I used to be a church pastor. I was for a very long time during my most youthful and productive years. No longer a pastor and no longer tied into the story so tightly as I was of the literal truth of the Bible, I still find that “pastor” is still lingering as part of how I define and identify myself. Actually, I find that “I used to be a pastor” is the phrase that still pops up when talking in the present, so I must still identify with the experience for sure. Recently someone told me I was still stuck in my past job description as part of my present identity, and I had to agree. It is less and less each year, but nevertheless, she was right. It’s easy to get stuck in who or what one used to be and let it color the present. When it comes right down to it, it matters little what one used to be or do and is not a valid way to define one’s present. We all change. Life both provides for and forces change whether we like it or not and it is acceptance of that reality that is more in keeping with a genuine self identity.
But whether as pastor, or a policeman, or an accountant, mom, friend or parent, what we used to be is not who we are. It might have been what we did, or a role that we had in life, but it never was who we are. Try this…without saying anything good or bad about yourself, who are you? Most will slip and say what they do for a living, or some educational credentials or even something negative about how they perceive themselves to be, but that breaks the rules. The implication of that kind of answer is that when one ceases to be the doctor, lawyer or Indian Chief, once ceases to be, which is ridiculous. Ultimately, the only answer there is turns out to be “myself”. I am who I am. You know, the Popeye Mantra.
I don’t like change, but on this planet, life is nothing but change it seems. We make kids promise at their wedding, upon pain of eternal death and damnation, never to change from this moment forward, yet forget to tell them that outside of them, everything and everyone else will change! Seems a bit unfair to me. Life is entrances and exits, careers chosen and lost, ideas that work and then don’t, people who show up and then disappear. Life is change. There is a lot to say for endeavoring to keep things stable, it is just that we often learn that if we want to stay balanced and sane, we often have to give up the idea of being masters of the universe.
So how can we stop indentifying with who or what we thought ourselve to be, and bring our personal identity more into the present. The most profoundly right answers to this question are often the most simple to state.
1. Live in the present because NOW is all one really has. The past and future are all states of mind that are neither real nor productive places to rummage around in. The past is the source of our anger and if repressed, our depression and the unknowable future is the source of our anxiety, trying to figure out how things will be, when we can’t know. Just stop it. NOW is all we have and every past moment was a NOW we had back then and we remember and every future event is a NOW not yet here. But when it “get’s here,” it will be another NOW.
2. You are not defined by what you do or who you think you are. When you no longer are or do that, you are still here. You are YOU. The sum total of genetics you had no say in, personality you are hard wired with, and circumstances that you may or may not have some control over. Life is choices. Make the ones you can. Accept with a “nothing is for nothing” attitude those you can’t and drink cool water. Just do it.
3. Recognize that true human spirituality and happiness is an inside job. It all comes from within you. True spirituality doesn’t need you to be anywhere to support some group endeavor and have your sincerity judged by your attendance. True spirituality doesn’t motivate you with fear, guilt, shame and fear. And true spirituality certainly doesn’t require ten percent of your income for “God” so he can bless you more than you can possibly imagine, with more stuff.
I guess that’s all I have to say about that…
Permalink
Comments Off
When is a dividend not a dividend?
The latest thing “conservative” brokers are preaching these days is to buy stocks that pay dividends. Everyone likes dividends. I know I do, but when Wall Street tells me something I am automatically suspicious because they lie to me every day. Is this a new scam? Let’s take a look.
When you buy a bond or a CD at the bank it pays interest and is a real dividend. You might get a check every month, quarter or annually or receive a credit to your account. The amount of your principle (what you paid for it) remains the same. Yes, that is a true dividend.
Companies make big splashes about raising their dividend. It was 50 cents per share, but we have raised it to $1.00. Big deal. Yes, you will receive a check and at least you know the company has cash available to pay you. That is an indication the company is in good financial condition, but there have been many of the big names on the NYSE that have continued dividends even when they have lost money. How can that be?
Currently Microsoft has announced a dividend of $3.00 per share. The talking heads on CNBC-TV tell us they are loaded with cash and want to distribute it to their stockholders. Many people buy the stock in anticipation of the dividend as they think they will be getting an extra $3.00 per share. They are in for a big surprise.
The day that dividend is paid Microsoft stock (symbol MSFT) will automatically drop $3.00 per share. Today $27.00; tomorrow $24.00. Folks, this is NOT a dividend. This is a distribution of capital. You are being paid in your own asset. The fool that believes the Wall Street mumbo-jumbo will not have one extra penny after the dividend than he did before. In fact he will have less. Why?
The stockholder will now be allowed to pay income tax on the “dividend” distribution. To make that “dividend” seem even better the Bush administration has reduced dividend taxes from 38.6% to 15%. Thanks, Mr. Bush. Thanks for nothing. I can’t blame him for more Maul Street smoke and mirrors. He has just made it cost less to get back your own money.
Companies seldom pay large dividends and they are paid quarterly. A $30 stock that pays a 4% dividend ($1.20) on a quarterly basis shows a decrease in the stock price that day of 30 cents per share and is lost in the noise of trading. Few notice that part of the price change is due to the “dividend”.
When you own the stock of any company the most important criteria is to find one that is in a long term upward trend. Never buy a stock that is showing a decline no matter how “good” the company may be. Even sideways movements should be avoided. Keep in mind you are buying the stock to make money. Forget the dividends and all other “reasons” and remember if it isn’t going up, don’t buy it!
Al Thomas’ book, “If It Doesn’t Go Up, Don’t Buy
It!” has helped thousands of people make money
and keep their profits with his simple 2-step
method. Read the first chapter at
http://www.mutualfundmagic.com
and discover why he’s the man that Wall Street
does not want you to know.
Copyright 2005
al@mutualfundstrategy.com; 1-888-345-7870
Permalink
Comments Off
Want your images to have effects that’ll make it stand out more and show up well on every background tones? With Photoshop, you could achieve these effects for your images by its features that work on light and dark edges. These allow you to work on bringing out the best edges of your image - lighten or darken it, anyway you please to match on background tones and make it stand out more.
Through highlighting edges of your photo, you also highlight its details. The method of unsharp mask and others like the difference of Gaussians increase the change in brightness close to each step. This technique’s standard version adds a bright halo along the bright edge of the step and a dark halo along the dark edge. Depending on what effect you’d like for your image, there are advantages in just using one or the other. Using both may not do very much to improve your image, though.
There are several advantages of using any of the effects for the edges on real images. One is that it reduces interference between steps or detail and the haloes from other, nearby steps. Another thing, the light or dark haloes make other features of the image stand out better from the background.
Start doing this effect on your images using Photoshop by following several procedures:
1st step is duplicate the layer holding the image
2nd step - apply the conventional unsharp mask
3rd step - set the layer blending mode to “Darken” or “Lighten”.
However, you must understand that this only works for 8 bit per channel images - those that can be put into layers but it could function also on 16 bit per channel pictures with Optipix plug-in that allows direct selection of dark or light edges.
If you are not sure about which edge halo to use, there are general rules regarding such:
1. On light background tones, light edges don’t show up well and vice versa on dark ones.
2. The halo should lie on the background, not on the foreground. This technique helps the feature stand out without having to change its brightness values.
Sometimes the following rules are in conflict. It is necessary, then, to try several combinations to decide which is best. You can try both edges, light edges only, dark edges only. You can experiment since different regions of your image may call for different answers.
As you experiment for the best results, you’ll come to know that using unsharp mask filter may drive you to add too much additional local contrast. Understand that though adding some local contrast can make a bland image turn into a good one, adding too much creates a disaster. Take care not to add too much and make the image appear more like caricatures than photos. Remember that what looks best on the computer screen may not be the same in print since the process somewhat compresses contrast and blurs detail.
About The Author
Lala C. Ballatan is a 26 year-old Communication Arts graduate, with a major in Journalism. Right after graduating last 1999, she worked for one year as a clerk then became a Research, Publication and Documentation Program Director at a non-government organization, which focuses on the rights, interests and welfare of workers for about four years.
Book reading has always been her greatest passion — mysteries, horrors, psycho-thrillers, historical documentaries and classics. She got hooked into it way back when she was but a shy kid.
Her writing prowess began as early as she was 10 years old in girlish diaries. With writing, she felt freedom - to express her viewpoints and assert it, to bring out all concerns — imagined and observed, to bear witness.
For comments and inquiries about the article visit http://www.ucreative.com
|
|
Permalink
Comments Off
When you arrive at the Bournemouth airport, usually the first thing you want to find is some information on car rentals. In Bournemouth there are a lot of rent-a-car companies, so finding them is not a problem. Just connect to the Internet and look for them. By the way, keep in mind that the common spelling mistake is forgetting about “n” in the town’s name, so you should check both “car rentals in Bournemouth” and “car rentals in Bouremouth” phrases.
How to find all car rentals in Bournemouth and compare prices?
The problem is that there is no universal “rent-a-car in Bournemouth” website. Most information about the car rentals in Bournemouth is hidden at the British car rental companies’ websites, so comparing offers might be time-consuming. Fortunately I have found a place that might be helpful. It is one of the companies’ websites, , but in addition to their propositions they offer lots of links to their competitor as they claim to have better prices than any other company. I don’t know if their claim is true, but nevertheless they offer an excellent comparison of car rentals in Bournemouth.
Things that must be checked before you rent a car
First you must know exactly what you are going to do with the car. Do you need car rentals only for Bournemouth travels or do you want to go farther, even abroad? There are so many possible factors (mileage, time, your age, traveling abroad, extra insurance etc.) which will affect the final price, that you must know all of them before you start visiting car rentals in Bournemouth. It is important especially if you plan to travel abroad, as the fees varies greatly among the companies and you can pay sometimes even twice as much as you planned to do only because you had a quick trip to Calais for a dinner.
Fortunately when you decide on one of the companies, the rest is easy - the competition is big enough to force their salespersons to be as helpful as it is possible.
Mike Simms is the founder of Coupons for rental cars a
website providing information on Renting a car.
Permalink
Comments Off
A fantastic lounge lizard recipe for: Brandy Smash, with mint, superfine sugar, club soda, brandy, orange and maraschino cherry.
Category: Cocktails – Short drinks
Ingredients: 4 fresh mint sprigs
1 tsp superfine sugar
1 oz club soda
2 1/2 oz brandy
1 slice orange
1 maraschino cherry
How to: In an old-fashioned glass, muddle the mint sprigs lightly with the sugar and club soda. Fill the glass with ice cubes. Add the brandy. Stir well and garnish with the orange slice and the cherry.
Glassware: Old-Fashioned Glass
Permalink
Comments Off
I know you wouldn’t make such a gross error, but it set my teeth on edge as I heard yet again a pundit from a major television network describe a place as “very, very unique.”
What is going on that we Americans feel compelled to modify and glorify every noun or verb, as though the words themselves were not sufficient to express a thought accurately? The English language is, after all, a rich, yeasty, varied language with more than enough words to convey even a complex idea. And as a living language it is in a constant state of growth and change.
Fine. But why must so much of the change be downright wrong? The use of “very (very, very, very!) unique” is a common example of wrongness–so common, in fact, that we rarely even hear the word without a modifier. Perhaps it demonstrates our feelings of being insufficient–of requiring something extra to feel as though we’re expressive English speakers. How distressing.
You see, the word “unique” means that whatever it is that is unique is unlike anything else in the universe. Therefore, it cannot be modified at all-not by any other word in English or any other language–not even French, although “tres unique” may sound quite sophisticated and upper class to some people. (That pesky TV again.)
If the mountain climate, for example, is unique it cannot be very unique, somewhat unique, extremely unique or anything-else unique. As long as there is no other climate in the world exactly like the climate on that mountain it is unique. Period.
It can be rather unusual, somewhat unusual or extremely unusual or anything-else unusual.
If, as a public speaker, you feel the need to emphasize the word unique, you can do it with the pacing of your sentence and with your breath. Simply make a teeny break before the word, and again after the word.
Let the timbre of your voice carry the strength of the word by thinking how special that word is. Sounds loopy, doesn’t it? The mind, however, is your primary guide for carrying your intention to the audience by means of the sound of your voice. Thinking is wunnerful! It works.
Carole McMichaels, Author of Fearless Public Speaking: How To Get Rid of Your Stage Fright and Prepare and Deliver a Winning Presentation.” A lifetime as a performing musician and composer, coupled with over 30 years as a therapist/coach and public speaker has given me a varied and comprehensive background for working effectively with clients on the technical, structural and emotional aspects of public speaking. And besides that, it’s fun.
http://www.getridofpublicspeakingfears.com
Permalink
Comments Off
A higher search ranking is what many website owners dream of. What they don’t realise is that by optimising their site for the search engines, if done correctly, they can also optimise it for their site visitors.
Ultimately this means more people finding your website and increased sales and lead generation. But are search engine optimisation and usability compatible? Aren’t there trade-offs that need to be made between giving search engines what they want and giving people what they want? Read on and find out (although I’m sure you can guess the answer!)…
1. Keyword research carried out
Before you even begin building your website, you should carry out keyword research to identify which keyword phrases your site should target. Using publicly available tools such as Wordtracker (http://www.wordtracker.com), you can discover which keywords are searched for the most frequently and then specifically target those phrases.
Doing keyword research is also crucial for your site’s usability. By using the same keywords in your website that web users are searching for in search engines, you’ll literally be speaking the same language as your site visitors.
For example, you might decide to target the phrase, “sell toys”, as your website does in fact sell toys. Keyword research would undoubtedly show you that web users are actually searching for, “buy toys” (think about it - have you ever searched using the word, “sell”, when you want to buy something?). By placing the phrase, “buy toys” on to the pages on your website, you’ll be using the same words as your site visitors and they’ll be able to find what they’re looking for more easily.
2. 200 word minimum per page
Quite simply, search engines love content - the more content there is on a page the easier it is for search engines to work out what the page is actually about. Search engines may struggle to work out the point of a web page with less than 200 words, ultimately penalising that page in the search rankings.
In terms of usability, it’s also good to avoid pages with very little content. A page with less than 200 words is unlikely to contain a large amount of information, so site visitors will undoubtedly need to click elsewhere to find more detailed information. Don’t be afraid to put a reasonably large amount of information on to a page. Web users generally don’t mind scrolling down anymore, and provided the page provides mechanisms to aid scanning (such as employing sub-headings - see point 6 below) it shouldn’t be too difficult for site visitors to locate the information that they’re after.
3. 100kb maximum HMTL size
If 200 words is the minimum page content size, then 100kb is the maximum, at least in terms of HMTL file size. Anything more than this and search engines may give up on the page as it’s simply too big for them.
A 100kb HMTL file will take 20 seconds to download on a 56k dial up modem, used by three in four UK web users as of March 2004 (source: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/intc0504.pdf). Add on the time it takes for all the other parts of the page to download, such as images and JavaScript files, and you’re looking at a highly un-user-friendly download time!
4. CSS used for layout
The website of Juicy Studios (http://www.juicystudio.com) saw a six-fold increase in site visitors after switching from a table-based layout to a CSS layout. Search prefer CSS-based sites and are likely to score them higher in the search rankings because:
The code is cleaner and therefore more accessible to search engines
Important content can be placed at the top of the HTML document
There is a greater density of content compared to coding
Using CSS for layout is also highly advantageous for usability, as it leads to significantly faster download times.
5. Meaningful page title
If you know anything about search engine optimisation you’ll know that search engines place more importance on the page title than any other attribute on the page. If the title adequately describes the content of that page then search engines will be able to more accurately guess what that page is about.
A meaningful page title also helps site visitors work out where they are, both within the site and the web as a whole. The page title is the first thing that loads up, often quite a few seconds before the content, so a descriptive, keyword-rich page title can be a real aid to help users orientate themselves.
6. Headings and sub-headings used
Search engines assume that the text contained in heading tags is more important than the rest of the document text, as headings (in theory at least) summarise the content immediately below them.
Headings are also incredibly useful for your human site visitors, as they greatly aid scanning. Generally speaking, we don’t read on the web, we scan, looking for the information that we’re after. By breaking up page sections with sub-headings that effectively describe the content beneath them, scanning becomes significantly easier.
Do be sure not to abuse heading tags though. The more text you have contained in heading tags within the page, the less importance search engines assign to them.
7. Opening paragraph describes page content
We’ve already established that search engines love content, but they especially love the first 25 words or so on each page. By providing an opening paragraph that adequately describes the content of the rest of the page (or the site if it’s the homepage), you should be able to include your important keyword phrases in this crucial area.
As web users, whenever we arrive at a web page the first thing we need to know is whether this page has the information that we’re after. A great way to find this out is to scan through the first paragraph, which, if it sufficiently describes the page content, should help us out.
8. Descriptive link text
Search engines place a lot of importance on link text. They assume that link text will be descriptive of its destination and as such examine link text for all links pointing to any page. If all the links pointing to a page about widgets say ‘click here’, search engines can’t gain any information about that page without visiting it. If on the other hand, all the links say, ‘widgets’ then search engines can easily guess what that page is about.
One of the best examples of this in action is for the search term, ‘miserable failure’. So many people have linked to George Bush’s bio using this phrase as the link text, that now when miserable failure is searched for in Google, George Bush’s bio appears top of the search rankings!
As web users, we don’t generally read web pages word-for-word - we scan them looking for the information that we’re after. When you scan through text you can’t take any meaning from the word ‘click here’. Link text that effectively describes its destination is far easier to scan and you can understand the destination of the link without having to read its surrounding words.
9. Frames avoided
Frames are quite an old-school technique, and although aren’t as commonplace as they once were, do still rear up their ugly head from time to time. Using frames is one of the worst possible things you could do for your search engine ranking, as most search engines can’t follow links between frames.
Even if a search engine does index your pages and web users find you through a search engine, they’ll be taken to one of the pages within the frame. This page will probably be a content page with no navigation (navigation is normally contained in a separate frame) and therefore no way to navigate to any other page on the site!
Frames are also disadvantageous for usability as they can cause problems with the back button, printing, history and bookmarking. Put simply, say no to frames!
10. Quality content provided
This may seem like a strange characteristic of a search engine optimised website, but it’s actually crucial. Search engines, in addition to looking at page content, look at the number of links pointing in to web pages. The more inbound links a website has, all other things being equal, the higher in the search rankings it will appear.
By providing creative, unique and regularly updated content on your website, webmasters will want to link to you as doing so will add value to their site visitors. You will also be adding value to your site visitors.
Conclusion
Optimising your website for both search engines and people needn’t be a trade-off. With this much overlap between the two areas, you should easily be able to have a website that web users can find in the search engines, and when they do find it, they can find what they’re looking for quickly and efficiently.
This article was written by Trenton Moss. He’s crazy about web usability and accessibility - so crazy that he went and started his own web usability and accessibility consultancy ( Webcredible - www.webcredible.co.uk ) to help make the Internet a better place for everyone.
Permalink
Comments Off
Supply and Demand Issues Fuel China’s Automobile, Steel, and
Coal Industries
Suppliers and Participants Mittal Steel, PUDA Coal, SORL Auto
Parts, and China Automotive Systems Benefit From China’s Growing
Industrial Economy
www.China-AsiaStocks.com
As China’s growing economy and expanding infrastructure impacts
demand and supply in major industry sectors including
automotive, steel, and coal, companies that are positioned in
China as suppliers will benefit. Mergers and acquisitions,
rising prices and overall strength in construction and
infrastructure all indicate strong growth signals within the
sectors.
The automotive industry is anticipated to be driven by Asian
demand and Asian consumers for the next five years. In addition,
China’s surging construction levels are in turn pushing the
demand for commercial vehicles higher. China’ entry into US
automotive markets and expected increased exports, changes the
face of the global automotive industry. Companies that will
survive and benefit from the global changes will have
incorporated strategies to position themselves in both China and
the US.
SORL Auto Parts (OTCBB: SAUP), China’s leading manufacturer and
distributor of automotive air brake valves for the commercial
vehicle market identifies North America as a key focus for
increasing export sales, taking advantage of the construction
industry’s growing demands.
With China continuing to expand its infrastructure, demand for
coal is on the rise globally and within China. Recent news that
China’s largest electricity producer, China Huaneng Group,
signed a letter of intent (LOI) with Shanxi Coking Coal Group
(one of China’s largest coking companies) to jointly develop a
coal mine is a positive sign for smaller companies like PUDA
Coal (OTCBB: PUDC), a supplier of premium grade coking coal to
the steel making industry. Supply for coking coal is anticipated
to increase by 5.4 million tons this year.
With coking coal utilized to smelt iron and steel, it is
directly impacted by the steel industry. Steel prices and stocks
are up based on discussions of M&A and consolidation. With steel
prices increasing more than 150 percent since 2003 based on US
and the increased demand from China and India, it sets the stage
for Mittal Steel, one of the world’s biggest steel makers,
acquiring a 37.17 percent stake of a subsidiary of Hunan Valin
Iron and Steel Group of China. Mittal, U.S. Steel and Nucor
control 55 percent of the U.S. steel market.
Auto Industry Transformation
China’s automotive industry has experienced rapid growth since
the country opened itself up to the rest of the world and
adopted economic reforms. In addition, the 2008 Olympics in
Beijing and the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai are two key events
that are expected to stimulate significant growth in the
transportation logistics industries. Meanwhile, massive
construction projects all over China are spurring the growth in
the heavy duty vehicle and commercial vehicle market.
SORL Auto Parts is meeting the increasing demand as a
manufacturer and distributor of automotive air brake valves and
hydraulic brake valves mainly for the commercial vehicles
market. For the nine months ended September 30, 2005, the
Company realized an increase of 38 percent generating sales of
$45.8 million, compared to $33.1 million for the nine months
ended September 30, 2004. David He, SORL’s Senior Manager of
Investor Relations and International Business Strategy and
Planning states, “The trend of urbanization gives China’s
construction sector a historic opportunity. The booming
construction sector also stimulates the development of
construction materials and construction machinery, resulting in
tremendous increase in demand for transportation, particularly
the use of heavy duty vehicles. It is expected that heavy duty
vehicles will maintain a significant market in China. In 2005,
China’s total heavy duty truck output was approximately 250,000
units. Industry experts estimate that the market will sustain an
annual growth rate ranging from 10% to 15% until the national
output reaches 600,000 units per year. It is projected that
total annual output of heavy duty vehicles in China will reach
450,000 to 500,000 units by 2008.”
According to Mr. He, there are four major driving factors for
this industry: “First of all, the Chinese economic growth and
the progress of urbanization will ultimately drive the demand
for automobiles. Also, it is the government’s industrial policy
to support the development of the auto industry as one of the
nation’s pillar industries. Thirdly, rapid expansion of the
domestic auto market in recent years, leading to the
corresponding growth of auto parts market, for both OEM and
aftermarket. Last but not least, the relatively low cost of
Chinese auto parts has driven increasing volume of auto parts
exports; the lower cost of qualified labor has attracted more
and more foreign investment, shifting manufacturing from their
home countries - each of these factors promotes the development
of the Chinese auto parts industry.”
China Automotive is one of the major suppliers of power steering
systems and components to China’s automotive industry. Jie Li,
Investor Relations Officer for China Automotive states,
“Infrastructure build up reflected in highway, transportation
and bridge construction will continue to increase. The national
highway system is aiming at 1 million miles. CAGR of the Chinese
auto market will remain at 15% for the next 5 to 10 years.
Subsequently, the auto parts market will look healthy as well.
With the trend of global purchasing of auto parts, the Chinese
auto parts market will enjoy 20% annual growth. Also, joint
ventures between Chinese auto makers and foreign car makers will
increase domestic auto parts purchases. Another important issue
that will benefit the domestic auto parts market is that the
Chinese government now requires auto makers to purchase 40% of
their parts from domestic firms in the first year, and 60% in
the second year.”
Building Demand from Construction
The Chinese steel industry has continued to experience double
digit annual rates of growth as it has worked to keep pace with
the construction boom. China has grown to the largest steel
market in the world from a relative unknown in short order. As
reported in Global Insight, Steel at a Crossroads: China’s role
in shaping new global market, “China’s steel consumption is up
110% over a six-year period and is still rising, producing over
26% of the world’s supply of steel, while consuming 27%.”On the
other hand, the growth of the steel industry is also restricted
by the limited supply of many non-renewable raw materials, such
as coal, coke and iron ore.
As vital suppliers to the steel industry, both thermal coal and
coking coal producers are facing very high demand. According to
the China Coal Industry Association (CCIA), with demand rising,
the price of thermal coal used for power production had risen 50
percent to more than $60 a tonne since the beginning of this
year; term prices for coking coal, the material used in steel
production, are set to almost double next year, to $100 a tonne
or above from under $60 this year.
PUDA Coal, a Chinese coking coal producer, is benefiting
significantly from the high profitability provided by this
trend. According to Puda CEO Zhao Ming, “The factor that drives
the demand for coking coal is the mass construction of
infrastructure, including but not limited to real estate
development, extended urbanization process, western region
development and the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. These projects
require the use of large amounts of steel, and coking coal is
essential in making coke, which is largely used in the steel
making process. Puda’s future focus is to sell directly to steel
mills with their own coking facilities (or so-called integrated
coking-steel making mills). ”
Mark Lidiard, Vice President of Investor Relations and
Communications for BHP Billiton, the biggest coking coal
producer in the world states, “Metallurgical coal is used in
steel making industries, and incremental demand for
metallurgical coal is primarily being driven by the growth in
the Chinese steel market. On the other hand, steaming or thermal
coal is used in power industry, and they tend to be driven more
by global power demand. Although again incremental growth in
power in China is causing some pressure on the thermal coal
industry, which again is creating good demand for thermal coal
products around the world. As well very high current oil and gas
prices are driving the demand for coal.”
Mittal Steel, one of the world’s biggest steel makers, signed an
agreement in 2005 to acquire a 37.17 percent stake of a
subsidiary of Hunan Valin Iron and Steel Group of China.
According to the Company, “This transaction is a key milestone
for Mittal Steel’s business in China and is an integral part of
its global strategy. China is the world’s largest consumer of
steel products and demand is expected to continue to grow
strongly. Mittal Steel’s participation in the expected growth of
the Chinese steel industry will be further enhanced through its
investment in the Company and its partnership with Valin Group.”
Lakshmi Mittal, Chairman and CEO of Mittal Steel, had been
quoted as stating, “We are confident that demand for steel in
China will remain strong and this acquisition is very much
intended as a first step towards a more significant production
presence in this country. China is experiencing a period of
rapid economic growth and we are excited by the prospect of
being a participant in this.”
____________
Investors and industry following the growth in China should look
at trends including pricing increases, import and export growth
and restrictions, as well as global demand influences, to find
new opportunities. Steel demands are on the rise globally as
infrastructure in China and India continues to grow, creating a
robust steel market and an automotive industry that is going
through dramatic changes as the east and west converges.
Disclaimer: www.InvestorIdeas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp
©Copyright InvestorIdeas 2006
Permalink
Comments Off
A good musician should be able to read music as easily as the
newspaper. With adequate technique, good eyesight and persistent
practice, any pianist may become a good sight-reader. In this
case, practice means not the study of music for performance, but
the playing at sight of hymns, accompaniments, solo pieces,
duets - anything that is within the technical grasp.
Many good performers are poor sight-readers for the reason that
mastery of large compositions, which requires many repetitions
of small sections at a slow tempo, tends to create an inability
to grapple with music in any other way. Here the effort towards
accuracy predominates. Thorough study of master works is, of
course, indispensable; but the ability to play at sight is
equally necessary for the practical musician.
In training one’s self, the first condition is that all the
music to be read shall be seen for the first time. The secret of
success is to be able to manipulate the keyboard while the eyes
are steadily held to the page. If one memorizes easily, and is
accustomed to play with the eyes upon the keys, the temptation
is, at even a second reading, to look away and depend somewhat
upon the memory. It is this feeling of dependence or
non-dependence upon notes that differentiate between the good
sight reader and the good memorizer.
If you play from memory and have the habit of watching the
keyboard, confine your reading for a time to music that lies
close under your fingers. Or, tie the strings of an apron around
your neck, spreading out the skirt over the rack, with the music
holding it there, so that your hands are completely hidden. When
you cannot see what they are doing, you will not be tempted to
look at them; and gradually you will learn to gauge the
intervals over which the fingers must pass without the aid of
sight.
Getting the Right Kind Of Music:
For sight-reading, always select music well below your technical
acquirements, so that the whole attention may be concentrated
upon the notes. Look it over carefully before attempting to
play. Determine the key and the mode (whether major or minor)
and make a mental picture of the scale and the principal chords
of that key with reference to the keyboard. Look at the
signature, and beat out (surreptitiously, if you are to play
before listeners) the rhythm. Note accidentals and changes of
key or tempo.
Then, without hesitation or slackening of the time, play
straight through with the fewest mistakes possible. Although the
ultimate aim is, of course, no mistakes at all, that aim is not
furthered by stopping to pick up a lost chord. Keep looking
ahead, and follow St. Paul’s advice as to forgetting the things
that are behind.
Even a foundational knowledge of harmony helps. If one if
familiar with tonic, dominant, and sub-dominant chords in all
keys, it will be comparatively easy to grasp the general
harmonic scheme; and in playing the bass of duets, or
accompaniments for singers, this is the main thing.
But it is not enough to be able to play at sight what is
prescribed for the composer. A real musician should have a
mental apprehension of the sounds indicated by the printed
symbols without hearing them. If you can read and understand a
book without saying the words aloud, you can surely become
sufficiently familiar with notes to read and understand music in
the same way.
Try to cultivate this real musicianship. Take something very
simple, but unfamiliar. Play over the scale and the opening
harmony, so as to be sure of the pitch. Sing in your mind some
of the melodic intervals, and test them at the piano. Form a
distinct mental picture of the sound of a chord, and test this
in the same way. Try a succession of melodic intervals, then of
chords, then a whole phrase, melody and harmony together,
endeavoring first to comprehend the effect away from the piano,
but finally playing them to verify or correct your impression.
Eventually the printed symbols will come to represent definite
sounds; and when your brain so understands the music, your
fingers will unhesitatingly obey its promptings.
To acquire facility in sight-reading there is just one
all-comprehensive prescription: read. Read all the music you can
find that is within, or, still better, below your technical
grasp. It is not necessary to play it in the prescribed tempo,
but go through to the end without hesitation. Try to get at
least the initial notes of each measure, but trust to the future
for ability to get them all. It is sure to come with time and
perseverance.
Permalink
Comments Off
In health clubs, they run classes that call themselves “aerobics”. As you will come to see, they are neither aerobic, nor are they the best way to lose the excess fat. The main thing they accomplish for you is losing weight from your wallet.
True Aerobics
The word “aerobic” literally means “with air”. It is the opposite of anaerobic (without air). These terms refer to the way in which your cells are providing the energy for your muscles to work. Anaerobic means sugars are being burned without oxygen, which creates a by-product of lactic acid. This lactic acid accumulates in your muscles, causing them to feel like they’re burning. Aerobic means that blood sugar and fat are being burned in oxygen, which has only carbon dioxide as a by-product, which you exhale. Low intensity exercise is aerobic because you can inhale enough oxygen to meet your muscles’ energy needs. High intensity exercise needs far more energy, but you can’t breathe in enough air to keep up, so you feel “out of breath”. But your muscles still need the energy, so they switch to anaerobic. However, you can’t burn fat in anaerobic mode, only sugars, so you can’t keep it up too long, and you’re not accomplishing your goal of fat-reduction.
Whatever activity you choose, you know you’re in an aerobic mode if you can take deep breaths and carry on a conversation. If you’re taking fast, shallow breaths through your mouth, then no matter how slow you may be going or what kind of activity it is, you’re doing it anaerobically. Does that mean that walking to the store is aerobic activity? Yes. Most things you do all day are aerobic. For it to be exercise, though, you have to raise your heart rate. So, get the blood flowing by walking fast, and you’ll be burning fat in no time.
For aerobic exercise to be effective, it has to be long duration. When you start to move around, your body will burn blood-sugar in oxygen aerobically, but it won’t trigger your fat cells to provide any fat to burn right away. Your body would prefer to wait for your next meal to replace the blood sugar. It’s only when you show your body that it will need more energy right away that it will recruit fat from your fat stores. Once the fat starts to flow, you have to burn it, or else it will be re-deposited unused. So what does that mean? When you do a low-intensity exercise, it will really do you no good until you pass the 15-20 minute mark. Until then, you are just burning blood-sugar. Once the fat starts to flow, that’s when the work really begins, and you should continue exercising and burning that fat for at least 20 more minutes if you continue your low-intensity activity. If you switch to a higher-intensity activity, try to breathe as deeply as possible to continue your aerobic burning.
Use Your Biggest Weapons
If your goal is fat-reduction and you want to achieve it as quickly as possible, you must use your biggest weapons. Larger muscles burn more energy than smaller muscles. Therefore, your choice of exercise should make use of your largest muscles, which are your gluteus maximus and your quadriceps… your butt and your thighs. Walking, jogging, stair climbing, cross country skiing, rollerblading and bicycling are all great examples of activities you can keep up for a long period of time, while breathing deeply and using your largest muscles. Swimming, unfortunately, is mostly an upper-body activity, no matter how hard you think you’re kicking.
The arm movements that you see some “power-walkers” doing, as well as the complicated patterns in “aerobics” classes at the gym are doing nothing to speed up weight loss. Arm swinging can improve your circulation and keep your mind occupied, but is not necessary, and certainly is no substitute for a good leg workout.
High Intensity Usefulness
High intensity exercise has it’s good points, though. It is important to remember that a well-conditioned heart and lungs can fight heart disease and stroke, and makes all forms of exercise more effective. The only way to improve the function of your heart and lungs is to push them harder than normal, into the anaerobic side of things. When you’re struggling for breath, breathing rapidly, and your heart is pumping at its maximum, you are making them more powerful and prolonging your life. Although anaerobic exercise does not burn fat while you’re doing it, the exercise itself raises your metabolism so that you burn fat afterward for several hours. This is because your body is replacing all the energy you used. My other recommendations can be found in my article on Exercise.
Those high-intensity classes offered by health clubs are good for some people, but there’s no good reason for you to join one if you’ve never done it before. For some people, it makes the workout fun, which is a great motivator. The coach or instructor is also a great source of motivation because they encourage you to continue and push harder. Many people need that. Just remember that it is NOT aerobic exercise. The complicated patterns and arm movements serve no purpose, and if you can’t keep up for more than 20 minutes, it may be a waste of time. For most men (and women) it is far better to do a nice low-intensity warm up for 20 minutes, followed by a moderate to high intensity run or bike for another 10-15 minutes. To get the best aerobic benefits, try to breathe deeply throughout, because that’s what aerobics is really about!
Aerobics is good, but there are better exercises for weight loss, read my article called Exercise: Essential.
Aerobic exercise can be a part of your weight-loss equation. But the most important part you can’t find in a gym, learn more on my site.
David “Mr. Weightless” McCormick is the founder of Weightless Products, the best weight loss program for men. In his series of articles, he covers everything every man needs to know to lose weight fast and keep burning fat. There are no banners, no pop-up ads, no need to sign up, all articles are available in full for FREE. Wait Less for Weight Loss, visit Mr. Weightless today!
Permalink
Comments Off
« Previous entries · Next entries »
