Dutt at his residence in suburban Bandra here.
Filmmaker duo Abbas Mastan told reporters "we are happy he is back home. He has suffered a lot..." "We would love to work with him. But as of now, there is no such story idea for him," the duo added.

subset: commoncrawl


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Marketing Expert Predictions For 2016 and More…
Here are some expert predictions for 2016 in terms of marketing and promotion for business. As you most likely know I've been making a full time income in the home based business industry for the past 7 years. As my business has grown I've realized that it's important to stay current.
Old methods still work of course, but with the technology available today. Things can move much faster and can be much easier.
First Up is
Yoav Vilner
He covers quite a bit of great information in his post but what really stuck out for me was his post about snapchat. Now I've personally just started using snapchat myself but the platform is extremely social. It's already being used by political campaigns for the 2016 and is definitely here to stay.
You can find his post by clicking here.
Next We have
A.A. Currey
I'm a big lover of Instagram. In fact as I write this I've been promoting in Instagram for 11 weeks and this weed I should hit 10,000 followers. I've written a book on it which you can get for free. You should be able download it on the side of my blog. This infographic is one that I had to share with you. It shows you exactly why if you have not been promoting on Instagram, you need to start right now. Info Graphic is below and you can see the entire post HERE.
Natasha D. Smith
Natasha shares some amazing twitter rules to follow if you are marketing there. You should be using as many platforms linking to one another as possible. The great thing is that as you post your content. It's really easy to simply share on twitter.
Here is the link to her 10 tips. I hope you enjoy them.
I hope that you enjoyed this post and will share it if you did.


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An Overview of Various Security Aspects for WiMAX Network Technology
WiMAX, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, is an emerging wireless communication system that provides broadband access with large-scale coverage. As a cost-effective solution, multihop communication is becoming more and more important to WiMAX systems. To deploy successfully multihop WiMAX networks, security is one of the major challenges that must be ...Download Now
Analysis of MANET Security, Architecture and Assessment
In these days, the Mobile Ad hoc NETwork (MANET) technology spreads widely. Architecture and security issue is the most sensitive challenge of MANET. MANET support to nodes for directly communications with all the other nodes within their radio ranges through multiple wireless links, where the nodes are not in the ...Download Now


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One of Khloe Kardashian's dedicated fans, a girl named Kelsey Wells, imparted an individual story to the Good American designer about the examination she's confronted in the South to be in an interracial relationship. Khloe, 32, described Kelsey's story on her application:
"Interracial dating in today's society is still looked down upon by many people," Kelsey wrote to Khloe. "I am a woman who dates a man. Why can't it just be that simple?" Kelsey said that everywhere she and her boyfriend go, "there are always stares. People often make rude comments and gestures toward us. I brush it off because I know the man I love is HUMAN."
"Thank you Kelsey for talking about this important issue," the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star wrote back. "I don't support racism or discrimination of any kind, and I especially don't understand why some people are still against interracial relationships. Like who the F cares anymore?! It's so crazy because we're all human beings capable of love so why does skin color have anything to do with it?"
Khloe and her family have confronted unusual criticism in the past for their relationships with dark men, so she recognizes what Kelsey is discussing. Khloe got into a warmed discussion with humorist Pauly Shore amid a scene of her wiped out syndicated program, Cocktails with Khloe back in March 2016, after he asked her, "All you guys date black dudes. Don't start with the whole black going back bullsh*t, but what is it?"


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Cowboy Bebop Episode 1 English Subbed
You are watching Cowboy Bebop Episode 1 English Subbed from the Cowboy Bebop Anime Show. Watch or Download Cowboy Bebop Episode 1 MP4 English Sub and other episodes of Cowboy Bebop Streamed for Free.
"Asteroid Blues"
Stream Cowboy Bebop Episode 1
Episode Summary: Fellow bounty hunters Spike Spiegel and Jet Black head to the New Tijuana asteroid colony to track down a bounty-head who is trying to sell off a stolen cache of a dangerous combat drug called Bloody Eye. This episode pays homage to Desperado, with Asimov resembling Antonio Banderas's mariachi character and Katrina resembling Salma Hayek's character.


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Victoria Dress
Easy fit V neck dress in soft Japanese Triacetate. Pull on 'A' line shape with threaded eyelets at front high waist with adjustable self tie. Elbow length wide sleeves. Side seam hip pockets. Soft curved hem dips at back. Unlined.
60% Triacetate 40% Polyester. Japanese Origin. Made in New Zealand.


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Sometimes when you acquire a piece of clothing it seems to become part of you. You wear it so often it assumes a bit of who you are, or at least how you feel when you wear it. Your attachment to it travels a bit past need and into identification. This sounds very weird and spiritual but have you found it's true?
My mum gave me a Witchery cardigan when I was sixteen. It was 100% wool but lightly woven, slim fitting down the arms, straight cut through the torso but skimming my body close enough to keep my shape and in the deepest, softest navy you ever saw. I lived in it- literally. That was the only cardigan in rotation for the next... six? years (and frequently hand-washed, thank you.) It was perfect-; I didn't want another cardy, I didn't need one. It was warm enough on cool summer nights, it layered easily under every jacket I cared to throw on top, it matched everything- and I only admitted defeat when the holes were so big my elbows went right through. (I still wear it to bed in winter.)
For me, as well as being a practical item (and light enough for the vagaries of the Australian weather) it represented comfort and ease in my own skin- I felt that way when it wasn't on too, but it seemed to affirm those sentiments when I was wrapped up in it. Not to be too poetic about it (who, me?) there is something sensory and transformative about clothing when it is worn- if you strip away the thoughts about the social function of clothing (am I dressed appropriately?) and thoughts about the outward visual projection (how will this make me appear?) and think for a moment on how clothes work inwardly, the way they make us in ourselves is wonderful to consider.*
Well, so it is with my Young Hunting Guillotine Ring which I have rhapsodised about many a time but here's why- it instantly became one of those part-of-me items. Despite being solid silver, I don't notice it's weight on my finger; despite it's sharp, rough edges, it never cuts me; despite how high it sits off my finger, it doesn't slip or snag on things. It is savage and sharp, it is smooth and strong. It simply delights me, a very immediate pleasure. What is interesting to notice is how people respond to it- most kind of recoil and stare, before asking what it is. Sometimes I hand it over and have been surprised by their exclamation that 'it's so heavy!'; most look at it dubiously, turning it over in their palm before handing it back. But there are some people who get it and it is so interesting to see who they are. It's like we're part of a Sensibilities Club, the shared part of our identities revealed only by our identical reaction to the ring. They delight in the shape and balance of it, chuckle when I talk about how I love the implied violence of it ('you of all people'), the rawness of it (for it looks as if it's been carved from a piece of sheer rock.) It's hardly come off my finger since I got it so look for me in six years and I'll be the one with the flattened ridge behind my knuckle where it had to be cut off with pliers because my finger swelled around it. I'm not even joking.
*Stella's work goes into this consideration in ways that this brief Sunday-morning ramble cannot. In short, she is brilliant and maybe one day I'll convince her to guest post and collectively blow us away with her incredible thoughts. For now, you're stuck with me (suckahs!)


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Final Weigh-In On Fat Smash Diet= 197.8 pounds
April 22, 2009 by admin
Filed under Moving Weight
So that's it people, today is the last official day on the diet. It's actually been a couple more days than 90, but like I've said before, phase 2 started on a Wednesday for me, so I wanted to make sure the 11 weeks following the 9 day detox were carried out evenly.
My final weight is 197.8 pounds, down from exactly 200 last Wednesday. Although I must admit, my weight has varied throughout the week, and I've been as low as 195.
Total weight weight loss for the duration of Fat Smash Diet= 56.2 lbs
Since I'm not 100% where I'd like to be just yet, and considering the fact that I'm not having any trouble with the diet itself, I'm going to restart the Detox phase of the diet next Monday, just for good measure.


text: Hello! This is the home of Los Angeles journalist Chris Martins. I write about music a lot. I also cover food, film, and whatever lifestyle stuff fits. In the past year, I've worked with Billboard, Los Angeles Magazine, Paste, Complex, Men's Fitness, and Slate, among others. I've edited for SPIN, The A.V. Club, Filter, and the Third Bridge Creative agency. I report. I do covers (scroll down). Profiles are my favorite. California is the best. Ask me about my pour-over, and that time I joined Digital Underground. ~~~~~~~~~~~ Advertisements


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More of a formality at this point, but USC head coach Lane Kiffin officially announced Marvin Sanders and Scottie Hazelton as coaches. Kiffin initially told recruits at USC's Junior Day over the weekend that Sanders and Hazelton had been hired.
Sanders will serve as secondary coach and Hazelton will coach linebackers.
"Marvin had great success coaching the defensive backs at Nebraska and we believe that will translate well to our secondary, which is the most critical area we need to improve upon in 2012," Kiffin said in a statement. "Scottie is coming to us after helping North Dakota State win the NCAA FCS championship and coordinating a defense that led the nation in scoring defense in 2011, after it was 90th in that category before he took it over just two years ago."
In December, Sanders, 44, was hired as the defensive coordinator and secondary coach at Florida Atlantic. Prior to that he spent three years as Nebraska's defensive backs coach.
Hazelton, 38, spent the past five seasons (2007-11) at North Dakota State, the first three handling the defensive line and the past two as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach.
Here's the full release, with a note that Kiffin expects to announce another assistant coach hiring soon, which is presumed to be Tee Martin as the wide receivers coach.


text:
- Search CSN:
- Members: Login to search all areas
- Not a member? Click here to search public areas
Mar 06, 2011 - 11:32 am
I'm sure it is a common problem. I could use some help.
Mar 06, 2011 - 2:42 pm
Hello imjb,
Mar 06, 2011 - 3:57 pm
As with your husband, my husband has also had issues with sodium and was anemic a few months back. In addition he couldn't tolerate the nutritional drinks as they gave him diarrhea.
Mar 06, 2011 - 4:06 pm
Hi slg. I've been following your posts and just wanted to say hello and tell you to keep being strong. I am so hopeful that all goes well and that you make your trip to Kansas City soon. Take care
Mar 06, 2011 - 5:32 pm
I know you have first hand experience. He already had diarrhea issues then they added the Lactulose because of his ammonia levels and that has even made that worse. He has been eating some pasta and I've found a lower sodium sauce as well as made some with no salt added tomato products. It's just getting harder seems the more labels I read the worse they seem to be. I found a no sodium chicken boullion but the store doesn't carry the beef. It just seems the mg add up so fast. Right now he says the only thing that tastes good is the non salted top saltine crackers and 7 up. After the mess up at the doctor's office Wednesday then the good news Thursday I guess I shouldn't complain about anything but he is miserable with the swelling.
Mar 06, 2011 - 10:03 pm
Hi Maria,


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Moscafrut Program
Moscafrut Program
Orozco D.,Moscafrut Program |
Hernandez M.R.,Moscafrut Program |
Meza J.S.,Moscafrut Program |
Quintero J.L.,Moscafrut Program
Journal of Applied Entomology | Year: 2013
The release of sterile males to suppress the Mexican fruit fly Anastrepha ludens (Loew) population was simulated in field cages to compare the sexual performance of sterile males with wild females in the presence and absence of sterile females. Using different release ratios of sterile and wild individuals, this study showed that the presence of sterile females negatively affected the sexual performance of sterile males in mating with wild females. We found that the sterility induced was proportional to the magnitude of the sterile/fertile ratio. These results indicate that the release of sterile males without sterile females can significantly improve the efficiency of the sterile insect technique for the control of A. ludens. © 2012 Blackwell Verlag, GmbH.
Zepeda-Cisneros C.S.,Moscafrut Program |
Hernandez J.S.M.,Moscafrut Program |
Garcia-Martinez V.,Moscafrut Program |
Ibanez-Palacios J.,Moscafrut Program |
And 2 more authors.
BMC Genetics | Year: 2014
Background: Anastrepha ludens is among the pests that have a major impact on México's economy because it attacks fruits as citrus and mangoes. The Mexican Federal government uses integrated pest management to control A. ludens through the Programa Nacional Moscas de la Fruta [National Fruit Fly Program, SAGARPASENASICA]. One of the main components of this program is the sterile insect technique (SIT), which is used to control field populations of the pest by releasing sterile flies. Results: To increase the efficiency of this technique, we have developed a genetic sexing strain (GSS) in which the sexing mechanism is based on a pupal colour dimorphism (brown-black) and is the result of a reciprocal translocation between the Y chromosome and the autosome bearing the black pupae (bp) locus. Ten strains producing wild-type (brown pupae) males and mutant (black pupae) females were isolated. Subsequent evaluations for several generations were performed in most of these strains. The translocation strain named Tapachula-7 showed minimal effect on survival and the best genetic stability of all ten strains. Genetic and cytogenetic analyses were performed using mitotic and polytene chromosomes and we succeeded to characterize the chromosomal structure of this reciprocal translocation and map the autosome breakpoint, despite the fact that the Y chromosome is not visible in polytene nuclei following standard staining. Conclusions: We show that mitotic and polytene chromosomes can be used in cytogenetic analyses towards the development of genetic control methods in this pest species. The present work is the first report of the construction of GSS of Anastrepha ludens, with potential use in a future Moscafrut operational program. © 2014 Zepeda-Cisneros et al.
Orozco D.,Moscafrut Program |
Salvador Meza J.,Moscafrut Program |
Zepeda S.,Moscafrut Program |
Solis E.,Moscafrut Program |
Luis Quintero-Fong J.,Moscafrut Program
Journal of Economic Entomology | Year: 2013
A new genetic sexing strain of the Mexican fruit fly, Anastrepha ludens (Loew), was evaluated in tests of sexual behavior to determine its possible application using the sterile insect technique. Tests in field cages measuring time to sexual maturity, compatibility with wild flies, and competitiveness were compared between the genetic sexing strain, Tapachula-7, and the mass-reared standard bisexual strain. The results indicated that the onset of sexual maturity was similar for both laboratory strains. Males from the Tapachula-7 strain do not differ from the standard bisexual strain in compatibility and competitiveness with wild insects. The results indicate that the release of Tapachula-7 males in the field would be viable in programs that use the sterile insect technique for the control of the Mexican fruit fly. © 2013 Entomological Society of America.


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Coach Todd says he would like all his players to be fitted with Riddell InSite technology within 3 years. Like most schools, they replace a portion of equipment each year. The 12 players chosen for InSite this year either had prior concussions or their positions made them more susceptible to big impacts.
Currently, 15 Ohio high schools are using InSite, including Brecksville-Broadview Heights, Fairview, Stow, Boardman and Shaker Heights. On the college level, Denison and Ohio Wesleyan use InSite within the state of Ohio.
InSite can cost around $150 per player. It can be purchased already installed in a Riddell Speedflex helmet. Or it can be installed in certain previously purchased Riddell models.


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Chicago Marriott Southwest at Burr Ridge
Select your stay dates to check availability
Chicago Marriott Southwest at Burr Ridge
About the hotel
Property Location
Located in Burr Ridge, Chicago Marriott Southwest at Burr Ridge is connected to a shopping center and close to Creekside Park and Willowbrook Community Park. This hotel is within the vicinity of National Shrine of St. Therese and Twin Lakes Park.
Make yourself at home in one of the 137 air-conditioned rooms featuring flat-screen televisions. Satellite programming provides entertainment, and wired and wireless Internet access is available for a surcharge. Private bathrooms with shower/tub combinations feature designer toiletries and hair dryers. Conveniences include desks and complimentary weekday newspapers, and housekeeping is provided daily.
Rec, Spa, Premium Amenities
Enjoy a range of recreational amenities, including an indoor pool, a spa tub, and a sauna. This hotel also features complimentary wireless Internet access and gift shops/newsstands.
Grab a bite to eat at the hotel's restaurant, which features a bar, or stay in and take advantage of room service (during limited hours). Quench your thirst with your favorite drink at a bar/lounge. Buffet breakfasts are available daily for a fee.
Business, Other Amenities
Featured amenities include a business center, complimentary newspapers in the lobby, and dry cleaning/laundry services. Planning an event in Burr Ridge? This hotel has facilities measuring 10760 square feet (1000 square meters), including meeting rooms. A roundtrip airport shuttle is provided at no charge.
Hotel Facilities
- Business center
- Conference space size (feet) - 10760
- Fitness facilities
- Gift shops or newsstand
- Number of buildings/towers - 1
- Dry cleaning/laundry service
- Indoor pool
- Conference space size (meters) - 1000
- Sauna
- Free WiFi
- Spa tub
- Meeting rooms
- Number of meeting rooms - 10
- Total number of rooms - 137
- Free airport transportation
- Free self parking
- Safe-deposit box at front desk
- Number of floors - 8
- Breakfast available (surcharge)
- RV, bus, truck parking
- Laundry facilities
- 24-hour front desk
- Bar/lounge
- Restaurant
- Smoke-free property
- Free newspapers in lobby
Room Facilities
- Pay movies
- Premium TV channels
- Shower/tub combination
- Designer toiletries
- Rollaway/extra beds available
- Hair dryer
- WiFi (surcharge)
- Blackout drapes/curtains
- Flat-panel TV
- Desk
- Daily housekeeping
- Air conditioning
- Room service (limited hours)
- Wired high-speed Internet access (surcharge)
- Iron/ironing board
- Climate control
- Satellite TV service
- Free cribs/infant beds
- Hypo-allergenic bedding available
- Premium bedding
- Coffee/tea maker
- Private bathroom
- Free weekday newspaper
Hotel Policy
The following fees and deposits are charged by the property at time of service, check-in, or check-out.
- Fee for buffet breakfast: USD 13.95 per person (approximately)
- Fee for in-room wireless Internet: USD 13.95 per day (rates may vary)
- Fee for in-room high-speed Internet (wired): USD 13.95 per day (rates may vary)
The above list may not be comprehensive. Fees and deposits may not include tax and are subject to change.Show all hotel policy Show less hotel policy


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Celebration for Zach
Our good friends and neighbors, the King family, were throwing a big party to celebrate their son Zach- and his three years of successful treatment for leukemia. When they invited the Drop Daddies to play, we were honored to join them.
We were to play in a large temporary tent that had been erected behind the Kings' house. It had heavy plastic sheeting for walls, built-in lights and ducting for heating. It was such an amazingly warm October evening that we removed the heater ducting and pulled back the plastic walls, like stage curtains.
This was the day after the school carnival- making for a busy weekend for the Drop Daddies. We hadn't really prepared a setlist, so we discussed it over dinner (catered by Dickies BBQ), and then we all walked around the corner to John's front door to get on the wi-fi, and sync up Set List Maker on our iPads.
This party turned out to be one of the most fun, and happiest celebrations we've ever been a part of. Everyone, including Zach himself, got up and danced with us, throughout the whole evening. Tami came up and sang with us a couple times, as did her brother on Life Is A Highway!
We played Jack and Diane for the first time – Gary's wife Lisa finally getting her wish. It was Jeff's first time with a mic, and he had fun belting out the chorus in Rock and Roll All Nite. Roy requested John play the solo section in Shook Me All Night Long again, as he had missed it the first time. Even after 30 songs, they were asking us to play more.
We must have been loud- friends all the way across the valley told us the next day that they had heard us!
We receiveda few iPhone videos from friends, and Xeno did some videoing on his iPad. Not the highest quality, but here's a short compilation:


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"After years of being passed around ..."
About: The Royal London Hospital For Integrated Medicine The Royal London Hospital For Integrated Medicine London WC1N 3HR
Posted via NHS Choices (as ),
What I liked
After years of being passed around from one hospital to another, numerous tests done on most parts of the body including heart and brain which I said, there was nothing wrong with. Even been prescribed tranquilisers at one point. One doctor giving an indication of what might be wrong but saying you won't get any help with it, go home and put up with it, and another doctor writing to my GP saying I needed mental care as everything was in my mind, I knew different. Having found RLHH myself, I asked my GP for one last try and if this did not work, I would relunctantly go down the path of mental care.
On arrival at this wonderful hospital in May 2005, when you where at Greenwell St, Great Ormond St undergoing renovation, I met my new doctor for the first time, having a lengthy discussion about my health and life in general, they wer able to confirm to me what one previous doctor had said, but would'nt help me with and that I was suffering from Multi-Chemical Sensitivity Syndrome and that I was not going insane.
From that day forward my life was about to change, at last someone believed me, suffering with chemicals and pollutants, cigarette smoke, paints, additives in food, toiletries and other things, too many to mention, my life was one big mess. but thanks to my wonderful doctor at RLHH and the care and kindness of all staff there. Three and a half years of treatment every few months, I am now a different person, bags of energy, grow all my own organic fruit & vegetables, use only organic toiletries etc; I'm a different person, I don't ail anything anymore, feel fantastic and without being vein look good too, no comparison to the wreck I used to be.
Enjoying life and will be for ever grateful and thankful to my wonderful doctor and all at this marvelous hospital.
What could be improved
No improvement is necessary, only that this hospital should be allowed to carry on and grow and have even more doctors learning there to carry on this wonderful work and that all GP's should have a better understanding of homeopathy and should be allowed to refer patients and also show leaflets in waiting rooms about homeopathy as my own GP shook my hand and said he had learned an awful lot from me visiting and him communicating with my RLHH doctor. If I had this service initially, it would have safed the NHS alot of money on test I knew were not necessary.
Anything else?
I have noticed in the recent news that scientists are saying that there is no evidence to support homeopathy treatment and that funding should be cut. I believe that discussion with all of your patients would reveal a different story. I, myself am that evidence
Thankyou once again.
Response from The Royal London Hospital For Integrated Medicine 7 years ago
Thank you for taking the time to write about your positive experiences at the RLHH.
- {{helpful}} {{helpful == 1 ? "person thinks" : "people think"}} this response is helpful
- Was this response helpful? Yes | No
Thank you for your feedback.
See more responses from The Royal London Hospital For Integrated Medicine


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Monday, 26 December 2016
Time to contribute $$ to CPF for tax relief again
Another way of getting the tax rebate is to do some good by donating back to society. :)
Here is the IRAS link to check out the top-up relief limits: CPF-Cash-Top-up-Relief
(For self is $7000 and for family members is $7000 too. So the maximum rebate amount is $14000.)
And not forgetting, there is also the elusive Supplementary Retirement Scheme (SRS) which you could contribute to...
What is SRS?
More on SRS contributions
If you are lazy to analyse for yourself on whether you should put your money into the SA or SRS, here is a good article that can help to shed some light.
It might be a good alternative to annuity or perhaps even life insurance (if you are already quite aged and need to pay very high premiums).
Note that SRS member can withdraw up to $40,000 per year from his SRS account tax-free from age 62 onwards. Early withdrawal would result in penalty. (If you make a withdrawal before the retirement age of 62, 100% of the sum withdrawn will be subject to income tax. You will also face a 5% penalty for premature withdrawal. - source POSB website)
IMO, if you have no idea on how to invest your SRS money for better returns (than your cpf money) then there is no point in putting the money in the bank's SRS account. The only good thing you can reap out of it is the tax benefit, which would appeal more to the higher earners with spare cash to park somewhere.
For me, I prefer liquidity (and I am terrified of penalty!). So I chose to put the money in my parent's RA since the money can be activated as monthly payout anytime.
Happy New Year! (I think my next post would be in 2017.)
Friday, 16 December 2016
Past tense, Present tense, Future tense of stock market
Present tense = current share price, NAV, news
Future tense = prospect / business analysis, projected earning, speculation
Some people like to make decision looking at the rearview mirror, some people like to make decision based on trend and gut feel, some people like to analyse and try to foresee things.
Which describes you?
My stocks portfolio adventure in 2016:
- Earned an ok dividend of 4.3% by year end
- My worst paper loss this year was -29% in January
- Rode through the boring market period and terrible paper loss by not capitulating and just taking dividends as panadol
- Did some diversification of portfolio as it was over-concentrated in certain equities
- Paper loss (current) is about double the amount of absolute $ of my dividends gained
Looking to do some rebalancing of my portfolio to welcome 2017.
Sunday, 11 September 2016
Stay-at-home long weekend... to shop
Qoo10 is having some cool deals of cart coupon offer here. $3 off $20 min purchase, $10 off $50 and $30 off $200.
I usually shop for clothings, PC and handphone accessories. Because of these great deals, I decided to get something more adventurous - a robot vacuum cleaner. For only $82 after the coupon discount! :)
My mom doesn't like to clean the floor, neither do I. So we can't wait to try out this cute machine. I shall write a review when I get hold of it next week.
Review 9/10/16:
Just slightly bigger than the size of my dinner plate, this little gadget is relatively quiet and simple to use. So far it has functioned quite well as a robot dust sucker, average 3 sessions before 1 charge. Good for people who are lazy to use the broom or lug a bulky vacuum cleaner around the house.
The flip side is it tends to be 'trapped' if it goes under a table or to area less than a meter square so I have got to manually bring it out. There is no mopping function and has no path memory unlike some high-end robot vacuum cleaners. Bin is easy to clean out. Instruction manual is in both English and Chinese. :)
Maybank credit card is now having $10 rebate off first purchase on Shopback for new sign-ups till 31 December. I accidentally went to sign up on the regular page instead of on www.shopback.com.sg/maybank, and realised there's no way to delete that Shopback (email) account anymore. I shall just let that first account stay inactive till auto-termination. Ugh... gotta sign up using another email address.
Oh no, my online accounts for shopping are getting more than my fingers could count.
Are you a online shopaholic too?
Sunday, 14 August 2016
Luck or Hard work to Catch 'Em All?
What I have learnt for everyday life by being part of this craze (besides not to dash around dangerously):
1) Do your research
There are certain tricks and background information to everything. Why I ended up with Squirtle instead of Pikachu? Because I didn't do my research lor... =.=
Same for investing - if you didn't do your research properly and just go with the norm, chances are you would not be getting the good 'hidden' stuff.
2) Increasing your chance of luck also need technique
You don't expect sitting around your house to catch some rare Pokemon. You can only catch them by moving your ass out to places where they are touted to inhabitat. Just as the saying goes "Opportunity is for the prepared", so go to venue XXX, put up some lure and sit for X hours to greatly increase your chance.
Evolving the Pokemon also has tactic. Choose those with CP score towards the end of the scale. Better still if it is high in numerical, but the scale is more important. Because when it evolved, the CP will also be at the higher end.
So get the tactic right and plan your moves, that's very important in winning any game.
3) When all else fail, hard work prevails
What happens if you just can't get enough luck in catching a Gyarados, despite going all the way to Chinese Garden? Go and catch 101 Magikarp lah!
If you catch an average of 3-4 a day, you would get enough candies in a month's time for a magnificent evolution.
Not all shortcuts work out in life. So if you think investing is going to be a shortcut to all your financial woes, first you must make sure that it does not add to your woes. Also make sure you have a backup plan.
Quoting Uncle8888: Wealth = Financial Asset + Human Asset
So when your investments did not work out, you know what to do huh?
Yeah, we can all be like Ash in our own ways and marking our own journeys. Happy catching!
(Why do I feel that as the seasons progress, the Pokemons just got uglier?) :P
Tuesday, 2 August 2016
Savings account promotions
How to get the deal?
- Deposit fresh funds* into your POSB Fresh Funds Account by 4 August 2016.
- Fresh funds deposit via cheque(s), cashier's order(s) and demand draft(s) must be done by 4 August 2016, 3.30pm.
- During the POSB Fresh Funds Account opening process, you will be prompted to select an existing POSB/DBS Current or Savings Account to be used for signature reference. This same account will be used for the crediting of the Cash Gift Interest.
- This account has no applicable fees or charges.
- Capped at S$50,000, with no minimum amount required.
- Maintain the fresh funds deposited in the account for 6 months until 4 February 2017.
- The Cash Gift Interest will be credited into your reference account by 15 March 2017. Your POSB Fresh Funds Account will thereafter be auto-closed and the funds will be credited into your reference account.
- FRESH FUND. Ah duh.
Sunday, 31 July 2016
Stocks app review - Call Levels
The call prices would be consolidated at the bottom, together with the time and date of when they are reached. You could delete them away then add new stock prices to monitor by touching the '+' icon. The only limitation is that it only allows you to key in a few stocks to monitor each time. However, you can get a higher limit when you refer this app to friends.
I only use it to monitor stocks from SGX but it could also be used to monitor US equities, forex and a few others.
Do you know of any other mobile app that alerts you when the stock you want to monitor hits a certain price? If so, please share it in the comment here.
I was trying to write this blog post on a mobile app called Speechnotes. It managed to capture my speech accurately 70% of the time. Maybe it does not take Singaporean accent very well haha.
Sunday, 17 July 2016
7-Minute Workout
Been sitting in front of computer for too long? Here are 12 sets of work out that you could do in a small space within 7 minutes.
Try it daily. :)
If you think that by doing multiple sit-ups you are gonna get rid of your belly fat, you are so WRONG!
The exercises that really get your abs muscles working mostly involve leg movements. Don't believe? Try this out and let me know if your abs muscles ache the next day. You would know which muscles you worked on when they ache. Lol.
Tips: Make sure your lower back is flat against the mat and you suck your tummy in. The video mentioned it at the Toe Tap part. To check that, try to slip your hands under your lower back and make sure they can't be slipped through.
You can buy cheap dumb bells from Daiso. They are bottle dumb bells that you can fill with water to use.
Sunday, 3 July 2016
Oppo A37 - a switch from Samsung experience
I have been using Samsung Galaxy series since the start of smartphone age, with signing of 2-year contracts. However, I don't make much calls or sms so I have decided to get a no-contract sim when my contract ended. M1 is offering some pretty good SIMs only deals. To get the phones at a even cheaper price, sign a 12 month contract and I can get call, sms, data bundled under $25. Bye Singtel...
Attractive as they are, the new Samsung S7 / S7 edge come with exorbitant prices, especially without a contract. I was looking at functionality and pocket-friendliness, not so much on high-tech fanciness and trend. I thought of getting a Xiaomi note 4 as the reviews were pretty good. But... it's SOLD OUT. =.= (My post is back-dated by 1 month so it could be in stock now.) What caught my attention next was Oppo ('bo hir he boon hor') with a price well within my budget and of course a sales person to answer my queries. From afar it looked strikingly like an iphone 6, hmm... their tactic for fighting giants and catching eye balls?
I was thinking between Oppo R9 and Oppo A37 but eventually decided on A37, the 'budget' model, just to try out the Oppo experience without making too big a hole in my pocket. It runs on ColorOS android 5.1.1 and the candybar phone is light and sleek for not-so-big palms. The package also comes with a screen-protector (on phone) and a transparent phone casing.
Ease of navigation on screen is similar to Samsung and it supports all my frequently used apps / widgets just as well. Some differences are:
1) It's installed apps all go to the home screen instead of an app drawer. They can be organised into folders by dragging the icons onto each other. But I still think that clutters my screen.
2) To bring up settings, I need to find the '3 dots' in the app screen instead of using the lower left touch button. It's lower left touch button is for bring up and clearing running apps (I will touch on that more later.) The touch buttons won't light up when touched.
3) There is no notification LED. A little annoying when I charge my phone cos I like to see the light turn green when fully charged, also it's easier to get my mom to switch off the charging for me should I be sleeping. To get around that, I downloaded Ecocharger which would sound an alert ringtone when the phone is charged.
4) The dial screen is white instead of black. No big deal but I seemed to be too used to black dial screens.
5) Easy to use Theme store app. Maybe I am not that up to date with Samsung's apps and have never got down to changing its theme. It's quite fun and easy to change themes on Oppo.
6) No choice of resolution on it's 8mp back camera. (I like to set lower resolution when just taking pictures to show people on whatsapp chats.) But I must give credit to its picture quality and some cool camera functions like create GIF, beautify...
7) I am not too pleased with the original photo gallery which does not sort by Albums. So I downloaded an app to help me sort out my numerous pictures.
8) Can take lengthy screenshot by pressing vol up and power button together.
There are 2 tech 'glitch' which greatly reduced my user-experience but fortunately I managed to rectify after some online forum searching:
1) One-handed operation function that shrinks the screen
This is supposed to be a cool feature if the phone has big screen and you have small hand. However, it irks me very much by shrinking the screen when I didn't intend it to and that is quite often. To turn it off, go to Settings --> Gesture and motion feature, tap it then scroll to single hand operation and switch it off.
2) Apps cannot be whitelisted to run in background
I like to rely on apps that have notification features, such as reminder alerts to do certain tasks, Ecocharger, Colornote etc. However, once I closed the apps, the notifications from them would get turned off too so I am unable to get any reminder alerts and McDonald alarm. :( So I was irritated for a few days until I figured out how to 'pin' apps to keep running.
First you must ensure Notification has been enabled for them, you could do so by going to the App Management screen or go Settings --> Notifications.
Make sure those apps are currently running. Then tap the lower left button (square) to bring up the running apps. If you take a look carefully, you can spot a mini white lock icon at the top left corner of some apps. That is the 'pin'.
If the apps do not have the lock icon, it means that when you clear running apps they would get shut down totally (no notifications anymore). How to get the apps pinned? Instead of tapping on the app which would open it up again, touch and pull it downwards. When you released it you should be able to see the lock icon appear or disappear.
You could do that for as many apps as you want but I do not recommend doing so for more than 3 apps. Simply because it would eat into the RAM which slows down your phone's response speed when you are using other apps.
That's all for my 2-cents worth of Oppo review and guide. I would be sticking with my Oppo for the next 12 months at least, perhaps I would discover new things as I get accustomed to it. Feel free to share if you have other 'tips'.
Saturday, 4 June 2016
My thoughts on rights issuance
When I think of rights, I think of share dilution. More shares at cheap price for existing shareholders, some would scurry to sell off once they get hold of the rights share before the full dilution takes effect.
Not all rights are right to get. However, if you decided not to get then you might be better off selling away the shares instead of holding them (before full dilution takes place as mentioned). A few questions you can ask yourself before taking the leap of faith are - why is the company issuing rights? This in turn gives answer to what it would do with the money gathered. Most of the time it is for paying off debts. Fair enough. But what's next? How are they going to turn their business around? What data did you get your convictions from? How are you able to minimise your risk?
(From a bad past experience, when a company can't turn its business around fast enough, it's share price would plummet faster than one could finish swearing and starts to react. Plummeting could continue even after price dilution effect has taken place.)
To get or not to get? To jump or not to jump?
Wednesday, 1 June 2016
SME's resources
Here are some of the resources:
IDA Singapore - https://www.ida.gov.sg/Programmes-Partnership/Small-and-Medium-Enterprises
SME Portal - https://www.smeportal.sg/content/smeportal/en/bizguides/business-development.html
Enhanced ISprint Program - https://www.ida.gov.sg/Programmes-Partnership/Store/Enhanced-iSPRINT
Programmes by NLB - http://www.nlb.gov.sg/golibrary/programme/Business.aspx
Have been too busy in my new job to blog about stocks. Market has been quite quiet lately so I am staying dormant too.
Wednesday, 27 April 2016
Trendline drawing is fun!
Going sideway soon?
On a happy steep climb. For now.
* Disclaimer: These are NOT investment advice. Your own discretions apply in the chart usage.
- Zoom out to 5 years or maximum, zoom in to 2 years, zoom in to 6 months or even more recent depending on your trade time horizon. See the macro and micro trends.
- Find trend, draw lines. Lines should be touching closing price of candles.
(no trend don't enter. sideway stocks don't enter. downtrend can consider shorting.)
- Determine the entry price based on an established trend, indicators or a break-out.
- Weigh the downside versus upside potential (risk to reward ratio).
- Determine the stop-loss price somewhere below the support. (eg. Stanchart can set stop-loss, put minimum selling price much lower cos if price breaks below it that would deactivate the stop loss.)
- Position sizing, calculate what is a fair amt of shares to buy (eg. not more than
x% of investment capital).
- If price follows trend channel, let your profit runs. If it fails, get out.
- Set trailing stop losses (based on new suport levels) to reap profit before trend-reversal happens.
- Sell if bad news about the company broke out or major support level broken.
6 rights, 2 wrongs... can still be costly
"It's not whether you're right or wrong that's important, but how much money you make when you're right and how much you lose when you're wrong." - George Soros
Back to school - SGX academy
My advise for this is don't attend FOC preview courses, because most of the time you will be listening to just-some-ideas and much self-selling (to make you attend the actual course). For better learning experience and not waste time, go for the paid courses that suit your level.
The recent course I went for is on technical trend trading for beginners (3 hours). Prior to this I have had some knowledge on technical analysis but going for live talk on it was far more entertaining and enriching than book-reading I feel. Reasons being:
- Case studies on Singapore stocks
- Some experience sharing by speaker
- Gist of the books summarized in slides format
- No distractions of wanting to do other things or skip chapters
The basic trading principles and best practices coincide neatly with what I have learnt over the years from reading blogs and books. Those information I have gathered earlier through reading are like jigsaw puzzles - I got to slowly sort them out and piece them together forming various pictures over a long period. Some of blog posts I came across was too 'cheem' for me when I was an investment novice and I simply got tuned out as I couldn't make sense of them. The course on the other hand, would paint an organized picture right away for the learners without a need to piece any puzzle. Key points I took years to realize suddenly stared at me in bold.
Amidst a revision of the main TA principles, I also managed to catch some other useful pointers like on risk management, where to set stop-loss and position sizing. A little more advanced thinkers or hybrid lovers would start to think of strategies to marry TA and FA nicely thereafter. No, no such course yet.
Some people would say why go for talks or courses, isn't it better to learn by experience? My answer to that is yes and no. Use the knowledge and understanding to experience - yes definitely.
Last but not least, one very important thing I learnt lately about investment is to PLAN. As the saying goes "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail." Same goes for investment. Entry, exit, time horizon, trade size...
Then it goes on to the battle with the mind. Because the hardest part is always the ACTION or plan execution. Now we need some ninja discipline here.
"The fastest way to go broke in the stock market is to prove that you are right and the market is wrong."
No matter whether we are using TA or FA, ultimately we are utilizing past data to help us extrapolate the future so as to estimate the potential returns of an investment. But who can truly predict the future? That is why risk management and minimization of bias are important.
Thursday, 14 April 2016
Recent reads: The Next Apple, Bull's Eye Investing
- pick stocks that have potential to appreciate substantially (think Earnings growth).
- make sure our inevitable mistakes are not going to hurt our returns too much.
- stay with our winning stocks long enough to make a difference in our returns.
- be careful of down crash, use stop-loss (as per usual) - I am thinking of trailing stop-loss though that's not covered.
- make sure our position sizing doesn't hurt our performance, sleep and confidence.
- to be active in the market when it is worth being active. To do nothing when there's nothing to do.
This is a refreshing read from the boring old FA stuff.
Many times it mentioned that we are in a secular bear market since 2000 (what now?) and talked about how we could tackle it. It also flagged out something we often overlooked in our course of investing - that at different times, different 'trending' stocks push the market up (means at different time points in the stock market centuries, different hot industries drove the economy). Then there's some draggy parts about mutual funds which I skipped.
Interesting bits on investor's psychology here... 6 mistakes of investors:
Rules for value investing (ok some boring stuff do popped up )
- Cut your losers and let your winners ride.
- For every stock you buy, set target prices for selling to collect your profit in stages. Set targets.
- Be patient. Trust your research. (read more at the Graham's number part)
- Don't try to time the stock,
- Do not fall in love with your stock.
- Diversify.
Here's an example of a secular bear market chart I plucked off google if you don't know what that means:
This marks the end of my very brief book summary. If you have read them, do share with me what other 'gems' you found inside ok?
Time to pack for my Taiwan trip tomorrow. Ciao~
Tuesday, 5 April 2016
What you need to trade SIP / CFD
Maybe the next thing you know they would start making risk management course compulsory. Shhh.
\You could take the courses and tests at:
http://sips.abs.org.sg/Default.aspx# (each course consists of about 60 slides with a 15-question quiz at the end of each set)
They would then send you a soft copy certificate. For POEMS account opening, you need to indicate your scores on the application form under the respective SIPs.
Personally, I would not advise anyone to dabble in SIPs if you are not sure of what you could do with them and what they could do to you.
Saturday, 26 March 2016
Use Skillsfuture Credit to up your financial literacy
What courses can help you improve on financial literacy or understand investing better?
Check them out here:
SIM modular courses: http://www.unisim.edu.sg/CET/Documents/SkillsFuture%20Courses%202015.pdf
You could also check out SGX Academy for more investment courses (may need to verify against the course list on Skillsfuture for eligibility). Some of them are FOC.
Friday, 25 March 2016
Balance Sheet & Cashflow - summarized definition
Making sense of a company's Balance sheet - it should all balance up
In a Balance sheet there's two parts of equivalent values:
1) Total Assets $ =
2) Total liabilities and Equity
This is because Equity = Total assets - Total liabilities, so both values would be the same.
Equity is also known as net asset or net worth of a company. It comprises of two parts - Retained earnings and Treasury stocks
Reference: http://news.morningstar.com/classroom2/course.asp?docId=145091&page=7&CN=
An important ratio that you can derive from here is this:
Current asset / Liabilities
If it's more than 1.5, the company is generally doing okay (not neck-high in debt).
Statement of Cash flow - show me the money
Cash flow is important because it tells you how much cash a company generates. If a company makes profit but did not generate any spare cash in the process, it might spell financial trouble ahead.
Cash flow statement has three parts:
1) Operating activiities
2) Investing activities
3) Financing activities
Free Cash Flow = Cash from Operations - Capital Expenditures
Reference: http://news.morningstar.com/classroom2/course.asp?docId=142913&CN=COM&page=4
Just bear in mind that sometimes things are not as simple as they look because there is such a thing call 'financial engineering' where some figures could be created to make things look good and yet legit. For example, manipulation of ROE through aggressive stock buybacks despite in high debt, no re-evaluation of company's fixed asset etc.
Also look out for any third-party related transactions and look out for exceptionally big figure of good wills. These would require more in-depth reading for a good understanding.
Tuesday, 22 March 2016
Which character best describes you in investing?
- The 'asset-rich' but not very smart crocoduck
- The resourceful white sheep? "Fluffy and trying to be carnivorous."
- Or... the matrix frog "Watch my agility - huat huat huat huat!"
Sunday, 13 March 2016
Retail - expectations vs reality
At the burger chains, the Counter Staff multi-tasking duty revolves around two things - cashiering and passing the correct prepared food to customers. If you go to the big shopping malls these days, you might have noticed that most of the fast-food chains are evolving their services. Mcdonald's and KFC starts to have separate cashiering and serving counters plus automated self-order kiosks, instead of the old school way of multi-tasking. I haven't been to Burger King frequent enough but I do know that the one at Kallang Wave Mall has the same layout with a digital Q number screen long before I see MCD's. It is also a form of optimising their 'production line' to speed up sales (many POS versus 1 service counter).
On the other hand, staff working at small retailers practically have to do EVERYTHING - what I call ultimate multi-tasking (in hokkien they say 'bao ga liao'). From cashiering, to merchandising, ordering, admin stuff, housekeeping, answering phone calls, and last but not least, serving the shoppers (I don't call all as customers as some are just browsing or have no buying intention). Again, this is a disadvantage compared to burger chains since ALL who are being served at the fast-food counters are customers not shoppers. Pretty much nothing more are to be expected besides getting the food which was ordered in a timely manner - then find the straw and stirer yourselves please. You don't see burger flippers doubling up as cashiers or cleaners, do you?
By the way, golden arches has one of the world best business system.
Then let us take a look at the big non-FMCG retailers. For them, I believe the 80/20 (Pareto's) rule applies where 20% of customers who walked in contribute to 80% of their sales. This is because they are selling specialty or luxury products which not everybody can afford or need. Footfall generally is lower and market is more niche. When they charge premium price, of course they would need to dish out premium service. (Why do you think they hire so many sales persons standing around in suits?)
Now back to the big FMCG retailers. Imagine instead of looking into improvising merchandising, promotions or automating / streamlining processes to make work easier and more efficient for its workers, the almighty management puts its main focus on cutting manpower cost and telling store staff to improve on their customer service (by their own motivation). Then they wonder why sales went down although cost-savings went up. Management expectations versus reality check?
As each of the retailer are retailing different products, we can't expect them to all function like the burger chains. Each may have its unique and advantageous business model.
Among the various retail companies that are listed out there, which would you invest in?
Why would you say so?
(I shall not bother with small non-FMCG retailers as I have not spotted any with substantial profitability.)
Thursday, 10 March 2016
Time or Money? II
Today incidentally, I caught something interesting in the book 4-hour Workweek:
"People don't want to be millionaires—they want to experience what they believe only millions can buy. Ski chalets, butlers, and exotic travel often enter the picture. Perhaps rubbing cocoa butter on your belly in a hammock while you listen to waves rhythmically lapping against the deck of your thatchedroof bungalow? Sounds nice.
$1,000,000 in the bank isn't the fantasy. The fantasy is the lifestyle of complete freedom it supposedly allows. The question is then, How can one achieve the millionaire lifestyle of complete freedom without first having $1,000,000?"
This set me thinking.
Wednesday, 9 March 2016
Revisit: Knowing when to sell your shares
Below is an article by Motley's Fool. It was a burning question in me when I first learnt about investment.
"Buy because of the price but don't sell for the price. Sell because it's value has depreciated or there's a better value investment elsewhere to park your money."
In essence, it's time to part with your shares if either of these happen...
- P/E ratio goes sky high
- P/B ratio goes sky high
- Eroding fundamentals of the company
- Poor outlook of business sector eg. competitive edge has worn off, declining industry
I have to add one more - 5. when market sentiment is turning bad, share prices can't break through long term resistance and start to break through support.
Why? So that we can do fruit picking in times like this.
The game of patience in stock market is not how long you hold onto your stocks, it is waiting for the right time to sow and harvest. So that realized gains are more than realized losses.
For my dory memory... now I have this. :)
|Replaced my running man wallpaper. Courtesy of Createwealth8888
Tuesday, 8 March 2016
How much do I need to retire
And discovered I need at least $1 million to retire if I want to retire 20 years from now. Assuming I spend only 60% of my current income on retirement. (I suspect the system didn't take into account any prospective pay rise or maybe it just assume a flat inflation rate of an unknown x% for all the current figures. My shortfall predicted at $xxx,xxx with a beautiful chart representation.)
So what now?
Monday, 7 March 2016
Share price woes of Keppel Corp
Biggest dip for share price in the year: $9.54 to $4.64 (a whooping -51% that sent the price below its NAV)
Current share price: $6.19 (-35% from Yr 2015 high)
Saturday, 5 March 2016
Book review: Rich Dad's guide to investing
I borrowed this book from the library last week by chance. It is the third book of the famous Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki. If you expected it to be your usual FA TA book then you would be sorely disappointed. I find it more of a pep talk book - to help in adjusting the reader's mindset to think rich.
The first couple of chapters in the book reminded me of SMOL's favourite line "come have a kopi and char shao bao...". Then it goes on saying one should get to know oneself and what type investor one wants to be.
Friday, 4 March 2016
4D market rules in a crash (scroll to the end for entertainment)
- Don't catch a falling knife.
- Don't capitulate (too late) when there's a sell-down frenzy.
- Don't try to average down, especially with margin.
Cos this is like number 1+2 combo which equates money suicide. But is short-selling with CFD a good idea?
- Do diversify.
Do not put all excess cash into 1 stocks, do not make up your portfolio with only stocks, do not buy stocks from only one market or sector. If you don't know which to pick, ETF is a good choice.
Tuesday, 23 February 2016
My loser stocks
Bakertech - down 56.6% (an old stock bought and forgotten as a result of laziness)
OCBC - down 11.9%
Sempcorp - down 10.3%
My investing report card this sem is marred in red by the "oily bear".
Moral of my story: Besides not catching a falling knife. Need to get more tools and sharpen them at the same time. With more tools, one would be able to utilise the right tools at the right time whether to hedge or to profit from the bull// bear market. (What is 'right' and how to utilise? Homework - go and figure them out.)
Update 21/3/16
Rebalanced my portfolio + price rebound + cut some losses to minimise further risk exposure. Finally double digit (%) paper loss now became single digit.
In a bull market, priority is to maximise profit. In a bear market, priority is to minimise losses.
|Sempcorb on the turn-around?
Source: http://www.valuewalk.com/2016/01/howard-marks-new-memo-2/?all=1
Monday, 8 February 2016
Happy Monkey Year 2016!
This is a great game to teach you and your kids on resource management. It is fun and quick to play with no test on patience (oh I hate those games that drag on and on).
Basically you start off the game with some cash to buy monkey towers (you will earn more cash as the game progresses). The objective is to clear as many levels as possible by popping balloons of all sorts - with each increasing level, the balloon types get harder to pop. In 'assault' play, you could match against somebody and deploy sabotages in the fury balloon popping battles. The monkey towers which you chose at the start of the game and how you place / deploy them are crucial in winning the game.
In case players get bored with 1 map, the game allows to play a variety of route maps with different backdrops which differ in route pattern and length. This in turn would result in different tower combo use and deployment methods for winning the game.
There's an enclopedia about the game here: http://bloons.wikia.com/wiki/Bloon
Bloons also teaches us the importance of the following...
- First mover advantage
- Warchest deployment
- Diversification
Round 34 is the max I have gotten to before I get snubbed by the crazy M.O.A.B's attacks. If you could go beyond this level, please let me know what's your strategy.
Happy monkey-ing!
And Huat ah! :)
Monday, 18 January 2016
My investment "Inside-Out"
So I have created an Inside-Out table in an excel sheet format. (Yes, the boring excel sheet is a wonderful tool for all sorts of investment recordings.) The table has got three columns which runs down chronologically. One column is the date, one is the emotions or 'how I was feeling at that point' and the third is a description of the mistakes made. 'How I am feeling' column is filled according to my emotion that triggered the mistake at that point when I made the decision.
I find this chart very useful in helping me to identify and keep track of which emotions hindered my investment decisions. This is an example of my "Inside-Out" table:
Sunday, 17 January 2016
Keppel Corp - signs of oversold?
All time high this year: $9.54
All time low this year: $4.82
RSI is at extreme low of 30.67.
Volumes are higher than usual last week plus consecutive price falls are indicative of big sell-down. Are investors capitulating or what? (And I also wonder if brokerages have enough shares to lend those short traders.)
|Adj Close*
|Jan 15, 2016
|Jan 14, 2016
|Jan 13, 2016
|Jan 12, 2016
|Jan 11, 2016
|Jan 8, 2016
|Jan 7, 2016
|Jan 6, 2016
The Sete Brasil threat is still on the brink. The outcome would impact its share price and determine the coming support level.
Just wondering is there any point in buying STI ETF if one want to bottom-fish the worst performing big blue chips in the STI ETF (since the strength of STI recovery is dependent on these unwell big fishes).
My take now is to nibble slowly alas get indigestion.
Mini update from external source:
Analysts came up with an article today 19/01/16 saying that the Keppel share price has fallen to the point where O&M sectored has been valued to below zero - http://singaporestockmarketnews.com/2016/01/keppel-corp-buy-keppel-and-get-offshore-division-free/


text:
kenb 0
Using an HP desktop with:
AMD Athlon II X4 630 Processor - 2.80 GHz. with 6GB RAM.
NVIDIA GeForce 9100 Display Adapter
Windows 7 Ultimate, 64-bit.
I was unable to boot the system from a USB flash drive, wither with the .dmg file or the .iso file. (The system ignores the usb, and goes straight to a windows boot).
So I created a VM, using VMware Player version 6.0.6 build-2700073. (I am not sure if this is the right version to use - it was recommended by a comp sci lecturer. But I feel like i am flying blind, and one of my querstions is whether i need a different VM platform, or if i should forget the VM route altogether, and go back to trying to get the system to boot from USB.)
I set up a VM using the Yosemite .iso file. The VM opens to the Hackintosh splash page, and never gets further. The VM settings are:
4GB Memory
2 Processor
20GB Hard Disk (IDE)
CD/DVD (IDE) - using the Yosemite .iso file
Network Adapter NAT
Sound Card - Auto Detect
Display - Autodetect
The OS shows as Other-64-bit
Suggestions for what to do next?


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A modern mobile phone is more than just a tool to make a call or send a text message. It is pretty much a fully comprehensive, multi-purpose mini-computer, one that has a camera attached and can be used as a portable gaming console. Mobile phones like the iPhone can also be used to download and store thousands of different apps, making each one completely customised and unique to the user. For one person their phone might be turned into a gaming device with dozens of games; for someone else it can be a business phone used for planning meetings, creating schedules, and writing documents. All of these functions draw power from the phone, and this makes it ever more important to be able to charge the phone in a variety of different places and circumstances.
About Phone Chargers
When someone buys a new mobile phone, it will come with a compatible charger. Over the years, phone manufacturers have generally made specialised connection ports and chargers that only work with their phones. More recently, however, various phones use a standard micro-USB port to charge them, meaning that some chargers will now be compatible with phones made by different brands. There are a variety of different types of chargers that people can use in different situations. These will include:
Wall Chargers
Wall chargers are the typical chargers that come with new mobile phones. They consist of a simple connector that fits in the phone on one end of a lead and a plug on the other. When the plug is inserted into the mains power socket, it will draw energy into the phone, charging the battery.
Car Chargers
Car chargers are plugged into the cigarette lighter in the car. They draw energy from the cars battery and use this to charge the phone. They can either be simple chargers with a lead connecting the cigarette lighter and the phone connection, or larger fixed units allowing the phone to sit upright on the dashboard or near the gearstick.
USB Chargers
USB chargers allow users to charge up their phones via any laptop, desktop, or device that has a USB port. Often wall chargers have detachable USB ports. For example, many iPhone chargers have a USB port that connects to a plug. As such, it can be used with both mains power sockets and laptops or desktops.
Portable Chargers
Other portable chargers also exist. These include solar powered chargers that charge the phone by harnessing energy from the sun using photovoltaic solar cells. They will commonly charge the phone straightaway when exposed to sunlight, with some storing additional energy to be used for later. Other portable chargers include portable battery powered chargers that commonly use AAA batteries as their power source and portable power packs that will need to be charged themselves: after this, they can transfer their charge into the phone. Finally, hand crank chargers are useful in emergencies as they only require manual muscle power to get them working, even if a lot of effort only translates to a minute or two of talk time.
Universal Chargers
Universal chargers come with a variety of connectors so that the charger can be used with various different phone brands, makes, and models. These are useful for people who have more than one phone and for households and office environments where a range of different phones are constantly in use.
About 3-in-1 Universal USB Mains Chargers
3-in-1 mains chargers combine several of the above chargers into one. As such, they make the ultimate all-purpose charger for those who wish to use their charger when in the home, car, office, and wherever they happen to have their laptop. They come with all of the necessary leads to allow them to operate with almost any phone, whether being plugged into the mains, car cigarette lighter port, or PC USB socket. Using a 3-in-1 charger provides any user with plenty of charging options. For example, when at home they can choose to either put the mains wall charger together and plug their phone in that way. Alternatively, they can simply plug the USB charger into their PC when working and then charge their phone that way instead. When using a laptop, both the laptop and the phone will be being charged at the same time if the laptop itself is plugged into the mains. When on the move, the phone can be charged by simply plugging it into the cigarette lighter. Alternatively, the phone can still be juiced up by using the laptop while driving.
Multi-Tasking with a USB Charger
The most obvious way of multi-tasking when using a USB charger will come when the phone is being charged and data transferred at the same time. Many modern phones have data storage capabilities, allowing people to store pictures, videos, and music on their phones' memory card. When someone wants to transfer a set of pictures to their computer, for example, they will need to connect the two together using the USB cable. While this transfer is in progress, the phone will also be charged. Not only this, but the person will be able to work at the same time, watch a film, or listen to music. As such, multi-tasking when charging a phone and using a laptop is made very easy with a USB charger.
Multi-Tasking with a Car Charger
The car charger allows someone to multi-task insofar as they will be travelling while charging their phone at the same time. As soon as the phone is plugged in and the car started, the cars battery will start charging the phone straight away. Again, this is hugely useful for people who wish to keep their phone juiced up while going from place to place.
Buying a 3-in-1 Universal USB Mains Charger on eBay
When it comes to buying a 3-in-1 USB mains charger, eBay is the place to go. The first step of the buying process will involve finding appropriate listings. To do this, go to the category marked Electronics & Technology on the homepage, followed by Mobile & Home Phones, then Mobile Phone Accessories, and finally Chargers & Docks. When this page loads, all of the listings within this category will appear. This will be a very broad search, so it is a good idea to narrow the search using the tabs down the left of the page. Under type there is no specific link to specify a search for 3-in-1 chargers alone, so at this point it will be a good idea to turn to the search function. So, click on the box at the top of the page, and then type in '3-in-1 universal chargers' and see what comes up. Now it is a case of searching through the listings to find those that are appropriate. When doing so, pay attention to several key things: seller ratings, product description, item location, item condition, and price. Ideally, it is important to buy a charger that is new, locally stored, affordable, properly described, and sold by a seller with an excellent rating. Only once each of these boxes has been ticked should a purchase be made. At the same time, it is advisable to spend some time comparing a variety of different products if need be.
Anyone who relies on their phone and finds themselves always on the go will do well to get a universal 3-in-1 charger that works with the mains, in their car, and with laptops and desktops as well. Doing so will allow them to keep their phone fully juiced throughout the day no matter where they are. When shopping, make sure that the charger is fully compatible with the particular phone it will be used with or several different phones if it is to be used by different people. Compare sellers, and only buy from those who are rated well on eBay.


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Reeling in Motown
The Detroit Pistons and the Orlando Magic are still on top of their respective divisions, but they have not played much like first-place teams lately.
Coming off yet another lopsided loss, the Pistons look to avoid a season-high third straight defeat on Monday and try to blow out the Magic for the second time in as many meetings this season.
Oddsmakers from SBG Global have made Detroit –2.5 point spread favorites (NBA Odds) for today's game, the over/under has been set at 191.5 total points (Matchup). Our public betting information shows that 79% of bets for this game have been placed on Detroit –2.5 (View NBA Bet Percentages).
Detroit (29-12) lost just seven of its first 33 games, racing to a 10-game lead in the Central Division. That stretch concluded with an 11-game winning streak, which ended with a 92-85 home loss to Eastern Conference-leading Boston on Jan. 5 - a defeat which seems to have sent the Pistons into a funk.
It was the first of five losses in the last eight games for Detroit, which has seen its division lead dip to seven games over second-place Cleveland.
"We're playing with no type of energy and no kind of chemistry," Pistons forward Antonio McDyess said. "It's like everyone is out of whack. I don't know what it is but we have to come together."
Detroit handed the Magic (25-17) what remains their biggest loss of the season, 116-92 in Orlando on Nov. 2. That was one of just four defeats in November for the Magic as they took control of the Southeast Division.
They ended 2007 on a four-game winning streak, but have gone 3-6 this month to see their division lead shrink to two games over Washington.
It had been a month since the Magic beat a team with a winning record before they posted a 101-94 home victory over Portland on Saturday.
"This one is out of the way and we have an even better team coming in Monday, the Detroit Pistons, so we have our work cut out for us," Orlando's Rashard Lewis said. "I think we are a great scoring team but we just have to continue to play defense."
The way the Pistons have lost some games lately has coach Flip Saunders concerned.
Last Sunday, Detroit managed only one more point than the lowest total in franchise history in an 89-65 road loss to a New York team which owns the second-worst record in the East. The Pistons bounced back to beat Toronto on Tuesday, but have since suffered back-to-back losses to sub-.500 teams.
One night after a 100-93 home loss to Sacramento, Detroit was held to 14 points in the fourth quarter en route to a 97-81 defeat at Chicago.
"I told our players they have an obligation to go out and give great effort every night," Saunders said. "And the last two nights I don't think we played with the passion we need to play with so we addressed it and we need to get back on track."
The Pistons have given up more than 95 points in back-to-back games for the first time since mid-November.
Detroit is also shooting 40.9 percent from the field over the last eight games while getting held to an average of 88.3 points, nearly 10 below their season average.
"This is definitely fixable," Pistons guard Richard Hamilton said. "We have to be ready to play. We can't wait until the fourth quarter, we can't wait for the playoffs. We have to come out and play hard and play 48 minutes."
Rasheed Wallace has become a non-factor offensively, failing to score in double figures in four straight games. He's averaged 6.5 points in that span while shooting 27.5 percent from the field and 1-for-14 from 3-point range.
Orlando's Hedo Turkoglu had been in a similar slump, averaging 8.7 points on 9-of-36 shooting during a three-game stretch, before scoring 36 points over the last two games. He led the Magic with 20 points in Saturday's victory.
Even Dwight Howard has been less effective offensively in recent weeks, scoring 17 points or less in seven of the last 11 games. He averaged 23.7 points through the first 25 games of the season.
Howard was limited to 16 points in the first meeting with Detroit, which has won five straight and nine of 10 versus the Magic.
By: Marc Young - theSpread.com - Email Us
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100Pcs 20 Dollars The United States of America Training Banknotes Coins Replica.
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New 100Pcs 20 Dollars The United States of America Training Banknote Learning notes ReplicaTraining Banknote Not legal tender!!!
Purchasing tips:
This is Bank Training Ornamental Learning Favorite Commemorate Appreciate supplies,Not legal tender, This is not in circulation. Please Read the description as good before buying. Lest some misunderstanding occurred. Thank you.
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Items will be send out within 2 working days after payment received. we will use China Post Air Parcel Service.
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Lowrance Carrying Case for the Endura Series
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Black Durable nylon carrying case custom fit for the Endura GPS products; includes velcro belt strap, caribiner clip, and internal pocket for microSD cards.
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Please be careful when ordering this product, it has limitations that differ from our General 30-day Return Policy. After all, we want you to be satisfied with your order so you'll return again and again as an iboats.com customer, and to also recommend us to your boating friends
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What is hydration therapy?
Hydration therapy is a common, dosage minimally-invasive pain-free procedure to intravenously deliver fluids, cheap medications, rx and vitamins directly into your bloodstream to provide immediate relief for fatigue, overexertion, hangovers, jet lag, flu, flu-like symptoms, and hydration depletion.
What are the benefits of hydration therapy?
The benefits of hydration therapy are different for each individual but may include increased energy, bolstered immune system, and flushed toxins.
How is the hydration therapy administered?
Treatments are administered through an IV and are performed by licensed medical professionals in a comfortable, sterile, upscale, spa-like atmosphere.
What is in the hydration therapy formula?
Hydro-Clinic's proprietary treatments have been developed by top medical professionals. Hydro-Life, the base treatment, is a 1000mL lactated ringer consisting of Sodium, Potassium, Calcium, Chloride, and Lactate. Additional medicines available include Toradol for aches and inflammation, Zantac for an upset stomach, and Vitamin B-12 for general wellness.
How long does the treatment take?
The hydration therapy treatments last approximately 30 minutes. Each private treatment room features cold eye masks and a flat screen HD television in a spa-like setting.
What makes Hydro-Clinic different than other clinics offering hydration therapy?
Each proprietary treatment was developed by top medical professionals led by the company's Medical Director, Dr. Bobby Kaufmann, who has been practicing internal medicine in the Atlanta area for over 24 years. Dr. Kaufmann is recognized as one of the area's top internal medicine physicians and is a leader in the emerging practice area of IV therapy.
Who is recommended to receive hydration therapy?
Hydration therapy can assist patients with a wide range of ailments including fatigue, overexertion, hangovers, headaches, jet lag, flu, flu-like symptoms, and hydration depletions. Hydro-Clinic also offers special treatments to help with inflammation, upset stomach, and nausea. Athletes, people with active lifestyles, those that are sick, frequent travelers, and busy moms looking to keep up their energy all may benefit from hydration therapy.
Who administers the IV treatments?
Hydro-Clinic's proprietary IV blends are only administered by experienced, board-certified and licensed medical professionals in a medically sterile environment.
How many treatments are recommended?
Treatments are recommended on an individual basis. Hydro-Clinic's board-certified medical personnel will assist patients in completing a questionnaire about their medical conditions and wellness state to help determine their treatment options based on Dr. Kaufmann's recommendations.
What is the cost of the IV treatments?
Treatments range from $29 for Hydro-Life, the most basic fluids, to $99 for Hydro-Detox, a full detox to help flush the body of toxins.
Is home service available?
Hydro-Clinic also offers mobile services for in-home treatments.


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Happy Monday Friends! I hope you had a great weekend and your week has gotten off to a great start! This morning I had to run to get my blood drawn before work (boo) and then headed quickly into the office. I am impressed that even with a late start, I still made it in by 9:10. In another post I will be sharing a bit about what's going on with me (physically) but let's get to the fun part: A GIVEAWAY!
Today I wanted to share a bit with you about Dial's New Body Wash: Miracle Oil. I was super excited to try this out because my skin has been soooo dry lately that even daily lotion, with Shea butter, application was not cutting it.


text: The Cultured Pearl of Charleston WOVEN PEARL BRACELET $75.00 Freshwater cultured pearls are artfully woven together in a modern design. Finished beautifully with a secure 925 sterling silver post. Choose 7.5" or 8" length See more here Contact: Service - Jewelry Website - www.theculturedpearlofcharleston.com WOVEN PEARL BRACELET $75.00 Freshwater cultured pearls are artfully woven together in a modern design. Finished beautifully with a secure 925 sterling silver post. Choose 7.5" or 8" lengthSee more hereSpecializing in matching the jewelry style to your bridal style. Have a design in mind? I can create it for you! Many gift choices for bridesmaids in stock.See more hereClassic style with a twist! White 5mm freshwater pearls discreetly woven into a v-shaped necklace...imagine these peeking out of a white blouse or v-neck sweater or the v-shaped bodice of your gown! See more herePearls have long been the traditional jewelry for the bride. Visit my shop for classic pearls but with an updated look and easy on the budget pricing. See more hereSay "thank you" with this gorgeous coin pearl and sterling silver lariat. Wonderful keepsake. See more herePerfectly awesome large nuggets of pink freshwater pearls in blush, bashful and "I need these"!! See more hereEvery woman needs a pair of pearl stud earrings. Gift your bridal party some pearls! Choose from a range of pearl colors and pearl sizes. Cultured freshwater with sterling silver settings. See more hereGift the little girls in your wedding party with their very first strand of pearls. Necklace of freshwater rice pearls is 14" with a 2" sterling extension they will enjoy through their teens. See more hereFive rows of perfectly pretty and dainty freshwater pearls for a stunning bridal necklace that would highlight any style gown. Sterling silver slide clasp completes the look. Great gift!See more herePlunging bridal necklines call for dramatic measures! Multiple strands of white pearls for a gorgeous décolletage! Cultured freshwater pearls make a wonderful keepsake piece.See more hereA chic combination of real pearls and colorful crystals for a pop of the freshest Pantone colors this season! Gift your bridesmaids a beautiful keepsake!See more hereThis five strand bracelet of Charleston Rice Pearls is destined to be your go-to piece for day or evening! 7.5" and finished with a gorgeous sterling silver post clasp. Freshwater cultured pearls. $65See more hereCHARLESTON RICE AND PEACH PEARLS BRIDAL NECKLACE Multiple sizes and strands of freshwater rice pearls mixed with classic peach pearls and clear crystals strung on silk with sterling ring clasp. See more here


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Acreo Swedish ICT is a Swedish research institute within electronics, optics and communication technologies. As one of Europe's top research institutes, we provide cutting edge resources and knowledge within electronics, optics and communication technologies. We have the facilities and lab resources to offer advanced R&D as well as small scale production and prototyping. Our mission is to find new ICT-solutions for existing and future demands, creating sustainable growth in industry and society. Acreo has 135 employees i Kista (HQ), Gothenburg, Norrköping and Hudiksvall.
Link to Acreo Swedish ICT


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Pope Francis on Monday said gay men and lesbians should not be judged or marginalized.
"If a person is gay and seeks the Lord and is of good will, who am I to judge him?" he told reporters in response to a question about gay priests as he returned to Rome after his week-long trip to Brazil for World Youth Day as La Nación, an Argentine newspaper reported.
Francis' comments come amid renewed calls to welcome gays and lesbians back into the church following Pope Benedict XVI's abrupt resignation in February.
"You are made in God's image and likeness," New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan told ABC News' George Stephanopoulos during an interview in March. "We want your happiness… and you're entitled to friendship."
Cardinal Nicolás de Jesús López Rodríguez of the Archdiocese of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic late last month referred to James "Wally" Brewster, an openly gay man whom President Obama nominated to become the next American ambassador to the Caribbean country, as a "maricón" or "faggot" in Spanish during a press conference.
Francis himself seemed to echo Dolan's call during his comments to reporters.
"The Catechism of the Catholic church explains this in a very clear way," the pontiff told reporters. "It says that these people should not be marginalized. They should be integrated into society."
Majority of Catholics back same-sex marriage; hierarchy remains opposed
A Quinnipiac University poll in March found that 54 percent of Catholics support marriage rights for same-sex couples.
Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley is among the Catholic state executives who have signed same-sex marriage measures into law.
Catholic hierarchy continues to oppose the issue in spite of this increased support.
"Marriage exists obviously we believe by the will of God because the sexual orientation between men and women tends to create babies," Father Leonard Klein of the Diocese of Wilmington (Del.) said before Delaware Gov. Jack Markell signed a bill into law that extended marriage to same-sex couples in the state.
Bishop Thomas Tobin of the Diocese of Providence (R.I.) in May also spoke out against the issue in a letter to Rhode Island Catholics before Gov. Lincoln Chafee signed his state's same-sex marriage bill into law.
"Like many others, I am profoundly disappointed that Rhode Island has approved legislation that seeks to legitimize 'same-sex marriage,'" Tobin wrote.
Francis, who was among the most prominent opponents of efforts to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples in his native Argentina, also spoke out against what he described as the "gay lobby" within the Vatican. These comments came in response to questions over the reported homosexuality of Monsignor Battista Ricca, whom the pontiff last month appointed to oversee the Vatican bank, that began to emerge last week in the Italian press.
"When one encounters a person like this, one have to distinguish between the act of being gay and lobbying, because no lobby is good," Francis said. "The problem is not having this orientation. We must be brothers. The problem is lobbying."
The Archdiocese of Washington did not have an immediate comment on Francis' statements.
"He's articulating well in a beautifully tender way the traditional teaching of the church," Dolan said during an interview on "CBS This Morning" on Tuesday. "While certain acts may be wrong, we will always love and respect the person and treat the person with dignity."
Marianne Duddy-Burke, executive director of DignityUSA, an LGBT Catholic organization, told the Washington Blade she welcomes what she described as a "change of tone from the very harsh and damaging rhetoric" of Benedict and his predecessor, Pope John Paul II.
"We hope it translates into similar expressions of openness among bishops and cardinals here in the U.S. and in other countries," Duddy-Burke said. "The best news would be if the Pope indicates a willingness to begin a dialogue with LGBT Catholics and our families about our experience in the Church and in our societies. He's shown humility in walking with other marginalized groups. We'd hope it would extend to us, as well."
Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin struck a similar tone.
"While Pope Francis's words do not reflect a shift in Church policy, they represent a significant change in tone," he said. "Like his namesake, Francis's humility and respect for human dignity are showing through, and the widespread positive response his words have received around the world reveals that Catholics everywhere are thirsty for change."
Esteban Paulón, president of the LGBT Federation of Argentina, highlighted the pontiff's opposition to same-sex marriage in Argentina.
"A profound self-criticism on the part of the church hierarchy about the position it has historically taken with regard to lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people is essential," Paulón said in a statement. "Let's not forget that this same pope that today said don't judge us the same man who called for 'a holy war against the devil's plan' to block the same-sex marriage law. These types of declarations, coming from the top of the Catholic church hierarchy, only promote hate and discrimination."


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Sunday Discussion: Killing the Experience - Trailers Showing Too Much
by Alex Billington
June 15, 2008
I've been getting increasingly aggravated at trailers this summer. They continue to show more and more footage so by the time we actually end up seeing the movie, there are no more surprises. I've seen it with The Incredible Hulk, The Happening, even Speed Racer. And I've finally reached the boiling point - it's frustrated me so much that I know I must do something to fight back but I'm not sure how. I can't not watch trailers, and I can't change what's in them, so what do I do? All I know is that this seems to be getting worse and worse as the summer goes on. Each movie is different, but The Happening was my last straw. When will Hollywood realize that surprises are best left to actually be discovered in the movie!
I think the problem is exactly that. The studios know that they've got to sell the movie, and if it's too hard to actually get people to see it based on buzz (as was the case with The Happening), they then show some of the really good parts that might convince people to go. Unfortunately those scenes are some of the big surprises that should be saved for once you actually see the movie for the first time. I have always had a better experience going into a movie blind, without having even seen a trailer, and being blown away. Weren't you amazed the first time you saw the fight scenes in The Matrix? I bet you'd never seen them in a trailer beforehand because Warner Brothers knew to save those great moments for the actual movie.
Go back and watch this red band trailer for The Happening. There are nine major suicides ranging from the lions to the lawnmower to the hangings to the neck stabbing to the construction site and so on. As morbid as it may be, when I went to see The Happening, I was looking forward to more shocking deaths. Alas, there were only nine - the same exact nine I saw in that trailer! And they weren't even extended or anything, I saw exactly the same thing I'd seen in a 30 second trailer months before. Not only was the script atrocious anyway, but nothing was in it that surprised or shocked me. It was as if I was watching the same bad movie for the second time - although I'd never seen it yet.
One of the few exceptions to this issue was Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I believe Spielberg himself actually stepped in and made sure the trailers didn't show too much and I was in turn delightfully surprised by how much more there was in the film. Cloverfield is another perfect example where the trailers held back on how much they showed. I remember going in early to watch the second full trailer for Cloverfield that played in front of Beowulf. The first question everyone asked as soon as I saw it: did it reveal what it was? Of course not! It didn't even show a glimpse of it, except for that bit where it walked past the building. But that was the perfect amount!
I've tried to start holding myself back with trailers and clips and TV spots and footage, but sometimes I can't help it. It's so depressing to go into a movie and not be surprised by any fight scene or any cool moments because I've seen them all. I want to go into a movie and not always be thinking about "when this is going to happen" or "this scene is coming up next." That's nearly impossible in a world that's consumed with the idea of seeing everything before actually paying to see it. Moviegoers have become vastly more critical and in turn the studios have had a harder time selling their movies. Which all goes back to putting the good scenes in trailers to actually get the moviegoers in theaters opening weekend.
I believe being surprised is an essential part of the cinematic experience. I know that by the second or third time I've seen a movie, I know what to expect at every turn. But I believe the most important part of the cinematic experience is that very first showing where you finally get to see the entire movie. If that experience feels contrived or familiar, then it's just not the same. I don't know if anyone can end up truly love the experience of a movie if they knew what to expect the entire time. Why do you think M. Night Shyamalan's The Village did so bad? Because when everyone knew the end, it just wasn't the same. I just hope Hollywood realizes soon enough that trailers are meant to tease, not reveal, the movie at hand.
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Know Base is a Web-based Enterprise Knowledge Management System. Know Base will run on most Unix / Linux environments and requires PHP and MySql. Easily share files and projects across your Enterprise. Unique notification system alerts users when projects are modified, or when new projects are added that match their search terms.Visit publisher site: Know Base
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