#and if the worst happens on wednesday we were fed good for 7 years and that's not bad going *sob*

[vakariaan]

#silent witness #silentwitnessedit #jack hodgson #nikki alexander #jack x nikki #david caves #emilia fox #myedit #jakkiedit #I JUST #CANNOT DEAL #and if the worst happens on wednesday we were fed good for 7 years and that's not bad going *sob*

[changeit20]

First Site Review

Oh where to even start with this company...I never write reviews but this one had to be written. This will be long but I assure you its worth the read. I will try to go in order of what issues I had throughout my lease along with an overall summary at the bottom and a note to the owner who replies to these reviews.

1. Whenever I had to talk to a First Site employee I was always talked down to, and they treated me as if I didn't know anything. Always had an undertone of "mommy or daddy" handles everything so I can't possibly know what I am talking about. This is evident when going through the leasing process. Whenever I asked a question about the lease they would brush it off and just say “everything is handled this is a very easy process no need to ask these questions” I didn't sign it immediately as they so desperately try to do with other students. My roommates resigned and they assured us the apartment was ours as long as we signed the paperwork on Friday (This was told to us on Wednesday) Friday morning comes along and we go to sign. They told us the apartment was already rented out to someone else yesterday (Thursday). We told them on Wednesday that none of us could sign that day and wouldn't until Friday as our schedules were booked. They assured us repeatedly that we would have the apartment because we were resigning and were good lessees. When we were obviously perplexed as to why it was signed away. Their reasoning was they didn't have to wait on them and signed within hours of viewing pictures online. 

The lack of professionalism is astonishing. Not sure if they do not communicate between each other, lack training, or simply make rules up as they go. Another example is you could ask a simple question and receive a different answer from every single one of their employees. I went in and called them (I kid you not) 10 times asking about my parking pass that was included in my lease. They were dismissive and clearly fed up with me consistently asking. I finally was told to go to Joes Towing to get it. When I got there a few minutes later the lady was frustrated that they sent me to their office. She did not have my pass. Even she was annoyed with them as this was not the first time they did this to someone. It took one call from her and they finally disclosed where to actually get it. Mind you this was the same person working that told me to go to the towing office. This was not the first or last time I had to go in circles to get the right or proper information. If you ask them something PLEASE get it in writing and the name of the worker so you can defend yourself. If you tell them you were told differently you WILL be called a liar or simply just "misremembering" as they "would never" tell someone false information...ugh please.

They treat you as if you were a child. When I first moved in I was given one key. This key was meant to be the front door key. The key they gave me looked like the stairwell key. I did not say anything at the time and assumed they changed the locks to the door. When I went up unlock my apartment the key didn't fit. I went to check if it worked for the stairwell and it did! I went back to the office and asked for the front door key. I was belittled and treated as if I was dumb.

"Are you sure you did it right?" "Do you even know how to open a door with a key?" "That is the right key, you clearly did it wrong" "That is the front door key" "Did you even go to the right apartment?  Did you go to [redacted]? Are you sure it was apartment number [redacted]? Do you know your numbers?"

He then told another worker to go with me to "show me how to use the key right" The other worker, bless his soul, knew that the key I had was the stairwell key so he got the master key as well. I am grateful he apologized on behalf of the other worker. The way that worker talked to me was despicable.

Hire more personable and competent workers as this worker was also the one who gave me false information about the parking pass and has always been hostile towards me. I have talked to FirstSite about this worker and I was simply told it won't happen again.

They only care about money. They offer a program where you can defer payments until your student loan comes in and you are able to pay rent. I asked when the due date was to fill out the form and was told I had a week to do it. I filled it out 2 days later and called again to ask a question, they told me that the date had already passed by over 2 weeks. I told them that I had a week of time left because that is what a different employee told me. They said they couldn’t do anything and I needed to pay. I waited another 2 days and called again. I was told I still had time and it wasn’t until the end of the month. I turned in the paperwork that day. A few days go by and I was told that I was too late as the due date passed by a week. After talking to this agent and the manager I was told I needed to pay and if I didn’t pay within 5 days after the 5 day grace period they would start the eviction process. I told them I wouldn’t be able to pay until a day or two after the grace period because of my financial situtation and if it was possible to waive the late fees for that. I thought that was reasonable as multiple workers told me lies and caused me to go in financial distress in order to pay for the months I would have had deferred. They refused to help me in any sort of way. I have worked in the rental business and a good company would try and work with someone in my situation after everything. I would still pay, just not within the grace period. They were rude to me and said I still needed to pay the rent and late fees. Each time I was late I and my roommates would be harassed with text messages saying I NEEDED to pay, and multiple threats of eviction. 

What really pisses me off is that my roommate during our lease couldn’t pay for a few months, and yet no threat of eviction was given to her! They said she had something like 30-60 days to pay. They were sympathetic to her and understood her situation. Also I only received ONE text message about it. How come I was not given that same response??? Was it because she was white and I was not? Again the level of professionalism of their employees is sub par. They do not have good customer service AT ALL. It is basically non existent. 

2. First Site is obsessed with renting out their apartments as fast as possible. They start their rental process extremely early and pressures students to find an apartment for next year quickly because they rent out fast. They can show your apartment to potential renters. I lived above their office, I can not say if they do this to other locations but they would send out a text to each person living in the apartment stating they are going to show it to people within 10-15 minutes. That in itself is outrageous. Typically lessors should give at least a 24 hour warning before showcasing the apartment. This is to assure the renters have privacy, can clean up and make it presentable, not have a ton of guests etc. But because we were right above their office we were never given that absurd 10-15 minute window. It was always 5 minutes or less.

How is that okay???? I have been in the shower or freshly out of the shower multiple times when they came in. It happened so many times I thought they wanted to see me naked. It is extremely uncomfortable to run from the shower to close my bedroom door while its being opened by the leasing agent all while naked because I did not hear them. If I was given more of a warning of the apartment showing I obviously wouldn’t hop in the shower. I checked my phone when I closed my door and their warning message was sent to me 7 minutes prior. THAT IS INSANE.

My roommates and I felt violated and felt like we had zero privacy as they just waltzed in whenever they felt like it. Many times I wouldn’t get the text until they were already knocking at my door. They always came at the WORST times. Either someone was showering, we were cleaning, cooking, sleeping etc. Our apartment didn’t rent out fast so we had to deal with this for MONTHS. And they never changed anything.

First Site should refuse same day apartment showings for walk ins. Their website offers a schedule showing option. I have never used it but they should make sure they do not allow people to view an apartment less than 24 hours of booking. This would solve the major issue I had. My roommates and I expressed our concern about this and we were told that they simply just have to rent out the apartment for it to stop and the texts were sufficient. 15 minutes or less IS NOT ENOUGH TIME. WE DESERVE PRIVACY.

This is the part that a lot of people have been reviewing about. Filter the reviews from lowest rating and you will see.

3. The move out process is predatory. It is designed to assure you do not get your deposit back. If you do get any money back, it will be enough to get you a fast food meal. Each person on the lease will have a security deposit. Anything they deduct from it will come out of every single person’s deposit regardless of who did the damages. Their form and method of inspecting the apartment is rigged. They will simultaneously nitpick and glance over every part of the apartment. The form they used is rigged because if one box labeled as a deep clean is checked, then your deposit is hit with the max amount. A deep clean depending on the apartment size is an automatic $100-$235. So it does not matter if there is a tiny amount of cleaning like a simple wipe down or a large amount like an actual deep clean scrub, it’s viewed as the same. Here is what the form looks like for the Kitchen:

[  ] **Clean inside/outside/sides of Stove

[  ] ** Clean top & underneath Stove top

[  ] Pull out stove & clean floor under stove

[  ] ** Clean top and underneath range hood/microwave

[  ] **Clean broiler

[  ] Clean all ceiling fans & light fixtures

[  ] ** Clean inside & outside of refrigerator

[  ] ** Clean inside & outside of microwave

[  ] Clean inside and outside of all cabinets

[  ] ** Clean inside and outside of dishwasher

[  ] Clean and wipe down countertops

[  ] Clean all light switches & outlet covers

[  ] Clean & mop floor

[  ] Clean out pantry

[  ] Clean bar stools/table & chairs

the ** parts are labeled as a deep clean. When they inspected the kitchen they automatically checked these before viewing the kitchen. When I commented on that they then spent extra time trying to find reasons to justify it. The microwave justification was 3 specks of the inside corner of it. They did not check the underneath it yet it stayed checked. They did not open the dishwasher but it was checked. Regardless if was spotless or had a minuscule speck of dirt, if a box with the double asterisk was checked the entire apartment was automatically considered a deep clean. It says on the from as well

“If a box is checked then the required cleaning was NOT completed by the tenant.

** Failure to clean any appliance and/or shower/tub will result in a heavy clean charged to the tenant”

Now I will admit that the inside of our oven needed cleaning as something on the base of it would not come off. That is one part I will agree to it being justified.

But they just mark these boxes for any small reason. For the bedroom the desk and dresser is combined into one box. It was checked because there was a TINY piece of paper that came off of the paper towel used to wipe it down on the bottom half of the desk. They took a picture of it and used that as their evidence that we did not clean it. I am talking half an inch in size. I said I could just pick that up after they took the picture as it was so tiny and the desk wasn’t dirty so it shouldn’t be marked as so. It still ended up marked and the picture was in our final move out form lol.

Example of Bedroom:

[  ] Clean all ceiling fans & light fixtures

[  ] Clean and wipe down inside and outside of desk/dresser

[  ] Clean and wipe down all baseboards

[  ] Clean all windows (glass, sills, frames)

[  ] Clean closet and all shelving

[  ] Vacuum carpet

What is also annoying is the carpet section. Not only was the vacuum carpet section checked (When you can CLEARLY see the vacuum marks, and they came by 40 minutes before our appointment asking if we were ready and would want to do the move out early, they said sorry for knocking loudly as they could hear us VACUUMING and wanted to make sure we heard instead of just unlocking the door) That is just dumb. 

They have a carpet cleaning section. In this section there are 3 options.

No carpet shampoo needed

Carpet shampoo needed

Strip and seal (wax) needed

They will charge you $45-$89 dollars if you did not have it shampooed yourself. Which is so stupid because their sales pitch is “we have professional cleaners deep clean the apartment so it is move in ready for you” They say that they have the carpet shampooed after each tenant, so why should we have to pay for it if they allegedly do that after every lease?

If they find pinholes in your walls they will mark it down for painting. That is an automatic $100-$225 fine. The painting fine is automatically applied regardless if it is one wall or the whole apartment.

What pisses me off is that they do not do these cleanings that they mark in these move outs. When we moved in, there was dust, dirt and grime everywhere, previous pin holes in the walls, marks on the bathroom floor, paint chips on the wall etc. The appliances were not cleaned, I could see the grease left on it from the previous tenants. The carpet was 100% NOT cleaned. I vacuumed my room 5 times in a row and each time my vacuum was FILLED with dust hair etc. And yet they heavily charge you for these exact reasons. The showers were gross. Red and brown build up, the shower doors weren’t wiped down. My toilet had this brown/black sludge on the bottom outside bowl that had to be there for a while because even when I cleaned it with bleach and other cleaning supplies, it left a stain. I have no idea what it was but I was extremely grossed out. A “deep clean” wouldn’t leave that.

Now I am not stating that I am perfect. There were a few things that needed to be cleaned. What I wish First Site would do is deduct the damage costs based on who lived in what room. A majority of our deductions were in a roommates room. I shouldn’t have to be punished for that. Now stuff in the common areas I think is fair to distribute the costs between everyone. I do not agree with their nitpicking. They want you to leave the apartment 20X better than you got it. And if you didn’t get your own pictures during the move in inspection they can claim [allegedly] it wasn’t there before and you did it and its their word agains yours. Now again I am not stating my apartment was perfect upon move out, what I am stating is that the way they handle this move out and they way they charge is isn’t right.

Basically if you want to sign with them, take two days to fully look at every single detail of your apartment and take photographic evidence of it and send it to a manager or the owner so they also have the photos. Do not expect any amount of your deposit back. ( I have a feeling that they might get commission for marking it as a heavy clean.) If you want any amount of it back, it should sparkle and not have one speck dirt. Take spongebob’s episode sb-129, everything is chrome in the future, make sure your apartment is like that too!! Do not think you will be treated as an adult. I am in my mid 20′s and was talked down like I was 12 years old. You will receive different responses/answers to simple questions from each person as they do not communicate with each other or maybe they don’t care to look up the actual rule/regulation and just say whatever they want. The only redeeming quality is their maintenance team. Any time I have interacted with them has been pleasant and they are very nice people. I wish first site would hire more people like them. 

I don’t know if the actual owner replies to these google reviews, but you can clearly see how “professional” they are. I have gone in and discussed my issues to you, so don’t reply with that. You don’t seem to take any of these negative reviews as a serious matter nor care to change the ways of your company and your employee’s behaviors. I dare you to reply to this review with something other than your 4 same responses. I already came in and discussed the issues. A “thank you” reply to a negative review is simply passive aggressive. You sound like Trump when you state any negative review is “fake news” or a “fake review.” The only fake reviews are the 5 star review that you tell people to leave so they can get a free t-shirt, gift card or another incentive. Also I clearly do not have my name public on this review so don’t even try to say that “you have no record of me” and therefore my review is “fake.” How can this level of detail be fake love? Why would I spend my time writing a fake review? Also your empty threats of posting the move out inspections of people so “the google world can see” is just laughable. If you could do that, you would have already lol. The responses you give make you seem like an immature child who can not take any criticism and simply deflects it. Your awards of being one of the best in Bloomington doesn’t have any real credit to it as you monopolize the city and are 1 of, what, 3 realtors for students? Here is a link to their replies incase they delete them or if they say I am “making this up” https://imgur.com/a/V154UuN and gives proof of these repetitive replies I stated above. I have stated my issues and ways you can improve. So why don’t you actually implement some changes for once? 

[workingontruth]

Our 2 Kings 7 Kind of Life

Don’t you love it when God shows up?

Have you ever missed it when God showed up?

What about now?

Today, opinions are a dime a dozen. Talk to a dozen people, and you’ll get a dozen different angles on any of a dozen subjects. But in spite of our differences of opinion on any of a wide range of topics, I think we all agree on one thing these days; had I interrupted your Christmas celebration this past December (whether or not I were wearing camel’s hair and in need of a good flossing to extract locust legs from between my teeth), telling you the following list of things would all come true in less than 90 days, you would have labeled me a complete crazy man and would’ve told me to go back beneath the rock from which I had come.

“In less than 90 days,…”

1.       You, over there in the Free Enterprise motor coach pullover (that would’ve been me) … you will be returning to the University of Indianapolis with the Men’s Lacrosse team from South Carolina before playing the final game of your trip–but oddly enough, both teams will be fully healthy, the weather will be ideal, and the trip will have been coasting along without a hitch. Oh, and the university’s administration will also require the other eight remaining U Indy teams, participating in their various collegiate sporting events from Florida to California and everywhere in between, to immediately return to campus as well. And, once you return, your entire fleet of buses will be emptied of fuel, removed from insurance plans, and put out of service–though all machines are mechanically sound and all drivers are healthy and available to drive.

2.       And you, in the red Community Hospital valet shirt (that would’ve be my wife) … you will be in your new role in the front office of the Center for Genetic Health. But having been asked not to congregate with your co-workers in the perfectly suited and newly designed office space the hospital had just finished, you and all of your co-workers will be working from home to reschedule all patient appointments sixty days or more into the future–unless they are willing to conduct their appointment over the phone or via video-chat.

3.       The NBA post-season will never happen, and the balance of the season itself will be stopped cold in its tracks at half-time of a game in the Mountain Time Zone on Wednesday, March 11th.

4.       All NCAA spring athletic events will be cancelled for the remainder of the school year and March Madness won’t happen.

5.       There will be no date set to begin the MLB season.

6.       Grocery stores will have been unable to keep chicken, ground beef, bread and toilet paper on their shelves.

7.       Gasoline will, in some places, be under a dollar a gallon, but few will be filling up.

8.       The nation’s restaurants will be closed for all dine-in experiences while the fortunate will try to stay in business by doing carry-out or drive-through business only.

9.       All shopping malls, strip malls, barber shops and hair and nail salons will be closed.

10.   The Federal Government will be sending $1,200 tax-free cash gifts to the vast majority of American citizens.

11.   The world will have a drastic shortage of personal protective equipment.

12.   The Down Jones Industrial Average will suffer 3 of its worst days since the “Black Monday” market crash in 1987 in the span of less than a week, losing roughly one-third of its value in a matter of about eight days.

13.   State governors will be requesting their citizens “shelter in place” by remaining home but for essential trips for food or health-related emergencies, while in some states it will be a finable offense to travel anywhere but to secure such.

14.   The President and VP of the United States will be holding daily, 2-hour press briefings for weeks on end.

15.   Frequent air travel will be little but a memory, international travel banned, airfares costing less than a good meal out (which will no longer be happening).

16.   The President will sign a presidential memorandum that will require the likes of General Motors to begin manufacturing respiratory ventilators.

17.   Dozens of privately held companies like Michael Lindell’s “My Pillow,” will be transformed into N-95 facemask factories.

18.   Samaritan’s Purse will have set up and be running a fully-functioning hospital in the middle of New York City’s Central Park.

19.   The United States Naval Hospital Ship “Comfort” will have been deployed to New York to help in the cause.

20.   Most people will be wearing PPE masks everywhere they go.

21.   All public concerts world-wide will be on hold.

22.   Churches will be asked not to meet, and nearly all will comply without resistance.

23.   Employees representing nearly every U.S. industry will be furloughed, let go or kept on payrolls with forgivable loans from the Fed.

24.   People will be asked to stand in lines outside Lowe’s stores at six-foot intervals to ensure active shopper customer quotas are kept while both one-way entries and exits are monitored.

25.   Many stores will be required to close down public access to much of their merchandise not deemed “essential,” to help support the cause.

26.   Pork, chicken and other meat packing plants in the U.S. will be closing down.

27.   U.S. unemployment will be at the highest rate since the Great Depression as new weekly filing claims will be counted not in the hundreds of thousands, but in the millions.

28.   The nation’s, and most of the world’s movie theaters, will be closed.

29.   People without facemasks will be shunned and avoided by “mask-wearers.”

30.   Neighbors will be sitting in their driveways and on FRONT porches again.

31.   College students will be home with their families, taking part in online classwork since all university campuses will be closed prior to semesters’ end.

32.   In lieu of our celebrating athletes and Hollywood types, doctors, nurses and healthcare workers will be the new heroes.

33.   People in some industries will be earning more to stay at home than while working full time.

34.   The Fed will be paying the unemployed an additional $600/week over and above the state provisions.

35.   All elective surgeries will be halted while hospital ORs remain unused.

36.   Online church “attendance” will skyrocket, leading to thousands and thousands of new believers.

37.   American celebrity musicians will be holding online “Global Citizen” concerts to raise millions of dollars to give to the World Health Organization which is being held liable for its part in enabling the death of hundreds of thousands in nearly 200 countries world-wide.

Would any of these things been plausible just a few months ago?

Obviously, this is only a partial list, and one to which most of us could quickly add another dozen. And NOTE they’re not all bad! Isn’t it just like God to orchestrate blessing in the face of difficulty? 

But in my mind, these “90-days-ago incomprehensible occurrences” are not unlike the similarly baffling predictions that Elisha, in 2 Kings Chapter 7, was revealing to the king and his officer.

Here’s the short version:  

Elisha replied, “Hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Lord says: About this time tomorrow, a seah [probably about 7 lbs] of the finest flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria.” 

The officer on whose arm the king was leaning said to the man of God, “Look, even if the Lord should open the floodgates of the heavens, could this happen?”

“You will see it with your own eyes,” answered Elisha, “but you will not eat any of it!”

The officer was utterly confounded. “Really? How could this be?” And to be sure, there is no way, given their circumstance at the time, they could have concocted such an unlikely series of events.

(Read verses 3-13 to learn how this mystifying prophecy actually took place.)

But then, the verdict is recorded in the later verses...

“So they selected two chariots with their horses, and the king sent them after the Aramean army. He commanded the drivers, “Go and find out what has happened.” They followed them as far as the Jordan, and they found the whole road strewn with the clothing and equipment the Arameans had thrown away in their headlong flight. So the messengers returned and reported to the king. Then the people went out and plundered the camp of the Arameans. So a seah of the finest flour sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley sold for a shekel, as the Lord had said.”

Now the king had put the officer on whose arm he leaned in charge of the gate, and the people trampled him in the gateway, and he died, just as the man of God had foretold when the king came down to his house. It happened as the man of God had said to the king: “About this time tomorrow, a seah of the finest flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria.” ...but your officer will not eat any of it.

What’s my point?

God often does things in ways no man would ever script. What we deem impossible is a drop in the bucket of God’s immeasurable and endless power and insight. After all, He knows the future!  

But here’s what WE do.

If told of how the above-mentioned improbables would come true by late-March, we would have responded, “Oh I see. What a tragic series of events. But I understand now how that will happen. It all makes sense.”

And because it “makes sense” in hindsight, we disregard the overriding variable of the supernatural God into the equation and chalk up the now-plausible circumstance as nothing more than the “natural” occurrence of things.  

No matter how crazy things get, when viewing world events on merely the natural plane, most won’t need a God to “see it.” It will all make logical, cause-and-effect sense.

In the same way, I believe much of what will lead up to Revelation 12 and is told us in Daniel 11:31 and following, will likewise “make good sense” to the mind of mankind at the time. Going so far as to think of the Anti-Christ to come, we have to assume he will not come into power forcefully, but peaceably, with the full support of a global community…one that is now forming rapidly. Yes, it will all “make perfect sense,” for the answers and charismatic leadership of the one we know is to come will help to solve what will have become the world’s most pressing and previously unsolvable complexities. And the world community will give him his prominent role. 

Still, for those in Christ, let me be clear that these can be days of amazing intrigue and anticipation, not fear and worry. 

But, you see, my point is that this is how God usually chooses to bring about his plans, through a course of events that will be laced in the common sense of man … so much so that even the elect would be deceived were it possible (Matthew 24:24).

BUT, He gives light to the eyes of his children. Our great and unshakeable God has let us in on his plans. We are his friends if we do what He commands (John 15:14). And as friends of the Son of God, the Son has made known us to his agenda (John 15:15).

Now, my intention is not to insinuate we are absolutely on the cusp of the rapture of the Church, or teetering at the edge of the Tribulation–though I’m also not saying that we couldn’t be, for the Father alone only knows the day of Jesus’ return for his children (Matthew 24:30-42).

What I am saying is that if we can learn anything from history, and from an acquaintance with the scriptures, we can assume that the initial events predicted in the Bible will likely “make sense” in the moment to the mind of unregenerate man.

So, one last question. 

Given our current sermon series at my home church, Northview Church, I am wondering if you are listening, watching and fellowshipping with the Holy Spirit living inside you? It’s something about which I wrote in great length as well in SET FREE. 

Do you know the mind of Christ? Do you have the mind of Christ? 

If not, it’s time to change that. If not, you may be missing that God himself is showing up right now on planet Earth.

Place your trust in Jesus Christ. He is ready to open your eyes.

Maybe it’s time you learn more about the God who is doing something incredible right now in the midst of this unprecedented time. Maybe it’s time you gain in you the Resource that dispells anxiety and replaces it with a calm assurance the world will never understand. 

You can learn more about having a relationship with Jesus here. Or, reach out to a pastor at Northview Church by texting “NEXT” to 85379 and selecting Option 2.

God is showing up right now. Don’t miss him in the details.

Keep watching.

[thechasefiles]

The Chase Files Daily Newscap 14/2/2020

Good Morning #realdreamchasers ! Here is your daily news cap for Friday February 14th, 2020. There is a lot to read and digest so take your time. Remember you can read full articles via Barbados Government Information Service (BGIS), Barbados Today (BT), or by purchasing a Weekend Nation Newspaper (WN).

EDUCATION MINISTRY WARNED ABOUT IGNORING UNION – The “stench of physical rot and infrastructural decay” at Vauxhall Primary is bad. But it’s not the worst case of environmental issues affecting learning institutions across the island, the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) has warned. In the wake of a rat infestation problem, substandard bathroom facilities and other environmental issues which have captured public attention, the union has condemned the Ministry of Education’s attitude and approach as “untenable and unacceptable”. And, unless “proactive changes” are made in “short order”, the union is threatening to bring a slew of other unhealthy and unsafe existing situations to the public’s attention. “We are most keenly aware that the conditions at Vauxhall recently made known to Barbadians, do not represent the worst conditions we can identify,” the union said Thursday in a statement. But despite the Education Minister, Santia Bradshaw’s visit yesterday at Vauxhall during a planned “silent protest” by teachers, the union accuses the ministry of ignoring several pieces of correspondence outlining numerous cases of unhealthy environment in schools. The BUT warned: “We will be forced to make the unhealthy, unsafe and unsecured school plants known in the absence of the ministry’s repeated failure to engage the union as requested. “These developments are not consistent with “a talking government”, what is deemed “fit for purpose” or the best managerial practices. There must be dialogue and feedback forms a critical part in dialogue. Without dialogue, conditions will not be satisfactorily addressed in a meaningful manner,” the statement charged. Looking back on issues which resulted in the 2006 closure of Louis Lynch Secondary as well as Society Primary and Chalky Mount Primary being condemned, the BUT complained that signs of decay at a number of schools built in the 1990’s like All Saints Primary, Lester Vaughn and Queen’s College continue to be affected by “systemic neglect”. “This continues today, unchecked, given there is little evidence of guidelines in terms of the maintenance or inspection of the physical infrastructure of public schools; whether older or newer; structures be wooden, coral stone or wall; nursery, primary, secondary or tertiary; in town or the country; or housing a large or small roll,�� said the union. “Certain schools have endured the brunt of extreme neglect while others have been better maintained where parents possess the wherewithal. Some businesses have also supported these efforts from time to time and they must be commended,” the statement said. But given Government’s mandate to oversee the health and safety of stakeholders at all public schools, the union has been disappointed with recommendations made to the Prime Minister and the Social Partnership, which appear to have fallen on deaf ears. Zeroing in on issues of safety, the union indicated it is still awaiting a promised increase in “psychosocial support staff” in the form of guidance counsellors, which the union agreed to introduce after extended meetings with education stakeholders last May. The statement acknowledged that agitation by the BUT led to a summer maintenance programme by the Ministry of Education which resulted in physical issues at 40 primary schools and 10 secondary schools being addressed. However, that number, and more particularly the quantum and quality of the repairs undertaken, represent a mere drop of water in the ocean of unsecured, unsafe and unhealthy schools,” the statement complained. On Wednesday, the Education Minister revealed that 300 children would be away from school for the remainder of the week while issues at Vauxhall Primary are addressed. (BT)

FORDE INCEST A BIG WORRY – There seems to be an increase in incest. So said Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs, Cynthia Forde who, while not having any empirical data, has drawn her conclusion from increased reports about the matter. Speaking to the media after a seminar entitled Communities Make A Difference at the Savannah Hotel Wednesday and hosted in collaboration with the National Assistance Board, Forde said too few young people were educated about protecting themselves. “You can’t have young children, 13 or 14 years old, whose bodies are developing and they know little or nothing about AIDS,” she cautioned. “I believe the statistics in this country on incest, of persons taking advantage of young girls and boys, is climbing. I do not have the statistics, but from the stories you hear, from the little snippets you see in the newspaper where men get charged with having relationships with young girls or underaged girls and women getting charged with having relationships with younger boys, it says to me no sensitisation or little sensitisation is there.” (WN)

GENDER IDENITY WRONGFUL DISMISSAL - For the first time on record, the Employment Rights Tribunal (ERT) is being asked to address an allegation of unfair termination on the basis of gender identity. The development follows failed attempts by the Labour Department to resolve a dispute between Alexa Hoffmann and her former employer, Court Caribbean Law Practice over Hoffmann’s decision to change her name as a reflection of her gender identity. The legal firm has refused to place its legal position on the matter in the public domain. If successful, Hoffmann hopes the decision will set a precedent for the local Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community. The outspoken activist declined to disclose her given name at birth, which was used in August 2015 when she was hired as a legal assistant. Hoffman explained the issues came to a head when she was attacked in February 2018 and her supervisor, lawyer, Nigel Bennett asked her why she was being referred to as Alexa in the public domain. In response, the trans woman said she explained that although her name had not yet been changed, persons referred to her as Alexa as a courtesy. But it was only in October of the same year when her name was officially changed at the national registry that Hoffman claims she was asked to stay home from work. Weeks later, the trans woman said she emailed her employer to inquire about her status and was informed that she had been placed on leave while the company engaged in consultations on the matter. This eventually resulted in a meeting at the labour department on February 7, 2019 where the two parties were unable to resolve the matter “amicably”. When contacted, Attorney Nigel Bennett refused to comment extensively while the tribunal addresses the matter but admitted the law firm was challenging the basis of Hoffmann’s claims. “We have no issues at all, but as a matter of propriety, the matter is before the ERT and we are simply going to put forward our position to the ERT and let them make a determination. Once they have made a decision in that regard we could make a comment, but it would be highly inappropriate of us to do that before,” Bennett told Barbados TODAY. Asked what legal remedies she would be seeking, Hoffmann doubted the practicality of reinstatement but said she is pursuing damages. Even more important she explained, is the need to set a definitive precedent for “marginalised and downtrodden” persons in the LGBT community. “Outside of the compensation, I am looking to send a message that regardless of an employer’s consternation about the diversity of his staff, as long as that diversity does not have a direct impact on the work they are employed to do…it should not be cause to suspend them,” Hoffman said. “If you have an employee whether they are gay, straight, bisexual, trans, disabled, HIV positive or whatever the situation is…let them do their work in peace, and if I have to go through the Employment Rights Tribunal process to let employers know that I have the right to be left alone to do the work that I have been hired to do, then so be it,” the trans woman added. It is still unclear when the tribunal will hear the matter, and while Hoffman is willing to be patient, she has not ruled out the possibility of approaching the civil courts to adjudicate on the case. The trans activist meanwhile added that she was hoping to empower transgender Barbadians to pursue careers outside the traditional areas of beauty and cosmetology, if that is their desire.    “I keep realising there are a lot of people who go through what I go through as well but many of them feel so beaten and downtrodden that they can’t seem to muster up the fight to get up and stand up for themselves…but I keep thinking that if I don’t make this move, I don’t know who else will make it,” Hoffmann said. “It’s not just about me anymore, because I am thinking about other people who may want to become professionals in whatever field they want. (BT)

EX-NURSE 39 YEAR OLD CASE DRAGS ON - Former Government-paid nurse Coral Wilkinson says she has had enough of her attorney-at-law Sir Richard Cheltenham,QC, claiming he has been tardy in completing her injury settlement case with the State, almost 40 years after her fall on the job. Wilkinson, who fell and injured her back while on duty at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) in April 1981, said today she is fed up with how long it has been taking to bring closure to the matter. “I can’t take this any longer,” said Wilkinson. She recalled an occasion in which she said she was being blamed for not getting in touch with Sir Richard. “I said, ‘but you see why I planned that I wasn’t calling back you because every time I call, all I am hearing is that, it doesn’t mean because I am not hearing from you all that nothing isn’t happening. So I said nobody hasn’t called me so I figure nothing is happening,’” Wilkinson stated. Thirty six years old at the time of her spinal injury, the ex-Government health care provider told Barbados TODAY she desperately needs the final payment so she can finish her medical procedures overseas and bring some ease to her deteriorating physical condition where she can no longer bathe herself or touch water with her bare hands. Wilkinson said that last year, her attorney told her he was ready to submit her final claim.  “Every time he keeps telling me the same thing over and over,” she declared. While admitting that Sir Richard was able to obtain an initial pay out in 2017 of some $300,000 to allow her to travel to the United Kingdom for one phase of corrective surgery, Wilkinson contended that that money was not even sufficient to cover all her medical bills and stay in the UK.   She said she had to pull her pocket to avoid embarrassment when she needed transportation to attend therapy or get around generally. She also revealed that in October last year, another offer of just over half million dollars was made to her as a final settlement, which she rejected. “You know how much he offered me that day as a final settlement? Make a guess…$550,000…after 1981 until now and I can’t even help myself. I said ‘no, no, no.’ No way am I going to accept it. That can’t even cover the hospital fees in England,” Wilkinson said with a chuckle. She said that after numerous telephone calls to Sir Richard’s office and hearing “excuse after excuse” she has decided to stop calling. She told Barbados TODAY that Sir Richard has no valid reason for not submitting her final claim to the Government because she had furnished him with all of the documents he requested since 2017. “I went up to [the UK] and when I was ready to come back down, I told the doctors I was going home on August 3. When I went to see the doctors for physiotherapy and so on, all of the doctors’ reports were there waiting for me to be collected. I came back down here on August 3 [2017], and in a week’s time, I had everything photocopied and sent to him [Sir Richard],” Wilkinson stated. She explained that in the same year, her attorney requested an additional medical report, this time from her local specialist which Wilkinson said was provided outlining the condition of her back and her mental state as well. “That wasn’t enough.  In March last year I talked to him. He still had not done anything yet. Nothing he had not done yet,” the former nurse complained, adding that the spinal injury has resulted in such serious neurological problems, she cannot tolerate water on her bare hands “When I go in the bath on mornings and the water comes down and hit my fingers, I would get electric-like current going through my body and I am now bathing in gloves. Can you imagine?” Wilkinson asked with a tremble in her voice. When Barbados TODAY reached out to Sir Richard, he contended that his client’s case was being advanced and more progress was expected in the coming week when his secretary returned from a week-long break.  “Her case is being advanced. She got an interim [payout] up to a few years ago. Went off to London and all the rest,” he said “The last thing that Coral told me, bearing in mind that it is a few years and more since she went to London, that she had seen the surgeon specialist here. So I wrote him and asked him, since we can’t get anything from the surgeon specialist in England, to send me a summary of when he last saw her, because you can’t submit a claim with a report two or more years old,” Sir Richard recalled, adding that he required an updated one. He said it was only after his client called him just before Christmas last year and he told her he was waiting on the report from the specialist here, that there must have been a misunderstanding on his part. “Because although I told you [Wilkinson] I had been to him [the doctor], I did not mean for you to get an update from him. But that only happened a few days before Christmas; so the matter is on my desk and I am working. The secretary is off for a week, so that when she comes back we could start doing some business,” Sir Richard told Barbados TODAY.Responding to his client’s complaint that she had been trying to get an audience with him but gets the run-around when she called, the prominent Queen’s Counsel said Wilkinson was always in his office, and had not asked for any audience with him since before Christmas last year. “So as soon as my secretary comes back, which is next week, I will reach out to Coral and give her a new appointment, so that I could review with her what I have written; so that once she says okay that it is accurate, we can go,” Sir Richard promised. “I could understand that she is also troubled and her situation is deteriorating and she has carried her burden for many, many years…except that some three years ago I did get an appreciable interim for her and she went off to London. This is now time to bring closure to it. But there was a misunderstanding about the doctor here, the surgeon specialist…and she did go to see him. I thought since the report from England is dated, that I should write him.  But she said she didn’t understand or expected me to do that,” he said.Meanwhile, the former QEH nurse said she presently has six discs out of place in her back and screws implanted in her back from a surgery in 1998 intended to stabilize a shaky spine due to constantly falling at home. Wilkinson, who said she has been seeing a psychiatrist for the past 19 years, will also require a battery to be surgically placed in her back to stimulate the nerve to produce feeling, physiotherapy until the day of her death and a care giver considering she is now unable to bath and dress herself. She revealed that once she got her final payout to assist with further surgery in the UK, she would have to return to England for critical follow up treatment every six months.Wilkinson said her physical disability which has forced her to use a walker continues to cause unbearable pain. (BT)

LABANE CASE THROWN OUT – The year-old La Cabane on Batts Rock beach will get its liquor licence renewed. But the renewal came after three residents from nearby neighbourhoods expressed strong objection to the operation of the restaurant in the Bridgetown Traffic Court yesterday.Queen’s Counsel Clyde Turney, who lives at Batts Rock, along with two residents from Prospect, St James, had filed an objection to the renewal of La Cabane’s liquor licence which expired yesterday. The three residents, whose case was put by Queen’s Counsel Leslie Haynes, argued that the noise coming from the bar and restaurant, on Tuesdays to Sundays, was so annoyingly loud that it prevented them from sleeping and from hearing their televisions. They especially complained about drumming which emanated from the restaurant on Sundays and continued until 9 p.m. The restaurant is closed on Mondays. (WN)

GROOM REMANDED – A young Barbadian who does contract work in Canada and goes between that northern country and home, may have to put his planned wedding on hold. Despite his pleas for a second chance and an opportunity to proceed with his wedding arrangements, 24-year-old Winslow Ricardo Bonnett of no fixed place of abode, heard Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant say: ”remanded for sentencing”. Bonnett appeared before Cuffy-Sargeant today charged with entering the apartment of Canadian visitor Ethel Marley and her husband on January 13 with the intention to steal. He is also accused of loitering on the premises of Yellow Bird Hotel on February 3 when it was suspected he was about to commit theft. According to the facts read by the police prosecutor, Marley, who owns the apartment, complained that she and her husband were awakened by a noise coming from the kitchen. The court was told the complainant observed the sliding glass door being opened and saw a man whom she could not identify at the time. However, police investigators were later led to the accused based on finger prints and palm prints taken from the door. This afternoon when the magistrate asked Bonnett if he had anything to say, he replied “I apologize to you, the owner of the apartment. I would like a chance…I would like to proceed with being married.” Bonnett, who pleaded guilty to both charges, will now have to wait until March 12 to know his fate. (BT)

CHOO DOE SERVICE FOR $12 IN POT – One hundred and twenty hours of community service was the sentence today handed down by the District “A” Criminal Court No 2 magistrate on a first-time drug offender. Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant informed Benjamin Richard Choo, a self-employed man of  #26 Walkers Terrace, St George that he had to complete the service for having $12 worth of cannabis in his possession yesterday. Twenty-seven-year-old Choo pleaded guilty to the offence and was granted $1,500 bail with instructions that he had to reappear in court on June 26. (BT)

FORDE TO REAPPEAR IN COURT – Twenty-one-year-old Rico Radarah Reneal Forde of Salters, St George, was remanded to HMP Dodds after appearing at District ‘A’ Criminal Court Number 2 this morning. He was not required to plead to any of the offences and Magistrate Christie Cuffy-Sergeant remanded him to reappear at District B on February 19 and District ‘A’ Criminal Court Number 1 on March 12. Forde is charged with having one .9mm Smith and Wesson pistol and nine rounds of ammunition on February 7 without the relevant permits from the Commissioner of Police. On January 26, he “recklessly or without lawful authority or excuse, discharged a firearm in a public place”, namely the Sol Service Station at Charles Rowe Bridge, St George, placing Jianne Douglas in danger of death or serious bodily harm. On the same day, he is alleged to have caused serious bodily harm to Shaquille Callender with intent to main, disfigure or disable him, or to do some serious bodily harm to him and used a firearm without a valid licence during the same incident at the gas station. The final incident occurred on January 4 where he is alleged to have discharged a firearm at Government Hill, St Michael, placing Rashad Massiah in danger of death and serious bodily harm. (BT)

DRUG ACCUSED ON BAIL – A 40-year-old unemployed man this afternoon denied four drug-related charges brought against him by the police for the alleged offences which occurred yesterday. When Sherman Danny Green of 3rd Avenue, Harts Gap, Christ Church went before District “A” Magistrate Kristie Cuff-Sargeant, he pleaded not guilty to unlawful possession of cannabis, unlawful possession of cocaine; unlawful possession of cocaine with intent to supply and trafficking of the same drug. After the prosecution did not object to bail, the Magistrate released Green on $1,500 bail when she took into consideration that the value of the cocaine was estimated at $1,050 and the cannabis $60. Cuffy-Sargeant also placed conditions on the bail which require the accused to report to the Hastings Police Station every Wednesday before noon with a form of identification. The case was adjourned until May 6, but has been transferred to the District “A” Criminal Court No 2. (BT)

PRIEST VIOLENCE NOT THE WAY – Barbados cannot continue to turn a blind eye to gun violence, especially when it happens in front of children, warned an Anglican cleric yesterday. Reverend Trevor O’Neale issued the caution in his sermon during the funeral service for 37-year-old Marlon Jermaine Holder at St Philip’s Parish Church. Holder, the second man to be gunned down for the year, was shot and killed outside St Alban’s Primary School in St James, where he had just pulled up to drop off his six-year-old son on January 17. He was shot through the car window. The priest said such acts of violence could have lasting effects on children. “The sad thing about it is, it is being done in the presence of our children. Do you know that a child experiencing violence is going to be scarred? That it is going to lead to behavioural problems? It is going to lead to mental challenges sometimes,” he said.   (WN)

FREE CITY WIFI SOMETIME AFTER MARCH – The Smart Bridgetown project, which includes free public WiFi, has been delayed another three months, the Government’s information technology chief has told Barbados TODAY.  The free WiFi, which is the first phase of the project, was originally scheduled to begin by the end of last year. But a delay in obtaining a vendor to offer the service has forced officials to set a new implementation date of the second quarter of this year, said Rodney Taylor, the director of the Data Processing Department in the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology.  He said the tendering process was now closed and officials were in the process of choosing a suitable provider. About a dozen domestic and overseas IT firms submitted bids to provide the service for the community WiFi phase of the project. Taylor told Barbados TODAY: “There were some delays with respect to the public tender.  “The tender has closed and we are in the stages of evaluating the tenders we received. “And we hope that by the end of the financial year, which is March, we are able to sign off on a vendor and start with the implementation of that.” Under phase one, free broadband internet access being extended from the Bridgetown Port to Independence Square. And with officials now considering adding new areas including the planned Fairchild Street market, the free Wi-Fi could stretch from the Jewish Synagogue in Magazine Lane to Golden Square in Jordans Lane.The next phase of Smart Bridgetown is “smart parking”  which will use a smartphone app to locate available spaces in Bridgetown and pay for parking electronically, said Taylor. Smart Bridgetown was allocated about $1 million to get it started. (BT)

There are 323 days left in the year Shalom!  Follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram for your daily news. #thechasefiles #dailynewscaps #bajannewscaps #newsinanutshell

[andrewuttaro]

New Look Sabres: GM 72 - STL - Alex’s Pot(s) of Gold

I got held up in South Buffalo as one does on St. Patrick’s Day, so I came into the last home game I had tickets to this season after a period had already been played. At first I wasn’t too worried about that, after all there aren’t any fully-realized reasons to really feel the need to rush out to see the Sabres right now if you know what I mean. But as I heard the first period unfold on the radio I got that refreshing sense of missing something when it comes to the Sabres for the first time in what felt like forever. There were moments of that against the Canes but not since February, maybe earlier. I felt the need to see the outcome of this game. In spite of holding a 3-1 lead at one point in this game it was one where you just feel the worst about their chances to actually win. It’s a holiday though and a buzzed crowd at any sporting event tends to be more fun than the relative morgue the Key Bank Center has been in recent seasons. Turns out this was not a game you’d rather be drunk for. This game ended the 7-game slide and perhaps setup the Sabres for an interesting final ten games for a couple reasons, but we’ll get to that in a bit. For a moment let’s just appreciate beating Ryan O’Reilly and the Blues on his return to Buffalo. Visualize that miss in the shootout to seal the Sabres victory. Breathe in… Ahh... breathe out. Now that we’ve gotten that out of our system maybe we should ask why. I ask this having fully joined in on the booing when it happened: Why are we booing Ryan O’Reilly? He said he was surprised by the trade, he didn’t want to be traded. If there was a video tribute I missed it. Perhaps he wasn’t as good as we needed him to be here. He was awful in the defensive zone as a Sabre (evidently he still is) but if you think that’s bad this year you should think back to how bad last year’s team played in their own zone. I’ll just assume we aren’t booing him because of “losing his love for the game” but I suspect that may have been the final straw for some folks. Other people miss him and criticize the trade every week. I don’t know, it’s a holiday and I’m just going to let the past be past right now. That is made a lot easier by getting a win to talk about.

The first period was another fast one. That speed had boded well for the Sabres as of late. The Sabres outshot the Blues in the first 10-9 and it was one of those periods you wonder where the opposition’s shot total came from because you can’t remember them even having many chances. I guess that also might just be the St. Patrick’s Day effect. Right after I said guys like him were expendable this offseason, Johan Larsson gets one of his traditional hard-working goals. Zach Bogosian got him the puck from the other side of the ice, and he fired short side beating Jake Allen and at least one Blues defender. Rick Jenneret’s call “top shelf where momma hides the cookies” on this goal gave me life. Pat Maroon scored the Blues first goal about three minutes later after going around behind the net. If there is just one thing to criticize about this Buffalo defense it is the seeming inability to guard guys going behind the net. The other guys will do that, and Buffalo looks like a child who just saw a magic trick. The Sabres had the luck of the Irish though and this game was not done being fun. In fact, for pure fun’s sake the Evan Rodrigues goal is worth its weight in gold. E-Rod gets the puck from Alex Nylander (more on him later) and does something you see in basketball games to Colton Parayko. To call it a deke is a little cheap, E-Rod leaned the opposite way of Parayko defending him and looked like he was on one knee when he actually took the shot. Even more than Tage Thompson, Evan Rodrigues is the guy who made this team out of camp that was worth it the whole season trough. Carrying a 2-1 lead into the second, this game was far from over.

The middle frame was the best of times and it was the worst of times. The Blues actually did a good job of keeping the puck in the zone when they had their chances but not only was Carter Hutton on his game, but the passing was crisp for the forward corps. The play of the game started when Rasmus Dahlin got the puck in the defensive zone and wired it up to Alexander Nylander who, according to teammates, has increased his confidence each game. Nylander drove the puck into the zone and fed a great pass to Conor Sheary who tapped in one of the prettier goals we’ll see this season. 3-1 Sabres with 12:14 left in the second. If that was art than the play that led to the next Blues goal was… a different kind of art. It was the worst of times as Rasmus Ristolainen breaks his stick on the powerplay, turns over the puck, and allows the Blues’ David Perron to score a goal on one of those ugly, ugly kinds of breakaways. It was like slow motion live and in person as he saw he was on the wrong side of the ice not easily able to get a replacement stick. Is it a month of Sabres hockey if Ristolainen doesn’t break his stick and give up a goal? It was so bizarre, we got to see the best of the Sabres and the worst of the Sabres within five minutes. Brayden Schenn got the Blues goal to even it up in the third and before we go into the OT and shootout that decided the game I just want to add my voice to the Alexander Nylander choir. He got assists on that art of a goal for Sheary as well as E-Rod’s first period tally, but he also got at least two really good scoring chances of his own that reminded me of his best games in Rochester. In reality he probably goes back down to Rochester at the end of the season because they’ve got a Calder Cup to win but if Nylander isn’t on this team from square one next season than somebody is doing something wrong. Well we all say we quit on Nylander to early I’ll point out I forgave him on this very blog at the end of Training Camp so thank you very much! No, I get it he wasn’t great in Rochester or his past Buffalo call ups until recently. His appearances now have been gradually better each game and I look forward to him being a top six/middle six staple for the Sabres next season. Confidence found.

Before diving right into the end of this game its worth noting Sheary had a great night. On top of that goal he just knocked on the door non-stop. Also, a little St. Patrick’s Day dilly dilly to Phil Housley for scratching Vladimir Sobotka this game and using his coaches’ challenge on the Perron equalizer. It didn’t turn over the goal, but it did set up a rousing final few minutes of regulation that saw hit after hit after hit. The game got chippy in a good way and the crowd responded with cheering and a standing ovation twice right into the final horn sounding. I’m not normally the guy to root for hitting but it got the St. Patty’s day crowd really into this. It was like they were avenging the no call and a half dozen other no calls throughout the game. Overtime was madness. Both teams almost scored goals where they were already past the goalie, but none went through. Bogo got a great shot in OT and Sam Reinhart very nearly put it in within the last two seconds of the five-minute period. This was the first shootout I’ve seen live and I’m not going to lie, even in person it feels like a shit way to end a hockey game. I digress, there was a lot more swearing I could have done at this game but a small child no older than 6 sat next to me, and sandwiched between her and my mild-manored wife I decided to censor myself quite a bit at this game.  Two rounds of the shootout: goal, goal, miss, save. The final round of the shootout saw Sam Reinhart score a bouncer and the home crowd got uproarious for just before old pal Ryan O’Reilly got on the ice to try and keep the Blues in it. He missed the net after the hailstorm of boos and looked heavenward in frustration. It was almost a poetic finish as the former Sabre missed the decisive goal against the former Blue in net. With that the Sabres won their first game in eight and we prepare for Wednesday with a fresh slate.

This was easily the most fun game to watch this month and perhaps last month as well, it was nice to do that full recap again. It’s an encouraging win to clean that slate for a final ten games that hopefully can be a fun send off to a season that was fun, even dreamy at one point. Our boys in Blue and Gold are officially mathematically eliminated from playoff contention but on Wednesday they welcome the Toronto Maple Leafs into Key Bank Center who are very not mathematically eliminated. The Leafs are more likely to make the playoffs than we ever were right now so this isn’t a game you can actually play spoilers in, but they have not looked great in the past 5-10 games and they’re getting down on themselves for what will almost certainly be another first-round matchup with Boston. They just lost in ugly fashion to last place Ottawa after throngs of Leafs fans all hiked out to the Canadian Capital for that game so how fun would it be to make their gasoline investment worthless again midweek? If you were one of us frustrated at seeing a ton of passion from the Sabres in this game after letting the season slip away over the last five weeks than what will make you feel better more than a win over the Leafs? Like, comment and share this blog around. I think that corner I was talking about turning last game I may have finally turned. I think I’ll be able to enjoy these last games and I hope you can find it in your heart to as well. Let’s Go Buffalo!

Thanks for reading.

P.S. My wife kept hearing “Ball Sack” in the radio highlights wondering why they’d say that. Turns out she was hearing Tyler Bozak.

#buffalo sabres #hockey #blog #nhl

[junker-town]

8 reasons why the 76ers are going all-in right now

Philly is built around two stars under the age of 25, yet has pushed all its chips into the middle this year. Why?

The 76ers traded for Tobias Harris early Wednesday morning, signaling to the rest of the Eastern Conference that they’re not here to mess around. Philly’s here to win, and they want to win now.

This began when the Sixers traded two important role players for Jimmy Butler earlier this season. Now, they’ve pushed all their chips in trading for Harris. That’s two big-name borderline All-Stars who are set to hit free agency in July.

Philly’s plan, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, is to re-sign both of them — and keep Joel Embiid and re-sign Ben Simmons. It’s a wild plan in a top-heavy Eastern Conference.

But how did we get here in the first place? The 76ers famously ate dirt for years before hitting the lottery and drafting Embiid and Simmons. Those are two franchise-altering talents with which to build a future.

But at some point, Philly decided a distant future wasn’t enough. The Sixers needed to compete now — right now. Philadelphia accelerated The Process, and now has a roster with three All-Stars and a fourth player, Harris, who many believed should have been named to the team this year.

What happened for Philly to abort its future plans? Here are 8 theories:

1. There have been so many different voices running the show

Remember that Philly’s had three different general managers in just a little over two years: Sam Hinkie, Bryan Colangelo, and now Elton Brand. The vision went from tanking, to building a future, to competing for the right now. It’s understandable that plans change.

This is Brand’s first go-round at running a team, and it appears he and 76ers ownership decided that The Process was complete. It had landed the Sixers two perennial All-Stars: that’s something you can build around.

It reportedly was ownership’s idea to trade for Jimmy Butler, and once they saw the team could use an added bump, it may have been their idea to trade for Harris, as well. Regardless, ownership clearly felt Embiid and Simmons were ready to compete for a deep playoff run right this second, and Brand does the bidding of ownership.

2. Joel Embiid’s window is actually now. Like, right now

For one, mega stars get antsy these days when their franchise isn’t trying to win quickly. Example A(D) is playing out in New Orleans. The 76ers do not want to draw Embiid’s ire by playing for the future over the present.

Embiid’s in the first season of a five-year, $147 million extension, but a player’s choice to leave his franchise doesn’t happen overnight. It’s an accumulation of missteps and disappointments that culminates with a star being fed up with his organization.

The Sixers know Embiid’s window was blasted wide open when he finally set foot on the court after missing his first two seasons with injury. They want to maximize his window, right now. That means getting him the supplementary stars, spacing and playmakers to make a run in the East.

3. Embiid’s health also isn’t guaranteed

Remember: This is a superstar who missed the first two seasons of his career with foot injuries, then only played 31 games as a rookie before tearing his meniscus. He played in 31 games and still almost won Rookie of the Year. That’s the kind of player you’re dealing with.

Embiid is so good, it’s not even a debate. Few players at any position have the impact he has on a game, at a position that was considered a dinosaur.

Embiid, though, will always run the risk of re-injury. He’s playing outstanding basketball right now, and while he also may be dominant for a long time, Philly cannot take that for granted.

4. LeBron is out of the East. Now’s the time to go for it

LeBron’s monopoly on the Eastern Conference crown is gone with him. There are four teams with legitimate odds at winning it all in the East: the Bucks, Raptors, Celtics, and Sixers. The others are the three favorites at the moment because of their depth, versatility, and time played together, but the Sixers now have the most star power of the group and they can replenish their depth on the buyout market.

Do they have enough to beat the Warriors? Probably not. But making the NBA Finals gives any team a shot at an upset.

There’s also no guarantee the East power structure stays this way:

Kyrie Irving could very well leave Boston this summer. If he stays and the Celtics trade for Anthony Davis, this is a totally different conversation.

Milwaukee has several key free agents this summer: Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez and Eric Bledsoe. It will be hard, if not impossible, to keep all of them

Kawhi Leonard becomes a free agent this summer. If he leaves Toronto, they aren’t nearly as strong of a team.

Then there’s Philly, a team that has an opportunity to pair four potential All-Stars for the next four years. LeBron’s departure has turned the East into a battle zone, and the Sixers just brought in two extra hitmen.

5. If it fails, they can always reset this summer

That’s the beauty of trading for soon-to-be free agents: if it doesn’t work out, Philly can wash its hands clean and start from scratch.

The 2019 free agency class is expected to be loaded, with talent at almost every position. That class includes both Butler and Harris, who have player options they’re expected to exercise to cash in on a max or near max contract this summer.

The Embiid-Simmons-Butler trio has been rocky. The Sixers have won games, but there’s clearly still some kinks to be worked out. Butler likes the pick-and-roll, head coach Brett Brown likes ball and player movement, Simmons still can’t shoot, and Embiid likes to slow it down. Harris should fit seamlessly into any offense, but there’s a risk he doesn’t.

If it all goes south, the 76ers could let one of or both Butler and Harris walk for nothing in free agency and still have max cap space to attract big-name free agents around Embiid and Simmons. They will have traded away several young players and future assets in the process, but worst-case scenario is re-upping and going after a max free agent or two this summer.

6. Are we sure Embiid/Simmons is built to last?

Simmons only has one more year guaranteed on his rookie contract after this season. After, he’ll be eligible for a rookie scale extension that could pay him in the $150 million ballpark to stay in Philly.

Players generally don’t turn down the rookie scale extension: Kristaps Porzingis could become the first if he opts to sign a qualifying offer with Dallas instead of committing long-term.

But what if this situation isn’t ideal for Simmons? Sure, he’s on a playoff team with as good a chance at winning the East as any, but his role has been diminished with every move the 76ers make. Embiid is the guy right now. Does Simmons want his own team?

We never know what players want, and everything could be fine in Philly. But players are unpredictable, and they’re choosing to secure their future on their own terms. You never know what someone is going to do until the time comes. If Simmons was to decide he wants out, the Sixers will have maximized the time they have with him and have two supplementary pieces to join with Embiid.

7. Blame (or credit) Markelle Fultz

If Fultz is healthy, the Sixers probably don’t need to make any big trades in the first place. A healthy Fultz is the third-head of the dragon the 76ers were supposed to build.

But Fultz has been the furthest thing from healthy. He forgot how to shoot, dealt with a mysterious shoulder injury that killed his game altogether, and hasn’t even played since early December. Instead of showing flashes of being that third star, his game was reduced to memes and viral clips.

Philly put him in the starting lineup to star the season, but as it was failing, everyone sensed the Sixers needed to do something. Eventually, Fultz left the team for doctors who diagnosed him with Thoraccic Outlet Syndrome. His status is still unclear. Surprisingly, Fultz is one of few players who hasn’t been dealt ... yet.

Still, the 76ers made all these trades to find the core players that Fultz was supposed to be. His situation forced Philly to abort its slow-and-steady plan, because they were no more top picks coming their way. The only other way to get other difference makers was to trade for one or to sign one in free agency.

8. Because this is the whole point of The Process

You play to win games, after all. After years of doing the opposite in service of being great down the line, Philly is at that point.

They have two young stars who should be All-Stars for the next 10 years. You build around that right [expletive] now. Go for gold. Go get guys who can win, and win big. That’s what they did in trading for Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris.

Whether it works out or falls apart remains to be seen. But in an era where teams are kicking the can down the road, Philly deserves applause for playing to win in a conference with no clear-cut winner.

[bunvoyagesarah]

Myanmar

Me-and-mom trip

Wednesday, January 29 I arrived in Yangon, Myanmar around 6pm and met mom at the airport. She had been there for a little bit so had already picked up cash and sim cards for us.  Then we took a Grab to our hotel, Hotel Lavender, near Shwedagon pagoda. There was a rooftop dining area and bar, so we enjoyed a beer there, as well as the free (!) beer from our room’s mini-fridge to see the beautiful view of the pagoda.  Then we went to dinner down the road, at AKS. We had chicken stir-fry, fried cauliflower, and Aung Kaung San Soup. After dinner we took a walk down the main road.  

Thursday, January 30 In the morning, we had breakfast at our hotel, which consisted of soup and noodles.  We got up pretty early to walk around the Shwedagon Pagoda, which was right around the corner.  It was massive and covered in gold. We took lots of pictures, and even had some random people ask to take pictures with us.  I had to rent a very pink wrap, as my pants were too tight, despite them covering my knees and already having my shoulders covered, this was another rule they enforced.

Then we walked to Bogyoke Aung San Market. I found some looser fitting, breathable capri pants would serve to be very useful during the rest of my time in Asia.  I also got some flip-flops.  Both items were about $6 total. I had no idea that I would be in Asia, so everything in my bag was winter clothing along with some t-shirts that I could layer. These items were definitely necessary, and thankfully also very lightweight.

Next, we went to the mall across the street, where mom got some more money, we checked out a grocery store, and then enjoyed some of their traditional Burmese tea. We walked back to the hotel and grabbed our bags before the check-out time and then got another grab to the airport. We went to the wrong terminal, but luckily there was a free shuttle to the Domestic terminal. And then we couldn’t even check in because they only check-in the next departing flight at a time, which in my opinion is extremely smart and allows the people to get to where they need to go in a “first in, first out” type of deal.

We arrive at He Ho Airport and then drive to Kalaw.  Unfortunately, there’s no Grab here and all the drivers are buddies, so once one quotes you a price, they’ll all quote you the same price. We arrived at Hillock Villa, an eco-friendly B&B and then went for dinner in the town at Gloria’s, which consisted of spring rolls and “pad-thai”.  

We were both craving ice cream after dinner and went on a search for anything similar to a Magnum bar.  After asking around with no success, we gave up.  But then, it one final effort, we went into a store and sure enough they had an ice cream bar.  We got one to share, but mostly to test if it was good.  It was terrible.  Possibly the worst ice cream I’ve ever had.  We didn’t even finish the one ice cream bar between the two of us, instead we watched the 50 cent ice cream bar melt down the drain of our sink.  

Back in the room, we backed our small backpacks with everything we would need for the next day’s trek.  

Friday, January 31 Mom and I started the day with breakfast this eco b&b where we were staying, which mom thought was great, and I thought was just ok.  The van from the trekking company, picked us up from our b&b, along with a German couple in their 30’s and we drove to the office, where we picked up another German couple in their 20’s, and our big bags were dropped off and were to be delivered to our hotel in Inle Lake. 

We drove about thirty minutes, and then everyone got out and we started our trek with our guide, Yelay.  We went through a couple villages, saw them weaving baskets out of bamboo. We stopped for a delicious lunch of noodles and this amazing avocado salad. Yelay helped us make some “sunscreen”  out of one local tree’s bark and then made into a paste with water.  Then we continued on our way.  

We stopped again as we passed this old woman’s home.  She had us in for green tea and snacks- fried rice paper and nuts. Then the guys played some soccer with the kids that had just gotten out of school.  Mom and I checked out the monastery that was right by the soccer field. By this point, the younger German guy had hurt his ankle so bad during our walk that he couldn’t walk anymore and someone took him on a scooter to the home where we were spending the night.   Once the soccer game finished, we continued on our walk.  Around 5:30pm we arrived at the home, where Yelay than proceeded to show us the outhouse, and shower, with no running water, let alone warm water.  No one showered.  We hung out outside, enjoying a couple local beers until dinner was ready inside, prepared by the chef that was following the same route as us but often behind or ahead of us.  Dinner was excellent with peanut curry, lots of different veggies, and roasted chicken. One of the cats came over, jumped on the table and took a giant bite of chicken.  The cats had clearly been fed before. After a long dinner, and chatting, Yelay came back to tell us the plan for the next day and we all went to bed upstairs, on mattresses on the floor, in little 2-person mosquito tents.  

As much as I tried to avoid having to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night in an squatty-potty outhouse with no toilet paper, I didn’t even make it until 12am without having to pee.  So I woke up, unzipped my tent, went downstairs, went through the now bolted door, slid open this gate on the porch that wasn’t there earlier, and around the corner to the outhouse.  Just as I closed the gate behind me, which I am assuming was to keep the stray dogs off the porch, Mom came up behind me.  We both went pee, then retraced our footsteps back into the house.  Quite a nightly adventure!

Saturday, February 1 We woke up at 7am and all got dressed and then went downstairs for breakfast.  We had tortilla pancakes with an eggplant curry and lots of fruit.  The curry was especially good, even though I wouldn’t have normally eaten it at 7:15 in the morning.  

Then we set off on our trek. It was a lot more uphill and then a lot of downhill into Inle Lake.  We walked through a village that had a yearly ceremony going on for the monks.  In Myanmar, all males have to be a monk twice in their life, each for a least 10 days and one of the times before you are 18. Yelay’s parents decided when he was about 10 years old he would be a monk.  He said he remembered stealing food for the kitchen every night, since he was supposed to fast after noon. He had not yet done it a second time.  He currently is a guide and also works on his family’s chicken farm with about 400 chickens and then goes around and sells them based on their weight.

There was so much pollution but Yelay pointed out as we were coming down the hill that we could see Inle Lake.  We walked along this canal for a while and were all quite quiet.  At one point when I was right behind Yelay, he turned around quickly and yelled “Boo!” I wasn’t expecting it at all and it did give me a fright!  

After we walked for the majority of the morning with another short stop along a canal, we arrived at a fishing village on Inle Lake. This was where we all ate lunch, with these animals carved into fruit.  Then the older German couple got into one boat to go to their hotel on the lake and the rest of us got into motorized long boat with Yelay and went to town, where our hotels were. The boat ride into the town was vey cool with lots of house on stilts in the fishing village.

We got dropped off right beside our hotel and sure enough our bags had arrived there, so after a welcome drink and a well-deserved shower, we relaxed for a little bit. Then we went out for dinner to get some dim sum.  Along the way, we found a woman offering her son’s services for a boat tour the next day and checked out getting some massages.  

Sunday, February 2 The woman met us right by our hotel and we met her son.  The boat’s motor was very noisy, so not much talking on the boat.  He took us around the lake stopping at all these different villages.  The first stop was at the lotus and silk weaving, where a woman took us around showing how the thread is made and then into a room with dozens of loom, and then finally into the shop where you can purchase anything made of silk, lotus, or cotton that your heart desires.  This trend of showing you how it’s made, and then going through the shop continued the rest of the morning at the cigar making (my favorite), boat carving, long-neck ladies, silver jewelry, and paper making. We also went into the cat jumping monastery and pagoda, where there was no one trying to sell us anything. We could have taken up to eight hours with our boat driver, but since we didn’t shop too much, we were done in four.  

When we arrived back in town, we did some scoping out of massage places and had barbecue fish for lunch. The place we went to for the massages, was one room with a divider in the middle and two tables. While people on one side of the divider were getting their nails done, we were both naked getting a full body massage. I did not enjoy the massage very much, as it felt like she was ripping my hair out at one point, but it was $6 each for an hour massage, so definitely the best value I think I’ll have ever.  

We both showered all the oil off and went to a rooftop bar, which happened to be a hostel’s happy hour bar.  We watched a mediocre sunset with clouds and smog and then walked to a pancake/crepe place for a crepe and “milkshake” dinner.  

Monday, February 3 In the morning, we were picked up for horseback riding around Inle Lake.  First, the woman and owner of Inle Horse Club took us around a market just for fun. It was cool to see all the spices, meats, and produce, especially in the height of the market.  It was crowded! Then we drove up to the horse club and were the only ones there.  She gave us a little spiel about the environmental work she’s doing, for example composting the manure which she then received a grant from England for doing.  

Then we got on our horses and walked around the ring a little.  It was a little challenging with the horses difficult to keep separate and a pretty uncomfortable seat, but the views were amazing.  We made a stop at the caves, where lots of Buddhas were hidden inside. Then we made a stop for lunch at a restaurant, which was excellent. Finally, we cantered into a winery for a wine tasting at Red Mountain Estate.  The sauvignon blanc was especially sweet and surprisingly my favorite of the four (two whites, two reds) that we tastes. Finally, we rode back to the horseback riding center. We received some juice and our certificates and then driven back to our hotel.  

In the evening, we caught an overnight bus to Bagan, which left Inle Lake around 8pm. We bought a couple snacks for the journey and also made a dinner stop around 9pm at a rest stop.  The seat were pretty comfy as they reclined quite far and had foot rests.  

Tuesday, February 4 At 3:30am, not 6am, like we were suppose to, we arrived in Bagan.  We fought with a cab driver to drive us and another German girl that we had become friendly with to our respective hotel/hostels. When we arrived to our hotel it was almost 4am and we had decided to just pay for another night, so we could go to sleep.  Side note: the bus ride was the bumpiest ride I’ve ever been on and very little sleep took place. After talking to the receptionist, he said we could check-in at 7am for $20, which we got him to agree to 6am. Then we were trying to decide what to do until then, he mentioned getting e-bikes to watch the sunrise. After the e-bikes arrived and the guy was not going to give us a very fair price, we decided to go back into the reception and just have a cup of tea and wait another 45 minutes until we could check in. We fell fast asleep once we got into the room and slept until noon.

We walked to get lunch nearby, and then looked at a couple e-bikes, which is when Mom realized they were electric scooters and not bicycles. Instead of renting two, we shared one and ended up getting it from the hotel. We drove around to the different pagodas and stupas.  We went out to the jetty for the sunset, which was a very nice place to watch the sunset as there were not very many people there. I got some sugar cane juice from a place while we were there.  On the way back to the hotel, we found an ice cream spot—finally!!

Wednesday, February 5 We woke up extremely early for the sunrise by hot air balloon! The company, Golden Eagle picked us and some other people up from the hotel.  The girl we had met on the bus also happened to be on our shuttle.  When we arrived at the field, they had tables and chairs set up with some tea and coffee and croissants.  Our guide, JP met us and explained how the day would go.  We had 10 people plus JP in our hot air balloon. It was definitely very cool to see all the other balloons in the air, to see the stupas from above (100s of them), and of course see the sunrise. When we landed we were served more cakes, fruit, and champagne.  

We learned some of the science and maneuvering of the hot air balloon.  Like it’s a 315,000 cubic feet of volume inside and JP carried 80 gallons of propane for fuel. The balloon is made of nylon and nomex so it won’t catch on fire. There were six companies you could fly with in Myanmar, and each of them were allowed about six balloons in the air at a time.  Myanmar is a very calm, predictable place to fly.  Also, JP has a pilot’s license and degree in meteorology. 

JP told us the history of drinking champagne upon landing, which is because the first successful manning of a hot air balloon landed in an farmer’s field in the 1780’s.  Having never seen anything fly before, the owners thought these people were crazy and the balloon was some sort of dragon. The people in the balloon offered the farmers some of the Royal champagne they had been given upon their farewell as a peace offering and apology for disturbing the animals. The farmers accepted the bubbly and a tradition was born.  

After enjoying a more substantial breakfast back at the hotel, we sat by the pool to rest, nap, and read. Later in the afternoon, we walked to Nightingale Foods for a cooking class with Mae.  There was another Irish couple that was my age joining us and they were both teaching in China, but currently on their “corona holidays.” Little did we know what the world would turn into two months later. We made four stir-fries/curries and four salads.  My favorite dishes were the tamarind tea leaf salad, pork curry, and tamarind, peanut, garlic paste as add-ons to the other dishes.  

Thursday, February 6 I was very gassy on the way home from the cooking class. And my stomach was making lots of sounds.  In the middle of the night I threw up this delicious meal we had just made.  Mom was surprisingly fine with her stomach.  In the morning, I threw up again and had no appetite as well as feeling very weak.  Luckily, I could rest until check-out and then we went to the airport to fly back to Yangon—this was also lucky because we had considered another overnight bus, but decided not to have the first one had been quite miserable with the bumpy roads.

By the time dinner time arrived, I still did not have much of an appetite. We hung out at the hotel and then went on a walk, which was a bit of struggle for me.  We found a ramen place and also ordered some dumplings.  We walked back through Chinatown, along 19th St. We looked for a place to get our nails done but they were all gel nail salons, so ending up going back to the hotel for a movie.    

Friday, February 7 I was finally feeling a little hungry.  We had breakfast at the hotel, checked-out, but left our bags there. We did a self-guided walking tour around Yangon. By early afternoon, it was quite hot and were getting hungry.  We stopped at the famous Rangoon Tea House.  We had a lot of time to kill, so we spent 2.5 hours there, ordering each dish separately and taking our time between each one.  We got duck empanadas, fried squid, soft shell crab bao (the best!!!!), chocolate samosas, and Burmese tea.  On the way back we stopped in this cool store next to the tea house and spent some time perusing. We went back to the hotel and were able to sit in the dining area for an hour with our computers before we left for the airport. I flew to Bangkok and Mom flew back to Dubai.  

[meraenthusiast]

7 Lessons Learned During The Coronavirus Pandemic

7 Lessons Learned During The Coronavirus Pandemic

I can still remember that night like it was yesterday. My son and I were watching his favorite NBA team play on TV, the Dallas Mavericks. That Wednesday was only 3 days away from his birthday trip/gift – (near)court side seats to watch his favorite player, Luka Doncic play.

Then the announcement came, the NBA season was cancelled until further notice due to the COVID-19 Coronavirus.

I honestly don’t remember when I’ve seen him more upset as he kept asking, “How could this happen? How can they cancel the ENTIRE NBA over a virus?”

Unfortunately, I didn’t have an answer.

At that time, we didn’t realize just how serious this pandemic was going to get and how much it was going to affect everyone’s lives, both personally and financially.

Heck, I sure didn’t see it coming. I thought I had it all under control with a plan taking me to financial independence focused on saving, investing and retiring early (using passive income).

But now you know plans can change in the blink of an eye.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had broad impacts on both the medical world and the economy.

I told my wife early on that this virus was going to “kill many more people financially than anything else.”

I’m a firm believer that EVERYTHING happens for a reason. It took me years to realize why I lost out on a job opportunity straight out of residency but now I know why. It’s put us in a MUCH better place. Maybe this pandemic will do the same.

So recently, during one of our family walks (yes, we actually started taking walks together), I posed the question to all of us, “What has COVID-19 taught us?”

Here’s the lessons learned we came up with….

7 Lessons Learned During The Coronavirus Pandemic

#1 Always be prepared for an emergency

One of the first lessons learned that the COVID-19 pandemic taught all of us was actually not a health lesson but one about money.

It taught us what an emergency fund was actually for – emergencies.

You see, I hear about too many people that supposedly have an emergency fund that use it for “emergency” vacations or an “emergency” outfit for an upcoming surprise party.

Unfortunately, many financial advisors consider emergency funds to be wasted assets with today’s low interest rates and thus a bad idea. Their reasoning behind this is that the emergency fund is supposed to be in an account that is liquid and easily accessible such as a savings or money market account.

Because of this, they state that these types of accounts don’t keep pace with inflation and that the emergency fund is set up to be a money-losing proposition over the long term.

As someone that followed Dave Ramsey’s 7 Baby Steps, Step #1 is to establish an emergency fund for emergencies!

Financially speaking, I understand that these low interest accounts aren’t going to make the investor money over the long term. But I think they’re missing the big picture.

4 purposes of the emergency fund is to:

#1 Bridge the gap in time periods when unemployment strikes.

#2 Help to supply income during a disability as most disability policies don’t kick in for 60-90 days after you become disabled.

#3 Kick in during desperate times (such as a pandemic) to purchase essential items that are needed to stock up on (not 3 cases of toilet paper!) or if an emergency expense such as an AC unit goes out.

#4 Act as a form of financial insurance, not an investment.

The book of Proverbs 21:20 states, “there is desirable treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise” or in other words, the wise have an emergency fund.

Would the stress caused by an uncertain job situation be decreased if you had three to six months of basic living expenses readily available in your savings account?

#2 When a crisis strikes, we’re all in it together

I’ve had more time to reflect on life during the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the things I was reminded of was the 1984 movie, Red Dawn starring Patrick Swayze.

If you don’t remember it or haven’t seen it, here’s the trailer:

In the movie, the U.S. was invaded by the Russians. The adults were placed in concentration-type camps set up in the downtown areas. A handful of teens escaped the initial invasion and learned to survive living on the basics in the wilderness.

They banned together and decided to take on “the enemy” themselves calling their group the “Wolverines” after their high school mascot.

Just like in Red Dawn, for us during the COVID-19 crisis, the entire world fought an enemy, an invisible one.

At first we heard and saw stories of people panicking and buying up essential items in stores such as bottled water and toilet paper.

This is an example of loss aversion. It reflects the negative emotions of fear and anxiety. Humans react more strongly to the fear of losing something versus the benefit of gaining.

Remember what Lance Armstrong said years ago during his doping scandal?

“I like to win, but more than anything, I can’t stand this idea of losing. Because to me, losing means death.” – Lance Armstrong

So when the public saw toilet paper flying off of the shelves on the news then it was only natural to react…even if they didn’t really need to.

But as the crisis continued to loom, we started to see a shift in the public even though the news didn’t talk about it much. That shift was towards selflessness.

Deep down, humans really want to do good. And we started to see and realize that we were all in this thing together as the Coronavirus affected rich, poor, black, white, middle, upper and lower class. The virus did NOT discriminate.

Occasionally I noticed a story about specific ways that Republicans and Democrats were putting down their boxing gloves and actually trying to work together for the good of our nation.

We also saw this during the 9/11 crisis.

Sometimes it takes something bad happening to all of us to make us stronger and work together.

#3 Debt is stressful

This crisis has shown me just how stressful debt has made people feel.

Dave Ramsey answered a question of whether or not someone should borrow money at 0% to buy furniture.

He stated that in his book, Everyday Millionaires, they surveyed over 10,000 millionaires and none of them claimed that they obtained wealth from buying furniture at 0%.

Just because something is 0% doesn’t mean it’s free. When a crisis strikes, guess what? These loans still require regular monthly payments. And if you can’t make a payment on time then your interest rate sky rockets.

One of the main reasons I’m a big advocate for being consumer debt-free is that the need to make debt payments can add to your financial stress during times of income uncertainty.

#4 Invest in relationships

One of the biggest things the Coronavirus pandemic has taught me is what’s really important in life.

It’s also made me see a glimpse of what retirement life might be like without the day to day grind of going to work and everything that goes along with running a practice.

It seems that most of us don’t realize that when we’re in the rat race, we focus on making money to buy stuff. Yes, it’s nice to have things such as a nice home, cars, clothes and take great vacations.

However, there is a difference between enjoying these non-essential things and putting value into them. THINGS are not valuable.

Honestly, I like all of the above but the pandemic made me take a step back and realize what I really value – relationships.

Money isn’t the most important thing…people are (yes, even my in-laws 🙂 ).

During the crisis downtime I realized what was most important to me:

Spending time with my wife and kids

Exercising outdoors and eating healthy (I’ve lost 8 lbs)

Helping others during a time of need

Empathizing more with patients that are in pain

Enjoying pursuing entrepreneurial pursuits

#5 Additional sources of income is a must

Let’s face it. We’re all busy working professionals so who has time to develop a side gig/hustle or something that’s going to provide additional income?

For the longest time, this was my thinking too. After becoming consumer debt-free when I reached 40 and meeting some other financial goals, I realized that I only had ONE source of income at that time, my practice.

Unfortunately, most of us only have active/earned income which is the highest taxed income of them all. Don’t believe me? Check out what Robert Kiyosaki has to say about it when he explains his CashFlow Quadrant.

When the Coronavirus took a hold of our country and many of us lost some or all of our income sources (from our active income), we began to feel its effects very quickly.

But for those that had additional income sources, they were able to keep their heads above water during the worst of it.

The passive income from our real estate investments certainly helped supplement our income but I sure I wish I’d started investing earlier in my career.

Yes, developing these additional sources of income does take time and work (want doesn’t?). But as soon as our paychecks are threatened, it sure makes it all seem worthwhile that we put in the extra time for extra income.

#6 Take time to smell the roses and be appreciative to all workers

I admit, during the normal day to day activities that I partake in (pre-pandemic) such as: taking the boys to school (Waffle House on Fridays 🙂 ), going to work, lifting weights, playing tennis, eating out with my lovely wife, etc, I tend to not appreciate all of the workers that I come in contact with.

Not that they aren’t important but I just didn’t ever think about them much…until now! Jobs that we may have once considered as “lower-skilled” are the ones that are MOST crucial during the pandemic.

Think about all those that continue working when we MOST need them during the COVID-19 crisis such as:

custodians

cashiers

restaurant servers

mail carriers

UPS, FED-EX workers

grocery store employees

They are putting their lives and their families’ lives in danger as their sacrifice prevents our community from shutting down completely.

I’m going to make sure that I appreciate them now and in the future for all they do.

#7 Don’t make short-term decisions that hurt you long-term

You may have heard the phrase, “Don’t just stand there, do something!” I think I remember one of my old football coaches yelling that at me during a 100+ degree practice in August.

But something that you may not have heard is from Vanguard’s late founder, Jack Bogle, who suggested, “Don’t do something. Just stand there.” I think this is perfect advice when we’re faced with a situation, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, that causes a sharp decline in the market or even a bear market.

One of the earlier lessons learned in #2 above was that it’s human nature to avoid pain. So when we’re faced with a situation that causes both job losses and falling markets, then it’s understandable that we want to make some short-term decisions rather quickly to ease the pain.

But during these times, we shouldn’t lose sight of the long-term impact of those decisions, especially on our finances.

It may feel good to sell your stocks to stop the bleeding, but doing so means you’ll miss some of the upside when the markets begin to rise again.

Don’t believe me?

Check out what the Physician On Fire thinks about:

How To Get Wealthy Investing In A Bear Market

Pay special attention to the Market #2 scenario.

I get it. Long-term investing is tough, especially when a pandemic causes your 401k to decline. But if you have an investment plan/policy then you should have known what to do during a market decline long before the COVID-19 pandemic.

If not, then chalk it up as lessons learned.

Take Home

The Covid-19 have given us many lessons learned. To sum it all up in a few sentences:

Money is not that important. Relationships are. The financial freedom from having money provides more time that can be used for the greater good for others.

What lessons learned has the COVID-19 pandemic taught you?

Leave a comment below.

The post 7 Lessons Learned During The Coronavirus Pandemic appeared first on Debt Free Dr..

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[drtanstravels]

2020 is the year that a lot of my friends will turn 40 and the first on the list was Shane Worthington, the one I’ve known the longest. We’ve been close friends since we were five years old, were in pretty much every class through primary and high school together, and were best man at each other’s weddings. We spent all of our childhood and teen years hanging out together and, although we hardly get to see each other for years at a time due to me now living in Singapore and him in Canberra, ACT, when we do it’s like we only spoke yesterday. That’s why when he told me at the beginning of 2019 that he was planning a cruise to New Caledonia for his 40th birthday, I knew we had to go. Anna instantly loved the idea, but not everyone else invited was able to make it so in the end it was ultimately going to be an eight-day cruise aboard a ship carrying almost 2,000 passengers, 800 crew and staff, and Shane’s group that would consist of himself, his wife, Danii, their 18-month-old daughter, Evie, an older couple that he used to work with, Sam and Kerri, and Anna and myself. We were scheduled to board the cruise ship at 1:00pm in Sydney, Australia on January 8 and depart for New Caledonia, spending almost three days at sea, before reaching the islands of Noumé, Maré, and Lifou, spending a day on each before making the trek back to Sydney and arriving on January 16, Shane’s birthday. Let’s see how this worked out.

Monday, January 6, 2020 Anna had booked our flights months prior and the holiday period is the worst time of year to travel to Australia, because it’s so expensive! To put the prices in perspective, we’ve booked return flights to Los Angeles next month and Cape Town, South Africa in June and neither of those flights were as much as return 7.5-hour flight from Singapore to Sydney in the summer. Our tickets were over S$2,000 (US$1,486) each and depart after midnight so Anna later decided that, because we had paid so much for the seats, we may as well pay extra and upgrade to Business Class so we could at least sleep easier on the flight and feel remotely fresh when we arrived.

I woke up on Monday morning to a message from Shane, asking what our plans were:

That’s right, we had messed up the flight details. Anna was meticulous when first booking the flights, but she thinks she may have rushed it a little when she upgraded our seats, resulting in us being scheduled to arrive a day early. There was no way Anna could get the day off work, I could’ve gone that night, but she also gets nervous when I fly alone due to my track record for having seizures on overnight flights so she rescheduled the tickets for the same time the following night… for the small fee of S$3,600 (US$2,675). So, now we were over eight grand down and hadn’t even set foot on the ship.

Wednesday, January 8, 2020 We got to the airport with plenty of time to spare, but we were a little nervous for obvious reasons, the main one being that if there were delays of any kind we would more than likely miss the cruise. There was also the possibility that getting into Sydney could be difficult due to the bushfires ravaging nearby areas, but fortunately everything went smoothly and we touched down in Sydney at about 11:30am local time, actually a little ahead of schedule. Once through immigration we collected our luggage, took a shuttle to the port in Balmain, went through the entire immigration and customs process again like you would at an airport, and soon we were aboard the Pacific Explorer, later departing Sydney at 4:00pm. Once inside there were a few things that immediately struck us:

You don’t realise how big these ships are until you are onboard. It was so easy to get lost on this one.

Anything that wasn’t in the cruise package you had initially purchased was extremely expensive — AU$25.00 (US$17.20) to wear what in a hotel would be a complimentary robe and AU$15.00 (US$10.30) to use an umbrella is just unreasonable.

Contrary to popular belief, it’s not so much retirees that make up the majority of passengers on cruise ships. Maybe it was because it was school holidays, but there were a lot of families on this one. There were also a ton of people who must’ve just heard the words “complimentary buffet” as well, because some of the passengers were enormous!

We took our luggage to our rooms, had a look around the ship, and then went to the already crowded buffet for our first meal of the day. What I expected from the buffet was the crappy quality bain-marie stuff you get in public school canteens, but that wasn’t the case on this ship. There were separate stalls serving different dishes from around the globe, as well as salad bars, dessert cabinets, everything. We just went to the first stall we saw, which was the Mexican one, and the food was really good, but it wasn’t the most popular option there, that’s for sure. We would only eat at the buffet a few times on this trip, but what was truly mind-boggling was the sheer amount of french fries people would eat over the course of the cruise. The fish ‘n’ chips stall perpetually had a queue of at least 10 people, closely followed by the one selling hamburgers and chips, some people just getting basket after basket of fries from both stalls. It would be safe to say that the fish ‘n’chip stall fed around 10% of the passengers at any given meal, leading me to wonder how many tons of frozen chips must be stored in the galley of the Pacific Explorer to last an eight-day cruise with 2,000 passengers who have access to unlimited fries? I will get to the bottom of this matter one day, mark my words.

The rest of the day was spent quietly trying out the different bars and catching up with Shane and Danii for the first time in five years, as well as meeting Sam, Kerri, and baby Evie for the first time, with dinner at an Asian restaurant called Dragon Lady thrown into the mix and finishing up at The Blue Room. The good thing with the bulk of the onboard restaurants is that they are also complimentary unless you order one of the specials. This is what Wednesday looked like:

A little smokey approaching Sydney

Anna at the port

This cabin would be our home for the next eight days

Looking out towards our balcony

A portrait of Rear Admiral Bill Murray near the elevators

Looking down from our floor to other areas of the ship

And we’re off

Under the bridge

Passing the city

Goodbye Sydney

A small portion of the deck

Anna in front of the outdoor cinema screen

Me hanging out with a coffee

Panoramic view of a different area of the deck

The view over the stern

A portion of the deck at night

Inside The Blue Room

Thursday, January 9, 2020 The next couple of days aboard the ship en route to New Caledonia were just spent relaxing, it was really only the nights where anything truly happened. Shane was up early every morning to change nappies and hit the gym, Anna and I would go down to the cafe a few floors down for coffee and then come back up to the cabin and read while relaxing to the sound of the ocean. On Thursday we had a couple of drinks after that, Anna had an afternoon massage, and soon it was time for dinner, because due to there being six of us and a baby, we had to either book a table at 5:15pm or 7:30pm. The latter was too late for an 18-month-old so we would have had to go with the former, a time when very few people under the age of 85 eat. Instead, we had burgers and wings at an outdoor bar. Shane and Danii were rather tired, Sam and Kerri decided to go see Normie Rowe play so Anna and I went to a standup comedy show, on this occasion being Hung Le. In Australia Hung Le is probably most famous for playing the Vietnamese boss in the local film Fat Pizza. I have never seen the movie, but I remembered him from watching comedy festivals on TV as a teenager and had always found him funny back then, but I figured he must be a bit washed up now if he’s doing the cruise ship circuit, just like once legendary entertainers that now play nightly in Las Vegas. I couldn’t have been more wrong, he was absolutely hilarious. The show started at 10:30 and went for 45 minutes, but Anna was fading towards the end so we went back to the cabin afterward and had what we consider an early night.

The burgers there were great!

Friday, January 10, 2020 Friday followed a similar pattern to Thursday, but the problem was that Anna had a lot of work to complete before the cruise, preparing presentations for upcoming conferences, completing and submitting journal articles in time for publication, that type of thing, but I don’t think even she realised how exhausted she was. She woke up at 10:00am for a 45-minute acupuncture session and I was still asleep when she returned so Anna got back into bed. Now, we realised when we were in the Galapagos Islands a few years back that the gentle rocking of a boat makes it a lot easier to sleep, but I’m still not sure that the motion of the ocean is solely responsible for Anna sleeping again until almost 3:00pm. Once she was awake we went to get coffee and then meet the rest of our crew in one of the bars, on most occasions it was the Explorer Hotel, for a couple of beers before an early dinner. There were quite a few bar options on the ship, but some only opened at night or were hosting events. It was always really hot and sunny on the deck with kids running around and screaming so we cancelled those options out. The foyer in the middle had a bar, but there was almost constantly a guy by the name of Kingsley playing there, whom we went on to dub “Elton Joel.” Kingsley wore a gold, glittery, plastic hat and despite being a decent piano player, couldn’t sing if his life depended on it, yet he would spend hours at the piano playing covers, roughly a quarter of each were either by Elton John or Billy Joel, hence the nickname. Upstairs was the Ocean Bar, but it was kind of small for the seven of us and you could still hear Elton Joel in there so we went to the adjacent, but separate Explorer Hotel on most occasions. After a few drinks and a chat there was a dinner reservation waiting for us at an Italian restaurant onboard called Angelo’s and once again the food was great and their pepper grinder was hilariously large, but there was a bit of a problem with the way we were spending time on the boat; most days we would meet up before dinner and have a drink or two, then have dinner at 5:15pm due to how the reservations worked. Even if we sat at the table and had more drinks before ordering, by the time it was eight or nine o’clock in the evening it felt a lot later than what it actually was and, despite still being light at times, Anna would sometimes start to get tired again. This was one of those occasions so even though she had only been awake for six or seven hours, she went back to the cabin and checked in early, only about half an hour after the sun had set.

Most nights on this ship, besides the regular shows and entertainment, there were themed parties and the theme that night was Back to School. Everyone who attended was trying to look sexy or classy in their school uniforms, but Shane and I figured we could just go in what we were wearing because our school didn’t really have a uniform. The idea of a school party had us reminiscing about stupid things that had happened when we were in high school, such as setting a bucket of glue on fire, resulting in a student getting suspended for eating a cookie from our overweight principal’s desk. Or the time a football was kicked over the chainlink fence into the junior campus of the neighbouring Catholic school, but instead of climbing the fence or asking a student to kick it back, someone just got some bolt-cutters from the shed where automotive repair classes were taught and just cut a giant hole out of the fence to retrieve the ball. Then there was the time that there was a stabbing at our school in retaliation to something that happened to my friend, Owen. It sounds worse than it was, sure, a kid did get stabbed, but it was only in the side of the leg, painful, but not fatal. There was a banner at the Back to School party along the wall that could be signed so we added our little tidbit that you will see in the next bunch of photos.

The school party wasn’t really our thing and we had other plans anyway, namely to keep drinking until karaoke started and then take over. We were the fourth people to sing and we had a decent amount of liquid courage inside of us, plus we decided to play the sympathy card with a crowd that was more than likely assuming we were homosexual due to a combination of Shane’s shirt and the fact that we had chosen the song Maneater by Hall and Oates. “I’m Tim, this is Shane,” I said as I was handed the microphone. “Shane’s wife is stuck upstairs with the baby, mine’s passed out in bed so tonight we’re going to party,” and then we tore it up. Our rendition of Maneater was a crowd favourite that night, even when we got bored during a one-minute guitar solo and decided to give a botany lesson on the many plants surrounding the stage. We kept drinking and then later Shane wanted to do another song, Rapper’s Delight by The Sugarhill Gang. The initial idea was that my role would be the hype guy, kind of like what Flavor Flav is to Chuck D in Public Enemy, however, Shane knows this song like the back of his hand, not even needing to look up at the lyrics. Besides being able to get the occasional “Yeah Boy!” in when he was out of breath later in the song and at one point calling up a bunch of eight-year-old children onto the dance-floor, my role eventually left me relegated to sitting on the on-stage ledge with my beer, surrounded by ficus plants while Shane blew away everyone in the bar with his rendition of the old school hip hop classic. I’m just glad they only had the “short” six-and-a-half-minute version, not the 15-minute take, but regardless, he blew Maneater out of the water to the point where people would come up to us for the remainder of the cruise, some referring to me as “Goose,” an incorrect reference to the sidekick of the main pilot in Top Gun (I think they meant Jester). Once karaoke was done we went back to the Blue Room to see the end of a really good band’s set before the place filled up with attendees of the Back to School party. Danii and Anna still say that because there is no video evidence, they are skeptical about our karaoke dominance, but Anna’s also seen what happens when I get a microphone after a few drinks, be it karaoke or even if a band is playing. Just because I can’t sing, it doesn’t mean I wont. Still there are these pictures and a couple of other videos of Shane in the general vicinity of the dance floor:

Kerri getting some pepper in Angelo’s

Anna’s turn

Having a beer with Shane. I hope it’s just the perspective that’s making my legs look that long!

The banner at the beginning of the Back to School Party

Our contribution

School’s out

Saturday, January 11, 2020 One thing about spending two-and-a-half days on a cruise ship is it’s not long enough to get your sea-legs so any time you’re walking around it feels like you’re drunk but without the pleasure of the booze. Saturday was going to be an interesting day, because when we woke we were docked a short way off Nouméa:

Nouméa is the capital and largest city of the French special collectivity of New Caledonia. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia’s main island, Grande Terre, and is home to the majority of the island’s European, Polynesian (Wallisians, Futunians, Tahitians), Indonesian, and Vietnamese populations, as well as many Melanesians, Ni-Vanuatu and Kanaks who work in one of the South Pacific’s most industrialised cities. The city lies on a protected deepwater harbour that serves as the chief port for New Caledonia.

At the September 2019 census, there were 182,341 inhabitants in the metropolitan area of Greater Nouméa, 94,285 of whom lived in the city (commune) of Nouméa proper. 67.2% of the population of New Caledonia live in Greater Nouméa, which covers the communes of Nouméa, Le Mont-Dore, Dumbéa and Païta.

We were off the ship just before 8:00am, took a small boat to the island, and immediately went across the road to a nearby supermarket to get something to drink. We then walk around some of the main areas of the town, just exploring different parts like Coconut Palm Square and walking through Chinatown and the Latin Quarter while we waited for the crowd to subside so we could take the island tour in comfort. After an hour or so we took a tourist trolley around the city, taking in sites such as some canons installed by Australians at a fort at Ouen Toro, an old prison, the craft market, and a library with a dinosaur statue out the front. The trolley tour was a round trip so once we were done we decided to walk along the coast and find somewhere for lunch. We had our minds set on a restaurant out on the water called Le Roof, but when we arrived and saw the prices, also remembering how we had paid 2,700 F (US$25.00) on a latte each earlier, we figured this island is either obscenely expensive or they must just bump the prices up substantially when the tourists arrive, because we were looking at paying at least around S$45.00 (US$30.00) each for lunch. Instead we walked back down the road along the beach, passing one of the most rancid-smelling portable toilets along the way, and we found a reasonably priced restaurant that sold a bit of everything, but was predominantly Italian food. We ordered and were then brought a basket of bread to eat with a mixture of olive oil and an unmarked bottle of brown liquid that one would assume was balsamic vinegar, but it only took Danii one bite to realise that it was a little saltier than normal and not particularly tangy. That’s because it wasn’t balsamic vinegar, but soy sauce. Still, it wasn’t that bad. After lunch we started to make our way back to the boat and arrived at around 3:00pm. Shane and Danii decided to board then so Evie could have a nap, but we still had an hour before we were departing so Anna and I decided to pick up some supplies, including seeing sanitary pads for men which I should’ve bought for future trips to Myanmar, and have a look at some nearby shops that we hadn’t had a chance to earlier. This included visiting an awesome pinball store called Flipper Addict that was clearly set up by a guy who had come into some cash and started his dream parlour as a hobby, as well as servicing and supplying other machines, not that we saw a lot around. We had also been told on our tour that Coca Cola tastes better in New Caledonia because of the quality of the water used. We were both skeptical that Coke was even bottled there and neither of us has drunk any soft drink in years, but Anna wanted to try it and find out anyway. It just tasted the same as I remembered. It definitely was nice to spend a day back on solid ground again:

It was actually kind of difficult to stand properly when we first got back on the ground

Not sure what’s happening on that island

Looking up the coast

One of many rock formations jutting out of the water

Anna just standing around

Me doing the same

It honestly looks like Shane just found a baby

What we’d spend a bit of time being driven around on

The old prison

Where we had initially planned to eat

The local racetrack

Getting a bit stormy over the islands

Approaching the fort

One of the canons

Some background information

Looking back over the beach

Anna with her “special” coke

At the craft market

Should’ve bought this hat

A dinosaur guarding the library

It’s easy to relax here

‘Men Pads’ are a real thing her

The sign for the pinball parlour

When we were back aboard, Danii and Shane had decided to spend the rest of the night quietly, just a few drinks before dinner, which they had at the bogan-buffet. Sam and Kerri weren’t feeling so, resulting in us having dinner to ourselves so we went back to Dragon Lady for what turned into a kind of amusing evening. The two of us were led by the waitress to our table, one situated next to another table with two rather large women, one about twice as old as the other, from a small town located about 600km (372 miles) inland from Brisbane. They had ordered the same set menu as we were going to and had several nights prior, but when we sat down the younger of the women was dry-retching at the thought of eating even the tiniest bit of the squid skewer in front of her, even offering it to us. The older woman spent the entire time encouraging her to eat a piece and wasn’t taking “No” for an answer so after about 15 minutes the younger woman managed to summon up the courage to close her eyes and take a bite, tears welling up as she did. Once they saw how much we loved our skewers, the two women got talking to us, the younger one explaining that eating the squid would’ve been easier if it didn’t look so much like a squid. In fact, it turned out she had never even eaten pretty much anything that she was served and was apprehensive at all of them:

Squid skewers — “I was able to eat half an octopus ball once, couldn’t do the whole thing though.”

Marinated pork ribs — “I’ve never eaten ribs, I just feed them to my dog.”

Sautéed eggplant — “I don’t even know what it is.”

Curried beef — “That was probably my favourite out of everything.”

When the older woman heard that the younger one liked the curry, she tried to “educate” her on how curry is made, incorrectly telling her that it traditionally takes about five weeks just to make the paste, however, she could just by Ayam brand curry powder and do it in a slow-cooker. Apparently her niece had tried to make it herself, but it still took about five days to make the paste because she needed to blend spices from scratch. They later told us about their small town that consisted of a pub and one small store, the two of them both working in the store. They even needed to hire and train new staff so they could both come on this cruise. My guess is the younger one will be sticking to the fish ‘n’ chips at the buffet from now on.

Our entertainment for the evening was to be sitting in a live incantation of the Australian TV dating show, Perfect Match. There was no Greg Evans or Dexter, but what unfolded that night was trashy comedic gold. For the uninitiated, Perfect Match consisted of a male or female contestant listening to the answers of questions asked to three suitor’s of the opposite sex that he/she was unable to see and then choosing the one with which they would like to go on a date. On the first round of the ship’s version the questions were asked of four young women and as soon as the blindfolded male admitted that he recognised the name of one of the suitors because they had hooked up the previous night, followed by another female suitor yelling to someone down the back of the room to get her another drink and a bag of salt and vinegar chips, I knew I just had to get filming. Also, we were seated behind someone with a cornrow combover (below), but I can’t help but think that they missed the opportunity to braid the combover section across their head. It was even more shocking when said individual stood up and turned out to be a woman:

Anyway, it was a hilarious night, some of the female suitors were pretty trashy and the bulk of the male ones were as thick as pig shit so witness some of the Perfect Match train-wreck for yourself:

Sunday, January 12, 2020 We would be making landfall again, this time on the island of Maré for some sand, sea, and sunburn. We got up reasonably early, put on some sunscreen, grabbed our swimming gear, and jumped on a boat to ferry us over to Maré Island:

Maré Island or Nengone is the second-largest of the Loyalty Islands, in the archipelago of New Caledonia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. The island is part of the commune (municipality) of Maré, in the Loyalty Islands Province of New Caledonia.

The island is 42 km (26 mi) long and 16 to 33 km (10 to 20 miles) wide. It lies northeast of Grande Terre, New Caledonia’s mainland. Like its neighbor to the north Lifou, Maré is a raised coral atoll, a former atoll that has been lifted about 120 meters. The interior of the island is the former lagoon, surrounded by a rim of higher land that was the ring of reef islets. Its fossil coral rock is honeycombed with caves, pools, and pits of all sizes, whose sharp edges make for difficult walking. Because of the lifting, the current shoreline is relatively recent and supports only short sections of nearshore fringing reef, unlike the extensive barrier reef found on the main island of New Caledonia, Grande Terre. The narrow beaches of Maré are often backed by cliffs.

Shane, Danii, Evie, Anna, and myself all boarded our boat just after 10:00am for the short ride over some choppy water and we were soon back on the land. The first thing that struck me when we got off the boat was how clear the water was and how fearless the children living there were. A few of them were just blindly running up and jumping off cliffs into the lagoon below them, not a care in the world. We walked along the beach, passing some stray dogs that were sleeping on the sand, until we got to an area that wasn’t too crowded with our fellow tourists, planted our towels, and then Anna rented some old, mouldy snorkelling gear for the two of us. The others played with Evie in a shallow part while Anna and I slowly made our way out to a coral area to snorkel. I say slowly, because the water was a lot colder than over here in the tropics and, although it doesn’t bother Anna in the slightest, it takes me a long time to fully immerse myself in rather cold water, because I need to work up the courage to submerge the three areas that the temperature shocks the most; the back of the knees, followed by the testicles, and finally the nipples. Once in we snorkelled for a while and saw some colourful fish and areas of coral, but it wasn’t really anything special.

After swimming we just spent time walking along the beach, drinking cheap beers, and laughing at the Instagram influencers getting more and more annoyed while taking and retaking at least 10 photos to try and perfectly capture one sole representation of just how relaxed and hassle-free their island-hopping life is. There were several stalls selling coconuts and braiding hair so another activity that brought us all immense pleasure was listening to bogans outside of their natural environment. “Mum, can I get my mullet braided?” was one pearl of wisdom we heard out of a child, while an extremely overweight woman replied to a man offering her a coconut that, “Coconut is f__king gross!”, leading us to believe she had only ever had the desiccated type that comes on a lamington, but never the fresh variety. Shane at one stage tried to order a coconut from one of the stalls, but the two guys working there were so baked it took them a few seconds to realise he was even standing in front of them.

Soon we were back on the boat and we returned to the Explorer Hotel for a few drinks, followed by dinner, and back to the Explorer again to watch an Asian woman and an African-American guy do some fantastic covers, the dude able to make all the high notes when they did Prince tracks, particularly Kiss. When we first entered they were playing Wishing Well by Terence Trent D’Arby so I mentioned to Shane that he was in the bathroom while I was taking a leak. He thought it was cool that I got to meet D’Arby while having a piss and went on to tell me about the time he met one of the Australian cricket team in a public toilet, however, I was only referring to the guy out of the cover band we were watching at the time. There was the White Party that night where everyone wore white, however, Shane suggested that we all should’ve gone as Walter White from Breaking Bad, but we didn’t attend for the same reason as any of the other parties, it was just too crowded in a really small space. Instead, we watched a talent competition that was just glorified karaoke, everyone trying to get me to enter, but me declining on the grounds that I wasn’t drunk enough, before calling it a night. Looking back on Sunday:

Looking back at our ship

Approaching the island

I wasn’t kidding about the water

I was too scared to go off the 3-metre (10′) diving board at my local swimming pool at that age!

Dogs just laying around

Looking up the beach

And the other way

Towards some of the huts

Token panoramic shot

These guys were fried!

Our beer choices

Coconuts and braids

Another small hut

Walking around a cove

The five of us hanging out

Still walking around

Time to head back now

Especially when it’s coming over like this

The view on the way back

A similar view from our balcony that night

Monday, January 13, 2020 Monday would be our last trek onto land, albeit a shortened one, this time on Lifou Island:

Lifou Island or Drehu in the local language is the largest, most populous and most important island of the Loyalty Islands (Loyalty Islands Province), in the archipelago of New Caledonia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. With a total area of 1,207 square kilometers Lifou is located east of Australia

Irregular in shape, Lifou Island is 81 km (50 mi) long and 16 to 24 km (10 to 15 miles) wide. The island is flat with no hills or rivers, but has abundant vegetation, dense interior jungles, fertile soils, terraced cliffs and breath taking reefs and corals.

Lifou Island is a former coral atoll that was part of a submerged volcano. Nearly 2 million years ago, the island was uplifted to its present shape and elevation, today it sits at a mere 60m above sea level at its highest point. Since there are no rivers on Lifou, the water comes from rain that seeps through the calcareous soil and forms freshwater ponds.

The term Kanak is used for natives of the islands and their native language of the island is Drehu, with people descending from Melanesians and Polynesians. With a total of 19 different tribes inhabiting the three Loyalty Islands, six of which are on Lifou.

Anna was keen to swim again, but I had no intentions of taking my shirt off, because I didn’t want to add to the searing pain I was in from how sunburnt I had got the previous day while swimming. I had put sunscreen on my torso, legs, and lower arms and Anna had covered my back, but I missed my upper arms and shoulders which were now bright red. In fact, it was so bad you could map the way I had applied the sunscreen by simply examining the finger lines in the burnt areas! Seriously:

I obviously used my right hand to wipe down from my left shoulder

Anna’s tiny finger-lines on my shoulder

If not applying sunscreen correctly was my main regret from Sunday, wearing sneakers that I hadn’t worn since going to the gym back when we lived in New York years ago would be my regret for Monday as you will soon find out.

We boarded another small boat to take to Lifou and it was extremely windy while we were on our way to the island, but it wasn’t just at sea, the wind was strong on the land, too. We had a heavy bag with us so we planted that under a tree at the exact same time an elderly woman tripped over a tree root and slid down a small embankment, cutting her arm in the process, but she was okay so we went to explore our last stop in New Caledonia. We found ourselves walking past traditional grass huts beside the crystal clear ocean and we were only about 15 minutes into our trek when part of the sole of my shoe came off. I figured it was no big deal and kept walking when almost all of the entire sole of the same shoe immediately came unstuck. On the ship we had to use a swipe card to pay for things, as well as enter our rooms, and I had mine on an elastic band around my wrist so I took the band and wrapped it around my shoe in a futile attempt to keep the sole from coming more and more detached. The scenery was stunning and soon we were near an old cathedral on the island when the sole of the other shoe came right off. These things were just disintegrating and it was now time for me to make use of the band of Anna’s tag to keep that sole on so after a quick pitstop at the cathedral we were off again. The sole that had come fully detached shifted as I walked, something that wasn’t an immediate issue, but it could have disastrous consequences soon; our plan was to walk through some thick jungle and descend down a considerably steep path consisting solely of some extremely slippery rocks to reach an underground cave system so I would need all of the grip I could get, not soles attached to my shoes by elastic. Besides the constant need to shift and adjust the soles we made it down to the caves just fine. It was a bit of a squeeze getting there and I had to duck through some low hanging areas, resulting in some local kids coming to the conclusion that I must be a professional basketball player, one even asking if he could have my cap. Once inside the caves there were freshwater pools that were about four metres ( 13′) deep where you could swim, but they were also freezing cold. It may have been able to relieve my sunburn somewhat, but I’m not a fan of the cold, let alone swimming in it, so we just had a look around and then made our way back up the path to the surface. Once at the top I tore the remaining portions of the soles off both sneakers, the end result resembling a pair of cycling cleats. We continued walking around the island, me in my disfigured shoes, before heading back to the boat. Shane and Danii checked out a vanilla farm and saw some wild pigs while they were in Lifou, but this is what Anna and I saw:

Looking one way…

…and the other

A little gusty out here

A local family going about their day

One of the traditional huts

Looking through a hole to the ocean beneath

Hanging out on a pier

It’s ridiculously clear

A wooden carving

Inside one of the huts

I’d probably struggle to get in

The local cathedral

Imagine both shoes being held together with elastic like this

Just need to go down this path in my not-so-stable sneakers

Looking into the jungle

Anna and a tree

About halfway down

A portion of one of the pools inside the cave

Another area

This guy served as a lifeguard of sorts

Goodbye, sneakers. Oh well, they were ugly anyway

A group about to do a traditional ceremony (we never actually got to see it)

Heading back to the ship

A little rough

It was still extremely rough when we were back on the ship. In fact at one point when we were having a bit to eat in the buffet it felt like the ship dipped down and hit something, but it was nothing to really worry about, it was just a bit difficult walking around.

The rest of Monday and Tuesday were quite similar on the ship. We spent most of our time relaxing in the cabin, eating, drinking, and trying to avoid hearing Elton Joel. We saw more talent contests and karaoke that featured a young guy doing an over the top cover of Greased Lightnin’, hamming it up even more the following night in the final. We watched a band do a decent Amy Winehouse tribute show, Anna and Danii went to a stage show the next night while Shane and I just hung out, and we also went in a contest where the funniest answers to questions were read out, except when it came to ours, because we wrote down some messed up stuff that they refused to read. An ongoing theme on the ship was photographers asking to do glamour photos for you and then charge you extortionate prices for a printout, but Shane and Danii had paid for a photo package so they got some glamour shots done, dragging me into a couple with Shane. Also on the Tuesday night there was a 1920s themed ‘Gatsby’ party and Anna and I met an elderly couple from Liverpool, England (below) who had attended and got chatting to them afterward. He was telling me about how he grew up during the depression and had to steal pigs to feed his family, including his 11 siblings. He even taught me how to steal them. While we were having this conversation his wife was telling Anna that he also used to string guitars for the Beatles when they first came out and that he even played guitar for Cilla Black! He never even mentioned this until Anna told me and I asked him about it!

One of our horrendous glamour shots

With our slightly older drinking companions from Liverpool

Wednesday, January 15, 2020 It was the eve of Shane’s 40th birthday and our last day on the ship. Anna and myself went down to get coffee, passing Danii on the way who told us that there was a ton of fresh seafood available at the buffet today so once coffee was done we feasted on fresh prawns, mussels, and crabs. After lunch we went to the Explorer Hotel early to try to secure a seat for that afternoon’s trivia competition. It’s difficult to get a table for trivia, because the place fills up with people playing cards, mainly Uno, and they won’t move until the trivia competition has finished. We managed to get a seat, but many others missed out due to the card players, and we ended up absolutely blitzing most of the competition. As soon as trivia was over, the table of Uno players next to us packed up their stuff, smirked like the asshats they are, and left the bar, but we weren’t going anywhere for a while, instead sitting around listening to one of the great cover bands we had seen on a previous night. Once we did leave, it was up to 400 Gradi for Shane’s pizza birthday dinner which concluded with us filling out a feedback form with the request that they never let Kingsley, AKA Elton Joel back on the ship again, or at the very least to not allow him to have a microphone. Once done we dropped into the The Bonded Store so Sam could buy Shane a top-shelf whiskey and then it was back to the Explorer for more drinks, but Shane was getting a tad sleepy. We sat through more karaoke, the winner of the talent contest finally choosing a new tune! We were all relieved, I even turned to a complete stranger and said, “At least it’s not f__cking Greased Lightnin’!”, to which she laughed and agreed. I guess I spoke too soon, because only a few songs later he was back with an even more amped up version of Greased Lightnin’, acting out the entire dance from the movie as he went. Seriously, I think this guy must’ve had to play the role of Grease‘s Danny for his recent high school end-of-year concert, it was still fresh in his head, and he figured if he pulled it out enough times he might be able to score his very own Sandy. As it approached midnight I let the guy taking karaoke requests know that it was Shane’s birthday, grabbed a round of drinks for us, and welcomed in his fifth decade, Shane initially irritated at the thought that he was going to have to get up and sing, but I only got the karaoke guy to get the room to sing Happy Birthday. It all didn’t last much longer than that.

Thursday, January 16, 2020 It was time for us to all say our goodbyes when we got off the ship that morning; Sam and Kerri had to catch an early flight back to Brisbane, Shane, Danii, and Evie were soon going to be on the bus home to Canberra, and we would be flying back to Singapore later that night. However, we had the entire afternoon to wander around Sydney so we got the nearby train station to store our luggage and we took a train into town to have a look around. I’ve never really been a big fan of Sydney, but I did manage to buy something I’ve always wanted while we were there, a Manute Bol jersey from his rookie season with the then Washington Bullets:

All in all our first ever cruise was an absolute blast, far more fun than we had anticipated and we were expecting to be awesome anyway. I hope you had a great time for your 40th, Shane, it was cool to finally meet Evie and see Danii again, as well as hang out with Sam and Kerri, now you all need to come and visit us in Singapore!

A week on a cruise ship and hanging out on islands in the South Pacific for my friend's 40th birthday 2020 is the year that a lot of my friends will turn 40 and the first on the list was Shane Worthington, the one I've known the longest.

#cruise #islands #Lifou #Maré #Noumé #ship

[courtneytincher]

Markets look for clues on Brexit as Boris Johnson meets Emmanuel Macron

Boris Johnson travels to Paris to meet French president Emmanuel Macron after talks with Angela Merkel Asia remains flat overnight after US stocks held their gains following the release of Fed minutes The FTSE 100 jumped 1.1pc yesterday as the pound ceded ground to both the dollar and the euro Mr Johnson should remind Macron of these three economic truths over lunch Ambrose Evans-Pritchard: We mustn't leave trade hostage to Channel choke-point  8:57AM Still plenty of cause for concern in German figures as manufacturing continue to slide The German manufacturing sector slumped for the eight month in a row according to the figures Credit:  FILIP SINGER/ EPA Despite the expectation-beating figures, there’s still plenty of negative sentiment in the full IHS Markit/BME PMI report, which showed an eight consecutive month of decline in Germany’s manufacturing sector. The majority of businesses survey expected a downturn in the next year — the worst reading in about nine years. In its report, IHS Markit said: Concerns about demand was one of several factors — alongside heightened uncertainty, weakness in the car industry and geopolitical tensions — behind a decrease in business confidence in August German PMIs surprise to the upside but details still look grim overall. "For the first time in almost five years, the number of firms expecting output to fall over the next 12 months exceeded those predicting a rise, with sentiment the most negative overall since November 2012."— Frederik Ducrozet (@fwred) August 22, 2019 The manufacturing drop was not as bad as expected, but still showed a continued slump in the country, which has seen its exporter-heavy economy stung by global fears. German companies brace for recession as orders crumble, BBG reports. German manufacturing shrank for 8th month in Aug, barely offset by services, acc to IHS Markit. Overall business confidence declined & orders fell for 3rd time in 4mths. PMI at 51.4, close to lowest in 6yrs. pic.twitter.com/0GcJQ72a2a— Holger Zschaepitz (@Schuldensuehner) August 22, 2019 It’s also hard to be sure how reliable the PMI data is, given it has recently indicated growth despite the Germany economy contracting. The problem with the Markit Composite PMI for Germany is that it has suggested growth for periods we know the economy has contracted...So what does 51.4 actually means?— Shaun Richards (@notayesmansecon) August 22, 2019 As a reminder, the country’s economic outlook has taken a sharp turn for the worse. That negative twinge might take the edge off France’s strong results this morning, which Emmanuel Macron will undoubtedly be feeling happy about as he prepares to meet with Boris Johnson. Pantheon Macroeconomics’ Claus Vistesen says: “the PMI data send a clear signal that the French economy is standing tall in the middle of an overall EZ slowdown driven by weakness in Germany and Italy.” He added that the German PMI data was “more optimistic” than other measures that the country is not heading for a recession. 8:33AM German PMIs also beat expectations German data is in! Europe’s biggest economy has joined neighbour France in posting better-than-expected results. This might improve sentiment around the euro today, but upcoming ECB minutes are still the crucial thing to watch. Manufacturing: 43.6 (survey: 43, previous 43.2) Services: 54.4 (survey: 54, previous 54.5) Composite: 51.4 (survey: 50.6, previous 50.9) BREAKING! Germany's Manufacturing PMI unexpectedly rose in August. PMI now at 43.6. pic.twitter.com/NU5Rgwx7AW— jeroen blokland (@jsblokland) August 22, 2019 8:29AM Ocado reports fire in factory Retail Week report Hugh Radojev tweets: Fire occurred outside the warehouse building "in a hopper containing waste packaging" and has now been extinguished— Hugh Radojev (@hradojev) August 22, 2019 That’s the second fire to afflict the grocery delivery firm in a year. I’ll bring you more as details emerge. 8:28AM Brace for a slight delay... ...we’re having a small website update at 8:30am, so an update with German PMI data might be slightly delayed. Apologies for that — while you’re waiting, get an eyeful of our lovely new homepage. 8:22AM Could France’s strong performance spill over to Germany? Given the two economies’ close ties, good news for France means we might expect Germany also to beat expectations. As a reminder, Europe’s biggest economy is not in the best shape currently, so how its manufacturing sector has performed will be especially worth watching. All eyes on the German PMIs this morning for signs of spillovers from manufacturing to services.— Frederik Ducrozet (@fwred) August 22, 2019 BREAKING! France's manufacturing sector swings back to life with the Manufacturing PMI unexpectedly rising to 51. pic.twitter.com/2Of9vuNHgn— jeroen blokland (@jsblokland) August 22, 2019 8:19AM France beats expectations as manufacturing returns to growth French PMI data is in, and it has blown past expectations. Manufacturing and services both beat expectations, with the former returning to growth after a dip last month. Here’s how the figures look: Manufacturing: 51 (survey: 49.5, previous 49.7) Services: 53.3 (survey: 52.5, previous 52.6) Composite: 52.7 (survey: 51.8, previous 51.9) France Manufacturing PMI (Aug) comes in at 51.5, exp 49.5 Services 53.3, exp 52.5— Michael Hewson ���� (@mhewson_CMC) August 22, 2019 8:11AM PMIs expected to show darkening picture for European economy Over the next hour or so, we’ll be getting purchasing managers’ index data for August from France (at 8:15am), Germany (at 8:30am), and then the eurozone as a whole (at 9am). PMI figures, which indicate buying behaviour across different economic sectors, are closely-watched to determine economic trends and predict official figures. Overall, they’re expected to show a slightly worsening picture on the continent according to a Bloomberg survey of economist and analysts. They predict the two biggest euro economies will show a lower result in the measure (in which a score above 50 indicates growth). For the composite figures, the survey’s expectations are: France: 51.8 (July 51.9, –0.1) Germany: 50.6 (July 50.9, –0.3) Eurozone: 51.2 (July 51.5, –0.3) 7:50AM Laura Ashley swings to a loss Laura Ashley has been struggling with weakening consumer demand Laura Ashley blamed a lack of consumer appetite for its furnishings as well as the challenging conditions across the retail sector as it swung to a loss in the year to June.  Pre-tax losses came to £14.9m against a profit of £100,000 last year. Sales also fell to £232m from £257m a year earlier.  Investors were already expecting the worst after the retailer issued two profit warnings in quick succession earlier this year.  7:24AM Agenda: Boris Johnson goes to Paris Boris Johnson (left) and Angela Merkel met in Berlin yesterday Credit: CLEMENS BILAN/EPA-EFE/REX Good morning. Yesterday, sterling fell as low as $1.211 against the dollar and €1.091 against the euro on rising expectations of a no-deal Brexit. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is on a tour of Europe’s power centres as he tries to bring about a Brexit breakthrough. Yesterday, he met with German chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin and he will meet with French president Emmanuel Macron in Paris today. 5 things to start your day 1) Dynasties at war over Berlusconis’ TV deal to fight US streamers: It is a battle that has two of the Continent’s wealthiest dynasties going head to head. Both have dreams of a pan-European television empire capable of withstanding the streaming onslaught of US tech giants — and both have a history of giving their opponents no quarter. 2) Now the US has relaxed a rule banks hate, will they start making the sort of dodgy bets that sparked the financial crisis? asks Lucy Burton. Paul Volcker, whose decades-long career in Washington saw him serve under six presidents, once famously said that the only useful innovation from banks in recent history was the automatic teller machine. The Volcker Rule | Q&A; 3) Cobham’s proposed sale will rack up fees of almost £220m for banks and other advisers if the purchase of the FTSE 250 aerospace and defence company by a US-led private equity consortium goes ahead. The sale which values Cobham at £4bn will rack up charges estimated at between £166m and £190m for buyer Advent and £29m for the target company, according to the scheme of arrangement document posted on Wednesday. 4) Surging government spending and weak revenues are pushing up the budget deficit, leaving the Treasury on track for a surge in borrowing of £26bn this year, economists warned, potentially taking the deficit to nearly £50bn even before any extra no-deal Brexit spending. 5) The cost of the trade war to American families will surge to $1,000 (£819) a year each after the US imposes a new round of tariffs on Chinese goods, according to Wall Street analysts. US shoppers will face a surge in costs from a 10pc tariff hitting another $300bn of Chinese goods later this year, lifting the impact of Mr Trump’s trade war on households from around $600 to $1,000, JPMorgan calculated. What happened overnight Asian shares went flat on Thursday as uncertainty over the outlook for both US interest rates and the chance of global fiscal stimulus sucked the life out of markets. Moves were miniscule, with MSCI'’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan off 0.2pc in very light volumes. Japan’s Nikkei added 0.1pc, as did Shanghai blue chips. But in Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index fell 0.87pc by lunch.  Wall Street was saved yesterday by surprisingly upbeat results from retailers, which sent Target surging 20pc and fellow retailer Lowe's up 10pc. The Dow ended Wednesday up 0.93pc, while the S&P; 500 rose 0.82pc and the Nasdaq 0.9pc. Less welcome were minutes of the Federal Reserve's July meeting, which showed policymakers deeply divided over whether to cut interest rates, but united in wanting to signal they were not on a preset path to more easing. Coming up today Full-year results for Laura Ashley are likely to be gloomy. The retailer has already warned that it expects to miss expectations amid falling furniture and decoration revenues. Full-year results: Laura Ashley Interim results: Anglo Pacific Group, Antofagasta, John Laing Group, NMC Health, Playtech, Premier Oil, Rank Group, Sportech Economics: CBI retailing (UK), consumer confidence (eurozone), manufacturing and services PMIs (US and eurozone) jobless claims (US)

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines

Boris Johnson travels to Paris to meet French president Emmanuel Macron after talks with Angela Merkel Asia remains flat overnight after US stocks held their gains following the release of Fed minutes The FTSE 100 jumped 1.1pc yesterday as the pound ceded ground to both the dollar and the euro Mr Johnson should remind Macron of these three economic truths over lunch Ambrose Evans-Pritchard: We mustn't leave trade hostage to Channel choke-point  8:57AM Still plenty of cause for concern in German figures as manufacturing continue to slide The German manufacturing sector slumped for the eight month in a row according to the figures Credit:  FILIP SINGER/ EPA Despite the expectation-beating figures, there’s still plenty of negative sentiment in the full IHS Markit/BME PMI report, which showed an eight consecutive month of decline in Germany’s manufacturing sector. The majority of businesses survey expected a downturn in the next year — the worst reading in about nine years. In its report, IHS Markit said: Concerns about demand was one of several factors — alongside heightened uncertainty, weakness in the car industry and geopolitical tensions — behind a decrease in business confidence in August German PMIs surprise to the upside but details still look grim overall. "For the first time in almost five years, the number of firms expecting output to fall over the next 12 months exceeded those predicting a rise, with sentiment the most negative overall since November 2012."— Frederik Ducrozet (@fwred) August 22, 2019 The manufacturing drop was not as bad as expected, but still showed a continued slump in the country, which has seen its exporter-heavy economy stung by global fears. German companies brace for recession as orders crumble, BBG reports. German manufacturing shrank for 8th month in Aug, barely offset by services, acc to IHS Markit. Overall business confidence declined & orders fell for 3rd time in 4mths. PMI at 51.4, close to lowest in 6yrs. pic.twitter.com/0GcJQ72a2a— Holger Zschaepitz (@Schuldensuehner) August 22, 2019 It’s also hard to be sure how reliable the PMI data is, given it has recently indicated growth despite the Germany economy contracting. The problem with the Markit Composite PMI for Germany is that it has suggested growth for periods we know the economy has contracted...So what does 51.4 actually means?— Shaun Richards (@notayesmansecon) August 22, 2019 As a reminder, the country’s economic outlook has taken a sharp turn for the worse. That negative twinge might take the edge off France’s strong results this morning, which Emmanuel Macron will undoubtedly be feeling happy about as he prepares to meet with Boris Johnson. Pantheon Macroeconomics’ Claus Vistesen says: “the PMI data send a clear signal that the French economy is standing tall in the middle of an overall EZ slowdown driven by weakness in Germany and Italy.” He added that the German PMI data was “more optimistic” than other measures that the country is not heading for a recession. 8:33AM German PMIs also beat expectations German data is in! Europe’s biggest economy has joined neighbour France in posting better-than-expected results. This might improve sentiment around the euro today, but upcoming ECB minutes are still the crucial thing to watch. Manufacturing: 43.6 (survey: 43, previous 43.2) Services: 54.4 (survey: 54, previous 54.5) Composite: 51.4 (survey: 50.6, previous 50.9) BREAKING! Germany's Manufacturing PMI unexpectedly rose in August. PMI now at 43.6. pic.twitter.com/NU5Rgwx7AW— jeroen blokland (@jsblokland) August 22, 2019 8:29AM Ocado reports fire in factory Retail Week report Hugh Radojev tweets: Fire occurred outside the warehouse building "in a hopper containing waste packaging" and has now been extinguished— Hugh Radojev (@hradojev) August 22, 2019 That’s the second fire to afflict the grocery delivery firm in a year. I’ll bring you more as details emerge. 8:28AM Brace for a slight delay... ...we’re having a small website update at 8:30am, so an update with German PMI data might be slightly delayed. Apologies for that — while you’re waiting, get an eyeful of our lovely new homepage. 8:22AM Could France’s strong performance spill over to Germany? Given the two economies’ close ties, good news for France means we might expect Germany also to beat expectations. As a reminder, Europe’s biggest economy is not in the best shape currently, so how its manufacturing sector has performed will be especially worth watching. All eyes on the German PMIs this morning for signs of spillovers from manufacturing to services.— Frederik Ducrozet (@fwred) August 22, 2019 BREAKING! France's manufacturing sector swings back to life with the Manufacturing PMI unexpectedly rising to 51. pic.twitter.com/2Of9vuNHgn— jeroen blokland (@jsblokland) August 22, 2019 8:19AM France beats expectations as manufacturing returns to growth French PMI data is in, and it has blown past expectations. Manufacturing and services both beat expectations, with the former returning to growth after a dip last month. Here’s how the figures look: Manufacturing: 51 (survey: 49.5, previous 49.7) Services: 53.3 (survey: 52.5, previous 52.6) Composite: 52.7 (survey: 51.8, previous 51.9) France Manufacturing PMI (Aug) comes in at 51.5, exp 49.5 Services 53.3, exp 52.5— Michael Hewson ���� (@mhewson_CMC) August 22, 2019 8:11AM PMIs expected to show darkening picture for European economy Over the next hour or so, we’ll be getting purchasing managers’ index data for August from France (at 8:15am), Germany (at 8:30am), and then the eurozone as a whole (at 9am). PMI figures, which indicate buying behaviour across different economic sectors, are closely-watched to determine economic trends and predict official figures. Overall, they’re expected to show a slightly worsening picture on the continent according to a Bloomberg survey of economist and analysts. They predict the two biggest euro economies will show a lower result in the measure (in which a score above 50 indicates growth). For the composite figures, the survey’s expectations are: France: 51.8 (July 51.9, –0.1) Germany: 50.6 (July 50.9, –0.3) Eurozone: 51.2 (July 51.5, –0.3) 7:50AM Laura Ashley swings to a loss Laura Ashley has been struggling with weakening consumer demand Laura Ashley blamed a lack of consumer appetite for its furnishings as well as the challenging conditions across the retail sector as it swung to a loss in the year to June.  Pre-tax losses came to £14.9m against a profit of £100,000 last year. Sales also fell to £232m from £257m a year earlier.  Investors were already expecting the worst after the retailer issued two profit warnings in quick succession earlier this year.  7:24AM Agenda: Boris Johnson goes to Paris Boris Johnson (left) and Angela Merkel met in Berlin yesterday Credit: CLEMENS BILAN/EPA-EFE/REX Good morning. Yesterday, sterling fell as low as $1.211 against the dollar and €1.091 against the euro on rising expectations of a no-deal Brexit. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is on a tour of Europe’s power centres as he tries to bring about a Brexit breakthrough. Yesterday, he met with German chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin and he will meet with French president Emmanuel Macron in Paris today. 5 things to start your day 1) Dynasties at war over Berlusconis’ TV deal to fight US streamers: It is a battle that has two of the Continent’s wealthiest dynasties going head to head. Both have dreams of a pan-European television empire capable of withstanding the streaming onslaught of US tech giants — and both have a history of giving their opponents no quarter. 2) Now the US has relaxed a rule banks hate, will they start making the sort of dodgy bets that sparked the financial crisis? asks Lucy Burton. Paul Volcker, whose decades-long career in Washington saw him serve under six presidents, once famously said that the only useful innovation from banks in recent history was the automatic teller machine. The Volcker Rule | Q&A; 3) Cobham’s proposed sale will rack up fees of almost £220m for banks and other advisers if the purchase of the FTSE 250 aerospace and defence company by a US-led private equity consortium goes ahead. The sale which values Cobham at £4bn will rack up charges estimated at between £166m and £190m for buyer Advent and £29m for the target company, according to the scheme of arrangement document posted on Wednesday. 4) Surging government spending and weak revenues are pushing up the budget deficit, leaving the Treasury on track for a surge in borrowing of £26bn this year, economists warned, potentially taking the deficit to nearly £50bn even before any extra no-deal Brexit spending. 5) The cost of the trade war to American families will surge to $1,000 (£819) a year each after the US imposes a new round of tariffs on Chinese goods, according to Wall Street analysts. US shoppers will face a surge in costs from a 10pc tariff hitting another $300bn of Chinese goods later this year, lifting the impact of Mr Trump’s trade war on households from around $600 to $1,000, JPMorgan calculated. What happened overnight Asian shares went flat on Thursday as uncertainty over the outlook for both US interest rates and the chance of global fiscal stimulus sucked the life out of markets. Moves were miniscule, with MSCI'’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan off 0.2pc in very light volumes. Japan’s Nikkei added 0.1pc, as did Shanghai blue chips. But in Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index fell 0.87pc by lunch.  Wall Street was saved yesterday by surprisingly upbeat results from retailers, which sent Target surging 20pc and fellow retailer Lowe's up 10pc. The Dow ended Wednesday up 0.93pc, while the S&P; 500 rose 0.82pc and the Nasdaq 0.9pc. Less welcome were minutes of the Federal Reserve's July meeting, which showed policymakers deeply divided over whether to cut interest rates, but united in wanting to signal they were not on a preset path to more easing. Coming up today Full-year results for Laura Ashley are likely to be gloomy. The retailer has already warned that it expects to miss expectations amid falling furniture and decoration revenues. Full-year results: Laura Ashley Interim results: Anglo Pacific Group, Antofagasta, John Laing Group, NMC Health, Playtech, Premier Oil, Rank Group, Sportech Economics: CBI retailing (UK), consumer confidence (eurozone), manufacturing and services PMIs (US and eurozone) jobless claims (US)

August 22, 2019 at 08:57AM via IFTTT

#Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines

[olko71]

New Post has been published on All about business online

New Post has been published on http://yaroreviews.info/2018/12/wall-st-looks-to-fed-outlook-wednesday-for-early-christmas-gift

Wall St. looks to Fed outlook Wednesday for early Christmas gift

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Investors are keen for a touch of Christmas cheer from the U.S. Federal Reserve next week, hoping for signs the central bank may ease up on interest rate hikes next year & spark a Santa Claus rally.

FILE PHOTO: A Wall Street sign is seen external the New York Stock Exchange September 19, 2008. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson/File Photo

U.S. stocks are having their worst December performance in 16 years with the S&P 500 .SPX notching a 5 percent drop so far this month. The Fed’s ongoing reversal of easy-money policy is a major overhang, & it is expected to raise rates more at the end of its two-day assembly on Wednesday.

That would mark a fourth consecutive December increase since 2015 when it started gradually lifting them. The question on investors’ minds is whether it could be the last.

“It’s vital (the Fed releases) a dovish statement & an accommodative Q&A session,” said Bucky Hellwig, senior vice president at BB&T Wealth Management in Birmingham, Alabama. “If not, that would put stocks at risk again.”

“The Fed’s the key to a strong December, & it’s getting late in the year.”

Recent comments from policymakers have fueled expectations for a timeout sign when the rate-setting committee’s statement is released along with officials’ individual projections for how much further they will rise in 2019 & beyond.

“The market’s been under incredible pressure, concerned that the Fed is just going to go charging ahead,” said Stephen Massocca, senior vice president at Wedbush Securities in San Francisco. “The Fed understands that & from their latest commentary they’re starting to walk it back a little bit.”

U.S. markets have been highly sensitive to any trace that the Fed is ready to slow down or even take a pause. The central bank has lifted rates eight times since December 2015 in a tender to restore them to normal after having slashed borrowing costs to approach zero to combat the financial crisis a decade ago.

Last month, when Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said rates were near the range of policymakers’ estimates of “neutral” – the level at which they neither stimulate nor impede the economy – the S&P jumped by the most in eight months.

“There’s no doubt there’s been a shift in sentiment towards a more dovish Fed,” said Charlie Ripley, senior market strategist for Allianz Investment Management in Minneapolis.

Other FOMC members have recently weighed in.

Earlier this month, Fed Governor Lael Brainard nodded to growing risks to growth abroad & in corporate debt markets at home. St. Louis Federal Reserve President James Bullard chimed in that investors were nervous that the Fed had gone too far. [nL1N1YC1E1]

According to their latest projections in September, the median view among policymakers was for three rate hikes in 2019. Interest rate futures used to gauge the probability of further hikes now reflect nearly no chance of that happening.

“If you look back at even as late as September, there were probably three rate hikes priced in to 2019, where now there’s right around one,” Ripley said.

Some recent U.S. profitable data, including an underwhelming jobs report & tepid inflation numbers, along with pressures such as the ongoing U.S.-China trade skirmish, in addition appear to support an argument for a pause in Fed tightening in 2019.

It is a mixed picture, though, as robust retail sales data for November showed consumer spending remained on solid ground, which could propose no need for the Fed to let up. [nL1N1YJ0MA]

How the rest of December plays out likely comes down to how Fed officials communicate their view of a complex profitable picture, said Oliver Pursche, vice chairman & chief market strategist at Bruderman Asset Management in New York.

“If you obtain a dovish-sounding (Fed) statement that stresses the fact that the economy is good, yet given that there’s no inflation to worry approximately we can take a pause, that could lead to a 7 to 8 percent rally into year-end.”

Reporting by Stephen Culp, additional reporting by Caroline Valetkevitch, Charles Mikolajczak; Editing by Dan Burns & Richard Chang

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

#affiiate marketing #article marketing #business online #businessNews #internet marketing #make money online #mobile marketing #video marketing #web marketing

[superprofitz]

Weekly Market Recap Nov 25, 2018

For whatever reason over the years Thanksgiving week tends to be market positive, especially the days bracketing Thursday.  While we did see a nice rally Wednesday, the selling Monday and Tuesday did not make for a nice week for the bulls.   In fact, this was the worst Thanksgiving week since 2011.  For those with shorter term time frames there is no reason not to have a lot of cash raised here as there has been a lot of technical damage, and it’s going to take time to fix it.  And now we are starting to see some worrying technical signs for the long term as well.  On the news front, nothing new – worries about trade with China, global growth slowing etc were offered as the main culprits.

Oil again had a rough week with Friday’s rout (worst day since 2015) capping off the week.  This is now 7 down weeks in a row, and on pace for the worst month in a decade.

Crude oil’s bear market worsened Friday, as investors wrestled with growing output from the U.S., President Donald Trump’s entreaties to key producers to keep prices lower, and generally rising inventories, despite a recent cold snap in many oil-consuming regions.

About that Bitcoin….

For the week the S&P 500 fell 3.8% while the NASDAQ plummeted 4.4%.

In economic news, durable goods fell by 4.4% in October, the largest decline in 15 months, and below expectations for a 3.4% decline.  The report also showed orders for “core” capital orders falling slightly, further signaling a slowing in business investment.

Here is the 5 day weekly “intraday” chart of the S&P 500 … not via Jill Mislinski.

The week ahead…

Whatever the news flow, the technicals are saying be wary on every time frame.   If you are a retail fiend, in store traffic apparently was down year over year 1.7% Thursday/Black Friday but online sales up mid 20% range.

There is a G20 meeting, along with some Fed speakers – maybe they will begin the dovish talk that markets love so much, regarding 2019 (a December 2018 rate hike is baked in).

Index charts:

Short term: Nothing good near term.  The NASDAQ broke October 2018 lows – new lower lows are not positive.  Of course some of the most violent rallies happen within downtrends so that can happen at any time.  But right now it’s a time to be cautious.

The Russell 2000 – at least it didn’t make a new low…so there’s that.

While the NYSE McClellan Oscillator was positive there for a bit, it was not confirmed in the actual charts of the indexes so we said we’d take it with a grain of salt.  So now we are back in the red.

Long term: Both of these indexes are now below key long term support levels – we’ve been saying for a few weeks now it would be interesting to see what happened in the NASDAQ fell out of it’s channel — I think a weekly 4.4% drop would count as “interesting”.

Charts of interest / Big Movers:

Monday, Spectrum Brands (SPB) fell 19% after reporting fiscal fourth-quarter earnings and sales that missed their targets, combined with a downbeat 2019 outlook.

Tuesday, Target (TGT) plunged 10.5%, after the discount retailer reported fiscal third-quarter earnings and same-store sales that missed expectations.

Kohl’s (KSS) likewise fell over 9% Tuesday, even after the firm beat Wall Street estimates for earnings and profit and raised its full-year 2018 guidance.

Wednesday, Foot Locker (FL) surged nearly 15%, following a Tuesday-evening earnings release that showed the company beating Wall Street estimates for third-quarter profits.

Apple (AAPL) was weak all week as whispers of order reductions among the supply base continue. With the “market leader” below the 200 day moving average – another feather is in the cap for bears.

Have a great week and we’ll see you back here Sunday!

Original article: Weekly Market Recap Nov 25, 2018.

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[investmart007]

Forecasters: Worst still to come from California storm

New Post has been published on https://www.stl.news/forecasters-worst-still-come-california-storm/101772/

Forecasters: Worst still to come from California storm

LOS ANGELES /March 21, 2018 (AP)(STL.News) — Although the first wave of a worrisome Pacific storm hasn’t caused any major problems in California, forecasters say the worst is still to come, leaving authorities and disaster-weary residents on edge.

Record rain fell Wednesday in parts of Southern California where thousands of people have been evacuated because of the threat of debris flows and mudslides from wildfire burn areas.

Although there were no major debris flows as feared, forecasters warned that disaster is still very possible as the rain picks up on Thursday.

“We’re very concerned,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Joe Sirard. “We’re hoping this isn’t a cry-wolf scenario where people will pooh-pooh what we’re saying.”

The storm came ashore on the central coast and spread south into the Los Angeles region and north through San Francisco Bay, fed by a long plume of subtropical moisture called an atmospheric river.

It also moved eastward, bringing the threat of flooding to the San Joaquin Valley and Sierra Nevada, where winter storm warnings for new snow were in effect on the second day of spring.

Record rainfall was recorded in five spots including Santa Barbara, Palmdale and Oxnard, where nearly 1.8 inches (4.5 centimeters) of rain had fallen by Wednesday evening. That’s compared to the record of 1.3 inches (7.6 centimeters) set in 1937.

Nearly 5 inches (13 centimeters) of rain had fallen in northern San Luis Obispo County, while 2.7 inches (7 centimeters) fell in Santa Clarita, just north of Los Angeles and 2.6 inches (6.6 centimeters) was recorded at one spot in Santa Barbara County.

Authorities kept a close watch on Santa Barbara County, hoping there would not be a repeat of the massive January debris flows from a burn scar that ravaged the community of Montecito and killed 21 people.

Mud and rockslides closed several roads in the region, including Highway 1 at Ragged Point near Big Sur, not far from where the scenic coast route is still blocked by a massive landslide triggered by a storm last year.

A large pine tree was felled in Los Angeles, landing across a residential street into a picket fence. No one was hurt.

Carolyn Potter, 59, evacuated from her home in Casitas Springs in Ventura County on Wednesday — the fourth time since September — and plans to sleep in her car in a grocery store parking lot to avoid hotel costs and the bustle of an evacuation shelter.

Meanwhile her husband Alan is staying home, just like he has the other three times Potter has evacuated because of fires or storms since September.

“It’s OK because we’re not fighting,” Potter said. “I get to leave and he stays. It’s like, ‘See you later.’ We’re both happy.

“I feel better not being under the cliff in my sleep,” Potter said. “If he feels OK that’s his problem. If something happens maybe I’ll zip on down and dig him out.”

With the storm expected to last through Thursday, there was concern about the combination of rainfall rates and the long duration, said Suzanne Grimmesey, a spokeswoman for Santa Barbara County.

With the grim Montecito experience in recent memory, Santa Barbara County ordered evacuation of areas along its south coast near areas burned by several wildfires dating back to 2016.

“We actually do feel good about the evacuation order,” Grimmesey said. “Law enforcement was out in the extreme risk areas of Montecito yesterday knocking on doors. For those that were home, we had a very good cooperation rate with people leaving.”

Many residents in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties have faced repeated evacuations or advisories since December, when a wind-driven fire grew into the largest in recorded state history and destroyed more than 1,000 buildings.

In Los Angeles County, authorities canceled some planned mandatory evacuations because of a projected decrease in rainfall but kept others in place because of debris flows in one canyon area stripped bare by wildfire.

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By Associated Press – published on STL.News by St. Louis Media, LLC (Z.S)

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#California storm #forecasters say #Worst still to come

[junker-town]

Why the Giants fired Ben McAdoo as the head coach

An embarrassingly bad Giants team is turning the page on the 2017 season already.

First Ben McAdoo lost games. Then he lost his locker room. Then, just days after a Thanksgiving loss to Washington, McAdoo made his most controversial move yet — benching starting quarterback Eli Manning in a desperate attempt to save his job.

After that, there was no going back.

The Giants fired their second-year head coach on Monday, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, ending his tenure after lasting halfway through one of the worst seasons in franchise history. His Week 13 loss to the Raiders leaves the Giants at 2-10, tied for the second worst record in the NFL.

Why fire him now?

With just four games left in the season, the Giants could have easily waited to make the move after Week 17. Firing McAdoo won’t fundamentally alter their season now, but it might appease fans fed up with the team’s direction, especially Manning’s benching, this season.

“But, maybe a change attracts a bigger crowd for the last few home games. Could be a show of goodwill to the fans,” a Giants source told ESPN’s Josina Anderson on Monday morning.

So how did it get to this point for McAdoo and the Giants? What happens next?

Losing the locker room

Suspensions to key starters Janoris Jenkins and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie had raised suspicions about McAdoo’s status among the team and whether he could still command the respect of his players. ESPN’s Josina Anderson confirmed his strained relationships with a damning report that ultimately spelled the end of his time in New York.

“McAdoo has lost this team,” an unnamed player told Anderson Wednesday. “He’s got us going 80 percent on Saturdays before we get on a plane to play a game, it’s wild. Changed our off day. He’s dishing out fines like crazy. Suspended two of our stars when we need them most. Throws us under the bus all the time. He’s ran us into the ground and people wonder why we’ve been getting got.”

Even after a historic 51-17 loss to the Rams in Week 9, McAdoo maintained that everything was fine. After and a humiliating defeat at the hands of the previously winless 49ers in Week 10, he said he wasn’t embarrassed by the loss. McAdoo refused to acknowledge that his team — particularly the defense — appeared to quit on him.

Things got better briefly with an upset win over the Chiefs in Week 11, but the Giants were humiliated again a week later. And that’s when the move that will come to define the Giants 2017 season happened.

Benching Eli Manning

There was the face of the franchise on Tuesday, Nov. 28, choking back tears as he explained why he wasn’t going to accept an offer to start and be replaced by halftime just to keep his 210-game streak. Eli Manning, who’s been the cornerstone of the Giants since choosing them in the 2004 draft, and his team were effectively done, broken up.

The decision to bench Manning was pinned squarely on McAdoo, and his handling of it couldn’t have been worse. It was a bad look for the franchise publicly and widened the rifts internally.

"I have a ton of respect for Eli not agreeing to play just halves of football to keep his consecutive game streak going," an NFC East general manager told SB Nation’s Thomas George. "They should have let him finish the season. You’re 2-9 and you’re not going anywhere. Let him finish with some honor.”

It was done because McAdoo thought he could do better with Geno Smith and Davis Webb, who wasn’t even active for the team’s Week 13 game. The head coach thought he could perhaps salvage his job.

But even that was a stretch inside the Giants organization.

"Ben wasn’t ready to be a head coach," a Giants front office executive said. "Let’s be straight about that. He didn’t have the confidence. He didn’t know how to deal with all of the players. He wasn’t ready for New York. When had he really led before? If he gets to 7-9, that will be a surprise. That would be one heck of a Christmas considering everything."

Team owner Joh Mara was upset with how the move was handled as well.

Sources: Some members of the #Giants ownership did not agree with how Eli Manning was handled this week and there was intense and serious internal debate. They are trying to figure out the fallout, leading to John Mara not guaranteeing Ben McAdoo would finish the season.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 3, 2017

Smith was OK against the Raiders in Week 13 — about the same as Manning this season — but the Giants still lost, falling to 2-10.

Now, McAdoo won’t be back with the Giants, but Eli Manning probably won’t be either.

What this means for the Giants

McAdoo had a successful first year with the club, going 11-5 and leading New York to the playoffs after two seasons as the team’s offensive coordinator. However, whatever success he had in 2016 seemed to just be a holdover from the Tom Coughlin era, as the Giants quickly fell apart in 2017. Injuries played a major role — key starters Odell Beckham Jr., Brandon Marshall, and Weston Richburg have all landed on injured reserve this season — but McAdoo’s inability to command his defense ultimately led to his demise.

However, McAdoo was hired for his offensive work with the Packers and then as the Giants offensive coordinator in 2014. Under his leadership, the Giants never scored more than 28 points in a game.

Spagnuolo, the team’s defensive coordinator, will be left to pick up the pieces. The longtime NFL veteran served as the Rams’ head coach from 2009 to 2011, but went just 10-38 over that span. He’s also the man who oversaw Week 9’s 51-17 spanking at the hands of a revitalized Los Angeles team. While his players may rally around him after the change in management, New York is probably looking at a top-five draft pick next spring.

This is only the third time in the history of the team that a head coach has been fired during the season. The last time it happened was in 1976 when Bill Arnsparger was let go seven games into the year.

What this means for Ben McAdoo

McAdoo is an offensively driven coach who lost his top wideouts in 2017 and spiraled out from there. Without Beckham and Marshall, the Giants were forced to rely on a below-average group of running backs, which allowed the losses to begin piling up. Once that happened, his personnel struggles with players and inability to manage a team introduced a new set of problems that flooded his locker room like a sinking ship.

That’s bad news for a head coach, but the good news is it shouldn’t affect his viability as an assistant or coordinator. McAdoo will get another chance — it just won’t be at the top level.