text:
New Artist Spotlight: MIKESCHAIR
- Brandon Heath CCMmagazine.com
- 2009 23 Feb
"Mike and the guys have been like brothers over the past few years. Through encouragement, a little waiting around and diligent writing they're ready for the world to know them too." — B.H.
Brandon Heath: Hey everybody, Brandon Heath here, calling Mike Grayson from one of my favorite bands in the whole world, MIKESCHAIR.
Mike Grayson (MIKESCHAIR): Wow, that was quite the introduction!
Brandon: We wanted to connect and see what is going on. What are you up to right now?
Mike: Right now, I'm sitting in my house, talking to you.
Brandon: We are clearly both enjoying some time off in Nashville. What have you been spending your time doing, Mike?
Mike: We are gearing up for the release of our first record, which involves lots of photo shoots and album stuff and MySpace stuff, and then getting together the live show, which has been a lot of fun. So it's a lot of preparation, which is cool.
Brandon: That's good, man. It's good to be ready. It's good to have your act together. OK, so the reason we are so comfortable on the phone is we have known each other for a long time. You are from Florida, and you moved to Nashville for Belmont University, right?
Mike: Yeah, Orlando, Florida, then moved to Nashville not really expecting to get in a band.
Brandon: But you met the guys in the band at Belmont?
Mike: It's a funny story. We met within two weeks of our freshman year. Everyone who has been to college knows about the first couple weeks, how weird that is; you're meeting all these people, and half the time you have a new crew of people. For some reason, the people I met in the first two weeks are my closest friends now.
Brandon: You guys have had many, many years to figure out personalities, and I know that when your band mates are about making music but also about being great friends, it takes a lot of trust.
Mike: Oh man, there is so much more than just writing and playing music. It has to do a lot with community.
Brandon: It could arguably be that the music is the fruit of being in the band. So you guys are finally ready to put the record out. Tell us about that.
Mike: Finally, yes, that's a good word! Brandon knows this has been quite the process. We have finally gotten to the place where we are just more than happy with where the band was and with the songs we have written for this record. We came alongside Jason Ingram and Rusty Varenkamp [Tenth Avenue North, Meredith Andrews], and it took a while to find the right guys for this record. We had very strong opinions and ideas for where we wanted it to go. We came to the table with a lot of songs. It was cool to sit down with Jason for the first time and really feel like he more than got it and was just excited about where we were going. We finished the record this last summer, and we are getting ready for a summer release.
Brandon: What is the first single?
Mike: It is called "Can't Take Away." It's the last song we had written. The record was done, and we sat down to write. This was around the time when gas was $4 a gallon; and for anyone in a band, that's just ... for a young band that was trying to get out on the road in front of people, we were wondering, "Are we going to be able to continue to do this?" We sat down to write this song, and it reminds us that when times are the way they are now, and things are constantly getting taken away from us, it's the fact that there is one thing that cannot be taken away, and that's our salvation. God is where He's always been, right on the throne, and hopefully it's an encouragement. All these things can be stripped away, and the only thing we really need is Jesus.
Brandon: A lot of people will be excited to hear the song, and it came out when?
Mike: Last Monday.
Brandon: The name of the band is MIKESCHAIR. Tell me about the name of the band. I know the story, but tell [fans] where that comes from.
Mike: Well, there's an actual chair, first of all. It's actually funny. Before people know the story, they always come up to me, and they try to tell me what they think it means. And they have these amazing, spiritual, biblical stories; and I wish we had a story like that, but we don't. There is an actual chair with my name on it. In those first couple weeks at Belmont, all of us lived in the same dorm, but I was the only one on a different floor. Naturally, I was spending all my time with these guys, and we were up till who knows what time writing and playing music. I was just bumming around on everyone's floor, and so finally the guys, when I was at class, got me this chair so I would have something down there that was mine! So I wrote my name on it, and every time we write music or we play, it's a reminder of where this started and the faithfulness of God in those first couple weeks.
Brandon: And the deeper meaning stops there?
Mike: Just a chair with my name on it!
Brandon: Have I ever seen the chair?
Mike: You might have. The cool thing is that we incorporated it in the photo shoots, so people will see the actual chair.
Brandon: MIKESCHAIR is the kind of band that ... Well, you guys have a fiddle. Or do you call it a violin?
Mike: We call it a violin, but it depends on what part of the country you're in. In Texas, we will always be corrected. In Texas, it's a fiddle, but everywhere else it's a violin.
Brandon: Jesse is your fiddle player. Tell us about Jesse.
Mike: One of the coolest things about MIKESCHAIR is that we are so different. When I say "different," that's everything-that's personality, musical taste, how we grew up, where we grew up. We each kind of bring our own thing to the table, and Jesse is the kid that started playing violin when he was 4. He is our resident crazy, fun, energetic guy who loves anything different or experimental. He went from just playing violin to "What would happen if I threw guitar effects on my violin?" So now he's gone from violin-guy to utility, weird noise...anything that sounds different on the record is all from Jesse.
Brandon: Well, he's definitely one of the most exciting things on stage. ... He's jumping around playing his different instruments. And you are jumping around yourself! I take notes from you when it comes to performing, because what you do well is engage the audience. You're the lead singer, but tell us about the other guys.
Mike: John on bass is everything you'd expect from a bass player. It's funny because he is the bass, the solid thing in the band, and he is that in personality. John is the resident father in the band, the one we look to for permission for stuff. He's taller than everyone else! He's a lot of fun on stage. Then you have Sam who's on guitar, and he is the resident rock guy. Grew up in Atlanta, and he grew up on Steely Dan, into his favorite stuff now, which is anything with heavy guitars.
Brandon: Tell me about your drummer.
Mike: Our drummer, Nate, is a great dude. He's one of the latest additions to the band. He went to Belmont as well, and we grew up with Nate. As a band we just loved him. And there came a time when we needed a drummer, and Nate was there. It's amazing how God sets things up when you're not expecting it. Nate is incredibly fun to watch, and he loves what he's doing. He's a blessing to have.
Brandon: Well, it was fun watching you rehearse a few days ago. I have been listening [to your music] since July. I am excited about people finding out about you. We lived next door to each other for a while. You guys are still living in East Nashville?
Mike: Yeah, one of the coolest things about living in the part of Nashville that you and I both have lived in is it's been eye-opening as far as the need not just throughout the world, but in our own country. It's been a daily reminder that we have people in our lives who constantly remind us of the blessings that we have. And as a band, once you have seen firsthand, you can't pretend like they don't exist. It has affected the mission of MIKESCHAIR in that we can't just do music. It can't just be about us getting out and doing shows. We have seen across the street of where you and I used to live, they do a food drive, and it's amazing how many people come out to get canned food and bread-things that are just normal for the rest of us. It has challenged us to figure out ways to be a part of the fight. We partnered up with Food for the Hungry to go in and be a part of our shows. You know-even our music-we just hope that it challenges people to get involved. That has all been birthed out of where I lived in Nashville.
Brandon: The same for me, and the blessings from the people that we've met in our own neighborhood. I know how you guys have served the people that lived in our neighborhood. That's what is cool; you are servants. And that's going to affect your ministry and your music. Not only do you make great music, you have great hearts. I can't wait for people to hear you. "Can't Take Away" is the first single, and the record is self-titled. We don't know the release date, but it will be coming out soon. Well man, thanks for hanging out with me. Before you go, tell everybody where they can find out about your music and your tour dates.
Mike: They can visit www.MIKESCHAIR.com or myspace.com/mikeschair. Thanks!
To listen to Brandon's full interview with Mike, click here.
For more info on MIKESCHAIR, visit MIKESCHAIR.com.
Brandon Heath was dubbed the Gospel Music Association's "New Artist of the Year" at this year's Dove Awards. His monthly "New Artist Spotlight" on CCMmagazine.com will introduce you to new artists currently hitting the scene. Brandon's current single is the smash No. 1 hit "Give Me Your Eyes" from his sophomore release, What If We (Reunion). For more info, log on to brandonheath.net.
© 2009 CCMmagazine.com. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
**This feature first published on February 23, 2009.


text:
Two Roxas Triangle Makati Condo For Sale
THE HORIZON BECKONS. Glimpse an extraordinary opportunity to complete a legendary community – Two Roxas Triangle. By Ayala Land, Hongkong Land and Bank of the Philippine Islands.
A RAREFIED LIVING EXPERIENCE. Roxas triangle towers is a two‐tower development piercing the skyline at the heart of a great city.
AVAILABLE TO A SELECT FEW. Launched in 1996, its first tower remains the city's most esteemed premier residential community, maintaining among the highest occupancy and lease rates in Makati since its completion in 2001.
FOR ONE LAST TIME. Defining the highest standards for location, residents-only services, and design, roxas triangle towers brings to light a sublime living experience that is simply not available anywhere else.A PRIVILEGE LOCATIONCentral & Discrete

subset: commoncrawl


text:
At the close on Thursday, and through most of the day Friday, the S&P 500 was down more than 50% from its October 2007 high. This is a technical milestone that I consider an important juncture so I wanted to jot down my thoughts as doing so helps gives me clarity and hopefully will help others understand what may lay ahead.
When reviewing the big picture, I like to break the market down into its three components; Fundamental, Technical, and Psychological. I will review all three below but would first like to discuss some anecdotal thoughts/observations.
Last night was our wedding anniversary so my wife and I went to one of our favorite restaurants in Tacoma, WA, called Stanley & Seaforts. We have been going there for about 20 years now. On the way there I-5 was as busy as ever and it took about 20 minutes longer than the no traffic driving time, about 5 to 10 minutes longer than I expected. Gas is back below $2.00 in our area after all! Upon arrival the parking lot was overflowing and both the restaurant and bar were also packed to capacity. As we waited for our table I watched the kitchen workers prepare meals… about 10 of them, all males who appeared to be mid-twenties to about 40 at the oldest, and of varying ethnic backgrounds. It's kind of fun watching them work, but since I've been going there for over 20 years, I started to wonder where are the chefs who used to work there and how come none of them are even close to my age (upper 40's)? This is, after all, one of the nicest restaurants in the area. Is the pay not enough to keep workers for the long term? I don't know.
My wife and I then sat down to our meal, had a drink each and skipped the appetizers. We both passed on the steak and had mid priced meals w/salads. We shared a single dessert. We noted the little differences in the meal and that the past few years it seemed that the quality was diminishing. The tab? One Hundred and fifteen dollars! Seven or eight years ago that same tab would have been in the $60 range. My points? While I see that the cost of living has far outstripped wage growth and we all know the devastation that has occurred in our economy, the streets were still packed, and the restaurant was able to fill itself to capacity while producing a mediocre product at a very high cost. People here are evidently still spending. Sure, they were probably spending money they don't actually have, but there were a lot of them. I started wondering what all these people do for a living – after all, Tacoma isn't exactly the center of high finance – but to be fair the Seattle/Tacoma area has fared much better than most of the country although our economy tends to lag by about a year or 18 months. What I saw last night leads me to think over the fundamentals as I view them.
In a nutshell, the securitization of debt process got completely out of control and produced the greatest boom in the history of mankind. The leveraged derivatives are collectively referred to as the shadow banking system. The shadow banking system is multiples larger than what most people know as the traditional banking system. That system was completely untracked and unregulated. The process of debt securitization is now completely broken and frozen, thus the growth that was occurring has stopped cold, and the creation of money from thin air has slowed dramatically. For growth to continue, the creation of money must be larger and larger each year. Remember that government statistics do not track this money creation nor do they control it. I would contend that the vast majority of them still do not recognize just how large and out-of-control this became. Also keep in mind that comparisons of current government statistics are COMPLETELY MEANINGLESS WITH THE PAST. The methods used are different than the past and they do not reflect the shadow banking system and are subject to manipulations. Thus the data now breeds a lack of confidence in the system.
Ludwig Von Mises noted that the size of the bust is commensurate with the size of the boom and it was Hyman Minsky who accurately described the seven bubble stages (the following excerpt is from my book Flight to Financial Freedom – Fasten Your Finances, written during 2005/2006):
The late Hyman Minsky, Ph.D., was a famous economist who taught for Washington University's Economics department for more than 25 years prior to his death in 1996. He studied recurring instability of markets and developed the idea that there are seven stages in any economic bubble:
Stage One – Disturbance:
Every financial bubble begins with a disturbance. It could be the invention of a new technology, such as the Internet. It may be a shift in laws or economic policy. The creation of ERISA or unexpected reductions of interest rates are examples. No matter what the cause, the outlook changes for one sector of the economy.
Stage Two – Expansion/Prices Start to Increase:
Following the disturbance, prices in that sector start to rise. Initially, the increase is barely noticed. Usually, these higher prices reflect some underlying improvement in fundamentals. As the price increases gain momentum, more people start to notice.
Stage Three – Euphoria/Easy Credit:
Increasing prices do not, by themselves, create a bubble. Every financial bubble needs fuel; cheap and easy credit is, in most cases, that fuel. Without it, there can't be speculation. Without it, the consequences of the disturbance die down and the sector returns to a normal state within the bounds of "historical" ratios or measurements. When a bubble starts, that sector is inundated by outsiders; people who normally would not be there. Without cheap and easy credit, the outsiders can't participate.
The rise in cheap and easy credit is often associated with financial innovation. Many times, a new way of financing is developed that does not reflect the risk involved. In 1929, stock prices were propelled into the stratosphere with the ability to trade via a margin account. Housing prices today skyrocketed as interest-only, variable rate, and reverse amortization mortgages emerged as a viable means for financing overpriced real estate purchases. The latest financing strategy is 40, or even 50 year mortgages.
Stage Four – Over-trading/Prices Reach a Peak:
As the effects of cheap and easy credit digs deeper, the market begins to accelerate. Overtrading lifts up volumes and spot shortages emerge. Prices start to zoom, and easy profits are made. This brings in more outsiders, and prices run out of control. This is the point that amateurs, the foolish, the greedy, and the desperate enter the market. Just as a fire is fed by more fuel, a financial bubble needs cheap and easy credit and more outsiders.
Stage Five – Market Reversal/Insider Profit Taking:
Some wise voices will stand up and say that the bubble can no longer continue. They argue that long run fundamentals, the ratios and measurements, defy sound economic practices. In the bubble, these arguments disappear within one over-riding fact – the price is still rising. The voices of the wise are ignored by the greedy who justify the now insane prices with the euphoric claim that the world has fundamentally changed and this new world means higher prices. Then along comes the cruelest lie of them all, "There will most likely be a 'soft' landing!"
Stage Five is where the real estate industry is today [2005/2006]. This stage can be cruel, as the very people who shouldn't be buying are. They are the ones who will be hurt the most. The true professionals have found their 'greater fool' and are well on their way to the next 'hot' sector, like the transition from real estate to commodities now.Those who did not enter the market are caught in a dilemma. They know that they have missed the beginning of the bubble (gold, silver, and oil today [2005/2006]). They are bombarded daily with stories of easy riches and friends who are amassing great wealth. The strong will not enter at stage five and reconcile themselves to the missed opportunity. The 'fool' may even realize that prices can't keep rising forever… however, they just can't act on their knowledge. Everything appears safe as long as they quit at least one day before the bubble bursts. The weak provide the final fuel for the fire and eventually get burned late in stage six or seven.
Stage Six – Financial Crisis/Panic:
A bubble requires many people who believe in a bright future, and so long as the euphoria continues, the bubble is sustained. Just as the euphoria takes hold of the outsiders, the insiders remember what's real. They lose their faith and begin to sneak out the exit. They understand their segment, and they recognize that it has all gone too far. The savvy are long gone, while those who understand the possible outcome begin to slowly cash out. Typically, the insiders try to sneak away unnoticed, and sometimes they get away without notice. Whether the outsiders see the insiders leave or not, insider profit taking signals the beginning of the end (remember who has sold their rental properties?).
Stage seven – Revulsion/Lender of Last Resort:
Sometimes, panic of the insiders infects the outsiders. Other times, it is the end of cheap and easy credit or some unanticipated piece of news. But whatever it is, euphoria is replaced with revulsion. The building is on fire and everyone starts to run for the door. Outsiders start to sell, but there are no buyers. Panic sets in, prices start to tumble downwards, credit dries up, and losses start to accumulate.
This is where you may see the "lender of last resort" who is usually the government. The government, although they were talking up a soft landing, are now forced to step in to prevent the crises from spreading to other sectors. Ironically, this is where the savvy investor who profited before, really profits now. With government backing, they are asked to step in and return "normalcy" to a now damaged sector.
The government's attempt to "put out the fire" usually works. However, the conditions beyond the year 2010 will require oceans of water that the government does not posses. You must be ready!
We are obviously in stage seven now. The lender of last resort has stepped in on multiple occasions. Savvy investors like Bill Gross (oink, oink) are stepping in to take advantage and are attempting to restore "normalcy." And as I stated when I wrote that, "conditions will require oceans of water they do not have to put out the fire," I still believe that more than ever, 3 years after I first wrote those words.
To date more than $8.4 trillion has been lost in the stock market. Untold trillions have been lost in real estate and commodities. As those prices have come down they have overwhelmed our government's attempts to smooth out the business cycle and to maintain a constant rate of monetary inflation. Yes, THEIR figures show(ed) inflation, but they have NEVER accounted for all the money/debt created by the shadow banking system. Their efforts have been and will be overwhelmed until the deflationary forces have run their course. THEN, once deflation has rooted out the malinvestment, the government's reinflation will take over. THEY HOPE, like all government attempts throughout history, that their efforts will be just right – just enough to overpower deflation, but not enough to cause hyperinflation. Unfortunately, my view is that our monetary system makes that perfect combination impossible. All fiat currencies have failed throughout history and this latest monetary EXPERIMENT that is the U.S. Dollar will also eventually fail.
There is another truth/absolute regarding all interest bearing money systems, and that is that all money is debt, and all debts get repaid WITH INTEREST in one way or the other! There are TWO and only TWO ways to pay back debt; one is to simply pay it back (with interest), and the other is to DEFAULT. The notion of "inflating debt away" is a myth – attempting to do so simply results in paying the debt and interest back in "other ways," such as by losing purchasing power with the dollars you hold.
The Central Bankers in America and throughout the world hold much of the debt and they are asking/forcing the taxpayers to take their debts from them so that THEY do not have to default. The problem here is that there is not enough income to service all the debt that's been created, thus someone has to and is going to default. Our politicians had a choice – the pigmen or the taxpayers. They chose us, the taxpayer. And thus, at some point in the future the debt WILL BE defaulted on by our government. The math simply no longer works. That's what happens when the system is designed for never ending growth. Never ending growth turns parabolic and subsequently collapses in on itself.
That's where we are from a fundamental perspective. Of course there are many, many factors at play throughout the world, but that's the over-arching concept. Unfortunately, since this crisis began, the actions of our government and Central Bankers have caused the problems to get worse, not better. For growth to occur again, THE DEBTS MUST GO AWAY, not simply transferred from one bag holder to the next. Until that happens, the fundamental prospects for future growth of our economy will not be there.
That said, it certainly is mathematically possible for the government to "print" enough "money" to create monetary inflation. The numbers to do so ARE OVERWHELMINGLY HUGE at the outset, but get SMALLER as more and more of the debt and fiat money return to the ether from which it came. At some point the forces will be momentarily in balance, but only as we swing from monetary deflation back to monetary inflation. When will that occur? It's hard to say, but we can look to history and to some signals/signs that the deflationary trend has reversed.
From a historical perspective, the equity dislocation of 1929 to 1932 lasted about 2.5 years as did the crash of the Nikkei index in 1990 and our own NASDAQ in the year 2000. It is said that the length of the boom is also commensurate with the length of the bust, but that is not entirely true. If you look back through history, you will find that in "free" market economies the time span of deflationary busts tend to run about two to three and a half years (2.5 yrs average), but the bust does tend to return equity prices back to the point where the parabolic growth phase began. In our current case, some say that our parabolic growth phase began after the 2003 bottom while others contend that it began in the 1990's or even the early/mid 1980's. In our technical discussion I will present charts that show my belief that it began in the 1980's and that prices are most likely headed back to that timeframe. Our equity markets topped in October of 2007, thus if the deflationary phase of the equity markets takes the average 2.5 years, stocks would bottom in April of the year 2010. This will NOT be the average deflationary cycle, thus calling a bottom prior to seeing technical confirmation is simply a fool's errand.
I have attached four long term charts. The first is an 80 year view of the SPX (S&P 500 Index).
This is a logarithmic chart that adjusts to percentages, so the recent moves look relatively small in relation to the entire chart.
The second chart is the same chart but is not a logarithmic chart just so you can see how dramatic the raw number changes are. It is this non-log chart that clearly shows three phases of growth transition; the phase up until the early 80's is marked by slow and steady growth; it then accelerates into a steeper climb that lasts until about 1995; at which point it goes parabolic and ends in a double top. Why did it end? All parabolic growth ends, it collapses under its own weight as the math is simply no longer able to sustain the rate of growth.
This is a typical curve as found in all of nature. Most people are taught in school that curves have a nice rounded bell shape. That is very rare in nature and NEVER seen in the market place. As Martin Armstrong demonstrated, curves in the marketplace go through a slow growth phase, begin to grow more rapidly, then go through a phase-transition where they turn parabolic. This phase-transition occurs throughout nature, it is akin to the process of boiling water where a liquid state transitions to a vapor as the energy levels reach the boiling point. The backsides of these curves are not the same as the front side as a bell curve would be. The back side is marked by a steep decline as can be seen by looking at any historical long term market chart. This backside of the parabolic curve is typically marked by either 3 waves or 5 waves down. Armstrong prognosticates that we are currently at the place in time where the first wave down transitions to a short up phase which will be followed by another declining phase into the eventual bottom. This is exactly what Elliott Wave prescribes – an A-B-C move into the eventual bottom. Most EW experts believe that we are very near or at the end of the A wave down and that we are about to begin a 2 to 4 month period of up to sideways market action that will be followed by the C wave down into the eventual bottom.
Of course everyone wants to know where and when will it bottom (except all the "experts" on television who think the bottom is today… no wait, today… no wait, today). Well, let's start by looking at the 80 year logarithmic SPX chart. The red line is a 100+ year trendline. If the market were to drop straight down today it would intersect that line at about the 550 level. If you extend that line out to April of 2010, it will be very close to the 600 level (the same line will be about the 6,000 level on the DOW). That has been my target since the beginning and I have said that once we reach that level betting the market short will be almost pointless and may be unprofitable from my perspective. My experience has shown that making money short by using leverage requires crisp and sharp moves over a short period of time. Thus it's difficult to make money at the beginning of moves and will likely be difficult to make it towards the end of the move as well, with the most profit coming from the meat in the middle. Although no two crashes are identical, if one examines a chart of the 1929 to 1932 time frame they will find that following the steep and sharp decline the market retraces a large percentage of that decline and then spend a long time period in a slow grind back and forth working its way to the eventual bottom. That could happen here, or we may decline more sharply. I believe the fundamentals are WORSE than that time period so we could decline more sharply. Yes, we have more meddling and interventions, but those occur during all deflationary collapses (governments must "do something").
Now let's examine the 20 year SPX chart (this is a logarithmic chart).
It clearly shows a near perfect double top. Breaking the valley floor which was produced at the 2002/2003 bottom was a technically significant event in that it is required to technically verify that a double top formation is in play. It has been broken on a DAILY closing basis, having closed in the 750 area. The candlesticks on the chart are monthly and you can see that we closed at 800 this Friday.
This new lower low means to the Elliott Wave experts that this decline is on the HIGHEST ORDER of magnitude. It marks the end of the 5th and final wave up of the Grand Supercycle and that we are now in an A-B-C correction of the entire cycle. Think about what that means! If you look at the turmoil that surrounded the lower level corrections like during 1929-1932, you get a sense for how large and deep this correction can go. I am not exaggerating when I say that it is likely to be life altering.
Another characteristic of a double top is that the volume should be heaviest on the first ascent and diminish on the second. In this case the volume is much heavier on the second, but they are so removed in time and circumstance that I'm not sure volume is a valid indicator as the overall market volume also went parabolic with the rise of the shadow banking system.
The question then is how do you determine the target for a double top formation? The general saying is that the wider the top, the further down the target. In this case, I have not ever seen an example of a wider top, thus we can expect a target that is way down there. One way is to measure the distance between the peaks and assume that the price will move the same distance down from the peak. In this case that distance produces a target where the twin red lines are on the right, about 475. I note that level is beneath the 100 year uptrend line. Now, the most widely accepted way to calculate a double top target is the same as with a H&S pattern (I note that double top patterns are less reliable than Head & Shoulder patterns). Thus, you would take the height from the peak to the valley and then subtract that height from the floor of the valley. In this case, it produces a NEGATIVE VALUE as the valley floor is greater than 50% from the peak. NOT GOOD. Thus, according to this analysis we truly are HALF WAY TO ZERO.
Where do I think we're headed? I think it depends on our government's actions. I will most likely stop playing the short side at 600 regardless and will be a spectator from that point until all the bricks land. You see, I don't believe in standing under falling bricks and trying to catch them, I'd much rather stand aside, watch them land, and then walk over and pick them up! I think any outcome is POSSIBLE. I try to deal with the odds the way I see the fundamentals, technicals, and market psychology line up. I do not rule out actually going to zero as that would indicate a complete failure of our financial system, and I do not rule out the fed's ability to create inflation and move nothing but up from here to eternity. I do, however, place the odds of either of those outcomes as low. My personal gut feeling is that our government's actions combined with how the Obama Administration is looking make a figure below the 100 year trendline more likely.
Now let's look at the DOW 20 year chart.
I include this chart to illustrate a point about survivor bias. The DOW is comprised of only 30 stocks and thus as a measure of the market is not as good as using the S&P 500 or even a more broad index. Survivor bias artificially inflates the value of the index. This is true for all the indices, not just the DOW, but it is easy to see the influence in the DOW because there are so few stocks. As a company dies, it drops in value below that necessary to be in the index. Once that happens the index drops the loser and puts in a winner. Thus, the index over time does not reflect the true market! Had you invested in the original DOW 30 companies and held until today, you would posses FAR less cash than if you bought the index and held (another reason why index funds outperform). Note that the second peak on the DOW is higher than the first and not as clean a double top as the S&P. I believe that survivor bias is largely responsible for extra inflation of the right peak.
When I first began talking of the bubble and coming events several years ago, no one would listen, they didn't believe it and certainly didn't want to hear it. Now everybody is talking about it, it is the focus of media attention and was the center of political debate. Thus the negative news is now a part of the psyche. The technical measurements, the VIX, VXO, TRIN, Put/Call ratios, and other indicators indeed reflect a high level of volatility and fear. The question is have we reached a level that will produce a sustainable bottom at least in the medium term?
Answering this question was a lot easier a couple months ago before the VIX got above 60 and stayed there. I always go back to my 10 people locked in a room analogy. If they each have 100 dollars, and they are the entire market (with no new money available), and someone believes the market is going to go up, they put in a few dollars… The other people in the room see the market go up and likewise "believe" so they, too, put in a few of their dollars. Well the first guy now sees the market really take off and so he puts his entire 100 bucks in the market. It zooms and soon everyone in the room believes the market only goes up and they all put in their $100. At that point it is a mathematical impossibility for the market to go higher no matter what the participants in the room believe!
Now reverse that example and the same thing is true on the way down. Of course in the real world not every dollar is ever in or out, but EVERY WILLING dollar for that point in time can be. Of course, the truth is that stocks don't even have to be sold for the value of the stock to go down. All that is required is the perception of a lower value and ALL the stock is instantly worth less. So, are we at that point? My take would be that we are much closer to that point than before. One thing everyone seems to be looking for is "capitulation." You know, a very high volume sell off and a V bottom with horrid market internals. I don't know if that HAS to happen, I tend to think that measurements of psychology when they hit extremes can show short term bottoms or tops, but knowing if they mark THE bottom or top is very difficult.
What I saw at dinner last night and on the freeway sure didn't look like capitulation to me, but what I see in the media does somewhat. I also see the market react to the Geithner nomination and read Obama's latest plan and can imagine that we could go through a period of HOPE. It will be a false hope as Geithner is a POOR CHOICE, someone who has already played a large part in creating, not solving, the mess we're in. His actions are the exact opposite of transparent.
So, from a psychological standpoint I see a mixed picture. The people I see in the Great Northwet have yet to truly capitulate with their spending habbits while at the same time the "fear" indicators and media attention argue that this might be a place where people believe that we've seen THE bottom since the DOW didn't break those 2002 lows? Again, I believe that had it not been for survival bias that those lows would have also been broken on the DOW.
I do see something that is sending me mixed signals at this point in time. The ten year bond is dropping to new lows in yield as are the very short term yields. This is signaling a deflationary credit collapse which is in concert with the collapse of the shadow banking system and collapse of commodities. However, it is obvious that the Fed and Treasury have reached the end of their normal policy tools – they are out of their normal bullets. I think it's ominous that we are asking the Arabs for money… it shows desperation. Then there's the rumor that we are buying our own treasuries – in effect printing. That would be BAD, and they certainly won't tell us when they do this but we can look for signs. What would those signs be? How about a sharply falling 10 year? How about sharply spiking gold? This past Thursday we saw a collapsing 10 year yield and we saw gold hold up pretty well while equities crashed. Then on Friday gold shot higher right from the get go and the again the 10 year fell… then the Geithner news and another short covering rally.
These signals are definitely saying something, but is it deflationary credit collapse or is it now saying that the government is buying up their own treasuries? It's an important question because it will influence the outcome greatly. If they are buying up treasuries another clue will come from the dollar and the currency markets. That's why I'm watching closely and am pretty much ready for anything at this point.
Unlike the beginning of Elliott Wave 3 of 3 down, the signals are mixed and for me that means putting less of my money at risk while assuming nothing until more clear signals are in place. Protecting hard earned profits and CASH is paramount. That said, I won't hesitate to jump on a clean move in either direction, but I am very protective and will not let a position run from me nor will I "buy down" a losing position.
There is a good argument to be made that we go higher from here which I am open to on a psychological basis but any such rally will be counter-trend and based on HOPE that will eventually run into the wall that is based upon math.
In regards to trading in this environment I want to note a couple of things. In prior bear markets using the VIX or VXO for entry and exit worked pretty reliably. The formula was simple – buy puts when the VXO was less than 30, sell them when it was above 40 in the early stages, or above 45 to 50 in the later stages. Now we have a VIX and VXO that have gone above 45 and have stayed there since the beginning of October. This is uncharted territory in that regard, but I would offer up the possibility that we are likely to stay above the 45 range for quite some time and that the formula may just have to occur at a higher level… at any rate, buying puts to HOLD for any length of time when the VIX is above 60 just doesn't seem smart. With the IV as high as it is, using calls as a hedge for any length of time also seems risky and even if you're right may not be as rewarding as you might otherwise expect. For me, as we are probably nearing the end of the A wave down, I think it's time to be protective and to not give back anything earned earlier in the year.
I have often talked of the other "events" that tend to follow economic events of this magnitude. Those events are much harder to predict than the stock market as they are not based upon underlying math (at least not directly). The truth is that the population of the world exploded on the back of cheap energy and easy credit. That population curve is a parabolic curve also. Nature has a way of placing limits on growth. While mankind has the power of reason on an individual basis, it would seem that making sound judgments about our collective futures is very difficult indeed. I am yet an optimist but I am also aware of history and long term cycles.
Unlike the market, I will not make specific calls about "other" future events. I will simply point you to history and ask that you look at the "events" that have followed within a decade of other times of major economic upheaval. Most people alive today have lived through a relatively peaceful time of unprecedented economic expansion and therefore have difficulty envisioning otherwise. While these events are not within our control, being prepared mentally, physically, and financially is at least somewhat within your control. These "other events" are likely coming and while I'm not saying that your entire life should revolve around this crisis, I am saying that you, your family, and your business need to be prepared for any eventual outcome.


text:
Triangle North Executive Airport offers Shell brand Avgas (100 Low Lead) and Jet A premix (additive) with full service from 8AM EST/EDT until 6PM, seven days a week.
Services Offered:
- Directv satellite television
- Pilot lounge
- Crew car available
- Car rental available
- Conference facilities
- Wireless internet access
- Full PilotBrief weather facilities
Data was last collected by a FlightAware staff member on 2020-Nov-10 11:12.You must register or login to edit FBO information.
Jet A and 100LL airport fuel prices for all FBOs at KLHZ


text:
Warren Gatland will lead the British and Irish Lions on his third tour as head coach in South Africa in 2021.
Here, Press Association Sport assesses how the New Zealander stacks up against the other three coaches to have led the Lions on multiple tours.
Sir Ian McGeechan
Tours: 4 (1989, 1993, 1997, 2009)
Test record: Won 6, lost 6
The Scotsman has more tours to his name than any other coach, starting in 1989 when he led the Lions to victory in Australia by the narrowest-possible margin, winning the deciding third Test 19-18 and the series 2-1.
The tour of New Zealand four years later ended in defeat by the same 2-1 scoreline but McGeechan stayed on as joint coach with Jim Telfer for the 1997 2-1 series win over South Africa.
He returned to the fray for the 2-1 defeat to South Africa in 2009, the year before he was knighted for services to rugby.
Warren Gatland
Tours: 2 (2013, 2017, appointed for 2021)
Test record: Won 3, lost 2, drawn 1
Having assisted McGeechan as forwards coach in 2009, Gatland took the top job for 2013's tour of Australia and secured a 2-1 series success with a thumping 41-16 in the deciding Test in Sydney.
He also presided over the tied series against New Zealand last time out, rounded off by a 15-15 draw in Auckland, and will become the only man other than McGeechan to complete the set of the modern-day southern hemisphere powers when his side tackle South Africa in two years' time.
James Baxter
Tours: 2 (1927, 1930)
Test record: Won 5, lost 4
The 1927 tour of Argentina saw Baxter's squad win the Test series 4-0, by a combined 160 points to three – including their tour matches, they conceded only nine points in as many games.
That was enough to earn Baxter, a forward in his playing days as well as an Olympic medallist in sailing, the job for 1930 when the Lions lost 3-1 in a series of close matches against New Zealand and were then beaten 6-5 in a one-off Test against Australia.
Jim Telfer
Tours: 2 (1983, 1997)
Test record: Won 2, lost 5
A decent record with Scotland earned Telfer the job for the 1983 tour, where the All Blacks inflicted a 4-0 whitewash.
He returned for a second spell with his national team and joined McGeechan for the 1997 Lions tour as joint coaches, delivering the memorable "Everest" team talk to the forwards ahead of the first Test and improving his record with that 2-1 series win over the Springboks.


text:
CORC is offering a series of 3 hour skills clinics over the winter months. These clinics will focus on different types of trail obstacles. Each session will be conducted with small groups with qualified and experienced instructors.
The 'Rocky Ascents and Decents' clinic is open for intermediate level riders who would like to improve their riding over tricky rocky sections, including rock gardens, loose rocks and larger obstacles.
Sessions will be men only and women only. Please ensure that you select the correct ticket type.
Pre-requisites for this course include:
- Intermediate riding ability.
- Should be able to confidently ride on smooth single trail and negotiate small obstacles
- Reasonably fit (i.e. you can comfortably ride for two hours up and down hills)
You will need to bring:
- Mountain bike in good order. Front suspension and disc brakes are minimum requirements.
- Helmet (Australian Standards approved)
- Appropriate clothing and shoes
- Water, snacks and a warm layer
Please ensure that you read the pre-requsities above. If you have any questions regarding your fitness or ability please get in touch with the organiser of the event. If the instructor determines that you do not have the required ability or fitness, they will reserve the right to not include you in the session.
Mountain Biking Australia Licence
All participants will need to have a valid MTBA licence. Participants may register for a free 2 month trial membership prior to the course commencing.
Cancellation policy
Participants will be reimbursed the full fee up to 7 days prior to the course. Cancellations within 7 days may receive reimbursement, if possible at the discretion of the organisers.


text:
Shoveling stalls, feeding livestock, learning the fine art of roping a bull and the basics of riding a horse are all parts of the new Summer Mornings on the Farm program at Shades of Green Riding Stable in North Port.
Program organizers pride themselves on offering more than horseback riding lessons. Each three-hour session offers those attending the experience of what it would be like living on and working a farm.
With class time under the tent or in the stables, subjects include how to tie knots, the parts of a horse, cleaning a horse and saddle practice.
"I want to be a teacher," Carly Loyd, one of the instructors, said. "I love horses and children. This program gives me the chance to give kids the opportunity to experience up close what it is like with a horse."
Standing in middle ring on a recent day, she started equestrian instructions with "Close your eyes and feel which way you are moving on the horse."
She then asked the students "What is the No. 1 thing to know about riding a horse?"
Answer: "How to stop your horse."
Loyd, an education major at University of South Florida, is one of three people who helped put together the Summer Mornings on the Farm program.
Kelley Eggleston, a Sarasota County public schoolteacher, and Will Moran, who teaches at Imagine School North Port, complete the trio who came up with the program that teaches about farm operations, horses and agricultural living.
As Moran leads bull roping instruction at the stables, he is also teaching the children concentration and focus. He shows the proper use of the lasso, the precise hand and arm movements to secure the horns of a bull, which are simulated on a pole.
Heading into the stables to clean stalls, 12-year-old Skylar Rupert summed up her roping lesson, "It's fun."
In addition to the three instructors, adult and teenage volunteers help handle the many facets of the program. On some days, as many as 30 students move from one activity to the next.
"I love being around horses," Kayliana Quiver, 14, a student at North Port High School, said. "And, yes, I get service hours for volunteering, but I would do it anyway because I want to be around horses."
Feeding time is a favorite, especially among the younger children.
"I love the pigs," Cassie Collins, 11, said as she shared a carrot between Piggy Sue and Patsy Swine, two pot-bellied pigs living at the stables.
Donkey and Tinkerbell, the resident goats, also love carrots, but only clean carrots.
Growing cows Rainy, Cloudy and Misty like greens along with big bales of hay.
There are too many horses to name, but all love grass and hay. They are allowed a limited amount of treats, such as carrots and apples.
Feed for the animals comes from a partnership with the Heron Creek Publix.
Proceeds from the Summer Mornings program benefit Reins Inspiring Change, a nonprofit equine therapy program that helps people with special needs through riding horses, that the stables offers year-round.
Summer program rates range from $25 for a morning to $200 for one week of all-day sessions.
Shades of Green Riding Stable is at 3189 Tropicare Blvd., North Port. For more information, call 626-0214.
Program offers peek at ranch life
Shoveling stalls, feeding livestock, learning the fine art of roping a bull and the basics of riding a horse are all parts of the new Summer Mornings on the Farm program at Shades of Green Riding Stable in North Port.


text:
Atlas of Amphibians and Reptiles in Florida
View the Atlas as an online magazine (flash required) | Download high resolution PDF (81.4MB) | Download low resolution PDF (46.5 MB)
Krysko, K.L., K.M. Enge, and P.E. Moler. 2011. Atlas of Amphibians and Reptiles in Florida. Final Report, Project Agreement 08013, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Tallahassee, USA. 524 pp.
Checklist of Established Florida Amphibians and Reptiles
The Florida Museum of Natural History's Online Guide to FL Snakes and Online Guide to FL Venomous Snakes are completed and online. We are currently working on other online fieldguides to Florida's established amphibian and reptile fauna. When complete, they will allow the user to identify all of these animals, provide color photographs and line drawings of each species, and remark on their geographic distribution, ecology and behavior.
Below we provide a checklist of the established amphibians and reptiles known to occur in Florida, organized by currently accepted scientific name. For both scientific and common names we mostly follow: Crother, B.I. (ed.). 2008. Scientific and Standard English Names of Amphibians and Reptiles of North America North of Mexico, pp. 1–84. SSAR Herpetological Circular 37. We also include many historical and local names to the common names list.


text:
Bryn Mawr Trust Disclaimer
At certain places on this site, links may exist to non-Bryn Mawr Trust websites. If you choose to link to those websites, which are not controlled by The Bryn Mawr Trust Company, we are not responsible for the privacy or security of those sites. Information provided is obtained from sources deemed to be reliable, but The Bryn Mawr Trust Company does not endorse, approve, or certify those external sites and does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, efficacy, timeliness, or accurate sequencing of the information contained on them. Neither The Bryn Mawr Trust Company nor its affiliated companies shall be liable for any claims or losses of any nature, including, but not limited to, lost profits, punitive or consequential damages that result from your use of, or your inability to use, the information on those sites.


text:
| 6.7°C Belfast
A same-sex couple who lost a legal fight to marry eight years ago will become the first in the UK to have their union legally recognised.
Sue Wilkinson, 60, and Celia Kitzinger, 57, married in Canada in 2003 and fought to have their union recognised here.
They took their fight to the High Court in 2006, when a judge r efused to make a declaration that their marriage was valid in this country, adding they faced ''an insurmountable hurdle'' in having their m arriage recognised under English law .
But, due to a change in the law last year, their marriage will become legally binding at one minute past midnight - when couples who married overseas will be automatically recognised.
Ms Kitzinger, sociology professor at the University of York, said they will be celebrating at their home in Gribthorpe, near Selby in the East Riding of Yorkshire, with a bottle of bubbly.
"Tonight at 12.01 when our marriage is finally recognised in our home country I think we'll be opening a bottle of champagne, toasting ourselves, toasting equality and toasting the future of lesbian and gay equality for all countries of the world," she said.
She added: "I came out as lesbian in 1973 and things were a lot different then and it never occurred to me that one day the law would be changed such that my marriage to the woman that I love would be recognised.
"We're the 15th country in the world so it's been a bit slow and behind countries you would be quite surprised about."
The couple wed in Vancouver in 2003, where same sex marriages were legal and embarked on a lengthy and expensive legal battle to have their union recognised in England.
Ms Kitzinger said: "We were surprised by what being married meant to us. For the first time in my life I felt like an equal citizen of a country that wasn't my own and I was very unwilling to have anything less than that when I returned to England."
But in July 2007, Ms Wilkinson said they were left "deeply disappointed" by the judgement, adding that they had been ''stripped of our marriage'' by a judge who preferred to uphold the ''traditional notion'' of marriage .
Speaking on the court steps at the time, she added: " It perpetuates discrimination and it sends out the message that lesbian and gay marriages are inferior.''
Civil partnership became legal in the United Kingdom in 2004, which allowed same-sex couples to live in legally recognised partnerships similar to marriage, but without allowing them to marry.
In July, the Same Sex Couples Act was passed in Parliament, which permits ma rriage ceremonies to take place from March 29. But a quirk of the law means those who wed abroad will have their marriages recognised from March 13.
Speaking of their impending marriage, Ms Wilkinson, professor of social sciences at Loughborough University, said: "I think for me it is disbelief more than anything else.
"Its kind of suddenly crept up on us from nowhere, only eight years after we lost a court case to declare our marriage legal in this country.
"But now it will be legal in this country and that's pretty stunning."
She added: " It was almost you could say an historical accident that we got married, I just happened to be based in Canada when the law changed there.
"So if we hadn't been there then I don't think we would have got married and probably would have ended up with a civil partnership in England.
"But having had marriage and experienced what that felt like made us determined it had to be marriage and nothing but marriage."


text:
Layer Two Tunneling Protocol (L2TP) Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) Considerations Update
RFC - Best Current Practice
(December 2002; No errata)
Also known as BCP 68
|Mark Townsley
|Last updated
|plain text html pdf htmlized bibtex
|WG state
|Document shepherd
|No shepherd assigned
|IESG state
|RFC 3438 (Best Current Practice)
|Consensus Boilerplate
|Telechat date
|Responsible AD
|Thomas Narten
|IESG note
|Send notices to
Network Working Group W. Townsley Request for Comments: 3438 Cisco Systems BCP: 68 December 2002 Category: Best Current Practice Layer Two Tunneling Protocol (L2TP) Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) Considerations Update Status of this Memo This document specifies an Internet Best Current Practices for the Internet Community, and requests discussion and suggestions for improvements. Distribution of this memo is unlimited. Copyright Notice Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2002). All Rights Reserved. Abstract This document describes updates to the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) considerations for the Layer Two Tunneling Protocol (L2TP). Table of Contents 1. Introduction............................................. 1 1.1 Terminology........................................... 2 2. IANA Considerations...................................... 2 2.1 Control Message AVPs.................................. 3 2.2 Message Type AVP Values............................... 3 2.3 Result Code AVP Values................................ 3 2.4 Remaining Values...................................... 3 3. Normative References..................................... 3 4. Security Considerations.................................. 4 5. Acknowledgements......................................... 4 6. Author's Address......................................... 4 7. Full Copyright Statement................................. 5 1. Introduction This document provides guidance to the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) regarding the registration of values related to the Layer Two Tunneling Protocol (L2TP), defined in [RFC2661], in accordance with BCP 26, [RFC2434]. Townsley Best Current Practice [Page 1] RFC 3438 L2TP IANA Considerations December 2002 1.1 Terminology The following terms are used here with the meanings defined in BCP 26: "name space", "assigned value", "registration". The following policies are used here with the meanings defined in BCP 26: "Private Use", "First Come First Served", "Expert Review", "Specification Required", "IETF Consensus", "Standards Action". 2. IANA Considerations L2TP [RFC2661] defines a number of "magic" numbers to be maintained by the IANA. This section updates the criteria to be used by the IANA to assign additional numbers in each of these lists. Each of the values identified in this document that require a registration criteria update are currently maintained by IANA and have a range of values from 0 to 65 535, of which a very small number have been allocated (the maximum number allocated within any one range is 46) [L2TP-IANA]. Given the nature of these values, it is not expected that any will ever run into a resource allocation problem if registration allocation requirements are relaxed from their current state. The recommended criteria changes for IANA registration are listed in the following sections. In one case, the registration criteria is currently defined as First Come First Served and should be made more strict, others are defined as IETF Consensus and need to be relaxed. The relaxation from IETF Consensus is motivated by specific cases in which values that were never intended to be vendor-specific have had to enter early field trials or be released in generally available products with vendor-specific values while awaiting documents to be formalized. In most cases, this results in products that have to support both the vendor-specific value and IETF value indefinitely. For registration requests where a Designated Expert should be consulted, the responsible IESG Area Director should appoint the Designated Expert. For registration requests requiring Expert Review, the Designated Expert should consult relevant WGs as appropriate (e.g., the l2tpext WG at the time of this writing). The basic guideline for the Expert Review process will be to approve the assignment of a value only if there is a document being advanced that clearly defines the values to be assigned, and there is active Townsley Best Current Practice [Page 2] RFC 3438 L2TP IANA Considerations December 2002 implementation development (perhaps entering early field or interoperability trails, requiring assigned values to proceed without having to resort to a chosen vendor-specific method). 2.1 Control Message AVPs IANA manages the "Control Message Attribute Value Pairs" [L2TP-IANA] name space, of which 0 - 46 have been assigned. The criteria for assignment was originally IETF Consensus. Further values should beShow full document text


text:
Being a geek is sweet. I get really excited about often quite simple stuff, and moreover stuff that most other people really don't care about. This usually prompts me to start some sort of techy project, but, alas, I'm the first to admit they go on a seemingly never-ending, possibly never-completed wishlist. I'd like to change that, and I reckon blogging about stuff might just give me more impetus to make good on my thoughts – if not less time to do them. Irony.
Anyway with that in mind, here's a couple of mini projects I have on my mind, some in various stages of completion, some merely seeded. Hopefully I'll do something about them, if I haven't already.
Reappropriating a LaCie FireWire CD-RW
This little project is now complete, and although really quite simple in the end, it was exactly the kind of thing I love doing. You can read the full post about the process here.
Telescope Refurb
As per my previous post, I've been donated an old Charles Frank 6″ Reflector telescope, which needs a little work. I find any sort of techy work really fun, but don't get as much opportunity to do much other than computer work, and even that is more limited than I like. This should be a fun little project, once I've persuaded my parents to ferry it 200 miles form its current location to my house.
Fitting a hard drive to my old Amiga 600
I'd been thinking about cracking out the Commodore Amiga 600 I've owned since being a kid and never got rid of (I still have all the disks!) at some point, possibly looking into a few things I could do to it upgrades wise. I always, always wanted a hard drive for it when I was younger (it was something like 100mb, I think, and external), so I had a little delve. Fortunately for me, it turns out there's actually a hard drive bracket and IDE connector for a 2.5″ IDE hard drive, ready and waiting inside the thing. Bonus. Thanks to some fantastic resources such as Amiga.org, The Extreme Commodore A600 Upgrading Page and English Amiga Board I've prepared an old 1.2gb drive I had kicking around using the awesome but complicated WinUAE and a nice preconfigured Workbench setup called Classic Workbench and now I'm just waiting for the 2.5″ IDE cable, which is taking approximately 17 years to arrive.
[UPDATE: Between writing this bit and posting, the IDE cable arrived – it's now installed and working. I will write a post about the whole thing soon]
Finding a purpose for new kit
I've just acquired a Dell Poweredge 1750 blade server, plus a really gorgeous, well-engineered case with an Intel SE7505VB2 motherboard and dual Intel Xeon 2.4gHz chips, either Prestonia or Gallatin flavour, and I need a purpose for them. I probably need to get a bit of thermal paste for the processors, as the heatsinks had been removed and although I did my best with the paste that was left on, one of the chips is running a good 5°C hotter. I'm really not a fan (heh heh) of re-using paste anyway, it's not exactly expensive stuff.
Building a home-made NAS
Easier than you think. I've come across a lovely Linux distro called FreeNAS which is brilliant. Extremely easy to install, can live on a bootable memory stick and after a minimum of setup, you can configure the whole thing through a web interface. I'm not really sure why they have a little devil thingy on their logo.
Unfortunately, I'm now of the opinion it might have to wait. Realistically, I can't really house another box. I'm up to my eyeballs in tech – but then again, I am a kit monster!
Setting up an OSX Server
I acquired a Mac XServe G5 blade some time ago and have been looking for something to do with it. Lovely piece of kit, really just bit too nice to get thrown away. I've been thinking of getting some sort of internal web server up and running, at some point – this may be the ideal candidate.
Setting up a Windows Server
See above. Most likely on the Dell, I think. I want to play with/learn Microsoft's WDS for work, and this would be a great opportunity. I have a couple of spare machines kicking around to act as client machines as well, so I can get the hang of it.
Hackint0shing my Samsung NC10
The original section I started writing here turned into a massive rant/homage to my Samsung NC10 netbook so I 've actually split it off into a new post here. Anyway basically at some point I plan to hackint0sh it. For those of you who don't know what I'm on about, it means to install Mac OSX on a computer not normally supposed to run it – i.e. not a Mac. Although it's strictly speaking a bit naughty, I actually own various genuine copies of OSX, so it could be worse.
I've done it before to an old Dell, and the principle is the same, so it shouldn't be too hard. The major issue was that the wifi/network adaptors will not work once OSX is on there, which makes it pretty pointless, but I've fixed that by buying and installing a Dell wifi card, which is compatible with OSX.
I currently dual boot it into WinXP Pro and Ubuntu 10.04, and I've come across a couple of great articles (gotta love the Tinterweb) about triple booting and hackint0shing the NC10, so with a bit of lateral thinking I think I can meet them in the middle somewhere (read: hope).
Right, that's it for now, I've rambled on for ages, 952 words is enough for today.
Peace out technophiles!


text:
ABOUT THE CANADIAN FOREIGN EXCHANGE COMMITTEEThe Canadian Foreign Exchange Committee (CFEC) was founded in 1989. It is composed of senior officers from financial institutions actively involved in Canada's foreign exchange market and the Canadian dollar market globally. It also includes representatives from the inter-dealer electronic and voice brokers, the Bank of Canada and the Department of Finance. The CFEC's objective is to provide a forum for the regular discussion of issues and developments pertinent to the foreign exchange market, including the review of market practices and procedures. More information on the n be found in its Document of Objectives and Organization.
|Copyright © 2003. Canadian Foreign Exchange Committee.


text:
Re: Hiring Freelancers or Contractorscegurube Feb 7, 2011 3:58 PM (in response to Chris Heggem)
Hi Chris,
Outsourcing jobs offshore can help you expand your business and hire full-time employees who will work your hours, without spending more money.
But before you start looking for contractors, consider the following:
- Is this person going to handle confidential information? If yes, then you might want to serve an NDA. (non-disclosure agreement).
- Paying hourly rates can cost you more. If the project will require more than 20 hours/day, then you should probably consider hiring this person full-time and paying a reduced monthly fee.
- Outsourcing to independent contractors won't guarantee quality results. It's easy to fake experience and credentials. I've worked with freelancers who charge very low rates, but can't deliver. I ended up spending more money and time explaining project details. I found that working with reliable outsourcing firms is better. If you're interested, I can recommend a trusted vendor that makes outsourcing a lot easier. You can email me at cecille(at)teamspan.com for details.
Hope this helps,
Hiring Freelancers or ContractorsDrachsi Feb 23, 2011 1:40 AM (in response to cegurube)
Agreed. I guess it depends on what you need to be done. If they are to work in your premises, you have much more control. There are resources which are only based on-line, you have the opportunity to gather lot more information, and decide if you can work together.
Hiring Freelancers or ContractorsMarvin Apr 30, 2011 12:16 PM (in response to cegurube)
I would like to add to what Cecille mentioned (refer to Feb 7 post):
- "Paying hourly rates can cost you more. If the project will require more than 20 hours/day, then you should probably consider hiring this person full-time and paying a reduced monthly fee." -- Yes, this is definitely right. As a Virtual Assistant I inform would be clients of the pros & cons of paying on an hourly basis or at a fixed monthly fee. If the project is long-term then a fixed monthly fee is the best way to go, otherwise you're better off paying your Virtual Assistant on an hourly basis.
- "Outsourcing to independent contractors won't guarantee quality results. It's easy to fake experience and credentials. I've worked with freelancers who charge very low rates, but can't deliver. I ended up spending more money and time explaining project details. I found that working with reliable outsourcing firms is better." I agree. At this day & age it's very easy to fake experience & credentials. Even the most reliable outsourcing firms can make occasional mistakes of hiring freelancers who pass themselves off as experts. I would suggest trying out a freelancer for 2-3 days before awarding the project to them. This way you would know if your freelancer really knows what he is doing.
- Is this person going to handle confidential information? If yes, then you might want to serve an NDA. (non-disclosure agreement).
Hiring Freelancers or ContractorsLUCKIEST Feb 7, 2011 2:52 PM (in response to Chris Heggem)
Running a successful business takes many things, but chief among them is competent professionals you can count on. Usually, such people are those you seek to hire on to your company so that they can provide the expertise you need on an ongoing basis. Sometimes, though, that may not be practical. Whether the expertise required is short term in nature, or if it just isn't within the business' means to hire a full time professional, a freelance contractor can provide the expertise required.
There are several benefits to hiring freelance contractors. One benefit is that as a freelance contractor, the business does not have to incur the additional expense of paying for benefits or employment taxes. Another benefit is that terminating the contract of a freelancer is easier than laying off or firing an employee, so greater flexibility is provided. An additional benefit is the ability to bring in expertise for a specific project or event.
Freelance contractors can be of great use to a business. However, there are instances where various regulations or laws may require a person to be counted as an employee, regardless of how the business wants to characterize the person. This happens most often if the freelance contractor works for a single client for a long period of time. In this instance, the contractor may be an employee by law.
Talk to both your accountant and your lawyer. Good luck
Hiring Freelancers or ContractorsSBC Team Feb 7, 2011 4:10 PM (in response to LUCKIEST)
Hi LUCKIEST,
Please do not wholesale copy and paste content from other websites, such as you have done above from eHow.com. Most websites do not approve of their content being used in this way.
Instead, you can provide a brief summary of their content (one small paragraph or so) with a link to their web page.
Thanks in advance for your understanding,
The SBOC Team
Hiring Freelancers or Contractorssunsax Feb 8, 2011 12:54 PM (in response to Chris Heggem)
Not sure if you're looking for specific projects that need to be done, but if you are, I've become fan of CrowdSourcing. There are certain sites that are specifically good for logo design, art, creatvies and web work.
Hiring Freelancers or ContractorsChris Heggem Feb 10, 2011 1:44 PM (in response to Chris Heggem)
Thanks for all the replies. I did some research and found a helpful link on a small business blog I read. Worth reading: Hiring Freelancers and Contractors 101
Re: Hiring Freelancers or ContractorsBarky Dog Feb 11, 2011 5:17 PM (in response to Chris Heggem)
Hey Chris,
I found some really good resources here in this community as well. Here are a few of them:
- Getting Help: Employee vs. Independent Contractor
- Freelancer or employee? Understanding the difference may help your business avoid a costly headache.
- Audit Odds: Are you at risk? Can you avoid them?
Hope these help,
Re: Hiring Freelancers or Contractorsrob Apr 26, 2012 3:54 PM (in response to Chris Heggem)
Hi Chris,
I'm not sure what route you decided to go when hiring someone to complete business services. I wanted to give you some words from my own experience. I think it soley depends on your business and how big it is. If you have a small budget and you can't afford payroll for someone full time, I would suggest hiring contract workers. This way you aren't locked into paying them a salary. I typically have all contract workers because my business has busy seasons and really slow seasons. I would rather hire more employees during my busy seasons and have less during my slow seasons.
Re: Hiring Freelancers or ContractorsKacie Parker Jan 4, 2012 1:59 PM (in response to Chris Heggem)
In my opinion, working with an outsourcing provider is far better. They will be able to handle the workload for you for a reasonable price. I am very satisfied with the quality of work they produce, and they'll manage their employees for you so you don't have to worry. Our company has been working with Offsourcing Inc. for a few months now and all I can say is I am very happy. They are amazing. Offsourcing Inc is a boutique outsourcing provider specializing in web development, graphic design, administrative functions, and customer support services. I hope this info will help you or others too.
Re: Hiring Freelancers or Contractorsridhima Mar 9, 2012 11:58 AM (in response to Chris Heggem)
In my opinion
There are several major advantages to using ICs rather than payroll employees, with financial savings topping the list.
You will probably save money. Even though most employers pay ICs more per hour than they would pay employees to do the same work, it usually ends up costing employers more to hire employees.
When you're at a point where you can't take on any more business you have to either turn away clients or expand. Not being at a place to go hire full time employees, freelancers and contractors seem more appealing.
What advice or insights do you all have on bringing on freelancers and contractors? Anything I should be made aware of?


text:
TEBECHOP 3000 I and 13500 SE: Modular DC Power Systems
For several years, BENNING has been supplying high quantities of modular DC power Systems for business critical infrastructure within the telecommunication and information industry. These modular DC power systems are often equipped with battery back-up to protect communication systems against main power disturbances or main power failure.
The modular system design, with parallel operating hot-plug DC power modules (plug and play), provides high availability, can be upgraded, and is easy to install and to maintain.
BENNING has now developed a special range of industrial modular DC power systems to meet the specifications required in the industrial sectors, such as the petrochemical industry, the power distribution, power generation industry, and the automation control industry.
These systems are available for DC output voltages 24 V, 48 V, 60 V, 110 V, and 220 V.


text:
Washington (CNN) - Is progress on a fiscal cliff deal in the cards?
If it is, it may be on a sheet of paper seen making the rounds on Capitol Hill Saturday.
[twitter-follow screen_name='politicalticker']
A top Democratic staffer with the Senate Finance Committee carried a piece of paper with what he said were revenue estimates into Senate Majority Leader Reid's office earlier Saturday afternoon.
A short time later, he carried a similar-looking piece of paper into Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's office.
The staffer left McConnell's office a short time later - but without that piece of paper.
He wouldn't comment on the talks other than to say the finance committee is facilitating the negotiations by crunching numbers.
A short time after the paper shuffling, a McConnell staffer delivered a manila envelope from McConnell's office to Reid's office.
The movement was among the few outward signs of progress visible to reporters camped outside the Capitol offices.
And it's a reminder that progress on a deal is incremental - in some cases, one sheet of paper at a time.
Sunday afternoon?
I can't help myself. Every time I see McConnell on the news, I think about his declaration to not only make President Obama a one term president but also to deny Democrats any Republican support on major legilslation. I wonder how those intentions are (consciously or unconsciously) influencing him now?
He would be more comfortable on a woman's talk show...talking out of both sides of his mouth saying nothing...
We were in control for 4 years spent a bunch promised a lot but we do not have a budget to pay for it, so hey how about some donations, I am a community organizer, and a bit of a beggar..
Please let the embarrassment stop. We elect these people to get it done, to take care of business and they go home for Christmas without a deal. That is not what we pay them for. The Tea Party folks and right-wing nuts cases are taking us down, not forward.
"The definition of a zealot is someone who - having lost any idea of what his purpose was - now doubles down on his effort.
"The definition of a zealot is someone who - having lost any idea of what his purpose was - now doubles down on his effort
I hope they can reach a deal. It sometimes seems as if my own Republican party is happy when government operations are interrupted as a result of their own inability to negotiate. It's embarrassing.
agonizingly slow in fact
It's time for republicans to step up to the plate because they're the major reason we're in this economic mess aren't we..It's historic from Hoovers Great Depression in the 20's-30's to Bushs recent recession republicans stink on handling any economic problems and they know it but persue economics blindly anyway like a dog chasing a taxi and once caught don't know what to do with it,right!!And you remember its always the democrates that clean up your past messes haven't they in Roosevelt,Clinton and now Pres.Obama..You'd think after all your past economic failures you'd be smart and leave the economic portions of this country to democrates,it sure would be easier and things would get done wouldn't it!!But as usual you always let your arrogence overshadow your ignorence and that's why we're here now aren't we!!From now on I insist you leave things you don't know alone and let the adults,the democrates in the room just do their job,the one they're paid highly for!!
I just dont undestand the dems.they have this love vest with "TAX THE RICH TAX THE RICH" To many of you out there need to get a life. we should help the poor help them self. bring back the soup and bread lines.end welfare now!
You need to pass this national assertion. Period. Raise taxes on 250k or more earners. Listen to president. He is a wise guy.
ok the republicans is getting tired what about boehner is he getting tired as well its coming down to the money with these people and obama is ready to make his speech on the fiscal cliff
These people should have been dealing with this before the election quietly. Once the election was over, this should have been the top priority.
wiseup: I Think it is ironic. Norquist is threatening any repulican with being primaried out if they vote for the tax revenue increase on those incomes over $250k. But as usual they expect the middle class and elderly to foot the bill for the well to do. I would like to see congressmen have their salaries be with held until deal is made. same with debt ceiling. Congressman would not get paid until debt ceiling is setled. If T-party idiots wouldn't get paid because they want to see country go to hell., they might be a little more flexible.
wiseup:Boehner and traditional repulicans are probably regretting selling their souls to the T-party devils in the name of a short term fix of taking control of house. Now it appears the T-party seems to hold the power, as Boehner is weak and can't get any thing through house, that could also get senate to allow. congressmen should have to punch a time clock. get paid the going rate for your district or state. they might knock down $50k a year. they could earn $500.00 bonus for each bill passed.
Did they scan the papers to Reid, as he is not in his office?
Ooooooh. Ahhhhh. Probably just arguing over who will turn off the lights first.
Did they go left, right, around corners??......... OMG!! – @Marita.
This is really sad ! It shows just how divided a nation we have become ; even if a deal is struck its to late . They have humiliated America in the eyes of the world. Pragmatist rule and we the people are divided . Lobbyist and corporations choose our leaders while we vasculate over the scraps. Folks they laugh at us behind closed doors. The words sheep and cattle are used to describe us. Republican and democrats. alike. No offence intended less your a politician.
A deal?? that's what this no real deal bandaid is called now? The can is just being kicked down the road a ways because we the people accepted our lawmakers taking a year off to get re-elected.


text:
For over 35 years, INTERSCIENCE has been providing high-quality equipment for microbiology, especially designed for quick and safe analyses in quality control. We offer a large range of products, from solid sample preparation to its final bacterial enumeration, for the food and agro-food, medical, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries.
Discover our products for microbiology:
With our products you are enabled to quickly homogenize your sample, from 5 mL to 3500 mL, for microbiological analyses. Using our gravimetric dilutors, lab blenders and peristaltic pumps, you can ideally prepare the sample before its microbiological analysis.
You can then use our automatic Spiral plater and dilutor to automatically do your serial dilutions and plate your sample. The Scan automatic colony counters then insure automatic counting and traceability of the analyses.


text:
False alarm, people. Michael McDonald, the Reuters reporter who started yesterday's Yavin 4 rumors, has put the story to bed: It was all a big misunderstanding, and no, there are no leaked story elements from Disney about the new Star Wars movie.
Yesterday, a Reuters report made the rounds, notable for apparently official information about the plot of the new film, and a thousand nerd blogs cried out at once. But even at the time, it was pretty unlikely that official information would leak like that, which we pointed out. Turns out, as expected, it was just a screwup. Here's what McDonald told to TheForce.net:
"This was a mistake. I misunderstood what fan clubs had told me and shown me in book plots and that storyline has not been announced by Disney. Perhaps I should have written something along the lines of 'Yavin 4 appears in several Star Wars book plots and while Guatemala fans said they hope film crews return to Tikal, the company has not announced plans for the new episode.'"
Oh well. At least the lid's back on the Extended Universe can of worms for a while. [TheForce]


text:
These pieces of art, made perfect for your wall, were created out of cotton and felt and other fabrics. They're part of an exhibit called "Sew Nerdy: A Geek Craft Extravaganza," so these pieces will be on show until August 11th.
Unfortunately they run from $60-$100, which isn't too terrible, but not enough for me to warrant as a wall decoration purchase. Particularly because my mom is quite skilled with a needle and thread. Still, these look great.
Sew Nerdy [Bear and Bird via Love and a Sandwich]


text:
What's New
- Great new graphical updates to improve your mobile playing experience!
- Additions to the betting system to allow greater user flexibility!
- Some minor gameplay tweaks
- Teeny bug fixes
App Description
Extreme Slots gives you the best odds, plus with regular updates and huge amounts of unlockable content included, Extreme slots will keep you entertained for hours.
- Big payouts and awesome animations
- Secure your slots pattern by tapping to lock
- Find Jewels, and sell your stocks to keep your gameplay experience ongoing
- Unlockable membership levels; earn XP points for even more bonuses
- Regular game updates with extra slot machines and even more in game features to unlock
- Cool effects and exciting animations
- Free spins, wild cards and bonus games
- Up to 25 lines playable instantly
For entertainment purposes only
App Changes
- June 09, 2014 Initial release


text:
Sponsored Links
DWG to JPG Converter is a batch converter that allows you to convert DWG and DXF files to TIF (TIFF), JPG
(JPEG), BMP, GIF, PNG, TGA, PCX, WMF and EMF without the need of AutoCAD.
Key Features:
1. AutoCAD NOT required.
2. Convert DWG and DXF to Image in batches.
3. Supports R2.5 to R2011 formats.
4. Very easy to use.


text:
Nicki Minaj is back with avengeance today, as she's dropped some new heat for the forthcoming Young Money: Rise Of An Empire album as well as her own third studio album. And she's calling out just about every fake rapper/person on the record, not by name though.
She first delivered a black and white music video for the track, which was the reason for all these sexy Instagram pictures the other day. Shortly after the video dropped, UHTN obtained the CDQ for the audio.Â
Young Money: Rise Of An Empire drops on March 11th, and we're still waiting on another single off it which features Lil Wayne, Tyga and Nicki "Senile."
The YMCMB first lady also confirmed that her new studio album will be called The Pink Print, a title which she had thrown around in interviews over the past year but never actually confirmed.
What're your thoughts on this record?
Quotable Lyrics
Look at yall sharin' one bottle in the club
One bottle full of bub' ass niggas
Look at yall none-having-game ass niggas
Yall niggas share a chain ass niggas
Same cup in the hand ass nigga
In the club with a credit card scam ass nigga
I be damned if I ever fucked a none-man ass nigga


text:
Former Biggest Loser yell-mentor Jillian Michaels has opened up about the reasons she left the show, and it's more or less exactly what you would expect.
Michaels told People that she and the producers had a few fundamental disagreements, one of which was the way she was portrayed in recent seasons. "In the beginning of the show it was tough love. You saw the tough, and you saw the love," she said. Recently, though, she thinks she was depicted as overly harsh: "You saw none of the relationships, none of the bonds that I build with my clients." Which, in her opinion, caused "millions of people [to] have this warped perception of me."
She also mentions the controversy last season after one contestant lost 60% of her body weight and later said that maybe she was "a little too enthusiastic in [her] training to get to the finale."
"I had to take a hard look at my work," Michaels said, re: that whole debacle. "I felt ashamed, and I came to the conclusion that moving forward, I need to be able to have an impact on the outcome of what I do." Ok then! Godspeed to everyone, I guess. [Daily Mail, People]
Zayn from One Direction has had a public Instagram for but a day and it is already wreaking havoc on the hearts of teens everywhere. (Also on the hearts of Jezebel writers.) Specifically, Zayn posted a picture of himself wearing what appeared to be a wedding ring and the world wept a sea of tears; his rep then said it was just an engagement ring and the tears continued unabated. Sigh. [Page Six]
Anna Paquin dyed her hair PURPLE and BLUE. She looks like a very sophisticated mermaid; I approve a lot. [E!]
- Seth MacFarlane is allegedly being sued for stealing the idea for Ted, a movie that chronicles the misadventures of an animate stuffed animal who masturbates and makes poop jokes. Can you imagine having a mind so dessicated from years of being applauded for mindlessly yelling "BOOBS" that you had to plagiarize that plot? [NY Daily News]
- Britney Spears forgot to pay for her lunch at the Cheesecake Factory; her people tell TMZ that she feels "horrible" about the mistake. A tale as old as time. [ONTD]
- Courtney Stodden feasted upon a vegetarian hot dog while clad in a lettuce bikini, as we all have. [DListed]
- Noted romantic Scott Disick posted a photograph of himself kissing Kourtney Kardashian in a rowboat. "Just like the Notebook," reads some WordArt in the photo's lower right corner. Yes, quite, just like it. My favorite part of the Notebook is when Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams fight over whether they should build a helicopter pad behind their pool. [E!]
- Lindsay Lohan was spotted kissing a mystery man on a yacht in Italy. From the photos posted online of their tender moments, it would appear that he is a lump of blurry pixels joined together in corporeal form. [Just Jared]
- Gwyneth Paltrow was spotted on a date with a "hot young guy" with "curly, shaggy hair" in the East Village. I'm imagining him as 90s-era Justin Timberlake, which brings me joy in this bleak summer morning. [Page Six]
- Iggy Azalea's boyfriend says that the two of them went to Six Flags in sweatpants to forget about Nicki Minaj hurling shade in Iggy's direction. Also that Nicki is probably jealous. Uh-oh. [NY Daily News]
- Prince George is "charging around and opens doors," according to some British lady who heard it from Prince William. The enthusiastic door-opening will make him a good diplomat, I bet???? Idk. He's a baby. [Hello]


text:
(For this queation, all matrices are real).
According to the ancient paper http://www.springerlink.com/content/l455p582210k1113/ which I cannot really read fully, since it is in german, any square matrix can be written as a product of two symmetric matrices (one of which is non-singular). If we strengthen the conditions, such that one of the factors must be positive-(semi)definite, what can we say? Any way of characterizing square matrices which can be written as a product of a symmetric and a symmetric positive-semidefinit matrix?
If $A$ is symmetric positive-definite and $B$ is symmetric, then the product $AB$ is similar to a symmetric matrix, so has real eigenvalues. So if any square matrix could be written such, all square matrices would have real eigenvalues, which is absurd. So there must be some restriction.
And, any more recent references for this problem?


text:
On Jan. 15, Gibson revealed the limited edition signature Chris Cornell ES-335 prior to the "I Am the Highway: A Tribute to Chris Cornell" concert. The highly anticipated gig ultimately celebrated the life and music of the musician. It took place at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif.
The instrument was crafted as a tribute to commemorate the legacy of the late-Soundgarden and Audioslave frontman, as well as his dedication to Gibson guitars. Cornell sadly took his own life on May 18, 2017.
The chief merchant officer of Gibson, Cesar Gueikian, spoke at the show, saying, "It is our honour to release this tribute ES-335 in his memory. It's a guitar Chris fell in love with and which became a part of his creative expression."
"Chris was a special artist," he added. "We hope that this guitar will inspire fans to find their sound and inspiration, just like Chris did, for many years to come."
READ MORE: Chris Cornell tribute concert: Soundgarden, Metallica and more perform
Gibson shared a number of images to its website and social media pages. The guitar holds a classy satin finish in olive drab green and beautiful pearl peghead inlays, making it one of the most distinct and recognizable axes to date.
"When we first partnered with Chris to work on his original Gibson ES-335 artist model, it was immediately clear that he also had an innovative eye for guitar design," wrote Gibson in an official statement.
It's a reissue of Cornell's 2013 signature model Memphis ES-355, except this time, the guitar features his iconic signature on the headstock and each tiny detail is tailored to his own preference, including the aged Lollartron humbuckers and the unique volume/tone knobs — which feature no numbers and a clear finish.
"Chris Cornell was a modern innovator who left a legacy that transcends genres or expectations," they added. "His voice carried a generation into the unknown, but somehow always got us back home. We miss him dearly."
READ MORE: Soundgarden's surviving members float possibility of reunion
The exclusive guitar is limited to only 250 units. Two were donated as prizes at last week's concert in order to raise money for the Epidermolysis Bullosa Medical Research Foundation, as well as the Chris and Vicky Cornell Foundation — which was founded by the singer and his wife, Vicky Cornell.
Their foundation was launched to protect and provide for vulnerable and neglected children around the globe.
All proceeds from the "I Am the Highway: A Tribute to Chris Cornell" concert were donated to the two charities.
READ MORE: Chris Cornell's son stars in posthumous 'When Bad Does Good' video
More details and specifications on the signature Chris Cornell ES-335 can be found on Gibson's official website.
The magnificent axe is expected to be made available later in the spring.


text:
- Home
- About Us
- Holy Syriac Orthodox Church
- Patriarch
- Late Lamented Patriarch
- Archbishop
- Archdiocese - Administration
- Archdiocese - Brief History
- Priests
- Deacons
- Archdiocesan Council
- P.R.O. & Diocesan Auditors
- Constitution of the Holy Universal Syriac Orthodox Church
- Constitution & Amendments of the Malankara Archdiocese
- Spiritual Organizations
- Orthodoxy
- Messages
- Media
- Calendar
- Directory
- Resources
- Contact Us
Should I confess before a Priest ?
Submitted by admin on Fri, 2011-01-21 02:01
Private or auricular confession before a priest a sacrament of great benefit if rightly conducted. Christ has given the authority of remitting or forgiving the sins to the apostles (Mt.18: 18, Jn. 20: 22; James 5: 16). Aachan had to confess before Joshua as confession before God (Josh. 7:19) though it was not sufficient to save him from punishment as it was before the atoning death of Christ for the sins of the whole of humanity. True confession is also a pastoral counseling. Absolution by the priest gives the assurance. Expression prevents suppression and the consequent repression of pardon and a new song in the heart. Genuine confession must be with full confidence in the father confessor, with utter frankness and a sincere desire to forsake the sins confessed and to start a new life of purity and usefulness. Authentic confession ends with unconditional surrender to Christ. There are many who think that in stopping the practice of private confession the Protestant brethren were throwing away the baby with the bath-water. No doubt medieval practice of confession and the sale of indulgences needed to be reformed. Even today, there are many formal and routine practices of confession which need to be reformed, but confession as such is very useful and must be preserved for all those who have some guilty feeling to be shared and absolved. Self-examination asked for in I Cor. 11:27 would make us realize that there are hidden sins in us to be confessed. The best proof for the need of confession would be a trial of making a sincere and outspoken confession before a priest in whom one has full confidence. That would convince one of its efficacy. There is no other sacrament which gives so much of relief of the heart and the joy of forgiveness (Read Ps. 32; Prov. 28: 13; Lk. 15: 20-24).